Founders Day

Students, faculty, and staff from Chaminade’s two campuses came together as one school to celebrate the 31st Annual Founders Day Mass. Reverend Oscar Vasquez, S.M., Provincial of the Marianist Province of the United States, concelebrated Mass with Chaminade Chaplains Fr. Ted Ley, S.M. ’58 and Fr. Josephraj Rymond, S.M.

During Mass, President Robert S. Webb named three new Founders of Chaminade College Preparatory – alumni Brian P. McGilvray ’76 and Teresa Uribe McGilvray ’78; and longtime high school Spanish teacher, Marielos Olson. He presented each honoree with a medal and thanked them for their contributions to the school.

Founders Day commemorates Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and his charism to be formed by Mary for the mission of Christ and honors individuals who have made significant contributions to our school.

Brian and Teresa McGilvray, whose first date was Brian’s senior prom, are graduates of Chaminade College Preparatory. Brian graduated from Chaminade in 1976. He has a bachelor’s degree, MBA, and a law degree from Pepperdine University. He is currently serving for the third time on the Chaminade Board of Directors and co-chairs the planning and policy committee. In 2011, Brian was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

Teresa graduated from Chaminade in 1978. She has a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. Teresa worked in the counseling department at Chaminade from 1990-1994 and also served on the board of directors.

Brian and Teresa are the parents of two Chaminade alumni, Chris ’07 and Celine ’12. Teresa’s parents, Ricardo and Maria Uribe, have also been honored as Founders.

Marielos Olson was born into a large Catholic family in Cartago, Costa Rica. After high school, she graduated from Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica as an elementary school teacher. An exchange student scholarship brought her to Ripon College in Wisconsin. She then received a Fulbright Scholarship to earn a master’s degree in language arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. At Madison, Marielos met her husband, Kurt. They have two daughters, Nadya, who is in college, and Anastasia ’19.

Marielos started teaching Spanish at Chaminade on March 10, 1994, right after the Northridge earthquake. During her 25 years of service to Chaminade, she has cherished working with students in the classroom. Her participation in Lumos, the sophomore retreat, has also been a highlight. Marielos was inspired by Fr. Larry Mann, with whom she attended many retreats. Fr. Larry taught Marielos about humility and simplicity, especially when speaking with students.

Marielos will be retiring at the end of this school year. She will miss her colleagues and students but will carry fond memories from her time at Chaminade.