SFSU Magazine Fall/Winter '04 Alumni and Friends: Peter Casey

Cheers to Casey
Peter Casey(B.A., '75), executive producer of NBC's Emmy Award-winning "Frasier," has always been more than generous with his alma mater.

In 1997, he couldn't attend the 50th birthday party of the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department, but made up for it by sending a congratulatory videotaped message that helped show why he's had a successful career in comedy.

The message began with Casey sharing his pride in being an alumnus of SFSU. He was soon joined on camera by Kelsey Grammer, who said regretfully that he had been subjected to the Julliard School, and David Hyde Pierce, who lamented that he was forced to attend Yale.
Over the years, Casey, who has also led the creative efforts of "The Jeffersons," "Cheers" and "Wings," has visited SFSU to offer students production and writing advice. In 2000, he hosted a reception for broadcast alumni on the Paramount set of "Frasier."

His latest generosity to the University: the newly established Peter and Rosemary Casey Endowment Fund for Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Education. Named for Casey and his wife, who graduated from SFSU in 1981, the pledged gift of $500,000 will go a long way in helping prepare students for television careers.

The gift will bring new, state-of-the-art microphones, cameras and computer imaging equipment to Studio 1, the department's hub for television production.

In fall 2005, the gift will also help bring to campus professional writers, producers and directors to serve as faculty-in-residence.