History of the Fellowship

The Tony Patiño Fellowship Program

In 1974, Francesca Turner founded the Tony Patiño Fellowship in memory of her son, Antenor Patiño, Jr. The Fellowship program was established in accordance with Tony's philosophy and often-expressed wish and intention to help his fellow students.

This Fellowship program provides merit awards of not less than $8,500.00 per year to qualifying law students at Hastings, Chicago and Columbia Law Schools. A recipient’s Fellowship award is renewable for two subsequent consecutive years if certain requirements are met.

The Fellowship seeks to identify law students who will become leaders - in the words of Professor Jerome Hall, people of character and capability - and who will use their law degrees to serve others. Since 1974, the Fellowship program has designated more than 125 graduates of Hastings, Chicago and Columbia as Fellows. Currently, there are 21 Fellows-Elect at these law schools.

The Fellowship was established at Hastings College of Law in 1974, the law school that Tony Patiño attended at the time of his death. In an effort to expand the Fellowship into a national program, the Fellowship was subsequently established at the University of Chicago Law School in 1983 and at the Columbia University School of Law in 1984. Chicago and Columbia law schools were selected in part for their geographic location and in part because of their reputations as fine law schools that support the development of individuals interested in leadership and public service.

Francesca Turner – the Founder (1917 – 1999)

The Founder of the Fellowship, Francesca Turner, was born in Texas, where she started her career working in films and making commercials and trailers, using the stage name of Francesca Sims.

Francesca left Texas and became a top Powers Model, appearing for such accounts as Chesterfield, Beech-Nut, Cream of Wheat, I.J. Fox, Krogers and other major companies. She was chosen as the Chesterfield Girl of the Month in 1940 from a large number of talented models who sought this important honor. In February 1943, Francesca was featured on the cover of Look Magazine in a pictorial tribute to our wartime ally, Great Britain.

Combining modeling with acting, Francesca appeared on Broadway at the Grand Opera House in "Hold On to Your Hats," the Al Jolson musical comedy. She also appeared in George Jessel’s show "High Kickers" in Hollywood.

During World War II, as a model and member of the Actors Guild, Francesca entertained the troops at camps in the United States. She also visited wounded servicemen in military and naval hospitals, working with the American Theatre Wing Hospital Committee. Francesca was also active in raising funds for the war effort.

From 1974 until her death in 1999, Francesca Turner was employed as a staff writer in the Special Projects unit at Universal Studios. While at Universal, Francesca pioneered the art of editing offensive language and content of movie features to meet broadcast standards for television and the airlines. She was a member of the Writers Guild of America and has several screen credits as a writer to her name.

Many of the Fellows who knew Francesca have said that her focus was on young people. In particular, one Fellow said, "Francesca directed not only her financial resources, but her very soul, to building this organization and developing and furthering its noble purposes and objectives. She was a visionary and a person determined to leave this world better than she found it. She accomplished this by creating a network of young leaders who share her values of public service, character, justice, compassion and action."

Harry Tatelman – the Fellowship’s Stalwart (1911 – 1997)

Harry Tatelman, an executive at Universal Studios, played an integral role in the founding and establishment of the Tony Patiño Fellowship program. Harry was a life-long friend of Francesca Turner and Antenor Patiño, Jr. He served as the Fellowship's Treasurer and chief fundraiser and as a member of the Board of Directors of The Friends of the Tony Patiño Fellowship, Inc. from 1974 until his death in 1997. Harry Tatelman was also the second largest financial contributor to the Fellowship program.

Fellows who knew Harry agree that Harry took a tremendous interest in young people. One Fellow said of Harry: "He reached out on a personal level to each and every Fellow and Fellow-Elect in the program and he touched the lives of so many of us. If he knew someone needed a job, Harry would make it his responsibility to help that person find a job. If someone had a success, Harry would be there to congratulate and to make that success known to others. If someone was in trouble, Harry was there to help in any way he could."