february 2006 xavier alumnews

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6A L U M N E W S O F X A V I E R H I G H S C H O O L

In this Issue

10 A Call To JusticeFor years, Xavier graduates have been called to careers in law enforcement. Several alumni try to explain why so many of Xavier’s young men enter civil service in theNew York and federal arenas.

14 Service For OthersIt’s a long way to Tennessee, and it’s an even longer trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Part of a growing program at Xavier,54 students and a number of faculty members volunteeredtheir time, efforts, strength and consideration, to work withHabitat for Humanity and Esperanza International.

16 Braving Katrina: Xavier Bonds Survive StrifeBob Weierman, M.D. ’60 watched the destruction ofAugust’s storm from his home in Gulfport, MS. In the aftermath, he crossed paths with several Xavier grads that were helping the region recover.

February 2006 Vol. 9 No. 1

XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL

Rev. Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59 President

Joseph Gerics, Ed.D.Headmaster

Office of Advancement and Alumni RelationsJoseph F. Gorski Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations

Eric Lamar RiversDirector of Annual Giving

Michael L. Benigno ’00 Managing Editor of AlumnewsDirector of Alumni Relations and Public Information

Loual Puliafito ’00 Advancement Officer

Helene Strong Parents’ Association Coordinator

Barbara CiullaAdvancement Office Manager

Contributing WritersKarol Kurzatkowski ‘06Martin Kurzatkowski ‘02Joseph PetrielloMatthew Strong ‘99Thomas Wierzbowski ‘00

PhotographyMichael Benigno ‘00LTC Roy CampbellLoual Puliafito ‘00Robert Weierman ‘60The Yearbook Staff

Alumnews, the Xavier High Schoolmagazine, is published three timesa year by Xavier High School.

Correspondence and addresschanges should be mailed to:AlumnewsManaging EditorXavier High School30 West 16th StreetNew York, NY 10011-6302

Or by email [email protected]

Members of the 2005 Xavier Knights football teamchant the school song at this year’s Football Rally.

D E PA R T M E N T S

1 President’s Message

2 From the Headmaster

3 News from the Quad

18 ReuKNIGHTed

21 Class Notes

25 Mileposts

28 From the Advancement Office

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Educating the Whole Person for Life

1FEBRUARY 2006 — ALUMNEWS

Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends,

Jesuit education is a serious, rigorous endeavor. Since the Society of Jesus’

founding of its first school in Messina, Sicily over 400 years ago, Jesuit schools

have always stressed a vision of education that attends to the mind and learning

as well as to character and living. This is putting it in summary fashion. In more

detail, there are 28, yes, 28 characteristics of Jesuit education!

Jesuit education is world-affirming; assists in the total formation of each indi-

vidual within the human community; includes a religious dimension that perme-

ates the entire education; is an apostolic instrument; promotes dialogue between

faith and culture; insists on individual care and concern for each person; empha-

sizes activity on the part of the student in the learning process; encourages life-

long openness to growth; is value-oriented; encourages a realistic knowledge,

love, and acceptance of self; provides a realistic knowledge of the world in which

we live; proposes Christ as the model of human life; provides adequate pastoral

care; celebrates faith in personal and community prayer, worship and service; is

preparation for active life commitment; serves the faith that does justice; seeks

to form “men and women for others;” manifests a particular concern for the poor;

is an apostolic instrument, in service of the church as it serves human society;

prepares students for active participation in the church and the local community,

for the service of others; pursues excellence in its work of formation; witnesses to

excellence; stresses lay-Jesuit collaboration; relies on a spirit of community among

teaching staff and administrators; takes place within a structure that promotes

community; adapts means and methods in order to achieve its purposes most

effectively; is a system of schools with a common vision and common goals; and

finally, assists in providing the professional training and ongoing formation that

is needed, especially for teachers.

A Jesuit publication of 1987 summarizes it well:“The aim of Jesuit education

has never been simply the acquisition of a store of information and skills or prepa-

ration for a career, though these are important in themselves and useful to emerg-

ing Christian leaders. The ultimate aim of Jesuit secondary education is, rather, that

full growth of the person which leads to action—action that is suffused with the

spirit and presence of Jesus Christ, the Man for Others.”

Educating the whole person, caring for each individual person in a way that

affects one’s whole life, that’s the challenge of “the serious school work” here on

16th Street. From competent college counseling, to individual musical instruction,

to encouraging scientific inquiry, to fostering a life-long love of learning, to provid-

ing soil for the relationship with God to grow, to providing healthier foods and

fitness programs for a longer, healthier life—in these ways and a host of others,

Xavier strives to fulfill its mission of Jesuit education. You share in that effort by

means of your generous encouragement, financial support, and in many cases,

services rendered. And for that, Xavier is forever grateful.

God bless you always,

Rev. Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. ’59

President

2 ALUMNEWS — FEBRUARY 2006

At this writing, the first marking period has just ended andthe academic year is still young. Yet besides the challengingacademic lessons the Sons of Xavier will recall, many activi-ties have already enriched campus life here on 16th Street.

We are in the midst of the admissions season, and recentlyheld the first of two Open Houses for prospective studentsand their parents. Over 1300 visitors were impressed with the faculty, the facility, our curriculum, and their studentguides, who are our best advertisement. Xavier is the onlyschool which has enough student volunteers to provide anindividual tour guide for every family that visits.

Our Cadet Regiment comprises a large proportion of those volunteers, and they always represent Xavier well.Last year the Regiment was again designated an “Honor Unit with Distinction,” the highest possible unit award. Youmay have seen them and the Blue Night Band prominentlyfeatured in this year’s Columbus Day Parade, led by SupremeCourt Justice Antonin Scalia ’53 and broadcast by NBC. OnOctober 7, a performance of the X Squad, with junior andsenior cadets in the background, was broadcast nationally on CBS’ The Early Show. Locally, the X Squad has taken firstand second places in two drill meets, and anticipates anotheryear of stellar performances.

As school opened, Xavier families responded generouslyto the victims of Hurricane Katrina at Jesuit High School inNew Orleans, heavily damaged by storm waters. Like Xavier,JHSNO was founded in 1847, and it is the only other Jesuithigh school with a JROTC program. JHSNO was the firstschool to reach out to Xavier in the aftermath of 9/11. OurStudent Council raised $3800 to sponsor JHSNO studentsenrolled at Strake Jesuit High School in Houston, and our parent community contributed another $12,000. Also,two students from JHSNO accepted Xavier’s offer to enrollhere. The Blue Night Band also performed three benefit concerts at the Manhattan Mall to benefit Katrina victims.

Xavier’s Ignatian identity remains strong in our commit-ment to retreats and service to others. Last year, 212 of 214

graduating seniors attended a three-day Kairos retreat, theculmination of our four-year retreat program. The 99% rate of participation in this optional program testifies to the Class of 2005’s hunger for Ignatian spirituality, their bondingas a class, and the responsiveness of our campus ministryteam to their concerns. The second Kairos retreat of the sixplanned for this year, and the 51st overall since the programwas introduced, took place in November.

In community service, students complete requirementsduring the academic year. Seniors are now signing up fortheir service projects, during which they will contribute aminimum of six hours of service per week to one of over 300 community service agencies. They are excused from class for twelve consecutive Mondays in the second semes-ter, a remarkable commitment for an institution that valuesacademics as highly as Xavier High School.

During the summer, students volunteer as Companions of St. Francis Xavier to build housing alongside poor familiesin Tennessee and Mexico. It is hard, physical labor, and XavierHigh School is in debt to the teachers who chaperone threeweek-long trips. Interest in CFX is so high that although wehave expanded the number of student places from 53 lastyear to 94—the program remains oversubscribed.

Academic excellence, a winning athletic tradition and a vibrant military program continue to be hallmarks of a Xavier education. But proud as we are of students’ accomplishments in the classroom, on our courtsand playing fields, and in regimental activities, as FatherPedro Arrupe noted in 1974,“Today our prime educationalobjective must be to form men for others; men who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ.” Xavier’sfaculty, staff, administration and students continue to striveto live up to this challenge daily.

FROM THE HEADMASTER

A Community in Motion

JOSEPH GERICS, Ed.D.Headmaster

QuadNews from the


Over 130 Xavier graduates from the Classes of 2002-2005 showed up for Xavier’s Young Alumni Reception andFootball Rally on Nov. 23, gearing up for the annual Turkey Bowl…

Some of Xavier’s most generous donors were present at the President’s CouncilDinner and the Xavier Society/LoyolaAssociates Reception…

Over a dozen graduates spanning nearly 50 years came back to Xavier to participate in our annual Career Day,educating members of the junior class about their career choices…

The Robotics team, new to Xavier,met great success at regional and national competitions…

The Cross Country team finished in11th place in the CHSAA championships…

Freshman Fun Day entertained Xavier’snewest students and gave them the chanceto become familiar with the school…

The Regiment made several high-profileappearances at the start of the year.

QuadNews from the

Robotics Reels in the GoldXavier’s newly formed Robotics team, under the leadership

of Mike Chiafullio, won first place in the New York/New Jersey Botball Championship, competing against 18 other schools.Robotics, a science elective offered after school, is a clever combination of engineering, math, technology, and science.

Six weeks before a scheduled competition, the team of five students is given a kit of robot pieces made from LEGO Technics pieces and a programmable computer board. The pieces are then put together in a way that makes each small robot able to move inall directions and perform simple tasks. The challenge: each robot must performwithout any assistance from the students during the competition—they must beprogrammed to the parameters of the 4’x8’ course beforehand and they must beable to handle each obstacle.

The competition is judged based on documentation, strategy, and changes indesign that went into the production of each robot, as well as a seeding round with-out other competitors. Finally, a head-to-head competition takes place. Xavier’steam— consisting of Daniel Page, Michael Bubb, Michael Gorini, Brian Chang, andAlfonso Cozzo, all members of the Class of 2005 —took first place in all three rounds.

“Preparation and keeping it simple was the key,”said Mike Chiafullio. He said a science fair held in February 2005 gave the team the chance to prepare for theupcoming competition.“In their minds they already knew how to prepare, what was going to work and what wasn’t. So even though we were a rookie team, we were able to succeed.”

At the national competition held in Florida, Xavier’s team took fifth place.

I N B R I E F :


The 23rd Annual President’s Council dinner brought togetherover 250 of Xavier’s strongest financial supporters for a cocktail reception and meal at the New York Athletic Club on Sept. 29. The social event united alumni from manydecades, celebrating the legacy of their alma mater and sharing stories of all kinds about their Xavier days. Guestsfilled over 25 tables, and were first greeted by Joseph Gorski,Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations, whoinformed them of recent changes to the Advancement Officeteam and the success of the recent “Stand So All the WorldCan See” campaign, which raised $14.9 million.

Joe was followed by Rev. John Replogle, S.J. ’51, who led the group in saying grace before dinner was served.At the end of the meal, outgoing Chairman of the Board,Gene Rainis ‘58, spoke to the group and introduced ThomasConniff ’52, who will be serving as the new Chairman of the Board after serving the board for four terms since 1987.Conniff then had the chance to introduce himself and speakabout his willingness to lead the board.

Fr. Dan Gatti, S.J. then took the podium and shared a letterhe received from the mother of a recent Xavier graduate aftershe encountered a group of students while riding the subway.

Frank Gregory, former Dean of Students, joined Fr. Gatti in the singing of the school song, before a closing prayer was delivered by one of Xavier’s newest faculty members,Mr. John Mulreany, S.J.

This year, at the request of alumni who regretted that theycould not attend the dinner, a copy of the program was sentto all non-attending President’s Council members, along witha transcript of Fr. Gatti’s complete remarks.

The Advancement Office wishes to thank all the membersof the President’s Council for generously supporting Xavieryear after year. Without your contributions, the school wouldnot remain the excellent academic institution it is.

I would like to tell you about an incident that occurred this morning

on the “R” subway line from Brooklyn. A homeless woman boarded

the train. Her behavior was irrational—she was loud and aggres-

sive, her language was abusive, and she was in sore need of a bath.

As she made her way down the aisle, people moved away or low-

ered their eyes or laughed. When she spotted an open seat next to

two boys from Xavier, she jumped into it. It might be that because

my son attends Xavier I found myself particularly watchful and just

a little concerned about the potential for problems.

The boys remained seated quietly as she began to talk loudly

to them. She told them she knew she smelled bad and one of the

boys responded softly that he thought it was just the cigarette she

had. She dropped the cigarette and began to tell the boys the story

of her life mixed with scenes from West Side Story. The boys sat

quietly, listened, and smiled. Although she continued to be loud

and to jump around, her demeanor had obviously changed; she

was no longer aggressive and her language was not intended to

abuse. She was responding to the boys’ gift of respect and dignity.

She had been recognized and treated as a human being by other

human beings. At 8th Street the woman left the train, telling the

boys she loved them.

I don’t know who these boys are. I also don’t know if they realize

how much their kind act changed this woman’s day and mine.

What I do know is that they demonstrated a breadth of character

that many of us, at times, mistakenly believe is lacking in the world

today. While outwardly they may look like boys, they are truly

men—men in the service of others. I share this experience with you

in witness to the good these young men, their parents, and Xavier

contribute to the world.

With highest admiration,

Parent ’97 and ’02

The newest members of the President’s Council.

President’s Council Dinner

News from the Quad

ERIC RIVERS: Xavier’s New Director of Annual Giving

ANNUAL FUND RECEPTION RECOGNIZES DONORS

While new to Xavier, Eric is no strangerto the Jesuit principle of service to oth-ers. Eric Lamar Rivers graduated fromGeorgetown University in 2002 with aBachelor of Arts. After Georgetown, Ericworked for the Congressional BlackCaucus Foundation in Washington, D.C.,where he served in several positions—most recently as Manager of KnowledgeManagement. Eric is bringing experiencewith corporations, foundations, andindividuals to the position of Directorof Annual Giving.

FRESHMAN FUN DAYOn Friday, August 30th 232 freshmen

entered Xavier High School for the

first time as students. But absent

from the day was any of the stress

and tension one might usually

expect from the first day. This was

no ordinary school day. This was

Freshman Fun Day!

The day began with a gathering

of the newest Xavier additions in

the gym, where they were given a

standing ovation from nearly 100

Big Brothers. It was enough to

comfort even the most nervous

freshman and while he may not

have known anyone when he came

to Xavier that day, he was about to

make many new friends. Dr. Gerics

welcomed the new class. Even

Xavier teachers got involved and

took advantage of a relaxed time to

get to know their students better.

Through the course of the day,

the freshmen moved about the

school where different sports and

activities were set up.“I couldn’t

believe there was so much to do,”

said one freshman,“I played dodge

ball on the roof, tug-of-war in the

hallway, volleyball in the gym and

even video games in one of the class-

rooms.” It was indeed a great day.

After a full morning of activities,

the freshmen ate together for the

first time as a part of the Xavier

community. Those who had been

strangers upon arriving that morn-

ing were now friends. At the end

of the day, the class of 2009 came

together to celebrate Mass. The class

gave thanks for the day, each other,

and Xavier, knowing that they were

off to a great start.—Tom Wierzbowski ’00

Xavier’s JROTC Regiment had a very busyfew weeks, kicking off the school yearwith several major appearances, includ-ing a performance on CBS’s The EarlyShow and a prominent position in theColumbus Day Parade.

Over 50 cadets from the X-Squad performed during the broadcast of theweather report on October 7—anappearance that got cadets shining theirbrass and straightening their uniformsjust in time for the parade. The Regimentmade the school community proud withtheir fine performance on 59th St., and Fr.Gatti was present to witness the activities.

On October 10, the full XavierRegiment lined up on Manhattan’s FifthAvenue for the annual Columbus DayParade, but this year there was a specialtwist. U.S. Supreme Court Justice AntoninScalia ’53 was selected to be the parade’sGrand Marshal, leading the processionthrough Manhattan.

The presence of Justice Scalia gener-ated media attention from coast to coast,and he made reference to the times hemarched the parade route with theRegiment during his own days asLieutenant Colonel in Xavier’s JROTC.

The cadets performed on Fifth Avenueto a television audience of millions, aswell as a significant live audience ofXavier supporters and other New Yorkers.


Xavier’s X-Squad performing live on CBS’s The Early Show.

The Xavier Regiment in the Columbus Day Parade.

The Xavier Society/Loyola Associatesreception was held Sept. 21 at Moran’sRestaurant on the West Side, to recog-nize generous donors to Xavier’s 2004-2005 annual fund. Over 70 alumni andfamily members showed up for theevent, which began with a cocktail hourwith hors ‘doeuvres. The comfortable,casual environment allowed alumni tobecome reacquainted with one another.

Following the food, the audienceheard from Joseph Gorski and Fr. Gatti,and were thanked for their continuoussupport. The wide range in graduatingyears of those who attended showedthat as decades progress, Xavier alumnido not fail to remember the pride andtradition that was instilled in them.

Many classic Xavier memories wereshared, and a good time was had by all. The new Advancement Team wouldlike to thank all the attendees for making the night the first successfulevent of the school year.

JROTC Steps Lively

News from the Quad


Michael Sheehan ’66, FOX 5 News reporter, delivered the

keynote address, entertaining students of the Class of 2007

with some of his fondest Xavier memories while advising them

about their future. Admitting that he had once been unsure

of his own future, Sheehan detailed how his career went from

a NYPD detective to hosting an award-winning segment on a

news program. Commenting on the many long-lasting friend-

ships he maintains with numerous Xavier grads, Sheehan

said,“Xavier graduates are everywhere, from judges to DAs

…You will run across maroon and blue everywhere you go.”

Sheehan went onto emphasize not only the power of a Xavier

education, but he also stressed the incredible network

of individuals formed by graduates of Jesuit institutions.

Following the keynote address, students and graduates

made their way up to classrooms, where each speaker gave a

40-minute presentation about his individual profession. With

most major fields represented, students were able to take a

closer look at the careers of older graduates while informing

themselves about possible career choices.

Frank Comerford ’73, President of WNBC TV, and Michael

Sheehan ’66 spoke to students about broadcast television

while Maj. Tom Hutton ’86 returned to his alma mater between

military stints to represent the U.S. Army. Thomas Suarez ’81

and Dominick Gadaleta ’78 presented enlightening insights into

the medical field; Hon. John Countryman ’50 spoke to interested

students about his role as the U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate

of Oman. Classmates Gerald Fitzgerald ’58 and Dan Rodriguez ’58

spoke about engineering and architecture respectively. The

youngest represented alum, Stephen Stabile ’97, spoke about

the corporate world, working as a financial advisor for Merrill

Lynch; classmates Peter Hamboussi ’95 and Vincent Ng ’95

shared their passion for graphic design and advertising in a

combined presentation; Charles Mulham ’84 shared information

about his career as a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco and Firearms; meanwhile, Daniel McCarthy, Esq. ’71

returned for yet another year to amuse students with his

delightful presentation about his career in law, as Chief Trial

Counsel for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.

Giving students the chance to seek guidance from estab-

lished Xavier grads, Career Day 2005 informed them of the

many choices they will have to make in the future.

—Karol Kurzatkowski ’06

On November 11, 2005, Xavier graduates

returned to the classroom for the annual

Career Day presentations.

Grads Share Careers with Junior Class

Fox 5 News reporter, Mike Sheehan ’66 showed video highlights of his career and spoke to students about his background as a journalist and former NYPD detective.

Maj. Tom Hutton ’86 allows a junior year student to try on his protective armor on Career Day. Tom was scheduled to bedeployed to Iraq several weeks later.

News from the Quad


Although the Varsity Football team was defeated in convincing fashion 44-13 by Jesuit rival Fordham Prep in the annual Turkey Bowl Classic onThanksgiving, the Xavier football program showed significant signs ofimprovement in its second year underreturned Head Coach Chris Stevens ’83.The Varsity Knights achieved a 5-4 regular season record logging their firstwinning regular season since Stevens’last tenure as Head Coach in 1999.

In 2005, Xavier fielded more foot-ballers (129) than any year in recentmemory. With competition for practicefield space ever increasing and Xavier’sneed to bus the teams to practice inRed Hook, Brooklyn, the program nearlyachieved its maximum allowable num-ber of players—135 (45 per bus). Due

to Xavier’s strong Jesuit, academic, mili-tary and athletic reputation and CoachStevens’ post-season public speakingengagements at Pop Warner leaguesaround the city, over 75 Freshmen triedout for the football team this year andcompetitive cuts had to be institutedfor the first time in over 20 years.

During the 2005 season, the VarsityKnights offense rushed the ball for 2100yards, which was an 800 yard improve-ment over last year while completing 55 of their 106 passes for 8 touchdowns,only 4 interceptions, and a 52% comple-tion rate which was one of the highestin the league. The defense improvedsignificantly, giving up only 25 touch-downs, compared to 47 in the 2004 season. At the end of the regular season, the Varsity Knights’ defense

was actually the second least gainedupon unit in the entire 22-team CHSFL.

The highlight of the season was the October 30th showdown betweenCHSFL “AA” division leader, (6-1) St.Francis Prep and the (5-2) Knights,who were then in second place in theCHSFL “A” division. In a close see-sawbattle, the Knights out-muscled theupper division Terriers, but found themselves down 24-16 with less than 7 minutes left in the game. Xavier’s final12 play 65-yard drive to try to tie thegame opened the eyes of many teamsin the CHSFL. But unfortunately on 2nd and goal from the 7 yard line, theKnights fumbled away their chance to pull off what could have been theultimate upset of the season.

Football Knights Fall to Fordham, Yet Improve Program

Cross-Country Team Enjoys SuccessThe 2005 Xavier High School CrossCountry team had a very promisingseason throughout the fall, finishing11th in the CHSAA championships.

Earlier in the season, the teamcame in first place at the AA-2McQuaid Invitational, held at GeneseeValley State Park, in Rochester, NY. Over20 runners from the Sophomore, JV,and Varsity teams were present at theOct. 1 competition. Among the biggeststars, were senior captains, DanMurtagh, Matt Muratore, and RyanWoerner, sophomore Kevin D’Emic,and junior Dennis Devivo. All of theseniors achieved personal records.

Kevin D’Emic set the sophomoreschool record later in the season atVan Cortlandt Park, with a 2.5 miletime of 13:39.

The Xavier Knight took 5th Place in Varsity Sectionals and 3rd Place in JV Sectionals. The season finished the weekend of Nov. 19-20 with the49th annual Jesuit championship atVan Cortlandt Park.

“I feel this season was very encour-aging because the sophomores wereable to take 2nd in the NYCHSAAchampionships and 3rd in the CHSAAchampionships,” said Cross Countrycoach Patrick Dormer.

Cross Country coach, Patrick Dormer with the 2005 Cross Country team, wearing their “Baker’s Boys” t-shirts in recognition of longtime Xavier teacher, Mr. Thomas Baker.

Members of the Cross Country team pose with an award plaqueafter winning first place at theMcQuaid Invitational.

News from the Quad


Five new members were

recently appointed to Xavier’s

Board of Trustees. The

21-member Board meets

periodically to discuss and

plan for the future success

of the high school.

Joanne Marren works as a consult-ant to Transonic Systems, Inc. She alsoperforms management training forStackhouse Garber & Associates, whileteaching ESL classes at three NewJersey colleges. Marren received herBachelor of Arts degree from LeMoyneCollege in 1974, before continuing herstudies at St. John’s University School of Law. Currently serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at LeMoyneCollege and Nativity Middle School,she also is a member of Transonic’sBoard of Directors. Marren is a residentof Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

Dr. Miguel Fittipaldi works as alawyer focusing on immigration andfinancial consulting. He is a member ofXavier’s Class of 1975, and went on toreceive his Bachelor of Arts degree inEconomics and Sociology in 1979 fromFordham University before pursuing hisJuris Doctor at New York Law School.Fittipaldi is a member of the Phi DeltaPhi International Legal Fraternity andhe lives on Manhattan’s West Side.

Frank Comerford is the presidentand general manager of WNBC Channel4. A member of Xavier’s Class of 1973,Comerford is a 25-year veteran of thetelevision industry. He attendedGeorgetown University, graduating in 1977 with a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Business Administration and Finance. Comerford serves on theAdvisory Board of the Committee for Hispanic Children & Families, theBoard of Directors of the Child AbusePrevention Program, the ExecutiveBoard of Lutheran Medical Center, aswell as several other organizations.Comerford resides in Brooklyn andLong Island with his wife Maura.

Sr. Mary Dolan , of the Sisters ofSaint Ursula, is the president of NotreDame School. She has also held a number of other titles at the school,ranging from teacher, to vice-principal,and principal. Dolan received herBachelors of Arts degree from theCollege of New Rochelle in 1972,and obtained a Masters degree fromFordham University in1982. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Regis High School, and a MiddleStates Planning Team member at Notre Dame Academy. She is a resident of Manhattan.

John Draghi is Senior Counsel for LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae,LLP. Draghi is a member of Xavier’sClass of 1963, and went on to receivehis Bachelor of Arts from FordhamUniversity in 1967, followed by his Juris Doctor at University ofPennsylvania Law School. Practicinglaw for over 35 years, he also finds time to serve as Chairman of theAdvisory Board at St. Martin of ToursSchool, and is a member of the SchoolLife Committee at Xavier. Draghi lives in Manhattan and is the father of two daughters, and a son, John ’04.

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New Board Members IntroducedNew Board Members Introduced

Xavier’s current trustees pictured, sitting from left to right: Francis X. Comerford ’73, Rosemary A. DeJulio, Rev. Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., Miguel Fittipaldi,Esq. ’75, Sr. Mary Dolan, S.U., Robert E. Robotti ’71, and David P. Anderson ’47. Standing from left to right: John R. Raslowsky, Rudy Cecchi, Esq. ’69,Gerald P. FitzGerald ’58, Rev. Arthur C. Bender, S.J., Joanne T. Marren, Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. ’52 (Chairman), Rev. Pierce A. Brennan, S.J., Rev. Daniel J.Gatti, S.J. ’59 (President), Rev. Stephen N. Katsouros, S.J., John C. Meditz ’66, William S. Foley ’72, Richard T. Nolan, Esq. ’83 and John D. Draghi, Esq. ’63.(Not pictured, Michael N. Ford ’63, Vice Chairman)

Special Agent Charles Mulham ’84 worked as anundercover agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco

and Firearms. He’s currently based out of Brooklyn.


In the mid 1990s, Charles Mulham ’84, found himself pulling into the parkinglot of a hotel in Maryland, driving a Lincoln he and other government agentsthought would help round out the persona he was taking on. On that day,Mulham wore a lounge suit and a pinky ring, and as an undercover special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, he had been buying convertedautomatic weapons from two men. Arthur Nelson Reid and David Granger hadtaken a liking to Mulham and were under the impression that he was a mobsterfrom a warring crime family in New York.

These were stressful times for Mulham, and at one point he said the stressmade him temporarily blind in one eye. The people he had been dealing withmade no effort to hide the weapons they carried, and they walked through thelobby of the hotel with gun handles sticking out of their pants. As a sign of mutual aggression, Mulham did the same.

Inside his hotel room, he had messed up the sheets on one bed so that the seller would sit on the other side of the room, in line with one of the hidden cameras that had been installed.

“It was dangerous work, but I still felt I was protected fully,” he said. In the tworooms surrounding his own, over a dozen ATF agents stood by, monitoring thetransaction with a full audio and video hookup. Hand signals and code words had been set up to indicate any sign of impending trouble.

It was only after Mulham arranged to buy a pipe bomb from Reid and Grangerthat the ATF decided to end the investigation and close in to make an arrest.

To this day, he still considers that the most dangerous situation he’s ever been in.It was before he was married, before he had a family of his own, and undercovermissions were common for him. Working to monitor interstate firearms trafficking,his job frequently took him to several states up and down the east coast.

Unlike other Xavier graduates who follow generations of family members thatwork in the law enforcement sector, the only law enforcement influence he hadwas his uncle, who was a police officer. Mulham’s own father was a pressman forthe New York Daily News.

While a student at Xavier, Mulham was captain of the swim team, and he servedin the JROTC program during his first two years. He went on to graduate from the

Xavier Graduates and Law EnforcementBy Michael Benigno ‘00

Protect and Serve:


College of the Holy Cross with a degree in History in 1988, and considered study-ing law before starting work with the ATF. He said the ATF seemed to provide theright amount of structure he was looking for, and he liked the fact that such acareer would cater to his interest in law.

His early focus on firearms trafficking often involved tracing a single recoveredweapon to a series of other individuals and weapons purchases. His investigationsoften led him to perpetrators that took part in the very busy smuggling operationfrom the South up to New York. But he hasn’t worked undercover since 1998, andsince then he has devoted a lot of attention to investigating home invasions, par-ticularly incidents where individuals have impersonated police officers.

While these investigations tend to take a long time—up to five years some-times—they often have large payouts, exposing teams of career criminals who arerecruited for jobs from a central location, not unlike the market of illegal immi-grants able to be picked up to perform daily contracting services. One investiga-tion that started with just a single arrest in August 2000, led to the arrest of nearly30 people; another led to 20. Once an individual is apprehended, Mulham said,they are given the chance to face serious charges head-on or to cooperate withinvestigators.

“It takes a long time to figure out someone’s honest story and to iron out theirhistory,”he said. Fearing long prison sentences, many suspects opt to cooperate, andinvestigators and federal prosecutors can, in turn, urge a judge to waive minimumsentencing requirements.

His current job brings him in contact with other law enforcement agencies onthe city, state and federal levels, as his perpetrators are often violent criminals whotake part in murder, kidnapping, and credit card fraud.

“I feel like I’m making a big difference,” Mulham said.“I’m putting a lot of guysaway for a lot of time.”

Looking back on Xavier, he said the sense of camaraderie and teamwork heexperienced here has stayed with him throughout his career.“There are a lot ofguys who go to Xavier who just click—these are guys that grew up together and alot of them went to college together. I also just think there’s a sense of communityyou find in New York that you don’t find in other places.”

Teamwork, discipline, and accountability—those three aspects of life at Xavierwere consistently referenced by graduates who entered law enforcement.

John Anticev ’76, who now works as a Supervisory Special Agent in the FederalBureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorism Task Force, recalls struggling through amicrobiology class during his sophomore year. He said at one point he and the restof the class realized they were all in danger of failing an exam.“We thought therewas no way the teacher could fail all of us,” he said. But sure enough, everyoneended up receiving their actual test score without a curve, and Anticev said hereceived a 50.

“It really taught me a lesson in accountability,” he said.In an interview, Anticev acknowledged that Xavier’s tradition was something

that always stuck with him.Like Mulham, while he was a high school student, Anticev was involved in the

JROTC program, among other activities. The order, tradition, and sense of servicehe experienced in Xavier’s Regiment guided him toward work with the FBI.

“The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force has accomplished many things thatare not reported by the media,” Anticev said.“These things are not cliffhangers likeyou would see on TV. The work is more detailed, in-depth and methodical than youmight think.” Anticev recognized that the events of September 11, 2001 havebrought the word ‘counterterrorism’ into millions of homes, whereas his line ofwork wasn’t so well-known or glamorous in the past.

But media attention hasn’t always avoided Anticev’s career.In 1997, a made-for-TV movie depicted Anticev’s work in the FBI before the

1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and the government’s efforts to success-fully penetrate the inner workings of a terrorist cell loyal to Shiek Omar Abdel

FBI Special Agent John Anticev ’76 transporting Mohamed Odeh aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 in Sept. 1998.


Rahman, the spritual leader of an Egyptian Terrorist group that subsequentlymerged with Al-Qaeda. Anticev’s name was used in the film, and his character was played by Peter Gallagher. Some recall repeat airings of Path to Paradise:The Untold Story of the World Trade Center Bombing, but the film has reportedlynot been shown since September 11th.

When speaking of highlights in his career, Anticev recalled a foiled plot tosimultaneously bomb five New York landmarks, including the United Nations,due to a well-placed informant developed by himself and his NYPD Detectivepartner Louis Napoli, whose son is also a Xavier graduate. He cited the successfulFBI intervention as an example of teamwork between several law enforcementagencies, actions that brought investigators to a garage in Queens where bombmaterials were being prepared. The investigation led to the apprehension andconviction of the famous blind sheik, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. Anticev was alsoone of the first responders to the embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar al Salamin August 1998. Anticev interviewed Mohammed Odeh for 12 days in Kenya,returned him to the U.S. and testified at trial. Odeh was convicted and sentencedto life in federal prison.

But not all law enforcement is in the field. Older alumni like Bob Albracht ‘60recall that many graduates took up law as a profession. Albracht, now retired,began with a career in aviation, and then went into airport security. Working for the Transportation Security Administration, he headed security operations at the 19,000 general aviation airports nationwide.

Dan McCarthy ’71, Chief Trial Counsel for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office,has been an Assistant District Attorney in both Queens and the Bronx for the past25 years. From his position, McCarthy has prosecuted hundreds of homicide cases.

“You never quite know what you might be doing when you come to work,especially when something significant hits the fan,” McCarthy said.“You could beworking on that.”

On average days, McCarthy prepares for court by meeting with witnesses andreadying testimony.“This job is really feast or famine. I could spend the entire dayin court or be working on other cases, talking to witnesses, or providing guidanceto younger and less experienced attorneys.”

In July, he was named New York State Prosecutor of the Year for 2005, a distinc-tion that might be attributed to the persistent strides he makes to approach eachcase in a fresh light.“I see a lot of people struggling with the burnout factor,” hesaid.“I’ve never felt that. Part of it, I think, is that every case is different, every set of facts is different, every victim is unique in his or her own way.”

McCarthy said a big challenge came to him in 2004, during a triple homicidetrial.“As I’m cross-examining the defendant my secretary gets a phone call, and myfather, who had been ill for some time, is dying. So she calls my trial partner, andthey tell me at lunch. We work a little that afternoon to finish. I went to see himthat night, and he passed away a few days later. The next day, I had one of my bestsummations,” he said.“That sticks in my mind, that in the middle of all that, you’reable to separate out all the emotion and function professionally on a high level.”

McCarthy said he gained a sense of social justice and the ability to think criti-cally at Xavier.“I always thought that Xavier was a pretty intellectually challengingplace. So when I went from high school to college, I never found it to be that diffi-cult. Then I went out and worked for a while, got married, and was in law school.Law school was more like Xavier than college was.”

No one aspect of life at Xavier could accurately explain why so many graduatesfeel called toward civil service jobs in law enforcement. Maybe it’s the earlyemphasis the school’s JROTC program makes on service for others; maybe it’s the sense of companionship that is still visible at reunions and receptions yearafter year; or it could be a result of the tradition and discipline that continues to resonate. But the presence of Xavier graduates working together in regionaland worldwide security operations results in dedicated individuals committed to making their part of the world a safer place.

Dan McCarthy ’71, Chief Trial Counsel forthe Bronx District Attorney’s Office.


It is late January of 2005. I am

standing a foot post on Lexington

Avenue in the middle of a blizzard and

the water has just soaked through my

second pair of socks. Less than a

month out of the Police Academy, I lack

the fundamental survival skills of a sea-

soned Police Officer and remain outside

while several stores nearby offer both

heat and escape from the snow.

Over the radio comes a burglary in

progress—a man apparently climbed a

fire escape and entered a second story

window. Running as quickly as I could

on frozen legs I arrived at the scene at

the same time as one of the patrol cars.

We entered the building together and

proceeded up to the second floor to

find the apartment door unlocked. A

search of the apartment came up with

nothing except a running shower in the

master bathroom. Pushing open the

door, I anticipated just about anything,

except, of course, the completely naked

owner of the apartment standing in her

own bathroom. We searched the build-

ing and after a few embarrassed apolo-

gies, I resumed my snowman post.

Five years earlier, as a senior at

Xavier I do not think I could have imag-

ined myself as on that street corner

freezing to death. I had been a mem-

ber of the swim team, president of the

Dramatics Society, a Companion of St.

Francis Xavier and a Big Brother. Other

than a bitter hatred of mathematics, I

had very little idea what I wanted to

study in college. And I had absolutely

no idea what I wanted to do afterward.

I briefly studied psychology at Fairfield

University before realizing that my dis-

like of math extended to science as

well. History and philosophy proved to

be a much better fit. I enjoyed college

and found history to be extremely

interesting, but I couldn’t see myself

becoming a teacher. I had taken the

NYPD exam and after the events of

September 11th a sense of duty

added to my desire to become a

Police Officer. Looking back, I see the

reasons for the choices I made in the

time I spent at Xavier.

One of the greatest aspects of

police work is the hands-on nature

of the good we do. A Police Officer

gets to see the difference he makes

on a daily basis—be it in arresting a

criminal, helping a victim, or addressing

other problems. It is a satisfaction

that I believe is very rare in life, but

a cornerstone of a Xavier education.

For me, and, I think, for others, the

Christian Service projects and the

service trips with the Companions of St.

Francis Xavier were the most formative

parts of the four years at Xavier. I

believe it is this experience that brings

so many of us into civil service, be it

NYPD, FDNY, or other agencies. And it’s

no wonder why I have run into more

Xavier Grads doing police work in

Manhattan Central Booking than

anywhere else.

A YOUNG OFFICERReflects on His Xavier Influences

Matt Strong ’99


When faced with the daunting taskof raising tens of thousands of dollarsto send students and faculty on servicetrips, I often hear the question “Whydon’t you just send them the money?”Of course,“them” refers to the poor,those living on the margins of society,the forgotten, the unemployed, thosestruggling against the crushing realityof poverty in our world. In the UnitedStates alone, almost 37 million peoplelive at or below the poverty line. Whatcan we, as a community of faith thatseeks justice, do in the face of suchrealities? Why don’t we just send themthe money?

Each summer, the Companions ofSt. Francis Xavier Service Program givesour school community the opportunityof working with the poor of ruralAmerica and across the border inTijuana, Mexico. After ten Companionsof St. Francis Xavier service trips in thepast three summers, I can honestlyrespond from personal experience thatwe don’t just cut a check and send themoney to those in need because “a dollar bill can’t hammer a nail.” Yes,giving to charity is of great importance,especially for those of us who live inabsolute affluence when compared tothe rest of the world. But in my experi-ence, it is much more effective to sendyoung men willing, able, and dedicatedto serving those in need and workingfor justice with their bare hands. What

follows is a glimpse into the many sto-ries that make up a summer of service.

Fr. Pedro Arrupe, former SuperiorGeneral of the Society of Jesus, calledfor us to be Men and Women for Others—people whose love for God andneighbor is manifested in the work ofjustice and a preferential option for the poor. This past summer, 54 studentsand 10 faculty members answered thiscall of our Ignatian mission by goingforth into the world in service to thosein great need. In the words of ThomasBruno ’06, the Companions of St. FrancisXavier Service Program “allows us tosee the true injustices of the world and gives us a chance to do somethingabout it.”While the summer monthsbring about relaxing visits to the beachand much needed vacations, our com-munity’s dedication to service was verymuch alive as our men hammerednails, dug foundations, mixed cement,painted walls, and raised the roof of abrand new house. All the while, theyworked alongside those who theyserve, not giving a handout to the poor, but working with them to give ahand up—empowering those in needthrough action and solidarity.

Founded upon the four cornerstonesof community, simplicity, prayer, andservice, CFX has grown tremendously inthe past three years, raising awarenessamong Xavier students about the issuesof poverty and social justice.This past

summer, we continued our relationshipwith Appalachia Habitat for Humanity in Robbins,Tennessee.With the help ofthe faculty leadership of Lou Cicalese,Greg Harkness, Alex Lavy, Steve Noga,and Anthony SooHoo, SJ., I had thechance to lead two trips to Tennessee inJune. During the first week, one groupworked on the foundation of Habitat’snew volunteer center, which will nowallow CFX to send more volunteers toTennessee each summer.This workincluded laying cinder block and plumb-ing, raking gravel, and pouring cement.The second group worked on the finish-ing crew of a new home, which includedinterior painting, installing vinyl siding,and continued work on the porch. In oursecond visit, one work crew performedsome much needed repairs on an exist-ing home, including lots of painting andinterior detail.The other crew built thefloor, exterior and interior walls, porch,and roof of a brand new Habitat home.On Monday there was nothing at thesite except a cinder block foundation.By Friday, there was the structure of an entire house. Clearly, the work thatwe do in Tennessee is always contingentupon the needs of the community andvaries from trip to trip and from year to year.

In July, Xavier traveled across theborder to volunteer with EsperanzaInternational, a local community-basedgroup in Tijuana, Mexico. Under the

A Dollar Bill Can’t Hammer a NailBy Joseph Petriello


direction of Greg Harkness and theleadership of Jeff Angus, Lou Cicalese,Chris Napolitano, Pat Rogers, SJ, andBen Suro, 22 rising seniors spent hoursdoing grueling cement work on newhomes for those who are in desperateneed of having their basic needs metwith dignity and respect. In addition todigging a foundation for a new home,our men also worked to repair and puta new roof on a drug rehabilitationcenter as well as a community center.Though the work is exhausting, thisexperience is a life-changing encounterwith the poor. According to AdamPapas ’06,“Our trip opened our eyes tothe actual troubles that occur inMexico. It also allowed us to work forchange and have a sense of giving our-selves up to the needs of others.”

In dialogue with those whom wework, our students learn about aspectsof Latin American culture, and chal-lenge their faith lives through dailyprayer and reflection about theirshared experience. Meals during theday are provided by the families withwhom we work. For both groups, it is in the giving that we receive. RicardoCastillo ’06 reflects,“The people wereso grateful to see us there. Theythanked us for helping them, but I wentand thanked them for giving me theopportunity of a lifetime.”The trip alsoincludes a visit to the border, where welearn that many Mexicans who die

while attempting to cross into the U.S.are often under 20 years of age. Suchrealities cannot be ignored, and pro-voke our students to ask why povertyexists as such and what social struc-tures keep human beings poor in thefirst place.

Upon returning to Xavier, most students bring their experience backhome by becoming involved in raisingawareness about issues of social justiceand poverty among our community,including the emergence of a renewedAmnesty International chapter.

Throughout the entire school year,students are committed to raising sub-stantial funds to support the expensesof the program. With the help of dona-tions from family, friends, and parishes,as well as many in school fundraiserssuch as the Acoustic Coffeehouse, CFXmembers were able to raise over$48,000 to cover the costs of last year’sprogram. With the increased interest ofour students and the generous supportof the Xavier family, CFX 2006 will senda total of 97 students and 25 facultyand alumni to Tennessee and Mexico.We have already reached over $24,000of our $80,000 fundraising goal for next summer, with a long road ofpreparations ahead for us.

Not only did these young men buildand repair homes, whether it was withnails or cement, they also built bridgesof community between themselves

and the local people with whom theyworked. Beyond all their effort, theyenjoyed recreation time, as well as thehospitality of shared meals with localfamilies and church groups. Mostimportantly, in the group’s prayerfulreflection, these young men discoveredthat the good work of their hands wasguided by the hands of Christ, whocalls us to love and serve wherever we may journey. The Companions of St. Francis Xavier Service Program hasdeeply affected the lives of our studentsin so many ways, as the words of KennyFackovec ’06 can attest:“This experiencewas completely life-changing. Not onlywere we able to live among the poorand help them, but we also learned alot about ourselves. There are so manybasic needs in our lives that we take forgranted and through this experiencewe gained a greater appreciation foreverything in our lives, but not forget-ting our responsibility towards thepoor.”Yes, we could just send themoney… but for us at Xavier, that justwon’t do.

If you are interested in making afinancial contribution to the Companionsof St. Francis Xavier Service Program,please contact me at 212-924-7900x1658 or [email protected]. Tolearn more about the organizationswith whom we work, please visit theirwebsites at www.habitat.org andwww.esperanzainternational.org.


a Xavier Alumnus in the

Eye of the StormBob Weierman, M.D. ’60 and his wife, Teresa, ran into Pat Stokes ’60 at a supply location near Gulfport, Mississippi.Pat, the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch Companies,Inc., posed with the Weierman’s in front of a delivery truck.


Blue Night Band Helps Hurricane Victims

Born and raised in Spring Lake, NewJersey, Robert Weierman, M.D.‘60,moved to Gulfport, Mississippi to start anew medical practice. Growing up, Bobsaid he had many experiences with hur-ricanes at the Jersey shore, sometimesresulting in the boardwalk being movedone or two blocks away from the beach,depending on the level of erosion. Heexperienced paralyzing blizzards whilein college at St. Peter’s College, and witnessed looting and burning duringriots in Washington, D.C. in 1968, but he said nothing could have preparedhim for Hurricane Katrina.

“On August 27, my daughter, whohad been working in New Orleans atthe Children’s Hospital, came over to be with us,” Bob wrote to the Alumnews.“A friend of hers had taken her shiftbecause she was supposed to haveworked through the hurricane. Also,friends of ours who lived near a bayoucame up to our house because we areeight to ten miles north of the Gulf.Fortunately, they brought their two cars,and a friend of theirs who had a boatbrought generators because he was adiabetic and needed insulin—we had arefrigerator for a couple of days anyway.

“On the 28th of August, we sawsome clouds and had a little rain. We allhad gone to bed and waited for themorning, and the first thing that wentwas the electricity. We had filled twobathtubs with water for some bathingand to flush the toilets; we had bottledwater for drinking, a charcoal grill, andsome food. We watched from inside thehouse as 30-40 foot pine trees weresnapped or uprooted. We watched theshingles stripped from our neighbors’roofs. This went on the next 12 hours.When we had a chance to inspect ourhouse, we found very little damage(thank God). The next few days werevery trying as we had no phones or cellphones. Our water is pumped and with-out electricity we would not be gettingany soon. Also, our sewer system runson electricity, so we were now facingthe inability to flush the toilets. OnWednesday we went to the hospital, aswe could not call them. The generatorswere not working well, and in the mid-dle of surgery Tuesday night they failedand the surgery had to be finished withflashlights.

“The storm lasted until 6:30 in theevening. It was just about continuouswith 130-mile-an-hour winds. The peo-ple down here were not expecting thistype of devastation. We were told thatCamille was the worst hurricane ever tohit the Gulf Coast, in 1969. The historybooks have now been rewritten.Camille came in on the same pathKatrina did. Towns have been totallydestroyed. Heading from the west,Waveland—where the eye came in—was totally destroyed. Bay St. Louis, tothe east, was totally destroyed. PassChristian was 80% to 90% destroyed.”

Bob said his nearby church, St.Thomas the Apostle, suffered severedamages, and its two-story stone rectory was reduced to a foundation.A surrounding school was lost as well,and all of the casinos that had beenbuilt on barges in accordance withstate law, suffered crippling damages.

“The one thing that has impressedme, having lived in the Northeast most of my life, is that these people inMississippi are rolling up their sleeves—their neighbors are getting togetherand they are moving forward. No one iswhining, crying, or doing anything likethat. They are pitching in. A lot of ourstores are opening. Houses are beingbuilt. The National Guard, FEMA, andthe State Police have been extremelyhelpful to everyone down here, no mat-ter what you read in the papers. Peopleare getting back to work,” Bob wrote.

Bob wished to thank many of hisXavier acquaintances that providedassistance following Hurricane Katrina,including: Jay O’Brien, Joe Dineen,Doug Graser, Ed Keeshan, Peter Toja,Rev. Nick Connolly, S.J., Pat Stokes, andRoger Kirwan. He recommended several websites with photographs of storm damage, includingwww.nicholas.duke.edu/psds/,www.facethewind.com, and www.gulfcoastforums.com.

While Bob said he was struggling to see patients and he wasn’t surewhether many local residents haveeither lost their homes or relocated to other areas, he said the one thing he constantly sees is people helpingone another, and it helps him findhope.“Everybody’s trying to recover,”he told the Alumnews.

The Blue Night Band performing at the Manhattan Mall during their first charity concert this year.

The fact that a number of band membershad only been Xavier students for severalmonths emphasized the spontaneity ofthe Blue Night Band’s first performance of the academic year—a benefit show on Nov. 8 at the Manhattan Mall to helpthe American Red Cross raise money forvictims of Hurricane Katrina.

During recent years, the Blue NightBand has visited New Orleans threetimes. And it is a place that has alwayswelcomed and cared for its visitors.

When 9/11 occurred, Jesuit HighSchool, in New Orleans, was the firstschool to offer their support to the Xaviercommunity. Now, during the Gulf Coastregion’s time of strife, longtime bandleader Rocco Iacovone ’62 felt a benefitconcert would be appropriate.

At 4:30 p.m. chairs were set up near a giant Christmas tree on the lower levelof the mall, and instruments were tunedas onlookers gathered along the railingsthat looked down at the floor from various levels of the mall. Xavier facultymember Denise Iacovone introduced theband and urged mall visitors to donate to the Red Cross by checking out a tableset up on the mall’s main level. The bandsuccessfully performed a number of jazzstandards, as well as several rock pieces,like Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.”

The crowds of people present at theevent enjoyed watching the event, andthe band did a fantastic job entertainingthe audience for over an hour.

Two other concerts took place at themall on Nov. 22 and Dec. 20.

Reuknighted

Jim Wartski ’77 recently discovered that a colleague of his wasn’t

just a colleague, but also a fellow Xavier graduate. Jim and John

Calabro ’63 both went on to attend West Point, and they had known

each other for years. John retired from active duty and was hired by

the Association of Graduates at West Point, where he currently works

as Vice President of Alumni Support.

At West Point, Jim is currently serving on the Board of Trustees,

working with the Admissions Department as the Florida State

Commander overseeing the Admissions Liaison Officers, and attend-

ing conferences for being the President of the Central Florida Alumni

Chapter (West Point Society). At a recent Board Meeting dinner, Jim

said he became aware that a fellow “Son of Xavier” was sitting by his

side. Jim’s wife, Donna, joined the group and talked about her high

school experience at Notre Dame Academy, in NYC. John chimed in

and said he went to an all-boys military high school on West 16th

Street. At that point, Jim said he started singing “Sons of Xavier, keep

marching on to Victory...”

About a month later, Jim visited West Point and left a Xavier HS

uniform patch from the summer uniforms on John's desk.


From Xavier to West Point…

Reuknighted

John Calabro ’63 and Jim Wartski ’77 were at a recent dinnerwhen they realized they both graduated from Xavier.

The 1969 J.V. Basketball Team

It was a hot June evening in 1989. The swelterof 189 Xavier graduates in their formal blues orrented tuxedos was met with a thunderous ova-tion by the St. Patrick’s’ Cathedral faithful. It wasnot the decibel level of the clapping that caughtmy attention as much as the sudden cheering andclapping coming from my fellow classmates. Ithought it was unusual to see my classmates joinin the cheering for themselves, but that was notwho they were cheering for. Out of a sea of highfives and clapping hands emerged John Brennanfrom the back of the line to take his rightful placebehind me (alphabetically) in the line of the graduation procession. John Brennanhad missed the last few months of senior year in 1989 due to his battle with cancer. It was the first time we had seen John in quite some time, but then again,it was only fitting to see a man who conquered cancer in time to receive his diploma along side of all of us. It would be the last time I had seen or heard from John Brennan since graduation.

In 1999, my wife Katie came home from a busy day of teaching third graders at a public school in Westchester. She could not wait to share some amazing news with me. It turns out that Katie's colleague at work, a Kindergarten teachernamed Lori, had mentioned in conversation that her husband was originally fromBrooklyn. Katie asked,“Where did he go to high school?” Lori said,“Xavier.” Katieenthusiastically got excited and said her husband graduated from Xavier too.”Katie continued on saying,“Isn't that funny? We both work in the same school inWestchester, we are both married to Brennan’s and both of our husbands graduat-ed from Xavier. What year did your husband graduate, Lori? Maybe my husbandknows him?” Lori says,“He graduated in 1989.” Katie screams with excitement,“No way! My husband George graduated from Xavier that same year. What is yourhusband's name?” Lori says,“John Brennan.”

Katie came home and told me the news and I nearly fell over. A few monthslater, we would all plan to meet as couples at their school faculty Christmas partyin 1999. The moment finally arrived. John and Lori walked in some time after we had already settled in. It took only seconds for John and I to spot one anotherin a room full of unfamiliar faces. As our wives watched in sheer joy, John and Ihugged and just laughed at one another. We laughed at the coincidence or perhaps the fate of this encounter. We laughed at the humorous history we shared together in many of the same classes on West 16th Street. As we sattogether at the same table, the conversation was consumed over fellow class-mates and the legendary educators at Xavier. (Mr. Woehling, who had both of usfor Algebra, called us “Beastly” and “Gruesome”—”The Brennan Brothers.”) Thenight culminated with all four of us dancing together in reunion of two Brennanwives, two Brennan husbands and two Xavier graduates from the class of 1989.

In 2004, John and Lori would make another surprise cameo again. This time it was for the book signing of my first published work, Excellence: Sons of XavierForever. John is a police officer in the South Bronx. Lori is now on maternity leavewith their first son Ryan. My wife Katie has now left third grade and she has takenover Lori Brennan's Kindergarten class. At least the Kindergarten students will nothave to learn a different name for their new teacher.

—-George Brennan ‘89

“ReuKNIGHTed is a section of theAlumnews that runs in each issue,telling the stories of Xavier graduatesthat have crossed paths with othergraduates from their class, membersof other years, or even members ofXavier’s administration.

The ReuKNIGHTed section has run in many previous issues of theAlumnews, but is only successful with ample reader response.Contact Mike Benigno with yourReuKNIGHTed story either by email at [email protected], or byphone at 212-924-7900 x.1435.”


Brennan Boys from ’89

John Brennan ’89 and his wife,Lori, visited Xavier classmateGeorge Brennan ’89 at a signingappearance for his book Excellence:Sons of Xavier Forever.

PLACE PIER SIXTY at Chelsea PiersNew York, NY 10011

TIME Reception6:00 - 7:00 pm

Dinner7:00 pm

Please join us as we celebrate our“Men for Others” in this Jubilee Year of the 500th Anniversary of the birth of St. Francis Xavier.

HONOREES

Rev. Kenneth J. Boller, S.J.Former Xavier mathematicsteacher, Dean of Co-curricularActivities, Headmaster andPresident.

Paul J. Curran, Esq. ’49Former U.S. Attorney for theSouthern District, former StateAssemblyman, former head ofCommission on Criminal Justiceand the Use of Force; Director ofFordham Law Alumni Association.

Hon. Alberto del Rosario ’57Philippine Ambassador to the United States; former Chairman of Makati Foundation for Education.

William E. LaMothe ’44Chairman & CEO of Kellogg Co.;financial supporter of Xavier andother educational institutions.

Arthur I. McEwen ’51Personnel Director for UPS;educational philanthropist with strong support of Xavier and Fordham, supports inner-cityScholarship Fund.

Rev. Vincent G. Potter, S.J. ’46Fordham Professor, Academic Vice President, holder Loyola;Chair of Humanities; editedInternational PhilosophicalQuarterly.

Eugene C. Rainis ’58Partner at Brown BrothersHarriman & Co.; former Chairof Xavier’s Board of Trustees.

XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL

Hall of Fame Dinner

Hon. Alberto del Rosario ’57Paul J. Curran, Esq. ’49 William E. LaMothe ’44Rev. Kenneth J. Boller, S.J.

Arthur I. McEwen ’51 Rev. Vincent G. Potter, S.J. ’46 Eugene C. Rainis ’58

Friday, November 17, 2006

Save the Date!


Class Notes

1936Joseph Kelly recently celebrated his 87th birthday!

John Walsh corresponds regularly with Fr. Bob Rice ’40, who is currentlylocated in Cebu City, in the Philippines,and continues to frequently meet upwith Bill Hannan.

1942Raymond Wiley has just published AlWilliams: The Fleet’s First Frequent Flyer.The book relates the story of a 1913graduate of Fordham University andclassmate of the author’s father.

1943Rev. James Salmon, S.J. is a Professorof Chemistry at Loyola College inMaryland and Senior Fellow atWoodstock Theological Center atGeorgetown University. Kenneth D.Vilece, son of Dr. Robert J. Vilece, wasa member of the Nuclear Energy teamof the United Nations that received halfof the Nobel Peace Prize this year forwork preventing nuclear energy frombeing used for military purposes.Dr. Vilece was Cadet Colonel of theRegiment from Sept. 1942—June 1943,and went on to serve in World War II.

1944Several members of the Class of 1944held their annual gathering in NewYork recently. Frank Dwyer, Al Tattam,George Pavarini, Jack McCrane,Joseph Dunn, Fr. Joe Novak, S.J. andBernie Carlin were present. Theyregretted the absence of Dr. TomDraper, who was ill at the time. Eachperson received a personalized pictureframe from the Class of 1944, reading“Friends for Sixty-Five Years.”

1946James O’Connor would be glad tohear from any fellow alumni. Call theDirector of Alumni Relations for hiscontact info.

1947Cedric Priebe, Jr. is still working as the Chief of Pediatric SurgeryAdministrative Vice-Chair in theDepartment of Surgery.

1948Tom Kennedy published a chapter inMadame Chiang Kai-shek and Her China.

1949The Class of 1949 had a great seniorreunion at the Cape Cod summer homeof John Hauss. 24 Class of 1949 menand spouses were in attendance.

1950Joseph Brostekwas promoted to Executive Director of Events at his alma mater,Queens College.Borough President Helen Marshall proclaimed June 2“Joseph Brostek Day” in honor of his service to the community.

1951Roger P. McTiernan, Sr. and his son,Roger P. McTiernan, Jr. ’69, are seniorpartners of the firm Barry, McTiernan &Moore.

1953Richard Muller has retired fromAmerican Airlines at JFK and from hisposition as a State of California PeaceOfficer. He is currently working as aschool bus driver for the Crook CountySchool District in Prineville, Oregon.

1954Richard Caime recently became a grandfather for the first time! Ed Shalhoub is still actively practicinginternal medicine. Dante Manzi wishesto share his engineering/science web-site with other Xavier graduates. Theweb address is www.dantemanzi.com.

Pellegrino Appointed to UN CommitteeEdmund Pellegrino ’37, ProfessorEmeritus of medicine and medical ethicsat Georgetown University Medical Center,was appointed to the InternationalBioethics Committee of the UnitedNations Education, Scientific and CulturalOrganization. The committee works as anadvisory board to the United Nations,weighing the ethical implications ofadvances in life sciences. The groupfocuses specifically on biology and genet-ics research and their implications.

Pellegrino holds a bachelor’s degreefrom St. John’s University and a medicaldegree from New York University. He hasauthored and co-authored 24 books and,in addition, is the founding editor of theJournal of Medicine and Philosophy.

Congratulations to Ed on his greataccomplishment!

By Martin Kurzatkowski ’02


1955Joseph DeRose is still practicing Internal Medicine as a professor ofmedicine. 2nd Class Petty Officer Hank Woehling III NMCB-3, son ofXavier faculty member Hank Woehling,has been serving in Operation IraqiFreedom since November 2005,stationed between Iraq and Kuwait.

1956William Gatti is looking forward to his50th reunion and a personal tour ofXavier by the President, his brotherDan. Frank Heelan recently publishedStations of the Risen Lord to balance offthe agony and sorrow of the Crucifixionof Jesus Christ with the hope and joy ofthe Resurrection.

1957Patrick Hickey is in his 15th year working with his alma mater, theUniversity of Notre Dame, as Director of Development. Everett Worfolk isretiring from IBM. However, he will con-tinue to work for IBM as a consultant fortheir European outsourcing business.He is now working in Switzerland andthe Czech Republic.

1958St. Vincent’s Hospital and MedicalCenter awarded James Januzzi theAngelus Award, presented to him at adinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel inrecognition of his outstanding serviceas a physician.

1961Jim Costello retired on July 1, 2005after 31 years as Chief Financial Officerof Carmel Richmond Healthcare andRehabilitation Center in Staten Island,New York.

1962Tom Clare has retired as technicaldirector of the Navy laboratory and isnow doing consulting work. Tom livesat Reynolds Plantation, a lake-golf community outside of Atlanta, GA.Ernie DeNigris has launched RatorgConsulting, a consulting firm that spe-cializes in the leveraging of technologyas a major element of strategy. RoccoIacovone now has a website for all ofhis various musical groups, roccojohn-

music.com. Rocco would love to hearfrom old friends and band alum. TheRocco John Group continues to play in NYC venues.

1963Thomas Nipper says the practice oforthopedic surgery has changed dramat-ically in the last 2 years with the introduc-tion of genetically-engineered products.

1964Joseph Sciabarra is a retired Navy pilotinstructor for National Safety in Arizona.

1965Jon Czarnecki recently became a grandfather! Robert Posteraro, aradiologist with Lubbock DiagnosticRadiology in Lubbock, TX, graduatedfrom Oregon Health and ScienceUniversity with the degree of Master of Biomedical Informatics (MBI) in June 2005.

1966Ray Dittrich recently became a grandfather for the fifth time.

1967Richard Vals recently retired from hismusic teaching position after 32 yearsin Queens, NY.

1968Mathew Mari was recently elected vicepresident of the New York Criminal BarAssociation and is on the Board ofAdvisors of the Xavier Bar Association.

1969Father Charles Sangermano was nameda Prelate of Honor, with the title ofMonsignor, by the late Pope John PaulII in March of 2005. He is the Pastor ofHoly Saviour Parish, in Norristown, PA.

1970Carmine Alampi has joined RobertMcGuirl on the Board of Trustees ofInter-religious Fellowship for Homelessof Bergen County. They are looking for a few volunteers to be “Men forOthers.” Mark Lutz is currently an asso-ciate director of process engineering atWyeth Vaccines in Pearl River, NY. Forthe past two years, Mark has lived inWantage, NJ in a home that he and his fiancé had built.

Condemned to Repeat the Past:Exposing the Ironies of the Law

John Iannuzzi, Esq. ’52, recently publishedhis tenth book. Condemned, a work offiction, brings light into the dark world of international drug trafficking, exposingsome of the ironies of the legal system—agencies seizing money without evercharging individuals with crimes, prisonersincarcerated without legal boundaries.

Iannuzzi argues that current druglaws have created a drug industry ofunderground buyers and sellers and aslong as the laws stay the same we arecondemned to suffer the substance-related problems of the past, similar tothe days of prohibition.

Iannuzzi has served as a criminaldefense lawyer for the past 43 years,encountering drug cartels in the UnitedStates, as well as Columbia, Russia, andRomania. He said the book is a fictional-ized account of some of the many per-sonal experiences he’s had as a lawyer.“In the book, it’s hard to differentiatebetween real, personal experiences,and what I’ve learned from just beingaround,” Iannuzzi said.“I have an exten-sive background in criminal law, and as a result of that the various scenes all basically stem from actual experiences.”

The book has already receivedadvanced praise from a number of otherauthors, and Iannuzzi hopes it willemerge a successful seller. Condemnedwill be available online at various retailers, as well as in bookstores as early as January.

Class Notes


1973Steven Kuklin is presently serving inIraq as leader of a Military TransitionTraining team, working with the IraqiArmy in the Northwest near Tal-Afar.

1974Henry Smith had the pleasure of meet-ing fellow classmate Len Fodera duringa trip to Philadelphia in May 2005.

1975Miguel Fittipaldi was named a mem-ber of Xavier’s Board of Trustees. JohnKulpa has relocated to Miami, Floridawith HNTB, where he works as a chieftransport planner. Tony Cucolo wasrecently promoted to the rank ofBrigadier General

1976Peter Sciabarra is still in the Navy,based in San Diego.

1977Brian McTiernan is the managingdirector of Barry, McTiernan & Moore.John Young was elected to theAmerican College of Dentists in recog-nition of his “excellence in outstandingleadership and exceptional contribu-tions to dentistry and society.”

1978Frank Lacqua was appointed Chief ofColon and Rectal Surgery at LutheranMedical Center in Brooklyn.

1979Barry McTiernan is a Senior VP withthe firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

1980Peter Salerno has retired from theN.Y.P.D. Upon his retirement, BruceCaulfield ’73, owner of Tracks Raw Bar & Grill, graciously took Peter as a business partner in a new venture:Big Apple BBQ at One Penn Plaza.

1981 Philip Lynch has retired to Virginiaafter 20 years with the NYPD. One ofthe last things he did as an NYPDLieutenant was to assist police officerSteve Durnin ’99 arrest two men.Steve was named “Cop of the Month”for that arrest.

1982Fr. Patrick Buckley was ordained onMay 15, 2004 at St. Patrick’s Cathedralfor the Archdiocese of New York.

1983 Dermot Paul Cashman will assumecommand of the guided missiledestroyer, the U.S.S. Laboon, in April2006. John Murray is the director forU.S. Marketing for Cordis Neurovascular.

1985Michael Tolkin and Bruce McLanecoached the New York Athletic Club to the National Rugby Super LeagueChampionship in June. Matt Frank ’97and Mike Lugano ’96 played on thatwinning side as well. Greg Smith is alicensed AIA architect practicing inNew Orleans, LA.

1987Gajendra Bafna has settled inGreenville, SC and has been a pharmacist since his graduation from L.I.U. in New York in 1992.

1989George Brennan just completed hissecond book, Bats, Brats and Stats, amemoir about his love for baseball andthe last generation of stickball playerson the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Itwill be available in the Spring of 2006.

1990Maj. Douglas LeVien is serving inBalad, Iraq, north of Baghdad.

1991John Giordano is teaching computerscience at West Point Military Academy.John was recently promoted to Major.Francis Williams is still pursuing a flying career.

1992Joseph La Ferlita is an attorney livingin Manhattan and practicing trusts andestates law on Long Island.

1993Walter Cross III moved to Santa Cruz,CA in August of 2005. Walter is continu-ing his work with autistic adults withEaster Seals and plans on mastering in philosophy.

Craig Eaton, Esq. ‘78 (left, sitting withJohn Linney’39), who serves as presidentof the youth activities program at St. Anselm, in Bay Ridge, and chairman of a local Community Board. He wasrecently given the CommunityAchievement Award by the Guild forExceptional Children. The award was presented at the Guild’s dinner dance on September 30, 2005.

Class Notes


1995Paul Fabsik resides in Forest Hills andhopes to see his fellow Xavier brothersat the next St. Patrick’s Day parade.Joseph Grosso is the head librarian atthe Ridgewood Public Library in Queens.

1997Andrew Dory has been named “BestBartender on the Upper East Side” by theNew York Bar and Nightclub Association’sAnnual Best of Awards for 2005. Andrewcan be found tending bar at Rathbone’sPub on 2nd Ave. and 89th Street.

1999Justin Guiterman was promoted tothe rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) inMay. Justin was transferred to Mayport,FL and will be reporting as the Navigatoron the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 59)in November 2005.

2000Alex Gochal and Peter Puk have beenawarded membership on to the LawReview at New York Law School.

2001Charles Kubat graduated from theUniversity of Scranton in May 2005 witha degree in accounting. Currently, he isin graduate school at Scranton and willgraduate in May 2006. James McVeyhas graduated from Rutgers University.Matthew Nihan graduated from LoyolaCollege in Maryland with a degree in finance. Matthew is employed as a construction project manager and is pursuing his master’s degree in construction management at NYU Real Estate Institute.

2003Joseph O’Brien is in his junior year atNotre Dame and is majoring in history.He enjoys the fact that the FightingIrish had a winning season.

Three Brooklyn born and raised Xavier High School Class of 1990 graduates wonthe inaugural Baseball Minor League Class A Brooklyn Cyclones Home RunDerby! By hitting three home runs on July 23, Mike Amoroso ‘90, Doug LeVien‘90, and Kevin Sherman ‘90 beat out 12 other three-man teams. Mike, Doug, andKevin competed against the Top Home Run Hitters of the New York/Penn Leagueprior to the inaugural All-Star Game on August 23 at Keyspan Park, in ConeyIsland, and received their Championship trophies. In memory of the 50thanniversary of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series victory, they wore vin-tage Brooklyn Dodger uniforms for the Home Run Derby. Kevin wore #4 in mem-ory of Duke Snyder, Doug wore #42 in memory of Jackie Robinson, and Mikewore #1 in memory of “Pee Wee” Reese.

After his years at Xavier, Mike attended the University of Maryland atBaltimore County. He holds a Masters Degree in Telecommunications andInformation Management from Polytechnic University. Mike hit over .600 hissenior year at Xavier and was the team’s shortstop and captain. During histeenage years, he regularly played against Boston Red Sox star and native NewYorker, Manny Ramirez. He still plays baseball for the Kings County Weasels inthe Men’s Adult League. He is currently a Systems Engineer for CISCO and worksin Midtown Manhattan.

Doug LeVien attended La Salle University after Xavier, and he holds aMasters Degree in International Relations. He hit .710 his senior year as Xavier’scenter fielder, and was named to the 1990 New York Daily News All-Star Team.Doug played for four years at La Salle and holds the school record for his 22game hitting streak in1994. Doug is currently a Major in the United States Army,assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. He has previ-ously served with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, the 82nd Airborne Divisionin North Carolina, and the 3rd Infantry Division in Georgia. He is currentlydeployed to Iraq.

Kevin Sherman went to Boston College after Xavier. While on the Xavierbaseball team, he played left field during the 1990 New York ArchdiocesanChampionship season. Kevin is currently a Senior Vice President of AssetManagement for Lenox Advisors, in Midtown Manhattan.

Class of 1990 Stars Win Home Run Derby

Kevin Sherman, Doug LeVien, and Mike Amoroso, members of the Class of 1990 after winning the Brooklyn Cyclones Home Run Derby.

Class Notes


Mileposts

DEATHSAlumniThomas P. Ronan ’27, October 31, 2005Robert E. Dobson ’32, July 2005Gerard F.X. Nolan ’34, October 9, 2005Thomas S. Torresson, Jr. ’34,

August 15, 2005John J. Hennessy ’40, May 4, 2005Fr. George J. McMahon ’40,

November 30, 2005J. Joseph Hofmann ’43, July 19, 2005William J. Regan ’45, November 8, 2005Eugene T. Zaborowski ’48, May 6, 2005James P. McGowan ’49Joseph A. Castelli ’51, June 6, 2005Michael R. Horan ’52, August 17, 2005Robert L. Ardizzone ’59, August 17, 2005John A. Weisz ’62, September 11, 2005Joseph J. Celestri ’70, September 9, 2005Gaspare Guinta ’02, August 11, 2005

FamilyVeronica Balaguer, wife of John ’53,

August 20, 2005Rudolph Cecchi, father of Rudy ’69,

August 19, 2005Thomas Curley, father of Mark ’74,

September 23, 2005Eleanor Conniff, sister of

Thomas A. Conniff ’52,November 9, 2005

Rosa Elena, mother of Robert Suarez ’86and Allen ’88, March 26, 2005

Helen Emanuel, mother of John ’72 and Edward ’75, November 4, 2005

Joseph Ferrari, father of John ’72,November 5, 2005

Marie Forino, grandmother of Gregory Goldberg ’05,November 23, 2005

Family continuedDorothy Grimm, mother of Richard ’74,

August 22, 2005Daniel Hernandez, father of Daniel ’98,

October 29, 2005Marie Jensen, grandmother of Richard

Greco ’03, September 20, 2005Yvonne Marie LaRocca, wife of

Joe LaRocca ’67, September 2, 2005Vincent Mahiques, father of Vincent ’72

and Richard ’85, March 20, 2005Patricia McQuade, wife of Raymond ’50,

May 9, 2005Joan Nolan, mother of Robert ’84,

Michael ’87 and Brian ’90,September 3, 2005

Florence O’Neill, husband of Joseph ’41,May 21, 2005

John Otton, father of Raymond ’00,September 27, 2005

Harjit Pataria, father of Navjot ‘09November 17, 2005

Ignatius Yocher, father of George ’77,April 30, 2005

Nettie Caracciolo, mother of Angela DeVita, grandmother of Michael DeVita ’93,November 21, 2005

FriendsPatricia Burpoe, sister of John Burpoe,

September 10, 2005Joseph R. Caruso, former Xavier

faculty member, August 3, 2005Rev. William R. O’Leary, S.J.,

former Xavier faculty member,August 15, 2005

BIRTHSTess Margaret Gilmartin, December 12, 2003

Mary Ann and James Gilmartin ’81David Gregory Farrell, August 29, 2005

Ann and George Farrell ’82Emilio Farrell, April 4, 2004

Lori Ann and Keith Farrell ’82Charles Kinzie, Jr., March 3, 2005

Diana and Charles Kinzie ’82Owen Michael Jackman, September 22, 2005

Michelle and Thomas Jackman ’86Rohan Bafna, August 20, 2004

Charu and Gajendra Bafna ’87Diego Fransisco Inguez, August 8, 2005

Melissa and James Inguez ’87Audrey Claire Liberta, October 2, 2003

Diane and Joseph Liberta ’88James Foley McDonald, August 12, 2005

Lesley and Jim McDonald ’89Lucas Alec Ramos, June 17, 2005

Amanda and Joseph Ramos ’89Tiernan Michael O’Rourke, June 27, 2005

Victoria and Michael O’Rourke ’91Concetta Cohen, July 15, 2005

Irene and Adam Cohen ’94

WEDDINGSJoseph Harte ’87 and Kelly Cunningham,

June 11, 2004John Scholz ’89 and Amy Yarnevich,

November 19, 2005Stephen Scott ’93 and Jacqueline Piedrahita,

June 25, 2005

IN MEMORIAMRev. George J. McMahon, S.J. ’40 died November 30, 2005. Fr. McMahon was a beloved and respectedmember of the Xavier High School and Fordham University communities for many years. From 1962 to1974 he served as the Dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, and he went on to serve as Vice President forthe Lincoln Center campus from 1975 to 1993. Afterward, he became the Alumni Chaplain for the university.

On the 150th anniversary of the university, he was honored by the Fordham University HistoricalSociety and given its highest recognition. Receiving an honorary degree from Fordham in 1998, Fr.McMahon had a beautiful residence hall named after him.

At Xavier, Fr. McMahon served on the Board of Trustees from 1987-1995 and will be remembered by all those who knew him and felt his presence at the school.


2006 Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is a program designed to encourage

unrestricted, recurring gifts to Xavier High School.

Gifts to the Annual Fund support a full range of

day-to-day expenses, including student clubs and activ-

ities, athletic programs, spiritual renewal programs,

student guidance and college placement programs,

faculty salaries, operation of the Computer

Learning Center, and maintenance of the School

buildings.

All alumni, parents, and friends of Xavier are

encouraged to become regular contributors to the

Annual Fund by joining one of the Annual Fund gift

clubs. All gifts, regardless of their size, are important

to Xavier. To a great extent, the success of the Annual

Fund depends on the growing involvement of our alumni

and parents as volunteers and as donors. As of January 18,

2006, $1,100,448 in cash and pledges has been raised,

which represents 60% of the goal.

Alumni$1,420,000

Parents$270,000

Friends$60,000

Student Spirit Day$90,000

TOTAL $1,840,000

Annual Fund 2006 Goals

Student Ethnicity

• European Descent 72.3%

• Hispanic 14.9%

• Asian-American 6.8%

• African-American 5.4%

• Native American 0.5%

Faculty and AdministrationJesuit 5Lay 80

Student to Teacher Ratio14 to1

Average Teaching Experience10 years

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

•

• • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

XA

VIE

RFA

ST

FAC

TS Founded in 1847

Type of SchoolJesuit, Catholic, Independent, College Preparatory

Student Demographics

Staten Island9%

Queens25%

Manhattan19%

Bronx4%

Other4%

Brooklyn39%


1930 John R. Torney

1931 James M. Horan

1932 John A. Winter

1935 Kevin E. Kavanagh, Esq.

1938 Harold J. White

1940 Ralph R. Ilaria, Esq.

1942 Felix R. Suarez

1943 Thomas L. Doyle, Jr.

1944 Francis J. Dwyer, Esq.

Aloysius C. Tattam

1945 William A. Murphy

1947 Leo B. Connelly, Esq.+

Albert J. Melzl

1948 James E. Tweedy, P.E.

1952 Thomas A. Conniff, Esq.

1954 Franklin D. Piasio

1955 John R. Mellert

1957 Thomas H. Donnelly, Ph.D.

1958 Gerard F. Feeney

1959 Gerald M. Knapp

John P. Keker

1960 James W. Cuddihy

1960 Robert V. Scavullo

1961 C.P. Connell, Jr.

1962 Thomas M. Callahan

1963 Peter E. Schwimer, L.M.S.W.

1964 Raymond J. Lustig, Esq.

James J. Miller, Sr.

1966 John C. Meditz

1967 James Crisafulli

Francis B. Orlando, Esq.

1970 James P. Gildea

Edward S. Kulesza, M.D.

1971 Kenneth J. Sidlowski

1972 Donald W. Gross, Jr.

Peter A. Maniscalco

1973 Robert H. Maguire

1974 Richard J. Scheller

1975 James E. Hillman

1976 Louis J. Papa, Esq.

1977 John J. Young, D.D.S.

1978 Craig A. Eaton, Esq.

1979 Marc T. Corea

1980 Stephen T. Keller

1981 Gil L. Cosenza

1982 Kevin M. Gori, Esq.

Timothy T. Tweedy, P.E.

1983 Richard T. Nolan, Jr.

1983 Richard A. Stewart

1985 Timothy J. Walsh

1986 Kevin P. Cuddihy

1987 Paul L. Mattiola

James B. McHugh

William Peterson

1988 Nicholas S. Mahedy

John C. McHugh

Rocco J. Petito

John P. Piccard

1989 John R. Thorburn

1990 Joseph A. Janos

1991 Edward A. McGoldrick

1992 Richard W. Lustig

1993 Daniel C. Steffens

1995 Matthew M. Scalzo

Eric G. Eschenauer

1997 George P. Sinnott

1998 Jonathan R. Chiacchere

1999 Randy Fernandez

Matthew T. Strong

2001 Liam M. Brennan

Mohammed Dieye

2002 John C. Pfabe

2003 Mark J. Montaruli

2004 Robert Kurzatkowski

Annual Fund Chairmen

Michael Puglisi ’68

Michael O’Rourke, Jr ’91

Alumni Class Chairmen

To the right are listed the

names of those who have volun-

teered their time and efforts as

class chairmen toward the fund’s

success. Please participate in

the phonathons and assist your

class chairman in his efforts to

maintain the strong bond that

Xavier enjoys with its many sons.

+ Deceased


As I sit in my office writing this issue’s column, the weather is unseasonablywarm.The temperature has already reached 61 degrees and may yet go higher.TheThanksgiving holiday is now a recent memory and the season of Advent is upon us.Christmas, and the celebration of the birth of our Savior, is less than four weeks away.It is a season for spiritual preparation, contemplation and thankfulness. As alwaysthere is much to think about and much for which to be thankful.

First and foremost on my list, I am thankful for my family—my wife Betsy, sonNicholas and daughter Alexandra—for their love, understanding and constantencouragement.They make sure I keep everything in proper perspective. I amthankful to the members of the Society of Jesus and the positive impact their philos-ophy and spirituality continues to have on my life. I am thankful for the opportunityof coming to work each day at Xavier, a place and an enterprise that gives meaningand satisfaction to my workday efforts. I am thankful for my co-workers—faculty,administrators and staff—whose care and love for our students and one another isan example to the community and the world at large of how best to live one’s life. Iam thankful for, and indebted to, the greater Xavier High School community—alum-ni, parents and friends—for their continued dedication, generosity and involvementin ensuring the success and continuation of Xavier’s mission of educating the“whole” student and marking them forever as “Men for Others.”

I am grateful to Debbie Ryan who spent the last five years at Xavier as Director ofAnnual Giving. Debbie has moved on to the position of Associate Director ofDevelopment for the New York Province of Jesuits. During her five years in theAdvancement Office, she did an outstanding job in both friend raising and fund rais-ing. Her friendship, dedication, knowledge, advice and courage will be very muchmissed and we all wish her continued success in her new position.

I am grateful for the dedication, enthusiasm and hard work of the AdvancementOffice Staff—Norma Piecyk, Administrative Assistant to both Fr. Gatti and me,Barbara Ciulla, our Office Manager, Helene Strong, Parents’ Association Coordinatorand Data Base Manager, Loual Puliafito ’00, Advancement Officer and Mike Benigno’00, Director of Alumni Relations.Their consistent efforts guarantee the success ofthe Advancement team.

I am grateful for, and want to welcome, the newest member of the AdvancementOffice, Eric Lamar Rivers, the new Director of Annual Giving. Eric is a 2002 graduate ofGeorgetown University in Washington, DC and comes to us from the CongressionalBlack Caucus Foundation, where he has served in several positions, most recently asManager, Knowledge Management. He has been involved in raising funds for thesupport of the Annual Legislative Conference, a six million dollar fundraiser. He hassolicited corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals to achievethe foundation’s goals. He has a strong background in our non-profit software,Raiser’s Edge, and in financial planning and analysis. Since joining us in mid-November, he has been a very positive addition to our team.

I know that all of you have many similar reasons to be thankful. I am sure thateach of you is grateful, alumnus, parent or friend, for your association with XavierHigh School.Whether you are an alumnus who personally experienced the benefitsof a Xavier education, a parent who has seen the moral, spiritual and academicgrowth of your son or a friend who understands that the community, state andnation benefit from leaders who are truly men of competence, conscience and com-passion, you know the vital role that Xavier plays in forming these “Men for Others.”Together, as a team, we can continue to make all the opportunities of a Xavier edu-cation available to worthy young men, regardless of economic status, and to assurethe legacy and tradition of Xavier High School into the unforeseeable future. Again,thank you for all you have done and continue to do for this venerable institution.

FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

JOE GORSKIVice President for Advancement

Many of our fellow Alumni tell people that they went to Xavier. The

pride and tradition of Xavier extends to each new graduating class.

Surely you have more than one reason why Xavier was special to you…

Now, Xavier needs you! Xavier needs to plan ahead to replace its

living endowment. What is the living endowment? It is a term used to

describe the help Jesuits give by teaching at Xavier. With fewer Jesuits

working at Xavier more lay teachers need to be hired. Lay teachers need

to be paid a competitive salary and benefits. This change at Xavier has

affected the tuition dramatically. In five years, the tuition and fees at

Xavier have increased by 37%.

There has always been a difference between tuition charged and the

cost of a Xavier education. The current gap is $2,500 for every student.

To “Bridge the Gap,” roughly $2 million is given to sponsor the students

through funds that come from the Annual Fund and by the growth of

Xavier’s endowment.

If we don’t look ahead now to replace the living endowment at

Xavier, the problem will only grow larger. Please consider helping us

overcome this challenge by planning Xavier in your future. Your legacy

gift will continue to offer future students the opportunity to be chal-

lenged intellectually, athletically, and spiritually in an environment that

promotes the formation of Men for Others.

Visit Xavier online and explore the wealth of information and aid

available to help you with your planned giving needs: www.xavierhs.org/

alumni/support.htm. If you have any question as to how your estate

plans might benefit Xavier, please contact Joe Gorski or Loual Puliafito ’00.

Contact info

Joe GorskiVice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations

(212) 337-7539 or [email protected]

Loual Puliafito ’00Advancement Officer

(212) 924-7900 x.1611or [email protected]

“I went to Xavier.”

XAVIERXAVIERXAVIER

Alumnews Calendar

Florida ReceptionsFebruary 23, 2006 – March 3, 2006

Xavier March Madness on the CourtMarch 25, 2006

Boston ReceptionMarch 30, 2006

Spirit DayMay 12, 2006

Parents’ Gala Fundraiser May 19, 2006

Golf OutingMay 23, 2006

Baccalaureate Mass and DinnerJune 3, 2006

GraduationJune 8, 2006

Reunion WeekendJune 9, 2006 and June 10, 2006

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDManchester, NHPermit No. XXX

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

Address Service Requested

february 2006 xavier alumnews

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