14 minute read
Christian Brothers’ Dinner
Behind The Scenes
#PilotBrotherhood The past few months here at De La Salle Collegiate have been exciting, and as I write this “introduction” to the Spring 2018 issue, the school is buzzing with our own March Madness. In February, a number of alumni joined their sons for the Annual Alumni Father-Son Mass. While not everyone who attended was able to stick around for the group picture (page 16) having Alumni present at our Liturgies is a visible link to our past for the current students who are our future. Alumni were back in the building for the Annual Alumni Basketball Tournament, and again for the Christian Brothers’ Dinner Kickoff Party for the family and friends of the 2018 Honoree, Mr. Mike Jolly (page 4). And Alumni have been following the winter sports teams, in person and online through our DLS Facebook and Twitter accounts. Alum Steve Rogers, ‘07, was among the first to comment on the February Facebook post noting the 300 game bowled by senior Tommy Sciortino (page 29). Steve was the last 300 DLS Bowler. He wrote, “awesome experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” I messaged Steve, asking if he would stop in for a photo with Tommy, along with Bowling Coach Jay Lang. Afterwards, Steve wrote to me:
To this day, I am very honored to be part of the legacy of greatness that has always been associated with
De La Salle Collegiate High School. From undoubtedly the most prestigious academic programs to the immense athletic success in our multiple sports, it is clear that the Brotherhood of De La Salle has not only maintained itself since my time as a student, but has indeed excelled and strengthened with time.
It was an incredible feeling to know that a fellow Pilot was able to accomplish this great feat under the same direction I was provided by Jay Lang ten years ago.
I was awestruck that my alma mater was interested in digging up the past to represent our similar successes in a more formal manner. This is a testament to the Brotherhood that De La Salle can instill into all Pilots that virtually can last a lifetime. We all look forward to seeing you at the many events coming up over the next few months - the Dinner, another Young Alumni Night, the 2018 graduation, the June Golf Outing, the Senior Alumni Luncheon, and at the launch of our new Pilot Bar Association.
Go Pilots!
#PilotBrotherhood #PilotPride #BuildersOfBoysMakersOfMen
The Thirty Seventh Annual
De La Salle Collegiate is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Mike Jolly as the 2018 Christian Brothers’ Dinner Honoree. Associated with De La Salle for nearly five decades, Mike has served as a coach, teacher, mentor, and Athletic Director. He has been honored for his coaching at many levels, including the CHSL, Macomb County, and various state coaches’ associations; as well as at the national level. Mike instituted Lacrosse at De La Salle, and led the Pilots to their first Lacrosse State Championship in 1994. DLS President John M. Knight said, “Mike Jolly personifies all that is good about Lasallian secondary education. Mike has a heart that is filled with love, kindness, and forgiveness. Mike has touched the hearts of thousands of young people over the course of his years at De La Salle Collegiate. Additionally, there is no better colleague to serve with at De La Salle Collegiate. It is our distinct honor to be able to recognize Mike for all that he has done and continues to do for our Lasallian mission.” Mike Wasik, ‘91, Chair of the Christian Brothers’ Dinner Committee echoed Mr. Knight’s sentiments. “I couldn’t be happier about Coach Jolly being selected
President John Knight, Mike Jolly, and Dinner Chairman Mike Wasik ‘91.
as the honoree this year. The honoree is always someone who exemplifies the Lasallian Mission and Mike has impacted thousands of young men who were students and athletes of his. I honestly couldn’t think of a more deserving candidate.”
Go East, Young Man!
Although Mike grew up in Dearborn, and attended the Dearborn Public Schools through his junior year, his family moved to Mt. Clemens just before his senior year. His father’s job transfer necessitated the move, and Mike was not initially enthusiastic about the change. However doing so turned out to be a positive life changer. “It was a great move to the east side and a ‘smaller pond’ and nobody knew me. It was a fresh start which worked out well.” That Fall of 1959, Mike ran cross country, and “forayed into basketball.” He was on the team and not playing, but drew the attention of
Hall of Fame track coach,
Dave McEvers. He ended up running the 880, and later threw the javelin in college and the Army.
After high school, Mike had plans to join the Navy, but with a November birthday, was too young. “I was in limbo. Steve Nowak, the
HOF head coach at Mt. Clemens (and father of current DLS asst. coach Tom Nowak) allowed me to be an assistant freshmen football coach, and the head frosh coach (my senior guidance counselor) somehow got me into Michigan State.” Mike thought he would major in Fisheries and Wildlife at MSU, and become a conservation officer. But a chance encounter with a high school track teammate found him meeting the Spartan track coach. “Next thing I knew, I had my workout gear and had earned my numerals.” Lacrosse was introduced on the MSU campus in 1963. “I noticed this kid from New York who had a lacrosse stick and was cradling the ball. It was magnetic. You want to see if you can do it. He recruited me to try lacrosse, and once I did I loved it. Lacrosse
Christian Brothers’ Dinner
Dinner Committee Back Row, L. to R.; Tony Catullo ‘59, Dennis Koch ‘94, RJ Koss ‘88, Chris Czarnik, Andrew Cracchiolo ‘07, Chairman Mike Wasik ‘91, Mike Taglione ‘76, Chris Fett ‘90, Tony Sorgi ‘03, Front Row L. to R.; John C. Monigold ‘66, Mike O’Donnell, Mike Jolly, Matt Loria ‘95, Amy Seiferlein. Not Pictured; Michael Brillati ‘93, Onorio D’Agostini, Mike Ferlito ‘06, Steve Graus ‘74, Jerry Grillo, Tony Lamerato ‘02, Frank Maniaci ‘89, Joe Mansour, Sam Serra, Sal Simone ‘74.
The Thirty-Seventh Annual Christian Brothers’ Dinner At Penna’s of Sterling April 26, 2018
Tickets $225 in advance $100 in advance for Alumni Classes 2009-2014 $275 at the door
Tickets available at www.thepilothangar.com or call John Monigold at 586.541.6212
better fits my personality; it is more of a team sport, whereas track is more individual.”
He is still close to those teammates, and they plan to gather once again in April for their 55th anniversary. Mike also tried football. “I got my butt kicked. That 1965 MSU team had great people, and won a share of the national championship. The contacts I made with Coach Daugherty and his staff were priceless and led to my becoming a grad assistant at MSU and frosh coach at UTEP under the legendary Bobby Dobbs.” He majored in social sciences. earning his bachelor’s degree in 1966. “I discovered psychology. It became my favorite subject to learn and later teach.” Each fall for the next few years, Mike was an assistant football coach in Chippewa Valley, and then back on the MSU Campus for the Winter, Spring, and Summer terms (MSU was then on the quarters system), working on a Master’s in Kinesiology with a Coaching minor. He delayed submitting his project, knowing that the U.S. Army was waiting for him. He also began doctoral work, and earned a second Master’s in Outdoor Education. Honoree, continued on pg 6
The Thirty Seventh Annual
Dinner Honoree, Continued
Uncle Sam Wants You
During college, Mike was in ROTC and also received flight training. He went on active duty in 1970 with the U.S. Army, training at Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, at the Air Defense School. He received orders for “chopper school” but asked to continue flying fixed wing. Then came the orders to go to South Korea. “I loved Korea. The Koreans wanted the U.S. military there. For six months, I was on duty 24/7 on the DMZ. It was definitely tense; that is the “real” Army. My last six months, I served in Seoul as Special Services Officer for the whole country as a captain in a colonel’s slot.” Mike came back to the United States in 1972, and did his student teaching at Fraser High School, followed by substitute teaching and coaching. Chippewa Valley hired him to teach and coach freshmen football, basketball, and baseball. Coincidentally, John Maronto was then coaching at league rival Lamphere High School, and had nieces who were freshmen cheerleaders at Chippewa. When John was hired at De La Salle in 1974, he invited Mike to join his staff. Mike interviewed with then principal Brother Jerome Stevens. Mike has high praise for that 1974 team. “Torzy. Wiegand. Decker. Girskis. Gorence, Mitzel, Shubnell, Baumgart. Our QB was Bryan Hayner whose older brother, Glen, played for UTEP when I coached there. The names could go on and on. They were all great kids who have stayed in contact with one another and our staff. I left DLS to take the head football position at Chippewa Valley with an indelible vision of what makes a great team. Our entire staff that year was John Maronto, Ray Barr, myself (varsity), Rich Dobryzinski and Bill Lentine (JV), and Dennis Shubnell and Mark Wojcik (Frosh). We loved stopping practice to see if the incoming planes would take out the school’s chimney or not!” Then in 1982, Gary Buslepp, who doubled as Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach, approached Mike about joining the DLS Basketball Staff, as Freshmen Coach. But before Mike introduced lacrosse, he acquired a family.
Instant Family
When Mike began coaching at Chippewa, a Guidance Counselor asked him to keep an eye on two brothers who had transferred in after their father’s sudden death. And Mike had to call their mother, a two-time widow with six sons aged first grade to high school sophomore, to let her know her son was about to be cut from basketball (it didn’t happen!). That began a relationship that blossomed. In 1973, he married Mary Gay, and soon adopted all six boys. He and Gay also had another son, Douglas, born in 1974, who graduated from DLS in 1992. Mike and Mary Gay now have 16 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Lacrosse Comes to DLS
In 1984, Brother Rice coach, Rob Ambrose, approached Gary Buslepp and then Principal Brother Kevin Gilhooly, and proposed lacrosse as a De La Salle sport. Mike was still playing for the DetroitWindsor Club and was a logical program head. He began with freshmen and sophomores, but says in retrospect, he would have included juniors such as Andy MacGuire and his classmates. He said the sport gained credibility when players had to invest in heavy pre-season conditioning and tryouts which included cuts. “We started winning with a hard regimen.” The team won its first, and what has been its only, state championship in 1994. Following that State title, Mike was at a crossroads. De La Salle Athletic Director Steve Vercammen had moved on, and then Principal Brother Tom Lackey approached Mike about the job. Mike had
Christian Brothers’ Dinner
reservations, but ultimately took a buyout from Chippewa Valley and became the DLS AD for the next ten years. He continued coaching lacrosse, stepping back to lead the JV team in 2000 (his most satisfying coaching experience). He also encouraged student athletes to become part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and annually takes groups to their summer gatherings in Gettysburg, PA. When Mike decided to step away from the Athletic Director position in 2004, he went back into the classroom part-time, teaching Psychology. He also began the Sportsmen’s Club, and remains involved to this day. In 2005, Mike introduced Pilots to Archery, now moderated by DLS Science Teacher Mrs. Jackie VanThomme, and in 2006, Clay Target Shooting, which Mike moderates each week. He also encouraged IM Fishing with Dennis Koch and now moderated by DLS Social Studies Teacher Andrew Grauzer, ‘04. Mike joins the group when he can. Mike also returned to football and served as an assistant to Paul Verska in 2014 when our varsity team won its first state championship.
Not on my bucket list
Over the years, Mike has received numerous coaching honors - on the national, regional, and state level. He has led and served on the boards of many coaching associations. Mike says, “The Christian Brothers’ Dinner Honor is NOT an award you put on a bucket list. It’s relatively easy to get awards nationally - all those selecters see is your resume on paper. But the closer to home you get, people considering you really know you. They see you on all of your days - both good and bad. It never crossed my mind that this would happen to me. Playing a part in the Lasallian mission is a reward in itself. I look in awe at the great men that have been past recipients: Brother George and all of the Brothers, Rich Dobrzynski, and Tony DeSantis, as well as my incredibly deserving colleagues and friends not yet selected. This is not something you vie for. It is a wonderful gift. I am very honored and very humbled.”
Past Dinner Honorees
Jim Addy ‘63 John Addy, Jr. ‘34 W Russ Agosta ‘64 Len Brillati W Michael Brillati ‘93 Brothers of the Christian Schools Tony Brune, Sr. ‘38 W Br. Robert Carnaghi, FSC ‘48 SJ Jerry Carnago ‘49 W Julius Cicchini, ‘55 SJ W William Cromie ‘35 W Tony DeSantis ‘60 W Rich Dobrzynski ‘60 Bill Fox ‘50 Br. Kevin Gilhooly, FSC W Vincent Goeddeke ‘18 SJ W Jim Gunn ‘56 Br. Bernard Guzewicz, FSC W Rich Jungwirth, ‘52 Br. Tom Lackey, FSC ‘65 Robert J. LeFevre ‘48 W Thom Lipari Dan Loepp ‘75 Pete Maceroni ‘58 Tony Mattar ‘50 J.P. McCarthy ‘50 W Br. Pat McNally, FSC ‘55 SJ John C. Monigold ‘66 Anthony W. Muer, Jr ‘39 W Gino Paliaroli ‘55 SJ Br. Xavier Pankovits, FSC ‘60 John Potvin ‘54 Joe Quasarano ‘42 W Roger Rinke ‘47 W Roland Rinke ‘43 Al Schaller ‘55 Justin Schaller ‘53 W Roger Schaller ‘56 Dr. Raymond Skowronski ‘74 Br. George Synan, FSC W Walter Van Den Bossche ‘29 W Br. Lewis Weins, FSC W Mark Wisniewski ‘83 Jerry Zaccardelli ‘75 Paul Zimmer ‘66
W Indicates Deceased
The Thirty Seventh Annual
Dinner Honoree Award Named for John Monigold
De La Salle Collegiate is pleased to announce that the Christian Brothers’ Dinner Committee has recommended naming the award given at the Annual Dinner the John C. Monigold Award. John, who was the Dinner Honoree in 2011, has been involved with the Christian Brothers’ Dinner since 1982. He is a 1966 graduate of DLS.
DLS President John M. Knight said, “Since its inception, John Monigold has been a key factor in the success of the Christian Brothers’ Dinner. His support of our Lasallian mission and our annual dinner has helped to make a Lasallian education possible for countless young men.”
Mike Wasik, ‘91. Chair of the Christian Brothers’ Dinner Committee, commented, “This is a recognition of John being the prime mover in growing the Christian Brothers’ Dinner into one of John C. Monigold and the the premier charitable events in Michigan. When we consider an 2018 Honoree Mike Jolly Honoree, we search annually for a person who has truly served De La Salle Collegiate and the Lasallian Mission of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. John Monigold has dedicated his life to this important endeavor, his kindness is legendary, and it’s suitable that this prestigious award now bears his name.” John recently transitioned from full-time to part-time status and is now the Alumni Relations Director Emeritus, working primarily on special events, along with the Annual Raffle and Dinner.
Thank you to our three Event Sponsors for the 2018 Christian
Brothers Dinner: • Salus Group • Crest Ford • Pilot Financial -
Raymond James Bid on an Auction Item!
You do NOT have to be physically present at the Dinner to bid on sports items, golf outings, vacation packages, and more, in the Silent Auction. Please check the DLS website at www.delasallehs.com for details on how to register with QTEGO, our online auction site. On the QTEGO site, you will find details on each of the attractive packages available in the auction. You can make bids online, via your computer or smartphone, and receive notifications via text every time there is a new bid on your items, then you can bid again.
