WHY I GIVE

By THOMAS M. LAMBERTI ’48 “For it is in giving that we receive…”

— St. Francis of Assisi

I am the son of Italian immigrants. My father came here in 1904 from Naples. He was 11 years old. He became a barber and a beautician. My mother came here in 1906 from Reggio Calabria. She was 3 years old. Her mother died in the 1918 pandemic. At 16, she became a seamstress and raised eight siblings with her father, who was a tailor.

I was born in 1930. I attended PS 139 in Rego Park, Queens. When I was about to graduate, my grandfather told my mother that I had to be educated by the Jesuits. They agreed that I should go to Xavier. I wanted to go to Forest Hills High School with my friends. But, being a dutiful son, I took the exam, passed, and headed to 16th Street in the fall of 1944.

I remember traveling in uniform on the GG local to Jackson Heights and then the F train to 16th Street. The Xavier High School building and the Church of St. Francis Xavier held me in awe. Soon I became immersed in Xavier’s many activities and academics. I made new friends. They were, like me, sons of immigrants—German, Polish, Italian, and Irish. Their parents, like mine, sought a better life for their children. Not any different than today except that the diversity and countries have changed.

Our teachers were primarily Jesuits. They drilled education into us. They were our role models. They became our friends for life. John Gerhard, S.J. taught me Latin and English in 1A and 2A. He was my friend for life even though he sent me to the Headmaster’s Office for disrupting the class while I was in church for Thursday morning confessions.

Xavier was my door to the future. It gave me my foundational education and grounded my spiritual life. St. Ignatius’s principle of service for others became my mantra. I attended Fordham College and Harvard Law School. I became a successful labor lawyer.

In gratitude for what Xavier gave me, I have always donated to Xavier. In my later years, I knew my legacy was to educate other sons of immigrants and give them the same educational opportunity that I had. I established endowed scholarships at Xavier, at Fordham for Xavier graduates, and at Harvard Law School for Fordham graduates.

Over the years, I have met many of these Sons of Xavier. I was always proud of their character and accomplishments. When they thanked me for my help, I thanked them for the opportunity to help them. Truly, in giving you receive great joy.

Class of 2021 College Acceptances

Xavier’s 274 Sons of the Class of 2021 matriculated at 115 colleges and universities last fall, 22% of them at one of 13 Jesuit colleges or universities. Collectively, the Class of ’21 amassed more than $42 million in academic scholarships.

Though their junior and senior years were times of great challenge on 16th Street, they leave Xavier as loyal Sons well equipped to seek excellence in every endeavor, to lead with integrity, and to transform the world for God’s greater glory.

Here are some of the outstanding institutions members of the Class of 2021 are currently attending:

Amherst College Babson College Bowdoin College Boston College Clark Atlanta University College of the Holy Cross Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Emerson College Fordham University Georgia Institute of

Technology Georgetown University Lafayette College Lehigh University Middlebury College New York University Northeastern University Oberlin College Princeton University Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute Rochester Institute of

Technology Santa Clara University Swarthmore College Trinity College Dublin Tulane University University of Chicago University of Miami Villanova University George Washington

University Webb Institute Williams College

Profile of Xavier High School

Founded: 1847 Type of School: Jesuit, Catholic, Independent College Preparatory 2020-21 Tuition and Fees: $20,200

Geography

Bronx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 .8% Brooklyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 .3% Manhattan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 .3% Queens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 .3% Staten Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 .6% Westchester/Orange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 .5% Long Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3% New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 .1%

Student Ethnicity

Indigenous American: 0 .2% Asian or Asian American: 5 .9% Black or African American: 7 .7% Hispanic or Latino: 16% Multiracial: 11 .7% White/Other: 58 .5%

Faculty & Administration

Number of Jesuits on Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Number of Laypersons on Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Number of Alumni on Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Student to Faculty Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13:1 Average Number of Years of Teaching Experience for Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 years

HIGH SCHOOL

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Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

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