Jaynotes | Vol. 37 No. 1 | Fall/Winter 2010

Volume 37, Number 1

The Magazine of Jesuit High School of New Orleans • Fall/Winter 2010–2011

Volume 37, Number 1

INSIDE

fall/winter 2010–11

Dear Blue Jay Alumni, Parents, Students, and Friends of Jesuit:

Jesuit High School’s web site is a popular resource for students, teachers, parents, and alumni. Our home page, www.jesuitnola.org, is the equivalent of the main sheet of a daily newspaper’s web site. I do not equate jesuitnola.org with nola.com (The Times-Picayune) except to point out that in a general sense they share three striking similarities of being informative, entertaining, and dynamic.

Jesuit is not your garden variety high school web site. How can it be with more than 2,700 pages featuring 25,000 photographs? Our focus is to showcase student life, academics, athletics, cocurriculars, and info for parents and alumni. It is also a multi-purpose tool used for online pledges and donations, online registration for special events and class reunions, and to recruit new Blue Jays.

Our site is rich in content and relevant information for the whole Jesuit community. Our numerous photo galleries of LHSAA varsity sports (and club sports like rugby and lacrosse) are marvelous vehicles to show the talents of Blue Jay athletes, win or lose the games. Each weekday offers a surprise lurking near the bottom of the home page — “Jayson’s Daily Wild Photo” — entertaining and innovative snapshots of student life at Jesuit. The home page is lively, flexible, and fluid because fresh content is introduced on a daily basis and dated material is moved to an appropriate location elsewhere on the site.

An analysis of our web site statistics covering the final three months of 2010 (October through December) reveals a few interesting tidbits:

189,000 unique visitors identified by their IP addresses viewed a total of 610,000 pages.

The average number of visits per day is 5,200; the average number of pages visited per day is 27,400, or five pages per visit; average length of a visit is four minutes.

Tuesday and Wednesday are the days with the heaviest traffic; Saturday or Sunday, the least trafficked.

The most active hour for visits? Between 1 – 2 a.m. on weekdays. Go figure. The least active hour? Between 9 – 10 a.m. Really.

The days that attracted the most visits coincided with Homecoming in October and the posting of progress reports in November.

Missed a Wild Photo? A lot of Blue Jays did. The Wild Photo archives drew almost 9,000 visits.

The most popular audio files were from the Mother – Son Mass & Breakfast in October. The homily by Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 and the touching speech by senior Joey Tumminello each received almost 12,000 visits. Fr. McGinn’s homily at the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass got 8,500 visits.

Are there aspects of our web site that can improve? Yes. An online Blue Jay Shop is long overdue.

Sometimes parents and alums have difficulty navigating the site. And a few people have complained there is too much information on the home page, it’s cluttered, and space is wasted. Could the site be more interactive and forum-oriented, especially for alums and parents? Perhaps Jesuit’s web site needs a thorough spring and summer maintenance overhaul. We are considering an online survey to solicit opinions among students, parents, and alums that will help guide us as we address these various issues.

Yours truly, Pierre DeGruy ’69

Director of Communications/ Editor, Jaynotes

A Master of Jesuit’s Web Site

Will Return to the Classroom Fulltime For the past four years, English teacher Jack Culicchia ’83 has served as Jesuit’s webmaster,

a role similar to that of a photojournalist, as can be seen in the photo at right. Jack has managed his webmaster duties while juggling three or four English classes. Sharon Hewlett, who is Jesuit’s director of technology, computer

science teacher Dan Wagner, and network administrator Stephen Blum provide invaluable support on the academic and technical sides of the site. Jesuit also has the services of the coolest computer guru genius in Tony Giannasi, who troubleshoots all sorts of technical glitches that arise on an almost daily basis. continued next page

Jaynotes, the magazine for and about alumni, parents, and students of Jesuit High School of New Orleans, is published three times annually by the Office of Institutional Advancement, including a special graduation issue in the summer. Opinions expressed in Jaynotes are those of the individual authors.

President Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 mcginn@jesuitnola.org Director of Institutional Advancement Thomas V. Bagwill II bagwill@jesuitnola.org Jaynotes Editor Pierre DeGruy ’69 Director of Communications degruy@jesuitnola.org Director of Alumni Affairs Mat Grau ’68 grau@jesuitnola.org Director of Special Projects Bro. William Dardis, S.J. ’58 dardis@jesuitnola.org Coordinator for the Office of Institutional Advancement Michelle M. Tanner tanner@jesuitnola.org Administrative Assistant for the Office of Institutional Advancement R. Logan Diano diano@jesuitnola.org Executive Assistant to the President Krista Roeling roeling@jesuitnola.org Volunteer Coordinator Marilyn Beauford beauford@jesuitnola.org Design & Layout Design III julie@designthree.com Printing Garrity Print Solutions A Harvey Company Michael Brennan ’95 Letters, photographs, and correspondence are welcome and may be either submitted by e-mail (degruy@jesuitnola.org) or mailed to: Jaynotes Jesuit High School 4133 Banks St. New Orleans, LA 70119 Address changes should be submitted to alumni@jesuitnola.org or contact Jesuit’s alumni office at 504-483-3815.

Parents: If you are receiving your son’s copy of Jaynotes and he no longer lives with you, please let us know so we can update our database and send the magazine directly to him. Let us know if you enjoy reading Jaynotes. We will be glad to send a copy to his new address and a copy to you. E-mail changes to: alumni@jesuitnola.org.

Sign-up online for class reunions and other events: www.jesuitnola.org/cgi-bin/events.cgi.

It is easy to contribute online to the HFA, LEF, PAG, and various Scholarships on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org. Look for the Donate Online link in the upper left corner.

On the Cover: Behind those closed eyes, senior sprinter Philip Aucoin savors crossing the finish line ahead of 300 runners at the state cross country meet, becoming only the second Blue Jay to capture an individual state championship while also leading his team to the state title.

P RE S I D E NJTE’ SS UM E ITE S TS OA DG AY

Never Surrender to the

Lunatic Fringe

Complex enterprises like Jesuit High School as well as individual persons develop and accomplish their goals when a broad range of people invests in their success.

I appreciate all that so many friends of Jesuit have done to contribute to its achievements over the past twenty years. Thank you for helping to make a difference.

At the end of his term as president, George Washington advised the nation against permanent alliances. As he was leaving the presidency, General Dwight Eisenhower warned America about the growing influence of the military-industrial complex. In my last days at Jesuit, I caution the school community about the lunatic fringe.

We see the lunatic fringe in politics, in economics, in religion, in education, in parenting, in sports, and in psychology. Although it takes many forms, the fringe usually elevates The Agenda above everything else. Advancing The Agenda, whatever it may be, supersedes all other values. So powerful is The Agenda that some on the fringe behave as if the revealed word of God and the laws of nature are subservient to it.

Whether the group is traditionalist or progressive, whether it is academic or anti-intellectual, whether it is hierarchical or egalitarian, there is no doubt about who has a monopoly of the truth. There is only one way, one expression of orthodoxy, one correct mode of living. Wherever it manifests itself, the fringe shows deep contempt for outsiders as either stupid or unworthy. Only malice or invincible ignorance can explain why anyone would question The Agenda.

Elitism has a very strong appeal. The lunatic fringe cultivates “the best and brightest.” Zeal for The Agenda enhances a young person’s sense of belonging. It is flattering to be chosen to receive a special invitation to belong, especially where following a charismatic leader brings a higher status. In the cult of the personality, the benevolent leader demands loyalty to himself and to The Agenda with the result that promoting The Agenda lapses into self-promotion.

The fringe can be very popular. When the size of a group reaches a critical mass, it can appear so normal that no one questions The Agenda. What is truly normal can be made to appear perverse.

Integrity is reduced to fidelity to The Agenda.

Those who belong to the lunatic fringe have a strong sense of entitlement. Many insist on being exempt from ordinary accountability. Their friends deserve special treatment and leniency, whereas outsiders deserve to suffer the consequences of their mistakes. What ordinary people see as reasonable accountability, the fringe deplores as victimization.

Master continued from previous page

Few people know what it takes to oversee and operate a web site the size of Jesuit’s. Thank goodness fewer people remember what the site was like before Katrina. Let’s just say it was an albatross, a beast of burden. Jack and I formed a great partnership and each of us took our web responsibilities seriously. In addition to his classroom duties, Jack worked 25-40 hours extra each week photographing any number of Jesuit events and quickly posting

Many who try to advance The Agenda lose perspective. They lose a sense of humor and a sense of compassion. Among the Agendadriven, self-deception joins self-promotion in a destructive alliance.

On the one hand, the lunatic fringe trusts children to make life-changing decisions without guidance or boundaries. Yet micromanaging parents do not allow children age-appropriate freedom. One develops coping skills by experiencing frustration, disappointment, and defeat. No one can grow if he is insulated from setbacks and challenges.

The irrational demand for total allegiance to The Agenda transforms healthy passion into lunacy. Thinking becomes distorted.

Disappointments become catastrophes. Disagreement becomes disloyalty. Pejorative labels are assigned to those with different perspectives. Those who push The Agenda cause strife and hostility which divide communities and families.

The great challenge of the school community is to answer the call to greatness without employing the methods of the lunatic fringe. Our way must be to show conviction without intolerance, confidence without arrogance, and passion for the truth without contempt for those who see things differently.

I am very grateful to so many people who helped me during the years I guided this enterprise. I appreciate their differing perspectives, their tolerance of my mistakes, their loyal support, their efforts to be inclusive, and their skepticism of one-dimensional solutions. The support and honesty of so many friends of Jesuit prevented me from lapsing into lunacy and surrendering Jesuit to the fringe. n Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 President, Jesuit High School, 1992 – 2011 Editor’s note: The Jesuit community is invited to a reception honoring Fr. McGinn for his 19 years of service as president of Jesuit High School. The event is scheduled Saturday, May 22, from 4-7 p.m. in the Traditions Courtyard and Student Commons. A program begins at 5:30 p.m. If you plan to attend, please RSVP online on Jesuit’s Events Registration page: http://www.jesuitnola.org/cgi-bin/ events.cgi. You may also RSVP by phone: 504-483-3841.

the stories and galleries. The pace he kept for four years was astonishing as it was frightening. I contributed by maintaining alumni pages, pledges and donations, events registration, and all that special stuff. I would needle him good naturedly. He would have a photo gallery up inside an hour after the event. By contrast, it would take me 12-24 hours, but my photos were much better.

He laughed every time I reminded him. He and I both knew he was my right arm. He nurtured the home page and beyond, even

learning what I taught him — it never hurts to write a headline with a little sizzle.

Jack is hanging up his webmaster’s hat and will be returning to his English classroom fulltime for the 2011-12 year. It was his decision and that is what he wants.

I wish him the very best knowing that I will miss his presence in my Jesuit web life.

Thanks, Jack, for all that you have done to make Jesuit’s web site outstanding. It’s been fun, exhilarating, and exhausting, a wild and crazy ride like never before. n — The Editor

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TH A N EN UTITLE S M IRA G OBEILI S S H ERE

Coach Gernon Brown’s

Dream Team

Nostalgia being trendy these days, Annus Mirabilis is chic stuff. This regular feature in each issue of Jaynotes enjoys a measure of fondness and popularity among readers, particularly those Blue Jay alumni who easily lapse into reminiscing about their years at Carrollton and Banks.

The wealth of articles that lay buried deep inside the archives of Jesuit’s student newspapers, The Blue Jay and Jayson, are resurrected to provide the grist for the Annus Mirabilis feature.

Obviously, one of the main objectives of Annus Mirabilis (the Latin term for a remarkable year) is to shine a spotlight on a memorable moment of time in Jesuit’s long and rich history. These moments might be significant, possibly amusing, and perhaps unforgettable. But the vignettes that bring these Jesuit moments back to life are always interesting.

Once in a while, the material for Annus Mirabilis does not originate from the archives of the Jesuit student newspapers. Such is the case with this Annus Mirabilis. A couple of months ago, Jesuit alumnus Al Widmer (Class of 1941) took the trouble of sending a copy of an article that was published in the New Orleans Item on Sunday, November 22, 1953.

Sporting the headline “Jays of 1940 Finest In History,” the story was written in the first person by Jesuit’s legendary coach

and teacher, Gernon Brown (with some assistance from Item sports reporter Steve Perkins, himself a sports writer for The Blue Jay and a member of the Class of ’42; Perkins died in 1987). The story focused on the Blue Jay football team that went undefeated and won the state championship that year. The Jesuit-Holy Cross game at City Park Stadium still holds the record for the largest crowd to ever watch a prep football game at that field. As a wingback, Widmer was a star player on the 1940 team. A retired pharmacist who lives in Metairie, Widmer is the only surviving Blue Jay who played on that memorable championship team.

Coach Brown graduated from Jesuit in 1920, played college football, and earned a history degree before returning to his alma mater where he spent the next 35 years coaching and teaching. He was much beloved by Blue Jays, including those who never played sports. Coach Brown died on January 23, 1963. Below is the article as it appeared in the New Orleans Item.

By Gernon Brown (as told to Steve Perkins)

I still “dream” about that season of 1940.

There may have been Jesuit teams who surmounted more difficulties or more spirited teams in my 20 years as head coach — but when you get right down to big, powerful, talented, smartly quarterbacked football teams, that, brother, was it!

As I said last week, Jesuit and I saw some mighty lean days in the four years before the “big breakout,” and the youngsters I groomed during those seasons paid off in a big way in 1940.

Power Added For the first time since I had taken over in 1933, Jesuit was blessed with power as well as speed. In the spring of that year, when I evaluated the material I would have that fall, I decided to switch from the doublewing offense of Pop Warner to the singlewing attack of the Behrman school.

Luckily, I could turn to an excellent source for advice on the new system, a 2 JAYNotes

matter which I intend to go into great detail next week.

Here is the backfield that made it go: O.J. Key at tailback, Tony DiBartolo at fullback, Leonard Finley as blocking back and signal caller, and Al Widmer at wingback. Together, they could do it all.

And the second string tailback was good enough to star for any other team in the league — Jay Schulte.

The Tailback

O.J. Key could do everything — run, pass, kick. And he was tremendous — 6-foot, two inches, and about 200 pounds.

He was big enough to just run right over everybody in his way, and he was a dash man on the track team. Key was also the best I’ve seen at running to the left and passing right-handed.

I remember several occasions during the season when Key would hit the wrong hole in the line and blast his way through, 40 or 50 yards for a touchdown. He’d

trot back to the huddle and say, “Nice blocking.” Lenny Finley would die!

Finley was a terrific blocker, but his main asset to the team was a signal-caller.

He had a 98 average for four years at Jesuit and became the engineering school’s top student at Tulane University.

I asked (coach) Henry Frnka about him, shortly after Finley became the Tulane quarterback. “He’s all right, except for one thing,” Frnka told me. “He knows more football strategy than I do.”

In light of later developments, we’ll let that one pass. Tony DiBartolo gave us the power we needed on straight bucks.

The next year he moved to tailback and led Jesuit to a second successive state title.

Al Widmer was extremely shifty and highly valuable on reverses. He was also a talented passer and thus kept the defense honest when he swept wide with the ball.

The line was a prep coach’s dream in itself. The ends were Johnny Ballatin and Paul Limont. Ballatin pulled in Key’s

J E S U ITALT U OM D AY NI

passes with one circus catch after another.

And he kicked all of our extra points. We didn’t need any field goals or he would have kicked those too.

We called Ballatin “Buck” because he lived in Bucktown by the lake. He was a happy boy. I’ll never forget his speech at the football banquet:

“I enjoyed the year very much,” he said, “and I especially enjoyed meeting a nose like John Tessier’s.”

Line Four Deep Limont was also an excellent pass receiver — he caught the pass that brought us from behind in the state playoffs against Istrouma — but he was more than excellent on defense. He later starred for Notre Dame. Louis Ford was a second-string end who was good enough to start for anybody else.

At tackles were Emile “Peachy” McMillan and John Tessier. They were big, quick boys who reacted smartly. They had to be good to relegate Gerry Ford to a sub’s role. Joe Fontcuberta gave us another strong replacement at the position.

We had four good guards.

The starters were Dave Brennan, captain of the team, and Nick Liuzza — a couple of five-byfives. Dan O’Leary and Benny Raymond were nearly their equal.

Cy Kirsch, one of the best centers in the history of the league, had Lucius Caruso pushing him for the job. Cy, I believe, could have become a great college lineman. He planned to enter Auburn. He was killed in action with the Marines in World War II.

The Blue Jays of 1940 were never really extended, until the Istrouma game, which Jesuit won, 13-6. Istrouma was the only team to come within one touchdown of Jesuit, and the Blue Jays played against some strong squads.

Jesuit’s Undefeated 1940 Football Team

State Champions Behrman

4-0

Baton Rouge

20-0

St. Aloysius

20-6

Fortier

14-0

Nicholls

45-6

St. Stanislaus

21-0

S.J. Peters

39-6

Holy Cross (City Title) 25-7 Easton

60-6

State Playoffs Istrouma

13-6

State Championship Lake Charles

26-6

We played on Sunday at City Park Stadium, and the greatest crowd in the history of the league, before or since, was in attendance — an official count of some 34,000. People were standing on the cinder track and crowding up to the end zone to see us win, 25-7.

The Orange Bowl that year drew 35,000.

The final prep game of the season was only a formality. Easton had had little success that year, and had no success at all in stopping our first 10 backs. The score, a record, was 60-6. It went a long way to making up for four long years. n Jesuit’s greatest team, selected by Gernon Brown, was this 1940 club which averaged 195 pounds on the line and 185 pounds in the backfield. Kneeling from left are linemen Johnny Ballatin, Emile McMillan, Nick Liuzza, Cy Kirsch, Dave Brennan (captain), John Tessier, and Paul Limont; (standing from left) right halfback Al Widmer, quarterback Leonard Finley, fullback Tony DiBartolo, and left halfback O.J. Key. They beat traditional rival Warren Easton, 60-6, that season. Truly a dream team.

Dark the Passer St. Stanislaus, beaten 21-0, had Felix “Doc” Blanchard. Lake Charles, the team we beat for the state championship, had the finest schoolboy passer I’ve ever seen — Alvin Dark, now passing from shortstop for the New York Giants.

And Holy Cross had one of its finest clubs.

Driscoll, Arthur, Winters, Jerome Daly in the backfield, and Jim Loflin at end led a team that was undefeated in prep up to our game.

Fall/Winter 2010 – 11

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T H E JTITLE A Y N O TGEOSE SI NHTER EREV IEW

Lawrence Huck, S.J. ’87:

A Brother for All Seasons

Among the Jesuits currently living at the Banks Street residence is a Blue Jay alumnus who graduated with his twin brother in the Class of 1987. Lawrence “Larry” Huck was, by his own admission, an unremarkable student at Jesuit High School, a regular guy who frequently struggled to bring home acceptable grades. After his graduation, Larry attended UNO and accumulated 80 credit hours of business administration courses. He balanced his studies at UNO with a hefty load of volunteer work. In 1990, he became a licensed master electrician, a requisite skill if he planned to continue working for the family business, Jack’s Electrical Service, Inc., a company founded by his father and grandfather.

Larry and his twin brother Lloyd were the heirs apparent at Jack’s (which, incidentally was started by his grandfather, Jack Huck, and passed on to father Jimmy, who retired from his own company in 2008 to become Jesuit’s director of maintenance.)

Lloyd got married, started his own family, and operates the electrical contracting business. Larry, on the other hand, could not shake a capricious feeling of emptiness within. This emptiness was vexing, an inexplicable void in an otherwise normal, busy, and healthy life. He contemplated joining the Society of Jesus, but could not decide if taking that step would dissipate that emptiness.

Ultimately, his decision to become a Jesuit brother was made rather easily. Brother Huck has happily lived the life of a Jesuit for almost 18 years, most of which have been spent teaching and influencing in positive ways hundreds of students, especially those whose good fortune placed them in his theology class, the student council, or on the Jesuit tennis team which he coached for two years. Br. Huck completed his Tertianship last summer and was busily making plans to begin a new assignment for the Jesuit Southern Province when he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

He snapped out of the initial shock and depression in a mere two hours, proclaiming, “This ain’t gonna kill me.” After surgery, he endured six months of chemotherapy. His prognosis is good, his mood is even better, his sense of humor has made a full recovery, and he’s wearing a wide smile.

Everywhere Br. Huck looks, it’s as if he sees a beautiful rainbow.

Jaynotes: Can we talk about your illness?

Huck: I have colon cancer. Hopefully, with the surgery, it’s gone.

They got it all out. But, statistics say for the stage I have — stage 3A — if you have the surgery, have it removed, and do chemo, the chances of this not coming back rises to something like 83%.

Jaynotes: What were your symptoms?

Huck: This all started after I had finished my Tertianship and I

was making a pilgrimage in Spain. I would walk up a flight of stairs and be out of breath. My heart was racing, I was not feeling up to par, and I had very little energy. Something was not right.

The results of blood work showed my heart was fine, but I was extremely anemic. At this point, I decided it was time to go home.

When I got back to New Orleans, I did more blood work which indicated I probably had a bleeding ulcer. Instead, they found a tumor the size of a ping pong ball. It had been bleeding which is what caused my anemia. The tumor had broken through the wall of the colon and got into some nearby lymph nodes. The doctors surgically removed the tumor and of the 28 lymph nodes they took out, only five were cancerous. The doctors are very confident they got it all out.

Jaynotes: Did it hit you like a ton of bricks when your doctor told you it was a malignant tumor?

Huck: Sure, I didn’t want to hear it. It was depressing. For two

hours, I just laid there in bed thinking, “What am I going to do?”

And after two hours, it was by the grace of God that I told myself, “This ain’t gonna kill you.” I was at peace. I didn’t send myself this message. Somehow, it came by God’s grace. He gifted me.

Jaynotes: You found out a lot of people were praying for you?

4 JAYNotes

Huck: Oh, yes, that’s the other grace — feeling the power of

prayer. It’s unbelievable the number of people praying for me.

There are people who are praying for me and I don’t even know who they are. But they know somebody who knows me. The care and concern of people is another way that God shows how He loves us and is with us.

Jaynotes: All of this has pushed back the start of your next assignment?

Huck: I’m not even supposed to be here (at Jesuit). I was supposed

to move last August or September to Grand Coteau, where my new assignment is to oversee on behalf of the Jesuits a massive renovation of our novitiate spirituality center. It’s a 100-yearold building in very bad shape, including the infrastructure. I am the owner’s representative and will be working closely with the superintendent for the contractor and the architect, making decisions on behalf of the province and the Society.

Jaynotes: You are going back to where it all began. Tell us about your decision to join the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.

Huck: During my senior year at Jesuit, my father took my

twin brother Lloyd and me to Manresa for his retreat. When I graduated from Jesuit in 1987, I went to UNO and studied business administration. I was already working with the family business in electrical contracting, but I also thought that there might be a vocation for me as a Jesuit. I was the best man for Lloyd’s wedding in August 1992. I was not attending UNO, I was a master electrician, and I was working full time at the family business. It was the first time I asked myself, “What would make me happy?” The answer was to become a Jesuit, and specifically, a

NI J E S U ITALT U OM D AY

“It’s not about attention. It’s not about being up in front of people. It’s what the Lord wants of me. I think that’s in any discernment process that one goes through — the Lord calls you to something.”

Jesuit brother. There was peace with that and there was some fear.

Jaynotes: Did you have a so-called hallelujah moment?

Huck: During my Manresa retreats, I kept asking the Lord, “What

more do I need to do because there is something missing in my life?” I was volunteering at Jesuit, helping with the football team, and doing things in my church parish. But I always thought there was something missing. Maybe I need to do more volunteer work.

When Lloyd was married, it was a very emotional time for me.

I asked God in prayer, “If you want me to be a Jesuit, bring me that feeling.” I went on retreat at Manresa in March 1993, and I was reflecting and praying when suddenly that moment came. Fr. Harry Tompson (S.J.) was the director at Manresa and I had an appointment to see him on Saturday evening. When I sat down, he asked, “What’s going on?” And I said, “Well, I think I need to be a Jesuit.” His instant reply was, “Oh, it’s about time!”

Jaynotes: Was there any particular reason why you chose to be a Jesuit brother and not a priest?

Huck: Priests get all the attention. It’s not about attention. It’s not

about being up in front of people. It’s what the Lord wants of me.

I think that’s in any discernment process that one goes through — the Lord calls you to something. If you understand what the Lord calls you to, you can be the happiest you’ve ever been. It’s the Lord who is doing the work, not me. He is using my gifts and I’m allowing the Lord to do so to help people come closer to Him. When that call came, that hallelujah moment as you put it, it was never to be a priest. It was to be a Jesuit brother.

Jaynotes: So off you went for some rigorous training at Grand Coteau?

Huck: I went to Grand Coteau, which is the novitiate where

everyone does their first two years of training. I was one of 14 men who entered the Society that year and that number included four Blue Jays. I am the only Blue Jay who remained in the Society.

The novitiate helps you understand what it means to be a Jesuit, whether you intend to become a priest or a brother. I learned about the history of the Society of Jesus, its spirituality, and how to pray to develop a prayer life. I made the full 30-day Spiritual Exercises (of St. Ignatius). During those first two years, Grand Coteau was home, but all of us novices were sent out here and there. It’s an experiment in which they placed us in certain ministries. It is done to test us and challenge us.

Jaynotes: What was your test?

Huck: I worked with severely handicapped children. The challenge

for me was directly related to my personality which is such that I need to help people. I want to help people, realizing that sometimes helping people means is being with them. I can’t solve their physical inabilities. In a sense, it is how the Lord blessed me and loved me, and taught me about loving through severely handicapped children, some of whom could not speak or talk or walk. Yet, through them, the Lord was communicating His unconditional love for me. As a Jesuit, when visiting someone with a terminal illness, I just sit and listen to their story. And something happens — there is a grace that’s given to them and to me. I experienced this when I was undergoing my chemo treatments.

There is this roomful of patients, including me, and we’re all telling our stories. We can’t solve each other’s cancer issues, but we’re listening. It is interesting because a little community begins to develop. We can laugh and have some fun because we all know Fall/Winter 2010 – 11

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T H E JTITLE A Y N O TGEOSE SI NHTER EREV IEW

what we’re going through and we are going through it together. I think that’s part of being a Jesuit and it relates directly to Jesus — He listened to people and their stories, and He was able to change our lives.

Jaynotes: After you graduated from Creighton University in 1998 with a history degree, your first teaching assignment as a Jesuit took you to the Jesuit High School in Tampa. What was that like?

Huck: (Laughing) It was the worst year of my life. The boys

knew I was the new teacher and they took advantage of me. They smelled blood in the water like sharks and they went after me.

That first year of teaching was not easy. But there was something about being with high school kids that I liked. In my second year, I became campus minister. I was also in charge of the choir and the music for the Masses. I enjoyed a variety of experiences during my four years at Jesuit Tampa.

Jaynotes: But then you returned to your alma mater for your next assignment.

Huck: I came here for the 2004-05 school year, which was great

because there were several teachers who taught me who were still here. I understood more about teaching and the result was that I felt more grounded in the classroom.

Jaynotes: Who were some of those teachers who most influenced you as a student?

Huck: I started as a freshman and two teachers were very good for

me — Ms. Denise Dupuis taught English and Ms. Rosalyn Kreller taught social studies. (Ms. Kreller is known as Mrs. Rosalyn Moreau; she the wife of Jesuit athletic director Dave Moreau and still teaches social studies.) I was a new student and they were caring and encouraging. In my sophomore English class, Mr. Tim Murphy was a stern disciplinarian, but we could have fun with him and learn at the same time. (Mr. Murphy ’XX today serves as executive director of Manresa.) Ms. (Kathy) Tomeny made geometry come alive. I remind her every now and then that she gave me my one and only PH in the four years I was here — for not having my nametag. She was following the rule and she was right. It wasn’t personal. I’ve given PHs for the same thing. In fact, when I was in Ireland for my Tertianship, three kids got PH after I informed Top (Abshire, Jesuit’s prefect of discipline) that they were posting to Facebook from their phones on campus. [laughs]

Jaynotes: What inspired you to teach high school boys?

Huck: It’s funny, but a lot of teachers don’t particularly enjoy

teaching sophomores. It’s not specific only at Jesuit. Sophomores are a tough group because they’re in between. They’re no longer these innocent freshmen or pre-freshmen. Their hormones are raging. They think they know everything, yet they don’t know much of anything. They are rebellious, they think they are adults, and they don’t want to listen to mom and dad anymore. These are all the reasons why I love teaching the sophomores. As much as I try to teach them, I’m always surprised by how much they teach me about life, about love, and about being a person of compassion.

At the same time, they want discipline. They’ll never admit it, but they appreciate fairness and discipline.

Jaynotes: You spent most of the 2009-10 school year in Ireland completing your Tertianship?

Huck: I was based in Dublin for eight and a half months and in

Edinburgh, Scotland for the final two and a half months. I worked with the homeless as part of my Tertianship program. Tertianship is a time to make the 30-day retreat once again, and to review the constitutions and way of life of the Society of Jesus. I realized

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the Society’s formation process actually works. I saw how my life had been deeply integrated into the ways that we’re supposed to be living as Jesuits. My Tertianship was a very confirming and affirming time of my life as a Jesuit. I’m in the right place and I’m doing what the Lord wants me to do.

Jaynotes: How did you deal with students you knew were having trouble outside of school?

Huck: They may not say anything about their family life if their

parents are going through a separation or divorce. It’s a tough time for everyone, especially for the kids who try to patch up their family, which may not happen. You’re there for them. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them outside of the classroom. I moderated the Student Council for three years and was the tennis coach for two years. I did a lot of retreats and got to know them in these different contexts and situations. They got to know me differently.

Hopefully, they saw the more human side of me, that I’m not perfect, and I can share my imperfections with them. We’re all imperfect. God doesn’t want us to be perfect, but we’re still loved. Many kids have a hard time accepting that, even some of the seniors. When I taught the senior prayer class, they so much realized what they had done wrong that they focused only on the negatives. I saw the goodness in them, their many gifts and talents, and how generous and caring they were, but they didn’t or couldn’t see it themselves..

Jaynotes: Why do you think that is? Is it their home environment, the crazy world they’re growing up in?

Huck: Many have a hard time expressing their goodness and their

gifts. The majority of the boys don’t want to be showy or arrogant.

They want to be humble. You always have a few exceptions. There is a simple exercise I’ve done with many students. I ask them to write a list of all the things they like about themselves. Can they recognize the giftedness that the Lord has given them? And the kids can usually list two or three things quickly, but it becomes difficult. They take a long time to come up with a list of 10 things they like about themselves.

Jaynotes: Did you also ask them to compile a list of what they don’t especially like about themselves?

Huck: Yes, and that’s a very easy list to make because they are

very much aware of their imperfections and their sinfulness. But spending too much time dwelling on imperfections is not healthy.

It’s not good spiritually. I would tell my students, “When you spend time sitting with the Lord, let the Lord show you your giftedness. By doing so, it helps you to see how good a person you really are, and how you can help other people and share your goodness with them. What you do, and do well, you do most of the time.” Basically, God wants us to be loving, compassionate, and forgiving.

Jaynotes: Over the years, have some of the Jesuit students sought help with personal problems and confided in you?

Huck: When you spend time with them outside of school just

talking, you pick up things which start adding up. “Ah, that’s it, that explains it,” whether it’s something good or something they’re struggling with. Now I understand how to help the person a little bit better. But it’s hard because I’m a student’s teacher. I am not their friend. I am an adult to the student, an authority figure, but one, hopefully, as compassionate and caring as a parent would be towards their children. There are always a few kids who I’ve taught and have graduated in which a friendship developed. One of the good things is, they feel much freer to tell you something insightful because they’re no longer students here and can’t get in trouble.

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“Sophomores are a tough group because they’re in between. They’re no longer these innocent freshmen or pre-freshmen. Their hormones are raging. They think they know everything, yet they don’t know much of anything.…These are the reasons why I love teaching the sophomores.”

Jaynotes: As a Jesuit brother today, and looking back some 25 years ago when you were a student, what are some of the similarities and differences that pop into your mind?

Huck: The same spirit, the same camaraderie, the solid academics,

the same caring of the students by the teachers — all that is still there. One of the differences is good, but it comes with a downside. The number of clubs and organizations that Jesuit offers its students today is unbelievable compared to when I was here. These clubs, sports, and co-curricular activities give our kids many options along with the means to find their own niche and to form their own little communities within Jesuit while fostering friendships outside of class. However, the downside in becoming so involved is where is their free time? Where is their down time?

Where is their time to be with their own family? The boys are running here and there, and doing this and that. From a religious aspect, I wonder if our students set aside some time to sit quietly and reflect and pray about what they are doing in their lives and how does God and the church fit in?

Jaynotes: Would you agree that the main school building that was finished some 85 years ago is in the best shape ever?

Huck: Structurally, the buildings and the facilities are in great

shape. Nowhere is that more evident than Jesuit’s nine science labs, all of them very modern and sophisticated. The central air conditioning Jesuit installed many years ago eliminated the humidity problem that caused the paint to peel off the walls in the hallways and stairwells. Many alumni remember the basement, which at certain times of the year, was covered in a layer of dew.

If you wanted to sit during lunch, you either sat on the wet floor, or sat on your jacket or bookbag which became wet. Fr. McGinn deserves a lot of credit because what he has accomplished in terms of improving the facilities is unbelievable. The facilities were already very good when I arrived the year before Katrina. He had brought everything up to par over the course of his presidency.

Then Katrina forced him to do it again. The entire first floor had to be redone, and he had to find the money to pay for it. The Jesuit auditorium had just been renovated the year before Katrina, and it had to be redone all over again.

Jaynotes: What are you reading these days?

Huck: I recently dabbled in a book called the God of Surprises (by

Gerard W. Hughes; Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd; 3rd edition; January 1, 2008). I read it a chapter at a time and then reflected and prayed. After my surgery last summer, I read several of the “Big J Read” books — The Great Divorce (by C.S. Lewis); Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, and a Journey to Manhood (by Jeffrey Marx); and, The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldmann, OFM (by Gereon Goldmann).

Jaynotes: What music are you listening to on your iPod? Huck: A mixture of stuff — oldies from the ’50s and ’60s, and

classical. I’m usually into light rock. That explains why I have the Forrest Gump soundtrack. I was never into ACDC, head banging music, or rap.

Jaynotes: What is your favorite food?

Huck: Oh, I’ll eat anything. After this interview, I’m meeting my

pathologist at Parkway, so I’ll probably have a shrimp poor boy. I will say this much — having spent a year in Ireland and Scotland, the food over there is terrible, especially compared to our culinary standards in New Orleans. It’s bland — meat, potatoes, cabbage, lamb, mutton, and no spice on anything.

Jaynotes: Do you have any advice for Fr. (Raymond) Fitzgerald, S.J. ’76, who becomes the next president of Jesuit High School at the end of this school term?

Huck: Fr. Fitzgerald will do very well at Jesuit. The job he had

at the province office involved a lot of human resource issues, which should help him tremendously in dealing with the academic and administrative aspects of running the school, as well as understanding how the care of teachers and staff can best be accomplished. He’s very bright and efficient and has a good sense of the fund raising side. He knows the city, its people, Jesuit alumni, and he understands our students. Fr. Fitzgerald has a different personality than Fr. McGinn and will do things his own way. He will bring his own personal touches to the job. My one word of advice would be: let God guide you and remind you that you are not alone to do the job. n

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John Charbonnet ’54 Honored as

2010 Alumnus of the Year

John D. Charbonnet, a 1954 graduate of Jesuit High School whose distinguished civic endeavors and notable accomplishments in the volunteer arena have benefitted numerous non-profit organizations, foundations, and schools in New Orleans, was honored as Alumnus of the Year for 2010.

The award is given annually to an outstanding alumnus who is recognized for his achievements and distinguished service, either to Jesuit or the community-at-large, and in many instances, both. Charbonnet received the award at Homecoming Mass for Jesuit alumni on Sunday, October 10 in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs.

“This award is long overdue for John, who has quietly, but effectively, dedicated his life to helping those less fortunate in our community,” said Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J., president of Jesuit High School. “In the early 1980s, John’s expertise in construction, along with his poised guidance and unwavering support, were crucial factors in Jesuit successfully converting a large portion of the Jesuits’ Banks Street residence into a contemporary environment for faculty and students. John’s efforts resulted in Jesuit sporting an administrative wing classic in its design and 8 JAYNotes

multi-dimensional in its use.”

When Fr. McGinn informed him that he had been selected as Alumnus of the Year, Charbonnet said he initially thought there must have been a mistake. “I know what Tony McGinn’s voice sounded like, but I still didn’t think he had the right Blue Jay,” said a surprised Charbonnet. “When I later called Jesuit and they congratulated me, it began to sink in.”

In characteristic humble fashion, Charbonnet added that the Alumnus of the Year honor is a manifestation of his community service “as we were all taught at Jesuit High School to give back and help others.”

Charbonnet holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Tulane University. He served two years on active duty as a commissioned officer in the Civil Engineering Corps of the United States Navy.

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Jesuit’s 2010 Alumnus of the Year Lives by the Motto Pro Bono Publico At Homecoming Mass in October, Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 introduced the 2010 Alumnus of the Year with these words...

At the annual Alumnus of the Year dinner, former Blue Jays who have been honored pay tribute to John Charbonnet ’54.

In top left photo, Charbonnet talks with Hon. Moon Landrieu ’48, who was Alumnus of the Year in 1970.

His professional career as a licensed general contractor spans nearly 50 years with two closely held companies, Marsiglia Construction Company, where he was vice-president, and his own firm, Charbonnet Construction Company, of which he was president. He also served as the chief executive officer of the Foster Corporation, a Chalmette-based company that specializes in the manufacture of custom sewn fabric products such as tarps and covers.

Charbonnet reigned as Rex, King of Carnival at the 1988 Mardi Gras. In 1992, the Young Leadership Council recognized him as one of its Role Models for the citizens of New Orleans.

Charbonnet is married to the former Dorothy Nelle Storey.

He and Dottie have three children: John D. Charbonnet, Jr. ’83; J. Storey Charbonnet ’85; and, Anne Charbonnet Goliwas.

The Charbonnets have a total of eight grandchildren. n Read the entire article and visit the Alumnus of the Year Archives on Jesuit’s web site: http://www.jesuitnola.org/alumni/ Alumnus_of_Year_Master_Archive_Home_2008-10-16.htm.

Very early on when I became president of Jesuit High School, I had a conversation with our 1964 Alumnus of the Year, (Leon Sarpy), who was a graduate of the Class of 1924. That conversation clarified for me very important principles of Jesuit High School — how important it is to maintain the continuity.

His experience from 1924 to my experience when I was a student to my experience (when I became president) in 1992, there was a tremendous sense of continuity.

Although many things had changed, the basics remained the same — a tremendous sense of continuity through the years at Jesuit High School. I became convinced that the number one job description of president of Jesuit High School is to preserve the continuity amid the change.

I see before me the Class of 1985, who I knew as 15-yearolds, and today, as parents of students of Jesuit High School.

They are still the 15-year-olds they once were, but they have changed and grown and developed. That is the great grace that God has given to them, a great consolation to me personally, and for all of us at Jesuit High School — to see people grow and develop.

I can’t say the same thing about the Class of ’60, because they were a bit ahead of me. You know one of the realities that we face here at Jesuit High School in this day is every year we get closer to the front, which is a day of reckoning for us and the Class of ’60.

Talking about continuity, and as I come to acknowledge the great gift that John Charbonnet has been to Jesuit High School and to the City of New Orleans, I noted his civic leadership, and particularly the leadership he exercised in 1991 and 1992 when he led the effort to maintain continuity in our city while still accepting change.

We live by mottos in our lives. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, of Fall/Winter 2010 – 11

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course, is a great motto for us at Jesuit High School. There is also a motto that John Charbonnet lives by — Pro Bono Publico, which he has displayed in his civic leadership and in the many ways in which he’s helped people through the years serving on various boards and non-profits. Pro Bono Publico — to maintain the continuity in the midst of the challenge of change. And for that, we are grateful as fellow graduates of Jesuit High School, but also as citizens of New Orleans for his leadership in many civic areas.

Jesuit High School is a place of great continuity, but great change. In the early 1980s, (Jesuit’s president) Fr. Harry Tompson (S.J. ’54) saw that we needed to preserve the school building as a way of maintaining continuity.

But there needed to be changes.

Through John Charbonnet, and with help from Charlie Gambel (’55) who is here today, a project was led by them to provide 10 extra classrooms and new facilities for administration, staff, and the guidance department by renovating the Jesuit residence and the second floor of the school building. That tremendous renovation was a change for us, but always intended to provide the continuity that we needed going forward.

I’m very grateful to John, as I saw him during those years in the great effort that he made to be not just an engineer, but also a friend, a leader, a guide, a comforter, and a challenger in those difficult tasks that he and Charlie Gambel both had back in 1981 and ’82.

So without any further hesitation, I am pleased to present to you our 2010 recipient of the Alumnus of the Year Award from the Class of 1954, John Charbonnet. n

In his address at Homecoming Mass last October, 2010 Alumnus of the Year John Charbonnet ’54 recalled when he was a young freshman Blue Jay back in 1950, he was not particularly enamored of Jesuit High School. Along the way, Charbonnet learned something important that has served him well throughout his life.

This is really intimidating, but I can’t thank Father McGinn enough. I want very much to thank all of the guys who have joined me over the years in working on the (construction) projects, not only here at Jesuit but also throughout the city. I want to thank Dottie, who stayed with me as my wife of 50 years, and our family and friends for being with us today.

We were taught at Jesuit High School to be “men for others,” and taking that very little statement and trying to live by it has really worked. I have to tell you a little experience that I had here at Jesuit High School.

I graduated from St. Rita’s School (on Fontainebleau Drive), came to Jesuit, and suddenly realized I was in a big world. I was not a particularly good student and was put in Class 1F — that’s the bottom of the bottom. After a couple of months at Jesuit, I came home one day and told my father I really didn’t like this place. I wanted to get out of Jesuit and go anywhere else. “Tell you what, we’re not even gonna’ have this conversation,” my dad said, quickly adding, “My suggestion to you is that you work as hard as you can for the next four years so you don’t extend your unhappiness.”

With the assistance of the Jesuits, I made it out on time. I went to Tulane University, earned a couple of degrees in engineering, and joined the Civil Engineer Corps of the U.S. Navy.

What worked in my life is that I learned discipline. I learned how to discipline myself here at Jesuit High School, and I want to thank all of you (Jesuits) for that. New Orleans is extremely fortunate to have had, since 1847 when this school was established, a high school run by the Jesuit order. It has assisted many of us in becoming real men. So again, I thank you all for everything.

And not to be cute, but pay attention to today’s Gospel and listen to what Father McGinn said in his homily.

I have only one word in closing — Hallelujah! n Following Mass, the Charbonnet Family joins the Alumnus of the Year in front of the altar. From left are sons Storey ’85 and Jack ’83; John and Dottie Charbonnet; and, daughter Anne Charbonnet Goliwas, her husband, Billy, and their son, Walter.

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At a Student Assembly, Jesuit’s Alumnus of the Year Offers Simple Advice Gentlemen: Congratulations on being Blue Jays!

I, also, am a Blue Jay. And I am very fortunate to be chosen as Jesuit’s 2010 Alumnus of the Year.

You are attending the best high school in New Orleans and, I believe, the best in the Gulf South. We are fortunate to have had the Jesuits open this school in our city in 1847. Several generations of our families and friends have had this privilege. Now, it is your turn. You are quite lucky. Please take advantage of your time here at Jesuit.

As you grow older, you will realize what you experienced here at Jesuit was the development of young boys into men, and that this education has prepared you for life.

I came here from a local parochial school and found Jesuit hard and tough. I was put into a class at the bottom of the bottom, not an accelerated program. I wanted to go to another school.

My father would not even discuss the subject. His advice was for me to study hard, try to get out in four years, and not extend my unhappiness. I woke up in my junior year, improved my grades, followed the rules, and graduated on time. At Tulane, I earned a masters degree in engineering and then served as a Commissioned

BACK TO BANKS!

This annual fun celebration coincides with Homecoming activities and always attracts Blue Jays and fans across the Jesuit community.

Officer in the U. S. Navy.

At Jesuit, I was a little, skinny guy and not an athlete.

However, I did earn two letters at Jesuit — one was P and the other was H. Penance Hall was my homeroom. Poor Father Heiter was the prefect of discipline, and he got tired of John Charbonnet’s senior seeing me. One day, he gave me photo in the 1954 Yearbook a scapular medal and told me if I wore it every day, maybe Mary the Blessed Mother would look after me, as I needed all the help I could get. That was 57 years ago. Today, I still wear that medal.

In addition to receiving a fine academic education at Jesuit, you learn responsibility, integrity, honesty, and morality. What it all comes down to, in my opinion, is that you learn to discipline yourself and follow the rules set down by your parents, or guardians, and what you were taught here at Jesuit.

Again, congratulations! You are all Blue Jays! n

There are always surprises at Back to Banks, including football players, kids sporting their favorite Blue Jay faces, Jayettes Blaire Roeling and Taylor Turkman, and a most enthusiastic (and one of the loudest) Jesuit fan, Buddy Lazare ’43.

Check out the two Back to Banks photo galleries: http://www.jesuitnola. org/alumni/BacktoBanks_2010_ PG2_100910.htm Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 11

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Dr. Frank Incaprera ’44 is director of medicine for the Guardian Medical Group in Elmwood Business Park off Jefferson Highway. Frank was recently interviewed on a cable program, Business Spotlight, about the services provided by Guardian, which include servicing the area businesses with pre-employment physicals and drugtesting, post-work related accident physicals and drug testing, and administering flu shots to employees. Guardian’s medical services include urgent care, physical exams, preventative medicine, and pain management. Also available is weight loss therapy, psychiatric care and massage therapy. The clinic also provides cosmetic services and procedures on an out patient basis.

Frank Birtel, Ph. D. ’48 is on the faculty at Tulane University for several decades, mostly as a mathematics professor. For the past 25-plus years, he has also been deeply involved in the science-faith framework. He taught several colloquia at Tulane on the topic, including Science and Human Values, God and Science, and God and the JudaeoChristian Experiment.

Edgar Saunders ’51 plays the banjo in the Orleans Original Jazz Ensemble. “We play for civic events, charitable events, retirement homes and private parties”, says Edgar, who serves as a faithful volunteer for the fall and spring LEF phone drives.

Dick Lochte ’54 has teamed up with Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show to co-write two murder mystery novels. The Morning Show Murders: A Novel came out in September 2010.

Their latest is The Midnight Show Murders: A Billy Blessing Novel. In an interview to promote the first book, Roker says he did not have “an iota of a way to write” so he teamed up with Dick, who he describes as “a terrific murder mystery writer” who helped him crank the book out. Dick, who lives in Santa Monica, is the author and co-author of several mystery books and novels. Check him out on amazon.com.

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Earl Higgins ’59 has a whimsical new book out about the streets of Metairie.

Metairie, Ames, High: The Streets of Jefferson Parish is a companion to Frenchmen, Desire, Goodchildren and Other Streets of New Orleans by the late cartoonist John Chase.

Earl says his newest book is lighthearted, in a style similar to one he wrote two years ago — The Joy of Y ’at Catholicism.

“There are history and geography and the origin of names and even a chapter about dendrology, streets named for trees,” says Earl. “From Bucktown on Lake Pontchartrain to Grand Isle on the Gulf, there are many, many streets, some with interesting names, some with dull and ordinary names that could be in Anywhere, USA.” Readers will discover Hooter Road in Nine Mile Point and streets with names in Latin, Spanish, Provencal, Italian, Tagalog, German, and Greek. “Do you know where Elvis Court is?” asks Earl.

“Was it named for The King? You can learn a lot of trivia.” Find the book at local stores and Pelican Publishing: http://www. pelicanpub.com/default.asp.

John Berthelot ’60 released a CD last year called John Berthelot (The Maestro) which is a retrospective of compositions, arrangements, and productions of 19 diverse songs. John was a member of the Blue Jay Band from 1956-1960 when it was under the direction of Mr. Salvadore Castigliora. John’s CD on Great Southern Records is available from www.louisianamusicfactory.com.

Jay Conner ’61 recently completed a trip to China where he took the relatively new 48hour train trip to Lhasa, Tibet and continuing on to the base camp at Mt. Everest. Jay approached a group

(Summiteers) that was preparing to climb the mountain and asked if they would mind placing a Jesuit Blue Jay banner when they reached the summit. Jay claims he was told that Fr. Harry Tompson, S.J. ’54 had already arranged for such a banner to be placed at the summit. “Besides, it was well known among the Summiteers that the Jesuits have banners at much higher places than the summit of Mt. Everest,” writes Jay. Tom Kitchen ’65 is president and CEO of Stewart Enterprises, Inc. Prior to his promotion, Tom was Stewart’s senior executive vice president and chief financial officer. He is not unfamiliar with the responsibilities that conme with his new position, having served as Stewart’s acting CEO between June 2006 and March 2007.

Tom, who is a CPA, is a longtime member of the President’s Advisory Council (PAC) at Jesuit High School. He also serves on Jesuit’s board of directors. Perhaps it is fitting that another Blue Jay, Lew Derbes, Jr. ’89, has been tapped to fill Tom’s shoes. Derbes, also a CPA, joined Stewart in 2005 as the company’s treasurer. Lew most recently served as Stewart’s senior vice president of finance. Stewart Enterprises currently owns and operates 218 funeral homes and 141 cemeteries, making the Jefferson Parish-based company the second largest provider of products and services related to the death care industry.

Rick Ortega ’71 is a chemical engineer with Lyondellbasell Chemical Co. and lives in Clear Lake, TX with his wife, Marcy, and their daughter Tracy. Rick writes that in cooler months, the family enjoys camping at any of the numerous Texas state parks. He also gigs with a nine-piece band as often as possible.

Ralph Dwyer ’73 is enjoying more than ever his career as a civil engineer for HNTB Corporation, an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving federal, state, municipal, military, and private clients.

Ralph, who has been working and living in Chicago for the past five years, writes animatedly of his recent projects: “I’ve added ‘Open Road Tolling’ to the Illinois Tollway, put a 2800-foot extension on O’Hare’s busiest runway, put a green roof on the world’s largest rapid-sand water

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filtration plant, and now I’m relocating all the sewer and water lines on Lower Wacker Drive (think Blues Brothers or the latest Batman movie) in preparation for reconstruction of the viaduct. All for the Greater Glory of God! The Lord has truly blessed me with fantastic opportunities in my civil engineering career. I’ll just keep suckin’ the heads and squeezin’ the tails.

Laissez les bon temps rouler! ” Blair Brown ’74, whose grandfather was Coach Gernon Brown, was elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Blair is a partner in the law firm of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP in Washington, DC, where his practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation. Blair also serves on the Boards of Directors of the Southern Public Defender Training Center and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

He and his wife, Susan, live in Takoma Park, MA

Casey Collins ’77 (above right) is chief of staff at the Joint Task Force Civil Support in Fort Monroe, VA. Casey recently began his new job after retiring as captain from the U.S. Navy last August. His 29-year Navy career included two different tours commanding EA-6B aircraft squadrons and a tour commanding Naval Support Activity in Norfolk, VA. “I have more than 3,000 flight hours in the EA-6B Prowler and 930 arrested landings (traps) on ten different aircraft carriers,” writes Casey. “I was very fortunate that RADM (Rear Admiral) David Woods, who I met when we were students together in flight school 29 years ago, came down from Washington, D.C.

to conduct my retirement ceremony. My sons — Chris, Ben, and John — and I still live in Virginia Beach.” The Joint Task Force Civil Support’s mission is part of the Department of Defense’s overall effort to support a presidential directive regarding combating terrorism.

Rodney Lenfant ’80 is vice president for Accretive Solutions, a national consulting and executive search firm. He is focusing on building a finance and accounting consulting practice in Houston. Rodney recently retired after 24 years of public accounting in the audit practice at Deloitte to join forces with Accretive. Rodney pens this update: “I’m a regular speaker on a variety of accounting topics at CPA seminars across the Gulf Coast, participate actively as a board member at the Houston Downtown YMCA, and have just been named to the Audit Committee at Catholic Health Initiatives, the third largest Catholic health system in the U.S. One day, I’d like to teach in college, but for now, I’m having fun doing what I’m doing.” Rodney added that he is looking forward to the first pitch at John Ryan Field.

Brian Quirk ’80, who is the managing partner of the law firm of Irwin Fritchie Urquhart & Moore, L.L.C., was recently elected president of the New Orleans Bar Association. CityBusiness selected Brian as one of 50 attorneys to its “Leadership in Law Class for 2011.” The newspaper honored lawyers in the metro area based on their legal, professional, and community contributions. Brian and his wife, Katherine, live in New Orleans with their three children, ages 11, 9, and 7.

Glenn Geraci, Jr. ’84 was recently elected to a term to serve on the Board of Directors for Pivot Ministries in Bridgeport, CT which is a Christ-centered, bible-based ministry for men, whose mission is to treat drug and alcohol addiction as a spiritual problem, and to return the men to their families whole.”

Marc Miller ’84 was recently promoted to sergeant for Georgia’s Dekalb County Police Department, where he has completed his ninth year as a police officer. “Following in Jesuit style, I am the first in my academy

class to make rank,” writes Marc. “I am assigned to South precinct on evening watch.” Dekalb the second largest county in Georgia and includes the eastern half of unincorporated Atlanta and surrounding areas. Marc is a 4th degree knight in the Knights of Columbus, St. Brigid Council 13204 in Alpharetta. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and three children — Jacqueline (10), Bridget (8), and Owen (5).

Mickey Parenton ’84 will be the vice president and general manager of Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc.’s new $357 million casino and hotel currently being built in Baton Rouge. The facility’s projected opening is late 2011. Parenton has more than 18 years of casino industry experience and has been serving as Pinnacle’s vice president of special projects.

John Zollinger ’85 is president of the Northshore market of Home Bank and oversees all of the bank’s operations in that area. Home Bank recently acquired the assets of Statewide Bank from the FDIC. Jamie Lagarde, Jr. ’89 is the chief operating officer at AdRevolution, an Austin-based company that provides digital media technology to publishers and on-line advertisers. Jamie is responsible for the day-to-day operations of AdRevolution, including technology development and revenue generation. Jamie lives in the downtown section of Austin and currently serves as president of the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association.

Jason Hemel ’92 is the vice president of development at St. Margaret’s Healthcare, a home for elderly citizens needing skilled nursing and custodial care. The facility is located on St. Claude Avenue at Gallier Street.

Ryan Thibodaux ’92 was named to Gambit’s “40 under 40” list of local people who are making a difference in their community. According to Gambit, Ryan “splits his time between blowing the horn, riding bikes, and pulling teeth.” As an original member of the Bucktown AllStars band, he plays the trumpet. Ryan rides his bike to his family dental office on Causeway Blvd in Metairie.

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Ben Grau ’93 and his family have returned to New Orleans after spending five years in Dallas… no thanks to Katrina.

Ben is an attorney with the law firm of Galloway, Johnson, Tompkins, Burr & Smith, APLC. Collyn Martinez ’93 and his company, Colorsmith, are working on decorative finishes for the new Superior Seafood restaurant to give it an old world ambience.

The restaurant is located at Napoleon and St. Charles and will revitalize a corner that has been dormant since Katrina.

Frank Rabalais ’93 recently began his third year as a tax credit consultant with New Orleans-based Crescent Growth Capital. Frank and his family — Cynthia Steward, his wife of eight years, and their seven year-old daughter Sophie — live in Mid-City, not too far from Jesuit, which conjures up fond memories when he drives past the school, an almost daily occurrence.

Brett Estrade ’95 is a senior researcher for the University of Houston’s computer science department and his wife, Cynthia, is a veterinarian in Houston’s downtown area.

The Estrade family lives in Sugarland, south of the Big H. (See their entry in Bib Notes).

John-Patrick Fritz ’97 is a bankruptcy lawyer in Los Angeles. His brother, Andrew ’99, is a financial analyst in Boston. Andrew is married with an 21-month-old daughter.

Bryan Hymel, Jr. ’97 (above) has taken on the biggest role of his acting career and stars in the lead role of Don José in Carmen in 3-D, the first opera filmed in spectacular 3-D. The movie is currently playing in Real 3D theaters around the country. A co14 JAYNotes

production of RealD and London’s Royal Opera House, Carmen in 3-D gives viewers the best seats in the house, taking them on a magic carpet ride into the heart of the production and immersing them into an exciting story of love, jealousy, and betrayal.

According to the movie’s web site, “Carmen in 3-D is a dazzling film, filled with some of the best-loved music ever written and performed by a world-class cast.” The movie is in French with English subtitles and is the perfect event for life-long opera fans and first-timers alike. Hymel is loyal to his alma mater and his city, and always proudly wears his Jesuit ring. www.carmen3d.com.

Michael Zeringue ’97 joined Ponchartrain Bone and Joint Clinic in August 2010 in Metairie and Destrehan.

He completed medical school and a public health degree at Tulane School of Medicine and School of Public Health.

Michael then completed his residency and fellowship training at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. He is board certified in interventional pain management/ sports medicine/ family medicine. Two of his partners at Pontchartrain Bone and Joint Clinic include fellow Blue Jay alumni Dr. John Burvant ’80 (son Brian is a current Blue Jay) and Dr. Charlie Haddad ’91.

Ray Gruezke ’00 recently opened Rue 127, a gourmet restaurant just a bit more than two blocks from his alma mater. Ray serves as chef/owner of this addition to the hot Mid-City restaurant scene.

Bear Peterson ’00 is passionate about yoga! He is the founder and CEO of Yoga Sherpa, an international travel company designed specifically for yoga studios and instructors. The company’s mission is to improve individuals’ personal wellbeing and foster yoga studios’ sense of community by coordinating extraordinary international group yoga retreats to some of the most beautiful places on the plane.

Bear earned a B.A. in international studies from Middlebury College and a Masters in business from Tulane University. He began practicing yoga with Prem Prakash in Vermont 11 years ago and has always

appreciated the many benefits of yoga. Bear has lived, worked, travelled, and practiced yoga in over 20 countries. When he is not traveling around the globe, home is still New Orleans. http://www. yogasherpa.com/index.php.

Craig Paddock ’02 has a new CD of six songs produced by classmate Eric Heigle. www.craigpaddockmusic.com.

Ryan Favret ’03 works as a marketing coordinator for Tulane University’s athletic program.

Brandon Sanchez ’03 is a reservoir engineer with Shell Oil Company. He lives in Metairie and works out of the company’s New Orleans headquarters in One Shell Square on Poydras Street.

Sean Somers ’03 is a production engineer for Chaparral Energy, L.L.C. and lives and works in Oklahoma City.

Peter “Hill” Dupuy ’04 married Regan Shackelford on June 12, 2010 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.

Adam Ganucheau ’04 teaches theology and journalism at St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans.

Michael Gretchen ’05, along with his classmates Robert Casey and Michael Tufton, spent five weeks (driving more than 5,000 km) camping throughout Australia and New Zealand. The trio flew to Brisbane, Queensland, where they rented a camper van and took a road trip south along Australia’s southeast coastline to Sydney in New South Wales.

After spending a few days in Sydney, they continued south toward Melbourne, Victoria. “On the way to Melbourne, we stopped in Canberra, Australia’s capital, where we saw Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in person,” writes Gretchen. “While we were only in Canberra for a few hours, we were able to stop by Parliament and

J E S U ITALT U OM D AY NI

sit in the visitor’s gallery of the House of Representatives where we watched Rudd’s address. Less than three days later, he was forced to resign by an uprising in his own party.” The three Blue Jays then toured Melbourne and the “stunning Great Ocean Road” before flying to Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand. “We drove around the South Island for the final 11 days of our trip,” writes Gretchen, “enjoying the beautiful scenery and challenging skiing of Queenstown. (In the photo below, from left, Robert Casey, Michael Tufton, and Michael Gretchen ski The Remarkables near Queenstown, New Zealand.) While our trip was fantastic, we are particularly mindful of the natural disasters to befall both Australia and New Zealand since we returned. Our prayers are with the victims of the Christchurch earthquake and

Australia floods that have devastated much of what we so thoroughly enjoyed.”

Matthew Hobbs ’06 is working in Atlanta at Think Interactive, Inc., a full service marketing and advertising agency that touts its focus on smart thinking, collaboration, and innovation.

Lars Stoulig ’06 graduated in the top 100 of his class with honors from the United States Naval Academy

in May 2010. He is training to become a naval aviator and attends flight school in Pensacola.

Stephen Duncan ’07 will soon graduate from LSU Business School, where he studied international trade and finance. He plans to pursue an MBA at LSU. Stephen is a soccer coach for the junior varsity team at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge.

Michael Lane ’07 is studying general business at the University of Alabama with a graduation date in 2012. Michael is working at the university’s aquatic center.

Class of ’56 Still Gets Its Luncheon Kicks LET US KNOW…

Where Y’AT! You enjoy reading about fellow Blue Jay alumni and they enjoy reading about you. Take a moment to tell ’em

WHERE Y’AT! E-mail the editor: degruy@jesuitnola.org.

Send one or two high resolution digital photos. Or mail to Jaynotes, Alumni Office, Jesuit High School, 4133 Banks St., New Orleans, LA 70119 Jesuit encourages alumni to contribute to HFA, LEF, or Scholarships. Your gift to Jesuit will help the school in many ways.

Go to www.jesuitnola.org and click on donate online to jesuit.

Nineteen members of the Class of 1956, including one who currently lives in St. Louis, met at the Bon Ton Restaurant on Magazine Street for lunch just days after the deaths of two classmates, Richard “Dick” Daigre and Denis Manchon. These ’56ers remain active and supportive, meeting monthly to remain connected to each other and to Jesuit High School. Each December, the class gathers at a memorial Mass to remember their deceased classmates.

“We are pleased that many of our classes are choosing to get together between their five-year reunions for informal luncheons and dinners,” says Jesuit alumni director Mat Grau ’68. This spring and summer, reunions will be held for classes ending in 1 and 6. Register for your reunion online on Jesuit’s web site: http://www.jesuitnola.org/cgi-bin/events.cgi.

At the luncheon, seated from left in the front row, are: Numa Marquette (Baton Rouge), Tony Bonfanti (Hattiesburg), Pat White (Kenner), and R.J. Schilleci (Destrehan); seated second row, from left: Ewell Smith (Kenner), Ed Williams (River Ridge), Frank Courtenay (New Orleans), and Rene Curry (New Orleans)

First row standing, from left: Mickey Landry (Slidell), Louis Menard (St. Louis), Robert Weilbaecher (New Orleans), Pat Browne (New Orleans), Sam LeBlanc (St. Francisville), and Tom Arata (Gretna). Back row, from left: George Kreider (Metairie), Skip Hanemann (Houma), Dave Schof (Kenner), and Larry McNamara (Metairie).

Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 15

LEF T H E TITLE G O E S H ERE

A total of 227 Jesuit alumni from 1940 to 2006 responded to the personal invitation by packing St. Ignatius Hall for four nights during October to connect with classmates.

Living Endowment Fund: Results of Fall Drive break records while forging stronger connections among Jesuit alumni.

Academic counselors at Jesuit invite new Blue Jay students to get involved early. Raymond “Rocky” Daigle ’85 is setting a shining example for his son, Alex ’15. Before his eighth grader completed his first homework assignment, Daigle accepted an invitation from Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 to serve as chairman of the 2010 - 2011 Living Endowment Fund drive. Jesuit’s president made a perfect pick.

“Rocky brings great energy to the project and has wholeheartedly embraced our spirit of personal connection and meaningful involvement,” says Fr. McGinn.

A total of 227 Jesuit alumni from 1940 to 2006 responded to the personal invitation by packing St. Ignatius Hall for four nights during October to connect with classmates. Those calls produced 1,304 pledges totaling $388,160. The average fall pledge was $304. Since then, the drive has surpassed $1 million in pledges.

“When you’re asked to lead an effort of this magnitude, it can be frightening at first,” admits Daigle, “but the support I’ve received from our alums and the assistance I’ve gotten from Fr. McGinn and Jesuit’s office of institutional advancement, have 16 JAYNotes

made for an incredibly satisfying and memorable experience.”

Daigle reminds alumni that this year’s LEF Drive began July 1, 2010 and ends June 30, 2011.

Changes, some of them suggested by alumni, have made calling classmates easier and more meaningful than ever.

“Rocky and past chairmen suggested streamlining and preprioritizing the cards used for calling,” explains Tom Bagwill, who is Jesuit’s director of institutional advancement, “and young alums recommended reconfiguring St. Ignatius Hall for wireless capability. The new ideas paid big dividends.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if my son Alex is invited to lead LEF one day?” Daigle wonders. At Jesuit, that sort of thing can happen, and often does. n

Alumni may pledge or donate online to the LEF drive: http:// www.jesuitnola.org/about/Donate_Online_to_JHS_Template. htm.

Check to see how your class is doing so far: http://www. jesuitnola.org/alumni/fund.htm.

J E S U ITALT U OM D AY NI

Those calls produced 1,304 pledges totaling $388,160.

The average fall pledge was $304. Since then, the drive has surpassed $1 million in pledges.

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas S. Matulich, Jr. ’68

on the birth of their grandson, Jacques PierreClaude Meyer, December 22, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard A. Young, Jr. ’86 on the birth of their son, Nolan Randolph Young, February 22, 2010. Nolan is the grandson of the David B. Lester ’59 and the nephew of D. Brent Lester ’87 and James R. Young ’89.

Mr. and Mrs. Darin C. Boue ’90 on the birth of their daughter, Sofia Marcelle Boue, on November 16, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. David J. Mitchell, Jr. ’91 on the birth of their second daughter, Sedona Faye Mitchell, September 24, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Pou ’92 on the birth of their daughter, Virginia Josephine Pou, December 6, 2010. Virginia is the niece of Manelik F. Pou ’93.

Mr. and Mrs. Cory J. Howat ’93 on the birth of their son, James Francis Howat, December 20, 2010. James is the nephew of Carl J. Howat ’89, Craig J. Howat ’90, and Chad A. Howat ’92.

Mr. and Mrs. Neill O’Connell ’93 on the birth of their third daughter, Evelyn O’Connell, November 10, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Brett D. Estrade ’95 on the birth of their daughter, Camille Dominique Estrade, January 20, 2010. Camille is the granddaughter of Stuart R. Estrade ’62 and the niece of Matthew W. Estrade ’95 and Grant M. Estrade ’98.

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan G. Kowalski ’95 on the birth of their son, Theodore Kowalski, March 10, 2010. Theodore is the nephew of Christopher J. Kowalski ’91.

Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Offner ’95 on the birth of their second son, Evan Louis Offner, May 30, 2010. Evan is the nephew of Eric P. Offner ’98.

birth of their son, Miles Daniel Martiny, February 9, 2011. He is the nephew of Jeffrey D. Martiny ’01 and Steven A. Martiny ’04.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul V. Saltaformaggio ’96

on the birth of their son, Philip Vincent Saltaformaggio, December 27, 2010. Philip is the grandson of the late Edward J. Ludman ’41 and the nephew of David J. Saltaformaggio ’00.

Dr. and Mrs. Ryan M. Truxillo ’96 on the birth of their son, Jude Ryan Truxillo, January 12, 2011. Jude is the great-grandson of the late Marion M. Truxillo ’32 and the late Emile A. Bertucci, Jr. ’37; the grandson of Bryan J. Bertucci ’68 and M. Mark Truxillo ’71; and, the nephew of Kevin F. Truxillo ’99, Bryan J. Bertucci ’99, Stephen M. Bertucci ’01, Nicholas T. Bertucci ’03, and Matthew B. Bertucci ’05.

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew J. Welch ’96 on the birth of their son, Christopher James Welch.

Christopher is the godson and nephew of Mark E. Welch ’99.

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Pesce ’97 on the birth of their son, William Joseph Pesce, January 14, 2011. William is the great-grandson of the late Harry N. Charbonnet ’36; the grandson of George G. Pesce III ’63 and John J. Dardis ’59; and, the nephew of John J. Dardis, Jr. ’88, William C. Dardis ’90, Douglas M. Pesce ’92, and Stephen P. Dardis ’97.

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey C. Pizzaloto ’98 on the birth of their daughter, Ainsley Mae Pizzaloto, August 12, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Keith G. Jenkins ’99 on the birth of their son, Konnor Joseph Jenkins, August 6, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan D. Martiny ’99 on the

Dr. and Mrs. Raymond G. Areaux, Jr. ’00 on the birth of their daughter, Eleanore Charlotte Areaux, December 23, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Cardwell ’00 on the

birth of their son, Landon George Cardwell, June 25, 2010. Landon is the nephew of Wesley S. Cardwell ’96.

Mr. and Mrs. Christian C. Higgins ’00 on the

birth of their son, Austin Earl Higgins, January 3, 2011. Austin is the grandson of Earl J. Higgins ’59 and the nephew of Sean M. Higgins ’92 and Matthew B. Higgins ’96.

Mr. and Mrs. Brandon M. Mohr ’00 on the birth of their son, Cullen Michael Mohr, November 19, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen George Pivach ’00 on the birth of their son, Charles Nolan Pivach, September 27, 2010. Charles is the grandson of George Pivach II ’73 and the nephew of John E. Pivach ’06.

Mr. and Mrs. R. Dan Serio, Jr. ’01 on the

birth of their son, Richard Daniel Serio III, January 4, 2011. He is the great-great-grandson of the late Daniel Levy, Sr. ’20 and the greatgrandson of the late Daniel Levy, Jr. ’41.

Send Biblist info to: Krista Roeling (roeling@ jesuitnola.org) and she will send you a blue or pink Blue Jay bib!

Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 17

I N M E M O RIA M

Each edition of Jaynotes lists those members of the Jesuit High School community who have died. Please remember our recently deceased in your prayers.

Lawrence J. Cristina, Sr. ’34; Numa Livaudais, Jr. ’34; Charles J. Derbes, Jr. ’37; Edward J. Harrigan ’38; Rev. Thomas M. Gillin, S.J. ’39; William J. Oldenburg ’39; John Dane, Jr. ’40; Paul J. Rau ’40; Bryon J. Berteau ’41; Sidney F. Hecker ’42; Adolphe W. Indest, Jr. ’43; Harry S.H. Verlander, Jr. ’43; Jack P. Ruli ’44; David P. Banowetz ’45; Rev. John F. Deeves, S.J. ’45; George H. VanGeffen ’45; Ronald F. Fontana ’46; John K. Golden ’46; Michael J. LeBoeuf, Jr. ’46; Gaspar L. Trapani ’47; Anthony J. Clesi ’48; Michael J. Larose ’48; George A. Pettit ’48; Salvador E. Palmisano, Jr. ’50; Ralph C. Redmann ’50; Edward J. Trahan, Jr. ’50; Jerome H. Alciatore ’51; Thomas J. Mathews ’51; Paul A. Menard, Jr. ’51; Robert J. Despenzero ’54; Charles E. Silva, Jr. ’54; Thomas F. Surcouf, Sr. ’54; Richard G. Daigre ’56; Harold C. Dufour ’56; Denis D. Manchon ’56; George R. “Bobby” Boasberg ’59; Charles G. Eberhardt ’59; Don R. Gomez ’59; Michael P. Casey, Sr. ’62; Edward L. Arroyo ’66; John S. Thiele ’70; Thomas J. Byrne, Jr. ’74; Christopher S. Tunis ’74; Logan J. Martin ’84; Shawn P. Curry ’89; Kevin G. Abascal ’00.

WIFE OF… The late Warren R. Aitkens ’28; the late George H. Antonini ’36; Harold S. Barker, Jr. ’52; Frederick E. Barocco ’40; the late Jules P. Barrios, Jr. ’33; the late Gerald L. Blache ’26; the late George H. Boudousquie ’48; Timothy A. Calamari, Jr. ’54; A. Richard Christovich ’38; Laurence R. DeBuys III ’52; the late J. Paul Demarest ’60; the late Joseph S. DiFatta, Sr. ’38; the late John B. Donnes II ’45; Arthur G. Duffy, Jr. ’44; Michael P. Falk ’65; the late Gordon W. Faust ’38; the late Joseph L. Fontcuberta ’41; the late Vincent J. Greco ’45; the late Donald V. Higgins ’32; Chester A. Hingle, Jr. ’50; the late Charles A. Hoffman, Jr. ’41; the late Thomas G. Holten ’36; the late William H. Johnston ’40; James J. Kenney ’43; the late Paul E. Lacourrege ’37; John Lulich, Jr. ’44; Joseph A. Miceli, Jr. ’55; the late Conrad J. Miller ’37; the late John G. O’Hern ’38; Norman A. Pettingill ’61; Austin G. Phillips, Jr. ’66; the late Eustace H. Pritchard ’33; Albert A. Rodehorst ’45; the late Ernest A. Roth, Jr. ’41; Joseph F. Sarrat ’44; Michael W. Sciortino ’38; Henry J. Steudlein III ’88; the late Lawrence J. Strohmeyer ’34; the late John W. Waters, Sr. ’42.

FATHER OF… The late George V. Avila, Jr. ’59; Brandon R. Blouin ’99; William L. Boasberg ’89; Brian M. Bourgeois ’85 (stepfather); Justice V.J. Buras ’05 (stepfather); Christopher S. Burmaster ’02 (stepfather); Brett M. Casey ’91; Douglas A. Cresson ’60;

18 JAYNotes

Lawrence J. Cristina, Jr. ’60; Eric C. Cusimano ’06; James G. Dalferes II ’67; Charles J. III ’60 and Louis J. Derbes ’67; Roger J. Drake ’71; Robert J. Durand ’73; the late J. Kenneth Esler ’59; Craig M. ’67, Kurt P. ’70, Mark S. ’78, and Brett T. Forshag ’84; Joseph V. Franks II ’63; Roy F. Guste, Jr. ’69; Nesbitt W. Hagood IV ’81 (stepfather); Michael E. ’67 and Daniel J. Harrigan ’70; Edward C. Hernandez ’84; Alfred L. Hijuelos ’69; Darrel R. Hotard ’61; Adolphe W. Indest III ’71; Anatole J. ’93 and Aleksander K. Karpovs ’95 (stepfather); Ramiz K. ’79 and Samir T. Khalaf ’87; John V. LeBlanc ’77; James F. Lee ’68; Eugene H. Lillis, Jr. ’65; Michael E. ’66, David W. ’69, and Dennis J. Maher ’71; Brody L. Martin ’15; M. Craig Martin ’60; Andrew W. McGowan ’05; Brandon D. Myers ’14; Mark H. Olivari ’72; Jack N. ’63 and the late Jerrold B. Peterson ’69; Robert A. ’91 and Brian L. Porche ’95; Michael F. ’92 and Manelik F. Pou ’93; Calvin A. Rauch, Jr. ’70; Etienne F. René ’08; Michael B. ’73 and John A. Robinson ’83; Thomas M. Rulli ’82; Ray C. Tackaberry ’64; Jake A. ’76 and the late John-Martin E. Terranova ’80; Stephen K. ’83 and Scott K. Tonguis ’87; Edward J. Trahan III ’73; Clyde A. White, Jr. ’89; W. Patrick ’74 and Kenneth T. Williams ’75; Noel C. Young ’80 (stepfather).

MOTHER OF… Carl L. ’65 and Donald J. Aspelund ’69; Christopher G. Barnes ’92; Charles A. Barrere ’61; Devin P. Black ’87; the late Adrian M. Bordelon ’64; Harold J., Jr. ’76, John T. ’79, and Paul G. Bosworth ’83; the late Michael D. Brune ’83; Christopher T. Castro ’84; Ralph C. Cox, Jr. ’64; Clyde, Jr. ’56 and Foster E. de la Houssaye ’66; Jack J. DiLorenzo ’59; John D. III ’74, Alan G. ’79, and Richard J. Donnes ’83; David J. ’72 and Roy J. Ducote ’73; Frank J. ’89 and Troy J. Eberhardt ’91; Ronaldo F. Espinosa ’68; Michael P. Falk, Jr. ’89; Hudson F. Folse ’73; Thomas E. Gernon III ’49; Charles E. Grey, Jr. ’62; Thomas S. Grimes ’70; David J. Guglielmo ’60; Gregory G. Hoffman ’73; the late David F. Jaubert ’75; William H. Johnston, Jr. ’69; Ronald J. ’58, Michael E. ’65, and the late (Mr.) Albert J. Jung, S.J. ’55; Alan D. Landeche ’53; Donald J. Landry II ’75; Edward C. Langla ’78; James C. Lauga ’61; Fred J. Lipps, Jr. ’51; Juan L. Lopez ’77; Chalon C. Mumphrey ’82; the late Patrick H. O’Reilly III ’68; Robert L. Palmer, Jr. ’83 (stepmother); Joseph D. III ’60, Jeffrey M. ’70, and the late John S. Perez ’64; Michael A. Pettingill ’99; J. Maurice Pilié, Jr. ’66; Bryce F. Puissegur ’68; the late Stephen S. Rappold ’79; Douglas A. Regan, Jr. ’14; Jeremy C. Reese ’05; Michael L. Richarme ’75; Lawrence C. Robert,

Jr. ’66; John C. Roppolo ’60; Louis J. Schilling III ’69; Alvin R. Senner, Jr. ’64; Kevin A. Serio ’76 (stepmother); Brian G. ’80 and the late Kevin D. Shearman ’87; Emmett A., Jr. ’55 and Richard R. Smith ’65; Donald J. Strohmeyer ’34; Gary A. Trinchard ’66; Sean P. Tynan ’93; Earl J., Jr. ’70 and Wayne L. Vicknair ’76; Paul Vitenas, Jr. ’73; Gary F. ’73, Gordon R. ’76, and Glen M. Wadge ’78; Lynn V. Webre ’60; Edward L. Yoerger, Jr. ’68.

BROTHER OF… The late Michael W. Banowetz, Jr. ’36; Harold F. Battaglia ’57; Christopher E. Berthaut ’66; Jack M. Boasberg ’58; Owen E. Brennan, Jr., ’52; Kerry P. Byrne ’78; Patrick H. ’63, Bryon J. III ’67, and Glenn A. Casey ’72; the late Thomas E. Clapp ’43; the late Henry L. Clesi, Jr. ’36; Calvin F. Cristina ’43; Paul J. Daigre ’64; the late Everett F. Dane ’45; William H. Deeves ’49; the late Edward G. Gillin ’41; Robert J. ’54 and Gerald J. Guidry ’63; William J., Jr. ’38 and Roy F. Guste ’39; the late James J. Hecker ’38; the late Paul J. Hernandez ’48; the late Adrian Z. Johnson ’31; Eugene M. Katz ’66; the late Finley J. Lee, Jr. ’33; Gary F. LeGros ’48; Edward J. Martin III ’78; Robert L. ’54 and G. Sidney Menard ’56; Raymond G. Mock, Jr. ’59; Carl J. Oldenburg ’40; Ronald L. ’51, David E. ’56, Robert E. ’58, Morris B., Jr. ’40, the late William V. ’43, the late Kerry P. ’45, the late Richard P. ’47, and the late Jerome R. Redmann ’53; Joseph T. Ruli ’42; Gerald J. Russell ’48; Donald P. Schellhaas ’51; Thomas F. Surcouf ’54; the late Donald C. Trahan ’53; William C. Welp ’49; the late Louis J. Wendel ’35.

SISTER OF… The late L. Maurice, Jr. ’29 and Robert J. Baudier ’30; Robert E. Bauer ’63; the late Michael Becker ’61; James T. Bell ’03; James A. Cobb ’44; Sutherland G. Cole, Jr. ’46; Nicholas J. Compagno ’33; Salvador J. DeSalvo ’54; W. Timothy Deeves ’75; the late Ralph D. Dwyer, Jr. ’40; the late Rev. Lawrence P. Elizardi, S.J. ’47; Lawrence J. ’44 and the late Thomas J. Flanagan, Jr. ’37; the late Rev. Albert J. Hebert, S.M. ’31; George F. Huber ’87; Charles C. Jaubert ’42; Charles Karst III ’46; the late Carlos J. Kelly ’51; Robert G. ’47, Kenneth ’57, the late Joseph O., Jr. ’42, and the late Conrad M. Kuebel, Sr. ’50; Emile X. Levet ’33; Peter J. Marrero, Jr. ’53; the late Ernest J., Jr. ’26 and the late Rene J. Mittelbronn ’34; the late Ambrose F. Morel ’50; the late J. Edward Muldrey, Jr. ’35; Brian M. Olagues ’93; the late George M. Olivier ’31; the late Pascal R. Palmisano ’52; Stephen G. Piske ’68; John W. Pitkin, Jr. ’42; the late John D. Reid, Jr. ’58; the late Peter J. Ricca ’39; the late Charles L.

AL U M N I

’39 and Rev. Hilton L. Rivet, S.J. ’39; Edward A. Rodrigue, Jr. ’68; the late Anthony P. Schiro ’31; Joseph J. Schmitt, Jr. ’64; Stanley L. Turegano ’41; the late Samuel T. Vinturella ’45; John S. ’48, Martial E. ’49, Francis X. ’54, and the late Harry J. Waldo, Sr. ’45; Gilbert T. White ’52; Elm D., Jr. ’62 and Paul T. Wood ’69; Mark W. Woods, Jr. ’14.

SON OF… Thomas J. Byrne, Sr. ’43; the late Bryon J. Casey, Jr. ’35; the late Frank J. Daigre, Jr. ’31; the late Adolphe W. Indest, Sr. 1912; Edward J. Martin, Jr. ’53; the late Paul A. Menard, Sr. ’26; the late Raymond G. Mock, Sr. ’28; the late Raoul Sere ’18; the late Anthony W. Smith ’34.

DAUGHTER OF… The late Otto K. Abele, Jr. ’30; Anthony H. Compagno ’60 (stepdaughter); William H. Deeves ’49; the late Lawrence P. Elizardi, Sr. ’18; the late Paul J. Gelpi, Jr. ’19; Henry L. Klein ’62 (stepdaughter); the late Philip Montelepre ’17; the late James T. Nix, Jr. ’33; the late Stanley A. Thouron ’41.

GRANDFATHER OF… Daniel J. ’86 and Andrew P. Abramowicz ’89; Charles W. III ’85 and James M. Adams ’88; Grant M. Alexander ’01; Benjamin D. ’09 and Christopher C. Anderson ’09; Adam J. ’01 and Evan J. Bailey ’13; Joseph B. Battaglia IV ’13; Brett J. Baudot ’14; Gabriel T. Blatty ’14; Michael S. Blaum ’06 (step-grandfather); Charles L. ’10 and Seth R. Bourg ’10; Roy G. ’05 and Christian T. Bruno ’14; Charles D. Brown ’86; John C. ’07, Barron M. ’11, and Andrew J. Burmaster ’13; Kevin B. Burns ’82; Brandon E. ’01 and Alexander L. Caire ’04; Kevin M. Calcagno ’88; Nicholas J. ’09 and Joshua M. Caluda ’12; Christopher C. ’04 and Stephen V. Cazenave ’07; Matthew A. Chivleatto ’05; Jeffrey P. Clement ’92; Jerad J. Comarda ’05; Brian V. Credo, Jr. ’11; Hunter G. Daigre ’15; Lewis J. Derbes, Jr. ’89; Paul H., Jr. ’02 and Douglas J. deVerges ’05; Johnny DiBartolo III ’88; Rene C. IV ’89 and Jacques L. Duffourc ’91; Kevin P. Duffy ’02; Andrew P. Dupont ’00; Joseph K., Jr. ’83, Robert S. ’85, and John M. Esler ’90; Casey J. ’02, Craig C. ’06, and Trent P. Forshag ’15; Joseph V. III ’91 and David H. Franks ’97; David M. Fraychinaud ’06; Melvin M. Gerrets III ’04; Michael A. Goodier ’95; Michael J. Guste, Jr. ’12; Luke E. Hahn ’14; Michael T. Hall ’92; Patrick B. Hagood ’09 (step-grandfather); Matthew P. Hemphill ’14; Jordan D. ’00 and Christopher J. Hernandez ’08; Jonathan C. ’99 and Jeffery T. Hijuelos ’01; Tyler B. Johnson ’11; Stephen J. Kampen ’08; Michael C. ’05 and Thomas J. Krouse ’05; Cade R. Landeche ’12; Michael E. Lillis ’03; Salvador E. Longo, Jr. ’86; Andrew G. Martin ’14; Edward L. III ’94 and Scott C. Martina ’96; Matthew J. Mutter ’00; Timothy H. ’96, Taylor M. ’98,

and Troy D. Norton ’00; Paul C. III ’96 and Gregory M. Perret ’01; John L. Perrier ’15; Jerrold B., Jr. ’00 and Henry J. Peterson ’02; Albano A. Pineda II ’11; Anthony J. Pirini ’08; Steven C. ’13 and Ashton C. Queyrouze ’14; John S. Ratte ’99; Nicholas J. Rauber ’98; Sidney H. Raymond ’89; Ryan M. Roussel ’07; Matthew P. Ryan ’07; Glenn J. Scheyd, Jr. ’95; Anthony J. Smith ’15; William R. Smith V ’03; Adam M. Stierwald ’12; Steven M. Terrio ’93; Eric S. Testerman ’03; Christopher T. ’89 and Timothy W. Thomas ’93; Kenneth L. Verlander, Jr. ’00; Ricardo G., Jr. ’94 and Jason G. Vita ’97; Christopher M. Voigt ’93; Nicholas M. Walsh ’07; Jonathan M. Warren ’00.

GRANDMOTHER OF… John M. Alongia ’09; Charles A. Barrere, Jr. ’89, Taylor B. Bendeck ’15; Brett J. ’99 and Jordan A. Bennett ’00; Michael S. Blaum ’06; Brett C. Bodin ’05; Kristoffer J. ’93 and Matthew J. Bonilla ’02; John W. IV ’95 and Patrick S. Boyle ’98; Troy V. Buckley, Jr. ’95; F. Turner III ’95 and William S. Buford ’98; Raymond C. Burkart III ’93; Christopher H. Burmaster ’02; Patrick H. Burns ’88; Leonard J., Jr. ’80 and Craig M. Cassioppi ’82; William C. Charbonnet ’09; R. Christopher Cox III ’89; Craig J. ’85 and Chad J. Crespo ’89; Randall A. Davenport ’94; Frederick J. ’08 and Andrew R. DeBram ’09; Christian L. DeBuys IV ’12; Eric J. ’95 and Curt A. Deister ’96; Austin J. Delaune ’13; Ferdinand J. Delery III ’67; John J. DeLucca ’94; Chase A. DeMonte ’14; David B. Donnes ’07, Walter G. Eckhardt ’93; Robert L. ’85, Franklin V. III ’86, and David H. Endom ’93; Esteban O. ’90 and Ricardo R. Espinosa ’92; Leo J. Falgoust III ’08; Matthew J. ’05, Ryan P. ’09, and Sean M. Flynn ’13; Andrew H. Folse ’08; George J. Fowler IV ’95; Cy A. Gannuch ’94; Brandon J. Gantar ’00; Jeffrey P. Gernon ’90; Cary L. Guglielmo ’95; Evan W. Gwyn ’00; Michael T. ’85 and Kyle I. Happel ’89; George D. Hasseltine ’93; Taylor L. Hauth ’13; Taylor E. Hillburn ’09; E. Jason Hirstius ’92; Eric D. Hoffman ’99; Bradley E. Hookfin ’97; Joshua M. ’99 and Zachary J. Hudson ’05 (step-grandmother); Christopher F. ’89 and J. Webre Janssen ’97; Kenneth W. Keller ’03; Joshua A. Koenig ’13; Christopher J. ’91 and Jonathan G. Kowalski ’95; Eric S. Kramer ’91; Edward T., Jr. ’82, James F. ’84, S. Van ’86, Kevin A., Jr. ’06, and Trevor P. LaBorde ’10; Christian P. Lagarde ’93; Christopher R. Lakey ’94; Richard A. Landeche ’74; Robert J., Jr. ’80 and David S. Landry ’84; Cole E. Lauman ’15; Brian J. Lawson ’99; J. Dwight III ’79 and James J. LeBlanc ’81; Douglas E. Lee II ’03; Brandon M. Leon ’00; Leonard M. Long ’73; Robert T.S. Lupo ’01; Brandon M. ’98 and Kyle N. Maitre ’02; Ryan J. Migliore ’11; Kevin B., Jr. ’01 and Blair A. Milano

’12; Chad G. Miner ’99; Matthew V. ’97 and Peter V. Mistretta ’03; Gregory A. ’03 and Matthew W. Mondello ’06; Robert J. II ’97 and Brian P. Mora ’99; John S. Perez, Jr. ’94; Curtis B. Pursell ’03; Julian S. Richards III ’08; Richard T. Romano, Jr. ’01; Randall C. ’83 and Timothy L. Romero ’84; Scott C. Roos ’91; Stephen J. ’83 and John C. Roppolo ’86; Stephen C. Scarpero ’85; Lyle J. ’99 and the late Lance J. Schilling ’94; Michael A. Schiro, Jr. ’94; Daniel I. Senentz ’83; Scott J. Senner ’85; Christopher M. ’01 and Andrew M. Serio ’04; Edward P. Seyler ’08; Daniel J. Shanks ’03; Ryan R. ’03, Jared M. ’08, and Brandon P. Shearman ’11; Eric H. ’05 and Michael H. Simmons ’09; John R. Smestad, Jr. ’92; Clinton J. Smith ’01; Richard R.O. ’88, Emmett A. III ’90, Ryan L. ’93, and Kennedy O. Smith ’98; Christopher L. Speed ’00; Kenneth C. Steele ’11; Robert E. ’80, Brent A. ’81, Shaun K. ’85, and Christopher P. Talbot ’95; Brett M. Topey ’03; Andre G. Toujas ’01; Jerome L. III ’88, Jean-Paul ’90, and Jeremy H. Tujague ’93; Ramon J. Vallejo IV ’01; Ryan P. Vincent ’98; Christopher M. ’07 and Jeffrey P. Vitenas ’10; Paul A. ’99, Michael J. ’01, Patrick J. ’04, and John C. Viviano ’06; Gordon F. Wadge ’04; Grant-David Ward ’79; William G. Waters ’04; David A. Weilbaecher, Jr. ’85; David L. Williams, Jr. ’11; Reese M. ’04 and Charles A. Woessner ’07; Gordon H. Wogan ’02; Christian D. Woodin ’12.

GRANDSON OF… The late Edward J. Martin, Sr. ’29.

GREAT GRANDFATHER OF… William M. Baldwin ’12; Warren T. Bondi II ’10; Colby A. Simoneaux ’14.

GREAT GRANDMOTHER OF… Taylor J. Billings ’12; Jared C. Blohowiak ’13; Clayton N. Colombo ’14; Austin M. Courrege ’12; Shane J. Delery ’09; Stanton C. Dupuy ’11; John T. Erwin ’04; Stefan E. Karasoulis ’06; Nicholas P. Knowles ’07; James F. Laborde ’15; John F. Lee ’07; Jay M. Napolitano, Jr. ’11; Paul E. Riviere ’15; Austin J. Schillaci ’12; Daniel I., Jr. ’12 and David A. Senentz ’15; William J. III ’03 and Brandon M. Walker ’08.

The list above represents information received from July 30, 2010 through January 31, 2011.

For current announcements about deceased members of the Jesuit community, view the “In Memoriam” page on Jesuit’s web site: www. jesuitnola.org/alumni/inmemoriam/htm.

If any information listed is not correct, you are encouraged to promptly notify Bro. William J. “Billy” Dardis, S.J. ’58: dardis@jesuitnola.org.

His office phone is (504) 483-3814.

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TH P RIEN TITLE C I P AL ’GSO C ES O RHNERE ER

Jesuit Earns Its

20 JAYNotes

J E S U IT T O D AY

Accreditation

Accompanied by Praise and Suggestions for Improvement In December 2010, Jesuit High School successfully completed its five-year accreditation process. As a result, the school received numerous commendations as well as suggestions for improvement. We are very blessed and thankful to be members of a school community that has a rich tradition of doing many things well.

However, we also know that we can never be satisfied by what we have accomplished in the past. The magis (Latin for “more”) to which we are all called as members of the Jesuit High School community requires that we constantly seek ways to improve.

Jesuit maintained its accreditation status because: • the school met or exceeded the AdvancED standards and policies established for quality secondary institutions; • Jesuit engaged in continuous improvement; and, • Jesuit demonstrated quality assurance through internal and external reviews.

As part of the rigorous and important accreditation process, Jesuit received many commendations from the review team that visited the school on several occasions. Among the accreditation team’s significant commendations were: 1. Jesuit provides a clear mission and vision and fosters a strong sense of Jesuit, Ignatian Catholic identity.

2. Jesuit creates multiple opportunities using a variety of methods for stakeholder communication which produces a strong sense of community and trust.

3. Jesuit has implemented a plan to provide ongoing research- based professional development.

4. Jesuit has implemented a comprehensive planto ensure that the school provides adequate facilities to support its educational programs and co-curricular activities.

5. Jesuit engenders pride and ownership among its various constituents, having established an environment in which stakeholders cherish the past while looking toward the future.

The administration and faculty are eager to begin implementing the accreditation team’s suggestions for improvement, including the following noteworthy items: 1. Design a process/develop a plan to use available data to guide teaching and learning.

2. Continue to upgrade traditional teaching styles to research-based teaching strategies, while incorporating the use of more technology to help students transition to life beyond high school.

3. Analyze the impact of including creative arts and

integrating more social justice in the curriculum.

4. Include all faculty and staff in the process of interdepartmental collaboration in order to increase ownership for all involved in the teaching and learning process.

5. Develop a comprehensive process to analyze both summative and formative assessments as the school develops a culture of effective use of data.

6. Create a systematic procedure for curriculum design and review and implement the procedure on a formal schedule.

7. Design strategies to share continuous improvement goals and the school’s progress on these goals with all stakeholder groups.

8. Increase involvement of parents in the process of continuous improvement of student performance.

9. Utilize a variety of assessment instruments in grades 8-10 to systematically track the improvement of individual student academic progress.

We have reviewed, discussed, and analyzed the entire report from the AdvancED accreditation team. In the coming weeks and months, our plan is to methodically approach the process of implementing the suggestions for improvements that will make Jesuit an even better and more attractive high school for young men in the metro New Orleans area.

This process of improvement never ends. We never reach the goal line and triumphantly spike the ball. In his 2005 book, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins writes: “No matter how much you have achieved, you are only merely good compared to what you can be in the future.”

As a school community embracing the magis, we look forward to the blessings that the future holds for us in this process.

—Mike Giambelluca ’82 AMDG n AdvancED is dedicated to advancing excellence in education worldwide. To learn more about AdvancED and the importance of the accreditation process, visit: http://www.advanc-ed.org/.

Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 21

K S G I VGI N RIERE VE T H EA NTITLE OG E SD H

Thanksgiving Drive 2010: Coaxing the Divine Spark from Within Each Thanksgiving — going back even before Jesuit High School relocated from Baronne Street to its present location in 1926 — afforded Blue Jays the opportunity to put into action those characteristics of being “men of faith” and “men for others.”

The gathering of food items and groceries, packaging baskets, classmates working together, and personally delivering these gift boxes to needy families throughout the New Orleans area, is one of those time-honored traditions at Jesuit High School. Assisting families at Thanksgiving may not register as something significant to students at the time they are doing it, but years later, as Blue Jay alumni, the memories of this annual event are vivid and meaningful.

The Thanksgiving drives opened the eyes of Blue Jays, many for the first time, to a real world of poverty, gratitude, graciousness, love, humility, and kindness. In more recent years, a chapel service was introduced and a Jesuit faculty member addressed students before they were dismissed to begin delivering their baskets.

For the 2010 Thanksgiving drive chapel service, Michael Prados, an alumnus from the Class of 1983, was given the honor of speaking to Blue Jays. Mr. Prados has taught English at Jesuit for more than 20 years and, since 2002 has served as director of student activities.

In relating a personal story about one of his neighbors, Mr. Prados shared a valuable lesson learned about the true meaning of the term “give until it hurts.”

Some of my most vivid memories, both as a student and a teacher at Jesuit, are from delivering Thanksgiving baskets. I especially remember an old shotgun double that my homeroom delivered to when I was a senior. Fr. (Nick) Schiro, (S.J. ’44) was our homeroom teacher. My classmates and I climbed the steps to the house with boxes of food, and the elderly lady began to cry. We walked into her house, dropped off the boxes, and we prayed with her and visited with her for a little while. She hugged each one of us, gave us a kiss, and told us she loved us.

Each one of us was a bit choked up after this experience. I think if I were to pass that same house today, I would still recognize it. And it’s because of powerful experiences like this, when we are being our best selves, when we truly are men for others and unselfish, that so many Jesuit students and teachers consider this to be one of the most important days in the Jesuit school year.

I’m not quite as proud of this next story. In fact, I’ve rarely told it. For the first five years that I taught at Jesuit, I lived just across the back field on South Hennessey Street. One of my neighbors was a scraggly old man named Gene. Gene always looked unkempt, his white hair was a mess, he was unshaven , his shirt was never buttoned properly, and his eyes had this glazed over look about him. But he was one of the nicest guys I knew and he was a good friend, and every year Gene would ask me to put his name in for a Thanksgiving basket. It wasn’t mainly for him; it was for his daughter and her kids. Gene was 22 JAYNotes

The Thanksgiving drive is a multi-faceted, disciplined, and finely tuned machine.

Beginning from left, Blue Jays shop at Robért Fresh Market, fill their grocery carts, and pay for everything with the money they raised through various projects during homeroom. The groceries are carefully sorted and loaded in cars and trucks. The final stop is the home of someone who has asked Jesuit for a basket. Below, Mike Prados ’83 at a morning assembly.

always thankful and appreciative. One time he even brought me about a dozen crabs that he caught in the bayou just to show his appreciation.

And then one year, I forgot to submit Gene’s name for a basket. I don’t think that it just slipped my mind and it wasn’t like I was being negligent or irresponsible.

I forgot to do it because I didn’t make it important enough to me to make sure it was taken care of. I was probably too caught up in my own selfish concerns to care about somebody else’s. Well the day for delivering baskets came. I did my part here at school and then I went home. I had a lot of work to do over the break and so I sat on my sofa, turned up my music, kicked back, and started grading papers.

Around noon, I hear this hesitant knock on my door and it was Gene. He somewhat shyly asked me if the students had finished delivering baskets. I immediately realized that he had been expecting to receive one and didn’t get it. And instead of admitting that it was my fault, I basically pretended that I didn’t know what had happened and sent him on his way. I sat back on my sofa, picked up a paper to grade, stared at it for 10 seconds, and realized what I had to do. I got up, I came back to Jesuit to see if there were any extra baskets hanging around that weren’t delivered, but there was nothing.

On my way home, I realized what I needed to do. I went over to Gene’s house and told him we were going shopping. He says, “Oh, no, no, it’s not necessary.” I refused. He told me I was

J E S U IT T O D AY

stubborn. I took it as a compliment, always have. We got in my car and drove to a nearby grocery store. I grabbed the shopping cart and just started loading up. Gene kept telling me, “Oh no, we don’t need that,” and I just kept throwing things in. I remember I grabbed the pumpkin pie and he said, “Oh no, we don’t need dessert.” I said, “Gene, everybody should have a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.” I put it in the cart. We loaded up that cart and I don’t even know how much I paid for it, but it didn’t matter.

It’s amazing how much I enjoyed shopping that day. You know, you may have heard the expression to give until it hurts.

Giving should never hurt. Giving feels good. If it doesn’t feel good, you’re not giving enough. So we brought everything back to his house and unloaded it. Sure enough the next day, Gene was able to provide his daughter and his grandkids a great Thanksgiving meal.

I look back on this story and I have to ask myself why did I get off the sofa that day? It might have something to do with my upbringing in a good Catholic family and good Catholic schools.

Guilt and shame may be part of it. But ultimately, I think it was that little bit of God within me that was not going to allow me to get away with this. We all have a spark of the divine within us.

We are made in the image and likeness of God and although one of His greatest gifts is our free will, our freedom to make our own choices, that bit of the divine within me gave me a solid kick in the butt that day. God basically told me that I would freely choose to get up off the sofa and do something, and that I couldn’t be the person that I’ve always believed myself to be if I didn’t.

How could I be a theology teacher, supposedly striving to bring my students closer to God? How could I lead students on service project trips, encouraging them to be men for others? How could I quote Julius Caesar in my English II class saying cowards die many times before their deaths, the valley it never tastes of death but once, if I were, in fact, a coward. Nobody would ever know it but me, and it was something I could never have lived with.

I know I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life, both for things I’ve done and I haven’t done. I have a number of regrets, but on that day I would not have another one. And the God within me was making sure of it. God may let us choose, but He strongly encourages us to make the right decisions.

Needless to say, I made sure Gene got a basket every year after that. I would personally speak to the homeroom teacher to whom I’d assigned Gene to make sure he was being taken care of on Thanksgiving.

A few years ago, Gene died, but I’m really glad to know for many, many years his family was able to enjoy some wonderful Thanksgiving meals provided by Jesuit students. And so I urge

you to listen to the divine within you, not just this morning, but every day. Don’t let providing these baskets be the only good that you do today or this week or this year.

Be nice to your fellow Blue Jays. Be nice to your teachers, be nice to strangers, be nice to your family at home. They’ll probably think you’re up to something and when you’re lying in bed tonight, hopefully saying your prayers, do an examination of conscience. Think about the good things that you have done today, not just as part of this Thanksgiving drive, but what else? I encourage that, not just today, but every day.

Next, I want to thank all of you who have chosen to help people in need on this day. Whether you’ve contributed food and money, went shopping, or you are about to deliver, part of you is going to each home that is receiving a basket. The can of corn or the jar of peanut butter that will help feed somebody represents you making a positive difference. I know for myself as a member of the Class of ’83, I feel a small part of every turkey, all 400 turkeys that we unloaded here last night that are going to these homes. And I’m sure that my classmates, Mr. (Jack) Culicchia, Mr. (John) Lavie, and Mr. (Greg) Ernst all feel the same way.

And for those of you who are about to deliver baskets, I have a few suggestions. First, don’t judge anyone. You have no idea why someone has requested help. It’s not up to us to decide why people are poor or to determine whether or not they really need food. We don’t know their stories. All we know is that we have been asked for help and we have offered it.

Next, don’t feel sorry for anyone. Don’t help them out of pity or compassion. That’s insulting. If anything, respect them for dealing with circumstances that are far more challenging than you may ever face. Respect their dignity and their perseverance.

Also, don’t look at their situations and think about how lucky you are and how good you’ve got it. This isn’t about you. The purpose of helping others is not to make you appreciate what you’ve got.

That’s selfish. Also, don’t take needless pride in what you’re doing today or compare your actions to what others are, or are not, doing on this day. That is arrogant.

I’ve encouraged you to give until it feels good, but don’t confuse your feelings with the real purpose here. Feeling good is merely a pleasant bi-product of our real purpose.

Give because you have been asked for help.

Give because it is the right thing to do.

Give because you really are a man for others.

Give out of humility and with love for your fellow man.

Give for the greater glory of God.

Give because the divine within you encourages you to choose to do so. n Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 23

TH E O TITLE G ERIT O E S HSERE N ATI N AL M C H O LAR S

Class of 2011

Produces 28 National Merit Scholars The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recognized 28 seniors from Jesuit High School’s Class of 2011 as semifinalists in the annual Merit Scholarship Competition. One Blue Jay had a perfect score of 240 — James Burvant, the son of Robert (’76) and Nancy Burvant of New Orleans.

No other high school in Louisiana had as many National Merit Semifinalists as Jesuit, which also ranked among the top Catholic secondary schools in the United States, according to data provided by the NMSC. An additional 15 seniors received recognition as “Commended” scholars.

Three Jesuit seniors (above, from left) — Jarvis Harris, Chris Andrade, and Nicholas Johnson — received recognition in The National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition that acknowledges outstanding African American high school students. Two Jesuit seniors (above, right) — Stephen Noya (left) and Anthony Davila — were honored by The National 24 JAYNotes

Hispanic Recognition Program, which acknowledges outstanding Hispanic students.

The National Merit Scholars from the Class of 2010 gathered on the front steps of Jesuit. Front row, from left: John Rose, Connor Ryan, Brandon Slay, Thomas Steen, Nicholas Wallbillich, Donald Ward, and Kevin Whittaker; middle row, from left: Alex Hotard, Bradley James, Nicholas Johnson, Salvador Maffei, Matthew Martin, Jacob Moore, Christopher Munna, and Charles Pratt; back row, from left: Michael Berry, Richard Bordelon, David Brett, Barron Burmaster, James Burvant, Nicholas Caluda, Daniel Cooper, Brian Credo, Cal Creel, Matthew Decuir, Thomas Dowling, Daniel Dupre, and Robert Helm.

The 15 Blue Jays “Commended” by the NMSC were Edward Arnold, Anthony Avena, Robert Butera, John Dunlap, Connor Eckholdt, Christopher Fox, Vincent Gennaro, Nicholas Graves, Gavin Harrington, Matthew Hose, Stephen Noya, Marcel Provensal, Matthew Sanchez, Austin Speaker, and John Zimmer.

J E S U IT T O D AY Bobby ’11 and Brandon Butera ’13 with their mother, Cindy

Josh DeBlieux ’13 and his mother, Karen

Joey Tumminello ‘11 and his mother, Ana

Spencer Smith ’14 and his mother, Kathy

Scott Naccari ’11 and his mother, Susan

Ben Bagwill ’12 and his mother, Dana

Sentimental and Sentient, Blue Jays and Their Mothers Gather for Traditional Mass, Breakfast A new venue and lingering enthusiasm early in the school year helped sell out the annual Mother-Son Mass and Breakfast. More than 550 sons and mothers packed the Crescent City Ballroom at the newly-renovated Roosevelt Hotel for a morning of quality time between mothers and sons.

Joey Tumminello ’11 , the son of Ana and Joey Tumminello ’79, was the featured speaker and, on behalf of all Blue Jays, thanked the mothers for their guidance through the years.

“Before we became ‘men for others,’ someone was responsible for being a woman for us, and if you look to your side, you’ll see that incredible person,” said Tumminello. “I can definitely say that Jesuit is a better place because of the ladies sitting next to us and the support that we receive from them.”

Tumminello plays football, baseball, and wrestles for the Blue Jays. His mother, Ana, is the co-chair of Celebration 2011.

Tumminello saved his final thoughts for the person he called the most important person in his life. “She is the one who gave me life, she is the one who loved me more than any other, and most importantly, she is the one deserving of my respect.” He concluded

by asking his fellow Blue Jays to bury those words in their hearts, “for nothing will bring you greater happiness.”

Fr. McGinn thanked the mothers “for all that they do…to guide, strengthen, support, and correct your sons in their years of growing up.”

The annual event was conceived by Jeanne Colon, wife of Adrian Colon ’59, when their son, Adrian Colon, Jr. ’83 was a student.

Listen: In Their Own Words — audio of Joey Tumminello’s talk and Fr. McGinn’s homily at the Mother-Son Mass and Breakfast are on Jesuit’s web site: http://www.jesuitnola.org/about/Parents_ Event_Photos_2009-10__091409.htm.

Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 25

TCHELE E TITLE B RATI G OO N E! S H ERE

In Creating His Original Portrait for

Celebration 2011, Artist

Terrance Osborne

Fixed His Eyes on Jesuit’s Main Entrance

For the past three years at Celebration, New Orleans artist Terrance Osborne has generously donated one of his coveted art items to Jesuit High School. He even comes to Celebration and patiently sits among the audience during the live auction waiting for the moment when his art work goes up on the block. Osborne is not shy about jumping up on stage with Fr. McGinn to coax higher bids from the crowd. Celebration 2011 was different for Osborne and Jesuit. For this event, he was commissioned to create a special piece of art that focused on something exclusive about Jesuit High School. Osborne painted “Star of Our Youthful Years” as a “relief” piece that featured Jesuit’s front doors facing Carrollton Avenue. At Celebration 2011, an anonymous bidder bought the original for $10,000, then turned around and donated the piece back to Jesuit. A win-win situation for all involved in this project.

Jaynotes: How did this Terrance Osborne original painting for Jesuit come about?

Osborne: It’s a funny story. My next door neighbor is Jay

Loetzerich whose son James graduated from Jesuit in 2008.

Initially it was Jay’s idea that I do a poster for Jesuit. Naturally I was onboard because I had already donated several of my works to Jesuit’s Celebration in the past two or three years. What’s funny is I’ve frequently asked him to come over to take a look at my work and give me an opinion. He’s an insurance agent and he’s very honest with his criticism which always helps. I tell people I get all my ideas from my next door neighbor who’s an insurance agent.

Jaynotes: Did you come up with the title of the painting “Star of Our Youthful Years?”

Osborne: No, I did not. I thought my original title was cool —

Osborne: Usually when I am commissioned to do a painting,

it takes a week or two, often longer, for the client to come up with the money. But with this project, I got a crash course in the way that Jesuit, and supporters of the school, do things. My fee for the original painting was $15,000. The expense of printing lithographs and making a giclee that Jesuit could turn around and sell added another $5,000, bringing the total commission to $20,000. I was initially approached by Joey and Ana Tumminello about doing a painting in connection with Celebration 2011. The day that I told them that my fee would be $20,000, they said they’d get back to me. They immediately called 20 of their Jesuit friends, explained the idea of the painting and the lithographs, and asked them if they were willing to invest $1,000 each. Well, the very next day they called me and said, “Hey, let’s go, we have the money.” I was stunned. And I was impressed.

“The House that St. Ignatius Built.” That was my preference. But Joey Tumminello (a Jesuit alumnus, Class of 1979) and his wife Ana (a co-chair of Celebration 2011) are Jesuit parents and they suggested “Star of Our Youthful Years,” a title that also worked well. Both titles were presented to Fr. (Anthony) McGinn (S.J., Jesuit’s president) and I believe “Star of Our Youthful Years” was his ultimate choice. And that was fine because everyone associated with Jesuit is familiar with the title since it happens to be one of the lines in the school’s Alma Mater.

Jaynotes: Did anyone in the investment group, or anyone at Jesuit, have any suggestions as to what you should paint?

Osborne: They left the entire creative process up to me, which

Jaynotes: A group of Jesuit parents and alumni actually commissioned the painting and put up the money?

Jaynotes: It sounds like you did your homework and might have walked around the block 10 times.

26 JAYNotes

was great. I love those commissions because I have the freedom to express my ideas. The vision of the front doors (on Carrollton Avenue) stuck in my mind. I tried to deviate and even did some sketches of other areas, inside and outside, of the school. But those doors are very prominent. In the end, I couldn’t paint anything but those doors.

J E S U IT T O D AY

“Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable piece to paint. And I was happy to have worked with Jesuit. The partnership was great and I look forward to participating in many more Celebrations.”

— Terrance Osborne

Osborne: (Jesuit’s alumni director) Mat Grau (’68) and Fr.

McGinn gave me a tour and took me all around the school. I shot tons of pictures which helped me appreciate the school’s history and tradition. Prior to this, I had limited knowledge about Jesuit.

But as I walked those hallways and looked at the history and the achievements, it was just mind blowing. I did not need any motivation. Still, the vision of those massive front doors stuck with me. I also thought since it was an outdoor view of the school, Jesuit parents and alumni would easily relate to it.

Jaynotes: As an artist especially intrigued with the color red, how did you square your use of red with Jesuit’s primary colors of blue and white?

Osborne: That was tricky for me because I wanted to use red. The

bricks are a nice brown, but I made them a hard red because I like that. However, I toned down the intensity in a gradual process.

Those are brown bricks, but they’re spiked with a little saturation.

Then I added a nice vivid blue light coming from underneath which turns purple, then magenta. At first glance, the viewers do not realize it, but the colors go from blue to pink, or blue to purple to pink to red and reddish brown. It’s really a trick on the eyes, but it’s believable. I love doing that.

Jaynotes: In creating the original painting, why did you decide to add a three-dimensional component?

Osborne: I didn’t see it any other way. It’s called “relief” and I’ve

been doing relief pieces since pre-Katrina. Relief is an artistic term for 3-D. It’s similar to a pop-up book. I take some prominent part of the piece and raise it beyond the flat surface to create a higher effect.

Jaynotes: You obviously enjoy painting houses, which you have said is similar to painting people. Why is that?

Osborne: It’s kind of like the clothes you wear. It’s more of an

expression and extension of your appearance. Your houses are the same. You decorate them and make them an extension of you. It is similar to discovering a culture and looking at the houses they lived in to understand what kind of people they were. That’s why I paint houses.

Jaynotes: Explain the differences between a lithograph and a giclee.

Osborne: Lithographs are essentially posters, their quality is

generally good, and they consist of dots similar to a magazine in which the images also are made up of little dots. I signed about 300 of the lithographs for Jesuit and another 200 are unsigned.

Jesuit is selling the signed lithographs for $75 and the unsigned ones for $40, and these are really good prices for the buyer. A giclee is a funny sounding French word (pronounced Jee-clay) that means “to spray.” A giclee pertains to the process of printing the image, which is a high end reproduction of the original. Giclees do not consist of little dots. Instead, the image is sprayed onto the surface of a canvas using pinhead sprayers that cause the paint to mesh together in a continuous tone, which is why a giclee looks so much like the original. Some people can’t even tell the difference between the original and a giclee. Jesuit is also taking orders for regular giclees of “Star of Our Youthful Years” for $1,000 each.

A re-worked giclee, where I go in and add a layer of paint, costs $1,500, but the quality of the piece is exceptional and it adds value to it.

Jaynotes: You managed to include a Blue Jay in the painting.

Osborne: I added a Blue Jay to make it appear it was gazing in

honor at the Virgin Mary. The Blue Jay has a little halo around its head that is almost similar to the Virgin Mary’s halo. I also added two banners, one on each side of the doors. The banner on the left is Jesuit’s motto, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, and the right banner depicts “Men for Others.”

Jaynotes: What obstacles did you encounter in the process of painting “Star of Our Youthful Years?”

Osborne: The perspective on the piece was the main obstacle. I

had to continuously adjust the perspective to make sure that the stairs leading up to the doors looked believable and not skewed. I like to break the rules just a little bit, but I needed to make sure it was right. Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable piece to paint. And I was happy to have worked with Jesuit. The partnership was great and I look forward to participating in many more Celebrations. n

Lithographs of “Star of Our Youthful Years” are available for purchase from Jesuit’s Online Boutique: http://www.jesuitnola.org/about/ NEW_PAGE_2006-11-8_17640.htm.

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At a 1994 ceremony inducting him into Jesuit High School’s Hall of Honors, Col. Quinn received a plaque presented by Fr. McGinn to commemorate the rare honor.

There are many people who had a positive influence on me and changed my life while I was a student at Jesuit. My essay is about Col. James W. Quinn, U.S.M.C. Ret., who was the first and probably the most influential to make a significant difference in my life.

How Col.

Quinn Changed My Life

by Christopher Cola ’93

When I was an eighth grade student at Jesuit High School in 1988-89, Col. Quinn taught our class theology. I remember that during the year, he experienced heart trouble and was forced to spend some time in the hospital. I do not remember how long he was there, but it was at least a few weeks. He eventually came back to school and finished out the year.

On that first day back from his extended sick leave, he resumed teaching our theology class. When the class ended and everyone was hustling to their next one, Col. Quinn called me over to see him. He pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper and the writing on it was barely legible. Col. Quinn proceeded to tell me that before he took medical leave, he wrote a brief note to me which I was to receive in the event he never came back. As any pre-freshman would have experienced, I felt nonplussed and embarrassed. And to my complete surprise, he read the note to me.

I can’t recall it word for word, but in short, Col. Quinn said that he felt that I was a natural leader, but I was not doing the things that leaders should be doing. However, he was confident that I will accomplish some great things and that people will lookup to me, but before that would happen, I had to make difficult choices as to the direction in which I wanted to take my life.

I walked out of the classroom wondering, as any 13-yearold would, what was wrong with this guy. For the next few days, I could not stop thinking about what Col. Quinn told me. It began to slowly dawn on me that this teacher was very special. Here was a man who could easily have been on his deathbed, and he thought enough of me and my future to take the time to write a personal note encouraging me to be a leader and to live a life that would make him proud.

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I went on to become the first, and unfortunately (as far as I know), the only black Blue Jay elected to a high office in the Student Council since the founding of our great school in 1847. My fellow Blue Jays bestowed a great honor on me when they elected me vice president of the Student Council for my senior year.

Since my graduation from Jesuit, I have tried to live up to the high standards Col. Quinn thought I was capable of achieving in life.

Everyday, I think about that conversation with Col. Quinn.

I have but two regrets — I never thanked him for thinking of me and I do not have the letter that he had written to me. However, I have the memory of our conversation and that is something that I will always cherish.

Leadership is not a trait that most of us exhibit naturally.

When a hero like Col. Quinn looks at a chunky, 13-year-old smart aleck kid like me and tells me that I am a leader, well, that means something. And it is something that I try to live up to everyday of my life.

Thanks, Col. Quinn! You will always be on my mind and in my heart. I will always try to be a Man for Others and live my life to the high expectations that you displayed in that theology classroom 23 years ago. n Christopher W. Cola ’93 is an accountant with Calpine Corporation in Houston.

James W. Quinn was a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps who spent more than 25 years in the military before his retirement in 1975, when he joined the faculty at Jesuit. During his tenure at Jesuit, he served as an instructor for the school’s Junior Marine ROTC program, prefect of discipline, and a theology instructor. His photo was placed in Jesuit’s Hall of Honors, located on the second floor of the school, on December 8, 1994. Colonel Quinn died in 1996.

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In Capturing the Quiz Bowl State Title, Blue Jays Have All the

Right Answers Jesuit’s varsity quiz bowl team consistently and quickly supplied the right answers to emerge undefeated, bringing home its third consecutive state and district championships from the Louisiana State Quiz Bowl Competition, which was held at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.

The 13-member 2010-11 varsity team is under the expert tutorage of Jesuit’s longtime history teacher Ron Rossi, whose association with quiz bowls began in 1985, the year he joined Jesuit’s social studies department. Mr. Rossi’s quintet of senior aces was victorious in each of its matches played in Natchitoches, scoring 2,165 points while holding opponents to 1,200 points. The Jays “out-buzzed” stellar teams from Central High, Sulphur, Pineville, and West Monroe to take the Division I title. The Jesuit team then went on to defeat the two winners of their respective divisions — Archbishop Shaw and Haynes (Metairie) — to be crowned state champs.

The victory in Natchitoches was the sixth state title in the past 20 years for Jesuit’s quiz bowl team. It was also the team’s third consecutive division title and its 11th such win in the past 20 years.

Until recently, the team that won the state championship tournament represented Louisiana at a national quiz bowl competition that was held in early summer at Disney World in Orlando. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, the Orlando tournament has been scrubbed for two straight years because the company that organizes the event has experienced financial problems.

But in the flexible world of quiz bowl mania, the Jays soon will be able to strut

their stuff — in front of a large contingency of family and friends — when the National Academic Championship (NAC) takes place in New Orleans the weekend of May 28-30 at Loyola University. Of course, Jesuit will be well represented at the upcoming NAC quiz bowl event.

While most eyes will be on Mr. Rossi’s ace varsity quintet, Jesuit intends to enter three additional teams in the NAC tournament, including two junior varsity squads and an all-eighth grade team. The junior varsity teams are coached and moderated by Jesuit Latin teacher Joe Knight, who is chairman of the school’s classics department.

“Jesuit has fielded a quiz bowl team as far back as the early ’70s, and possibly the late ’60s,” says Mr. Rossi. “It is a cocurricular that attracts highly motivated and dedicated Blue Jays who think strategically and embrace working together as a team. Our quiz bowl players have fun while spending a lot of time practicing. I submit that their consistent successes are the result of hard work and team work.”

Jesuit’s varsity quiz bowl team also competes in the “Knowledge Master Open” (KMO), which is a worldwide computer-based version of traditional quiz bowl contests. Jesuit’s quiz bowl team participated in the KMO in December 2010 along with 600 other schools.

The Jays finished in fifth place with a score of 1,728 points! Only 36 points separated the Blue Jays from the first place team — Bellarmine College Prep, a Jesuit high school in San Jose, CA.

It is a simple twist of fate that the Bellarmine team happens to be coached

by Blue Jay alumnus Chris Fleitas ’99,

Jesuit’s varsity quiz bowl team recently won its third consecutive state championship. Seniors on the 2010 - 11 varsity quiz bowl team include, from left, Barron Burmaster, Scott Tilton, James Burvant, Daniel Cooper, and Jon Richards.

Mr. Ron Rossi has served as coach and moderator of Jesuit’s varsity quiz bowl teams for the past 25 years.

who works as a college guidance counselor at the high school. As a Blue Jay, Fleitas was a member of Mr. Rossi’s quiz bowl teams, and in his senior year served as captain, leading Jesuit to state and division championships in 1999.

Mr. Rossi is proud of Jesuit’s fifth place finish in the December KMO event.

He also was delighted upon learning that the coach of the Bellarmine team is one of his former star quiz bowl players at Carrollton and Banks. It would not be an understatement to suggest that Fleitas learned almost everything there is to know about quiz bowls from a master himself, whose second floor history classroom is a shrine to Jesuit’s quiz bowl teams, past and present. n Check out the Quiz Bowl Team’s home page under the Clubs listings on Jesuit’s web site: http://www.jesuitnola.org/extra/quizbowl. htm.

Nine Teachers Joined Faculty in 2010-11 Jesuit High School welcomed nine faculty members, including three Blue Jay alumni, for the 2010–11 academic year. Seated, from left, are Kate Arthurs (speech, director of the Philelectic Society, conductor of Jesuit’s chorus); Pam Catalano (physical science); Megan Klein (chemistry); and Nilda Rivera (Spanish, moderator of the National Spanish Honor Society); standing, from left, are Billy Dwyer ’94 (guidance counselor, head coach of the tennis team); Andy Dykema (Spanish, moderator of the Spanish Club); Greg Ernst ’83 (part time faculty member who teaches law studies); Major Gorgone (science, physical education, assistant basketball coach); and, Eric Leefe ’03 (algebra, co-moderator of the student council).

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Blue Jays attending Jesuit High School today were not even born when one of the most gruesome crimes occurred in the midst of the civil war that was tearing apart El Salvador in the 1980s. Six Jesuit priests, among them Father Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J., were savagely murdered in 1989. Their assassinations were widely condemned and sparked international outrage by human rights groups. The brutal murders silenced Father Martín-Baró and his colleagues, but Catherine M. Mifsud, who serves as director of campus ministry at Jesuit High School and also teaches theology, writes that “by remembering these modern martyrs we can create in our students an awareness of how they must also strive to work for justice.”

Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J. (1942-1989)

by Catherine M. Mifsud, M.A.

In the spring of 1998, I sat in a classroom on the

fourth floor of Campion Hall on the campus of the University of San Francisco. I was a freshman in college and enrolled in a Christology course. As part of our class requirements we read from Jesuit priest, Jon Sobrino’s work Jesus in Latin America. It was my first introduction to liberation theology and the civil war that had raged in El Salvador in the 1980s and early 90s. However, it would not be until about 18 months later that I would “meet” Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J.

In my senior year at USF, I sat in Saint Ignatius Church on a typical foggy San Francisco November evening. For our student Mass that night, we concluded our liturgy with a procession up to the small garden created in memory of Father Martín-Baró.

On that night we would remember the 11th anniversary of the brutal killings that took place in San Salvador. On that night with candles, crosses, and black and white photographs of these men and women, we would pray for a greater understanding of how we could be instruments of peace and work for justice. On that night we would remember their life’s works that eventually led to their deaths.

I believe that during that candle light prayer service, I along with my classmates realized that our Jesuit education was more than just papers and requirements. Our Jesuit education made us responsible for continuing the mission of these men. I know that it made me acknowledge the duty I have to seek out the injustices present in our world and work, in my own way, to give voice to the voiceless. Today, through my work as director of campus ministry at Jesuit High School, I believe that by remembering these modern martyrs we can create in our students an awareness of how they must also strive to work for justice.

30 JAYNotes

In the profile of our graduate, the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA) has also recognized the importance of looking more deeply into the oppression that can be present in our local communities as well as globally. The Committed to Doing Justice tenet of the Grad at Graduation states that as a graduate of a Jesuit High School, the student “has an awareness of the global nature of many social problems such as human rights, population displacement, resource distribution, war/terrorism, etc., and their impact on human communities.”

The inclusion of Ignacio Martín-Baró on a stone medallion overlooking the Traditions Courtyard is a physical reminder of my obligation to educate my students in the roots of injustice and, throughout their four or five years as Blue Jays, present them with opportunities to experience in solidarity the marginalized members of society. But first, why was Fr. Martín-Baró chosen for inclusion on a medallion in our school’s courtyard?

In the pre-dawn hours on November 16, 1989, approximately 30 armed men dressed in military uniforms invaded a one-story dormitory at the Jose Simeon Canas University of Central America on the outskirts of the capital. According to The New York Times account published the next day, the intruders tossed a bomb into the stucco building, and shot two of the priests in their sleeping cubicles. The attackers dragged the remaining three priests from their beds to a small home next door where Father Ignacio Ellacuria Beas Coechea, S.J., the rector of the university, was sleeping. The four priests were shot and killed with high-powered rifles. In addition to Fathers Martín-Baró and Ignacio Ellacuria, the other priests murdered were Segundo Montes (the dean of the school’s department of social sciences), Joaquin Lopez y Lopez,

J E S U IT T O D AY

Amando Lopez, and Juan Ramon Moreno.

The Jesuit’s cook, Julia Elba Ramos and her daughter, Celina, were also shot and killed that night. Nearly two years after the massacre, a Salvadoran Army colonel was found guilty of murder and terrorism for having ordered the assassinations. His trial left unanswered whether a cover-up was successful in protecting higher-ups in the military who were thought to be involved.

The Jesuits had been declared subversives by the Salvadoran Government for their outspoken approach against the oppressive nature of Salvadoran society.

They defended the rights of the poor and, as a result of their unwavering dedication to the oppressed of El Salvador, the Salvadoran Government permanently silenced them by assassination. Perhaps this is too simplistic of a description of the political events that led up to the killings of Father Martín-Baró and his colleagues.

However, in sifting through the decades of political unrest, it becomes clear that their murders were the direct result of their speaking publicly on the beliefs they espoused, beliefs rooted in our Catholic faith, in the dignity of the human person, and care for the least.

Born in Spain in 1942, Ignacio Martín-Baró entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in 1959. Shortly after he entered the Jesuits, he was sent to Central America. In 1967 he began teaching psychology courses at the university level. Some seven years later, his schooling would bring him to the United States, specifically to the University of Chicago where he earned a masters degree in social sciences as well as his Ph.D. in organizational psychology. His dissertation focused on the social attitudes and conflicts of El Salvador and the relationship these conflicts had with the disproportion of wealth in the country. Upon completion of his doctoral degree, he returned to San Salvador to teach psychology, and by 1981, he held the position of academic vicerector at the University of Central America. He was considered a leading expert on Salvadoran public opinion.

In a 1985 interview, Father Martín-Baró, when asked what led him to choosing a career in education, responded: “Well, I think it is an important field to improve the condition of the population, so I think it’s a field which provides you with an opportunity to contribute, to cooperate in the shaping of the future of society and particularly those societies which have so many needs.”

It was this desire to improve society that led him to write several articles challenging the socio-economic climate of El Salvador. Additionally, he sought to create solutions for the mental health problems experienced by the oppressed people of that country. Father Martín-Baró well understood the risk he took in speaking out against the government of El Salvador. He once remarked to a North American colleague: “In your country, it is publish or perish. In ours (El Salvador) it’s publish and perish.”

The threat of emotional and physical harm posed by the

government did not curb Father Martín-Baró’s keen desire to effect change. In the 1985 interview, he commented on the difficulty of running a university in a country that was in the midst of civil war: “We have been fighting very hard just to keep the university not only open but effectively working, doing what we consider under those conditions very significant academic work, in favor of a solution, looking for a solution to those terrible problems of our country.”

Father Martín-Baró and his five fellow Jesuits, along with their cook and her daughter, were only eight of more than 70,000 victims who died in El Salvador’s civil war. The deaths of the Jesuits outraged the international community, resulted in public condemnation of the Salvadoran Government, and contributed to the mounting pressure placed upon the government to negotiate an end to the brutal civil war.

Understanding the message of Jesus in the Gospel, Father Martín-Baró’s life serves as a reminder to us all to the commitment we have as children of God to work for the marginalized of our community. May we seek out the child, the widow, the poor, those unloved, bullied, and forgotten, and may Father Martín-Baró intercede on our behalf to work for God’s Kingdom here on Earth. n Catherine M. Mifsud, M.A. serves as full time director of campus ministry at Jesuit High School and also teaches two theology classes. Originally from Hollister, CA, she joined Jesuit’s faculty at the start of the 2009-10 school year. Ms. Mifsud received her B.A in communication studies from the University of San Francisco and earned a masters degree in theology and historical theology from Boston College.

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Picked to Go Nowhere, Jesuit’s Football Team Had Other Ideas.

Blue Jays Advance to State Quarterfinals Before Taking It on the Chin The 2010 Jesuit varsity football team was picked to go nowhere fast by football pundits, casual observers, high school forum addicts, and blog prognosticators. How wrong they all were! How surprised, even shocked, they must have been when Jesuit’s season came to an end 13 weeks after it began with a lopsided 64-14 jamboree win over Lakeshore.

Throughout the season, Jesuit showed its opponents they were a team to be reckoned with, displaying an offense capable of scoring at will and fielding a tough, hard-nosed defense. Through the first four games, Jesuit scored 179 points to 93 points for their opponents. In all 13 games for the 2010 season, including the three rounds of the Class 5A state playoffs, the Jays put up a total of 413 points while holding opponents to 242 points.

When the Blue Jays encountered the disappointing finale of their magical season — on a bitterly cold night up in West Monroe on November 26, the day after Thanksgiving — they had already beaten 10 other teams and showed them how to play Jesuit-style football. Those three teams that defeated the Jays? Two of those three games Jesuit lost by a scant four points.

In the final district game of the season, the Jays let one slip away to Brother Martin, 28-27. Both teams, however, ended up sharing the last Catholic League district championship. It was only the second loss of the season for the Jays, who dropped a heartbreaker to a strong Karr team, 34-31, earlier in week five.

The third loss, which also spelled the end of the season and made for a long ride back home, was delivered by those Rebels from West Monroe. The 32 JAYNotes

game coulda and shoulda been closer than the 28-11 final score, but it was one of those nights when the Jays left most of their breaks at Carollton and Banks.

Entering the state playoffs, those prognosticators and bloggers had finally taken notice and seeded the Jays a strong fifth. In the bi-district playoff game at Tad Gormley Stadium, Jesuit sent the Golden Tornadoes from Sulphur twisting back home, 37-13. With home field advantage again for the following week’s regional playoff game against the Terrebonne Tigers, the Jays played a good team.

But the Jays were better than the 12th seeded Tigers and Jesuit pulled out a 17-13 victory to advance to the quarterfinals against West Monroe. It was the first time in many years that a Jesuit football team was advancing to the third, quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.

Game day was the Friday after a big holiday, the Jays endured a long bus ride upstate, uncomfortably cold weather had settled over that corner of the state, and playing on a field belonging to a football powerhouse — well, it is understandable that the Blue and White came down with a case of the jitters that dulled their usually sharp performances on offense and defense.

It was the first time the Jays appeared unfocused.

It didn’t help that the Rebels were at their “methodical, relentless, and unflappable best,” as sports writer Mike Strom wrote in his account of the game in The TimesPicayune, adding, “Any hope for a Blue Jay victory seemingly ended in the final minute of the first half.”

With the Rebels leading 14-0, Jesuit’s drive stalled and junior Ralphie Freibert kicked a 29yard field goal to put the Jays on the scoreboard.

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Opposite page: Senior quarterback Connor McMahon looks downfield. Senior running back Dylan Richard (inset) anchored the Blue Jays’ running attack. Below, junior linebacker Travis Noto (55), senior wide receiver Garred Koch (11), and junior kicker-punter Ralphie Freibert (21) join the rest of the team and Blue Jay fans in the ritual after every game, win or lose, of singing the Alma Mater.

But disaster struck on the ensuing kickoff when West Monroe took it 98 yards all the way into the Jesuit end zone, giving the Rebels a 21-3 halftime lead, which increased to 28-3 near the end of the third Wayde Keiser ’78 was selected by the New Orleans Saints and the NFL quarter. The Jays as the 2010 Prep Football Coach of finally scored again the Year. when West Monroe took an intentional safety. But it wasn’t until the clock showed 49 seconds remaining in the game when Jesuit scored its only touchdown — senior quarterback Connor McMahon connected with senior Garred Koch on a 12-yard pass. The extra point by Freibert was blocked.

It was little comfort to the Blue Jays when West Monroe advanced to the state championship game and lost, 21-14, to Acadiana, a team seeded 27th.

Jesuit went as far as the quarterfinals of the state playoffs because the Blue Jays were a talented, disciplined, and determined team that took to the field and played like a team. That the Jays

were also well-coached by a dedicated staff cannot be overlooked.

“It was an outstanding season due to our kids’ work ethic and desire,” reflected head coach Wayde Keiser ’78, who was honored post-season as the “2010 Prep Football Coach of the Year” by the New Orleans Saints and the National Football League.

“We were not really the largest or most athletic team,” he added, “but our kids played hard week in and week out, which showed in some of those close games. While our kids played well, we also had the ball bounce our way a few times and that always helps. We were able to run the ball very well with the depth we had at running back and an experienced offensive line. And our defense got better each week. We were very steady in our kicking game which led to some big plays and those helped us to a couple of wins.”

Jesuit congratulates three Blue Jays who were named to the Louisiana Sportswriters’ 5A All-State Team: senior defensive back Bobby Dunn, junior kicker and punter Ralphie Freibert, and junior linebacker Debo Jones. Senior offensive lineman Patrick DeVun received an honorable mention from the association.

Jesuit High School and Jaynotes salute the entire football program for a great 2010 season. n Look back at the stories and photo galleries of the 2010 Jesuit football season on Jesuit’s web site: http://www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/ football.htm.

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Run, Phil, Run!

Jesuit’s Cross Country Team Crowned 2010 State Champs

Aucoin is only the second Jesuit sprinter to win an individual state title. Brett Guidry ’06 was the first Blue Jay cross country runner to capture an individual state championship, and he certainly stands alone in accomplishing this difficult feat not once, but twice — initially in 2003 when he was a sophomore and as a senior in 2005.

“The 2010 cross country season exceeded all expectations and was quite possibly the best ever,” says head coach Peter Kernion ’90 (below). “The varsity team won five invitational events and its eighth consecutive district championship. And, of course, after placing second in the 2007, 2008, and 2009 state tournaments, it was great for our guys to bring home the 2010 state championship trophy.”

The cross country team won the district championship with a perfect score, which happens when the first five runners who cross the finish line are all Blue Jays. During this remarkable season, four Blue Jays ran a 5K race in spectacular times below 16 minutes.

Aucoin’s best 5K was 15:06 at the Walker High Shootout in October (in the district meet, he ran first with a time of 15:10); sophomore twins Neal and Sean Fitzpatrick were clocked at 15:20 and 15:37, respectively; and, yet a third fleet-footed sophomore, Andrew Pettus, posted a 15:59.

“Although our three sophomores played key roles in the team’s overall success, it was the seniors who inspired and led the team to victory,” says Kernion. “Philip Aucoin had a couple of third place finishes early on, but as the season progressed, he began to consistently cross the finish line first. There’s no doubt he led the way throughout the season. As a first time runner, senior Jake Wilkinson

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Cross country and swimming photos by Greg Pearson

Senior Philip Aucoin (left) doesn’t like running all that much. And that makes his first place finish at the LHSAA Cross Country State Championship on November 16, 2010 all the more improbable, even amazing. Breaking loose from a pack of 301 other runners, Aucoin galloped first across the finish line of the three-mile race in Natchitoches with a time of 15:40. In doing so, Aucoin helped lift the Blue Jay cross country team to another state title, its fifth one in the past nine years.

ate J E S U IT T O D AY

consistently finished in the team’s top five and helped the Jays to several victories, especially at the state meet. The junior varsity and junior high teams also had outstanding seasons with each winning the district and city championships.”

At the state meet, Aucoin’s average mile was 5:13. Neal Fitzpatrick crossed the finish line third with a time of 15:56, some 16 seconds behind Aucoin, and less than seven seconds behind the second place runner from Catholic High. Sean Fitzpatrick made the top ten by placing ninth with a time of 16:18; Andrew Pettus was 16th with a time of 16:38. Jesuit’s fifth runner was Jake Wilkinson, who came in 30th at 16:59. Running well but out of

contention were senior Jonathan Prindle, who finished 35th (17:03), and junior Scot Pilie, who was the 52nd runner to cross the finish line (17:26).

Only the five lowest scores count and Jesuit’s 59 had first place written all over it. The Jays edged out second place Catholic High whose runners scored 62. St. Paul’s placed third with a score of 104.

Aucoin and the Fitzpatrick brothers were named to the 2010 LHSAA cross country state championship team, a significant achievement and honor for a couple of deserving sophomores and a reluctant senior running champion.

Jesuit High School and Jaynotes congratulate the 2010 cross country team for winning the state championship. n

Check out Jesuit’s cross country championship season, the photo galleries of Blue Jays running, along with archives going back to the 2005-06 season: http://www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/crosscountry.htm.

Jesuit’s 2010 cross country team with its championship trophy; below, Blue Jay cross country runners never stayed with the rest of the pack very long and quickly distanced themselves from the herd.

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Eking Out a One-Point State Championship 5th Consecutive State Title for Blue Jay Swimming Powerhouse

The 2010 Jesuit swimming team won the state championship. No surprise there. But an astonishing one-point margin of victory over the second place Bulldogs of Fontainebleau? Let’s just say that inside the SPAR Aquatic Center in Sulphur, there were plenty of anxious Blue Jay swimmers biting their nails, at least those who still had nails at this point.

Among the legion of Jesuit spectators were equally nervous parents, some of whom were busily punching their own calculations on I-Phones. Meanwhile, a bevy of judges were totaling the points, a process that seemed to take an entire week. The judges confirmed their math several times before an LHSAA official intoned the official results for Division I — Jesuit – 307, Fontainebleau – 306.

For a team that started the season back in September with the unofficial motto “Refuse to Lose,” the one-point margin was akin to cutting the wake a little too close. It may be

the slimmest margin of victory of the 27 state titles Jesuit has racked up in the past 29 years.

Yet, why dwell on it? A win is a win. The past is the past.

Let the record reflect that the Blue Jay swimming team left Sulphur on November 20, 2010 with another state championship trophy. They managed to win it all while placing first in a lone event — the 200-yard freestyle relay. In that event, the all-junior team of Grant McClure, John Rubadue, Patrick Abry, and Brennan Dorsey touched the wall first in 1:28.98.

The meet came down to the very last race, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Swimming into this event, the Blue Jays held a ninepoint lead over the Bulldogs, but needed — absolutely, positively needed — to finish in one of the top three positions. The Jesuit team of Dorsey, Rubadue, McClure, and senior Daniel Dupre felt confident because they placed first in the preliminaries with a time of 3:20.70, followed by the second place Bulldogs and third place Bears from Catholic High. But in any finals event, all swimmers know they need to shave as many seconds as possible off their preliminary results.

Strange that in this last race, the Jays’ were up against the only pair of rivals to have won a Division I state swimming title when Jesuit did not over the stretch of 24 years. The Bulldogs have won state four times. The Bears captured the title in the Katrina year, in the process snapping Jesuit’s 18 consecutive state championship winning streak, an LHSAA record that may stand up for all of time.

This last race would be the toughest, physically and psychologically, because everyone knew — especially the Jesuit, Fontainebleau, and Catholic High swimmers — that it would go down to the wire in scant millisecond margins.

When the starting gun sounded for this final race of the meet and the season itself, time seemed to stand still. Halfway through the event, the Jays were in the lead, but as the anchors turned to begin their last lap, the Bulldog swimmer put on his flippers

36 JAYNotes

and surged ahead in the last few yards, touching the wall first in 3:15.47. Next were the Bears who finished 28/100 of a second behind the Bulldogs with a time of 3:15.75. The anchor for team Jesuit, Daniel Dupre, touched the wall 1:01 seconds after the Bear swimmer, giving the Blue Jays a solid third place finish with a total time of 3:16.76.

Bret Hanemann ’85, head coach of Jesuit’s swimming team, recounted that fretful finale of a race to the The Times-Picayune reporter covering the meet: “We knew that we had to be top-three.

I was really expecting to be one or two there, but we got third… It was incredible. We knew that it was going to be a tough year and a dogfight all the way down to the end. Every single one of these guys stepped up and did what they had to do. Talk about a true team effort for this victory.”

When the results of the meet were officially announced, the Jesuit swimmers and their gallery of parents, alumni, and friends allowed the ruckus to begin.

Swimmers promptly engaged in the ritualistic tradition of tossing their coach into the pool.

The celebratory dunking was all the more special because Jesuit entered the state meet unaccustomed to being tagged as the second seeded team. A Jesuit swim team seeded second? Didn’t they get the memo? These Blue Jay swimmers simply refused to lose.

Jesuit High School and Jaynotes congratulate the 2010 Blue Jay swimming team for an outstanding season and for bringing home another championship trophy. Additionally, kudos to senior Daniel Dupre, whose 3.8 grade point average landed him on the 2010 LHSAA Academic All-State Boys’ Swimming Composite Team. n Check out the swimming home page to view the team’s photo galleries and archives: http://www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/swimming.htm.

Number one by one point: the 2010 Jesuit swimming team with a hard-earned state championship trophy.

Home Field Advantage Campaign Naming Opportunities and Sponsorship Levels Donate or Pledge Online on Jesuit’s Home Page — Look for the HFA Online Campaign in the Upper Left Corner Available Naming Opportunities and Sponsorship Levels: PAVILION $100,000 BATTING CAGE $75,000 BLUE JAY SHOP & CONCESSIONS $75,000 DIAMOND CLUB $50,000 (10 Positions) The following Diamond Club “Players” Already Hold Down Five Positions: Catcher Shortstop Anonymous Anonymous In Honor of Stephen P. Riley ’80

In Honor of Milton J. Retif, Sr. ’51

1st Base George F. Sins III ’94

Right Field Michael D. Kopfler ’85

Commitments have been secured for the following naming opportunities:

JOHN RYAN STADIUM $1,000,000 Mr. & Mrs. John F. Ryan III ’70

Designated Hitter Michael H. Rodrigue, Jr. ’71 Positions currently available include: Pitcher, 2nd Base, 3rd Base, Left Field, and Center Field

CHAMPIONS’ CLUB $25,000 ALL-STATE $15,000

First NBC Scoreboard $150,000

BLUE JAY Press Box

ALUMNI FIELD $10,000 (100 Jesuit Alumni)

$100,000 Stanley Ray Trust

ALL-DISTRICT $5,000

BLUE JAY Dugout

LETTERMAN $1,000

$100,000 Mr. David W. Vignes ’76

VARSITY PLAYER $500 Details about the amenities offered for each sponsorship level are listed on the Home Field Advantage home page: http://www.jesuitnola.org/about/HFA_Main_Draft1_071810.htm.

All Naming Opportunities are subject to approval by Jesuit High School. Jesuit reserves the right to adjust amounts of sponsorships and amenities offered.

Questions about available naming opportunities or amenities offered for the various sponsorships should be directed to Tom Bagwill, Jesuit’s director of institutional advancement, at (504) 483-3841, or email: bagwill@jesuitnola.org. *The Donor Recognition Wall will include the names of benefactors who have committed to donating a minimum of $10,000 to the Home Field Advantage campaign. (Note: Benefactors may not receive recognition on the Donor Wall if their pledges are received after December 31, 2011.)

Visitor’s Dugout $100,000 Dominion Gas, LLC Mr. Lucien J. Tujague, Jr. ’76 In Memory of Mr. Andrew E. Hillery ’79

TH H O EM E TITLE FIEL D G OAEDSV A HN ERE TA G E

As a junior in 1969, John Ryan displayed a multi-faceted pitching portfolio that included throwing his specialty — a “cutter,” essentially a near 90 m.p.h. fastball that breaks late.

Jesuit’s new athletic facility currently under construction will carry the name John Ryan Stadium in appreciation for the generosity of this Blue Jay alumnus from the Class of 1970.

One Million Dollar Gift

Is a Grand Slam for Jesuit’s John and his wife, Janet, have committed a gift of $1 million to Jesuit’s Home Field Advantage capital campaign, the goal of which is to raise $6 million for the project from alumni, parents, and friends. As of March 2011, Jesuit had secured pledges from approximately 500 benefactors totaling $4 million.

John Ryan Stadium will be a five minute bus ride from Jesuit’s Mid-City campus. The facility will be located off Airline Drive in LaBarre Business Park, just on the other side of the Orleans-Jefferson Parish line. Scheduled for completion in fall 2011, John Ryan Stadium will feature a covered grandstand overlooking home plate that can accommodate 650 fans.

Bleachers straddling third base and left field can hold 650 fans. The parking lot will accommodate several busses and 230 cars.

A pavilion near the main entrance will be a central gathering spot and a place to hold reunions and tailgate events.

The multi-purpose field in John Ryan Stadium will sport artificial turf. While the facility will be used primarily to showcase Blue Jay varsity baseball, the varsity teams for soccer, rugby, and lacrosse, along with the various sub-varsity athletic teams, will also utilize the field for practices, matches, and games. The varsity football team will 38 JAYNotes

use the new field for practice only and continue to play its games at Tad Gormley Stadium and other large facilities that are better able to accommodate large crowds.

“John was one of the finest pitchers in the history of Blue Jay baseball and it is a fitting tribute to name this stadium in his honor,” Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66, president of Jesuit High School, told a crowd of supportive and enthusiastic Blue Jay benefactors who had gathered at the stadium site for a formal groundbreaking ceremony last December. “I very much appreciate and thank John and Janet for their very generous gift to the stadium project which will benefit our current students as well as future generations of Blue Jays.”

While a student at Jesuit, John Ryan played defensive end on the 1968 and 1969 football teams. But the sport he has always loved, and still does, was baseball. Ryan was a superb pitcher on the 1969 and 1970 Blue Jay baseball teams that were then coached by Frank Misuraca. In Ryan’s senior year, he set a Jesuit record for strike outs that stands to this day. His special pitches were wicked, hard-to-hit curves and sinkers. The speed of his pitches clocked in around 85-90 m.p.h. Ryan’s talent on the mound attracted the eye of another Blue Jay

— Milton Retif (’51), who at the time was head coach of Tulane’s Green Wave baseball team.

As Ryan recalls all those years ago: “I was fortunate to have been recruited by several universities, obviously because of baseball, and not my grade point average at Jesuit. One night Coach Retif came to my parents’ house to recruit me for Tulane University. He sold my parents and me, a 17-year-old kid at the time, on the fact that ‘You go to school in the town where you are going to make your living.’ This made a lot of sense to me and my parents. I signed with Tulane and stayed in New Orleans. My grade point average at Tulane far exceeded my Jesuit GPA — Jesuit was hard, college was easy.”

Ryan played four years of baseball for the Green Wave while majoring in education, with a minor in physical education. Ryan graduated from Tulane in 1974 and, much to his own surprise, abruptly left New Orleans to work in Houston at Alexander Industries, which supplied safety equipment to the offshore oil and gas industry. In 1976, he married Janet Gray, his “Dominican girl.” They have two sons, John, who is 31 and a captain for Continental Express. Jason is 28 and works at the family business owned by his parents. For many years, the Ryans have

J E S U IT T O D AY

Janet and John Ryan were in town a few weeks ago and had a chance to visit the construction site. Since their visit, construction has steadily moved forward.

JOHN

RYAN STADIUM

made their home in Spring, TX, just south of the Woodlands.

John had been with Alexander for 16 years and helped build it into a very profitable business. In 1990, he and Janet bought Alexander Industries with a loan from the Small Business Administration.

A few years later, they changed the name to Alexander/Ryan Marine & Safety Company. It is still headquartered in Houston and known as Alexander/Ryan.

Today, the company has three satellite offices — two in Louisiana (New Iberia

and St. Rose) — and one overseas in England.

Alexander/Ryan supplies a complete line of marine safety and fire protection products to energy companies, engineering firms, drilling contractors, and shipyards with a customer base that extends to Korea, Singapore, China, Europe, Brazil, and many other locations. Among the company’s products are enclosed lifeboats and inflatable life rafts that can hold up to 100 people and can be found on numerous offshore drilling rigs and

Jaynotes: It is not often that someone commits one million dollars to help Jesuit. How did it all come about?

Ryan: I had heard about the Home Field Advantage project, but

didn’t know any of the details. As I learned about the magnitude of the multi-purpose stadium, I was intrigued. Fr. McGinn approached me some time ago and I told him that I would contribute. I just didn’t know the amount or when the timing would be right.

Jaynotes: What sort of homework did you do before committing to the project?

Ryan: Kevin Heigle (’69), a longtime friend (who also served as

Jesuit’s attorney for the acquisition of the stadium property in 2009) sent me an architect rendering of the stadium. I then flew to New Orleans to have lunch with Kevin, Fr. McGinn, Tom

production platforms. The company also sells engineered products that include water makers, sewage treatment units, aluminum heliports, and oily water separators.

Charming, unassuming, and unpretentious, the Ryans are grateful to be able to support several philanthropic endeavors in Houston and New Orleans.

Jaynotes recently threw several fast questions to John Ryan, who was kind enough to swat the answers out of the proverbial ball park.

Bagwill (Jesuit’s director of institutional advancement), Coach Misuraca and several other coaches, Dave Moreau (Jesuit’s athletic director), a few players from the current baseball team, and my close friend Mike Levy (’70). After lunch, I was given a walking tour of the school by Fr. McGinn. I had not been back to the campus for many years, and the tour was very eye opening to me. I then started to think seriously about what I wanted to do regarding the new athletic facility.

Jaynotes: Was there a “eureka” moment that led to your decision to support the project with a $1 million gift?

Ryan: No, there wasn’t really a “eureka” moment, rather a deep

desire to leave something that would last beyond me — a legacy for my family, for Jesuit, and all of the players and fans that will be using the facility. I also have twin nephews who are currently sophomores at Jesuit. They will see the benefits of this stadium Fall/Winter 2010 – 11 39

TH H O EM E TITLE FIEL D G OAEDSV A HN ERE TA G E

Construction of Jesuit’s new athletic stadium and field is progressing and this spring work had begun on the foundation of the grandstand.

Opposite page: At the groundbreaking ceremony held December 2, 2010, a lot of supportive Blue Jays were on hand to celebrate the official announcement that Jesuit was undertaking this project.

and that in itself makes my involvement more than worthwhile.

Jaynotes: You paid no attention to Coach Retif when you graduated from Tulane because you immediately left New Orleans for Houston. Did you have any idea what you were doing?

Ryan: Looking back — how do you really know what you want

to do at age 17 or 18? When I was at Tulane, I thought about becoming a teacher and a baseball coach. Right after graduating from Tulane, my cousin offered me the opportunity to go to Houston to start a branch office to sell equipment to the developing marine and offshore drilling markets. At the time, he was president of the company. I knew no one in Houston and it was a challenge for this “New Orleans-bred” boy. My cousin became the black sheep of our family for taking me out of the New Orleans area. I accepted the job on a Friday and went to work on Monday filling out paperwork. On Tuesday, I was learning my job. At the time, it made no sense at all. As it turned out, it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. Go figure, I own and run a multi-million dollar company, and along the way, have learned the accounting, marketing, and human resource aspects of the business. Life is funny, isn’t it?

Jaynotes: You never thought about playing major league ball?

Ryan: I’ll tell you a funny story. On my first Tuesday night in

Houston, the Atlanta Braves called my parents home in Airline Park looking for me. They wanted to fly me to Atlanta to try out for the team. This was due in part to another cousin of mine, Connie Ryan, who was an excellent baseball player while a student at Jesuit. He graduated in 1938, played for LSU, and then turned pro, playing second and third base for five different teams. By the time I graduated from Tulane, Connie was the third base coach for the Braves. But I declined the Atlanta offer after very little thought.

I figured that baseball allowed me to get a Tulane education, and a free one, too. My parents could not have come close to affording the tuition at Tulane. That’s all I wanted from baseball — an education. Besides, I knew that at that next level, players hit the curve ball really well. That also made my decision easy.

Jaynotes: Who were some of your teachers at Jesuit?

Ryan: I still have fond memories of my teachers — Coach (Ray)

Coates (’44), Fr. J.B. Leininger, (S.J. ’40), Joe Dover (’56), Jim LeBeau (’60), Br. (Casey) Ferlita, (S.J.), Easton Roth, Henry Rando, Fr. (Gregory) Curtin, (S.J.), Br. (Billy) Dardis, (S.J. ’58), Willie Brown (’29), and (R.O.T.C. instructors) Col. (Harold) Boehm and Sgt. (Aaron) Cappel. Pat Screen (’61) even taught

40 JAYNotes

civics to my freshmen class. I was a typical “C” student, with an occasional “B” and even a “D.” Like a lot of Jesuit kids did who played sports, I worried about maintaining my grades in order to stay eligible for football and baseball.

Jaynotes: What comes to mind about playing on the Jesuit teams back then?

Ryan: On the football field, we experienced two tough losses. I

was a junior and we lost to Holy Cross and Rummel by a total of eight points. In my senior year, we lost to DeLaSalle and Holy Cross by a total of five points.

Jaynotes: I trust you have fonder memories when it comes to baseball?

Ryan: In my senior year, the baseball team surprised everyone,

including Coach Misuraca, by finishing 6-1 in the first round of district play, setting up the championship game for that round against Rummel. My close friend and teammate Emile Zinser (’70) and I both lived in Metairie, not far from Rummel. Emile and I were always given much grief for becoming Blue Jays and not Raiders. We each had run scoring hits and I pitched a shutout to clinch the first round title. It was a very gratifying victory for both of us and our team.

Jaynotes: How did the baseball team do in the second round?

Ryan: We went 1-6. It got really bad. We couldn’t buy a timely

hit or get an out when we needed it. One day before practice, Coach Misuraca ordered Kurt Forshag (’70) and I to collect all the Coke bottle caps that we could find in the vending machine at the gas station on the corner (of Carrollton and Banks) and in the gutters along Banks Street. Kurt and I came back to the gym with a bunch of these caps and Coach was busy sawing the handles off of broomsticks. Coach told everyone on the team to leave their gloves in the gym and get on the bus. We all began to think he was going to make us RUN the entire practice. When we got to City Park, he sure surprised us. Coach had me sail the Coke caps to the batters who tried to hit them with the broom sticks. It was old-fashioned stick ball with the objective to keep our eyes on the ball when batting. It didn’t do any good because we lost our next game.

Jaynotes: Is there a significant experience playing Jesuit baseball that is forever etched in your memory?

Ryan: Memories, such a great thing. The absolute best was in my

senior year when I pitched against Holy Cross and St. Augustine.

They were back to back games four days apart on a Thursday and

J E S U IT T O D AY

Monday. In the Holy Cross game, I gave up an opening double then struck out 16 out of the next 21 batters. In the St. Aug game, I struck out 18 of 21 batters. These two games helped me reach 118 strikeouts for the season, which set a Jesuit record that has stood up for 40 years. What I really didn’t know at the time was the consecutive scoreless inning streak I had going. It wasn’t until we lost to Rummel in the second round that someone told me that I had pitched 30 and 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Something else sticks out in my mind at those two games. Every time I got two strikes on a batter, (Jesuit alumnus) Buddy Lazare (’43) would shout, “LIGHTS OUT!” (Lazare is the father of Bryan Lazare ’71, who served as student manager for several of the Jesuit baseball teams, including the 1970 squad. The elder Lazare remains a dedicated Blue Jay baseball fan with a powerful set of lungs.)

Jaynotes: Did that charm the Jays displayed in the first round return in the playoffs?

Ryan: The final game for the district championship was another

fond memory. We lost to Brother Martin in the first and second rounds, and we faced them for a third time that season for the district championship. There was standing room only at Kirsch Rooney Stadium. We were winning, 2-0, in the bottom of the 7th with two outs, but the Crusaders had the tying runners on first and third bases. I got two quick strikes on the next batter, and started to throw protectively around the plate, trying to get him to swing at something out of the strike zone. The count was 2-2 and he fouled off several pitches. The tension mounted in the stands and on the field. Our catcher, Steve Pumilia (’72), called for a pitch and I remember throwing one of my hardest pitches ever.

The batter swung and missed, but the ball got past Steve all the way to the backstop. Steve ran after it and threw the batter out at first base. We were off to the State Championship Tournament at LSU.

Jaynotes: How did we do in the tournament?

Ryan: We won the first two games which got us to the State

Championship game. But we lost to Fair Park (Shreveport), 2-1, in a drizzling rain. Jesuit was state runner-up — not too bad for a team that won half their games while batting .185. Call it “that Jesuit Luck,” but we played as a “Team.” Coach Misuraca was named Coach of the Year and I was selected as the city’s Most Valuable Player, which, indeed, was an honor.

Jaynotes: It’s your money, so you had the honor of naming the stadium. Did you agonize over it?

Ryan: The name of the stadium was an interesting dilemma!

I thought it would be very easy, but I started second guessing myself. What about naming it after Frank Misuraca and Milton Retif, two individuals who I’ve had the great fortune to call “Coach” and “close friends” at different times of my life. Other than my father, I respect these two men the most — for what they have accomplished, for what they give back, and how they live their lives. I also thought it would be neat to simply call it “Blue Jay Stadium!” After I consulted some close friends — and they know who they are — I decided to name it John Ryan Stadium. I hope that I have earned the athletic and business credentials that have allowed me to gain the respect of my fellow Blue Jays who also are contributing to this great project.

Jaynotes: Since becoming involved in the stadium project, what has been the feedback from your Jesuit classmates and teammates?

Ryan: Ironically, only a few of my close friends from Jesuit know

I am doing this. Some of my other closest friends and fellow ball players probably won’t know until they read this interview in Jaynotes. It will be interesting to see their reactions.

Jaynotes: What sage advice did your wife Janet provide?

Ryan: Janet and I were sitting down at home one night when I explained to her that I wanted to “do something” regarding the stadium. It stayed that way for some time because we never decided what “do something” meant. After awhile, I got enough courage to tell her what I really wanted to do, which meant a commitment on a much higher level. Janet asked if we could really afford a one million dollar donation, even if it is spread out over the next five years. Our CPA blessed it and gave us the green light, and that’s when reality set in. “My Dominican girl” and wife of 35 years came to fully understand “THAT JESUIT THING,” as Kevin Heigle so eloquently stated in his (2009) Alumnus of the Year speech. I think it is wonderful that Janet understands how much it means to me to be able to do this for Jesuit High School. n

View a 24-hour live picture of John Ryan Stadium as construction progresses through the “eye” of a camera that overlooks the site and is mounted on our neighbor’s building. Go to Jesuit’s web site, www. jesuitnola.org and look for the link John Ryan Stadium Web Cam. Online pledges and donations may be made to the Home Field Advantage campaign. Go to Jesuit’s home page, www.jesuitnola.org , and look in the upper left corner for “Donate Online to Jesuit.”

PAID Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage New Orleans, LA PERMIT No. 313

4133 Banks Street New Orleans, LA 70119

Parents of Alumni: If you are receiving your son’s copy of Jaynotes and he no longer lives with you, please let us know so we can update our database and send the magazine directly to him. Let us know if you enjoy reading Jaynotes. We will be glad to send a copy to his new address and a copy to you. E-mail changes to: alumni@jesuitnola.org.

Star of Our Youthful Years Visit Jesuit’s Online Boutique and place your order today for a lithograph of “Star of Our Youthful Years.”

A lithograph signed by artist Terrance Osborne is $75; an unsigned one is $40.

Get all the details when you visit the Blue Jay Online Boutique: www.jesuitnola.org. Look for the link under Parents’ News.