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Spring 2012
SPIRIT Saint Columbkille Alumni News 25 Arlington Street Brighton, Massachusetts 02135 www.stcps.org/alumni
Greetings from Brighton! We are delighted to report that this issue of Sprit was written for you, by you. It is stuffed with alumni news and information that will hopefully spark some fond memories in some, and at the very least, remind all of you that you are, and will always be, a member of the Saint Columbkille family.
Many thanks to Jack Falvey ’56 for sharing this vintage photo of Saint Columbkille School.
Back in January, we held an alumni leadership gathering that attracted nearly 30 Saint Columbkille alumni, representing 15 different classes. As we work to expand and strengthen the alumni community, we would love to hear from you! You may contact Caitrin Dunphy at cdunphy@stcps.org or Mary Battles at mbattles@stcps.org to share your news, and to find out how you can get involved. Also, please visit our website at www.stcpsp.org/alumni, and find us on Facebook as Saint Columkbille Alumni Association!
A Message from Alumni Association President Andrea Whalen ‘87 Praesent sed ipsum. Nulla varius risus nec orci. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Quisque varius ultricies ante. Integer commodo rhoncus orci. Ut tincidunt, elit quis pharetra faucibus, nisi massa tincidunt nisl, vitae sodales risus lorem quis nibh. Donec suscipit, erat a aliquam porttitor, neque leo viverra nunc, quis tincidunt sem augue sit amet est. Phasellus id massa. Aliquam erat volutpat. Ut risus purus, congue vel, mattis id, eleifend ut, dui. Integer dapibus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Curabitur sit amet metus. In semper enim sit amet erat. Pellentesque magna. Cras lacus velit, blandit nec, blandit at, ultricies fermentum, nunc.
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Spirit
Spring 2012
Remembering James Francis Smith ‘81 If you grew up in Brighton, there is a very good chance that one time or another you crossed paths with James Francis Smith. Of course, to everyone he was known as Smitty!!! Smitty might have been your neighbor, classmate, teacher, coach, mentor, or simply a friend. Smitty knew everybody and everybody knew and loved him. No matter how you got to know Smitty, you would always come away with some type of story to tell about your experiences with him. Smitty never had a bad word to say about anyone, and was always there to assist a friend in need. He always made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. When you saw Smitty, he had
that rare quality that always made it seem like you just saw him yesterday, even though years had passed. Smitty had a passion for reunions. He loved getting everyone together. Smitty often organized these get-togethers with a few of his friends. He would “bark out the instructions” and delegate all the tasks. Naturally, everyone did what Smitty told them to do. James Francis Smith is no longer with us, but Smitty did “bark out” one last assignment for all of us. The next time you bump into someone who grew up in Brighton, mention Smitty’s name and then watch the smile that comes across his or her face.
Smitty might have been your neighbor, classmate, teacher, coach, mentor, or simply a friend. Smitty knew everybody, and everybody knew and loved him.
-George Azar ‘81
The Class of 1961 Celebrates 50 Years
Most graduates had not visited Saint Columbkille since June 4th, 1961! 2
In a recent AARP (gasp!) article on high school reunions, the writer states, “What a gift it is to come face-to-face with the tangible reminders of youth which rekindle those priceless memories.” So it was for us, the class of 1961, as we gathered in the “…halls of Columb, where we spent our days of youth…” Most graduates had not visited Saint Columbkille since June 4th, 1961! Yet, the climb up the side stairway was so familiar to us. As we signed in, shouts of greeting rang through the hallway of the first floor. Some names and faces were easily recalled while nametags provided reminders when needed. As background rock and roll music of the 50s and 60s played, Steve Sullivan, our class treasurer, welcomed everyone. He then called for a moment of silence as Louise Cadigan, Continued on Page 4
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Congratulations to the Class of 1951 on its 60th Reunion On Saturday evening, October 15, 2011 the Saint Columbkille High School Class of 1951 celebrated its 60th reunion at the Stockyard Restaurant in Brighton, in a private dining room. Prior to arriving at the Stockyard, many classmates and their guests were given a tour of the school by the current Head of School, Mr. William Gartside. Cocktails were served at 6:00 pm, during which time classmates renewed friendships, shared a laugh or two, and caught up on the last 60 years. A sit-down dinner was served at 7:00 pm, followed by a welcome by Dan McDonald. Dan introduced the pastor, Msgr. William Fay, who addressed the gathering. We are delighted to report that the Class of 1951 collectively raised over $2,300 to benefit Saint Columbkille Partnership School. A check from the class was presented to Msgr. Fay that evening. Attendees included Bill Higgins and his wife, Charlotte; Mike Walsh and his wife, Carole Dussault Walsh; Jean Campbell Reilly and her husband, Fran Reilly; Jean Stanton Leonard and her daughter, Mary Lou Regan; Bill Sullivan; Dan
McDonald; Betty Reilly Curran and Norm Swicker; Kay Hill DeSantis and her husband, Don; Mary Boyle; Mary Meade Woods; John Dunning; Gerry Harvey and his wife, Ginny; Alice Foley Borbee and her husband, Larry; Bobby McLaughlin and guest; Lennie Kelleher; Mary O’Leary; Diana Daino Sennott and her husband, Leo; Bill Rochford and his wife, Arlene; Carole Jones Kelly and her husband, Paul; Dick McSherry and his wife Barbara Fennell McSherry; John Fitzgibbon and his wife, Marie; and Paul McGrath We also heard from many classmates who were unable to attend because of poor health, but who contributed to the class gift to the school. We took lots of pictures, exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses, and promised to keep in touch. If we are lucky, perhaps we will meet again in another ten years for a 70 th!!!!! -Carole (Dussault) Walsh ‘51
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Spring 2012
Celebrating 25 Years On Saturday, October 8, 2011, the class of 1986 celebrated its 25th class reunion. We had our night of fun at Devlin's in Brighton Center. Considering we were a class of 42 graduates, a great time was had by the 20 or so that did show up. It was a night of great memories and laughs. We dedicated our night to our classmate Tim Daly, who unfortunately left us all too soon. It was our original intent to have some sort of a memorial mass or dedication to Tim, however with all of our busy schedules, time did not allow. Ron Natale should be commended for making this night happen. Ron worked effortlessly to contact all of our classmates, and with the help of Facebook, succeeded in contacting just about everyone. The laughs we shared were great. It did not feel as though 25 years had passed since we had all been together last. Our lives change over the years--between careers, spouses, children and distances—but the class of 1986 remains close. It is my opinion that everyone had a great time. I hope that it will not be another 25 years until we can all get together again. -Carolyn “Cissy” Meier ‘86 Class of 1961 (continued from page 1) our class vice president, read the names of twenty-five of our deceased classmates. Steve wanted their names to echo through the halls once again. A humorous remembrance sent by Tom Maguire, now living in Germany, got a good laugh as he recalled the day Sr. Annata asked Bob “Butter” Hurley not to bother passing in his French test as one copy of Ed Rice’s test would suffice. We suspect she might have seen him “borrowing” Ed’s answers. Classrooms were open and we were free to wander through what were our first, second, and third-grade rooms, while enjoying a buffet and beverages. Msgr. William Fay, pastor of the parish, stopped by to visit. Head of School William Gartside addressed the alumni and briefly explained the school’s partnership with Boston College, which provides such benefits as ongoing professional development for the staff and updated technology for every classroom. The evening ended all too soon with promises to reconvene in 2012. Early in November, a small group gathered at The Stockyard to greet our class secretary, Mary Smith, who was visiting from her home in Nova Scotia. A CD of pictures from both evenings is in the works. Please update your mailing and email addresses with Caitrin Dunphy at cdunphy@stcps.org so we can contact you about a gathering this summer, or to forward the CD if you cannot attend. -Janice (Carroll) Hammond ‘61
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Save the Date
October 27, 2012 The Class of 1962 will be celebrating its 50th reunion on Saturday, October 27, with a tour of Saint Columbkille Partnership School, followed by dinner at the Newton Marriott. Please contact Theresa Maurer, Rich Curran, or Ginny McCauley with questions.
2013 Events On June 8, 2013, there will be a reunion for the graduating classes 1970 – 1975. A Facebook page has been created for the event, which is still in its planning stages. If you wish to learn more, or would like to help with the planning, please contact Louise Russell ’73 at ouisey@comcast.net.
In the fall of 2013, the Class of 1963 will celebrate its 50th reunion. Please contact Bill Goode ‘63 at wjgoode@wjgoodecorp.com to learn more.
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Spring 2012
Alumni News •
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John Izzo (Elementary School '80) and his family recently moved back to Brighton. John is the co-founder of Community Grants Associates, which is dedicated to providing a high level of grant related services for clients. John and his wife have two children who are currently enrolled at Saint Columbkille Partnership School. Bill Goode ’63 is “migrating” into retirement after operating a specialty engineering consulting firm for the last 14 years. Bill focused on the forensic analysis of engineering and construction failures of building mechanical systems. Bill looks forward to enjoying retirement with his family, writing, community service, and working on his class’s 50th reunion. Tom Fitzgibbon ’48 recently visited Saint Columbkille Partnership School students to recount some of his amazing experiences working at MIT, and on NASA’s Apollo Project. Tom currently lives in Waban, MA. Linda Sleeper ’68 is currently the Chief of Staff and Administrative Director of Operations for CareGroup, Inc., an alliance of several Boston-area health care organizations, including its flagship hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Peter Haggerty '62 is an English professor at Rochester Institute of Technology. Peter works with Deaf and hard of hearing college students at one of RIT’s nine colleges, the National Technical institute for the Deaf (NTID), in the Department of Liberal Studies. He teaches in both sign language and spoken English. Patrick J. Scannell, Jr. '71 was recently named CEO of GlassHouse Technologies, Inc., a Framinghambased data center infrastructure consulting firm. Albert McGilvray '70 is the news director at TalkRadio WRNR in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Albert was the PA announcer for "Chieftans" football and basketball. Joseph Basile '70 has been named Managing Partner of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP's Boston office. Joe is a partner in the firm's corporate department, where he specializes in representing corporate clients and investment funds in a variety of transactional matters. Joe's practice focuses on complex domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, control and minority investments, joint ventures and strategic alliances in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Joe is a graduate of Stonehill College and Harvard Law School. After ten years of leading transformative change at Regis College, Dr. Mary Jane England '56, resigned as President of the College in June 2011.
Do you have news that you would like to share? Please email us at cdunphy@stcps.org or visit the alumni webpage at www.stcps.org/alumni to submit your news.
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Spring 2012
A Message From Saint Columbkille Partnership School On November 17, 2011, Reverend William P. Leahy, President of Boston College, held a cocktail reception to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of Saint Columbkille Partnership School. The event provided an opportunity to recognize everyone who has played a role in the great success story that the partnership has proven to be. In 5 short years, Saint Columbkille has gone from the brink of closure to a robust elementary school that is bursting at the seams. Alumni donors have played a critical role in keeping the doors of Saint
Columbkille open to future generations of Allston-Brighton families. We are incredibly grateful for the loyal alumni who keep the spirit of Saint Columbkille School alive. Saint Columbkille Partnership School will only grow stronger with your annual support. Every gift counts, no matter what size. Please consider making a gift to support your alma mater today at www.stcps.org/givenow. We hope you visit us the next time you are in Brighton. We think you will like what you see!
Alumni donors have played a critical role in keeping the doors of Saint Columbkille open.
Spirit is a publication of Saint Columbkille Partnership School. Please contact us at 617-254-3110 or alumni@stcps.org if you wish to get involved, submit news or simply reconnect with former classmates. We apologize for any errors included in this newsletter, and encourage you to let us know if you spot any incorrect information.
Spirit 25 Arlington Street Brighton, Massachusetts02135
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