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dmooresatx

Just who is he?

An old hippie traveling incognito through corporate America, living on the edge and making it look easy.

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Compilation of Jefferson's History

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History Compilation by Rod Donaldson

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Staging article on Fiesta Oyster Bake

This article is being written/compiled with plans to eventually move it out into the main Wikipedia article stream. Before that can happen I need to write/compile it and have credible source citations for the information contained in the article. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Fiesta Oyster Bake

Look at the Growing Results of Fiesta Oyster Bake

When a small group of alumni gathered in January of 1916 for their annual meeting and election of officers, they never dreamed they were starting what would later be a huge fundraiser for student scholarships and university programs. In fact, until the early 1940s, the only people in attendance were dues paying members of the then all-male ex-students association of St. Mary's University.

With an original menu of just beer and oysters, Oyster Bake expenses and revenues were small. The earliest copies of expense reports on file show that in 1931, the alumni association paid $26.25 for a keg of beer, one-and-a-half barrels of oysters, some charcoal and horseradish.

The first reference to income is in 1950, when 118 servings of oysters and shrimp were served with a net loss of $72.10. The Sunday, March 4, 1951, event is the first recording of a profit -- $165.96.

Now in its 90th year, the Fiesta Oyster Bake offers a large variety of food, beverages and live musical entertainment to nearly 70,000 patrons over its two-day run. With the help of nearly 7,000 volunteers and numerous local corporate sponsors, the St. Mary's University Alumni Association hosts an annual event that grosses over $1 million and sees net revenues of nearly half of that amount.

Where the Money Goes (originally part of the History page on the FOB web site)

So what does the association do with all that money? It gives it back to St. Mary's University and its students. In recent years, the alumni association's scholarship endowment fund has grown to nearly $6 million dollars, allowing it to fund more than 70 full- and partial-tuition scholarships this past year for St. Mary's students.

Thanks to the growth of the Fiesta Oyster Bake, the alumni association also was able to make a $3.1 million pledge to the Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center at St. Mary's University. The gift, to be paid out over the next few years, is currently the largest donation to the university's $multi-million fundraising campaign.

The association is excited about this gift, which will benefit all St. Mary's students. It also will help the university with its mission of reaching out to the larger San Antonio community, allowing the university to host major speakers, cultural celebrations and other large community gatherings on its campus.

Additional revenues from the Fiesta Oyster Bake are used to fund educational, recreational and spiritual programs for St. Mary's alumni and students, supporting the university's mission of educating graduates who are well-rounded individuals.

So now, when you spend a few dollars at Fiesta Oyster Bake, think of how far the event has come, and how far your money goes.

Economic Impact to St. Mary's University and the San Antonio Community

The Fiesta Oyster Bake Committee and the St. Mary's University Alumni Association thank the 7,000 volunteers for their 50,000 volunteer hours and the 60,000+ patrons who helped make the 2008 Fiesta Oyster Bake a great success. This year, our net profit was nearly $750,000 or 34% of our total gross.

Although Fiesta Oyster Bake is a great party during San Antonio's Fiesta Week, our mission is to be successful in raising funds for St. Mary's University student scholarships and university and alumni programs.

The following information is a highlight as to where the money goes from this event. As you can see, the Fiesta Oyster Bake provides a great economic boost to St. Mary's University and the San Antonio community.

Putting Oyster Bake Funds to Work

$6 Million Scholarship Endowment Fund

This fund provided full or partial scholarships to more than 70 St. Mary's University students this year. www.stmarytx.edu

$3.1 Million Pledge to the Athletics Convocation Center

The Alumni Association has made a multi-year pledge for this project, and it is the lead gift in this fundraising campaign. This state of the art facility features workout facilities, an indoor swimming pool, racquetball courts, multiple basketball courts, 3,500 seat arena and etc.. It will also give the university the opportunity to offer concerts, plays, speakers, etc. for the St. Mary's University students and alumni, as well as the San Antonio community.

 http://www.stmarytx.edu/map/index.php?go=convocation

Alumni Association Operating Budget

To maintain the mission of providing programs to our alumni, of which there are more than 14,000 in the San Antonio area, this money is used for some of the following activities:

Coordinate Homecoming Weekend activities

Produce an award-winning, quarterly newsletter

Implement an on-line professional networking program

Develop student and alumni programs

Host receptions for our alumni and potential St. Mary's students and their parents in areas outside of San Antonio, including Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Chicago/Great Lakes area

Sponsor and Produce Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner and Faculty Appreciation and Awards Dinner

http://www.stmarytx.edu/alumni/

Supplemental Income (Physical Plant, Students, Security)

The Fiesta Oyster Bake provides supplemental income for St. Mary's University students, in addition employees of the Physical Plant Department and Campus Police Department. This supplemental income enables students and staff to better support themselves and their families.

Alumni Chapter and Affiliate Groups

Our alumni chapters from cities outside of San Antonio and Texas as well as our affiliate groups, Athletics Booster Club and Law Alumni Association, operate booths at the event. They receive a portion of the proceeds from their respective booths so they can develop and implement programs for St. Mary's alumni and students from their areas.

http://www.stmarytx.edu/alumni/

St. Mary's University Student Organizations

Besides the alumni booths, we give as many as 30 St. Mary's University student groups the opportunity to operate various booths at the event. They are required to submit proposals for the opportunity to operate a booth. This provides them a "real world" example of how to develop a complete business plan. They receive a portion of the proceeds from their respective booths, and they use the money to help fund speakers, send students to conferences or give back to a special community service cause.

http://www.stmarytx.edu/studorgs/

St. Mary's University Schools

Based on the success of the Fiesta Oyster Bake, the alumni association gave each St. Mary's University school, Business, Graduate, Humanities, Law and Science and Engineering, $4,000 to be used for special Homecoming Weekend Reunion programs, faculty conferences, equipment upgrades, etc.

http://www.stmarytx.edu/academics.php

Capital Improvements

Each year, the St. Mary's Alumni Association gives back to the university in the form of capital improvements to various campus facilities, including the Alumni Pavilion in the historic Pecan Grove.

http://www.stmarytx.edu/map/

Reserve

To be fiscally responsible, it is important for the alumni association to keep some money in reserve so that in case of a rain out, we have the funds needed to conduct the annual operations of the alumni association.

VIP Packages (Community Involvement)

The Fiesta Oyster Bake is committed to the various programs in and around the San Antonio community. We donate hundreds of dollars each year in the form of VIP ticket and merchandise packages to many charitable organizations.

As you can see, when you spend a few dollars at the Fiesta Oyster Bake it really does go a long way in supporting many worthwhile programs. Thank you for you support.

Recent Financial History of Fiesta Oyster Bake

DateGrossNet (%)1991$1,876,421381992$1,688,033231993$1,060,144441994$1,047,840441995$1,157,431441996$1,331,849461997$1,335,968391998$1,366,427441999$1,655,818472000$1,382,055322001$1,703,485372002$1,752,986382003$1,515,000232004$1,678,000262005$1,978,000292006$1,858,000222007$1,961,000342008$2,232,00034