Black Alumni Reunion and Awards Celebration
Winner Biographies
Sylvia (Marquis) Harper '75
Sylvia Harper grew up in Silver Terrace in San Francisco, and went to Saint Mary's Cathedral High School, which was affiliated with the Christian Brothers' Sacred Heart High School. For a city girl, the remote campus in Moraga was enchanting.
Her College years were filled with a busy social calendar and challenging schoolwork. She played intramural football, was a cheerleader, and both the Homecoming Queen and the "donut queen," admired for the daintily decorated treats she made after rising at 4 a.m. to work with the campus baker.
After graduating and marrying Harper, she worked at the Emporium in San Francisco and had two children, daughter Cherisse in 1977 and son Maurice Leejon in 1979. While on maternity leave with Maurice, she applied to the San Francisco Police Department, then under a consent decree stemming from a discrimination lawsuit against a force that had been 85 percent white and 95 percent male.
Harper, who is 5-foot-3 and 110 pounds, worked hard to pass the grueling agility test and was accepted to the police academy.
The interpersonal skills that helped her succeed at SMC served her as a patrol officer who could diffuse tense situations through talk, and as a supervisor over sometimes resentful men. Promoted to head an unfriendly detective unit, she became one of the boys after she observed their morning crossword puzzle ritual and decided to join them.
Harper held many positions over her police career, and in 2004, Chief Heather Fong promoted her to commander of the parking and traffic unit. Her personal life is also busy; she lives across the street from her childhood home and helps takes care of her infirm mother. Her husband, who taught history at Saint Mary's College High School in Berkeley for more than two decades, is now a vice principal at a Dream School in San Francisco.
Dorothy (Benjamin) Jones '89
Dorothy (Benjamin) Jones graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1989 with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Performing Arts. As a student, she was actively involved in the BSU, then called Collective Black Students (CBS) and MEChA. She served as president of CBS her Senior year and served on the President’s Task Force on Minority Student Issues. The product of the task force was the Celebrating Diversity Document, which recommended that the College create a Coordinator of Minority Recruitment position within the Admissions Office. Little did she know at the time that she would become the second incumbent to hold that position.
Immediately after graduation she continued her service in the US Army Reserves and went to work at IBM. After a few years she decided she wanted a more rewarding career. She wanted to work with students, particularly students of color who are not aware of all of the opportunities available in higher education.
In 1992, she returned to her alma mater to serve as the Coordinator of Minority Recruitment and earn a Masters degree in Education. After several promotions, she was appointed Director of Admissions in 1997 after a national search. During her service in the Admissions Office, minority student enrollments have gone from 29% to over 40%. She became Dean of Admissions in 2000.
She is married to wonderful and supportive husband, Anthony. They have two sons, Anthony Arthur and Jaden.
