XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
The magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of Xavier High School
Spring 2019
SPRING 2019
SPRING 2019
Xavier High School Jack Raslowsky P’16 President
Featured in This Issue
Michael LiVigni P’21 Headmaster
10. Introduction to Film
Rev. John Replogle, S.J. ’51 Assistant to the President
14. Master Class: Ray Lustig ’90
Shawna Gallagher Vega, APR Director of Communications Editor, Xavier Magazine
18. On Pointe: Luis Santin ’20
Contributors Jeanette Alvarez Ralph Dinielli Rory Harris ’08 Conor Hurley ’14 Shane Lavin ’03 Mark Mongelluzzo Maggie Murphy Stockson Lead Photographer Michael Marmora Contributing Photographers Harisch Studios Stephanie Massaro Mike Olivieri Mark Wyville Design Erbach Communications Group How to Reach Us Xavier Magazine Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011 Email: news@xavierhs.org Class Notes: classnotes@xavierhs.org
Xavier’s Mission
Founded in 1847, Xavier High School is an academically rigorous, Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school in New York City that educates intelligent, motivated young men of diverse backgrounds and means. Xavier teaches students to take responsibility for their lives, to lead with integrity, to act justly in service of others, to pursue excellence in every endeavor and to deepen their relationship with God. Ultimately, Xavier forms young men who will go forth to transform the world for God’s greater glory.
On the Cover Sean Caulfield ’19, a student in Denise Iacovone’s AP Studio Art class, works on a painting for his AP portfolio. A photo he took in France last summer served as the inspiration for the piece.
MIX Paper from responsible sources
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20. Paying it Forward: Dr. Thomas Forlenza ’69
Departments 2. 3. 22. 24. 44.
From the President News from 16th Street A Day in the Life Class Notes Back Story
XAVIER MAGAZINE 1
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The True, the Good, and the Beautiful
Dear Parents, Friends, and Sons of Xavier:
“Beauty will save the world.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
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In 2014, the Archdiocese of New York opened the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture on Bleecker Street. The Sheen Center is dedicated to exploring the true, the good, and the beautiful as they have been expressed through the ages. It hopes to use the arts—visual, dramatic, and musical—as a vehicle for evangelization, as a means of opening doors to the transcendent for believers and non-believers alike, for those with great faith and those with little. From small, yet powerful exhibits of icons of the Blessed Mother to moving explorations of war in All is Calm and Nine Circles (by Bill Cain, S.J. ’65), the Sheen Center has been a powerful force connecting men and women to the transcendent. I commend the Center’s programs to your attention. We last explored the arts at Xavier in the spring 2013 magazine. We happily return to the arts again. The artistic patrimony of the Church is enormous. Cathedrals, altar pieces, icons, paintings, oratorios, hymns, and dramatic productions have been and remain vehicles to connect us to God: intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. The artistic patrimony of the Society of Jesus and her works is impressive in both depth and breadth. I am often moved by this patrimony of the Church and the work of Catholic artists. I return regularly to Handel, Hopkins, and Springsteen. They bring me to joy and a keen understanding of God in our world and in my life.
The arts are alive and well at Xavier. They are a door through which we can encounter the true, the good, and the beautiful. A door through which we can encounter God—the source of all that is true, good, and beautiful. The last few months give witness to this. Tribute, an expansive mobile, pays tribute to Renzo Ventrella ’92† and will hang on 5L for the remainder of this year. It is a deeply moving and personal piece created by hundreds of students and faculty members harnessing the power of memory in their collective work. In January, Mike Tunney, S.J.’s Cross, Knot, Stripes: A Mural for Keenan Commons arrived on campus. This eight-part, Ignatianthemed work further establishes Fernandez-Duminuco Hall as a great home for the arts, many and varied, at Xavier. We look forward to the installation and celebration of this work in the months ahead. John N. Frank ’71’s The Institute touched more than 250 alumni, students, and friends at two staged readings as the play and the audience wrestled with friendship, love, tradition, protest, war, and peace. Students, Jesuits, alumni, faculty, and friends all bring the arts to life at Xavier. I hope this magazine is an invitation to celebrate the arts at Xavier throughout New York City and wherever you find yourself. May what is true, good, and beautiful deepen your own relationship with your God. We remember in this magazine all the members of our community who died since our summer magazine. There is a power to our memory. The alumni, faculty, Jesuits, parents, and family members highlighted here brought Xavier to life and now intercede on her behalf with the Lord. The profiles of George Kaftan ’45†, Bill McGarry, S.J. ’45†, Dave Anderson ’47 P’72†, Ray Salomone, S.J. ’51†, and Renzo Ventrella ’92† highlight five men who in different ways brought our mission to life. I had the blessing of knowing them all. Each led with integrity as he did his part to transform the world for God’s greater glory. May we follow in their footsteps. Be assured of my prayers. Sincerely, Jack Raslowsky P’16 President
News from 16th Street
James Martin, S.J. Visits Jesuit priest and author James Martin, S.J., editor at large of America magazine, consultor to the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications, and a frequent commentator in the national and international media, inaugurated the Xavier Speaker Series when he visited 16th Street on December 5. The series will bring notable speakers to Xavier annually. Fr. Martin shared the stage with President Jack Raslowsky to discuss the event’s topic: “How Can We Strengthen the Catholic Church?” Students and faculty members submitted questions related to the topic, covering everything from leadership to the ways youth can impact the Church.
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NEWS FROM 16TH STREET
Alumnus Stages Play at Xavier
Since 2016, when John N. Frank ’71 wrote his fourth play, The Institute: Coming of Age During the Vietnam War, he has wanted to stage the show at Xavier. A former reporter for Businessweek and Reuters who got his start in journalism editing the Xavier Review, Frank now runs the 2nd Act Players, a non-profit theater company outside Chicago. In October 2016, he debuted The Institute, a play based on his years at Xavier. On January 25 and 26, The Institute came to life in Keenan Commons, fulfilling a dream for Frank. He collaborated with Brooklyn-based Xavier Theatre and Film to produce two staged readings of the play. Frank’s wife, Carolyn, and his children, Matt and Jenny—graduates of another Jesuit high school, Chicago’s Loyola Academy—joined him throughout a week of rehearsals and preparations. “To walk those halls 50 years later was surreal,” Frank said. “There were a lot of late nights editing the Xavier Review, and
here I was, back doing another creative endeavor late at night. My life had come full circle. I thought about everything that had happened in those 50 years. I thought about my parents and all the other people who couldn’t be there, too.” Former Presidents Ken Boller, S.J. and Jim Keenan, S.J. and former faculty member Joe Lux, S.J. were among those in attendance at the staged readings. Together with various alumni, they reminisced at the receptions that followed. For many, the play brought back vivid memories of attending what was then an all-military Xavier during the height of the Vietnam War. “Being assailed by protesters as we got off the subway was commonplace,” Frank recalled. For Frank, The Institute marked a personal and artistic achievement, something he said he owes to the place that inspired his play. “Xavier is where I learned that it’s okay to be creative,” Frank said. “It led to my career in journalism and eventually to writing plays, and that’s all because of the confidence I got at Xavier to try new things.”
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A SHAKESPEAREAN CLASSIC The Xavier Dramatics Society tackled an edited version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s beloved comic fantasy, in December. “My goal in directing an edited Midsummer,” said director Nicole DiMarco, “was to show people that Shakespeare is cool and timeless.”
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NEWS FROM 16TH STREET
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News & Notes Bronx County District Attorney Darcel Clark, Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, and representatives from the District Attorneys’ offices in New York County, Queens County, and Richmond County participated in a Xavier Bar Association Roundtable on January 31. Led by Craig Eaton ’78 P’06 ’12 and Joe Tully ’96, the Bar Association drew more than 60 attendees at its first event of 2019. On February 8, famed Irish folk singer and songwriter Declan O’Rourke performed a special concert in Keenan Commons at the invitation of Declan Coles ’19. O’Rourke, who was in New York to perform four soldout shows at The Irish Arts Center, agreed to visit 16th Street after Coles emailed him. Advancement Associate Rory Harris ’08, college counselor Thomas Gibbons, and Dean of Faculty Brian McCabe led members of the Sports Management Club when they attended the New York Jets’ Sports
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Business Day at the Meadowlands on November 20. Students had the opportunity to hear from a variety of Jets operations managers regarding their roles within the organization, getting a comprehensive overview of ticket sales, promotions, brand management, marketing, and player personnel services. The Community Life and Inclusion Council hosted its second annual St. Peter Claver Day on January 18. The day’s events began in homeroom as students, teachers, and administrators worked through activities that challenged them to see the world through the eyes of others. Later, teachers incorporated the day’s theme, “Strengthening the Bonds Between Us: Empathy and Inclusion,” into their lesson plans. Chase Nicolas ’22 found the day invigorating, particularly the “I am...” exercise shared in homeroom. “I am a black kid from Brooklyn. My neighborhood is mostly people who look like me, but it becomes more diverse every day,” he
wrote in part. “I am a son. My parents are from Haiti and they love telling me stories of their childhood. They have high expectations for my brothers and me because we’re more fortunate and gifted than they were growing up. … I am a son of Xavier. As a son of Xavier, I must aim to be a man that changes problems I see in the world.” Four faculty children will arrive on 16th Street this fall as part of the Class of 2023—Michael Avila, son of Director of Technology Hernando Avila; Matthew McCabe, son of Dean of Faculty Brian McCabe; Miles Chiafulio, son of computer science and technology department chair Michael Chiafulio; and Finn Sweeney, son of history teacher Joe Sweeney ’85. Interim college counselor Jimmy Buckley ’13 and Spanish teacher Colleen Rober were among 52,812 finishers at the New York Marathon on November 4.
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1. Zane Massey ’96 P’22, Craig Eaton ’78 P’06 ’12, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Vin Biagi, S.J. ’67, and Joe Tully ’96 at the Xavier Bar Association Roundtable. 2. The Sports Management Club at the Meadowlands. 3. Joe Sweeney ’85 and Rob McGee ’99 at the 2019 Rugby Coaching Clinic in Corning, New York. 4. Chase Nicolas ’22. 5. Joe McGrane P’20, Richard Duffell P’93 ’99, Mark Curley ’74, and Jack Raslowsky after Duffell and Curley received the McGowan Spirit Award.
Longtime JV basketball and baseball coach Richard Duffell P’93 ’99 and recently retired freshman basketball coach Mark Curley ’74 received the William J. McGowan, S.J. Spirit Award on January 18. In December, Director of Communications Shawna Gallagher Vega, APR was named to the Board of Directors of the Public Relations Society of America’s New York chapter. Religion teacher Jim Hederman, S.J. continues his successful series of guided meditations for parents and alumni. On February 26, he led a session on Ignatian meditation, the basic building block of St. Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. Director of Development Mark Mongelluzzo has been appointed associate fellow of Timothy Dwight College at Yale University as well as vice president for lightweights of the Yale Crew Association.
Music teacher Jerry Neuhoff continues to perform widely outside of Xavier. On January 27, he served as principal timpanist during an all-American classics concert with the Staten Island Philharmonic at the College of Staten Island. In December, he performed with the Regina Opera, where he has served more than 40 years as principal timpanist, in Hansel and Gretel. Neuhoff also performed at the Grace Baptist Church, the Church of the Palisades, the Staten Island Philharmonic, and the South Shore Symphony on Long Island over the holidays.
Longtime football coach Chris Stevens ’83 earned his 100th win as Xavier’s head coach on September 16 when the Knights defeated St. John the Baptist. Stevens has been the winningest football coach in Xavier history since 2012, when he surpassed the 69 wins achieved by the legendary Leo Paquin P’64.
In September, French and Spanish teacher Deena Sellers received recognition as an outstanding high school educator from the University of Chicago. Kwesi Frank ’18, now a freshman at the University of Chicago, nominated Sellers for the award.
Spanish teacher Vicente Vargas recently experienced success as a screenwriter. His screenplay Doomed Journey was a finalist in the WeScreenplay TV Contest in 2018, and another screenplay, Blue Falcon Days, has reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 Story Pros International Screenplay Contest.
Joe Sweeney ’85 presented at the 2019 Rugby Coaching Clinic in Corning, New York, in January. While there, he ran into former Xavier rugby player Robert McGee ’99, who now serves as head rugby coach at Corning High School.
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NEWS FROM 16TH STREET
Artwork by Liam Cooney ’18
Jerry Neuhoff Musician
Denise Iacovone Painter
ARTISTS AT WORK When students take an art class at Xavier, they learn from working artists. From Dee Kittany, who sings with the New York Choral Society and the Ignatian Schola, to Sean McDonough ’03, whose artwork has been featured in multiple galleries and solo exhibitions, Xavier’s fine arts educators are constantly engaged with their craft.
Sean McDonough ’03 Painter
Dee Kittany Singer
Billy Maloney ’01 Graphic Designer, Muralist, Screen Printer
Nicole DiMarco Actress
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PROFILES IN THE ARTS
INTRODUCTION TO
By Shawna Gallagher Vega
It’s a Tuesday evening in Keenan Commons, and members of the Xavier Dramatics Society mingle with SAG-AFTRA members at a weekly acting workshop. At varying intervals, each of them inhabits a character and a scenario given to them by Christina Kallas, the writer, producer, and director of such films as 42 Seconds of Happiness and The Rainbow Experiment. The actors are engaged in a process called emotional doubling, or shadowing, as they prepare for Kallas’ upcoming film, Paris is in Harlem. Like most of the director’s projects, it’s a multi-protagonist, multidimensional film. Set in 2017 on the day New York City’s Cabaret (or No Dancing) Law was repealed, it follows several characters through separate but intertwined storylines that converge one winter night during a shooting at a Harlem jazz club. The emotional doubling process is a challenge for young and veteran actors alike, most of whom are used to traditional preparation with scripts in hand. Yet they universally hail the practice as beneficial to their craft. “It’s a really cool process,” said Connor Siemer ’14, the star of Kallas’ 2018 film The Rainbow Experiment, which was filmed at Xavier. “Two or three people go on stage. Everyone in the audience pretends that they are the people on stage. They put 10 XAVIER MAGAZINE
themselves in the position of the people on stage. By doing that, they try to get a better idea of why people do certain things and what they would have done differently.” “It basically forces you to be in someone else’s shoes,” added drama teacher Nicole DiMarco, who played a role in The Rainbow Experiment and will appear again in Paris is in Harlem. “It’s like empathy training—viewing a scene and trying to be in that person, feeling what they’re feeling in that scene. It’s beneficial especially for young men, and it pairs well with the diversity and inclusion we try to teach here.” David Orlando ’17, another Rainbow Experiment alum now doing camera work for Paris is in Harlem, said the practice is ingenious. “Part of Christina is really, really, heavily calculated. She’ll write the script and then go into rehearsals. She rehearses things outside of the timeline, relevant to the character,” he said. “Everything that comes up in a rehearsal is really relevant to the plot of the script. It’s very fine-tuned, despite what it may look like.” “I think that truth lies in the simultaneous understanding of all sides involved, in what on the surface looks like a paradox,” Kallas said, “and that storytelling can change the world, towards more compassion.”
It’s like empathy training—viewing a scene and trying to be in that person, feeling what they’re feeling in that scene.”
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PROFILES IN THE ARTS
Above: The promotional poster for The Rainbow Experiment featuring Connor Siemer ’14.
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PARIS IS IN HARLEM marks the second time in four years that Xavier students have starred in a feature film. In 2015, when Kallas was casting The Rainbow Experiment, one of her ensemble’s actors—a friend of Nicole DiMarco—connected her with Xavier. DiMarco and several members of the Xavier Dramatics Society began attending weekly workshops for the film hosted by the Writers Improv Studio at Columbia University. “I loved them and they loved my process, so we ended up moving the workshop to Xavier for the final stretch so more students could participate,” Kallas recalled. “This is when I fell in love with the school itself—you see, to me location is character, and the Xavier building with its maze of corridors and its beautiful architecture became a character in itself.” Connor Siemer played Matty Fairchild, the film’s main protagonist. The Rainbow Experiment (which after an awardwinning international festival run and a limited theatrical release in the U.S. is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray and on all major platforms on demand) documents the aftermath of a high school science experiment that seriously injures his character. Other Sons of Xavier starred in the film, too, including Isaiah Blake ’17, Peter Boustani ’16, Nicholas Careaga ’16, Jason Clare ’16, Anthony DeFrenza ’16, Eric Jose Idelfonso ’16, Richard Liriano ’16, and Harrison O'Callaghan ’17. David Orlando, now a sophomore at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, asked Kallas if he could assist behind the camera during production of The Rainbow Experiment. Since then, he’s been one of her right-hand assistants, recording each week’s acting workshop so she has a record of the process. Orlando is majoring in film and television production and minoring in business and entertainment media. Working with Kallas has been a key part of his education. “I find her process extremely interesting to watch play out. From a producing standpoint, it’s really cool to see a lot of younger and professional actors work together. It’s a place of no ego and no judgment,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about how to approach
looking at plot structure and how to build an authentic character. Christina has something innovative in the way she works, in the way she respects the actor. That’s stuff that you can’t really be taught in a classroom.” BACK IN KEENAN COMMONS, the actors continue building the characters that will tell the story of Paris is in Harlem. Kallas walks them through their characters’ past lives, challenging them to demonstrate emotional authenticity. “I want people to feel that they are in the story, rather than watching the story,” she said. The film deals with issues of race, gentrification, and inclusion, so Kallas sought young Xavier actors of color for her cast. The arcane law at the center of the film, the Cabaret Law—enacted during Prohibition to patrol speakeasies—made it illegal to host “musical entertainment, singing, dancing, or other forms of amusement” without a license. Many believe the law was intended to target racially mixed Harlem jazz clubs. Matthew Mendez ’21 is Paris is in Harlem’s unassuming, understated star. A Harlem native himself, he learned about the film through DiMarco, his acting teacher, who has encouraged his talent since he arrived on 16th Street. “I play a kid from a rough background,” he said. “I didn’t know that I’d be getting a big role, but I’ve been enjoying it.”
I definitely want to continue acting. And I only discovered that I liked acting at Xavier.” Kalif Cooper ’21 and Kalvin Singleton ’21 are the other Xavier students in the film. DiMarco invited them to be part of the project after being impressed by their work in her acting classes, and both said their Paris is in Harlem workshops have had a beneficial effect on their theater work at Xavier as well.
After each workshop, all actors participate in a “talkback,” observing the previous hours of work while they maintain their characters. “Sometimes the talkback, which involves the whole group, is even more exciting than the scene,” Kallas said. “Sometimes it will flow naturally into a continuation of the scene.” All of this serves as crucial preparation for filming, which is scheduled to take place later this spring. “I’m excited. I want to see where this takes me,” said Mendez, who recently played Oberon in the Xavier Dramatics Society’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “I definitely want to continue acting. And I only discovered that I liked acting at Xavier.” In addition to being exposed to talented, veteran performers, Mendez, Cooper, Singleton, and other members of the Xavier Dramatics Society have met incredible musicians. Drumming prodigy Kojo Odu Roney and his father, famed jazz musician Antoine Roney, recently visited Xavier’s music wing to record part of the film’s soundtrack. Various other musicians are part of the Paris is in Harlem cast, including bassist Marlon Martinez and vocalist Camille Thurman, who has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald. Collaboration, students have learned, is at the heart of every great film. “It’s Christina Kallas’ film, but it’s also everyone else’s film,” Siemer said. “To make a film takes hundreds of people. Emotional doubling, shadowing, even the characters that you create as an actor—those influence the script a little bit. Even in a more traditional sense, how the actor perceives his character influences how people read the script and read the character.” “I have found a great collaborator in Nicole DiMarco,” Kallas echoed. “I love the atmosphere here and the school’s love for the arts and how it is an important part of the education provided here. This is rare, and I am happy to be able to contribute to it with my workshops and my films.” Shawna Gallagher Vega is Xavier’s Director of Communications. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Boston College.
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PROFILES IN THE ARTS
Juilliard professor and renowned composer Ray Lustig ’90 is at the top of his game
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CLASS By Shawna Gallagher Vega
Ray Lustig ’90 can pinpoint the moment his interest in music began. He was 6 years old. “I desperately wanted to be able to play the theme from Star Wars, which was just out in theaters then,” he recalled. “I came home and figured it out on our piano.” The young Lustig had music in his blood. In the Douglaston home he shared with his parents, Regina and Raymond Lustig ’64 P’90 ’92 ’00, his sister Alice, and his brothers, Richard Lustig ’92 and John Lustig ’00, it was common to hear “beautiful Chopin waltzes” courtesy of Regina, a pianist herself. “She helped me when I needed it with gentle tips, never pushing me,” Lustig said. “Now as a parent, I know how tricky it is to be your child’s teacher. My mom was really my main teacher for a long time.” As an adolescent, Lustig developed an interest in classical music, particularly Bach. “My mother gave me a Best of Bach cassette tape one Easter which I played to death,” he remembered. “And she took me to a music shop—really more of a rock guitar shop, the only music shop we knew of—to see if they would have the printed music for Bach’s famous Toccata in D-Minor. They found it in a book of arrangements of famous movie music. So my mother bought me that, and also splurged and bought me a book on how to read music! That set me up for a while.” Ray Sr., Regina, and Alice had also long been
involved in theater, acting in countless community plays and even on Japanese television while the family lived in Japan during Ray Sr.’s Air Force active duty tour. By the time young Ray got to 16th Street, theater was influencing his interests, too. Upon his arrival at Xavier in 1986, he found himself further encouraged to pursue and appreciate the arts. When asked who among the faculty influenced him artistically, memories flow forth. On Brian Moroney: “He not only opened my mind in English class every day, he showed me the light by introducing me to Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic, the Met Opera, and even, yes, Leonard Bernstein!” On Vicente Vargas: “Through my involvement in his amazing Film Club, and the friendships that came from it, I got wise to so much about cool downtown culture, film, and music.” On Vincent Taylor, S.J.†: “He not only showed me what I was capable of with self-discipline, but also exploded my world to a much wider and deeper perspective, and a greater and faster capacity to express it.” On Dee Kittany: “She not only imploded my universe to include the microscopic, sub-cellular, and atomic, but also first got me singing in both choir and drama.” On Larry Lebow: “He taught me geometry and trigonometry with crystalline precision and is also a very serious pianist with whom I’m still in contact.” Lustig went on to describe in vivid detail memories of Thomas Tighe, S.J.†, Michael Hoag, S.J., Joe
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PROFILES IN THE ARTS
Above: The production of SEMMELWEIS during its Hungarian tour. Opposite page: The promotional poster for SEMMELWEIS.
Lux, S.J., Edward Lynch, S.J., John Foley P’77 ’79 ’81 ’84 ’86, William O’Leary, S.J., and Francis Golden, S.J. His Xavier friends (“imaginative guys with big ideas, even back then”) influenced him, too, as did his brothers, Rich (now “a chef, artist, punk rock singer, and skier”) and John (“a writer-director-animator”). Lustig’s life was and is full of artistic inspiration. “As an artist it kind of all feeds into the mill, so it’s hard for me to think of anything that didn’t influence me pretty vividly at Xavier. It was one of the most manically carpe diem eras of my life.” AFTER GRADUATING FROM XAVIER IN 1990, Lustig journeyed to Worcester, Massachusetts, where he enrolled in the College of the Holy Cross. There he studied biology and filled his time with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC. “The highlights of ROTC for me were the early morning PT runs that made me feel like a champ, and one strange summer spent in Newport learning to sail with a bunch of guys who didn’t seem to appreciate how cool that was,” Lustig said. “But my strongest interests and relationships took me toward science and the arts. Pre-med got me very excited about biology.” He took additional biology coursework at SUNY Stony Brook after graduating from Holy Cross, then embarked on what he calls “a 16 XAVIER MAGAZINE
fun nine-year mini-career in biomedical research” at Massachusetts General Hospital and Columbia University. “Pretty early on into that, however, I knew I needed to go after music, that that was where my true passion lay,” he reflected. “It took some doing, the encouragement and flexibility of my kind bosses in the lab—brilliant scientists, one of whom is also an incredible violinist—and much help from my now-wife Ana, who herself was gearing up for medical school, to create and draw together a full composition portfolio to apply for graduate study. But eventually, after nine years in the lab, I was headed to my dream school, Juilliard.” Lustig earned Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in composition at Juilliard, but with a limited network, it took him time to make his way in the music world. With the determination he learned at Xavier, he persevered, and he encourages budding artists to do the same. “It took me ages to go from feeling like a total outsider in music to finally getting my grad degrees from Juilliard, working as a composer, and having a wonderful network of colleagues I cherish and am in awe of,” he said. “Now I am grateful to be able to help others find their way in through my teaching in the Juilliard Evening Division—the extension branch of Juilliard that sees a
Images courtesy of Bartok Plusz Opera Festival
lot of students like me from unconventional music paths. My studio is kind of a special little clubhouse for wonderfully talented and passionate people who are finally finding each other. It’s so gratifying.” IN ADDITION TO HIS TEACHING, Lustig is an active composer who has served as composer-in-residence with the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, the Imagine Science Film Festival, and Copland House’s Compose Yourself project. Commissions, performances, and support have come from the Grand Rapids Symphony, the American Composers Orchestra, Town Hall Seattle, the Academy, the Metropolis Ensemble, Copland House, American Opera Projects, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, the Norfolk Festival, the St. Louis Guitar Festival, the New York Festival of Song, and the Caramoor Musical Festival—among numerous others. Last year, he debuted his first major opera-theater work, SEMMELWEIS, inspired by the life of Hungarian doctor Ignác Semmelweis, a pioneering obstetrician in the mid-19th century working in Vienna’s busiest public hospital. With aspects of opera, choral music, and musical theater, SEMMELWEIS tells the story
of a man who recognized that the unwashed hands of doctors themselves were the root cause of a horrific epidemic of puerperal fever. Twenty years before the germ theory of disease emerged, Semmelweis was ridiculed for his assertion, and he ended up dying alone in an asylum. A generation later, the scientific community would prove Semmelweis correct. SEMMELWEIS premiered in Hungary, where the titular doctor is a national hero, and is now touring Europe. The Hungarian production has been invited to New York for the 2021 Prototype Festival, New York’s premier festival for new opera and musical theater. “It’s one of those works where I can see how the roots go back to things I was learning about at Xavier, in terms of intellectual integrity, creative leaps, tireless effort, selfless bravery, and the need for humility and patience with people. But also how we need to try to listen to those outsiders with unfamiliar ideas, not dismiss people too easily,” Lustig reflected. “Where is that next cruel blind spot, that awful situation we’re facing right now because we cannot see the simple answer staring us right in the face? Who will be the first to see it? How will we treat them? When will we start listening to them?” As ever, Lustig is looking ahead to his next project. Echoing his Carnegie Hall debut, which involved using the Internet to allow musicians around the world to play together, Lustig is now at work on a project connecting U.S. and Chinese musicians online— something he calls “forming musical bridges.” He’s also passionate about prison reform, something that inspired another theater-opera project involving several men’s prison choirs. The idea came from his wife and muse, Ana, a surgeon and palliative care physician. “One of my wife’s patients was a dying woman whose son had been given leave from prison to come visit her on her deathbed. After seeing his mother in a vegetative state, he told Ana that he wished he had waited so that he could have attended his mother’s memorial. He told Ana that prisoners must choose between a deathbed visit or attending the memorial. For his mother!” Lustig said. “This cruel and unusual rule seems to be just par for the course in our tragically flawed correctional system. In order to correct people, help them join their world productively and happily, we must first be able to recognize their full humanity.” “The one thing the arts can do is help humanize us all,” he asserted. “Xavier taught me that we must never cease to recognize our flaws and try to improve.”
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PROFILES IN THE ARTS
n O Pointe With relentless determination, Luis Santin ’20 reaches new heights in ballet
By Mark Mongelluzzo
His passion for dance is inspiring—and it was his younger sister, Amber, who started it all. When, at the age of 5 or 6, Amber would return from one of her dance lessons, Luis Santin ’20—just 8 or 9 at the time—would see the enthusiasm and happiness dance brought her. Amber would teach her brother what she had learned that day, and they would rehearse together at home. Luis Santin was so intrigued that he soon began taking his own lessons, and for the past seven years, dance has been an integral part of his life. Four days a week, the Brooklyn native takes ballet and contemporary dance lessons with the junior ensemble at the Peridance Capezio Center on East 13th Street in Manhattan. On another day, he helps teach a class for younger dancers; and on an additional day, he takes a lesson with the senior ensemble. Only one other dancer his age has been offered this opportunity, a fact Santin admitted with great nonchalance. Such is his humble nature. “We are always working on our ability to remember the steps and routines,” said Santin, “to create the muscle memory necessary for each dance to come naturally.” Though he lives in East New York, Santin attended Immaculate Conception School on East 13th Street, just a three-block walk from the Peridance Center. Now a junior at Xavier, if he cuts through Union Square, it takes a little over 10 minutes to get there every day from 16th Street. His lessons run about an hour and a half, after which he travels home to Brooklyn and starts his homework. On an average night, homework takes about threeand-a-half hours. The recipient of the Forlenza Family Scholarship, Santin appreciates the opportunities presented to him at Xavier and the generosity of the scholarship’s benefactor, Dr. Thomas Forlenza ’69. His favorite subject is religion, and he credits the instruction he received in Ignatian guided meditation from James Hederman, S.J. for helping him to improve his relationship with God. In fact, he adopted a meditation—a slightly abbreviated version of the Examen—to his daily life. It helps him focus and stay centered. Santin also enjoys the opportunity to read Scripture and better understand it. Most of all, he appreciates that at Xavier students are encouraged to pursue their passions and to take pride in their accomplishments. Back in September on Maroon and Blue Day, Santin jumped at the chance to showcase his dance skills during the talent show portion of the day. In front of the entire faculty and student body, he put on a solo performance of contemporary dance. He approached the task with some trepidation, but he was confident
he would not be judged by his fellow students. As it turned out, he was correct, and the three-minute piece was met with rousing applause. Afterwards, classmates were very complimentary and encouraging. For Santin, that epitomized the essence of Xavier. “At Xavier, you are encouraged to be yourself without judgment. That is why I love it so much here.” Very mature for his age, Santin is thoughtful and reserved, while at the same time passionate and intense; when engaged in conversation with him—with his eyes focused intently upon you—it is easy to forget he is only 16 years old. Known for his warm personality and gregarious nature, he is admired by faculty and students alike. “I first met Luis as a freshman in my Art 1 class. I loved his confidence and warmth from the beginning. He is very focused on his art projects and made it a habit to contribute positive feedback to his classmates on their work,” said Associate Director of Admissions and art teacher Billy Maloney ’01. “After watching him play basketball in the Commons one day, I tried to recruit Luis “At Xavier, you are for the rugby team. He encouraged to be is very athletic and fast. yourself without He declined, but spoke judgment. That passionately about the training, dedication, is why I love it so and discipline required much here.” to dance ballet. I was intrigued and looked into attending one of his performances so I could see Luis in his element. My wife and I were able to see the Peridance Capezio Center’s performance of The Nutcracker this past December. We quickly learned why the shows were sold out in years past. It was spectacular! Luis gave a memorable performance, and I was immensely impressed by how powerful and fluid he was throughout, all with a huge smile on his face. He is an incredibly talented young man.” Santin takes his craft very seriously, but he realizes that a career in dance may not be the right choice for him. “I want to help people. Right now, I am thinking I will pursue a career in psychology,” he said. “I would love to be able to maintain my passion for dance as a hobby, because it would help enrich my life, but a career in dance is a hard and stressful life. If you get injured, you really need to be prepared to deal with that. But being able to dance for the rest of my life in some way—that would be great.” Mark Mongelluzzo is Xavier’s Director of Development. He is a graduate of Yale University and Boston University School of Law.
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ADVANCING XAVIER
20 XAVIER MAGAZINE
Paying it Forward
Grateful for his exposure to the arts at Xavier, Dr. Thomas Forlenza ’69 is making sure today’s students have access to world-class performances
By Maggie Murphy Stockson
“We called ourselves ‘The Coffee Klatch,’” Dr. Thomas Forlenza ’69 says with a warm chuckle as he recalls the Xavier lunch hours he spent with friends listening to operas on the floor of librarian Linda Salvati’s office. A Staten Island native, Forlenza is now a successful oncologist, husband, and father of two—but he still recalls his first encounter with a Son of Xavier. He was a child on the Staten Island Ferry, and he saw a boy in uniform. “That boy goes to Xavier,” his mother explained. When asked why he decided to apply to Xavier when it was time for him to attend high school, he said, “The Holy Spirit made me do it!” Forlenza’s love for opera and theater was nurtured at Xavier by Salvati and her good friend, English teacher Brian Moroney, who began bringing students to theater and opera performances in 1967. While teaching King Lear, Moroney brought his class to a performance of the play starring Lee J. Cobb at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Forlenza explained that Moroney’s “enthusiasm and mentoring is what kept us interested.” He also remarked that Moroney and theology teacher Dennis Taylor “were very thoughtful in getting me through each life event I witnessed. I can see them influencing me now.” Dapper in his tortoise spectacles, grey suit, and Xavier ring, Forlenza recalls classes, books, classmates, and teachers with great ease and fondness. “This includes reading Camus in French with James McCahery† and Wadsworth in Advanced English, which led me to use Wadsworth’s poetry as an approach to handling life situations as ‘emotion reflected in tranquility,’” he recited with a smile. Forlenza still has his anthology of poetry from the class. Classmate, friend, and fellow “Coffee Klatch” member Hugh Menendez ’69 lives in San Francisco now, but the two meet in New York every year to head to the Met to see an opera. In addition to funding the Forlenza Family Scholarship, Forlenza recently gave a generous gift to Xavier to support student exposure to the arts so current students have the opportunity to see great opera and theater, just as he and his classmates did. When asked why he pursued a career in medicine rather than the arts, he said he was always interested in science. With yet another smile, Forlenza explained that when he arrived at Xavier and said he was interested in studying science, the Jesuits responded in true Jesuit fashion, instructing him to study the classics instead. “Xavier gave me the ground tools to achieve an intellectual life in the Christian sense.” Forlenza in front of the Metropolitan Opera House, his favorite New York City arts venue
Maggie Murphy Stockson is Xavier’s Director of Strategic Initiatives. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, New York University, and Fordham University.
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Art 1
A DAY IN THE LIFE
The Department of Fine Arts From the time students shuffle in at 8:10 a.m. until the final bell rings at 2:40 p.m., Xavier’s Department of Fine Arts is alive with activity. Throughout the day, students learn the foundations of art, acting, singing, instrumental music, and graphic design. More advanced students unleash their creativity in classes ranging from Acting for Film to AP Studio Art, where students work on portfolio pieces of the highest quality.
Instrumental Music II
Art 3
Stagecraft
Digital Magic with Photoshop
Vocal Music
Advanced Acting
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Frank Gregory P’80 ’86 ’87 leading a rendition of “Sons of Xavier” at Beefsteak
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CLASS NOTES
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The Class of 1949 and guests at their annual reunion in Spring Lake, New Jersey
1949 The Class of 1949 met for their annual reunion in Spring Lake, New Jersey, in September 2018. President Jack Raslowsky and Jack Replogle, S.J. ’51, alumni chaplain and assistant to the President, visited with the class on September 20. Fr. Replogle celebrated Mass, and the group enjoyed dinner at Whispers, one of their favorite restaurants in Spring Lake. 1952 Tom Conniff writes that he enjoyed seeing the family picture featuring him and his sons, Peter Conniff ’83 and Chris Conniff ’84, in the spring 2018 Xavier Magazine featuring legacy families. “What made it a special delight was to see a picture of my old friend and classmate from Bay Ridge, Tony Kaspar, with his grandson in his Xavier uniform. Made my day.” Peter McCloskey, a grandfather of 14, lives in McLean, Virginia. McCloskey is the brains behind StudyBuddyHelp.org, which provides free Internet tutoring in math and science using volunteer high school honor students. “Let your grandchildren know if they need math help,” McCloskey writes. Dr. Chester Schmidt writes that he is “fortunate to be able to work full-time for Johns Hopkins HealthCare.” He has four grandchildren. 1953 Frank Hanigan and his wife, Peggy, moved to “smaller quarters” in November 2018. “We may be
reached at 155 Chestnut Bay, The Woodlands, TX 77382 or by email at flhanigan@gmail.com.” 1954 On Labor Day weekend 2018, the late Ed McCarthy, his wife Jane, and four of their six children and spouses traveled to New York City. Jane writes of the experience: “High on the list was a visit to our respective high schools. Ed attended Xavier, and I was two years behind at Marymount on Fifth Avenue. In fact we met on the F train on our way to school. Over the years we loved to tell people he picked me up on the subway! An added highlight: We visited Xavier on a Saturday, and of course the school was closed, but what to our amazement, Fr. Dan Corrou, S.J. came out of nowhere and graciously took us on a tour of the school. What a group we were, all 10 of us, our kids with a thousand questions. Ed was thrilled, and what makes this even more meaningful is that Ed, my friend and lover of 57 years, passed away on November 4. Our children and spouses, 20 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren participated in a beautiful funeral Mass—a Mass of remembrance because the church was packed with so many loving and caring friends. He felt it was important that a funeral be a celebration of life, and indeed it was. Ed worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. He was a deacon, ordained in 1983 for service to the Diocese of Cleveland. Upon retirement, he served as business manager at St. Mary’s Church in Chardon, Ohio, and then moved to Florida where
Dr. Vincent Birbiglia ’58, right, with his wife, Mary Jean, and his son, Mike, at the Cort Theater
Alumni Profile VINCENT BIRBIGLIA ’58 When Mike Birbiglia debuted his one-man show, The New One, on Broadway last year, no one was prouder than his dad. Dr. Vincent Birbiglia ’58 is quick to share his pride in his son. Mike Birbiglia rose to prominence in 2008, when another one-man show of his, Sleepwalk with Me, opened off-Broadway. The show was later adapted into a film and book. In December, Dr. Birbiglia and his wife, Mary Jean, happily drove from Cape Cod to see Mike’s newest one-man show and to spend Christmas with him, his wife Jen, and his daughter Oona. Just weeks beforehand, members of Xavier’s faculty and staff attended The New One. It was important for Mike to greet everyone personally, he said, because of the role Xavier played in his dad’s life. “I’ve never met anyone so obsessed with their high school and college,” he said. “He talks about Xavier and Holy Cross constantly.” Vincent and Mary Jean raised their family in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Mike attended St. Mark’s School in Southborough, and he remembers becoming enamored with entertainment during those years. At age 15, his older brother Joe took him to see the comedian Steven Wright perform. “I had an epiphany that that’s what I wanted to do,” Mike recalled. “I started writing jokes in a notebook.” He pursued his own Jesuit education, attending Georgetown University, where he majored in English and minored in fine arts. He took acting classes and won the funniest person on campus contest before his graduation in 2000. At the time, it was all a bit confusing for his neurologist dad. “When he was at Georgetown, I said to him, ‘I see all these courses in English. I don’t see any chemistry, math, science,’” Dr. Birbiglia recalled. “He replied, ‘I don’t do courses where there’s only one answer.’” Almost 20 years later, Mike’s pursuit of the arts has paid off. The New One was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick and one of Entertainment Weekly’s top shows of 2018. What’s next for Mike? “A vacation and sleep and reading and rest and spending time with Jen and Oona,” he said. “I’m writing some things. I’m always writing. I have ideas for movies and books and shows.”
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The late Ed McCarthy with his family at Xavier last summer
Bob Scavullo and Joe Keating in Portland, Oregon
he served on the staff of St. Agnes Parish in Naples. His life was one of service to God, church, and family. He loved Xavier and Villanova…and many other things. His wife, children, and grandchildren were his pride and joy. Thanks to Xavier for the role it played in his life. In those formative years you provided stability, instilled loyalty and integrity. May this always be your role for the many young men with whom you come in contact.” 1956 Lou Cumming lives in La Jolla, California. From 1982-84, he served as president of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association. The orchestra was in a precarious financial situation when he was elected to the post in June 1982, but under Cumming’s leadership, board giving increased, an endowment fund was created, and a profitable new Summer Pops format was implemented. During his tenure, the Association also purchased an entire city block in San Diego, allowing the historic Fox Theater to be saved and renovated into what is now Copley Symphony Hall. ’58
Dan and Irma Rodriguez with friends in Cuba 26 XAVIER MAGAZINE
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Members of the Class of 1962 at their annual Christmas dinner
1958 Dr. Bruce McDonald recently accepted a limited position with the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in North Haven, Connecticut. “I am precepting first year medical students in clinical medicine,” he writes. “Medical education has dramatically changed in the past 50+ years and seemingly for the better. My prior career positions have been as the chief medical officer of a community hospital in Connecticut and more recently as a pediatric nephrologist at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. I look forward to this new opportunity at this relatively new medical school.” Dan Rodriguez and his wife, Irma, traveled to Cuba for the second time last fall. “I recommend you make a visit if the opportunity arises,” he said. 1960 Joe Keating lives in Portland, Oregon. He is the former operations director and action coordinator for Oregon Greenpeace, the former director and coordinator of United Community Action Network, the former director of the Oregon Wildlife Federation, and the former chair of the Oregon Sierra Club. He is a founding member of Citizens for Peace and a Rational Energy Policy, the Portland Utility Review Board, Portland’s Yellow Bike program, Witness Against Lawless Logging (WALL), the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group, and the Pacific Green Party of Oregon. In 2006, he was the Pacific Green
Party candidate for governor of Oregon. On February 4, Keating reunited with classmate Bob Scavullo, who was visiting Portland for a long weekend. Sal Scarpato and his wife, Mitty, are moving to Texas in April. Their new address is 106 Calhoun Lane, Georgetown, TX 78633. 1962 The Class of 1962 met for its traditional pre-Christmas dinner in Greenwich Village on November 30. In attendance were Ed King, Tom Callahan, Reese Chesney, Tom Sullivan, Rich Pisano, Bob O’Brien, Ed Grant, Dr. Lou Nunez, Tom Harvey, Bob Gibbons, Joe Librizzi, Mike O’Meara, Fred Theemling, Ken Padgett, Bob Karlovits, Mike Mulholland, John Muccini, John Spollen, Ed Donnelly, Bob McManus, Larry Whipple, and Phil Ambrosini. 1963 The 2018 Hall of Fame Dinner was a very special event for the Class of 1963. Two of its own, Mike Ford and Ed McLaughlin, were honored. This unprecedented double induction provided the impetus for Pete Canning and Joe Kiely to organize their classmates to attend. Joining them and the honorees that night were Joe Burke, Joe Chanda, Bob Comer, Marty Corrado, Dan Cronin, John Draghi P’04, Paul Gianelli, Gene Gaughan, Jamie Giuffra, Frank Herrmann, S.J., Tom Keaveney, Steve O’Leary, Myron Pawliw, Joe Rescigno, Roy Van Brunt, and Fred Virella. Many
Alumni Profile JORDAN CASTRO ’97 He’s a New York City police sergeant by day and a New York Times-reviewed author by night. Now, as his debut novel, Smoke and Mirrors: Police Dreams, is being considered for adaptation by five studios, Jordan Castro ’97 is reflective about the role Xavier played in his life. Raised in Washington Heights by Cuban immigrant parents, Castro always felt encouraged to pursue his literary aspirations. His parents enrolled him in arts programs and encouraged his educational goals, leading him to Xavier and later to Manhattan College. On 16th Street, Castro cultivated diverse interests. He developed leadership abilities and personal discipline in the Regiment, ran cross country, and played “ferocious, competitive” pickup basketball daily in the Quad and Commons. He also developed a lasting love of literature. “My favorite class was, hands down, my English class. Every single year, without fail,” he remembered. “I loved reading The Odyssey, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Macbeth, The Great Gatsby, and every other classic we were assigned. My love for literature and writing was cultivated in the classrooms of Xavier.” One educator stood out for Castro—the versatile Mike Tolkin ’85, who taught English and later became head coach of the USA Rugby Men’s Eagles. “Mr. Tolkin was passionate. He was incredibly well read. He could take literature written hundreds of years ago and help us understand why it was still relevant,” Castro said. “His approach was workmanlike. We’d dive right into the text and start taking it apart. But he’d take moments to bring to our attention to the craft involved in writing. He’d point out the poetry of it, the imagery, the symbolism, the metaphors, the alliteration, the layers, and put us in the perspective of the author. He would educate us on what forces the author was going up against when he or she wrote and how their work either went with the times or defied it. … To me, he’s that teacher you never forget. I salute him.” As Castro wrote Smoke and Mirrors, he found himself inspired by his former English teachers (Tolkin chief among them), by various works of art, and of course, by his daily experience.
“The heated ongoing debate on policing in America was critical. From police-involved shootings and deaths to the assassinations of Detectives Liu and Ramos in Brooklyn, there was so much happening to make people feel strongly about things. Eric Garner and Michael Brown died at the hands of the police and the Black Lives Matter and Hands Up Don’t Shoot movements emerged. Five officers were shot in Texas on one evening, and it felt as if all hell had broken loose,” he said. “I had to channel these emotions constructively and creatively and pour my heart and soul into my writing. I had to help people understand the perspective of the police and the difficulties of policing in drug and crimeplagued neighborhoods when you’re trying to separate the bad actors from the good ones. We’re there to make life comfortable and safe for everyone but you have the disruptors, the ones who terrorize the neighborhoods and victimize the elderly and the weak or anyone who is vulnerable, who are out there every day. So many interactions with people breaking the law end peacefully but, naturally, the ones that end fatally will receive all the coverage.” “I just wanted to put readers in the shoes of cops, have them strap on that gun belt, Velcro on that bullet-resistant vest, and walk that foot post and experience everything that comes with it,” Castro continued. “It’s realism but with a magical twist. I combine a realistic narrative with surreal elements of dream and fantasy. It’s a police procedural, a social commentary, a religious allegory, and a taboo love story combined into one.” Now a few months away from promotion to lieutenant, Castro will celebrate 13 years with the NYPD in July. He’s excited by the prospect of a book adaptation, and he’s grateful to those who influenced him along the way. “Whether it’s a theatrical release or a television series or something like a Netflix original, the potential is definitely there for a bold, impactful adaptation,” he said. “Smoke and Mirrors: Police Dreams wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t been on the front lines in Harlem, the Bronx, and Lower Manhattan, taking in all these life-altering experiences and being the person called upon to help mitigate bad situations. It really is art imitating life, which imitates art at times, too. It’s all very reciprocal and artistic. I love it.”
XAVIER MAGAZINE 27
CLASS NOTES
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Inset: A photo given by Rosenstein to O’Callaghan. The inscription reads: “Ed—You are a warrior for justice, a bastion of integrity, and a true friend. Rod Rosenstein.”
Alumni Profile ED O’CALLAGHAN ’87 P’17 ’20 From his office on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Ed O’Callaghan ’87 P’17 ’20 remains decidedly modest about his historic role at the Department of Justice. “I’m number 2 to the number 2,” said O’Callaghan, who serves as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General. Alongside his boss, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, O’Callaghan helps oversee the Department’s 115,000 employees, including those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Marshal Service. “Everyone understands that decisions are made in the best interest of the department,” O’Callaghan said. “It’s incredibly challenging work, but it’s also a privilege to serve in this function.” Before ascending to his current role in April 2018, O’Callaghan served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General. It’s been fulfilling work for a man who always found himself drawn to public service. After graduating from Georgetown University and New York University Law School, O’Callaghan spent a year clerking for the Honorable Kevin Duffy of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. While there, Duffy was overseeing the first World Trade Center bombing trial, sparking O’Callaghan’s interest in national security. In 1999, after spending a few years as a litigation associate, O’Callaghan returned to the Southern District of New York to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. He remained there until 2008, serving as co-chief of the Terrorism and National Security Unit for his final three years. O’Callaghan left the Southern District in 2008 to work on the late Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign. Partnerships at law firms followed until he was drawn back into government service. Through it all, Xavier has remained on O’Callaghan’s mind. He remains active in school life by serving on the Board of Trustees, and he’s also the proud father of Harrison O’Callaghan ’17 and Finnian O’Callaghan ’20, the young thespians profiled on page 35. “The influence that Xavier had principally was on my real dedication to public service,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of different aspects to my career, both in the private and public sectors, but my real motivation was always to become a prosecutor. The main thrust of that was serving the public, giving back to the community. If you can do that through your career, it’s a truly fortunate circumstance to find yourself in.” 28 XAVIER MAGAZINE
Members of the Class of 1963 at the Hall of Fame Dinner
classmates purchased ads, supported the class journal page, and provided donations and sponsorships. Special thanks to Pete Canning, Dan Cronin, Gene Gaughan, Tom Keaveney, and Joe Kiely for their leadership support. Thanks also to Dick Kennedy ’64 who organized a table of classmates and friends from Stuy Town. Rick Geffken’s latest book, The Hidden History of Monmouth County, New Jersey (co-authored with Muriel J. Smith) will be published by The History Press in the spring of 2019. LTC Max Toch, USA (Ret.) commissioned his son Charlie upon his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2018. “He asked that I wear my uniform,” Toch writes. “In honor of the men who were commissioned in June of ’67, I wore the Army uniform from that period.” 1965 Dr. Robert Posteraro was promoted to the rank of professor and appointed assistant program
LTC Max Toch, USA (Ret.) commissioning his son Charlie at West Point
director and director of graduate certificates in the master of science in healthcare administration program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Health Professions. 1966 John Meditz recently joined the board of the Hackensack-Meridian Healthcare Network. He continues his work as a trustee at Fairfield University, his collegiate alma mater, and John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. In November, Patrick O’Brien and his wife, Charlotte, had breakfast with Roger Schwall and his wife, Tisha, in Milford, Connecticut. “They stopped over on their way from D.C. to Massachusetts for a visit with one of their daughters,” O’Brien writes. “Charlotte and I entertained Tisha and Roger with our travel experiences over the last year and a half, in particular our recent two-month trek back and forth across China. Roger brought along a relay baton from our 50th class reunion two years ago. The
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Rick Geffken and Muriel Smith
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Steve Gregg, Jim Wickersty, Ed Bohrer, and Tony Marinello
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Upcoming Events Boston Reception April 10, 2019
John Sterling (kneeling, third from right) with the CCNY hockey team during his college days
baton initially was given to Roger by fellow track team member and classmate Dr. William King and is meant to be passed among fellow team members from the Class of 1966. Guess it’s now my turn! Here in Red Sox Nation (that would be Connecticut), Roger and I are not intimidated from wearing our New York Yankees garb. That’s a 1927 replica team jacket I’m wearing.” Steve Gregg, Jim Wickersty, Ed Bohrer, and Tony Marinello reunited in June 2017. 1967 On January 25, MAJ Francis Dong, USA (Ret.) visited with the Xavier Regiment. He spoke to classes about his career trajectory, his travels, and the lessons he’s learned. Dong now lives in Virginia. Stephen Euk-St. John published Lifting the Burdens of Falsehood and Deceit: Open Letters on 9/11 to the Attorneys General of the USA Michael B. Mukasey and Eric H. Holder, Jr. in August 2018.
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Roger Schwall and Patrick O’Brien
1968 John Sterling, editor-in-chief of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, will be a featured speaker at the 17th Annual Congress of International Drug Discovery Science and Technology in Kyoto, Japan, in July 2019. He was recently elected unanimously to the City College of New York (CCNY) Athletic Hall of Fame as the goaltender of the college’s ice hockey team from 1969-1972. 1969 Leonard Alfano still lives on Staten Island. In 2001, he retired from JPMorgan Chase after 27 years of service. He then worked for the Chrysler Corporation for two years, followed by one year with CUNY, then moved to the New York City Department of Education in 2004, where he is still employed. Rafael Martinez recently became involved in a new craft brewery in Miami. “Our son-in-law and head brewer, Erik Durr, opened Beat Culture Breweries near Miami’s International Airport,” he writes. “Come visit and enjoy the new artisanal brews and full kitchen.” COL Casey Rogers, MD, USAR and his wife, Sylvia, live in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Rogers works for the Department of Veterans Affairs as an ophthalmologist. He is celebrating his 46th year with the Army. “I was Commander of the only Army Reserve Hospital in the Pacific Region from 2011-2014, and now serve as the Command Surgeon for the Army Reserve Command in the Pacific Region, which extends from
Celebrate Xavier Scholarship Gala April 12, 2019 Philadelphia Area Reception April 24, 2019 Golden Knights Luncheon May 3, 2019 5th through 25th Reunions May 3, 2019 30th through 45th, 55th and 60th Reunions May 4, 2019 50th Reunion Weekend May 17-18, 2019 Graduation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral June 13, 2019
(Watch live at saintpatrickscathedral.org/live)
Xavier Knight at the Cyclones June 17, 2019 Belmar Reception July 25, 2019 Rockaway Reception July 30, 2019 Quogue Reception August 22, 2019 Summer Sunset at Xavier August 28, 2019 For the latest event updates, visit xavierhs.org/events.
XAVIER MAGAZINE 29
Beefsteak Dinner
Xavier High School • January 12, 2019
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1. Sean Hynes ’07, Michael Erickson ’08, Assistant Athletic Director Dominic DeFalco ’10, and Greg Voigt ’09. 2. Timothy Feeney ’99, Matthew Donahue ’99, and Ryan McNamara ’99. 3. Members of the Class of 1984. 4. Members of the Class of 1975. 5. Jim Cuddihy ’60 P’85 ’86, Colin Capello ’60, and Dr. Doug Fraser ’60. 6. Andrew Mihalick ’66, Peter Castiglio ’66, former President Jim Keenan, S.J., and Mike Sheehan ’66. 7. Paul Maloney ’14, Samuel Rodriguez ’14, Chris Cole ’14, Joe Moran ’14, and John Cappabianca ’14. 8. Director of Alumni Relations Zane Massey ’96 P’22, Nestor Morillo ’00, and Sanjay LaForest ’00.
CLASS NOTES
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Bob and Maureen Reinhart
Alaska to Guam to Korea,” he writes. “We enjoyed visiting with Francis Ribaudo and his wife a few years ago and would love to hear from any classmates who are passing through. I can be reached at candsrogers@ gmail.com.” Religion department chair Bob Reinhart P’94 ’99 and his wife, Maureen Reinhart P’94 ’99, assistant to Xavier’s Dean of Students, are excited to announce that they will be retiring from Xavier at the end of this academic year. Maureen began working at Xavier in 1995, and Bob joined her at his alma mater the following year. The Reinharts plan to travel and spend more time with their grandchildren and each other. 1970 John Molino is happy to announce the publication of his suspense novel, Murder Gets Even. It is available in print and as an e-book through Amazon. 1971 Charles Clausing lives in Brunswick, Ohio. He writes that his fourth grandchild is expected in June 2019. His other grandchildren are Charles William IV, 17, who will enter The Ohio State University this fall as a freshman; Celeste Lynn, 10; and Michael Xavier, 17 months.
REGGIE OSSÉ ’82
Peter Hyzak
in Hempstead, Long Island. As the largest soup kitchen on Long Island, The Inn provides hot meals, showers, clothes, and non-perishable food for more than 2,000 guests each week. 1974 Dr. James Weatherall writes that his daughter, Dr. Kathleen Weatherall, is a second-year graduate resident veterinarian at Auburn University specializing in equine surgery. Dr. Weatherall and his wife, Dr. Cailin O’Connor, recently co-authored a book, The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread. 1975 Peter Hyzak is now the director of wine and spirits at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Naples, Florida. “I’ve turned a hobby into a career!” he writes. 1976 David M. Harrison serves as First Vice President - Investments for Wells Fargo Advisors in San Diego. He has been married to Jacqueline Quintanilla since 2012. Mike Riggin and his wife recently relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma from Dallas, Texas. “This is the fifth state I’ve lived in since leaving New York City in 1987,” he writes. “I’ve always found change to be exciting.”
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Don “Duck” Lindsay has been volunteering at The Mary Brennan Inn
Entertainment lawyer Bob Celestin visited with Xavier students in
Attorney and broadcast personality Reggie Ossé ’82 died in December 2017 at age 53. He was a graduate of Cornell University and the Georgetown University Law Center who worked as a lawyer at Def Jam during the infancy of hip-hop. Ossé later went on to host the popular Combat Jack Radio Show podcast. Ray Lustig ’92 recently remembered Ossé in an email to Xavier Magazine: “Reggie was a few years ahead of me, so I never knew him. But my wife came home from work at the hospital one day talking about this fascinating patient of hers, unfortunately on hospice, who told her he had gone to Xavier, breaking the ice on some rich conversations that would take place between them over the next few weeks before he passed. Hugely involved with the hip-hop world, he became a fixture on the hip-hop scene representing many major artists. And then he created a very successful podcast, The Combat Jack Radio Show, that dealt with all the highs and lows of hip-hop, artists’ lives, and what we can learn about our society from artists in that world. So both my wife and I started checking out his podcast and were soon hooked. Reggie was at once eloquent and wise, and also completely, disarmingly flexible and funny with his huge variety of guests, ranging from hip-hop stars from the toughest backgrounds to Ivy League professors to mainstream media moguls. Some of it is tough to hear, but I was amazed by the wisdom he pulled out of people of such a range of backgrounds. Like therapy sessions, but also hilarious. One of his most riveting episodes is a two-hour talk with Raymond Santa, one of the Central Park Five. The Central Park case was going on while I was at Xavier, and the world was bloodthirsty to punish someone for that awful crime. Overzealous, or perhaps over-pressured, prosecutors used unscrupulous tactics to coerce false confessions from five teenage boys, and they would spend decades in prison before another man would confess that he had been the sole attacker. For a white kid from suburban Queens with very little exposure to hip-hop and the parts of society it comes from, Reggie’s work truly opened my eyes and mind to a world that has had so much to do just to survive, literally, until the next day. My eyes can start to trace the roots back through centuries of psychologically crippling injustice. Like Ignác Semmelweis did in medicine, Reggie helped remove layers of blindness for me, awakening me like never before to the needs of our society, our common humanity, and to inexhaustible hope. A very amazing Xavier alum who sadly left us far too soon.”
XAVIER MAGAZINE 31
President’s Dinner
’79
New York Athletic Club • September 26, 2018
1.
2.
3.
5.
4. 1. Former Presidents Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59 and Jim Keenan, S.J., USA Northeast Provincial John Cecero, S.J., Vin Biagi, S.J. ’67, Tom Feely, S.J., Jim Hederman, S.J., and Dan Fitzpatrick, S.J. (seated). 2. Bill Boyan ’45 and his wife, Tia. 3. Carol and Robert Reilly ’55 (standing) with Nancy O’Brien, Phyllis McCauley, and Dr. Thomas O’Brien ’49. 4. Patrick Yuen ’70, John McGroarty ’70, Kevin Toner ’70, and Robert Bennett ’70. 5. Danielle and Bill Kelly ’91 with Jim Keenan, S.J. 6. Ken Nolan ’65 and his wife, Christine. 6. 32 XAVIER MAGAZINE
CLASS NOTES
’85
’85
’86
Michael Egan
Richard Godfrey
Thomas Gerbasi
’90
Jayce Bartok, left, with Michael Weatherly in Bull
’95
February as part of an AfricanAmerican Culture Club event about workplace discrimination. 1979 Eduardo Sarduy currently works for Connections CSP in Georgetown, Delaware. 1981 After 35 years living in the Boston area, Andrew Catalan and his family have relocated back to the New York area. Catalan lives in Rumson, New Jersey, and works as a senior portfolio manager for institutional pension funds at Insight Investment.
Chocolate Shop at Max Brenner, Union Square. “Some of the current Sons of Xavier are probably aware of us because the express buses stop there,” he writes. “Come in and say hello.” 1986 Thomas Gerbasi finished his first marathon in New York City last November 4 at the age of 50. 1987
Christopher Nolan and his family moved to Healdsburg, California, in September 2018.
Stephan Silich had his first book of collected poems, the silence between what i think and what i say, published by the Brooklyn Writers Press. It was released on December 26, 2018 and is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and in bookstores. This is the first in a series to be published.
1985
1988
1984
Michael Egan retired in November 2018 after nearly 30 years in federal law enforcement working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the United States Marshals Service. Former USA Rugby Men’s Eagles head coach Mike Tolkin now serves as head coach for Rugby United New York, a member of Major League Rugby and the city’s first professional rugby team. Tolkin’s roster of players includes Mike Petri ’02, Chris Mattina ’11, and Jimmy Wolfer ’13. Richard Godfrey was recently promoted to supervisor at The
Brendan Concannon is an award-winning celebrity stylist, fashion editor, and creative director who has styled the likes of Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Liza Minnelli, Willem Defoe, Dennis Hopper, Cyndi Lauper, Annie Lennox, and Glenn Close. Known as “Cannon,” the Canisius College grad runs the Cannon Media Group. He has contributed to multiple publications and styled large casts for every major network. 1990 Jayce Bartok recently played the role of Detective Hildebrandt in Central Park Five, a Netflix minise-
ries directed by Ava DuVernay that will premiere in May. “Based on a true story that gripped the country, the limited series will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color who were convicted of a rape they did not commit,” Bartok writes. He also recently produced Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story, currently available on Hulu, iTunes, and Amazon. The Los Angeles Times hailed the film as a “rich, deeply dimensional documentary.”
Malik Benjamin
Last September, Francis Creighton successfully hosted a global conference in Delhi, India on the use of consumer data on behalf of his organization, the Consumer Data Industry Association. 1995 Malik Benjamin has been selected as an inaugural Roddenberry Foundation Fellow. Benjamin builds cross-sector, multi-stakeholder networks that implement radical, innovative solutions in the following industries: real estate development, higher education, creative arts, and design. Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek and presented us with a future in which collaborative efforts on behalf of humanity yielded great outcomes. Today the Roddenberry Foundation funds ideas and individuals who bring his vision into reality. Through the foundation, Benjamin builds cross-regional networks between place-based neighborhood development groups that revitalize communities of opportu
XAVIER MAGAZINE 33
’96
’97
Members of the Class of 1996 at a Rangers game
Members of the Class of 1997 at their annual Thanksgiving Eve dinner
’02
Gregory Barbaccia
’10
nity in post-industrial cities using climate- and economic-resilient strategies.
Sal Vitale was recently appointed president of the Staten Island Boys Youth Football League.
Dr. Marcelo Sánchez-Camus is an artist based in London. He is the founder of the Social Art Network, a group that is developing the world’s first Social Art Biennial. SánchezCamus’s passion is creating art in collaboration with community artists—site-responsive works that activate dialogue, interaction, visual impact, and community cohesion. Sánchez-Camus earned a BFA at the School of Visual Arts, a master’s degree in scenography from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and a Ph.D. in performing arts from Brunel University London.
Members of the Class of 1996 attended a New York Rangers game together on February 8.
1996
Chris Corrado
’11
Chris Chavez
34 XAVIER MAGAZINE
Jason Almonte has been promoted to special counsel with the Northeastern District Counsel’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Treasury Department (OCC). Almonte has also been elected president of Chapter 299 of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents OCC employees from Maine to South Carolina. Benjamin Damptey is finding success as a singer and songwriter. “A song I co-wrote with actress/activist Laverne Cox made it to the Billboard charts,” he writes. “In January 2019, I released my debut full-length album, LAX, under my stage name Benjamin Hey. LAX will be available in all digital stores.”
1997 Several members of the Class of 1997 got together for their annual Thanksgiving Eve dinner at Forlini’s, one of the last true remnants of Little Italy. Pictured left to right are Matt Frank, Larry Pettinato, Andrew Dory, Brian Allen, Alex Anastasiades, John Murillo, Andrew Mezzo, Jimmy Castello, Matt Dory, James Lucarelli, Anthony Saporito, Martin Tubridy, and Adam Lynch. (Keith Gallagher and John Kowalski attended but are not pictured.) 1999 While on his way home from work last November, NYPD Deputy Inspector Joseph Seminara rescued a woman trapped in a burning SUV on a Brooklyn highway. Various local news organizations noted Seminara’s heroism. “There is no on-duty, off-duty,” he told reporters. “When the bell rings, it’s time to go to work. So I just did what any one of my officers would have done.” 2000 Last November, Mike Benigno began working at Fordham University as director of marketing and communications at the Gabelli School of Business.
2002 Gregory Barbaccia was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, also known as Answer the Call, in December. Barbaccia is the executive leader of threat intelligence at a large American software company that specializes in big data analytics. He was inspired to enlist in the United States Army after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. After serving five years of active duty, he gained experience working with law enforcement and intelligence communities. Barbaccia was elevated to the Board of Directors after serving as a member of Answer the Call’s Junior Committee. 2003 Tom Leonard ran the New York Marathon in November. Kevin Pohlman has been appointed assistant professor of public health and assistant director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at New York Medical College, working with stakeholders primarily in healthcare, law enforcement, and emergency services. 2007 Last July, Seamus Campbell was elected chair of the Disability Issues Caucus of the Young Democrats of America. His nomination was seconded by Justin WestbrookLowery ’16.
CLASS NOTES
’08
Alumni Profile HARRISON ’17 AND FINN O’CALLAGHAN ’20
Andrés Cerpa
2008 Andrés Cerpa’s debut book of poems, Bicycle in a Ransacked City: An Elegy, was released from Alice James Books in January. A recipient of fellowships from the McDowell Colony and Canto Mundo, Cerpa’s work has appeared in Ploughshares, Poem-A-Day, The Kenyon Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, and elsewhere. He is a lecturer in creative writing at the College of Staten Island and poetry editor of Epiphany Magazine. On November 26, 2018, Kevin Keenan took the oath of office as a part of the 150th Foreign Service Specialist Class. He will embark on the next chapter of his life serving our country as a member of the Diplomatic Security Service. 2010 Christopher Corrado is a senior software engineer at Johnson & Johnson in Providence, Rhode Island. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in software engineering.
When Finnian O’Callaghan ’20 commuted to Xavier with his brother for the first time in 2016, he had no idea how closely he would follow in his footsteps. By the time of their first shared journey from White Plains, Harrison O’Callaghan ’17, then a senior, had already starred in several Xavier Dramatics Society productions and served as vice president of the group. Theater resonated with Harrison from the time he was in eighth grade. “I’d done a show or two in elementary school,” he recalled. “During eighth grade, I did a show at my school, and I was lucky enough to work in an environment with actors who were supportive.” He auditioned for a role in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying during his freshman year at Xavier and went on to appear in every XDS production during his years on 16th Street. By senior year, he had won a spot in the theater program at Northwestern University, where he is now a sophomore. As he began his high school years, Finn found himself lost in a way not uncommon to freshmen at any school. He was without an activity to call his own, and he was often literally lost within Xavier’s walls. “I got my schedule and the room number said OD5 or something, and I didn’t know where that was,” Finn recalled. “I asked Harrison to give me an audio map of the school because I didn’t know where anything was.” At first, Finn’s commute home differed from Harrison’s. While the elder O’Callaghan remained at school rehearsing for XDS productions, his younger brother rode the Metro-North alone, often getting home very early. “During freshman year, I didn’t really have an interest in doing shows, and I also wanted Harry to have his last year to be by himself. So I didn’t do anything first semester,” Finn said of his early days at Xavier. “During second semester, I found out about freshman rugby. I tried out, but I had never been exposed to such rigorous training, so I got tendonitis in my right foot.”
Then Finn heard about auditions for the freshman play. He ended up winning the lead. “The group was just so great,” he said. “I knew I was going to audition for the shows the next year.” Finn, like Harrison, has appeared in every XDS show since. “I was very impressed with how quickly he took to the stage. His chemistry with the other actors was fantastic,” Harrison said of Finn’s talent. “I was very pleasantly surprised to see how quickly he took to acting at Xavier when he hadn’t done anything like it beforehand.” Though his interest in theater came independently of Harrison’s, Finn can’t deny being inspired by his brother’s growth and talent. And while Finn plans to pursue a degree in marine biology in college, he enjoys watching Harrison make theater his chief pursuit. “It’s really nice to see him grow in this field,” he said. “I’ve seen him since the beginning, and now I see him as an incredible singer, great at improv, great with everyone he’s worked with, and just a really good actor.”
2011 Chris Chavez achieved his goal of running all six world marathon majors in early March when he completed the Tokyo Marathon. Chavez is a writer for Sports Illustrated.
HIRING SUMMER INTERNS? College-aged Sons of Xavier are looking for opportunities to gain knowledge and experience. Visit www.xavierhs.org/intern to let us know if you can host an intern.
XAVIER MAGAZINE 35
Hall of Fame Dinner
Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers October 26, 2018
1.
2.
4.
5. 3.
1. Anthony Manginelli and Steve Winter ’04. 2. Jack Raslowsky and the 2018 inductees: Steve Vincent ’75, Mike Ford ’63, Hon. Ed McLaughlin ’63, John Duffy ’78, Brian Moroney, LtGen John Toolan, USMC (Ret.) ’72, and John Connorton ’61. 3. Michael Baston ’90, Christopher Spencer ’90, Spanish teacher Vicente Vargas, Paul Scariano ’90 P’19 ’21 ’23, David Rivera ’90, Anthony Correia ’90, and Russell Newbold Araya ’90. 4. Mary and Bob Comer ’63. 5. Student speaker Amado Charles ’21 with Assistant Dean of Students Chris Pagnotta ’07. 6. James Beaudette ’19, Matthieu Forgeas ’20, Adam D’Souza ’20, Declan Coles ’19, Nicholas Keolamphu ’19, and James Owen ’19.
6. 36 XAVIER MAGAZINE
April 12, 2019 Gotham Hall
Tickets: www.xavierhs.org/gala19
XAVIER MAGAZINE 37
’13
’14 ’16
Tim Kelly in front of a crocheted installation at his art show
Liam and James Goldfarb Ellen Colwell and Mike Benigno ’00
’18
An art installation created by Justin Wong
2013
2018
After graduating from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a minor in visual arts, Tim Kelly completed a sixmonth art residency at AlterWork Studios, a multidisciplinary art studio in Astoria, Queens. The residency concluded in September 2018 with a solo exhibition at the studio. “My work featured acrylic paintings and crochet,” he writes. “Since then, I have been working part-time as a studio intern at AlterWork Studios.”
Justin Wong and his classmates in the BFA design department at the School of Visual Arts were invited to produce a holiday exhibition at Rockefeller Center. Under the creative direction of design legend and 3D designer Kevin O’Callaghan, they were given a brief that challenged them to design New York City-themed sleighs using existing vintage sleighs. “Selected as an art director for the project, I designed and constructed a Broadway-themed sleigh, inspired by my background in the theatre. In the short span of four weeks, I led a team of designers and developed my concepts into a life-size piece, complete with lights, velvet curtains, and a custom Playbill, courtesy of a collaboration with Playbill, Inc.,” Wong writes. “My work on Dashing Through New York involved hundreds of hours of design execution and construction, on both the Broadway sleigh and another beautiful piece that I worked on—the taxi sleigh, designed by two of my senior friends. The creative process was incredible, and I had such an amazing experience getting to work on something as major as this in my first semester. It was truly an honor seeing my work displayed in one of the most vibrant centers of New York City culture during the thrill of the holiday season.”
2014 Felipe Deihle was recently accepted into nursing school, but he decided to pursue a degree in neuroscience instead. “Xavier is always in my thoughts and prayers,” he writes. “AMDG.” James Goldfarb graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. His brother, Liam Goldfarb ’16, is now studying at Bates College. 2016 Peter Thomann is a junior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. He will intern at Compass, a real estate brokerage, this summer. He learned of the internship opportunity (offered by Mark O’Brien P’18) through the Xavier Internship Program.
Milestones ENGAGEMENTS Matthew Lyons ’96 is engaged to Jenny Greenberg. They plan to marry in June. WEDDINGS Burt Gregory Onza ’97 married Leah Morelewski in La Jolla, California, on May 5, 2018. On January 13, 2018, Mike Benigno ’00 and Ellen Colwell were married by Jim Keenan, S.J. at the Church of St. Francis Xavier. Groomsmen at the ceremony included Benigno’s longtime friends and fellow Xavier alums Loual Puliafito ’00 and Thomas Wierzbowski ’00. Associate Director of Admissions Billy Maloney ’01 married Ruth Bezverkhny on March 2 at Xavier.
Ruth Bezverkhny and Billy Maloney ’01
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CLASS NOTES
Alexander Perez ’12 and Michelle Ibarra Perez
Brendan Roche ’08 married Mary Dolan on June 23, 2018, at the Basilica of Regina Pacis. Former Xavier faculty member Robert O’Hare, S.J. officiated at the wedding, and the reception was held at the Harvard Club of New York. Many Xavier alumni were in attendance. Alexander Perez ’12 married Michelle Ibarra Perez on September 1, 2018. BIRTHS Bob Steeves ’64 welcomed his first great-granddaughter, Elena Romero, on September 13, 2018. David M. Harrison ’76 and his wife, Jacqueline, welcomed a son, David Joseph, on July 9, 2014.
Jacqueline, David Joseph, and David M. Harrison ’76
Matt Hickey ’94 and his wife, Brigitte, welcomed their second son, Anderson Pierre, on April 26, 2018. Edwin Marin ’94 and his wife welcomed their fourth child, Everett James, on November 20, 2018. David Chen ’95 and his wife welcomed a daughter, Zephyrine, in 2017. Matthew Frank ’97 and his wife, Tory, welcomed their second child, Matthew William, on September 21, 2018. Sixteenmonth-old Emma is enjoying her new role as big sister.
Edwin Marin ’94 with his family
Bridget Catherine on February 20, 2018. Jonathan Dianora ’03 and his wife, Kirby, welcomed a daughter, Madison Mae, on January 26. Kristopher Hughes ’03 and his wife, Veronica, welcomed a son, Hunter Babe Hughes, on October Anderson Hickey 27, 2018. Mark Montaruli ’03 and his wife, Melissa, welcomed their second child, Noah James Montaruli, on June 27, 2018. Tim McElroy ’06 and his wife, Kelly, welcomed a daughter, Nora Lynn, on December 18, 2018.
Tommy Smith ’01, his wife, Katie, and their son, Declan, welcomed Matthew Frank
Standing: Patrick Mahon ’04, Noel Roche P’08, John Giachetta '08, Steven Delianites ’08, Anthony Gochal ’08, Jonathan Havlicek ’09, Edward Lopez ’74, Thomas Reilly ’08, Andres Botero ’08, and Andrew Olsen ’08. Seated: Mary Dolan and Brendan Roche ’08.
Bridget Smith
XAVIER MAGAZINE 39
Remembering Renzo “I can think of no more apt descriptor of Renzo Ventrella than ‘luminous being.’ He brought light into the world: the light of laughter, and the light of joy. His art illuminated and captured the world around him. He was a passionate educator, a loyal colleague, a trusted friend, and a devoted father. … There is no denying that we are diminished without Renzo; he was good at bringing out the best in each of us. He had a way of bringing laughter and cheer into a room without barely trying. How many other people in the world could do a perfect imitation of Darth Vader while wearing a Santa Claus suit? I only know of one. We will miss his big, bold laugh, his quick wit, and his energy. But most of all we will miss him, a man who taught us that life was meant to be approached grandly and lived joyfully. Renzo’s legacy is in each life he touched, and in the beautiful daughter that he gave the world. I know that we will all mourn and grieve for him, but I hope that we all also embrace this legacy and live with joy.” - Michael LiVigni P’21
Beloved fine arts department chair Renzo Ventrella ’92† died suddenly on October 13. He was just 43. Ventrella is survived by his daughter, Eva; his parents, Maria and Renzo Ventrella P’92; his brother, Marco; and his girlfriend, Giovanna. In his short life, Ventrella touched thousands. A gifted artist and illustrator, he attended the School of Visual Arts and returned to teach at Xavier in 1997. He earned a master’s degree at CUNY Brooklyn and was awarded the Bene Merenti medal for 20 years of service in 2017. In more than two decades teaching at Xavier, he became a larger-than-life figure to faculty and students alike, emceeing Maroon and Blue Day and dressing as Santa Claus at Christmas at Xavier each year. During the week following Ventrella’s untimely passing, an art installation, Tribute, emerged in the 5L hallway outside his classroom. It remains there in his memory, with hundreds of messages written on colored Post-It notes adorning the walls and small decorated squares fluttering on ribbons hanging from the ceiling. Colleagues and friends also remembered Ventrella at Masses held in his memory. Here are some of their words:
40 XAVIER MAGAZINE
“Mention Renzo’s name and you will hear a story, and that story will usually entail some act of kindness, generosity in its larger forms, something outrageous, something hilarious, something uproarious. I even heard that very occasionally it might be something just a bit off-color. Wherever and whenever Renzo was present, one would always hear laughter at high volume. … I can’t begin to tell you that all the stories I heard about Renzo this past week kept bringing to mind the words of Jesus that Matthew records in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” - Louis Garaventa, S.J. “Renzo started out as a skinny, quiet kid. He ended up as a bigger-than-life, talented, joyful, sensitive, sometimes cranky, always kind, insightful philosopher. A natural comedian. Everyone loved him. He loved them back, and he let them know it. As a matter of fact, most important in his life were the people he loved. He constantly talked about his parents, brother, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, nonnas, friends, his beloved daughter Eva Maria, and his love, Giovanna. … In his brief 43 years, Renzo managed to touch more lives than he would know. Those of us who knew him were transformed for a moment by his magnetic, majestic personality, and I am humbled and inspired by his ability to touch people in that way. Renzo was the roguish Hans Solo cynic, the reluctant hero—but a hero to many nonetheless. He had a brief life, but he lived every moment of it.” - Denise Iacovone
After hearing of Ventrella’s passing, his former student, Tony Artiga ’06, created this memorial illustration. “Renzo affected my life in a way few teachers have,” Artiga said. “I am so lucky that I got to know him as a mentor and more importantly, as a friend. I miss you, Mr. V. Thank you. For everything.”
XAVIER MAGAZINE 41
DR. GEORGE KAFTAN ’45 Dr. George Kaftan, the legendary Holy Cross basketball player turned dentist, died in New Jersey on October 6, 2018. He was 90 years old. A native of Washington Heights, he was the son of the late Angelo and Esther Kaftan. After picking up basketball as a junior at Xavier, he went on to lead the College of the Holy Cross to the 1947 NCAA basketball championship. He scored 18 points in the Crusaders’ victory over Oklahoma, cementing his place in Holy Cross history and earning NCAA MVP honors. A two-time All-American, “the Golden Greek” had a successful career in the NBA, playing for the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, and the Baltimore Bullets. Kaftan retired from professional basketball in 1953 and enrolled in the Georgetown University School of Dentistry. He later worked at the Dental Clinic at Mitchell Air Force Base on Long Island and coached the base’s basketball team to victory in the Worldwide Air Force Tournament. Later, he coached the Long Island UniversityC.W. Post basketball team and served as professor of anatomy and physiology. He was inducted into the Xavier Hall of Fame in 1972. Kaftan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Helen; his three daughters, Esta, Evelyn, and Georgette; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
in memoriam
ALUMNI Vincent Winsch ’36, 8/12/18 James Slattery ’43, 1/5/19 Dr. George Kaftan ’45, 10/6/18 William J. McGarry, S.J. ’45, 12/29/18 Robert Henkler ’46, 4/16/18 Thomas F. O’Donnell ’46, 9/3/18 Dr. James B. Tormey ’46, brother of Dr. Robert E. Tormey ’50† and father-in-law of Steven Vincent, Esq. ’75, 1/26/19 Dave Anderson ’47 P’72, father of Stephen Anderson ’72 and Mark Anderson P’05 and grandfather of David Anderson ’05, 10/4/18 James Arnold ’47, 12/21/18 Hon. Robert Stolarik ’47, brother of John Stolarik ’45†, 9/26/18 Stephen Conti ’49, 9/12/18 42 XAVIER MAGAZINE
Dr. Enrico DeMaio ’51, 10/30/18 James Pavis ’51, 8/4/17 Francis Morris ’51, brother of Joseph Morris ’47, 2/17/19 Francis Rienzo ’51, 11/3/18 Ramon A. Salomone, S.J. ’51, 8/25/18 Joseph Wolfe ’52, brother of Edward Wolfe ’38†, 11/26/18 John Kennedy ’53, 8/30/18 Edward McCarthy ’54, 11/4/18 Lawrence Pugh ’54, 1/20/19 Peter Devers ’56, 11/14/18 August Vrondis ’56, 10/31/18 Walter Blair ’58, 12/24/18 Dr. William J. Gartland, Jr. ’58, 7/17/18 John Gillen ’58, 11/13/18 Thomas Brino ’59, 1/9/19 Robert Forlizzo, Esq. ’59, 9/19/18
WILLIAM McGARRY, S.J. ‘45 Bill McGarry, S.J., former president of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia, died in the Philippines on December 29, 2018. He was 90 years old. Born in Brooklyn to William and Irene McGarry, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at St. Andrew-on-Hudson on August 14, 1945. Fifteen years of study and formation in Poughkeepsie, St. Louis, Loyola School (where he did his Regency), Woodstock, Maryland, and Auriesville, New York, followed. In 1960, McGarry was missioned to Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, where he remained for 20 years. He believed strongly in appreciating the culture and people surrounding him, attaining native fluency in the Pohnpeian language and a deep knowledge of Micronesian history. In 1967, he translated the Bible into Pohnpeian. In 1980, he was sent to the Philippines, where he coordinated the cooperation of Jesuits throughout the region as president of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia. That work took him to Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia. From 1986 to 2001, he completed various missions in the Philippines and Micronesia. His final years were spent in Manila. Despite pulmonary ailments, he continued his pastoral ministry, particularly spiritual direction and conversation, well into his 80s. He was an avid reader of Xavier Magazine. He discussed each edition with Joe Roche, S.J. ’45 and Tom O’Gorman, S.J. ’50, his neighbors in Manila. McGarry is survived by his nieces, Maria Dominguez and Elizabeth Sterne.
Casimiro Giampaolo ’60, 6/25/18 Rick Cumming ’61, brother of Lou Cumming ’56, 10/2/18 Jaroslaw P. Karpinsky ’61, 2/5/17 Peter Roux ’61, brother of Frank Roux ’60, 9/16/18 Paul Cain ’62, brother of William Cain, S.J. ’65, 8/25/18 Dr. Charles Reilly, Jr. ’64, 6/16/18 Robert Quinn ’72, brother of J. Brian Quinn ’68, 2/12/19 Gilbert Krauland ’82, brother of Konrad Krauland ’78 and Elmer Krauland ’80, 2/3/19 Renzo Ventrella ’92, 10/13/18 Carl Rentrop ’13, brother of Glenn Rentrop ’13, 4/5/18 PARENTS Johanna Tucciarone P’60, mother of Richard Tucciarone ’60, 11/1/18
Rita Maher P’62, mother of James Maher ’62†, 7/18/16 Eileen Grubb P’62 ’73 ’77, mother of William Grubb ’62, Kerry Grubb ’73, and Gary Grubb ’77, 8/3/18 Marie Porter P’63, mother of William Porter ’63, 8/3/18 Gloria Brown P’70, mother of Charlie Brown ’70, 1/2/19 Betty Ann O’Brien P’73 ’74 ’77, mother of Raymond O’Brien ’73, Christopher O’Brien ’74, and Dennis O’Brien ’77, 12/6/18 Eileen Cimperman P’77, mother of F. Mark Cimperman ’77 P’10 and grandmother of Christopher Cimperman ’10, 9/24/18 James Moore P’78, father of James Moore ’78, 8/16/18
CLASS NOTES
DAVE ANDERSON ’47 P’72 Dave Anderson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times sportswriter, died in New Jersey on October 4, 2018. He was 89 years old. Anderson was born in Troy, New York, the only child of Robert and Josephine Anderson. At age 9, he and his parents moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He began his journalism career writing for the Xavier Review and later became the sports editor of the newspaper at the College of the Holy Cross. At age 16, he got his first newsroom job at The New York Sun. A sports columnist for The New York Times for more than three decades, Anderson won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for commentary—an award rarely bestowed on a sportswriter. He also received the Associated Press Sports Editors’ Red Smith Award in 1994 for major contributions to sports journalism. He is especially remembered for covering golf, boxing, football, and baseball. He retired from full-time column writing in 2007 and contributed columns to The New York Times after that on a part-time basis. He was a member of the Xavier Hall of Fame. Anderson was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Maureen, and is survived by his children, Stephen ’72, Mark P’05, Jo, and Jean-Marie; his grandchildren, Matthew, David ’05, and Christine; and one great-grandson.
RAMON SALOMONE, S.J. Ray Salomone, S.J., 84, died in the Bronx on August 25, 2018. A Brooklyn native, he was the son of Dominick and Marie Salomone. Salomone entered the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew-on-Hudson on August 14, 1951. He studied philosophy at Spring Hill College, taught chemistry and mathematics at Fordham Prep, and earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Fordham University in 1963. As a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellow, he studied chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then taught the subject at Canisius College and Le Moyne College. In 1964, he took a star turn when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show playing the bass violin alongside The Woodstock Jesuit Singers. Salomone was missioned to Africa in 1989, serving as Director of Jesuit Novices from 1990-96 and Regional Superior of what was then the Nigeria-Ghana region from 1990-2004. He is remembered as a brilliant administrator, deftly navigating political and business corruption, terrorism, poverty, and weak infrastructure—all the while doing chores like shopping, cutting the grass, and raising a garden. He returned to New York in 2004 to serve as provincial assistant for international apostolates. He spent his final years at Murray-Weigel Hall, where he continued his love of music as a member of the house choir. Salomone is survived by his sister, Angela Jannuzzi, seven nieces and nephews, and their children.
John Altmiller P’84 ’85, father of John Altmiller ’84 and Brian Altmiller ’85, 1/16/19 Juan Franco P’85, father of Lidelfo Franco ’85, 6/17/18 Louise O’Callaghan P’87, mother of Edward O’Callaghan ’87 P’17 ’20 and grandmother of Harrison O’Callaghan ’17 and Finnian O’Callaghan ’20, 2/27/19 Matija Jankovic P’88, father of Lou Jankovic ’88 P’22 and grandfather of Matthew Jankovic ’22, 11/23/18 Patrick Steffens, Sr. P’88 ’93, father of Patrick Steffens ’88 P’11 ’12 ’16 ’20 and Daniel Steffens ’93 and grandfather of Patrick Steffens ’11, Timothy Steffens ’12, Martin Steffens ’16, and Gregory Steffens ’20, 12/10/18
Gregory Stelzer P’11 ’13, father of Gregory Stelzer ’11 and Kyle Stelzer ’13, 12/30/18 Qadriyyah Wade P’19, mother of Brion Wade ’19, 10/3/18 Ronald Pierre P’20, father of Israel Pierre ’20, 12/27/18 Francine LaBarbara P’21, mother of Andrew LaBarbara ’21, 12/11/18
Mary Dolan P’89, mother of Greg Dolan ’89 P’21 and grandmother of Daniel Dolan ’21, 12/18/18 Dr. Nicolo Scariano P’90, father of Paul Scariano ’90 P’19 ’21 ’23 and grandfather of Patrick Scariano ’19, Andrew Scariano ’21, and Matthew Scariano ’23, 1/1/19 Pamela O’Grady P’91, mother of Joseph O’Grady ’91, 10/1/18 Sharon Lynch P’97, mother of Adam Lynch ’97, 8/2/18 Ann P. Joost P’98, mother of George Joost ’98, 7/16/18 Rita Herbert P’03, mother of Patrick Herbert ’03, 3/1/19 Chester Hamrick P’04, father of Adam Hamrick ’04, 10/29/18 Edward Cullen P’05, father of Edward Cullen ’05, 1/2/19
SPOUSES Mary D’Angelo, wife of Dennis D’Angelo ’63, 7/18/18 Rose Delaney, wife of COL Mark Delaney, USAF (Ret.) ’53, 11/20/18 Judy Foye, wife of Dr. Gerry Foye ’56, 2/28/19 Elizabeth Linsky, wife of Martin Linsky ’57, 9/10/17
Jane Lydon, wife of Tom Lydon ’63 and sister of Jack Mahon ’63, 10/23/18 Mary Peatman, wife of Dr. John Fitzpatrick ’65, 12/10/17 Patricia Warga, wife of Tom Warga ’66, 6/3/18 FACULTY & FAMILY Yolanda Lee Ambriano, mother of Susan Cardosa, Special Assistant to Xavier’s President, 11/9/18 James Curry, S.J., former Xavier faculty member, 1/14/19 Richard Hoar, S.J., former Xavier faculty member, 2/22/19 Jay McNamee, former Xavier basketball coach and son-in-law of Jim Scott P’79 ’84†, 2/2/19
XAVIER MAGAZINE 43
BACK STORY
A New Golden Age By Bob Grimes, S.J. ’70
I
first heard of Xavier High School through my sisters who attended the Academy of the Holy Angels, then in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Each year the glee clubs of the two schools would combine for a great concert which I attended as an elementary school student, and I loved what I heard. I had no idea of the rich musical tradition of Xavier, which dated back to 1847 and the hire of William Bergé† as the first music instructor for the church and school. There was, indeed, a golden age of music at Xavier from its beginning in 1847 until about 1930. For example, in 1893 the dramatic troupe traveled to the Chicago
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World’s Fair to present their production of Plautus’ Two Captives with original music by one of the Jesuit faculty. Unfortunately, that musical tradition had grown a little rusty by the time I arrived as a freshman. I was disappointed to learn the glee club run by history teacher Joe Caruso† had just been disbanded. The band was undergoing major changes as the venerable Army musician, C.W.O. John Fisher†, was preparing to retire. A young trumpet player, John Devol, was hired to direct the band; Devol was also playing in the pit orchestra for Man of La Mancha on Broadway. He brought some excitement to what we were about—a real live Broadway musician! In one of my first weeks of school, the band members were taken out of class to head to City Hall to play at the awarding of the “Key to the City of New York” to the president of the Philippines. It was not long before I marched up Fifth Avenue for the Pulaski Day, von Steuben Day, and Columbus Day parades (on Columbus Day it was the whole school marching with both the band and Drum and Bugle Corps). This 14-year old from New Jersey was beginning to feel like a real New Yorker. Xavier’s music facilities were rather primitive, buried in the basement of the Church. Course offerings in music were non-existent. We did what we could. A halftime show at the Turkey Bowl on Fordham’s Jack Coffey Field (I’m still a bit embarrassed to remember when we formed a question mark, dotted by our sousaphone player John Schaberg ’70, and played What Now My Love?). A Christmas concert on the steps of the parish church during rush hour. Antiphonal music across the church balconies for a student Mass. Welcoming Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters at children’s parties at Kennedy Airport
(three times in one day, but it helped the band budget break even). I later shared the duties of school bugler with classmates Bob Lake ’70 and Neil Ivory ’70 (who were far better trumpeters than I). And there was a fine clarinet player two years behind me by the name of Al Roker ’72. Even though music at Xavier was not very well organized in my time, I must have picked up something. Indeed, I learned more than I realized. I later went on to earn a Ph.D. in music and am now a university professor of music. Just being in Manhattan was a musical education in itself that I never would have wanted to have missed. Music is no longer confined to the deep, dark recesses off of Larkin Hall. Xavier has amazing space and facilities in the new Fernandez-Duminuco Hall—better spaces than I could ever have imagined Xavier having for music, even in the 21st century. Quite frankly, the school is better equipped than the studios in my own university. Xavier’s young, creative minds bring them to life, guided by musicians who follow in the footsteps of past devoted music teachers, such as Bergé, Fisher, and Devol— and I am sure many others of whom I am unaware. I love hearing Xavier alumni belt out “Sons of Xavier,” but there is much more music for our alma mater to make. There is every reason to believe that a second golden age of music will emerge at Xavier in the coming years. Bob Grimes, S.J. is university professor of music at Fordham University and the former Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center. He is a graduate of Fordham, Manhattanville College, the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his doctorate in music. He has been a Jesuit for 47 years.
1989 FROM THE ARCHIVES Xavier Hall of Famer Brian Moroney, left, co-founder of the fine arts department, will long be remembered for introducing students to the performing arts. For most of the 43 years he taught on 16th Street, he took more than 1,000 students to productions at such venerable institutions as the Vivian Beaumont Theater, the Met, and Carnegie Hall. Near the end of the 1980s, Moroney and his students met the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, right, after one of his concerts. Bernstein spoke to each student, asking him what his life goals were, spending more than an hour with the group. He became such a friend of Xavier (and of Brian Moroney) that he invited Xavier students to every concert he conducted until his passing in October 1990.
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Remembering Renzo A tribute to late fine arts department chair Renzo Ventrella ’92 Read more on page
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