Xavier Annual Report: 2020-21

XAVIER Annual Report 2020-21

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21

Jack Raslowsky P’16

President

Kim Smith

Headmaster Mark Mongelluzzo, Esq. P’25

Vice President for Development Shawna Gallagher Vega, APR

Director of Communications Editor, Xavier Annual Report Contributors

Jeanette Alvarez Nick Barone ’16 Ralph Dinielli Kaitlyn Flanagan Eric Krebs ’17 Shane Lavin ’03 Jill Mongelluzzo P’25 Maggie Murphy Stockson Claudia Tierney P’20 Mark Wyville

Photographer

Michael Marmora

Design

Erbach Communications Group

How to Reach Us

Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011 Email: news@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

A quiet moment in the Colonel Donald G. Cook, USMC ’52 Library of the Sons of Xavier Center, which was made possible by a capital gift made by Jim Haybyrne ’62 and his wife, Penny.

MIX Paper from responsible sources

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2.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

4.

GIVING NEWS

8. PROFILES OF GENEROSITY 20.

FINANCIALS

25.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

26. WHY I GIVE

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M E S S AG E F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

Keeping Xavier Vibrant and Strong Dear Parents, Friends and Sons of Xavier: Greetings from 16th Street. I am writing this letter on Gaudete Sunday, the mid-point of Advent. It is a beautiful day. It is in so many ways a perfect day for me to write. The shining sun, the blue skies and the cool breeze all speak to the hope of the season.

The Advent readings today anchor us in hope, in the goodness of God among us. Zephaniah tells us with confidence, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty Savior…” Not only is he in our midst, he “rejoices over us with gladness, renews us in his love and sings joyfully because of us,” each and every one of us.

This is a message I am happy to hear today, and every day. (You are likely reading this in February, in the midst of winter. It is a welcome winter message, too.) It is a message that we have worked to make real at Xavier since Fr. John Larkin, S.J. began this good work on Walker and Elizabeth Streets nearly 175 years ago. The “we” who work to make real the message of God’s love at Xavier is us, and always has been: parents, teachers, students, alumni, friends, Jesuits, and other religious. This message has been made real by our work, our gifts, our prayers, and our holy desires through the years. I have the privilege once again, on behalf of all of us, of saying thank you to each and every one of you for your part in our collective work.

Gratitude has the power to transform people and institutions. Many— dare I say most or even all—of the gifts recognized in this Annual Report

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are gifts of gratitude for the gift of Xavier. One gift begets another. In the gift and the gratitude for that gift there is always an invitation to respond to goodness in goodness.

Isn’t that the gospel message? God’s goodness brought us into being.

God’s love sustains us, and we, as best we can, like John the Baptist in today’s Gospel, “exhort one another in many other ways” and hopefully, in word and deed, “preach good news to the people.”

The Colonel Donald G. Cook, USMC ’52 Library of the Sons of Xavier Center greets you on the cover of this report. It is a wonderfully apt cover. The spirit of the room (you can actually feel it when you are there) is the spirit of Xavier: a spirit of gratitude, love, fraternity, and memory.

It speaks to our history—a history that invites you boldly into the future, a future of service, scholarship, generosity, and gratitude. As we thank you in this report and mark our 175th anniversary year, we invite you into that future of service, scholarship, generosity, and gratitude. We hope you can boldly accompany one another in preaching the good news to the people.

“Gratitude has the power to transform people and institutions. Many—dare I say most or even all—of the gifts recognized in this Annual Report are gifts of gratitude for the gift of Xavier.”

I’m grateful to Michael Flynn ’14, Jim ’62 and Penny Lii Haybyrne, Robert and Elizabeth Rohn Jeffe, Tom Lamberti ’48, Luke and Nancy La Valle P’98, Mike and Carolyn Nicholson P’14 ’16, and Tom ’80 and Nancy Maher for helping us to tell the story of Xavier in this Annual Report. Their goodness and generosity represent the goodness and generosity of the thousands listed in these pages.

As we continue through the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it presents, your financial support, your service as volunteers, your prayers, and your good wishes for Xavier strengthen and sustain the

work. You are responsible for our success. Thank you.

One of our hopes for our 175th anniversary year is to continue strengthening support for Xavier. Your support makes excellence at Xavier, in the classroom and out, a reality. It opens the doors to students who need financial support. It gives us resources to respond to families in need and it allows us to actively engage the community at large.

If you have given to Xavier in the past year, thank you. Please continue to do so. Consistent yearly giving is the foundation of the Annual Fund. And if you have been giving, please invite your classmates, friends and family to join you in your support of Xavier.

Your encouragement to them is but another gift to us.

If you did not give last year, please consider giving this year. Please visit xavierhs.org/give or find us on Venmo (@XavierHS) now and make a gift that makes sense for you. In this anniversary year, it may be a first gift of $17.50, or a gift of $175, or for some a gift of $1,750 or beyond.

Every gift from $5 to $5,000 and beyond is a sign of solidarity with Xavier, her work and her mission. If we can make giving easier for you in some way, please call Shane Lavin ’03, our Director of Annual Giving and Advancement Services, at 212-337-7611.

Finally, if there is a particular reason you are not giving, we really would like to speak about it. Please feel free to call me at any time; my direct line is 212-337-7538. Please feel free to reach out to any member of the advancement staff as well—Mark Mongelluzzo P’25, Fr. Dennis Baker, S.J., Maggie Murphy Stockson, Shane Lavin, or Zane Massey ’96 P’22. All can be reached through the switchboard at 212-924-7900. Press 0 to be connected to our switchboard operator and receptionist, Carmela Barbieri P’10. She will happily connect you to any member of the staff.

Let me close where I began, with our Advent readings of Gaudete Sunday: May our “strength and courage be the Lord.” May our strength and courage indeed be the Lord, so we together keep Xavier vibrant and strong.

I hope to see you during our 175th anniversary celebrations. Be assured of my prayers.

Sincerely, Jack Raslowsky President

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GIVING

GIVING NEWS

BY THE NUMBERS

Giving News Despite the myriad challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Sons, parents, and friends of Xavier supported 16th Street with deep generosity throughout the 2020-21 fiscal year, making it one of the top five fundraising years on record. Graduate parent giving participation soared, with a record number of past parents joining the President’s Council (donors who give $1,500 and above) and continuing to support Xavier beyond their sons’ high school years.

While the Rams eked out a victory in the Virtual Turkey Bowl in 2020, Xavier triumphed over Fordham Prep in that year’s Turkey Bowl Giving Challenge, 410-373. Each year, the challenge pits young alumni from each school in a competition to gain the most donors.

In March 2021, the 10th Annual Celebrate Xavier Scholarship Gala returned in a virtual format for the second straight year, raising $370,000 for student scholarships. NBC New York anchor Michael Gargiulo ’77 served as emcee for the virtual gala, which was broadcast from Keenan Commons and watched live by hundreds of viewers.

A record 29 sponsors supported the event financially, with part of their donations funding New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity.

In February 2021, Xavier received an $850,000 gift from the estate of Otto Heil ’66†, who passed away in April 2020.

The son of Martha and Otto Heil P’66, immigrants from what was then Czechoslovakia, he grew up in Manhattan and fully immersed himself in Xavier life, playing sports and participating in numerous 4

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Otto Heil ’66†

student activities.

He went on to great success in the banking and financial services industries—and he remained grateful for his education on 16th Street and the lifelong friendships he forged there.

Ronald Rivera ’66 P’90 ’96 met Heil in their homeroom, Class 1G, in 1962.

They spoke at least weekly—discussing everything from family to baseball— until Heil’s passing.

“He was a big part of my family throughout the years,” Rivera said.

“He was at baptisms, weddings, unfortunately some funerals as well.

To me, it was a blessing to have Otto as a friend.”

Rivera noted that Heil didn’t have siblings, so he appreciated the family he was able to create at Xavier. Heil visited and vacationed with Rivera over the years, and once, he even visited Rivera’s father in Puerto Rico. “If you knew Otto, you knew him for life,” Rivera said.

Heil was a member of the Larkin Legacy Society, which recognizes individuals who have remembered Xavier in their estate plans. He gave generously to 16th Street for more than three decades and established a scholarship in memory of his parents—but he never shared his plans to make such a substantial estate gift with his friends.

“That’s not who he was,” Rivera said.

“Whatever he did, it was under the radar.

He was so generous.”

1,067 STUDENTS BENEFITED FROM THE XAVIER ANNUAL FUND

460 $4.7

STUDENTS RECEIVED

MILLION

IN FINANCIAL AID

THE CELEBRATE XAVIER SCHOLARSHIP GALA RAISED THE EQUIVALENT OF

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FULL SCHOLARSHIPS

XAVIER RECEIVED

$1.52 MILLION IN ESTATE GIFTS

Fulfilling A Father’s Wishes

By MARK MONGELLUZZO P’25

Robert A. and Elizabeth Rohn Jeffe Growing up in Forest Hills and Manhattan, Elizabeth “Liz” Rohn Jeffe was always aware of Xavier and the Jesuits. Her father, Francis X. Rohn ’34†, made it clear from the company he kept, the stories he told, the values he held, the faith that sustained him—even the name that was given him—that Xavier and the Jesuits had a profound impact upon him. He met Jack Galbraith ’35 P’61† (father of the retired teacher, coach, and administrator of the same name) commuting together from Queens. The two became lifelong friends and both families socialized regularly; Jack often played the piano at parties and everyone joined in song. It was Frank’s membership in the Sons of Xavier alumni group that brought Joseph Latella, S.J.† into the life of the Rohn family. Fr. Latella became an integral part of their lives and a spiritual guide. When Liz married Robert “Bob” Jeffe in 1976, Fr. Latella officiated.

Francis Xavier Rohn was born in Brooklyn and raised in Woodhaven, the son of Emma Gallagher and George Rohn, a supervisor at New York Telephone. He was the middle child between Edward ’29† and sister Emma. When Frank was 16, his father died. He nonetheless was able to complete his Xavier education despite financial need, something for which he was forever grateful to the Jesuits. Determined to pursue higher education, Frank attended Fordham University at night, earning his bachelor’s degree in just four years, and then Fordham Law School, earning his law degree, all while working full-time during the day. During World War II, Frank served in combat on the aircraft carrier Hornet in the South Pacific; after the war he began practicing corporate tax law at The Equitable Life Assurance Society, where he remained for his entire career. He eventually became Vice President, Law and Associate Legal Counsel. He also maintained a private practice specializing in wills and estates.

Frank and his wife, Jo Cusick, were the devoted parents of three

daughters, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Jeannette. They enjoyed a happy life together until his death at the age of 66. Liz became a historian and writer, focusing on history journals for historical societies and museums. Her husband, Bob, enjoyed a successful career in investment banking that took him from Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse to GE and Deutsche Bank.

Not long before he passed away suddenly in February 1983 (the very year that Xavier formalized its Advancement Office and Annual Fund), Frank Rohn remarked to his family that he wanted to “give back” to Xavier through a scholarship for a deserving student in need of financial assistance, in recognition of the support of the Jesuits and the outstanding education he received. In 2015, Liz and Bob decided to fulfill Frank’s wishes by establishing the Francis X. Rohn ’34 Memorial Scholarship to provide financial aid to a deserving student who has proven himself a leader on campus in academics and co-curriculars. The Rohn Scholarship has been assigned its third student in the 2021-22 school term, and the Jeffes have been able to get to know each of these students personally, checking in a couple of times a year—even during the pandemic. This year’s recipient, Benicio Mancebo ’24, lives in Woodhaven, just 12 blocks from where Frank commuted 90 years ago.

In Fiscal Year 2021 the Jeffes made a further commitment to establish a second Rohn Scholarship that will be awarded to its first student starting in September 2022.

“What I hope these students come to know is that same passionate attachment to Xavier that sustained my father throughout his life,” Liz noted. “I hope they enjoy the pursuit of academic excellence with the accompanying spiritual and moral grounding and camaraderie that was so important to my father.”

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D IOVNI N G OG RN NEEW WSS

From the Archives 1853

One of the earliest known records of giving to Xavier, the left page of this 1853 log notes donations and income earned at a fair that May. The right page features expenditures for the school’s new facility on 16th Street.

1911

Before Xavier began recording and tracking donations in a database in the 1980s, school officials noted financial and other gifts in more informal ways. The College of St. Francis Xavier Book of Benefactors, which records gifts from 1866 through the 1950s, was one of those ways. Among the entries are dozens of 1895-96 donations to the “new school” and a record of a May 1911 estate gift from Ellen M. Hennessy, who bequeathed $1,000 for a scholarship to the high school to be named after her mother, Catherine Bradley, a $475 donation to the grammar school, and a $950 donation to the church.

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1961 & 1976

Why I Give

The Sons of Xavier Alumnews—an early precursor to Xavier Magazine—acted as a major driver for fundraising efforts. The spring 1961 issue shared news of a “firststage goal of $1.5 million” to support plans for a new classroom building, which opened in 1965; the February 1976 edition reported on alumni support of a fund appeal “starting with the class of 1897 and then running in an unbroken chain from 1910 through 1976.”

Michael Flynn ’14 Law Student, Seton Hall University School of Law

Late 1960s

A pledge card to be returned to Joseph Latella, S.J.† listed multiple options for giving. In addition to financial gifts, a note on the card reads, “Most important of all, please say a special daily prayer for the success of our Development Program. The multiplication of many individual prayers can form a veritable torrent of petition on our behalf before the throne of Almighty God.”

I give because I have received.

In many ways I still receive from Xavier, whether it be through the support from past teachers like Kristin Matroni or friends I made during my three years at Xavier. I am often thankful that I only had three years at Xavier. As a transfer student, I had the unique perspective to appreciate the opportunity that Xavier gives its young men—an opportunity that many other young men do not receive. I saw that the grass is in fact greener.

The green grass isn’t by chance; Xavier has cultivated it—for 175 years. The Xavier experience is one with rich soil that allows you to sink roots and steady yourself. Each student is given a chance to grow in their own spot, in their own way. I want current and future students to be able to grow and be given the care that I received while at Xavier.

I give to Xavier because Xavier as a community understands how important it is to foster this type of growth. This would not be a proper piece of writing for Xavier without a biblical reference; therefore, it is important to note that Xavier understands “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Xavier puts in countless hours so that at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the community can reap what it has so meticulously sowed for four years—men for others.

Once you leave Xavier, however, you do not stop drawing from that soil and anchoring yourself with those roots. There is no quicker way to connect than when you meet someone and you both say the words, “I went to Xavier.” There is an instant respect, connection, and credibility that accompanies those words, and when you say them, Xavier gives to you again. It does not matter if you are in New York, Boston, or Milan—if you are wearing a Xavier quarter-zip, someone will always stop you to ask, “In New York?” The reason it is recognized all over the world is because of what Xavier gives to the world—those men for others.

Why do I give to Xavier? I give because of all Xavier has given to me.

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PROFILES OF GENEROSITY

Perseverance& Achievement: THE SONS OF XAVIER CENTER OPENS

Penny Lii and Jim Haybyrne ’62

By SHAWNA GALLAGHER VEGA

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ore than four years after Jim Haybyrne ’62 first expressed a desire to make a special, lasting gift to Xavier at his 55th reunion—after four years of meticulous planning, careful renovation, and the colossal complications of a global pandemic—the Sons of Xavier Center in honor of Rev. John Courtney Murray, S.J. 1920, that special, lasting gift, was officially blessed and dedicated.

On September 15, 2021, the night of the dedication, Xavier seemed to come alive once again; alumni, students, and friends flooded the Church of St. Francis Xavier and then the Colonel Donald G. Cook, USMC ’52 Library, part of the Sons of Xavier Center. It was just the second major in-person event held on 16th Street since January 2020.

Those in attendance heard stories of Donald Cook’s courage and John Courtney Murray’s contributions to American Catholicism. They also heard about the deep, abiding generosity of Jim Haybyrne and Penny Lii Haybyrne.

“We now celebrate our 175th anniversary, and it seemed a wonderful way to tell that story —a place about Xavier.”

“This space stands as a testament to the vision of Jim Haybyrne ’62 and his wife, Penny Lii,” Xavier President Jack Raslowsky P’16 said that evening. “What was constant from the moment Jim, Penny, Mark, and I first spoke about this project was Jim’s belief in and commitment to this institution, Xavier. … Jim, I cannot thank you and Penny enough—yes, for this end result, but even more so for the care and commitment to Xavier, for staying the course, for the great contributions in word and deed to the common good of Xavier High School.”

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our years earlier, Raslowsky and Mark Mongelluzzo P’25, Xavier’s Vice President for Development, first walked the Haybyrnes through the spaces that would become the Sons of Xavier Center. Jim and Penny immediately saw the possibilities.

“From an architectural point of view, Penny and I loved the configuration of the space, in particular the Jesuit Library,” Jim said. “We also discussed the fact that within Xavier there was not a place dedicated to Xavier itself and its long history. We now celebrate our 175th anniversary, and it seemed a wonderful way to tell that story—a place about Xavier. And we also knew that there Annual Report 2020-21 9

PROFILES OF GENEROSITY

The Haybyrnes loved debating ideas and infused the Sons of Xavier Center with the principles of feng shui, reflecting the four themes of remembrance, learning, gratitude, and comfort. had to be wonderful stories of the people who were students here or who taught here, people from whom lessons could be learned and passed to future generations. We knew that a space that told stories about people and events is something that would last for a very long time.”

Jim and Penny brought significant restoration experience to the project, making their collaboration with Raslowsky, Mongelluzzo, and Margaret Kittinger and her team at Beyer Blinder Belle—veterans of Xavier’s Fernandez-Duminuco Hall construction and Student Chapel restoration—particularly fruitful. The Haybyrnes loved debating ideas and infused the Sons of Xavier Center with the principles of feng shui, 10

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reflecting the four themes of remembrance, learning, gratitude, and comfort.

“Over the years, Penny and I restored our home in Virginia, which was built in 1802 and has existed for every U.S. president except Washington and Adams—so it has a wonderful long history tied to the United States,” Jim explained. “As such, it has many wonderful stories to tell. After we purchased the property and renovated it, it was registered as a national historic trust and is now a protected property. We decided to not only restore the property itself but then to tell stories about people who had lived here since 1802.”

In order to preserve the histories of those people, including enslaved Americans, the Haybyrnes published a booklet, Within These Walls. It tells stories of Thomas Swann, a future governor of Maryland, who was born in the house; of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, who was a frequent visitor of its second owner, Henry Daingerfield; of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, who bought the house in 1899 and converted it into St. Mary’s Academy, a grammar and high school for young women.

“It was our love of architecture and history that led us to think that a similar gift could be given to Xavier,” Penny Haybyrne said.

Throughout the four-year project, she was particularly impressed by the tenor of debates about the space. “I’m in business, so I know when people have different opinions, they fight,” she said with a laugh.

“This project was very civilized. I’m guessing that’s part of the spirit and education at Xavier—to work with people in a very polite way. That impressed me. I think this project also shows that when you have a very good team, things just come out right.”

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oth Jim and Penny were inspired to honor Sons of Xavier and their families in large part due to the example and influence of their own families.

“When we discussed naming the space, we wanted to tell the story of Xavier through people who had been very successful and achievement-oriented yet had to overcome significant obstacles to accomplish things in their lives. We wanted that message because both Penny and I come from families who had to persevere to be successful,” Jim said. “In Penny’s case, her family suffered tremendously during the so-called Cultural Revolution in China. One of her aunts was beaten to death by the Marxist Red Guards for her political beliefs, and other members of the family were relegated to living for over 13 years in caves in China because of their Christian beliefs. To this day, before every

meal, a Christian song is sung, the same song the family learned in the caves decades before. Yet they persevered and succeeded against the odds.”

“In terms of perseverance, my family story was similar,” he continued. “My great-grandfather, Patrick Haybyrne, was an Irish patriot convicted of felony treason against the Crown for his efforts for Irish independence. He spent two years in hard labor at the infamous Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin before being released and making his way to the United States. It took him 12 years to get his legal citizenship and he became a proud American citizen, still yearning for yet never seeing a free Ireland. He died in 1900 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Long Island, on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. On Christmas Eve 2020, I was able to bring closure to his story when I became an Irish citizen.

I saw the free Ireland that he laid the foundation for but didn’t see.

Perseverance.”

The Haybyrnes made sure to honor their families in deeply personal ways in the Sons of Xavier Center. A plaque notes that the space is dedicated to Jim’s parents, Aloysius V. and Eileen M. Haybyrne P’60 ’62, and his brother, Bill Haybyrne ’60.

“I wanted to honor my parents because of the incredible hard work and sacrifice they made in order to send me and my brother, Bill, to

At the Sons of Xavier Center dedication in September 2021, Jim Haybyrne '62 and President Jack Raslowsky P'16 posed with Xavier cadets and other student leaders.

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PROFILES OF GENEROSITY

remarried a few years later and Penny was further raised by her mom and Hsiang Chun Yeh (Stephen), her stepfather. All three of her family are now honored as well.”

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hen they learned about Donald Cook and John Courtney Murray, Jim and Penny Haybyrne immediately felt connected to their perseverance and achievements, “hallmarks of a Xavier education.”

As a prisoner of war in Vietnam, Donald Cook’s strength and care for his fellow prisoners earned him lasting renown. He died in captivity at age 33. “Repeatedly assuming more than his share of responsibility for their health, Colonel Cook willingly and unselfishly put the interests of his comrades before that of his own well-being and, eventually, his life,” his posthumous Medal of Honor citation reads. “Giving more needy men his medicine and drug allowance while constantly nursing them, he risked infection from contagious diseases while in a rapidly deteriorating state of health. This unselfish and exemplary conduct, coupled with his refusal to stray even the slightest from the Code of Conduct, earned him the deepest respect from not only his fellow prisoners, but his captors as well.”

When they learned about Donald Cook and John Courtney Murray, Jim and Penny Haybyrne immediately felt connected to their perseverance and achievements, “hallmarks of a Xavier education.”

Xavier,” Jim said. “They were active but not intrusive participants in the school’s life. They were at our sports events, every Regimental Review, watched every parade up Fifth Avenue. My brother was and is a role model for me. Along with my father, he taught me how to think and how to express myself in writing and in speaking. My mom taught me to see humor in life and to use it to communicate ideas—a perfect blend of wit and wisdom in our family. Most of my wonderful teachers at Xavier like Mr. Finnegan, Fr. Taylor, and Fr. Aracich tried desperately to get me to use more wisdom than humor. I think they eventually settled for 50/50!”

A rare map in Cook Library, drawn in China by Rev. Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J. in 1674, honors Penny Haybyrne and her family from China and Taiwan. “Her natural father, Li Huang, was a pilot in the Republic of China Air Force and died in an aircraft accident when Penny was only 2 years old,” Jim noted. “Her mom, Tsui Tung Hai (Christine), 12

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John Courtney Murray, S.J., the towering American theologian, wrote widely about the intersection between Catholic theology and American public life. In the 1950s, church officials prevented him from writing on these topics for a time, but by 1960—the year John F. Kennedy was elected the nation’s first Catholic president—Murray had published We Hold These Truths: Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition. That same year, he landed on the cover of Time. Later that decade, just a few years before his untimely death, he made significant contributions at the Second Vatican Council, especially to Dignitatis Humanae, the Declaration on Religious Freedom.

The Haybyrnes are delighted that the two conference rooms in the Sons of Xavier Center—the Dr. Franklin N. Caesar ’72 Conference Room and the Faith and E. Peter Corcoran ’46 Family Room—also honor members of the Xavier community who persevered through adversity and enjoyed significant achievements. Dr. Caesar is a legendary former teacher, coach, and assistant headmaster; over the course of decades, the Corcorans quietly gave transformational gifts to Xavier, including the largest estate gift in Xavier history upon Peter’s 2016 passing.

“Perseverance and achievement are also the hallmarks of the foundation of America,” Jim said. “We thought that would be a great story to tell using the old Jesuit Library and adjacent spaces as a story about Xavier, within Xavier—a place that honors all our Xavier families who also persevered and accomplished so much for all their Sons.”

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n December 17, 2021, three months after the dedication of the Sons of Xavier Center, Jim Haybyrne returned to 16th Street with Penny. It was her first time seeing the completed space in person, having missed the dedication due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Hong Kong, where the Haybyrnes spend most of the year.

She watched the September dedication via livestream, rising at 5 a.m. to do so, but nothing compared to seeing the Sons of Xavier Center in person. “You feel the beauty of the place,” she said.

Both Haybyrnes noted their particular affection for the rare Verbiest map and the dramatic portrait of Donald Cook, whose eldest son, Chris, attended the dedication. “To meet Chris in person brought Don Cook’s whole story to life for me,” Jim reflected.

Now, nearly 64 years after he first set foot on 16th Street as a 13-year-old freshman, Jim Haybyrne has his eyes set on future generations of Xavier’s Sons. The past six decades have taken him to

India with the Peace Corps, to the U.S. Air Force as a captain, around the world as a strategic management consultant, and, more than 30 years ago, on a plane from Taiwan to China—where he met Penny, the entrepreneur who became his close friend and later his wife.

He hopes the Sons of Xavier Center inspires students and alumni to explore, to challenge themselves, to persevere and achieve as he did, all with the winds of Xavier at their backs. “I hope it remains a very special place at Xavier,” Jim said, “a home to which all Sons may return for inspiration and learning. A place in which all our positive family stories may be told.”

He noted that his classmates helped refine those hopes, especially a core group who advised him on the naming and purpose of the center.

“To this day I live in gratitude for their ever-present friendship,” Jim said of his lifelong friends, whom he met for an annual Christmas celebration the day after visiting Xavier with Penny. “The camaraderie is really amazing.”

Some years ago, Jim Haybyrne wrote a book titled Dream. Think.

Become. Essays for the Mind of a Strategic Thinker. Through the Sons of Xavier Center project, he feels the book came to life.

“We had many meetings discussing and defining exactly what our dream was for the space,” he reflected. “We thought about it, then acted—and it became a reality.”

“ I hope it remains a very special place at Xavier—a home to which all Sons may return for inspiration and learning.”

The Western Hemisphere by Rev. Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J., one of the largest world maps ever printed, is the Haybyrnes’ favorite spot in Cook Library.

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PROFILES OF GENEROSITY

Providing equal opportunity Tom Maher ’80

By ERIC KREBS ’17

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om Maher ’80 remembers Xavier basketball practice with coach Dr. Franklin Caesar ’72 P’00 like it was yesterday. Dr. Caesar was tough on the team, the good kind of tough.

“I had to work very hard—in the classroom, outside the classroom, and on the court,” said Maher. The scrappy Xavier Knights were often outsized on the court, and while Dr. Caesar couldn’t make the boys grow, he could make them work. During practice, the team would run up and down Xavier’s many staircases until they were ready to collapse. “Dr. Caesar would always say to us: ‘If you guys are not up to it, there’s the door,’” Maher recalled. “He always challenged us to see if we had the mental and physical toughness.”

Maher never left. And over 40 years later, the values he learned at Xavier—faith, perseverance, and gratitude—haven’t left, either. From orientation to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to today, Maher’s life has been a lesson in what it means to live out Xavier’s core values.

“ Life is full of challenges, and people have bigger challenges than I could ever imagine. It’s about providing equal opportunity for people to succeed so everyone has a chance to reach their potential.”

Maher grew up in Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and, early on, he learned the value of education. His father, Bill Maher P’80, was in the banking industry and worked long hours to support his family, put Tom and his sister Mary Jane through school, and always have enough to pay it forward.

Tom’s mother, Jeanne P’80†, worked as an assistant in a number of public schools around Manhattan, including a school for hearingimpaired students and at one point, two schools at the same time: Norman Thomas High School for Business and Commercial Education during the day, and Washington Irving High School at night. “She had a passion for the kids and connecting with them,” Maher remembered.

“She did it because she loved it.”

Jeanne passed away in 1993 at the age of 60, but the foundational values she imparted—namely, a steadfast belief in the necessity of service and the power of education—live on. Before her death, Jeanne was even able to pursue an education for herself, graduating from college in 1985, a year after Tom. Off the court at Xavier, Tom Maher dedicated himself to his academics under the unwavering (albeit intimidating) guidance of his many teachers. “You knew better to never show up unprepared for Fr. Lux, Fr. Boller, or Mr. Scott or risk huge embarrassment,” he recalled.

At Holy Cross, Maher studied modern European history. After graduating in 1984, he worked in the banking and real estate finance business for 12 years, living in New York and Boston. In 1996, he transitioned into the real estate development industry, and in 2010, he and his wife, Nancy, moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where they now live and work.

Despite his success in banking and real estate, Maher believes his most important work over the last two decades has been in the nonprofit sector. “The for-profit world has given me the opportunity to do the nonprofit work that I really love to do,” said Maher. “It’s a gift that I get to do this every day.”

Maher has served on a multitude of nonprofit boards across industries, states, and continents. In 2008, he helped start the Beverly School of Kenya, a STEM-focused K-12 school outside of Nairobi. And in 2006, he helped found the Esperanza Academy, a grade 5-8 all-girls independent school in Lawrence, Massachusetts—a one-time mill town north of Boston that had become one of the state’s poorest cities by the 2000s.

In 2006, when Esperanza first opened its doors, some 40% of Lawrence high schoolers dropped out before graduation. Today, Esperanza supports middle school girls throughout their high school and college years and has dramatically improved opportunities for academic and life successes for its mostly Latinx community.

In the last decade, Maher has developed his own foundation— The Pisgah Investments Foundation—alongside Nancy, a former schoolteacher who now co-runs the foundation. Their foundation supports nonprofits in western North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina, including food banks, vaccine outreach programs, mental health programs, and child advocacy programs.

Even with many accomplishments to his name, Maher still feels a responsibility to do more. “Life is full of challenges, and people have bigger challenges than I could ever imagine. It’s about providing equal opportunity for people to succeed so everyone has a chance to reach their potential.”

Maher remains thankful for the strong foundation of faith and education that Xavier provided him. In 2003, he endowed the Jeanne R. Maher P’80 Memorial Scholarship to honor his mother, and in 2021 he decided to pay it forward once again through the Maher Family Scholarship, which will fund the education of future Sons of Xavier whose parents are educators. The scholarship is endowed by Maher on behalf of his parents, Jeanne and Bill Maher; his sister, Mary Jane Higgins, vice principal of The Epiphany School; his wife, Nancy Kendall Maher; and seven transformative Xavier educators who shaped his life and beliefs: James Keenan, S.J., Joseph Lux, S.J., Kenneth Boller, S.J., Dr. Franklin Caesar ’72 P’00, John Foley P’77 ’79 ’81 ’84 ’86, Brian Moroney, and James Scott P’79 ’84†.

Annual Report 2020-21 15

PROFILES OF GENEROSITY

A Long-Term Investment Nancy and Luke La Valle P’98

By MARK MONGELLUZZO P’25

16

Xavier High School

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uke and Nancy La Valle P’98 believe firmly that a quality education, particularly a Catholic one, is one of the greatest gifts in life. Nancy attended St. Joan of Arc in Jackson Heights, then Dominican Academy in Manhattan and St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame, Indiana; Luke, St. Bonifice in Elmont and then La Salle Military Academy, Boston College, and UMass for an MBA. It was important for Nancy and Luke that all three of their sons—Luke†, Michael, and David ’98—received the same, first at St. Ignatius Loyola School on the Upper East Side, then Regis for Luke and Michael and for David, their youngest, Xavier. As Nancy noted, “For years we have made the support of Catholic education our main philanthropic priority, giving what we can to support the Catholic schools that have impacted our lives.”

In the fall of 2020 they established and funded the Nancy and Luke P. La Valle, Jr. P’98 Family Scholarship to help make a Xavier education accessible for students in need. For the La Valles, the scholarship was an important way to ensure that families situated as they were in the 1990s are provided the assistance needed to make a Xavier education possible for their sons. “Xavier helped us years ago, and now we want to do our part,” Luke said. “It was a transformative experience for David, and we want other young men to have that experience.”

“Xavier helped us years ago, and now we want to do our part. It was a transformative experience for David, and we want other young men to have that experience.”

When Luke established American Capital Management, Inc. in 1980, all three of his sons were under the age of 3. It would take years for the firm to gain a secure footing, so Nancy worked as a senior human resources executive in both the profit and nonprofit world until the boys were in middle school. For years, Luke balanced his commitment to the firm and his family with his commitment to serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, where he eventually retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, Military Intelligence and served with the 101st Airborne Division and on the Army staff at the Pentagon.

In 1986, all three La Valle boys were introduced to the sport of fencing and would hone their skills in the junior fencing program

(founded by their father) at the New York Athletic Club over the next decade and beyond. David proved to be most talented in this regard; a member of the cadet and the junior national teams, fencing would bring David to international competitions in Eastern and Western Europe and Canada throughout middle school and his time on 16th Street. Eventually, even the Olympics were a possibility.

The JROTC attracted David to Xavier and, when he applied in 1994, he scored well enough to earn a scholarship covering 80% of tuition. Over the next four years, the academics challenged him intellectually while the JROTC helped him build leadership skills and self-discipline. By the time he graduated from Xavier in 1998, he was headed to Stanford University to fence while on an ROTC scholarship. Injuries would eventually thwart David’s dream of representing the United States in Olympic competition, but he would have the opportunity to serve his country nonetheless in the Army. Not long after he graduated from Stanford in 2002, the United States commenced actions in Iraq. David, a newly commissioned Army Second Lieutenant in Air Defense Artillery, coordinated with foreign militaries in the Pacific on missile defense measures and worked on the Army’s first weapons system designed to identify and destroy incoming mortar and rocket rounds and deployed that new weapons system to Camp Anaconda, Iraq. After fulfilling his commitment to the Army, David, by then a Captain, left in 2006.

Throughout his time at Stanford, David had interned for American Capital Management over the summer and began to develop his investing skills as a research analyst. Even his deployment to Iraq did not squelch his passion; often, calls home to his parents from the front involved discussions of his portfolio performance with his father. After working for Morgan Stanley as an analyst, at the urging of his father, David eventually came back to work at American Capital Management. Over the course of the last 13 years his investing acumen and leadership skills have proven to be great assets to the firm. He now serves as managing director, portfolio manager, and co-chief investment officer.

For the La Valle family, patience is key to their investment strategy—in their work, in their sport, and in their philanthropy.

American Capital Management invests for growth in innovative, quality small and medium-size companies over the long term.

Anyone who has ever held a saber in his hands knows that focus, patience, and attacking at the right moment to strike is key. Luke and Nancy see their investment in Xavier in much the same way.

They are great long-term partners in the work of creating the next generation of young men of competence, conscience, and compassion—young men who leave 16th Street prepared to excel in all they do, to serve others where needed, and to lead wherever they find themselves.

Annual Report 2020-21 17

PROFILES OF GENEROSITY

A Firm Belief in Catholic Education Mike & Carolyn Nicholson P’14 ’16

By NICK BARONE ’16

18

Xavier High School

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early six years after their younger son’s Xavier graduation, Mike and Carolyn Nicholson P’14 ’16 find themselves more connected to Xavier than ever before.

Mike, who hails from upstate New York, and Carolyn, a Rockaway Beach, Queens native, began their tale together at Niagara University.

After their graduation, the college sweethearts found themselves in New York City. Mike began working in finance, while Carolyn taught at St. Anselm’s School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

The two happily married and went on to begin their family in 1996, when their first son, Jake Nicholson ’14, was born.

After Jake’s birth, Carolyn ended her teaching career to devote more time to supporting her new family. In 2000, Mike went on to work for Limited Brands as Victoria’s Secret’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

His career then took him to Ann Taylor in 2007, when he became the company’s CFO and COO. Since 2016, he has served in various roles on the leadership team at J.Crew—as CFO, interim CEO, and currently as COO. While Mike’s work as COO has him focused on the strategic, operational, and financial aspects of the global brand, Carolyn’s work as CEO of their household has her focused on supporting the family in whatever way necessary.

The two have four children—Jake, Noah ’16, Hannah, and Sarah— and reside in Rockaway Beach, Queens. All four children are the beneficiaries of a Catholic education.

Jake ultimately found his way to 16th Street in 2010. “We witnessed so much growth in Jake from year to year, and we even see how Xavier turned him into who he is now,” Carolyn reflected.

After his Xavier graduation, Jake matriculated at Loyola University Maryland, where he studied accounting. He then landed his first job as an audit assistant at Deloitte and earned his MBA in finance at St. John’s University in December. He now works at Protiviti, a global consulting firm.

Noah followed in Jake’s footsteps, beginning his Xavier career in 2012—the year Hurricane Sandy shook the lives of so many Sons, friends, and families of Xavier, specifically those in the Rockaways.

After the storm, droves of students, faculty, and staff volunteered to clean up the neighborhoods most impacted. It was during this time that the Nicholson boys found themselves looking up to the inspiring leaders who walk Xavier’s halls.

“They both had so many male and female role models at Xavier,” Carolyn said. “Everyone was just so good to them, and it was especially evident during Sandy.”

When asked who most significantly impacted the boys at Xavier, the Nicholsons pointed to math teacher Cindy DeRose, guidance counselor Regina Valinoti, Director of Student Activities Alicia Psillos, and former religion teacher Dr. Joseph Petriello, who currently serves as principal of Fordham Prep in the Bronx.

“What was so great was that they also had such paternal role models on campus,” she added. “In a way, the faculty at Xavier nurtured them, understood them and where they were coming from, and

were always there for them. There were, of course, rules and regulations, but we knew that would serve the boys well coming into the world—and it certainly has.”

Noah graduated from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2020. He found his footing studying criminal justice in his college days and graduated from the New York Police Department Academy in June 2021. He is currently assigned to the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn.

“He is very good with every kind of person, and he learned so much of this from Xavier,” Carolyn said. “The school is representative of the world we live in today and shows you the world that you will live in one day. It shows you how to find a common ground with those around you.”

“It’s a wonderful institution that is all about faith, morals, ethics, and life,” Mike reflected. “The school’s population is reflective of what the world looks like, which is important. The ability to have an experience with people from all walks of life is an amazing opportunity.

The boys are taught how to think. It’s not as much about the grades as it is about learning how to think and how to learn. The school really pushes this on students, and the boys were absolutely prepared to enter life after Xavier.”

Their sons are young adults making their way in the world now, but Mike and Carolyn still find themselves supporting Xavier in any way they can.

“We believe that giving back to where our kids grew, and continue to grow, is so important,” Carolyn said. “It was their home away from home during a very formative time in their lives.”

When they give to Xavier, the Nicholsons specifically choose to support the Annual Fund. “We allocate all of our gifts to Xavier’s Annual Fund,” Mike explained. “We let Xavier determine where our gifts are most needed at the time of giving.”

“We still give back because we’re continuing to hear the wonderful stories that are coming out of Xavier,” Carolyn added. “We value what our kids came out of school with—tremendous growth.”

That rings true in all areas of the Xavier experience for the Nicholsons.

“Academics, athletics, highly qualified teachers, service trips, retreats—the entire experience you get is one you can’t get anywhere else,” Mike said.

Their youngest daughter, Sarah, is a first-year student at the Notre Dame School of Manhattan—bringing the couple back to a high school setting they didn’t realize they missed so much. Their older daughter, Hannah, who currently studies finance at the University of Dayton, graduated from Notre Dame in 2018. “Much like Xavier, Notre Dame has been a home to us,” Carolyn said.

The Nicholsons are proud that Jake and Noah now give to Xavier as well, and they hope all their children give generously to the schools they called home throughout their adult lives.

“It’s important to continue giving,” Mike said. “We believe in Catholic education. The kids started in Catholic education when they were each 3 years old, and we hope that they can continue this with their own children in the future.”

Annual Report 2020-21 19

FINANCIALS

Last year, 3,857 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends strengthened Xavier with their financial gifts.

Every dollar is critical to Xavier’s continued ability to educate intelligent, motivated young men of diverse backgrounds and means.

Thank you.

A medal earned by Robert Loffredo ’67 during his time at Xavier

20

Xavier High School

2020-21 Operating Results Highlights REVENUES $16,441,960

TUITION AND FEES, NET STUDENT ACTIVITIES

$213,972

AUXILIARY ACTIVITIES

$320,679

MANDATED SERVICES

$988,581

CONTRIBUTIONS – ANNUAL FUND

$2,511,798

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

$3,356,357

34%

50%

7%

$428,590

SPECIAL EVENTS INVESTMENT RETURN AND INCOME

$24,382,644

0% 1% 2%

1%

$48,644,581

EXPENSES

0%

INSTRUCTIONAL AND RELATED COSTS

8%

AUXILIARY PROGRAM EXPENSES

28% 49% 10%

5%

4%

REVENUE AFTER EXPENSES

$196,027

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

$1,069,332

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE

$2,433,515

GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

$7,160,124

DEPRECIATION

$2,029,125

INTEREST

1%

$12,583,389

$25,330

$25,496,842

$23,147,739

Xavier’s endowment consists of a set of funds established by generations of donors to provide a critical base of support in perpetuity to operate the school. The endowment saw great growth in Fiscal 2021. However, like any traditional endowment operating in the state of New York, only a certain amount of money can be withdrawn from the endowment for operating needs.

Annual Report 2020-21 21

FINANCIALS

Gifts Summary $2,511,798 ANNUAL FUND

$6,501,962

$1,910,456

TOTAL RAISED

ALUMNI

$261,329

CURRENT PARENTS

$186,312

GRADUATE PARENTS

$153,701

FRIENDS AND FOUNDATIONS

$351,627

FUNDRAISING EVENTS $351,627

2021 CELEBRATE XAVIER

SCHOLARSHIP (VIRTUAL) GALA

$3,638,537

RESTRICTED AND OTHER MAJOR GIFTS

22

Xavier High School

$248,314

TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED SCHOLARSHIPS

$1,075,752

PERMANENTLY RESTRICTED SCHOLARSHIPS

$2,314,471

OTHER MAJOR GIFTS

Top Class Participation By Decade

36.4%

1940s

43.7%

1950s

CLASS OF ’72

21.2%

1980s

CLASS OF ’87

15.7%

CLASS OF ’92 CLASS OF ’04

15.8%

2010s

20%

CLASS OF ’19

TOTAL ANNUAL GIVING BY CLASS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CLASS OF ’62

39.1%

1970s

2000s

CLASS OF ’58

36.6%

1960s

1990s

CLASS OF ’48

PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPATION BY CLASS

FEWER THAN 150 MEMBERS

150 MEMBERS OR MORE

FEWER THAN 150 MEMBERS

150 MEMBERS OR MORE

1966.............................$943,189

1962............................ $393,680

1938................................... 100%

1962.................................. 36.6%

1972............................ $510,294

1964............................. $161,995

1958.................................. 43.7%

1970.................................. 36.6%

1944............................ $375,568

1965..............................$147,915

1954..................................... 40%

1967...................................31.5%

1948.............................$174,843

1970...............................$85,269

1972...................................39.1%

1964.................................. 30.5%

1939.............................$122,997

1980...............................$81,069

1959......................................39%

1965.................................. 29.9%

1971............................ $103,805

1978...............................$78,925

1957.................................. 38.7%

1973......................................26%

1968...............................$74,330

1967............................... $76,431

1955.................................. 38.4%

1969......................................25%

1977...............................$72,765

1969...............................$64,414

1952......................................37%

1978.................................. 24.4%

1963.............................. $62,200

1975.............................. $60,080

1948.................................. 36.4%

1974.................................. 24.3%

1959............................... $58,155

1974...............................$53,626

1963.................................. 36.4%

1975.................................. 24.2%

Annual Report 2020-21 23

ALL OF OUR CONTRIBUTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Listed below are options to consider when making your gift.

CASH OR CHECK Gifts may be made by cash or check, payable to Xavier High School.

CREDIT CARD Credit card gifts may be made by visiting www.xavierhs.org/give, sending in an Annual Fund donation card complete with your credit card information, or calling the Advancement Office at 212-337-7611.

STOCKS OR SECURITIES A gift of appreciated stock generally offers a two–fold tax saving: avoiding capital gains tax on the increase in value of the stock and providing an income tax deduction for the full market value of the stock at the time of the gift. Gifts of stock are valued at the mean price on the date of transfer to Xavier. Stock donations should be transferred directly by your broker to Xavier’s brokerage account at Vanguard. For your convenience, visit www.xavierhs.org/stock and fill out the form to notify Xavier of the stock gift, or contact Mark Mongelluzzo P’25 (mongelluzzom@xavierhs.org or 212-901-5151) or Shane Lavin ’03 (lavins@xavierhs.org or 212-337-7611) with the details as soon as the gift is made or instructions are sent to your broker. This will ensure proper and timely crediting of the donation to your gift record and avoid any confusion as to the origin of the gift.

MATCHING GIFTS Many employers will match employees’ donations. This opportunity presents an additional source of income for Xavier and an easy way to leverage your gift into a larger donation. To find out if your company participates in a matching gift program, check with your human resources department or go to www.xavierhs.org/give, click on Employer Gift Matching, and search for your employer.

Donors must initiate the matching gift process, so be sure to secure the proper forms to forward with your gift to Xavier. Donors are given credit for their original gift and any matching gift they secure.

PLANNED GIFTS Donors may consider giving through such means as life insurance, bequests, or charitable trusts. Gift planning can be a way to reduce or avoid estate and inheritance taxes. We encourage you to speak with your financial planner when considering any type of planned gift.

Xavier is pleased to provide you, your attorney, or tax advisor with additional information and assistance. Keep in mind that this information is general in nature. Always contact your professional tax advisor to learn how this general information relates to your individual circumstances. We are grateful for your philanthropic support.

For more information, please visit http://xavierlarkinsociety.org or contact Dennis Baker, S.J., Director of Engagement and Planned Giving, at 212-924-7900, ext. 1633 or bakerd@xavierhs.org.

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Xavier High School

B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S

Board of Trustees 2020-21 Daniel Denihan ’65, Chair Tenth Avenue Holdings

Eileen Shashaty P’14, Vice Chair Rex Wyon Insurance

James Brennan ’92

Enlightened Brand Ventures

Paul Enright ’91 Krainos Capital

Rev. Thomas Feely, S.J. Xavier Jesuit Community

Nelson Fernandez ’81

Crosby Street Consultants

Elliot Han ’94

Cantor Fitzgerald

John C. Meditz ’66 Horizon Kinetics, LLC

Antonio Miranda ’93 Littlejohn & Co.

John Muller, M.D. ’75

Hospital for Special Surgery

Kenneth Ng ’80 Richard T. Nolan, Jr. ’83 McCarter & English, LLP

Edward O’Callaghan ’87 P’17 ’20 WilmerHale

Rev. Mario Powell, S.J. Brooklyn Jesuit Prep

James Power, Ed.D.

Saint Anselm’s Abbey School

Report from the Board of Trustees

By MAGGIE MURPHY STOCKSON

The Xavier Board of Trustees had yet another full year as it supported the community through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and began planning for the upcoming 175th anniversary.

Several trustees, including Board Chair Dan Denihan ’65 and Vice Chair Eileen Shashaty P’14, completed their terms on the Board in June. During the graduation ceremony, Denihan presented the Rev. Vincent Taylor, S.J. Gold X Award to graduating senior Josue Ramos Carpio ’21, a graduate of one of the Partnership Schools, where Denihan has been a leading supporter. Denihan met Josue when he was in eighth grade at Our Lady Queen of Angels, a Partnership School. Denihan recently remarked, “What a great night for Xavier! Getting to give the Vinny Taylor award to Josue at graduation. It simply does not get any better than that!”

Trustees Joan Waters Cusanelli and Tony Miranda ’93 also completed their tenures on the Board. For the final meeting of the year, many trustees were able to gather at Xavier in person for the

first time since January 2020 and pay tribute to the great work of the departing trustees. On July 1 several new trustees joined the Board, including Matthew Fitzgerald, chief compliance officer, PGIM Fixed Income, Prudential Insurance Company of America; Sean Hagerty, S.J. ’02, current theology student at Boston College and recently ordained deacon; and Armando Nuñez ’78, advisor/former chairman, Viacom CBS Global Distribution Group. Bob Robotti ’71, president of Robotti & Company, also returned to the Board after a seven-year hiatus.

In late June, new trustees joined returning trustees for a workshop on good governance practices in independent schools with educational consultant John Littleford.

As Xavier begins its 175th year, the Board continues to work on financing and executing the master plan for major capital improvements to the school’s facilities as well as a branding and marketing initiative to increase and refine outreach to prospective families.

Jack Raslowsky P’16

President, Xavier High School

Sandra Sabean P’14 Womenkind

Paul Scariano ’90 P’19 ’21 ’23 ’25 PJS Group

Peter Seccia ’85 Jefferies LLC

John Shuhda ’83 Merrill Lynch

Linda Smith

Linda A. Smith & Associates, LLC

Joan Waters Cusanelli Columbia University

Stephen Winter ’04 Related Companies

Annual Report 2020-21 25

WHY I GIVE

Why I Give

By THOMAS M. LAMBERTI ’48

“For it is in giving that we receive…”

— St. Francis of Assisi I am the son of Italian immigrants. My father came here in 1904 from Naples. He was 11 years old. He became a barber and a beautician. My mother came here in 1906 from Reggio Calabria. She was 3 years old. Her mother died in the 1918 pandemic. At 16, she became a seamstress and raised eight siblings with her father, who was a tailor.

I was born in 1930. I attended PS 139 in Rego Park, Queens.

When I was about to graduate, my grandfather told my mother that I had to be educated by the Jesuits. They agreed that I should go to Xavier. I wanted to go to Forest Hills High School with my friends. But, being a dutiful son, I took the exam, passed, and headed to 16th Street in the fall of 1944.

I remember traveling in uniform on the GG local to Jackson Heights and then the F train to 16th Street. The Xavier High School building and the Church of St. Francis Xavier held me in awe. Soon I became immersed in Xavier’s many activities and academics. I made new friends. They were, like me, sons of immigrants—German, Polish, Italian, and Irish. Their parents, like mine, sought a better life for their children. Not any different than today except that the diversity and countries have changed.

Our teachers were primarily Jesuits. They drilled education into us. They were our role models. They became our friends for life. John Gerhard, S.J. taught me Latin and English in 1A and 2A. He was my friend for life even though he sent me to the Headmaster’s Office for disrupting the class while I was in church for Thursday morning confessions.

Xavier was my door to the future. It gave me my foundational education and grounded my spiritual life. St. Ignatius’s principle of service for others became my mantra. I attended Fordham College and Harvard Law School. I became a successful labor lawyer.

In gratitude for what Xavier gave me, I have always donated to Xavier. In my later years, I knew my legacy was to educate other sons of immigrants and give them the same educational opportunity that I had. I established endowed scholarships at Xavier, at Fordham for Xavier graduates, and at Harvard Law School for Fordham graduates.

Over the years, I have met many of these Sons of Xavier.

I was always proud of their character and accomplishments.

When they thanked me for my help, I thanked them for the opportunity to help them. Truly, in giving you receive great joy.

26

Xavier High School

Class of 2021 College Acceptances Xavier’s 274 Sons of the Class of 2021 matriculated at 115 colleges and universities last fall, 22% of them at one of 13 Jesuit colleges or universities. Collectively, the Class of ’21 amassed more than $42 million in academic scholarships.

Though their junior and senior years were times of great challenge on 16th Street, they leave Xavier as loyal Sons well equipped to seek excellence in every endeavor, to lead with integrity, and to transform the world for God’s greater glory.

Here are some of the outstanding institutions members of the Class of 2021 are currently attending:

Amherst College Babson College Bowdoin College Boston College Clark Atlanta University College of the Holy Cross Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Emerson College Fordham University Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgetown University Lafayette College Lehigh University Middlebury College New York University Northeastern University Oberlin College Princeton University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rochester Institute of Technology Santa Clara University

Swarthmore College Trinity College Dublin Tulane University University of Chicago University of Miami Villanova University George Washington University Webb Institute Williams College

Profile of Xavier High School Founded: 1847 Type of School: Jesuit, Catholic, Independent College Preparatory 2020-21 Tuition and Fees: $20,200 Geography Bronx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8% Brooklyn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.3% Manhattan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.3% Queens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.3% Staten Island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6% Westchester/Orange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5% Long Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3% New Jersey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1% Student Ethnicity Indigenous American: 0.2% Asian or Asian American: 5.9% Black or African American: 7.7% Hispanic or Latino: 16% Multiracial: 11.7% White/Other: 58.5% Faculty & Administration Number of Jesuits on Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Number of Laypersons on Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Number of Alumni on Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Student to Faculty Ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13:1 Average Number of Years of Teaching Experience for Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 years

XAVIER H I G H

S C H O O L

30 West 16th Street • New York, NY 10011–6302

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

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