Xavier Alumnews: March 2010

A LU M N E W S O F X AV I E R H I G H S C H O O L

MARCH 2010

16th Street Spotlight Graduates in the Performing Arts

Xavier grads in the performing arts (top to bottom), Tom DeGrezia ’00, Jayce Bartok ’90, Steven Strait ’04 with mother, Jean, Ray Lustig ’90 and Vlad Wolynetz ’88.

In this Issue 8 Men For All Seasons Tom O’Hara ’69 is at it again! We pulled the famous Xavier sports aficionado away from his computer long enough for him to share a few pages on the exciting 2009 football season, capped off with a thrilling overtime Turkey Bowl victory against rival Fordham Prep!

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Mass of the Holy Spirit

21 Coming of Age on the Silver Screen Steven Strait ’04 has had an exciting entrance into show business!

The star of 10,000 B.C. (2008) can be seen in the newly released film City Island (2009), and Steven recently told Alumnews that he continues to bring with him the lessons he learned at Xavier.

24 Film…the Evolution!

Vlad Wolynetz ’88, head of production at AMC, joins Mr. Vincent Vargas, longtime Xavier faculty member, in a discussion on the history of film studies at Xavier. New changes to curriculum brought film study back into the classroom!

D E PA R T M E N T S 1 President’s Message 2 From the Advancement Office 3 News from the Quad

15 New Faces at Xavier 30 Class Notes 36 Mileposts

6 JROTC Fall Awards Ceremony

Turkey Bowl Champions!

March 2010 Vol. 13 No. 1

XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL John R. Raslowsky President Michael LiVigni Headmaster

Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations Joseph F. Gorski Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Mark A. Mongelluzzo, Esq. Director of Annual and Planned Giving Michael L. Benigno ’00 Managing Editor of Alumnews Director of Communications Shane Lavin ’03 Director of Alumni Relations Helene Strong Parents’ Association Coordinator

Barbara Ciulla Advancement Office Manager Norma Piecyk Administrative Assistant to the President and to the VP for Advancement

Contributing Writers Tom O’Hara ‘69 Mark A. Mongelluzzo, Esq. Shane Lavin ’03

Photography Michael L. Benigno ’00 Alumnews, the Xavier High School magazine, is published three times a year by Xavier High School.

8 The CFX Acoustic Coffeehouse

Correspondence and address changes should be mailed to: Alumnews Managing Editor Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302 Or by email to benignom@xavierhs.org

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Sharing the Xavier Story

Dear Sons and Friends of Xavier: Greetings from 16th Street where Xavier continues to be abuzz with activity. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Military Ball, the start of the rugby season (and the limps, gashes and bruises that accompany that start), mass and dinner commissioning our Holy Week CFX service trip to Alabama, Lenten penance services and the sacrament of reconciliation, the winter sports banquet and tonight’s band concert all provide reminders of the talents and gifts of our community and the many ways our students and faculty share these gifts with great generosity. St Irenaeus, the 2nd century bishop of Lyons, wrote “the glory of God is man fully alive.” Xavier is blessed with over 1000 men and women—students, faculty and staff—fully alive and engaged in this world. They live lives that indeed give glory to God. The same is true of our alumni. We are happy to once again share their stories.

You are reading on your computer the first electronic edition of Xavier’s Alumnews, the newest part of Xavier’s outreach to our alumni, parents and friends. Through the years our communication with the Xavier community has grown and evolved in a number of ways to meet emerging needs and take advantage of new technologies. From the letters of Fr. Joe Latella, S.J. through newsletters and magazines and most recently via the weekly E-news, Xavier continues to tell her story. The decision was made last spring to move from three print editions of Alumnews to two print and one electronic edition. The decision was motivated by a variety of concerns. Publishing Alumnews electronically saves paper and substantially reduces our costs. Each print edition from design through production and mailing is a $20,000 expense. In addition to the cost savings, the electronic Alumnews allows for the development and presentation of stories in a variety of formats including the use of audio and video. We are excited about the possibilities.

In the future, we anticipate publishing two print and one electronic edition each year, in addition to the annual report. The electronic Alumnews nicely compliments the Xavier E-news which is published each week classes are in session and periodically in the summer.

The E-news is sent to all alumni, parents and friends, usually on Fridays. We are happy to have the opportunity to share that story with you in new and exciting ways. We welcome your feedback on this issue, our publication plans and all our communication with you.

Feedback can be address to Mr. Michael Benigno ’00, our director of communications, at benignom@xavierhs.org or 212-924-7900 x.1435. Please feel free as well to contact me at raslowskyj@xavierhs.org or 212-337-7538 about our publications or any other Xavier issue.

As I write, our Lenten journey is drawing to a close. Palm Sunday is near and will be followed by the Easter Triduum. It is a week commemorating the great mysteries of our faith leading to the joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is a week when we are reminded of Jesus’s humanity in His triumph on Palm Sunday, His meal with friends on Holy Thursday and His loneliness, betrayal, suffering and desperation on Good Friday. While we may at times be challenged connecting to God, this week powerfully reminds us that God came to us— incarnate in our world—to connect to us: to know loneliness, to suffer and to confront sin.

Loneliness, suffering and sin are experiences we all share. They are experiences the Church now bears in all her humanity.

Yet the suffering and even the death are not the end of the story. Resurrection dawns, joy is real and Alleluia is heard once again. As it is true for Christ, so it is for us. This is the greatest of stories we share at Xavier.

Be assured of my prayers for you, your families, the Society of Jesus and the Church during these holy days. Please remember all of us at Xavier in yours.

God’s blessings,

John R. Raslowsky President MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

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From the Advancement Office

Xavier Takes On New Media!

JOE GORSKI Vice President for Advancement

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

As I write this column, it is the last week in January and I am at 38,000 feet, on my way to Arizona and Southern California for three alumni receptions.

When you read it, it will be March and spring will just be getting its start in New York.

The theme of this spring Alumnews is focused on the Performing Arts and several of our alumni who work in the field of acting, film production and screenplay writing. Hopefully you will find their stories compelling and the information about the latest comings and goings at the school, as well as milestones and changes in the lives of our graduates, interesting and worthwhile. Perhaps, however, a more important aspect of this issue demonstrates how the Advancement Office at Xavier continues its journey toward greater technological productivity and toward a greener and more paperless operation. Although our previous issues of this magazine are available on line, this is the first issue to be designed, published and distributed as electronic media only.

For the past decade, we have attempted to upgrade our publications, increasing the breadth and depth of their content, as well as the number of pages in each issue, and we have gone from a magazine primarily black and white to a full-color, glossy magazine. We have generally published and mailed three issues a year (plus an annual report), but as you are well-aware, the costs of paper, designing, publishing and mailing have been on the rise. At the same time, technological advances in electronic media have given organizations (both for-profit and nonprofit) the challenge and opportunity to stay in contact with its constituents in a less expensive way.

Xavier has made some forays into the use of electronic media. We began by introducing an online community in the fall of 2002. We wanted our communication to be more interactive and the information in our online alumni directory to be more up to date. As a result, people

could visit our website, read about happenings at Xavier, learn about, register and pay for events on line, donate online as well as have extended discussion with other alumni. We have had some success in the past, but we are now dedicating ourselves to improving our presence online and in other social media such as Facebook and perhaps even Twitter.

To that end, we have restructured the Advancement office to take advantage of these technological advances. Mike Benigno ’00, who has been responsible for the Alumnews since the summer of 2005, has been relieved of his alumni relations responsibilities and, as director of communications, is now dedicated to improving Xavier’s presence in all media, electronic and print. In his new position, he will be responsible for press releases, the editing, design and publication of Alumnews, as well as the Annual Report and our weekly E-newsletter which has been redesigned over the last four months.

All of this activity is to better communicate with each of our constituents, alumni, parents and friends and to save paper and reduce expenses.

To ensure our success in these efforts however, we need your help. We cannot provide proper communication between Xavier and you without your email address.

We are currently working hard to obtain email addresses for all our graduates, graduate parents and current parents and friends. Our database has a total of 15,000 constituents from the above groups, but right now we only have about 6,000 active email addresses. I urge you to visit our on line community at www.xavierhsalumni.org and register your email address and your other contact information.

It is a new century and a new decade.

Enjoy this issue of our magazine and let’s work together to improve communication between us through embracing the technology available to us. Thank you for your cooperation and all that each of you do in support of Xavier.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit, September 11, 2009.

News from the

Quad

IN BRIEF: Xavier welcomed its 33rd president, Mr. John Raslowsky!

Welcoming Xavier’s 33rd President

Class chair program is revamped! Help us out!

On a day steeped in Xavier tradition, Mr. John Raslowsky, the 33rd president of Xavier High School, was installed with a grand ceremony that took place on the occasion of the Mass of the Holy Spirit, celebrated on September 11, 2009.

V. Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J. ’77, provincial of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, presided over the Mass along with a special extended delegation of Jesuits from the New York Province, and Mr. Raslowsky was presented with the College of St. Francis Xavier Presidential Chain of Office, a gift of the Class of 2009. The chain, engraved with the names of each prior Xavier president, is symbolic of the continuous line of fine leaders that have guided Xavier since its first president, Fr. John Larkin, S.J., held office beginning in 1847.

As chair of Xavier’s board of trustees, Richard Nolan, Jr., Esq. ’83 publicly acknowledged Mr. Raslowsky’s presidency and bestowed up on him the authority and responsibility of office, granted by the board.

Mr. Nolan spoke highly of Mr. Raslowsky’s qualifications before the congregation, and in a previous letter to alumni and supporters, wrote, “We firmly believe that Jack is the leader Xavier needs to achieve even higher levels of performance and success as it seeks to prepare the young men of today and tomorrow for service to our country, our city, and our Catholic faith.”

The XBC highlights Xavier’s Service to the Nation…

The Francis X. Leahy ’41 Alumni Service Award will recognize outstanding alumni…

JROTC Fall Awards recognize the achievements of cadets…

A Xavier freshman reflects on his first Maroon and Blue Day… Justice Antonin Scalia ’53, Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60 and Dave Anderson ’47 speak at two New York Historical Society events…

Xavier Italian students are set to travel abroad…

Thanksgiving food drive shatters records!

Beefsteak, Glover Fundraiser… and more!

V. Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J. ’77 with Mr. Raslowsky

Mr. Raslowsky with his family, (l.-r.) Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Christian, and John

MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

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News from the Quad

Welcoming Xavier’s 33rd President continued from pg. 3 Fr. Ciancimino said, “Mr. Raslowsky’s assuming the presidency at Xavier brings us to a new and exciting time in Xavier’s history, a time marked by both continuity with Xavier’s rich tradition and at the same time one marked by exciting new opportunities. Jack brings to his role as Xavier’s president a profound experience of Jesuit schools and Ignatian leadership, based on his years of involvement in the schools of the New York Province as a student, faculty member, and administrator.”

Fr. Ciancimino went on to express his gratitude for the laypeople that serve the Jesuit mission, and commented that their presence is mutually beneficial: their openness to Ignatian spirituality and the Jesuit mission allows that mission a much wider scope than it would have otherwise had, while the Society and the lives of individual Jesuits have been broadened and enriched by their duties.

Prior to his presidency, Mr. Raslowsky served as superintendent of schools, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He has an estab-

Mr. Raslowsky addressing the Xavier community following his installation as president

lished, 25-year record of involvement in Jesuit education, having previously served as a teacher, coach, and principal at St. Peter’s Prep, and also as assistant for secondary and pre-secondary education, and assistant for lay faith formation, both in the New York Province.

Because of major renovation work taking place in the Church of St. Francis Xavier, the Mass was held at St. Paul the Apostle Church on Manhattan’s West

Support in all forms

Side. The beautiful cathedral proved an excellent host for the Xavier congregation, and many invited guests returned to Xavier afterward for a lunch that welcomed Mr. Raslowsky.

Attendees also included past and present board members, Mr. Raslowsky’s wife, Sarah, and their four children, John, Christian, Rebecca, and Rachel.

By Shane Lavin ’03

Class Chair Program is Revamped In an effort to increase communication between alumni and the school, the advancement team has been working to revamp and reenergize the Class Chair program. With renewed commitment to the effort, we hope to enable our Class Chairmen to coordinate a two-way flow of information between alumni and the school. It is our hope that Class Chairmen will not only serve as messengers of the school but that they also invite and encourage their classmates to share news, attend events and keep connected with one another and with the whole Xavier community.

Over the past few months we have been evaluating the effectiveness of the position as it exists today and have begun to take the necessary steps to make it more of a constructive source of frequent dialogue between alumni and Xavier. We have been reaching out to identify new Chairmen for those classes in need of one or more, and are enthusiastic as we look forward to a better and more efficient effort in the coming year. We have already found new Chairmen for several classes but we will continue our pursuit until we have found Chairmen for all of our classes!

If you’re interested in becoming a Class Chair please contact Shane Lavin ’03 at lavins@xavierhs.org.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

News from the Quad

XBC focuses on Service to the Nation The Xavier Business Council held its fall networking and educational event on Oct. 15th, focusing on Xavier’s Service to the Nation as four distinguished Xavier alumni who served the country in the armed forces spoke before a gathered crowd in the Meditz Family Library/ Learning Center.

Lt. Col. Roy Campbell, Xavier’s senior army instructor, moderated the event, which featured Rear Admiral Thomas Steffens US Navy (Ret.) ’65, Col. Ray Lustig USAF (Ret.) ’64, Major Ed McGoldrick US Army Reserve ’91, and Major Vance Kuhner US Army Reserve ’90.

Together, in addition to stories about their Xavier experiences and deployments, the graduates spoke about modern developments in warfare, particularly in relation to extended media coverage in the age of the 24-hour news cycle.

The next XBC event will feature graduates in journalism, including Mike Sheehan ’66 and Michael Gargiulo ’77, and is set for April 21st Questions? Email xbc@xavierhs.org.

XBC panel, October 15, 2009

Alumni Service Award will Honor a Dedicated Alumnus On Thursday evening October 8, 2009, at the President’s Council dinner at the Union League Club, Xavier announced the establishment of the Francis X. Leahy ’41 Alumni Service Award to honor one of its most dedicated Sons.

The announcement was met with enthusiastic applause and gratitude to Mr. Frank Leahy ’41. The award will be presented every year at the annual Reunion Gala to a Xavier alumnus celebrating a reunion year, whose voluntary service to Xavier epitomizes the dedication and enthusiasm of Mr. Leahy.

Frank Leahy’s dedication the past few years to Xavier’s fundraising efforts has been truly extraordinary. Not only does Frank attend all 11 evenings of the alumni Phonathon in February and March each year, but, since fiscal 2007, he has also voluntarily dedicated an additional two to three full-time weeks in the Advancement Office in the spring, calling members of the Xavier family to encourage them to contribute to the Annual Fund or to remind them to fulfill an outstanding pledge. Frank has

made well over 6,000 phone calls over the course of this time: his melodious, friendly voice beckoning all to come through for the Maroon and Blue. His efforts have paid off—fiscal 2007, 2008 and 2009 were the three most successful years for the Annual Fund.

Frank grew up in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, where he was a parishioner of St. Ignatius Loyola parish. He entered Xavier in the fall of 1937 and remains grateful for the Jesuit education he received here. As Frank has noted on more than one occasion,“The Jesuits were tough, but they cared a lot about us.”

After graduating with the June class of 1941, Frank worked for a short time before entering the United States Army in early 1943. After the war, he was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, receiving a business degree from Fordham in 1951; then followed a long, successful career in textiles. Of course, as a true “Man for Others” Frank has contributed to the Annual Fund every year since its inception in fiscal 1983 and, in the past three years, as a member of the President’s Council.

Mr. Raslowsky and Rich Nolan, Jr, Esq. ’83 with Mr. Leahy at the President’s Council dinner

At the dinner, Frank accepted this honor with his usual grace and charm and expressed gratitude for being recognized. He spoke briefly about his time as a student on 16th Street and what Xavier has always meant to him. Indeed, for all of Frank’s hard work and diligence, this was a welldeserved honor.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the inaugural recipient(s) of the Francis X. Leahy ’41 Alumni Service Award in the next issue of Alumnews.

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

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News from the Quad

Fall Awards Highlight the Regiment’s Best The annual fall awards ceremony for the Xavier JROTC regiment took place on December 6th, recognizing cadets that were receiving promotions and honoring those who achieved outstanding leadership and academic distinctions.

The entire regiment, as well as family members and guests, gathered in the Xavier gymnasium, hearing remarks from both Mr. Michael LiVigni, headmaster, and Mr. John Raslowsky, president, before being addressed by Lt. Col. Roy Campbell, senior army instructor, and Cdt. Col. Kevin Taub ’09 The Xavier Regiment is enjoying its highest enrollment since the military program went optional in 1972, due largely to a revitalized freshman orientation program that allows all new cadets to experience a wider breadth of military life at Xavier. Speaking to the freshmen cadets gathered, Cdt. Col. Taub said, “You are what makes this ceremony very special. If the officers are the brains, the non-commissioned officers are the muscle; you are the backbone of the Regiment. In the few short months you

have been here at Xavier, you have trumped all expectations. The motivation and initiative shown by the Class of 2013 reassures me that the future of the Regiment is bright.”

Cdt. Col. Taub went on to encourage young cadets to get involved in life at Xavier to the fullest extent possible, whether as part of any of the regimental sub-groups or in other facets of the Xavier experience.

Lt. Col. Campbell recalled a number of different images from the past few months that summed up some of the best accomplishments of regimental participants, spanning the range of years from freshman to senior.

“The Regiment is growing disciplined leaders of character who take their virtues garnered from JROTC and infuse sports, clubs, and Campus Ministry with these values,” Lt. Col. Campbell said.

“Cadets are clearly not one-dimensional students. We could tell a story about leadership growth for every cadet in the Regiment, their courage, shared sacrifice, and selflessness.”

T H E 2010 A N N U A L F U N D

Cadets being promoted to CDT/PVT or CDT/PFC

Xavier’s academic and extracurricular ambitions surpass the resources provided through tuition revenue and endowment income. Currently, a gap of $2,500 per student exists between tuition and fees charged and the actual cost of education.

The success of the Annual Fund allows Xavier to fill this gap and to continue its tradition of excellence by offering our students endless possibilities.

Over 2,400 people have generously donated $1,325,000 in cash and pledges to the 2010 Xavier Annual Fund—the goal is $1,950,000. Every gift counts and makes a difference in the lives of our current students.

If you have not already done so, contribute to the Annual Fund today by visiting www.xavierhsalumni.org/annualfund.

Or, call the Advancement office at (212) 924-7900, ext. 1581.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

News from the Quad

Maroon and Blue Day The highlight of the school year!

Freshman Malik Horton ’13 reflects on the excitement of Maroon and Blue Day. On Friday September 25, 2009, Xavier students came prepared for the highlight of the year: Maroon and Blue Day. Students from the junior and freshman classes represented the blue team and squared off against the seniors and sophomores, who proudly represented maroon. Despite maroon’s first victory ever (I was on the blue team!), it was quite an enjoyable day for all who participated.

From early in the morning, each side was quite determined to capture glory. From the loudness competitions, to rooting their teams on in tug-of-war, the teams showed their Xavier pride throughout the day. The maroon team was determined to go home with their first victory in three years, and despite their victory in the end, the highlight of the day came at the end of the festivities, when junior Adam Salazar absolutely stole the show with his amazing rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the karaoke contest.

He performed well enough to cause the judges to stand up and wave their hands behind him as he continued to sing, hitting every note with perfect pitch.

Overall, as an incoming freshman, I had heard a great deal about Maroon and Blue Day, and true to my expectations, it was an incredibly exciting event. I think I can speak for all of Xavier when I say that this will definitely be one of the highlights of the 2009-2010 school year.

Mr. Ben Suro with Mrs. Margaret Gonzalez

Mr. Raslowsky getting dunked in the dunk-tank!

A Michael Jackson tribute during the Xavier-Idol contest

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

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News from the Quad

Captain Pat Coleman leads the way against Hayes

Men For All Seasons

By Tom O’Hara ’69 kiddsback@aol.com

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too….

If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same….

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken And stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there’s nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”; ….If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run— Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man my son!

—IF, by Rudyard Kipling

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

hen head coach Chris Stevens ’83 addressed his Xavier Football family at their annual awards breakfast this January, he told the players and their parents about a trip he and his longtime line coach Brian McMahon made to Chicago three years ago to learn the secrets of high school coach Mike Rude, nationally-recognized wizard of the venerable Single Wing.

During one break from their lessons, said Coach Stevens, the three discussed their chosen profession. “Coach Rude made the point that some years you may go 10-1, and other years you may go 3-8, but what people don’t realize is that sometimes you do the best coaching you’ve ever done in those 3-8 years and end up winning three games that you probably should not have won.”

When Coach Stevens gathered his troops at their pre-season mini-camp in Red Hook last June, the task facing

W

News from the Quad

Chris Mattina faces a tough Xaverian Defense

him seemed daunting. His 2008 Knights had finished 8-3 and won the regularseason Catholic High School Football League AA-Division title but had dropped their last two games: a 42-38 thriller to AAA-Division Holy Trinity in the playoff semi-finals and a televised 41-28 loss to AAA-Division Fordham Prep at Coffey Field on Thanksgiving Day. Famous Seamus Kelly ’09, the greatest running back in the 127-year history of Xavier Football and the heart of Coach Stevens’s record-shattering single-wing blitzkrieg, was bound for Berkeley and 24-time national collegiate rugby champion University of California.

Departing 16th Street with The Famous One were nearly all of the battle-hardened linemen who had convoyed him through opposing defenses like so many panzers.

On defense, the Knights had just three starters returning from a unit that had given up an average of 26 points and 311 yards per game—295 points and 3,423 yards total—and which ranked 16th in the 21-team Catholic High School Football League. Opposing coaches could not stop the Amazing Fantastic Gridiron Wayback Machine in 2008, but they could outscore it. Xavier’s D-Men— aggressive, hard-hitting but inconsistent—had allowed 40-plus points in

Jonny Clark fights for yards against Cardinal Hayes

four games, including all three losses.

Coach Stevens and his staff would have to build a new team for 2009 and they were going to have to do it quickly, because the Knights’ first four games were against the four toughest teams on their schedule.

Perhaps it was divine intervention.

Maybe the Almighty is a Xavier fan. God knows, the Single Wing is nearly as old as Creation itself. In what could only be called a case of deus ex Wayback Machina, one piece of the puzzle fell unexpectedly into place when Queens rival Christ the King decided to cut costs by laying off junior faculty, including its well-regarded head football coach. Word reached Coach Stevens and by the end of June, Coach Kevin Kelly had found a new home on 16th Street.

With one move, Chris had secured one of the CHSFL’s best defensive minds.

Xavier’s own longtime defensive sage Bill Pazske was hobbled with severely arthritic knees and Coach Kelly’s arrival would allow him to assume a more sedentary role—sort of a football Don Zimmer to Chris Stevens’ Joe Torre.

When the team reconvened in midAugust, there was a hard week of daily five-hour practices on the hot, dusty plains of Red Hook, followed by a weeklong training camp in the Pennsylvania

wilderness. The Knights returned to 16th Street late on a Friday afternoon, and by early Saturday morning they were back on the road to Westchester, where they scrimmaged three high schools, one after the other.

Sunday was a day of rest—the only one of the entire pre-season. On Monday—Labor Day—Coach Stevens summoned his players and coaches back to work. Four days later, on September 11th, The Team Formerly Known as the Kaydets… and then the Bruins… opened their 2009 campaign before the home crowd at Aviator Field.

Despite all their hard work, the season did not start well for the 16th Street Kids.

Chris Stevens could have gone outside the CHSFL and scheduled St. Patsy of the Tomato Cans for the sure opening night win, as many of his fellow coaches chose to do. He decided instead that his young team would have their baptism of fire sooner rather than later and scheduled Xaverian, an AAA-Division playoff semi-finalist in 2008. The New York Post, taking note of their size and speed and their multiple offensive weapons, including two consensus Division I college prospects, ranked the Clippers No. 7 in its preseason poll of all New York City high schools. The five sportswriters handicapping the game for ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

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News from the Quad

Coach Kevin Kelly rallying the troops

The Knights in wild celebration at the Turkey Bowl!

“Perhaps it was divine intervention. Maybe the Almighty is a Xavier fan.

The Post and The New York Daily News were unanimous: Xaverian would triumph.

The final score was 28-6 Xaverian but it was even worse than that. Captain and two-time Xavier Athlete of the Year Sean Carley ’10 had gone down with a knee injury early in the second half.

He had been able to hobble off the field under his own steam, so his coaches and teammates were stunned when they learned that the three-sport athlete (football, basketball and rugby) was finished for the season. Sean, who had played a key role in the Knights’ 2008 championship run at tight end, was also anchoring one end of the defensive line. Xavier’s few veteran linemen had become even fewer.

Inexperience, inconsistency and penalties on offense continued to plague Xavier at Aviator Field the following Friday night when Stevens’ men fell to Archbishop Stepinac 22-7. This loss was especially hard to take because the Knights entered the fourth quarter trailing just 3-0 before the roof fell in.

Xavier had been 13-1 in their Jamaica Bay stronghold over the past three seasons, and now they had dropped two in a row. Including their season-ending 10

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

defeats at the hands of Holy Trinity and Fordham Prep in 2008, the Knights were mired in their longest winless streak since losing five games at the end of the 2005 season and the start of the 2006 campaign.

Their backs to the wall, the 16th Street Kids rallied to shut out St. John the Baptist 26-0 in week three. The victory—Xavier’s first regular-season win over its longtime nemesis in years— was especially satisfying because it came at Cougar Field in West Islip, Long Island, before a raucous Baptist crowd egged on by the most obnoxious P.A. announcer the Knights had heard since their epic playoff victory against AAA-Division Monsignor Farrell on Staten Island the previous year.

The elation of Xavier and its fans was short-lived, however. The following Friday night found the 16th Street Road Warriors up in the Bronx at New York Maritime College. The opponent was Cardinal Hayes and the lads from Regis Philbin’s alma mater were looking for revenge after their record-breaking 86-42 loss to the Knights in 2008. The Cardinals had retooled and reloaded, with a new spread passing offense

designed to make full use of the Division I college prospects on their roster, and a large and quick defense to whom the Single Wing was not the enigma it had been the previous year.

To ensure maximum fan support, Hayes made this game their Homecoming, and the Cardinal supporters turned out in force. Xavier stumbled out of the gate, recovered and battled back, but the lethal Cardinal offense, which seemed able to score at anytime from anywhere on the field, was too much for the Knights. Hayes 26, Xavier 13.

With half the regular season gone, the Knights were struggling at 1-3 and the Xavier Gridironmen and their coaches had arrived at the proverbial moment of truth. The defense seemed little changed from 2008: hard-hitting, aggressive, intermittently brilliant, too often inconsistent.

On offense, the Amazing, Fantastic Gridiron Wayback Machine was sputtering. Had the Single Wing’s better days come and gone from 16th Street along with Famous Seamus, the last of Stevens’ Four Horsemen? It was a question that many outside the football program were asking out loud, and one that the coaches

News from the Quad

Captain John Gearity wins Turkey Bowl MVP honors

God knows, the Single Wing is nearly as old as Creation itself. ” and players must, in their darkest moments, have secretly asked themselves.

As fans and alumni well know, the 127-year history of Xavier Football has not been a chronicle of unbroken success.

Far from it. And if these Knights were going to unravel under the unrelenting grind of daily commutes, demanding academics and late practices on distant Brooklyn fields punctuated by defeat each weekend, now was the time.

Well, they didn’t unravel. The 16th Street Kids had been blooded but not broken. The experience they gained from their defeats was hard earned, but it was experience nonetheless, and as the philosopher said, that which does not kill you makes you stronger. This was the moment for the seniors to step up and lead, and now they showed why they won more football games in their four years at Xavier than any class before them. Above all, the players and coaches never lost faith in themselves.

The Amazing, Fantastic Gridiron Wayback Machine roared back to life as Coach Stevens reconstituted the Four (More) Horsemen and returned to the rushing-by-committee running attack that had served the Knights so well 11

ALUMNEWS

—MARCH 2009

in 2007. Coach Kelly’s defense quietly became the best in the entire CHSFL. And Coach McMahon rebuilt the offensive and defensive lines. Over the next four weeks, Xavier outscored St. Peter’s (Staten Island), Bishop Ford, Cardinal Spellman and Christ the King 150-25 to finish 5-3 (5-2 within the division) and reach the AA-Division playoffs for a second straight year.

After losing 21-14 in the playoff quarter-finals to traditional AAA-Division power Mount St. Michael, a game that was televised on MSG Varsity network, the Knights bounced back to defeat AA-A Division champion Stepinac in the CHSFL Bowl Game. That contest featured yet another thrilling Xavier comeback as the 16th Street Kids rallied in the mud and the blood to score two touchdowns in the final two minutes and win 14-6.

On Thanksgiving Day, the 2009 Knights closed out the season at Aviator Field. There would be no title banners this year, but this team secured their own special place in Xavier football legend when they defeated AAA-Division playoff team and archrival Fordham Prep 35-27 in a thrilling overtime win that had the large crowd of Xavier faithful on their

feet from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

Tallying up the victories from this year’s season, having now won seven games three seasons in a row brought about a milestone for Coach Stevens and company—this is the winningest three years in Xavier football history, with a record of 25-8. Also, Xavier has won seven-plus games only seven times in 127 years. We’ve now done that three years in a row!

Regretfully, there is not enough space here to record all the memorable moments and players from the 2009 season. You are heartily encouraged to go to the Xavier Football section of the Xavier website, where you will find all the scores and game statistics, numerous articles from the New York media, terrific action photos, and even some random scribblings from something called The Xavier Football and Rugby Alumni News.

Here’s to the 2009 Xavier Football Knights. Thanks for the memories, men!

If you would like to receive that last publication via e-mail—it’s free!—please e-mail Tom O’Hara ’69 at kiddsback@aol.com.

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

11

News from the Quad

Justice Antonin Scalia ’53, Dave Anderson ’47, Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60

Speak at the New York Historical Society

Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60 with Xavier guests

The Supreme Court Justice, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, and lawyer spoke at two recent events.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

The Xavier delegation poses with Dave Anderson ’47

Delegations from Xavier recently attended two exciting events that brought prominent Xavier grads before audiences at the New York Historical Society.

On Feb. 4th, Justice Antonin Scalia ’53 and Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60 participated in the NYHS’s reenactment of Ex parte Milligan, part of the historical society’s yearlong focus on Lincoln in New York. In 1864 Lambdin Milligan was arrested for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to free Confederate soldiers from Union prison camps. Sentenced to death for treason by a military commission, Milligan subsequently challenged the commission’s jurisdiction in a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

Justice Scalia, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, presided at the reenactment, while Lacovara, currently senior counsel at Mayer Brown JSM, argued on behalf of the government that Milligan’s arrest and trial before the military tribunal was legal, justifiable and the correct course of action.

The presentations and commentary from the bench were always learned and often humorous and insightful. The assembled audience enjoyed seeing history in action and clearly appreciated the work of counsel and the court.

One week later, on Feb. 9th, in an evening of humor, conversation and camaraderie, Dave Anderson ’47, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and author, joined football great Frank Gifford, Tony Morante, of the New York Yankees organization, and boxing writer Bert Sugar in a panel discussion to share and compare their memories of the classic game dubbed “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

The 1958 football championship game between the Giants and the Colts marked the first time a championship game had ever been broadcasted on a national level.

“Whether you think it was a good game or not, it was probably the most important,” Mr. Anderson said. In the end, the nation watched with rapt attention, and the “DE-fense” chant, new as of only a few years before, was thrown into the spotlight for the first time. As a direct result of the game that day, Mr. Anderson pointed out, the American Football League was founded a year later and the sport never looked back. As Bert Sugar stated, “It added a sport, is what it added. What it took away was your Sunday afternoon, which your wife had before!”

News from the Quad

Italian Exchange Program

Xavier students with exchange participants.

Jesuit Students from Around the World Exchange students from the Istituto Leone XIII school in Milan, Italy, spent ten days with Xavier juniors and seniors set to travel abroad in April. The ten exchange students arrived with two faculty moderators on November 27th, kicking off what would be ten days of class shadowing, as well as cultural excursions in New York and the New England area.

The Istituto Leone XIII is a Jesuit school founded in 1893, and the program is a shining example of the interconnectivity of Jesuit institutions even across international boundaries. The guests were hosted by ten Xavier students currently studying Italian, and the ten young men, plus chaperones, will travel to Milan in April to stay with the students they hosted here in New York.

Excursions included walking tours of Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side, as well as trips to Ellis Island, the United Nations and Central Park. In addition, the group traveled to colonial Massachusetts to visit the Norman Rockwell Museum, in Stockbridge.

“I think the students really enjoyed their visit, and it was a good opportunity for them to learn about some of the differences between the American school system and the Italian school system,” said Mrs. Enrica Klarberg, Xavier foreign language teacher and organizer of the program. “Our guys are really looking forward to their trip in April.”

In October 2008, a group of students from the Kongholm Gymnasium, in Denmark, visited Xavier to study the American electoral process. Xavier students in an A.P. government class followed with a trip to Denmark this past spring.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

Ice skating in Central Park

The food drive in the Xavier Commons

Breaks all previous records The Xavier community participated in a massive food drive this past November, pooling together its resources to make a substantial impact on local hunger.

For Xavier, the annual food drive is more than just charity during the holiday season; it is also a way to raise awareness among our community of the injustice of hunger in our city, country, and world.

“We collected 5,484 items of food, reaching 91% of our goal,” said Mr. Joseph Petriello, director of Ignatian Service Programs. “Our dress down day brought in an additional $1,741.

As a community of faith called to be in solidarity with the poor and hungry, we serve others with a deep awareness of our Jesuit mission and Ignatian identity. In the words of St. Ignatius Loyola’s

Prayer for Generosity, we hope ‘to give and not to count the cost.’”

The Xavier food brings in more food to the Church of St. Francis Xavier food pantry than any other event throughout the entire year.

Food collected in previous years: 2 0 0 7 3,694 items 2008

5,441 items

2009

5,484 items

Watch the “Xavier Food Drive.”

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

13

News from the Quad

Were You There? This Season’s Alumni Events…

Xavier alumni and supporters gathered at three West Coast alumni receptions in January, offering grads and guests the chance to meet President Jack Raslowsky. Thanks to all those who helped make the winter receptions special!

Phoenix Jan. 26, 2010 (l.-r.)

Bob Hubbard ’69, Dante Manzi ’55, Kathy Hubbard, Eddie Cullen ’05, Santiago Armstrong ’73, Kevin Pickles ’59, Bob Fitzpatrick ’56, Charlie Cuccinello ’70, Jack Raslowsky, Ed Daily ’80, Mary Fitzpatrick, Bob Traica ’71, and Joe Gorski.

San Diego Jan. 27, 2010 (kneeling l.–r.)

Ken Poggenburg ’52 and Lou Cumming ’56 (standing l.–r.)

Cathy Spatuzzi, Mike Saptuzzi ’73, Dave Harrison ’76, Sheila Poggenburg, Pete Gaskin ’62, Jack Raslowsky, Elisabeth Jensen, Bernard Jensen ’37, Jack McDermott ’56, and Frank Tirelli ’70.

Los Angeles Jan. 28, 2010 (l.-r.)

Joe Gorski, Ken Zask ’53, Michael Cobian ’98, Jim O’Byrne ’83, Shelly O’Byrne, Hank Miller ’53, Andreas Andrea ’99, and Jack Raslowsky.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

Bernard Jensen ’37 and Frank Tirelli ’70 at the San Diego reception

News from the Quad

Young Alumni Reception Young grads gathered for lunch in the Commons before attending the Turkey Bowl football rally, Nov. 25, 2009.

Turkey Bowl Football Game

Cadets at the Turkey Bowl!

Lt. Col. Roy Campbell with Maj. Paul Castells US Army ’77

Mr. McKinney was at hand to greet some of the hundreds of alumni gathered at Aviator Field

D.C.

Mr. Raslowsky with alumni on his first D.C. Reception!

December 2, 2009

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

15

News from the Quad

Xavier Pride Peaks In January

Artwork from a vintage Xavier promotional poster.

The Lcpl. Michael Glover Scholarship Fundraiser, Jan. 23, 2010

Xavier was packed to the rafters with supporters at two major events in just a single January weekend that brought in literally hundreds of alumni and guests who gathered for causes near and dear to their hearts.

On Fri., Jan. 22nd, a recordsetting crowd attended the annual Beefsteak Dinner, a fun, all-you-can-eat event that has been a Xavier tradition— and a New York tradition—for many years.

“This year’s Beefsteak dinner was another great success,” said Mr. Shane Lavin ’03, director of alumni relations.

“We had 347 alumni and friends from the classes of 1946 through 2006 joining us for fun, fellowship and, of course, beef.

We had a number of great raffle prizes and our big winner of the night was Joe Hutton ’98, who walked away with the $2,240 prize from the 50/50 raffle.

It was a great opportunity for alums to reconnect with each other as well as some of their former teachers and administrators.”

“It’s a great way to reconnect with alumni,” Ryan Woerner ’06 said at the event. “It’s good because everybody’s so busy with their daily schedules— it’s a good way to get back, to meet up and enjoy some good beefsteak.”

The next day, Xavier was transformed into the setting for another event that has proven to be very special to many— the 3rd Annual LCpl. Mike Glover ’97 Scholarship Fundraiser that has honored the memory of Mike, who was tragically killed while on patrol with the U.S. Marines in Fallujah, Iraq, on August 16, 2006.

The Xavier gym was filled with hundreds of people from every part of Mike’s life, from his fellow Sons of Xavier and friends from SUNY Albany and Pace Law School, to former lifeguards from his neighborhood, Rockaway Beach.

“It seemed like all of Rockaway was there,” Adam Lynch ’97, Mike’s classmate and co-founder of the Friends of Mike Glover, wrote after the event.

“If you had witnessed the gym full of people, the food and the large bar, you might think that it took an incredible amount of work and time to produce such an event. The truth is that Mike had so many friends and left such an enduring legacy that he made it incredibly easy for us.”

Adam went on: “The events of September 11th and the deaths of his close friends, including Charlie Heeran ’96, had a profound effect on Mike and he gave up his law school studies to join the Marines because he wanted to help. He volunteered to be deployed to Iraq even though he was not ordered to because he did not want his unit to be there with out him. When you have a man who gave so much to so many people, and who made such an impression, all we had to do was put the pieces together. The willingness that people display to help and donate, either monetarily or with auction items, is astounding.”

The LCpl. Michael Glover ’97 scholarship is nearing its goal and every bit of support helps. Donations can be made online through the Glover website and are fully tax deductible, as they are made directly to Xavier.

Visit www.friendsofmikeglover.com, where you can also purchase T-shirts, bumper stickers and bracelets for a small donation. You may also donate through the Xavier website at www.xavierhs.org.

The Beefsteak Dinner, Jan. 22, 2010

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

New Faces at Xavier There are always new faces here at Xavier! Alumnews began profiling new staff members in the February 2008 issue, and the initial piece received lots of positive feedback—even from our current students!

The faculty and staff at Xavier have the most contact with our students, and it is important for our alumni to be introduced to them. Learn more about five new members of the Xavier community.

MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

17

Mr. Dennis Baker, S.J. History

Kelly Kull Mathematics

Shane Lavin ’03 Director of Alumni Relations

Hometown: Niagara Falls, New York

Hometown: Middle Village, Queens

Hometown: Jackson Heights, Queens

High School you graduated from: Canisius High School

High School you graduated from: Christ the King RHS

High School you graduated from: Xavier

College(s) you graduated from and degree: Fordham University, BA in History; Niagara University, MS in Criminal Justice Administration; Fordham University, MA in Philosophy

College(s) you graduated from and degree: St. Francis College, BS in Mathematics

Favorite TV show: SportsCenter Favorite Book: Flowers for Algernon

by Daniel Keyes Favorite food: Seafood What type of music do you listen to?

All types. Beethoven, Biggie, Chesney, the Stones...

Something you can’t live without: God Favorite summer activity: The beach (with 50+ SPF) Worst job that you’ve ever had: US Postal Service Mailman (I wasn’t very good at it) Hidden talent: I’m a decent cook Do you collect anything? I still have all of my old baseball cards from the 80s at my parents’ house Habit you’re trying to break: Lagging behind on emails and phone calls to family and friends What you do the minute you get home: Since I live at Xavier, technically I work from home. I like the commute.

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Favorite TV show: Numb3rs Favorite food: Anything grilled on the BBQ Best book you’ve ever read: Tuesdays with Morrie Thing that annoys you most: People without manners

College(s) you graduated from and degree: College of the Holy Cross, AB in French & Political Science Favorite TV show: Lost Favorite food: Raclette (the meal, not the cheese) Best book you’ve ever read: Tough to put a finger on the best ever—maybe Everything is Illuminated

by Jonathan Safran Foer, but the best I’ve read in the past year or so is Netherland by Joseph O’Neill

What type of music do you listen to?

Pop, rock, hip-hop

Thing that annoys you most: Picky eating

Something you can’t live without: My son

What type of music do you listen to?

Indie, alternative, post-punk, ambient electronic, post-rock and shoegaze

Favorite spot in NYC: Upper East Side Favorite summer activity: Beach volleyball Worst job that you’ve ever had: I worked at a children’s party place and had to dress as Woody from Toy Story Hidden talent: I love to tap dance.

Habit you’re trying to break: Biting my nails What you do the minute you get home: Collapse on the couch!

Favorite movie: A Few Good Men

Something you can’t live without: My iPhone.

Favorite spot in NYC: Gantry Plaza State Park, in Long Island City—great view Favorite summer activity: Traveling abroad somewhere new Worst job that you’ve ever had: Through college as a doorman and porter at a luxury Park Avenue apartment building—it really wasn’t a bad job, but my duties often included cleaning up after dogs, collecting trash and mopping

Favorite movie: The Big Lebowski

Do you collect anything: Refrigerator magnets from each city I visit

Favorite Quote: “Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.”—Yogi Berra

Habit you’re trying to break: Drinking soda

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

Favorite movie: Trainspotting or The Thin Red Line

…280 more new faces!

Alicia Psillos Mathematics

Josh Stager Science and Technology

Hometown: Plainview, New York

Hometown: Boring, Oregon (for real—zip code 97330)

High School you graduated from: Our Lady of Mercy Academy College(s) you graduated from and degree: Manhattan College, BS in Math Education Favorite TV show: Friends Favorite food: Pizza and anything with cheese Thing that annoys you most: People that are rude with no manners!

What type of music do you listen to?

I like any type of music Something you can’t live without: Cheese—just kidding! My family and friends Favorite spot in NYC: Many, but if I had to pick, Van Cordlandt Park

High School you graduated from: Sam Barlow High School College(s) you graduated from and degree: Oregon State University, BS in Physics, Oregon State University, MS in Science Education, Favorite TV show: Star Trek (all series) Favorite food: Pizza Best book you’ve ever read: A Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley What type of music do you listen to?

Anything that was written before I was born Something you can’t live without: My wife Favorite spot in NYC: Inwood Hill Park

Favorite summer activity: Going to the beach and traveling

Favorite summer activity: Walking in the evening

Worst job that you’ve ever had: CVS when I was in high school— I quit after 2 days

Worst job that you’ve ever had: Working for a crooked house-painting company

Hidden talent: I love to draw and paint

Hidden talent: I can look good in a mullet

Do you collect anything?

Rosary beads from different countries Habit you’re trying to break: Rushing What you do the minute you get home: Shower and get into sweats Favorite movie: A League of Their Own Favorite Quote: “Behind every passion is someone with the courage to try.”

Do you collect anything?

Not purposely Habit you’re trying to break: Diet Coke Favorite movie: Life is Beautiful Favorite Quote: “It’s the perfect plan... nothing could go wrong!”

The afternoon of March 3rd marked the beginning of the newest generation of Xavier students, as more than 280 young men registered as members of the Class of 2014.

The event was a joyous occasion for the students and their families, and many, like Jordan Berka ’14 took the opportunity to pick up some exciting Xavier clothes to wear during the last of his 8th grade days.

“When I came for Knight for a Day, I really liked the attitude of everyone here,” said Jordan. “I liked how the teachers really helped the students, and I also liked all the buildings and sights in the city, and how it’s always moving.”

After an initial look at the Class of 2014, it’s clear that Xavier continues to attract some of New York City’s brightest and hardestworking young men. Many of the incoming freshmen live in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queen. There also continues to be a growing number of students from Staten Island and a healthy number of students from the Bronx and New Jersey.

The Admissions Committee was especially selective this year, as the school has been at full enrollment for some time, with a record number of applicants: over 1,300!

“Those who chose to attend Xavier have a great four years of intellectual, physical, and spiritual development in front of them” said Mr. Benjamin Hamm, director of admissions.

MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

19

By Michael L. Benigno ’00

16th Street Spotlight 20

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

(Straight) Copyright Notice: 10,000 BC © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Coming of age on the Silver Screen Born and raised in Manhattan, Steven Strait ’04 at an early age entered the world of modeling and made his stage debut in a musical at Village Community School—all before he ever walked through the doors on 16th Street. He escaped a saber-toothed tiger in 10,000 B.C. (2008), was thrown through a barn fighting a warlock in The Covenant (2006) and can be seen in a lead role with Andy Garcia in City Island (2009).

Steven Strait’s status as the only student walking around the Xavier halls with flowing, curly locks of hair, may have, for a short time, been a point of envy for his classmates.

But it didn’t take long for the word to get out: the image of this tall, baby-faced Manhattan-born kid you sat next to in class could be seen, among other places, at the mall, pasted on a large wall inside the Abercrombie & Fitch store.

Strait’s classmates knew his story as just a simple matter of fact: his hair length was for professional reasons and came with expressed permission from the dean of students and the headmaster—but he wasn’t the kind of young man to boast.

In fact, in February of his freshman year, just before the start of English class, Strait slinked down low in his chair, embarrassed but smiling, suspicious ever since he walked into the classroom and saw a television cart and VCR set up in Mrs. Gonzalez’s classroom.

Gonzalez—still one of Strait’s favorite teachers today—pressed play on the VCR and there was Steven in his TV debut, from an episode of Third Watch that had aired the night before.

Steven and his Xavier classmates watched as he was portrayed reenacting a character’s years-ago love affair with a friend’s sister.

“It was very embarrassing, but Mrs. Gonzalez was so sweet about it, and she was very supportive of me,” Strait recalled recently. “It was almost a love scene though!”

Strait said that his time at Xavier was extremely positive, and that he was particularly grateful for the support he received from teachers and administration on the occasions he had to miss school.

“I think, more than anything, what Xavier provided for me was the self-discipline that you need to be successful in the arts,” he said. “Acting inherently doesn’t have much structure. There are no rules or boundaries, and it’s all very ambiguous. Xavier taught me to build that structure for myself and to stay focused not just on my particular job, but also on the project itself. Xavier’s the place that I really learned that, and it has served me incredibly well.”

Steven’s schedule was very busy, between classes at Stella Adler School for Acting, modeling and being in a band with a group of friends. After his Xavier graduation, it wasn’t long before some remarkably appropriate roles seemed to gravitate toward him.

After initially moving to California and snagging a role in the Disney film Sky High (2005), Steven’s talent as both an actor and a musician (and even his long hair) was put to good use in Undiscovered (2005), when he played a New York musician who moves to the West Coast and struggles to live amidst the dangers of new fame. Steven even did his own singing for the film.

In The Covenant (2006), Steven plays lead character Caleb Danvers, a student at a prestigious New England private school that, Steven said, had elements of his time

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

21

Steven Strait with his mother, Jean, at the premier of City Island

A younger Steven with Xavier classmates

at Xavier—the uniforms, the camaraderie among fellow characters. Steven and three other young actors, including Chace Crawford, play four teenage descendents of a secret 17th century sect of witches who face off against a banished fifth member who surfaces and threatens to destroy the secrecy of the group.

Strait’s character is the Mustang-driving, popular, but responsible leader of the pack and the film is filled with compelling special effects and dramatic fight scenes that allowed him to dive straight into some rather unconventional working conditions.

For a movie-ending brawl between the rogue descendant, a computerized cable system developed by Cirque du Soleil was used in order to allow realistic 360-degree action while actors defied gravity and flew into the air after bone-shattering blows. A month-and-a-half before those scenes were set to be filmed, the mechanism was set up inside a warehouse near Montreal while the actors became acquainted with the system and learned to control their bodies while being harnessed and hoisted off the ground.

“Three guys controlled the rig, and it took a long time to get used to it because once they started it, it was already programmed, so you were along for the ride if something went wrong,” Strait said. “We went through a lot of flexibility training to control the movement of our bodies while we were being moved around.”

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Steven enjoyed the other-worldiness of the plotline, and the action was a unique opportunity, but he couldn’t even see what was coming next.

In the prehistoric epic tale 10,000 B.C. (2008) Steven spent over a year living and filming in New Zealand, South Africa and Namibia. Directed by Roland Emerick, who also wrote and directed big-budget films such as Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004), B.C. is centered upon Steven’s character, D’Leh, as he leads a group of warriors to rescue the love of his life, Evolet, played by Camilla Belle.

B.C. was yet another extremely physical role for Steven, and he said he does not know exactly why he is drawn to such active parts, but he suspects that it may have something to do with the fact that his mother, Jean, had been a karate teacher during his youth. In one recognizable scene from B.C., Steven comes face to face with a saber-toothed tiger that, he said, wasn’t quite as scary in real life.

During filming, Steven, in full D’Leh costume, had to recite lines in a simulated environment, and oftentimes animals like the tiger were really just represented by a few yard sticks and tennis balls that provided focal points before digital effects were added to compose the actual animal.

It was a different kind of acting, and one that stretched his skills to a new level.

“It was definitely an adjustment to

P R O J E C T S P OT L I G H T

10,000 B.C. (2008) A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter on a dangerous quest to secure the future of his tribe.

Getting a (rare) haircut!

work with such a high amount of computer generated imagery,” he said. “I really had to learn to use my imagination in a specific way to make all of those things real to me.

You have to react like your life is in danger, and initially it was a major challenge. But once you get used to it—it’s a strange frame of mind to be in, really—then anything is possible because you’re projecting what your mindset needs to be in that moment.

It definitely allowed me to grow as an actor.”

As Steven continues his acting career, he is excited about what kind of new, adventurous experiences will come his way. But, he said, he hasn’t taken any part of his successful start for granted.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate, there’s no question about it. I feel extremely blessed that I’ve been able to fulfill that piece of who I am through my work, and, really, I don’t define success as a number, or in terms of money or fame. I think that has nothing to do with what success is for me. Being able to do what you love is being pretty successful in my mind.”

Look for Steven in City Island, which won the Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award.

City Island opened March 19th in theaters.

City Island (2009) A funny and smart family tale about the secrets of the past catching up with the lies of a modern-day mystery family.

The Covenant (2006) Four young men with supernatural ancestry battle it out with a long-lost jealous fifth power that was thought to have died off.

Steven Strait lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Lynn Collins.

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

23

Film… the Evolution!

Mr. Vincent Vargas, Xavier’s own veteran Spanish teacher and long-time Film Club moderator and his former student, AMC Head of Production Vlad Wolynetz ’88 who oversees the awardwinning shows Mad Men and Breaking Bad, get together for dinner and conversation about all things film as Xavier High School unveils a new film course senior elective.

PRE-PRANDIAL

Mr. Vincent Vargas: I’m sure you’ll remember that when you entered Xavier as a freshman, there was a film course available to upperclassmen, but by the time you were ready to take it that film course was history.

Vlad Wolynetz: My impression of the course was that they screened films up in room 5L6. There was an old three-lens video projector unit hooked to a very primitive 3/4 inch U-matic recorder. Now and then some of our teachers, mostly our English teachers, took the class up there to show us a movie. I remember seeing Julius Caesar there. The colors were never right, and one lens was always out of focus.

Vargas : Technology was not that friendly toward films in those days.

Wolynetz: Xavier was filled with a number of now long-lost cultural artifacts. We had film strip projectors, which along with their audio cassette and LP companions would BEEP you into the next slide. And on special occasions the 16mm projectors would come out and somebody would run an actual motion picture.

Vargas: Xavier owned a 16mm reduction of A Man for all Seasons.

Wolynetz: I remember that vividly: it was a condensed version of an instructional film called Selected Excerpts of Paul Scofield.

It was a beaten up old print from the 1970s.

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I would say that a couple of times a year somebody would show something on film and inevitably the film would break. The science department was big on showing 16mm documentaries of how the egg is fertilized, and that sort of thing.

Vargas: Well, one of the reasons why I’m resurrecting these old memories is that the class that suddenly disappeared when you came in as a freshman is very much back at Xavier. This year I am teaching a course called “Elements of Cinema” and one of the things that it is doing is reviving the tradition of film study that was here in this school when you came in. I would say it picks up where the old course left off over twenty years ago.

Wolynetz: I think it’s a very smart addition to the curriculum.

Vargas: The wonderful thing about it is that with today’s technology showing a film in a classroom setting is a very rewarding and stress-free experience for the teacher. During your student days, showing any type of film was always treacherous for any instructor.

Technology, or the lack thereof, always seemed to get the better of us. These days technology is very much on the side of the teachers and not against us.

APPETIZER

Vargas: The founding of the Film Club back in the late 1980s was an important event in the lives of many Xavier students who have gone on to work in show business.

Many alumni have told me, over the years, that it was their first exposure to a world of film that they did not know existed.

Wolynetz: It was back in 1986.

Film Club started just as the Xavier film course disappeared.

Vargas: Even though everybody was showing 16mm films in those days, as you mentioned earlier, I remember that we were really adventurous and initially showed all the films we studied in the then-new VHS format that was rapidly catching on.

Wolynetz: Yes, and since my family had been early adopters of the technology I wound up providing many of the tapes that were played in the first sessions of Film Club.

Vargas: Yes, in versions that now nobody would dare show. These were not the best quality. Some of the silent movies we showed did not even have soundtracks.

Wolynetz: Some of the silent films we showed sometimes barely had pictures!

Vargas: But honestly, the soundtracks were so bad sometimes that I remember I often turned the volume down and I made you guys watch the films completely silent.

Wolynetz: It was the burgeoning era of VHS, and I was really happy that Film Club came along when it did. I was thrilled to have been at one of the initial meetings and to have stayed with it for my last two years at Xavier. The school was filled with these 22-inch TV sets and VCRs on carts.

The picture was very small and often the VCRs had “tracking” issues, if anyone even remembers what that is.

Vargas: The funny thing was that after making great strides in showing films on VHS we ended up going back and showing films on rented 16mm film.

Wolynetz: Watching films on a little television set on a cart obviously had its limitations.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Mad Men The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series set in the 1960s at a New York ad agency, focusing on the mysterious but talented executive, Don Draper.

Breaking Bad A drama about a high school chemistry teacher who suffers from a terrible mid-life crisis and eventually turns to a life of crime.

Season three encores air Sundays at midnight/11 central on AMC; season four airs later in the year.

Sundays 10p.m./9 central on AMC.

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

25

MAIN COURSE

Vargas: So, getting back to the present, we’ve done a complete circle. Now that I am teaching a film course we are back projecting movies once more, but this time using the latest technology available, including Blu-Ray DVDs. The technology that’s around now is perfect for running this kind of film study course.

“I think [film] is an essential course of study for young people.”

Vlad Wolynetz ’88

Wolynetz: What must be fun about teaching a class like “Elements of Cinema” is that it is a combination of a history course, an archeology course, a philosophy course, a technical grammar course, a literature course, and an art course. And underneath it all, you have psychology, you have theology, you have whole worlds that are brought up from the context of the films themselves.

Vargas: And don’t forget the language aspect. My point of departure for this course from its original inception and planning to the everyday classroom teaching of it is language. Which makes sense because I am primarily a language teacher, and I am interested in how we communicate. When preparing this course I made a point of underlining the fact that today’s young audiences do not like, enjoy, or understand old classic films not because they are old, but because they lack the basic tools to understand the language in which the film was written.

Wolynetz: And you don’t just mean the world language of the country in which the film was produced.

Vargas: I mean the visual language that gives the film its unique look and structure: a visual language that is on a very different plane from the language used in films today.

Ultimately, I feel that the aim of the course is to train the students to become good “readers” of film so that, in the end, they can all become film literate.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

Wolynetz: Well, look, I can vividly remember feeling that when the film course disappeared from Xavier. As a student, it totally left a huge void in the school’s curriculum. Media mattered back then and, if anything, its study today has become far more imperative in the 21st century.

Vargas: Well, it’s back now! And I have to tell you: the whole idea of a film course is a pretty rare commodity in high schools these days. Film courses just don’t appear in every high school curriculum. Therefore it is so important for Xavier to have this discipline, and it puts us way ahead of the game of other high schools. Look, every waking hour we are bombarded by the media with film and cinematic technique. It is important to understand how, why and with what we are being bombarded.

Wolynetz: I think it is an essential course of study for young people. You’re quite right: at a minimum you are being marketed to every minute of every day. You can’t walk down the street or a hallway inside of a building without being “sold” to. The basis of that kind of artistic manipulation is found in cinema because that’s where it all started.

You are cued to be moved or intrigued or repelled or angered or emboldened by that grammar and technique, whether in a film or in an ad. In order to make sense of it all you really have to be able to read it, to interpret it, and think about it critically which is what we were taught to do at Xavier. The exploitation of wish fulfillment is something we delve into all the time on Mad Men, so I’ve grown very familiar with many of the techniques used to sell things to people.

I do think that a course that teaches you the discipline to dissect those things in your mind and to separate what’s hyperbole from reality is absolutely essential at a school like ours and is a necessary component to a complete 21st century education.

See the faces of Xavier in the Arts Meet with Tom Degrezia ’00, Jayce Bartok ’90 and Ray Lustig ’90 R AY L U S T I G ’ 9 0 Current Work: Two commissions for chamber orchestra pieces—one that incorporates the existing fragments of a lost cantata from J.S. Bach.

Also, an opera-theater work based on the story of one of medical history’s greatest heroes, Ignaz Semmelweis. Finally, film score work on a short film by animator, brother, John Lustig ’00.

Previously: Ray’s orchestral composition, “UNSTUCK,” inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five and memories of his grandparents’ struggles with dementia, won ASCAP’s top prize for orchestral works, was premiered by the Juilliard Symphony in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.

Lustig’s composition, Images from a Sunken City, inspired by time spent in post-Katrina New Orleans, also premiered at Alice Tully Hall.

Commissions from the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, Yass Hakoshima Movement Theater, and other dance groups.

Challenges: “Trying to avoid being categorized too narrowly. At Xavier I learned to avoid simplistic categorizations, to keep an open and active mind, to explore. As a composer, I’m interested in the spaces between styles and genres. My music has elements of symphonic classic

music, minimalism, pop, electronica, jazz, folk, cabaret, etc. And I never know where my next inspiration will come from, so I try guard against being labeled too restrictively.

This is a challenge, but it’s also where the excitement comes from.”

Look For: • Performances of his new work with the Metropolis Ensemble and American Opera Projects • A collaboration with composer Joe Carrano on a score for the A.D. Calvo indie film The Melancholy Fantastic • “Unstuck” will be released this year on Albany Records with the Bowling Green Philharmonia Ray’s Advice: “As an artist, one of the biggest challenges is in learning to accept rejection and keep moving on. Artists tend to be sensitive people, so even one rejection can be crippling. But even the most successful artists get rejections all the time. Stay positive and your successes will soon grow and proliferate.”

Little-known fact: “Before going to graduate school in composition, I worked in molecular biology at Columbia University and Massachusetts Hospital, where I published papers on cell division.”

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

27

J AY C E ( W I L C H U S K Y ) B A R T O K ’ 9 0 Current Work: In the upcoming film Coming Up Roses, Jayce plays a drug dealer in 1980’s New Hampshire. “It’s a sweet indie film about a mom and her teenage daughter trying to make a go of it.”

Prior Work: • FILM Suburbia, Spiderman, The Station Agent, and Cop Out • TV Law and Order, OZ, numerous TV movies.

• T H E AT E R Made In Poland at 59E59 • WRITER The Cake Eaters, dir. Mary Stuart Masterson, starring Kristen Stewart • D I R E C TO R Altered By Elvis (doc.)

Biggest challenge: “Writing, acting, and co-producing The Cake Eaters.

It was the hardest thing I’ve done, a big risk, but one that pushed me forward as an actor, writer, and filmmaker. I was extremely nervous going into the process, being that it was the first screenplay I had written. In general, the biggest obstacles in the arts arrive everyday, but I can’t think of an occupation more rewarding.”

Look for: Jayce’s new screenplay, Red River, a true crime drama about a normal family in the Midwest that shockingly appear to be connected to the death of a young college student in the Mississippi River.

Jayce’s advice: “These days, you can’t just be an actor, you have to diversify—do commercials, voice-overs, write, act, direct, develop projects for yourself and your friends for the web....really be a visionary in terms of getting noticed and creating opportunities.”

Little-known fact: Jayce Bartok is the voice of the Sundance Channel.

TOM DEGREZIA ’00 Current Work: Tom can’t release too much info on his newest project, but it’s a political, horror, thriller film.

“The coolest detail I can give you is that it will be shot in 3D.” He is also working on a science fiction novel that spans the course of 20 years and four books called The Legend of Jimmy Hoax.

Prior Work: “A script doctor,” Tom says. “Script work and editing. I have worked on some scripts that I’ve gone into production with and others that I have done revisions on.”

His most recent film, Xtacy, won three awards at the New York Independent Film Festival, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture.

Biggest challenge: “I’d like to believe that I have no shortage of good ideas, however, the two biggest challenges I face as a filmmaker are completing a screenplay that I feel passionate enough about to move forward with, and then raising the money. The fundraising is no walk in the park, and due to the state that our country is in at the moment, low budget indie films are the first to suffer outside of Hollywood.”

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

Look for: Look for Sympathy for the Devil to hopefully be released.

Tom’s advice: “Make sure this is what you truly want in your life.

You have to not only love this field, but you also have to crave it with every ounce of you soul. I’m not talking about fame, because if that’s what you want, I don’t really recommend diving head first into this line of work. There are heartbreak and tough years that come along with making the choice to be in the arts. However, if you love it and you work hard, you can find very rewarding years ahead of you. You’ll get hundreds of “no’s” before you get a “yes.” The “no’s” hurt, but they only make the “yes” that much sweeter.”

The Xavier High School

26th Annual Golf Outing Westchester Hills Golf Club May 18, 2010 9:30 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

12:00 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

4:50 p.m.

5:15 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

Registration Brunch Buffet/Driving Range Shotgun Start Putting Contest Finals JBC Final Round for $50,000 Cocktail Reception and hors d’oeuvres Dinner/ Awards/ Raffles

Register online: www.xavierhsalumni.org/golf10

Packages

Maroon Package - $1,700 Includes 1 Foursome, 1 Tee Sponsorship, and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report

Golf - $350 Includes 1 golfer, Brunch, Gifts, Snacks & Beverages on the course, Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and Dinner.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Event Sponsor - $5,000 Includes a Foursome, recognition signs naming the tournament (The Your Business Name 25th Annual Xavier Golf Outing), a Jesuit Sponsorship, and an acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.

Dinner Sponsor - $3,000 Includes 2 golfers, a recognition sign at the tournament and an acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.

Brunch Sponsor - $2,500 Includes 2 golfers, a sign at the tournament and an acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.

Cart Sponsor- $2,000 Includes 1 golfer and an acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.

Sponsor a Jesuit - $350 Adds a Jesuit golfer to the outing and includes an acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.

Golf Shirt Sponsor - $3,000 Talk about advertisement, your Company Logo will be printed on all the Golf Shirts, a recognition sign will be posted, and an acknowledgement will appear in our Tournament Program & Annual Report. Foursome also included.

Hole/Tee Sponsor - $400 Includes 1 tee sign and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Your participation and support in the auctions, raffles, and sponsorships greatly contributes to the growth of financial assistance programs so that we can continue to serve a diverse student body!

O R L A N D O VA C AT I O N R A F F L E A 3-day vacation getaway for two people with deluxe accommodations at the Ginn Reunion Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida, or Hammock Beach Resort in Palm, Coast, Florida.

$50 per ticket

(Winner need not be present; you will be notified by Xavier) www.xavierhsalumni.org/golfraffle10

Name: __________________________________________ Class of: ___________ Address: ____________________________________________________________ Phone: _____________________________ Email: __________________________ ■ Enclosed is my check made payable to Xavier High School for $_____________ ■ Please charge my credit card.

■ Mastercard ■ Visa

Card # ___________________________ Expiration ________________________

Please return Joe Gorski, Vice President for Advancement this form to: Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302

The Performing Arts at Xavier Today ACOUSTIC COFFEEHOUSE

1

Since 2004, the Xavier Acoustic Coffeehouse has been a venue to highlight student and faculty bands and musicians, bringing the Xavier community together for good music, good coffee, and good times. On Friday, December 4th, more than 200 students, family members and guests watched a great line-up of student bands as they performed in the Commons gymnasium, raising $5,500 to benefit the upcoming round of Companions of St. Francis Xavier service trips. The second Acoustic Coffeehouse took place March 13, 2010.

Watch “Scenes from the Acoustic Coffeehouse” shot on Dec. 4th in the Xavier Commons.

X AV I E R D R A M AT I C S Each year, it is tradition for the Xavier Dramatics Society to put on a winter drama and a spring musical production. This year, productions included “Epic Proportions” and “Grease.” In addition, the XDS presents a student-directed freshman production.

2

Check out “Grease” at Xavier April, 16th.

CHORUS A choral group gives students and faculty alike the opportunity to perform regularly at school Masses and special events.

BAND

3

Several student musical groups, including a jazz ensemble and a marching band use Xavier’s ever-improving band room. In the past school year, students have been able to use the digital recording room to monitor their progress over time and improve their skills.

F E S T I VA L O F T H E A R T S Set for May 21st, a colorful night celebrating the arts at Xavier, hosted by Fine Arts department chair Mrs. Denise Iacovone, showcasing student artwork, poetry readings, dramatic and choral performances; senior student artwork auction.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

1 2 3 4

CFX Coffeehouse, Dec. 4, 2009 “Epic Proportions” Mass of the Holy Spirit The Xavier Blue Night band performs at Colgate-Palmolive headquarters.

COURSE GUIDE Foundations of Acting 101 A theater course designed to provide students with the building blocks for truthful, creative, and spontaneous— ‘moment to moment’ acting.

Film Acting Technique Film and theatre terminology (intention, motivation, relationship, obstacles) is introduced through various individual and group exercises. Parts of scenes and monolouges are video-taped with playback critiques an essential part of class time.

Moviemaking and Editing with Final Cut Pro Basics of pre-production, production, and post-production.

Students are prepared to take the Apple Level One FCP6 Pro certification test. Students will plan, produce, edit, and screen their own short films at the end of the year.

The Elements of Cinema Students watch and discuss the greatest movies of all time and learn the various components that make up the language of film. Over the course of the year, working industry professionals such as writers, producers, and directors will visit the class to guest lecture.

A.P. Studio Art A college-level course focused on building students’ personal artistic voice and personal theme, based on stringent College Board guidelines.

S AV E T H E D AT E !

Friday, November 5, 2010

Xavier High School

HALL OF FAME DINNER

Rev. Vincent L. Biagi, S.J. ’67

Arthur D. Cashin, Jr. ’59

Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. ’52

Hon. John R. Countryman ’50

Hon. John R. Countryman ’50 Served at various posts in the Middle East, lastly as the Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. He is an active participant at Xavier’s Career Day for juniors.

Rev. Robert Lauder ’52

Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlan 1900

Place PIER SIXTY at Chelsea Piers New York, NY 10011

Time RECEPTION 6:00 - 7:00 pm DINNER 7:00 pm

John W. Spollen, Esq. ’62

Rev. Vincent L. Biagi, S.J. ’67 Assistant for Secondary and Pre-secondary Education and Lay Formation; former Xavier teacher and Regis High School principal.

Arthur D. Cashin, Jr. ’59 Director of Floor Operations for UBS at the New York Stock Exchange and regular commentator on CNBC. Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. ’52 Xavier Board of Trustees multiple terms, Chairman 2005-2208; counselor to educational institutions including Fordham University, St. Francis College, College of New Rochelle.

Rev. Robert Lauder ’52 Ordained in 1960 as a priest, he is currently teaching philosophy at St. John’s University. Has written for The Tablet for forty years and contributes to America Magazine.

Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlan 1900 Member of the faculty at Dunwoodie, then Rector from 1931 to1940. In 1940, established St. Helena’s parish, then a grammar school, academic and commercial high schools.

John W. Spollen, Esq. ’62 Former member of the Xavier Board of Trustees and Advancement Committee Chair; dedicated and devoted service to many institutions, the NY Province, and his parish.

MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

31

Class Notes 70 th CLASS REUNION

1940 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

1941 Bob Walsh ’41 sent us a photo wearing the Xavier sweatshirt he picked up while attending Xavier’s Westchester Reception on Nov. 5th!

1942 Donald Dawkins was awarded the Legion of Merit by the President of France for his service to the country in 1944. John Maloney was ordained a permanent deacon and was selected to receive communion from Pope Benedict in May 2009 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

1945 Come to your

65th

CLASS REUNION on May 1, 2010!

Samuel Falvo reports that he scored a hole-in-one at the Eglin Airbase golf course and that he had dinner with classmate, Jack McGoldrick.

1946 James J. O’Connor enjoys traveling, fishing and playing with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in his retirement.

1947 Francis Galdi and wife Lee joined classmate Harold Brauner and wife Betty for Christmas dinner.

1948 The family of Len Abbot writes: “please pray for Len. His love of Xavier was always on his mind.”

Daniel Fitzgerald recently published a novel entitled Donovan’s Dilemma.

Tom Kennedy writes that he is enjoying his retirement years square-dancing and fishing in Idaho.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

1949 John Hauss has published a book of collected memoirs, Taking the Conn and Nicking the Con, about his experiences as a naval officer during the Korean War and his long career as an FBI agent.

John O’Neill is the proud father of five and grandfather of 17.

60 th CLASS REUNION

1950 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

Richard Byrnes teaches art at the Studio Ceraveux in France.

1951 Charles Cavanagh, Gerard Lawrence, and Chester Klimuszko ’50 vacationed together with their wives at the Somerset Resort in the Turks and Cancion Islands.

Michael Fitzgerald was recognized as Catholic Doctor of the Year and was recently presented with the World Difference Award by the Mission Doctors Association. In addition to running his gastroenterology practice, Michael serves as a volunteer physician at a clinic for the uninsured on Syracuse’s north side, and has trained Haitian doctors to combat the country’s poverty.

1952 William McCaughney and wife Arline celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November. Francis Notaro and wife Marie celebrated their 10th year as volunteers for the Habitat for Humanity in Newburgh, NY. Francis would love to hear from old timers from the class of ’52 at 845-565-7345.

1953 Mark Delaney was sworn in as Commissioner of Comal County (Texas) where he will supervise the fire department and emergency services. John A. Spizziri is eagerly awaiting the birth of his third great-grandson, Anthony Xavier Quinn.

Class Notes

55 th CLASS REUNION

1955 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

Eugene Bozzo celebrated his 70th birthday with family in Italy. John Gallagher was named “Director of the Year” by the Board of Police Reserves of Suffolk County. Ron Lofaro co-authored a paper on aviation psychology and presented the paper at the 2009 International Symposium on Aviation Psychology. After working since the age of 16, Frank Spera retired in April 2009 at the age of 71.

1956 Kevin Donohue attended Jerry Faye’s 70th birthday party this past summer.

Members of the class of 1956 gathered for their 5th Annual Christmas Party.

Attendee Nelson Deusebio writes: “It’s a rather doubtful that any other class in Xavier’s long and proud history can make this exclusive claim.” Frank Perroni ’56 recently wrote to Xavier to share the good news about his company, Independent Energy, LLC, which has patented and will commercialize a novel lectromagnetic Generator/Motor, the “Power 6 Generator” for clean electrical power in homes, vehicles, offices, and medical facilities. To learn more, visit www.independentenergyllc.com.

1958 Thomas Hoar has authored two textbooks about taxation and business: Tax Aspects of Business Transactions— a First Course Test Item File (1999) and Test Book to Accompany College Accounting (1991). Thomas Malone retired after a career in corporate IT and proprietorship of Sea Cliff Paint & Hardware.

Dr. Greg Scotten ’59 was recently elected District Commander of the 3200-member District 22 of the United States Power Squadrons. The district is home to the 18 Florida Gulf Coast squadrons. Attending the induction ceremony were Past District Commander Fred Adame ’56 and Past Squadron Commander George Martin ’50. Pictured above (l.-r.): Greg Scotten ’59, Fred Adame ’56, and George Martin ’50

1959 Albert Rosa co-authored the sixth edition of a textbook about circuits and published a chapter in the Handbook of Engineering Fundamentals.

Greg Scotten was elected District Commander of the 3200-member District 22 of the United States Power Squadrons. Charles Vega is the proud grandfather of five!

50 th CLASS REUNION

1960 Come to your

on April 30-May 1, 2010!

John Cavallaro retired from his position as CEO of HELP/PSI, a health organization for HIV/AIDS substance abuse patients. John will soon be ordained a full-time deacon in Florida.

1962 William Grubb recently entertained classmates Tom Callahan and George Dean. Rocco Iacovone’s latest CD release of original jazz made it to #18 nationally on the college charts. You can hear samples of his music on his website roccojohnmusic.com.

MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

33

1963 Ernest Dewald was appointed to the dental assistant National Board Test Construction to formulate a nationwide examination for expanded function dental assistants. Thomas Lyndon is practicing law in Washington D.C. and keeps in touch with classmates Frank Herrmann, William Porter, and John Mahon (Thomas and John are brothers-in-law). John Mahon was ordained permanent deacon for the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT. 1964 Jack Marotta attended the Christening of Richard Monahan’s third grandchild.

45 th CLASS REUNION

1965 Come to your

on April 30-May 1, 2010!

Robert Abbene was named to Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2010. Recently retired, Glen McComb married Marry Anne Hartman in October 2009.

1966 Alfred Ashford was appointed Senior Associate Dean for the Columbia University Medical Center Affiliation at Harlem Hospital Center. Ed DeSimone is in his 20th year on the Pharmacy Faculty in Creighton University and was designated Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association in March 2008.

Conrad Tridente keeps busy in his retirement by umpiring and refereeing over 200 baseball and basketball games per year.

1967 Robert Kresofsky recently celebrated his 60th birthday with his wife and some classmates. Robert Loffredo is a proud grandfather! Bill Strasser was appointed Director of the Saddle River Valley Bank based in Saddle River, NJ.

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ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

1968 Frank D’Elia is a managing partner of Associates in Urology (PA). John Walsh created Walsh Management, which assists organizations by providing support services and training classes.

1969 Thomas Murphy lives in Wellesley, MA, is married and has two boys. Daniel Sczepanski rejoices at the Xavier Thanksgiving Day victory over Fordham.

40 th CLASS REUNION

1970 Come to your

on April 30-May 1, 2010!

1971 Robert Hynes is working with the Federal Housing Finance Agency on the housing crisis in the D.C. area.

35th CLASS REUNION

1975 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

John Muller is an attending anesthesiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and the proud parent of three.

1976 Mike Butler, the superintendent of Corporate Human Resources at Cablevision, recently celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Ginny. Colonel T.J. Farrell is on his second tour of combat in Kuwait as the Division Chief for the Third Army G-36 Directorate.

1977 Reid Muller is a cardiologist at SJH Cardiology in Liverpool, NY. Anthony Sarro is the president of a medical billing services and systems firm called Medical Practice Innovations.

1978 Fr. David Berolotti serves at the combined parish of All Saints/Our Lady of Montserrate and at Woodhull Hospital in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

30 th CLASS REUNION

1980 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

Michael Corso works for the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations, a non-profit dedicated to improving the learning environment for all students.

1983 James M. Karpowich earned his Doctorate of Education from Seton Hall University in August 2009.

Jim McEleney was promoted to CEO of Bank of New York Mellon (India) and has relocated to Pune, India.

Vincente Murrell works as an attorney for the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp, 1984 James Curley works for Wachovia/ Wells Fargo in Charlotte, NC. 1985 Come to your

25th

CLASS REUNION on April 30-May 1, 2010!

Jesse Mojica serves as Director of Educational Policy under the Bronx Borough President.

1986 Robert Suarez graduated from the Thomas Cooley Law School in January 2010 and received a letter of recommendation from Gen. David Petraeus for a position as General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security.

1987 Bart Daudelin took a position as business representative for backstage workers on Broadway and other live theater shows with the I.A.T.S.E. Local 764.

Joseph Sheehan married in August 2008 with classmate, Christopher Timpone serving as groomsman and brother, John ’83, serving at best man.

1988 Frank J. Luongo has been recalled to the Navy and will be deployed to Mexico City.

20 th CLASS REUNION

1990 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

Francis Creighton returned to Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff for Congressman Chris Murphy of Connecticut. Jayce Bartok’s screenwriting film debut, The Cake Eaters is now available on DVD. Raymond Lustig III, doctoral candidate at the Juliard School, received the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Charles Ives Fellowship.

1991 Joseph Degliuomini returned from a 12-month deployment to Iraq and will be moving to Tampa this summer for an assignment to Special Operations Command for a Joint Assignment.

John C. Giordano returned from a year’s deployment in Kuwait and has relocated to Fort Meade in Maryland.

1995 Come to your

15th

CLASS REUNION on May 1, 2010!

1998 Charles Petz is married with a one-year-old daughter.

1999 Robert McGee works for the Department of Defense and coaches football for a local high school.

10th CLASS REUNION

2000 Come to your

on May 1, 2010!

Jared Marinos is a captain with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division and is stationed in Afghanistan for 13 months.

On the weekend of Jan. 15th, Giancarlo Rindone ’09 and Stephen Chiaia met with Mrs. Grace Lamour, her son Hank Lamour ’82, and Eric Klein ’87 to watch Klein’s son perform at a gymnastics competition at West Point. Giancarlo and Stephen joined Mrs. Lamour for a tour and dinner.

“We had a delightful evening and I was very proud of our Xavier men,” Mrs. Lamour wrote.

2003 Timothy Callahan is teaching English and studying Mandarin in Shanghai.

David del Cuadro graduated from ranger training in the summer of 2009, and is now stationed in the aviation unit at Fort Flood. Peter Faherty is a law clerk in the Employment Law Department of Tully Rincky PLLC.

5 th CLASS REUNION

2005 Come to your

on April 30th, 2010!

William Lembo is proudly serving his country in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division. R.J Peterson graduated from the Catholic University of America in 2009 and is teaching high school in Long Branch, NJ.

2007 Nick Hendra played in two NCAA Basketball tournaments in 2008 and 2009 for American University.

Maxime Sinal recently traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, to work with Esperanza International through Long Island University: C.W. Post.

Max spent a week working with 11 other volunteers to restore hope by helping build a foundation for one home and a roof for another.

2009 Peter Kouretsos is a freshman at Loyola University of Maryland.

Correction A Classnote published in the July/August 2009 issue of Alumnews misspelled the name of a 2005 graduate. The note should have read: Carl Muraco graduated from Saint Joseph’s University.

MARCH 2010

— ALUMNEWS

35

Mileposts IN M EM ORI AM

Rev. Thomas Lavelle ’43, a Maryknoll priest, died July 17, 2009. The middle child of nine, Fr. Lavelle once told the Alumnews that he insisted on entering the Maryknoll seminary because he knew there was more of a guarantee that he would be assigned to foreign missionary work. After a brief stint in the U.S. Army at the close of World War II, he began work in Tihosuco, Mexico, serving a ten-year-old parish of about 10,000 people for the next ten years, working as pastor for three.

Fr. Lavelle eventually learned to speak the local Mayan dialect, and in interviews with Maryknoll staff members, he often reflected the joys he found in immersing himself in the colorful native culture. On weekly trips to the outskirts of the Yucatan Peninsula, he mentored parishioners that had been baptized

DEATHS Alumni James Fitzpatrick ’34, May 11, 2009 Peter P. Lucchio ’35, February 24, 2009 Rev. Charles R. Malle ’36, August 30, 2009 John J. Paret ’36, August 29, 2006 Louis Adimando ’38, December 27, 2009 Rev. James F. Coleman ’39, May 31, 2003 John R. Smith ’39, September 16, 2006 John M. Morio ’40, May 21, 2009 William P. Joyce ’41, May 8, 2008 Harry C. de Venoge ’42, November 12, 2009 Xavier Riccobono ’42, July 21, 2004 Felix R. Suarez ’42, September 10, 2009 Rev. Thomas LaVelle ’43, July 17, 2009 Thomas J. McCormack ’44, September 23, 2006 Rev. Joseph A. Novak, S.J. ’44 , January 10, 2010

36

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

but did not practice religion regularly. He also conducted catechism classes and organized nightly prayer meetings.

In all, Fr. Lavelle would continue his work in Mexico at Dzidzantun, near the northern tip of the peninsula, supervising a high school and middle school. In 1992, he was appointed the Superior of Maryknoll’s missions in Mexico.

In all, he spent 50 years of service in Mexico and, though he said he would have chosen to live out the rest of his life living where he served, in illness he lived in St. Theresa’s Hall, in Ossining, New York, in the company and care of fellow Maryknollers, just down the road from the seminary where his journey began.

Maurice R. Roche, Jr. ’44, January 19, 2009 Edward B. Andrews ’45, June 8, 2009 Charles G. Herrmann ’45, September 26, 2008 James Mallin ’45, August 19, 2008 William S. Nutley ’45, December 29, 2009 Edward M. Lenard ’48, January 3, 2009 William Bolger ’49, October 8, 2009 Lucky Linton ’49, June 15, 2009 Eugene J. Brennan ’49, October 8, 2009 John W. Halloran ’51, December 24, 2008 Louis Anthony Perrone ’51, June 17, 2009 Eric C. Zoller ’51, December 5, 2009 William H. Casey ’52, August 28, 2008 John A. Lawler ’52, September 16, 2009 Richard T. Myers ’52, June 24, 2008 Victor J. Palace ’53, June 2, 2009

Anthony B. Bini ’55, April 27, 2007 Alfred Bianco ’57, June 5, 2009 Martin J. Callaghan, Jr. ’57, June 28, 2009 James C. Foley ’57, January 25, 2010 Anthony Tardio ’57, February 1, 2010 Francis J. Morison, Esq. ’58, February 15, 2010 Edward W. Gotti ’59, August 25, 2009 Daniel T. Brigham ’61, April 17, 2009 Joseph M. Coyle ’61, September 13, 2009 William C. Christman ’62, September 18, 2008 Michael J. Vitale ’66, December 18, 2009 Joseph Francis Hourigan ’68, November 9, 2009 Jay Politi ’68, January 17, 2010 Carlos M. Alvarez ’79, December 16, 2009 Alan Beckermeister ’88, November 26, 2009

Mileposts DEATHS Family George J. Brecht, father of Gregory ’83, October 27, 2009 Joseph P. Cristiano, father of Robert ’96, February 23, 2009 Diane Farinacci-Murray, wife of Kip Murray ’73, September 19, 2009 Theresa Furey, mother of Matthew ’07, September 24, 2009 Florence Galligan, mother of Christopher ’81 and James ’84, November 6, 2009 Roland Gunther, father of John ’94, December 2, 2009 Mary Joan Keegan, mother of Edward ’79 February 22, 2010 Barbara LoMenzo, wife of Roger ’60, December 26, 2009 Ricardo Lopez, son of Louis ’49, October 21, 2009 Ann T. McGrorey, wife of John ’36, September 26, 2008 John McShane, son of Owen ’29, January 6, 2010 Mary Manning Naimoli, wife of John ’36, October 26, 2008

BIRTHS Luke Anthony Angerame, August 21, 2009 Lisa and Paul Angerame ’78 Caitlin Grace Brennan, October 5, 2009 Katie and George C. Brennan ’89 Olivia Creighton, June 29, 2009 Julia and John Creighton ’96

Helen Pellino, mother of Glenn ’67 and Barry ’68, December 12, 2009 Roseann Lyons Piekarz, daughter of Thomas Lyons ’51, September 8, 2008 Anthony Polito, father of Anthony ’88, January 6, 2008 Helen M. Sullivan, mother-in-law of Michael Ford ’63, December 27, 2009 Olive F. Swensen, wife of Christopher ’39, May 18, 2008 Susan Toohill, sister-in-law of Daniel Denihan ’65, February 3, 2010 Mary Catherine Williamson, mother of Paul ’57, August 28, 2009 Fredric Wolff III, son of Fredric ’56, August 14, 2009 Charles W. Wood, father of Vincent ’00, July 21, 2009 Celeste A. Yacovone, wife of Joseph ’71, July 1, 2009 John J. Young, father of John ’77, Christopher ’79 and Peter ’83, August 31, 2008 Helen Zic, mother of Walter ’81, March 21, 2008

Alexi and Justin Hammel, December 4, 2008 Valerie Dube and William Hammel ’88 Connor Mullen, June 14, 2009 Jeanne Holly and Greg Mullen ’88 Justin John Polito, September 12, 2006 Patricia and Anthony Polito ’88

Friends Daisy Atherton, mother of SFC Wayne Atherton, December 24, 2009 Janet Conway, mother-in-law of Denise Conway, Xavier staff, January 29, 2010 William Crist, father-in-law of Gerard Walker, Xavier faculty, October 20, 2009 Ceil Hoebermann, mother-in-law of Dcn. Vincent Laurato, former Xavier faculty, June 30, 2009 Rev. Robert G. Lynch, S.J., former Xavier faculty, October 20, 2009 Alice McNally, mother of Kitty, former Xavier faculty, October 19, 2009 Rev. John Scully, S.J., former Xavier faculty, August 18, 2009

WEDDINGS Deborah Ellis and Douglas LeVien ’90, August 8, 2009 Patricia Stell and Joseph W. Fleck ’52, September 5, 2009

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

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Want to stay plugged into the latest from 16th street?

Make Xavier’s exciting E-newsletter part of your week!

School news, event invitations, web video and more.

W E H E A R YO U !

Since Xavier launched its weekly E-newsletter in December 2009, the school has been bombarded with great feedback from alumni and friends who have let us know they’ve made the E-news part of their weekly routine!

The E-news is published every Friday during the school year, and includes all the latest highlights from 16th Street—academic news, JROTC highlights, sports accomplishments, service work and more!

Also, plenty of news from the wide network of Xavier graduates and photos from alumni events.

If you don’t get the E-news already, send your email to enews@xavierhs.org, and come along for the ride beginning this week.

38

ALUMNEWS

— MARCH 2010

Explore your legacy.

What’s New for 2010?

It's an extraordinarily uncertain time—tax wise, that is. This is the first year in decades that American tax law repealed the federal estate tax. As of Jan. 1, 2010, federal estate taxes are repealed for any deaths that occur during this calendar year, regardless of the size of that person’s estate. While that sounds like a good thing for everyone, it could actually be a double-edged sword.

New for 2010: Convert Your IRA The year 2010 offers a great opportunity if you have an IRA. Any amount you withdraw from an IRA is typically taxable income to you, so being able to have a Roth IRA that you can access tax-free is a great advantage to you. A Roth IRA allows you to take funds from the plan income tax–free if you meet certain conditions, and you never have to take mandatory withdrawals during your lifetime. When converting, you'll have to pay income tax on the IRA amount you convert, but you can pay half the taxes in 2011 and half in 2012. If your IRA is currently worth less than what it used to be, perhaps due to a market decline, it may be an opportune time to convert to a Roth. If it is worth less when you convert it, you'll pay tax on a smaller amount. Take this opportunity to expand your philanthropic desires by making a tax-deductible gift to Xavier High School to help offset the taxes generated by the Roth conversion.

Ways You Can Make a Lasting Difference You may have noticed that many of the truly good things in this world are a result of people opening their hearts.

This generosity is often a thank you for assistance received in the past, an expression of compassion for a mission that touched someone’s heart or the result of witnessing the inspiring story of someone in need.

Your options for giving are almost as abundant as your reasons for giving—and we appreciate any support you have to offer.

To read these articles, please go to: www.xavierhsalumni.org Then click on “Planned Giving Advice” For more information please contact us: Joseph Gorski 212.924.7900 ext. 1539 or gorskij@xavierhs.org Mark A. Mongelluzzo, Esq. 212.924.7900 ext. 1436 or mongelluzzom@xavierhs.org

30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302

Alumni Hockey Game March 27, 2010

Alumnews Calendar

D.C. Club Event March 30, 2010 Scholarship Reception April 13, 2010 Boston Alumni Reception April 15, 2010 XBC Spring Event April 21, 2010 Class-chair Cocktails April 27, 2010 Reunion Weekend Classes ending in 0 & 5!

April 30 - May 1, 2010 Golf Outing May 18, 2010