Xavier’s SONS
THE SCIABARRA FAMILY
Peter Sciabarra ’76, his sons Torey and Nick, his wife Carol, Joe’s wife Mary Sciabarra, and Joe Sciabarra ’64.
By CAPT Peter Sciabarra, USN (Ret.) ’76 My parents grew up during the 1930s as children of Italian immigrants who came through Ellis Island. The highest level of education for both of them was high school. They deeply valued Catholic education and realized it was the path forward for their children, so they pursued all possible knowledge about the best high schools in Manhattan. We lived in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, but they thought exposure to the city and kids from all five boroughs—and beyond—was critical to success. They both agreed that Xavier was by far the best experience and opportunity for their sons. At that time, the JROTC program was mandatory, and that was a draw for my dad specifically. He was a Merchant Marine officer in World War II and already had visions of his sons attending the Naval Academy. We both did—my brother, CAPT Joseph Sciabarra, USN (Ret.) ’64, graduated in the Class of 1968, and I graduated in the Class of 1981. For our sister, they selected Dominican Academy. They wanted to give us the best possible chance at success, and they scrimped and saved to ensure that we were all able to attend Xavier and DA.
My brother and I both played football and ran track at Xavier—and we both had the honor to be coached in track by the legendary Jim Scott P’79 ’84†. My brother’s football coach was another Xavier legend, Leo Paquin P’64†.
Before her passing, Mary Sciabarra P’64 ’76† was honored as Xavier’s longest continual donor.
The care and personal attention of the faculty and staff were beyond comparison. Specifically, my absolute favorite teacher of all time, Grace Lamour P’82†, was beyond a teacher; she was a mentor, friend, and advisor. Franklin Gregory P’80 ’86 ’87 was a tough disciplinarian with a heart of gold who truly cared about all of us. Superb teachers and administrators included Jim Keenan, S.J., Anthony Aracich, S.J.†, Thomas Baker†, Brother Anthony Cantelmi, S.J.†, Vin Biagi, S.J. ’67, Vincent Taylor, S.J.†, the librarian Linda Salvati†, school secretary Anne O’Neill—I could go on and on. I cannot recall any of the names of my Naval Academy professors and instructors (except my ice hockey coach!), but I remember all of my high school teachers. The best educational experience of my life was at Xavier.
THE CONNIFF FAMILY after graduation. I became engaged to Margaret Scally Conniff P‘83 ’84 in the Student Chapel on Holy Saturday 1963, and we were Thomas Conniff ’52 P’83 ’84 with his sons, Christopher ’84 and Peter ’83 married in May 1964. I served as Xavier’s legal counsel for By Thomas Conniff ’52 P’83 ’84 many years and was responsible for guiding The Conniff family’s association with Xavier Xavier through its transition from an all-Jesuit commenced in February 1949, when I arrived Board of Trustees to a governance board at Xavier to begin my freshman year. My consisting of laypeople and Jesuits. I then extracurricular activities included being the served on the Board for 15 years, including a student manager of the varsity baseball and term as chairman during my last three years. JV football and basketball teams. I was also a Margaret and I had four children—Peter ’83, frequent attendee at Mass before school on Chris ’84, Ellen, and Nancy. Our sons made Wednesday and Friday mornings. the same trip to Xavier as their father—Bay Ridge to 16th Street. My close connection with Xavier continued 20 XAVIER MAGAZINE
Both boys swam for Xavier for four years, and both served as captain during their senior year. Their sisters were awarded the “Minor X” for keeping score during their brothers’ meets. Chris received the Paquin Trophy and the Knoepfel Trophy as a senior at the Block X Awards. Peter went on to achievement in finance, and Chris in law. In keeping with the Conniff family tradition at Xavier, Chris’s wife, Susan Durbin Conniff, served as a Xavier trustee for six years and played a significant role in planning Xavier’s long-term financials. The Conniff family’s Xavier connection is almost 70 years old—and hopefully will continue for many years to come. Tom Conniff was inducted into the Xavier Hall of Fame in 2010.