A magazine for alumni, parents, students, faculty and friends

of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School

Vol. 4 No. 1, Spring 2008

news

president’s letter

ELCOME TO ANOTHER ISSUE OF THE PREP NEWS! THIS ONE FEATURES

VISITS BY CARDINAL FOLEY AND MAYOR NUTTER. Both received rousing receptions

from the students and each heaped high praise on The Prep and on those who were and

are The Prep for them.

You’ll meet more of our faculty in this issue. One of them, you may be surprised to

know, teaches Chinese. We turned to her, Mrs.Yan Huang, for help in spelling out the

letters “A.M.D.G.” in Chinese characters for a wall posting in our new Ignatian

Commons, now under construction, where that famous motto will be displayed in

letters from four languages. In explaining that there is a word for God in Chinese, she

added that in the days of the great Jesuit missionary to China, Matteo Ricci, there was

no word for God Incarnate.

That triggered speculation in my mind as to whether some young Prepper, introduced

to the Chinese language here, might someday become a Jesuit missioner in the tradition

of Ricci, and bring both the word and name of God to unknown others who have not yet

heard! Who can say?

Many of you will be moved by the obituary for Father John J. McGinty that appears in

this issue. He was a classmate of mine here at The Prep; we all called him “Chief.” During

his years of Jesuit service to The Prep as Prefect of Discipline (a position now carrying

the title “Dean”), the boys, familiar with his stentorian voice, called him “Moose.” He was

a wonderful priest and friend to so many in The Prep community. Oversight and obser-

vation were tools of his administrative trade here on earth. Now we can count on his

intercession from a high place in heaven.

As you enjoy the entire issue, I know you will echo my words of thanks to the staff who

produced it and the outstanding members of The Prep family who are featured here.

Yours faithfully,

William J. Byron, S.J., ‘45

President

Fr. Byron and Prep principal Michael Gomez welcome Cardinal John Foley ’53 toThe Prep.

W

Cover photography byDavid DeBalko

inside:newsSJP in the Community .....................2

Academic Highlights .......................3

Cape and Sword..............................4

Sports ..............................................6

Communion Breakfasts...................7

features His Eminence and His Honor ..........8

Faculty Profiles ..............................14

Student Profile ..............................16

Parent Profile ................................17

Department Profile .......................18

Athletics Profile ............................22

Perspectives ...................................32

alumniReunion .........................................20

Class Notes ....................................24

Weddings/Births ............................30

Obituaries......................................31

Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. ’45 PresidentMichael Gomez PrincipalJohn T. Anderson Vice President for

DevelopmentTimothy Klarich ’71 Executive Vice President/

Chief Financial OfficerRev. Bruce A. Maivelett, S.J. Director of Ignatian IdentityAlbert J. Zimmerman ’73 Director of Alumni Relations

e d i t o r

Bill Avington ’90 Director, Marketing and Communications

d e s i g n e r

Maridel McCloskey McCloskey Designs

c l a s s n o t e s e d i t o r

Angie Falcone Development Services

e d i t o r i a l s t a f f

Ceal Biello Director, Prep FundBeth Missett Director, Special EventsNancy Moule Development Services

AssistantRichard Van Fossen Director, Major Gifts

p h o t o g r a p h y

David DeBalko, Ann Iannacone, Mike Monti,Brendan Murphy’01, Frank Raffa

The Prep News is published three times a year. Please sendcomments or contributions to:Attn: Editor The Prep News St Joseph’s Preparatory School 1733 Girard Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19130 or e-mail to: afalcone@sjprep.orgFor additional information, check our websitewww.sjprep.org

editor’s note:

Hello and welcome to another edition of The Prep News. Many of my friends from high school ask me what

it is like working back at The Prep after so many years. My answer is nearly always the same: I have a

wonderful job and the opportunity to work with fantastic people, both colleagues and students. But this

winter, in the span of just four weeks, work was even more magical.

In the month that ran from early December to early January, we were blessed to have visits from two promi-

nent alumni, Cardinal John Foley ‘53 and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ‘75. You will see photos from

their visit and also read the comments of some Prep people who know them well. However, I don’t know

if the photos do total justice to the spirit that filled our halls during those special days.

Cardinal Foley spoke of hearing God’s whisper during his St. Joseph’s Prep days, a whisper that called him

to a life of service in the priesthood. During his homily, he urged our students to listen for that whisper so

that they too can learn what God has in store for them.

Mayor Nutter’s talk in the Kelly Fieldhouse called our young men to action as well. He spoke of the oppor-

tunity that he has today and told the students of the responsibility they have as Jesuit-educated men to go

out and change the world. I thought of the movie quote “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Each session ended the same, with the men donning Prep gear and exiting to a raucous singing of The Prep

fight song. Both days induced goose bumps. Neither will soon be forgotten.

This is the first editor’s note for our magazine, and it will join the President’s Message as a way to give a

bit of a first-person look at life at The Prep. If you ever have comments about the magazine or wish to chat

about the contents, please feel free to drop me a line at bavington@sjprep.org. Your feedback is a great

way for us to know how we are doing here at The Prep News. Hope you enjoy reading all of the wonder-

ful things happening at St. Joseph’s Prep.

Bill

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school news

PREP BOOK DRIVEBREAKS RECORDThe fifth annual St. Joseph’s Prep Book Drive collected a record-breaking 18,197 books this year, bringing the five-year total to62,267. English teacher Joe Coyle began the drive in 2003 and hascoordinated it ever since. This year, the drive teamed up with the2nd Street Irish Society to donate the books to Sacred Heart and Mt.Carmel Schools. Books were also donated to PhilaREADS, St.Donata’s, and the Gesu School.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLSWEEK CELEBRATIONPrep students took part in some of the Archdiocese's celebrations forCatholic Schools Week. Assistant Principal Joe Nawn brought agroup of students and led discussions at a colloquium at Bishop McDevitt High School that focused on Pope Benedict XVI'sencyclical, Deus Caritas Est. Cardinal John Foley '53 was present atthis event [above]. In addition, Dean of Students Mark Halligan,counselor Bill Gillespie and Sam Deitch, Director of IgnatianService, accompanied the sports teams' captains to a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Justin Rigali at the Cathedral.

PREP IN THE COMMUNITYThe Community Service Corps (CSC) has been extremely busy this year:

• Coat/Blanket Drive: The CSC collected new and used coats fordonation to the St. Francis Inn;

• Thanksgiving Food Drive: The group collected food items to beincluded in a basket to be delivered to needy, area families. ThePrep delivered food to 175 families;

• Operation Santa Claus: The Prep is part of Operation SantaClaus, a program that delivers toys to low-income families. Lastyear, toys were delivered to 12,000 children. Teams of teens fromthe Delaware Valley volunteer, dress up and deliver toys to childrenwho may not otherwise receive gifts at Christmas;

• In late January, the Community Service Corps organized its annualFranklin Institute sleepover with 25 Prep students and 21 Gesu students;

• Patrick Kelly ‘08 and Christopher Lally ‘08 were among 10teens who recently visited Nicaragua to work on the new Food for the Poor housing project dedicated to the memory of FatherCharles Pfeffer, a former director of the Archdiocesan Office forYouth and Young Adults. Prep biology teacher Barbara Brown,who is moderator of the CSC and also Patrick’s mother made thetrip as well. The group visited the new housing, as well as anotherarea where crude shacks are set up to be replaced, a girls’ orphan-age and a dump where men, women and children scavenge andwork under horrific conditions.

In addition, The Prep Environmental Action and Reflection Club collected used sneakers to be reused as a playing surface or a fieldfor underprivileged children. The Black and Latino Culture Club hosted its annual Madden Football tournament to raise money tosupport the Don Guanella House and the St. Martha’s GuildChristmas Baskets.

school news

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NINE MERITSCHOLARSAND OTHERACADEMICHIGHLIGHTSNine Prep seniors qualified as semifinalistsin the 2008 National Merit ScholarshipProgram. The students are MartinConnor, Robert Jones, Brendan Keeler,Henry Mushinski, Samuel Settle, MarkSpringel, Jason Walsh, Michael Wolf,and Ryan Zehner. They join approximately 16,000 semifinalists from around the country in meeting the criteria for this prestigioushonor.

The National Merit Scholarship program is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. Founded in 1955to conduct the annual National Merit Program, it offers talented high school students the opportunity to compete for Merit Scholarshipawards. The awards are worth $33 million and will be offered next spring.

Other academic highlights include:• Ninety eight seniors were inducted into the National Honor Society;• Fourteen seniors were designated National Merit Commended Students;• One was named an outstanding participant in the National Achievement Scholarship Program;• And 15 were named Advanced Placement Scholars, seven were named Advanced Placement Scholars with Honors and five were

named Advanced Placement Scholars with Distinction.

JRS bringsplight ofrefugees toPrep ReligionClassesRepresentatives from the JesuitRefugee Service came to speak to several religion classes about theplight of refugees throughout theworld, including the U.S., whereundocumented aliens are held in custody. The JRS attempts to findthese refugees and provide legalassistance and other forms of support.

St. Patrick’sDay ParadeThe Prep Irish Culture Club, led bymoderator Christie McGuire-Villareal,participated in the annualPhiladelphia St. Patrick's Day parade.Joe Blake '08 led the group in a Prepcheer as they walked past the judges'platform/seating for the dignitaries,which included Philadelphia MayorMichael Nutter '75.

Two PreppersEarn EagleScout BadgesPrep seniors, Paul Malandra and RobMcDonald [above], recently earnedEagle Scouts status. They are the sec-ond and third Preppers of the sametroop, Troop 219, to earn Eagle Scout,joining Mike McCarthy '08. Rob andPaul both are from Wayne and havebeen in scouting since first grade atSt. Katharine of Siena School.McDonald is also the grandson of BillMcGarvey, Jr. '51 and nephew of BillMcGarvey, III '83.

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PREP THEATRE RECAP

This year, for the first time in over a decade, the Cape and Sword Drama Society,under the direction of Tony Braithwaite ’89, is performing three shows – Death of aSalesman, Twelve Angry Men and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Death of a Salesman andTwelve Angry Men were tremendous performances full of intensity and passion.

Death of a Salesman starred David Cullen ’08 as the infamous Willy Loman, EileenCella (Agnes Irwin ’08) as Mrs. Loman, and Kevin Ryan ’08 and Chris Smith ’08 astheir sons Biff and Happy. Twelve Angry Men, which also starred Cullen and Ryan,included the voice of Prep President Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. ’45 as the judge.

Twelve Angry Men

Death of a Salesman

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INTO THE WOODSFive Prep students (Charlie Gallagher ‘09, Brian Lojewski ‘10,Stacey Grasso ‘11, Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton ‘11 and NickCentrella ‘11) performed in Merion Mercy Academy’s MusicTheater show Into the Woods.

FORENSICS UPDATEThe Prep forensics team continues to achieve great success competing in tournaments at Wake Forest University, Universityof Pennsylvania, Bronx Science Prep, University of Scranton,Saint Joseph’s University, LaSalle University, and PrincetonUniversity. In Scranton, the team won first place in the varsitydivision and placed first in overall sweepstakes (combined varsityand junior varsity divisions) out of 29 schools in attendance. Atthe Pennsbury Falcon Invitational, SJP won first in a 37-schoolfield winning the Ultimate Sweepstakes Champion award andthe Stephen Medoff Award for Forensics Dominance, a rareaccomplishment.

In January, the forensics team hosted its annual grade schoolforensics tournament, which welcomes more than 175 studentsto The Prep. This tournament is run completely by Prep students.

DiDONATO EARNSHAWK HEADTwo of the city’s most famous mascots, the Phillie Phanatic andthe SJU Hawk, were in attendance at this year’s Hawk Tryouts.Congratulations to senior Mike DiDonato for earning the prestigious honor of wearing the Hawk costume for 2007-2008.

GLOBAL WARMINGSYMPOSIUMThe Prep’s Environmental Action Club teamed up with Mount St.Joseph Academy’s Challenge 20/20 Global Warming team to par-ticipate in a Global Warming symposium at Chestnut Hill College.The keynote speaker was La Salle University Professor Henry Bart.

HAWKTION 2008:Let the Games Begin

Saturday, April 26Kelly Fieldhouse

hawktion.sjprep.org

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school news

RELAY TEAMEXCELS AT STATESThe Distance medley relay team of Chris O’Sullivan ‘10,Pat Clark ‘08, John Castillo ‘09, and Tom Iannacone ‘08 finished fifth with a time of 10:34.09 at the PTFCA state meeton March 1 at Penn State. This sets a new school record formeters, has earned them first-team Mile Split elite status andhas them ranked as the 20th fastest team in the nation for this event.

WAGS WINS 100Freshman football coach John “Wags” Wagner won his 100thgame as The Prep defeated Bonner 27-0 in the final game of the 2007 season. Coach Wags has been fighting throat cancer for several years but continues to successfully lead thefreshman team.

BREAKING THE WAVESThe Prep and Merion Mercy swim teams recently completed the second “Breaking the Waves” Swim-A-Thon. The event, which raisedmore than $10,000, was organized by Prep math teacher and head swim coach Paul Morrissey to raise awareness of adolescentdepression and suicide.

David Binder ’08, recipient of the Rev. David A. Sauter Award.

Prep President Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. ’45presenting a homily during Mass.

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Alumni/Father-SonCOMMUNION BREAKFAST

RADM Joseph F.Kilkenny presents thekeynote address.

Past Presidents of the Mothers’ ClubMaura Kilroy and Ro Mullen withtheir sons [l-r] John and PJ.

Mother-Son COMMUNION BREAKFAST

An overhead shot shows the large crowd in attendance at the Mother-Son

Communion Breakfast.

Vince Dougherty ’48 [middle]received the Alumnus of the Year Award from Fr. Byron andclassmate Henry Backe.

Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach ’59,head of the Food and Drug

Administration, presents thekeynote address.

Wally Wachter ’08 andhis mother Kate,President of the Mothers’Club, read during Mass.

Mary Cycon, Kate Wachter, Keynote Speaker RADM JosephF. Kilkenny ’73, Prep President Rev. William J. Byron ’45,Prep Principal Michael Gomez and Melinda Seefahrt.

The Christus Choir sings at Mass inthe Church of the Gesu.

The honored guests (standing) keynotespeaker Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach ’59,David Binder, Dennis Monaghan ‘08 and hisfather Frank, (seated) Alumnus of the Year Vince Dougherty ’48 and Suellen Monaghan.The Monaghan Family received the Rev. Charles A. Schnorr, S.J. Award for theirwork with Patrick’s Place.

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In October, John P. Foley ’53 was given news that manyof his friends and family had long hoped for—PopeBenedict XVI had elevated him to Cardinal. After morethan two decades as the chief communications profes-sional for the Vatican, including many years workingclosely with Pope John Paul II, Foley had been appointedas the pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order of theHoly Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a position traditionallyheld by a Cardinal. In his new position, Cardinal Foleywill be helping to support Catholic causes and efforts inthe Holy Land.

For Michael Nutter ’75, November’s general electionas Mayor of Philadelphia was just a formality. Afterall, in a heavily Democratic city like Philadelphia,most of the real work was done during the primary inMay, when Nutter rose from a distant fourth in thepolls to win the nomination of his party. Because ofhis reputation as a man of integrity willing to fightfor change, his election raised the morale of a citydesperate for new life, for safer streets and for a planfor the future.

Your eminence and your honor…

THESE TWO TITLES ACCOMPANY POSITIONS OF POWER

IN THEIR FIELDS. For one, it is the acknowledgment of an

outstanding career as a cleric and spokesperson. For the

other, it is the next step in a career of public service and

ethical decision-making. They are different men with

different agendas but one thing in common — both can

display St. Joseph’s Prep diplomas in their offices.

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The stories were two of the biggest in Philadelphia overa six-week span and both men happened to share a his-tory that was formed at St. Joe’s Prep. These next fewpages will document their triumphant visits back to17th and Girard and also give an insight into both menin the words of people who know them well.

Gus Kueny ’53, a teacher and administrator at The Prep formore than 40 years, was a classmate with Cardinal Foley foreight years, four at The Prep and four at Saint Joseph’sCollege. The two remain friends and have kept in touch forthe past 55 years.

John was just a bright, bright guy. We had quite a fewbrilliant guys in that class but John was in the top twoor three. He was a great guy to have in class because heknew everything and you could always ask John if youdidn’t understand something. He was always very will-ing to help. He was an exceptional student, got a first-honor card every marking period.

He was a big guy on the debating team, both at The Prep and The College, probably undefeated in all of

that time. He was very eloquent and could think fast onhis feet.

John was, and still is, somebody who didn’t tell youhow important he was or tell you something thatsomeone told him to make you think he was impor-tant. He is a very humble guy and he was that way as akid. He was self-assured but not cocky. A good bit of hishumor is self-deprecating. He has an excellent sense ofhumor and he always did.

He was a guy who had imbued in him a total honesty. Idon’t think he ever cut a corner. He was scrupulous in agood sense.

All of us thought that John would enter the priesthood.One of the big things he was involved in at the Collegewas the Sodality group. It was a rigorous thing to do asfar as daily prayer and Mass attendance. It was almostlike doing the Ignatian spiritual exercise every day andJohn Foley was a leader in the group. The other guyshad great respect for his commitment to it.

We knew that there wasn’t going to be anyone in theseminary any brighter than John. He was ordained andsoon thereafter Cardinal John Krol sent him to Romeand then we knew he was on his way. Guys sent toRome were on the track of becoming a bishop. It wasobvious to us that Cardinal Krol was very fond of Johnand became his patron. That was what he needed.

I don’t think there is anyone better suited than JohnFoley to do whatever the church needs. There is nobodymore tactful than John and given that he has a job thathas to do with maintaining the church in the Holy Landand given all of the present problems that exist there, ifanyone can sit down and have dinner and talk to some-body, it’s he. He can have a tremendous impact on thatpart of the world. He has a skill that allows him to dis-agree without being your enemy. He can advance thepoint without being insulting about it.

Dr. David Burton, Professor Emeritus of History at SaintJoseph’s University and brother of longtime Prep teacher Rev. John Burton, S.J., was friendly with Cardinal Foley dur-ing Foley’s days at The College.

His road to success was paved both at The Prep and at54th and City Line. He had been in the Jesuits brieflyand I encountered him when he came to Saint Joseph’safter leaving Wernersville.

He was very open and welcoming and anxious to talk tome and I became anxious to talk to him. John made avery positive first impression. In some ways, he wasvery forthcoming but in other ways he could be silentand absorbing rather than questioning.

One encounter that I remember vividly, I had given myclass the assignment of reading The Prince and he saidto me privately that he was concerned because thebook was on the index (of books not allowed to be readin a Catholic school). We went to the Dean to get it sort-ed out, a waiver was given and the students were givenpermission.

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John was very anxious to talk to faculty outside of theclassroom and to share ideas with them and ask questions with regards to the material. He came acrossto me as a dedicated student. The more I got to knowhim, the more we shared with each other, I was verysympathetic with the idea that he would go into theseminary and believed that the seminary would be verylucky to have someone like John Foley.

Friendly, open and, I have to say, not ambitious. He didn’t impress me as someone out to make a name forhimself. He was humble and took things as they were.He was always an outstanding student and a greatmind and he proved it time after time. He was the student in the class who acted as a promoter of furtherdiscussion. All in all, our relationship was a very positive experience for me and maybe even for him.”

Actor Henry Gibson ’53, known as Jim Bateman during hishigh school days, is also very close with Cardinal Foley. Thetwo were together at the installation mass in Rome andenjoyed Thanksgiving dinner together at the Vatican embassyin Rome. The below quote was from a recent interview withsenior Rob McDonald ’08 for The Nose, a newspaper pro-duced by the senior journalism course.

It was extremely exciting to be there for such a greatevent. One of the things that I will always treasure wasgetting the Vatican invitation at the hotel. I scanned thecard and the coat of arms that each cardinal designs forhimself and there it was, AMDG, right on the cardinal’screst. That tickled me.

There was another specialmoment and that was witnessinghis surprise, his laughter and hisjoy on Thanksgiving at theembassy in Rome. I presentedhim with a crimson SJP alumnicap, which was a gift from afreshman, Dan Sulvetta.

Vince Byrne ’53 graduated with JohnFoley from both The Prep and theCollege.

To me, what is interesting aboutJohn is he is a rare blend ofthings. On the one hand he isvery bright and brilliant and ana-lytical but on the other hand hehas a great wit and always seesthe humor in situations.

I have had the privilege of watch-ing him mature over the years. Iremember in the early days hewould get very upset if he did notget a perfect score. But, as I sawhim in the later years, he becamemuch more self-aware, open tonew ideas and very respectful ofothers. He grew more at ease

with himself, who he was. John became friendly withmy wife Peggy and she only knew the new John, worldlywise, sophisticated.

He was always respectful of others. He could have verystrong opinions of things but he was always respectful.And even in high school, his friends were very trustfulof him and would go to him. You never had to ask himto hold it in confidence; it went unsaid and was under-

stood because that was the kindof person he was. That was a ter-rific trait at a young age.

For someone with as much tal-ent, he has remarkable humility.John was never pompous wheresome others with his talentwould be. He was quiet about itand didn’t flaunt.

And he is always very gracious. Afriend of mine is now retired andwe stopped over to see him inRome and it was like we nevermissed a beat. John took us on atour of areas of the Vatican thatpeople never get to see. He is justa wonderful, wonderful person.”

Longtime Prep history teacher Mr.Jerry Taylor was a mentor to MichaelNutter, who says that Mr. Taylorplayed a pivotal role in his life.

Michael was very curious; alwayswanted to know why and wasrarely satisfied with the answer.It was like he was thinking some-thing through and needed a fewmore parts. In that sense, he was

Top: Mayor Nutter’s visit attracted mediacoverage from nearly all PhiladelphiaTV/radio and newspaper outlets.Below: Classmates (l-r) Elijah Wooden, TonyDeVecchis, Pete Dellaporta and JohnDiSantis joined Mayor Nutter at his inaugu-ration celebration.

Cardinal Foley received another “red hat” and a personalized Prep jacket after addressing the senior class.

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not a typical teenager. He was his own man. He gotalong with all races and types of kids.

I was absolutely not surprised that he went into poli-tics. He had a really good job as an investment brokerand he popped in one day to my office and he talkedabout running for City Council or Ward Boss. He cameback several times after that and talked about it but thething that stuck with me was he had a vision and clear-ly felt he was going into politics. I said, “and give up allthat money” from being an investment banker but hehad a vision and wanted to reform the city.

Michael had a pit-bull attitude and he believed that hewould succeed. He felt that if you are aggressive andpersistent, you can make the changes. When he was astudent, I remember talking with him often about rightand wrong and he, never satisfied with a quick answer,would badger me. It was wonderful.

Michael really does see the big picture. He sees howparts fit in and how he can use those parts. Some 4.0sare brilliant but can’t see that big picture. He’s a lotsmarter than I realized. I think he is brilliant now intel-lectually and he has a mature passion. He will not backdown. That side of him that relates well has emerged, Ithink that he had lots of support in that area from guyslike Jim Kenney (Class of 1976).

When I heard he was running for mayor of PhiladelphiaI hoped he would win but I really didn’t think he had achance. I thought the good ol’ boys had it sewn up andhe might get swept away but it was that bulldog tenaci-ty of his that carried him. But he also has a sensitivitytowards others and a caring that is not always visible.As a councilman, he found a way to appeal to the richpeople in East Falls and the poor in West Philly. Helearned from his mistakes; if he made a mistake, hewould never make it again.

A former debater, he also posed with some of the school’s top debaters of today [l-r] Dan Du Pont ’09,Ryan Zehner ’08, Matt Angiolillo ’09 and Samuel Settle ’08.

Ed Foy ’75, secretary of The Prep’s Alumni Board ofGovernors, helped raise money for Michael Nutter’s mayoralcampaign and was one of his earliest supporters.

I remember my classmate Mike Nutter as a good friendwho had a great sense of humor. He was smart and funto hang out with. He was a serious student but alwaysleft time to be one of the guys.

I have followed and supported Mike’s political career formany years. Supporting Mike became particularly diffi-cult during one campaign when he ran successfully forhis council seat against my cousin and fellow PrepperBill O’Brien ’72. However, whenever I questioned afriend or client from Roxborough, Manayunk orWynnefield about their councilman, I was pleased tohear how conscientious and effective he was as theirrepresentative in city government. Invariably theywould also contribute an anecdotal story about howMike helped them at one time or another with a cityissue. Regardless of the story and the ultimate outcomethe common theme was his caring nature, his effective-ness, and the fact that he always returned their phonecall.

It was because of my friendship with Mike and thesefirst-person examples of his ability and willingness toserve his constituents that I became convinced that hewould make a great mayor of the City of Philadelphiaand made it easy for me to help promote his effortstoward that end.

Craig Settles ’75 has known Michael Nutter since the twoattended elementary school together at Transfiguration of OurLord in West Philadelphia.

When Michael and I were at The Prep, we hung out indifferent circles though we had gone to grade schooltogether. If you were to project forward then and guesswhere Preppers would be in 20 years, I think most

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people could picture him in business because Michaelwas clearly smart and maybe a little intense.

Living in California when I heard about him being elect-ed to City Council, it was a little surprising because dur-ing high school Michael didn’t seem to have that outgo-ing, glad-handing nature you associate with politicians.But as you watched him over the years, you’d see theintense business-like manner come to the fore anddefine his reputation in Council.

A big transformation however, of which there was noearly indication, came during the campaign. In theearly days, listening to news clips and feedback fromothers, Michael’s campaign speaking style was reminis-cent of his Council presentations – good for that set-ting, but not necessarily a barn burner on the publicspeaking circuit. Somewhere along the line Michaeldeveloped or discovered the ability to speak to a crowdin a way that made each person in the room feel a con-nection with him, and feel inspired to take up his callfor change. His Inauguration speech and his speech atThe Prep two days later were the pinnacle of that abili-ty to connect and inspire.

Even though this gift of inspirational speaking wasn’tapparent to us with him at The Prep, I have to believe itwas somewhere there inside waiting for the right sparkor set of circumstances to draw this skill out. It wouldbehoove Preppers today to study this gift that Michaelhas turned loose on the city of Philadelphia, and makeit part of their personality. This ability to connect andinspire will serve them well in almost anything theypursue in life.

Mark Meehan ’75 was active in Michael Nutter’s campaignfor mayor and helped rally classmates in supporting Nutter’smayoral campaign.

Mike is a very regular guy. I know everybody says that

but he really is. At The Prep, I would characterize him asan above-average student with a booming voice and agreat sense of humor, with loud laughter. He was just areally nice guy.

Five or six years ago, I started seeing him on TV andsaw that he had really developed as a speaker and Iadmired the initiatives he was involved with. He waswilling to take stands that were not always popularwith the Democratic Party in Philadelphia and he waswilling to battle with John Street. It was then that I saw

Members of The Prep Mothers’ Club attended Mass in the Church of the Gesu and posed with Cardinal Foley afterwards.

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his leadership qualities and thought he could be aviable mayor. Once we reconnected, I could see that hehad it all over the other candidates. He was well-spo-ken, articulate, compassionate, and he had greatintegrity. For the first time that I could remember, youhad a Democratic candidate not supported by theDemocratic Party winning election in Philadelphia . Hebucked the system a little bit for all the right reasonsand he had the smarts and the team around him tomake his candidacy viable.

That reputation of him as wonky nerd totally shockedme. Having known him and spent time with him oneon one, there is nothing wonky or nerdy about him. Heis very much in touch with the core aspects of life andyou can sit down and have a conversation with himabout old times or life and have a conversation that hasnothing to do with politics. That image of him early inthe campaign was totally alien to me. I could not under-stand how people could have that perception of himbecause he is such a genuine person.

I think he is going to go down as one of the great may-ors in the city of Philadelphia. The reason for that is heinstituted a policy that helped to negate all the pres-sures that a candidate might have from special inter-ests. Mike is not beholden to any special interests so hecomes in unencumbered. That gives him some unusualfree reign to do the things he needs to move the cityforward, and he’ll do it his way.

When he won the nomination, it was an unbelievablefeeling because most of us didn’t think it could happen.We knew he was the best candidate but we also knewall of the road blocks that were in place. We would go to

meetings every two weeks and see how hard he wasworking and that really inspired us.

When he spoke at The Prep, the key word that he usedfor the students, and what I hope they took with them,was opportunity. He went to The Prep on a Gino’s schol-arship. He took advantage of the opportunity and otheropportunities and created a life for himself unlike otherkids from his environment. That’s the link betweenMike Nutter and The Prep. The Prep gives people theopportunity. Those who take advantage of it canachieve great things, just like Mike did.

Mayor Nutter also posed with members of the 2007-08 Student Council [l-r]Gianluca Keeler ’08, Nolan Grady ’08, Joe Kelly’08, Bryan Thompson ’08,and Bill Palombi ’08.

Classmates reconnect in Rome as John McNicholas ’53attends a reception held in Cardinal Foley’s honor.

Mayor Nutter addressed apacked Fieldhouse, deliveringhis call to service for Prep students. Top right: More thantwo dozen members of theClass of 1975 and other alumsattended the talk.

faculty profile

14

offered, along with a new section ofChinese I. This year, Chinese III wasadded to the curriculum so that nowmore than 60 students are enrolled inher classes.

“The students are very excited in myclasses,” says Huang. “They feel thatChinese is important to their futureand it is good to learn somethingabout Asian culture. Some others justlike the challenge.”

But Huang cautions that learningChinese is difficult for some very dif-ferent reasons. First, many studentsare not familiar with the Chinese lan-guage, with its symbols, or the Asianculture.

“For many American students, theyare already somewhat familiar withthe other modern languages,” Huangsays. “Chinese is difficult because it ismuch more confusing and new. It canbe frustrating.”

Another reason for its difficulty is thelack of a good system for teaching thelanguage. “Because Chinese is new toAmerican schools and students, thereseems to not be an accepted way ofteaching it,” says Huang. “We keepdoing it and find new ways to make

the learning system easier.”

According to Huang, not all aspects ofMandarin are difficult. “One thingthat is easier in Mandarin is thegrammar, it is not nearly as compli-cated as many European languages,”she says. “For example there are noverb tenses, no relative clauses, nosingular or plural. Even though thecharacters are very complicated, ifyou find out the story behind eachcharacter, it’s fun to learn.”

Huang points to the 5,000-year oldcharacters as a good thing for stu-dents to learn. “The pictography isdifficult,” she says. “In English, youcan look at it and try to pronounce it.In Chinese, meaning and charactersare not necessarily connected. Butthe students inspire me because theywork hard and they challenge them-selves.”

Huang challenges herself as well.Becoming an American citizen wasan example of that. “Taking the testto be a citizen helped me learn anawful lot about this country,” shesays, “but I still have a lot more tolearn, especially about culture andhabits. It helps me as a teacher. Youshould never stop learning.”

WHEN YAN HUANG LEFT CHINANINE YEARS AGO, she never imaginedshe would become a U.S. citizen. Afterall, she loved her homeland andwould never show it disrespect.

Still, there she was in Philadelphia inthe summer of 2007, raising her handand becoming a citizen of the UnitedStates. It was a validation for her loveof her new country and a thank youfor the life that it had given her.

“I love it here in America, I love livinghere with my family,” says Huang,who is in her third year teachingChinese at The Prep. “I realized that Iwanted to spend my life here andsince that was the case, I thought itwas important to become a citizen. Itdoesn’t mean that I don’t love Chinabut it was just a way to show my loveto the U.S.”

Huang came to the United Statesafter her husband Qiang got a job inMassachusetts. When Qiang’s jobbrought him to Philadelphia, Huangand their daughter Sierra followed. Inaddition to her three classes at ThePrep, Huang also teaches at Ding Hao,a Saturday school in DelawareCounty, and private art classes.

Just the fact that Huang is teaching atSt. Joseph’s Prep is an indication ofhow some students are looking attheir future and challenging them-selves in new ways. In the opinion ofmany, China is a place where atremendous amount of business willbe done in the 21st century.Knowledge of Chinese and the abilityto communicate with that country’sbillions of people will be an impor-tant skill for people in business, poli-tics and law, among other profes-sions.

Huang started teaching just one sec-tion, Chinese I. Many of those stu-dents wanted more so Chinese II was

Faculty Profile:Yan Huang

15

Faculty Profile:Meredith

Morgan

moving to Philadelphia to teach atthe Academy of Notre Dame for twomore years. Since then, Morgan hasbeen at The Prep, where she hasspent the past decade in one of thearea’s top Classics Department. Andthough the Classics have beendropped at many schools, she seesthe importance of it for today’s stu-dents.

“I think that learning the Classicshelps in so many other disciplines:English, history, modern languages,science, etc.,” she says. “The Classicsteach students to think; it’s gymnas-tics for the brain.”

In her teaching career, Morgan hastaught in three very different envi-ronments: co-ed, all girls and all boys.She notices a difference at The Prep.

“At first, of course, I noticed the malepresence after two years in a mainlyfemale environment,” she says. “But Ihave found that students here arevery focused and are very willing totake a risk. To me, I would choose thisenvironment over the others.”

Outside the classroom, Morgan has

been very active with students. Threetimes she accompanied students onservice, twice to Rural Retreat, Va.,and once to Maryland-Eastern Shore,making her the first female to lead aservice trip. It was a tangible examplefor students for the need to be com-mitted to doing justice.

“I think it is important for students tosee faculty outside of the classroomand to see us involved in service,” shesays. “It is a great chance for them tosee us as people too.”

In addition, she moderated the tennisteam for three years and recentlyhelped establish the squash club aftera student approached her for help.Now, a group of 10 take public trans-portation downtown three times aweek to work out with coaches fromthe Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

In the classroom, Morgan reallyappreciates seeing students makeconnections from the Classics tomodern life. “Recently, we were read-ing about Nike, the ancient goddessof victory,” she says. “A student askedif that’s where Nike gets its name.Sometimes, it’s easy to take that forgranted but when they see the con-nection, that is a great moment for ateacher.”

An opportunity to help studentsmake connections was a major rea-son that Morgan accompaniedClassics chair Nancy Primick and 20students to Italy over Spring Break2007. “It was great for the students tosee the places we study, especially inRome,” she says.

AFTER HER FRESHMAN YEAR ATDICKINSON COLLEGE, MeredithMorgan spent a summer in Toulouse,a city in the South of France. After all,what better way for a French major toimmerse herself in French cultureand further her love of the language?

So, why did that woman return fromFrance and switch her major toClassics, something she had takenyears prior in high school at ScrantonPrep?

“The Classics are so prevalent inFrance that I realized how wonderfulit was and decided to switch when Icame home,” she says with a laugh.“In high school, I took Classicsbecause it was a requirement but incollege I realized it was the best proseand poetry ever written. To read it inthe native language was beautifuland I realized I wanted to teach andpass this along to other people.”

After college, Morgan continued herstudy in a strenuous Master’s program at the University ofPennsylvania. She then returned toher alma mater (Scranton Prep) toteach Classics for two years before

student profile

happen,” he says. “I know that myfaith in God got me through that year.Really, He has helped me through somuch. I have been reassured byknowing that God has everythinghappen for a reason and that I wouldsurely not be the person I am withoutthese tragedies in my life.”

Now, McKie is part of the AfricanGenesis Institute/D’Zert Club, a 24-month class in which students studyAfrican American history in-depth.The club takes three domestic fieldtrips to places like the UndergroundRailroad from Detroit into Canada,the slave trail in Richmond, Va., andthe Great Blacks in Wax Museum inBaltimore. The class will culminatethis summer with a trip to Egypt tosee the great Pyramids. “It’s a smallgroup but growing at a fast pace,” hesays. “Learning about my heritage isvery important to me.”

McKie is also interested in helpingother minority students in school. Asa freshman at Lower Merion, wherehe was elected class president, hewas part of a group of students whodeveloped a plan to lessen theachievement gap at Lower Merionand Harriton High Schools. The grouppresented a power-point presenta-tion, created by Avery, to the localschool board and received a standingovation. The group also made presen-tations to teachers of the school aswell.

Now, McKie is at The Prep, “an oppor-tunity that I could not pass up.”

“You don’t see too many places likeSt. Joseph’s Prep,” he says. “I wantedto be around people who could bringme to my full potential and be at aschool where I could get to know Godon a more personal level. Being here,at The Prep, is a blessing.”

IN HIS YOUNG LIFE, AVERY MCKIE ’10HAS SEEN A LOT. HIS FATHER DIED INA CAR ACCIDENT WHEN HE WAS 5YEARS OLD. HE LOST HIS GRAND-FATHER TO CANCER AND HIS UNCLESUDDENLY WITHIN A YEAR OF ONEANOTHER. Add to that a crushingfootball injury and it would be easy tosee a kid who was mad at the world.

But this is not Avery. He has an easygrin, a respect for himself and otherpeople and a desire to make theworld a better place; not bad for ayoung man who is just a sophomoreand only 16 years old.

But Avery McKie is the kind of kidwho jumps into situations. In 2004, asa 12 year old, he helped his stepfa-ther get out the Florida vote for theNational Association for theAdvancement of Colored People(NAACP) during the Presidential elec-tion. Then, after his family decided tomove to Philadelphia, he won theCitizenship Award at the BalaCynwyd Middle School, despite onlybeing there one semester.

During his few months at BalaCynwyd, Avery helped raise aware-ness of the situation in Darfur, host-ing an event for the students and fac-ulty there. He also raised outsideinterest by getting information out tothe media. His work was assisted bythe mentoring of Miss Karal Taylor,who nominated Avery for the YoungHero Award at the National LibertyMuseum. Avery’s photo hangs in thatPhiladelphia museum today.

“Miss Taylor was a huge influence inmy life,” McKie says of his gifted classteacher. “I was taught that people canmake a difference.”

McKie has overcome some hugeobstacles in his life. In addition to thepassing of several men in his life,Avery suffered a fracture of hisgrowth plate during eighth-gradefootball, ending his season, duringwhich he had been selected to serveas captain. Through hard work anddetermination, he returned for hisninth-grade season at Lower MerionHigh School before transferring toThe Prep. But he may have had someextra help during his rehab.

“My mom had always been telling meto trust in God and good things will

Student Profile: Avery McKie ’10

Hughes-Taylor is a Philly native, agraduate of Most Blessed SacramentParish and Archbishop PrendergastHigh School. She obtained a degree inpainting from the PennsylvaniaAcademy of Fine Arts and workedthere for a time before moving toEngland to work with her husband, abuilder. With him, she did designssuch as gold leaf finishing, but it washer return to Philadelphia and theMural Project that gave her theopportunities to change the lives ofyoung people and whole communi-ties.

Two of her more interesting projectsinvolved City Hall and an IslamicSociety in Germantown. At City Hall,Hughes-Taylor restored a mural inthe courtyard that identified thedirections (north, south, east andwest) and contained the original lay-out of Philadelphia as envisioned byfounder William Penn. The originalmural was designed by Francis Bacon,a city planner who is responsible formuch of modern Philadelphia.

“Doorways to Peace” was completedon a building that housed the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society. She was assist-

From the late 1960s through the mid-80s, Philadelphia was being overtakenby graffiti artists. Many streets andfacades of buildings were filled withspray painted images. These were notsights that city leaders wanted seenand, of course, residents and neigh-bors were not pleased either.

Today, many of those same streetsand buildings are still filled with art.However, today the images aremurals, part of Philadelphia’srenowned Mural Arts Project led byJane Golden. And one of the project’sfirst employees was Prep momCathleen Hughes-Taylor, mother ofAlexander ’05 and Elliott ’09.

At first, Hughes-Taylor’s job wasmostly administrative, serving asDirector of Art Education. She helpedset curriculum and run projects atlocal recreation centers and localschools and even the Youth StudyCenter. But the artist inside of herneeded more from her job and soonshe was doing murals.

“I am fortunate to have the job I dobecause I love my city, I love art and Ilove kids,” says Hughes-Taylor, whocontinues to do much of her workwith schools and rec centers. “And towork with a boss with the vision tobring those things together has beenremarkable. We have been able to seethe difference that these murals canmake in the lives of the communityand those who create the art.”

Her first project was at the CioneRecreation Center in Port Richmond.There she worked with neighborhoodschool children to create a mural. Theproject still stands on the wall, virtu-ally untouched by vandals.

“A mural project can really empowera community,” says Hughes-Taylor.“To see kids be given the ability tocreate something and then have thecommunity treasure it and guard it isreally special.”

ed by members of the Mural Artsteam along with students from theKensington South section of theSchool District of Philadelphia andmembers of the surrounding commu-nity. The mural was featured in theMural Arts Program’s 2006 calendar.

“In Islam, the mosque functions asthe center for the community,” shewrote in the calendar. “During thetime I worked on this project, Al-Aqsacame to symbolize the center of anextended community-learning andcelebrating through art.”

According to Golden, that is thetheme of the Mural Arts Program, to“have a conversation among artists,neighbors, young people and theevolving culture of time and place.”And thanks to artists like Hughes-Taylor, the city landscape haschanged for the better.

The Mural Arts Program currentlyhas a book My North Philly.Neighborhoods. Murals. Stories.available at their website:www.muralarts.org.

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Parent Profile:CathleenHughes-Taylor

parent profile

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“People are amazed by the energy and how excited we all are to welcome them here.”—Jason Zazyczny ’90

“We want our students to be who they are on these tours,”says Zazyczny. “This gives all of our students the chance to beproud of his school and represent it.”

According to Bethanne Mascio, Assistant to the AdmissionDirector, The Prep community shines during the Open House.“The faculty and staff do a really good job of representing theschool and promoting The Prep to the families,” she says. “Weget a lot of positive feedback from parents after the event.”

“People are amazed by the energy and how excited we all areto welcome them here,” says Zazyczny.

Ceil Rooney, a veteran assistant in the office, also points to thepresence of current parents at the event. “It is great to have ourparents actively involved in the Open House because the newfamilies like to hear about issues like transportation, homework,etc., from other parents who have been there,” she says. “Ithink that is a very helpful thing.”

Another first impression for many families is information nights,held at local grammar schools and parishes in late Septemberand October; and The Prep attends more than 60 of theseannually. Brian McCloskey ’91, Assistant Director of Admission,says that for many parents at the info nights, especially thosewith little connection to St. Joseph’s Prep, security and safety isa pressing issue. “Sometimes we have to fight the perception ofour neighborhood,” he says. “People think that it is the NorthPhiladelphia of the 1970s and 80s and it is not that way any-more.”

There are certain mysteries that exist among PhiladelphiaCatholics, for example, a papal enclave, the Blessed Trinity andthe admission process at St. Joseph’s Prep. While the previoussentence might be an exaggeration, for many the process ofhow a student becomes accepted at a school with a rigorousadmission process like The Prep can seem daunting.

For many observers, the key time for the Admission Office mayseem to run from October until decisions are made in January.Truth is, the admissions process really begins much earlier thanthat and runs until well into the summer as The Prep works tomanage its enrollment for a new school year.

The first exposure for many families comes during the OpenHouse, held on the first Sunday of November. The majority ofthe students at Open House are seventh graders, though ahealthy number of eighth graders and some younger studentsattend. For most, it is a very positive experience.

“The Open House is the first chance for many to physicallyexperience St. Joseph’s Prep, to see us in action,” says JasonZazyczny ’90, Director of Admission.

Unlike other schools that select tour guides and ask them toread from a prepared script, St. Joseph’s Prep gives any studentthe opportunity to serve as a tour guide and lead prospectivestudents and families around the school in any manner theywish. This allows the tour guides to personalize a tour accordingto their interests and the interests of the prospective students.

Department Profile:ADMISSION OFFICE

19

band, we have to fill our sports teams, we have to fill our serv-ice projects, etc. If an applicant can bring something to theschool in addition to an outstanding academic record, then theyabsolutely get a leg up but they have to be able to cut it aca-demically here.”

A committee looks at the applicants and pares it down to fill aclass of 250-265. By late February, the acceptances are in andthe class will be mostly set. Then the office turns its attention tothe seventh graders. For these students, there is a practice test,open to boys and girls, and then the popular pre-8th grade pro-gram, a six-week co-ed program that combines academic workwith extracurricular activity to make for a well-rounded summerexperience. For many, this is the time when their desire toattend The Prep is formed.

“Pre-8th is a big hook for many boys,” says Rooney. “My sonPatrick (a 1998 graduate) did not want to come to that programbut after his first few days, he decided this is where he wantedto go to high school.”

Zazyczny says that the program is a good opportunity for boththe students and the school. “We have the chance to get toknow the student and he gets the chance to get to know us,”he says. “Although it is not an automatic for a pre-eighth stu-dent to be admitted to The Prep, it is certainly something to addto his portfolio.”

According to McCloskey, the best innovation for The Prep tocombat that issue has been the bus transportation system,which picks students up in their neighborhoods and brings themto the school doors. “In the 1990s, that really reinvigorated theschool and brought new eyes that may not have looked herewithout the security of knowing that transportation would notbe an issue,” he says.

For eighth graders, the next major event on the Admission cal-endar is the scholarship/entrance exam. Nearly 600 studentstake the test annually and it is, according to Mascio, an “equal-izer,” the only standardized comparison available on students.Though many people think that the exam means everything inthe process, Zazyczny says that is not true.

“It is one of three factors that we look at for applicants,” hesays. “Although it is true that most accepted students will scorein the 85-99 range, it is not the most important criteria.” Hesays that a student’s grades and his recommendations are alsoimportant in the process. “Students are reviewed in a holisticapproach,” says Zazyczny. “We are always looking to produce acertain mix of the class. Yes we have to fill our classrooms butthere are other things involved in a school. We have to fill our

“Students are reviewed in aholistic approach...we arealways looking to produce acertain mix of the class.”

[l-r] Brian McCloskey ’91, Bethanne Mascio,Ceil Rooney and Jason Zazyczny ’90

reunions

Class of 1947

Class of 1957

Class of 198220

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Athletics Profile:Curt Cockenberg ’71In 1975, Curt Cockenberg ‘71 had just graduated from La SalleCollege when he read about a coaching opening at The Prep.He thought he might be able to help his alma mater so heapplied for the job. Thirty-three years later, he is still doing whathe does best – guiding young men to become better runners,throwers and jumpers.

“I never thought I would be here 33 years,” says CoachCockenberg with a smile. “I just enjoy working with kids andseeing them develop. I’ve had offers to coach at other levels butI don’t want to leave. I like it here too much.”

For nearly 100 seasons (33 cross country, 33 indoor track and 33outdoor track), Cockenberg has had one goal, to run a programthat the school, the students and theleague can be proud of. That has beenachieved as The Prep track program isone of the most respected in the region.

“My goal is that we represent ourselveswell,” Cockenberg says. “Prep crosscountry and track is a known commodi-ty throughout the area and that issomething I am really happy about.”

Cockenberg won the Catholic Leaguetitle in 1996. However, he points to the2007 cross country team as possiblybeing better than that one as the teamwon the Southern Division and nearlydefeated a very good La Salle team in amuddy league championship.

“I knew we would be good this yearbut I had no idea we’d be as good as we were,” he says. “All ofthe different pieces clicked together for us this year and the kidsgave us all they had. I could not have asked for more fromthem.”

Cockenberg was a pretty good runner himself, though he jokesthat he has “coached my records off the board” in events suchas the 600, the sprint medley, the 1,000-yard run and the 4 x200.

Away from coaching, Cockenberg is a reading specialist at EastNorriton Middle School. This is a second career for Cockenberg,who went back to school in the early 1990s after nearly twodecades in the U.S. Postal Service. “I just wanted to do morewith myself,” he says.

He is also involved in community theatre, working in all aspectsof production at different area theatres. He even directed ashow at The Prep (Godspell in the early 1990s). “I love the the-atre and being involved in all segments of a show,” saysCockenberg.

Cockenberg and his wife Donna have been married for 22 yearsand the couple has two children, Marina, a junior at FordhamUniversity, and Taylor, a sophomore at North Penn High School.

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alumni news

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rate and refine our mission to “Honor the Past, Celebratethe Present, and Secure the Future of Prep Football.” Wellput.

At this season’s last home game, I watched as the team’sseniors were honored along with their parents. As eachmother received a flower, each father a firm handshake,and both a hug of sincere gratitude, I took solace knowingthat The Prep will never leave them. As the players andparents stood on the field, we also honored The PrepFootball Team of 1961 [pictured above]. Some of that teamhad been away from The Prep, some of them are fixturesand some couldn’t be found...but all were honored. And,yes, the stories of great plays and sophomoric pranksabound. As I watched the contrast of the Team of 1961walking off and the Team of 2007 walking on the field, Istopped to wonder...which of these future FAA memberswill be here when they’re honored 46 years from now?

As Fr. Garber once said to me, “Patience, Mr. Dugan, timewill tell.”

Years ago, I sat in a conference room with a group of for-mer Prep Football players. It was an enlightening moment- not so much because 25 years had passed but rather Irealized how disconnected I had become from The Prep. Ihad always carried my Prep friends and experience withme but, nevertheless, the rigors of college, career, andfamily had me focused on, well, “life.” As I sat there look-ing at my teammates, slightly older and slightly largerthan I remembered, I wondered if there were other peo-ple out there like me. Some of my fellow graduates werestaunch supporters and regulars at the events and games.Several of them even had children at The Prep and somehad children who were already through. But what aboutall the others? Were there others out there who needed tobe brought back to remember The Prep experience?

Hence, the St. Joseph’s Prep Football Alumni Association(the “FAA”) was born. Our intention was to go back intime and draw in those guys who would sweat and moanand fight like dogs to win...as a team, The Prep Team. Ourintention was to celebrate the history of Prep Football.Later, Prep football mom Mary Beth Schell would elabo-

FOOTBALL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION By Tom Dugan ’75

(Jonathan ’03 and Zach ’06), Bielloworked at Pennsylvania Hospital,operated her own women’s clothingboutique in Jenkintown and volun-teered at her children’s schools andsports teams. She and her husbandJohn live in Holland, Pa.

“I am very excited to be working inThe Prep development office and tobe embracing new challenges,” shesays. “Having been a parent and hav-ing worked in other departmentshere at The Prep, I feel that I canbring a unique perspective to theposition.”

CEAL BIELLO has joined The PrepDevelopment Office as the newDirector of The Prep Fund. Ceal,who had previously worked in apart-time position in theDevelopment Office before takingpositions in the Admission Officeand the Business Office, will also beresponsible for directing develop-ment services and will serve as theMothers’ Club moderator. Shereplaces Bonny Barry.

Biello is a 1983 graduate of King’sCollege in Wilkes Barre where shemajored in health care administra-tion. The mother of two Prep grads

Biello joins Development Staff

1940’s

Dr. Francis Keeley ’45 was selected as theGolden Hawk for 2007 at The Prep’s Golden Hawkluncheon. He is the father of Francis ’82 andKevin ’93 and the grandfather of ThomasBernardi ’10 and Ryan Keeley Cain ’11.

Rev. William Byron, S.J. ’45 [above, 2nd fromleft] was among the recipients of CatholicLeadership Institute’s Awards for OutstandingCatholic Leadership in November. Fr. Byron wasrecognized for his work as a teacher, writer, advo-cate and evangelist who has devoted his life toeducating youth and bringing light to the messageof social and economic justice.

William Gregory ’45 joined his son BillGregory ’73 at The Prep’s Class of 2008’s RingMass, held in the Church of the Gesu in March, ashis grandson Ryan Gregory ’08 received hisring. [pictured above, l-r] Prep President Rev.William J. Byron, S.J. ’45, Bill Gregory, Jr. ’73, RyanGregory ’08 and Bill Gregory, Sr. ’45

Archbishop Francis Schulte ’45 is ArchbishopEmeritus of the Diocese of New Orleans and con-tinues to serve on the American BishopsCommittee for Eastern Europe and on the boardof the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

Paul Sigmund ’46, retired Professor of Politics atPrinceton University, taught seminars in politicaltheory and American politics this past fall. He alsowrote articles on Chilian politics, liberation theol-ogy and scholastic philosophy.

William Hemp ’46 [below] recently published hisfourth work, A Sketchbook of Long Beach Island,NY. It features colored illustrations of clam boats,

alumni news

cottages, resort hotels, mansions and main streetsalong with lines of legends and lore.

Rev. Donald Clifford, S.J., ’47 and the Jewish-Catholic Institute of Saint Joseph’s University werehonored by the American Jewish Committee onthe occasion of the 40th anniversary of theInstitute, which is one of the oldest Jewish-Christian study centers in the nation.

Robert Penrose ’47 has published a bookAvalon on the Seven Mile Beach, a 500-page his-tory of Avalon, N.J., containing more than 500maps and photos.

Edwin McKeon ’47 was recently honored byMarines for Scholarships, receiving the SaintDavids Award (Arma Virumque Cano). The awardis given annually to an outstanding supporter ofthe USMC scholarship program for children ofdeceased or wounded Marines. Over 1,000 schol-arships are awarded annually.

Eugene Armao ’48 has written a memoir titledEveryman: An Autobiography: Or How a WhiteSouth Philly Sicilian/American Republican of theRoman Catholic Faith Grew Up to Become aSuntanned Southern Liberal Democrat Who WroteHis Own Fictional Autobiography. Two of thechapters deal with his time at The Prep.

Paul Schillig ’48 was inducted into the SouthJersey Baseball Hall of Fame in the fall of 2007.Schillig coached a Camden County baseball teamfor some years and won a number of CamdenCounty championships. In 1960, he initiated thebaseball program at Bishop Eustace Prep inPennsauken and in their first season the teamwon the parochial Class B title. In 1961, the teamwon the state parochial title and he was inductedinto the Bishop Eustace Hall of Fame in 2001.

Richard Torpey ’49 won the Ensign ClassNational Championship aboard “Iris Mist” for thesecond time in five years. Included in the crewwas Kevin Torpey ’80.

Rev. Msgr. Francis Schmidt ’49 is retired but isassigned to various parishes as a substitute protem. He is also working with “Father Chuck’sChallenge” to build homes and schools in theCaribbean.

1950’s

William Whelan ’51 is an assistant chaplain atFrankford-Bucks Hospital in Langhorne and per-forms hospice work at local nursing centers andprivate homes.

Michael Costello ’52 and his wife Ellen cele-brated their 50th wedding anniversary in August2007. Classmate Most Rev. Robert P.Maginnis officiated at a Mass of thanksgivingand the renewal of vows. A gala celebration fol-lowed for family, relatives and friends.

John Gallop ’52 retired from Hercules CementCo. as Vice President of Sales and is now workingpart-time as a consultant for the company, wherehe has worked for 50 years. He is married witheight children and nine grandchildren and enjoysgolf, traveling and volunteering.

Edward Mooney ’54 retired from teachingEnglish at Father Judge High School inPhiladelphia after 40 years.

Leo Carlin ’55, Director of Ticket Client Relationswith the Philadelphia Eagles, was nominated forthe Pro Football Hall of Fame. He began workingfor the Eagles in 1960 and has overseen theirmoves from Franklin Field to Veterans Stadiumand then to Lincoln Financial Field.

William Gallop ’55 will be celebrating 50 yearsof being a teacher and a headmaster in Catholiceducation. He is presently a teacher of Religion,English, Film Study and Shakespeare at a Catholichigh school for girls outside of New Orleans. Overthe years, he has taught from nursery to college.In 1984, he founded a Catholic private school inNew Orleans which is thriving.

Most Rev. Joseph Galante ’56 is one of theleaders and supporters of Project One, which washonored with The Peter J. O’Connor Award forSocial Justice by the Catholic Charities of theDiocese of Camden. Since Hurricane Katrina, morethan 500 members of the diocese have journeyedto the Gulf Coast to work with those devastatedby the disaster.

Col. Bernard Devine ’57 (USAF-Ret) and hiswife Sue recently moved to Minnetonka, MN tojoin two of their three daughters and three oftheir four grandchildren. They also have a daugh-ter and grandchild living in the Princeton, NJ area.Colonel Devine retired from the U.S. Air Force atthe end of 1991 and then was employed by MCITelecommunications as Director of Repair andMaintenance until August 2002.

Rev. Stephen Garrity, S.J. ’57 is the newlyappointed assistant to the Rector of the JesuitCenter in Wernersville. He recently completed sixyears as Pastor of Holy Cross Church in Durham,N.C.

Gerard Connolly ’58 retired after 30-plus yearswith the U.S. Department of Justice. He is now avolunteer docent at the Library of Congress, FolgerShakespeare Library and Smithsonian Institute.

Anthony Stevens-Arroyo ’58, ProfessorEmeritus at Brooklyn College, was named to thePennsylvania State Advisory Committee to the U.S.Commission on Civil Rights in Washington. This isa two-year term that has been approved byPresident Bush, in coordination with the Congress.He will gather information on civil rights issues inthe state and through a series of meetings withthe Advisory Committee, to make recommenda-tions to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

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1960’s

Bernard Maguire ’60 and his wife Joyce havemoved to Wilmington, N.C., after 30 years inVirginia. Warmer climates for golf, beaches andfour granddaughters are the main attractions. RonKlemick ’59 is a neighbor who introducedBernard and Joyce to the attractiveness of NorthCarolina.

Capt. Edward Davis ’61 was honored by thepoliticians in Lancaster County by naming thereopened Dillerville Road Bridge for him. Also, theLancaster Airport Authority recently unveiled aportrait of Davis which will be displayed in the air-port’s main terminal. Davis, who passed away lastyear, spent seven and a half years in the “HanoiHilton” POW camp, received three silver stars andtwo purple hearts, among other citations, whileserving in the Navy.

Michael Murphy ’61 was voted a PennsylvaniaSuper Lawyer by his peers in 2006 and 2007. Hisfirm, Murphy & Carmen, is located in Media.

Joseph Priory ’62, a former Vice President in theLegal and Labor Department at the PhiladelphiaInquirer and Daily News, enjoys working in hisown practice doing mediation work and generalpractice. He and his wife Nancy live in Yardley andthey have three grown daughters and four grand-children.

Raymond Waity ’62, who retired from the U.S.Army in 1994 as a Colonel, has opened a martialarts studio—which teaches Karate, Tai Chi, andself defense—with his wife Joann in Muhlenberg.

Leopold Andreoli, Ph.D. ’63 has been selectedto serve on the National Fire Weather ResearchPanel.

John McCarthy ’63, who retired fromPricewatershouseCoopers in 2005, has acceptedthe position of Senior Vice President forAdministration and Finance at NortheasternUniversity. He continues to be a part of the boardsof Catholic Charities, The Pine Street Inn, BostonCollege High School and the Finance Council forthe Archdiocese of Boston.

Richard Wisniewski ’64 [above] is proud toannounce the birth of his new granddaughter,Elizabeth Rose Connelly.

Thomas Bender ’65, a trumpeter, performed in asalute to the giants of pre-war jazz and blues lastsummer as part of the Jersey Shore Jazz & BluesFoundation’s “Reckless Steamy Nights” concertseries at the Woman’s Club of Red Bank, N.J.Bender is in demand not only as an instrumental-ist but as an arranger and teacher and hasperformed with the Monmouth SymphonyOrchestra as well as many great stage personali-ties.

Joseph Canuso ’66 directed Theatre Exile’s “Mr.Marmalade” at Christ Church NeighborhoodHouse in Philadelphia. “Mr. Marmalade” is atwisted romp through the mind of a four year oldgirl.

Brian O’Neill ’67 won re-election in the 10thDistrict for a four year term on Philadelphia’s CityCouncil.

Dr. Richard Santore ’67 and his wife Kathy[above] will celebrate their 27th anniversary thisyear. Their son graduated from UCLA last yearwith degrees in Physics and mathematics andtheir daughter is a management information sci-ences undergraduate student in the businesscollege at the University of Tulsa.

Rev. Joseph Schad, S.J. ’68 is chaplain at MercyHospital in Portland, ME. He offers retreats andspiritual direction to his colleagues and the localcommunity. Prior to coming to Maine, Joe servedfour years in pastoral ministry in Alaska.

1970’s

Alan Smith ’70 and Peter Sigmund ’47 [above]attended a retreat at the Malvern Retreat Housein the fall of 2007.

Hon. Thomas DelRicci ’71 has been elected to asecond 10-year term as a Common Pleas Judgefor Montgomery County in the election which tookplace in the fall of 2007.

Bill Greenlee ’71 won re-election for an at-largeseat on Philadelphia’s City Council for a four-yearterm.

Dominic Vallone ’71 received The Sister GraceNolan Award for Social Ministry by the CatholicCharities of the Diocese of Camden for his longassociation with the Cathedral Kitchen. He isresponsible for single-handedly keeping thekitchen open for many years. He also is a memberof the Board of Cathedral Kitchen and is presentlythe Director of Operations for the JewishFederation of Greater Philadelphia.

William Wechsler ’71 has been elected to a seaton the Board of Commissioners of HaverfordTownship, Delaware County.

Dr. Kevin Kelly ’72 who was Chief of PediatricGastroenterology at St. Christopher’s Hospital forChildren from 1995 to 2000, left to establish hisown private practice in his specialty. His two sons – Matthew ’02, who recently completed ayear in the Alumni Service Program, and Andrew’08 are third generation members of the Kellyfamily who have attended The Prep. Their grandfa-ther John Kelly was a member of the Class of1940.

Phil Martelli ’72, head men’s basketball coach atSaint Joseph’s University, spoke about his newbook Don’t Call Me Coach to The Prep communityin December 2007. He was invited to share mem-ories from his Prep days and tell stories about hiscoaching experiences at SJU as part of the Rev. J.Vincent Taggart, S.J. Cultural Events Series.

Dr. Aldo Esposito ’72 is a cardiologist in thenorthern Virginia area near Washington, DC. Heand his wife Sandi have been married for 20 yearsand have two sons and a daughter.

Walter Finnerty ’74 is employed in theDepartment of Technology and Information for theState of Delaware as a Senior Systems Analyst.

Thomas Browning ’75 has recently retired fromfederal service after 20 years. During those years,he was a U.S. Federal Special Agent serving withthe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. NavalCriminal Investigative Service fraud and foreigncounterintelligence units. He is now a VP ofCorporate Compliance and Chief Security Officerat Allied Barton Security Services in King ofPrussia.

Joseph Sweeney ’75 and his wife Laura recentlycelebrated their 17th anniversary and they havetwo daughters, Katherine, (seven) and Alexandra(four). When not running his small money man-agement firm, he spends time on the boards ofThe Boys and Girls Club, The Salvation Army andThe Wine and Food Society of San Francisco.

Thomas Casey ’76 was recently named ExecutiveVice President and Chief Financial Officer forBlockbuster, Inc. Most recently, he was managingdirector for Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. In hisnew position, Tom will have responsibility forBlockbuster’s financial, accounting and internalaudit functions.

Thomas Cellucci, Ph.D. ’76 [above] hasaccepted a special appointment from theDepartment of Homeland Security as ChiefCommercialization Officer for the Science andTechnology Directorate. He is responsible for ini-tiatives that identify, evaluate and commercializetechnology for the specific goal of rapidly develop-ing and deploying products and services that meetthe specific operational requirements of theDepartment of Homeland Security’s OperatingComponents and its end users.

Rev. Joseph Cocucci ’76 has been namedDirector of Seminarians for the Catholic Diocese ofWilmington. This is in addition to his work asDirector of Priestly and Religious Vocations forthat diocese and as Rector of the Cathedral of St.Peter.

James Kenney ’76 won re-election for an at-large seat on Philadelphia’s City Council for afour-year term.

Michael Banach ’77 has retired from thePhiladelphia Police Department after 27 yearswith the rank of Inspector. He is now a DistrictManager with Allied Barton Security Services,managing contract security in the Philadelphiamega-market. He also is an adjunct faculty mem-ber at Saint Joseph’s University, teaching a coursein the Graduate Criminal Justice program.

Christopher Churchill ’77 recently joined thelaw practice of Barley Snyder LLC. He works pri-marily with the firm’s Health Law Group inLancaster, as well as in the Berwyn office, concen-trating in the areas of health care, technology,business transactions and commercial litigation.

Charles Dougherty ’77 and his wife Shannonhave lived in North Carolina for 14 years. They areraising seven children, ages 15 to 1 1/2.

Thomas Holmes ’77 is an economics professorat the University of Minnesota where he teachesEconomics 101 to 1,100 freshman.

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alumni news

Robert Murray ’77 has been named AssistantSchool Director at Divers Academy International.

John Prybella ’77 is currently living in Bostonwith his wife Meg after spending 16 years inDenver, Col. They have three daughters: Katelynn,a first grade teacher; Kristen, a second-year lawstudent at Creighton University; and Jaclyn, who isin her third year at Franklin Pierce University.

Hon. Patrick Dugan ’78 was sworn in as a Judgeof the Philadelphia Municipal Court in September.

Stanley Jaskiewicz ’78 [above] recently receivedthe “Strut Your Stuff Award” from the Legal Clinicfor the Disabled, a non-profit corporation provid-ing free legal services to low-income people withdisabilities in the Philadelphia area.

Peter Vossenberg ’79 is teaching at the OrlandoCulinary Academy’s Le Cordon Bleu program inFlorida where he is the Professor of Food andBeverages. Peter and his wife Kathleen, who alsoworks at the Academy as a Chef Instructor, areplanning to open a small business in Florida.

1980’s

Joseph Fleming ’80 and Camden ChurchesOrganized for People (CCOP) will be honored withThe Monsignor Doyle and Monsignor McDermottAward for Parish and Community Ministry by theCatholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden.CCOP is a powerful, faith-based communityorganization working to transform conditions forindividuals and families in Camden.

John Kearns ’82 is a Technical Writer at MorganStanley and lives in Manhattan with his wife,Daisy, and stepson, Wang Zhi. His book of shortstories, Dreams and Dull Realities, has recentlybeen published, his novel, The World, was pub-lished in 2003 and his novel in progress, Worlds,was a finalist in the 2002 New Century Writers’Awards. He has had several off-off Broadwayplays produced, including Sons of Molly Maguire,In a Bucket of Blood and Designers with DirtyFaces.

Anthony Cocco ’82 has recently moved toWoolwich, N.J., a rural farm area in South Jerseywith his wife and two children. He is an ITDirector in a large school system and also runs aconsulting practice.

Rev. Thomas Fitzpatrick ’82 was ordained apriest in 2004 and was appointed Rector of St.Joseph’s Cathedral in Sioux Falls, SD.

Thomas Monari ’82, Senior Manager ofAccenture, reports that his oldest child, Jane, isattending The Juilliard School, majoring in operaticvoice.

Paul Bonhage ’83 and Theresa are proud grand-parents of Madison, born in January 2007 to PaulBonhage III ’05.

Rich Gannon ’83, a former NFL quarterback, isnow an announcer for CBS Sports and broadcasthis first game at Lincoln Financial Field as theEagles played the Miami Dolphins this past fall.During the game, CBS showed footage of Gannonplaying for The Prep in 1982.

Patrick Kelly ’83 was recently promoted toPresident of Harry W. Gaffney & Co., where he hasbeen employed for 19 years involved with chemi-cal sales and distribution.

Patrick McCloskey ’83 served as LogisticsCoordinator of the Philadelphia Marathon, HalfMarathon and Rothman 8K which were held inNovember.

Lawrence Reagan, Ph.D ’83 is a recipient ofJDRF’s Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowship (2000-2003) and is continuing his research with aJDRF-funded project studying how diabetesimpairs insulin action in the brain, and whetherthis has an effect on brain functions. He is anAssistant Professor in the Department ofPharmacology, Physiology, & Neuroscience at theUniversity of South Carolina School of Medicine.

M. Patrick McCloskey ’84, a former partner withLazard Ltd., has been hired by energy brokerEvolution Markets to launch an investment bankfocusing on carbon emissions trading and cleanenergy.

Matthew Brennan ’87 and his wife Mary live inMedia, with their two children, Ryan and Matty.His business, Precision Healthcare Management,provides practice management services to physi-cian practices in the Philadelphia and southernNew Jersey market.

Kevin Hogan ’87 and his wife have three chil-dren and live in “beautiful and historic Trenton,N.J.” They were recently awarded a grant from theTrenton Historical Society to help in the exteriorrestoration of their 19th Century Victorian home.Kevin is executive editor of ScholasticAdministrator magazine, which is based in NewYork City.

Stanley Jaroszewski ’87 is a manager ofInformation Technology with Johnson & Johnson.He and his wife Caroline reside in Doylestownwith their two children, Lauren and Henry.

John Grugan ’88 is a partner at Ballard SpahrAndrews & Ingersall, LLP. He and his wife Meganlive in Bala Cynwyd with their four children.

Councilman Kenney was on hand as MayorMichael Nutter ’75 spoke at The Prep

27

Timothy Connell ’88 is working as a performingmusician and music teacher. While he still playsmany instruments, his primary focus for severalyears has been the mandolin. He just recorded afull-length album of Brazilian music with his bandRio Con Brio, and shares co-songwriting credits onthe recently-released album of his brother, BrianConnell ’95. He lives in Portland, OR with hiswife Claire and their 5 year old son Quinn.

Antony Braithwaite ’89, Director of The Prep’sCape and Sword Drama Society, appeared in aone-man show, Say Goodnight Gracie, at the ActII Playhouse in Ambler in the fall of 2007. SayGoodnight Gracie chronicles the career of thefamous George Burns and his beloved wife andcomedy partner Gracie Allen. Also, Tony was ajudge for a new television pilot. New CenturyTelevision, which is based in the Philadelphiaarea, produced the pilot of a new television series,American Actor, a show similar to American Idolbut focused on acting. During the Christmas sea-son, he starred in the 1812 Production’s holidayshow, a homage to the old television show ThatWas the Week That Was. In January, Braithwaitedirected the musical The Fantasticks at theKimmel Center. The cast and crew included severalPrep alums, namely, Howie Brown ’99, JoeMallon ’99, Will Dennis ’01, Dave Serratore’06, Andrew Matthews ’05 and Matt Silva’03.

Anthony Casdia ’89 recently married BeverlyBattista. Frank Costa ’90 was the best man andthe wedding ceremony was held at St. Matthew’sCathedral in Washington, D.C.

James Harron ’89 recently joined EquityInternational as Senior Vice President ofInvestments. Equity International is a Chicago-based private equity fund that focuses onreal-estate related investments globally.

Anthony Schiavo ’89 and his wife Rachel arecurrently living in Pennsauken, N.J., and they justcelebrated the birth of their fifth child, JustinMichael. Anthony is currently marketing managerat Jessica Kingsley Publishers in Philadelphia andhe also runs his own Catholic small press, ArxPublishing, with classmate Claudio Salvucci ’89.He published his first book earlier this year,Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last, under the pseu-donym Paolo A. Belzoni. It’s the first of a trilogyon the late-Roman general and owes a lot to theclassical education he received at The Prep.

1990’s

Daniel Bodell ’90 who was recently married inSan Diego, Calif., has been named a partner atGordon & Rees, LLP.

Matthew O’Brien ’90 moved his family toAdelaide, South Australia recently to work on theAustralian Destroyer project. His boys (9 and 7years old) are attending a Jesuit school called St.Ignatius Junior College and are playing AussieRules Football and cricket. His daughter, Rosemary(3 years old), is also enjoying the kangaroo parks.

Robert Campbell ’91 is the CEO/owner of AlliedSolutions Group, Inc., a business that preparesmilitary and civilian emergency planners andresponders for a variety of incidents. He and hiswife Amy live in Newport News, Va., with theirtwo daughters.

Matthew Connors ’91 has been namedAssistant Sports Information Director andCoordinator of Special Events at PhiladelphiaUniversity.

Kevin Currie ’91 participated in the 2007Philadelphia Dragon Boat Festival as part of theMomenee and Associates, Inc., Friends and Familyracing team.

Edmund DeHoratius ’91 has writtenIntroduction to Latin, Revised First Edition StudyGuide and Reader, meant to accompanyShelmerdine’s Introduction to Latin. This text willgive help to students learning Latin, and providenumerous additional readings and grammaticalexplanations. In the book, DeHoratius mentionsformer Prep Latin teachers Charlie Kling ’61 andDr. Henry Bender ’63.

Major Geno Rapone ’91 recently returned froma tour of duty in Iraq with the 111th Fighter Wing,Willow Grove Air Reserve Station.

Marc Schuster, Ph.D. ’91 has published a book,The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: The DiscerningFan’s Guide to Doctor Who, which examines thelong-running British series of Doctor Who in rela-tion to such contemporary phenomena ascosmetic surgery, consumerism, reality televisionand road rage.

John Darmohray ’92 is currently working as anEnvironmental Scientist for Ransom Environmentalin Hamilton, N.J. Previously he was employed asan Aquatic Ecologist at Mount Rainier NationalPark, where his research was published in a scien-tific paper titled “Amphibian and Wetland Surveyof Mount Rainier National Park.” He and his wifeKristine live in Philadelphia.

Christopher Murphy, Esq. ’92 is an attorneywith Murphy & Carmen in Media.

Eric Tenuto ’92, who has been teaching TaeKwon Do in Philadelphia and New Jersey, hasrecently achieved the rank of Master (4th degree)in that sport.

John-Vincent Mercanti ’93 served as theCasting Director on the Broadway production ofCyrano de Bergerac starring Kevin Kline andJennifer Garner. He also served as a ProducingAssociate on the production.

Christopher Lord ’94 graduated from theSubmarine Officer Advanced Course in June 2006and was recently selected for promotion toLieutenant Commander. He is currently serving asthe Strategic Weapons Officer on board the USSRhode Island (SSBN 740).

Eugene Bell ’95 has been appointed theExecutive Director of the Martin dePorresFoundation, which was established many yearsago by Ambassador Matthew H. McCloskey, Jr.,and has many Prep connections.

Brian Connell ’95 released his debut album,“The Sordid,” on Looky Here Records. He and hiswife Kristen live in Athens, Ga., where he teachesEnglish at Athens Academy.

Patrick Connell ’95 recently relocated to Bostonfrom Oregon with his wife, Melissa, and daughter,Annabella. He is working for Tufts University’sFriedman School of Nutrition providing computerexpertise for a new distance learning master’sprogram for United Arab Emirate citizens.

Benjamin Crowley ’95 is a MBA candidate inAsset Management and Real Estate at the KogodSchool of Business at American University. Herecently married Courtney Ford, daughter of Dr. Francis Ford ’64.

Michael Egan ’95 participated in the 2007IronMan World Championships in Hawaii whichtook place in October 2007. The IronMan entailsswimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and runninga full marathon (26.2 miles). Mike credits histraining partners from Cadence, his coach, friendsand family for inspiring him.

Joseph Murphy ’95 will mark the start of histhird year with Callaway Golf in Carisbad, Calif., inNovember. Callaway is the foremost industryleader in golf manufacturing, reaching $1 billiondollars in worldwide sales in 2005. In 2006, hewas recognized by his peers as one-half of the2006 Sales Team of the Year for the work they didin the Milwaukee/Green Bay section. He lives inEncinitas, a small, quiet coastal town about 30minutes north of San Diego.

Patrick Boyle ’96 and his fiancé were guests onthe HGTV Network show Spice Up My Kitchenthat originally aired in August. The show takes oldkitchens and gives them a makeover.

Daniel Murphy ’96 works as Vice President withNational Benefit Partners, plays basketball andpursuing acting opportunities.

Michael Shea ’96 was recently promoted to theposition of Group General Manager, ICT positionfor International SOS. He will be relocating fromPhiladelphia to Singapore with his wife Allisonand 6 month old son, Harrison.

Joseph Whalen ’96 is currently doing MarketResearch in India.

John Bobiak ’97 is a research scientist withBristol-Myers Squibb. He and his wife Sarah live inEast Windsor, N.J., with their daughter, Gabriella.

Nicholas Groch ’97 is living in Philadelphia andis employed at Blackney Hayes Architects. Herecently completed the Philadelphia Marathon in3 hours, 1 minute; it was his first marathon.

Christopher Heuisler ’97 has recently reprisedhis role as Cole on the CBS soap opera As theWorld Turns, which began in August 2007. Priorto that role, he was in Eastern Europe where hestarred in his first foreign film portraying a youngErnest Hemingway. The still untitled film expects astrong run in the 2008 Independent Film Festivals.Last summer he starred in the film, Placebo, whichshould also come out in 2008.

Brian Madden ’97 received his J.D. degree fromVillanova University School of Law.

Joseph McGlynn ’97 is an Assistant DistrictAttorney in Philadelphia.

Peter Pecoraro ’97 is employed in pharmaceuti-cal sales with Allergan, Inc. He is living in Ardmoreand is pursuing his M.B.A. degree from theVillanova School of Business.

Derrick Walker ’97 recently graduated fromWeill Cornell Medical College with a degree inMedical Sciences. He is doing his internship atAlbert Einstein Medical in Bronx, N.Y.

Patrick Donohue ’98 is currently living inBaltimore, Md., with his wife Emily. He is aNetwork Systems Engineer at Loyola College andis pursuing his M.B.A. degree in Business Securitythrough the University of Baltimore/TowsonUniversity.

Peter Mikochik, Ph.D. ’98 earned his Ph.D. fromthe University of Pennsylvania in OrganicChemistry and is currently living in Connecticut,where he is a postdoctoral researcher at YaleUniversity.

James O’Connor ’98 was the coach of theUnited States women’s rowing team that com-peted at the Pan American Games this pastsummer in Brazil. He is the women’s lightweightvarsity coach at Georgetown University.

Peter Castagna ’99 has recently accepted theposition as Director of Communications atSalesianum School in Wilmington, Del.

Philip Gravinese ’99 graduated from FloridaInstitute of Technology in May with a master’sdegree in Marine Biology. His research focused onthe lucrative and economically important FloridaStone Crab fishery.

Michael Rady ’99 appeared in CSI: NY and alsotwo episodes of ER in the fall. He will have arecurring role on a new show called, Swingtown,which will be shown on CBS in January. He is alsoco-starring in the soon-to-be-released sequel tothe movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Angelo (A.J.) Rizzo ’99 is a novice with theJesuits in the Maryland Province. A graduate ofthe University of Scranton who recently earned anMA in pastoral counseling from Loyola College inMaryland, A.J. worked in campus ministry at

alumni news

Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Md., and has directedstudent service trips to Arizona, New Mexico,Jamaica, and Mexico.

2000’s

Edward Turner ’00 and Steve Harris ’99 wereselected by Philadelphia Daily News reporter TedSilary to be on the paper’s all-city baseball teamover the past 30 years. Turner, who is currently ateacher in The Prep Classics Department, wasselected as an infielder and Harris as an outfielder.

Neal Dhand ’01 is a budding film director/pro-ducer finishing his master’s at Rochester Instituteof Technology. He is in pre-production on a fea-ture film Sleep Shift, a murder mystery andpsychological thriller.

Timothy Johnson ’01 and Brian Whelan ’94qualified for the UPA’s Club UltimateChampionships which took place in Sarasota, Fla.,in the fall. Johnson plays for a team fromPrinceton, N.J., while Whelan is a member ofPhiladelphia AMP.

Brian McGrath ’01 [above] recently graduatedas a Second Lieutenant from the Marine CorpsOfficer Candidate School in Quantico, Va.

Gregory Connors ’02, who served as a memberof the Alumni Service Corps last year, is part of a“Story Tour Van” project that is traveling aroundthe Philadelphia region to get people’s stories foruse in an upcoming arts festival.

Michael Damiano ’02 graduated fromSaint Joseph’s University in 2006 with a BSin Business Administration with a concen-tration in Decision and Systems Sciences.After graduation, he volunteered as anAlumni Service Corps member at The Prepand is now working at Liberty MutualSurety as an I/S Analyst.

Harry Gillin ’02 worked as a Policy andMedia Researcher for the mayoral cam-paign of Michael Nutter ’75 following aninternship for Nutter while a CityCouncilman. Harry now works in the Officeof Development and Alumni Relations atthe University of Pennsylvania where he ispursuing his Master’s Degree from the FelsSchool of Government.

Lts. Colin Graham ’02 and Thomas Cahill ’02,USMC, graduated from The Basic School (Fox Co.)in March 2007 and Logistics Officers Course inAugust 2007. Colin is assigned to CombatLogistics Regiment -3 on Okinawa, Japan whileTom is assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment-1,Camp Pendleton, CA.

Justin Hopkins ’02 was a featured singer withthe Ocean City Pops this past summer. He hasbeen studying voice in Siena and Milan, Italy andgave a “Farewell Concert” at The Prep in the fallbefore he left.

Michael Johnson ’02 is currently employed asCampus Minister at Archmere Academy inClaymont, Del. Prior to that, he was New AccountOpening Team Leader at Lockwood FinancialServices, Inc., a subsidiary of the Bank of NewYork Mellon Corporation.

Raymond Perfetti ’02 earned a Bachelor’s ofScience degree from Stevens Institute ofTechnology in Business and Technology with hon-ors in 2006. He is currently a creative coordinatorfor Concentric Communications’ special eventsproduction team in New York and enjoys living inHoboken, N.J.

Michael Santoro ’02 recently passed the CPAExam and has begun his second year working forPricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in Philadelphia.

Charles Strowhouer ’02 graduated from theUniversity of Delaware and played on the Men’sRugby team for four years. He is currently a stu-dent at Rutgers School of Law in Camden, N.J.

William Sullivan ’02 recently completed a year-long internship as a writer at U.S. News andWorld Report and is currently a first-year law stu-dent at Harvard.

Christian Barlow ’03, who graduated fromVirginia Tech in May and is heading to medical

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school, spent two months in a volunteer place-ment in a Cape Coast, Ghana hospital in westernAfrica. Barlow used his medical knowledge to helpthe poor of the country through a program called“Projects Abroad.”

John Brewster ’03 graduated from U.S. Navybasic training in the fall and is now at the NavalNuclear Propulsion Training Center nearCharleston, S.C., training to become a nuclearqualified Machinist’s Mate.

Michael Haas ’03 was drafted by the New YorkTitans in the fifth round of the National LacrosseLeague’s recent draft. Haas, who was a standoutin lacrosse at Villanova University, credits his for-mer coach Jacques Bagley ’90 with encouraginghim to play indoor lacrosse.

John Infanti ’03 graduated from SyracuseUniversity and is now a news producer for WYOUin Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He also does a podcastabout the Philadelphia Phillies twice a week thatis available on iTunes by searching “Philscast.”

Thomas Meehan ’03 received the Chick Awardfrom the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,Mass. This award, which honors Holy Cross gradLarry Chick, recognizes the student-athlete whogoes above and beyond expectations as a memberof the rowing program.

David Morris ’03 is enrolled in a Master’sProgram at Carnegie Mellon in Civil Engineeringwith a concentration in InfrastructureManagement. He was awarded a partial fellow-ship and will be a teacher’s assistant.

Mark Zoller ’03 is playing professional basket-ball in Plasencia, Spain for Plasencia-Galco in theLEB Plata League and has been starting since thethird game of the season. Mark played at Pennand twice won the Ivy League title.

Philip Cimbak ’04 is co-captain of theGeorgetown University Lightweight Crew Team.

The team was invited to row at the HenleyRegatta in London where he rowed with JohnConnolly ’05, who previously rowed at Henleywith The Prep Crew in 2005. At The Prep, Phil wasa member of the boat that won the 2004 SRANational Championship in the Varsity Lightweight8 and he was given the most dedicated roweraward.

Shawn Duff ’04 was selected co-captain of theUniversity of Delaware Men’s Crew for 2007-2008. He follows Dan Fitzpatrick ’03, who wasa co-captain for 2006-2007 for the Blue Hens. Asa varsity heavyweight oarsman, he has beennamed first-team all Colonial Athletic AssociationConference in 2005 and 2007, and second-teamin 2006.

Andrew Gordon ’04 is a junior at HarvardUniversity, where as a freshman he created theHarvard College Globalization Project. Beforeentering Harvard, he traveled to Spain where hetook a Spanish course in Seville. After hisEuropean experience, he secured a job at a smallJesuit school in the Andes Mountains in Ecuadorwhere he taught English to second and eighthgrade students for six months. He is a member ofthe national fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, whichhonored him with a special feature regarding his“gap” year experience.

Joseph McElwee ’04 was appointed captain forthe Georgetown University Crew for the 2008season. Joe was a cross country runner and base-ball player at The Prep.

Spencer Petticrew-Shawcross ’04, a senior atHamilton College, received the Kellogg EssayPrize. The prize, established by Charles C. Kellogg,a 1849 Hamilton College graduate, is awarded toa junior, sophomore and first-year student, each ofwhom have excelled in English essays. Spencerreceived the award for his work during his junioryear at Hamilton where he is a creating writermajor.

PREP AT THE SHORE

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Christopher Piltin ’04 was named captain of theHoly Cross Crew team for the 2007-2008 season.Last season, he was the stroke of the second var-sity eight which finished second at the JesuitInvitational and first at the Knetch Cup.

Michael Robinson ’04, a senior at TrinityCollege, earned a berth in the Aztec Bowl, aDivision III all-star football game that pits playersfrom the U.S. against a group of all-stars fromMexico, and on the all-academic teams for theNESCAC and the region. Michael and MarkNoonan ’04, a senior at Wesleyan College,squared off in the last collegiate game for bothplayers, with Trinity winning 32-14. Above, MikeRobinson (#60 Trinity) and Mark Noonan (#9Wesleyan).

F. Shannon Sweeney ’04, who was co-captainof The Prep swim team, has been named a co-captain of the Men’s Swimming and Diving Teamat Holy Cross. He is the second Prep student inrecent years to earn that honor at Holy Cross,following Matt Talucci ’02, who also was a cap-tain at The Prep and Holy Cross.

Jim McKenzie ’06 worked his way as a redshirtfreshman into the position of starting center forthe Syracuse University football team this pastfall.

Chris Whitney ’07 emerged as starting quarter-back at Villanova University in 2007.

8

alumni news

Peter Vossenberg ‘79 and Kathleen Ahearn [1]Anthony Casdia ‘89 and Beverly BattistaDaniel Bodell ‘90 and Dawn Willis [2]Gregory Kuklinski ‘94 and Dawn Dunbar [3]Benjamin Crowley ‘95 and Courtney FordKirk Brown ‘96 and Susan StewartBrian Madden ‘97 and Kate ToolanAndrew Mescolotto ‘97 and Natalie Pappas [4]Brian Roselle ‘97 and Erin Therese HimanThomas Bettner ‘98 and Melissa MitchellRyan Carney ‘98 and Amy Gurzo [5]Jeffrey Kelly ‘98 and Alycia Appicello [6]Sean Killeen ‘98 and Amber Rubeo [7]Andrew Farrell ‘99 and Maureen SchulteJoseph Kadlec ‘99 and Mary McKenna [8]Kevin Stefanski ‘00 and Michelle McCarthy

Prep Weddings Prep Births

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4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

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Ella Maria to Ben and Anne Smith, Prep Modern Language Teacher [1]Julia Michaela to Ian and Christina McGuire-Villareal, Prep Classics Teacher [2]Karleigh Gianna to Denise and Mike Sullivan, Controller [3]Tessa Josephine to Sarah and Michael Gomez, Prep Principal [4]Charles Vincent to Bridgette and Vincent Stinger ‘78 [5]Reagan Anderson to Christine and Drew Griffin ‘89 [6]Justin Michael to Rachel and Anthony Schiavo ‘89 Nicholas Michael to Monique and Frank Costa ‘90 [7]Patrick Henry to Diana and Jack O’Neill ‘90 [8]Caroline Marie to Michele and David Osinski ‘90 [9]Daniel, Jr. to Anne Marie and Daniel Sweeney ‘90Sarah to Amy and Robert Campbell ‘91Mia Felicia and Michael Joseph to Judy and Joseph Falcone ‘91, Prep Math Teacher [10]Aidan Joseph to Bonnie and Timothy Kain ‘91 [11]Keira Anne to Melissa and Sean Moule ‘92 [12]Max Hugh-Joseph to Danielle and Dennis Mullin ‘92Brady Patrick to Megan and Kevin Crow ‘94Brigid Anne to Alicia and Thomas Farren ‘94, Prep Modern Language TeacherDeidre Therese to Carrie and Curry Gallagher ‘94 [13]Lily Elizabeth to Jill and Greg O’Neill ‘94 [14]Annabella to Melissa and Patrick Connell ‘95 [15]Kevin Robert to Beth and Robert Deegan ‘95 [16]Claire Taylor to Kate and Dennis Hart ‘95, Prep History TeacherLeah Elizabeth to Jodie and Timothy M. Murphy ‘95Clare Margaret to Francine and Thomas McGlaughlin ‘96 [17]Pearl Elizabeth to Erin and Louis J. Cicalese Jr. ‘98

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Front row: Chris Lisko ’90, Joe Bodell’62, Dan Bodell ’90 [the groom],Brendan Sharkey ’90, Tom Fitzpatrick’90; Second row: Larry Romano ’90,Steve Kiley ’90, Justin Bodell ’93

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Ryan Carney ’98 and his bride Amy attheir wedding with Best Man PatrickCarney ’04 and Groomsmen JohnCivilico ’98, Emmett McGinn ’98 andTim Kelly ’98. Also present wereguests Scott Gorman ’98, Adam Siegel’98 and Sean McLoughlin ’03.

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Craig E. Harris, Jr. ’97, [best man] issecond on the left, Andrew Mescolotto’97 [groom] is to the right of the bride,Natalie.

[l. to r. beginning at the bottom] Trevor Echelmeier ’03, Sean Killeen ’98 [groom], Amber Rubeo Killeen, BrianBlacker ’05, Jim Daly ’03, Fr. Michael McCormac ’66, Ryan Killeen ’01, DrewBlacker ’04, Brendan Echelmeier ’95, John Fry ’98, Mike Washlick ’98, DaveJacquette ’98, Jermaine Slade ’98, Pete Belz ’98, Brian Finnegan ’98, JimAnderson ’98, Al Perry ’98, Jerry Rafter ’98.

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Jeffrey Kelly ’98 and his bride Alycia,with brother Jonathan Kelly ’01 andhis sisters.

[Front row, l-r]: Dean Hill ’11, DanielHill, Joe Kadlec ’99. [Back row, l-r] JohnSteplewicz ’66, Al Georeno ’52, KurtSchmel ’90, Drew Hill IV ’95, Brad Hill’04 and Drew Hill III ’69.

Calendar of Events

Tell Us Your News...We are interested in what you are doing. Mail it to: The Prep News, 1733 Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa.19130 or e-mail afalcone@sjprep.org

A P R I L24 Junior Ring Mass26 Hawktion29 Senior Exit Conversation

M A Y1 Feast of the Ascension Class Masses

Alumni Board of Governors2 Sophomore Conversation7 New Mothers Reception13 Board of Trustees Meeting14 Mothers’ Club New York Bus Trip15 Senior Talent Show23 Underclassmen Award Ceremony30-6/1 Class of 1958 Reunion31 Baccalaureate Mass in the Church of the Gesu

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the spring production of the Cape andSword Drama Society, will be held on May 8, 10-11 and 14-18. Formore information go to www.sjprep.org/theatre.

J U N E1 Commencement Ceremonies

(@ Saint Joseph’s University)11 Mothers’ Club Appreciation Liturgy and Brunch16 Summer School begins23 Pre-Eighth Grade Program begins

The Speedy Morris Basketball Camp for boys ages 8-16 will take place in the Kelly Fieldhouse on June 9-13 and 16-20. For more information, call 215-978-3303.

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REV. JOHN “MOOSE” MCGINTY, S.J. ‘45July 27, 1928 - November 4, 2007

Fr. McGinty, known to a generation of Prepstudents as “Moose,” served as the Prefectof Discipline at The Prep for a decade.Despite the strict manner in which he per-formed his job, or perhaps because of it, hewas beloved by many alumni, who weregrateful to Fr. McGinty for his fairness andfor the way that he helped to mold students.Fr. McGinty served two tenures at The Prep

and the 1970 Chronicle yearbook was dedicated to him after his final year.

In his final days, memories of his days at St. Joseph’s Prep warmed hisheart. “One day, I went home and found a yearbook from 1970 which wasdedicated to him,” says his niece Winnie McKie. “The next day, when Italked to him, I reminded him of that. He smiled and said, ‘That’s a goodmemory!’ The Prep meant so much to him. It was his heart and soul.”

Though Fr. McGinty had not worked at The Prep after 1970, he did comeback to many functions through the years and was a fixture at WednesdayNight JUG. His last visit to his beloved alma mater came in February 2007when he helped celebrate the announcement of the capital campaign andtour the old Jesuit Residence where he had lived for many years.

REV. JAMES A. MARTIN, S.J. ‘21August 30, 1902 - October 1, 2007

Prior to his death, Fr. Martin was the oldestJesuit, living to be 105 years old. But his lifewas more than longevity, it was a livingexample of priestly obedience and the will-ingness to lead others.

Rev. John Langan, S.J., who gave the homilyat Fr. Martin’s funeral mass, had these

thoughts: “The two noteworthy accomplishments which were particularsources of pride for him were his service as a chaplain in the U.S. Army inthe Mediterranean theater during World War II and the building of LoyolaRetreat House in Faulkner (Md.) at the end of the 1950’s. In both he wasable to lead as a man of action and to guide as a man of Ignatian spiritual-ity. They were both accomplishments which involved bringing men togetherto work in a good cause and which manifested Jimmy’s virtues and gifts inways which sustained people in hard times.”

Fr. Martin spent the last 25 years of his life in pastoral work and then aspart of the Jesuit community at Georgetown University, where he was thesubject of several articles written in the Hoya, the University’s student news-paper, and other local media outlets.

Fr. Martin, born in Wilkes-Barre, was an outstanding athlete during his yearsat The Prep. He was offered college athletic scholarships and a major leaguebaseball contract at the time of his graduation but he instead entered theJesuit Novitiate at Shadowbrook in West Stockbridge, Mass. Retaining hislove of athletics, he established and coached a championship basketballteam while teaching in the Philippines during his years of Jesuit formationin the 1920s. After his ordination at Weston College in 1934, he held several academic positions, among them Assistant Dean of Men atGeorgetown from 1939-1940.

Obituary

Rev. James A. Martin S.J. ‘21

Richard F. Johnson ‘35

Joseph P. Monaghan ‘35

W. Donald Cooke ‘36

Joseph J. Lihota ‘37

George L. Carroll ‘38

Joseph A. Janson, Jr. ‘38

Harry M. Byrne ‘40

Leon S. Staub ‘41

James C. Buckley ‘42

James F. Dougherty ‘42

John R. Fasy ‘42

Frances A. Brady ‘43

Frank M. Clancy ‘43

Robert G. McGill ‘43

Joseph P. O’Connell ‘43

Harry R. Mayer ‘44

Rev. John P. McGinty S.J. ‘45

Edward L. Sarno ‘47

Walter F. Mullen ‘47

William W. Carroll ‘48

Paul J. DiBlasi ‘49

John M. Coy ‘50

Joseph G. Costa Jr. ‘51

Frank M. McDonnell ‘52

James T. Aylmer ‘52

William A. Lamb ‘53

Joseph E. Hafner ‘55

J. David Obrecht ‘58

Philip J. Gilson, Jr. ‘61

Joseph A. Sweeney, Jr. ‘61

Andrew P. Mason III ‘73

Alfred J. Roberts ‘76

Anthony C. Kudzmas, Jr. ‘76

Thomas F. Byers ‘80

Peter J. Burke ‘81

Wayne C. Chalow ‘82

Darryl M. Davis ‘83

Steven Griffith ‘99

Rest in Peace

English teacher Andrew Whelan has embraced the

idea of faculty service and has accompanied students

on trips to places such as New Orleans, Rural Retreat

and, as this article will detail, Navajo Nation in New

Mexico.

My closest friends in life are the guys Igrew up with. College years gave me along list of pals whose friendships I stillvalue and need, but it’s my handful offriends from Maple Glen, who I cherishmost.

Distance and families and overly busycareers have not interfered with ourearnest efforts every several weeks tomeet for a meal. It is a tradition I hopenever fades, no matter the way our liveswill surely continue to change and grow.Our dinner chatter is lively and loud as weoffer updates on family, health, and jobappointments. We retell endearing storiesfrom our upbringings that never soundstale, thanks mostly to the layers of harm-less embellishments that now bury theoriginal tales.

After long goodbyes and promises to stayin better touch, I always drive towardshome acutely aware of the same things. Ifeel joyful, and indescribably fortunate tobe so genuinely known.

But, too, I am often confused by pangs ofodd guilt. I think back on the conversa-tions of the evening, specifically when wetalked about our ‘jobs’, and I can seeclearly through my mind’s eye that when Italk about my work at The Prep, myenthusiasm among my friends isunmatched. In reflection, I am actuallysomewhat embarrassed for loving what Ido so much. Maybe I should tone downmy excitement, I wonder. I mean, aren’tpeople supposed to hate their jobs?

Inevitably, and regardless of my very delib-erate attempts to share the attention,when with my friends the topic alwaysmanages to make its way to my work.Whether it’s a funny anecdote from mysophomore American Lit class, a greatidea a film student proposed, or an ambi-tious interview a young journalist secured,my friends listen intently to my stories asif they actually know the kids to which Iam referring.

Their interest in my work, however, is never as evident as whenthey pepper me with questions about The Prep’s service trips,and my experiences on them. I can see in their eyes a conflictedmix of real gladness for my exciting and worthwhile journeys,and some regret that their ‘jobs’ don’t offer such extraordinaryopportunities.

In those moments, I feel like the luckiest guy I know.

For the last two summers, I have traveledwith religious studies teacher StephenOldham [top photo, below] and a groupof eight incoming Prep seniors to St. MaryMission in Tohatchi, N.M. We stay forabout 8 days.

Tohatchi is a modest, Native Americancommunity of about 1,100 residents inthe high desert on The Navajo Nation inthe northwest corner of the state. TheNavajo Nation is the largest of all the U.S.Native American reservations, and its 17million acres extend into Arizona andUtah. Most of that acreage is hard, windy,wide-open space.

The closest city to Tohatchi, or at least aswe here in the East think of cities to be, isGallup, N.M., which is off the reservationand about a 50-mile drive south on Route491, through the red, arid sandscape.

For sure, Gallup has a Walmart, a KFC, aDollar Store, saloons, a Domino’s Pizza —everything you could want, right? Back upthe lonely highway in Tohatchi, there is aquiet gas station, a modular post office,and a mini mart. There also, standingproudly out of the dust and sand at theend of the town’s main road, is a bright,white, little Catholic church with turquoisewindow trim and a sparkling, highsteeple. This is St. Mary’s Church, and it iscentral to the Tohatchi community.

Two worldly, happy, sun-dried Franciscanpriests, as well as a few amazing nunsand lay people associated with the order,run the St. Mary Mission and all its educa-tional events and community programs.Besides the church, the mission is basicallya compound of several trailers, a fewgarages and sheds, five traditional one-room Navajo dwellings called hogans, anda parking lot of gravel and dirt.

Lining roughly the mission’s perimeter is aflimsy connection of fences – some madeof metal links, some of rusty wire, andsome of splintered wooden rails – which,rather than act as any kind of border or

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Perspectives

property line, is more meant to deter thefree-ranging horses, cattle, and a persistentproliferation of stray dogs.

The dominant elements of the Navajo tripare threefold: the land, the sun, and thepeople.

The land, and all the life it supports, ismagical and sacred to the Navajo. From thesmallest pebble to the largest buffalo, allnature is to be respected equally. All life,they say, holds lessons and stories, and alllife is a mysterious gift. The land for theNavajo is home, and it is their real connec-tion to their past — a past marked withbeautiful, creative spirituality, as well asbrutality and genocide at the hands ofEuropean explorers and early U.S. govern-ments.

The Navajo Nation is at about 5,000 feetabove sea level, which is a lot closer to thesun than we are accustomed. Besides thesun’s symbolic meaning and life-givingforce, it absolutely dictates the daily Navajoroutine because of the sheer power of itsblazing white light – which reflects from alldirections off an endless sprawl of sand

whatever capacity they need us. We havepainted hogans; leveled washed-out dirtroads; delivered food baskets to the home-bound in the farthest reaches of the reser-vation; installed gutters to better drain theoccasional rain; repaired wind-weary streetsigns; split fire wood; assisted the bibleschool; collected strewn garbage; assem-bled furniture; built stone walls; and filledhundreds of water balloons for a fast andrefreshing midday water fight with theNavajo children.

It was my great mentor Steve Oldham,though, who taught me service comes inmany forms. I tend to only be satisfied atthe end of the day if I am sore and sweatyfrom hard work in the sun, and therefore Iexpect the same from those with whom Ilabor. Steve, however, so wisely showed methat talking to the Navajo people could bemore valuable than painting their homes.Listening to their stories perhaps is moresignificant to them than hammering nailsand oiling squeaky hinges.

Being with them, even quietly, might bethe best gift we bring.

and rock – and the mercilessness of itsheat. From about noon to 2 p.m., folks onthe mission seek the indoors to eat slowlunches together, settle paperwork in frontof oscillating fans, or, not unlikely, nap. Welearned after a couple days that restingduring the hottest hours was smart, notlazy.

It is the Navajo people, though, that leavethe most vivid impressions on my memory.They are serious people of intense faithwho carry in their dark eyes and stoic facesthe history of their people’s struggles. Inthe past, they battled “the Anglos” fortheir land and their survival. Today’s battleslook different, but they might be as devas-tating. Poverty, alcoholism, obesity, dia-betes, and depression are epidemic onNative American reservations. The elderswill tell you despairingly that, among theyouth, the Navajo language and theancient Navajo traditions need to competewith MTV, fast food, drugs, the internet,the action in Gallup, and the everlastingpursuit of teenage coolness.

Our purpose when we go to Tohatchi is toserve the Navajo and St. Mary Mission in

Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

Permit No. 3000Philadelphia, PA

P A I D

Address service requested

St Joseph’s Preparatory School1733 Girard AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19130www.sjprep.org

Prep senior models [with Prep Principal Michael Gomez, 3rd row, far left]

at the 2008 Mothers’ Club Fashion Show