Explorer Autumn 2005
Summer 2007
E X PLORE R
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
E X PLORE R
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
E X PLORE R
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
Explorer Spring 2006
Together with Mount Saint Joseph Academy Saturday, August 4, 2007 7:00 – 10:00 pm The Golden Inn Avalon, New Jersey
For additional information or to purchase tickets, please call the Office of Institutional Advancement at 215.233.2350 or visit www.lschs.org
$30 per person
La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038 www.lschs.org All attendees must be twenty-one or older.
E X PLORE R
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
Features At The Wall Page 7
You Can’t Beat The Man Downtown With Four Clocks At His Feet Page 11
E X PLORE R Graduation – Class of 2007 Page 16–19
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
Live Travis In Our Hearts…Forever Page 35
Departments From The Hip Page 2
Letter From The President Page 3
Happenings At La Salle Pages 4–6
Photo Gallery Pages 20–27
Class Notes Pages 29–34
Announcements Page 36
Explorer Summer 2007
From The Hip! On the ride to the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship Football game, I asked my wife if I could paint our son’s room blue and gold if La Salle won the game. Mary Jean was at the earlier meeting between La Salle and The Prep and had witnessed first hand the lopsided defeat. Needless to say, the last place she expected me to be the following morning was the Sherwin-Williams store. Confidently, she agreed to a change in the color of A.J.’s room in the event that the underdog Explorers were able to defeat the No. 1 ranked team in the area. Three hours later, Mary Jean found herself having to uphold her end of the agreement. After all, a promise is a promise. La Salle College High School has recently A.J. Carabello ’20 and Christopher Carabello ’82 embarked on one of the most ambitious visiting Washington, DC during La Salle’s 50th class initiatives the school has ever undertaken. trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall The $25 million capital campaign, Fulfilling the Promise, is the largest fundraising effort in the history of the school. The campaign is aptly named after our founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, and his promise to educate young men of various backgrounds. The success of the campaign will rely on support from the entire La Salle community and the results of these efforts will benefit the school’s greatest asset – our students. A commitment to provide the best possible education and facilities for these young men continues to be at the forefront of our mission and vision. La Salle College High School is an institution rich in history and tradition. The “promise” is not limited to the mission of our Founder and, in fact, is evident every day: the dedication of our faculty and their promise to develop each student’s unique God-given talents; the commitment of our school administration and their promise to foster academic excellence, service, and leadership; the faithfulness of our parents and their promise to provide their son(s) with the best possible education; and the loyalty of our alumni and their promise to take ownership in the school’s future. The “promise” is at the core of our very being. In the 149 years since our founding at St. Michael Parish in North Philadelphia, our greatest resource has been our mission and vision and our willingness and commitment to share it with the entire La Salle community. Today, La Salle College High School continues to fulfill its promise by providing an education that consists of academic challenge, intellectual openness, emotional security, and environmental safety. After I finished touching up the paint and putting up the last roll of dinosaur wall border, I called A.J. upstairs so he could see his new room. He was quick to point out that the wall border had two blue dinosaurs, two gold dinosaurs, and an allosaurus that was Prep-colored. I don’t know what made me more proud – that he identified the dinosaur as an allosaurus or was upset because it was Prep-colored. Either way, the Class of 2020 can’t get here soon enough. It is one promise that I will keep at all costs.
E X PLORE R
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
President Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60 Principal Joseph L. Marchese Vice President of Institutional Advancement Gail A. Evans, CFRE Alumni Association President Robert J. McCreight, Jr. ’71 Editor Christopher M. Carabello ’82 Editorial and Production Assistance Barbara Franks Florence Ward Cathleen P. Winning Contributing Writers Christopher M. Carabello ’82 Paul D. Colistra ’00 David C. Devine ’90 Joseph F. Lynch ’61 Sean D. Kent ’99 Kevin M. Merlini ’99 Kevin M. Noone ’99 Lt. John P. O’Hara, USN ’99 Photography John J. Burns Christopher M. Carabello ’82 Mark D. Chesnik Davor Studios Anthony J. Gillespie ’68 Michael Maicher Brother James Rieck, FSC ’57 Artwork and Design John Burns Graphic Design Address Explorer La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, PA 19038 215 233 2350 Phone 215 836 4502 Fax alumni@lschs.org The Explorer is published by La Salle College High School. The Explorer welcomes letters to the Editor concerning alumni, school, and topics published in the magazine. The Editor of the Explorer reserves the right to make all decisions regarding the content and information published in the magazine.
Christopher M. Carabello ’82 Editor
Explorer Summer 2007
Letter from the President Dear Fellow Alums and Friends, I can’t believe that it has been two years since my return to La Salle College High School. The last few months have found me consumed in a number of important projects. As the school year began, we launched Fulfilling the Promise, a $25 million capital campaign to increase our endowment and expand our academic and athletic facilities. Needless to say, I have been actively involved in completing the purchase of the thirty-one acres of land that adjoin Paper Mill Road and Route 309 as well as securing the approvals and permits necessary to begin development of our new fields. In late March, the Middle States “Accreditation for Growth” Validation Team wrapped up its visit and recommended our reaccreditation. The visit was the culmination of an almost two-year preparation stage under the direction of Mr. Nick Coggins. I would like to thank Nick, along with his Planning Team, for constructing a detailed plan that allowed us to reach our goal. In May, we broke ground on a 40,000 square foot academic expansion that will provide for an even greater learning environment for our students. I am pleased to report that the efforts of our capital campaign for this project continue to be successful as we have reached several of our benchmark goals. Our students have been equally as busy. Academics continue to rise and our athletic teams made their mark in school history by finishing first or second in eleven of the fourteen sports sanctioned by the Philadelphia Catholic League. Our seven championships should allow us to contend when we move to the PIAA in the fall. Our Forensic and Chess teams won their respective championships, while our Music and Fine Arts programs continued to excel and show why they are some of the top programs in the area. The year culminated with the awarding of 266 diplomas to the Class of 2007 who are now enrolled in 97 colleges and universities in twenty different states. The class earned over $18.1 million in documented scholarships and grants and produced eighty-seven Senior Members of the National Honor Society, twenty National Merit Commended Students, and five National Merit Finalists. La Salle has much to be proud. The year was not without loss. In April, Lt. Travis J. Manion, USMC ’99 was tragically killed while serving our country in Iraq. Travis was a remarkable student leader and athlete while at La Salle and a hero to all who knew him. In June, Martin W. Stanczak ’60 retired after forty-one years of service to his Alma Mater. We thank Marty for all he did for La Salle and wish him and his wife, Lois, a happy retirement. La Salle will miss you. I would like to thank each of you for making 2006-07 one of the most successful years in school history. Next year should be equally as exciting. In September, we begin the eighteen month celebration of our 150th Anniversary. The new academic wing and athletic fields will open during this same time period; so needless to say, there are a lot of things happening at La Salle. The Sesquicentennial Anniversary should be celebrated by all members of the La Salle community and I encourage you to help us commemorate this milestone event as it speaks to our history and traditions. La Salle is a place that is very much alive and never will this be more evident than during the upcoming celebration. Look for details in future publications. Sincerely,
Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60 President Mission Statement adopted by the Middle States Evaluation Team March 2006 La Salle College High School, a Catholic independent college preparatory school for young men of varied backgrounds, is conducted in the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle. Through a broad and balanced, human and Christian education, La Salle College High School guides each student in the development of his unique God-given talents and fosters a commitment to academic excellence, service, and leadership.
Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60 presents the President’s Medal to the retiring Dean of Students, Martin W. Stanczak ’60
Explorer Summer 2007
Happenings At La Salle
Forum Wins Championship The Forum, the Speech and Debate Team of La Salle College High School, captured the Philadelphia Catholic Forensic League Championship for the first time since 2000. The team’s Moderator/Coach, Ray Shay ’00, was a member of the last championship team and has brought his winning spirit to a team that had only one senior and featured fourteen State qualifiers, eleven National Catholic qualifiers, and four National qualifiers.
Band and Choral Concerts The Band’s Spring Concert was held on Monday, May 7, 2007 and featured over 250 musicians under the direction of Joe Vettori. The Choral Concert, held the following week on Monday, May 14, 2007, featured La Salle’s various choral groups under the direction of Mark Norman.
Dream Alive Joe Rogers, the former Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, created a dedication to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that was performed live to the student body on Wednesday, February 14, 2007. The nationally acclaimed program is an effort to help increase the understanding of the enormous contributions that Dr. King imparted to our nation and serves as a reminder that his wisdom and vision are timeless. The inspiring assembly was sponsored by the Multi-Cultural Club and African-American Student Leadership Group at La Salle College High School in celebration of Black History Month.
On Saturday, April 14, 2007, La Salle’s Competition Jazz Band took First Place at the Cavalcade Association of Bands Championships – a series of competitions for high school jazz bands from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Out of the forty jazz bands that competed throughout the season, La Salle came away with the Best Overall Rating Award, along with Best Trombone Section Award, Best Trumpet Section Award, and an Outstanding Soloist Award for Alex Salwach ‘07.
Arts Festival
Check-Mate The Chess Team won the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship on Monday, April 2, 2007 by defeating Cardinal Dougherty in the championship match. The team members included Nicholas Pedersen, Michael Mele, Nathan Meyers, Ian Perera, and Ryan McDevitt. The alternates were A.J. Ralston, Anthony Witkowski, and Lorenzo Quebral.
The 24th Annual Arts Festival was held May 14-18, 2007 and showcased works from over forty students for an entire week. Excellence in Art Awards were presented to exceptional pieces. Ten students also participated in the 29th Annual Montgomery County High School Art Exhibition and Competition held at Montgomery County Community College. Rob Farley ’07 was awarded First Place for Sculpture. Sean Mahoney ’07 (Sculpture) and Michael Fazio ’07 (Drawing) each received Honorable Mention awards. On Tuesday, May 15, 2007, the Art Department welcomed Matt Phelan as part of La Salle’s Visiting Artist Program. A gifted illustrator, Matt recently won the John Newberry Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for Children.
Explorer Summer 2007
Babes In Arms
Father/Son Bowling
La Salle College High School presented four sold-out performances of Babes In Arms. The Rogers and Hart musical ran March 15-18, 2007 and featured one of the most sensational finales in the history of musical theater at La Salle. Matt Dominick ’07 starred in the role of Val White along with a cast of over seventy actors and actresses. Alan Yuhas ’07 conducted the twenty-eight man orchestra that provided for a score that featured I Wish I Were In Love Again, My Funny Valentine, The Lady Is A Tramp, and Johnny-One-Note.
The Men of La Salle sponsored Father/Son Bowling on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at Thunderbird Lanes in Willow Grove. The day represented an opportunity for fathers and sons to spend time together and challenge each other to a game of bowling.
Groundbreaking Sophomore Branch-Out Day On Tuesday, March 20, 2007, the sophomore class at La Salle College High School, along with their fathers, participated in Branch-Out Day, and ventured out to nineteen different locations in the area for a day of service. Almost 400 members of the La Salle Community (sophomores, sophomore fathers, and select members of the faculty who teach sophomores) participated in various service activities that marked the 10th Anniversary of Branch-Out Day and La Salle boys working with their fathers to perform service in their community.
La Salle broke ground on a new 40,000 square foot academic wing on Wednesday, May 9, 2007. Construction has begun in the rear of the existing academic wing on an addition that will replace the Study Commons (formerly the library) and house another technology center, new science labs, and classrooms along with a chapel and campus ministry center. The new wing is expected to be completed and ready to be occupied in September of 2008.
Commercial on MTV
Spring Buffet The Mothers’ Club held their annual Spring Buffet on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 during which they said “good bye” to Senior Mothers and welcomed mothers from the Class of 2011. During the course of the evening, Phyllis Wells, President of the Mothers’ Club, presented Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60 a check in the amount of $130,000, which represented the fundraising efforts of the Mothers’ Club from their many activities.
In an effort to foster awareness about tobacco prevention issues, a group of fifteen La Salle students produced a commercial which was featured on MTV and won third place in a contest held by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Montgomery County. Over twenty high schools from Montgomery County participated in the contest. Each group wrote, filmed, and produced a 30-second commercial aimed at educating peers on the dangers of tobacco use and manipulation tactics used by the tobacco industry. Voters participated by logging onto the Coalition’s web site.
Explorer Summer 2007
Happenings At La Salle Continued
Magnificent Seven The cry “start strong, finish stronger” was never more evident than in the 2006-2007 athletic year at La Salle College High School. The year began with the Explorers sweeping the fall sports season and winning Philadelphia Catholic League Championships in Cross Country, Soccer, and Football – accomplishing a feat that was seemingly impossible. An undefeated regular season and Philadelphia Catholic League Championship in Wrestling followed along with our 19th consecutive championship in Swimming. The Basketball team returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and the AAA Hockey Team was the No. 1 Ranked team in Pennsylvania before being upset in the semifinals of the Flyers Cup. The Indoor Track and Field team finished a close second at the Catholic League Championship meet. With spring in the air, success continued to blossom. The Tennis team captured the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship with a victory over The Prep. Lacrosse continued to dominate league play and won its fourth consecutive championship. Crew was the runner-up in the Championship Regatta and the Golf team, likewise, finished second in the Catholic League Championship. The Baseball team returned to the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year by finishing strong and winning fourteen of its last sixteen regular season games. The Outdoor Track and Field team again finished a close second in the Catholic League Championship meet. In all, La Salle athletic teams finished first or second in eleven of the fourteen sports affiliated with the Philadelphia Catholic League and their seven championships ties the record for most Catholic League Championships won in a single school year.
Explorer Summer 2007
The first thing I remember about Gerry Miller’s Vietnam class is a fight. Not an actual desk-flipping brawl –
by David C. Devine ’90
although I witnessed a few of those in my days at La Salle – but an argument
“ You can tell a true war story by the way it never seems to end.” –Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried
that turned fiery. A two-person debate that divided an entire class. We were accustomed, by then, to displays of intellectual one-upmanship, but this
was different. It was personal and polarizing. Students spun in their desks, smelling blood in the water and taking sides. Not choosing sides, because it wasn’t something you chose. It was something you felt in your gut.
Explorer Summer 2007
At The Wall Continued minutiae that turned the cogs of the larger conflict. After returning stateside, he earned a degree at Temple University and began teaching at La Salle High School in 1980. The Vietnam War was still fresh in those years, a national cauldron of hurt that few spoke about openly, and even fewer addressed in a classroom setting. When journalist Stanley Karnow published his seminal 1983 book Vietnam: A History, and PBS produced a subsequent series based on the work, it happened to correspond with an accreditation committee’s assessment that La Salle’s social studies curriculum was deficient in non-Western history courses. Miller saw an opportunity to try something new.
Faculty Members Gerry Miller and Mike Dolan are joined by: Anthony Acey-Davis ’07 Jim Barker ’07 Taylor Brauns ’07 Mike Campbell ’07 Mike Croasdale ’07 Tom Curry ’07 Ben DiFranco ’07 Pete Engrigian ’07 Nick Faillace ’07 Tom Graham ’07 Gray Haenn ’07 Phil Haggerty ’07 Sean Herbert ’07 Brian Jeffers ’07 Dan Johnson ’07 Matt Muscarella ’07 Kevin Riley ’07 Greg Sliner ’07 Rob Swartley ’07 Kevin Tamasitas ’07 Ryan Thomson ’07 Dan Tuck ’07 Rob Waitkus ’07 Scott Waters ’07
One group clung to an old patriotic adage: My country, right or wrong, my country. The rest asserted that patriotism included the right – indeed, the imperative – to question national leaders when the ship of government lurched off course. This was a timeless, fundamental debate. A pivotal question, with implications far beyond the war we were studying. Voices were raised. Faces flushed and temples throbbed. There may have been tears of anger. There was certainly jawing, finger pointing and frustration. Miller let it happen. He refereed the contest, certainly, but he called a loose game. Made sure there were no hard fouls or cheap shots, but otherwise let us have at it. Seventeen years later, I recall little of what was actually said that afternoon, but the raw passion of the moment comes back without volition. The white heat and the bluster and the depth of feeling, and the way Gerry Miller sat back and took it in and seemed to realize that whatever happened, we had to work this thing out ourselves. H H H H H Before he was Mr. Miller the Social Studies Teacher, with his magazine covers and his local history papers, he was Gerald Miller the Navy enlistee, stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam from July 1969 to July 1970. The self-described “Radar O’Reilly” of a military fire department, Miller was in charge of ordering everything from gallons of paint to fire trucks, monitoring the
“I wanted it to be a course,” he says now, “that would show seniors what it was going to be like when they went to college. That’s why there’s a lot of reading and papers and research.” An early component of the senior-level Vietnam History course, which Miller launched in 1983, was a bus trip to Washington DC to view the recently-constructed Vietnam Veterans Memorial, often referred to as The Wall. The memorial had been dedicated in November of 1982 to a mix of fanfare and controversy. Miller, who was present for that dedication, initially envisioned the DC trip as “a neat thing to add to the class.” He took his first group there in 1983, when The Wall itself was still taking form, still fronted by a grass walkway and illuminated by sodium floodlamps. Even then, the impact of The Wall had little to do with the trappings – the landscaping or the lighting – it had to do with the names. A sea of chiseled American names that seems to stretch forever on the polished black granite. H H H H H I carry one of those chiseled names. It’s been with me ever since I was a few days old. You can find it on Panel 26E of the Wall, near the bottom, engraved in half-inch Trajan type: CONAL J. BYRNE, JR. The uncle we hardly ever discussed when I was growing up. My mother’s lost brother, whose first name became my middle name.
Explorer Summer 2007
After high school, Conal and his twin brother Bill both attended college, but Conal failed out of Villanova University at the end of his junior year, enlisting in the Navy when he lost his academic dispensation. He trained as a medic, and in May 1967, left the US Naval Hospital in Beaufort, South Carolina for Vietnam. On September 21, 1967, while assigned to Company F in the 3rd Marine Division, he was mortally wounded in an ambush near Dang Ha by a “numerically superior enemy force” as he “advanced forty meters over fire-swept terrain.” He was 23 years old. I knew almost none of this before taking Gerry Miller’s Vietnam History class. H H H H H After two years of teaching the course, Miller was satisfied with the progression, but wondered about the significance of the bus trip. “It wasn’t much more than a nice Sunday ride to Washington,” he recalls now. Then, in 1985, Philadelphia veterans lobbied for and created their own Vietnam memorial wall, inscribed with the names of the Philadelphia dead and missing. Suddenly Miller had his connection. ”Once the Philadelphia wall opened,” he says, “there was a place to get names and a way to connect.” Miller began requiring his students to visit the local wall and research the name of a veteran there. “That’s where the whole concept of ’their vet’ was born, this huge wall that they stare at, and then have to pick a name
from. And they rub it and they hold it and they write a paper about it, and you can tell from reading the paper whether they get it or not.” Starting with little more than that name, students soon found themselves gaining access to homes and scrapbooks and stories and lives. One senior randomly selected a name and discovered the vet’s family lived in West Philadelphia. “This kid took the El to 48th and Market,” Miller says, “and the brothers of the vet met him at the El stop and walked him back to their home, knowing he was a white kid in a predominantly black community. He went for dinner; the parents opened their home to him, then showed him their son’s letters and medals. He’ll never forget that.” H H H H H I didn’t take the El to an unfamiliar neighborhood to speak with the family of “my vet,” I went to my grandparents’ apartment and sat in a quiet claustrophobic room with my grandmother, surrounded by frayed newspaper clippings and yellowed photo albums. I’m not sure which would have been harder. “Conal wanted to be a writer,” she told me in her slow, measured way.” He was writing about the things in his life, the things he knew, just like Kerouac or Salinger.” She said he’d been working on a novel in Vietnam, a manuscript he carried
10 Explorer Summer 2007
At The Wall Continued in a frayed satchel wherever he went. After his death, she and my grandfather inquired about the satchel, but it was never recovered, buried in the muck and fire and confusion of a forgotten battlefield.
“I always wind up looking for a few guys I went to high school with, and I just find them, and they’re right there. And you look at them, and think, Geez, why? What would their lives have been like?”
H H H H H
H H H H H
Once students began researching the name of a Philadelphia veteran, the trip to The Wall in Washington DC took on a new resonance. It became the completion of a journey, the spiritual center of the course. In the last 24 years, Miller has taken fifty trips to that wall, with more than 1,100 different students, to look at the same 58,000 names. “When you leave for the trip,” he says, “you’re thinking, here we go, here’s another trip, but when you get to the Wall it takes on a life of its own. I always try to keep it in perspective as a teacher, that I may’ve been there fifty times, but for some of the kids it may be their first time. Until they’re in front of it, they don’t really understand it.” After an orientation, the students set off in search of “their vet’s” name, taking a charcoal rubbing once they locate it on the wall. They run their fingers over the letters. They pray over them. Sometimes they find their own name on The Wall, a sobering coincidence that leaves them stunned. Miller stands aside and takes it in and lets it happen. He carries out a familiar ritual of his own.
For information on the Vietnam Course taught at La Salle College High School by Gerry Miller or to view online lectures, trip photos, and excerpts from a recent interview by HBO, please visit www.lschs.org/miller
Rubbing of Carl F. Hynek, III ’63 who was killed in Vietnam on October 5, 1967
My uncle’s name isn’t the only piece of him I carry. I’ve been hauling around a novel in the frayed satchel of my brain for years. Last month I finished committing it to paper. The words on the page are mine, but it’s his novel – at least partly. Some of the courage for completing it came from the knowledge that he died while trying to so the same thing. For that, in a strange way, I have Gerry Miller’s Vietnam History class to thank. That quiet, uncomfortable conversation with my grandmother was a gift. Learning about my uncle and his writing was a gift. The Sunday bus ride to Washington DC, when I was a second-semester senior with a hundred other things to do, that was a gift. I went there and I touched his name – which was my name and I rubbed it and held it and carried it home. I stepped back and saw my own face reflected in the polished black granite and I walked away and watched those thirteen letters be swallowed up again, lost and found in that persistent sea of American names.
11 Explorer Summer 2007
You Can’t Beat The Man Downtown With Four Clocks At His Feet by Joseph F. Lynch ’61
I
n 1957, O’Bie O’Brien plucked two kids, Joe Cunnane and Joe Lynch, out of the La Salle grade school basketball tournament and gave them a chance at a Lasallian education, a chance at becoming Brothers’ Boys. To this day, they have never forgotten his generosity. Each year, O’Bie gave kids from the parishes and recreation centers of Philadelphia, from 4th and Shunk to St. John’s in Manayunk, the opportunity to lead his Explorers to the Holy Grail of high school basketball, the Palestra. Of course, O’Bie never quite knew where the Palestra was; it seemed to move each year, “34th and South” to “34th and Spruce,” or “34th and Market.” We all knew at the first practice of every year that we were going to do our best to get to that moveable feast, “The Palesterr,” wherever it was. All he asked of us in our basketball careers was to scramble for the loose ball, hustle back on defense, and occasionally hit the open jumper.
12 Explorer Summer 2007
Obie O’Brien Continued
The Missouri River. It just goes on and on.
If you know Charles O’Brien only by his longevity as La Salle’s basketball coach or by his 500+ victories or by the large number of ballplayers he prepared for Big Five schools, well you don’t have the full picture of O’Bie and his effect on Philly basketball and La Salle athletics. Look at the portrait of O’Bie overlooking the trophy case outside of his basketball gym. O’Bie was definitely “Old School.” He was a Damon Runyon character out of Guys and Dolls, a regular Nathan Detroit.
Championship at the Palestra in 1956. But he had golden memories too, of his players like Tom Gola who went on to NCAA, NIT, and NBA championships and Joey Heyer ’56 who held the record for most points, 49, in a Catholic League game. Many of his ballplayers went on to collegiate and business success, but they never forgot O’Bie, his colorful sayings and vivid stories, and when they return for alumni affairs, the stories flow “like the Missouri River. They just go on and on.”
…O’Bie’s art was truly the malapropism, his own unique bending and tweaking of the language. If you were Irish or Catholic or La Salle – in any order or combination you immediately – you were immediately O’Bie’s best friend. If you had a minute, he might regale you with a story about that bitter North Catholic loss, a tap in “after the buzzer” that cost him the Catholic League
Don’t forget to wear your mufflers.
O’Bie had a bit of a stammer when he spoke (Aieeee, Joey. . .), and he would inevitably push his glasses higher on his nose when he began speaking. These were his trademarks, but O’Bie’s art was truly the malapropism, his own unique bending and tweaking of the language. His explayers over the years have amassed a stockpile of his phrases. If you mention O’Bie to Marty Stanczak ’60, he will lapse into his best O’Bie voice and give some O’Bie advice from five decades ago: Boys, it’s cold outside. It’s ammonia
13 Explorer Summer 2007
weather. Don’t forget to wear your mufflers. Or O’Bie might walk by you one morning and say something cryptic, “Aieee, Joey, four monks layin’ up in New York,” and you’d be left to ponder just what that remark meant or why it was any business of yours that four Christian Brothers might be off campus today. His favorite song, late in the evening, was, Won’t you come home, Bull Bailey?, according to Dave Diehl ’55, and, as long as the lights stayed on, you couldn’t escape O’Bie’s mangled lyrics. Instead of “crossing that bridge when we get to it” or “burning our bridges behind us,” O’Bie would say “We’ll burn those bridges when we get to them.” O’Bie grabbed colorful images out of the air, “There’s a fly in the ointment,” mixed his metaphors, “He fell for it, hook, line and barrel,” created whole new words, “It’s babyabb stuff,” and generally played fast and loose with the grammar. Because of his close friendship with the Republican Meehan family (Austin, Bill and Jackie ’67) O’Bie knew you couldn’t beat City Hall, “You can’t beat the guy downtown with the four clocks at his feet.” His collisions with the English language have been a constant source of pleasure to his players and colleagues. Reunions always seem to end with O’Bie’s admonition to “K-K-Keep the Faith. We’re just passin’ through.”
Caught between a washer and a dryer.
O’Bie was the acknowledged Dean of Coaches in the Catholic League in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He won six Philadelphia Catholic League Championships in four decades, the first in 1936 and the last in 1963 with Billy Magarity, Joe Turk, and Frank Gaidjunas (“Frank Dajunum”). O’Bie would start each season inevitably complaining about the new basketball rule changes: “Joey, we’re caught between a washer and a dryer”; then he would anticipate the referee calls that would cause him continual heartburn on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons throughout the season. Moderator Brother Jeremy (“Brother Germany”) would try to calm him. In a 1960 game, he was so incensed at the referees in the West Catholic game, he spent the entire halftime berating the officials. O’Bie said nothing to his players in the locker room at halftime. Little matter – we knew he was fighting for us. That Sunday afternoon we went on to upset the eventual Catholic League Champion, 46 to 45. If we players could just “get off the dime,” we knew we could beat anyone. Two phrases to the game.
In those years, La Salle was a small school in the Catholic League, about 750 students against schools like Cardinal Dougherty with over 3,000 boys. When O’Bie’s Explorers would come up against a powerhouse, (bull montanas and trollops), he certainly wouldn’t want his team to
14 Explorer Summer 2007
Obie O’Brien Continued
play like “The Little Sisters of the Poor.” – code words for complete ineptitude. In the big games he would find some nuanced offense or strategy to keep his boys in the game. “Aieee, there are two phrases to this game, boys.” He might hold the ball for one shot in the quarter or throw a novel 1-4 offense at the thoroughly confused defense. Is it any wonder why La Salle scores were always low? His one-shot-a-quarter offense and swarming defense would mean scores in the 40’s or even 30’s. Mike Osborne ’65 tells a story about Bob Logan on the 1964-65 team. His job was to guard the great Bernie Williams of DeMatha High in Washington. O’Bie told Logan to blanket Bernie Williams on defense: “If he goes into the stands, you follow him! If he buys popcorn, you pay for it!” The way I heard the story? “If he has a girlfriend, you kiss her!” Now that was defensive pressure. A fly in the ointment.
As we all know, girlfriends, cigarettes, and uncovered-heads–in-the-winter were anathemas to successful basketball teams, so, we always had to wear our hats in winter on the 26 bus as we got off the Broad Street Subway. We learned to keep our petty vices from his purview, but, in weekly talks to his players before practice, O’Bie would often allude to strange late-night goings-on in some neighborhood recreation center, and immediately three boys would drop their heads
wondering how O’Bie knew about last week’s party. “Aieee, and don’t think I don’t know what’s going on at Happy Hollow.” he’d yell at Jack Brogan ’58, ruining Jack’s jump shot for that day. O’Bie knew that a ballplayer sick from a cold or tired from partying with his girlfriend was certainly “a fly in the ointment” of his plans, but he resigned himself to injuries and other vicissitudes; it was all “life over the dam.” Without doubt, O’Bie always knew “what you were doin’ in those cars,” and, whatever it was, it could only hurt the team. Leave ’em where they lay.
A little known story about O’Bie’s career deals with the classroom. Bob McAnespey ’66 tells a story about O’Bie’s foray into teaching first aid, a freshmen requirement. The primary rule of first aid, O’Bie would say, is, when coming upon an unconscious person, “Leave ’em where they lay.” If freshmen wrote exactly “Leave ’em where they lay” on their tests, they would get an A. If they wrote “Leave them where they lay,” they obviously weren’t paying attention and got a B. Bob says, to this day, all medical opinion supports O’Bie’s advice to “Leave ’em where they lay.” No telling how many lives O’Bie saved. Something Wrong in Denmark.
In 1961, we played a much better Cardinal Dougherty team for the right to go to the Palestra semi-finals. We lost 63 to 61, and I am saddened
15 Explorer Summer 2007
EDITOR’S NOTE Please feel free to share your favorite story or maloprism of Obie O’Brien. Whether you are a former player, student, friend, or foe of the late Charles “Obie” O’Brien, we would love to hear from you and publish your tale(s) in upcoming issues of the Explorer in a column to be tilted “Obie’s Court.” Please forward your submissions to Joe Lynch ’61 at lynch@lschs.org
that in my four years at La Salle, we never once got to the Palestra for O’Bie. Right after the loss, he was upbeat, though. While he smoked his Lucky Strikes, he talked calmly of calls that could have gone either way and of missed shots and turnovers. He knew basketball was just part of our Lasallian education, but now the season was over, and regretfully, we could not repay Coach. But O’Bie never expected our thanks. All of us had shared the winning and losing that would prepare us for life beyond the basketball court. There was always going to be the next season with more underclassmen like Gerry Marano and Steve Kearney, more heartburn with the rule changes, and always, there was going to be “Something wrong in Denmark.” He’d have to steal one or two of Tex’s football players, get his own “bull montanas,” find someone with John Tiller’s ’60 height, Jerry Cosgrove’s ’58 jump shot, Joe Cunnane’s ’61 tenacity, Gene Parks’ ’59 rebounding, and Jackie Meehan’s ’67 playmaking. Simon the Greek
The life of a coach is an odyssey of frustration and uncertainty, with long seasons and unexpected outcomes – big wins and thrilling losses. O’Bie was no “Simon the Greek – a tyrant running marathon practices. Practices were casual, without pressure. Luckily, O’Bie had his supportive family – Sal, his beloved wife sitting stoically in the stands, his daughter Patty cheering at the games, and Young O’Bie ’56 (as we called him then)
exhorting the varsity to keep their hands up on defense, to shuffle their feet, and not give up the baseline. If asked, Young O’Bie, a retired executive, will sparkle with his own stories of those years, but he too, will still bemoan that 1956 North Catholic loss. Allegedly, Charles O’Brien, Jr., backcourt ace and my JV coach, holds the book of his father’s personal memories of every year and kid he coached. As yet, requests to have that book included in the 150 anniversary time capsule have gone unanswered! LSMFT – Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco
Joe and I would get to play at “The Palesterr” in college games, and O’Bie would win his final Catholic League championship in 1963 – happy endings all around. And so, when we fathers and grandfathers gather, we celebrate storytelling about those La Salle years: of half-time talks more memorable than final scores, of the dangers of cigarettes (“LSMFT – La Salle Mighty Fine Team”), female entanglements during the season, of wood burns (“blueberries”) diving for loose balls, but mostly, we talk about the pride of wearing the blue and gold for O’Bie O’Brien and our good fortune to be Brothers’ Boys. When I walk into the gym and see the photo of O’Bie, his hands at cross-purposes, pointing in different directions, I know I’m home.
16 Explorer Summer 2007
Graduation – Class of 2007 Saturday, June 2, 2007
17 Explorer Summer 2007
18 Explorer Summer 2007
19 Explorer Summer 2007
20 Explorer Summer 2007
Photo Gallery Communion Breakfast and Hall of Fame Induction Sunday, March 4, 2007
Peter P. Muessig ’45 and Family
Master of Ceremonies and Hall of Fame Member Marty Stanczak ’60
Pete Muessig ’45 accepts the William J. Whelan ’55 Alumni Service Award from Alumni Association President Bob McCreight ’71
Joseph P. Colistra ’64 and Family
Charles E. Dunleavy ’61 and Family
Members of the Class of 1978 – Dan Fitzgerald, Dave Asman, and Gerry Lowery
Hall of Fame Recipient Charlie Dunleavy ’61 addresses the attendees
Bob McCreight ’71 welcomes Joe Colistra ’64 to the Hall of Fame
21 Explorer Summer 2007
Career Day Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Bill Bryers, Esq. ’73
Michael Donohoe, DC ’79
Harry Citrino, III ’95
Bill Markmann, MD ’66
Rich Sherman ’85
LT Ryan Ventresca, USN ’95
Career Day Participants Bob Biddle ’71 Mike Cassidy ’74 John Campbell ’81 Harry Citrino ’95 Kevin Connor ’82 Bill dePasquale ’51 Dan Diehl ’85 Jonathan Dilenno ’83 Mike Donohoe ’79 Kevin Dougherty ’98 Alfred Dragani ’81 Tom Fithian ’94 Vince Flynn ’67 Joe Hand ’76 Gerry Hathaway ’72 Allen Jalon ’99 Rev. Anthony Janton ’69 Todd Kelly ’66 Tom Lehman ’72 Pete Loftus ’88 Andy Malone ’78 Bill Markmann ’66 Jim Matthews ’66 Jim Matthews, Jr. ’88 Pat McCloone ’77 Jim McLaughlin ’57 Bernard McManus ’68 Drew Milligan ’68 Bob Moran ’69 David Newdeck ’92 Bill Regli ’85 John Sayer ’83 Ray Shay ’00 Rich Sherman ’85 Joe Turk ’63 Ryan Ventresca ’95 Bill Wasylenko ’69 George Weiss ’83 Tim Wood ’87 Mark Zielinski ’77
22 Explorer Summer 2007
Photo Gallery
Founder’s Gala Saturday, February 24, 2007
Austin Meehan ’79 and Joe Slabinski ’67
Ed Solvibile ’58, Brother Joseph Mahon, FSC ’58, Brother Brendan Garwood, FSC, and Joan Regan
Trish Meehan, Chris Carabello ’82, and Mary Jean Carabello
The Atrium at The Wanamaker Building
Leslie Salvitti, Al Salvitti ’70, Joe Marchese, and Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60
Elizabeth Holmes and Carl Holmes ’83
Presidents of the Alumni Association
Susan Ventresca, Ben Ventresca ’70, and Al Gabriele
23 Explorer Summer 2007
Gerry Binder ’69 and Debbie Binder
Conversation during the Cocktail Reception
Carol Diehl and Dave Diehl ’55
Brother Andrew Bartley, FSC greets Mary Beth Szostak and Bob Szostak ’72
Gerry Clark, Jim Thomas, Jim Clark, and Karen Thomas
The Dance Floor of the Crystal Tea Room
Kerry Maginnis, Mike Cassidy ’74, and Gene Maginnis ’69
Ken Shaw ’60 and Betty Shaw
24 Explorer Summer 2007
Photo Gallery
Grand Reunion Saturday, April 28, 2007
Jessica Gallagher, Colin Gallagher ’92, Anthony Prete ’92, and Katie Prete
Christopher Lehman ’67, Michael Korman ’87, and Caryn Korman
Class of 1972 – Terry McFadden, Steve Gardner, Paul McGurkin, and Mark Sutton
Mary Pat Mars, Cliff Mars ’82, Tim Cush ’82, and Patti Cush
Members of the Class of 1987 Reminisce
Class of 1982 – George Winslow, Dan Hyman, Cliff Mars, Jim Muehlbronner, Gerry Bowen, Joe Myers, and Kevin Flynn
Jake Whalen ’67 and Greg Meyer ’67
Bill Vacchiano ’77, Joe Brooks ’77, and Brother Tom McPhillips, FSC ’67
25 Explorer Summer 2007
50-Year Reunion Saturday, June 2, 2007
Vince Pannepacker ’57 and Bob Durney ’57
Jim McLaughlin ’57, Bob Ellis ’57, and Larry McEvoy ’57
Vince Tague ’57, Joe Marchese, and Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60
Clark Hodgson ’57, Joe Marchese, and Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60
John Quinn ’57, Jim Melinson ’57, and Jay Farrell ’57
Joe Marchese, Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60, and Sid Kowalczyk ’57
26 Explorer Summer 2007
Photo Gallery
Golf Outing Monday, June 11, 2007
Paul Kelly ’74, Brother Edward Gallagher, FSC, and Chris McDermott ’74
Class of 1972 – Steve Gardner ’72, Brian Belcher ’72, George Konesky ’72, and Bill Benz ’72
Class of 1991 – Jamie Barton ’91, Chad Stowe ’91, Mark O’Neill ’91, and Jamie Maher ’91
Chuck Eisler ’85, Chuck Minnich ’84, Dan Diehl ’85, and Rich Sherman ’85
Terry Scollin, Mike McNamara ’83, Jim Osborne ’82, and Kevin Dunphy ’83
Mike Tyrrell ’87, Bud Hansen ’86, Bud Hansen ’54, and Bill Beisel
Jim Osborne ’56, Jim Williamson, Jim Williamson ’81, and Dan McGill ’78
Sean Kent ’99, Dan Galbally ’00, Jordan Mulrain ’00, Mike Morsell ’97, and Kevin Merlini ’99
27 Explorer Summer 2007
Class of 1998 – Andrew Rakowski, Ed Bongard, Jeff Huntzinger, and Brett Gordon
The Kent’s – Sean ’99, Brian ’96, John ’68, and Kevin ’93
Class of 1963 – Ed Drach, Lou Galzerano, Jim Cake, and Maurino Rossanese
Rev. Robert Breen ’45, Bob McCreight ’71, Peter Moore ’71, and Dennis Nolen ’71
Class of 1991 – Nick Varano, Keith Tornetta, Ryan Tyrrell, and Joe Cullen
Mark Gibbons ’92, Mike Morsell ’97, Chris Carabello ’82, and Mike Durso ’97
Class of 1970 – Al Salvitti, George Thompson, Ray Angelo, and Charles Dunton
Mike Osborne ’65 and Joe Slabinski ’67
28 Explorer Summer 2006
Greate Bay Country Club Somers Point, New Jersey Sunday, September 9, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
4:00 pm
Mass
9:00 am
5:00 pm
Hors D’oeuvres and Cash Bar
6:00 pm
Dinner (Choice of Entree) Dance to the music of The Tony DeLuca Band
$55.00 per person
Golf (shotgun start) No Handicap Necessary
$60.00 per golfer 1:00 pm
Lunch
$15.00 per person
La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038 www.lschs.org
Wednesday, October 3, 2007 Classes of 1930 to 1957 La Salle College High School Mass 10:30 am Followed by a Luncheon $30.00 per person
La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038 www.lschs.org
29 Explorer Summer 2007
Class Notes 1930’s William J. O’Donnell ’38 plays golf three days a week and still shoots his age or under most of the time.
1940’s Robert Kitson ’44 is continuing to enjoy his retirement in sunny Southern California with his wife Ellie, three aging children, and seven grandchildren. Robert enjoys reading about the continuing success of La Salle’s swim team. Vince McAneney ’45 and his wife, Holly, are enjoying retirement with travel. His next trip is to St. Thomas for his youngest son’s wedding, then off for another Caribbean cruise. Vince’s last trip was to Williamsburg in December 2006 with his brother Tom ’46 and his wife Marilyn to celebrate Vince’s 10th wedding anniversary.
Albert Trottnow, Jr. ’47 and his wife, Mary Lou, recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. They enjoyed an eight day ski vacation in Squaw Valley, CA accompanied by six of their children and their mates, as well as a granddaughter and grandson. Al is retired and lives in North Wildwood, NJ. He and Mary Lou have seven children, twelve grandchildren, and three great-children.
1950’s Joseph Echelmeier ’51 climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2005 and plans to climb higher in 2007. Edward Tarsa ’51 is playing golf weekly at the Jersey shore with a great bunch of early 1950’s Explorers. John F. Quigley, DO ’54 has a grandson, John, who will be a member of the Class of 2011. Bernard J. Dillon, Jr. ’55 formed the Dillon Group on January 1, 2007 with his wife Carmelita and daughter Andrea Dillon McVeigh, a Real Estate Attorney. Together, they have over 50 years of combined real estate experience that includes sales, marketing, management and legal council. Robert Wagner ’55 is in his 36th year of research at the Food and Drug Administration on the Statistical Analysis of Medical Imaging, and now the emerging field of genomics. Too exciting to leave now! James Ward ’55 received the Humanitarian Award from Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. Joe Dougherty ’59 officially retired as Professor Emeritus of Penn State University. He now only works four or five days a week.
Wanted
Principal Joseph Marchese, Lillian Linton, and Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60 with the diploma for Stephen Vincent Keough ’45, who left La Salle College High School during his junior year to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He was killed shortly thereafter while serving our country in World War II and his diploma was presented posthumously to his sister in a private ceremony following the commencement exercises for the Class of 2007.
G. Russell Reiss, MD ’46 will be out of Temple Medical School for fifty years this June. He is still practicing pediatric medicine every day. Charlie Wynn ’46 is in his seventh year working on the restoration of “Red Oak Victory” a World War II Freighter berthed at Point Richmond, CA, where it was built by Kaiser. Joseph Granahan ’47 reports that he got lucky and won the 100 meter dash at the State Senior Olympics. Joe will represent Pennsylvania at the Nationals at Louisville. Good luck, Joe!
A Few Good MEN
La Salle College High School is trying to identify alums and/or friends of the La Salle Community who are serving in the military and are currently stationed overseas or have recently returned from deployment. If you know of one of our boys who is currently serving our country overseas or has just returned from doing so, please contact Christopher M. Carabello ’82 at (215) 233-2350 or carabello@lschs.org. It would be helpful to have as much information as possible, including name, rank, branch of service, squadron, battalion, or vessel, and where the boy is currently stationed. Additional information will also be appreciated.
30 Explorer Summer 2007
Class Notes Continued Charles Bodo ’61 retired from PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 2002 after thirty-four years in the Management Consulting Practice. He splits time between Naples, FL and Avalon, NJ. The Class of 1963 will celebrate its 45-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Glenn Fricke ’65 is CEO and Executive Director of Safe Harbor of Greater West Chester, PA, a homeless shelter for men and women (www.safeharborofgwc.org) Dick Hodgson ’66 was unanimously elected President Judge of the twenty-one member Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. It is the third largest bench in Pennsylvania. Offering remarks on Dick’s behalf at the installation were Clark Hodgson ’57 and Jim Matthews ’66 and among those present at the ceremony was Brother Carl Clayton, FSC. The Class of 1968 will celebrate its 40-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Class of 1962
Class of 1967
1960’s
Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60 joins the likes of John Kent ’68, Phil Cassidy ’70, and countless other La Salle alums who have left a permanent mark at the Glenside Pub with a sign hanging from the ceiling of this popular La Salle hangout.
Members of the Class of 1969 gathered on April 10, 2007 at the home of Sonny Haggerty in Litiz, PA. Pictured (left to right): Brian Belcher, Bob Moran, Trevor Swan, Gerry Binder, Jim Keenan, Chip Kappler, Larry Genuardi, Geoff Meyer, Jim Koller, Glenn Nolfi, Jack Horan, Dennis Lehman, Joe Hartnett, Drew Milligan, Gene Maginnis, and Joe Winning. Seated in front is Sonny Haggerty.
Bob Moran ’69 reports that he has a dresser for sale bearing the inscription “Boys will be Boys, but La Salle Boys will Be Gentleman.” With the birth of his granddaughter, Hayden Smith, Bob missed out on another La Salle tuition payment.
31 Explorer Summer 2007
La Salle alums pose for a picture at the wedding of Erin Finney (left to right): Greg Geiger ’10, Erick Geiger ’04, Frank Meola ’01, Anthony Geiger ’01 Chris Ransom ’01, Jim Mikochik ’01, Matt Gdowik ’01, William Geiger, Jr. ’72 (uncle of the bride), and William Geiger, III ’97.
Class of 1972
Class of 1977
1970’s
The Class of 1973 will celebrate its 35-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
The Class of 1974 held the 3rd Annual “Band of Brothers” gathering on Sunday, January 28, 2007 at Old York Country Club. Pictured (left to right): Jack Patkus ’74, Charlie Breznicky ’71, Mark Obert-Thorn ’74, Mike Sommar ’74, Dave McElvenney ’74, Tom DeBerardinis ’74, Brother Edward “Rock” Conway, FSC, Tim Cherney ’74, Paul Kelly ’74, Chris McDermott ’74, Brother Carl Clayton, FSC, Brother David Rogers, FSC, Brother William “Wild Bill” Quaintance, FSC, Bro. Kevin “Stretch” Strong, FSC, Brother Edward Gallagher, FSC, and Brother James Rieck, FSC ’57
Phil Cassidy ’70 is happy to report that his son Philip is a member of the graduating class of 2007. Phil coached the St. Alphonsus CYO Basketball team that captured the State Championship on March 18, 2007 at Holy Family College. St. Alphonsus, which was anchored by nine La Salle students, including Philip, beat St. Philip Neri of Lafayette Hill, with two La Salle students, in the championship game. Teams from Pittsburgh, Erie, Greensburg, Allentown, Scranton, and Harrisburg were represented throughout the weekend of play.
John J. Kelly, DO ’75 has been an Emergency Room Physician for the past twenty years. He is currently Associate Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center. John was awarded the Albert Einstein Physician Leadership Award, which is voted on by the Physician Leaders of the Medical Center and is the highest physician award in the hospital.
James Devery ’71 and his wife Loretta celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in June 2006 in Tallinn, Estonia.
Charles Minguez ’78 reports the birth of his first grandchild on October 30, 2006.
W. Mark Hinkel ’72 is proud of his son, W. Mark (Chip), Jr., who is a member of the graduating Class of 2007. Terry McFadden ’72 is proud to report that his son, Terence, will be joining the class of 2011. Richard Talmage ’72 has lived on Cape Cod since 1984. He has a photo and video business and also a part-time job in Sales. He will travel for any photo or video job in the future for La Salle High School graduates.
The Class of 1978 will celebrate its 30-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Timothy Diorio ’79 reports that his son, Tim, is a member of the Class of 2011. William Janssen, Esq. ’79 was appointed Law Professor at the Charleston School of Law in Charleston, SC in August 2006. He was married in November 2006 to Mary Kay Schwemmer.
32 Explorer Summer 2007
Class Notes Continued 1980’s Edward Loftus, Jr. ’80 was promoted to Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is Associate Director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic and Consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Edward lives in Rochester with his wife Beth and daughters Sarah and Laura. Richard Duszak, MD ’81 was recently inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Radiology. He serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, in which he writes a bimonthly column on medical economics. Rich, his wife Debbie, and their two daughters, recently escaped the snow and relocated to Memphis, where he practices and teaches diagnostic and interventional radiology. Class of 1982 Front Row (left to right): Joe Dowling, Mike Barrett, John Giovinazzo, Ed O’Mara, Joe Meyers, Joe Shott, Mike O’Brien, Dan Kelley, Charles Halfpenny, Steve Johnson Second Row (left to right): Andy Meehan, Chris Carabello, Mike Dinda, Bill McLaughlin, Cliff Mars, Joe Ciasullo, Tom Duggan, Glenn Wolfinger Third Row (left to right): Walt Cleary, Paul Gonsiewski, Bob Costello, Tom Fitzpatrick, Dan Hyman, Frank Ney, Drew Sweeney, Kevin Connor, Bob Young, Mike Koller Fourth Row (left to right): Mike Behr, Joe Stout, Ron Martin, Franco D’Orazio, Jim Muehlbronner, Gerry Bowen, Kevin Flynn, Kevin Funchion, Chris Manz Top Row (left to right): Chris Murphy, Drew Lombard, Marty Hoban, George Winslow, Chip Greenberg, Barry McCormick, Tim Cush, Brian Cahill, Jim Osborne
Franco D’Orazio ’82 has been promoted to Senior Vice President – Credit and Administration – for the Aaron Group of Companies in Conshohocken, PA, a global provider of paper sourcing and distribution. The Class of 1983 will celebrate its 25-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008. William O’Brien III, DO ’83 is the President/CEO of Multiperson HyperOx, Inc., a company that provides Hyperbaric Oxygen Units for treating wound care patients. Tom Gizzi ’85 was selected by The Baltimore Sun as the Coach of the Year in the Baltimore Area for the 2006-07 high school basketball season. Joseph O’Connor ’86 was given a Distinguished Achievement Award by the Centennial School District on May 22, 2007 in recognition of his fourteen years of teaching and dedication to the students of William Tennent High School in Warminster, PA. Michael Botto ’87 recently accepted a position as a Manager in the Non-Qualified Plans Business Unit with the Vanguard Group. Michael Sawicky, Esq. ’87 was recently appointed to be a Magistrate in the 47th District Court in Farmington Hill, Michigan. He assists the judges by authorizing search warrants and presiding over arraignments, civil infractions and small claims. Michael still maintains a law practice.
Class of 1987
The Class of 1988 will celebrate its 20-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008. John McFadden ’88 is a Senior Account Executive with Cardinal Health in Philadelphia. He and his wife, Jen, are quite busy with four children who are all under the age of four.
33 Explorer Summer 2007
2000’s Michael Bondiskey ’01 is currently finishing his second year at Vanderbilt University School of Law. Brendan T. Kelly, ’01 is completing work on a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting at the John Huston School of Film and Digital Media, at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He was one of twelve students admitted for the Master’s Program at the John Huston School of Film for the 2006-2007 school year. Recently he was awarded one of the two scholarships offered by the Huston Foundation for ten weeks of study at the prestigious UCLA School of Film. Brendan graduated as a Communication Major from La Salle University in 2005. After graduation he worked as Production Assistant on two films: “Invincible,” the story of Vince Papale, and “Ungodly”, a horror film starring Wes Bentley. He then enrolled for a semester at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers Institute. Brendan credits his success in writing to the strong mentoring and “push” he received from Brother Bill DiPasquale at La Salle High School.
Class of 1992
Carmen Conicelli, III ’02 graduated from Temple University in May 2006 with a degree in Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media. James Devery III ’02 graduated from Lehigh University in May 2006. He is in a PhD program in organic chemistry at Lehigh University. Dan Ritter ’02 is a Underwriting Specialist at PNC Bank in Philadelphia and resides in Manayunk. Chris Radvansky ’02 graduated from Drexel University in June 2007 and has secured a position with the accounting firm of PriceWaterhouse. Class of 1997
1990’s Drew Morrisroe ’92 has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of Philadelphia University. The Class of 1993 will celebrate its 15-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Jim Maloney ’93 has joined Pickering, Corts and Summerson, Inc. of Newtown as their Transportation Engineering Division Manager. Kevin Vanderslice ’93 received his MBA in January 2007. He was married to Julie Kling of Malvern, PA on November 4, 2006 at a ceremony held at the Chapel on the campus of Villanova University. Ian Coffey ’94 was a groomsman. The Class of 1998 will celebrate its 10-Year Reunion on Saturday, April 19, 2008. Vincent Carr ’99 is the Assistant Director of Music at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ.
The Class of 2003 will celebrate its 5-Year Reunion at Homecoming on Wednesday, November 21, 2007.
34 Explorer Summer 2007
Class Notes Continued Matt Zielinski ’06, a freshman at the University of Richmond, was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team. The left-handed pitcher and former MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League, becomes the second Spider in as many years to be named a Freshman All-American. Zielinski, the first-ever Spider to be named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, led Richmond with a 3.30 earned run average and finished second on the staff in wins (six) and strikeouts (70). He made fourteen starts, tossed 90 innings, and one complete game. The southpaw is a two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection and boasted a 12-inning scoreless streak toward the end of the season. He fanned a career-best ten in seven shutout innings to beat George Washington and went seven more shutout innings with four hits and four strikeouts to beat Saint Joseph’s in a triumphant “return home.” The game, played at Elmwood Park in Norristown on Saturday, May 12, 2007, was witnessed by dozens of former players and members of the La Salle community. His first career complete game came at Massachusetts, where he surrendered just one earned run in a 3-1 Richmond triumph. Matt was joined by La Salle’ University’s John Malloy as the only rookie student-athletes from the A-10 on the 91-player team encompassing all of Division I Baseball.
Christian Brothers’ 2007 Service Awards Dinner
The Christian Brothers
of the Baltimore District and the Philadelphia Lasallian Community invite you to sponsor the second annual Christian Brothers Service Awards Dinner, which will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at The Union League Of Philadelphia. n In the historic Lincoln Room, we will honor Brother Edward Gallagher, FSC, former teacher and administrator at La Salle College High School, West Catholic High School, St. John’s College High School and St. Frances Academy for sixty years, along with thirteen other Brother Jubilarians celebrating 750 total years of dedicated service to Catholic education. This Black-Tie fundraising dinner benefits The La Salle Academy (a San Miguel School) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a subsidized, extended-day and year elementary school for boys and girls, conducted in the traditions of the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of St. Joseph. n Black-Tie Preferred. $250 Per Person. For Sponsorship Opportunities please contact the Development Office. De La Salle Society ($10,000) • San Miguel Society ($5,000) • Sign of Faith Society ($2,500) Brothers’ Boys Society ($1,000) • Blue and Gold Society ($500) • Sponsor a Brother ($250) Br. Robert Eckenrode (65 years) Br. Damian Peter Hughes (65 years) Br. Charles Scanlon (60 years) Br. Matthew Buckley (60 years) Br. Martin Fahey (60 years) Br. Edward Gallagher (60 years) Br. Edward McGuire (60 years) Br. Raymond Bronowicz (60 years)
Br. William Rahner (60 years) Br. Raymond Murphy (50 years) Br. James Rieck (50 years) Br. Kenneth Cook (50 years) Br. Joseph Dougherty (25 years) Br. Timothy Froehlich (25 years)
The Christian Brothers • Office of Development • Br. Robert Schieler, FSC, Provincial P.O. Box 1710, Beltsville, Maryland 20704 • 301-210-7444
35 Explorer Summer 2007
Live Travis In Our Hearts…
Forever Travis J. Manion ’99 Student Leader Scholar Athlete Commission to the U.S. Naval Academy All-Catholic Football Player and Member of the 1998 PCL Championship Team All-Catholic Wrestler and Member of the 1996 PCL Championship Team All-Catholic Lacrosse Player and Member of the 1998 and 1999 PCL Championship Teams 1st Lt. Travis J. Manion ’99, USMC, died tragically on April 29, 2007, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Travis was assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA. The scholar athlete award presented at graduation, which Travis received in 1999, was renamed the 1st Lieutenant Travis J. Manion, USMC ’99 Memorial Medal and was awarded this year to Gregory M. Dusing ’07 along with a $500 Grant.
“I’m older than I once was, younger than I’ll be, but that’s not unusual, no it isn’t strange, after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.” Paul Simon
Travis was a rare combination of qualities. On one hand, he was a hard-nosed brute who excelled in everything physical. He was intense, competitive, and impressive in stature. He looked like a weathered athlete, but Travis’ personality was an awesome contrast. He was animated and articulate with a disarming smile. He had a sharp intellect and quick wit, which he knew how to use. He’d quickly joke about pop culture or make some funny literature reference then have you laughing at his new touchdown dance. He loved to make people laugh and he could do it on so many levels. He could light up a room – and he frequently did. “You can not send a boy to do a Manion’s job, “ he used to say. He always delivered. Travis’ winning personality and positive outlook were contagious. He is beloved and unforgettable. Kevin Noone ’99 I have the true honor of calling Travis one of my closest friends. Anybody who had the chance to know him and spent time with him would say the same thing. He was one of the most dynamic people I’ve ever come in contact with, and brought so much to life in so many different aspects. Travis was a great friend, teammate, and most importantly, a role model. It was easy to admire him because he possessed so many great qualities. He was a leader, a warrior, intelligent, caring, selfless, and of course, funny. On the football field, we called him the “manster.” On the lacrosse field, he was known as the “bone-crusher.” In social settings, despite the tough connotations of his nicknames, he was always loose, and simply hilarious. If you were his competitor, he’d probably make you cry. If you were his friend, he’d always make you laugh. He was known for having short sayings and expressions. I think his favorite was, “you can’t send a boy to do a Manion’s job.” If the saying itself didn’t get you, the smirk at the end would. He had great taste in music, even if he did play the occasional heavy-metal stuff, and even then I think he just did it for a laugh. Recently, he was always listening to Johnny Cash. He loved Johnny Cash, and it suited him. Above all, Travis loved his family. He adored his mother and sister, and truly admired his father. He was a man who knew his priorities. He was loving, proud, courageous, and fun. Travis, thank you. Sean Kent ’99 On April 29, 2007, an American Hero died for his country. The loss continues to touch the lives of those who knew him and those who never met him. Travis Manion, always left a lasting impression on those he had crossed paths with throughout his life. Travis is what is right in this World. He lived to better the World that we live in. It is because of him that we as Americans are able to enjoy the land that he died serving. I think about him every day, and am proud to call him a friend. He was a great teammate and loyal friend. The way he lived his life should be a blueprint of how a man should live. Travis Manion is my hero. Kevin Merlini ’99
1st Lt. Travis Manion epitomized what it meant to be a teammate, friend, brother, Marine and Hero. He lived his life and died the only way he knew how to, doing everything at 100% and always putting others before himself. There are few people in this world that have the ability to have an everlasting effect on someone’s life, even having only met that person once. Travis was one of those people. He had the innate ability to understand when it was time to joke around and when it was time to be professional. Travis was able to balance both so efficiently that he never seemed anything else than relaxed and made those around him feel the same way. Travis Manion was loved by all those who knew him. He touched all our lives in such a special way that he made us strive to be better people. His unselfish character, commitment to others, and dedication to duty made him the consummate professional and commanded respect from all. General Papak, USMC, said it best when describing Travis as a “Warrior”. One of the many traits that Travis possessed was using his God given talents to their full potential. It made him the incredible scholar, athlete and soldier that he was. It is also one of the innumerable qualities that we all admired about him. Travis will surely be missed by us all, but I know he is in a better place now looking down upon us, protecting us all, while still keeping us level headed with the pranks he can pull. He may not be with us physically any longer, but his spirit lives on in all of us. I’m going to miss you brother, you are definitely my Hero and I love you. LT John P. O’Hara, USN ’99 As a junior in high school, you naturally look to the seniors for leadership. Sometimes these leaders stand out more than others – often for different characteristics. Travis stood out more than most and he was the “leader by example type”. He was so steady, so consistent in what he did. He was early to arrive, late to leave, and he was always there getting done what needed to be done. Whether it was an A in a class to get his GPA up, a pin to win the match, a couple tough yards on the goal line, a strip to get the ball to the offense, Travis was the guy in the group that got these things accomplished. He was also the same guy that after the game was in the locker room running around like an animal making you laugh. He truly did have a passion for life and always wanted to enjoy every minute. Travis knew the seriousness of his work and for that reason made sure he enjoyed the time away. Everything said about Travis sounds cliché, as if these things are said about all that pass before their time. But with Travis, if you knew him, you know that every story you hear, every description told…it’s all true. Travis was something special. A great family man, friend, classmate, teammate and warrior. Your memory will live on, Travis. Paul Colistra ’00
36 Explorer Summer 2007
Announcements Births Bob Moran ’69 and his wife, Mary, their first (grandchild), Hayden Smith, born on March 25, 2007. Thomas Shallow ’84 and his wife, Colleen, their fifth child, Michael Joseph, on January 5, 2007. Christopher Murphy ’87 and his wife, Lisa, a second son, Connor, born on April 23, 2007. Brian O’Hara ’91 and his wife, Julie, a fourth son, Brian, in March 2006. Keith Tornetta ’91 and his wife, Jennifer, a son, Addison, born October 21, 2006.
Joseph Carrello ’92 and his wife, Adrian, a son, Joseph Peter III, on March 7, 2007. Mark Gibbons ’92 and his wife, Jessie, a daughter, Maggie, born February 27, 2007. Kevin O’Hara ’92 and his wife Karen, a boy, Declan, in December 2006. Christopher Ciavarelli ’94 and his wife, Tonya, a daughter, Nadia Frances, on August 16, 2006. Brian Matthews ’94 and his wife, Julie, a girl, Lily, born on May 14, 2007.
Honorees
Deaths Wilfrid A. Ryan ’32 Cdr. Edward P. O’Neill ’33 Joseph F. Biehl, USN (Ret.) ’37 Joseph W. Sosna ’37 William J. Hodgson ’38 George R. Swoyer ’39 Walter E. Arrison ’41 John R. Fleming ’41 Peter D. Villari ’43 Edward C. Riggin ’44 John R. Moosbrugger, Sr. ’45 John F. St. Clair ’45 Brainerd P. Shull ’45 Paul J. Arizin ’46 John Molnar ’47 Leo R. Yochim ’47 Joseph A. Brauckmann ’48 Rev. Stephen J. Duffy ’48 Frank J. Ryan ’49 and his wife, Jane Loughran Ryan Richard R. Ryan, MD ’49 Marian S. Zaren ’49 Gerard M. McTear ’50 John E. Curtis, DDS ’52 Robert E. Hunt ’52 David H. Duryea ’55 Cav. Robert J. Rowland ’55 Vincent J. Higgins ’57 John C. Incarvito, MD ’59 Francis X. Kiss ’60 Louis J. Elliot ’62 Mark S. Schreiner ’71 Thomas J. Keane ’74 Robert F. Toft, Jr. ’86 Robert F. Barth ’92 Lt. Travis Manion, USMC ’99 Christopher R. Tropio ’03
Brother’s Boy Bids Farewell Jane Beck, wife of Carl Beck ’51 Helen Blagrave, mother of Richard ’79 and Joseph ’80, grandmother of Kevin ’04 and Patrick ’06 Peter Bur, brother of Philip ’95 and Mark ’04 Julia Burke, wife of J. Frank DDS (Dec’d) ’42, mother of J. Francis III ’69, Gerald ’71, Raymond ’74 and Lawrence ’78 Joseph E. Crowley, father of Joseph ’58, James ’59, Dennis ’61 and Terrence ’65 Joan Fullen, wife of Edward Fullen ’49 Jane E. Goldbeck, mother of Jody ’65 Francis Gramlich, father of Francis ’73 and Joseph ’76 Joseph I. Grubb, father of Edward ’73 and Joseph (Dec’d) ’69 Virginia Sullivian Kelly, wife of Michael P. ’78, mother of Stephen ’10 Anne L. Kreipe, mother of Richard, MD ’67 James Lawler, father of Denis ’66, Terrence ’69, Rory ’73, Timothy ’75, and Brendan ’83 Kathryn Mills, grandmother of Jeffrey ’02 and Michael ’05 Elaine Moffa, mother of Christian ’88 Mary Mitchell Motley, mother of James ’62, Grandmother of George Motley ’90 Agnes Ragg, mother of Joseph ’73 Louis Santoro, Sr., father of Louis, Jr. ’74 and Christopher ’77 John Woychik, father of David ’81
After forty years of dedicated and loyal service, Martin W. Stanczak ’60 retired from La Salle College High School. Marty Stanczak graduated from La Salle College High School in 1960 and simply maintained his residence at 20th and Olney Avenue by accepting an athletic scholarship to La Salle College. He graduated in 1964 and immediately went to work for the Christian Brothers at West Catholic High School. He returned to his Alma Mater in 1967 as a teacher of social studies and coach of the track and cross-country teams. Later, he taught Accounting to seniors and many a current La Salle CPA attributes their initial interest in accounting to Marty Stanczak. In 1970, he became Athletic Director, a position he held for twenty-one years. During that time, he was a leader in governing the Philadelphia Catholic League and held the office of League President. In 1991, he was promoted to Dean of Students – a position that he held for sixteen years and until his retirement in June. He was a mentor to five decades of La Salle Gentlemen and was always able to strike the perfect balance between caring for the individual and upholding the needs of the institution.
In 1997, Marty was honored by the Baltimore District of the Christian Brothers when he was named Lasallian Educator of the Year. In 2003, he was inducted into the La Salle College High School Hall of Fame. Each September, on the first day of school, the freshman class was led into the auditorium and taught the Alma Mater. “Loyal sons we’ll ever be, high we’ll hold your memory.” As one of La Salle’s most loyal sons, it was only fitting that Marty Stanczak be the one who taught those faithful lyrics. His love for La Salle is evident in all that he does and he clearly epitomizes the profile of a La Salle graduate: a Man of Intellect and Accomplishment, a Man of Faith and Compassion, a Man of Service and Justice, and a Man of Integrity and Respect. During the graduation ceremony on June 2, 2007, Marty, along with Brother James Rieck, FSC ’57, received the Presidents Medal, in recognition of service to their Alma Mater, the Christian Brothers, and Lasallian education. The entire La Salle community wishes Marty and his wife, Lois, a very happy retirement!
Save The Date November 3, 2007
Please join us for an evening under the stars on Saturday, November 3rd for GALAXY! A Stellar Event
Galaxy A Stellar Event
L aSale 2007
I = 6 C C > K : G H 6 G N 6 J 8 I>DC
LaSale 2007 25th Anniversary Auction. Enter another dimension and be guided into a galaxy far away for a look at the future. This year’s auction promises to be a stellar success!
Please consider participating by donating a gift, contributing to one of our “Super Gifts�, buying a raffle ticket, taking an ad in our program book or volunteering to help. Any and all participation is appreciated! The auction is the largest fundraiser for La Salle. Proceeds from this event are used for a variety of needs including technology enhancements, student service programs and student financial aid. New this year – ONLINE BIDDING – As we explore new horizons we are excited to introduce LaSale – Auction Online. Online bidding will begin in August and is open to parents, alumni and friends of La Salle. Visit the auction website for more information.
www.lschs.org/auction If you have any questions, contact the auction office at or visit the website at www.lschs.org/auction Thank you, Auction Co-Chairs – Paul Benyovszky and Sue Miller Auction Director – Lisa Henrich
Sponsored by Angeloni’s Auto Collision Center
La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania 19038 215 233 9422 phone 215 233 9427 fax auction@lschs.org
www.lschs.org/auction
E X PLORE R
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lansdale, PA Permit No. 93
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
La Salle College High School 8605 Cheltenham Avenue Wyndmoor, PA 19038 Change Service Requested THE NUMBER APPEARING ABOVE YOUR NAME IN THE ADDRESS AREA IS YOUR CONSTITUENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AND IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO GAIN INITIAL ACCESS TO THE ONLINE ALUMNI DIRECTORY.
You can make a gift to La Salle College High School and receive guaranteed income for life. How? It’s called a Charitable Gift Annuity. Here are some of the benefits: • a tax deduction for your gift, • guaranteed income for life, • part of your annuity income will be tax-free • capital gains tax savings on appreciated property that you donate • the remaining principal goes to La Salle College High School when the contract ends Sample Rate Chart for $100,000 Gift Annuity on a Single Life Annitant Age at Time of Gift Age 65 Age 70 Age 75 Age 80 Annuity Rate 6.0% 6.5% 7.1% 8.0% Charitable Deduction* $4,042 $4,353 $4,749 $5,147 Annual Payment $600 $650 $710 $800 * Deduction will vary slightly with changes in the IRS Discount Rate. Assumed Rate of 6%.
Discover the benefits of giving wisely… For more information, please call: Gail A. Evans, CFRE Vice President of Institutional Advancement (215) 233-2350, ext. 3070 gailevans@lschs.org www.lschs.org/plannedgiving
Age 85 9.5% $5,440 $950