Saint Mary's College of California

This plaque will replace the 1994 plaque mounted adjacent to the chapel courtyard.

Father McElligott and Chris Carter '97, MA '02, Director for Alumni and Volunteer Engagement, flank Tyler Benson as he plays Taps.

John Hanson, Steve's younger brother, chats with Paul Forney after the ceremony. John's memories of Steve were an unforgettable part of the ceremony.

Al Cattalini, Paul Forney, Paul Desrochers, and Frank Lopez pose after the ceremony.

In a beautiful Veterans Day ceremony the College dedicated a replacement plaque commemorating its war dead. The new plaque, replacing one dedicated in 1994, adds the names of Steve Hanson '61 and Tim Martin '04. It will be mounted near the chapel courtyard, replacing the current plaque, but is expected to be relocated to a planned Veterans Memorial Garden.

Steve's younger brother, John Hanson, gave a moving tribute to his brother, chronicling Steve's life and death and the intervening years of uncertainty. Steve had been missing since his helicopter was shot down during a rescue mission in Laos in 1967. In 1999 the DNA analysis of remains recovered in Laos positively established Steve's heroic death in 1967. (For more information click here.) John noted that Steve's wife, Carole, regretted that she could not attend the ceremony because of a travel conflict.

Carole sent a letter to be read at the ceremony but unfortunately it was delayed en route. We have it here:

Dear Faculty, Students, Alumni, Friends & Families of St. Mary’s College,

First, I must say how much I wish that I could be there with you to help dedicate your new plaque honoring all those from St. Mary’s that have given their lives for our country, serving from WWI until the loss of Timothy Martin in 2004.

My late husband, Steve Hanson, one of the names you are adding to your plaque walked the halls of your school and graduated in 1961. I was a young co-ed at the time, attending San Jose State. Steve and I met after a basketball game between our two schools.

Steve didn’t have a car so he leaned on his friend, George Saunders, who had “wheels” to drive him down to San Jose so Steve and I could spend time together. (Thank you, George, for all your help in getting us together way back then and for all your love and concern over the years.)

Steve went into the Marine Corps after graduation, earned his Navy wings in Pensacola, Florida, and was sent off to Vietnam as a helicopter pilot in September of 1966. On June 3, 1967, Steve was shot down over Laos on a highly classified mission. At that time he was listed as missing in action and was carried as MIA until the end of the war. It was not until 2000 that his remains were recovered and returned to our country.

I appreciate Steve’s brother, John, for being with you today to represent our family and I hope to be here one day myself to express to you my appreciation. Just his name on a plaque doesn’t tell you much about Steve, but I want you to know that he loved St. Mary’s, his family, his country, and his God.

God bless you all!

With affection and appreciation,

Carole Hanson Hickerson

Steve's classmates, Bill Baumgartner, Al Cattalini, Paul Desrochers, Paul Forney, and Frank Lopez, and their wives were among the several dozen guests who attended the ceremony. You may recall that Bill was Steve's roommate. Bill's wife, Cynthia, noted that "Steve introduced us and I was a classmate and friend through grammar school and high school."

Doug Bodine – I would love to be there but can't. Steve lived across from me (his sophomore year) in the basement of whatever hall that was. When I think about Steve, I remember his almost constant fight with one or all of the local gyms about dues, lifetime membership, etc. He was a straightforward person who saw situations as either black or white. Never grey! When he felt he was right, he would be willing to fight for that position. When I learned that he had been downed in Viet Nam and was captured, I knew that the VC would never soften Steve nor would he ever be a cooperative prisoner. I do miss him and think of him often. May he rest in peace.

George Buckingham – I am very sorry that I am not able to be there today for the recognition/reception. (I am recovering from an eight hour back operation. It will be at least three more months before I will be able to get out much.)

Steve and I spent a lot of our final two years at the SMC swimming pool: Life guarding, teaching classes,etc.... I finally convinced Brother Albert to take the roof off the pool area that summer of 1961. (It was falling apart plank by plank!)

I visited with Steve and his wife Carole in the LA area soon after we graduated, and kept up with with his status for about 7-10 years, until Carole sent a color post card of her and their son, with the decision to remarry a Navy officer. I hope they are well and able to share in this recognition.

Thanks to Ted Tsukahara and others who persisted in getting the memorial corrected. I think it was our 25th class reunion that we first sent a letter request to college administration.

Ben McEntee - I remember Steve Hanson as a quiet, unassuming guy with whom I shared a number of classes at SMC. I remember that he went to Viet Nam as a helicopter pilot, and I have always wondered what happened over there.

It is fitting that he is honored as a hero, and I have viewed his name on the SMC Memorial Plaque. If you look closely at the plaque, Steve’s name is next to my brother Neil’s, the only other SMC alumnus who died in Viet Nam. Neil attended SMC for two years, and then joined the Marines and fought in Viet Nam for eleven months. He was killed in combat one month before he was scheduled to come home in June of 1968.

Thanks to all of our SMC Veterans, and thanks to the College for remembering them.

Class of 1961 – A Tribute to Steve Hanson