Alcalá View 1999 16.4

May Gallery Exhibit

a I O O k a t Editor's note: The focus of our monthly look at the features of Alcal.ti Park is the blue domes of the 1-----""=--------==-----< Immaculata Church. p a r k There are no bats ~ - ----- -' in the belltower of the lmmaculata Church, but there are owls. One of the most visible landmarks in San Diego's city limits, the church sits mere feet from a wild canyon that bears a name (Tecolote) that is Spanish for owl. Facilities maintenance personnel say they've been cleaning owl droppings near the church for years. Myths and rumors have stuck to the tiles of the domes since their complet ion in 1959. A large dome adorns the church and a smaller one sits atop the belltower. The large dome is topped with a statue of Our Lady of Grace and can be seen from miles away. The statue rises almost 11 feet above the dome and weighs nearly five tons. Artist Chris Mueller was commissioned to create the stone cast statue, and one rumor that has persisted through the years is that Mueller used a real model for his work. The most commonly heard myth is that the artist used a local girl named Raquel Welch, who was just beginning her ascent to the top of the fashion and acting world. Stories in the San Diego Evening Tribune from that year cannot confirm that fact, but they do confirm a long-running story Arizona. They taught him to ride and then asked him to join them in an annual trail ride. Every year, the ride is staged in a differ- ent part of the state, allowing participants to sample various terrains. "It's amazing to get out there and see the red rocks and soil, the sunsets, things like that," says Trif of the three-and-a-half day ride. "Horseback riding is not quick - you're only moving a few miles a day. It's a refreshing break from getting on the '5' and racing around." Trifiletti has tried other relaxing getaway techniques through his friendships with USO grads. A 1978 graduate himself, he's Trifiletti (Continued from page one)

"Enduring Traditions: Southwest Cultural Expres- sions." Gallery hours are Monday and Wednesday, 12:15-2:15 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 12:15-4:15 p.m. David W. May Gallery, Founders Hall 102. Exhibit runs through August. Free. For more information, call Tori Heflin at ext. 4238. University Ministry Events Advent Penance Service, 7 p.m., Dec. 6 , in The lmma- culata Church. Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass in Spanish, noon, Dec. 10, in Founders Chapel. Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass, 8 p.m. , Dec. 12, in UC Forum A/B. Mid-Year Graduation Mass, 3 p.m., Dec. 16, in Founders Chapel. . Bible Study, 12:10 to 12:50 p.m., every Thursday, in Warren Hall 3C. For more information, call Mike McIntyre at ext. 4251 . Bible Study in Spanish, 11 :45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., every Wednesday, in Law School 2B. For more information, call Father Alejandro Crosthwaite at ext. 6818. Passages Deaths Deborah S. Ellis, sister of Hugh Ellis, director of the Marine and Environmental Studies Program and biology professor, on Oct. 22. Classified For Sale: Little girl's Capizzio tap shoes in great condition, size 1 1/2. $10. Call Jan Tuomainen at ext. 4681. Tickets: Coach Frank Cates and his Toreros golf team have discounted Buick Invitational 2000 tickets for sale. The PGA event is Feb. 7-13 at Torrey Pines. Cates and his players will have tick- ets for sale through the end of the event. The regularly priced $25 general admission tickets are $1 O and all pro- ceeds go to USD's golf pro- gram.

The blue mosaic tile dome atop the Immaculata Church was completed in December, 1958 . about the day the statue was placed on the dome. The statue was lowered by helicopter on Dec. 8, 1958. According to the paper's accounts - and witnesses who still work at, or visit, Alcala Park - the helicopter was momentarily caught in a gust of wind from Tecolote Canyon just as the statue was about to be secured in place. The helicopter nearly hit the roof of the church, scaring several hundred onlookers on the ground. Maintenance personnel say the costs of keeping the blue tiles and gold leaf deco- rations in shape are quite high because of the difficulty of reaching the tops of the domes. Only a handful of times in the last 40 years have crews set up scaffolding to clean and repair the domes, which are still in remarkably good shape. sky dived, sailed, bungee jumped and ran 12 marathons from 1984 to 1995. He's even bicycled the California coast by himself five times. "The coolest thing about what I do is the travel and the chance to get out and do things with our alums," says Trifiletti. "I'd never been on a horse before I started riding five years ago, but now I love it." Trifiletti's work load lightened a little last month after his office helped wrap up the university's 50th Anniversary year with a hugely successful Homecoming Weekend. Thousands of graduates returned to Alcala Park for a weekend of events that also served as the culminating event for the year- long anniversary celebration. -John Titchen