WELCOMING THE STRANGER

JIM YOUNG ’89

BY SHAWNA GALLAGHER VEGA

Twenty-seven years ago, Jim Young ’89 arrived in Warsaw on a 20-month assignment with accounting giant KPMG, hoping to stay a few years before moving on to Australia. As is often the case, life had other plans. The Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn native still lives in the Polish capital, where he’s found himself at the center of a historic humanitarian effort over the past year.

Since February 2022, when Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw has welcomed more than 5 million refugees fleeing the war. The Polish government estimated that its citizens have hosted 1.6 million Ukrainian refugees in their homes at some point since then. Young, his wife, Magda, and his children, Julia, Maja, and Liam, count themselves among those hospitable Poles.

“It was as simple as seeing people in need and having the capacity to help them. There never was a question of if we do something, but what,” said Young, who opened his family’s large bed and breakfast property to refugees fleeing west from Ukraine. “Within a few days of the start of the war, we opened our camp and spread the word through our social media channels and to others who were organizing accommodations for refugees. Shortly after, we were at full winter capacity of roughly 90 people, some staying a short time before they moved on to final destinations, and many staying until May [2022].”

The Fordham graduate is quick to credit family, friends, and other individuals who generously donated $40,000 to help his family feed and care for the refugees they housed. Later, when the Youngs received $24,000 from the Polish government for their work hosting Ukrainians, they donated it to a fundraising campaign for refugees at the American School of Warsaw (ASW), where Young serves as finance and operations director and Maja and Liam are students. (Julia, his oldest, is a student at Boston University.)

After the Russian invasion, ASW swiftly mobilized efforts to meet the needs of Ukrainians in their midst. The ongoing #ASWforUkraine fundraising campaign invited people around the world to donate money to the school’s humanitarian efforts, and a core group of students allocated donations to refugee centers, orphanages, and organizations for the disabled. Since then, members of the school community have opened their homes to more than 300 Ukrainians, prepared more than 4,000 meals, sent more than 11,000 boxes of supplies to refugees, and raised $384,000 U.S. dollars in donations. Students, parents, and staff continue to volunteer at the #ASWforUkraine Center, which provides meals, humanitarian aid, workshops, and much more to those in need.

“Every day I see how powerful a community that cares and works together can be—and how that community can have a profound impact on others,” said Young, who left a top finance role at Ogilvy & Mather Poland to join ASW in 2017. “ASW has a long history of service learning which is part of who we are, just like Xavier. It has been wonderful to work in an environment that aligns with my core values.”

Young noted that as the war in Ukraine rages on, outside donations have slowed, and many are still in need (to learn more about the #ASWforUkraine campaign, visit go.rallyup.com/aswforukraine). The

#ASWforUkraine Center continues to feed between 800 and 1,000 refugees each week. And more than a year after the invasion, Young and his family still host one refugee family—and they will assist for as long as they are needed.

“I have always been very proud of Xavier and its students’ and alumni’s commitment to serving others,” he said. “And I am proud we are doing our part to support the many women and children displaced from their homes in Ukraine.”

Studies. He taught in the program for 38 years.

Last year Larry Earley, with nominations from friends and North Carolina State Senator Dan Blue, was inducted into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, which recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the State of North Carolina. Among his accomplishments are his books, Looking for Long Leaf and The Work Boats of Core Sound, 20 years as a writer and editor of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine, and his photographic work, which can be viewed at lawrenceearley.photoshelter.com.

Rocco Iacovone and former Director of Music Jerry Neuhoff joined forces to perform at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn in January. Both are part of a musicians union initiative called “Music for the Soul,” which takes them to monthly concerts at city hospitals throughout the five boroughs.

Tom Ryan writes that he and his wife, Ann Marie, enjoyed time on the beach with Phil and Rosemary Ambrosini after this February’s Naples reception.

1963

John Dalessio is a structural engineer of record for the Oratory at the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling, New Jersey. The Oratory, which is meant to be a place of prayer and meditation, houses a nearly 100-year-old mosaic of the life of St. Joseph. The roof structure is a reciprocal frame—a rare structure used in the country.

Rick Geffken recently returned from a research trip to England, where he was escorted on a private guided tour of the Houses of Parliament by MP Barry Gardiner. Geffken was searching for information about Monmouth County, New Jersey’s founding English families and a one-time slave of William Penn for a new book.

For the past 20 years, Gregory Scime has directed an international music festival in Assisi, Italy. The program has presented hundreds of concerts featuring all genres of music—opera, jazz, spirituals, classical, and a special emphasis on sacred music. The festival choir has performed numerous times at the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. The dates for the 2023 festival are July 10-27.

1964

Dr. Francis J. Bremer, retired professor emeritus of history at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, continues to write and deliver lectures on 17th-century Anglo-American history. His most recent book is One Small Candle: The Plymouth Puritans and the Beginning of English New England (2020). He is working on a history of women in the shaping of Puritanism and other projects.

Last September, Bob Donnelly and his brother, Andy Donnelly ’60, visited Milwaukee’s National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum to ensure the induction of a Xavier legend. “The Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum agreed to induct the bobblehead of Fr. Jim Keenan,” Bob Donnelly writes. “Joe Fisher deserves some of the credit for making the ultimate sacrifice by allowing us to use his personal Fr. Jim bobblehead for the induction ceremony. Fr. Jim has now taken his much-deserved place of honor on a shelf between two popes.”

Dr. Andy Manganaro writes that he is now the chief medical officer of an international company after more than 30 years as a cardiothoracic/vascular surgeon. He recently remarried 22 years after losing his wife of 20 years. He still enjoys racing his vintage sports cars and flying aerobatics in his open cockpit biplane, and he’s considering going back to school to continue his study of philosophy and physics.

Dr. Richard Monahan writes that he is beginning to retire from his clinical psychology practice, working only from a home office with existing patients.

Thomas Swift lives in Naples, Florida. He reports that his grandson, Aidan McPhillips, graduated from LaSalle Institute in Troy, New York, as JROTC lieutenant colonel and now attends Norwich University on an ROTC scholarship.

1965

J.P. Robinson writes that he is deeply grateful to his wife, Cathy, for her care as he recovered from multiple back surgeries, a staph infection, and other complications in 2021.

Peter Hansen finished construction of his new home in Asunción, Paraguay, last year, and he looks forward to celebrating his 60th reunion in 2025.

1966

Raymond Dittrich writes that his grandson, Alexander Sterancsak, received his commission into the United States Marine Corps on June 17. Alex graduated from Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in May with a master’s degree in cybersecurity. He previously earned an undergraduate degree in cybersecurity from Sacred Heart and joined the Marines in 2021.

Andy Mihalick and his wife, Kathy, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on January 16, 2021, with a small dinner party with their children and grandchildren. In May 2022, the Mihalicks spent a great day enjoying fine wines with Andy’s classmate, Dan Mantle, at Napa Valley’s Lava Cap Winery, where Mantle is national sales manager.

Vince Panzera reports that 2022 was “a seminal year for the Panzeras—a 45-year wedding anniversary and 45 years in North Texas. We live close to our two children and six grandkids.” He retired as a managing director at Higginbotham after 52 years in financial services. He fills his time with “some travel, some gardening, and lots of golf.”

1967

Dan O’Neill reports that his family is completing the New York Jesuit high school circuit. His son Dan is a 1994 Regis graduate and elder grandson Kellen just finished his freshman year at Fordham Prep.

Deacon Francis Orlando celebrated the 34th anniversary of his ordination to the diaconate in June.

On March 30, Bill Strasser was sworn in as the 125th president of the Bergen County Bar Association at the Hasbrouck Heights Hilton in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.

1968

Neil Healy and Mathew J. Mari finished 32 episodes of their podcast, A View from Mulberry Street (available on YouTube), and have begun a second year of recording.

James Keane is happy to report that his new poetry chapbook, Small Wonders, has been published. Keane offers poems he hopes will serve as invitations for readers, in their own fashion, to recognize, celebrate, and, above all, share in the simple, heartfelt humanity in all of us, the small wonders of this world.

1969

Will Yozaites and his wife, Terry, moved to Middletown, New Jersey, where they are close to their three daughters and seven grandchildren. In addition to spending time at his grandchildren’s athletic events and school functions, Yozaites enjoys playing golf and umpiring.

1970

The college conference room at Fordham College at Lincoln Center has been named the Grimes Conference Room after Bob Grimes, S.J. in recognition of his leadership of the college as dean for 20 years.

Stephen Jones lives in New York City and works as a contract proofreader and editor. Two of his poems appeared in the June 2022 edition of The Muse–An International Journal of Poetry His work has previously appeared in The New York Times (three times), several literary journals, and an overseas collection from Venice, Italy.

Donald Loar is the president of the Early-Bird Rotary Club of Warrensburg, Missouri. The club serves the local area of Warrensburg, including the University of Central Missouri and Whiteman Air Force Base.

1971

Anthony Flood published Christ, Capital and Liberty: A Polemic in 2019 and Philosophy After Christ: Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him in 2022.

John Frank acted in two plays this spring. He played the dean of Stanford Medical School in Let Me Down Easy, a play by Anna Deavere Smith; the production took place in February at Oakton College in Chicago. He also played the town haberdasher in Inherit the Wind at Theater D in Deerfield, Illinois, in April.

Eric Hoffmeyer and his wife, Bridget, continue to enjoy Kentucky and wish their Xavier family the best. Hoffmeyer is still building, fixing, machining, and welding.

On June 24, 2022, John Schader and his family celebrated the life of his father, Herbert Schader, a World War II veteran who died on December 6, 2021. He was buried with military honors at Massachusetts National Cemetery.

Patrick Sullivan has a private investigator license in Virginia. He owns his own firm, Finnerty Sullivan Group LLC - Security Consulting and Investigations.

1972

Daniel Carlucci is retired in North Carolina. He is very proud of the many accomplishments of his Xavier classmates.

Tom Flynn has been a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty/ Greenwich for many years, licensed in Connecticut and New York. He recently moved his business to Compass/Greenwich. Compass has been in business for 10 years and opened in Connecticut five years ago. The company has become the number one residential real estate brokerage in America (and a Fortune 500 company), surpassing companies that have been operating for decades, employing 30,000 agents.

1973

In 2022, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Scott Cameron to the state’s Water Control Board. “It’s a great volunteer opportunity to oversee all Clean Water Act regulations in Virginia to protect our natural resources and public health,” Cameron writes. “I am particularly concerned with the stampede to clearcut our forests to build solar photovoltaic farms.”

In 2017, Joe LaRose retired from the NYPD after 37 years of service. In 2021, he moved to The Villages in Florida.

Bob Maguire writes that he recently enjoyed a meal at Parkside Restaurant in Queens with Bob Milea, Charlie Butera, and Neal Miranda. He enjoyed spending time with Butera and Miranda at Okeechobee Steakhouse in Florida as well.

Ray McCarthy and his wife, Kathy, live in Yonkers, where they are enjoying retirement, two grandchildren, jigsaw puzzles, and walking for health.

Michael Montelongo lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is president and chief executive officer of GRC Advisory Services, LLC, a private firm specializing in board governance matters. Last year, he was featured by Egon Zehnder, the world’s preeminent leadership advisory firm, in a Q&A series celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

Chris Roman writes that he is busier than ever as director of external affairs for Las Vegas Recycling, Inc., and as a consultant to other business clients and charitable entities. He welcomes any Son of Xavier to Las Vegas.

Marc Roselli, S.J. writes: “My four years at Xavier High School were a very special time for learning and personal development, not only in terms of the academic and the intellectual, but also with regard to the personal and spiritual aspects of life. It was at Xavier that I came to understand my calling to religious life. The intellectual goals were always there, but also very much in our sight was our personal, human, and spiritual development. The example and dedication of all our teachers, Jesuit and lay, guided us in the goal of leadership and service. It was during my four years at Xavier High School that I began the discernment of my vocation to the Society of Jesus. I was also blessed to have had the opportunity to teach at Xavier for seven years during the 1990s and to serve as Director of Campus Ministry. They are years I will always cherish, having the opportunity to give back to my alma mater in the faith formation of her students. Xavier will always hold a very special and important place in my heart where I discovered my vocation and met so many people, both teachers and students, who inspired and encouraged me in my vocation to service as a Jesuit priest.” Fr. Roselli recently celebrated Mass at Lincoln Hall in Lincolndale, New York, where Ed Kowalski ’76 serves as human resources director. Founded in 1863 to serve orphaned children, Lincoln Hall has served unaccompanied minors who have crossed the border since the early 2000s. “That program has continued to grow where it now provides educational, vocational, medical, and family reunification services for over 100 kids, some of whom have walked from Venezuela,” Kowalski writes. “Through Lincoln Hall’s vocational education programs, back in 2015, the Lincoln Hall kids were asked by the Archdiocese to build the altar that Pope Francis used to celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden. The altar was returned to Lincoln Hall where it remains in our Chapel. … I was talking to Jim Keenan about the fact that the unaccompanied minors were requesting and, frankly, needing religious services. As only Keenan can do, he put me in touch with Fr. Marc Roselli, S.J., who came to Lincoln Hall [on March 18] and celebrated Mass for these kids! It was hard not to be moved by what I witnessed. Marc became the first Jesuit to use that altar since the Pope.”