the Jesuit Library at Xavier on May 2. 1952
Frank Mascola ’40, center, and Marcy Mascola, right, were joined by former Vice President for Advancement Joseph Gorski at Xavier’s 173rd Commencement in May.
1940
Tom Conniff was named an affiliate of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in recognition of his 40 years of service as outside counsel. At the luncheon preceding the awards, he sat next to his classmate John Rooney. “The meeting was totally unexpected and a pure coincidence,” Mr. Conniff said. “Our wives had to put up with a constant flow of Xavier stories throughout the luncheon.”
Francis Xavier Mascola recently rep-
resented the 75th reunion class at Xavier’s 173rd Commencement, held on June 11 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He and his wife, Marcy, live in West Nyack, N.Y., where they maintain a busy schedule with their grandchildren. Mr. Mascola fondly remembers his years on 16th Street, particularly his time as a running back on the football team. 1949 Gaspar “Chip” Cipolla, known as “Mr.
Chips” to his students, has been a substitute teacher in Manalapan, N.J., for the last 15 years. 1950
Attorney George Gerardi recently ventured to India to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Butterflies, a children’s rights organization that works with street children. He has served on the board of Butterflies USA since 2008. Mr. Gerardi holds an LLM in international law from New York University and has served in numerous capacities with several non-governmental organizations including Hermandad, Technoserve, and CODEL Inc. (Coordination in Development). Locally, he has been an adjunct professor, a school board member, prosecuting attorney for a village, and a member of the Justice and Peace Committee of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y. 1951 Rev. John Replogle, S.J., baptized Quinn, the great-grandson of his Xavier classmate Dr. John Quinn, in
John Maloney ’42 as himself and in costume.
Alumni Profile JOHN MALONEY ’42
Tom Conniff ’52
Col. William McGuth, USAF (Ret.)
writes asking for prayers for his wife, who is battling Alzheimer’s Disease. 1954 Lt. Col. Robert T. Gmelin, O.D., USA (Ret.) has retired from his post as
assistant professor at the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry. He and his wife, Sally, live in Sonoma, Calif. 1956
Dr. Emil Signes ’56
Dr. Emil Signes was inducted into
the U.S. Rugby Foundation’s Hall of Fame, the culmination of his 41-year association with the sport, on September 4. He began coaching rugby in 1974 and has since shared his expertise with club teams, colleges, high schools, men and women, boys and girls, 15s and 7s. He was
John Maloney regretted missing Xavier’s 2015 Reunion Gala in May, but he had a good excuse—it was opening night for the senior show he wrote, directed, and in which he played a starring role. He has been active in the show’s production for more than three decades, writing and directing it for the past 10 years. At age 91, he’s a model of vigorous health, eagerly preparing for next year’s show. “Eight hundred people attend the show each year. It’s only one night,” he explained. “Either you get it right, or you don’t get it right. Everyone’s in their 70s and 80s, so there’s a lot of ad-libbing!” A born entertainer, Mr. Maloney is a former stand-up comedian who still writes a regular humor column for The Rockland County Times. At the heart of his passion for entertaining is his love for people, a thread that has woven its way through his life. As a young man, the Harlem native entered the seminary, intending to serve God as a priest—but after a few years, he felt called to follow another path. He married his wife of 65 years, Joan, in 1950, and earned a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University. After Pope Paul VI restored the order of the diaconate as a permanent ministry in 1967, Mr. Maloney found a way to serve the church again. He became a member of the first class of permanent deacons ordained in New York in 1973. Today, in his 42nd year as a deacon at St. Anthony Parish in Nanuet, N.Y., he continues to visit the local jail, 85 seniors at the local nursing home, and 10 shut-ins every Sunday. For 36 years, Mr. Maloney also served as an elected official in Clarkstown, N.Y. (“They couldn’t get rid of me,” he said), including his time as police commissioner. He is now chaplain of the Nanuet Fire Department. What’s the secret to his vitality? “Two scotches a day,” he said, “and keeping busy.”
XAVIER MAGAZINE 33