DeLo, According to Doc

Dr. Rich Kennedy is a Legend of Prep and taught English for 48 years. Carl DeLorenzo, ’67 is a Legend of Prep and taught history for 45 years. Both are essential parts of Prep lore for alumni spanning the 1970s to the 2010s. “Doc” and “DeLo” spent most of those years on the second floor of the English Building, and along with the likes of fellow Legends Ana Garcia and Jack Campion, came to be woven into the distinct character of life east of Warren Street.

Recently, Doc Kennedy shared this reflection on his decades-long friendship with his former colleague, which continues to this day—a reminder that forging these enduring connections at Grand & Warren is by no means an experience limited to students! In fact, this spirit of collegiality and friendship among the adults of the Prep community has long been a defining element of the school’s culture.

DeLo, According to Doc

by Rich Kennedy

As I write this I’m sitting in my living room with a smile on my face, silently chuckling. Why am I doing so? Because I am thinking of my friend and colleague, Carl DeLorenzo.

When my memories turn to Prep, as they often do, I find myself recalling the thousands of students I taught over my 48 year career there. Equally or even more so, perhaps, I think of my colleagues, especially those whom I knew the longest.

Probably most of all, I recall Carl. Now this might be because our classrooms were opposite each other on the second floor of the Freshman/English/ Humanities Building. I’d guess that more than half of the six thousand days I taught at Prep were spent in adjacent classrooms, so I am probably talking about something like 15,000 teaching periods. I therefore certainly got m ore than a vague idea of what his daily routines were like. The bell would ring to start class. The students, who most often were seniors, were immediately quiet once Delo began to talk, usually very softly. Then, frequently after no more than a minute, the students would often erupt in laughter as the first of several quips, stories, or jokes were tossed out. Next, there was silence again and rapt attention. Sometimes this pattern was interrupted, and a timeout had to be called because of a student infraction (perhaps someone dozing off), after which the offender had to be invited not too subtly to leave the room. Class returned to normal, where I could almost sense the students thinking “Whew, that was scary. I’m glad that wasn’t me.”

I’d guess that more than half of the six thousand days I taught at Prep were spent in adjacent classrooms, so I am probably talking about something like 15,000 teaching periods

My recollection of times together outside the classroom are at least as strong. We would often sit down together when the school day was over. This is where I got to know many of his passions, opinions, and interests, his heroes such as Teddy Roosevelt, Napoleon, Churchill, William F. Buckley, his favorite comedians Bob and Ray and Steve Allen, our mutually-loved movies such as Romeo and Juliet, Gigi, The Stranger, and Divorce Italian Style, authors such as Henry Adams, and entertainers like Elvis, Chad and Jeremy, Roy Orbison, The Fleetwoods, and Linda Ronstadt.

All our chats were marked by abundant laughter. His insights were razor-sharp; I always felt he was something of a poet at heart. He was a great mimic, imitating George C. Scott as General Patton, Peter Lorre in Casablanca, the aforementioned William F. Buckley, Mayor Ed Koch, Fathers Pete Roslovich and John Browning, Frank Duffy, and, best of all, fellow History teacher Mike Gray. In fact, one of my very earliest memories of Prep was visiting his room before class was to begin and hearing the voice of Mr. Lou Parisi, a dear Latin teacher. I was wondering why Lou was in there when I caught sight of Carl doing one of his best impersonations for some students.

This image—Doc and DeLo sharing a laugh between classes in the English Building—is virtually timeless, though this specific photo comes from the 1989 Petrean.

Never did he lose his sense of humor. A colleague of mine—Jim Horan, ’70, like Carl a Legend of Prep and a beloved friend—told me that just a few years ago he was walking past Carl’s classroom and noticed five remote controls on top of the podium. Now we all know that DeLo showed many interesting and informative videos in class which formed an integral portion of his courses. Jim entered the room and asked why he had so many remotes. Carl immediately responded, “Backups!”

Beyond the campus, we went off on trips with students on Freshman Arts Day or Prep Day to the Met and Brooklyn Museums, and to meetings at Xavier, Fordham, and Regis. On our own we hit many local and NYC restaurants. I particularly remember having lunch at Mickey Mantle’s place on Central Park South where we saw The Mick, Dick Williams, and Graig Nettles. And then there were breakfasts at the Flamingo Diner at Montgomery and Greene Streets and the VIP Diner near Journal Square—one of the latter meals, before a meeting at Xavier, was especially memorable because it was the day I permanently stopped smoking: October 25, 1978!

I also remember the many kind deeds and favors he did for me—storing my car when my wife and I went on vacation, giving me rides, sharing a cannoli (just kidding.) He was thoughtful towards his students, too—I remember how he suggested to some of his more popular seniors that they make an effort to include a classmate who was being left out of the “in crowd.”

It is somehow only right that Carl (as a senior, Class of ´67) was at Prep on my very first day there—January 25, 1967—and on the last—January 21, 2015. It saddens me to think that he too has retired and will no longer be there to instruct and inspire future generations of Prep students, teachers, staff, and administrators directly.

If you’ve never met Carl, you’ve missed one of Prep’s, and life’s, best experiences. If you have known him, I am sure that you have your own many indelible memories of him, and that those recollections bring a smile to your face.

As former President Bill Clinton (not a favorite of DeLo’s!) said of his predecessor George H.W. Bush (whom Carl finds more palatable), “I am grateful for every minute I spent with him and will always hold our friendship as one of my life's greatest gifts.”