alums in the news pat and tim kennedy ’91 spikeball—shark tank success Spikeball, a venture the Kennedy brothers have partnered on with friend and owner Chris Ruder, was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank in May. Claimed the next great American sport, Spikeball is played two vs. two and is described as “sort of like volleyball and foursquare, but on steroids.” Spikeball can be seen everywhere—in backyards, on beaches, college campuses and in select Dick’s Sporting Goods stores around the United States. There are 250,000+ players in the US and 1,000 nationally ranked teams. In a battle between Sharks Kevin O’Leary and Daymond John, Ruder eventually agreed to have Daymond join him and the Kennedys on their quest to spread the Spikeball fever.
dan matchett ’08 featured at new england air show As he grew up in West Suffield, Dan always enjoyed going to the Great New England Air Show to check out the planes, talk to the pilots, and learn about military aviation. He attended Boston College and joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in hopes of one day fulfilling his dream and becoming a military aviator. Last May, he was offered the opportunity to fly a T-38C Talon from Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas to Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts and partake in the airshow. However, this time he was the one answering the questions and showing others how incredible and rewarding aviation can be. Dan is currently stationed in Texas as a T-38 instructor pilot in the Euro-NATO Joint-Jet Pilot Training Program. He and his fianceé, Keegan, will be getting married in Connecticut in November.
martin sbriglio ’74 earns honorary doctorate Martin Sbriglio ’74 was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters at the May 21, 2015, St. Vincent’s College’s commencement ceremonies. Martin is stepping down as chair of St. Vincent’s Board in 2015. He has been a trustee since 1997. Martin is CEO of Ryders Health Management, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation company. He is also a licensed nursing home administrator. He is a past recipient of the school’s Humanitarian Award (1990) and the Vincentian Award for Service to the Community (2005).
maddy carpenter ’11 northwestern’s 2014-2015 big ten medal of honor Maddy earned Northwestern’s 2014-2015 Big Ten Medal of Honor. This is the conference’s most exclusive award, recognizing academic and athletic excellence. A first-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior, Maddy helped lead the Wildcats to a Big Ten title for the second straight year. She was recognized as the Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament and twice was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Maddy helped the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, she graduated with a degree in anthropology and will serve as an assistant coach at Dartmouth next season.
george gomez ’08 wins mcdonald’s ray kroc award In April, George Gomez was one of 142 managers selected to receive the Ray Kroc Award, an annual performance-based prize recognizing the top performing McDonald’s restaurant managers in the country. George said, “I’m very excited about this honor. I’ve wanted to win this award for the past 10 years. Growing up in the McDonald’s business, I knew about the Ray Kroc Award from a very early age and have aspired to win it since I was 14.” Named after McDonald’s Corporation founder Ray Kroc, the award was established in 1999 to honor hardworking managers in both corporate-owned and independently owned and operated restaurants—those who make Ray Kroc’s vision of excellence come to life in restaurants for customers each day. After his time at Suffield, George went on to Cornell University and majored in hospitality management.
Summer / Commencement 2015
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