Annual Report 2010 –2011
Brother J. Meric Pessagno Scholarship When graduates of the Class of 1961 gathered to celebrate and reflect upon the 50 years since graduation, they agreed it was the right moment to support Xaverian in a significant way. Brother J. Meric Pessagno, most notably in his capacity as the coach of the Speech and Debate team, was the teacher whom they wished to honor. This scholarship will be awarded each fall to an incoming Freshman, selected based on his academic merit, financial need and interest in taking advantage of all that Xaverian has to offer, both in the classroom and extracurricular life. The first J. Meric Pessagno Scholar is Jesse Slevin ’15, a valedictorian from St.Anselm’s. Contributions to the fund as of 7/26/11 total: $158,800. Jerome (Jerry) Allan Pessagno was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in April of 1933. Throughout his life, he was known as a great intellectual and brilliant public speaker. Jerry was educated by the Xaverian Brothers, attending Mount St. Joseph’s in Baltimore. So greatly influenced was he by the Brothers and their mission, Jerry joined the Order and chose the name Meric. He loved this name so much that, after he eventually left the Brothers, he adopted it. Brother Meric joined the Brothers and matriculated at Catholic University where he obtained a B.A. and an M.A. in the Classics and Philosophy. He then taught at Xaverian from 1957 to 1964. He was a great teacher, especially in religion. For years, he coached speech and debate. Under his tutelage, his boys won many speech tournaments, including state and national championships. In 1967, the Brothers gave him permission to pursue his doctorate, and he was accepted at Yale University, where he studied in the Near Eastern Languages and Literature Department. Among his studies were courses in Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic. Jerry left the Order in 1969. In February 1970, he met his wife, Betty. They were married that November and moved to Westport, Connecticut. In September of that year, Jerry began teaching Latin and Greek at New Canaan High School, a position he would hold until 1995, the year he suffered a massive heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. Throughout his years of teaching, he was an immensely popular
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and charismatic figure at New Canaan, as he had been in the Xaverian schools. In 1996, through the lovely offices of his dear friends and former students, he began teaching at St. John’s University as an adjunct professor of philosophy. In 1997, he returned to Xaverian High School where he taught for the next year and a half, until his health declined and he could no longer make the trek to Brooklyn. His return to Xaverian gave him perhaps his only real happiness in the years after his illness began. Jerry died on December 31, 2000, survived by his beloved wife Betty, and children Eric and Claudia. Biographical information obtained from the Catholic Educational Foundation and Joe Pierini ’61
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO... speakers who qualified for the National Tournament in Miami, as a result of winning the Grand Tournament held at Xaverian in April 1962, pose with Brother Meric and their latest addition to the trophy case.
Scholarship Donors Mr. Michael Bennett ’61 Mr. William Daleus ’61 Dr. John Dorney ’61 Insp. William Dwyer ’61 Mr. George Ellard ’65 Dr. Richard Escobales ’61 Dr. Santo Fiasconaro ’66 Dr. Robert Giasi ’61 Dr. Charles Hadlock ’64 Mr. Dennis Hannon ’61 Mr. Richard Jaeger ’63 Mr. William Lavin ’61 Mr. Russell MacKechnie ’67 Mr.William Madden ’61 Dr. Jerry Maida ’61 Mr. Daniel Mariano ’61 Mr. Robert McDowell ’61 Mr. Francis McKee ’61 Dr. Vincent Murphy ’61 Mr. Henry Nocella ’63 Mr. Michael O’Connor ’61 Mr.Thomas O’Donnell ’61 Mr. Chris O’Flinn ’61 Mr. Robert O’Sullivan ’64 Mr. Francis Pascuzzi ’61 Mr. James Pepe ’61 Mr. Eric Pessagno
Mr. Joseph Pierini ’61 Dr. Francis Puccio ’62 Mr. Peter Redpath ’63 Mr.William Russo ’65 Lt. Graham Seidel ’61 Dr. James Suarez ’61 Mr. Anthony Tighe ’62 Mr. Vincent Turitto ’61 Mr. William Ward ’67
Charlie Hadlock ’64, on why he supports the Brother J. Meric Pessagno Scholarship “I’ve had the privilege over the last nine years of serving on the Board of Trustees and chairing its educational program committee. This means that three times a year I spend a whole day on campus visiting classes, talking to students, and meeting with faculty and administrators. When I sit in on a math class or a Spanish class or a history class or anything else and watch the students’ attitudes and reactions to the teachers, raising their hands enthusiastically to be the first to be called on, speaking with remarkable fluency in a foreign language, or doing the same math we teach our college freshmen, I am deeply impressed with the academic momentum of the school. But even more important, when I talk with individual students about their plans for the future or when we interview small groups of students from the full spectrum of academic levels, not only are they really enthusiastic about the school and, especially, the close connection they feel with the teachers, but they are wrapped up in the search for their place in society and the opportunities that they may have to contribute to others. Xaverian fosters this better than any other school I know, and it’s a precious contribution. I think we all came out of Xaverian almost taking for granted the importance of making a positive impact on society, not just finding a successful career path, but I find that this point of view is the exception rather than the rule among the college population I deal with. This combination of academic excellence and values-laden education, which transcends any particular religious orientation, is the way we need to prepare our future leaders in all walks of life.”