A LU M N E W S O F X AV I E R H I G H S C H O O L
FEBRUARY 2006
In this Issue
Members of the 2005 Xavier Knights football team chant the school song at this year’s Football Rally.
10 A Call To Justice For years, Xavier graduates have been called to careers in law enforcement. Several alumni try to explain why so many of Xavier’s young men enter civil service in the New York and federal arenas. 14 Service For Others It’s a long way to Tennessee, and it’s an even longer trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Part of a growing program at Xavier, 54 students and a number of faculty members volunteered their time, efforts, strength and consideration, to work with Habitat for Humanity and Esperanza International. 16 Braving Katrina: Xavier Bonds Survive Strife Bob Weierman, M.D. ’60 watched the destruction of August’s storm from his home in Gulfport, MS. In the aftermath, he crossed paths with several Xavier grads that were helping the region recover. D E PA R T M E N T S 1 President’s Message
21 Class Notes
2 From the Headmaster
25 Mileposts
3 News from the Quad
28 From the Advancement Office
18 ReuKNIGHTed
February 2006 Vol. 9 No. 1
XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL Rev. Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59 President Joseph Gerics, Ed.D. Headmaster
Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations Joseph F. Gorski Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Eric Lamar Rivers Director of Annual Giving
Contributing Writers Karol Kurzatkowski ‘06 Martin Kurzatkowski ‘02 Joseph Petriello Matthew Strong ‘99 Thomas Wierzbowski ‘00
Photography Michael Benigno ‘00 LTC Roy Campbell Loual Puliafito ‘00 Robert Weierman ‘60 The Yearbook Staff Alumnews, the Xavier High School magazine, is published three times a year by Xavier High School.
Loual Puliafito ’00 Advancement Officer
Correspondence and address changes should be mailed to: Alumnews Managing Editor Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302
Helene Strong Parents’ Association Coordinator
Or by email to benignom@xavierhs.org
Michael L. Benigno ’00 Managing Editor of Alumnews Director of Alumni Relations and Public Information
Barbara Ciulla Advancement Office Manager
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Educating the Whole Person for Life
Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends, Jesuit education is a serious, rigorous endeavor. Since the Society of Jesus’ founding of its first school in Messina, Sicily over 400 years ago, Jesuit schools have always stressed a vision of education that attends to the mind and learning as well as to character and living. This is putting it in summary fashion. In more detail, there are 28, yes, 28 characteristics of Jesuit education! Jesuit education is world-affirming; assists in the total formation of each individual within the human community; includes a religious dimension that permeates the entire education; is an apostolic instrument; promotes dialogue between faith and culture; insists on individual care and concern for each person; emphasizes activity on the part of the student in the learning process; encourages lifelong openness to growth; is value-oriented; encourages a realistic knowledge, love, and acceptance of self; provides a realistic knowledge of the world in which we live; proposes Christ as the model of human life; provides adequate pastoral care; celebrates faith in personal and community prayer, worship and service; is preparation for active life commitment; serves the faith that does justice; seeks to form “men and women for others;” manifests a particular concern for the poor; is an apostolic instrument, in service of the church as it serves human society; prepares students for active participation in the church and the local community, for the service of others; pursues excellence in its work of formation; witnesses to excellence; stresses lay-Jesuit collaboration; relies on a spirit of community among teaching staff and administrators; takes place within a structure that promotes community; adapts means and methods in order to achieve its purposes most effectively; is a system of schools with a common vision and common goals; and finally, assists in providing the professional training and ongoing formation that is needed, especially for teachers. A Jesuit publication of 1987 summarizes it well:“The aim of Jesuit education has never been simply the acquisition of a store of information and skills or preparation for a career, though these are important in themselves and useful to emerging Christian leaders. The ultimate aim of Jesuit secondary education is, rather, that full growth of the person which leads to action—action that is suffused with the spirit and presence of Jesus Christ, the Man for Others.” Educating the whole person, caring for each individual person in a way that affects one’s whole life, that’s the challenge of “the serious school work” here on 16th Street. From competent college counseling, to individual musical instruction, to encouraging scientific inquiry, to fostering a life-long love of learning, to providing soil for the relationship with God to grow, to providing healthier foods and fitness programs for a longer, healthier life—in these ways and a host of others, Xavier strives to fulfill its mission of Jesuit education. You share in that effort by means of your generous encouragement, financial support, and in many cases, services rendered. And for that, Xavier is forever grateful. God bless you always,
Rev. Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59 President
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
1
FROM THE HEADMASTER
A Community in Motion JOSEPH GERICS, Ed.D. Headmaster At this writing, the first marking period has just ended and the academic year is still young. Yet besides the challenging academic lessons the Sons of Xavier will recall, many activities have already enriched campus life here on 16th Street. We are in the midst of the admissions season, and recently held the first of two Open Houses for prospective students and their parents. Over 1300 visitors were impressed with the faculty, the facility, our curriculum, and their student guides, who are our best advertisement. Xavier is the only school which has enough student volunteers to provide an individual tour guide for every family that visits. Our Cadet Regiment comprises a large proportion of those volunteers, and they always represent Xavier well. Last year the Regiment was again designated an “Honor Unit with Distinction,” the highest possible unit award. You may have seen them and the Blue Night Band prominently featured in this year’s Columbus Day Parade, led by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ’53 and broadcast by NBC. On October 7, a performance of the X Squad, with junior and senior cadets in the background, was broadcast nationally on CBS’ The Early Show. Locally, the X Squad has taken first and second places in two drill meets, and anticipates another year of stellar performances. As school opened, Xavier families responded generously to the victims of Hurricane Katrina at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, heavily damaged by storm waters. Like Xavier, JHSNO was founded in 1847, and it is the only other Jesuit high school with a JROTC program. JHSNO was the first school to reach out to Xavier in the aftermath of 9/11. Our Student Council raised $3800 to sponsor JHSNO students enrolled at Strake Jesuit High School in Houston, and our parent community contributed another $12,000. Also, two students from JHSNO accepted Xavier’s offer to enroll here. The Blue Night Band also performed three benefit concerts at the Manhattan Mall to benefit Katrina victims. Xavier’s Ignatian identity remains strong in our commitment to retreats and service to others. Last year, 212 of 214
2
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
graduating seniors attended a three-day Kairos retreat, the culmination of our four-year retreat program. The 99% rate of participation in this optional program testifies to the Class of 2005’s hunger for Ignatian spirituality, their bonding as a class, and the responsiveness of our campus ministry team to their concerns. The second Kairos retreat of the six planned for this year, and the 51st overall since the program was introduced, took place in November. In community service, students complete requirements during the academic year. Seniors are now signing up for their service projects, during which they will contribute a minimum of six hours of service per week to one of over 300 community service agencies. They are excused from class for twelve consecutive Mondays in the second semester, a remarkable commitment for an institution that values academics as highly as Xavier High School. During the summer, students volunteer as Companions of St. Francis Xavier to build housing alongside poor families in Tennessee and Mexico. It is hard, physical labor, and Xavier High School is in debt to the teachers who chaperone three week-long trips. Interest in CFX is so high that although we have expanded the number of student places from 53 last year to 94—the program remains oversubscribed. Academic excellence, a winning athletic tradition and a vibrant military program continue to be hallmarks of a Xavier education. But proud as we are of students’ accomplishments in the classroom, on our courts and playing fields, and in regimental activities, as Father Pedro Arrupe noted in 1974,“Today our prime educational objective must be to form men for others; men who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ.” Xavier’s faculty, staff, administration and students continue to strive to live up to this challenge daily.
News from the
Quad
IN BRIEF: Over 130 Xavier graduates from the Classes of 2002-2005 showed up for Xavier’s Young Alumni Reception and Football Rally on Nov. 23, gearing up for the annual Turkey Bowl… Some of Xavier’s most generous donors were present at the President’s Council Dinner and the Xavier Society/Loyola Associates Reception… Over a dozen graduates spanning nearly 50 years came back to Xavier to participate in our annual Career Day, educating members of the junior class about their career choices… The Robotics team, new to Xavier, met great success at regional and national competitions… The Cross Country team finished in 11th place in the CHSAA championships… Freshman Fun Day entertained Xavier’s newest students and gave them the chance to become familiar with the school… The Regiment made several high-profile appearances at the start of the year.
Robotics Reels in the Gold Xavier’s newly formed Robotics team, under the leadership of Mike Chiafullio, won first place in the New York/New Jersey Botball Championship, competing against 18 other schools. Robotics, a science elective offered after school, is a clever combination of engineering, math, technology, and science. Six weeks before a scheduled competition, the team of five students is given a kit of robot pieces made from LEGO Technics pieces and a programmable computer board. The pieces are then put together in a way that makes each small robot able to move in all directions and perform simple tasks. The challenge: each robot must perform without any assistance from the students during the competition—they must be programmed to the parameters of the 4’x8’ course beforehand and they must be able to handle each obstacle. The competition is judged based on documentation, strategy, and changes in design that went into the production of each robot, as well as a seeding round without other competitors. Finally, a head-to-head competition takes place. Xavier’s team— consisting of Daniel Page, Michael Bubb, Michael Gorini, Brian Chang, and Alfonso Cozzo, all members of the Class of 2005 —took first place in all three rounds. “Preparation and keeping it simple was the key,” said Mike Chiafullio. He said a science fair held in February 2005 gave the team the chance to prepare for the upcoming competition.“In their minds they already knew how to prepare, what was going to work and what wasn’t. So even though we were a rookie team, we were able to succeed.” At the national competition held in Florida, Xavier’s team took fifth place.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
3
News from the Quad
President’s Council Dinner The 23rd Annual President’s Council dinner brought together over 250 of Xavier’s strongest financial supporters for a cocktail reception and meal at the New York Athletic Club on Sept. 29. The social event united alumni from many decades, celebrating the legacy of their alma mater and sharing stories of all kinds about their Xavier days. Guests filled over 25 tables, and were first greeted by Joseph Gorski, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations, who informed them of recent changes to the Advancement Office team and the success of the recent “Stand So All the World Can See” campaign, which raised $14.9 million. Joe was followed by Rev. John Replogle, S.J. ’51, who led the group in saying grace before dinner was served. At the end of the meal, outgoing Chairman of the Board, Gene Rainis ‘58, spoke to the group and introduced Thomas Conniff ’52, who will be serving as the new Chairman of the Board after serving the board for four terms since 1987. Conniff then had the chance to introduce himself and speak about his willingness to lead the board.
I would like to tell you about an incident that occurred this morning on the “R” subway line from Brooklyn. A homeless woman boarded the train. Her behavior was irrational—she was loud and aggressive, her language was abusive, and she was in sore need of a bath. As she made her way down the aisle, people moved away or lowered their eyes or laughed. When she spotted an open seat next to two boys from Xavier, she jumped into it. It might be that because my son attends Xavier I found myself particularly watchful and just a little concerned about the potential for problems. The boys remained seated quietly as she began to talk loudly to them. She told them she knew she smelled bad and one of the boys responded softly that he thought it was just the cigarette she had. She dropped the cigarette and began to tell the boys the story of her life mixed with scenes from West Side Story. The boys sat quietly, listened, and smiled. Although she continued to be loud and to jump around, her demeanor had obviously changed; she
Fr. Dan Gatti, S.J. then took the podium and shared a letter he received from the mother of a recent Xavier graduate after she encountered a group of students while riding the subway.
was no longer aggressive and her language was not intended to
Frank Gregory, former Dean of Students, joined Fr. Gatti in the singing of the school song, before a closing prayer was delivered by one of Xavier’s newest faculty members, Mr. John Mulreany, S.J. This year, at the request of alumni who regretted that they could not attend the dinner, a copy of the program was sent to all non-attending President’s Council members, along with a transcript of Fr. Gatti’s complete remarks. The Advancement Office wishes to thank all the members of the President’s Council for generously supporting Xavier year after year. Without your contributions, the school would not remain the excellent academic institution it is.
human beings. At 8th Street the woman left the train, telling the
abuse. She was responding to the boys’ gift of respect and dignity. She had been recognized and treated as a human being by other boys she loved them. I don’t know who these boys are. I also don’t know if they realize how much their kind act changed this woman’s day and mine. What I do know is that they demonstrated a breadth of character that many of us, at times, mistakenly believe is lacking in the world today. While outwardly they may look like boys, they are truly men—men in the service of others. I share this experience with you in witness to the good these young men, their parents, and Xavier contribute to the world. With highest admiration, Parent ’97 and ’02
The newest members of the President’s Council.
4
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
News from the Quad
ANNUAL FUND RECEPTION RECOGNIZES DONORS The Xavier Society/Loyola Associates reception was held Sept. 21 at Moran’s Restaurant on the West Side, to recognize generous donors to Xavier’s 20042005 annual fund. Over 70 alumni and family members showed up for the event, which began with a cocktail hour with hors ‘doeuvres. The comfortable, casual environment allowed alumni to become reacquainted with one another. Following the food, the audience heard from Joseph Gorski and Fr. Gatti, and were thanked for their continuous support. The wide range in graduating years of those who attended showed that as decades progress, Xavier alumni do not fail to remember the pride and tradition that was instilled in them. Many classic Xavier memories were shared, and a good time was had by all. The new Advancement Team would like to thank all the attendees for making the night the first successful event of the school year.
ERIC RIVERS: Xavier’s New Director of Annual Giving
While new to Xavier, Eric is no stranger to the Jesuit principle of service to others. Eric Lamar Rivers graduated from Georgetown University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts. After Georgetown, Eric worked for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington, D.C., where he served in several positions— most recently as Manager of Knowledge Management. Eric is bringing experience with corporations, foundations, and individuals to the position of Director of Annual Giving.
FRESHMAN
FUN DAY
On Friday, August 30th 232 freshmen entered Xavier High School for the first time as students. But absent from the day was any of the stress and tension one might usually expect from the first day. This was no ordinary school day. This was Freshman Fun Day! The day began with a gathering of the newest Xavier additions in the gym, where they were given a standing ovation from nearly 100 Big Brothers. It was enough to comfort even the most nervous freshman and while he may not have known anyone when he came to Xavier that day, he was about to make many new friends. Dr. Gerics welcomed the new class. Even Xavier teachers got involved and took advantage of a relaxed time to get to know their students better. Through the course of the day, the freshmen moved about the school where different sports and activities were set up.“I couldn’t believe there was so much to do,” said one freshman,“I played dodge ball on the roof, tug-of-war in the hallway, volleyball in the gym and even video games in one of the classrooms.” It was indeed a great day. After a full morning of activities, the freshmen ate together for the first time as a part of the Xavier community. Those who had been strangers upon arriving that morning were now friends. At the end of the day, the class of 2009 came together to celebrate Mass. The class gave thanks for the day, each other, and Xavier, knowing that they were off to a great start.
—Tom Wierzbowski ’00
The Xavier Regiment in the Columbus Day Parade.
Xavier’s X-Squad performing live on CBS’s The Early Show.
JROTC Steps Lively Xavier’s JROTC Regiment had a very busy few weeks, kicking off the school year with several major appearances, including a performance on CBS’s The Early Show and a prominent position in the Columbus Day Parade. Over 50 cadets from the X-Squad performed during the broadcast of the weather report on October 7—an appearance that got cadets shining their brass and straightening their uniforms just in time for the parade.The Regiment made the school community proud with their fine performance on 59th St., and Fr. Gatti was present to witness the activities. On October 10, the full Xavier Regiment lined up on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue for the annual Columbus Day Parade, but this year there was a special twist. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ’53 was selected to be the parade’s Grand Marshal, leading the procession through Manhattan. The presence of Justice Scalia generated media attention from coast to coast, and he made reference to the times he marched the parade route with the Regiment during his own days as Lieutenant Colonel in Xavier’s JROTC. The cadets performed on Fifth Avenue to a television audience of millions, as well as a significant live audience of Xavier supporters and other New Yorkers.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
5
News from the Quad
Grads Share Careers with Junior Class On November 11, 2005, Xavier graduates
Michael Sheehan ’66, FOX 5 News reporter, delivered the keynote address, entertaining students of the Class of 2007
returned to the classroom for the annual Career Day presentations.
with some of his fondest Xavier memories while advising them about their future. Admitting that he had once been unsure of his own future, Sheehan detailed how his career went from a NYPD detective to hosting an award-winning segment on a news program. Commenting on the many long-lasting friendships he maintains with numerous Xavier grads, Sheehan said,“Xavier graduates are everywhere, from judges to DAs …You will run across maroon and blue everywhere you go.” Sheehan went onto emphasize not only the power of a Xavier education, but he also stressed the incredible network of individuals formed by graduates of Jesuit institutions. Following the keynote address, students and graduates made their way up to classrooms, where each speaker gave a 40-minute presentation about his individual profession. With most major fields represented, students were able to take a closer look at the careers of older graduates while informing themselves about possible career choices. Frank Comerford ’73, President of WNBC TV, and Michael Sheehan ’66 spoke to students about broadcast television
Fox 5 News reporter, Mike Sheehan ’66 showed video highlights of his career and spoke to students about his background as a journalist and former NYPD detective.
while Maj. Tom Hutton ’86 returned to his alma mater between military stints to represent the U.S. Army. Thomas Suarez ’81 and Dominick Gadaleta ’78 presented enlightening insights into the medical field; Hon. John Countryman ’50 spoke to interested students about his role as the U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. Classmates Gerald Fitzgerald ’58 and Dan Rodriguez ’58 spoke about engineering and architecture respectively. The youngest represented alum, Stephen Stabile ’97, spoke about the corporate world, working as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch; classmates Peter Hamboussi ’95 and Vincent Ng ’95 shared their passion for graphic design and advertising in a combined presentation; Charles Mulham ’84 shared information about his career as a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; meanwhile, Daniel McCarthy, Esq. ’71 returned for yet another year to amuse students with his delightful presentation about his career in law, as Chief Trial Counsel for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. Giving students the chance to seek guidance from established Xavier grads, Career Day 2005 informed them of the many choices they will have to make in the future. —Karol Kurzatkowski ’06
Maj. Tom Hutton ’86 allows a junior year student to try on his protective armor on Career Day. Tom was scheduled to be deployed to Iraq several weeks later.
6
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
News from the Quad
Football Knights Fall to Fordham, Yet Improve Program Although the Varsity Football team was defeated in convincing fashion 44-13 by Jesuit rival Fordham Prep in the annual Turkey Bowl Classic on Thanksgiving, the Xavier football program showed significant signs of improvement in its second year under returned Head Coach Chris Stevens ’83. The Varsity Knights achieved a 5-4 regular season record logging their first winning regular season since Stevens’ last tenure as Head Coach in 1999. In 2005, Xavier fielded more footballers (129) than any year in recent memory. With competition for practice field space ever increasing and Xavier’s need to bus the teams to practice in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the program nearly achieved its maximum allowable number of players—135 (45 per bus). Due
to Xavier’s strong Jesuit, academic, military and athletic reputation and Coach Stevens’ post-season public speaking engagements at Pop Warner leagues around the city, over 75 Freshmen tried out for the football team this year and competitive cuts had to be instituted for the first time in over 20 years. During the 2005 season, the Varsity Knights offense rushed the ball for 2100 yards, which was an 800 yard improvement over last year while completing 55 of their 106 passes for 8 touchdowns, only 4 interceptions, and a 52% completion rate which was one of the highest in the league. The defense improved significantly, giving up only 25 touchdowns, compared to 47 in the 2004 season. At the end of the regular season, the Varsity Knights’ defense
was actually the second least gained upon unit in the entire 22-team CHSFL. The highlight of the season was the October 30th showdown between CHSFL “AA” division leader, (6-1) St. Francis Prep and the (5-2) Knights, who were then in second place in the CHSFL “A” division. In a close see-saw battle, the Knights out-muscled the upper division Terriers, but found themselves down 24-16 with less than 7 minutes left in the game. Xavier’s final 12 play 65-yard drive to try to tie the game opened the eyes of many teams in the CHSFL. But unfortunately on 2nd and goal from the 7 yard line, the Knights fumbled away their chance to pull off what could have been the ultimate upset of the season.
Cross-Country Team Enjoys Success The 2005 Xavier High School Cross Country team had a very promising season throughout the fall, finishing 11th in the CHSAA championships. Earlier in the season, the team came in first place at the AA-2 McQuaid Invitational, held at Genesee Valley State Park, in Rochester, NY. Over 20 runners from the Sophomore, JV, and Varsity teams were present at the Oct. 1 competition. Among the biggest stars, were senior captains, Dan Murtagh, Matt Muratore, and Ryan Woerner, sophomore Kevin D’Emic, and junior Dennis Devivo. All of the seniors achieved personal records.
Kevin D’Emic set the sophomore school record later in the season at Van Cortlandt Park, with a 2.5 mile time of 13:39. The Xavier Knight took 5th Place in Varsity Sectionals and 3rd Place in JV Sectionals. The season finished the weekend of Nov. 19-20 with the 49th annual Jesuit championship at Van Cortlandt Park. “I feel this season was very encouraging because the sophomores were able to take 2nd in the NYCHSAA championships and 3rd in the CHSAA championships,” said Cross Country coach Patrick Dormer.
Cross Country coach, Patrick Dormer with the 2005 Cross Country team, wearing their “Baker’s Boys” t-shirts in recognition of longtime Xavier teacher, Mr. Thomas Baker.
Members of the Cross Country team pose with an award plaque after winning first place at the McQuaid Invitational.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
7
8
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
New Board Members Introduced 1
3
5
2
4
Xavier’s current trustees pictured, sitting from left to right: Francis X. Comerford ’73, Rosemary A. DeJulio, Rev. Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., Miguel Fittipaldi, Esq. ’75, Sr. Mary Dolan, S.U., Robert E. Robotti ’71, and David P. Anderson ’47. Standing from left to right: John R. Raslowsky, Rudy Cecchi, Esq. ’69, Gerald P. FitzGerald ’58, Rev. Arthur C. Bender, S.J., Joanne T. Marren, Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. ’52 (Chairman), Rev. Pierce A. Brennan, S.J., Rev. Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59 (President), Rev. Stephen N. Katsouros, S.J., John C. Meditz ’66, William S. Foley ’72, Richard T. Nolan, Esq. ’83 and John D. Draghi, Esq. ’63. (Not pictured, Michael N. Ford ’63, Vice Chairman)
Five new members were recently appointed to Xavier’s Board of Trustees. The 21-member Board meets periodically to discuss and plan for the future success of the high school. 1 Joanne Marren works as a consultant to Transonic Systems, Inc. She also performs management training for Stackhouse Garber & Associates, while teaching ESL classes at three New Jersey colleges. Marren received her Bachelor of Arts degree from LeMoyne College in 1974, before continuing her studies at St. John’s University School of Law. Currently serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at LeMoyne College and Nativity Middle School, she also is a member of Transonic’s Board of Directors. Marren is a resident of Glen Ridge, New Jersey.
2 Dr. Miguel Fittipaldi works as a lawyer focusing on immigration and financial consulting. He is a member of Xavier’s Class of 1975, and went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Sociology in 1979 from Fordham University before pursuing his Juris Doctor at New York Law School. Fittipaldi is a member of the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity and he lives on Manhattan’s West Side. 3 Frank Comerford is the president and general manager of WNBC Channel 4. A member of Xavier’s Class of 1973, Comerford is a 25-year veteran of the television industry. He attended Georgetown University, graduating in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance. Comerford serves on the Advisory Board of the Committee for Hispanic Children & Families, the Board of Directors of the Child Abuse Prevention Program, the Executive Board of Lutheran Medical Center, as well as several other organizations. Comerford resides in Brooklyn and Long Island with his wife Maura.
4 Sr. Mary Dolan , of the Sisters of Saint Ursula, is the president of Notre Dame School. She has also held a number of other titles at the school, ranging from teacher, to vice-principal, and principal. Dolan received her Bachelors of Arts degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1972, and obtained a Masters degree from Fordham University in1982. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Regis High School, and a Middle States Planning Team member at Notre Dame Academy. She is a resident of Manhattan. 5 John Draghi is Senior Counsel for LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, LLP. Draghi is a member of Xavier’s Class of 1963, and went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University in 1967, followed by his Juris Doctor at University of Pennsylvania Law School. Practicing law for over 35 years, he also finds time to serve as Chairman of the Advisory Board at St. Martin of Tours School, and is a member of the School Life Committee at Xavier. Draghi lives in Manhattan and is the father of two daughters, and a son, John ’04. FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
9
Protect and Serve: Xavier Graduates and Law Enforcement By Michael Benigno ‘00
Special Agent Charles Mulham ’84 worked as an undercover agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He’s currently based out of Brooklyn.
10
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
In the mid 1990s, Charles Mulham ’84, found himself pulling into the parking lot of a hotel in Maryland, driving a Lincoln he and other government agents thought would help round out the persona he was taking on. On that day, Mulham wore a lounge suit and a pinky ring, and as an undercover special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, he had been buying converted automatic weapons from two men. Arthur Nelson Reid and David Granger had taken a liking to Mulham and were under the impression that he was a mobster from a warring crime family in New York. These were stressful times for Mulham, and at one point he said the stress made him temporarily blind in one eye. The people he had been dealing with made no effort to hide the weapons they carried, and they walked through the lobby of the hotel with gun handles sticking out of their pants. As a sign of mutual aggression, Mulham did the same. Inside his hotel room, he had messed up the sheets on one bed so that the seller would sit on the other side of the room, in line with one of the hidden cameras that had been installed. “It was dangerous work, but I still felt I was protected fully,” he said. In the two rooms surrounding his own, over a dozen ATF agents stood by, monitoring the transaction with a full audio and video hookup. Hand signals and code words had been set up to indicate any sign of impending trouble. It was only after Mulham arranged to buy a pipe bomb from Reid and Granger that the ATF decided to end the investigation and close in to make an arrest. To this day, he still considers that the most dangerous situation he’s ever been in. It was before he was married, before he had a family of his own, and undercover missions were common for him. Working to monitor interstate firearms trafficking, his job frequently took him to several states up and down the east coast. Unlike other Xavier graduates who follow generations of family members that work in the law enforcement sector, the only law enforcement influence he had was his uncle, who was a police officer. Mulham’s own father was a pressman for the New York Daily News. While a student at Xavier, Mulham was captain of the swim team, and he served in the JROTC program during his first two years. He went on to graduate from the
College of the Holy Cross with a degree in History in 1988, and considered studying law before starting work with the ATF. He said the ATF seemed to provide the right amount of structure he was looking for, and he liked the fact that such a career would cater to his interest in law. His early focus on firearms trafficking often involved tracing a single recovered weapon to a series of other individuals and weapons purchases. His investigations often led him to perpetrators that took part in the very busy smuggling operation from the South up to New York. But he hasn’t worked undercover since 1998, and since then he has devoted a lot of attention to investigating home invasions, particularly incidents where individuals have impersonated police officers. While these investigations tend to take a long time—up to five years sometimes—they often have large payouts, exposing teams of career criminals who are recruited for jobs from a central location, not unlike the market of illegal immigrants able to be picked up to perform daily contracting services. One investigation that started with just a single arrest in August 2000, led to the arrest of nearly 30 people; another led to 20. Once an individual is apprehended, Mulham said, they are given the chance to face serious charges head-on or to cooperate with investigators. “It takes a long time to figure out someone’s honest story and to iron out their history,” he said. Fearing long prison sentences, many suspects opt to cooperate, and investigators and federal prosecutors can, in turn, urge a judge to waive minimum sentencing requirements. His current job brings him in contact with other law enforcement agencies on the city, state and federal levels, as his perpetrators are often violent criminals who take part in murder, kidnapping, and credit card fraud. “I feel like I’m making a big difference,” Mulham said.“I’m putting a lot of guys away for a lot of time.” Looking back on Xavier, he said the sense of camaraderie and teamwork he experienced here has stayed with him throughout his career.“There are a lot of guys who go to Xavier who just click—these are guys that grew up together and a lot of them went to college together. I also just think there’s a sense of community you find in New York that you don’t find in other places.” Teamwork, discipline, and accountability—those three aspects of life at Xavier were consistently referenced by graduates who entered law enforcement. John Anticev ’76, who now works as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorism Task Force, recalls struggling through a microbiology class during his sophomore year. He said at one point he and the rest of the class realized they were all in danger of failing an exam.“We thought there was no way the teacher could fail all of us,” he said. But sure enough, everyone ended up receiving their actual test score without a curve, and Anticev said he received a 50. “It really taught me a lesson in accountability,” he said. In an interview, Anticev acknowledged that Xavier’s tradition was something that always stuck with him. Like Mulham, while he was a high school student, Anticev was involved in the JROTC program, among other activities. The order, tradition, and sense of service he experienced in Xavier’s Regiment guided him toward work with the FBI. “The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force has accomplished many things that are not reported by the media,” Anticev said.“These things are not cliffhangers like you would see on TV. The work is more detailed, in-depth and methodical than you might think.” Anticev recognized that the events of September 11, 2001 have brought the word ‘counterterrorism’ into millions of homes, whereas his line of work wasn’t so well-known or glamorous in the past. But media attention hasn’t always avoided Anticev’s career. In 1997, a made-for-TV movie depicted Anticev’s work in the FBI before the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and the government’s efforts to successfully penetrate the inner workings of a terrorist cell loyal to Shiek Omar Abdel
FBI Special Agent John Anticev ’76 transporting Mohamed Odeh aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 in Sept. 1998.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
11
Dan McCarthy ’71, Chief Trial Counsel for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
12
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
Rahman, the spritual leader of an Egyptian Terrorist group that subsequently merged with Al-Qaeda. Anticev’s name was used in the film, and his character was played by Peter Gallagher. Some recall repeat airings of Path to Paradise: The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing, but the film has reportedly not been shown since September 11th. When speaking of highlights in his career, Anticev recalled a foiled plot to simultaneously bomb five New York landmarks, including the United Nations, due to a well-placed informant developed by himself and his NYPD Detective partner Louis Napoli, whose son is also a Xavier graduate. He cited the successful FBI intervention as an example of teamwork between several law enforcement agencies, actions that brought investigators to a garage in Queens where bomb materials were being prepared. The investigation led to the apprehension and conviction of the famous blind sheik, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. Anticev was also one of the first responders to the embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar al Salam in August 1998. Anticev interviewed Mohammed Odeh for 12 days in Kenya, returned him to the U.S. and testified at trial. Odeh was convicted and sentenced to life in federal prison. But not all law enforcement is in the field. Older alumni like Bob Albracht ‘60 recall that many graduates took up law as a profession. Albracht, now retired, began with a career in aviation, and then went into airport security. Working for the Transportation Security Administration, he headed security operations at the 19,000 general aviation airports nationwide. Dan McCarthy ’71, Chief Trial Counsel for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, has been an Assistant District Attorney in both Queens and the Bronx for the past 25 years. From his position, McCarthy has prosecuted hundreds of homicide cases. “You never quite know what you might be doing when you come to work, especially when something significant hits the fan,” McCarthy said.“You could be working on that.” On average days, McCarthy prepares for court by meeting with witnesses and readying testimony.“This job is really feast or famine. I could spend the entire day in court or be working on other cases, talking to witnesses, or providing guidance to younger and less experienced attorneys.” In July, he was named New York State Prosecutor of the Year for 2005, a distinction that might be attributed to the persistent strides he makes to approach each case in a fresh light.“I see a lot of people struggling with the burnout factor,” he said.“I’ve never felt that. Part of it, I think, is that every case is different, every set of facts is different, every victim is unique in his or her own way.” McCarthy said a big challenge came to him in 2004, during a triple homicide trial.“As I’m cross-examining the defendant my secretary gets a phone call, and my father, who had been ill for some time, is dying. So she calls my trial partner, and they tell me at lunch. We work a little that afternoon to finish. I went to see him that night, and he passed away a few days later. The next day, I had one of my best summations,” he said.“That sticks in my mind, that in the middle of all that, you’re able to separate out all the emotion and function professionally on a high level.” McCarthy said he gained a sense of social justice and the ability to think critically at Xavier.“I always thought that Xavier was a pretty intellectually challenging place. So when I went from high school to college, I never found it to be that difficult. Then I went out and worked for a while, got married, and was in law school. Law school was more like Xavier than college was.” No one aspect of life at Xavier could accurately explain why so many graduates feel called toward civil service jobs in law enforcement. Maybe it’s the early emphasis the school’s JROTC program makes on service for others; maybe it’s the sense of companionship that is still visible at reunions and receptions year after year; or it could be a result of the tradition and discipline that continues to resonate. But the presence of Xavier graduates working together in regional and worldwide security operations results in dedicated individuals committed to making their part of the world a safer place.
Matt Strong ’99
A YOUNG OFFICER Reflects on His Xavier Influences It is late January of 2005. I am
study in college. And I had absolutely
standing a foot post on Lexington
no idea what I wanted to do afterward.
Avenue in the middle of a blizzard and
I briefly studied psychology at Fairfield
the water has just soaked through my
University before realizing that my dis-
second pair of socks. Less than a
like of math extended to science as
month out of the Police Academy, I lack
well. History and philosophy proved to
the fundamental survival skills of a sea-
be a much better fit. I enjoyed college
soned Police Officer and remain outside
and found history to be extremely
while several stores nearby offer both
interesting, but I couldn’t see myself
heat and escape from the snow.
becoming a teacher. I had taken the
Over the radio comes a burglary in
NYPD exam and after the events of
progress—a man apparently climbed a
September 11th a sense of duty
fire escape and entered a second story
added to my desire to become a
window. Running as quickly as I could
Police Officer. Looking back, I see the
on frozen legs I arrived at the scene at
reasons for the choices I made in the
the same time as one of the patrol cars.
time I spent at Xavier.
We entered the building together and
One of the greatest aspects of
proceeded up to the second floor to
police work is the hands-on nature
find the apartment door unlocked. A
of the good we do. A Police Officer
search of the apartment came up with
gets to see the difference he makes
nothing except a running shower in the
on a daily basis—be it in arresting a
master bathroom. Pushing open the
criminal, helping a victim, or addressing
door, I anticipated just about anything,
other problems. It is a satisfaction
except, of course, the completely naked
that I believe is very rare in life, but
owner of the apartment standing in her
a cornerstone of a Xavier education.
own bathroom. We searched the build-
For me, and, I think, for others, the
ing and after a few embarrassed apolo-
Christian Service projects and the
gies, I resumed my snowman post.
service trips with the Companions of St.
Five years earlier, as a senior at
Francis Xavier were the most formative
Xavier I do not think I could have imag-
parts of the four years at Xavier. I
ined myself as on that street corner
believe it is this experience that brings
freezing to death. I had been a mem-
so many of us into civil service, be it
ber of the swim team, president of the
NYPD, FDNY, or other agencies. And it’s
Dramatics Society, a Companion of St.
no wonder why I have run into more
Francis Xavier and a Big Brother. Other
Xavier Grads doing police work in
than a bitter hatred of mathematics, I
Manhattan Central Booking than
had very little idea what I wanted to
anywhere else. FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
13
A Dollar Bill Can’t Hammer a Nail By Joseph Petriello
When faced with the daunting task of raising tens of thousands of dollars to send students and faculty on service trips, I often hear the question “Why don’t you just send them the money?” Of course,“them” refers to the poor, those living on the margins of society, the forgotten, the unemployed, those struggling against the crushing reality of poverty in our world. In the United States alone, almost 37 million people live at or below the poverty line. What can we, as a community of faith that seeks justice, do in the face of such realities? Why don’t we just send them the money? Each summer, the Companions of St. Francis Xavier Service Program gives our school community the opportunity of working with the poor of rural America and across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. After ten Companions of St. Francis Xavier service trips in the past three summers, I can honestly respond from personal experience that we don’t just cut a check and send the money to those in need because “a dollar bill can’t hammer a nail.” Yes, giving to charity is of great importance, especially for those of us who live in absolute affluence when compared to the rest of the world. But in my experience, it is much more effective to send young men willing, able, and dedicated to serving those in need and working for justice with their bare hands. What
14
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
follows is a glimpse into the many stories that make up a summer of service. Fr. Pedro Arrupe, former Superior General of the Society of Jesus, called for us to be Men and Women for Others —people whose love for God and neighbor is manifested in the work of justice and a preferential option for the poor. This past summer, 54 students and 10 faculty members answered this call of our Ignatian mission by going forth into the world in service to those in great need. In the words of Thomas Bruno ’06, the Companions of St. Francis Xavier Service Program “allows us to see the true injustices of the world and gives us a chance to do something about it.”While the summer months bring about relaxing visits to the beach and much needed vacations, our community’s dedication to service was very much alive as our men hammered nails, dug foundations, mixed cement, painted walls, and raised the roof of a brand new house. All the while, they worked alongside those who they serve, not giving a handout to the poor, but working with them to give a hand up—empowering those in need through action and solidarity. Founded upon the four cornerstones of community, simplicity, prayer, and service, CFX has grown tremendously in the past three years, raising awareness among Xavier students about the issues of poverty and social justice.This past
summer, we continued our relationship with Appalachia Habitat for Humanity in Robbins, Tennessee. With the help of the faculty leadership of Lou Cicalese, Greg Harkness, Alex Lavy, Steve Noga, and Anthony SooHoo, SJ., I had the chance to lead two trips to Tennessee in June. During the first week, one group worked on the foundation of Habitat’s new volunteer center, which will now allow CFX to send more volunteers to Tennessee each summer.This work included laying cinder block and plumbing, raking gravel, and pouring cement. The second group worked on the finishing crew of a new home, which included interior painting, installing vinyl siding, and continued work on the porch. In our second visit, one work crew performed some much needed repairs on an existing home, including lots of painting and interior detail.The other crew built the floor, exterior and interior walls, porch, and roof of a brand new Habitat home. On Monday there was nothing at the site except a cinder block foundation. By Friday, there was the structure of an entire house. Clearly, the work that we do in Tennessee is always contingent upon the needs of the community and varies from trip to trip and from year to year. In July, Xavier traveled across the border to volunteer with Esperanza International, a local community-based group in Tijuana, Mexico. Under the
direction of Greg Harkness and the leadership of Jeff Angus, Lou Cicalese, Chris Napolitano, Pat Rogers, SJ, and Ben Suro, 22 rising seniors spent hours doing grueling cement work on new homes for those who are in desperate need of having their basic needs met with dignity and respect. In addition to digging a foundation for a new home, our men also worked to repair and put a new roof on a drug rehabilitation center as well as a community center. Though the work is exhausting, this experience is a life-changing encounter with the poor. According to Adam Papas ’06,“Our trip opened our eyes to the actual troubles that occur in Mexico. It also allowed us to work for change and have a sense of giving ourselves up to the needs of others.” In dialogue with those whom we work, our students learn about aspects of Latin American culture, and challenge their faith lives through daily prayer and reflection about their shared experience. Meals during the day are provided by the families with whom we work. For both groups, it is in the giving that we receive. Ricardo Castillo ’06 reflects,“The people were so grateful to see us there. They thanked us for helping them, but I went and thanked them for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.”The trip also includes a visit to the border, where we learn that many Mexicans who die
while attempting to cross into the U.S. are often under 20 years of age. Such realities cannot be ignored, and provoke our students to ask why poverty exists as such and what social structures keep human beings poor in the first place. Upon returning to Xavier, most students bring their experience back home by becoming involved in raising awareness about issues of social justice and poverty among our community, including the emergence of a renewed Amnesty International chapter. Throughout the entire school year, students are committed to raising substantial funds to support the expenses of the program. With the help of donations from family, friends, and parishes, as well as many in school fundraisers such as the Acoustic Coffeehouse, CFX members were able to raise over $48,000 to cover the costs of last year’s program. With the increased interest of our students and the generous support of the Xavier family, CFX 2006 will send a total of 97 students and 25 faculty and alumni to Tennessee and Mexico. We have already reached over $24,000 of our $80,000 fundraising goal for next summer, with a long road of preparations ahead for us. Not only did these young men build and repair homes, whether it was with nails or cement, they also built bridges of community between themselves
and the local people with whom they worked. Beyond all their effort, they enjoyed recreation time, as well as the hospitality of shared meals with local families and church groups. Most importantly, in the group’s prayerful reflection, these young men discovered that the good work of their hands was guided by the hands of Christ, who calls us to love and serve wherever we may journey. The Companions of St. Francis Xavier Service Program has deeply affected the lives of our students in so many ways, as the words of Kenny Fackovec ’06 can attest:“This experience was completely life-changing. Not only were we able to live among the poor and help them, but we also learned a lot about ourselves. There are so many basic needs in our lives that we take for granted and through this experience we gained a greater appreciation for everything in our lives, but not forgetting our responsibility towards the poor.”Yes, we could just send the money… but for us at Xavier, that just won’t do. If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the Companions of St. Francis Xavier Service Program, please contact me at 212-924-7900 x1658 or petrielloj@xavierhs.org. To learn more about the organizations with whom we work, please visit their websites at www.habitat.org and www.esperanzainternational.org.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
15
a Xavier Alumnus in the
Eye of the Storm Bob Weierman, M.D. ’60 and his wife, Teresa, ran into Pat Stokes ’60 at a supply location near Gulfport, Mississippi. Pat, the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., posed with the Weierman’s in front of a delivery truck.
16
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
Born and raised in Spring Lake, New Jersey, Robert Weierman, M.D.‘60, moved to Gulfport, Mississippi to start a new medical practice. Growing up, Bob said he had many experiences with hurricanes at the Jersey shore, sometimes resulting in the boardwalk being moved one or two blocks away from the beach, depending on the level of erosion. He experienced paralyzing blizzards while in college at St. Peter’s College, and witnessed looting and burning during riots in Washington, D.C. in 1968, but he said nothing could have prepared him for Hurricane Katrina. “On August 27, my daughter, who had been working in New Orleans at the Children’s Hospital, came over to be with us,” Bob wrote to the Alumnews. “A friend of hers had taken her shift because she was supposed to have worked through the hurricane. Also, friends of ours who lived near a bayou came up to our house because we are eight to ten miles north of the Gulf. Fortunately, they brought their two cars, and a friend of theirs who had a boat brought generators because he was a diabetic and needed insulin—we had a refrigerator for a couple of days anyway. “On the 28th of August, we saw some clouds and had a little rain. We all had gone to bed and waited for the morning, and the first thing that went was the electricity. We had filled two bathtubs with water for some bathing and to flush the toilets; we had bottled water for drinking, a charcoal grill, and some food. We watched from inside the house as 30-40 foot pine trees were snapped or uprooted. We watched the shingles stripped from our neighbors’ roofs. This went on the next 12 hours. When we had a chance to inspect our house, we found very little damage (thank God). The next few days were very trying as we had no phones or cell phones. Our water is pumped and without electricity we would not be getting any soon. Also, our sewer system runs on electricity, so we were now facing the inability to flush the toilets. On Wednesday we went to the hospital, as we could not call them. The generators were not working well, and in the middle of surgery Tuesday night they failed and the surgery had to be finished with flashlights.
“The storm lasted until 6:30 in the evening. It was just about continuous with 130-mile-an-hour winds. The people down here were not expecting this type of devastation. We were told that Camille was the worst hurricane ever to hit the Gulf Coast, in 1969. The history books have now been rewritten. Camille came in on the same path Katrina did. Towns have been totally destroyed. Heading from the west, Waveland—where the eye came in— was totally destroyed. Bay St. Louis, to the east, was totally destroyed. Pass Christian was 80% to 90% destroyed.” Bob said his nearby church, St. Thomas the Apostle, suffered severe damages, and its two-story stone rectory was reduced to a foundation. A surrounding school was lost as well, and all of the casinos that had been built on barges in accordance with state law, suffered crippling damages. “The one thing that has impressed me, having lived in the Northeast most of my life, is that these people in Mississippi are rolling up their sleeves— their neighbors are getting together and they are moving forward. No one is whining, crying, or doing anything like that. They are pitching in. A lot of our stores are opening. Houses are being built. The National Guard, FEMA, and the State Police have been extremely helpful to everyone down here, no matter what you read in the papers. People are getting back to work,” Bob wrote. Bob wished to thank many of his Xavier acquaintances that provided assistance following Hurricane Katrina, including: Jay O’Brien, Joe Dineen, Doug Graser, Ed Keeshan, Peter Toja, Rev. Nick Connolly, S.J., Pat Stokes, and Roger Kirwan. He recommended several websites with photographs of storm damage, including www.nicholas.duke.edu/psds/, www.facethewind.com, and www.gulfcoastforums.com. While Bob said he was struggling to see patients and he wasn’t sure whether many local residents have either lost their homes or relocated to other areas, he said the one thing he constantly sees is people helping one another, and it helps him find hope.“Everybody’s trying to recover,” he told the Alumnews.
Blue Night Band Helps Hurricane Victims
The Blue Night Band performing at the Manhattan Mall during their first charity concert this year.
The fact that a number of band members had only been Xavier students for several months emphasized the spontaneity of the Blue Night Band’s first performance of the academic year—a benefit show on Nov. 8 at the Manhattan Mall to help the American Red Cross raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. During recent years, the Blue Night Band has visited New Orleans three times. And it is a place that has always welcomed and cared for its visitors. When 9/11 occurred, Jesuit High School, in New Orleans, was the first school to offer their support to the Xavier community. Now, during the Gulf Coast region’s time of strife, longtime band leader Rocco Iacovone ’62 felt a benefit concert would be appropriate. At 4:30 p.m. chairs were set up near a giant Christmas tree on the lower level of the mall, and instruments were tuned as onlookers gathered along the railings that looked down at the floor from various levels of the mall. Xavier faculty member Denise Iacovone introduced the band and urged mall visitors to donate to the Red Cross by checking out a table set up on the mall’s main level. The band successfully performed a number of jazz standards, as well as several rock pieces, like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.” The crowds of people present at the event enjoyed watching the event, and the band did a fantastic job entertaining the audience for over an hour. Two other concerts took place at the mall on Nov. 22 and Dec. 20.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
17
knight
Reu
ed
The 1969 J.V. Basketball Team
From Xavier to West Point…
John Calabro ’63 and Jim Wartski ’77 were at a recent dinner when they realized they both graduated from Xavier.
18
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
Jim Wartski ’77 recently discovered that a colleague of his wasn’t just a colleague, but also a fellow Xavier graduate. Jim and John Calabro ’63 both went on to attend West Point, and they had known each other for years. John retired from active duty and was hired by the Association of Graduates at West Point, where he currently works as Vice President of Alumni Support. At West Point, Jim is currently serving on the Board of Trustees, working with the Admissions Department as the Florida State Commander overseeing the Admissions Liaison Officers, and attending conferences for being the President of the Central Florida Alumni Chapter (West Point Society). At a recent Board Meeting dinner, Jim said he became aware that a fellow “Son of Xavier” was sitting by his side. Jim’s wife, Donna, joined the group and talked about her high school experience at Notre Dame Academy, in NYC. John chimed in and said he went to an all-boys military high school on West 16th Street. At that point, Jim said he started singing “Sons of Xavier, keep marching on to Victory...” About a month later, Jim visited West Point and left a Xavier HS uniform patch from the summer uniforms on John's desk.
Brennan Boys from ’89 It was a hot June evening in 1989. The swelter of 189 Xavier graduates in their formal blues or rented tuxedos was met with a thunderous ovation by the St. Patrick’s’ Cathedral faithful. It was not the decibel level of the clapping that caught my attention as much as the sudden cheering and clapping coming from my fellow classmates. I John Brennan ’89 and his wife, thought it was unusual to see my classmates join Lori, visited Xavier classmate in the cheering for themselves, but that was not George Brennan ’89 at a signing who they were cheering for. Out of a sea of high appearance for his book Excellence: Sons of Xavier Forever. fives and clapping hands emerged John Brennan from the back of the line to take his rightful place behind me (alphabetically) in the line of the graduation procession. John Brennan had missed the last few months of senior year in 1989 due to his battle with cancer. It was the first time we had seen John in quite some time, but then again, it was only fitting to see a man who conquered cancer in time to receive his diploma along side of all of us. It would be the last time I had seen or heard from John Brennan since graduation. In 1999, my wife Katie came home from a busy day of teaching third graders at a public school in Westchester. She could not wait to share some amazing news with me. It turns out that Katie's colleague at work, a Kindergarten teacher named Lori, had mentioned in conversation that her husband was originally from Brooklyn. Katie asked,“Where did he go to high school?” Lori said,“Xavier.” Katie enthusiastically got excited and said her husband graduated from Xavier too.” Katie continued on saying,“Isn't that funny? We both work in the same school in Westchester, we are both married to Brennan’s and both of our husbands graduated from Xavier. What year did your husband graduate, Lori? Maybe my husband knows him?” Lori says,“He graduated in 1989.” Katie screams with excitement, “No way! My husband George graduated from Xavier that same year. What is your husband's name?” Lori says,“John Brennan.” Katie came home and told me the news and I nearly fell over. A few months later, we would all plan to meet as couples at their school faculty Christmas party in 1999. The moment finally arrived. John and Lori walked in some time after we had already settled in. It took only seconds for John and I to spot one another in a room full of unfamiliar faces. As our wives watched in sheer joy, John and I hugged and just laughed at one another. We laughed at the coincidence or perhaps the fate of this encounter. We laughed at the humorous history we shared together in many of the same classes on West 16th Street. As we sat together at the same table, the conversation was consumed over fellow classmates and the legendary educators at Xavier. (Mr. Woehling, who had both of us for Algebra, called us “Beastly” and “Gruesome”—”The Brennan Brothers.”) The night culminated with all four of us dancing together in reunion of two Brennan wives, two Brennan husbands and two Xavier graduates from the class of 1989. In 2004, John and Lori would make another surprise cameo again. This time it was for the book signing of my first published work, Excellence: Sons of Xavier Forever. John is a police officer in the South Bronx. Lori is now on maternity leave with their first son Ryan. My wife Katie has now left third grade and she has taken over Lori Brennan's Kindergarten class. At least the Kindergarten students will not have to learn a different name for their new teacher. —-George Brennan ‘89
“ReuKNIGHTed is a section of the Alumnews that runs in each issue, telling the stories of Xavier graduates that have crossed paths with other graduates from their class, members of other years, or even members of Xavier’s administration. The ReuKNIGHTed section has run in many previous issues of the Alumnews, but is only successful with ample reader response. Contact Mike Benigno with your ReuKNIGHTed story either by email at benignom@xavierhs.org, or by phone at 212-924-7900 x.1435.”
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
19
Save the Date! Friday, November 17, 2006
XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
Hall of Fame Dinner HONOREES
Rev. Kenneth J. Boller, S.J.
Paul J. Curran, Esq. ’49
Hon. Alberto del Rosario ’57
William E. LaMothe ’44
William E. LaMothe ’44 Chairman & CEO of Kellogg Co.; financial supporter of Xavier and other educational institutions.
Arthur I. McEwen ’51
Rev. Vincent G. Potter, S.J. ’46
PLACE PIER SIXTY at Chelsea Piers New York, NY 10011 TIME
Reception 6:00 - 7:00 pm Dinner 7:00 pm
Please join us as we celebrate our “Men for Others” in this Jubilee Year of the 500th Anniversary of the birth of St. Francis Xavier.
Eugene C. Rainis ’58
Rev. Kenneth J. Boller, S.J. Former Xavier mathematics teacher, Dean of Co-curricular Activities, Headmaster and President. Paul J. Curran, Esq. ’49 Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, former State Assemblyman, former head of Commission on Criminal Justice and the Use of Force; Director of Fordham Law Alumni Association. Hon. Alberto del Rosario ’57 Philippine Ambassador to the United States; former Chairman of Makati Foundation for Education.
Arthur I. McEwen ’51 Personnel Director for UPS; educational philanthropist with strong support of Xavier and Fordham, supports inner-city Scholarship Fund. Rev. Vincent G. Potter, S.J. ’46 Fordham Professor, Academic Vice President, holder Loyola; Chair of Humanities; edited International Philosophical Quarterly. Eugene C. Rainis ’58 Partner at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.; former Chair of Xavier’s Board of Trustees.
Class Notes By Martin Kurzatkowski ’02
1936 Joseph Kelly recently celebrated his 87th birthday! John Walsh corresponds regularly with Fr. Bob Rice ’40, who is currently located in Cebu City, in the Philippines, and continues to frequently meet up with Bill Hannan.
1942 Raymond Wiley has just published Al Williams: The Fleet’s First Frequent Flyer. The book relates the story of a 1913 graduate of Fordham University and classmate of the author’s father. 1943 Rev. James Salmon, S.J. is a Professor of Chemistry at Loyola College in Maryland and Senior Fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. Kenneth D. Vilece, son of Dr. Robert J. Vilece, was a member of the Nuclear Energy team of the United Nations that received half of the Nobel Peace Prize this year for work preventing nuclear energy from being used for military purposes. Dr. Vilece was Cadet Colonel of the Regiment from Sept. 1942—June 1943, and went on to serve in World War II.
1946 James O’Connor would be glad to hear from any fellow alumni. Call the Director of Alumni Relations for his contact info. 1947 Cedric Priebe, Jr. is still working as the Chief of Pediatric Surgery Administrative Vice-Chair in the Department of Surgery. 1948 Tom Kennedy published a chapter in Madame Chiang Kai-shek and Her China. 1949 The Class of 1949 had a great senior reunion at the Cape Cod summer home of John Hauss. 24 Class of 1949 men and spouses were in attendance. 1950 Joseph Brostek was promoted to Executive Director of Events at his alma mater, Queens College. Borough President Helen Marshall proclaimed June 2 “Joseph Brostek Day” in honor of his service to the community. 1951 Roger P. McTiernan, Sr. and his son, Roger P. McTiernan, Jr. ’69, are senior partners of the firm Barry, McTiernan & Moore.
1944 Several members of the Class of 1944 held their annual gathering in New York recently. Frank Dwyer, Al Tattam, George Pavarini, Jack McCrane, Joseph Dunn, Fr. Joe Novak, S.J. and Bernie Carlin were present. They regretted the absence of Dr. Tom Draper, who was ill at the time. Each person received a personalized picture frame from the Class of 1944, reading “Friends for Sixty-Five Years.”
1953 Richard Muller has retired from American Airlines at JFK and from his position as a State of California Peace Officer. He is currently working as a school bus driver for the Crook County School District in Prineville, Oregon.
Pellegrino Appointed to UN Committee Edmund Pellegrino ’37, Professor Emeritus of medicine and medical ethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, was appointed to the International Bioethics Committee of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The committee works as an advisory board to the United Nations, weighing the ethical implications of advances in life sciences. The group focuses specifically on biology and genetics research and their implications. Pellegrino holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and a medical degree from New York University. He has authored and co-authored 24 books and, in addition, is the founding editor of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy. Congratulations to Ed on his great accomplishment!
1954 Richard Caime recently became a grandfather for the first time! Ed Shalhoub is still actively practicing internal medicine. Dante Manzi wishes to share his engineering/science website with other Xavier graduates. The web address is www.dantemanzi.com.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
21
Class Notes
1955 Joseph DeRose is still practicing Internal Medicine as a professor of medicine. 2nd Class Petty Officer Hank Woehling III NMCB-3, son of Xavier faculty member Hank Woehling, has been serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom since November 2005, stationed between Iraq and Kuwait.
Condemned to Repeat the Past: Exposing the Ironies of the Law John Iannuzzi, Esq. ’52, recently published his tenth book. Condemned, a work of fiction, brings light into the dark world of international drug trafficking, exposing some of the ironies of the legal system— agencies seizing money without ever charging individuals with crimes, prisoners incarcerated without legal boundaries. Iannuzzi argues that current drug laws have created a drug industry of underground buyers and sellers and as long as the laws stay the same we are condemned to suffer the substancerelated problems of the past, similar to the days of prohibition. Iannuzzi has served as a criminal defense lawyer for the past 43 years, encountering drug cartels in the United States, as well as Columbia, Russia, and Romania. He said the book is a fictionalized account of some of the many personal experiences he’s had as a lawyer. “In the book, it’s hard to differentiate between real, personal experiences, and what I’ve learned from just being around,” Iannuzzi said.“I have an extensive background in criminal law, and as a result of that the various scenes all basically stem from actual experiences.” The book has already received advanced praise from a number of other authors, and Iannuzzi hopes it will emerge a successful seller. Condemned will be available online at various retailers, as well as in bookstores as early as January.
22
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
1956 William Gatti is looking forward to his 50th reunion and a personal tour of Xavier by the President, his brother Dan. Frank Heelan recently published Stations of the Risen Lord to balance off the agony and sorrow of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ with the hope and joy of the Resurrection. 1957 Patrick Hickey is in his 15th year working with his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, as Director of Development. Everett Worfolk is retiring from IBM. However, he will continue to work for IBM as a consultant for their European outsourcing business. He is now working in Switzerland and the Czech Republic. 1958 St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center awarded James Januzzi the Angelus Award, presented to him at a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in recognition of his outstanding service as a physician.
music.com. Rocco would love to hear from old friends and band alum. The Rocco John Group continues to play in NYC venues.
1963 Thomas Nipper says the practice of orthopedic surgery has changed dramatically in the last 2 years with the introduction of genetically-engineered products. 1964 Joseph Sciabarra is a retired Navy pilot instructor for National Safety in Arizona. 1965 Jon Czarnecki recently became a grandfather! Robert Posteraro, a radiologist with Lubbock Diagnostic Radiology in Lubbock, TX, graduated from Oregon Health and Science University with the degree of Master of Biomedical Informatics (MBI) in June 2005. 1966 Ray Dittrich recently became a grandfather for the fifth time. 1967 Richard Vals recently retired from his music teaching position after 32 years in Queens, NY. 1968 Mathew Mari was recently elected vice president of the New York Criminal Bar Association and is on the Board of Advisors of the Xavier Bar Association.
1961 Jim Costello retired on July 1, 2005 after 31 years as Chief Financial Officer of Carmel Richmond Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Staten Island, New York.
1969 Father Charles Sangermano was named a Prelate of Honor, with the title of Monsignor, by the late Pope John Paul II in March of 2005. He is the Pastor of Holy Saviour Parish, in Norristown, PA.
1962 Tom Clare has retired as technical director of the Navy laboratory and is now doing consulting work. Tom lives at Reynolds Plantation, a lake-golf community outside of Atlanta, GA. Ernie DeNigris has launched Ratorg Consulting, a consulting firm that specializes in the leveraging of technology as a major element of strategy. Rocco Iacovone now has a website for all of his various musical groups, roccojohn-
1970 Carmine Alampi has joined Robert McGuirl on the Board of Trustees of Inter-religious Fellowship for Homeless of Bergen County. They are looking for a few volunteers to be “Men for Others.” Mark Lutz is currently an associate director of process engineering at Wyeth Vaccines in Pearl River, NY. For the past two years, Mark has lived in Wantage, NJ in a home that he and his fiancé had built.
Class Notes
1973 Steven Kuklin is presently serving in Iraq as leader of a Military Transition Training team, working with the Iraqi Army in the Northwest near Tal-Afar. 1974 Henry Smith had the pleasure of meeting fellow classmate Len Fodera during a trip to Philadelphia in May 2005. 1975 Miguel Fittipaldi was named a member of Xavier’s Board of Trustees. John Kulpa has relocated to Miami, Florida with HNTB, where he works as a chief transport planner. Tony Cucolo was recently promoted to the rank of Brigadier General 1976 Peter Sciabarra is still in the Navy, based in San Diego. 1977 Brian McTiernan is the managing director of Barry, McTiernan & Moore. John Young was elected to the American College of Dentists in recognition of his “excellence in outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society.” 1978 Frank Lacqua was appointed Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn. 1979 Barry McTiernan is a Senior VP with the firm Cantor Fitzgerald. 1980 Peter Salerno has retired from the N.Y.P.D. Upon his retirement, Bruce Caulfield ’73, owner of Tracks Raw Bar & Grill, graciously took Peter as a business partner in a new venture: Big Apple BBQ at One Penn Plaza. 1981 Philip Lynch has retired to Virginia after 20 years with the NYPD. One of the last things he did as an NYPD Lieutenant was to assist police officer Steve Durnin ’99 arrest two men. Steve was named “Cop of the Month” for that arrest.
1982 Fr. Patrick Buckley was ordained on May 15, 2004 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the Archdiocese of New York. 1983 Dermot Paul Cashman will assume command of the guided missile destroyer, the U.S.S. Laboon, in April 2006. John Murray is the director for U.S. Marketing for Cordis Neurovascular. 1985 Michael Tolkin and Bruce McLane coached the New York Athletic Club to the National Rugby Super League Championship in June. Matt Frank ’97 and Mike Lugano ’96 played on that winning side as well. Greg Smith is a licensed AIA architect practicing in New Orleans, LA. 1987 Gajendra Bafna has settled in Greenville, SC and has been a pharmacist since his graduation from L.I.U. in New York in 1992. 1989 George Brennan just completed his second book, Bats, Brats and Stats, a memoir about his love for baseball and the last generation of stickball players on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It will be available in the Spring of 2006.
Craig Eaton, Esq.‘78 (left, sitting with John Linney’39), who serves as president of the youth activities program at St. Anselm, in Bay Ridge, and chairman of a local Community Board. He was recently given the Community Achievement Award by the Guild for Exceptional Children. The award was presented at the Guild’s dinner dance on September 30, 2005.
1990 Maj. Douglas LeVien is serving in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad. 1991 John Giordano is teaching computer science at West Point Military Academy. John was recently promoted to Major. Francis Williams is still pursuing a flying career. 1992 Joseph La Ferlita is an attorney living in Manhattan and practicing trusts and estates law on Long Island. 1993 Walter Cross III moved to Santa Cruz, CA in August of 2005. Walter is continuing his work with autistic adults with Easter Seals and plans on mastering in philosophy.
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
23
Class Notes
Class of 1990 Stars Win Home Run Derby
1995 Paul Fabsik resides in Forest Hills and hopes to see his fellow Xavier brothers at the next St. Patrick’s Day parade. Joseph Grosso is the head librarian at the Ridgewood Public Library in Queens. 1997 Andrew Dory has been named “Best Bartender on the Upper East Side” by the New York Bar and Nightclub Association’s Annual Best of Awards for 2005. Andrew can be found tending bar at Rathbone’s Pub on 2nd Ave. and 89th Street.
Kevin Sherman, Doug LeVien, and Mike Amoroso, members of the Class of 1990 after winning the Brooklyn Cyclones Home Run Derby.
Three Brooklyn born and raised Xavier High School Class of 1990 graduates won the inaugural Baseball Minor League Class A Brooklyn Cyclones Home Run Derby! By hitting three home runs on July 23, Mike Amoroso ‘90, Doug LeVien ‘90, and Kevin Sherman ‘90 beat out 12 other three-man teams. Mike, Doug, and Kevin competed against the Top Home Run Hitters of the New York/Penn League prior to the inaugural All-Star Game on August 23 at Keyspan Park, in Coney Island, and received their Championship trophies. In memory of the 50th anniversary of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series victory, they wore vintage Brooklyn Dodger uniforms for the Home Run Derby. Kevin wore #4 in memory of Duke Snyder, Doug wore #42 in memory of Jackie Robinson, and Mike wore #1 in memory of “Pee Wee” Reese. After his years at Xavier, Mike attended the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. He holds a Masters Degree in Telecommunications and Information Management from Polytechnic University. Mike hit over .600 his senior year at Xavier and was the team’s shortstop and captain. During his teenage years, he regularly played against Boston Red Sox star and native New Yorker, Manny Ramirez. He still plays baseball for the Kings County Weasels in the Men’s Adult League. He is currently a Systems Engineer for CISCO and works in Midtown Manhattan. Doug LeVien attended La Salle University after Xavier, and he holds a Masters Degree in International Relations. He hit .710 his senior year as Xavier’s center fielder, and was named to the 1990 New York Daily News All-Star Team. Doug played for four years at La Salle and holds the school record for his 22 game hitting streak in1994. Doug is currently a Major in the United States Army, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. He has previously served with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina, and the 3rd Infantry Division in Georgia. He is currently deployed to Iraq. Kevin Sherman went to Boston College after Xavier. While on the Xavier baseball team, he played left field during the 1990 New York Archdiocesan Championship season. Kevin is currently a Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Lenox Advisors, in Midtown Manhattan.
24
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
1999 Justin Guiterman was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in May. Justin was transferred to Mayport, FL and will be reporting as the Navigator on the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 59) in November 2005. 2000 Alex Gochal and Peter Puk have been awarded membership on to the Law Review at New York Law School. 2001 Charles Kubat graduated from the University of Scranton in May 2005 with a degree in accounting. Currently, he is in graduate school at Scranton and will graduate in May 2006. James McVey has graduated from Rutgers University. Matthew Nihan graduated from Loyola College in Maryland with a degree in finance. Matthew is employed as a construction project manager and is pursuing his master’s degree in construction management at NYU Real Estate Institute. 2003 Joseph O’Brien is in his junior year at Notre Dame and is majoring in history. He enjoys the fact that the Fighting Irish had a winning season.
Mileposts IN MEMORIAM Rev. George J. McMahon, S.J. ’40 died November 30, 2005. Fr. McMahon was a beloved and respected member of the Xavier High School and Fordham University communities for many years. From 1962 to 1974 he served as the Dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, and he went on to serve as Vice President for the Lincoln Center campus from 1975 to 1993. Afterward, he became the Alumni Chaplain for the university. On the 150th anniversary of the university, he was honored by the Fordham University Historical Society and given its highest recognition. Receiving an honorary degree from Fordham in 1998, Fr. McMahon had a beautiful residence hall named after him. At Xavier, Fr. McMahon served on the Board of Trustees from 1987-1995 and will be remembered by all those who knew him and felt his presence at the school.
DEATHS Alumni Thomas P. Ronan ’27, October 31, 2005 Robert E. Dobson ’32, July 2005 Gerard F.X. Nolan ’34, October 9, 2005 Thomas S. Torresson, Jr. ’34, August 15, 2005 John J. Hennessy ’40, May 4, 2005 Fr. George J. McMahon ’40, November 30, 2005 J. Joseph Hofmann ’43, July 19, 2005 William J. Regan ’45, November 8, 2005 Eugene T. Zaborowski ’48, May 6, 2005 James P. McGowan ’49 Joseph A. Castelli ’51, June 6, 2005 Michael R. Horan ’52, August 17, 2005 Robert L. Ardizzone ’59, August 17, 2005 John A. Weisz ’62, September 11, 2005 Joseph J. Celestri ’70, September 9, 2005 Gaspare Guinta ’02, August 11, 2005
Family Veronica Balaguer, wife of John ’53, August 20, 2005 Rudolph Cecchi, father of Rudy ’69, August 19, 2005 Thomas Curley, father of Mark ’74, September 23, 2005 Eleanor Conniff, sister of Thomas A. Conniff ’52,
November 9, 2005 Rosa Elena, mother of Robert Suarez ’86 and Allen ’88, March 26, 2005 Helen Emanuel, mother of John ’72 and Edward ’75, November 4, 2005 Joseph Ferrari, father of John ’72, November 5, 2005 Marie Forino, grandmother of Gregory Goldberg ’05, November 23, 2005
BIRTHS Family continued Dorothy Grimm, mother of Richard ’74, August 22, 2005 Daniel Hernandez, father of Daniel ’98, October 29, 2005 Marie Jensen, grandmother of Richard Greco ’03, September 20, 2005 Yvonne Marie LaRocca, wife of Joe LaRocca ’67, September 2, 2005 Vincent Mahiques, father of Vincent ’72 and Richard ’85, March 20, 2005 Patricia McQuade, wife of Raymond ’50, May 9, 2005 Joan Nolan, mother of Robert ’84, Michael ’87 and Brian ’90, September 3, 2005 Florence O’Neill, husband of Joseph ’41, May 21, 2005 John Otton, father of Raymond ’00, September 27, 2005 Harjit Pataria, father of Navjot ‘09 November 17, 2005 Ignatius Yocher, father of George ’77, April 30, 2005 Nettie Caracciolo, mother of Angela DeVita, grandmother of Michael DeVita ’93, November 21, 2005
Friends Patricia Burpoe, sister of John Burpoe, September 10, 2005 Joseph R. Caruso, former Xavier faculty member, August 3, 2005 Rev. William R. O’Leary, S.J., former Xavier faculty member, August 15, 2005
Tess Margaret Gilmartin, December 12, 2003 Mary Ann and James Gilmartin ’81 David Gregory Farrell, August 29, 2005 Ann and George Farrell ’82 Emilio Farrell, April 4, 2004 Lori Ann and Keith Farrell ’82 Charles Kinzie, Jr., March 3, 2005 Diana and Charles Kinzie ’82 Owen Michael Jackman, September 22, 2005 Michelle and Thomas Jackman ’86 Rohan Bafna, August 20, 2004 Charu and Gajendra Bafna ’87 Diego Fransisco Inguez, August 8, 2005 Melissa and James Inguez ’87 Audrey Claire Liberta, October 2, 2003 Diane and Joseph Liberta ’88 James Foley McDonald, August 12, 2005 Lesley and Jim McDonald ’89 Lucas Alec Ramos, June 17, 2005 Amanda and Joseph Ramos ’89 Tiernan Michael O’Rourke, June 27, 2005 Victoria and Michael O’Rourke ’91 Concetta Cohen, July 15, 2005 Irene and Adam Cohen ’94
WEDDINGS Joseph Harte ’87 and Kelly Cunningham, June 11, 2004 John Scholz ’89 and Amy Yarnevich, November 19, 2005 Stephen Scott ’93 and Jacqueline Piedrahita, June 25, 2005
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
25
2006 Annual Fund Annual Fund 2006 Goals
The Annual Fund is a program designed to encourage unrestricted, recurring gifts to Xavier High School. Gifts to the Annual Fund support a full range of day-to-day expenses, including student clubs and activities, athletic programs, spiritual renewal programs,
Alumni $1,420,000
student guidance and college placement programs, faculty salaries, operation of the Computer Learning Center, and maintenance of the School
Parents $270,000
buildings. All alumni, parents, and friends of Xavier are encouraged to become regular contributors to the Annual Fund by joining one of the Annual Fund gift clubs. All gifts, regardless of their size, are important
Friends $60,000
to Xavier. To a great extent, the success of the Annual Fund depends on the growing involvement of our alumni
Student Spirit Day $90,000
and parents as volunteers and as donors. As of January 18, 2006, $1,100,448 in cash and pledges has been raised,
X AV I E R FA S T FAC TS
which represents 60% of the goal.
TOTAL $1,840,000
Founded in 1847 Type of School Jesuit, Catholic, Independent, College Preparatory
Student Demographics
Bronx 4% Manhattan 19%
Queens 25% Other 4% Brooklyn 39% Staten Island 9%
Student Ethnicity European Descent 72.3% Hispanic 14.9% Asian-American 6.8% African-American 5.4% Native American 0.5%
• • • • •
Faculty and Administration Jesuit 5 Lay 80
Student to Teacher Ratio 14 to1
••••• •••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••• ••••••• ••••••• •
Average Teaching Experience 10 years
26
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
Annual Fund Chairmen Michael Puglisi ’68 Michael O’Rourke, Jr ’91
To the right are listed the names of those who have volunteered their time and efforts as class chairmen toward the fund’s success. Please participate in the phonathons and assist your class chairman in his efforts to maintain the strong bond that Xavier enjoys with its many sons.
Alumni Class Chairmen 1930 John R. Torney 1931 James M. Horan 1932 John A. Winter 1935 Kevin E. Kavanagh, Esq. 1938 Harold J. White 1940 Ralph R. Ilaria, Esq. 1942 Felix R. Suarez 1943 Thomas L. Doyle, Jr. 1944 Francis J. Dwyer, Esq. Aloysius C. Tattam 1945 William A. Murphy 1947 Leo B. Connelly, Esq.+ Albert J. Melzl 1948 James E. Tweedy, P.E. 1952 Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. 1954 Franklin D. Piasio 1955 John R. Mellert 1957 Thomas H. Donnelly, Ph.D. 1958 Gerard F. Feeney 1959 Gerald M. Knapp John P. Keker 1960 James W. Cuddihy 1960 Robert V. Scavullo 1961 C.P. Connell, Jr. 1962 Thomas M. Callahan 1963 Peter E. Schwimer, L.M.S.W. 1964 Raymond J. Lustig, Esq. James J. Miller, Sr. 1966 John C. Meditz 1967 James Crisafulli Francis B. Orlando, Esq. 1970 James P. Gildea Edward S. Kulesza, M.D. 1971 Kenneth J. Sidlowski 1972 Donald W. Gross, Jr. Peter A. Maniscalco 1973 Robert H. Maguire 1974 Richard J. Scheller 1975 James E. Hillman
1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1983 1985 1986 1987
1988
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004
Louis J. Papa, Esq. John J. Young, D.D.S. Craig A. Eaton, Esq. Marc T. Corea Stephen T. Keller Gil L. Cosenza Kevin M. Gori, Esq. Timothy T. Tweedy, P.E. Richard T. Nolan, Jr. Richard A. Stewart Timothy J. Walsh Kevin P. Cuddihy Paul L. Mattiola James B. McHugh William Peterson Nicholas S. Mahedy John C. McHugh Rocco J. Petito John P. Piccard John R. Thorburn Joseph A. Janos Edward A. McGoldrick Richard W. Lustig Daniel C. Steffens Matthew M. Scalzo Eric G. Eschenauer George P. Sinnott Jonathan R. Chiacchere Randy Fernandez Matthew T. Strong Liam M. Brennan Mohammed Dieye John C. Pfabe Mark J. Montaruli Robert Kurzatkowski
+ Deceased
FEBRUARY 2006
— ALUMNEWS
27
FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE
JOE GORSKI Vice President for Advancement
28
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
As I sit in my office writing this issue’s column, the weather is unseasonably warm.The temperature has already reached 61 degrees and may yet go higher.The Thanksgiving holiday is now a recent memory and the season of Advent is upon us. Christmas, and the celebration of the birth of our Savior, is less than four weeks away. It is a season for spiritual preparation, contemplation and thankfulness. As always there is much to think about and much for which to be thankful. First and foremost on my list, I am thankful for my family—my wife Betsy, son Nicholas and daughter Alexandra—for their love, understanding and constant encouragement.They make sure I keep everything in proper perspective. I am thankful to the members of the Society of Jesus and the positive impact their philosophy and spirituality continues to have on my life. I am thankful for the opportunity of coming to work each day at Xavier, a place and an enterprise that gives meaning and satisfaction to my workday efforts. I am thankful for my co-workers—faculty, administrators and staff—whose care and love for our students and one another is an example to the community and the world at large of how best to live one’s life. I am thankful for, and indebted to, the greater Xavier High School community—alumni, parents and friends—for their continued dedication, generosity and involvement in ensuring the success and continuation of Xavier’s mission of educating the “whole” student and marking them forever as “Men for Others.” I am grateful to Debbie Ryan who spent the last five years at Xavier as Director of Annual Giving. Debbie has moved on to the position of Associate Director of Development for the New York Province of Jesuits. During her five years in the Advancement Office, she did an outstanding job in both friend raising and fund raising. Her friendship, dedication, knowledge, advice and courage will be very much missed and we all wish her continued success in her new position. I am grateful for the dedication, enthusiasm and hard work of the Advancement Office Staff—Norma Piecyk, Administrative Assistant to both Fr. Gatti and me, Barbara Ciulla, our Office Manager, Helene Strong, Parents’ Association Coordinator and Data Base Manager, Loual Puliafito ’00, Advancement Officer and Mike Benigno ’00, Director of Alumni Relations.Their consistent efforts guarantee the success of the Advancement team. I am grateful for, and want to welcome, the newest member of the Advancement Office, Eric Lamar Rivers, the new Director of Annual Giving. Eric is a 2002 graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC and comes to us from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, where he has served in several positions, most recently as Manager, Knowledge Management. He has been involved in raising funds for the support of the Annual Legislative Conference, a six million dollar fundraiser. He has solicited corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals to achieve the foundation’s goals. He has a strong background in our non-profit software, Raiser’s Edge, and in financial planning and analysis. Since joining us in midNovember, he has been a very positive addition to our team. I know that all of you have many similar reasons to be thankful. I am sure that each of you is grateful, alumnus, parent or friend, for your association with Xavier High School. Whether you are an alumnus who personally experienced the benefits of a Xavier education, a parent who has seen the moral, spiritual and academic growth of your son or a friend who understands that the community, state and nation benefit from leaders who are truly men of competence, conscience and compassion, you know the vital role that Xavier plays in forming these “Men for Others.” Together, as a team, we can continue to make all the opportunities of a Xavier education available to worthy young men, regardless of economic status, and to assure the legacy and tradition of Xavier High School into the unforeseeable future. Again, thank you for all you have done and continue to do for this venerable institution.
“I went to Xavier.” Many of our fellow Alumni tell people that they went to Xavier. The pride and tradition of Xavier extends to each new graduating class. Surely you have more than one reason why Xavier was special to you… Now, Xavier needs you! Xavier needs to plan ahead to replace its living endowment. What is the living endowment? It is a term used to describe the help Jesuits give by teaching at Xavier. With fewer Jesuits working at Xavier more lay teachers need to be hired. Lay teachers need to be paid a competitive salary and benefits. This change at Xavier has affected the tuition dramatically. In five years, the tuition and fees at Xavier have increased by 37%. There has always been a difference between tuition charged and the cost of a Xavier education. The current gap is $2,500 for every student. To “Bridge the Gap,” roughly $2 million is given to sponsor the students through funds that come from the Annual Fund and by the growth of Xavier’s endowment. If we don’t look ahead now to replace the living endowment at Xavier, the problem will only grow larger. Please consider helping us overcome this challenge by planning Xavier in your future. Your legacy gift will continue to offer future students the opportunity to be challenged intellectually, athletically, and spiritually in an environment that promotes the formation of Men for Others. Visit Xavier online and explore the wealth of information and aid available to help you with your planned giving needs: www.xavierhs.org/ alumni/support.htm. If you have any question as to how your estate plans might benefit Xavier, please contact Joe Gorski or Loual Puliafito ’00.
Contact info Joe Gorski Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations (212) 337-7539 or gorskij@xavierhs.org Loual Puliafito ’00 Advancement Officer (212) 924-7900 x.1611 or puliafitol@xavierhs.org
Florida Receptions February 23, 2006 – March 3, 2006 Xavier March Madness on the Court March 25, 2006 Boston Reception March 30, 2006 Spirit Day May 12, 2006 Parents’ Gala Fundraiser May 19, 2006 Golf Outing May 23, 2006
Alumnews Calendar
Baccalaureate Mass and Dinner June 3, 2006 Graduation June 8, 2006 Reunion Weekend June 9, 2006 and June 10, 2006
XAVIER
30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302 Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID Manchester, NH Permit No. XXX