John A. Venator
John Venator BS ’66 tells us that his dear wife and life partner of over 42 years, Dorianne, died in July 2023. Honoring her, he endowed a four-year university scholarship for a deserving Mayan student at the university of their choice in the State of the Yucatán. Impulso Universitario (IU) has been selecting students for scholarships for the last 25 years. They have a track record of providing scholarships to deserving students who have graduated and continued to live full lives both professionally and personally. Dorianne and John Venator have provided financial support to IU for the last seven years.
John Venator BS ’66 and his wife, Dorianne, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in February 2022. They are retired and living in Valladolid, Mexico, in a restored hacienda-style house, Casa de los Venados, or “Home of the Deer,” which is more than 400 years old. They are active in raising money for several local charities. They’ve had no visitors or trips during the COVID pandemic, but they hope this might change early next year.
John Venator BS ’66 announces that the home museum he runs with his wife, Dorianne, has been recognized by TheTravel.com as a top tourist attraction in Mexico. “We are … very proud to be included with the nine other prestigious museums that have also been recognized along with our home, Casa de los Venados, as the Ten Coolest Museums in Mexico,” writes Venator. “We open every day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for guided tours of our 400 year-old home and our collection of over 3,000 pieces of Mexican art to raise money for local charities.”
John Venator BS ’66 is the retired past president and CEO of the Computing Technology Industry Association, a global industry trade association. In 2000, he and his wife, Dorianne, moved to a 400+ year old 18,000-square-foot hacienda in Valladolid, Mexico. They open their home, Casa de Los Venados, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, for guided tours to raise money for local charities. Venator says it’s a “must see” for tourists both because it’s won four architectural prizes and it sports a collection of Mexican folk art that has been described as of “museum quality.” (For more information and photos, visit www.casadelosvenados.com.) He says two favorite trips of 2018 were to New York City for Hester Turner’s 101st birthday celebration and to Buenos Aires to participate for a second time in the World Travel and Tourism Council’s 2018 International Congress. Venator welcomes emails from L&C alums at javenator1@gmail.com and always enjoys greeting L&C alums who come for tours of their home.