http://www.sjprep.org/downloads/news/prepnews/PrepNews_08_Summer by St. Joseph's Preparatory School

A magazine for alumni, parents, students, faculty and friends of St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Preparatory School Vol. 4 No. 2, Summer 2008

news

president’s letter

At graduation, Fr. Byron was presented with a framed print of St. Joseph the Worker as a thank you for his two years at the helm of his alma mater.

HERE WILL BE A NEW PRESIDENT IN PLACE BY THE TIME YOU RECEIVE THIS ISSUE OF PREP NEWS. Father George Bur, S.J., Class of ’59, is now at the helm. He knows the Prep well and comes to this job with enthusiasm. You’ll learn more about him in these pages and will, of course, have many opportunities to meet him in the months and years ahead. I’ll have a new title (University Professor) and new address (Saint Joseph’s University) in the fall. The title, fairly common in higher education, indicates freedom to teach in any department or school of the university. The invisible ink portion of my job description specifies “no heavy lifting;” the expectation is that I’ll teach one course each semester and have plenty of time for writing and research.

It has been a privilege for me to serve the Prep for the past two years and a real joy to have reestablished contact with old friends in the Prep Community and to make so many new ones. Being nearby, I look forward to frequent visits to 18th and Girard and to those off-campus sites around town where Prep events are held. The magazine in your hands is there to keep you informed. It is also designed to keep you interested in what is happening here. Just follow the Table of Contents and watch your enthusiasm grow. We count on your loyalty and love to recommend the Prep to prospective students. We also depend on your enthusiasm to reinforce your commitment to the Prep Fund (annual giving). I’ve often said that it is the heart that gives, the fingers just let go! And I know the Prep will always hold a special place in your heart. Your participation in the Campaign for the Prep has produced, as you will see when you next visit here, a stunning conversion of the old Jesuit Residence into a new academic center to be known henceforth as “Jesuit Hall.” You can get there by walking the “Ignatian Way” that begins in our new dining area (Sauter Hall) and continue on down the corridor that parallels the Gesu church. Take that walk and you will immediately become more familiar with the great tradition of which you are an important part. The articles in this issue on the Gesu church coincide with the 120th anniversary of the dedication of that worship space. They also offer a gentle request to those who have good memories of that special place, to remember the Gesu in their wills. Thank you again for your friendship and support, and for your continuing enthusiasm for St. Joseph’s Prep. Yours faithfully,

William J. Byron, S.J ’45 Extinguished President

Cover photo: An architectural rendering of the proposed Church of the Gesu, Saint Joseph’s College and St. Joseph’s Prep. Image courtesy of Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historic Research Center (Wynnewood, PA).

inside:

editor’s note: Dear Friends,

C OV E R S TO RY Four Things You Didn’t Know About the Church of the Gesu ......8 SECTIONS News ................................................2 Fr. Bur Takes Over Presidency .........2

Recent events at the Prep have me thinking about change. Fr. Bur takes over for Fr. Byron. The Class of 2008 leaves and we welcome the Class of 2012. For six weeks our Pre-8th Summer Program welcomes 500 students and then they go, leaving in August and the school is as quiet as it will ever be, seeming to rest in preparation for the hustle and bustle of the school year. No, life at St. Joseph’s Prep is rarely static.

Graduation......................................3 The Mystery of Edwin Drood ........ 5 Hawktion.........................................6 Athletics ..........................................7

Faculty Profiles ..............................14 Student Profiles.............................16 Alumni Class Notes ....................................21 Alumni Profiles .................21 and 22 Births/Weddings/ In Memoriam ..........................30-31

Perspectives ...................................32

Rev.George W. Bur, S.J. ’59 Michael Gomez John T. Anderson Rev. Bruce A. Maivelett, S.J. Albert J. Zimmerman ’73

President Principal Vice President for Development Director of Ignatian Identity Director of Alumni Relations

But one thing that never changes is the Church of the Gesu. The building itself is like a giant oak, dwarfing all that it surrounds. It is reassuring to see it sitting there, proudly asserting the Jesuit flag in North Philadelphia. Many mornings, as I drive on I-95 I scan the horizon, looking for the white top and sometimes, on a clear day, the red brick. An alum I know always looks up from his paper as he rides the train into 30th Street Station. He claims he can see the Gesu from there (I have to take his word for it) and it centers him for the day. It is interesting to me that the Gesu is the only physical thread that links the Prep’s alumni of the last 120 years. We can’t all claim to have gone to school in the same building and we can’t all claim to have had the same teachers or the same principal but one tangible thing extends through time...the Church of the Gesu was a major part of all of our lives and that means something. In this issue, you will read two historical accounts of the Gesu. Leo Vaccaro ‘05 spent several months pouring through the archives to find out about the building of the church. What a sight it must have been in 1888 as the mighty building went up, higher than nearly any other in the city. Leo’s history details the work of Fr. Villiger, a visionary who created the great church and the schools that were attached to it. The account from Charlie Kling ‘61 is very different. In his case, the history is told from a very personal place. Even as a young sophomore in his Latin II class, I have always found Charlie to be fascinating and his “Perspectives” piece does not disappoint.

editor Bill Avington ’90

Director, Marketing and Communications

designer Maridel McCloskey

McCloskey Designs

class notes editor Angie Falcone

Development Services

Sadly, the Church of the Gesu was the place where the Prep community recently said goodbye to two dear friends, Dr. Earl Hart ‘39 and John “Wags” Wagner, our longtime freshman football coach. Dr. Hart was a legendary teacher at the Prep, spanning several generations of students. His innovation kept the school on the cutting edge of technology and the Hart Computer Center is a fitting tribute to him. The loss of someone like Coach Wags is a blow to all who knew him and even to those who did not. The results were obvious...Coach Wags produced great men who learned respect for themselves, for each other and for the game. Both men will be missed.

editorial staff Ceal Biello Beth Missett Nancy Moule Richard Van Fossen

Director, Prep Fund Director, Special Events Development Services Assistant Director, Major Gifts

photography Dr. Kevin Kelly, Andrew McCloskey ’88, Mike Monti, Brendan Murphy ’01, Frank Raffa

writers Bill Avington '90, Susie Cook, Charles Kling '61, Leo Vaccaro '05

The Prep News is published three times a year. Please send comments or contributions to: Attn: Editor The Prep News St Joseph’s Preparatory School 1733 Girard Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19130 or e-mail to: afalcone@sjprep.org For additional information, check our website www.sjprep.org

Speaking of coming together, I recently joined the millions of people on Facebook. It has been amazing to reconnect with friends, especially some Prep classmates and others with whom I lost touch years ago. The Prep also has slipped into these types of social networking sites with the Prep Hawk setting up profiles on places like Facebook and LinkedIn. Brendan Murphy ‘01, our outstanding Director of Web Services, is leading us into this new world and I look forward to seeing how we can use this to better keep in touch with you. Lastly, I want to welcome Prep English teacher Susie Cook to the writing staff for this issue. Susie is one of our bright, young teachers and her writing has brought a wonderful new perspective to The Prep News. I hope you enjoy this issue. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please drop me a line at bavington@sjprep.org. I’d love to hear from you.

Bill

school news

Fr. Bur named Prep President Rev. George W. Bur, S.J. '59 has been named the 31st President of St. Joseph's Prep. He replaces Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. '45, who completed his two-year term in June. Fr. Bur has been a leader in educational access for the poor and has a connection to North Philadelphia. For nearly 20 years, Fr. Bur served at the Gesu School, an elementary school located in the former St. Joseph's Prep building. During his time, he served as assistant pastor and pastor when the parish was part of the Archdiocese and then resurrected the school as an independent Jesuit school in 1993, serving as President for another decade. “The Board could not be more pleased to have someone with the reputation and skills of Fr. Bur return to North Philadelphia and lead his alma mater,” says Rod Henkels '82, outgoing Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Not only does Fr. Bur possess a wealth of experience in North Philadelphia but he is also a Prep graduate who knows our rich history.” Fr. Bur skillfully managed the transition of the Gesu School from an Archdiocesan school to a fully independent institution. That transition included the establishment of a governing board and a rigorous development program. Since stepping down from his position at the Gesu School in 2003, Fr. Bur has served as a special assistant to the Rev. Timothy Lannon, President at Saint Joseph's University, initiating a program called Ignatian College Connection (ICC), which had a goal of making Saint Joseph's University more attractive as a college choice for local minority students. In its three years of existence, the ICC has helped 28 students enroll at Saint Joseph's. He and Fr. Lannon raised over $2 million for students in need. Fr. Bur replaces Fr. Byron, who served a two-year term as president. Among his other duties, Fr. Byron was a main component in the school's campaign to provide additional classroom space and increase endowment. Under his leadership, the campaign is now near completion and the new Academic Center will open in September. Fr. Byron will serve as a University Professor at Saint Joseph's University next year. 2

school news

Photos [l-r]: Student Council President Joseph Kelly gives an address at Commencement; [l-r] Dante Payne, Bill Palombi, Gianluca Keeler and Ashton Miller prior to Graduation; Sam Deitch, Director of Ignatian Service, received the Rev. J. Vincent Taggart, S.J. Teacher of the Year Award at the Awards Ceremony.

Class of 2008 joins Prep Alumni The 234 members of the Class of 2008 joined the illustrious group of St. Joseph's Prep alumni after Baccalaureate Mass and Awards Ceremony in the Church of the Gesu and a Graduation Ceremony at Saint Joseph's University. SENIOR AWARDS Ryan Belecanech David Binder

Silver Medal for Greek

Gold Medal for Chemistry

Patrick Clark

Gold Medal for Matrices/ Probability & Statistics

Tyler Dewechter

Alumni Association Award Silver Medal for Latin Gold Medal for Calculus Silver Medal for Chemistry

Michael DiDonato

Joseph Kelly

Richard B. McCloskey Loyalty Award Gold Medal for English

Colin Francesco

Silver Medal for AP English Gold Medal for Biology

Michael Geraghty

Michael Liciardello Stefan Longo

Sean McChesney

Silver Medal for Matrices/ Probability & Statistics

James McGoldrick

Edmund Cassidy Award for General Excellence Gold Medal for Latin Gold Medal for Fine Arts Silver Medal for AP Statistics Gold Medal for Religious Studies Silver Medal for Biology Silver Medal for Physics

Edmund Cassidy Award for General Excellence JSEA Award Gold Medal for AP European History John L. Himes Medal for Mathematics Gold Medal for AP Statistics Walsh Memorial Award for French Gold Medal for AP Psychology

John McShain Award

Christopher Moscony Michael Nedbal Ryan Noon

William Palombi Andrew Pettinelli Michael Protesto

Silver Medal for Honors Calculus Silver Medal for German

Edmund Cassidy Award for General Excellence Silver Medal for AP Calculus AB

Sean Rademaker

Edmund Cassidy Award for General Excellence Gold Medal for Computer Science Silver Medal for English Gold Medal for AP Calculus AB Gold Medal for Physics

Matthew Rossi

Perfect Attendance

Samuel Settle

Silver Medal for AP European History Silver Medal for AP Calculus BC

Michael Sokolowski Justin Slusarski

Gold Medal for AP English Silver Medal for AP Government Gold Medal for Classical Archaeology

Ignatian Service Award Silver Medal for Spanish

Silver Medal for US Government Gold Medal for German

Christopher Smith Shane Sprandio

Gold Medal for Mandarin Chinese Silver Medal for French

Jakub Susul

Silver Medal for AP Spanish

Michael Turner

Gold Medal for AP Government Silver Medal for AP Psychology

St. Joseph Award

Gold Medal for Spanish Vincent Quinn

Jordan Romvary

Scholar-Athlete Award

Ashton Miller

Silver Medal for Calculus

Matthew Iacoviello

Gold Medal for US Government

Silver Medal for Fine Arts Silver Medal for Mandarin Chinese

Prep Spirit Award

Andrew Donnelly Gold Medal for Honors Calculus

Ford Memorial Award for Greek Gold Medal for AP Spanish

Silver Medal for Computer Science

Nicholas Cardone

Robert Jones

Brian Kelley

Elee Wakim

Students' Mothers' Club Award

Ryan Wallace

Arrupe Medal

Jason Walsh

Gold Medal for AP Calculus BC

Jeffrey Wellenbach

Silver Medal for Classical Archaeology Silver Medal for Religious Studies

school news

CYSTIC FIBROSIS WALK A team of Prep students, parents, faculty, staff and friends participated in the Cystic Fibrosis Walk on May 10 at the Philadelphia Zoo. The team “PREParing A Cure,” organized by Brian Lojewski '10 raised $2,625.23 for Cystic Fibrosis. The Prep team consisted of Brian Lojewski '10 (and parents Kellie and Chuck along with brother Kevin), Ricky DiPasquale '10 (and mom Carmen), Joe Macdonald '10 (and mom Joy and brother Will), Anthony Ricco '09, Shaun Gallagher '09, Chris MacIntosh '10, Mike Iannacone '10, Prep guidance counselor David Skowronski, Colin O'Neill '10, Robert Cermignano '10, John Burkey '10, Mike Busza '10, Prep administrator Bethanne Mascio (and parents Beth Anne and Philip along with sister Grace) and Steph Siravo (a student at Merion Mercy).

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY The Administrative Professionals of St. Joseph’s Prep celebrated a special day in their honor with a reception in the President’s Office. Front: (kneeling) Sue Ann Kruszewski, (sitting) Leslie Ryan, Charlotte Clarkson and Bethanne Mascio. Back (l-r): Janet Sullivan, Dolores McPoyle, Nancy Moule, Stephanie Revucky, Angie Falcone, Mary Liz Jones, Marlene Smythe, Lorrie McKenna, Helen Haban, Linda Turner, Ree ONeil and Alice Welsh. Missing was Ceil Rooney.

STUDENT COUNCIL 2008-2009 Congratulations to next year’s elected student council officers: (l-r) Sean Murphy ‘09 (Treasurer), Kurt Skalamera ‘09 (President), Andrew Lewenec ‘09 (Secretary), Matt Fanelli ‘09 (Vice President) and John Kaufmann ‘09 (Vice President).

CSC IN NICARAGUA The St. Joseph's Prep Community Service Corps, in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Food for the Poor, Inc., raised $50,000 to help build homes and reestablish communities in Nicaragua. Ten years ago, dozens of families in the community lost their homes to devastating mudslides and have been living in conditions unimaginable to many of us. The first village of 60 homes is complete. Prep seniors Patrick Kelly and Christopher Lally and science teacher Ms. Barbara Brown were among 25 people from the Archdiocese to visit to area during Spring Break and witnessed the good work being done. A village of 30 homes will be named St. Joseph's Prep Village in gratitude for the community's support. Anyone interested in helping this cause, please contact Ms. Brown at bbrown@sjprep.org. Checks should be made to St. Joseph's Prep and sent to Ms. Brown's attention. The collected donation will be made to Food to the Poor.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

school news

HAWKTION 2008 A SUCCESS “Hawktion 2008: Let the Games Begin” with its Olympics theme was a huge success. More than 800 people filled the Fieldhouse and enjoyed an evening of food, fun and bidding on gifts which included Prep items, restaurant gift certificates, tickets to sporting events and trips throughout the U.S. and the world. The evening’s events were launched by the Phillie Phanatic (inhabited by Tom Burgoyne ‘83) bringing in the “torch” before handing it off to the Prep Hawk (Michael DiDonato ‘08), who brought Prep President Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. ‘45 up to stage to light the cauldron and begin the festivities. Dan Comly ‘72 and his brother Andy ‘74 successfully ran the live auction and several attendees stood to support Prep teacher Barbara Brown in the school’s quest to raise money for new science labs. A special thank you goes to Beth Missett, Director of Special Events, and co-chairs Maureen and Bob Andwood and Debbie and Dennis Dooley and all of the volunteers who worked to make the event such a wonderful part of the Prep year.

IGNATIAN HERITAGE WEEK Monday, April 14 through Friday, April 18 was “Ignatian Heritage Week” at St. Joseph’s Prep, a week focused on the spiritual legacy of St. Ignatius Loyola and the Society of Jesus. This week, with the theme “to love and serve God in all things,” was an opportunity for our Prep community to connect more fully to this spirituality, which is an integral part of our mission at the Prep. The events included a school-wide day of fasting in solidarity with the needy of the world, an all-school mass, an “open mic” afternoon, an address by former prison chaplain Fr. Matthew Monnig, S.J., and a showing of the 1986 film “The Mission,” which tells the story of 17th century Jesuit missionaries in what is now part of Paraguay.

PREP ON NBC 10 St. Joseph’s Prep was featured on “NBC 10 News” in March in a segment that allowed Channel 10 reporters and anchors to return to their high schools. Justin Pizzi ‘97 is a NBC 10 reporter who came back to The Prep. His day of reuniting included a visit from Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ‘75 and interviews with teachers Mr. Jerry Taylor, Ms. Judy Christian, Mr. Jim Murray ‘59, Mr. Tony Braithwaite ‘89 and Sr. Kate Woody, G.N.S.H., an appearance by the Prep pep band and some student interviews. NBC 10 has set up a Facebook page for all of the segments at http://www.sjprep.org/nbc10.

sports highlights

ARCIDIACONO COMMITS TO PENN STATE Mark Arcidiacono ‘09, an offensive lineman, has committed to attend college at Penn State University.

CREW AND BASEBALL WIN LEAGUE TITLES The Prep crew and the baseball team won Catholic League titles in 2008, the conclusion of two exciting seasons.

Mark’s father, Mark, who played football for Father Judge and Temple, was quoted in the Philadelphia Daily News as saying “Our family [TV] tradition has always been Penn State on Saturdays, the Eagles on Sundays – like lots of kids in the Philly area. Mark’s been a diehard fan. The hats, the jerseys, everything. When you come to realize that Penn State wants your kid ... What’s not to love? ... But Penn State’s a perfect fit. He’s the kind of kid they’ve always had. Big and strong – looks like a lumberjack – and hard working.” Arcidiacono, the oldest of eight children, made his announcement in the Prep library in front of a large crowd of family, friends and teammates.

Under the direction of Bill Lamb ‘79, the crew had one of the best seasons in recent memory, sweeping events at both the Catholic League race and at Stotesbury. The Varsity Eight placed second in the National Championships in Cincinnati before traveling to England for the prestigious Henley Regatta. An article on Michael Protesto ‘08, a member of the Varsity Eight, can be found on pg. 19. The baseball team won its second consecutive title, overcoming some obstacles, including the transfer of a key player. Under the direction of Chris Rupertus, the team took first place in the Southern Division and then swept through the playoffs. Brett Tiagwad ‘08 emerged as one of the top players in Southeastern Pennsylvania and is headed to play baseball at Saint Joseph’s University next year, and Kyle Mullen ‘09 is one of the Delaware Valley’s top pitchers.

RUGBY WINS STATE TITLE The Prep rugby club, under the direction of Tom Farren ‘94, won the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU) Single School Championship, defeating State College of the Susquehanna District 19-12 and then St. Greg’s 8-7 in the championship of the EPRU Playoffs. The Prep finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) and qualified for the National Championship, finishing seventh in the country.

OUTDOOR TRACK WINS SOUTHERN DIVISION

Joe Meehan ‘08 helped lead the Outdoor Track Team to the Southern Division title at the championship event held at Widener University. The Prep scored 172 points, outdistancing runner-up Cardinal O’Hara by 44 points. Meehan won the high jump after clearing the bar at 5 feet- 10 inches, was second in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet - 8 1/2 inches, was third in the triple jump with a measurement of 40 feet - 9 1/2 inches, and joined with John Castillo ‘09, Pat Clark ‘08 and Spencer Anderson ‘10 to win the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes, 35.2 seconds.

PREP HOCKEY ADVANCES TO LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP The Prep AAA hockey team played for the Eastern High School Hockey League (EHSHL) championship after beating Cardinal O’Hara to force a deciding championship game the next night, which O’Hara won 2-1. To put the playoff win into perspective, the Prep Ice Hockey program is in its sixth year of existence and had not beaten O’Hara, whose program has been in existence for nearly 40 years, until this season.

c o v e r s t o ry

Four things you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about the Church of the Gesu By Leo Vaccaro '05

c o v e r s t o ry

The greatest ideas are those that develop into reality and become integral parts of people's lives. SWISS IMMIGRANT AND JESUIT BURCHARD VILLIGER'S GREATEST IDEA WAS THE CHURCH OF THE GESU, and the Gesu certainly has remained an important structure for those who are associated with it. When it was completed in 1888, the Gesu was not just a single building but it was the focal point around which revolved entire communities – scholastic institutions, a religious community and a neighborhood. Approaching the history of the Gesu through the viewpoint of the first generations of St. Joseph's Preparatory School, Saint Joseph's College (now University), and what is now called the Gesu School, these institutions seemed to have been viewed as largely dependent on one entity, all united

the

Gesu. Currently, with

the

University departed to City Avenue, the Gesu School being “independent”1, the parish having

Rev. Burchard Villiger, S.J.

closed, and the Prep owning the Church structure, it can be difficult to envision a historical situation that was utterly reversed.

This past summer I had the opportunity to research the Church of the Gesu in a collaborative research project with Gettysburg College Professor Magdalena Sanchez, which was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. During this research, we discovered some very interesting (and hopefully a few significant) details about the construction of the Gesu. Hopefully, a few of the following stories will not only be interesting but also help the reader gain a better understanding of the Gesu and its significance to not only our community but to all of Philadelphia.

Images courtesy of the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center (Wynnewoo, PA) and Saint Joseph’s University Archives and Special Collections.

c o v e r s t o ry

1. It was never completed. Although the Gesu and its surrounding structures seemed to have been planned long before they were started, the Gesu was never fully completed. Plans to build what was to become the Church of the Gesu may have begun as early as 1866. In December of that year, the Catholic Standard (a Philadelphia Catholic newspaper), announced that “A tract of ground, up town, in extent about three acres, has just been purchased by the Jesuits …. [where a] church, a college, and pastoral residence will be built ….” More significantly, however, the Catholic Standard added that this church “… will be one of the largest, if not the largest, of any of the parish churches in the city ….” Unless the Catholic Standard was fueled entirely by gossip on this point (something that seems very unlikely), it looks as though the Philadelphia Jesuits already had a great plan in mind well over a decade before the Gesu's cornerstone was set in place.2 Work on the current Church of the Gesu was not started until 1879. By 1883, a “Description of the New Church in Process of Erection” was printed in The Philadelphia Inquirer noting that “work was resumed about a month ago on the new church building” and then went on to describe the dimensions of the church as planned. Less than a week later, the Inquirer noted that “The new Church of the Gesu is being pushed to completion.” In 1884, the walls were high enough that one man, John Maguire, fell and was mortally wounded while working on the Gesu. However, “The church was not quite finished ….” even by October 4, 1888, when a ceremony honoring the 50th Anniversary of Villiger's entrance into the Jesuit order was held in the new church. Although the year 1888 marked the end of major exterior construction at the Church of the Gesu, it was planned that a major addition would be made to the two towers at the front of the church. There are a large number of pictures that show this intended design; which were to consist of (in the words of the scholar James D. Van Trump) “domed bonnets in a rather uninspired Second Empire style.” Furthermore, the main altar was intended to be constructed of “… marble and onyx ….” In many different ways, the image that the early parishioners may have had of the Church of the Gesu was one that was never finished.3

the land, the construction of the temporary Church of the Gesu (known as New St. Joseph's and then as Holy Family – a period photograph preserved in the Gesu Parish's commemorative centennial book demonstrates that it faced 18th Street above Stiles Street) as well as the partial construction of the “Preparatory Department of St. Joseph's College” had all contributed to the

2. The cost of the Gesu. Even before the cornerstone of the Gesu was laid, the Jesuits in North Philadelphia had already accumulated a debt of approximately $75,000. The cost of purchasing

Jesuits' financial woes. Villiger, however, being “… a remarkable financier and against difficulties that would have crushed a lesser man ….” continued work on the Church. In Villiger's own words, “… I was unexpectedly sent to Philadelphia to commence the building of a new Church and College, without any means or money, with 10

“The College” and “The Prep” as seen from 17th and Stiles in the late 19th century or early 20th century. It is believed that the two students pictured are St. Joseph’s Prep students. the only hope of God's providence, in the midst of

thought that “our colleges must always have a church

opposition on every side – a sure sign that the powers

attached to them” and it was this reasoning that pro-

of hell were not pleased with such a project.” Historian

pelled the construction of the Gesu Church before the

David Contosta stated that the Church of the Gesu cost

construction of the new College building – on which

$426,548 – an extraordinary amount for the time period.

ground was not broken until 1898. In fact, Saint Joseph's

Francis X. Talbot, S.J. - one of the most important

College failed to quickly take dominant educational

scholars to have ever commented on the construction

leadership in Catholic Philadelphia (as Contosta points

of the Gesu - noted that, due to the construction of the

out) since La Salle College and Temple were both able to

Gesu Church, “… St. Joseph's College has suffered

attract students within a few blocks of the Gesu (La

grievously.”4

Salle during those years was located at the corner of Broad and Girard). According to Contosta, “Not only did

The fate of the Gesu Church and that of Saint Joseph's

large sums of money go into building the Gesu instead

College were very closely intertwined – Fr. Villiger,

of to the college, but the two decades which had

c o v e r s t o ry

elapsed between buying the property in North

venerated for more than one hundred and twenty years

Philadelphia and completing the Church of the Gesu

in a Chapel of a noble family who being reduced to

had allowed La Salle College to establish itself as the

poverty were obliged to sell their Palace and Chapel

city's only Catholic institution of higher learning.”

treasures ….” It was reported that Villiger spent “…

Furthermore, it can be surmised that Talbot seems to

more than two hundred dollars as an alms to secure

think that a greater plan would have been to build “The

these Relics for our Church.” Included in this list were

Catholic University of Philadelphia” – an idea created by

six “Bodies of Saints,” three pieces of the true cross, and

provincial Joseph Keller, S.J., and supported by

194 “Relics of other Saints.” Afterwards, their “…

Archbishop Wood. It never happened however; bluntly

authentications had to be sent to Rome for revision ….”

put, Talbot stated, “One is tempted to speculate about

and all were sent back “… except two … because those

the present status of St. Joseph's College if Father

two had been misplaced by the Prefect of Relics; if

Villiger had applied his visions and his electric energy

found, they will be sent back.” The list continued to

to his college rather than to his church.”5

grow, however, and by April 1891, the Gesu may have had in excess of 370 relics.7

3. The Gesu may have once held the nation's largest collection of relics. In 1938, for the “Golden Jubilee” of the Gesu parish, a booklet was published in which various essays, pictures, and articles about the history of the Church of the Gesu were displayed. In one article, the booklet reprinted a note from the “Gesu Church Calendar” of March 1903. In that article, it was stated that “In the number and variety of its Sacred Relics, the Gesu, we believe, is more richly provided than any other church in the country. It may not perhaps stand alone in point of mere numbers, but if account is taken of the periods of the Church's history represented, and the diversity of

Some of the relics were displayed in a unique way. Many people who have visited churches in Rome notice that the bodies of saints are often somewhat visible lying in glass cases, sometimes below altars. The Gesu simulated this effect, by displaying models of Saints Eleutherius, Urbanus, and Secundilla with their respective relics. Pictures survive of these mannequins, and they closely resembled the bodies of visible saints in Rome. Saint Eleutherius was placed in the main altar, Saint Urbanus (Urban) was placed in the Saint Ignatius altar, and Saint Secundilla was placed in Saint Francis Xavier's altar. Judging from the exterior of the two side altars, it is possible that these models are still contained inside, although they are no longer visible.8

condition of the Saints comprised in the collection, our church is probably without a rival.” Unfortunately, according to a Gesu Church calendar from March 1903, many were destroyed in a fire “… which invaded the sacristy some years ago, but most providentially the far greater part, together with the authentics, were saved.”6

4. The Gesu is missing a number of valuable paintings. According to Burchard Villiger's biographer, John Ryan, S.J., in October 1887 Villiger displayed a number of

According to some early documents, now in the posses-

paintings purchased from “… a Belgian Jesuit …” who

sion of historian Carmen Croce, a great number of relics

had been “… traveling in Mexico ….” Those paintings,

were purchased by Fr. Villiger from Rev. Charles

according to Ryan, were painted by Cabrera, a great

Piccirillo, S.J., “… from Rome where they had been

1 “Independent” in the sense as stated on their website, “GESU School – About GESU,” Gesu School, http://www.gesuschool.org/01_about.htm (accessed July 24, 2008). 2 Catholic Standard, 1 December 1866, p. 5. 3 Francis X. Talbot, S.J., Jesuit Education in Philadelphia: Saint Joseph’s College 18511926 (Philadelphia: Saint Joseph’s College, 1927) p. 79.; Philadelphia Inquirer, 1 August 1883, p. 2.; Philadelphia Inquirer, 6 August 1883, p. 2.; Golden Jubilee 1888-1934: Church of the Gesu (Privately published), p. 34.; Philadelphia Inquirer, 15 August 1884, p. 3.; Philadelphia Inquirer, 18 August 1884, p. 2.; Public Ledger, 15 August 1884, p. 1.; Public Ledger, 16 August 1884, p. 1.; Public

Ledger, 18 August 1884, p. 2.; Golden Jubilee, p. 34.; Philadelphia Inquirer, 5 October 1888 p. 2.; John J. Ryan, S.J., Memoir of the Life of Rev. Burchard Villiger of the Society of Jesus (Philadelphia: F. McManus, Jr. & Co., 1906), pp. 135-143, 150-151.; James D. Van Trump, “The Column and the Cross in Philadelphia: Three Victorian Classical Churches by Edwin F. Durang,” Charette: Pennsylvania Journal of Architecture 47, no. 1 (January 1967): p. 11.; Concerning the final sentence on the question of perceived image of the Gesù: This information seems to be confirmed furthermore by the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Archives collection of pamphlets that long demonstrate a non-existent image of the Gesù, as well as Saint Joseph’s College materials that demonstrate similarly

imaginary illustrations (i.e. such as the pamphlet for the [“Grand Bazaar and Spring Festival In Aide of the New Convent for the Sisters of the Gesù Parochial School to be held in St. Joseph’s College Auditorium Commencing Easter Monday Evening, April 13th, 1914,” Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Center]; and [“St. Joseph’s College Philadelphia, PA. 1901-1902 [College Catalogue],” F. McManus Jr. & Co., Saint Joseph’s University Archives and Special Collections] which both still contain images of the Gesu in a final, never completed state). 4 Talbot, Jesuit Education, pp. 76-79, 80; The Gesu Parish Centennial (South Hackensack, N.J.: Custombook, Inc., Ecclesiastical Color Publishers, 1969), p. 4.; Burchard Villiger, “AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FATHER BURCHARD

c o v e r s t o ry

An illustration of the Church of the Gesu, Saint Joseph’s College and St. Joseph’s Prep dating back to the 1860s or 70s.

Mexican painter. In recent years, Miguel de Cabrera has been called by Ramo´n Guitiérrez and Graciela Marı´a Vin ˜ uales, one of “… the two greatest painters of colonial Mexico ….” (along with Cristóbal de Villalpando).9 Ryan reports that this Philadelphia collection “… consisted of eighteen lifesize portraits of the Generals of the Society of Jesus from Saint Ignatius to Father Lawrence Ricci, a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Mexican Madonna, and a head of Saint Francis Xavier. There were also paintings of Saint Aloysius and Saint Stanislaus.”10 Ryan remarks that the paintings “… were afterward enclosed in neat frames and hung up in the corridors of the college when it was built; and they may be seen there now.” His book was published in 1906, and it is the last known account mentioning the current location of the paintings.11

These facts are just some of the interesting history of the Church of the Gesu and the history of St. Joseph's Prep, Saint Joseph's University and the Jesuit Mission in North Philadelphia. To see more information, go to www.sjprep.org/history. Also, to contact Vaccaro at an e-mail address set up specifically for Gesu related questions, GesuResearch@gmail.com.

GESU RESTORATION FUND Now, you can remember the Church of the Gesu through the Gesu Restoration Fund. To learn more about how to prepare a planned gift for the Gesu Church, contact John Anderson at janderson@sjprep.org or 215-978-1960.

VILLIGER,” in The Woodstock Letters, (Woodstock College: 1903) Vol. XXXII, pp. 79-80.; (The Woodstock Letters were a Jesuit publication distributed “FOR CIRCULATION AMONG OURS ONLY” – as the front page of the previously quoted volume indicated – meaning that only Jesuits were supposed to have access to these books); David R. Contosta, Saint Joseph’s: Philadelphia’s Jesuit University (Philadelphia: Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2000) p. 42. 5 Talbot, Jesuit Education, p. 78, 77-79, 99, 80, 81, 84. Contosta, Saint Joseph’s, p. 43. For the details of the mentioned and projected University, see Talbot, Jesuit Education, pp. 81-84. If one looks close enough, however, Talbot’s insistence on a ‘Catholic University of Philadelphia’ may merely be an example of a

seasoned scholar falling into “what-if” history. There is more to be said about Talbot’s claim, which he did not take into account, and will need to be discussed at greater length in a later publication. 6 Golden Jubilee, pp. 111-112. (The relics section extended, in total, from page 111 to page 114). Gesu Church Calendar, March 1903, p. 23-25. 7 The previous quotes all exist in a typed document, in the possession of Carmen Croce, labeled as “Church of the Gesu Account of Sacred Relics”. Croce, a tireless protector of Gesu materials, also has other documents related to the Gesu’s relics. 8 Golden Jubilee, pp. 112-114, 113.

9 Ryan, Memoir of the Life of Rev. Burchard Villiger, p. 122, 120-121. If anyone has any suggestions for who the mentioned ‘Belgian’ Jesuit might be, please contact me. Ramón Gutiérrez and Graciela María Viñuales, “The Artistic and Architectural Legacy of the Jesuits in Spanish America” in The Jesuits and the Arts: 1540-1773 eds. John W. O’Malley, S.J. & Gauvin Alexander Bailey (Philadelphia: Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2003) p. 303. 10 Ryan, Memoir of the Life of Rev. Burchard Villiger, p. 120-121. 11 Ryan, Memoir of the Life of Rev. Burchard Villiger

faculty profile

Joseph Daniels ’90

SINCE GRADUATING FROM ST. JOSEPH'S PREP AS PART OF THE GREAT CLASS OF 1990, Joseph Daniels has gone far. He earned a bachelor's degree in Classics from Boston University and a Master's in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. This summer, he will earn a Ph.D. in Early Arabian History and Languages from the U of C as well. He has lived in Israel, done research in Yemen and worked at a boarding school in New England. Despite it all, he landed back at the Prep when he returned in 2005 as a member of the History department. “It definitely felt like coming home, it has a lot of aspects of the familiar,” says Daniels. Daniels was reluctant at first. After all, he was already an alumnus and had coached track for several seasons. In some ways, he wondered if returning as a teacher might muddy the waters and taint the memory of a place he loved. To his surprise, the opposite came true. “Coming back to teach allowed me to more easily live the mission of the

Prep in all areas of my life,” he says. “It has allowed me to see the students and the school in their totality.” During this time of unease in the Middle East, with many Americans fearing that culture and the people in it, Daniels has an expertise much in demand. He brings his knowledge into the classroom, offering the students a more well-rounded view. “I feel that it is important for me to share my life experiences with students and a profound part of my life has been spent studying these cultures and that has shaped my view,” says Daniels. “I tell the students that most people do not live politics. Most people just want day-to-day peace, they want to have a normal existence. It's important to bridge those similarities and explain the differences.” Another big part of his life experience has been his time at the Prep. Despite holding advanced degrees from prominent universities, Daniels believes the Prep challenged him more than any other place. “The Prep set the bar higher than any level that I have ever encountered,” he says. “I

learned here that there is always something new to learn and to never be content with what I know. I have carried that with me.” And the social interactions were also important. For four years, Daniels traveled from Overbrook Farms to North Philadelphia, making a huge impression on his life. “Taking SEPTA and the 15 trolley kept me grounded in reality,” he says. “The whole of my Prep experience shaped who I am today.” Today, as a member of the faculty and the moderator of the Black and Latino Culture Club, Daniels tries to do that for the students of St. Joseph's Prep, to shape their world as legions of teachers and students did his. “Students will find role models, confidants and mentors of all shapes, races and genders here,” says Daniels, who is also the director of the Prep's African American Alumni Association (A4). “I do feel a certain responsibility to be a closed-door advocate for all students but especially minorities.” – Bill Avington ’90

faculty profile

Sonia Nelson IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT SONIA NELSON IS THE LIBRARIAN AT ST. JOSEPH'S PREP. AFTER ALL, THE PREP LIBRARY HAS ALWAYS SERVED AS MUCH MORE THAN A LIBRARY AND NELSON IS MUCH MORE THAN A TYPICAL LIBRARIAN. The McShain Library at St. Joseph's Prep is not just a place holding books and magazines. It has always been a gathering place and its location smack dab in the middle of the school is an indication of the fact that it really is the heart of the place. But Nelson sees the future and knows that location might soon mean very little to a library. “Students want information quick, fast and in a hurry,” says Nelson. “The library has to be a place to accommodate those needs.” To that extent, Nelson has been moving the library forward by creating a website, making the catalog available remotely and purchasing databases that support the curriculum. “I want to make sure that the library is moving to have the resources and tools that the students are using and will be using in college,” she says. “It is our job to reach out to students and acquire the things they need to do their work.” This aspect of the job is perfect for Nelson. She came to the Prep after two years at the Free Library of Philadelphia, where she worked in the Web Office redesigning the library's Website and creating content. She moved to the Prep in 2005 because she wanted a school atmosphere. It was a great fit. “I like the fact that I wear many different hats all day here,” says Nelson. “After spending two years doing the same thing every day, it was an adjustment but a good one.” It was not her first adjustment. After all, Nelson, a native of Lyndonville, Vt., had already adjusted to a more urban lifestyle in Philadelphia. But she and her family (husband Jason and children Isaac and Rosa) have thrived, a fitting metaphor for her work at the Prep. 15

And Nelson has had to adjust to a changing library environment. That and the fact that the Prep library is used for a variety of events throughout the year (open mic afternoons, lectures, social events like reunions, faculty meetings, etc.) can make her job seem crazy but she handles it all with ease. “A library should be a gathering place and I am always happy to see how much our library gets utilized. I think it is great,” she says. “However, we always need to have respect for a study atmosphere and make sure that students have all that they need.” Although the library is very well used, Nelson tries other ways to draw students in. She has worked with teachers to incorporate the library into their courses and has actively hosted non-academic events to attract students. This semester, she will team with Colleen Conmy, the Prep's Instructional Technology Coordinator, to teach a course on information literacy awareness. Part of this course will present the different types of resources available,

how to critically evaluate resources and formatting bibliographies. “I want students to have a real understanding of the resources available, be able to assess their value and use the information creatively and effectively,” she says. “The way students get information has changed dramatically and we need to educate them to know what is out there and what is appropriate.” For Nelson, the Prep has been a dream job. In some ways, it may have been meant to be. “I didn't usually search the regular help wanted ads but decided to one day and found the ad for the librarian position here,” she says. “It was weird but maybe I was meant to get this job.” – Bill Avington ’90

student profile

Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton ’11 BASKETBALL LEGEND MICHAEL JORDAN AND KEVIN TONIAZZONAUGHTON '11 HAVE MUCH IN COMMON. They share the story, of course, of stardom borne of rejection: the boy is cut from the team, only to become a legend, the benchmark for his sport. Toniazzo-Naughton's version is the lesser known of the two – for now. His unfolded on a late night this past fall, when he was called back and then cut for a part in Death of a Salesman. “I was not ready,” Toniazzo-Naughton recalls on a late June afternoon, a month after his tour–de–force leading performance as John Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Drood would be the Cape and Sword's third production of 2007–2008 – the one that is probably more commonly identified as the one in which that freshman mesmerized audiences. The one in which that freshman earned the crowd's thunderous approbation at each night's end. The one where he had them saying this as they left the theatre: And he's only a freshman. Everyone saw it: the rookie thespian slam-dunked. In every scene. Of course it's the reverse jam that was Toniazzo-Naughton's autumn that makes his Prep stage debut this spring so sweet. On being cut early on, Toniazzo-Naughton says: “I was

so down the first couple of weeks that I didn't know what to do with myself. After school, I had nothing to do but my homework in the library.” This was the freshman who had attended Prep shows since sixth grade; this was the freshman who chose the Prep over other schools because of Tony Braithwaite's oh-soprofessional drama program; this was the freshman who, at Waldron Mercy Academy, didn't know the role of “nobody”: at his alma mater, he was Tevia. Nathan Detroit. Harold Hill. But he was not about to give up. Soon, in late fall, Toniazzo-Naughton became Notre Dame's Rudy: “After a few weeks, I joined the production staff.” He watched rehearsals – not with bitterness, it seems – but with awe, scrutiny, vision, if a little pain. “I could not believe the intensity of what I was seeing, how much these actors put into every gesture, how one gesture could change an entire scene.” In the winter, instead of vying for a spot in the Prep's 12 Angry Men, Toniazzo-Naughton decided to take the lead role in Merion Mercy's Into the Woods. In playing Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, he would gain experience. He would gain confidence. And when he gained his next chanceyou guessed it – he made the team.

“On opening night (of Drood), being on the Prep stage with a lead part was the best experience of my life,” he says. “Seeing the look on the audience's faces was so fun. I could see the enjoyment on their faces-and that's what I go for, that's what I love about acting-making someone smile, making them happy.” Happy? Making someone smile? How? John Jasper, after all, is evil, creepy, sinister. “I mean, he's a drug addict and sexual offender,” Toniazzo-Naughton adds. Which is why the freshman wanted to reinvent the man, the villain. “I knew he (Jasper) was not supposed to be a comical character. But I still wanted to make people laugh. I just kept saying to myself, what can we do for Jasper? I'd never heard of him, I had no inspiration for the part. So we basically tried to create a physical comedy, where I'd say the lines in a certain way, then add a certain gesture or contortion – any odd move – into it. I would throw a fit while saying something. I was pretty much drenched in sweat after each scene. It just seemed to lend itself to the madness of this pitiful character.” And Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton, once cut from the team, was anything but pitiful. This spring, he was just like Mike. – Susie Cook

student profile

Gianluca Keeler ’08 Gianluca Keeler '08 is a difficult young man to pin down. Is he an intellectual? After all, it is not unusual to see him sitting at a table, reading a classic novel or poetry. Is he a politician? He served as student council treasurer and is extremely likeable, seeming to naturally gain people's trust. Is he an athlete? He was one of the founding members of the Prep rugby team, which earned a state title and a trip to the national championships. Or is he an actor? He graced the stage as a juror in Twelve Angry Men, the Prep's winter show this year. Actually, Keeler is all of these things, a living embodiment of the Prep's ideals of “mind, body and spirit.” He is also an example of making the most of what St. Joseph's Prep has to offer. “At the Prep, the opportunities are there and I am privileged to be here,” says Keeler, a native of Erial, N.J. “This is the time to try it all. I feel like I am missing something if I don't take advantage of everything that is available.” Keeler is a part of a Prep heritage. His father Stephen is a 1979 graduate and worked for a time as the school's Director of Development. Gianluca is the second son to graduate from the Prep (Stefan '02) with brothers Andreas '10 and Dante (seventh grader) still to come. In addition, this year Gianluca and Andreas had five cousins in the student body (Brendan Keeler '08, Colin Keeler '08, Thomas Bernardi '10, Drew Peabody '10 and Ryan Keeley-Cain '11). “I am lucky to go to the Prep. To share it with so many members of my family is really great,” he says. The biggest impression on his life at the Prep came on Kairos, a retreat that has become a hallmark of the school. Keeler attended Kairos 95 as a junior and served as a leader for Kairos 98. It changed his life. “You don't realize how great this place is until after you go through Kairos,” he says. “It was a defining moment in my life.”

Keeler's inclusion in the cast of Twelve Angry Men was an example of

not wanting to miss a thing. What he found as a cast member left an impression. “In drama, you learn how to really depend on other people and have them depend on you,” he says. “There is such a great community there and they are all so passionate about what they do. It was a great experience.” The 2007-08 Student Council was among the best in memory, winning student activity of the year honors at graduation. According to Keeler, that success was forged when the council attended a leadership camp at Villanova University last summer. That camaraderie helped the council bond and the group sponsored many new events and kept many old traditions alive. “We tried to be a productive group,” says Keeler. As a founding member of the rugby team, it meant a lot to Keeler for the program to win the state title and compete nationally. But more than the championships are the relationships he formed. “There is a

quote from Shakespeare that says 'he who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother' and that is how I feel about my rugby teammates,” he says. “The coaches really created a community among us.” In typical Gianluca fashion, he went big for college too, earning a scholarship to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif. Again, he doesn't want to miss a thing. “I am really looking forward to it,” he says. “It's such a great opportunity to live in a new place. I can't wait.” And as we already know, Gianluca Keeler never lets a good opportunity pass him by. – Bill Avington ’90

s ta f f p r o f i l e

Jacky Onks Her office is hard to find. It is, after all, in the school's basement, in the rear of a dimly-lit corridor. Both the athletic training room, which is the size of a classroom, and the office tucked behind it are gray and unadorned. Today, just before noon on a Wednesday in mid–May, four lacrosse players prepare for their orders from Jacky Onks. Onks, in her fourth year as the Prep's athletic trainer, tells one student he'll be in the pool; another will mount the stationary bike. “Some students spend two periods a day here,” says this school's resident healer. “They eat their lunch here, bring their studies.” This is business as usual in the Prep basement, and today business, literally, is hurting. It always is. But mostly, Onks' business is in healing. Healing an injury – that onerous process of rehabilitation and recovery – is what Onks does – or rather what she helps others do. Indeed, Jacky Onks is so much like her office: hard to find, easy to miss, unadvertised and unsung. To many, she is the foundation of the Prep's athletic success over the past four years. She is so successful because Prep student–athletes buy into her program. It's a sell that's difficult. You need to see the trainer, a coach might say. Who wants to face the prospect of being hurt, of sitting out, of playing the waiting game of getting better? When did impatience divorce itself from injury? Onks has been able to coach her clients through the frustration. She has made them smarter, tougher; she has trained them to be responsible, patient men – no small task when a strained hamstring is also a bruised ego, a torn heart. “The most important part of my job is not picking them up off the field when they're hurt,” says Onks, who did just that in the previous day's lacrosse game when she helped Bill Harrington off the Saint Joseph's University turf in a Prep win. “It's the rehabilitation afterwards. Often, in high school training, the time to

strengthen and rehabilitate is overlooked.” Onks overlooks no one. “With Jacky, no athlete falls through the cracks,” says Athletic Director Jim Murray '59. “She pays attention to every athlete in every sport. And there are 14 varsity sports with no off season, except for the latter part of June and July. You won't find a trainer anywhere – high school or college – on Jacky's level. “They [the athletes] love her,” he adds. “They think the world of her.” Sprained–ankle lacrosse player Harrington is one of those athletes who loves Jacky. “Jacky's the nicest person in the world. It's not that I look forward to going down there,” Harrington admits, “but she makes it a lot easier. She's helps, she hangs out, she listens to good music. She's always there for us.” There, by the way, is not just in Prep's basement. Indeed, Jacky and the damaged denizens of her WMMRlistening domain travel (the radio, she says with a laugh, “is from 1985. We listen to that station because it's the only one we get down here”). Ultimately, the broken do emerge from the Prep depths, onto green fields and tracks and courses across the Delaware Valley. Onks is on those sidelines too, ready to respond-with water, with ice, with tape, with a laugh-and with a background in college athletic training. Onks, a Penn State grad, earned her Master's at Ohio University, and worked for the Bobcats the following year. She then moved onto work for the women's field hockey and lacrosse programs at Salisbury University in Maryland before landing at the Prep in the middle of the 2004 football season. Onks admits that working with high school boys is a far cry from her work as a college trainer. “It's been a totally new experience, a complete surprise – and one of the best jobs I've ever had,” she says. “These guys say 'Thanks, Jacky' after I give them water at a game. I know that seems small, but it means a lot to me, and makes it easy to come to work everyday. You don't get that all the time on the college level.”

You also don't get a trainer whose sideline poise puts players and coaches alike at ease in exigency. “Any time you have a kid in a life–threatening situation, you have to think on your feet. Plus these guys are not of age, so I have to guide them more. It's a huge responsibility,” says Onks, who admits, with a laugh, that she's also been hit by more than her fair share of footballs and baseballs over the years. Lacrosse coach Dan Keating finds Onks' even-keelness crucial and comforting. “Without question, she is vital to St. Joe's Prep athletics,” he says. “She is so knowledgeable and professional, but more importantly, she is great with our players, and a joy to be around throughout the season.” Season after Crimson season, the Prep continues to win league championships, continues to send studentathletes to college, to collegiate success academically and athletically. Of this tradition, Onks is a huge part. Ultimately, within this tradition, within her program, she teaches young men to heal, to live strongly even when life's plays may make one weak. Business in the Prep basement has never been better. – Susie Cook

at h l e t i c s p r o f i l e

Michael Protesto The seeds for the success of the 2008 Varsity Eight crew season were planted last spring. There, in the wake of a nationals that did not go as planned, the team resolved itself to make Prep Crew the best in the nation and possibly the world. “Coach (Bill Lamb '79) talked to us all after that and told us that we needed to go back and do the little things right, to rededicate ourselves to being the best we can be,” says Michael Protesto '08. So Protesto – with senior boatmates Kyle Moyer (coxswain), John Scanlon, Ryan Sudeck, Kevin Kennedy, Vince McLaughlin, Jim Voter, Steve Connors and John Votta – began a strenuous off season but one that led to great results. The first indication came in October at the Head of the Charles in Massachusetts. The boat finished first at that prestigious event and swept through the season, finishing first in every event until the national championships, where it finished second. In July, Henley, the world's top scholastic regatta, was the final Photo courtesy of row2k.com.

test for the group and the team represented the school and their nation well. “It was a great year, all of our boats did well,” says Protesto. “Henley was a goal and we all felt it and wanted it. It was always in our minds and we knew that Prep crew had been there before. It's a great honor to represent the Prep in England. It is a big accomplishment.” This group was the fifth that Lamb has taken to Henley as a head coach. According to Protesto, that tradition is something that pushes him and his teammates. “I think that we push harder because we know what has come before us and how great Prep crew has been,” he says. “No one wants to let that tradition down.” And Protesto is a part of that tradition. His brother Bob '04 was a member of the varsity eight, but that group just missed a trip to Henley. Protesto, who is headed to Princeton to join their rowing team, has

enjoyed his time with his teammates. “All year long, we clicked, we formed a good group of friends with common goals,” he says. “We had some adversity but we pushed through that and learned from our mistakes. That will make us better.” Another area of progress for Protesto was his summer service trip to Germantown last year. There he helped renovate houses in the area, joining a group of Prep students whom he did not know well. “That was a great experience for me because I got to know some kids whom I didn't know but also to serve with them and helping others was a lot of fun,” he says. But, according to Protesto, the best part came after dinner, when the Prep group would go out to a parking lot behind where they stayed. Basketballs and baseballs came out and then the kids from the neighborhood arrived. “It was really great to play with them and just have fun,” he says. “It taught me a lot.” – Bill Avington ’90

school news

The Prep’s benefactors continue to give generously to the CAMPAIGN FOR THE PREP ~ OUR LEGACY, OUR FUTURE. The school has raised $27 million in gifts and pledges toward a $30 million goal ($17 million for facilities, $7 million for endowment and $3 million for the Prep Fund). Jesuit Hall, the Prep’s new academic center located behind the Gesu Church in the building that used to house the Jesuit Residence, is set to open in September. This state-of-the-art classroom building will add 52,000 square feet including: 16 new classrooms, two art studios and the Harron Communications Center. In addition, the Sauter Dining Hall and McClory Dining Terrace have transformed the old Multi-Purpose Room into a bi-level dining facility that will be a welcome addition to the Prep’s campus. Many classes have organized mini class campaigns to reach out to their classmates and this has proven to be a great success. Many thanks go to those classes which have taken a leadership role in this campaign. If you would like to be a part of the CAMPAIGN FOR THE PREP, especially as part of your class efforts, please contact John Anderson, Vice President for Development, 215-978-1960; or at janderson@sjprep.org. 20

alumni news

ALUMNI PROFILE: Bob Fitzpatrick '63 1940s

Freshman Bob Fitzpatrick could not say no. How could he? No to a Jesuit? It was 1959 and Father William Pichla, the band moderator, was a most persuasive man. There, in his first year-in his first days – at the Prep, Fitzpatrick was left with no choice: he had to join the Prep band.

Rev. Edmund Wesolowski '40 celebrated the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in the spring. He is a resident of Villa St. Joseph in Darby. Rev. William Byron, S.J. '45 has released a new book, Praying With and For Others. Ray Thomas '47 reports that his son, Raymond A. Thomas III, was promoted to Brigadier General and is stationed near Mosul in Iraq.

Almost fifty years later, Fitzpatrick is the dean of the Curtis Institute, a position he's held since 1986. Located on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Curtis is the most selective school of music in the world: six percent of auditioned applicants are accepted and 95 percent accept.

Eugene Armao '48 has written his second book Inside the Red, White & Blue, a spy spoof set against the fiasco of the 2000 Florida election. It will be published by Publish America and should be in book stores by spring 2009. James Higgins '49 was appointed Dean of the School of Business at Holy Family University in 2007. He was awarded Teacher of the Year for the MBA Program and received the ACHE Leadership Award for development of Graduate Programs for adults.

Fitzpatrick, himself a professional clarinetist and symphony orchestra conductor, is, on a rather ironic note, so much like Father Pichla: the ultimate musical moderator. One hundred sixty five of the world's best are under Dean Fitzpatrick's charge, under his influence. They just can't say no. After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Temple University in 1968, Fitzpatrick became the Band Director and Chair of Fine Arts at the Prep from 1969-1980. He would earn his Master of Music degree from Temple in 1970.

Mary and Harry Stinger ’49

Harry Stinger '49 and his wife Mary celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in the spring. Their family helped them celebrate at a mass in their honor followed by a dinner at Normandy Farms in Blue Bell.

1950s Joseph Burgoyne '50 has two grandsons, John and Mark Burgoyne, who have just completed their freshman year at the Prep. Dr. Joseph English '50, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York Medical College, has been named the second Sidney E. Frank Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. James Shallow '51 and his wife Helen have relocated to Hainesport, N.J., to better attend the many activities of their 16 grandchildren who live in the area. In the spring, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Perhaps one of the most important lessons the Prep taught Fitzpatrickthe-student was Latin – four years of it. “The Prep taught me the importance of language,” Fitzpatrick says. “Four years of Latin have led to my fluent French and an apartment in Paris. If only Dan Brennan (longtime Prep teacher, principal and administrator) could see me now. He is welcome to buy me dinner the next time he visits Paris; I'll supply the champagne.” Fitzpatrick is, also, quick to credit Prep music teachers for his musical forte. “Jules Serpentini, my clarinet teacher at the Prep, was the most influential musician in my life and Henri Elkan, the conductor of the band, was just a few steps behind,” he says. Fitzpatrick has conducted orchestras in Toms River, N.J., in Philadelphia, and in France, mostly in Paris. In mid-June, he returned from the island of Ischia, Bay of Naples, Italy, where he took a group of Curtis students and faculty to perform at Giardini La Mortella, the home of the late British Composer William Walton. Indeed Fitzpatrick has been around the world. Still, it's the origin of his life symphony – that autumn moment in 1959 – that resonates most profoundly. Of Father Pichla, Fitzpatrick says that “he was so persuasive that I felt I wouldn't dare say no to a Jesuit. I started on the saxophone but soon switched to the clarinet, the seat of power in all bands.” A half century later, this freshman has not, in a way, changed seats. The Father – and the dean – made a great choice. – Susie Cook

ALUMNI PROFILE: Jerry McHugh ’72 This 1972 Prep graduate is, arguably, the best trial lawyer in the state, maybe in the nation. Yet Jerry McHugh's biggest interest remains outside the courtroom as he stays committed to West Philadelphia, to the neighborhood he has lived his whole life. St. Francis de Sales School – de Sales for short – has had its share of trials…and survived them all. Indeed the grammar school survived that sad spring day in 1968 when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. And it survived the day after – the day when McHugh's eighth-grade class made the decision to tear itself apart: black students on one side of the room, white students on the other. Tense silence in the midst of national tumult. How could Jerry McHugh – the man who has been fighting for justice for the injured, the addicted, the broken and the poor for two decades, the man whose been handed the pens used to sign legislation he's drafted, the man who last month was voted second in Philadelphia Magazine's “Super Lawyers” in Pennsylvania survey – how could this man forget that moment? McHugh, who works at Philadelphia firm Raynes McCarty and lectures at his other alma mater, Penn Law, would recall that day's significance at a dinner in the spring at Drexel, where he was recognized for his role as volunteer counsel and advisor to de Sales: “The atmosphere was understandably explosive. Sister Aquinas, whose name exemplified her wisdom, surveyed the scene and pronounced: 'Well, people, it would appear we have a situation here. What do you propose to do about it?' What she prescribed was no-holds barred dialogue to bridge the gap between us, no small feat in a season of riots in our cities. One week later, the de Sales CYO baseball team took the field at Kingsessing playground, the only integrated team in the league, and played together as a unit. That was, and is, the essence of de Sales… “Forty years have now passed since that fateful Spring, and de Sales continues to play the role of peacemaker in our neighborhood…it is not a cliché to say that de Sales school is its own United Nations. Its students, and their parents, represent countries and cultures from around the world. Buddhists sit next to Baptists, and Hindus sit next to Catholics. The spirit of the place is best captured by the fact that students from Ethiopia learn next to students from Eritrea, even as their people are at war a continent away. When I am asked to describe what happens here, I say try to imagine all of the hope and optimism of a Frank Capra movie, coupled with the warm spirit of Bing Crosby's 'Bells of St. Mary's,' except that it's real, it actually exists.”

Rev. Joseph Feeney, S.J. '52, a Professor of English at Saint Joseph's University, wrote an article on an international conference on poet Gerard Manley Hopkins in the November 2007 issue of the National Jesuit News and had a new book published in April 2008 by England's Ashgate Press. Dr. Catherine Phillips of Cambridge University, editor of the Hopkins' poetic texts, called the book not only “original” but “an important contribution to a new phase in Hopkins studies.” Bernard “Gus” Kueny '53 was recently inducted into the St. Martin of Tours Hall of Fame. Other Prep grads inducted were Joe Quinn '71, Marty Quinn '73 and Damian Lavelle '93. William Kline '55 serves on the Board of Directors of Towne Bank and Bon Secours Hampton Roads Hospitals and was named First Citizen of Portsmouth, Maine in 2007. Most Rev. Joseph Galante '56, Bishop of Camden, was a concelebrant at the Papal Mass at Washington Nationals ballpark when Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in the spring. Bishop Galante also participated in several other events during the Pope's stay in the capital. Dr. Charles Reed '56, Chief of the Section of General Pediatrics and Director for Graduate Medical Education at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, received the Rev. Edward C. Bradley, S.J., M.D. award from Saint Joseph's University. The award is named in honor of Fr. Bradley, a member of the Prep's Class of '47, and given on behalf of the Medical Alumni Chapter in recognition of his embodiment of the qualities of Ignatian spirituality and his high degree of service to others and scholarship. Gerald Bryan '58 and his wife Marie have recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary and they have three children and seven grandchildren. Since Gerald retired from Johnson & Johnson in 2004, the couple spends their time traveling, attending operas, enjoying hobbies like model railroading and teaching their grandchildren to water-ski in the Poconos. Edward Carlin '58, who was a Jesuit from 1960 to 1971, has just retired after an illustrious 40 year career in education where he taught at three Jesuits high schools. Along the way, he completed a Ph.D. in Education. He and his wife Maureen live in Kansas City, MO.

De Sales exists in part because of McHugh's efforts to raise money for the gray-stoned school, which he described in late June as a “mechanism for healing, a haven for immigrants and the poor.”

Vincent DeBenedetto '58 has had a long and illustrious career, working with Nabisco and DuPont, working for the U.S. Secret Service and presently in the financial services industry. He and his wife Lynne live in Mesa, Ariz.

Of course, there is a discomfort within McHugh for taking credit for de Sales' survival, for its success. “Frankly, I felt uncomfortable (at the dinner) that the teachers at the school were honoring me instead of the sisters and workers who do the hard work,” he said. – Susie Cook

Cornelius Dever '58 is semi-retired and is working on a sales project in Central Pacific Costa Rica. 22

alumni news

Edward Gleadall '58, who retired in 2005, is now doing consulting work for textile companies in Asia. He and his wife Evelyn live in Wilsonville, Ala. Walter Gough '58 retired as National Sales Director of Schering Pharmaceuticals after 43 years with the company where he held various positions of management. He is happily spending more time with his hobbies: golfing, traveling, cooking and photography. He and his wife Rebecca reside in Surprise, Ariz. George Gowen '58 is the owner of Thomas F. Gowen & Sons, a sporting goods distribution company which he runs here and in Ireland. He and his wife have three children and five grandchildren.

Richard Welsh '58 continues to work as a stockbroker at Wachovia Securities, LLC, and his son Brian has joined him, from Chicago, as a financial advisor. He continues to enjoy all sports and plays squash or tennis several times a week. Mary Sue, his wife of 41 years, is President of the Chestnut Hill Library and is in the process of completing a biography of Edna Phillips, the first woman member of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

1960s

J. Carroll Graham '58, who worked for the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development for 34 1/2 years, is retired and currently doing volunteer work in Richmond, Va. He is a board member with the National Active and Retired Federal Employees and a board member of the Better Housing Coalition in the Richmond area producing and managing affordable housing.

Gerald Madden '60 is teaching Finance subjects at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster as a visiting faculty member. He had his first poem, On Time, published in a 2008 issue of the newsletter of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors.

John Innes '58 is completing his 39th year as a teacher of German at Loyola Blakefield, a Jesuit high school in Towson, Md. He and his wife Jean have three sons and three grandsons.

Charles Kling '61 is thrilled to announce the birth of his first grandchild, Genevieve Siobhan Kling, who was born January 25. He and his wife Pat met their â&#x20AC;&#x153;little princessâ&#x20AC;? when they traveled to Los Angeles, Calif., to visit their son Peter '88 and his wife Ashley.

Edward Jajko '58 and his wife Pam are enjoying retirement, spending three weeks in September '07 in Vienna, Austria, after summer travel that included a now annual week or more at the Ohio Light Opera. Also, Ed takes and contributes to classes on sacred scripture and music and reads and sorts books with the Friends of the Library. Rev. Joseph Lacey, S.J. '58 is in his 10th year as pastor of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Parish in Woodstock, Md. John Raniseski, Ph. D. '58, who retired in 2002 from IBM where he achieved the distinguished engineer level. He and his wife Jeanie are now living in Roseville, Calif., where he enjoys playing golf and softball and is association board president. Gerald Rescigno '58 retired from Black and Decker after 38 years. He enjoys his community in Maryland, golf, skiing and traveling with his wife Nancy and his grandchildren. Frank Schanne '58 and his wife Nancy have lived 20 miles north of Palm Beach, Fla., for the past 20 years. Frank is still active in residential real estate. He and his wife have four children and 10 grandchildren.

Nicholas Troiano '58 is a practicing CPA in Cherry Hill, N.J., with residences in Sea Isle City, N.J., and Mt. Royal, N.J. After 19 years, he has retired from coaching and officiating local and state soccer. He and his wife Judi have two children and are anxiously awaiting the birth of their fifth grandchild.

Eugene Norett '61 is Executive Vice President for FOA Purchasing Partners Inc., the exclusive group purchasing organization for the FOA Owners Association, for which he also serves as a board member. He and his wife Linda live in Lincoln Hills, Calif. Dr. Michael Farrell '62, Chief of Staff of Cincinnati's Children's Hospital, remains active in administration and practice of Pediatrics and Pediatric Gastroenterology. He recently received the Murray Davidson Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for outstanding service. D. Webster Keogh '64 was appointed administrative judge for the trial division of the Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Thomas Nealon '66 has been involved with raising funds for the American Liver Foundation (ALF) for the past seven years. Tom began running marathons in 1998 and has raised over $300,000 for the ALF. His goal for this year's Boston Marathon was $100,000. Below is photo of Tom with Zachary Rue, a young liver disease patient who he matched with as part of the ALF Run for Research program.

Joseph Canuso '66 appeared in Theatre Exile's production of the comic-thriller Bug in the spring. He also directed The Philly Fan, a one-man show starring Barrymore Award winner Tom McCarthy during the summer. Robert Morris, Esq. '68 has been elected President of the Montgomery Bar Association for 2008. The Montgomery Bar Association is a nonprofit organization of nearly 2000 Montgomery County attorneys which offers its members numerous opportunities for professional development and helps deliver the services of member attorneys to the community. Bernard Reilly '68 is President of the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago, Ill. Prior to his new position, he worked at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., for 19 years. Dr. Gerald Letterie '68 is a gynecologist, reproductive endocrinologist and practice director of the Northwest Center for Reproductive Sciences with offices and laboratories in the Washington cities of Seattle, Kirklajnd and Renton. The practice specializes in in-vitro fertilization and the diagnoses of inherited disorders and chromasomal defects through analysis of single embryonic cells. He resides with his wife Jan and their daughters Mia and Ava in Seattle.

1970s Alfred Borden '70, founder and CEO of Lighting Practice, Inc., recently received a contract to relight the U.S. Capitol dome exterior and worked in conjunction with the Vitetta Group whose President is Al Hoffman '70. William Wechsler '71 was sworn into his first term of office as a member of Haverford Township Board of Commissioners in January 2008 and shortly afterwards was elected President of the Board. Frank Quattrone '73 has been hired to be CEO of Qatalyst Group, a technology-focused merchant banking group based in San Francisco. Rev. William Grogan '73 celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in the spring. He is president of Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor. Chuck Grebloski '75 and his wife Audrey recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. They were married at the Gesu church with Fr. Steven Garrity '57 as the celebrant. Chuck has been a member of the Philadelphia Police Department for 23 years, 18 of them as a detective.

Rev. Paul DiGirolamo '75 celebrated the 25th year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in the spring. He is the pastor of Old St. Mary's Parish in Philadelphia and assistant judicial vicar for the Office of the Metropolitan Tribunal.

Michael Downey '84, Owner and Executive Producer of Hero Content, won a Webby Award, hailed by the New York Times as the Oscars of the Internet. Hero Content produced The Getaway for Nike+ which won best online commercial.

Rev. Gerard McGlone, S.J. '75, a Maryland Province Jesuit, has been called to full incorporation in the Society of Jesus. Fr. McGlone pronounced his vows in the spring at Old Saint Joseph Church in Philadelphia.

Michael Garry '85, managing member of Yardley Wealth Management, LLC, has been named one of America's top Financial Planners by the Consumers Research Council of America which has included him in the 2008 Edition of its Guide to America's Top Financial Planners. Consumers Research Council of America is an independent research company based in Washington, DC that evaluates professional services throughout America.

Dr. Joseph Devlin '75 is the owner of Family First Health in York. He and his wife Anita have 11 children with the youngest at five years old. Craig Settles '75 was a guest on WHYY's Radio Times, debating one of the opponents of Philly's municipal wireless network project. He also has written a new book After Muni Wireless Comes to Town, a guidebook for municipalities for after wireless access has arrived in their area. Ralph Rucci '75, a fashion designer with a studio in New York's SoHo section, had the honor of closing the runway portion of Paris Fashion Week earlier this year. Rucci presented his haute-couture designs as well as his ready-to-wear line, Chado. James Kopchuk '76 is Manager of Operational Risk Management for the Americas Division for De Lage Landen Financial Services located in Wayne. De Lage is a global provider of flexible assetbased financing products to help manufacturers, vendors and distributors market their capital goods in Europe, The Americas, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. Edward McBride '77 has been named chief counsel to New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. Christopher Foy '77 was named high school boys basketball Coach of the Year by the Boston Globe after leading Algonquin Regional to a 1011 season in his first year, a big improvement from the previous year's 3-17 mark.

Aedan Hurley â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80 at the India Gate in New Delhi.

Aedan Hurley '80 is employed at Raytheon Solipsys in Fulton, Md., as director of Systems Engineering. The company develops C41 solutions for the Department of Defense. In the spring, he traveled to New Delhi to meet with the Indian Navy on new business. Hurley at the India Gate in New Delhi. Lt. Col. Lawrence Henigan '81 passed on the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion colors to his successor Lt. Col Peter Finan during a ceremony aboard the USS Constellation in March 2007. Colonel James Lariviere who oversaw the ceremony presented Lt. Col. Henigan with the Meritorious Service Medal and commended the reservists for their performance. Scott Sladek '83 currently serves as a Battalion Chief with the Philadelphia Fire Department, stationed at 43rd and Market Streets in West Philadelphia. In 2004, he received his Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science and Public Safety. He and his wife Alicia have two children, Daulton (16) and Ali (14). Michael Mato '83 is engineering manager for the Boeing team on site at the Corpus Christi Army Depot. He's assisting the U.S. Army with the overhaul and repair of the Apache and Chinook helicopters. Mike and his wife Angela are enjoying the climate and culture of South Texas.

Capt. Patrick McHugh, D.O. '88 is an emergency physician currently serving on active duty with the U. S. Army as Deputy Chief of Emergency Medicine at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, and Chief of Emergency Medicine at the 212th Combat Support Hospital in Miesau, Germany. In July 2008, he will separate from active duty and join the emergency medicine staff at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA. Michael Bisch '89 is an executive with Accenture, LLP, serving as an Operational Excellence Director within Accenture's Business Process Outsourcing division. In 2007, he deployed Operational Excellence/Process Management at Microsoft in Dublin, Ireland. He and his wife Kelly have three children.

Lawrence Arrigale '77 performed in a production of Six Degrees of Separation at the Allens Lane Theatre in Mt. Airy.

1980s Leo Carlin '81, a member of the Prep Board of Trustees, was honored by Time for Teens, Inc., a non-profit organization that works with teens in one-on-one and group mentoring programs and sponsors violence prevention programs in local schools and communities.

Kevin Small '87, head men's basketball coach at Ursinus College, led the Bears to the NCAA Division III Final 4. Kevin also became Ursinus' alltime winningest men's basketball coach this season.

Rich Gannon '83 posed with Teddy Villaneuva '12 and his father Ted '83 on the occasion of Gannon's induction ceremony into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame's City All-Star chapter on April 3. Rev. Philip Floria, S.J. '83 has been appointed chaplain at Saint Joseph's University and continues his duties as assistant to the Vice President of Student Life.

Jonathan Dever '89 is the new Managing Director of JMP Securities in New York. Jon was hired to direct Financial Services for the company which is a San Francisco-based Investment Bank.

1990s Mark Thomas '90 married Aliza Bruther in September 2007. Fr. Joseph Michini S.J. presided over the wedding and Prep graduates in attendance included Jason Zazyczny '90, Jack ONeill '90 and Edmund DeHoratius '91. Mark currently works for a private equity firm in Washington, DC.

Reunion

Weekend 25

Kevin McGowan '91 is the Republican nominee for a seat in Idaho's House of Representatives. He was officially elected as the party candidate in the May 27th primary. Marc DiDomenico '92 has opened an international school of design in Florence, Italy. The Florence Institute of Design International will commence its first full session in January 2009 and will offer a new type of boutique academics focused entirely on international students providing Interior Design, Graphic Design and Architecture programs with both master and undergraduate levels. Marc, a veteran architect, is the President Elect 2008 of the AIA Continental Europe chapter. Ashley Candy '92, the co-founder of Maryland's Showcall Inc., was responsible for coordinating the Mass at the Washington Nationals ballpark when Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States in the spring.

Kevin Manning '96 is the new head baseball coach at West Catholic High School.

Science. He is currently working for Lockheed Martin as a Software Engineer in Denver, Col.

Christopher Heuisler '97 had a role in a film Placebo, which opened at the Philadelphia Film Festival in the spring. The film was written and directed by Keith Feighan, son of Prep science teacher Joe Feighan. Also, Chris has a recurring role as Cole in the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns.

John Griffin '04, a senior basketball player at Bucknell University, was named the Patriot League Player of the Week and Bucknell Athlete of the Week after leading the Bison to a win over LaSalle in January.

Thomas Bettner '98, who recently married his high school sweetheart, received his teaching degree from Rutgers University-Camden and is currently teaching first grade at Harrison Twp. Elementary School in Mullica Hill, N.J. Victor Hobson '98, who spent the last five seasons with the New York Jets of the National Football League, signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots.

Christopher Clark '04, a senior on the Temple University basketball team, helped lead the Owls to an Atlantic 10 championship and the NCAA tournament. Michael Meehan '04 graduated Magna Cum Laude with majors in German and Economics from Fairfield University in the spring. He was selected to Phi Beta Kappa, and Alpha Sigma Nu. At graduation, he received the Economics award and has been granted a Fulbright Scholarship to do research in Microeconomics in Germany this fall.

W. Sean McLaughlin '98 is Business Area Manager for Preparedness and Response at Detica, a national homeland security consulting firm. He oversees Detica's entire U.S. portfolio of preparedness/response-related programs and projects for federal, state, and local homeland security clients.

Gerard Stefan '93 met Republican candidate for President John McCain who spoke at a gathering at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia in late spring. Lawrence O'Toole '94 together with business partner Brian Isserman, opened the PRIMER Microstudio in Hatboro. After three years of business, the Microstudio has become the new permanent home for the boutique graphic design agency. In addition to serving as creative offices, the space features an art gallery, and began revolving artist showings in conjunction with Hatboro First Fridays beginning in June. David Ristaino '95 is a Medical Device Consultant with Synthes Spine which has headquarters in West Chester. His wedding in September 2007 featured his brother Michael Ristaino '98 as best man and Nicholas Falcone '95 as a groomsman. Other Prep alumni in attendance were Christian LaBletta '95 and Scott Powers '95. He and his wife Stacey reside in Dayton, Ohio. Eugene Bell '95 has been appointed the Executive Director of the Martin dePorres Foundation, which was established many years ago by Ambassador Matthew H. McCloskey, Jr., and has many Prep connections.

Michael Rady '99 is in the new CBS series called Swingtown, which takes place in 1976 suburban Chicago and explores life in small town America. He plays a high school philosophy teacher. Joe Kadlec '99 has joined the Washington law firm WilmerHale as an associate in the Corporate Department. He and his wife Mary live in Arlington, Va.

2000s Brendan McGrath '01 published a poem Ghetto Sunrise in the Advent issue of the Catholic online literary magazine Dappled Things. Christopher Kurek '01 is enrolled at Rutgers Law School in Camden, N.J. Prior to entering law school, he was employed at State Street Bank in Boston, Mass. Benjamin Haney '01 has been named campaign manager for the campaign of Wally Zimolong for State Representative in the 182nd District. The district represents Center City and parts of South Philadelphia and Spring Garden. Christian Pizzi '02, an associate producer for Fox Sports, has won two National Sports Emmys, one for Outstanding Live Sports Special for BCS on Fox: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and the other for Outstanding Live Sports Series for NASCAR on Fox.

Brendan Coffey '04 and Dan DiPasquale '06, students at Fordham University, received awards for post-graduate and summer study. Coffey, an English and philosophy major, received a Fullbright U.S. Student Program Grant while Di Pasquale, a mathematics major, received a scholarship to National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Summer Program. Sean Guenther '04, a senior at Montclair State University, served as captain of the MSU ice hockey team and received two honors: secondteam, all-defense in the SECHL and ACHA Division 2 All-Northeast second team defense. Stephen Hyslop '04, a recent graduate of Temple University, was named to the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association Collegiate All-American Team and presented with the University's Diamond Award. He was one of 25 undergraduate students to receive this award which is given to those who have demonstrated superior leadership, academic achievement, service to the University, an5d impact on a community. Vincent Marchionni '04 has been formally accepted into the Novitiate of St. Andrew's at LeMoyne College. He will be part of the Maryland Province.

Michael Coury '02 recently graduated from Saint Louis University with a degree in Computer 26

alumni news

Spencer Petticrew-Shawcross '04, who graduated in the spring from Hamilton College, won the William Rosenfeld Chapbook Prize in Creative Writing, which is awarded annually to a graduating senior whose portfolio of poetry, prose, fiction or drama is selected by the faculty members in the English Department. The prize provides for the publication of a chapbook of the student's creative writing. Timothy Klarich '05 was selected to serve as the next Saint Joseph's University Hawk mascot, beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year. He becomes the 31st student to represent the University as its men's basketball mascot. Terrence Casey '05 has been elected Editor-inChief of The Daily Collegian, Penn State's independent student daily newspaper. The paper holds one of the highest levels of prestige in the world of college journalism and is one of Princeton Review's top 10 university papers. Boima Blake '05, a student at the University of Southern California, has started a socio-economic entertainment magazine called Canon.

John Hendrickson '06, who will be a junior at Penn State, has received three writing recognitions. John won a Katey Lehman Creative Writing Award in Journalism, he was selected for a summer internship at the arts magazine Magnet, and he was selected to receive a $500 summer Liberal Arts Enrichment Award. In the fall, Hendrickson will serve as an editor of the PSU magazine .ALT. Michael Trerotola '06, Jake Braithwaite '07 and Kevin Crenny '07 were recently elected to the Executive Board of Fordham University's RHA (Residence Halls Association), one of the three student governments on Fordham's campus. Trerotola will be serving as Executive President, Jake as Executive Treasurer and Kevin as Executive National Communications Coordinator. All three served on RHA this past year, along with Kurt Watkins '07, who was Treasurer for Alumni Court North.

Kerry Quinn '06, a sophomore at Cornell University and coxswain on the school's Varsity Lightweight Rowing team, has been accepted into Cornell's Red Key Honor Society. He was named to the group from a pool of more than 50 nominations. The Red Key Honor Society is composed of a dozen varsity athletes who are nominated by Cornell coaches and elected by the Society's members. Members are chosen based on their academic achievement, athletic success, and dedication to community service. Gavin Keirans '06, who will be a junior at Penn State University in the fall, was elected PSU's University Park Undergraduate Association President.

Kevin Melnick '07 finished tied for fourth in the Golf Association of Philadelphia's annual Harry Hammond Award, which is presented to the player with the lowest aggregate score in the Junior Boys' Championship qualifying round, the Jock MacKenzie round and the two rounds of the Christman Cup. Last spring, Melnick helped lead the Prep to the Catholic League title.

Adam Ferrone '06 performed in the Penn State Theatre Department Main Stage Production of the play Word Up: An Insight to the Hip Hop Generation. He is also one of four Prep alums who are staff members of the Daily Collegian, joining Jim Warkulwiz '06, Tim Dooley '06 and editorin-chief Terry Casey '05. Robert Keleher '07 was selected to play the lead role in Johns Hopkins University's spring production of the Broadway-famed musical Pippin. He has also been actively participating in the JHU Vocal Chords, a major co-ed a capella group on campus.

Thomas Kain '06, a dual major studying Music Production and Engineering and Piano Performance at Berklee College of Music, won the school's Piano Department Achievement Award. The award is presented each year to students who exemplify the potential to be leaders in the music industry. Kain was recognized for outstanding musical and academic achievement.

Justin DePermentier '07, a freshman at Duquesne University, has earned a spot in the Director's Club for achieving a 3.5 grade-point average or better in his first semester. Justin, who was a four-year starter in goal for the Prep, has been promoted to Duquesne's Ice Hockey Club's first team.

Phillip Tomezsko '07 has been selected to receive the William F. Mitchell supernova endowed scholarship award for outstanding achievements for a student in Drexel University's College of Engineering B.S./Ph.D. program.

William Sharp '08, son of William R. Sharp '77, received his Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America. A member of Troop 304 sponsored by St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Glenside, he rehabilitated the trails through the George A. Pearly Bird Sanctuary in Cheltenham Township, clearing the bush, laying down woodchips, and building a new trail to the creek. He was recognized at his Court of Honor with a Community Service Award from Cheltenham Township, as well as various commendations including letters of congratulations from former Prep president, Rev. William Byron, S.J. '45 and Principal Mr. Michael Gomez.

Three generations of Prep classmate fathers and sons gathered as the Kane and McElwee Families celebrated the graduation of Kyle McElwee ’08 and Brian Kane ’08. In the photo [l-r] Kyle stands with his father Joe ’73 and grandfather Joe ’44 while Brian stands with his father Jim ’73 and grandfather Jim ’44. Brian and Kyle will both be attending Marquette University in the fall.

alumni news

Update The Prep Fund had another successful year with the ongoing participation of our loyal alumni, parents, parents of alumni and friends. With your generosity we have raised nearly $1.4 million in annual giving. The Prep would like to give special recognition to our 2007-2008 Prep Fund Cabinet. We are so appreciative of the efforts they put forth on The Prep’s behalf. The Prep Fund Cabinet Chairs:

Patty and Tom Savage

Leadership Chairs:

Marianne and Stuart Gordon

Alumni Chairs:

Fenton Fitzpatick ‘80 John Regan ‘94

Parents Chairs:

Dianne and George Belecanech

Alumni Parents Chairs

Pat and Marty Quinn ‘73

We are deeply indebted to all of the alumni, parents, parents of alumni and friends who volunteered time and made donations to this year’s campaign. Annual giving donations are vital to the success of a school like the Prep. Tuition alone does not cover all of the operating costs associated with running our school, so your Prep Fund donations enhance the Prep experience today. You truly impact our wonderful students and help us in our mission to develop the minds, hearts, and souls of young men in their pursuit of becoming “Men For and With Others.”

Calendar of Events AUGUST

NOVEMBER

Prep at the Shore (@ Avalon Yacht Club), Noon-3 p.m.

Open House

11-14 Kairos 103 SEPTEMBER

Freshman Parents Orientation

Washington D.C. Alumni Reception

4-5

Student Orientation Days

Scholarship/Entrance Exam

First day of classes

Alumni Board of Governors

Mothers’ Club Liturgy and Meeting

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Welcome Reception for Fr. Bur

Boston Alumni Gathering

Mass of the Holy Spirit

Mass of Thanksgiving

Mini-School Night for Parents (Grade 9)

Wednesday Night JUG

Back to School Mixer

Prep-Malvern Homecoming Football Game (@ Villanova Univ.)

Homecoming

23-26 Kairos 102 24

Alumni Board of Governors

Mini-School Night for Parents (Grades 10-12)

Mother-Son Communion Breakfast

Mothers’ Club Liturgy and Meeting

DECEMBER 3

Freshman Parents Mission Night

OCTOBER

Senior Mother-Son Christmas Mass and Dinner

Freshman Father-Son Night

Christmas Mixer

Presidents’ Club Dinner

9-12

Kairos 104

17-19 Reunion Weekend

Mothers’ Club Liturgy and Meeting

(Classes of 1963, 68, 73, 78, 83, 88, 93, 98, 2003)

Battle of the Bands

Father-Son Communion Breakfast

Christmas Concert

Joint Mothers’/Fathers’ Club Meeting

Christmas Mass

23-24 Freshmen Retreat 26

26-28 Grade School Basketball Tournament

Mothers’ Club New York City Trip

Phonathons will be held on October 9, 14, 21-23, 29-30. For more information, contact Ceal Biello at cbiello@sjprep.org.

Tell Us Your News... We are interested in what you are doing. Please fill out this form and mail it to: The Prep News, 1733 Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130 or e-mail afalcone@sjprep.org

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alumni news

Prep Weddings

Prep Births

Thomas Ciesielka '79 and May Ho [1]

Griffin Alexander to Shannon and Joseph Coyle, Prep English Teacher [1]

Gerald Guertin '88 and Jennifer McGlynn

Elijah Escalante Gonzalez to Karen and Jose Gonzalez, Prep Director of Diversity [2]

Francis Ciociola '89 and Danae Lynn Croce

Sophia Bowman to Jennifer and Frederick Marinari '83 [3]

Mark Thomas '90 and Aliza Bruther [2]

Sean Joseph to Judith and F. William Bora, III '83

James McLaughlin '91 and Julie Perschbacher [3]

Genevieve Siobhan to Ashley and Peter Kling '88 [4]

Matthew Kaiser '95 and Melissa Kneib

Fionn Ryan to Keri Jo and Patrick McHugh '88

Christopher Murray '95 and Karen Bruderle [4]

Greta May to Inger and Joseph Daniels â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90, Prep History Teacher

David Ristaino '95 and Stacey Snedon [5]

Andrew Joseph to Elizabeth and Edmund DeHoratius '91 [5]

Patrick Connell '97 and Jessica Traber

Joseph to Lori and Joseph Cavallaro '92 [6]

Michael Daley '99 and Caren Stuhler

Juliet Florentine to Kimberly and Joseph Mason '94 Ryan Elisabeth to Meredith and Richard Dankanis '95 [7]

Anthony Joseph to Mary Kate and Anthony Hayden '95 Brendan Joseph to Kimberly and Brian Martin '95, Prep Science Teacher Taylor Mary to Jeanine and Ryan Brown '96 Violet Therese to Anna and John Gill '96 Liam to Sarah and Gregory Fleming '97 [8] Anne Felicity to Patricia and Daniel Cellucci '00 [9]

Obituaries DR. EARL J. HART ’39 1922-2008 We are sad to report the passing of legendary Prep teacher Dr. Earl J. Hart ‘39, who passed away having been in failing health for the last year. He is survived by his daughter Joanne Boylan, his granddaughter Heather (Boylan) Ruggiero, grandsons Brendan Boylan ‘94 and Kevin Boylan ‘98 and great-granddaughter Avery Ruggiero. According to an article written by the late Jerome Bennett, Jr. ‘48 in the winter 1993 edition of Something’s Happening At The Prep, for more than 50 years Dr. Hart was a mainstay on the Prep faculty, who “served under 10 Prep presidents and 11 principals, taught with hundreds of colleagues and instructed approximately 7,000 students...Dr. Hart taught every mathematics course that the school offered at all four grade levels, from a chalk and blackboard freshman algebra program to a sophisticated computer course.” It is a tribute to his constant desire to learn that the Prep computer center was named in his honor in 1986. Dr. Hart single handedly kept the school’s classroom technology current for many years and was regarded as one of its best teachers. According to the article by Bennett, “in the classroom, Earl expects the best that each student is capable of. He is eminently lucid and totally fair.” Because of the lateness of Dr. Hart’s passing as compared to the deadline for this magazine, we were unable to adequately eulogize this important figure in SJP history. However, check the fall/winter issue of The Prep News for a more complete recollection of his life. In addition, a tribute page has been created at http://www.sjprep.org/hart. This is a place where you can share your memories of Dr. Hart and also pay tribute to a man who meant so much to St. Joseph’s Prep.

JOHN “WAGS” WAGNER 1948-2008 It is not often that a high school freshman football coach gets much attention but it was just this past October when John “Wags” Wagner stood in the spotlight. It was not a place that he sought but nevertheless there he stood, being lauded for his success. That cold, rainy day in October, Coach Wags-as he was affectionately known to the hundreds of boys and families who passed through his program-led the freshman team to a win over Monsignor Bonner, giving him the 100th win of his career. His current players carried him off the field while dozens of former players, coaches and friends stood and cheered. It was a high moment in the life of a coach. But beneath it all, the moment was poignant for many who knew him well. He had won the game as he had so many other times but he was losing his battle with throat cancer. On Friday, July 11, he passed away at the age of 55 after years of fighting. He is survived by his wife Mona and their children Kim, John ‘98 and Stephen ‘01. In an article in the Philadelphia Daily News, varsity football coach Gil Brooks ‘75 said, “(Coach Wags) helped the boys begin the process of becoming men. In all the (12) years John coached the frosh, I never heard one player say anything negative about him. Whether the star or a young man who would never play football again, Coach Wags was universally loved and revered.”

Rest in Peace

William J. Bodo '29

Charles F. Donohue '44

James T. Ryan '54

William J. Reilly '33

Thomas P. Hartman '44

William F. Mulvey '55

Ambrose “Bud” Dudley '38

Robert J. Helmig '44

Edward G. Nash '55

Bernard J. Drueding '39

Vincent J. McPeak '44

James P. Campbell '57

Dr. Earl Hart ’39

Theodore N. Town '45

Joseph G. Zeits '60

Joseph E. Reese '39

George J. McHugh '47

Robert G. Fryling '62

Ellis J. Turner '39

Francis J. Coyne '48

Boris M. Baczynskyj '63

John T. Butler '41

William J. Lynch '48

Vincent J. Gordon '68

Thomas J. McCabe '41

Daniel P. McDevitt '48

Joseph F. Logue '69

John J. Leahy '42

John P. McGrath '48

Joseph A. Vail '69

Thomas P. Smith '42

Fred M. Dolente '49

Andrew S. Demetrovits '72

William J. Stanton '43

Jerome G. Mulhern '49

Jonathan M. Lucks '01

David H. Cushwa '44

James J. Scally '49

Perspectives As we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Church of the Gesu, we thought it fitting to ask former Prep Classics teacher Mr. Charlie Kling '61 to write an article about his memories of the church. Not only did he spend time there as a student, teacher and alumnus, but Mr. Kling was also married in the Church in 1968. All of us in the Prep community carry with us sets of memories and reminiscences which are both specific and shared, i.e., both quite personal and also shared with the members of our subset(s) in the community (students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents, etc.). One of the more revered subjects of our personal and shared memories is the Church of the Gesu. The genesis of this article was a conversation I had with Bill Avington '90, the Prep's Director of Marketing and Communications, in which I discussed some of my recollections of the Gesu. He then suggested that I submit some of these for this issue of The Prep News. My introduction to the Church of the Gesu came in the Spring of 1957, a few months before I entered the Prep as a Freshman in the following September. My father brought me, via public transportation (my first ride on the 15 trolley along Girard Avenue), to witness a Byzantine Rite liturgy being celebrated in the Gesu. Sadly, I remember none of the specifics of the occasion beyond that bare statement. I do, however, clearly remember being awe-struck upon entering the building. I suspect that is why I remember little about the liturgy. I was too busy taking in the experience of the building itself. Even now I think that my first sight of the Latin superscript in the frieze of the Church had some effect on my later decision to study and teach that language. From September 1957 to June 1961, I attended the Prep and my recollections are probably very similar to thousands of other alumni. We had, as I remember, a 'Health' period on Thursdays which we spent in the Gesu in Confession (the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the youngsters among us) and we attended a Mass (Liturgy for the same) every Friday. These twice weekly visits afforded plenty of time to explore further the attraction of the building. In January of 1968 I returned to the Prep and began a teaching career that spanned the next thirty-eight years. For almost all of that time, I taught Latin and frequently alluded to the superscript in the Gesu that had fascinated me as a child. Most of my faculty memories, recognizable, I'm certain, to my former colleagues were essentially policing duties. In that vein, one of my more unusual sets of recollections dates to the early and mid 1970's when we had a Prefect of Discipline (Dean of Students, again for the less senior among us) with whom I developed a close friendship. He gained a reputation for omniscience, a part of which was owing to my being stationed during liturgies and other functions in the choir loft, from which I could silently direct him to miscreants and malefactors, both potential and actual. The onus of my correctional officer's duties were more than offset, though, by what has to be one of the most glorious views in Philadelphia â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that of the Gesu from the choir loft. Without a doubt my most specific, unique, and cherished memory set of the Gesu is my marriage to my wife of almost forty years in November of 1968. At that time the Gesu was still a functioning parish of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. My wife-to-be was a member of a neighboring parish (St. Ludwig's at 28th and Master Streets) and had also been Assistant to the Principal of the Prep. All of these circumstances combined to allow us to be married in the Church which had been a focus in both of our lives. On Saturday, the 23rd of November 1968, we celebrated a Nuptial Mass. At the altar concelebrating were 32

the Principal, Rev. Joseph D. Ayd, S.J., The Prefect of Discipline, Rev. John P. McGinty, S.J., '45, and a former Senior counselor, Rev. Daniel J. McGuire, S.J. The family joke afterwards was that the presences at the altar ensured that the marriage would be permanent. As an addition to that story, I need at this point to mention another small piece of Prep trivia. Because my wife and I were married in the Gesu, we thought it only fitting to have the wedding reception there also. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;newâ&#x20AC;? Prep building, begun just shortly after the terrible fire in January of 1966, had not yet been formally opened or dedicated. However, the Principal kindly made the facility later known as the Multi-Purpose Room available to us for the reception. So, on the afternoon of Saturday the 23rd of November, 1968, at the first official function in the new Prep building, my wife and I and about one hundred and fifty invitees celebrated our wedding. In 1987, my knowledge of, and regard for, the Gesu increased exponentially: in June of that year I began to accompany my long-time friend, colleague, and intellectual brother, Dr. Henry Bender '63, on his annual academic tours of Italy. For the first time I set eyes on the Church of the Gesu in Rome, the precursor of ours by about 300 years. These two edifices look, at first blush, quite dissimi-

lar to one another but are structurally very alike. Henry had done a great deal of research into the Jesuit home church in Rome and had studied in depth both churches with the object of (as any well-trained Jesuit student would) comparing and contrasting the two structures. Over the course of the next ten years or so, I absorbed his information and added a bit of my own. I also learned a great deal from a copy of the Golden Jubilee program book, generously given to me by Rose Marie Kettinger, the Prep's Assistant Principal for Academic Programs and Records. In 1998, the Prep's Director of Admissions asked me to make my Open House post in November of that year the Gesu, in order to give informal tours of the church and answer any questions I could about the church from prospective parents and students. I continued in that practice through my retirement in 2005, and still attend the Open House every November in that capacity. I have also spent an enjoyable evening with the Alumni Board of Governors in the Gesu, explaining the history of the church and taking them on a short tour. Even today, as I enter or leave the Prep (whether I'm in for a substitution or a social visit), I invariably stop momentarily and regard the facade which first so captured my attention over fifty years ago.

The Prep Rugby team wore pink jerseys to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. The specially made jerseys, which were auctioned off after the game, raised over $2,500 for the Kelly Rooney Foundation and Save 2nd Base. Kelly Rooney is the late wife of Prep trustee Sean Rooney ’80. St Joseph’s Preparatory School 1733 Girard Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.sjprep.org

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