SECTION FEATURE
OPPOSITE: Rich Kennedy and Carl DeLorenzo at the Legends of Prep X dinner and induction ceremony in 2012. ABOVE: This image—Doc and DeLo sharing a laugh between classes in the English building—is virtually timeless, though this specific photo comes from the 1989 Petrean.
Never did he lose his sense of humor. A colleague of mine—Jim Horan, ’70, like Carl a Legend of Prep and a beloved friend—told me that just a few years ago he was walking past Carl’s classroom and noticed five remote controls on top of the podium. Now we all know that DeLo showed many interesting and informative videos in class which formed an integral portion of his courses. Jim entered the room and asked why he had so many remotes. Carl immediately responded, “Backups!” Beyond the campus, we went off on trips with students on Freshman Arts Day or Prep Day to the Met and Brooklyn Museums, and to meetings at Xavier, Fordham, and Regis. On our own we hit many local and NYC restaurants. I particularly remember having lunch at Mickey Mantle’s place on Central Park South where we saw The Mick, Dick Williams, and Graig Nettles. And then there were breakfasts at the Flamingo Diner at Montgomery and Greene Streets and the VIP Diner near Journal Square—one of the latter meals, before a meeting at Xavier, was especially memorable because it was the day I permanently stopped smoking: October 25, 1978! I also remember the many kind deeds and favors he did for me—storing my car when my wife and I went on vacation, giving me rides, sharing a cannoli (just kidding.) He was thoughtful towards his students, too—I remember how he suggested to some of his more popular seniors that they make an effort to include a classmate who was being left out of the “in crowd.” It is somehow only right that Carl (as a senior, Class of ´67) was at Prep on my very first day there—January 25, 1967—and on the last—January 21, 2015. It saddens me to think that he too has retired and will no longer be there to instruct and inspire future generations of Prep students, teachers, staff, and administrators directly.
If you’ve never met Carl, you’ve missed one of Prep’s, and life’s, best experiences. If you have known him, I am sure that you have your own many indelible memories of him, and that those recollections bring a smile to your face. As former President Bill Clinton (not a favorite of DeLo’s!) said of his predecessor George H.W. Bush (whom Carl finds more palatable), “I am grateful for every minute I spent with him and will always hold our friendship as one of my life´s greatest gifts.”
PREP MAGAZINE n SUMMER 2022 17