Santa Clara Magazine

Sherwin Manalo ’97, who was 37 and a former resident of South Lake Tahoe, California, passed away in a tragic car accident on September 3, 2012. He was the South Tahoe High School valedictorian for the Class of 1993 and graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University in 1997. After graduating from SCU, he was involved in many structural design projects with engineering consulting firms such as Mark Thomas & Company, Rajappan & Meyer, and BkF. Sherwin has left a mark in our communities with his structural designs which included improvements in our freeway interchanges and bridges. Sherwin left a mark in our hearts as well and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his parents, Tony and Elisa Manalo, brother, Ariel, and sister, Noreen. Sherwin loved his family and friends and will always be remembered for his generosity and keen wit. He will be missed dearly. 

Paula Anne Farrell JD ’97 passed away at her home on Nov. 22, 2011. Born December 12, 1954, Paula lived in the San Francisco Bay Area her entire life. Paula graduated from St. Luke's Nursing School in San Francisco in 1977. Her first job out of nursing school was at the Emergency Room at San Francisco General Hospital. Subsequently, Paula was a career Kaiser Permanente Nurse and Legal Nurse. Paula graduated from Sonoma State University in 1992 with a degree in English Literature. Paula graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1997. Paula was admitted to The State Bar of California in June 1999. Paula was devoted to her family, friends, and colleagues. She will be remembered for her tremendous love for dogs and horses. Paula is survived by her mother, Patricia Gilbert, and her siblings, Carla Kruger, Joseph Kruger, John Kruger, and Catherine Kohmann, as well as 15 nephews and nieces.

Lisa D. Telford '97, who was currently a graduate student in Counseling Psychology, died unexpectedly on April 7, 2010. Lisa would have completed her studies for a master of arts in Counseling Psychology this spring. To honor her, Santa Clara will be awarding her degree posthumously at the Graduate Commencement ceremonies on June 11.

Jordan Krisman Sterling '97 on Jan. 28, 2009.  After graduating from SCU, the Phoenix native returned to Arizona and worked in the real estate and mortgage brokerage fields while awaiting a double-lung transplant at Stanford -- a result of the cystic fibrosis he had battled since childhood. He wore a beeper for three years and two months before he was finally flown to Stanford for the successful. He sat on the boards of the Lung Center at the Tucson Medical Center and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Phoenix. He mentored families with children who had cystic fibrosis and participated in fund-raising events for the CF Foundation. He is survived by his parents, two siblings, his step-parents; and five step-siblings.

Ericka Chambers Norman JD ‘97 died on January 12, 2010.  Ericka was a loyal and carrying woman who stood out for her warm, welcoming smile. Norman, 41, was part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. She was in the UN offices in Port-Au-Prince when the Jan. 12 earthquake struck and the building collapsed, friends said. Her body was recovered Jan. 17. Norman grew up in Pomona, and it was at Marshall Junior High School, as the school was known then, that she and Vickers-McKinney met. The two went on to attend Pomona High, where as a senior Norman was elected senior class president.  After graduation Norman went on to Smith College where, according to a college statement, she graduated in 1991 earning a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies and international law. Norman was someone who seemed to have wisdom beyond her years. After joining the UN, Norman organized gatherings at her home during the holidays. She invited her colleagues, knowing they would be without their families in the United States. After graduating from Smith, Norman moved to Boston, where Washington lived, and later enrolled at Santa Clara University Law School in Northern California. Norman enjoyed traveling and was interested in learning about other cultures. Norman would plan ahead and knew where she was going and what the conditions would be like, her friend said. Once she arrived at her destination she "met other people and engaged other cultures," her friend Stacy Washington said.  During her junior year in college Norman studied in Japan. While in law school she participated in an internship that took her to Malaysia and Singapore. After completing law school Norman returned to New York where she practiced corporate law.

She began looking at the United Nations after another friend joined the agency. Her first assignment sent her to Kosovo, Washington said.  It was through her work with the UN that Norman met her husband, Alvin Norman, an engineer with the UN, Washington said.  Ericka Chambers Norman was listed as a board of inquiry officer for the UN. Her job at the beginning of her career involved administrative work, but recently it had begun to include more of her legal knowledge. Norman is survived by her husband Alvin, a two-and-a-half year old daughter; her father, Ernest Chambers, and stepmother, Paulette Chambers, of Seattle; and her mother, Barbara Lott, of Seattle.