Class NOTES
ming in a pool somewhere most days, reading history, seeking peace, wandering, and pursuing knowledge.” 1973 Thomas McDonnell is a portfolio management director at Morgan Stanley, where he has worked for seven years. He and his wife, Dr. Karen McDonnell, live in northern Virginia and have three children aged 25, 22, and 14. The McDonnells are considering a second home in South Carolina.
1974 Kevin McLaughlin was joined by Kevin O’Brien, Kevin Tattam ’72 , and Joe Tully ’96 at the 40th Annual
American Ireland Fund Dinner on May 7. They enjoyed meeting Matt McCabe ’15, Luis Arias ’16 , Christian Karas ’16 , Liam Jeffries ’17, and James Rodgers ’17, members of the Xavier Jazz Ensemble who performed at the event. 1976 George Carpenter is employed as
counsel at Rafter and Associates in Lower Manhattan. He specializes in insurance defense litigation with an emphasis on construction accidents, premises liability, property damage, wrongful death, and related insurance coverage issues. He writes, “Got two kids through Villanova and Georgetown. One more to go. Best to all.”
Frank Rohr tells Xavier Magazine that
his son, a biochemistry major with a 4.0 GPA, planned to take the MCAT in July. His 18-year-old daughter is an aspiring model who starts college this fall. 1977 Former Xavier Headmaster Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J., became the
35th president of Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 1. From 1989–95, he taught religion, Spanish, and French at the 145-yearold school, where he also served as Director of Admissions from 1989– 92 and Principal from 1992–97. Fr. Ciancimino then served as Xavier’s Headmaster from 1997–2004 before being appointed assistant to the Jesuit provincial in 2004. He became
provincial superior of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus in 2008. During his six-year term as provincial, he was responsible for the care of more than 400 Jesuits, as well as all the apostolic works of the province, including universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools, parishes, retreat houses, a social center, and overseas missions. In May, Fr. Ciancimino was awarded an honorary doctorate by LeMoyne College in Syracuse. 1978 The Hollywood Reporter ranked Armando Nuñez No. 7 on its 2014 list of the top 25 Latinos in entertainment. As president and CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group, Mr. Nuñez oversees all of CBS Corporation’s international and domestic distribution operations. He and his family live in Los Angeles. Michael Manogue, son of Joe Manogue, graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, Texas, and is now studying electrical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. 1981 James Menendez writes that his
daughter, Caroline, just graduated from St. Joseph’s University and will be working in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Montana. 1983
George Febles, Jr. was inducted into
the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Hall of Fame on May 14. A graduate of Fordham University, he has coached cross country and track and field at Fordham Prep since January 1988. Throughout his storied career, he has coached 79 CHSAA champions, five New York state champions, 70 All-Americans, and 16 national champions. His teams have won 10 CHSAA titles and six Millrose Games 4×800 meter relays. Mr. Febles has served as the CHSAA boys’ cross country chairman since 2001. He follows in the footsteps of his father, George Febles, Sr. P’83 ’88 ’90, who was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame in 1996 as a track and field coach at Xavier and Fordham Prep.
Members of the Grain House Gang celebrating the 75th birthdays of Des Flanigan ’56 and Lenny Weg ’56 at their September 2014 luncheon.
Alumni Profile THE CLASS OF 1956’S GRAIN HOUSE GANG At their rollicking monthly lunches in Basking Ridge, N.J., laughs and nostalgia are plentiful. A Xavier 1956 banner always hangs proudly; old yearbooks and current Xavier publications dot the long, crowded table. They call themselves the Grain House Gang, these members of the Class of 1956, in honor of the lunch spot where their tradition began in April 2004. They meet just up the road now at Vine, an upscale eatery where they take over a private room each month. Guests range from seasoned regulars to out-of-town visitors like Jack McDermott ‘56, a California resident who dropped by the June 2015 lunch while on the East Coast for his 55th Holy Cross reunion. The Grain House Gang often (and happily) welcomes Sons of Xavier from other classes, too, including Dr. John McGrade ’57 and Rev. Vincent Euk ’70. Nelson Deusebio ‘56, universally referred to by his peers as “Beadle” (a nickname dating back to his days on 16th Street, when he carried that title in his homeroom), organizes the monthly lunches. During Xavier’s all-military era, Beadles took attendance, carried messages for teachers, and helped keep their classmates in line. It was good preparation for his current role, in which he oversees class events, writes regular e-newsletters, shares news of birthdays and new grandchildren, and keeps his classmates’ morale high. “Nelson has really kept us all together,” said Gerry Seitz ’56, a Grain House Gang regular. Mr. Deusebio deflects the attention, instead crediting the group’s success to its joyful camaraderie. They have seen a lot of life during the past 11 years, including retirements, milestone birthdays, and major anniversaries—even a group trip to Washington, D.C., where they were hosted by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia ’53, who was a senior when they were freshmen. “We have a very simple group goal now…to reach 80 years of age!” Mr. Deusebio quipped. Members of the Class of 1956 (and other Sons of Xavier passing through the area) who wish to attend a lunch are encouraged to email Nelson Deusebio at nelsoncpt@aol.com. “There’s always room for more at our table,” he said.
XAVIER MAGAZINE 35