FULLERTON, Calif. – On Saturday, March 26th, the Fullerton South Rotary Club and Cal State Fullerton Athletics hosted a retirement celebration and fundraiser in honor of Steve DiTolla's three decades of service and his incredible impact as a Titan administrator. The event, which began at the Fullerton Arboretum's Bacon Pavilion and continued into the evening at Goodwin Field, saw more than 120 guests in attendance to show their support and contribute to the Steve and Gail DiTolla Baseball Endowment Fund.
Jim Donovan, Athletic Director, served as the Master of Ceremonies and could not thank DiTolla enough for being a great number two and an invaluable member of Titans Athletics during his tenure. "Steve has helped lead this department through the best and most successful stretch it has ever had," Donovan remarked.
Guest speakers Dick Ackerman, George Horton, Julie Max, and Greg Paules each shared a variety of personal stories reflecting on DiTolla's career. Horton, the legendary Titans baseball coach, said "Steve was a great administrator no matter if he was in the background or the foreground." Paules, Senior Associate Athletic Director, credited Steve for being the one to really make him feel like a Titan when he was brought aboard in 2013.
Steve DiTolla thanked everyone in attendance and reminisced about his time at Cal State Fullerton, which included journeys to the postseason, improving the Titans brand, and all of the relationships he was able to build. DiTolla's family was in attendance, and he thanked them for their support, especially his wife, Gail, for being his rock. He looks forward to attending more Titans games as a fan and coaching Yorba Linda High School Football.
Joined by his family, DiTolla threw out the evening's first pitch – a strike on the outside corner to Horton – prior to Fullerton taking the field against UC Riverside. In fitting fashion, a 2-1 Titan victory capped off a memorable celebration.
Steve and Gail DiTolla made a $50,000 donation to the endowment bearing their names, and the Fullerton South Rotary Club contributed all of the proceeds from a recent golf tournament to the fund. Including these generous contributions and those made by attendees, as well as the MacKenzie Scott-Dan Jewett matching gift, the event raised nearly $110,000 for the Steve and Gail DiTolla Baseball Endowment Fund.