Golden Grads return
“It’s been wonderful seeing my grandniece going through classes and talking with her and listening to her," says Ruth McGregor, ’74 JD and former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. "It’s really brought back a lot of memories for me." McGregor is pictured with her grandniece, Jacqueline Cochrane, above at the Tempe campus. Photo by Sabira Madady
Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the summer 2024 issue of ASU Thrive magazine.
Fifty years ago, ASU alumni Ruth McGregor and Mark Kerrigan completed their degrees. Celebrating this achievement with ASU, they share the university’s impact on their lives and how their programs set them up for their career milestones, including McGregor serving as Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court and Kerrigan working in the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Ruth McGregor
Degree
’74 JD from the ASU College of Law
Major career milestone
Justice on the Arizona Supreme Court from 1998 until 2009; chief justice, 2005–09
Favorite ASU memory
“I think my fondest memory might be studying for our first semester exams,” McGregor says. “We all felt so much that we were in it together.”
McGregor was in the fifth class of the ASU College of Law. Being part of the law school in its beginning stages meant she was helping create a path for future students.
McGregor’s grandniece, Jacqueline Cochrane, graduates in May 2024 with her Juris Doctor, exactly 50 years after her grandaunt. Afterward, Cochrane will be moving to Dallas to pursue a career in personal injury law.
Mark Kerrigan
Degree
’74 BS in political science
Major career milestones
Worked at the White House Office of Management and Budget, appointee to the Department of Energy
Favorite ASU memory
“When I had the opportunity to be president of the student body, that was really a tremendous year for me,” Kerrigan says. “We testified before the state legislature, traveled and raised money for the university. And it was just a fantastic experience.”
Kerrigan has fond memories of his time at ASU, calling it his happy place and says today, ASU stands better than ever.
Learn more about the Golden Grads program and other opportunities at alumni.asu.edu.
Story by Damian Goacher, a junior majoring in journalism and mass communication.
More Sun Devil community
No limits to a mother’s love, a wrestler’s determination
Judy Robles was washing dishes in the kitchen of her California home and keeping an eye on her young son, who was playing in the park that backed up to the house.She looked down for a second, maybe…
A symphony of service: Iraq War vet and ASU alum finds healing through music
At the age of 30 and only one credit away from obtaining his bachelor’s degree in piano performance, Jason Phillips could no longer stifle the feeling that he was stuck. He was teaching at a…
ASU first-gen college student is a leader in sustainability, social justice
Born and raised in Phoenix in a single-parent household, Mauricio Juarez Leon faced struggles growing up that included poverty, malnutrition, domestic abuse and limited resource access. And at the…