Press Release: The Brother Timothy Memorial Dinner Celebration & Gala Benefit for the Lasallian Education Fund
The Brother Timothy Memorial Dinner Celebration is a final legacy tribute to a master winemaker and California wine industry pioneer, Brother Timothy Diener. The evening is being sponsored by the Lasallian Education Fund (inspired and founded by Brother Timothy) on Sunday, May 16, 2010at 5:00 p.m. at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena. The event is co-chaired by Margaret Duckhorn and Margrit Biever Mondavi. A special memorial plaque and donor recognition wall will be celebrated at the dinner and reception.
As a special tribute, the leaders, founders, and owners of 30 wineries will host tables for this event. A partial list of participating wineries include Alpha Omega, Antica Napa Valley, Continuum Estate, Clos du Val Wine Company, Darioush, Dalla Valle, Brother Timothy Estate, Duckhorn Wine Company, Far Niente Winery, Fisher Vineyards, Folio Fine Wine Partners, Hall Wines, The Hess Collection, Lail Vineyards, Robert Mondavi Winery, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Rocca Family Vineyards, Roessler Cellars, Rombauer Vineyards, Silverado Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars, Shafer Vineyards, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Viader Vineyards, and more.
Aaron Taylor, former recipient of the Lombardi Trophy, Super Bowl Champion and current CBS sportscaster, will emcee the event. James Guyette, CEO of Rolls Royce, will deliver the keynote address. Dominic Orsini, head chef at Silver Oak Cellars, will preside over the meal.
The Legacy Memorial Celebration will feature an honor to Ray & Sally Duncan as recipients of the Brother Timothy Award for Charitable Works, Bernard Orsi as the recipient of the Brother Timothy Award for Service Leadership and Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Care for the Poor Program) as the recipient of the Brother Timothy Award for Community Outreach. The Brother Timothy Awards are given to individuals who exemplify the importance of leadership and charitable giving for the poor and underserved in our communities, and educating the poor.
All proceeds from the Memorial Gala will directly fund scholarships for underprivileged children for the Brother Timothy Legacy Campaign sponsored by Lasallian Education Fund. Individual event tickets are $500, a table of 8 co-hosted by a vintner is $3,000, and sponsor opportunities are available starting at $2,500 and above. For more information, to purchase tickets and tables to the event, or to sponsor the event, please contact Michael Mulcahy, President of the Lasallian Education Fund, at 415-332-3471.
About Brother Timothy
A master winemaker, an industry pioneer, a mentor and a friend to generations of Californians; Brother Timothy Diener, FSC, was an icon of the Napa Valley. His tireless work on behalf of the Christian Brothers Winery was key in the development of the California wine industry.
For 50 years, Brother Tim was the most visible face of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, appearing on their labels and even on "The Tonight Show." Officially the “wine chemist,” he was also ditch digger, hose dragger, and tank scrubber in the early days of what was to be a half century of devotion to winemaking as a source of funding for education. After Brother Timothy retired as cellarmaster of Mont La Salle Vineyards in 1987, the winery business was sold. However, his legendary corkscrew collection remains a visible memorial at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, formerly the Christian Brothers Winery, in St. Helena, California.
At the 2003 Jubilee celebration honoring Brother Tim’s 75 years as a Christian Brother, he said, “I enjoyed those winery days and all the activities, as well as the lasting friendships made over a bottle of wine. But the sale of our wine and brandy business freed us from many distractions and allowed us Brothers to concentrate exclusively on our three-century-old role of teaching. I have always been a Brother first and a winemaker second.” Near the end of his long and celebrated lifetime, Brother Timothy was instrumental in the founding of the Lasallian Education Fund, to assist disadvantaged children to attend Lasallian schools.
About the Lasallian Education Fund
The primary objective of the Lasallian Education Fund is to have a dramatic and immediate impact on the lives of youth by providing scholarship funding that will enable them to participate in quality schools and educational programs, thereby empowering them to transform their lives, the lives of their families, communities, and regions in which they live.