The Alan J. Musante Scholarship is dedicated to Al, a man of integrity and principal who believed that everyone should have a chance to reach their potential.  Al credited his personal and professional success to his family upbringing which instilled in him a moral compass and a focus on doing the right thing.  He credited Bishop O’Dowd High School with providing him a sound education, both academically, spiritually and athletically, and it built on the foundation already established by his family. Al was a private guy, not about bluster but about doing.  He was always there ready to help someone -- a young athlete looking to play at the college level and trying to find a scholarship to pay the way, someone who needed help finding the right office space for their business, coaching young middle schoolers in the “fundamentals” of basketball as Pete Newell used to say.  Al knew that sometime all it takes is stopping your life momentarily to help another life.  The Musante Family would like Al’s spirit to live on in the lives of young people who still need a helping hand.

Al found many opportunities to explore a variety of his interests and participated in Junior Classical League where he enjoyed Latin AND “Roman toga parties”, the California Scholarship Federation, Crozier, Drama, Pep Club, and Sanctuary Society. He was Class President, Sophomore, Junior and Senior years.  But, his greatest love was playing Junior Varsity Basketball, a love he continued throughout the rest of his life.  He loved the game and the athlete and passed this love on to his daughter who played for O’Dowd High School as well.

The Alan J. Musante Scholarship is provided to a financially needy student who has potential, so anyone with a 2.0 and up, and reflects Al’s interests particularly basketball.  The Family is beginning with a small donation to one partial scholarship, but would like to see the scholarship grow to two fully endowed scholarships, one for women and one for men.  We would like to raise ultimately $200,000, $100,000 for each gender.

Bishop O’Dowd High School is a fully credited institution by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Association of Catholic Education (WCEA) and provides a rigorous, 21st Century college preparatory curriculum, an incredible performing arts and visual arts curriculum, an Environmental Science Curriculum with a new, unparalleled CES/Living Lab Science Building and a solid athletic program known throughout the State of California for its values on and off the field as well as its athletic talents.