9 minute read

Class Notes ı Bishop Loughlin

CLASS NOTES

SUBMIT YOURS

Send us your news! Do you have a new job, a personal achievement, family changes, or a memory? We want to hear from you!

email mallison@blmhs.org

mail Class Notes Offi ce of Institutional Advancement Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School 357 Clermont Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11238

Members of the St. Augustine class of 1965 have been catching up inperson every year since 2001. This photo is from their 2019 gathering. This year, in lieu of physically gathering, the class has elected to send donations to Loughlin in support of scholarships. We are grateful!

BISHOP LOUGHLIN

Matthew Panczyk ‘50 retired from teaching in 1998 — having taught at Bergen Community College, Paramus, NJ, and earlier, in Camden , NJ. “I am in touch with four Loughlinites, a “band of brothers”, from the class of 1952. My brother Ray Panczyk ‘52 is retired from Catholic Relief Services and the Peace Corps but is still working with a small school in Niger, West Africa. Ray raises funds and is an advisor to their organization. Art DeSimone, MD ’52 is retired, but serves as the director of a volunteer medical clinic in Hackensack, NJ. Both Jay Fraser ‘52 and Steve Gaughran ‘52 live in Long Island with their families. All fi ve of us are graduates of Manhattan College — where we continued to benefi t from the tutelage of the Christian Brothers, or “the monks” as they were sometimes called. One of the very special lessons that we received is saying the short prayers which we said daily at Loughlin: St. John Baptist de La Salle...pray for us! Live Jesus in our hearts. Forever!”

Anthony Cottell ‘54 is enjoying life in The

Villages, FL.

Daniel Sofi eld ‘55 joined the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity after graduating from Loughlin — “where I am Brother Loughlan. I have had the privilege of working in 300 dioceses on six continents and have had a dozen books published.”

Edward O’Donnell ‘56 is still working as a Senior Geologist for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Offi ce of Research. “We are located in Rockville, MD, which is a northern suburb of DC. In March, NRC transitioned to 100% telework with great success, which was a surprise to us all. My wife continues to teach cello at our home. We have three children. One lives near Dulles Airport and the other two live in San Diego. Each has two children for a total of six grandchildren for us. I look back fondly at the education I received at Loughlin and at Queens College. It’s a big surprise to hear that Brooklyn has become such a desirable place to live. I wish my best to the current crop of Loughlin students. I hope you are able to return to in class learning soon.”

Dennis Duff y ‘57 retired in 2014 and is home more now due to COVID-19. “I grow vegetables and herbs at my residence and my Adirondack vacation home, have built seven planter boxes to accommodate my “farms”, installed three drip irrigation systems to water, built and hung six bird houses, installed a solar panel on my boat to keep the bilge pump from running the battery down, researched 500 Union Army veterans and entered the fi ndings into a database maintained by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), read more books, enjoyed fresh from my garden salads almost every day, made tomato sauce, repaired the fi ring platform at my gun club, and am incredibly busy as Treasurer of my homeowners association as well as Secretary/Treasurer of the Moses A. Baldwin Camp #544, SUVCW & Graves Registration Offi cer of the Dept. of NY, SUVCW. I miss my three times a week gym and pool visits but that gives me more time to advocate for school choice — the most important issue facing our nation today! My email is duff y99999@ aol.com.”

John (Jack) Lynch ‘57 retired from Federal Executive Service, and since 2004, is living in Colorado. “Would love to hear from classmates; I can be reached at hattaboat@aol.com.”

Thomas J. Lynch ‘57 is living in Melville, LI and Bluff ton, SC, trying to outfox the weather. Widowed in 2016; remarried in 2019. He writes, “Life is good, as are my seven grandchildren. Trying to stay healthy both physically and spiritually. Loughlin was great preparation for life. Adversity and complexity are signifi cantly reduced by goodness and kindness.”

John Tarpey ‘57 left New York for the U.S. Coast Guard’s boot camp at Cape May, NJ “right after graduation along with two of my classmates Tom McCarthy ‘57 and Larry Devine ‘57. After completing our training, we returned to New York and I attended at Fordham’s School of Business. Prior to graduation in 1963, I joined the ranks of the NYC Police Department and spent almost 29 years there — retiring as a Lieutenant. I’ve

been retired 31 years and married for 56. My wife and I raised three sons and a daughter. My oldest son retired as a Captain in the Navy and now works as a NY State investigator. My second son retired from the NYPD Aviation Unit and is now a pilot for American Airlines. My youngest is a sergeant with the Port Authority Police and my daughter is a nurse at a hospital on Long Island. I miss my years at Loughlin and still stay in touch with John Power, Mike Lagana, and Tom McCarthy.”

Fr. John Sullivan, OCD ‘59 writes “This summer, The Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists at Paderborn University, Germany accepted copies of my published writings (50+) about Saint Edith Stein into their archives for consultation by interested scholars.”

John J. Burns ‘61 and his wife Joan “celebrated virtually (via Zoom) — because of the pandemic — our 50th wedding anniversary. On the call were our three children, their spouses, seven grandchildren, and a merry mix of relatives. We continue to be enriched by the miracle of the love that we found in each other and our family and friends. For the fact that we found love, we pay thanks to God.”

James P. McLoughlin ’61 moved back to Long Island in September. “My new address is 48 La Bonne Vie Drive, Apt. F, Patchogue, NY 11772. One of the fondest memories I have of my four years at Loughlin was the annual June boat ride to Rye Beach. The ride was fantastic and the amusement park at Rye Beach, wonderful. The Rye Beach boat ride signaled the end of another successful year at Loughlin and was always a lot of fun.”

David W. Mount ‘62 has been the coach of the University of Vermont Business Case Team. “Teams compete in competition both in the U.S. and in other countries. The principal annual competition is the Family Enterprise Case Competition held in Burlington, Vermont each January. The competition has 24 competitors from every continent. The 2021 competition will be virtual, adding a new and untested dimension.”

Anthony A. Cella, Ph.D., CPA ‘63 reports, “I started a dot.com business in 1999 and took it public, with an IPO in 2000. Built the business and sold it to the largest European Phone company in 2008. Currently started a money management corporation and has grown the company to 25 people, moving and managing money through Europe, Asia, Mid-east, South America, and Africa.”

Michael Della Croce ’63 writes “My wife, Theresa, and I are very proud of our granddaughter Olivia. She graduated from St. Theresa’s Elementary School (Bronx) with top honors and received a partial scholarship to Preston H.S. (Bronx). Olivia’s mom and dad encouraged her and her sister to attend Catholic schools because the both of them are graduates of Catholic schools and have done very well for themselves — even during these crazy times.”

Br. Leonard Marsh, FSC ’63 offi cially retired in 2016 after teaching in high school and higher education (most recently at La Salle University in Philadelphia) for 48 years when diminishing enrollment curtailed the global language program at La Salle. “Since then I have been a guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I continue my 30-year work on the Contact helpline and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The current pandemic has changed how we function in these activities, but I’ve become accustomed to change — given the changes experienced in the Church and the Christian Brothers with whom I have had the happiness of living in community for the last 57 years since graduation from Loughlin. I look forward to our 60th anniversary reunion.”

Jim Smithwick ‘63 retired 15 years ago after spending 28 years with Poland Spring management in sales, distribution, and training. “I also spent six years active duty in the USAF and 16 years in the Air National Guard. Currently living on the North Fork of Long Island with the farmers, I am working on a project with John Klemm for recognition for Ty Pannell. I hope you will be hearing about the results of our eff orts in the near future.”

Colonel John A. Keenan USMC (Ret) ‘67 lives in Oceanside, CA (North San Diego County). “I keep busy with volunteer work and participation in numerous organizations including the Knights of Columbus, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. I love the weather here but you can’t get a decent pizza or bagel like in New York. As to fi nding a knish, fuggetboutit!”

Francis X. Daniti ‘68 writes, “Remember that every journey is a new beginning. Perseverance will always help us through diffi cult times.”

Thomas G. McCormick ‘69 sends in “Not so much an update but a few memories. It was wonderful celebrating our 50th with the guys last October. We didn’t miss a beat — so many great laughs. Some of the guys reminded me of when I ran the candy/ice cream store during lunch — I don’t need to say more. Those who know, know. Our track coach, Ed Bowes ‘60, threw me out of Business Law class because I missed a track practice. And, in front of my senior class he said ‘McCormick you are the captain of the track team and you cut practice.’ I said ‘yes I did.’ Not too smart. He told me to get out of the class and do a fi ve- mile run, starting ‘now’. I also remember our senior play where Billy Kane dressed as a big girl. We still tell him he looked better then. Finally as I said at our reunion Mass, I am proud to be a Brothers Boy.”

Charles J. Rappé ‘69 is currently doing research in neoplatonic philosophy, “which is my fi eld. If interested, see some of my work at google.com: charles j. rappe/porphyry.”

John Rowinski ‘69 is looking forward to celebrating the life and accomplishments of one of the greatest LIONS ever. “Let’s make the tribute to EJJB something to remember.”

John Brandt ‘70 is disappointed “we could not gather for our 50th class reunion in 2020, but very much looking forward to seeing you all in 2021! Stay healthy!”

Kevin Walsh ‘70 is enjoying retirement and is doing part-time limo work to get out of the house. “Things have been very slow since the pandemic — an airport run here and there and taking elders to the doctor. Anyone need a ride, I’m your guy! I attended Ed Bowes funeral at St. Patrick’s in Bay Ridge, hooked up with Fred Basso and John Klemm for lunch, and gave a quick hello to Bill Heaney. A very sad day in Loughlin history though it brought back many great memories!!”

This article is from: