All College
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July 1, 2025
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It was an evening of reliving memories from Thomas Aquinas College’s earliest years — and looking forward to a promising future — when friends old and new gathered June 20 for the Alumni Association Dinner on the California campus. From members of the College’s first graduating class to those who received their diplomas just one month ago, all gathered on the academic quadrangle, joyfully celebrating the College’s enduring legacy. 

The Alumni Association used the evening to celebrate four graduating classes that were marking milestone reunions: the Class of 2020, the Class of 2015, the Class of 2005, and, most notably, the Class of 1975, the College’s first graduating class, marking the 50th anniversary of its graduation. 

Photos: Alumni Dinner
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After dinner, Dr. Tom Kaiser (’75), a longtime faculty member and representative for the founding class, gave an address, regaling attendees with stories from the College’s infancy. He highlighted the decline in orthodoxy in Catholic institutions that caused him and his classmates to choose Thomas Aquinas College before it had even opened, the profound impact the first class had on shaping the College’s curriculum and culture, and the staying power TAC has to this day. 

“How many people have the opportunity to be in the first graduating class of a college?” Dr. Kaiser asked. “It is not normally one of the features you look for in choosing a college. It might even seem a bit foolish to commit to a new college, given the many risks involved. However, it has been a privilege to be part of the startup of a college that has been extremely successful.”