Jaynotes | Vol. 34 No. 1 | Fall/Winter 2007

Volume 34, Number 1

JAYNotes The Magazine of Jesuit High School in New Orleans • Fall/Winter 2007–2008

Inside this Issue: Jaynotes Interview Sal Provenzano ’75

2007 Alumnus of the Year Mike Rodrigue ’71

Medallion Stories Clavius and Ricci

Blue Jay Swimmer Breaks Records John Tortorich

THANKSGIVING 2007 — A DAY OF GIVING

Volume 34, Number 1

JAYNotes

INSIDE

FALL/WINTER 2007–2008 Jaynotes, the magazine for and about alumni, parents, and students of Jesuit High School in New Orleans, is published three times annually by the Development and Alumni Affairs Office, including a special graduation issue in the summer. Opinions expressed in Jaynotes are those of the individual authors.

Dear Blue Jays:

Certainly, the interesting and fun part is the actual interview itself, typically a round table conversation that takes place in the office of Jaynotes editor Mat Grau, who is also Jesuit’s director of alumni. A graduate of the class of 1968, Mat has worked at Jesuit for 33 years, most of which were spent in the classroom teaching English. He has held various administrative positions at Jesuit, including alumni director for the past five years.

Several years ago, Mat conceived the idea of interviewing a Jesuit alumnus for each issue of Jaynotes. His first interview was with F. Winter Trapolin, ’31, who shined a light on what Jesuit was like in those years following its construction at Carrollton and Banks. Mr. Trapolin has since passed away. Another interview was with Rev. Paul Schott, S.J. ’40, who served as Jesuit’s president from 1974-1979.

The special Katrina issue of Jaynotes featured a lengthy interview with Bro. William “Billy” Dardis, S.J. ’58 and Michael Prados ’83, both of whom rode out the storm at Jesuit and served as eyewitnesses to the destruction, evacuation, and misery that descended on our city. Bro. Dardis has served Jesuit since 1963 and works in the development and alumni office as director of special projects. After the hurricane, Brother became the go-to guy to get this place dried out, cleaned up, and the lights and water turned back on as quickly as possible. Mike, who has worked at Jesuit since 1990, is an English teacher and director of student activities.

The interview in this issue begins on page 10 and is with Sal Provenzano ’75. At the time of Katrina, Sal was a New Orleans police officer who for nearly two weeks conducted intensive and exhaustive search and rescue missions by boat all over the city. The pain of Katrina is still with Sal, and his vivid and disturbing depiction of the events which occurred in those dark days is eased by his devout Catholic faith. Additionally, Sal offers a curious perspective on the turbulent period that enveloped Jesuit’s students as well as faculty in the mid-1970s.

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When the interview with Sal was transcribed, more than 20,000 words filled 72 pages. Mat worked diligently for several days to edit the final manuscript to a more manageable, succinct, and readable 13 pages and 3,200 words.

Jesuit’s influence in the life of Sal is also on display with our 2007 Alumnus of the Year, Mike Rodrigue ’71, whose address to fellow alumni can be found on page 5. Mike’s current philanthropic endeavors partially stem from his participation in Jesuit’s annual Thanksgiving Drive, which is the focus of our cover story, beginning on page 22. Theology teacher Matt Orillion ’98 delivers an inspiring Thanksgiving message (page 24) to Blue Jays before they begin scurrying around the city delivering boxes of food.

Jesuit’s 2007 swimming team captured the state title and, in the process, co-captain John Tortorich ’08 broke two long-standing state records. John relates a personal account of his team’s achievements, and those of his own, that begins on page 28.

This issue also contains several other interesting articles, including one written by Jesuit alumnus Jacques Diano ’56 about former Jesuit principal and teacher, Fr. Claude Stallworth, S.J. (page 33) and another written for our “Medallion Stories” series by Rev. Nick Schiro, S.J. ’44 about two famous Jesuit priests (page 33).

I would like to encourage as many alumni as possible to participate in the annual LEF drive. The spring phone campaign is set for three nights, Monday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 12 in St. Ignatius Hall. We need Blue Jays in the New Orleans area to volunteer for the LEF, which along with the PAG drive, provides Jesuit High School with critical funds necessary to carry out our mission. The continued success of these two important 6 drives is discussed on page 6.

Enjoy your issue of Jaynotes.

Faithfully yours, Pierre DeGruy ’69 Director of Development & Public Relations

President Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 mcginn@jesuitnola.org Photo by Alex Brandon/Times Picayune

It is always interesting to interview a Jesuit High School alumnus for the regular feature found in the pages of each issue of Jaynotes.

10 It can also be a daunting task, from deciding who should be interviewed, arranging a time convenient for the alumnus, gathering photos, and editing the transcribed manuscript to produce a concise and worthy final product. The whole process is not exactly as torturous as watching sausage being made, but I think you get the idea—it can be tedious and time-consuming.

Director of Development and Public Relations Pierre DeGruy ’69 degruy@jesuitnola.org Jaynotes Editor Mat Grau ’68 Director of Alumni Affairs grau@jesuitnola.org Director of Special Projects Bro. William Dardis, S.J. ’58 dardis@jesuitnola.org Coordinator of Development & Alumni Affairs Mary Tschantz tschantz@jesuitnola.org Administrative Assistant for Development & Alumni Affairs Logan Cumbaa cumbaa@jesuitnola.org Design & Layout Design III Printing Harvey-Hauser—Michael Brennan ’95 Letters, photographs, and correspondence are welcome and may be either submitted by e-mail (grau@jesuitnola.org) or mailed to: Jaynotes Jesuit High School 4133 Banks St. New Orleans, LA 70119 Address changes should be submitted to alumni@jesuitnola.org or contact Jesuit’s Alumni Affairs Office at 504-483-3815.

Parents: If you are receiving your son’s copy of Jaynotes and he no longer lives with you, please let us know so we can update our database and send the magazine directly to him. Let us know if you enjoy reading your son’s copy of Jaynotes. We will be glad to send a copy to his new address and a copy to you. E-mail changes to: alumni@jesuitnola.org.

It is easy to make a donation online to Jesuit High School. You may donate to the Katrina Restoration Fund, Living Endowment Fund, Parents’ Annual Giving, and various Scholarship Funds by going to Jesuit’s website: www.jesuitnola.org. Clicking on Jayson in the upper left corner will take you to Jesuit’s secure online donations page.

Please know that Jesuit High School deeply appreciates your generosity.

On the Cover: In the annual Thanksgiving Drive, freshmen in homeroom 909 prepare to make a New Orleans family very happy—(from left) LeRoid Jones, Seth Mayeux, Patrick Ganucheau, Gerald Williams, Tyrone Hubbard, and Robert Butera. Bottom photos, from left: Sal Provenzano ’75, Mike Rodrique ’71, John Tortorich ’08, and Matteo Ricci, S.J.

ANNUS MIRABILIS

ALUMNI

When We Was Fab Michael Jung, who graduated in 1965, was editor of The Blue Jay when the Beatles visited New Orleans almost 44 years ago for a concert at City Park Stadium during their first North American tour.

The photographers and scribes from Jesuit’s student newspaper went all out to cover the mania surrounding the Fab Four, a musical event which remains indelibly marked in the minds of many New Orleanians and baby boomer Blue Jays. Jung wrote the article and also snapped the photo of the Beatles with Mayor Vic Schiro. Richard Cambre ’66 received credit for the picture of Ringo at the concert.

Jung, who is a professor of chemistry at U.C.L.A., recently reread his article and writes: “It just goes to show how incredibly perceptive I was back then! So the only second thoughts are that my predictions about the Beatles’ popularity decreasing and that ‘in a year's time they would drop from the public eye’ were clearly about as far off base as could be. In fact, I became a big fan of them and their music! There are many funny stories about that night—how I talked my way into the press conference without an invitation, how I got to talk with Paul and George there, how Rich Cambre and I got those great pictures, and how I talked our way backstage at the concert.”

Jung’s account of the Beatles’ 1964 visit to New Orleans was not so much a virtuoso critique of the concert. Rather, he focused on the amusing, the chaotic, and the absurd, from the lack of security to the garrulous news media to the rabid fans/mobs that greeted the Beatles wherever they went.

Yes, the four young lads from Britain—The Beatles—have come and gone. With them, I am sure, they have taken a very derogatory opinion of New Orleans—not because of any lack of enthusiasm on the part of their gallant following—but because of the foulest, shoddiest, most unsatisfactory set of “security measures” which our city has ever enforced for a group of foreign celebrities. For certainly you must have known, perhaps even before they arrived, where and when their plane was set down, the name of the motel at which they would spend the night, and even their suite number. If you didn’t acquire this knowledge, then you mustn’t have watched television the night before and seen a certain sportscaster give this confidential news; you mustn’t have listened to the radio during the day and heard it blare out the secret information; you mustn’t have talked to your neighbors, for it seems that on every block in our city someone had received the report.

Due to a misunderstanding between pilot and airport manager, the Beatles were forced to alter their plans, bypass a first airfield, and make an unscheduled landing at a second. But nevertheless a large crowd of enthusiasts were on hand in the wee hours of the morning to greet their idols. On account of mechanical failure in the helicopter, the Britons were driven completely across town, with a makeshift police escort letting all know, by sirens and flashing lights, that the Beatles were here. At the motel they encountered another sizeable gathering—so large and grabbing that it caused the singers to be shuffled from car to washroom, to laundry room, before they could reach their suite. Never before have the Beatles come so close to an elbowing, clawing, scratching mob of their worshippers. They were roughly handled, pushed, and shoved. No doubt they were very irritated.

After snatched sleep, the singers spent their lone day in the Crescent City—the only day they could visit and become acquainted with it, and perhaps give it a favorable judging—cooped up in a confining suite, surrounded constantly by throngs of their ardent partisans. The four youths had originally planned to visit the worldrenowned French Quarter during their stay. But because of the lack of our famous Southern hospitality, they were denied the privilege of seeing and knowing our city better.

The press conference was another instance of poor planning and the hectic confusion which resulted. More than 100 “press representatives” were packed into a stuffy, cramped room. Here, as the Beatles strolled in to take their seats, was witnessed a scene of utter disorganization and obvious mismanagement. Instead of remaining in

their chairs, the reporters bunched closely about the table, converging upon and surrounding the Britons as an octopus traps its victim. As many viewed on their screens or heard from their speakers, complete disorder ruled.

The highly-publicized performance put the finishing touch on our city’s faux pas. At City Park Stadium no less than 200 courageous, stout-hearted policemen attempted to check the amorphous screaming crowd. Just as lemmings drawn by some mystic force rush over the countryside toward the sea, so hundreds of female onlookers, entranced by the Beatles, poured over the stadium railings and surged forward toward the stage, covering everything in their path. Officers tried to restrain these kicking, crying, nearly hysterical young girls. As the onrushers neared the stage despite police efforts, a look of hesitation was visible on the performers’ faces. But true to form, they quickly recovered and continued.

Questions arise: Why the lack of security? What reasons behind the leakage of information? No one can say for sure where the blame lies. But most of the guilt must fall on the original alteration of plans, which caused the plane to bypass the Lakefront Airport, where the security precautions were extremely planned. Also a certain sportscaster deserves the blame for the original leakage of information. For having learned the news somehow, he donned a shaggy wig and blared it out to thousands of eager listeners over TV. Herb Holiday, head of the group promoting the Beatles, stated that high praise and special thanks must go out to the Mayor’s Office which spent days devising the extensive plans for security, and to each gallant policeman. These officers worked as long as 19 hours to protect the Britons, receiving as rewards torn uniforms, bruises, and scars.

But the Beatles exhibited the coolness of seasoned performers and took the mismanagement and disappointments in stride. Their blasé or ho-hum attitude can be attributed to their English background and their continual, easy success. They impressed me as very bright and witty young men, with a warm fondness for their adherents, not the cold affront you might expect.

Now that they have gone and the furor of their American tour has abated, the Britons’ popularity has decreased somewhat. In my mind it will continue its gradual descent, though bolstered now and then by their movies, until in about a year’s time the Beatles will drop from the public eye. Oh what a loss that will be!!! ■ Fall/Winter 2007–08

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Optimism the Antidote for Attitudinal Toxicity The Jesuit faculty and students experienced many emotions on the day we returned to Carrollton and Banks in November 2005.

Although we were happy to be home, we felt sad because so many students would not return until January or August. Some families had to leave New Orleans permanently. The first floor of the building was in a shambles indicating how much we had to do to restore Jesuit. Many of our families were displaced and had to live in very challenging circumstances. Some students lost family members as a result of the hurricane.

The day of our return was a sign of great hope amid the challenges that we faced. At morning assembly that day, I warned the students that we can overcome obstacles only if we avoid a pervasive toxicity. I was not referring to harmful particles in the air, in the earth, or amid the debris. I meant the toxic attitudes that are still prevalent in our city.

For weeks after my return to the city in September, 2005, I kept in my car surgical masks, hand sanitizer, and protective gloves. Like so many others, I did not know what was toxic and what was not. But those precautions were not effective against the mental pollution and attitudinal toxicity that one still finds in New Orleans these days.

There is much to be praised in the efforts that our citizens have made. Individual families, businesses, and institutions have been struggling to restore the life of the city. That success contradicts the pessimism that some people seem to cherish.

Two of the most powerful obstacles we face are infectious

pessimism and self-pity. The desire to return and a sense of responsibility to our neighbors helped so many of us to overcome these obstacles.

I impressed upon our students how dangerous self-pity can be not only in the context of the recovery from Katrina but also in other aspects of our daily lives. We cannot act as effective leaders when feeling sorry for ourselves dominates our thinking and judging. We will recover our health as a city when we develop resistance to infectious self-pity. Jesuit High School has been able to come back because so many of our people made great sacrifices and refused to be mastered by the negative.

There are days when some of us may find it hard to be optimistic. Every day presents new obstacles. We can be tempted to feel overwhelmed as these obstacles seem to grow exponentially.

But we have the example of many people who have displayed a confident attitude in midst of their difficulties. I am truly grateful to them for providing patterns of hope for our school community.

We have been successful in so far as we have supported each other and have provided antidotes to self-pity.

We were all victims of the storm. It is easy to feel that we are victims of the bureaucracy. It remains our decision to continue to be victims. I thank those people in New Orleans who have become heroic leaders by refusing to let self-pity dominate them. ■ Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66

Generosity from Jesuit’s N.O. Province Helps School’s Post-Katrina Recovery The New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus recently donated $21,974 to Jesuit High School to assist with the school’s post-Katrina recovery. This gift increases the total amount given to the Katrina Fund by the Jesuit province to $257,974.

The donations are made from the Fr. Pedro Aruppe Fund, which continues to receive contributions from Jesuit communities, provinces, institutions, and benefactors around the world to support the storm-related needs of the province and its apostolates. The Arrupe Fund has distributed more than $1.2 million to 11 local Jesuit institutions to help repair storm damages. The nearly $258,000 given to Jesuit High School represents the largest amount from a single benefactor and is comprised of donations of $170,000, $66,000, and the latest one, $21,974. (The largest single gift from an individual to Jesuit’s Katrina Fund is $200,000, which was donated anonymously by one of the school’s generous benefactors.)

“Jesuit High School is a place where the partnership of Jesuits and lay colleagues is lived out so vibrantly and so forcefully,” said Mike Bourg, who is the Jesuit province’s executive director for development. “Truly, Jesuit High stands not only as an anchor, but also as a beacon to a city which needs it so much.”

Jesuit High School started the Katrina Fund in December 2005 to raise $7 million to help pay for damages caused by the hurricane and the catastrophic failures of the levees. Approximately 2,700 donors have contributed more than $4,240,426 to the Katrina Fund. Jesuit High School sincerely appreciates the generosity of its benefactors. ■ 2

JAYNotes

ALUMNI

(top left) Jack Culotta ’76 and Wally Landry ’69 flank Alumnus of the Year Mike Rodrigue ’71. (above center) An inspired Kevin Heigle ’69 pumps up the Jays before battle. (top right) Members of the Golden Anniversary Class of 1957 participate in the Homecoming Mass in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs. (Bottom) Blue Jays and their families fill the Traditions Courtyard as they celebrate Blue Jay Spirit at Back-to-Banks.

BACK-TO-BANKS AND HOMECOMING LURE BLUE JAYS TO CAMPUS Blue Jay Spirit shone brightly on the weekend of October 13-14, 2007.

At various events alumni, students, and their families gathered to celebrate being a Blue Jay. Saturday’s Back-to-Banks celebration attracted a sizeable crowd to the sun-drenched Traditions Courtyard. Indeed, the sounds of children playing, bands performing, alumni interacting and jabbering, fans cheering, and speakers inspiring swelled through the streets of Mid-City.

Jesuit’s own music man, teacher Joe Caluda ’79, led his band Clockwerk in playing some great rock ‘n roll oldies.

As the featured speaker at the pep rally, a pumped up Kevin Heigle ’69 gave a rousing closing argument in which he exhorted Jesuit’s football players and their fans to always reach deep for their Blue Jay Spirit. His speech must have helped because the Jays displayed an abundance of spirit—and prevailed over the Chalmette Owls—at a festive Homecoming game at nearby Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park.

On Sunday morning, several hundred Blue Jays gathered in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs for their annual Homecoming Mass after which members of the classes of 1957 and 1982 were recognized for achieving their respective graduation anniversaries.

The morning culminated as Blue Jays were introduced to Mike Rodrigue ’71, who was honored as Jesuit’s 2007 Alumnus of the Year. The tasty Jazz Brunch that followed in the Student Commons provided a wonderful opportunity for alumni to mingle and reminisce about their days at Carrollton and Banks. ■ Fall/Winter 2007–08

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HOMECOMING 2007

Mike Rodrigue ’71 Honored as Alumnus of the Year Michael H. Rodrigue, a local entrepreneur who started his own insurance company right out of college and later resurrected a dying New Orleans iconic restaurant, is Jesuit High School’s 2007 Alumnus of the Year.

A graduate of the Class of 1971, Rodrigue is the 50th recipient of this prestigious award.

In presenting a handsome plaque to Rodrigue at the Homecoming Mass, Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. said, “Few people in our city have worked more tirelessly and unselfishly for so many charitable causes than Mike Rodrigue. His leadership has made a tremendous difference for numerous charities and for New Orleans itself.”

Of course, Fr. McGinn is referring to Rodrigue’s acumen for uniting philanthropy and professional golf.

He is a constant presence at area charitable golf tournaments and, in many cases, serves as organizer, sponsor, and promoter of these events. But the event Rodrigue is most often linked to is the PGA event known as the Zurich Classic, which is produced by the Fore!Kids Foundation. As chairman of the foundation from 19982006, Rodrigue orchestrated the annual stop on the PGA Tour in New Orleans. Since its inception, the foundation has donated more than $14 million to various local charities. The tournament pumps an estimated $25 million into the area’s economy.

As current chairman of the Fore!Kids Foundation’s Special Projects Committee, Rodrigue has been focusing

The Rodrigue family share the spotlight with Alumnus of the Year Mike Rodrigue ’71 following the Homecoming Mass. From left, stepson Anthony Gusler ’10, daughter Monique, wife Lori, Mike, mother Geraldine, daughter Jeune, and son Michael, Jr. ’99 holding grandson Ethan.

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JAYNotes

his efforts in the post-Katrina environment on resurrecting golf and other revenue-generating activities in City Park.

While a senior at Jesuit, Rodrigue was a member of the National Honor Society and the Sodality, as well as a cheerleader and class secretary. A lifelong passion for the game of golf fueled Rodrigue’s enthusiastic participation on Jesuit’s golf team for four years, culminating in his selection as the team’s captain in his senior year.

After graduating with an economics degree in 1975 from Tulane University (where he played on the Green Wave’s golf team), Rodrigue launched his business career by founding RODCO Worldwide, Inc., a Metairie-based boutique agency that specializes in commercial property and general liability insurance.

In 1985, Rodrigue purchased Acme Oyster House, the iconic French Quarter restaurant which had fallen on hard times. He helped revive Acme which has since expanded to other markets, including Covington, Metairie, and Sandestin, FL. Rodrigue said receiving the Alumnus of the Year award is a tremendous honor for him and his family. “No matter what the charity or the cause or the circumstance, there is always a Jesuit connection, whether it is an alumnus, a spouse, or parents,” said Rodrigue. “It is not always the money that is important, but it is the time and persistence that it sometimes takes to get things done. My professional life, my family, and friends have all allowed me the opportunity to give my time to ‘my mission,’ and for that I am blessed.” ■

ALUMNI

Mike Rodrigue’s Address to His Fellow Alumni, Delivered at Homecoming Mass, October 14, 2007

Jesuit Changed My Life I stand here today still in disbelief and overwhelmed by the thought of being recognized as Jesuit’s Alumnus of the Year. It is a tremendous honor not only for me, but also for my entire family. There are many people in this room who are more deserving of this award than I am. Knowing this day has been coming has allowed me to do some soul-searching.

Jesuit introduced me to the spirit of giving. The food drives conducted by the students around the holidays did not mean much when we collected the food, but I remember the feeling I had when we would drop the baskets of food at each house.

Simple things, cans of food, that we all took for granted on a day to day basis, were making a difference in the lives of our recipients.

At about that same time in my high school life, I noticed in the yearbook that the seniors had the list of accomplishments posted with their pictures. Every young student does it. Unless you are an AllAmerican like Kurt Forshag ’70, you start wondering how meager your own credits will appear. If truth be known, I joined the Sodality at Jesuit to add that line item to my short list. I figured at my size, I could “play” Sodality as well as golf and I did not think I could get cut. I had no clue that this group could be so fulfilling. The trips to Children’s Hospital that we made on Saturdays put smiles on the kids’ faces. All we were doing was “playing” with the young patients for a few hours on weekends. It seemed that something so insignificant to us was really making other people happy. It was not a MISSION, at the time, but it was the seed that was planted by Jesuit in me.

Fast forward a few years to 1979. Fr. Harry Tompson, Jesuit’s president at the time, asked me to organize an Alumni Golf Tournament, not to raise money, but to build the fellowship of alums and those wannabes—those are guys that want to have some numbers behind their name. The committee Harry put together had names that are so familiar to this assembly: Emmett Fitzpatrick ’45, Curtis Rome ’53, Ardley Hanemann ’61, and Joe McCarron ’37. With the talent Harry put together, it really was a piece of cake. How hard is it to get the Jesuit family to respond to something with that lineup? That one phone call changed my entire life. In 1984, Harry dropped a nickel on me and had Adrian Duplantier ’45 call to produce a tournament for a home they had started with my uncle, Richard Flick. The project was called Boys Hope at the time. The rest is history.

It is hard to say from which man I learned more, Harry or Adrian or my uncle, but one thing that was certain—you did not get to talk much when you were meeting with them. My mission in life was formed by these men. They were my mentors. You could not tell them “no” for anything, anytime, anywhere.

I do have a confession to make to Father McGinn. The Friday afternoon you told me about this award, you told me to keep it quiet. I visited with Adrian that same afternoon because it was important to me that he knew before he died. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to work with the judge on many projects. I could try to tell you what the judge meant to me, but again I would get choked up about it. I’ll tell one cute story.

The judge was never known for his golf ability; he played only once a year, but he wanted to look the dapper part. The judge had a pair of aqua blue tartan pants that he wore at the Boys Hope Tournament starting in 1985 every year through the 2007 event.

The pants were thankfully one of a kind. So was he. I know he is smiling right now, shaking his head at me.

Since 1979, I have been blessed to work with many different events to raise funds for children’s charities. Most of my charity time has been directed to The Fore!Kids Foundation. Of the 150 men involved with Fore!Kids, 26 are Blue Jays. It was an honor to serve as its chairman for eight years. I stand on the shoulders of so many individuals who work for this wonderful group: Garic Schoen ’38, Charlie Glueck ’40, Mike Nolan ’63, Curtis Rome ’53, and Bill Reinhardt ’62. Each of these men served as chairman —all Blue Jays. Our current president is Tommy Fonseca ’84, our current tournament chairman is Ronnie Karcher ’55, all Jesuit boys. All of these men are unselfish with their time and devotion to raising money for kids.

No matter what the charity or the cause or the circumstance, you always see a Jesuit connection, whether it is an alumnus, a spouse, or parents. It is not always the money that is important, but it is the time and persistence that it sometimes takes to get things done. My professional life, my family, and my friends have all allowed me the opportunity to give my time to my mission and for that, I have been blessed.

My first trip to Children’s Hospital was on a Saturday back in 1970 as a member of the Sodality here at Jesuit. When I left the hospital that day, I better appreciated the things that had been given to me by my parents—my well being, my health, and my education. Jesuit changed my life back then, and I hope I can someway “earn this day” for the rest of my life. I thank all of you Mike Rodrigue ’71 for this great honor. ■ Fall/Winter 2007–08

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L E F / PA G

Led by past PAG chairmen, parents of current Blue Jays packed Jesuit’s chapel to begin PAG Sunday, September 23, 2007, with the celebration of Mass. (below) During the 2008 LEF fall campaign, 1994 graduates Renny Simno, Matt Livaccari, and Jonathan Therio spend an evening in St. Ignatius Hall calling classmates.

Jesuit Parents, Alumni Generous to School Jesuit High School’s 2008 LEF and PAG drives have elicited combined commitments totaling more than $2.1 million from Jesuit’s generous alumni and parents.

These important annual drives raise funds that go a long way in helping to defray Jesuit’s operating expenses during the fiscal year.

The 2008 fiscal year began July 1, 2007 and ends June 30, 2008.

As of the beginning of February, 1,068 Jesuit parents have pledged $1.269 million to the Parents’ Annual Giving drive, an amount that already exceeds the $1.229 million pledged in all of last year’s drive. In last year’s PAG drive, 914 parents donated $1.124 million. Of the amount pledged this year, 639 parents have so far contributed $922,000.

“The PAG drive allows Jesuit to keep the cost of tuition affordable and, therefore, accessible to a wide segment of our local population,” says Tom Bagwill, a broadcast journalist who chairs 6

JAYNotes

the current drive and is the father of two Blue Jays, Chase ’08 and Ben ’12. “Jesuit has always believed that a diverse student body is an essential element of a young man’s total educational experience.”

Meanwhile, the Living Endowment Fund drive has attracted $835,000 in commitments from 2,527 alumni, substantial increases compared to the same time frame in last year’s LEF drive when 2,312 alumni had pledged $695,000. In the current 2008 drive, 1,904 alumni have so far contributed $652,000.

Carl Servat ’93, an attorney who serves as the 2008 LEF chair, is banking on participation—from volunteers as well as donors—as the key to surpassing last year’s $896,000 in pledges

ALUMNI

Donations to the LEF and PAG drives are tax deductible and should be completed by the close of Jesuit’s current fiscal year, which is always June 30.

from 3,096 alumni and $865,000 in donations from 2,833 Blue Jays.

The spring LEF phone campaign is scheduled for three evenings in St. Ignatius Hall (March 10, 11, and 12) and Servat believes the event is perfectly suited to provide the big push for LEF pledges to break the $1 million barrier.

“We hope that representatives from classes who had little or no representation during the fall phone campaign will be available to call or e-mail their fellow Jays during the spring campaign,” says Servat. “Volunteering for the LEF takes only a couple of hours and is a great way to give something back to the school.”

To volunteer for the LEF drive, send an e-mail to: lef@jesuitnola.org or call the development and alumni office, 504-483-3815.

Improvements during the past year to Jesuit’s online giving system have made it safer and easier for alumni and parents to pledge and contribute via the school’s website,

https://www.secure.jesuitnola.org. (Jesuit does not have access to, nor does it retain, credit card numbers as this information is processed and kept confidential by a secure third party merchant.)

The development office is enhancing the online pledge system so that alumni and parents will have the option of receiving reminders by e-mail instead of by “snail” mail. Besides convenience, e-mail reminders will also help reduce Jesuit’s “snail” mail expenses.

Donations to the LEF and PAG drives are tax deductible and should be completed by the close of Jesuit’s current fiscal year, which is always June 30. Remember that matching gifts from employers can double a contribution, and that parents and alumni may also donate negotiable securities such as stocks or bonds to Jesuit High School.

More information about the LEF and PAG drives, as well as donating to Jesuit’s other funds, including Katrina and various scholarships, can be found on Jesuit’s website: www.jesuitnola.org.

In Memory of…

Due to a production error in the 2007 President’s Report, we published only a partial list of those individuals who are deceased and whose family and friends made donations to honor their memory. We apologize to the families whose loved ones were not included in the President’s Report and print the entire list below.

The 2007 President’s Report is posted on Jesuit’s website. On the home page (www.jesuitnola.org), look in the column on the right for the “Publications” link.

Dr. Clayton Barre Mr. Alfred Bertrand III Mr. Jimmy Bradford Mr. J. Robert Brennan, Jr. Mr. Blaise Carriere Dr. Byron Casey, Jr. Mr. William Condon Mr. John Creevy Mr. James Cronvich Mrs. Mary Lynn Currier Mr. Salvatore Dematteo Mr. Albert Dittmann, Jr. Mr. Louis Dutel, Jr. Mr. Edward Early Mr. Patrick Farrelly, Jr. Mr. St. Marc Flotte Mrs. Norma Ford Mr. Alan Francingues Mr. Adam Gambel Mr. Earl Gaspard, Jr. Mr. Gerard Gillen, Jr. Mr. Andrew Gonczi, Jr. Mr. Raymond Goodspeed

Mr. Michael Hillery Mr. John Holahan Dr. Thomas Holten, Jr. Mrs. Cynthia Hyde Mr. James Kuck Mr. Alexandre LeDoux, Jr. Mrs. Sheila Lee Mr. Robert Leininger, Jr. Mr. M. Kent Lemairie Mr. Emanuel Livaudais, Jr. Mr. J. Ryan Loproto Mr. Felicien Lozes Mr. Thomas McGoey Mr. Sidney Menard, Jr. Mrs. Eleonore Merritt Mr. Clayton Mestier Mr. Joseph Monju Mr. Matthew Mount, Sr. Rev. Merlin Mulvihill, S.J. Mr. Joseph Naccari Mr. Russell Nunez, Jr. Mrs. Ione Parham Mr. John Petitbon

Mr. F. Raymond Pfister, Jr. Mr. Ronald Porter Mr. James Rabalais, Jr. Mr. Richard Redmann Mr. John Rice, Jr. Mr. Thomas Riley, Jr. Mr. Oscar Robert, Jr. Mrs. Leah Rooney Mr. Nicholas Rosato Mr. Cornelius Ryan IV Mr. Robert Sabate Mr. Russell Schonekas Mr. George Shuman III Mr. Harold Sporl, Jr. Mrs. Charlene Taranto Mr. Mire Thomas Mr. Frederick Veters Mr. Ferdinand Vignes Mr. Malcolm Villarrubia III Mr. James Wetzel, Jr. Mr. Joseph Worley

Fall/Winter 2007–08

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GUEST AUTHOR

Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the October 13, 2007 edition of the Clarion Herald.

Peter Finney, Jr., a 1974 graduate of Jesuit High School and the executive editor of the Clarion Herald, takes a stroll down memory lane and reveals a surprising link between a Jesuit Blue Jay and a famous early rock ’n roll tune. Jaynotes thanks Peter and the Clarion Herald for their permission to reprint the article.

Rock ’n Rollin’ in Royalties

by Peter Finney, Jr. ’74

Dominican Father Cayet Mangiaracina, the co-author of “Hello, Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart,” simply shakes his head and chuckles about the song that never ends—and keeps on giving. Mangiaracina is a 1953 graduate of Jesuit High School.

“The embarrassing thing about the song, which I wrote as ‘Merry, Merry Lou,’ is that it sounds like I got jilted,” said Father Mangiaracina, a New Orleans native who is parochial vicar of Holy Ghost Church in Hammond, La. “The words were like, ‘Why do you do the things you always do? … I sit here sighing, just thinking all about you.’ In the ’50s, songs didn’t make that much sense. Rhythm was the big thing.”

Started at CYO dances In 1953, Father Mangiaracina was 18, fresh out of Jesuit High School and considering a religious vocation when he auditioned as a piano player for The Sparks, a rock-and-roll group whose five members played for $1 an hour at CYO dances at St. Anthony of Padua and Sacred Heart of Jesus on Canal Street.

The band’s four other members—Ronnie Massa, alto sax; Don Bailey, bass; Joe Lovecchio, tenor sax; and Don Connell, drums—were still in high school.

“They were looking for a piano player to play for a sorority dance,” Father Mangiaracina recalled. “They played a lot of sheet music, but I flunked that. All I could play was chords. But when we started to play some rock-and-roll, I kind of clicked with the group.”

For the two years Cayet attended Loyola University, he continued to keep the idea of a vocation to the priesthood in the back of his mind. That pull wasn’t inconsistent with his love of rhythm-and-blues and country music, which he couldn’t get enough of either on the radio or in person.

8

JAYNotes

Photo by Juan Quinton/St. Dominic Parish; Courtesy of Clarion Herald

So what’s a nice, mild-mannered, 72-year-old Dominican priest doing collecting thousands of dollars in royalty checks for a rock-and-roll classic that he co-wrote in the 1950s, a song Ricky Nelson eventually made famous, a song that over the last four decades has furthered the religious mission of the Dominican Fathers?

ALUMNI

Each year at Career Day, guest author Peter Finney, Jr. ’74 shares with Jesuit’s students his insights into the career of print journalism.

“I would hear Fats Domino sing ‘Blueberry Hill’ and I tried to imitate him,” Father Mangiaracina said. “We played one night at Annunciation parish for a Friday night dance, and we had just finished a song when a bunch of white teenagers came up to the band and said, ‘Gee, whiz, it’s a white band.’ That was the greatest compliment I ever had.

“But in the back of my mind, I always thought about religious life. I was very much influenced by the priests and sisters at St. Anthony.”

Local hit homegrown In 1954 Cayet sat down at his family’s upright piano and banged out a tune that he entitled “Merry, Merry Lou.” It became a local hit for The Sparks. A few years later when Cayet had left New Orleans to study for the Dominican priesthood, The Sparks won a battle-of-the-bands contest in New Orleans and earned a recording session in New York City with Decca Records.

One of the two original songs the band selected for their 45 record was “Merry, Merry Lou.” Bill Haley and the Comets and Sam Cooke liked the song so much they recorded their own

versions. Then in the 1960s, Ricky Nelson released “Hello, Mary Lou, Goodbye Heart,” written by Gene Pitney.

Because the song was a dead ringer for “Merry, Merry Lou,” The Sparks’ publisher filed suit, and Father Mangiaracina was given co-authorship with Pitney. Royalties from the song went to Father Mangiaracina’s mother until her death in 1988, and then they were forwarded to the Southern Dominican Province.

“Last year it was $35,000,” Father Mangiaracina said, smiling. “About three or four years ago, I got a check for $90,000.

When I was studying for the priesthood, I thought about all the glory I could be sharing. But then, by the grace of God, God hit me in the head and said, ‘You’d better rethink this.’

“I think it’s been my calling to be a people person and to serve others through liturgy and preaching and then doing other ministry such as preparing people for weddings or baptisms, visiting the sick in the hospital and at home.”

More than a guitar group Father Mangiaracina helped form The Contemporaries, a contemporary Catholic music group, while he was stationed at St. Dominic parish from 1967-80. During that time he was able to move the guitar group from the gymnasium, where the youth Mass was celebrated, into the main church, where it attracted a large following.

“It was good music and good performance—not just twanging some guitars,” Father Mangiaracina said.

Some of the original Contemporaries gathered two weeks ago at St. Dominic to celebrate Father Mangiaracina’s birthday. “We sang all kinds of songs—older songs,” Father Mangiaracina said, smiling.

He feels good music is crucial in enhancing today’s worship experience.

“It helps us lift our hearts in praise to God,” he said. “That’s what liturgy is all about—to come and worship God through Christ. Good music helps create the atmosphere to do that.” ■

Jesuit Jubilarians of the New Orleans Province 2007 At a July 29 Mass and reception, nineteen religious of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus celebrated anniversary years. In recognizing these Jesuits, Rev. Alfred Kammer, S.J. ’63, Provincial, said, “In celebrating their lives and works, these Jesuit Jubilarians of the New Orleans Province give rise to a happy realization of God’s great gift to the ten states of the Province, to the Society, and to the world.” Several of these men are alumni of Jesuit High School, and others have served on the staff of the school. They are…

Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev.

A. Gerard Fineran, S.J. ’37 Albert C. Louapre, S.J. ’47 Joseph P. McGill, S.J. ’47 Norman B. O’Neal, S.J. Joseph A. Tetlow, S.J. ’47 Jerome H. Neyrey, S.J. ’57

70 60 60 60 60 50

Years Years Years Years Years Years

in in in in in in

the the the the the the

Society Society Society Society Society Society

of of of of of of

Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus

Rev. Rev. Rev. Rev.

Hacker J. Fagot, S.J. ’44 Charles E. O’Neill, S.J. ’44 Nicholas T. Schiro, S.J. ’44 Francis W. Huete, S.J. ’70

50 50 50 25

Years Years Years Years

in in in in

the the the the

Priesthood Priesthood Priesthood Priesthood

Fall/Winter 2007–08

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T H E J AY N O T E S I N T E R V I E W

In its 160 years, Jesuit High School has weathered several storms. Certainly, Hurricane Katrina heads that list, pun intended. But another tempest the school had to survive was an internal one that occurred in the early 1970s.

Sal Provenzano of the Class of 1975 experienced both. Two photos in Jesuit’s halls attest to that fact. One, of course, is Provenzano’s 1975 class photo in the Hall of Honors. The other is on the wall near the Banks Street entrance as part of the school’s photo remembrance of Katrina. In that framed copy of the front page of The TimesPicayune, Provenzano, who at the time was a police officer with the New Orleans Police Department, is one of two first responders rescuing an elderly man from his flooded house in Lakeview. A survivor of the tumultuous changing times of the early 1970s, Provenzano became a man dedicated to his family, his city, his church, and his Alma Mater.

And, in a very special way, a man prepared for the catastrophe of Katrina. In this interview, he provides a glimpse into both storms. Provenzano holds three degrees from the University of New Orleans—an undergraduate degree in business, an MBA, and a masters in finance. He is currently a patrolman with AMTRAK and frequently rides the trains in and out of the Crescent City. He and his wife, Tobi, have two children—John, a pre-freshman at Jesuit, and Valeri, who is majoring in computer studies at UNO.

Regular Kid from Algiers Makes His Mark as a

Blue Jay and a First-Responder Jaynotes: What factors led to your decision to come to Jesuit back in 1970?

SP: My parents were impressed by my cousin’s education at Jesuit.

At Holy Name of Mary in Algiers, the Marionite nuns worked with me in their spare time to prepare me for Jesuit. I was accepted into Jesuit with a very high percentile on the entrance test. Still, the sisters insisted that I work with them during the summer to study math. You don’t get people like that anymore.

Provenzano’s son. He used to give me forty kinds of grief in a loving way. But he brought me into the inner sanctum so to speak. And the teachers used to watch out for me. I got involved in sports right away because of Ray Coates. So I had the sports thing going. I had the band thing going because I already played music and I was accepted early by Marion Caluda (who was Jesuit’s music teacher at the time). I began to get comfortable around the end of ninth grade.

Jaynotes: What were your first impressions of Jesuit?

SP: I immediately felt that I was out of my element. I was from

Jaynotes: And then what happened?

SP: And then the bomb hit. A gigantic struggle hit school, on the

Algiers. I was overwhelmed by the social structure at Jesuit. There seemed to be no emphasis on the regular guy. I was the regular guy. And I felt that I would have a regular job and do regular things in life while all the other guys would become something great and improve society. I never got past that impression in my five years at Jesuit.

surface, below the surface, everywhere. The liberals against the traditional group. It started with antiwar type things. A large group of parents kept assaulting the Jesuits, asking them how could they have military ROTC in a Jesuit school. Eventually, this reached a fever pitch. Many of the students mirrored their parents’ chatter at home. So a rift developed. We had the guys who believed that it was okay to question, disregard, or even assault authority. And then we had the guys who accepted authority and structure.

Jaynotes: Give us an insight into your first year at Jesuit.

SP: I started on a good foot because my father was one of those

early 1940s Warren Easton guys. He was a great athlete there when they played Jesuit for the city championships. Jesuit’s coach at the time, Ray Coates ’44, played football against my father. So I became an insider. Ray Coates had passed the word that I was 10

JAYNotes

Jaynotes: How did your class, the class of 1975, fit into this picture?

SP: My class of 1975 was the pinnacle of this struggle. You will

J E S U I T T O D AY

find some of the most ambivalent performances you ever saw at Jesuit in both academics and extra-curriculars. And it is basically because of the idea “well, anything is okay just as long as you are trying” against the idea “we really have to do this; we really have to achieve this.” Many students had the attitude that the school couldn’t tell them what to do. I think the school—its structure and discipline—was almost to the point where it lost control. It took a toll on the boys who were trying hard to maintain the school’s mystique, its honor, and its winning tradition.

Jaynotes: As a result of this rift, the school experienced many changes, first to the academic program.

SP: When I started, Jesuit was a rigid place with definite

structure. Then it went to a very loose place with no structure.

We went to a modular scheduling system. In senior year you hardly had to come to school because you had all the credits.

I was in class S1 as a pre-freshman. By the time I was a junior, I didn’t know what class I was in. When I asked, they said it didn’t matter. In my junior year, the structure of the curriculum changed to a more “open” system. Instead of being told what courses you would take, you could choose now. We would ask, “What do we take?” And someone would say “I don’t know. Go see the counselor.” You would see your counselor about what courses to

take based on which college you were interested in. We were at the transition point where now we could take what we wanted.

We went from lots of structure to no structure. It was like we got fooled and many students said, “Let’s just do what we want.” But for me, the question wasn’t answered. I had a general negative feeling about myself.

Jaynotes: In spite of the turmoil you worked through as a student here, you still felt well-prepared for college?

SP: Academically I was over-prepared for college. It was just that

social thing that knocked us in the head. I became an overachiever.

I was always trying to prove that there is order to things.

Jaynotes: How did morning assemblies change while you were here?

SP: At first the assemblies were every morning. They were an

essential start of the day and everybody looked forward to that. It made the student body unified. We would recognize achievement.

And we would recognize those everyday things that students did—“So and so the other day helped somebody who fell down getting off the streetcar.” After assembly everybody walked around with a common experience. “Hey, congratulations, I’m really glad they mentioned you.” “Hey, good job on Saturday.” But then we went to a structure with announcements over a loudspeaker in the Fall/Winter 2007–08

11

classroom. It was no longer intimate. We lost something. A sense of community.

Jaynotes: What about ROTC? SP: When I was a sophomore, ROTC became optional. Captain

Neal and Sergeant Cressionne were two great influences on the boys. In terms of numbers, ROTC went from the great majority to the great minority. In fact, they were begging for people to come to the ROTC. The focus was definitely biased against the ROTC at the time. But we had great guys who went into ROTC like Timothy Flynn ’75, who is a rear admiral now.

Jaynotes: The school’s administration was also changing during your years here.

SP: When I started, Fr. Doyle was the principal. Then Mr. Mike

Power became Jesuit’s first lay principal. Fr. Harry Tompson replaced him as principal in 1974. But it was Mr. Paul Frederick, our prefect of discipline, whom I looked up to. Guys at that age don’t realize it, but they crave discipline. I didn’t even realize Jesuit had a president. I just thought there was Mr. Frederick. As far as I knew, he ran everything.

Jaynotes: What was school spirit like?

SP: In my first three years, school spirit was really high. And that

emanated from good sports programs, good extra-curricular 12

JAYNotes

programs, and rigid discipline in the school. At first, the rules were clear. Then the standards were relaxed and it became this great gray area. Everything became relative and had to be interpreted: “Well, you can’t really say that because you could look at it this way.” School spirit started to decline and I think we had some of the worst athletic teams we ever had at Jesuit.

Jaynotes: Because of a breakdown in discipline or bad athletes?

SP: We had good athletes. But we did have several coaches in

three years. First, we had Ray Coates, then we had John Arms, and then we had Milton Gaudet. In the fall we would have one coach, and then in the spring we would have a new coach.

Philosophies would change. We went from running sprints after a loss to, “Oh, well, let’s try to win the next one.” So, just like in the classroom, what became important was working toward the goal, not actually achieving the goal.

Jaynotes: How did spirituality change while you were a student?

SP: In 1973 the school was redoing its religious program in favor

of such things as the electric bible. I retreated spiritually into more traditional prayer, more contemplative prayer. That carried me through my junior and senior years. Spirituality seemed to be

Photo by Alex Brandon/Times Picayune

T H E J AY N O T E S I N T E R V I E W

ALUMNI After his interview, Sal visited Jesuit’s photo remembrance of Hurricane Katrina, which features a front page photo of Sal as a first responder.

Sal himself shot this photo of a flooded Jesuit High School. (below) During the recovery effort, Sal (in the light blue shirt) receives nourishment and medical attention before heading back out into a flooded city.

(facing page) In this iconic photo that put a face on the “catastrophic” nature of the city’s situation, first responder Sal Provenzano ’75 (left) and his NOPD partner rescue an elderly man from his flooded house in Lakeview.

changing. (Jesuit’s current president) Fr. (Anthony) McGinn, (S.J.), who was a scholastic here at the time, always seemed to be in dismay, along with several other Jesuits. I could just imagine them thinking, “How can these people reject God, how can they reject authority, how can they destructure their lives? What will the outcome be?” Fr. McGinn affected my life. Fr. Donald Hawkins and Fr. Paul Schott also were great influences. These three Jesuits carried me spiritually through two years of what I considered to be a spiritual desolation here.

Jaynotes: Did that affect your decision to send your son here?

SP: That was the toughest decision my wife and I had to make.

But we heard from friends who sent their children here that the theology program had been revamped and spirituality had made a comeback. We visited the school and were overwhelmed. The boys looked great, and they were very prayerful. They had events on campus that were prayer and Mass-oriented.

Jaynotes: And you decided to send your son to Jesuit?

SP: Yes, my son John is a pre-freshman. Jesuit once again has

structure. The discipline seems fantastic. The boys think that Top (Abshire, prefect of discipline) could run the entire effort in the War on Terror and it would be over in six months. Strong

leadership and strong example—both great for young men. And the school is so spiritual now. Everything is done in the name of the good Lord, instead of in the name of “Rows and floes of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air” (quoting from Joni Mitchell’s popular song of the mid-70s, Both Sides Now). Another great change is that each organization has its own “flag.” I see boys in sweatshirts that display Lacrosse or soccer or swimming. It shows that the school values the various activities the boys are involved in. The boys see this, too. My son will say, “Well, I am in the music club and I am doing this and I am doing that.” And they see those extra-curricular activities as viable options, too. The students know that if they can’t play football, there is something else for them.

Jaynotes: In spite of all the chaos you experienced at Jesuit, you have remained close to your school. Why? SP: Because I came from a working class family in a small

community. My father had to work hard to send me to Jesuit.

Then he got ill and was hospitalized. When I took a job and worked on Easter breaks and Christmas breaks, Fr. Schott and Fr. Tompson said, “Look, Sal’s a contributor in extra-curriculars, the band, and the classroom.” Finally, Fr. Schott and Fr. Tompson said, “Look, don’t pay us anything, and when you get out of here Fall/Winter 2007–08

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T H E J AY N O T E S I N T E R V I E W

and you are successful, just remember your school.” That was a profound influence on my life.

Jaynotes: Tell us about your personal Katrina experience and how you became involved in the evacuation of New Orleanians.

SP: When Katrina hit, I was working for the New Orleans Police

Department. Our orders were to evacuate our families and come back to the city. And so I evacuated my wife and two children to Birmingham to her parents’ house. It just so happened that men from the New York Police Department were also in Birmingham waiting to come in, but they didn’t know the best way to get in to New Orleans. So I brought them back with me, 207 officers and 100 vehicles. I ended up at the 1st District police station on Rampart Street. I thought I could do a lot of good there, so I stayed there. It was under fire for several days. The nearby Iberville and Lafitte Projects had people shooting at the police station nonstop. We slept on the roof of the police station in our underwear because of the extreme heat. And we silenced fire by returning fire or by having helicopters suppress the fire. It was chaos. We had no communication, no long guns, no boats, and no food. Then we came up with a plan. We went to the least flooded areas up Tchoupitoulas and St. Charles and collected every boat and trailer we could get our hands on and launched from Bourbon at Canal.

We would forage in the Central City area, get as many people as we could, take them out, go back in, and repeat this over and over.

And then people started coming to us with notes—“The last time I heard from my mother, she said the water was rising. She is at this address.” And we’d go search for survivors at those addresses.

From August 28 to September 9, everybody we found for the most part was alive. After September 9, everybody we found for the most part was not alive.

absolute despair. We cut through his roof and told him to come out. He said, “I’m not leaving without my daughter.” I told him we would get his daughter too. So I went through the hole into the attic. It was dark but I had a flashlight. I asked him where his daughter was, and he said he didn’t know—“I held her as long as I possibly could until I blacked out and fell into the water. When I woke up, I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find her.” I asked, “When was that?” And he replied, “Three days ago.” So I started looking through the water, and I found his little three-year-old daughter in the attic under a chair that had turned over.

Jaynotes: How did the experience of Katrina affect you?

SP: First, I lost a lot of weight. Then I went into a psychological

and emotional tailspin. It got worse and worse until I had a nervous breakdown on Thanksgiving after the storm. Thank God for my wife who insisted I get treatment and for the NOPD that had treatment available for us. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get up off of the floor. I stayed on the floor for days lying in a ball, saying, “I’m going to get up soon. I’m going to get up soon.” It impacted everything I was doing in my work. I couldn’t function. I would go on 12-hour patrols at night—no lights, no people, stink, fires from gas lines rupturing, sounds. I was totally depressed. If it hadn’t been for the police officer with me, I don’t know what I would have done. I just simply leaned against the passenger door of the police car and just kept saying to him, “I think the city is finished.

I don’t see any hope for it.” Mentally and physically I was broken.

The LSU Medical Center and the NOPD helped save my life.

Jaynotes: Have you come to be more hopeful about the city?

SP: Yes. I see changes in government, changes in the day-to-day

the thugs had guns and they didn’t have crack for six or seven days, so they went crazy. I saw a lady who was shot in the head and killed for a bag of ice. I saw a group of people sitting on top of a Shell station in New Orleans East, in lawn chairs with beer piled up around them, with AK47s like they had taken over the world. I saw dogs in trees that had been there for days and were vicious and emaciated. I saw people who had been on roofs for two or three days with nothing to eat, hoping that when they slept, they didn’t roll into the water.

operation of the police and fire departments, a change in the basic way we approach corruption. These things have me hopeful. I have a strong faith going all the way back to Jesuit. God gave me a great education for a reason. I was an insignificant pimple on the butt of progress and found myself lost in a social whirl, but found myself and was able to affect some positive outcome in something that happened in our city. I am really in love with God now. He picked me out to be in that boat and rescue people. I don’t say that egotistically. I just mean that practically speaking from the beginning of time, God said, “I’m going to have so and so from Jesuit in that boat, and he is going to rescue those people.”

Jaynotes: Tell us about one rescue that ended well.

SP: In one of the notes a man who sounded desperate asked us to

Jaynotes: Any final thoughts, Sal? SP: I loved the school while I was here even though it was chaot-

check on his 73-year-old mother in Lakeview. On September 9, 11 days after the storm, we arrived at the house, cut a hole in the roof, and found her in the attic with water up to her neck. She had a bag of potato chips and told us, “I knew you were coming.

God told me.” And I said, “That’s good. I’m glad to know He’s still around.” Then she said, “I was down to my last bag of potato chips and I said, ‘God I’m not going to make it much longer.’ And God said, ‘they are coming. That’s why you are on your last bag of potato chips.’ ”

ic. Jesuit was an extremely powerful and good experience for me.

I didn’t realize it until six years down the road that the struggle that went on in the school was going to be part of my generation’s struggle. Jesuit has produced individuals who have been leaders in society and in our local community, as well as the national community. Now I see Jesuit producing good academic and legal, and moral and spiritual leaders. I hope that it continues so that people point to Jesuit and say, “If you want a serious faith-based education, Jesuit is the place.” ■

Jaynotes: It must have been an amazing experience.

SP: Yes. Realistic is a good word for it. And dangerous. Of course,

14

Jaynotes: Did you have any experiences that were not so happy?

SP: In Mid-City we got to one man who appeared to be in

JAYNotes

ALUMNI

Alumni Return

Inform Inspire

to and

Alumni of Jesuit High School return to their alma mater in many different capacities. Many return to participate in social events like reunions and Back-to-Banks. Others return to assist the school’s financial drives like PAG and LEF as well as a special day before Thanksgiving that attracts several Blue Jays from the Class of 1983 who provide turkeys for each of the families receiving baskets.

Still, others return to engage the current students on a more personal level. As the featured speaker at Investiture, which is the traditional ceremony that welcomes Jesuit’s newest Blue Jays on their first day, Trey Fury ’02 (above) told stories of his own challenges and successes when he was a student.

A former professional baseball player in the minor leagues, Fury is now head of new business development and sales for A.L.S. Freight Management. Dennis Lauscha ’87 (top left), who is the chief financial officer for the New Orleans Saints, inspires the student body at a morning assembly reminiscing about his days at Jesuit. And, in Marc Dillon’s theology class, local attorney Arthur Dupre ’76 has much to talk about as the father of eleven children.

Fall/Winter 2007–08

15

W H E R E Y ’ AT

Robert LeBlanc ’40 reports that he and his wife, Betty, are still enjoying life in Bethesda, MD. Robert welcomes correspondence from his classmates at bob@robertleblanc.com.

Linden Hebert ’45 and his wife, Jackie, lost their Lakeview home in Katrina and moved to Elizabethtown, KY where their youngest daughter and her family live. Linden volunteers by driving Kentucky’s senior citizens to the grocery store and to their doctor appointments. He is also a Eucharistic Minister at St. James Catholic Church and Elizabethtown Hospital. Linden says he misses New Orleans and especially Lakeview.

Fred “Fritz” Westenberger ’51 and Scott Thompson ’92 were inducted into Loyola University’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony in February ’07. At Loyola, Fritz starred in track, and Scott was a standout basketball player for the Wolfpack. (Scott is the head basketball coach at Brother Martin High School.)

Ronald A. Fonseca ’54 retired from his position as a U.S. Magistrate in 1998 after contracting leukemia. Ronnie reports that he has been in total remission for over six years. After 36 years in the field of law, he decided to start a second career—teaching. He enrolled in graduate school at the UNO and received a masters in history in May 2007. Ronnie is currently an adjunct instructor in history at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans.

Michael Develle ’56 is semi-retired and dividing his time between La Conner, WA, and San Jose, CA. Mike writes, “My career is not quite done yet in computer science, slaying dragons, and wiping snotty noses of 13 grandchildren.”

Tom Carney ’59, has a son who in 2005 became a student at St. Paul’s in Covington. Tom said he shifted his financial support to his son’s school, but when he recently came across the aerial photograph of Jesuit in the days after Katrina, he experienced a change of heart. “The other day I saw the picture of the school yard under water and it hit me,” writes Tom. “Once a Blue Jay, always a Blue Jay! I’m back and will always love Jesuit High School.”

Craig Mundie

Craig Mundie ’67, is chief research and strategy officer (CRSO) of Microsoft Corp, reporting to CEO Steve Ballmer. Named to his current position in June 2006, Mundie has assumed responsibility for Microsoft’s research and technology incubation efforts, in anticipation of Chairman Bill Gates’ departure from his day-to-day role in July 2008. “I have been Bill’s closest partner on many of the long term technology, strategy, and research projects for almost 10 years now,” Craig said recently. “So I have quite a bit of personal familiarity and share many of the same passions that Bill does. I’m passionate about the importance of sustaining a long term investment in fundamental computer science research.”

Bob Tompkins ’68, senior sports reporter and columnist for The Town Talk in Alexandria, LA, won Sportswriter of the Year honors last July at the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s awards banquet in Baton Rouge.

Earlier in the year, he shared Louisiana Sportswriter of the Year, an honor which was voted on by members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. It was the third time Tompkins received the NSSA award.

Don Faust ’69 was honored as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), which hosted a luncheon last fall celebrating National Philanthropy Day. An orthopedic surgeon, Don has generously volunteered his time for numerous organizations and non-profits over the years.

Edward Haslam ’69 is the author of Dr. Mary’s Monkey. Amazon.com’s book description reads: “The 1964 murder of a nationally known cancer researcher sets the stage for this gripping exposé of medical professionals

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enmeshed in covert government operations over the course of three decades. Following a trail of police records, FBI files, cancer statistics, and medical journals, this revealing book presents evidence of a web of medical secret-keeping that began with the handling of evidence in the JFK assassination and continued apace, sweeping doctors into cover-ups of cancer outbreaks, contaminated polio vaccine, the arrival of the AIDS virus, and biological weapon research using infected monkeys.”

Dr. Larry Quartana ’69 is associate director of the Wharton Communication Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Larry taught at Jesuit High School in New Orleans in the mid-1970s.

Al Petrie ’71 is leading the post-Katrina treeplanting and beautification efforts in the Lakeview area of New Orleans. As chairman of the Lakeview Civic Improvement Association’s Green Space Committee, Al is focusing on green space reconstruction. He has led several treeplanting projects on Lakeview’s majestic neutral grounds, including the ones running along Canal, Argonne, and Milne Boulevards and West End Parkway. Al has marshaled volunteer groups from across the country to work alongside our own Blue Jay students and alumni who comprise the Jesuit chapter of Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO). He has also arranged for private and corporate funding to pay for the various planting projects.

New Orleans, and especially Lakeview, owes Al a big thanks—and you can send him one at: al@alpetrie.com.

Al Petrie

Gary Toribio ’75, who has lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for 20 years, married Denise Fesanco of Chicago last July. They relocated to St. Louis and live in the Historic Soulard neighborhood. Gary is a senior civil engineering project manager in the Water/Wastewater Department of URS Corporation’s St. Louis office.

Steve Zichichi ’77 recently retired from his medical practice in Metairie. Steve and his wife, Kristin, along with their four children, have relocated to Healdsburg, CA where last fall they opened Zichichi Family Vineyard and Winery. They invite all Blue Jays who live in the area, as well as alumni visiting California’s wine country, to drop by for a private tour and wine tasting.

Thomas Ryan

Thomas Ryan ’79 has returned to New Orleans as the new director of Loyola University’s Institute for Ministry (LIM). The mission of LIM is to prepare women and men for religious education and ministerial leadership in Catholic and other Christian communities through professional graduate education. “It is good to be back for personal reasons but also because Loyola and LIM represent important resources for the rebuilding of New Orleans,” writes Tom, who taught theology at Jesuit from 1985 to 1990. After receiving a master of arts in religion from Yale (University) Divinity School in 1992, Tom earned his Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to coming home, Tom was chair of the Department of Religious Studies at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, FL. During his 10 years at St. Thomas, he was twice selected as the university’s Professor of the Year. Tom is the author of Thomas Aquinas as Reader of the Psalms (University of Notre Dame Press, 2000). Additionally, he has written numerous theologian articles that have been published in scholarly and mainstream media. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three daughters.

Richard Wentz ’80, after serving as a creative director in advertising for six years, now works as a freelance writer/director in New York. Dickie works on everything from infomercials to kid shows to pilots for the web.

ALUMNI

Marc Belloni ’83, who joined Jesuit’s faculty at the start of the 2007-08 year, created the Carrollton Station Foundation to provide financial assistance to the musicians of New Orleans who were adversely affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The foundation raises money through sales of its CD, Feeder Bands on the Run, a compilation of songs about the city and the devastation it sustained that were written and performed by New Orleans musicians. The CD features a strong Jesuit connection. Besides Marc, who is a talented musician and entertainer, such noted songwriters as Jim McCormick ’86, Caleb Guillotte ’81, and Fred Leblanc ’81 (Cowboy Mouth) made their own contributions, and Christopher Holmes ’90 provided guitar support. Feeder Bands may be purchased at Carrollton Station, the Louisiana Music Factory, and Amazon.com. A former practicing attorney, Marc teaches social studies and is the director of the Philelectic Society at Jesuit.

James Moises Dr. James Moises ’83, who is medical director of Tulane University Medical Center’s Emergency Department, continues to fight to reopen the old Charity Hospital. At the time of Katrina, James and several other physicians, stayed at Charity where they treated and evacuated hundreds of patients. After the storm, a team of doctors, including James, spent three weeks cleaning and decontaminating the hospital’s first three floors with the goal of reopening a portion of the facility. But officials with the LSU Health Sciences Center, which operates Charity, ordered the doctors to leave the premises, contending the hospital was beyond repair. Soon afterwards, James resigned his position as assistant professor of medicine and neuroscience at LSU in order to speak publicly without fear of reprisal about the need to reopen Charity. James contends the first three floors could be ready for patients, especially those suffering from mental illness, within months, providing hundreds of hospital beds to a city in desperate need of them. “The mental health crisis goes away tomorrow if you open the first three floors,” James says in an interview published in CityBusiness. “We can get emergency services, specialty clinic services, and psychiatric services up and running. But LSU doesn’t want to do this even on a temporary basis because they’re worried if they open the first three floors, they’ll lose their FEMA dollars and their shot at building their new $1.2 billion hospital. Meanwhile, the people of New Orleans are dying.”

James has been interviewed about the situation at Charity by local media as well as by reporters from news organizations such as USA Today, The New York Times, CNN, and National Public Radio.

Malcolm Schwarzenbach ’83 has been named president of the board of directors of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Marketing Association. Malcolm is one of the founding partners of Trumpet, a New Orleans “brand studio,” where he serves as the director of brand study.

Harry Connick, Jr. ’85 is the ninth artist to receive the 2007 Ella Fitzgerald Award from Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. The prize is awarded to jazz singers “whose improvisational skills, originality, and uniqueness of voice have been universally praised on the international scene.” Previous winners include Etta James, Al Jarreau, Tony Bennett, Bobby McFerrin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall, and Diane Schuur.

Chad Poche ’88 is the Louisiana branch manager and vice president of Ardaman & Associates, Inc., an Orlando-based engineering company specializing in geotechnical, environmental, water resources, facilities, and construction materials consulting. Chad reports that Ardaman recently

acquired Gore Engineering, Inc. of Metairie, LA., giving Ardaman the capability of operating six full-time drilling rigs, crews, and forms.

Dr. Steven Filby ’91 recently completed his fellowship in cardiology at the University of North Carolina. Steven, his wife Kim, and their three daughters, Kelley, Brooke, and Julia, are now residing in Cleveland where he is continuing his medical education in interventional cardiology.

Dr. Jeffrey Rouse ’92, a psychiatrist and the chief deputy coroner for the New Orleans Forensic Center, is one of Gambit Weekly’s “40 Under 40.” Each year Gambit recognizes 40 individuals below the age of 40 for “contributions they have made to our area and the potential they show for making their community a better place.” Jeff was cited for his work in single-handedly running an emergency clinic in New Orleans just four days after the levees broke. He wanted to help the first responders who were suffering. For his work, the American Psychiatric Association awarded him its Bruno Lima Award for Excellence in Disaster Psychiatry. Jeff received degrees from Duke and Georgetown University's School of Medicine. At the coroner's office, he oversees psychiatric commitments in the city.

Dr. Brett Cascio ’93 is assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine at LSU in New Orleans. Brett is also an Army reservist and was mobilized to Afghanistan in December 2007.

Scott Hines ’93 and his wife Barbara are living happily in Bowling Green, KY. Scott is the sales manager for the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau. Scott’s brother, Brett ’91, and his wife, Shaska, also live in Bowling Green, where he has a law practice.

Trupania “Trap” Bonner ’94 is the executive director of Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc. (MFGC), a non-profit organization dedicated to rebuilding a better Gulf Coast. By providing volunteer-based relief, MFGC strives for community empowerment and fosters collaborative efforts through community advocacy, training, and creative programming.

Trap’s main tool of advocacy is his film, Crescent City Exodus, an examination of pre-Katrina issues of politics and social conditions as they relate to race, religion, and class. While a sociology major at LSU, Bonner served as president of Men Against Violence, a student organization dedicated to eliminating violence against women. In 2000, the American College Health Association presented Trap the Lewis Barbato Award, given to a student who has made major contributions to the health of college students. On November 24, Trap married Colette Pichon Battle.

Jeremy D. Broussard ’95 was one of seven individuals selected for a two-year Presidential Management Fellowship with the Department of Defense. Jeremy works on national security policy at the Pentagon, the National Security Council, and at other government agencies in Washington, D.C. Jeremy's work focuses on Middle East political and security issues, counter-proliferation, and other transnational threats. In May 2007, Jeremy received his J.D. from Howard University School of Law. While at Howard, he was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year Award consecutively in 2006 and 2007 for his efforts organizing student trips to New Orleans to assist in reconstruction efforts. He lives in Maryland with his wife and daughter.

Matthew Hetzler ’95 was married in New Orleans last February. He currently resides in Chicago where he works for Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest utility companies. Matt is a project manager in the company’s environmental department.

Bryan Spitzfaden ’95, writing as Kip Cairo, has published his first book of poetry, Squatter’s Writes. Kip’s poems all touch on the Katrina experience. His editor states that Kip’s poems “invite us in for a familiar cup of coffee and inspire us to reenter our daily lives with renewed spirit, but also with what we have known and lost tucked safely inside of us.”

Fall/Winter 2007–08

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HERE Y’AT

W H E R E Y ’ AT

Pearce Grieshaber ’97, after settling in New York City, post-Katrina, finally got back home to New Orleans last fall. But Pearce chose an unconventional mode of transportation to make his journey home—a bicycle. The 2,097 mile trip took him 13 days. And along the way, Pearce raised money for the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, soliciting pledges in his honor on the clinic’s web site. Check out Pearce’s travel blog and photos at nyc2nola.blogspot.com.

Matthew Taylor ’97, who graduated from the University of Iowa in 2001 with a B.S. degree in computer science, has been working at GEICO Auto Insurance Company since October of 2002. In June of 2006, Matt married the former Alyssa Schenk of Manchester, IA. The Taylors’ first child was born in August 2007 (see Bib List).

Sean Vandergriff ’98, who continues to work as a graphics designer, is engaged to his college sweetheart, Jenny Daly of Chicago. Following their summer wedding, the couple will reside in Memphis.

Kevin Fitzwilliam ’99, a UNO urban planning student, was one of 29 sustainable energy fellows who participated in an intensive program on renewable energy in the context of sustainable development last July at Arizona State University. Fitzwilliam earned a masters degree in environmental planning management from LSU in 2006 and a bachelor in communications and environmental studies from Loyola University in 2003. He entered the UNO urban and regional planning program to become more involved in the region's post-hurricane recovery. “Kevin has been selected from a pool of the top university students in America to represent UNO and the planning and urban studies department for this prestigious fellowship program,” said John L. Renne, assistant professor of planning and urban studies and associate director of the UNO Transportation Center.

Jonathan Hernandez ’00 is the new head basketball coach at St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace, LA, where he finds himself working under former Jesuit football coach, Frank Monica, who is the school’s athletic director.

Dean Roy ’00 founded an Internet startup called Sharefam Enterprises, L.L.C., which operates the web site, http://sharefam.com/, “the place where families connect.” The site is essentially a private online community to keep families and extended families connected by Dean Roy sharing photos, news, stories, in a safe and secure environment. “The story sharing section is the part of the site that I am most excited about,” says Dean. “I love sitting around with my aunts and uncles and listening to the stories about my grandparents and parents when they were younger. I think this is a great way to create a real family history.

One that is more telling than just the genealogy history most people know.”

Blake Baudier ’02 remains active in local theater, serving as the technical director of Cripple Creek Theatre Company, a professional, non-equity organization dedicated to producing dramatic works of cultural, historical, and political relevance that encourages social action.

John Kolls ’03 is the assistant golf pro at the Duke University golf course and resort. A former Louisiana individual state champion in golf, John finished his college work at St. Andrew’s, no, not in Scotland, but in North Carolina, just down the road from Duke. Last spring, John was named to the men’s golf All-CarolinasVirginia Athletics Conference First Team. His rounds of 71-70-73 were good enough for a John Kolls third place finish in the conference tournament, and qualified him for a coveted spot in the N.C.A.A. Div. II Atlantic Super Regional Tournament at Savannah Quarters Country Club.

Chris Brown ’04, a senior at the University of Tennessee, was the starting tight end on the 2007 Volunteer football team. Entering this season as a two-year starter, Chris had 63 receptions for 462 yards and six touchdowns. Chris ended the year with 40 catches for 278 yards and six touchdowns.

James Cesario ’04 led the University of Houston Cougars baseball team in several categories last season. As a sophomore outfielder, Jimmy led the team in hitting (.352), hits (77), doubles (13) and on-base percentage (.417). Additionally, he racked up a 20-game hitting streak, fifth longest in UH history. Jimmy was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and was tapped as the C-USA Newcomer of the Year.

John-Michael Early ’05 wrapped up his sophomore year at LSU with quite a bang. First, John-Michael was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society. Then he received the Order of Omega Award as “Greek Man of the Year.” Finally, he was honored with the Emerging Leader Award from the entire LSU student body.

Anthony Scelfo ’05, a sophomore member of both Tulane’s football and baseball teams, emerged as the Greenies’ starting quarterback with the LSU game, four games into the season. Anthony completed the season with six TD passes and a 53.1 completion percentage.

James Truxillo ’05, a sophomore defensive back on the University of Louisiana Monroe’s football team, has been named by ESPN’s The Magazine to the Academic All-District Football First Team for District IV (Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico). James holds a 3.48 GPA in criminal justice. Before an injury sidelined him midway through the season, James led the team with 51 tackles.

Please help Jesuit High School keep its alumni records accurate by sending us your current contact information—name, date of graduation, address, phone numbers, E-mail address, where you work, and what you do.

LET US KNOW . . .

WHERE Y’AT! You enjoy reading about fellow Blue Jay alumni and they enjoy reading about you. Take a moment to tell ’em WHERE Y’AT!

Corey Hilliard

Hicks Wogan ’02 graduated from the University of North Carolina in May 2006.

He is now working on his masters in southern studies at Ole Miss and is expected to graduate in May.

Mail to Jaynotes, Alumni Office, Jesuit High School, 4133 Banks St., New Orleans, LA 70119; or e-mail to alumni@jesuitnola.org.

We welcome digital photos (minimum 750KB resolution), but please send only two or three of your best shots.

Corey Hilliard ’03, originally drafted by the New England Patriots, was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in November to bolster their offensive line. Corey has worked his way from the practice squad to the active roster.

Jesuit encourages alumni to make a contribution to the LEF or the Katrina Restoration Fund, or both. No contribution is too small and your gift to Jesuit will help the school in many ways. Please send your check (and change of address form if required) in the envelope that can be found in this issue of Jaynotes.

Donate online: www.jesuitnola.org and click on Jayson in the upper left corner.

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ALUMNI

Blue Jays Elected to State and Local Offices When the votes were counted in the state and local elections held in October and November, 2007, several Jesuit alumni were elected, or re-elected, to serve the public.

Mitchell “Mitch” Landrieu ’78 was re-elected Louisiana’s

lieutenant governor.

James Donelon ’62 won re-election as Louisiana’s insurance

commissioner.

Lawrence Chehardy ’71 was unopposed and continues as

assessor of Jefferson Parish.

Newell Normand ’76 was elected in a first primary landslide as the new sheriff of Jefferson Parish, garnering 91% of the vote. For many years, Normand served as a top level assistant to Sheriff Harry Lee, who died in October.

Thomas Capella ’83 was re-elected to a council-at-large seat on the Jefferson Parish Council.

Nick Lorusso ’85 was re-elected to his first full term as a state representative. Lorusso captured 62% of the vote in the runoff election to win the 94th District House seat representing

Lakeview, the Lakefront, and parts of Mid-City.

John Cameron Henry ’92 won his first bid for public office and will represent the 82nd District, including parts of old Jefferson, in Louisiana’s House of Representatives.

Walt Leger III ’96 was also elected on his first time out and will represent the 91st District in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Leger captured 65% of the vote in the runoff election to win the seat representing the Irish Channel, Central City, and part of Uptown New Orleans.

Three Blue Jay alumni who are physicians ran unopposed for coroner in their respective parishes. Dr. Robert Treuting ’55 begins a new four-year term as coronor of Jefferson Parish, an office he has held since 1988; Dr. Bryan Bertucci ’68 continues as coroner of St. Bernard Parish; and Dr. Christy Montegut ’70 remains coroner of St. John Parish.

Mark Your Calendars for 2008 Class Reunions!

The dates of the 2008 class reunions are set.

Jesuit High School’s Alumni Steering Committee advises the school on how to keep alumni connected to each other and to the school. Such events as the Commencement Luncheon and Back-to-Banks were the brain-children of this group. After the committee’s December meeting, one of four yearly meetings, members gathered in the Traditions Courtyard for this photo. Front row, from left: Mike Varisco ’83, Ryan LeBlanc ’91, Matt Orillion ’98, Al Demarest ’57, Bill Perret ’46, Chuck Staub ’60, alumni chaplain Fr. Norman O’Neal, Kevin Heigle ’69, Carl Servat ’93, and Fr. Anthony McGinn ’66; back row, from left: Mat Grau ’68, Chris Cox ’89, Jim Tebbe ’76, Gerald Duhon ’85, Hank Ecuyer ’51, Br. William Dardis ’58, and Kelly Parenton ’90. Committee members not in the photo are Pierre DeGruy ’69 (actually behind the camera), Bruce Hoefer ’72, Johmyrin Johnson ’01, George Joint ’68, Dominic Massa ’94, and Peter Quirk ’54.

In 2008, Jesuit alumni who graduated in years ending in “3” and “8” will celebrate, so make plans now to join your classmates. The Class of 1958 celebrates its 50-yearanniversary; the Class of 1983 celebrates 25 years.

As details emerge for each class reunion, the information, including contacts, will be posted on the alumni section of Jesuit’s website: www.jesuitnola.org.

1943 1948 1953 1958 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003

March 15 (Saturday) May 16 & 17 (Friday and Saturday) May 30 & 31 (Friday and Saturday) April 18 & 19 (Friday and Saturday) April 11, 12, & 13 (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday) May 9 & 10 (Friday and Saturday) June 6 & 7 (Friday and Saturday) June 27 & 28 (Friday and Saturday) April 4 & 5 (Friday and Saturday) July 11 & 12 (Friday and Saturday) June 20 & 21 (Friday and Saturday) July 18 & 19 (Friday and Saturday) June 14 (Saturday) Fall/Winter 2007–08

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P R I N C I PA L ’ S C O R N E R

Brainstorming Sessi Better School Year As I reflect on the first quarter of 2007-2008, much has occurred in just a few months. The school year has a wonderful momentum of its own as the energy of a new year spills into so many events. But before students arrive in mid-August, the planning and structure for the year are nearly complete.

The administrators officially began their academic year in early August by attending a two-day workshop in Lafitte. Besides planning for the beginning of the year school activities, the administrators had the opportunity to look at the “big picture” and determine how their efforts could translate into making 2007-2008 the best it could be for students, faculty, and staff. An added feature to the workshop this year was the inclusion of department heads to brainstorm about goals for 2007-2008. In past years, department heads took part in voting for the yearly goals, but the administrators did the brainstorming separately.

But because department heads work so closely with the teachers in their respective departments, the input of department heads is vital. Thus, it was time to include them in the actual brainstorming.

Some of the goals this year involve making students more aware of the newly-created Honor Code, ensuring that faculty truly own the mission of the school on a daily basis, observing the Examen at some point during the school day, setting time aside for administrators and department heads to meet on a regular basis, evaluating the new curriculum created for Program III students, providing more technology workshops for faculty and staff, and hammering out the final details for making the newlyestablished awards of the Profile of the Jesuit High School Teacher.

Early August also provided us with the most successful Used Book Sale to date. Thanks to the organizational efforts of Blue Jay moms Barbara Holstein and Teresa Stagni, more than $80,000 was returned to those who sold their books at the sale.

Many more Blue Jay moms did a great job working the sale itself. In addition to the smiles of those who were able to sell 20

JAYNotes

books at the sale, Blue Jay parents were also delighted at the savings they received from purchasing used books at greatly reduced prices.

Jesuit’s faculty began their year by attending day long workshops on August 14 and 15. The first day found the entire faculty sitting in groups of seven at round tables in St. Ignatius Hall. The first order of business involved the introduction of new faculty by the senior faculty member at that particular table.

These introductions were especially notable if the veterans happened also to have taught the new teachers they introduced.

The Student Council Executive Board members then performed a skit for the faculty. The skit highlighted the differences in how the present generation of high school students communicates with one another as opposed to the generation of most faculty members.

Faculty found the skit humorous, and yet they also saw the

relevance in reflecting on the way young people currently choose to relate with the outside world and with each other.

Faculty members were then asked to share their thoughts about the article assigned to them for reading over the summer.

The article, entitled “The Classroom as Holy Ground,” was inspirational because it reminds teachers about the awesome power they have to affect good, particularly at a school with a religious mission.

After we all enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by our hard-working Blue Jay moms, the afternoon session began by sharing with faculty the results from junior interviews and senior-parent surveys. Then the faculty spent the remainder of the afternoon in their respective departments discussing The Profile of the Jesuit High School Teacher.

The Profile of the Jesuit High School Teacher (PJHST) was the

J E S U I T T O D AY

ion in Lafitte Makes for a culmination of numerous years of hard work by the Ignatian Identity Team (IIT). The PJHST was based on the already existing Profile of the Jesuit High School Graduate at Graduation used by all the Jesuit secondary schools throughout the country.

During an in-service here in the 2002-2003 academic year, faculty brainstormed about how these characteristics applied to educators at Jesuit High School New Orleans. The IIT took the ideas generated from this brainstorming and worked them into the final version of the PJHST. Now, just as we hope Jesuit graduates are “open to growth, intellectually competent, loving, committed to justice, and religious,” in the same way we expect faculty at Jesuit High School New Orleans to exhibit these same characteristics.

As the 2007-2008 academic year progresses, we look forward to many opportunities for success both in and out of the classroom. Students, faculty, administrators, and staff are all blessed to be a part of the good work God is asking from each of us every day here at Jesuit High School. AMDG. ■ Michael Giambelluca ’82

Sixteen New Teachers Join Jesuit Staff On a steamy Tuesday morning in August, 16 new faculty members gathered at the main entrance of the school for a group photo.

On the front row, from left: Maria Dawsey (Spanish), Corey Bordelon (social studies, football), Rachel Meillieur (library), Anita Clinton (English), Marc Belloni (social studies, philelectic society), and Joseph Mueller (theology).

Back row, from left: Jean Marc Duplantier (English, yearbook), Troy Holley (social studies, basketball), Tim Parenton (physical education, head baseball coach), John Lavie (math), Derek Mitchell (guidance), Brett Meliet (science, basketball), Tim McCaffrey (theology), Wayde Keiser (physical education, social studies, head football coach), Richard Bohn (physical education, football, track), and Joey Latino (science, assistant athletic director)

One thing is certain: if your mother chairs a committee, somehow you will be involved. Above, Ryan ’09 and Brad ’07 Holstein help Mom prepare for the Used Book Sale.

(facing page) Principal Mike Giambelluca ’82, second from left, and Jesuit’s administrative team, from left, alumni director Mat Grau ’68, athletic director Dave Moreau, prefect of discipline Top Abshire, admissions director Jack Truxillo ’73, professional development director Malcolm Villarrubia ’66, chaplain Don Saunders, S.J., student activities director Mike Prados ’83 (sitting) assistant principal for academics Kathy Juhas and guidance director Mary Favalora. Missing from picture: assistant principal for student affairs Peter Kernion ’90.

Fall/Winter 2007–08

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THANKSGIVING DRIVE

“Bless Us, O Lord, for These

Sophomores (l-r) Joel Strahan, Joe Reuther, and Ethan Kramer of homeroom 1001 stand with the recipients of their bounty in front of the family’s FEMA trailer. (opposite page, top) At Robért Fresh Market, Coach Wayde Keiser and Tyler Spencer check off items on senior homeroom 1205’s shopping list. (middle) Brothers junior Alex and pre-freshman Kevin Bukaty prepare to load goods into an awaiting van. (bottom) And freshman Gerald Williams of homeroom 909 receives a warm hug from an appreciative recipient.

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J E S U I T T O D AY

Thy Gifts…”

At the heart of Jesuit High School’s annual Thanksgiving Drive is the act of giving, of sharing one’s bounty with others, specifically with others who will benefit from the gift, if only for a short while. It is what Christ taught us to do. And it is what Jesuit’s students do each Thanksgiving.

The scale of such giving—300 needy families fed by 1,360 students—demands organization, and that is the forté of Ms. Helen Swan, Jesuit’s director of service projects. Like a maestro, Swan moves the Jesuit community through all stages of the process—planning, preparation, execution, and reflection.

Even before the day dawns on the eve before Thanksgiving, students are waiting for the doors to open to Robért Fresh Market so they may complete their shopping. As life at Carrollton and Banks begins to stir, members of the Class of 1983 distribute to the homerooms turkeys they have purchased for each family. Students scramble from rooms to cars as they load their boxes for delivery.

Suddenly, all activity ceases. Students assemble in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs to reflect on what they are about to do. Theology teacher Matt Orillion ’98 provides inspiration as he relates the story of one man who gave himself to others as he gave them gifts (read the text of his talk on the following pages).

Fall/Winter 2007–08

23

THANKSGIVING DRIVE

Giving Cannot Be the Work On the eve of Thanksgiving, Jesuit’s students fill the Chapel of the North American Martyrs for a brief prayer service prior to delivering boxes of food to needy families. An integral part of the prayer service is an inspirational talk given by a Jesuit teacher. This past Thanksgiving, theology teacher Matt Orillion of the Class of 1998 had the privilege of addressing Blue Jays.

There was a knock at the door of the mansion on the hot summer day in Turin, Italy. The visitor was a poor woman with her barefoot children looking for food from the wealthy family. Young Pier Giorgio answered the door and found himself in a dilemma.

His mother had gone out for the day and he had nothing to give these good people. He thought and suddenly came to a decision.

He would take the shoes and socks from his own feet. This would serve to benefit at least one of the children. Thus, without hesitation and with great joy, he slipped the shoes from his feet and offered them to the mother. After this, Pier Giorgio went about his work the rest of the day.

This story epitomizes the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati. Heir to an Italian magazine fortune, he was a handsome, athletic, and friendly young man who was prone to practical jokes, struggled in school, and was an avid skier and mountain climber. He would, perhaps, blend in quite nicely here in this audience.

There is something extraordinary, however, about the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati that is worth reminding ourselves about on this important day.

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JAYNotes

Behind the outward image of this modern man, who in all appearances led a comfortable and privileged life, rested the heart of a committed Christian. His soul was lit with a fire that burned with love for Jesus Christ. This love led to an action that sought out Christ in those people he encountered everyday. Pier Giorgio’s whole life was oriented toward making himself a gift to those who needed most what he could give.

Unknown to many, he gave his substantial monthly allowance in service to the poor. He would regularly run from class to be with those who had little. Much of this work was done under the radar of his friends and family. It is estimated that when he died at the young age of 24, he was supporting 25 families with his generosity. He would often say that around the poor he could see a special light, one that he did not have.

This orientation of life towards the other, motivated by love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, was evident even up to the point of his last sufferings before his death from polio. On his deathbed, he shakily wrote instructions to his sister to make sure a man for whom he was caring received the necessary medications.

What we do on this day, Pier Giorgio lived everyday with great joy and humility. Frassati serves as a heroic example of what is possible when our human capacity for love reaches its limits and we allow Christ to take over in our lives.

Pope John Paul II, during the beatification homily of Pier Giorgio Frassati, said of the young man: “Certainly Frassati's lifestyle does not present anything out of the ordinary. This, however, is the originality of his virtue. In him, faith and daily events are harmoniously fused…entirely immersed in the mystery of God and totally dedicated to the constant service of his

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of a Single Thanksgiving Eve Freshman D.J. Hymel is all smiles as he waits to check out at Robért Fresh Market early on Thanksgiving Eve.

neighbor: thus we can sum up his earthly life!”

Today we strive to imitate Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and his love for others.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that as a student I was as enthusiastic to exhibit this kind of charity. It took the transformative power of love for me to come to understand why it is we do what we do today.

As a student I did everything in my power to avoid having to deliver baskets and engage the people that our homeroom was serving. You may be wondering why. I think that it had to do with my limited capacity to love. It is often very difficult to make a gift of yourself. It is uncomfortable. It is not a natural thing to do.

It was not until I was a senior that I could work up the courage to make a delivery. I remember vividly the drive over. I was very nervous and sat quietly as we turned the corner not far from school. I walked up the steps holding the basket as my classmate knocked on the door. I remember a distinct odor. When the door opened I met face to face the woman for whom we had been preparing this basket. I peered into the empty room and saw several chairs, a black and white television, and a broken sofa.

There were four children occupying the room.

And all that I had to give suddenly did not seem enough. The family’s appreciative tears crushed me because I knew that the food we had given would run out and they might again be hungrier than I would ever be.

Then a greater love took over in my heart. I realized then that it was not simply about the food or the hunger. It was about engaging someone as a human being and meeting them as they are.

We can never give anything without giving a little bit of ourselves away in the process. Also, we can never give anything without in some way receiving something in the process. It is what Pier Giorgio Frassati was trying to get at when he spoke of that special light in the poor that he was lacking.

As Christians we are obligated to engage ourselves in this action of charity. We are called to make ourselves gifts along with what we are giving because we give it for Christ. It is in our neighbor, whether he is poor or rich, that we meet Christ and receive from Him a greater gift in return. This, therefore, cannot be the work of a single day. It must be the orientation of our whole lives lest we fall short of our motto—Men for Others.

Mother Teresa often said that she didn’t like people to give what they didn’t want. She said that giving is something different.

It should come from what we want—what we would rather not give. Giving should hurt in some way.

As Christians we have “The Example” of giving till it hurts. We have the Cross. Pier Giorgio knew this and he lived it, and it brought him joy. It brought him Heaven. Mother Teresa knew this and it brought her Heaven. This is the great lesson that we must learn.

Our gifts today must be ourselves.

Our thanks today must be for the encounter of Christ in the people we meet.

Our hope today must be that we make our lives after the image of Christ—arms open wide and suffering for love. ■ Matt Orillion ’98 Fall/Winter 2007–08

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CROSS COUNTRY

Jesuit’s cross country team took home the runner-up trophy in class 5A at the state meet at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, LA last November. The Jays had won the state meet for the last four years.

Cross Country Team Takes Runner-up Spot

AT STATE Led by Graham Williams and Peter Flores, who finished 8th and 9th respectively (both in a time of 16:16), the Jays finished with 87 points to Brother Martin’s 34 points. “We knew going in it was 50/50 with Brother Martin,” said Coach Peter Kernion. “We knew we had to run a great race and we just did not. We chose the wrong day not to run well.”

Other Jesuit runners and their places were Chad Guidry (20th), Cullen Doody (27th), Taylor Bacques (28th), Cory Guidry (35th), and Kevin Fitzgerald (61st).

Twelve days earlier on the City Park course, Jesuit’s runners had won their fifth straight district title. Jesuit placed seven runners in the top 10 finishers in the district race.

The Jays won with a score of 21, outpacing the second place finisher, Brother Martin, which was ranked first in Louisiana before the district meet.

Looking toward next year, Coach Kernion observed, “We lose five of our seven starters.

We have a lot of work to do if we are going to be competitive next year.”

But for now, the cross country team can be proud of a great run over the past five years. ■

(left) Cullen Doody ’08 leads a pack of runners as he responds to the starting gun at the state championship meet. (above) Graham Williams ’08 and Peter Flores ’09 make the final turn and head toward the finish line.

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FOOTBALL

J E S U I T T O D AY

Football Team Finishes 2007 Season

with Share of District Pie Jesuit’s football season came to an end when the Jays lost to Mandeville, 31-21, in the first round of the state playoffs. The Jays (7-4) entered the contest as district co-champions, but their backs were planted firmly against the wall due to key injuries. But the spirited Jays clawed and scraped throughout the game only to see their goal of victory evaporate in the final two minutes.

The Blue Jays lost not one, not two, but three starting running backs to injuries during the season. First, junior Chance van Meter went down. Then junior Peyton Jason was lost. And perhaps the cruelest cut of all was losing two-way starter senior Troy Mathews a week before the playoffs.

“One thing we learned this year was that backups have to be ready to play,” said first-year coach Wayde Keiser ’78 when asked to summarize the season. “We definitely played with a pulse. This team fought adversity, played hard, and showed a lot of heart.

Our offense struggled early, came on, and was doing just fine at the end. Our defense stepped up big time, especially in the Rummel game.”

And the future? “Bright. Our pre-freshman and freshman teams played well. And the sophomores on the varsity contributed.

The hardest hit will be on the defensive side of the line. The competition at linebacker this spring should be fierce.”

When asked what changes he would like to see in his team, Coach Keiser responded quickly. “We have to get stronger. We are still behind. First, Katrina knocked us back when we lost the Roussel Building. Then we have the coaching change. So we have to get our strength program in place.” ■

GOLF Jesuit Golfers

Undefeated in Fall Season Jesuit’s 2007-08 golf team is undefeated after the fall round of district play. Some of the players who comprise the team are, kneeling from left, freshmen Myles Lewis and Peyton Vitter; standing, from left, are seniors Mark Casteix and Cameron Vitter, junior Robert Emmett, and senior Conner LeBon. The team pushed its winning record to 8-0 when it defeated Rummel in the final district match of the fall season 152-203. The Jays will use the next few months to practice and hone their game at Timberlane Country Club, their home course, before round two of district play resumes in March.

“We’ve had a good fall round of golf and hope that when the district season resumes in March, we will play even better,” said coach Chad Laborde ’03. ■ Fall/Winter 2007–08

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SWIMMING Jesuit’s swim team won its second consecutive state championship on November 17 in Sulphur, LA. Much of the Jays’ success and inspiration came from the team’s captain, senior John Tortorich, who swam the fastest time ever in the history of the LHSAA in the 100-yard butterfly. Tortorich set another record in the 50 freestyle. Just days after the historic meet, Tortorich reflected on his career, his team, and his school.

Blue Jay Swimmers Display Their Passion in

Winning State & Breaking Records

by John Tortorich ’08

The instant that I set foot in the hallowed halls of Jesuit High School, I knew that I was embarking on a journey that would have an effect on the rest of my life. Joining the swim team in the eighth grade was a great step toward achieving this end. Because of my affiliation with the team, I have made life long friends.

Together, we have sweat, dug deep, and experienced memories that will be etched in our minds forever.

As an eighth grader attending the state meet for the first time, I was proud to be in the company of Blue Jays whom I admired, even though I was only a spectator. One such swimmer was Jason Bourgeois ’04, at the time a senior who won the 100-yard butterfly event at that 2003 state meet. A couple of years later, Jason became my mentor, and now I am proud to call him a friend.

As a freshman I was able to participate and share in the euphoria of hoisting the winning trophy and carrying it back to Jesuit for the 17th consecutive year.

The fall of 2005 was bittersweet. Coach Bret Hanemann inspired us to compete in the state meet in Baton Rouge. Several of our teammates remained displaced as a result of Katrina. While 28

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big in heart, our team was small in number. Yet our passion to swim was great. Under the tutelage of Coach Hanemann, we competed in the 2005 meet and even though our winning streak was broken—along with our hearts—we developed, grew, and learned difficult lessons that could only be realized from experiencing such pain.

I believe that our 2007 Jesuit swim team was a product of these preceding years. The team developed a kind of persona that was alive in each of us, causing us to be daring and inspirational, with no quibbling or uncertainty. This was the Blue Jay Spirit that we took to the state meet in Sulfur on November 17. Personally, I felt the only way to mitigate the loss of 2005 was to achieve something of undeniable stature. This, and the accomplishments of my teammates, gave me the impetus to fulfill this goal.

We kicked off the meet with a first place finish in the 200yard medley relay (1:38:86). My teammates were Marc Dorsey ’10, Jared Rodrigue ’09, and Mark Reuther ’09. From Jesuit’s perspective, this race set the tone and precedent for the entire meet. The next event, the 200-yard freestyle, was won by

J E S U I T T O D AY

(previous page and top left) Record breaker state champion John Tortorich ’08 is all smiles in the courtyard and in the pool. (top right) Members of the 2007-2008 Blue Jay swim team pose with the state championship trophy, which minutes earlier (left) they had proudly displayed for all to see.

sophomore Brian Carr (1:44:24). The 200-yard individual medley was a race that was supposed to be a close one between Grace King’s Mark Schindler and Catholic High School’s Peter Henry.

But Jesuit’s Dorsey—who had come to state seeded 7th—took first place (1:56:33). Then came my two events.

Standing on the block before the 50-yard freestyle event, heart pounding due to the excitement and pride for the victory of my good friend Marc Dorsey, I prayed. I gave the race my all, and at the finish looked up to see that I had broken the state record set in 2002 by another Blue Jay, Alton Smith ’03. Alton’s time was 20.69; mine was 20.67.

Momentum building and fire in my heart, I somehow had even more energy for the next race—the 100-yard butterfly.

Again, I prayed, and knowing that this was the last time I would swim under the Blue Jay banner, I put every ounce of my tangible (and intangible) abilities into this race. The result was that my three-year dream had come true: I had broken the 26-year-old record, the oldest on the books at the LHSAA, in my main event.

In 1981, Brian Zielinski from Catholic High of Baton Rouge

swam the 100-yard butterfly in 49.95. My time was 49.63.

I know that without the inspiration of Jesuit, Coach Hanemann, and my teammates—present and past—I could not have done it. I immediately called my friend Jason Bourgeois to tell him the news. Jason is now a senior at Georgia Tech, where he is the captain of the Yellow Jackets swim team. I then celebrated with the rest of our great team.

Jesuit’s Carr went on to win the 500-yard freestyle event in 4:43.05 and our team placed first in the two remaining relays. I was the anchor (swimming last) in the 200-yard freestyle relay event. Our team of Dorsey, Ramsay Burch ’10, Reuther, and I finished in 1:28:57. The final relay, a 400-yard freestyle event, was won by the Jesuit team of Carr, Chris Willem ’09, Burch, and Rodrigue in 3:19:45.

My own career has truly come full circle, and my final state meet culminated in a storybook ending. More importantly, the Jesuit High School swim team once again carried the state championship trophy home. ■ Fall/Winter 2007–08

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J AY TA L K

Mr. Harry Clark, who graduated from Jesuit High School in 1959, began teaching chemistry at his alma mater in August 1969. Nearly 40 years later, Mr. Clark remains a distinguished teacher in Jesuit’s science department.

Besides preparing young men for the rigors of college science, Mr. Clark has been a catalyst for change in the classroom, lab, and computer technology. He maintains his own web site (within Jesuit’s web site) for students and alumni http://jesuitnola.org/upload/clark/. He is absolutely thrilled with the recently completed renovation of two fourth floor science labs, a seven month project which he helped oversee. Owner of a dry wit and engaging smile, Mr. Clark imparts his own distinct perspective on the building, the students, and, in general, life at Jesuit High School.

Harry Clark’s Unique Chemistry Jaynotes: Is it true that it was your idea to move the school from Baronne Street to Carrollton and Banks in 1926?

No. They did it without asking me!

Jaynotes: What’s your take on the current state of Jesuit High School?

The school is in much better physical shape than it has been in the 38 years that I’ve been teaching here. Even after Katrina, with the leadership of Father McGinn and the help of our benefactors, we came back strong.

Jaynotes: What is the secret to Jesuit’s success?

We have great material to work with. No other school has anywhere near the caliber of young men that we are blessed with getting. We also have developed strong and benevolent alumni who support what we do here.

Jaynotes: What significant changes have improved student life here?

Students have a lot more extracurricular activities available to 30

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them now. There are many more ways to get involved. There are more sports, organizations, and clubs than there used to be. Also, the on-campus atmosphere is much more inviting. Our fabulous student commons was something we really needed.

Jaynotes: What tradition that no longer exists would you like to see return to Jesuit?

The school used to put up a nice Christmas tree, a Nativity, and a beautiful Advent wreath at the Carrollton Avenue entrance. Now, we just have homerooms decorate the classroom doors.

Jaynotes: Describe the evolution of Jesuit’s science program through the years.

When I was a student, we didn’t offer physical science or biology.

Biology started in the mid-sixties. Just after I came back as a teacher, we tried to integrate the sciences into a logical plan of the study of science. We abandoned that plan around 1987 and added second year and AP (advanced placement) classes to our program.

Jaynotes: Tell us about Jesuit’s two newest science labs.

J E S U I T T O D AY

Harry, Harry, Harry—(facing page) “Cool” Harry circa 1970; (above) “Happy” Harry unpacking in his new digs; (bottom left) “Dapper” Harry with seniors before the Baccalaureate Mass

When I first came to Jesuit, it was very important to me to have people like (former chemistry teacher and department chair) Father (Norman) O’Neal and Sidney Menard (’49, who was an English teacher and guidance counselor for many years) as mentors and friends. Even though I was not new to teaching, their tutelage was indispensable to me.

The new labs are a great addition to the science education of our students. When we finally built the five state-of-the-art lab/ classrooms on the third floor in 2001, we intended to eventually renovate the existing older labs on the fourth floor of the Palmyra Street wing. This summer we renovated the two chemistry labs/classrooms, and hopefully the old physics and biology lab/classrooms will be renovated next summer. This will give the science department nine modern, high-tech lab/classrooms.

Jaynotes: Which teachers and administrators have been important to you?

Jaynotes: Describe the ideal Jesuit student.

I would like to think they are all listed on my web site’s “Chemistry Honor Roll.” Actually, I don’t think there is any one ideal student. They come in all different flavors, contributing to Jesuit in different ways. Some are not so ideal at the start.

Hopefully, they will develop along the profile of a Jesuit graduate.

I don’t know of any student who has gone on to win a Nobel prize. But, I have taught many students who later became successful doctors, engineers, and scientists, as well as attorneys, writers, and politicians.

Jaynotes: What do you enjoy when you ar not teaching?

I’ve always enjoyed sailing. But Katrina ended that for a while.

■

Fall/Winter 2007–08

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PROFILE OF A JESUIT TEACHER

Profile of a Jesuit High School Teacher—Religious The last edition of Jaynotes featured the beginning of a six-part series that focuses on the ideal characteristics of the Jesuit High School teacher as outlined in a new document, the Profile of a Jesuit High School Teacher. The teacher at Jesuit is Open to Growth, Religious, Loving, Intellectually Competent, Professionally Competent, and Committed to Justice. In this issue, we present the second characteristic, Religious. (The booklet is also posted on Jesuit’s website—www.jesuitnola.org.)

II. RELIGIOUS A teacher at Jesuit High School embraces the fundamental premise of Jesuit education: that the human person is created to praise, reverence, and serve God. Based on this foundation, each faculty member strives for a constant deepening of his relationship with God and promotes a way of living modeled on the person of Jesus Christ, “Who lives in solidarity with all who suffer, and pours out His life in the service of others.” (Go Forth and Teach, #61) A member of the Jesuit High School faculty…

• respects the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic faith and exemplifies the basic principle of Ignatian spirituality: that all we do, we do for the greater glory of God. • is respectful of the religious beliefs and differences of others.

• supports the school’s religious formation of its students.

• develops a philosophy of life that includes ongoing reflection.

• participates in those programs that foster faculty religious development, i.e. faculty retreat and staff development programs.

• encourages students to develop a sense of awe, wonder, and appreciation of the beauty and mystery of creation and human existence.

• is committed to encountering God through prayerful experiences.

• realizes that the love of God can be made manifest through the experience of community and companionship.

• is willing to take an active role in student religious formation both inside and outside the classroom, thus striving to bring about a true metanoia in students.

• accepts and promotes the school’s mission to nurture in its students the competence, conscience, and compassion to be men of faith and men for others.

At the year’s first faculty meeting, Jesuit’s student council executive board introduced themselves and laid out their plans for a great year. (from left) president John C. Walsh, vice-president Spencer Fossier, treasurer Keller Fisher, secretary Chris Joseph, senior class president Mason Eustis, junior class president Patrick Bollman, director of communications T.C. Wicker, and executive aide Boe Reboul

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JAYNotes

J E S U I T T O D AY

Jacques Diano ’56, pictured in his senior portrait, knew Fr. Claude Stallworth as his principal and his inspiring English teacher.

Did a teacher, coach, moderator, or staff person make a difference in your life while you were a student at Jesuit? If so, why not honor that person by writing an essay about him or her. Send your testimonials to alumni director Mat Grau: grau@jesuitnola.org. To Blue Jay alumnus Jacques Diano, who roamed the halls of Jesuit during the 1950s, one teacher stands out above the rest...

As Principal and Teacher,

Fr. Claude Stallworth

Imparted the True Meaning of A.M.D.G.

By Jacques Diano ’56 Your call to identify the person at Jesuit High whose influence had the most significant impact on my life has brought a cascade of memories. For those of us "frozen in the Fifties,” the litany of names includes so many memorable and dedicated “Blackrobes”— Condry, Boggs, Galjour, Pfister, Bienvenu, Stallworth, Heiter, Coco—the Company—the Jesuits.

Of all of these, it was Claude Stallworth who left an indelible mark. At the time, Fr. Stallworth was the principal of Jesuit High, but he also took the time to instruct a course in literature and life for the Honors Class (a distinction now sadly defunct). While his vehicles were Shakespeare and Chaucer, Orwell and Twain, and others, his ingrained and lasting impact was an insistence that we dig, dig deep in all instances, parse and pare, define and dissect to discern meanings and significance beyond the obvious.

Open dialogue, give and take were the hallmarks of his classes. No idea or concept was ever dismissed or discarded, but rather explored to determine how it might relate to all of the others. When an idea or concept was developed, he encouraged us to express ourselves with clarity and confidence. These are

disciplines that transcend The Merchant of Venice or “The Miller’s Tale.” When integrated into a lifestyle and practiced frequently, they may become the cornerstones of insight and understanding.

Finally, he taught us to be of good humor, to be able to laugh at ourselves, and not to take ourselves too seriously. By using the mechanics of analysis and investigation relating to literature, he imparted the gift of self-analysis. He taught us to become our own severest critics, to know ourselves intimately, and not to ever hide from ourselves or attempt to deceive ourselves in the silence of our own deliberations when we define and dissect our actions in life.

He brought us to the realization that no matter what we may achieve in life, or how high we may rise in any corporate or professional endeavor, at the end, it is not at all about ourselves. It is all about God, and service to Him. A.M.D.G. ■ Jacques “Jac” Diano is a marketing executive for McBroom Electric. He lives in Fishers, IN. Fall/Winter 2007–08

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MEDALLION STORIES

Editor’s Note: Twenty-six stone medallions adorn the wall overlooking the Traditions Courtyard on the campus of Jesuit High School.

Each bears the name of a Jesuit. Twenty-six medallions, twenty-six Jesuits, twenty-six stories. In this issue, longtime Jesuit theology teacher Fr. Nick Schiro of the Class of 1944 tells us the stories of two of these Jesuits—two scientistscholars who brought positive changes to the world.

Christopher Clavius (1538-1612) One Jesuit name on the medallions that most people are not familiar with is that of Christopher Clavius. And yet his work has affected everyone on this planet everyday for more than 400 years. Until the time of Clavius, the Western World followed the Julian calendar established by Julius Caesar. But because the Julian calendar had problems, partly astronomical and partly mathematical, the exact length of a year was inaccurate, so much so that Easter was being celebrated on the wrong day, sometimes a month late and was gradually becoming a summer feast.

In 1580 Pope Gregory XIII appointed Clavius to head a commission to correct the calendar. This was a monumental task, considering the meager astronomical and mathematical resources available at the time. The accuracy of his calculations has earned Clavius historical fame. He found the correct date for Easter and that ninety-seven days had to be added every 400 years. The wonder is that he was able to measure the year’s length so accurately. He proposed that leap years occur in years exactly divisible by four, except that years ending in 00 must be divisible by 400 to be leap years. This rule is still used today and is so accurate that the next time an extra full day will have to be added to the calendar is 4317. In 1582 the Julian calendar ended on Thursday, October 4 and on the next day the “Gregorian” calendar began on a day known as Friday, October 15.

Clavius spent most of his Jesuit life as a professor of mathematics at the Roman College, the predecessor of the Gregorian University. He was recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians of his time.

Mathematicians such as Kepler, Descartes, and Leibniz acknowledged Clavius as a source of their inspiration. Galileo was a celebrated and frequent visitor to the Jesuit Roman College. His friendship with members of the Society of Jesus started in 1587, when at the age of twenty-three, he met Clavius. The number and contents of Galileo’s letters to Clavius show that he was a good friend of Clavius for the rest of his life.

Clavius’s name is to be found not only in our Traditions Courtyard but also on the surface of the moon. One of the moon’s largest Nick Schiro, S.J. ’44 craters is named Clavius. ■ 34

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J E S U I T T O D AY

Matteo Ricci, S.J. (1552-1610) It is no coincidence that the medallion of Matteo Ricci is next to that of Christopher Clavius, for there is a mathematical connection between the two.

It was Ricci who brought the writings of Clavius on geometry and trigonometry to China in the 16th century.

Europe knew little about China ever since Marco Polo traveled there in the 13th century, and China knew even less about the West. Ricci introduced the two worlds to each other.

In 1582 the Jesuit superiors assigned Matteo Ricci, a thirty-year-old brilliant scientist and linguist to the China Mission. He arrived in China in 1583 with several Jesuit companions and lived the rest of his life there, twenty-seven years. Realizing that if he wished to introduce Christianity to this highly cultured people, he must come not as a missionary but as a wise and learned scholar from the West, Ricci adopted the attire of a Chinese scholar, a mandarin, and became proficient in Chinese. He wrote treatises in flawless Chinese on scientific, moral, and religious topics, more than 20 such works, some of which have honored places in the history of Chinese literature. He also brought as gifts objects the Chinese had never seen: clocks, sundials, mathematical instruments, Venetian prisms, Western books and paintings, and maps of the world.

He opened in Nanking a residence for himself, his brother Jesuits, and his scientific instruments. It was the scene of many scientific, philosophical, and theological discussions with Chinese intellectuals and nobles. For 20 years he tried to reach the emperor in person in the forbidden city of Peking. But the emperor was a very private person, not accustomed to seeing even his own people. Then, unexpectedly, Ricci was summoned to repair a clock the Jesuits had given the emperor as a gift. That was the opening. He was finally able to establish a Jesuit house at Peking, the imperial city. There, for nine years under the benign gaze of the emperor, he continued to hold the respect of the intelligentsia. Other Jesuits came to help. Conversions began to multiply. By 1610, when Ricci died, 2,500 Chinese, 400 of whom were in Peking, had become Catholic. It is still possible to visit his tomb in the suburbs of Peking.

The Encyclopedia Britannica reports, “Probably no European name of past centuries is so well known in China as that of Li-ma-teu (Ricci, Matteo).” ■ Nick Schiro, S.J. ’44 Fall/Winter 2007–08

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Thirty-eight Seniors ’08 Named National Merit Semi-finalists The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 38 seniors from Jesuit High School as semifinalists in the annual Merit Scholarship Competition. The honorees of the Class of 2008 gathered in Jesuit’s Traditions Courtyard for this photo.

Seated, from left: Diego Aviles, Eric Begoun, Brett Beter, Mark Correa, Matthew Darce, Chetan Dargan, Grogory Dinnell, Leo Falgout III, Jared Ferguson, Connor Flint, Raymond Fuenzalida III, Nikhil Gopal, Evans Hadden, Jr., and Darren Hayes.

Standing, from left: Mathew Irimpen, Devin Hildebrand, Kyle Heidingsfelder, Ian Jorgensen, Matthew LaCoste, Matthew Levy, Patrick Madore, Benjamin Malbrough, Andrew Marquis, Taylor Martina, Joseph Morse, Jr., Zachary Poche, Robert Redfearn III, Marco Salgado, Michael Shalaby, Edward Seyler, John Sileo III, Matthew Spalitta, Christopher Tosh, John Walsh, Thomas Wicker IV, and Graham Williams.

Not pictured are Tristan Dao and Kevin Fitzgerald.

Additionally, Jesuit senior Thurgood Burks-Coats was recognized as a National Achievement Semi-finalist, an academic competition for outstanding African-American high school students. Five Jesuit seniors were recognized as National Hispanic Scholars: Diego Aviles, Garrett Brown, Frederick Debram, Joseph Morse, Jr., and Marco Salgado. ■ 36

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J E S U I T T O D AY

New Orleans Province Celebrates 100 Years The Jesuit Province of New Orleans officially celebrated its 100th anniversary on August 15, 2007.

It was a century ago, on June 7, 1907, when Jesuit Superior General, Fr. Francis Xavier Wernz, S.J., changed the status of the former Mission of New Orleans to the Province of New Orleans. The change actually took place on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, August 15 of that year.

Today, the province includes New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, although there are no Jesuit communities in the latter four states.

In a letter to the Jesuits of the New Orleans Province on the occasion of their Centennial celebration, Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, wrote: “May this time of jubilee in your Province be a time of reflection on the continuing and growing needs of the people of God and of thanksgiving for the many graces received during this hundred years of service.”

To read Fr. Kolvenbach’s entire letter, along with articles about the history of the province, visit the website of the New Orleans Province—www.norprov.org

Each year at the Father-Son and Mother-Son Mass and Breakfast, one or two Blue Jays are called upon to offer a personal tribute to their parent. At the Father-Son event last November, Jesuit senior Michael Bordes reflected on what it’s like following in his father’s footsteps.

Blue Jay Seeks to Emulate

His Father The decision to select Jesuit as my “school of choice” five years ago was an easy one for me. It was the ONLY choice! My father (Mickey), Class of ’78, would have it no other way. He explained to me that Jesuit had so much to offer—spiritually, academically, and athletically. It was NUMBER 1! So, I began my high school years in August of 2003.

Needless to say, entering the doors at Carrollton and Banks on the first day of school was overwhelming. I felt like giants surrounded me. I looked to my dad for constant reassurance.

Months passed before I felt any level of comfort.

I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps at Jesuit, until I found out his greatest accomplishment was head cheerleader. I said, “No thanks” and picked an alternate route: rugby.

Throughout my high school years, my dad has been my driving force. He has encouraged me to try, even when the odds were stacked against me. He has stressed the importance of academics as well as the formation of solid friendships. He has taught me the true meaning of dedication and generosity through his actions. Often times, I have tried to persuade him that I know more than he does; and he has politely explained that he is 30 years older than me and definitely knows more.

My father is the person that I can always rely on, especially when mom does not agree with my choices. He is more than just a father, he is my best friend.

As my years at Jesuit are ending, I realize that we are all designed by God, but it is our parents who build our inner core and foundation. As young men, we want to be like our own fathers. Along with Jesuit, my father has instilled in me the principles of humility, truth, faith, self-discipline, and self-respect.

Michael Bordes ’08 As I leave Jesuit, I look to my dad as to who I want to be: truly a man for others. ■ Fall/Winter 2007–08

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IN MEMORIAM

Each edition of Jaynotes lists those members of the Jesuit High School community who have died. Please remember our recently deceased in your prayers.

James Anthony Cronvich ’31, Sidney Charles Brown ’33, Louis F. Lozzie ’33, James Robert Brennan, Jr. ’35, Rev. Msgr.

Emile J. Fossier ’35, Lawrence J. Polizzi, Jr. ’37, Frank D. Charbonnet ’38, Clarence August Ehrhardt, Jr. ’38, Gustave Henry Rathe, Jr. ’38, Andre L. Villere ’38, Dario Felix Ballina, Jr.’39, Rev. Marian Edward Larmann ’39, Rev. Hilton L. Rivet, S.J. ’39, Henry J. Briggs, Jr. ’40, E. Carlton Guillot, Jr. ’40, Rev. Joseph B. Leininger, S.J. ’40, Joseph John Quartana ’40, Lucas F. Bruno, Jr. ’41, Maurice G. Indest ’42, William Patrick Flanagan, Sr. ’43, Stanley Berchman Garlepied ’43, Norman F. Hodgins ’44, Lawrence J. Molony ’44, Adrian G. Duplantier ’45, James Joseph Murphy ’46, Donald Griffin Guinee ’47, John Edward Grenier ’48, Frank C. Toye ’49, Lloyd Layne Woolley ’49, Charles Joseph Gendusa ’51, Peter V. Lobello ’52, Rev. George F. Wiltz, S.J. ’52, Allen W. McClure, Jr. ’53, William J. Ibs, Jr. ’54, Oliver L. Durel III ’55, Kermit Albert Fourroux, Jr. ’55, William B. Lee ’57, Robert Albert Nicaud ’57, Don Jude Chaisson ’58, Charles A. Levie, Jr. ’58, Walter Greaves Cowan, Jr. ’59, Joseph Francis Garcia III ’59, James A. Young ’60, John Cameron Henry ’62, Emile Hebert III ’63, Patrick E. Powell ’63, Dennis P. Butler ’65, Michael Charles Guilbault ’65, Robert Kendrick Goode, Sr. ’69, Kenny Robichaux ’71, Joseph Andrew Sedita, Jr. ’74, Kevin Discon Shearman ’87, William J. Vizzini III ’89, Lance Jason Schilling ’94 WIFE OF Alvin G. Blaum ’37, the late Byron J. Casey, Jr. ’35, the late John E. Cassard ’22, George M. Clark, Jr. ’62, the late Charles A. Coogan, Jr. ’33, the late Stanley J. Coogan ’34, the late Edward J. Daspit, Sr. ’38, Sidney I. Davis ’53, the late Alfred E. Grady ’30, the late Paul A. Griener, Sr. ’37, the late Francis B. Grosz, Sr. ’31, the late Paul F. Hoots ’41, Darrel R. Hotard ’61, Daniel G. Lau ’48, the late Dr. J. Morgan Lyons ’32, James A. Meyers ’47, 38

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the late Donald G. Mullen ’43, Fernando Patron IV ’87, James F. Quaid, Jr. ’50, the late William H. Quina, Sr. ’33, John D. Shea ’51, Thomas W. Shepard, Jr. ’38, John A. Spansel, Jr. ’52, the late Laurent J. Vincent ’25, the late Louis J. Wendel, Sr. ’35 the late Frank A. Zaeringer, Jr. ’38 FATHER OF Stepfather of Charles W. Applewhite ’12, Matthew C. Artigues ’08, Andrew R. Ballina ’74, Greg ’75 and Peter Bassil ’79, Sidney J. Berger ’66, the late Henry J. Briggs III ’65, John Spencer Creevy ’85, James T. ’71, George V. ’76, and Stephen J. Cronvich ’77, Lionel P. Dupart ’79, John C. Duplantier ’80, Gilmer W. III ’82 and Edward E. Engelhardt ’88, Charles J. ’69 and George E. Escher ’69, Charles G., Jr. ’85 and Ryan C. Favret ’03, W. Patrick Flanagan, Jr. ’69, James J. ’73, William B. ’75, and Timothy J. Gaudet ’77, Kevin T. Hanlon ’99, Christopher D. Hebert ’09, John C., Jr. ’92 and Charles A. Henry ’94, Stephen F. Hurstell ’71, Stanley C. Kottemann ’75, William J. Laughlin, Jr. ’67, Dwayne R. McClure ’79, Patrick D. ’75 and the late Michael C. McGuire ’69, James P. Moises ’83, Robert D. Occhipinti ’92, the late Joseph P. Poche ’71, Lawrence J. Polizzi III ’64, stepfather of Charles A. Prechter III ’92, Joseph J. III ’78, John C. ’81, and Salvador J. Pusateri ’84, Lawrence J. Quartana ’69, Timothy P. ’80 and H. Patrick Rooney ’81, Gordon L. Rush III ’86, Barry J. ’72 and Ronald J. Savoie ’77, James J. Schexnayder ’66, Archie C. III ’86 and Brent C. Tatford ’89, J. Charles ’67 and Ralph J. Upton ’80, Earl J., Jr. ’70 and Wayne L. Vicknair ’76, James D., Jr. ’61 and Edmund B. Vinci ’65, James L. Woolley ’85 MOTHER OF Robert B. Bass, Jr. ’69, Luke S. Boudreaux III ’50, Michael P. ’62, Patrick H. ’63, Byron J. III ’67, and Glenn A. Casey ’72, Donald F. ’58 and William D. Cass ’75, Robert Cisneros ’68, Charles A. Coogan III ’55, Michael J. Coogan ’65, Paul F.

Daigle, Jr. ’64, H. Andrew Dawson ’59, Lawrence J. ’77, William C. ’79, Michael P. ’82, and the late Thomas J. Derbes ’80, Thomas E. ’55, Joseph G. III ’66, and the late Geoffrey K. Fernon ’52, Daniel A. Fontana, Jr. ’77, John E. ’52, Richard A. ’58, Leonard J. ’62, the late Donald J. ’53, and the late Timothy J. Fontenot ’66, Donald L. Foret ’71, William H. ’70 and James D. Grady ’75, Paul A., Jr. ’65 and Glenn G. Griener ’68, Charles G. Haddad ’63, J. Fortier Imbert ’70, Stanley C. Kottemann, Jr. ’75, Joseph L. ’65, Wayne E. ’74, Richard A. ’78, and Terry Macaluso ’79, Shawn R. McClellan ’79, Robert F. Miller ’79, Dimitry M. Morvant, Jr. ’59, John L. Picone, Jr. ’62, the late James H. Queyrouze ’55, the late William H. Quina, Jr. ’57, the late Donald M. Rehage, Jr. ’78, Edward J. Jr. ’59, Philip M. ’62, and Timothy P. Rice ’75, Stanley J. Richard, Jr. ’89, Timothy P. ’80, and H. Patrick Rooney ’81, Ricky R. Sallinger ’66, Fred W. ’64 and Thomas M. Sand ’66, Douglas M. Schmidt ’68, Albert H. Schof, Jr. ’58, Daniel R. Shea ’86, stepmother of Mark J. ’73 and Paul J. Spansel ’77, Victor W., Jr. ’57 and Rene C. Viosca ’61, Michael J. Waldo ’70, Charles A. III ’62 and Wayne E. Wiegand ’69 BROTHER OF Harold R. Ballina ’36 and the late Robert I. Ballina ’47, the late David Crofton Brennan ’41, Thomas J. Byrne, Sr. ’43, William D. Cowan ’64, the late Lester L. ’32 and Alwynn J. Cronvich ’36, Warren J. ’51, the late Crozet J. ’37, Leon P. ’41, and the late Earl F. Duplantier ’45, the late Walter J., Jr. ’39 and the late James T. Flanagan ’45, Joseph A. Gendusa ’58, R. Paul ’64, Glenn B. ’70, and the late Charles V. Guilbault ’71, W. Fenton Guinee ’45, the late Charles M. Henry ’66, the late Charles F. ’34 and the late William B. Hodgins ’37, Arthur C. Holland, Jr. ’51, the late Francis J. ’37, Robert L., Jr. ’37, and Denis J. Indest ’46, the late Msgr. George A. Landry ’35, Rev. Charles A. Leininger, S.J. ’40, Vincent

J E S U I T T O D AY

Joseph Liberto ’42, Kenneth J. Marr ’60, Donald F. ’54, Gerry M. ’66, the late Robert C. ’50, and the late Patrick J. McClure ’57, the late Joseph J. McGoey, Jr. ’35, Harvey J. ’56, the late Wallace M., Jr. ’48, and the late Frederick H. Nicaud ’50, the late F. George ’26 and the late Eugene Ramel, Jr. ’26, the late Robert J. Rathe ’45, Michael S. Reed ’75, the late Charles L. Rivet ’39, Lyle Schilling ’99, Christopher R. Sedita ’78, Brian G. Shearman ’80, the late Harry M. Tompson ’28, the late Robert E. ’44 and the late John L. Toye ’53, Roland J. Wiltz ’63 SISTER OF Anthony C. Amadeo ’53, the late A. Michael Behlar, Jr. ’44, David P. ’81 and Kevin A. Blasini ’85, Darryl J. Carimi ’62, the late William J. Childress, Jr. ’43, the late Max J. Derbes, Jr. ’39, Donald G., Jr. ’88, Michael H. ’95 and Joseph L. Ellis ’00, Paul J. Gelpi, Jr. ’19, Robert J. Heim ’93, the late John M. Kettingham ’34, Edward N. Lambremont, Jr. ’45, Milton J., Jr. ’52 and Noel P. Montgomery ’60, the late John J. ’38 and Joseph N. Naccari ’42, the late Michael G. O’Connor ’26, Michael O. Read ’61, Patrick D., Sr. ’47, the late James H., Jr. ’35, and the late Robert J. Rooney ’39, John F. Ryan III ’70, the late Joseph A. Vella ’28, Daniel O. ’39, the late J. Oswald, Jr. ’25, the late Clifford A. ’27, the late Warren O. ’30 and the late Chester O. Weilbaecher ’34, the late Celeste Wichser ’34 SON OF Wayne L. Bacino, Sr. ’65, Timothy C. Brennan ’84, Harry G. Caire ’42, Ray J. Coates ’44, Dr. Edmund H. Crane, Jr. ’48, Thomas A. Planchard ’67, L. J. Schilling ’69, Lionel A. Scott, Jr. ’39, Earl B. Wilken, Jr. ’39 DAUGHTER OF Daniel P. Caballero ’95, Donald G. Ellis ’64 GRANDFATHER OF Robert W. Anderson ’02, Mark A. ’92 and David J. Angerdina ’96, Eugene A. Antoine III ’92, Eric B. ’92, and Todd E. Berger ’97, John E. Carr III ’07, James L. Charlot ’08, Noel J. ’88 and Benjamin D. Cipriano ’90, Patrick T. Cragin ’06, James C. ’06, Joseph A. ’09 and Robert P.

Cronvich ’12, Jarod T. Cusimano ’12, Richard C. Davidson ’04, Jeff R. Davis, Jr. ’99, Jason N. Dubos ’06, Jeffrey M. Duplantier ’11, Brian P. Dwyer ’93, David J. Fuselier ’04, Brett M. ’01, Ryan E. ’02, Eric G. ’03, Sean T. 04, Kyle W. ’05, and Gerard J. Gaudet ’06, Dustin M. Gould ’08, Gavin H. Guillot ’01, Robert A. Habans ’00, Henry B. Hebert ’88, Eric B. Heigle ’02, Robert J. Heim ’93, Ryan J. ’04 and Devin T. Hildebrand ’08, Taylor E. Hillburn ’09, Curtis G. Himel ’01, Andrew C LeBlanc ’89 and Ryan R. LeBlanc ’91, Justin E. LeBlanc ’99, Brian A. Lee, Jr. ’03, Charles Ray Lee, Jr. ’98, Michael M. Legleux ’00, Ryan S. ’02 and Royce P. Martin ’05, Grant J. McClure ’12, Sam A. Morel ’10, Richard C. Morse ’92, Joshua A. Nix ’11, Stephen T. ’86 and Mark J. Perrien ’87, James P., Jr. ’99 and Dustin L. Poche ’03, John B. Potts III ’05, Jonathan R. Prindle ’11, Thomas J. Pusateri ’07, Arthur Joseph Reed ’97, Warren J. Rogers ’98, Scott P. Rooney ’09, John J. Scariano ’04, Derek Scontrino ’03, Thomas E. ’05 and Matthew R. Slattery ’06, Darrell L. ’88 and Todd D. Tardiff ’93, Kevin R. Tully ’12, Sean H. ’92, Patrick T. ’96, and John N. Uiterwyk ’97, Paul J., Jr. ’89 and Vinnie R. Varisco ’91, Paul L. Villere ’03, David A. Vinterella ’89, Christopher ’84 and Kevin P. Wiseman ’88 GRANDMOTHER OF Beau J. Bagley ’93, Ryan Balot ’86, Robert B. Bass III ’03, Walter J. Baudier III ’98, Daniel P. Boudreaux ’87, Brandon T. ’03 and Andrew J. Boughrara ’09, Jeffrey W. Brough ’94, Jarrod J. Broussard ’86, James W. Brown ’11, Todd M. ’93 and Matthew D. Brown ’95, Omar H. Buckner ’88, Kenneth M. ’88 and the late Daniel J. Cambre ’90, Ryan ’04 and Daniel Casanova ’07, Christopher L. Casteix ’10, Brett M. ’91, Colin T. ’01 and Blair P. Casey ’03, Charles J. Coulon ’98, Forrest S. Duncan ’07, Michael E. Durette ’07, David R. Dyer ’85, Brian P. Foret ’01, Scott M. ’99 and Christopher L. Francioni ’04, Michael D. ’80, Patrick J. ’91, and the late Timothy G. Garon ’83, Jeffrey J. Gelpi ’08, Kent P. Griener ’98, Percill J. Griffin, Jr. ’88, Shelby P. Grosz, Jr. ’06, Timothy N. Guidry ’02, Marlin N. ’73, Gerard E. ’76, Patrick M. ’80, and the late Theodore J. Gusman III ’70, Charles G., Jr. ’91 and Stephen J. Haddad ’96, George M. Haik

III ’07, Jesse P. ’93 and Daniel P. Hawroth ’95, Scott G. ’03 and Eric C. Haydel ’10, Jonathan P. Hemelt ’99, Maro T. ’94 and Ivo W. Hihar ’00, Paul G. Jackson ’99, Jeremy W. ’98, Adam P. ’99, David E. ’03, and Jacob A. Jeanfreau ’11, William L. Jeffrion II ’95, James J. III ’81 and Patrick J. Kenney ’82, Peter S. ’90 and Stephen J. Kernion ’01, Keith A. Kincke ’89, Eugenio C. ’02 and Carlos E. Labadie ’06, Walter J. III ’96, Rhett M. ’99, and Kevin R. Leger, Jr. ’08, Anthony M. Livaccari ’05, Daniel J. Lorentz ’75, Rene Louapre IV ’00, John M. III ’93 and Thomas J. Lyons ’97, Joseph S. Mann ’94, Troy M. Mathews ’08, Warren P. III ’86, Michael A. ’88, and Glenn B. McKenna ’89, Raul J. Mier ’69, Matthew P. ’99 and Taylor J. Miller ’02, Michael E. Morse ’05, John P. Mouton ’08, Denny W. ’86 and Barret C. North ’89, William G. Nothacker ’96, Travis W. Noto ’12, John L. Picone III ’91, Albaro A. Pineda II ’11, Charles A. Prechter III ’92, James H. II ’78, Curt T. ’79, Steven A. ’80, Paul M. ’82, and Michael H. Queyrouze ’92, Charles A. Ravaglia II ’99, Timothy G. Reed ’93, Edward J. III ’84 and Sean D. Rice ’90, Scott P. Rooney ’09, Anthony P. Savarino ’95, Eric A. Schneller ’90, Albert H. Schof III ’89, Anthony Soto ’01, Erik M. Spansel ’01, Bradford J. Stewart ’10, Garrett D. Thibodeaux ’09, Brandt M. Vicknair ’98, James N. Vitale ’06, Chris P. ’79, Fritz N. ’80, and Eric M. Westenberger ’84, Stephen W. Wiegand ’99, Justin P. ’99, and Joshua M. Windham ’01, Lawrence B. Wright ’84 GRANDSON OF Robert J. Brennan ’42 GREAT GRANDFATHER OF Timothy Borgardt ’05, Dylan M. McCaffrey ’11 GREAT GRANDMOTHER OF Taylor M. Bacques ’09, Thomas M. Brahney ’90, Nicholas J. Burke ’12, Eric C. Cusimano ’06, Jude N. Foret ’10, Marlin N. Gusman, Jr. ’02, Jason D. Lorentz ’04, Paul A. Marino ’08, Andrew E. Stahel ’11, Fritz N. Westenberger ’12 The list above represents information received through November 11, 2007. For current announcements, please check “In Memoriam” link on Jesuit’s website, www.jesuitnola.org.

Fall/Winter 2007–08

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J E S U I T T O D AY

BIB LIST Mr. and Mrs. Terence LeBlanc ’55 on the birth of their first grandson, Laken Etienne LeBlanc-Hayes, November 6, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. John Blake Postell ’59 on the birth of their fifth grandchild, Henry Wyatt Johnston, February 20, 2007. Henry is the great-nephew of Philip Postell, S.J. ’56, William Postell, Jr. ’63, and David Postell ’65.

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Schlater ’61 on the birth of their grandson, Caden Donald Crow, May 29, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Junius, Jr. ’66 on the birth of their granddaughter, Juliet Hardt Wax, December 10, 2007. Juliet is the niece of R. William Junius ’93 and Nathan Junius ’97.

Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Cvitanovich ’78 on the birth of their son, Drago James, July 10, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lafranca III ’82 on the birth of their son, Joseph John Lafranca IV, April 9, 2007. Joseph is the nephew of Timothy Lafranca ’84 and David Lafranca ’89.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Adams ’85 on the birth of their daughter, Anabelle Lois Adams, June 1, 2006. Anabelle is the niece of James Adams ’88.

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Crespo ’85 on the birth of their daughter, Anastasia Maria Crespo, November 11, 2007. Anastasia is the niece of Chad Crespo ’89.

Mr. and Mrs. Keith Frey ’85 on the birth of their son, Andrew Louis Frey, November 4, 2007. Andrew is the nephew of Alan Frey ’83.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Jeanfreau, Jr. ’87 on the birth of son, Charles Harris Jeanfreau III, March 15, 2006. Charles is the nephew of Andre Jeanfreau ’89 and Mark Jeanfreau ’93.

Mr. and Mrs. David Redmann ’87 on the birth of their son, James Arthur Redmann, July 30, 2007. James is the grandson of David E. Redmann ’56; the nephew of Michael M. Redmann ’89, Thomas R. Redmann ’92, Kevin J. Redmann ’95, and Jonathan P. Redmann ’98; and, the greatnephew of eight Redmanns and one Rapier.

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Bertrand IV ’89 on the birth of son James Fraser Bertrand, November 18, 2007.

Mr. Terence Encalarde ’89 on the birth of his son, Patrick Joseph Encalarde, December 3, 2006.

Mr. and Mrs. Andre Jeanfreau ’89 on the birth of their daughter, Ella Michelle Jeanfreau, December 30, 2004. Ella is the

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niece of Charles Jeanfreau, Jr. ’87 and Mark Jeanfreau ’93.

Dr. and Mrs. Sean Mayfield ’89 on the birth of their daughter, Lilian Ami Mayfield, June 6, 2007. Lilian is the granddaughter of Ralph Junius, Jr. ’66 and the niece of Michael Mayfield ’93, R. William Junius ’93, and Nathan Junius ’97.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hughes ’91 on the birth of their daughter, Sawyer Elizabeth Hughes, June 8, 2007, and on the birth of their son, Scout Thomas Hughes, November 21, 2004. They are the niece and nephew of Ryan Hughes ’97.

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Lousteau ’90 on the birth of their daughter, Emily Elizabeth Lousteau, September 21, 2005 and on the birth of their son, Jack Andrew Lousteau, July 16, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. Blake Watermeier ’91 on the birth of their daughter, Anna Paige, March 29, 2007. Anna is the granddaughter of Ralph N. Watermeier, Jr. ’61, the great granddaughter of the late Ralph N. Watermeier, Sr. ’32, and the neice of David Watermeier ’86.

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Aucoin, Jr. ’92 on the birth of their second child and first son, Leonard Henry Aucoin III, November 3, 2006. Leonard is the great-grandson of Jules J. Vulliet ’37 and the late Leon Sarpy’24.

Mr. and Mrs. Sean Burke ’92 on the birth of their first child, a daughter, Mollie Ryan Burke, October 3, 2007. Mollie is the niece of Kelly Burke ’94.

Mr. and Dr. Carlos Calix ’92 on the birth of their second child and first son, Jacob Michael Calix, February 27, 2007. Jacob is the nephew of Michael Hall ’92 and John Jay Hawkshead III ’85.

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Lauer ’92 on the birth of their daughter, Kate Frances, March 7, 2007. Kate is the niece of the late Robert Lauer, Jr. ‘86.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Monahan ’92 on the birth of their first child, Brady Joseph Monahan, July 16, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Schott ’92 on the birth of their children, Ava Loren Schott, November 8, 2007, and Arthur Oelkers Schott IV, March 27, 2006. They are the great-grandchildren of Arthur O. Schott ’36 and the niece and nephew of Alexander Schott ’94.

Dr. and Mrs. Roland Waguespack ’92 on the birth of their second child, a son, Spencer Gordon, September 18, 2007.

Spencer is the nephew of John Gordon ’89.

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jeanfreau ’93 on the birth of their son Miles Nicoll Jeanfreau, July 10, 2005, and the birth of their daughter, Dylan Marie Jeanfreau, May 18, 2007. Miles and Dylan are the nephew and niece of Charles Jeanfreau, Jr. ’87 and Andre Jeanfreau ’89.

Dr. and Mrs. R. William Junius ’93 on the birth of their daughter Stella Louise Junius, October 15, 2007. Stella is the granddaughter of Ralph Junius, Jr. ’66 and the niece of Nathan Junius ’97.

Mr. and Mrs. Kelly Burke ’94 on the birth of their sons, Colin Charles Burke, July 27, 2007, and Daniel Koehl Burke, July 22, 2005. Colin and Daniel are the nephews of Sean Burke ’92.

Mr. and Mrs. Preston Anthony Cantrelle ’94 on the birth of their first child, Preston Samuel Cantrelle, May 20, 2007. Preston is the nephew of Russ Cantrelle ’00.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ruli ’94 on the birth of their first child, John Thomas Ruli, September 17, 2007. John is the grandson of Joseph T. Ruli ’42.

Mr. and Mrs. Tevis Vandergriff IV ’94 on the birth of their second child and first daughter, Amelia Nicola Vandergriff, October 3, 2007. Amelia is the niece of Sean Vandergriff ’98.

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Gibbons ’96 on the birth of their son Grayson Daniel Gibbons, October 9, 2007. Grayson is the nephew of Grant Gibbons ’92.

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew William Estrade ’95 on the birth of their son Avery Joseph Estrade, July 26, 2007. Avery is the grandson of Stuart Estrade ’62 and the nephew of Brett Estrade ’95 and Grant Estrade ’98.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Guste ’95 on the birth of their daughter, Cecille Sidonia Guste, July 28, 2007. Cecille is the granddaughter of Ralph Junius, Jr. ’66 and the niece of R. William Junius ’93, Bernard Guste, Jr. ’93, and Nathan Junius ’97.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. DeGruy ’97 on the birth of their son, Logan James DeGruy, September 5, 2007. Logan is the grandson of Pierre DeGruy ’69.

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Taylor ’97 on the birth of their son, Mason Owen Taylor, August 29, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. Jody Fortunato ’98 on the birth of their first child, a daughter, Gianna Lynn Fortunato, October 5, 2007.

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Adam Avin ’01 on the birth of their son, Kevin Ryan Avin, July 16, 2007. Ryan is the nephew of Ben Avin ’04.

T

BLUE JAY

BAZAAR! Bazaar Sunday is a time of fun for all Blue Jays — students, parents, alumni, friends, and their families.

JOIN THE FUN AT JESUIT’S CAMPUS IN MID-CITY.

Sunday, March 30, 2008 11:00

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JAYNotes

AM–7:00 PM

4133 Banks Street New Orleans, LA 70119

kicker Sean Gaudet ’04 (left) and fullback Blake Nichols ’07—celebrate the LSU Tigers’ victory in securing their second BCS national title on January 7 in the Louisiana Superdome.

database and send the magazine directly to him. Let us know if you enjoy reading your son’s copy of Jaynotes. We will be glad to send a copy to his new address and a copy to you. E-mail changes to: alumni@jesuitnola.org.

# 1 indeed! In the bottom photo, Jesuit alumni—place

Parents: If you are receiving your son’s copy of Jaynotes and he no longer lives with you, please let us know so we can update our

Standing, from left: Mat Grau ’68 (alumni director); Bro. William Dardis, S.J. ’58 (director of special projects); Arthur Mann ’64 (2005); Peter Finney, Sr. ’45 (1971); Peter Quirk ’54 (1999); Jack Dardis ’59 (1986); Michael Rodrigue ’71 (2007); Michael Nolan ’63 (2001); Thomas Casey, Sr. ’48 (1979); Ardley Hanemann, Jr. ’61 (1988); Marcel Garsaud, Jr. ’50 (1997); Robert Talbot, Jr. ’55 (1996); and Jesuit’s President Rev. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66; seated, from left: Michael Read ’61 (2000); Moon Landrieu ’48 (1970); Curtis Rome, Jr. ’52 (1984); J. Garic Schoen ’38 (1994); James Fitzmorris, Jr. ’39 (1972); Joseph Licciardi, Jr. ’53 (1989); Milton Retif ’51 (1993); W. James Amoss ’65 (2006)

PAID Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage New Orleans, LA PERMIT No. 313

On October 23, 2007 at Ralph’s on the Park, past Alumni of the Year welcomed Mike Rodrigue ’71 into their honored group.