http://www.sjprep.org/downloads/news/prepnews/PrepNews_09_Winter

A magazine for alumni, parents, students, faculty and friends of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School Vol. 5 No. 1, Winter 2009

news Rev. George W. Bur, S.J. ’59 3 1 S T P R E S I D E N T O F S T. J O S E P H ’ S P R E P

president’s letter

Dear Friends of the Prep, I am grateful to the St. Joseph’s Prep Board of Trustees for giving me this opportunity to assist in the mission of this great Jesuit school. Every day since my graduation day, I have been moved, even if in some small way, by the Jesuit and Ignatian influence that I first met here as a student.

Of course, there were times when I was tempted to think that the Ignatian vision of the world, at once a stage both for God’s glory and for man’s pride, was too divisive and demanding, but always the Ignatian vision proved true. There are forces in our fallen nature and in the world that lead to destruction but God’s grace is also everywhere, healing and encouraging us.

Over the past years, I had several different roles within our region’s Jesuit mission and each one of them helped to prepare me for the next and, now, for the presidency of the Prep. Take an experience two years before my present assignment: in 2006 several Prep grads from the classes of the 1970s and earlier asked me to assist them in a group retreat using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It turned out to be a powerful experience for all of us participants. Some felt transformed by the graces that God gave them. When, later, the opportunity for me to work at the Prep came about, I thought of these men and how the experience of the Prep still resonated with them after 30 and 40 years.

These men convinced me that it is a rare student who graduates from the Prep and then completely forgets it. Some students might squeak through and a rare few might be cynical at graduation but each one either experiences some kind of discovery of himself and his talents or he comes to know that he has a potential that is yearning to be tapped. If there are late bloomers who later discover their skills or their humility, one expects this rather than no bloom at all.

Keep attentive the next time you walk through the Prep and see our students. You may see a boy who is flunking a subject or two; you may see one who is having a bad day. But I guarantee that you will most of all see spaces filled with the positive energy of our Prep boys. They engage one another; they find common interests; they grow together; not a boy drifts through the building alone and without purpose. There is a community for everyone to form life-long friendships.

Such student activity will not automatically yield students who fit the desired description of our graduates at graduation: intellectually competent, loving, religious, committed to justice, and open to growth. My experience with the older graduates, though, is proof enough of the possibilities. They showed themselves, years after their days in a Jesuit high school, particularly open to the growth that Ignatius promises to those who pray through the Exercises. Their commitment increased my own “Prep Pride” and helped prepare me for my work at my alma mater.

Let us share our prayers that we, too, can hone in ourselves the traits of the grad at grad.

Sincerely yours,

George W. Bur, S.J. ’59 Note to readers: Some of you may have noticed that The Prep News has gone from having a full-color section to all black and white with some color accents.

This was done to minimize the costs of this publication. We hope you understand our desire to be cost conscious during these difficult financial times.

inside:

editor’s note: Friends,

C OV E R S TO RY Rev. George W. Bur, S.J. ’59 31st President of St. Joseph’s Prep.....8

SECTIONS News ................................................2 National Merit Semifinalists ...........2 PREParing a Cure ............................3 Jesuit Hall ........................................5 Scapin ..............................................6 Communion Breakfasts...................7

Faculty Profiles ..............................14 Student Profiles.............................16 Alumni Reunion Photos .........................20 Class Notes ....................................24 Parent/Alumni Profiles ...25, 26 & 28 Births/Weddings/ In Memoriam ..........................34-35

Perspectives ...................................36

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

President Principal Vice President for Development Chief Financial Officer Director of Ignatian Identity Director of Alumni Relations

editor Bill Avington ’90

Director, Marketing and Communications

designer Maridel McCloskey

McCloskey Designs

class notes editor Angie Falcone

Development Services Assistant

This latest issue of The Prep News should reach you as the holidays are receding and the dark days of winter are upon many of us. Hope this issue shines a little bit of light wherever you are.

Obviously light and hope are needed in our topsyturvy world. The economic news is dour, we still have soldiers fighting in war zones in the Middle East and there have been way too many police funerals in Philadelphia lately.

For many, St. Joseph’s Prep does provide some light and hope. Our new president, Rev. George W. Bur, S.J. ’59, is a good example. Fr. Bur is a pastoral leader, a man who chooses to go into situations where hope is needed. He has done that, not only in the positions he has filled through the years but also in how he performs them. In his first few months as President, Fr. Bur has presided at many funerals, sat vigil in hospitals with Prep families and brought a warmth and kindness to the halls for students and faculty alike. In short, he has been a man for and with others and we are lucky to have him here.

In this issue, you will read a feature story on him and others. Among the features is an excellent article written by Prep teacher Susie Cook about Rohan Shroff, a Prep senior who might not fit the mold of what most people think of a Prep student. Actually, in almost all ways but one, he is the model Prep student, serving others, taking advantage of all of the academic opportunities that exist here and forging relationships that will last a lifetime. However, Rohan is not Catholic. In fact, he is a Zoroastrian, the only one at the Prep today. You will see through Susie’s article that Rohan is becoming more deeply rooted in his faith and his relationship to his God thanks to his time here. He is a good example of the Jesuit ideal of finding God in all things.

If you need to find more cause for hope in the world, you need only travel down Broad Street to Citizens Bank Park. There, in October, our lovable Phillies finally did the unexpected and won the World Series. It was a great run and one Prepper had the best seat in the house. Tom Burgoyne ’83 inhabits the Phillie Phanatic, America’s most beloved mascot, and he is also profiled in this magazine.

I encourage you to read this issue and find out all that the Prep continues to do. I think you will be impressed by the people you meet.

editorial staff Ceal Biello Beth Missett Nancy Moule Albert J. Zimmerman ’73

Director of Annual Giving Director of Special Events Development Services Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

Bill

photography David DeBalko, Gesu School, Ronald Martin, Mike Monti, Brendan Murphy ’01, Frank Raffa

writers Bill Avington '90, Susie Cook, Albert J. Zimmerman ’73

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

Proof that dreams do come true: Maura, Daniel and Thomas Avington with the World Series trophy.

school news

National Merit and Achievement Scholars Ten Prep seniors were selected to be National Merit Semifinalists: Daniel Casey, Patrick Curran, Daniel DuPont, Shaun Gallagher, Robert Hallinan, Daniel King, Michael Leithead, Daniel McGeever, Ross McMonigle and Thomas Ward join approximately 16,000 semifinalists from around the country in meeting the criteria for this prestigious honor. This year’s total is more than our local competitors and puts us in good company among other Jesuit schools.

New Faculty This fall, we welcomed several new faculty members to the Prep. The addition of Jesuit Hall, our new academic center that added 16 new classrooms to our facility, has allowed us to create new teaching positions in science and classics and to also bring three current part-time positions (history, modern language and art) to fulltime, raising the status of Jeremy Foldsey (art), Ines Gorban-Pheulpin (modern language) and Peter Reid (history). This greatly reduced class size and provided the opportunity to increase class offerings.

The new faculty members are: Dr. John Campbell (science); Kelli Jones (math); Matthew Kelly ’02 (classics); Kristin Laska (science); and Dino Pinto (religion).

In athletics, Eric Gregg, Jr. (lacrosse) and Jim Glavin ’65

In addition, Julian Bryan ’09 and Leighton Muse ’09 both qualified as semifinalists in the 2009 National Achievement Scholarship Program. They join more than 1,600 Black American high school seniors from around the country in meeting the criteria for this prestigious award.

New CFO Named Timothy G. O’ Shaughnessy was named Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in mid-August after an extensive search.

O’Shaughnessy came to the Prep after holding the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Business, Sport and Entertainment Group of Aramark Corporation. In a addition, he worked for Arthur Andersen.

“Mr. O’Shaughnessy was selected because of his excellent skills and qualifications, and his commitment to the mission of the Prep,” said Prep President Rev. George W. Bur, S.J. ’59. “I am grateful for his willingness to join us.”

(crew) have taken over the helms of those successful programs.

Once again, recent Prep graduates came back to school to serve as part of the Alumni Service Corps. These members of the Class of 2004 are serving in a variety of positions here at The Prep: Brendan Coffey; John Dougherty; Michael McHugh and Timothy Reilly.

O’Shaughnessy, who is the father of a Prep alumnus and a current student, began his duties on August 18.

In addition to O’Shaughnessy, the Business Office team consists of Beth D’Eramo, who was recently hired as Controller, Michael Sullivan (Finance Manager), Marlene Smythe (accounts receivable coordinator) and Katrina Andrews (accounts payable coordinator). D’Eramo was business manager at Waldron Mercy Academy before coming to the Prep.

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PREParing a Cure Prominent Prep alums Phil Martelli ’72 (head men’s basketball coach at Saint Joseph’s University), Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ’75 and Tim Klarich ’05 (inside the

SJU Hawk costume) join Prep students Colin O’Neill ’10, Brian Lojewski ’10, Dave Cycon ’09 and Mike Busza ’10 on the Art Museum steps at the walk to benefit Juvenile

Diabetes research. Lojewski and Busza are the co-founders and presidents of PREParing a Cure, a student group dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight disease.

Barbera earns McKernan Award The sixth annual Kathryn M. McKernan Award for Excellence in Ignatian Education was presented to Dr. L. Stewart Barbera ’86, Chair of the Counseling Department. Sponsored by Thomas McKernan ’77 and the McKernan Family in honor of his mother, the award “is presented annually to a member of the faculty at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School for

guidance, leadership and instruction aimed at preparing graduates in the Ignatian tradition – graduates who are open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice.”

Dr. Barbera [third from right] accepts his award from Fr. Bur. Also on hand, with Dr. Barbera’s family is Tom McKernan ’77 [far right] who sponsored the award.

Preppers at ADL Conference Six students (Scott Grueneberg ’11, Mischael Joseph ’11, Brian Lojewski ’10, Armando Martinez ’10, Michael Nguyen ’10 and Giancarlo Sanguinetti ’11) represented the Prep at the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) second annual “Exploring Diversity, Challenging Hate” student conference at the University of Pennsylvania.

Nguyen, Lowjewski and Martinez pose with Mayor Nutter ’75 at the Conference.

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school news

MJ McGinn ’09 earned the right to don the coveted Hawk costume.

Here MJ poses with members of Student Council (Kurt Skalamera ’09, Sean Murphy ’09, Matt Fanelli ’09 and John Kaufmann ’09.)

New Hawk

Taggart Series The Rev. J. Vincent Taggart Cultural Events Series arranged for two major speakers during the first half of the 2008-09 academic year, with another scheduled for early 2009.

Students and the Prep community were first treated to a talk by noted author Peter W. Singer, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in twenty-first-century warfare, who Dr. Peter Singer

explored how a new strategy of war, utilized by armies and warlords alike, has targeted children, seeking to turn them into soldiers and terrorists. In his lecture, Dr. Singer laid out the underlying causes of child soldiering, the methods by which children are recruited and trained for war, and the dark implications for global security.

In December, journalist Lena Williams, author of It’s the Little Things: Everyday Interactions that Anger, Annoy and Divide the Races, offered a “candid, sensible and humorously informative

Lena Williams

approach to improving race relations.”

A third presentation by Michael Fowlin offered a one-person show “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me,” which deals with issues of race, discrimination, violence prevention, personal identity, suicide, gender equity, homophobia and the emotional pain felt by special education children.

For more information, contact taggart_series@sjprep.org.

Dr. Michael Fowlin

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Clockwise from top: Chapel in Jesuit Hall; Paul Lynch teaches a history lesson in a new classroom; the old Jesuit library has been transformed into the Quinn Archive Library; the Ignatian Room is the new hub of traffic; the Art Studio is one of the most attractive rooms in Jesuit Hall.

Jesuit Hall

This fall, Prep students, faculty, staff and administration occupied new spaces throughout campus, including Jesuit Hall, the new academic center and the first major academic building project since the construction of the current school building in 1968. Jesuit Hall adds 16 new classrooms, a state-of-the-art communications center, two new art studios and spaces to house the President’s Office, the Business Office, Mission and Ministry plus Development. The academic departments of history, classics, mathematics and studio art also moved into the new building. The Dean of Students moved into new space in the Sauter Dining Room, allowing the English Department to occupy its old space. In addition, new offices were provided for Religion and Modern Language. On the science floor, a physical science lab was added, the first major lab addition since the 1960s.

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school news

Scapin

Phillies Pride The Prep showed its Phillies pride during the team’s World Series run. For a profile on Tom Burgoyne ’83, the Phillie Phanatic, go to p. 28.

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school news

Mother-Son Breakfast The Mother/Son Communion Breakfast was held September 28 with over 800 people in attendance. Jerry McHugh ’72, a noted lawyer who has continued to financially support his West Philadelphia grade school, was the keynote speaker. The Alumni/Father-Son was also a huge hit, with nearly 1,000 people in attendance.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ’75 was the keynote speaker while awards were presented to Cardinal John Foley ’53 (Alumnus of the Year presented by Bernard “Gus” Kueny ’53, bottom right), Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. ’45 (Schnorr Award) and Daniel Friedman ’09 (Sauter Award).

Alumni/Father-Son Breakfast

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c o v e r s t o ry

“...once I met the students, who are amazing, I thought to myself, ‘why wouldn’t I want to help them with their education?’

The possibilities for the future are huge.”

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c o v e r s t o ry

REV. GEORGE W. BUR, S.J. ’59 31st President of St. Joseph’s Prep

by Bill Avington ’90

S

omething didn’t make sense to a kid growing up in Abington yet traveling frequently in and out of Philadelphia to visit family: why was there such a discrepancy between the ways people lived?

While some lived well, on leafy streets in big, clean houses, others, especially minorities, lived poorly, in dilapidated homes. For the rest of his life, George Bur would work to give to those poor and forgotten the access to the most important assets possible— housing and education.

Now, as Rev. George Bur, S.J. ’59 takes over the presidency of St. Joseph’s Prep, he stands on a lifetime of experience working for the underdog. And though the Prep may not seem a likely place to use those skills, Fr. Bur believes he is in the right place at the right time.

“I was reluctant to take the position at first,” says Bur as he sits at a table with the sun pouring in through the windows of his new office in Jesuit Hall. “I had not worked in a high school for many years and I felt there might be a better place for me to use the skills I had developed. But, once I met the students, who are amazing, I thought to myself, ‘why wouldn’t I want to help them with their education?’ The possibilities for the future are huge.”

To get to the future, it is useful to look at the past.

George Bur, one of Helen and George Bur’s five children, first went to school at Immaculate Conception in Jenkintown before moving to Our Lady Help of Christians when it opened in his seventh grade year.

It was around this time that Fr. Bur began to wonder about how the world was different depending on your class or race.

“I noticed that there were gross inequities in the system and that perplexed me,” he says. “It was unexpected to me. I guess I was kind of sheltered.”

He saw more of that while traveling every day to the Prep. But even though there was a Prep legacy in his family (brother Anthony ’53), it was not certain that George would follow his brother to North Philadelphia.

“Money was tight at the time and my parents were worried that they would not be able to send all of us to private school,” says Bur. So he took a job to pay for his transportation and part of his tuition. Working weekends as a busboy and waiter at Jesse’s Ranch House in Abington earned him just 35 cents per hour plus tips but it was enough to get him to and from the Prep.

[Left] Fr. Bur celebrating his first Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians in 1972; [Right] Receiving an honorary degree from Fairfield University

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c o v e r s t o ry

In school, George played the clarinet in the band, under the direction of Vito LaMonaca. But it was in Sodality and the St. Ignatian Club where he really found his calling. Sodality, which met every week to discuss topics in the Catholic Church, was a thriving club at the time with more than 100 students. In Bur’s senior year, the sodality club had roughly 30 members, more than a dozen began studies in the priesthood and eight are currently serving as priests.

“I still remember very well the people I met in Sodality and the adults from the community who would come and speak,” he says.

“We were strongly encouraged to join the Society and there was a cultural tilt towards the religious life.”

And Bur had another inspiration. His uncle, Rev. Joseph Cohalan, S.J., a frequent visitor to the Bur house, “was the first Jesuit influence in my life,” Bur says of his uncle who had various roles, including treasurer, at Georgetown University.

The first few months of a Jesuit’s life are rigorous. “It’s a transition from your past life,” Bur says. “You are on a tight, steady daily schedule that works to help you discover whether this really is your calling. It’s a testing time, full of prayer. Somehow I passed the test.”

For George Bur, no test was necessary. He knew that his calling was to go with the Society of Jesus.

“I had the example of my uncle and the 24 men who worked at the Prep,” he says. “They were so interesting.

Through them, I learned that Jesuits were very urbane, interested in politics, Broadway shows, discussions about things such as the Cold War or Sputnik. They were fascinating men and I was eager to join with them.”

During his days in the Seminary, Bur earned a Bachelor’s degree in physics from Spring Hill College in Alabama and then a Master’s in physics from The Catholic University of America. For two years, he also taught math and physics at Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., and at Bishop’s Latin School in Pittsburgh. Along the way, he realized that teaching physics was not his passion. After being ordained in

1972, Fr. Bur went to work for the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, a new group under the auspices of Catholic Charities in Baltimore, Md. For the next 13 years, Fr. Bur worked with a group of dedicated priests and lay men and women to establish the Center which offered housing counseling to poor and underprivileged people while also advocating for fair housing practices. Fr. Bur proudly states that the group helped stop practices like “block busting” (convincing white homeowners to sell at low prices by telling them that blacks were purchasing homes on the block) and “red lining” (the institutional denial of credit to certain races or neighborhoods) in Baltimore. While he was happy with his work, Fr. Bur also began to look for the next phase of his ministry.

With experience working in the inner city, especially in an African American community, Fr. Bur came to the Gesu Parish as an assistant pastor under Rev. William Perkins, S.J. At the time, Gesu had between 200-250 addresses on file and just 200 kids in the school, which occupied one floor of the Prep’s old Thompson Street building.

“We were only getting 200-300 worshippers at Sunday Mass so we could see that the parish was in potential trouble,” says Fr. Bur, who became pastor in 1988. “But Fr. Perkins had stressed to us all the importance of keeping the school open.” Before leaving as Pastor, Fr. Perkins, responding to the desire of the community, had convinced the Maryland Province to donate $1 million to renovate a portion of the school and help Gesu accommodate more students.

From 1991-93, a time which Fr. Bur refers to as “the most difficult time in my life,” the pastors of five North Philadelphia parishes got together on orders from the Archdiocese to determine which two parishes to save.

“We were very strong in wanting to save 1,100 seats for students in Catholic school so we wanted to save all four schools no matter what happened to the churches,” Fr. Bur says. “That was not what the Cardinal had in mind.”

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Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua decided to keep St. Malachy’s and St. Martin dePorres open and asked the Jesuits and Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters to somehow keep the Gesu School alive. “In hindsight, it made perfect sense,” says Fr. Bur.

The school thrived, with Fr. Bur at the helm for 10 more years. In 2003, after 18 years in North Philadelphia, he was ready for a new challenge. The Provincial asked him to become rector of the Jesuit Community at Saint Joseph’s University.

Thankfully, the Gesu School had already been in the process of raising funds. The volunteers who worked on that committee became the school’s operating board.

“We were truly blessed because our board had some very talented and connected people, all of whom gave their resources and energy to the Gesu School,” Fr. Bur says.

“I was lucky to arrive at the same time as (Saint Joseph’s University President Rev. Timothy) Lannon,” says Fr. Bur. “He asked me to help him make the school more attractive to minority students in the city.”

With others at SJU, Fr. Bur founded the Ignatian College Connection (ICC), with the goal that Fr. Lannon envisioned. In its first three years of existence, the ICC helped 28 students enroll at Saint Joseph’s and raised over $2 million for students in need.

“Fr. Lannon and others at the University made my job easy,” Fr. Bur says.

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[top] Bur built the Gesu School into a city “gem” [below] Part of his success was the cultivation of volunteers like Jack McGrath

c o v e r s t o ry

Finally, in 2008, his alma mater needed a new leader.

Though he was approached to apply for the position, Fr. Bur did not feel ready. The Provincial gave him some advice. “He asked me to go out and find five people who knew the Prep and knew me and ask them what they thought of me becoming president,” Fr. Bur says.

“All said to go for it which shocked me. It made me pause and explore the position.”

Fr. Bur points to two events as he began doing his “due diligence.” First he attended the 2007 Alumni/FatherSon Communion Breakfast. There he heard classmate Andrew Von Eschenbach, head of the Food and Drug Administration, and award winners Suellen and Frank Monaghan (who, after the death of their son Patrick ’05, founded a program called “Patrick’s Dreams” to celebrate Patrick’s interest in community service, especially with Habitat for Humanity), Vince Dougherty ’48 and David Binder ’08 (a student who overcame a speech impediment and excelled in his time at the Prep). “The speakers blew me away,” he says. He then came to the annual Senior Mother-Son Dinner and got very positive feedback from the mothers.

“I found the students eager and engaged and I got excited,” Fr. Bur says.

Fr. Bur knows there is great responsibility to his position. “How do we live up to these great expectations,” Fr. Bur asks. “Thankfully, I can rely on a knowledgeable faculty and staff. I also have four siblings who support me with their experience.” He speaks of IHM Sister

In November 2001, Fr. Bur celebrated the work of Steve Chenoweth ’04, who turned a vacant lot at 17th & Stiles into a garden as his Eagle Scout project.

With them is community leader Vivian Van Story.

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Mary Bur, who is principal at West Catholic, Jeanne, who is a teacher and school psychologist with years of experience with students, Tony, a Prep grad who is the father of five boys, and Eileen, the grandmother of a Prep student.

As he begins his service at the Prep, Fr. Bur chose five goals for his first year. “We have a new and extraordinary physical space thanks to the vision and determination of our Board of Trustees and my predecessors (Rev. Bruce Bidinger, S.J., and Rev. William Byron, S.J. ’45) over the past five years,” Fr. Bur says. “The new space changes the way we use our facility and think about ourselves. It will be well for us to evaluate these changes and celebrate them.”

Other concrete goals include the completion of the Campaign for the Prep, the creation of a sound financial plan for the coming years, the continuing evolution of an enrollment plan that incorporates a commitment to diversity and the continued development of support for the faculty and staff.

“We have made steps in these areas already but I really don’t think we can advance to the next plateau without making progress on these five goals,” Fr. Bur says. “Of course, it’s too early to know what the next plateau will be.”

[Left] Fr. Bur with his parents after his first mass [Below] Fr. Bur with Gesu students

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Fa c u l t y p r o f i l e

Bill Conners ’80 I

N ITS ADMISSIONS MATERIALS, ST. JOSEPH’S PREP TOUTS ITS URBAN LOCATION, HIGHLIGHTING ITS PROXIMITY TO CENTER CITY PHILADELPHIA. Perhaps no teacher at the Prep takes more advantage of that proximity than history teacher Bill Conners ’80.

Conners, who teaches U.S. history and government classes, regularly brings students to lectures throughout the city, including the Constitution Center and the Free Library of Philadelphia. He also runs a class trip every year that goes to places such as the Arch Street Meetinghouse, Christ Church, Welcome Park (where William Penn’s vision is mapped out), Old St. Joseph’s Church (the first Catholic parish in Philadelphia and birthplace of St. Joseph’s Prep) and Mother Bethel AME (the first black church in Philadelphia).

“For me, Philadelphia is an extended classroom,” says Conners. “We are in the most historic city in America.

There is no better place.”

To Conners, it would be a shame for Prep students to miss out on the chance to hear speakers on all sides of the issue. “We have been able to hear lectures from great scholars and characters, from Judge (Robert) Bork and Patrick Buchanan on the right to (Supreme Court) Justice (Stephen) Breyer, Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Mario Cuomo on the left.”

Conners has also planned trips to New Hampshire during the early days

Conners [far right] and students [l-r] Greg Mahon, Kenny Lankford, Colin Fleming and Pete Wysocki with former Israeli Supreme Court Chief Justice Aharon Barak after a talk at the Constitution Center

of the presidential races and to Washington, D.C., for the Inauguration. “The idea is for the students to participate as much as possible,” he says.

And Conners patterns his trips on those of former Prep classics teacher Dr. Henry Bender ’63, who directed trips to Rome and Greece for many summers. As a junior in 1979, Conners went on a summer classics program trip and was amazed at how well run the three-week tour was.

“Just another way the Prep has influenced me,” he says. Conners now runs his own summer trips and, this summer, he and Brendan Murphy ’01, Director of Web Services, are running a spring break trip to Berlin.

It is perhaps a long strange road that took Conners from graduation back to the Prep. After earning a degree in Greek and archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania (with minors in marine biology and geology), Conners took a year off and worked as “immigrant labor” in Austria. “I scrubbed the floors, cleaned the pool, washed pots and pans, you name it, and I loved it,” he says. “I met some great friends there, friends with whom I still keep in touch today.”

From Austria, Conners came home and taught for 12 years at St. James School in Elkins Park. For six years he taught science, then he taught computers before taking a social studies position for five years. This was the perfect fit for a man who always loved history. “I had teachers like

(Rev.) Tom Clifford (S.J.), Ken Mattern and Jerry Taylor, plus my grandmother brought me down to historic sites as a kid,” Conners says.

In addition to his history teaching load, Conners team-teaches a course on “American Studies” with English chair Chris Rupertus. “For me, personally and professionally, it has worked very well,” Conners says.

“Chris is a master teacher and I have learned a lot from being in class with him for 80 minutes a day for nine years. We are polar opposites but teaching the course with him has been a real pleasure.”

Conners is enjoying his time at his alma mater. “There are so many people here from my days as a student and I love that connection to my own past,” he says. “And these kids are so smart. Truthfully, the only thing I have on them is age and just a little bit of wisdom. There is a pressure to do my job and be on top of things because they see through content that is not meaty.”

And part of Conners’ plan to keep the students interested is his classroom in Jesuit Hall. The walls are filled with historical photos and documents. “I want to create an atmosphere that when you walk in, you know you are in a history classroom,” he says. He also wears several political buttons on his lapel, a walking advertisement for history, but that is no surprise. To Bill Conners, every moment is a teaching moment.

— Bill Avington ’90

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Fa c u l t y p r o f i l e

Michael Magree, S.J. S

OME PEOPLE COME TO A PLACE AND SETTLE IN QUIETLY. SOME, LIKE MICHAEL MAGREE, S.J., ARRIVE AND TAKE THE PLACE BY STORM. Magree, a Jesuit scholastic, is in his second year of teaching at St. Joseph’s Prep but he has already made a tremendous impact. In addition to teaching religious studies courses, Magree is the director of the Christus Choir, moderator of Student Council, Assistant Freshman Soccer Coach and Coordinator of Ignatian Heritage Week. It is quite a resum´e to compile in such a short time but Magree is just relishing his days at the Prep. “(Teaching at a high school) is certainly an area that I love,” says Magree, a native of Columbus, Ohio.

“I love the energy, I love the days when they enjoy learning, I love helping them have those days more often and I love the way they enjoy being together and hanging together. I try to encourage that and help them realize that what they have here is so special.”

Magree also hopes to have an impact on the students because of the collar he wears. In a time not long after recent sex abuse scandals in the church and with a shortage of priests, Magree feels an obligation to be a role model.

a small Catholic college in Ohio. After graduating from college and while pursuing a Ph.D. in classics at Ohio State, Magree ran into Fr. Tomasek again.

“ I want to be a witness for them, someone who has committed himself to a life with Christ but who can laugh with them and be interested in many of the same things that they are...”

“I want to be a witness for them, someone who has committed himself to a life with Christ but who can laugh with them and be interested in many of the same things that they are,” he says. “I want to earn their trust.”

In short, Magree wants to do for today’s Prep students what another Jesuit, Rev. Richard Tomasek, S.J., did for him. Although Magree had thought about being a priest in high school he was “scared to talk about it.” Then he met Fr. Tomasek while studying as an undergraduate at Franciscan University of Steubenville, 15

“From the first time I met him, I was moved by how personal he was, how he wanted to know what God was saying to me in my heart,” says Magree.

After more interactions with Fr. Tomasek and other Jesuits, Magree began to develop a fuller relationship with God through prayer. “I began to pray with the Scripture in a new way, to use my imagination to see myself walking with Jesus,” says Magree.

“Before that, faith was more intellectual for me. After that, it was something that called me to act on it.”

Action meant leaving the Ph.D. program after earning a Master’s in two years and entering the Jesuit seminary in Syracuse, N.Y. After two years at the Novitiate, which included time teaching at Wheeling (W.V.) Jesuit University, Magree then spent three years of study, earning a Master’s degree in philosophy at Fordham University, where he also worked in campus ministry. And now he is at the Prep, with one more year here; then he will spend three more years of study before, hopefully, ordination.

But, for now, Magree is here, involved in every aspect of life at St. Joseph’s Prep. He could not be happier. “I see how fast they grow, how quickly they learn,” he says. “I am so blessed to feel that I have a small part in that, that I am helping to form men of faith, men of love. To see that happening is truly a blessing for me.”

— Bill Avington ’90

student profile

Rohan Shroff ’09 R ohan Shroff is a senior. He is serious and social, well-respected by his peers.

Rohan Shroff, too, is Zoroastrian. In this way, there is no other quite like him at the Prep. For instance, just underneath his blue button-down, he wears a sacred shirt – a Sudreh – made of spotless white cloth, a symbol of innocence and purity, a badge of his religion. Stitched into this shirt’s collar is the Gareban – a small pocket that holds good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

Good thoughts, words and deeds: Manashni, Gavashni, Kunashni. These are basic principles of Shroff’s life, the ethical code of Zoroastrianism.

Zoroastrianism is considered the oldest extant monotheistic religion.

Some consider it near extinction.

Zarathushtra, or Zoroaster to the Greeks, lived around 1500 B.C., during the Iranian bronze age. By 560 B.C., the religion would start a millennium of domination: during three powerful Persian empires, the creed had also spread west towards Rome and Greece, east to India, north into Russia and South into Egypt.

Followers were in the millions. Today, there are fewer than 100,000 Zoroastrians. Most live in India and Iran. Ahura Mazda is God. Zoroaster is his prophet.

“Obviously, I can’t bow down and worship at (Catholic) Mass,” Shroff says. He is not trying to be funny, or haughty, just trying to explain that he’s not that different. “Mass is a spiritually moving time for me though, because you’re basically at this time where you stand back and look at what you’re doing.

You’re praying to God to ask for his help in that moment. The common theme is that we’re asking this greater force, this greater power, to help us and watch over us in this time of need.

Overall, it’s our similarities not our differences that bond us.”

To teachers, this is Rohan: unpretentiously and unselfconsciously profound, a student with natural crescendo, introspective but talkative too. In discussion, he is graciously opinionated, generous in that his comments take risk. His peers respond to his honesty, his humor.

And Rohan responds to them. In October, as part of the Ixthus team, he led eight students on the freshman retreat, which includes Mass and a Penance service. It’s an initiation of sorts, the first time, as an upperclassman will tell you, where freshmen “get” the Prep way: to be there for your friend, to think beyond yourself, to invest in relationships.

Manashni, Gavashni, Kunashni.

Shrof says that his stay at 17th and Girard has broadened him spiritually and socially. “I think it’s been a great experience learning a whole new culture, a new religion. It’s similar but then again a large contrast to me. I feel like I’m gaining perspective on values, on religions in general.”

It’s the similarities that bond us: as different as Shroff might feel sometimes, his faith has brought him closer to others.

“It seems like it’s easy for guys to approach me and be curious. I’m more likely to be approached than shunned,” says Shroff, who just started the Hero Club at the

Prep. The Hero Club is in partnership with USAID, a group that seeks to provide school-based support to children living in Africa, especially in those areas affected most with HIV/AIDS. Zoroastrianism, meanwhile, has played a crucial role in the development of western religious thought. The religion shares with Judaism and Christianity the belief in a supreme, loving God; heaven and hell; and ideas like the resurrection, final judgment and eternal life. Satan, paradise and amen: these words are of Zoroastrian origin.

There are no authentic Zoroastrian worship sites in America, only mock ones. So when Shroff traveled to Udvada in India with his family a few years ago to see the most prominent Zoroastrian temple, the Atash Behram, he was broadened, he was moved.

“The cool thing about this place, and all the Zoroastrian worship sites, is that they were built so long ago, so they’re so historically important,” he says. “In standing in the same place where my great great great grandfather could have stood, I felt my culture and heritage for the first time.”

The Navjote (pronounced nahv-johte) marks another first in Zoroastrian culture. A central ritual much like Christian Confirmation or Jewish Bar Mitzvah, the Navjote – which means in ancient Persian “new devotee” – is one’s initiation into manhood, an initiation into a life of spiritual responsibility. Within this ceremony, the child becomes more; he becomes a new disciple. Before one’s Navjote, the child’s good and bad deeds go in his father’s Sudreh. With the Navjote comes accountability. “At that point I was responsible for my good deeds, and bad deeds too. They go in here.”

Shroff pats his neck, his Sudreh.

For Shroff, and for all his Prep brothers of today and yesterday, 17th and Girard is a special place, a place of academic, physical and spiritual formation.

The Prep, too, is a major moment of initiation. “This place has meant a lot because it’s where I’ve gone from boyhood to manhood. It’s a starting point for my future, and I think it’s a place that I’ll look back on for strength for my whole life. It’s where I started out.”

It is a sort of Navjote.

Information for this article was found in a pamphlet

by Rohinton M. Rivetna and edited by FEZANA Publication Committee.

— Susie Cook

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student profile

Garrett Barker ’09

T

he values of St. Joseph’s Prep are well-known to anyone associated with it; the Prep strives to educate men for and with others, to take a boy and motivate him to achieve his best (the magis), all for the greater glory of God (AMDG). For Garrett Barker ’09, it is a perfect complement to another group he is involved with, the Boy Scouts of America.

Barker, one of at least seven members of the current senior class to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, is a member of the Radnor troop 284 and has been since he was 10 years old. “I love the ideal of the scout law,” Barker says of the code that calls on scouts to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. “I think it is a good way to live my life and it has helped prepare me for whatever I am going to do.”

Barker also sees a connection between scouting and St. Joseph’s Prep. The scout oath—“On my honor I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all

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times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight”—goes very well with the phrase “Body, Mind, Spirit” that he has heard in school and is a cornerstone of a Jesuit education.

“When I came to the Prep, I was really comfortable with all of that because it went so well with what I had learned from Scouting,” he says.

“The Scouts call us to do a good turn daily, to be trustworthy, so does the Prep. The Scouts call us to keep ourselves strong physically, mentally and morally, so does the Prep.”

To achieve Eagle Scout, the highest rank in scouting, Barker completed a project at the Wayne Senior Center.

There a show is taped geared towards seniors with themes such as mental and physical health, cultural opportunities, history and other things to do in the area called “Sage on Stage.”

Barker helped coordinate the more than 400 videotapes into a system that cataloged the shows and put them into an order so that people could easily access the program.

“From a pragmatic standpoint, I learned that organization projects take a lot longer than anticipated,” he says. “You really have to have a plan in place.”

It also gave him some working knowledge of a place that he had passed hundreds of times while going to the nearby train station. “It was interesting to see what the center was all about,” he says.

And it was just another life lesson for a young man who seems intent on taking advantage of as many as he can.

— Bill Avington ’90

Several Prep seniors have already earned their Eagle Scout badge and several others are extremely close to achieving this high rank: Eagle Scouts: Garrett Barker, Joe Farrell, Matt Griffin, Matt Potako, Anthony Ricco, Tom Warren, and Tom Zaki.

profiles

Studio Art Department The recent move into Jesuit Hall was a wonderful moment in the history of St. Joseph’s Prep. Adding 16 new classrooms and office/meeting space gave the school many things that were needed. But, perhaps no department benefited more from the move than the studio art program.

The art room had been a bit nomadic over the years. First, it occupied two classrooms in the southwest corner of the second floor. Then it moved into the two-story high space that once housed the teacher lounge (and the senior lounge before that). But the program continued to grow and it needed additional space to allow for a second teacher. Now it has it.

The Studio Art and Art History courses, taught by department chair Ms. Deb Hilton and Mr. Jeremy Foldesy, now occupy the entire west end of the fifth floor of Jesuit Hall.

“One of the most important things that the new rooms allowed was the addition of a second art teacher,” says Hilton. “That allows us to specialize in what we teach and to keep the class sizes smaller so that we can individualize our attention. That was not possible on a daily basis when there were 30 students in a class.”

Both studios are equipped with large windows that allow the rooms to be bathed in natural lighting and have plenty of space for storage.

“The strongest addition to the new space is the windows,” says Foldesy, in his second year at the Prep. “It is really good for drawing and painting. Electric light will dull down the color of objects. Natural light enhances color and allows us to see more subtle colors within the objects around us. It is more pleasurable to the eye.”

From a pragmatic standpoint, Hilton, who has taught 12 different courses during her 14 years at the Prep, points to the storage. “Having everything we need in one room really allows us to manage the flow better,” says Hilton, who used to have several smaller storage areas throughout the building.

“Our last space, in the old lounge, was very unwieldy and the acoustics were tough. This space is so nice.”

At a school like the Prep, it is sometimes difficult to fit art into the schedule.

But both Hilton and Foldesy stress the importance of the subject for all, even those who don’t think they have artistic talent.

“Art courses are for everyone,” says Hilton. “They provide a place for selfdiscovery and personal growth. While society recognizes the product it is the process that is most significant.”

“What the world needs now, especially today, are people who can think creatively, who can come up with new ideas and visions that will create solutions for our world,” she continues. “The study of art does that, it develops a part of the brain in a way that nothing else can. Art develops critical thinking and problem solving skills.”

“Art allows for multiple correct responses, the opportunity to discover things on your own,” says Foldesy. “An art project won’t just test a skill but it will allow for many choices.”

For a gallery of student art work, go to www.sjprep.org/prepnews.

– Bill Avington ’90

Speedy Morris The sound of a miter saw slices through the Kelly Fieldhouse air. The coach continues to speak. We are not five individuals on defense. We are five guys working together. Everybody jumps on a pass. As soon as they pass it, we are moving. All of us.

Pete Buzby listens. Joe Nardi nods. Mike Leithead takes heed. Twelve others – all clad in black practice jerseys, their black New Balances tightly tied – follow the coach’s instruction, this late-November exhortation about rotation defense.

Speedy Morris is Philadelphia’s coach, this city’s icon. But Bill “Speedy” Morris is not loud. At least he isn’t loud today on this post-Thanksgiving Friday morning. In fact, in his light gray hoodie, black sweatpants and burgundy ball cap, Speedy Morris is rather muted. He is one among his young men.

We. To and from their work putting the finishing touches on Jesuit Hall, men in steel-toe boots and jeans and flannel shirts occasionally walk the court’s baseline, the perimeter of Morris’ own construction project: to build, if not rebuild, a team. Here the individual pieces ”Pat Stewart, Dan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Robinson, to name a few” are to stand tall, but not alone. Morris wants one defensive edifice. We move together.

Eight years ago, Mike Lally wasn’t together. Alone and out of work, Lally called up his old Roman coach, the same coach who would drive around Lally’s East Falls neighborhood to make sure the 17-year old wasn’t anywhere he shouldn’t be.

“Within a week he had me in an assistant coaching job at International Christian School over on Rising Sun Avenue,” says 18

ing at Penn Charter Morris become the head women’s coach at LaSalle; in 1986, he became the Explorers’ men’s coach.

But, before everything – before he would become only the third coach in NCAA history to win 100 games in four years – young Billy Morris was cut. Not until junior year did he make the Roman squad, then only as a deep sub. Sick in his senior season, Speedy – named so in grade school but not because he was fast – turned to coaching.

“My C.Y.O. coach and parish priest (at St. John the Baptist), Father Farrante, told me I could help out a lot of kids,” says Morris, a lifelong Manayunk resident. “He told me he thought I’d be good at it.”

That was 1959. Almost a half century later, the deep sub is the winningest coach in La Salle University history. And Prep history.

Already Morris, the man in the baby-blue sweater, has two Catholic League titles here, 169 victories all tolled entering the 2008-2009 season.

Morris made a “cameo” appearance in “Scapin,” the Prep’s fall play Lally, who is now in his seventh year as Morris’ assistant. “He’s the single reason I’m in coaching.”

The next year – that 2002 November, Morris’ second at the Prep – Lally would begin work alongside his former mentor, now his lifelong friend.

“People think Speedy is loud because during the games, he does not stop,” Lally reflects. “But he is one of the quietest people I know.”

Indeed the legend is softspoken – in the faculty mailroom, in the foyer, in the chapel. Coach Morris, too, has gone on three Kairos retreats. These are sacred times, and this is a man of faith and conviction.

Conviction: the term embodies the man. On the court, the coach’s own hardwood cathedral, no gaffe goes unnoticed; players seem to expect, a short, hot harangue.

“I just try to set a good example, but I am not always a good example,” Morris says in his small, bright office after practice. “I yell and scream at refs. I get on kids for making mistakes. But on the other hand, if they know I’ll be there, if they know they’ve played their best, they don’t have to answer to anybody. That’s what the guy upstairs wants – for you to work hard, to do your best.”

Coming into 2008-09, Speedy’s teams have 839 wins and 356 losses over 40 years of high school and college coaching. He began at Roman Catholic, his alma mater, in 1967, when he was 25; in his second year, after losing all five starters, Roman won the Catholic League title (the first time in 27 seasons). A young coach had arrived and over his 14 seasons there, Roman would win 347 games (losing only 82) and six Catholic League Championships.

In 1984, after a difficult break from Roman and two years coach-

Yet winning is not part of team prayer, that quiet moment before practice, before games, when hands are together and heads are down. “We pray to do our best,” says Morris with quiet conviction. “We pray for health, of ourselves, for someone we know is sick, for the other team. We pray the Our Father, to St. Ignatius and sometimes we throw another saint in there. But we don’t pray to win.”

Joe Donahue, the freshman coach and Speedy’s friend of 35 years, calls Morris’ program simple: “He treasures routine and structure and fundamentals. Look at him – he does the same thing at practice, over and over. Everything in practice is timed.

He doesn’t change, because he teaches the fundamentals. He has a singular devotion to a goal – to do your best – and a sense of structure, priority.”

It’s no surprise that Speedy goes to Mass daily. “It doesn’t make me better than anyone else. It’s an easy habit. It’s not a chore.”

Speedy sits behind a desk of highlighters and tapes and game schedules, a sign that says Believe in black capitals. During games, Speedy is, well, still on the sidelines. Now, though, he’s next to Keith Morris, his assistant coach, his son. Lally is there too.

Together they watch the defense hold, they watch Nardi shoot.

Some say the junior is one of the best sharpshooters the school has ever seen. Buzby, meanwhile, a senior captain along with Pat Stewart and Dan Fitzpatrick, was the J.V.’s top player last season.

Leithead returns, post-presence and black brace alike, after tearing his A.C.L. last year. Sean Brophy rounds out the 08-09 corps.

Right now, it’s still early. There’s work to be done. As every coach of every basketball team every late November knows, this teaching of defense – of how to help – takes time. It’s technical; it’s tedious; it’s repetitive. Morris doesn’t seem to mind. He takes senior Kevin O’Neil by the hand and leads him backward toward the net, guiding him and the others in how to shift for the other, how to rotate. Even when away from the ball, away from the center of the action and attention, to rotate means to be more than oneself.

It means to be men for others.

We. – Susie Cook

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reunion weekend

1963

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1978

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1993

19

20

968

1973

983

1988

998

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2003

EITC THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE PREP has raised $27,476,534 towards the $30 million goal. The campaign components are: • Facilities renovation $20 million - $17.3 million raised to date Renovation of 102,000 square feet of space in the former Jesuit residence and the former multi-purpose room has created sixteen new classrooms, two new art studios, a large instrumental and choral music room, a communications center, two seminar/meeting rooms, office space and a beautiful dining hall.

• Endowment $7 million - $5.1 million raised to date Significant new scholarship endowment funds have been created resulting in over $125,000 in new scholarship awards to be awarded annually • Prep Fund (two years) $3 million - $3.14 million raised The Prep Fund continues as an annual giving campaign with a goal of $1.5 million.

REMAINING FACILITY NAMING OPPORTUNITIES The Prep is grateful for gifts from individuals and alumni classes which have resulted in the naming of twenty four areas and rooms in the classroom building and Jesuit Hall.

The following very attractive naming opportunities are available: • Ignatian Way – the pathway through the Sauter Dining Hall • Ignatian Commons – the lower connecting corridor leading to Jesuit Hall • The Jesuit Hall Chapel – the beautifully restored chapel including – The Chapel Six stained glass windows The Altar • The first floor conference room • The President’s Suite • The School Nurse Area • The Dean’s Office Area For more information contact John Anderson, Vice President for Development at 215-978-1960 or email janderson@sjprep.org.

Does your company pay Pennsylvania State taxes?

Would you consider helping a student pay his tuition this year at St. Joseph’s Prep?

If the answers to these questions are yes, then the EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit) Program is something to consider.

Alumni, parents, parents of alumni and friends have a great opportunity to help Prep students needing scholarship support.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania implemented the Educational Improvement Tax Credit in 2001. The law authorizes tax credits for businesses that make contributions to scholarship organizations. The credits may be used against the following taxes: Corporate Net Income Tax, Capital/Franchise Tax, Insurance Premiums Tax, Title Insurance Company Shares Tax, Bank and Trust Company Shares Tax, Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax, Personal Income Tax of S Corporation Shareholders or partners in a general or limited partnership.

The credit is equal to 75 percent of the contribution for a one-year commitment and 90 percent for a two-year commitment. If you elect to make a two year commitment, by making the payment to the school as a charitable deduction along with the 90 percent PA Tax credit, the net expense to a company is $0. The entire contribution is offset. A total of $40 million in tax credits is authorized for scholarships for students attending nonpublic schools.

Tax credits are awarded to businesses on a first-come, first-served basis beginning July 1. The Prep will utilize funds allocated by businesses for support of its student financial aid program. The process for a business to register for the program is a simple one. A one page form must be completed and sent to the Department of Community and Economic Development in Harrisburg. For more information, go to http://www.sjprep.org/giving/eitc.html or contact Rich Van Fossen, Director of Major Gifts at 215-978-1035 or email rvanfossen@sjprep.org.

Update

By Ceal Biello, Director of the Prep Fund

The Prep Fund, our annual giving campaign, is well underway. There were several evenings of Phonathons in October and November when over 120 alumni, parents and parents of alumni volunteered their time to reach out on behalf of the Prep. We are incredibly grateful to all of you that gave your time as well as your gifts and pledges - especially in the midst of the Phillies exciting pennant race and title! Please know that your generosity enhances the unique Prep experience of all our students – they are challenged intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually – and you truly help make that possible.

A warm and special thank you to this year’s 2008-2009 Prep Fund Cabinet for all of their hard work and support: The Prep Fund Cabinet Chairs:

Patty and Tom Savage

Alumni Chairs:

Stephen Fera ’82 and John Regan ’94

Parents Chairs:

Dianne and George Belecanech

Alumni Parents Chairs

Monica and Lou Keeler

Other great giving opportunities available are Matching Gift donations from your place of employment if they have a Matching Gift Program and the EITC Program (see article above). For more information on the Prep Fund or if you would like to make a gift, please call 215-978-1016 or send an e-mail to cbiello@sjprep.org.

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alumni news

President’s Club Gathering The annual President’s Club gathering was held October 16.

The program—which included performances from students involved in the drama production, the jazz band and the Christus Choir—featured a tour of our new facilities and the recognition of named facility donors and volunteers.

Clockwise from top right: • The Christus Choir (pictured) performed at the dinner.

• John Paul ’66, Campaign Co-Chair, in front of his room plaque outside Jesuit 307.

• The family of the late George Schoener, Esq. ’72, a loyal and dedicated Prep alum and volunteer, is honored by Prep President Rev. George W. Bur, S.J. ’59 and Campaign Co-Chair John Paul ’66 [far right]. The third floor study area in Jesuit Hall is named in George’s memory.

• Lou Pauzano ’59 with Fr. Bur in the “Bur Room,” dedicated in honor of Fr. Bur thanks to the generosity of his classmates.

• Suzanne and Jim Ksansnak ’58 stand in front of a plaque leading to the “K Street” Corridor, which links the second floor of the Sauter Dining Hall with the third floor of Jesuit Hall.

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alumni news

The Class of 1953 gathered for Mass at Old St. Joseph’s Church before a reunion dinner. Mass was celebrated by Cardinal John Foley ’53.

1940s

1960s

Rev. George Wilson, S.J. ’46 recently had his book Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood published by Liturgical Press.

Joseph Monaghan ’60 and his wife Kathleen have recently relocated to Charlottesville, Va., where they are busy renovating an older home which borders the University of Virginia.

Rev. Msgr. James Connelly ’49 has retired after 23 years as pastor of Stella Maris Parish, Philadelphia. He is now living in retirement at St. Monica Church as Pastor Emeritus of Stella Maris.

Rev. Paul Wiedmann ’52 has retired as Pastor of Queen of the Universe in Levittown and is now living at St. Joseph’s Villa for priests in Darby.

Henry Bender, Ph. D., ‘63, long time faculty member at the Prep in Classics (1968-1998) has accepted a position as Visiting Associate Professor of Classics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Dr. Bender is currently on leave from The Hill School where he has served for ten years as the Elizabeth Blossom Chair of Humanities and for the past five years as the Chair of Classical Languages.

Edward Mooney ’54 received Drexel University’s Behind Every Graduate Award. He also was inducted into the Father Judge Hall of Fame where he taught English.

Rev. Thomas Gavin, S.J. ’65 is in his fourth year of service at Holy Name Parish in North Camden.

The Jesuit parish will soon merge with the Cathedral parish where he will then serve.

Francis “Hank” Raucci ’54, senior partner of Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman in Helena, Mont., has been elected president of the Law Alumni Association at Saint Joseph’s University. Raucci retired as Chief Counsel and Executive Vice President of American Stores, then parent of Acme Markets.

Joseph Heise ’65 is a founding partner in the newly formed New England Environmental Diving Services, LLC (needsdiving.com). He teaches math as an adjunct professor at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, N.H., where he is the organist and choir accompanist at the Moultonborough United Methodist Church. He sings bass with the Philadelphia Singers Chorale, the Concord (N.H.) Chorale and the New Hampshire Master Chorale. Joe retired as a senior product safety analyst from Mobil Oil Corp. in 2001. In his spare time, he enjoys kayaking and chess.

1950s

Donald Marino, Esq. ’56 retired from City Government in October and is available to counsel lawyers based on his experience of over 44 years with the Bar. He is a former Chancellor of the Bar Association, former Chair of the litigation group for the City Law Department and a former Assistant District Attorney.

A few members of the Class of 1958 gathered for dinner at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

[Standing, l-r] Mary Sue Welsh, Katie Graham, Tom Prior, Carroll Graham, Henry Welsh; [Sitting, l-r]: Dick Welsh and Jackie Prior.

William Schu ’65 is the General Manager of Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, NJ. Terence Gurley ’66 welcomed members of the service trip to Navajo Nation to New Mexico. He is a lawyer with People’s Legal Services. [Below]

Dr. Joseph Korey ’67 is in his 30th year as a practicing OB/GYN in Reading.

Dennis Bloh ’68, who teaches English and Latin at LaSalle College High School where he is also assistant swim coach, directs theatre at Swarthmore Players Club and Widener University and is the dramaturge at Act II Playhouse in Ambler. He has been a judge for the Barrymore Awards for the last 10 years and is a consultant for The College Board.

Albert DiFalco ’68 was a participant in the Michigan MS 150 Bike Tour which took place in July, 2008.

Dr. James McCann ’68 has been a doctor in a small town in Indiana for the last 27 years and goes on Honduras mission trips 1-2 weeks per year. He and his wife, the proud parents of 5 children who are scattered across the globe, live on a 70-acre farm and raise soybeans and hardwoods.

His hobbies are woodworking, collecting children’s books, and seeing each of Shakespeare’s plays performed live at least once. He has two to go.

1970s Alex Damico ’71 has joined the Society of the Plastic Industry as Executive Vice President. SPI is a Washington-based trade association that represents all aspects of the plastics industry. He and his wife Cynthia have relocated to Northern Virginia after living in Newburgh, N.Y.

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PARENT PROFILE: Linda Calabrese-Kane Linda Calabrese-Kane works behind the scenes but oh what scenes they’ve been. Seoul. Barcelona. Atlanta.

Sydney. Athens. Toreno. Beijing. When the globe is aglow with the Olympic Games, Calabrese-Kane is there. For NBC. For us.

Every two years, NBC hires Calabrese-Kane, mother of Joseph ’12, as the networks’ broadcast manager for the primetime coverage of the Olympics. Once a full-time employee of the network in the 1980s and 90s, CalabreseKane now packs her bags every two years to help out with NBC’s coverage. Next up: Vancouver, for Winter Games 2010.

“Once we get to a country, I’m the person who gets the broadcast team together, lets them know where they need to be and what they need to do,” says CalabreseKane. “The camera people, the editors, the directors, the producers—I make sure that the support staff is organized, that what’s needed to get done for 8-11 p.m. slot gets done.”

The execution is tough. You have the run-down of the show. The script seems set. Then Dick Ebersol, President of NBC Sports, tells you that he doesn’t want Michael Phelps to appear in the first half hour of the show, but in the second.

“He’s not saying, Linda, try to make this happen, he’s saying, ‘you make it happen,’” she says.

Things are planned; they have to be, down to the second.

As many as 10 guests appear on a broadcast—coaches, gold medalists, maybe even a President. The camera moves from Bob Costas, Calabrese’s colleague for years now, to the swimming pool, then back to the studio for an interview.

“I make sure everyone in the studio and out of the studio is prepared and comfortable,” she says.

Sometimes, tragedy hits. Calabrese-Kane must be sensitive, flexible. For example, how do you present and cover the news that the father-in-law of Hugh McCutcheon, U.S. Men’s Volleyball Coach, has been murdered at the ancient Drum Tower in Beijing? “That’s one of those instances where we had to break away from our schedule, yet remain sensitive to what we aired,” she says.

“We didn’t know immediately what was happening. So when do we air it? That was tough, and tragic.”

Perhaps Calabrese-Kane’s favorite part of the job is profiling prospective gold medalists. She used to do this full time in the 1990s, when she was working as the profile manager. Now, each opportunity to travel within the host country is a return to this broadcast manager’s true love.

This past August, Calabrese-Kane traveled to Zhong, China, to interview gold medalist Gao Min. There, the Prep mom saw cultures clash. “Her [Min’s] mother is a schoolteacher and her father is an engineer. They had sent Gao away to the training facilities and, well, that was it. They would hardly see her. I’ll never forget it. They had a

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Calabrese-Kane with the hero of the 2008 Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps. cement floor and some curtains on the windows of this tiny, tiny apartment. They considered this moderate living.

It just made me realize how different our philosophies and living conditions truly are.”

The Mullica Hill resident especially recalls Carl Lewis—“he was so focused, even in the interview”—Dara Torres, and the Dream Team of 1992. “I must say athletes like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley were great to watch and fun interviews,” she says. “I remember never having trouble getting them to the studio whenever I needed them, and that was often during the 1992 Games.”

Post-Beijing, Calabrese has turned her attention back to her first-year role as Prep mother. Her son Joseph has three hours of homework a night and just made the freshmen basketball team. Needless to say, a Prep day is a long day.

“I just hope I can help him understand that if you prepare well, things aren’t as daunting,” she says. “I live that at work, and he has to do that for school.”

Prep motherhood, prepping Bob Costas: in doing both, Calabrese-Kane must keep to the schedule, adjust it, work with it, listen. She must be behind the scenes and in them.

As for NBC achieving one of the most-viewed Olympics in years, Calabrese credits not herself but, well, a little help from the universe. “My morning was your night, so events were still able to be live. I think that helped. Based on the notes and emails I’ve gotten, I think NBC did a good job.

We had some decent competition this time around.”

Now Vancouver awaits.

– Susie Cook

alumni news

Christopher Lange ’72 and Bill McGuinness won the sixth annual World Club Golf Championship which was held in Beijing, China in October. The event was aired on the Golf Channel in November.

John Palumbo ’72 and his wife Diane became first time grandparents to Jesse Alexander Trabbold when their daughter Angela gave birth to Jesse on Father’s Day. Anthony Cirillo ’75 conducted a marketing breakout session at the annual convention of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging held in Philadelphia in October. In addition to his work as a global healthcare marketing consultant, he is an advocate for seniors and has a mission devoted to older adult issues. His book, Who Moved My Dentures?, is in its second printing.

Lawrence Arrigale ’77 played the lead role of Al Manners, the high-strung, perfectionist director in The Drama Group’s production of Alice Childress’ award-winning play Trouble in Mind. Childress, a pioneering African-American playwright, was the first to direct the play when it debuted off Broadway in 1955. Prep English teacher Andrew Whelan was also in the show, playing the part of Eddie Fenton, the dutiful stage manager.

John Gannon ’78 recently purchased an historic roadside car dealership in the tiny rural town of Shunk and is turning it into a private automobile museum/lounge and vineyard for family, friends and SJP alumni to visit and enjoy.

Stanley Jaskiewicz, Esq. ’78 runs the Horsham Challenger Little League. This year, the league hosted two games per week for 60 children with disabilities from mid-April to mid-June.

Charles Sweeney ’78 co-founded a satellite company, ProtoStar, a few years ago which is based in San Francisco. He and his partner raised a little over $500 million for two satellites that will provide Direct-to-Home services covering Asia. Last July 4, they launched their first satellite, Protostar 1, in French Guiana. The second satellite will be launched in early 2009 in Kazakhstan.

Theodore Murphy ’79, an immigration law attorney in both government and private law practice, has opened the Murphy Law Firm in West Chester. His career in immigration has spanned over 15 years, serving more than a decade with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. He is a past Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia where he assisted in the investigation and prosecution of a large-scale, multi-state immigration fraud ring.

ALUMNI PROFILE: Terry Lytle ’80 Sometimes a chance is all people need. After all, Terry Lytle got one of his own in 1976 when when he was accepted into St. Joseph’s Prep.

“Looking back, I feel very fortunate to have been able to go there. For us, for my family, it was a really big deal. It was an honor,” he says. “If I had not gotten in, I would have gone to Roman, and I would have been fine.

But I do think that the Prep allowed me to go higher and higher, to get into Penn and then Temple Law—mostly because of the different people it exposed me to, the teachers and all the great people there.”

Lytle grew up in South Philadelphia on 7th and Catherine. His maternal grandparents were from Poland; his paternal grandparents, Ireland. “My brothers and myself were the first generation to go to college,” says Lytle, who now lives in Haddonfield with his wife, Teresa, a Spanish professor at Saint Joseph’s University, and his two sons, Terry, 3, and Rafael, 9 months.

“I was nervous almost my whole time at the Prep. I worked really hard, but sometimes it was so intimidating. I grew up in a rowhouse, like a lot of people at the Prep then, but I was rubbing shoulders with guys from the Main Line. It didn’t matter. We all got along. I was still nervous though.”

Today Terry Lytle is the one giving people chances. Maybe not the chance to get into the Prep, but at least to get out of prison. This year marks Lytle’s 20th as a public defender for the State of New Jersey. He represents people in Camden County charged with everything from shoplifting to murder.

“It can be a very difficult job. You just have to bear in mind that people have the right to a fair trial with a jury of their peers to decide their guilt and innocence.”

His Prep education——and a bit of Pepto——have helped Lytle deal with cases that are difficult to talk about. He still takes things home. He tries not to, but he thinks about cases a lot. Detachment is tough. Maybe detachment, that physical and emotional space between his

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1980s Capt. Brian Glackin ’80 (USN) retired from active duty in May 2007. He is currently Vice President of Government Relations at Cobham, a U.K. based defense contractor. He and his wife Maureen and their two children live outside of Washington, DC in Lothian, MD. Joel Marquart ’82 was recently promoted to lead exhibits technician/shop manager at the Franklin Science Museum in Philadelphia. He is responsible for the maintenance and operations of all exhibits, in house and traveling.

Joseph Martino ’83 recently accepted the position of Director of Advancement Services at Chestnut Hill College.

Thomas Ruggieri ’83 recently relocated to Chester Springs, where he has joined the law firm of Siana, Bellwoar and McAndrew, LLP. His two children, Thomas, Jr. and Bella attend Sts. Simon and Jude school in West Chester.

Haddonfield and his Camden, is illusory. Maybe, ultimately, it’s elusive.

“I have represented some really horrible people in my career. It’s tough to do that sometimes,” the public defender says, “but I think I have an iron stomach. I can deal with these cases. I can sit down with people and think rationally. At first, the weight of it was tough.”

Lytle could be cynical, hopeless, jaded. He’s not. He’s the opposite. Take, for instance, his view of Camden. “The whole picture we have of Camden—that it’s all bleak and nasty—is really not true. Camden’s a lot better than that. A lot of good people live there. A lot of people are trying to raise their kids right, and that story is not told. It’s just the sensational stuff about shootings and robberies—which is a part of the story— that’s on the news. In my office, I work with a lot of people from Camden. Their story you don’t hear often.”

Often, Lytle represents non-violent drug offenders. These men and women have no history of violence or sexual offense and, as such, are eligible for the state’s drug-court program.

This program places the addicted into short- or long-term treatment programs instead of prisons. “I personally think it’s more economic for society to treat drug addiction as a sickness, an illness. We should treat it in a compassionate way, rather than in a punitive way, so when they get out, they don’t start drugs all over again.”

Daniel Snowden ’83 has cleared the final hurdle, the dissertation defense, to receive a Doctorate of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the Pennsylvania State University in May of 2009. He’ll also have a Minor in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Cdr. William Serad, USN ’85 was recently called back to service and is currently serving in Afghanistan as the RCAC-Central, Future Plans and Operations Officer and mentoring the Afghan National Army’s 201st Corps Deputy Commanding General. He and his wife Stacy have three children and make their home in Kentucky.

Sean Gabaree ’86 is teaching social studies/history at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD. Richard Simpson ’86 is in his ninth season as head men’s and women’s swimming coach at Villanova University. He and his wife Tara live in Malvern, PA and are expecting their first child in January.

Gregory Stefan ’87 and Gerard Stefan ’93 and their wives had the honor of meeting Cardinal Justin Rigali during a fund raising event this year.

The Camden County Superior Court is home to the first drug court program in the State of New Jersey. Now every one of the 15 state Superior Court vicinages has one. Lytle has played no small part in the program’s efficacy. “There’s a lesser recidivism rate than prison,” says Lytle. “I really think it works.

After all, sometimes a chance—and Lytle’s help, his hope—are all people need.

– Susie Cook

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[l to r.] Greg, his wife Suzanne, Cardinal Rigali, Gerard and his wife, Alexa.

alumni news

ALUMNI PROFILE: Tom Burgoyne ’83 Dr. Gerald Beyer ’88 is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Saint Joseph’s University and lives in Ardmore with his wife Anna and daughter Julia.

Patrick Crisfulla ’88 who built one of the earlyweb’s most useful websites (Forbes List and Lawyers.com) while working at LexisNexis in Northern New Jersey for 10 years, has recently moved back to the South Jersey area. He and his wife Kathleen have two children Thomas Foley ’88 has been named President & CEO of Altran Solutions Corp. Altran Solutions is a 200-person engineering and design firm that primarily serves utility clients in the areas of power generation, transmission and distribution.

Paul Schneider ’88 is currently consulting at Innovative Spinal Technologies in Mansfield, Mass.

He and his wife Lisa and their two daughters live in Walpole, Mass.

Mark Weinmann ’88 is Pennsylvania State Director of Hook & Ladder Brewers, which donates money from its sales to Temple University Hospital Burn Center for firefighters in Philadelphia and Crozier-Chester Burn Center for all Southeastern Pennsylvania volunteer fire fighters.

Michael Winters ’88 owns an Insurance/ Financial Services Agency in Lansdale.

Dr. Larnie Booker ’89 was promoted to partner of Mid-Jersey Pediatrics in East Brunswick, N.J. A general pediatrician and a member of the medical faculty at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J. He and his wife Nadette live in Somerset, N.J., with their two children.

Antony Braithwaite ’89 starred in the two-person show “Stones in His Pockets” at the Act II Playhouse in Ambler in September. Tony kept the humor going in 1812 Productions’ “This Is The Week That Is: The Election Special!” which ran from October to early November at Plays and Players in Philadelphia. In December, Tony brought his one-man show, “Look Mom, I’m Swell!” to the Act II.

1990s James DeMarco, Esq. ’90 recently started working at Mattioni, Ltd., doing Business Law. He was named a “Rising Star” for the fourth consecutive year in Philadelphia Magazine’s Super Lawyer issue. He and his wife Karen have three sons, Maxwell, Mason and James Joseph III. Michael Friedman ’90 is the creator and cowriter of a TV pilot called “The Super Man,” which recently got accepted into The ITV Festival in Los Angeles. “The Super Man” was co-written by Greg Konow ’90.

Tom Burgoyne ’83 was all dressed the part with big feet, an oversized head and a colorful body.

He was the very picture of Prep Pride standing on the sidelines of Prep football games but who knew that he was really preparing for a career?

Burgoyne, who spent 1982-83 as the Prep Hawk, has continued entertaining people as a mascot, rising to the greatest heights of the profession.

Since 1994, Burgoyne has inhabited the costume of the Phillie Phanatic, one of America’s most beloved characters.

“I know that many of my moves as the Hawk were taken from the Phanatic,” says Burgoyne, who professes to have loved the Phanatic from the mascot’s inception in 1978. “It was natural at the time because he was part of this new wave of mascots.”

So while inhabiting the Prep Hawk, Burgoyne danced with the cheerleaders, had fun with opposing team’s marching bands and had a ball, mimicking the Phanatic. It may have been a perfect fit between job and personality.

“I don’t really know how I was selected but most people thought I was the logical choice,” says Burgoyne as he sits in the Phanatic’s dressing room at Citizens Bank Park, just weeks after the Phillies won the second World Series championship in franchise history. “I was going to Prep games even before I was a student.”

Burgoyne—who is part of a long Prep legacy (father Joe ’50, brothers Joe ’76, Steve ’78 and Mark ’80 and nephews John ’11, Mark ’11 and Tim ’12)—took the Hawk to new heights, including appearances at swim meets and bowling contests. Although he had a ball, Burgoyne had no aspirations to make mascoting a profession.

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At Drexel University, he attended most of the basketball games but never donned the gold or blue Dragon costumes. After graduating in 1988, Burgoyne went to work selling business forms, a job that had no appeal for him. Wanting something new and looking for money, he answered an ad that read only “Mascot Wanted.”

“I put in my cover letter that I had been the Prep Hawk and I got a call back,” he says. “I was stunned that it was the Phillies, looking for a backup Phanatic.”

Dave Raymond, the initial man inside the costume, was still working full-time but needed someone to handle the hundreds of appearances for the Phanatic. Although Burgoyne thought he had not gotten the job, a few days after his audition, he was offered the position. A bit later, he was hired by the Phillies full time, working in the sales office first before moving to marketing and promotions.

From 1991-93, Burgoyne worked in the control room for Phanavision, Veterans’ Stadium large TV/scoreboard. His job was to play music and sound effects that would get the fans involved.

It also gave him a chance to work more closely with Raymond. In 1993, when Raymond decided to hang up his large floppy sneakers, Burgoyne was again the logical choice and he has been Philadelphia’s biggest Phillies “phan” ever since.

“Through all of the good times and bad times with the Phillies, I have never seen interest in the Phanatic wane,” says Burgoyne.

But experiencing those bad times made 2008 even sweeter for Phillies fans and, especially, for Burgoyne. The parade after the championship, with an estimated two million people in attendance along Broad Street and inside the two South Philly stadiums, floored many of the Phillies but not Burgoyne, a lifelong Philadelphian. “I knew there were Phillies fans all over, just waiting for this moment,” says Burgoyne. “Even so, the sheer numbers at the parade surprised even me. It was awesome.”

Burgoyne and his wife Jennifer recently celebrated 15 years of marriage and they have three children (Andrew, Dan and Matthew). In addition to “Phanaticing,” Burgoyne has written several books, including a number of children’s books centered on the Phanatic. The latest, which is scheduled for release in early 2009, focuses on the victory parade. For Burgoyne, being the Phanatic is an extension of lessons learned at the Prep.

“The Phanatic’s lot in life is to bring smiles, laughter and joy to everyone, especially to places where they need it most,” says Burgoyne, who has brought the Phanatic to hospitals, nursing homes and death beds.

“What better example of being a man for others?”

– Bill Avington ’90

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James Harte ’90, the Principal and Director of 601 Information Systems in Voorhees, N.J., has been named as a technology leader in the 2008 CPA Technology Advisor “40 under 40” list. The program spotlights young professionals who are actively bringing technology improvements to the accounting and tax fields.

Justin Bristow ’91 is now serving as the Associate Chief of Policy for the U. S. Border Patrol in Washington, D.C. He also completed the Senior Executive Leadership Certificate program at Georgetown University. He and his wife Neomi have expanded their family with the birth of their third child, Alexandra Grace.

Edmund DeHoratius ’91 teaches Latin and Medieval Renaissance Literature at Wayland (Mass.) High School. He recently received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Classical Association of Massachusetts.

Paul Gambone ’91 is an attorney with Allstate Insurance, practicing in Philadelphia.

Joseph Saloma ’92 received a Master’s Degree in Bioethics and Health Policy from the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics at Loyola University in Chicago. He recently published a chapter titled “My Mommy’s Kidneys are Sick & She is Dying! Why Internet Solicitation for Transplantation is Unethical” in the book Organ

Transplantation: Ethical, Legal and Psychological Aspects Towards a Common European Policy.

Stephen Lindsay ’94, Executive Producer at CBS3 and CW57, was nominated for an Emmy Award as Executive Producer of “Eyewitness News This Morning,” which was up for best morning newscast in the Mid-Atlantic region. Steve married his high school sweetheart Shannon, a lawyer in Philadelphia, and the couple has three children.

Rob McElhenney ’95 has created a new TV show “Boldly Going Nowhere” which has been purchased by Fox. Rob is also the creator, producer and star of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

Christopher Roselle ’95 is the tournament director for The Golf Association of Philadelphia.

He and his wife Morgan live in Royersford with their two sons, Brady, and Aidan.

Scott Uebele ’96 is currently working with ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services in Fort Washington as the Director of Financial Reporting and Compliance. In addition, he is the President of the Bucknell Crew Association, a registered notfor-profit in Pennsylvania.

Chuck Ramsay ’97 and his brother Keith ’98 appeared in concert at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia this past summer where they performed some of Chuck’s original songs.

alumni news

Ryan Carney ’98 has opened a few consulting companies based out of Washington, DC. Louis Charest ’98 received a Master’s of Liberal Studies from Villanova in May. The following week he and Courtney Crane, a fellow Villanova alum, were married. They recently moved to Washington, D.C., where he is working as the D.C. Site Director for the Notre-Dame-AmeriCorps Volunteer Program.

Patrick Donohue ’98 is Manager of Student Technology at Loyola College in Maryland.

John McCormick ’98 is an Associate Manager of Recruiting & Fulfillment for a technical staffing firm called TripleScreen Search & Staffing located in Pottstown. He specializes in full time/permanent placement for IT professionals locally in the greater Philadelphia area.

Paul Milton ’98 is employed at Aegon as a Sales Associate selling life insurance. He recently moved to West Chester.

Michael Newnam ’98 is Director of Programming & Information Technology at Jobe Systems, Inc. in Houston, Tex. He and his wife Aryn live in Katy, Tex. Peter Nocito ’98 teaches middle school at the Richard J. Daley Academy on the south side of Chicago and also plays drums with the Beazley Phillips Band which released a CD this past spring.

Justin Pagliaro ’98 is employed as a mechanical engineer at CDI Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical design firm. He is also pursuing his MBA at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He and his wife Katie live in Philadelphia.

J. Paul Anderson ’99 is the owner of the Lazy River Cafe which is located in the historic town of Conway, S.C, right next to Myrtle Beach. He encourages all Preppers to stop by for great food and a Prep discount.

Howie Brown ’99 played the role of Miles Gloriosus in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” with the Ocean City Pops in early September and received a stellar review. More recently, Howie was part of a traveling production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” which was produced by Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and performed and taught acting/Shakespeare to middle schools and high schools in the area.

Peter Castagna ’99 became engaged to Meghan McCafferty in September. A summer 2010 wedding is planned.

Brian Gilbert ’99 is employed at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md., as the Dean of Admissions.

At his recent wedding, which was held at Dahlgren Chapel on the campus of Georgetown University, Rev. Otto Hentz, S.J. ’55 officiated.

Joe Mallon ’99 was cast as “Peachy” in Montgomery Theatre’s (Souderton) November production of “Last Night of Ballyhoo.”

Christopher Moriconi ’01 has entered St. Charles Seminary in Wynnewood to begin studying for the priesthood.

Ryan Mrazik ’99 graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in May, 2008.

He and his new bride Jennifer, who were married in Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., have recently settled in downtown Seattle. Ryan is employed as an associate in the commercial litigation group at Perkins Coie, LLP.

Patrick Bethel ’02 recently started a five-year apprenticeship with Steamfitters Union, Local 420.

Mike Rady ’99 just finished shooting the second season of “Greek,” a drama/comedy that recently began airing on ABC Family. He plays a polymer science geek “Max Tyler” who is the love interest of Spencer Grammer (Kelsey Grammer’s daughter).

Entertainment Weekly rated him as one of 15 stars to watch this fall.

2000s Ryan Broderick ’00 is a P-3 pilot stationed at NAS Whidbey Island in the state of Washington.

Matthew Smith ’00 has created a sports/entertainment blog called PhillyJock.com.

Robert Vogelbacher ’00 is President of Men of Steel Rebar Fabricators which has been selected

by Philadelphia 100 as one of the 2008 top 100 fastest growing, privately-held businesses in the Philadelphia region. Men of Steel fabricates and installs rebar for the tri-state area. Philadelphia 100 rankings are based on verifiable revenue growth and during their 20 year history, have carefully managed the program to insure its fairness and integrity. A banquet and awards ceremony was held in October to honor the recipients and Men of Steel received the sixth place award.

John Paul Zito ’00 is currently under contract with DC Comics to write a web-based comic called “Blackcherry Bombshells” found on DC Comics Digital imprint Zuda.

Jeffrey Civillico ’01 performed for a week in September at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA. An invitation to perform there is quite an honor, as the history of the Magic Castle is legendary.

Not only must you be invited to perform, but you must be a member or be taken by a member to even attend.

Benjamin Haney ’01 was one of the advance workers for the presidential campaign of Arizona Senator John McCain and was responsible for the staging of campaign events in Pennsylvania.

Brendan Kearney ’01 was the third American finisher in the Dublin Marathon in the fall. His time of three hours and five minutes qualified him for the 2009 Boston Marathon.

John Forsyth ’02 hosted the Opening Ceremony for the 2008-2009 class of City Year Greater Philadelphia. He and 215 young people were sworn in at Independence Mall to begin a year of service working in schools throughout Philadelphia. John served as the MC for the event and presented Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ’75 with his personalized City Year jacket.

Justin Hopkins ’02 has been requested to sing for the Dalai Lama at the “Unsung Heroes of Compassion” ceremony which will take place in San Francisco in the spring of 2009. Prior to that engagement, he will perform in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with the Ft. Worth Opera Company in December and will appear in several operas with the Pensacola Opera Company in Pensacola, FL from January until May 2009.

Ryan Spruance ’02 graduated from Bloomsburg University with a degree in Political Science. In 2007, he joined the U. S. Border Patrol as an agent in El Centro, Calif.

Joseph Brennan ’03 is employed as an actuarial consultant at CCRC Actuaries, LLC in Reisterstown, Md. He is also working towards a Fellowship designation in the Society of Actuaries.

Matthew Silva ’03, Assistant Director of the Prep’s Cape and Sword Drama Society, played the role of Edmund in Villanova University’s fall production of American classic “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” by Eugene O’Neill. The production featured Equity Actors from the Philadelphia theatre community alongside Villanova Master’s Degree in Theatre students and was directed by Barrymore Award winner Bob Hedley.

Joseph Stanzione ’03 graduated from Drexel University in June with a MS/BS degree in Chemical Engineering. His master’s research earned him first place in the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering 2008 University Research Program, MS category competition held in Long Beach, Calif. He is attending the University of Delaware pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

William Gennaro ’04 and Robert Protesto ’04, both rowers at Temple University, were named to the Academic All-Star team by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Gennaro was a communications major while Protesto majored in mathematics. Protesto now works as a financial advisor with ING Financial Advisors in Philadelphia.

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alumni news

Sean Guenther ’04, who recently served as team Captain at Montclair State University, was invited by the American Collegiate Hockey Association to try out for Team USA in the World University Winter Games, the first player in Montclair State’s history to be invited to the event. The games will be held in Harbin, China in February, 2009.

Kevin Hughes ’04 entered the Society of Jesus in August at a ceremony in St. Andrew Hall at LeMoyne College, Syracuse, N.Y. Robert Jankowski ’04, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in May, has been commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lucas Roberts ’04 was named to the USA Rugby Collegiate All-American Touring Side that competed in New Zealand this past summer.

Several soccer alumni returned for a game this fall.

Edward O’Brien ’05, a senior at Saint Joseph’s University, was selected to attend the University of Notre Dame’s prestigious Erasmus Institute, which is designed to introduce students to major contemporary trends in disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences.

Ryan Reilly ’05 has been elevated to editor-inchief of The Catholic University’s student newspaper The Tower.

Jordan Mrazik ’06 won first place in the Harold Hill Memorial Award Second Year Competition and first place in the Prospect Sustainable Design Award Second Year Competition at Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Design in the spring of 2008.

F. Shannon Sweeney ’04 recently graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and received his Commission through the NROTC Program. He is now serving as an ensign on board the USS Benfold (DDG 65), stationed out of San Diego, Calif. [pictured above] D. Michael Boyle ’05 and Jim McKenzie ’06 squared off as Northwestern played Syracuse in each team’s football opener. Boyle’s Northwestern squad got the victory, 30-10.

Ryan Kirlin ’05, a senior at Fordham University in New York, was selected first-team, All American for crew for 2008. His Fordham Club Team finished in the Top 10 in the nation, after winning a gold medal in the Lightweight 8 at the 70th Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia in the spring. Ryan was elected Captain of Fordham’s Crew Team for 2008-2009. During his rowing career at the Prep, he rowed in lightweight eights that won three national titles.

Matthew McCabe ’05, a senior Political Science/English major at the University of Pittsburgh, worked on President-Elect Barack Obama’s campaign as a field organizer in Scranton. He also worked in Pennsylvania and West Virginia during the primaries.

Daniel Ramspacher ’06 completed an internship at NASA in Greenbelt, Md., at the Goddard Space Flight Center this past summer. He is studying Aerospace Engineering at Boston University and was asked to return to NASA for the Spring ’09 semester. Working at NASA has been his life long dream.

Samuel Settle ’08 represented the College Republicans at a Policy Issues Forum hosted by the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University in October. The forum, which addressed issues of ethics, energy and the environment, the economy, and health care, was moderated by Schreyer’s Dean and consisted of four Penn State faculty members, each with expertise in one of the four issues addressed.

Shaun Slusarski ’08 served as an assistant stage manager for Boston College’s fall production of “Angels in America.”

Four decades of Preppers—John Gill ’96, Rev. John Deeney, S.J. ’39, Tim Klarich ’71 and Brian Klarich ’07—outside the gates of Loyola High School in Jamshedpur, India.

Jake Braithwaite ’07 played the role of Billy in Fordham University’s production of “Anything Goes” this past fall.

Andrew Matas ’07, a sophomore engineering major at the University of Pennsylvania, made his acting debut in a fictional Penn Production of “Inherit the Wind” in November. He performed the roll of Henry Drummond, the famed defense lawyer who defends the young high-school teacher for violating state law by teaching the Darwin’s theory of evolution in a state-funded school.

Kevin Melnick ’07 was one of the featured young golfers on the Golf Channel’s “School of Golf.” Kevin was featured on the show, which was filmed at Hilton Head Island during the spring and aired in September.

Michael DiDonato ’08, a Midshipman at the Naval Academy, played the role of Caliban in a production of “The Tempest” in November.

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THE OFFICIAL SHOP OF ST. JOSEPH’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL

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alumni news

1

Prep Weddings

Prep Births

Dave Mingey '88 and Darby Rice Thomas Cretella '93 and Jennifer Bott [1] Timothy Vieira '94 and Stephanie Lazor [2] Rob McElhenney '95 and Kaitlin Olson Patrick Boyle ’96 and Catherine Lotz [3] Brendon Crowther '96 and Leslie Rostick Timothy Young '98 and Carrie Miller Louis Charest '98 and Courtney Crane Brian Gilbert '99 and Heather Bloom [4] Ryan Mrazik '99 and Jennifer Taillie [5] Ryan Broderick '00 and Kelly McGrorey Christopher Sirolli '02 and Lindsay Glace [6]

Sarah Juliette Deitch to Marissa and Samuel Deitch, Prep Director of Ignatian Service Nora Catherine to Judith and Daniel Joyce ’84 [1] Julian to Karen and Craig Tropea ’86 [2] William Murphy to Jane and George Voegele ’88 James Joseph III to Karen and James DeMarco ’90 Callum Davis to Jennifer and Sean Murray ’90 Emilee Diana to Diana Perez and Anthony Jones ’90 [3] Eleanor Elizabeth to Rose and Matt O’Brien ’90 Joy Eileen to Heather and Sean Moran ’91 [4] Sylvia Marie to Stephanie and Carlo Sena ’91 [5] Payton Elizabeth to Tori and Gregory Small ’91 Alexandra Grace to Neomi and Justin Bristow ’91 Nora Joy to Beth and Gregory Feliciani ’94 Lucille Frances to Katie and Andrew Higgins ’94 Jacqueline Shea to Dayna and D. Barrett Anding ’95 Olivia Alexandra to Shira and Justin Moriconi ’96 John Declan to Amy and Ryan Carney ’98 Charles to Lauren and Stephen Ruggieri ’00

6

5

1

2

3

4

2

3

5 4

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Rest in Peace Francis X. Driscoll ’26

Paul W. Schillig ’48

Joseph B. Emhof ’29

Milton M. Connell ’49

Joseph A. Gallagher ’36

Lawrence L. Law ’50

William P. Koller ’38

Edward J. McCarron ’52

D. Joseph Spada ’38

Joseph T. Mooney ’52

John J. Tisdale ’38

Frederic A. Schumacher ’52

John P. Liggins ’39

John M. Husted ’53

Joseph C. Davish ’41

James E. Waldron ’53

Charles J. Gilligan ’41

Edward S. Kaminski ’54

James F. Dougherty ’42

Gerard E. Heffernan ’55

John E. Ryan ’42

Albert N. DiCarlo ’58

Joseph E. Walters ’42

Andrew T. Wiedmayer ’58

James R. Brannen ’43

Alfred K. Ciongoli ’60

William T. Exley ’43

Raymond M. Jones ’60

William A. Hieb ’43

Alfred S. Cellucci ’64

Francis J. Barry ’44

Francis H. Church ’66

Including a bequest to St. Joseph’s Prep in your will or

Joseph F. Romano ’44

Carmen S. Mozzillo ’66

trust is an easy way to make a difference. It doesn’t affect

J. Taney Willcox ’44

Henry J. Costa ’68

your current cash flow or assets. It’s easy to change if

Arthur J. Barrett ’45

James V. Dougherty ’74

your circumstances change. And, it may save you estate

Thomas A. Reilly ’45

Joseph M. Kopervos ’79

taxes later. Best of all, you have the satisfaction that goes

Anthony P. Giunta ’47

Shawn C. Hicks ’83

with leaving a legacy that will last forever.

Victor G. Schorn ’47

William A. Mullen, former Prep Physical Education Teacher

Eugene V. Armao ’48

Include the Prep in your Will or Trust

Talk to your attorney today, and please let us know when you’ve completed your plan so we can welcome you into The Magis Society, our planned giving society.

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Perspectives This past July, at a funeral Mass in the Church of the Gesu, we said a final goodbye to a man who was a master teacher at the Prep for over 50 years.

The following article by Al Zimmerman ’73, Director of Alumni Relations, contains some thoughts from a few people whose lives Earl touched during his distinguished career.

Teachers, particularly those who love their craft and prepare and communicate their lessons daily with enthusiasm and aplomb, can develop in their students a love for life-long learning. One such teacher was Earl J. Hart ’39.

Dr. Hart taught every mathematics course in the Prep’s curriculum from first year algebra to advanced placement calculus, plus physics, AP physics, and computer programming. In addition, he served as athletic director from 1952 to 1957 as well as serving two terms as a Prep trustee.

Bernard “Gus” Kueny ’53, retired executive vice-president and long-time mathematics department colleague, recalls Earl’s innovative side. “In the late 60s, Earl, with discarded electronic equipment, rigged up a functioning computer, and began teaching Prep students the language of computers and how to program them,” Kueny says. “He created his own punch card machine so the students could ‘write’ their programs. Earl took the punch cards each day and had them run through the Saint Joseph’s University computer while he was teaching mathematics courses in the college evening school. After his night classes, he would pick up the printouts to share with his students the next day.”

“He was way ahead of his time in terms of his knowledge of computers,” opines Michael J. Cunningham ’65, a former student and later department colleague and friend. “Earl had an insatiable need to understand how something functioned. He was a tireless tinkerer. He needed to know not just that it worked but how it worked.”

Cunningham’s classmate Joe Heise ’65, an accomplished mathematician who today is a retired researcher for Mobil Oil and current math professor at a community college in New Hampshire, credits Earl for his own love of science and math. “He challenged us to think creatively,” Heise says, “to ponder questions such as, ‘Did we invent math or did we discover it?’ Earl taught the importance of thinking, not memorizing, in mathematics. Study and memory alone would never be sufficient to figure out the challenging problems, those that required inthe-moment thinking. His enthusiasm for a good problem, as well as thinking out loud as he would work examples in class, set an example that has stayed with me to this day and a tradition I continue in my own math teaching.”

Jim O’Brien ’62, a former student and colleague, remembers, “Earl was always a wonderful role model and good company. For half a century he remained fresh and effective in the classroom, with students from every point in his career all agreeing that Earl was simply, ‘the best.’ Years after he retired, he remained a fixture at reunions and Prep affairs, trading jokes and old stories that testified to how rich and rewarding was his long career in Jesuit education.

In the classroom, Earl had the ability to hold his students’ attention with an incredible wit, but “if they weren’t attentive,” Kueny says laughingly, “there were practical consequences. As the story is told, in the early 90s a student fell asleep in Dr. Hart’s class. When the class ended, Earl told the students to leave quietly so that their slumbering classmate was not disturbed. When the room emptied of students, Earl turned out the light and departed. Later, the sleeping student woke up in shock to find himself alone and fifteen minutes late for his next class. Lesson learned.”

Kueny retells one of Earl’s favorites. “This story involved the multitudinous Currie Clan. Earl couldn’t remember exactly which Currie this story involved. He was giving a math test one particular day. At the end of the period, Earl requested that the bluebooks be passed forward. Soon after the Currie boy passed his bluebook forward, he realized that he had not written his name on the examination booklet. He came rushing forward as Earl was leaving the room, excitedly exclaiming, ‘Dr. Hart, I forgot my name!’ Without breaking stride on his way to his next class, Earl replied, ‘It’s Currie,’ and kept moving.”

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Perhaps one of Dr. Hart’s greatest strengths was his willingness to take young teachers under his wing and cultivate them. One such teacher was Cunningham. “He had a deep desire to see me grow as a teacher,” says Cunningham. “I remember one specific day there were no classes and he and I were working in the math room, just the two of us, preparing for our next day’s classes. Earl stopped what he was doing, walked over to my cubicle, and broadsided me with this comment. ‘I think it’s time for you to take over the AP classes.’ (Earl had been the Prep’s only Advanced Placement Calculus teacher for many years). His words stunned me for they were so unexpected. I looked up at him filled with a strange amalgam of gratitude and apprehension. Earl stopped me before I could utter a refutation.

He simply put his hand on my shoulder and said two words: ‘You’re ready.’”

“When I graduated from college, I received an appointment to teach mathematics at the Prep,” recounts Kueny.

“When I asked the Principal what I needed to do, he told me to speak with Mr. Hart, and he would take care of everything. That he did! Earl Hart was my mentor. He solved every problem that I ever had as a math teacher, and he had me teach every math course in the Prep, just as he did. As a young, unmarried, new teacher, Earl even invited me to dinner with his wife, Betty, and their very young daughter, Joanne. These are memories that I will always cherish.”

“Earl lived in the next town over (Penn Wynne) and I would often thumb it to school,” recalls Heise. “Earl often picked me up in his red Nash Rambler. We didn’t ride together every day, but it was surely a third of the time.

Earl was a renaissance man interested and knowledgeable in just about everything. And he was amazingly so unassuming that I felt completely comfortable in conversation with him. Soon we were discussing politics, physics, sports, philosophy, electronics – you name it.”

Years later Earl would drive his own grandsons to school.

“These rides were opportunities for us to get even closer,” says Kevin Boylan ’98. “I remember on one particular occasion asking him why he chose to stay at the Prep and not opt for a more lucrative career. His answer was very sincere: ‘I have always believed in the Jesuits and their approach to teaching. I enjoy helping people and I think I can do that at the Prep more than at any other place.’”

F

ifty years; half a century; five decades; 18,256 days; three generations – no matter how you look at it, it is a very long time. In the last fifty years, the world has been at war, man has walked on the moon, and countries have risen and fallen. Throughout all of these changes the presence of one person at the Prep has remained constant: Dr. Earl J. Hart.

Think about the ramifications of such a tenure.

In his position as calculus and pre-calculus teacher, he has unraveled the mysteries of math for men, their sons and grandsons.

Appropriately, our computer lab is named after Dr. Hart for it is rumored that he once built a computer at the Prep. Dr. Hart brings a style of teaching to the classroom that is witty and informative. His analytical artworks on the chalk board, while confusing at first, are easily deciphered for his pupils. His human calculator impersonation breaks the monotony of any school day. The Prep is most fortunate to have the experience and wisdom of such a great man for the past fifty years. In gratitude for Dr. Hart’s dedication to us, our dedication is going to him.

– The dedication of the 1993 Chronicle Yearbook

Earl was also a realist who didn’t waste time with that which he could not control and he lived his life grateful for what he had. Kueny, in his eulogy, said, “As much as we would like to change the givens, we know we cannot. That was Earl Hart. In his daily life, he accepted the givens. He never complained. He did not dwell on ill fortune which had befallen him; he just worked toward the solution each day with the situation at hand. He was stricken as a young boy with the loss of an eye, he experienced the loss of his wife at an early age, and he endured a series of health problems. But he never let it get him down. He always took the situation as it was and sought a solution.”

Heise remembers Earl as his “tour guide through a magical intellectual kingdom. His enduring faith in reason and logic launched hundreds, if not thousands, of Preppers into successful careers in science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and other disciplines.”

“He always found the time to talk with my brother (Kevin), my sister (Heather) and me,” says Brendan Boylan ’94, Earl’s other grandson, who is an attorney at Price Waterhouse. “We lost our father to cancer while we were teenagers and our grandfather seemed to know when we needed him most. Whether it was a gentle pat on the back or a stern admonition or just being a sounding board for us, he was there.”

As a young girl, Joanne Hart Boylan learned of the Prep through her father’s many stories and later sent her own sons to the Prep. A doting daughter, especially in Earl’s later years, she was struck by her father’s generosity. “He made very little money, especially in his early years of teaching, yet he always gave to charities, especially the Prep.” A few years ago, Joanne, her children and Earl established the Earl J. Hart Scholarship Fund to enable a student whose family has evidenced substantial financial need to attend the Prep. “My father, my children and I thought that this scholarship with Earl’s name attached would be a wonderful legacy to leave,” she says. “I hope that it is a way to honor a man who has done so much for others and perhaps even inspire others to do something similar.”

But even in death, a man like Earl Hart is never far from the minds of those whom he inspired. “I use a version of his name as my computer password, ensuring that a day doesn’t go by without thinking of him, even if only briefly,” says Cunningham. “He was such an important person in my life. I am so thankful and grateful to him.”

Though most of the students who have entered the Prep’s computer lab since 1993 have not known Dr. Hart, the Master Teacher, the room itself – dedicated in his honor – is a reminder to all that Earl was a prominent fixture for generations of students.

In his homily during Earl’s Mass of Christian Burial, Prep President Rev. George Bur, S.J. ’59, said, “but though the math was important, the man himself was the message. I imagine him now speaking with us today as if he were conducting class. He would hand back our life exams, give us an honest mark and encourage us to take on the challenges that lie ahead of us…he would tell us how proud he is of all of us and of the institution to which he gave his life. This is what he did every day for 52 years, showing 9,000 young men, myself included, not only how to solve equations but how to solve also the mysteries of life. If his blackboard modeled solutions to problems, his person modeled a life rich in love and service and well worth living.”

At Thanksgiving, students, faculty and staff collected and delivered food baskets to 250 families in the neighborhood surrounding the Prep.

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