xavier alumnews may 2007

M A Y 2 0 0 7A L U M N E W S O F X A V I E R H I G H S C H O O L

WHAT DOESretirementMEAN TO YOU?

WHAT DOESretirementMEAN TO YOU?

In this Issue

May 2007 Vol. 10 No. 1

XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL

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

Michael LiVigniHeadmaster

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

Eric Lamar RiversDirector of Annual Giving

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

Loual Puliafito ’00 Advancement Officer

Helene Strong Parents’ Association Coordinator

Barbara CiullaAdvancement Office Manager

Norma PiecykAdministrative Assistantto the President and to the VP for Advancement

Contributing WritersKarol Kurzatkowski ’06 Eric Lamar Rivers

PhotographyTony CorreaLoual Puliafito ’00 Maxime P. Sinal ’07

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

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

Or by email [email protected]

Six longtime Xavier teachers will be retiring at the end of the year. For more

information, see page 17. Full details in the next issue of Alumnews.

8 Knights’ Turkey Bowl Victory Lights up the 2006 SeasonThe Varsity Knights slammed Fordham Prep with a 28-14 victory at the annual Turkey Bowl Thanksgiving Day game. It was the Knights’ first victory since 1999, and the game capped off the end of a successful year for Xavier’s football program.

10 Xavier Hall of Fame Dinner Raises $55,000November’s Hall of Fame Dinner raised $55,000 for the IgnatianScholars Program. The dinner, held at Pier 60 brought in alumni,special guests and Hall of Fame members to pay tribute to the seven new inductees!

12 What Does Retirement Mean to You?Retirement can mean lots of things, but more and more retirees arefinding traditional retirement options to be impossible. Some of ouralumni reflect on the alternatives they’ve turned to when finishing their careers, and what the word “retirement” means to them.

D E PA R T M E N T S

1 President’s Message2 From the Headmaster3 News from the Quad

18 Knights Corner

21 Class Notes23 Mileposts24 From the

Advancement Office

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Happy forthe Present,Gratefulfor the Past

1MAY 2007 — ALUMNEWS

Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends,

Xavier is blessed with young men who love their school and are proud of its tradi-tions and present reputation. In three consecutive centuries now, thousands of studentshave passed through Xavier’s doors, but I imagine very few people know how it allbegan. To tell that story, I will share with you the tale of Xavier’s first student, ThomasNugent, age 12.

August 25, 1847 was not unlike many a hot August day in the Lower East Side of Man-hattan, except for the fact that young Tom Nugent had an appointment with history.At twelve years old he was the oldest boy in a family of six children; three girls and threeboys. Susannah at fourteen was the oldest, then came Tom, followed by John, nine, MaryJane, six, Ellen, three, and baby brother, Francis, one year old.Their parents,Thomas Nugentand Mary Clarke, had both been born in Ireland;Thomas in Keady, County Armagh, in Ulster.

As a young man of about nineteen,Thomas Nugent left Ireland, sailed on the “Sally ofNewport” and landed in Quebec on June 13, 1821. He made his way to New York later thatyear, settled in an Irish neighborhood, and apparently found some work. In May of 1830 hemarried Mary Clarke and in the same year is listed as a grocer in the New York Directory.By 1847 he was the prosperous father of six, having been a liquor dealer for the previousfifteen years.

He and his wife were concerned for the education of their boys. A Father JohnLarkin, a Jesuit from Bishop Hughes’ St. John’s College at Fordham, was in the neighbor-hood, and word was out that he was organizing a new Catholic Church and a school for boys. The school was to be made up of classrooms in a refitted basement of anabandoned Protestant Church on Elizabeth Street just north of Walker Street. The newestablishment would be known as “The Church and School of the Holy Name of Jesus.”The location was within ten blocks of the Nugent home; the Jesuits had a proven recordin education; the boy would get a fine Catholic upbringing. No time to lose, ThomasNugent must have thought. “Let’s go, Tom, I’m going to register you at Father Larkin’snew school.” Father Larkin sat at a desk with a book’s clean page in front of him whenthe Thomas Nugents arrived. Thomas Nugent, aged 12, was the first name written downin Larkin’s book of students. The rest is history. Other names would appear a few dayslater on September 1st, then again throughout September and into October, until theend of the year when the ranks of students had swollen to 120, but the distinction isThomas Nugent’s that his name is the first, his date of entrance the earliest; he is Xavier’s first student.

Young Thomas Nugent had another distinction: his four years in school with the Jesuitscovered all four locations the school has ever had. Originally located at Elizabeth andWalker Streets, the Church and School of the Holy Name of Jesus burned down on January22, 1848; for the next five months the school operated from St. James Church, then for twoyears it was located in houses on Third Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets. OnNovember 25, 1850 classes began in the newly built L-shaped building at 49 West 15thStreet, and at the suggestion of Bishop Hughes, to mark the occasion the school’s namewas changed to “The College of St. Francis Xavier.”Thomas Nugent left Xavier in 1851 at the age of 16.The school must have made a good impression on the Nugent family:Tom’sbrothers, John and Francis also attended, John for three years and Francis for one.Tom’solder sister, Susannah, must have liked Xavier too: she married a Michael Broderick in thefirst Church of St. Francis Xavier on 16th Street on January 3, 1853.

Families loving Xavier have existed for 160 years! Reflecting on that fact,I am very happy with the present and deeply grateful for the past.

God bless you always,

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

2 ALUMNEWS — MAY 2007

As the school year begins to draw to a close, and the class of 2011 is registered for

the fall, I think back to a letter that we sent to the parents of our current students this

past summer. In that initial letter to begin the school year, I described Xavier’s hopes for

each of our students: Our hope that each Xavier student would grow into a man of good

conscience, a man of competence, and a man of compassion. I told our parents that it

is my firm conviction that if their sons learn these three things, and incorporate each

of these characteristics into his life, then they would become the man that God meant

them to be, and a person who would know true success. Each of these three qualities,

all of which are outlined and described eloquently by the Jesuit Secondary Education

Association, is a model of leadership for a world that is in desperate need of leaders.

Too often we hear of leaders who take on the mantle of responsibility for their own

gain. We hear every day of those who abuse the authority entrusted to them, both in

government and in business; those who want to become leaders not because they want

to serve but because they want power or money; those who expect others to pick up the

mantle of responsibility for injustice and poverty. Xavier has long taught that individuals

take on leadership roles not because of personal gain, but because the world will gain

from it. We teach our students today the same lesson that you, our alumni, were taught

when you attended Xavier: that the greatest calling is one that calls us to place our tal-

ents and hard work at the service of God and the world. At Xavier, we live and breathe

this mission.

The challenges Xavier presents to our students are not an easy ones. But as our

students come to understand, and you may already know, nothing worth having is easy

to obtain.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of The Little Prince, a book that many of you

might have read, wrote: “If you are to be, you must begin by assuming responsibility.

You alone are responsible for every moment of your life, for every one of your acts.”

At a recent honors assembly, I read these words by Saint-Exupéry to our students and

challenged them to live by the example of many of our alumni.

Our students are growing up and becoming men in a time and place where people

are quick to blame others for their failings; a world that tells them that it is easier to give

up rather than to work hard. It is our goal to show them that failure is a part of life and

that they must learn and grow from those failings, not make excuses for them.

Each of our students has the potential to become a leader and to achieve great

things. I believe that their time here at Xavier fosters this, and I am grateful to each

of you who, through your generosity and hard work, help the school in its mission

of creating leaders in the Ignatian and Jesuit model.

Dear Xavier Alumni, Parents and Friends:

FROM THE HEADMASTER

The Challenge of Ignatian Leadership

MIKE LiVIGNIHeadmaster


The tables were turned as the Jug-a-Teacher fundraiser brought students and faculty members tothe Commons for an afternoon of fun…

Alumni speakers on Career Day entertained and informed our Juniors in an effort to give them hands-oncareer guidance about the choices they will make in the future…

The Annual Fund efforts are strongerthan ever this year, as Xavier strives to reach its $2,000,000 goal for the 2007 fiscal year. Catch an update on page 5…

The newly formed Minority Alumni Council held several events,celebrating diversity at Xavier whileuniting students with alumni…

One of Xavier’s newest teams, the Sabre Team, was formed by two ambitious sophomores. The team has grown and is now performing at a number of events…

The Xavier community turned out to be spectators at one of the most unique, new events we haveeach year, the annual RoboticsTournament, paired with the Science and Technology Fair…

JUG-a-Teacher Event Thrills SeniorsThousands of Sons of Xavier have served JUG throughout the years, but on

Friday, January 26th, hundreds of current Xavier students packed the Commons to witness their favorite faculty members do what they hoped they would neverhave to do…serve JUG.

The 2007 Senior Class Gift Committee sponsored the Jug-a-Teacher event andcollected over $220 in bids from Xavier students who voted to have their teacherswalk the JUG Line. Mr. Tom Gibbons, Director of College Counseling, hosted theevent and made sure that his fellow colleagues had earned their jug service byrunning sprints, doing jumping-jacks, and walking the Jug line.

Mr. Eric Lamar Rivers, Director of Annual Giving, who established the SeniorClass Gift Committee in 2006, said he was impressed with how successful theSenior Class Gift Committee has been in conveying the importance of all Sons of Xavier giving back to Xavier, but added that he hopes that this year’s class will set a new record with a participation of at least 65%. “We introduced the committee to increase participation from the younger alumni and to give themthe opportunity to be involved in the fundraising process,” said Mr. Rivers. Lastyear’s senior class set a record at 55%, but Mr. Rivers hopes that this year’s seniorclass will shatter that record.

The money raised at the Jug-a-Teacher event will be used for this year’s seniorclass gift. The Class of 2007 will present Fr. Gatti with its donation on June 2, 2007at the Baccalaureate Dinner. Plans for the donation include renovations of Xavier’s4th floor between the Lynch and C-building, and the construction of an awning infront of the school building.

QuadNews from the QuadNews from the

I N B R I E F :

“Students enjoy putting faculty throughthe paces for Jug-a-Teacher day

The 2007 Senior Class Gift Committee

CAREER DAYGUESTS INSPIREJUNIORS

Today’s high school students have

more guidance when choosing career

options than ever before. The days

of the standardized interest tests that

were given for decades to provide a

series of estimated interest and skill-

based career possibilities have passed.

Past generations weren’t lucky enough

to have concrete mentors or a guaran-

teed way to be exposed to different

career options.

Xavier believes that all students

should have the chance to gain practi-

cal knowledge about their real-world

interests and aspirations. To assist with

college planning, year after year Career

Day at Xavier has given our Juniors

a chance to meet and speak with a

wide range of career-driven alumni

and to learn a little about their world.

Career Day, held November 9, 2006

brought in a number of new guests

who spoke to three sections of Juniors

in 40-minute increments. This year’s

keynote speaker was Pete Dowling ’68,

a retired U.S. Secret Service agent,

and once head of operations at it’s

Washington Bureau. Prior to Career Day,

Dowling collaborated with Xavier’s

guidance and advancement depart-

ments, asking students to fill out a

survey about their career aspirations

and extracurricular activities. He

detailed the results during his keynote

address, empowering students with

their diverse interests and their

staggering potential. Speakers also

included Karim Herdsman ’97, who

spoke on his human resources and

finance management work at Virgin

USA; Michael Montelongo ’73; vice-

president of Sodexho, Inc.; and John

Singler ’66, who spoke on his work as

a finance manager for the U.S. Mission

to the United Nations and also as a U.S.

Army hospital administrator.

Dowling, Herdsman, Montelongo

and Singler joined Frank Comerford ’73,

Hon. John Countryman ’50, Dominick

Gadaleta, M.D. ’78, Peter Hamboussi ’95,

Daniel McCarthy, Esq. ’71, Dan Rodriguez

’58, Michael Sheehan ’66, and Stephen

Stabile ’97, in addressing the Juniors.

“Career day provides our Juniors

with first-hand experiences from the

‘real world.’ More importantly, it helps

our students understand that the dedi-

cated alumni who return to Xavier were

once Juniors and were faced with the

same choices,” said Mr. Mike LiVigni,

Xavier’s Headmaster. “There is a certain

level of comfort for our young men in

knowing that although they are faced

with many career paths, there are lots

of options to pursue.”


News from the Quad

(Top) Keynote speaker, Pete Dowling ’68 addresses the Juniors on Career Day.(Bottom) Stephen Stabile ’97 speaks on his work at Merrill Lynch. This is Steve’s 2nd Career Day!


News from the Quad

Annual Fund is a Team Effort

Minority Events StirUp Diversity at XavierThe 2007 Annual Fund goal is $2,000,000. As of April 1,

2007, 3,280 alumni, parents, and friends have generously contributed $1,603,107 in cash and pledges to Xavier HighSchool. That’s exactly 80% of our goal. There is still time tomake a gift to Xavier. A gift of any size will help us continueour mission of educating Men for Others.

This year’s Phonathons were very instrumental in helpingus. Over 40 graduates and 20 parents volunteered their timeand energy to call up their classmates and fellow parents. Thealumni volunteer pool was more diverse than usual. We hadalumni from as far as Pennsylvania and Massachusetts comeback to Xavier to participate. The oldest caller came from theClass of 1941 while the youngest came from the Class of1998. Through the Parents’ Phonathons in October, theAlumni Phonathons in January, and the Wrap-Up Phonathonin March, $348,000 was raised, surpassing our goal. If youhave made a pledge, please fulfill that pledge by June 30,2007. Last year, Xavier had $71,643 worth of unfulfilledpledges, and as our goal this year is $2 million, we cannot be successful if you don’t fulfill your pledge.

Gifts to the Annual Fund help cover the gap of $3,000between the cost of tuition and fees and the actual cost toeducate each student. Further, gifts to the Annual Fund allowus to provide our students with a top notch Jesuit educationand also enable us to award over $1,200,000 in scholarshipsto students who wouldn’t be able to attend Xavier otherwise.

—Eric Lamar Rivers

Over the summer a group of African-American alumniof Xavier joined together with the Advancement & AlumniRelations Office to create a Minority Alumni Council(MAC). The work of the Council is to provide administra-tive and financial support to campus events with the goalof securing funds for scholarships and bringing minorityalumni back to 16th Street. Participants will also helpexplore self-sustaining fund raising efforts while develop-ing leadership and mentoring opportunities for minorityalumni and support the ongoing alumni outreach effortsof Xavier. The Council meets bi-monthly and meetings areopen to any alumni or friends of Xavier who would like tosupport the mission and goals of the Council.

On November 8, 2006 Xavier invited African-Americanand Latin-American alumni, parents and students to areception to hear what the African-American and Latin-American Cultural Clubs have been working on. The eventalso provided the students with a chance to talk with thealumni about life after Xavier. Over 60 alumni, parents, andstudents were in attendance for this event.“This event isthe first of many where we’re inviting minority alumni tocome back to Xavier and share their experience with thecurrent students and become mentors” said Mr. Eric LamarRivers, Director of Annual Giving and Co-Moderator of theAfrican American Cultural Club.

Another reception took place on April 25th and evenmore alumni, parents, and student were in attendance.The focus of this second event was on networking andcareer building. MSGT James Jones was also honored ashe will be retiring from Xavier after 21 years of service tothe JROTC and X-Squad. Christopher Alexander ’08 said“These events are great because they allow us to hearfrom alumni who have been in our shoes and we’re ableto learn from them and plan better for the future.”

For more information on MAC and future events contact Mr. Rivers at 212-924-7900 x1436 or [email protected] year’s alumni phonathon had the highest attendance in recent history.

Fr. Gatti with Alumni Phonathon volunteers.

Student members of theMinority Alumni Council.

SABRE GUARD TAKES FORM It was the brainchild of two Xavier

sophomores, and it’s now grown to afull JROTC team. The Sabre Team hadnever existed at Xavier before, and RayBrown ’09 and Jeff Cassara ’09 realized a great opportunity.

Until the 1940s, the sabre was usedexclusively as a military weapon. Today,sabres are used for special events likeweddings, funerals, as well as andhonor guard presentations at formalmilitary ceremonies and divisionparades. Brown and Cassara said thestature and sense of discipline thatsabre guards seem to exude wereappealing to them, and they broughttheir ideas to Lt. Col. Roy Campbell,head of Xavier’s JROTC program, inSeptember 2006.

After their initial proposal, Lt. Col.Campbell approved the plan andannouncements were posted aroundXavier and in the school’s daily morn-ing announcements. Meetings beganand the first team of nine students wasformed, with Brown and Cassara

installed as officers.“There is something

different about the SabreGuard. It’s like a combina-tion of a lot of other teams.It has a performance aspectlike the X-Squad and a fitness aspect like Raiders,”Lt. Col. Campbell said.“There’s a certain excite-ment within the Regiment,with cadets very interestedin those physical things -rifles and marksmanship -and sabres are one more element thatseems to attract young men.”

“When we first started, we reallydidn’t know what a sabre guard didand the whole history behind it,” saidRoy Brown ’09, officer in command.“Itwas just an honor guard thing and nowit’s progressed to be an honor guard, afuneral guard, ceremonial, and maybenext year we’ll add a competitiveaspect.”

By the spring, the Xavier Sabre Team

had grown to 18 members, including12 cadets and 6 pledges. Team mem-bers are granted the privilege of wear-ing their own cord, a special distinctionattached to cadets’ uniforms. Recentappearances have included a fashionshow at St. Saviour High School, thepresidential inaugural ceremony for the Bay Ridge Community Council, andan honor guard presentation for theChildren’s Leukemia Foundation Dinnerat Chelsea Piers.

The Xavier Sabre Guard at a wedding in October.

On February 4, 2007 Xavier students packed the Commons gymnasium to wit-ness the 3rd Annual Science and Technology Fair and Robotics Tournament heldby the Xavier Science and Technology department.

Chris Duszka ’09 and Matthew Cassara ’09 teamed up to defeat the upperclass-men in a bridge-building competition, which was open to all students whothought they could construct a bridge spanning 24 inches, capable of holding1600 grams—all with a limited supply of balsa wood and glue. Duszka, who is onlyin his sophomore year, has already won two bridge-building competitions!

The main event of the afternoon, the Robotics tournament between severalteams in Mr. Mike Chiafulio’s Robotics class featured seniors David Sokolowski ’07and Robert Hughes ’07. Sokolowski and Hughes earned 1st place in the head-to-head tournament by knocking off their opponents in the final round. The winningteam and other members of the Robotics class said they look forward to recaptur-ing success at the upcoming New York/New Jersey Botball Championships and at the Botball National Championship, the latter of which will be held this summerin Honolulu, HI.

Numerous Xavier students, including members of Mr. Benjamin Suro’s honorschemistry class, prepared projects focusing on various topics in science; studentsKevin D’Emic ’08, Hank Randall ’08 and Doug Moringiello ’08 took home the honors for a project they created focusing on the dynamics of solar energy.

Mr. Chiafulio, chair of the Science and Technology department, said he looksforward to entering some of next year’s projects to the New York City Science andEngineering Fair, and added that he credits this year’s success to the “creativity anddedication of the Xavier student body.”


News from the Quad

Science and Technology onDisplay at Xavier

John McGrath ’09 prepares his bridge for competition.


PackagesMaroon & Blue: $7,000Includes 3 Foursomes, 3 Tee Sponsors, 3 Jesuit Sponsors, 6 GolfRaffle tickets and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Blue Knight: $3,500Includes 2 Foursomes, 2 Tee Sponsors, 1 Jesuit Sponsor, 1 GolfRaffle ticket and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Maroon: $1,400Includes 1 Foursome, 1 Tee Sponsor, and an acknowledgementin our Annual Report.

Sponsorship OpportunitiesEvent Sponsor: $5,000Includes a Foursome, recognition signs naming the tournament(The Your Business Name 23rd Annual Xavier Golf Outing), aJesuit Sponsor, and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Golf Shirt Sponsor: $3,000Talk about advertisement! Your Company Logo will be printedon all the Golf Shirts, a recognition sign will be posted, and anacknowledgement will appear in our Annual Report. Foursomeand an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Dinner Sponsor: $2,500Includes 2 golfers, a recognition sign at the tournament and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Brunch Sponsor: $2,000Includes 2 Golfers, a sign at the tournament and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Cart Sponsor: $1,500Includes 1 golfer and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Sponsor a Jesuit: $300Adds a Jesuit golfer to the outing and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Hole/Tee Sponsor: $300Includes 1 tee sign and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.

Only 100 Tickets to be Sold, and the Rafflewill be drawn the night of the Golf Outing!

(Winner need not be present;you will be notified by Xavier)

www.xavierhsalumni.org/goraffle07

$100per ticket

Westchester Hills Golf ClubMay 22, 2007www.xavierhsalumni.org/golf07Register online today!

The Xavier High School23rd Annual Golf Outing

Name: __________________________________________ Class of: ___________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________ Email: __________________________

nn Enclosed is my check made payable to Xavier High School for $____________ .

nn Please charge my credit card.nn Mastercard Card # ___________________________nn Visa

Expiration ________________________

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

G O L F VA C AT I O N R A F F L EXavier would like to send you and a friend on a 5-day and 4-night trip to the M Grande Resort & Spa in Myrtle Beach. Youwill be able to choose 5 out of the 7 great courses available!


Xavier Football Enjoys a Turn-Around SeasonThe Xavier football program made great improvements all around

this year. Coach Stevens explains the marked success.

The 2006 Xavier Knights’ season wasone of the most successful in recentmemory and ended up proving a bit ofold advice to be true. Upon his returnin 2004, Xavier Varsity Head CoachChris Stevens ’83 said that manyCatholic High School Football Leaguecoaches had warned him to be patientbecause it takes three years to turn aprogram around.

Three years later, the Freshmanteam under new Head Coach JohnKelly went 7-1 achieving the bestrecord in the program while beatingfive upper division teams (Holy Cross,Xaverian, Archbishop Stepinac,Fordham Prep and Cardinal Hayes).The Junior Varsity team under AthleticDirector and new Head Coach RodWalker earned a record of 6-4 whilepeaking in the playoffs to capture theCHSFL “A” Division Championship beat-ing St. John the Baptist 36-14. And

while the Varsity team only went 5-6,they managed to achieve a number ofmilestones over the course of the sea-son, not least of which, was a 28-14 winover Fordham Prep in what wasarguably the biggest upset of the sea-son in the CHSFL.

Last year, the Varsity Football Teamachieved its first winning regular sea-son record in six years. This year, theywon their first playoff game in sevenyears and defeated Fordham for thefirst time in the 21st Century. The “new”1930s Single Wing offense employedby the Knights helped them to rush for2460 yards, which was the most rush-ing yards gained by any team underCoach Stevens. The Varsity Knights alsoscored over 200 points this season(207!), which is only the sixth time inXavier history that that has beenachieved and also the first time that itwas ever achieved in back-to-back sea-

sons (the 2005 Knights scored 208points). The 49-12 playoff victory overMoore Catholic on November 5th,marked the most points any XavierVarsity team has scored in a singlegame since the 1974 smashing of theFordham Rams 54-6. The 2006 Varsityteam also showed great improvementon defense. Three years ago, the Varsityteam gave up 337 points on defenseand was the most scored upon team inthe CHSFL. This past season, they werethe second least scored upon team inthe entire 22-team league and theygave up only 146 points making themthe 3rd best Xavier defense in the last20 years.

When asked to explain why Xavierhas shown such improvement on theGridiron, Coach Stevens credited quali-ty coaching staffs at every level. “If youput good people in front of the kidsgood things happen.” He also com-


ments that the staff is committed torunning the same system of offenseand defense on every level and that,“repetition and clear assignmentsbreed aggressiveness and success.”

Finally, he said that events likeFreshman Sports Information Nightand the acts of speaking and scoutingat a number of Little League football

programs around the city led to a spikein the interest in Xavier Football, whichhas resulted in competitive cuts beingmade on the Freshman level the lasttwo seasons. He believes that Xavierattracts the type of players who havethe quality of work ethic that has led to success. “I love our kids, most themhave to commute at least an hour to

school and fulfill significant academicresponsibilities, yet we average about45 Varsity players in the weight room at 7:00 a.m. three times a week eventhough many of our football playersparticipate in 1 or 2 other sports in theafternoons during the off-season.”

The Varsity Football Team celebrates after winning the 2006 Turkey Bowl. Senior Max Sinal took this photo, which was published by several publicationsin the New York area.


Close to 400 guests honored the seven newest inductees to the Xavier Hall of

Fame on November 19th at a dinner held at Pier 60 filled with pride, tradition

and a touch of elegance.

The success of the evening can be attributed not only to the recognition of

fine accomplishments, but also to an underlying good cause. All of the proceeds

raised from the dinner benefited the Ignatian Scholars Program, which challenges

academically gifted and highly motivated 8th grade students about to enter

Xavier to take demanding honors courses and to participate in special cultural

and intellectual enrichment activities during their freshman and sophomore years.

November’s inductees were Rev. Kenneth J. Boller, S.J., Paul Curran ’49,

Albert F. del Rosario ’57, William E. LaMothe ’44, Arthur McEwen ’51,

Eugene C. Rainis ’58, and Rev. Vincent G. Potter, S.J. ’46, who was inducted

posthumously. All of the living honorees gave acceptance speeches and

were presented with the Xavier Hall of Fame proclamation.

Special guests at the Hall of Fame Dinner included Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J.,

president of Fordham University, and the late Rev. James Loughran, S.J., president

of St. Peter’s College. A number of previous inductees were also present, including

Dave Anderson ’47, John Foley P ’77, ’79, ’81, ’86, Rev. James Keenan, S.J., Franklin

GregoryP ’80, ’86, ’87, Rev. Patrick Sullivan, S.J., Hon. Walter Stadtler ’53, Bro. Richard

Curry, S.J., head of the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped, Francis

Morison ’58, and Rev. Joseph Novak, S.J. ’44.

A Hall of Fame Evening

Fr. Gatti addresses the guests at the 2006 Xavier Hall of Fame Dinner at Pier 60.


To be a member of the HOF is an honor

in and of itself. To be a member of this

class of 2006 has a special dimension…

For whatever successes that I’ve

had, I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants.

When I think of Xavier or any of my

other assignments, I always think of

the people that have welcomed me,

taught me, stretched me, become my

colleagues and friends. I taught in the

Math Department with legends like

Finnigan, Thompson, Nash, Baker and

Woehling. We explored the pilot school

with Frs. Duminuco and Wood. And I

learned how to be a Jesuit, a teacher,

and a priest with examples in Jesuits

and colleagues like Caulfield and

Keenean, Lux and Dineen and Foley

and Galbraith and Moroney and

so many more.

There were retreats, sodality meetings,

speech and debate, student council meet-

ings, school dances—I had a lot of energy

in those days. Through all the years and in

different roles in Xavier and in Buffalo and

at St. Aloyisius, in Harlem I’ve learned so

much from you. You are my students who

have taught me how to learn, you are my

colleagues who taught me how to teach

and to listen. You are trustees who give

so much of yourselves in the service of the

mission and have taught me to be gener-

ous. You are the alumni and parishioners

who have welcomed me and taught me

how to welcome others. And, of course,

you are my family. My mother Gena,

my late father, Vincent. Jimmy, Susan,

Vinny, Barbara, the kids, and did I tell you

I have some cousins… You have loved

me and you have stretched me. You have

stretched my love to embrace you all.

For all of these gifts, for all of you, I give

thanks. Thanks be to God for the gift of

you all, and I get to keep the award.

“

The dinner raised a

total of $55,000, which

benefited the Ignatian

Scholars Program. Many

thanks are extended

toward the sponsors

and guests who helped

make the night a

special evening!

To nominate a Xavier alumnus or someone close to the Xavier community for the Xavier Hall of Fame,please see the form on page 20.

Boller

Curran

del Rosario

LaMothe

McEwen

Potter

Rainis

Charles Potterbrother of Fr. Potter

”Excerpt from Fr. Boller’s induction speech


Theories and answers from two of Xavier’s most active retirees.

A recent, very informal, poll around the halls of

Xavier asked staff members to recount the first word

that comes to mind when thinking of retirement. The

results were staggered: it was March, amidst winter

that had brought spells of deep cold; we were inside

a Jesuit school in New York City; those asked ranged

in age from their early 20s through early 60s.

The most popular response was just one, simple

word: golf. Golf was second only to a quiet, relaxing

house by the beach. Other more colorful answers

included “staying healthy,”“worrying about your

health,”“fishing,”“Frank Sinatra,”“watching ‘The Price

is Right,’”“rejuvenation,”“dedication to family,”“the

film Grumpy Old Men,” and, finally,“Boca Raton.”

Ray Madonna ’57 Jim Cooke’45


There’s a stereotype involved in theconcept of retirement—that retirementis simply, cleanly, the moment when onemakes the transition from occupation topreoccupation. It’s the day when priori-ties switch from what one needs to do,what one has to do, to what one wantsto do. It’s undeniable that retirement is a shift from one period to another, butretirement today is often less of a con-clusion, less of an endpoint than thestart of something new.

When Ray Madonna ’57 retiredfrom General Dynamics, one of thecountry’s largest military defense suppliers, in January 2005, the watch he received as a gift was a slight spin onthe famed “gold watch.” It was a water-

proof dive watch. An avid scuba diver,that spring he celebrated his 67th birthday with a dive in the watersoff of Maui, a trip he and his wife makeevery other year now.

But once the celebration endedMadonna didn’t let any time pass beforetaking on a new endeavor.

“I came back from the trip and started consulting,” he said.“I had aboutthree clients, and this past Decemberone made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”Today, Madonna spends four days eachweek working for his former clients’communications business near hishome in Kent Island, MD.“Two days aweek I work from home, and two days aweek I cross the bridge to go into work.I never cross the bridge on Fridays.”

His background includes 21 years ofservice to the Marines, with two tours inVietnam, two years spent on the U.S.Naval Academy faculty and work withthe Marine Corps Reserve Program.After a brief stint in the computer soft-ware industry, he held a marketing posi-tion within a company in Cherry Hill, NJthat made communications equipmentfor the military. In 1990, he moved to acompany in the same industry basedout of Columbia, MD. Motorola pur-chased that company in 1995, andGeneral Dynamics got hold of Madonnawhen it purchased the division in whichhe had been working.

By the time his first retirementopportunity came around in 1983, whilehe was in the Marine Corps, it was clearthat the future would involve furtheremployment. Madonna, who had mar-ried in 1969, was 43 years old and had

two children who were almost in theirteens. He knew he had to have a jobthat paid, and his family and his mort-gage made that more of a requirementthan just an intuition.

When asked about a traditionalretirement he said he didn’t think it hadever crossed his mind. Growing up inRockaway Beach, Queens in a homewith two bungalows on Beach 99thstreet, he had seen his own father workuntil his 60s and then retire from his jobas head of shipping for A. Sulka &Company, on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue.Madonna recalls worrying about hisfather’s well-being after retirement.

“I had just gotten out of the Marinesand I had said ‘Dad, it’s really importantthat you just don’t do nothing.You needto get up in the morning with a list toaccomplish. I don’t care if you work justtwo or three hours—you do it, andyou’ll have a feeling of accomplishment,and then you play.’” His father didn’tseem open to advice, Madonna said,and three years after that conversationhe passed away.In Madonna’s own estimation, it’s been acombination of mental and physical

“Two days a week I work from home, and two days a week I cross the bridge to go into work. I never cross the bridge on Fridays.”

Ray Madonna scuba diving off Maui,wearing the diving watch he was given as a retirement gift.

stimulation that has kept him healthy.In his free time, Madonna dives,

loves to go boating, collects antiques,spends time computing, getting in anoccasional golf game, and enjoys pho-tography - “both on the ground andunderwater.” He said his favorite pas-time is a long walk with his wife on abeach somewhere in the world. Inrecent years, he said he’s had a goodway of measuring his health, a measurehe actually found in a neighbor who istwo years younger than him, formerly inlaw enforcement. Madonna frequentlyjoins his neighbor for bike rides or walksaround Kent Island.“He’s in better shapethan me and I’m constantly trying tocatch up to him,” he said.“I have a lot of energy. I’m 67 now. My son thinks I’m an iron man and I’ll live forever,and my daughter probably has thesame opinion.”

He does, however, admit that hisfourth career does have a few self-imposed limitations.

“I can see myself cutting back a little, but I have rules. The rules arethese: I don’t work for someone I don’tlike, I have to enjoy what I’m doing andlike the product I sell, and whatever it is I’m doing, I have to like it. It has to begood for the country,” he said.

“If I look at the Naval guys I graduat-ed with, I would say that 60 percent arereally retired and they spend their timevisiting grandchildren and doing otherthings. Twenty to thirty percent are stillin the game, mostly because they wantto be,” he said. And, again, he added, henever crosses the bridge on Fridays—it’s a self-imposed work restriction.

“Retirement, per say, is a function ofthe personality of the person retiring,”Madonna said.“It hasn’t got anything todo with he’s good, he’s better, he’s notgood—it has to do with personality.Retirement is not a decision that some-one makes alone. The decision involveshis wife and his family. There are peopleI know my age that are still workingbecause they have to. They are busy

doing things because they are puttingkids through college.”

Currently, Madonna said he’s in a bit of an overload. Work on a DVD he’sproducing for a Naval Academy classreunion (a class which actually includesthree of his Xavier classmates) has beenpulling at his free time, but he’s not con-cerned with being over productive. Hisadvice to anyone considering retire-ment is to stay occupied.“Man doesn’tfunction well without goals and a wayto attain those goals.You’ve got to havea plan.”

* * *The home of Jim Cooke ’45 is a

quaint, comfortable house on a cornerin Cockeysville, MD. The house has fivebedrooms despite its snug feeling, andthe floors creak below the carpeting.Cooke lives alone, after his wife of 31years, Anne Fitzgerald, passed away in

September 1987. He will turn 80 inSeptember; he loves reading and speakswith the wit and speed of a twenty-something. Cooke jumps at the chanceto speak of his family—six children inall, with four boys and two girls—andhe boasts ten grandchildren.

Inside his living room, a hand-madeukulele sits on a sofa cushion beside amusic book; a table lamp is lit betweentwo reading chairs and the wall on oneend of the room is lined with books. Hesaid his grandchildren are the only oneswho play around with the ukulele,which was made by his own grandfa-ther many years ago.

The room next door is what Cookerefers to as his “New York Room.” Apainting of an ocean scene hangs onone wall, while a map of Long Islandhangs opposite. By his own account,it took him ten years to get used to not living in New York, after he movedhis family to Maryland to take a job pro-motion in July 1971.

As a member of Xavier’s Class of ’45,Cooke’s memories of Xavier are lacedwith stories of war. On the night ofDecember 7, 1941, he recalled being at


d two days a week I cross the bridge to go into work. I never cross the bridge on Fridays.”


a drill at the Armory on the Upper WestSide. When he walked out of theArmory, he heard the news that PearlHarbor had been attacked. Albert Butler,one of his Xavier classmates, had quitschool after his Junior year to join thearmy. Classes ended in June, and byDecember his classmate had been killedin the Battle of the Bulge.

Cooke joined the U.S. Navy afterXavier and served stateside for one year.He felt a sense of obligation to serve, andrecalled a general feeling not of what canI do to stay out of the service, but rather,what can I do to get into it. Under the G.I.Bill, a year’s service granted him threeyears of tuition expenses. His choice toattend Fordham University had onlybeen a possibility because of the assis-tance the government gave him, help hewould never take for granted.

He studied business at Fordhamfrom 1947 to 1951 and took a job at theCarr-Lowrey Glass Company’s midtownoffice as a trainee in December 1952while he attended graduate school atNYU at night. Cooke and his wife weremarried in 1956 and lived in NassauCounty, Long Island while starting their

family. Over the next 19 years, he rose tothe position of Assistant New YorkManager and in order to accept the roleof Vice-president of Sales and Marketing,he relocated. He missed New York, but, tohis surprise, he found a community oftransplanted New Yorkers to join.

Cooke said the decision to retirecame after the company was purchasedby a group of Wall Street investors whoreplaced most of the company execu-tives, with the exception of himself, rightaway. The tides had turned, and man-agement disagreements had made itdifficult for him to adjust to the newexecutives. Still, his children were grownby that time, and most were married. Itwas his 38th year at Carr-Lowry, and hewas 63.

“I agonized about retiring,” Cookesaid.“I remember I sat up all night smok-ing a cigar until 3 a.m. praying to the

Holy Spirit.” New Years Day 1991 was hisfinal full day of work. In June 2003, aftera steady decline and 114 years of exis-tence, the company ceased operations.

Like Ray Madonna, James Cooke did-n’t let much time pass before beginninga new chapter in his life. Four monthsafter his retirement, his daughter Katewas married and over the next fiveyears she had five children, quitting herjob after her second child was born.Cooke offered to help care for hisgrandchildren, and he said it was one ofthe most joyful decisions he’d evermade. He spent years watching hisgrandchildren grow while living off thepension and social security funds hehad accumulated over his career.

One day, he received a pamphlet inthe mail from St. Ignatius Church, inBaltimore, regarding a volunteer pro-gram at a school that connected men-tors with disadvantaged youths. All thepictures in the pamphlet featuredyounger people, and he said he felt asense of trepidation as he sought theadvice of Rev. Jim Salmon, S.J. ’43, aJesuit friend and former president ofLoyola Blakefield High School,

Maryland’s Jesuitschool just fifteenminutes away fromCooke’s home.

Cooke and Fr. Salmon had kept in touchthrough the years, and three of Cooke’ssons were Loyola Blakefield graduates.Fr. Salmon brought Cooke’s attention toanother program, the Ignatian LayVolunteer Corps, a structured networkof lay volunteers founded in 1995 bytwo Jesuit priests to link volunteers over50 years of age with service sites.

Jim Cooke was 77 years old when hebegan volunteering at St. Peter’s AdultLearning Center, in Baltimore, and thesame sense of patient, persistent obliga-tion he felt toward his own familyseems to spill over into his descriptionof his volunteer work. St. Peter’s offersjob training and referrals, as well as day-time activities for about 40 mentallyretarded adults. Cooke is one of five orsix volunteers, and he spends Mondaysand Fridays at St. Peter’s mentoring“clients” and supervising group activities

“The more you see, the less judgmental you become.”


like trips to gyms, other facilities, andrestaurants, as well as special events andpresentations. The adults with whomCooke works come to the center on thedays they have off from their variousemployers.

Once a month, Cooke meets withILVC volunteers from over a dozen otherservice sites to discuss the progressionof their service during a group reflectionsession.The reflection opportunities aresimilar to service learning programspopular in high schools and universitiesacross the country, and help frame thevolunteers’ service work while allowingindividuals to discuss their challengesand share their accomplishments.

“We try to focus on the positive. It’snot a family or a club—we’re volun-teers.” Cooke had never volunteered atany service agency before, and prior toSt. Peter’s he had no exposure to indi-viduals with mental retardation. He saidmany clients can’t read, can’t count, andcannot tell time. But immediately afterCooke started volunteering, he said hefound the St. Peter’s clients to be someof the most endearing people he hadever met.

“The more you see, the less judg-mental you become,” he said.“The moreyou’re involved with other people youhave to accept the facts of their lives.They are delightful people. In the past,we’ve had volunteers that usually stayjust a year. I’ve stayed three now.Youbecome attached to them, they’re won-derful people.

“Volunteering has opened up awhole new world to me that I knewexisted, but didn’t know the extent towhich it existed.”All of the volunteers atSt. Peter’s are different, he said, and sever-

al come from other programs likeAmericorps or the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

Cooke mirrored Ray Madonna’s perspective on retirement.“Retiringdepends on your nature,” he said.“I can’tsit still. If you have strength and yourhealth is good you have to do some-thing. It is really an interesting phase inmy life. I’ll be 80 in September and Ican’t believe that I’m still around. That’s

the blessing of it, because there are stillso many people like me. Once you startvolunteering, it is something you don’teven think of.You hesitate at first, butonce you do it you’re hooked.”

The ILVC has grown over the past 12 years of its existence to locations in12 urban areas across the country. ILVCvolunteers live in their own respectivehomes and commute to service sitestwo days a week for a minimum com-mitment of ten months. For more infor-mation on the ILVC, please visit theirwebsite at www.ilvc.org.

In April, six legendary Xavier faculty members announced that they would be retiring at the end of thisacademic year. Deacon Vincent Laurato (19 years), Mr. Rocco Iacovone (20 years), Sgt. James Jones (21years), Mrs. Grace Lamour (36 years), Mr. Brian Moroney (43 years), and Mr. Hank Woehling (44 years) will allbe sincerely missed by the current students and staff, and the many alumni whose lives they have touched.

Alumni are invited toattend a special receptionto recognize theseextraordinary men andwomen, held June 8,2007 at Xavier. For moreinformation, please call Loual Puliafito ’00 at212-924-7900 x.1611.


K N I G H T Scorner

WASHINGTON, DC: December 6, 2006

THE XAVIER COMMUNIT Y GETS TOGETHER

PHILADELPHIA, PA: December 5, 2006

BOSTON, MA: March 29, 2007

PHOENIX, AZ: January 24, 2007

CLASS OF

’06REUNITES


MAR CO ISL AND, FL : March 2, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH, FL : March 8, 2007

BEEFSTEAK 2007

SANIBEL ISLAND, FL : March 1, 2007

MIAMI , FL : March 4, 2007

STUAR T, FL : March 7, 2007

Xavier High School would like to thank all the hosts and sponsors who made this year’s Florida receptions possible:Mary & Tom Foley ’62 Mary and Ernie Wagner ’47 Grace and Rodger Shay ’54Noreen and Joe Von Zwehl ’53 Helen and Constantine Vagionis ’50 John Balaguer ’53

FOR T LAUDERDALE, FL : March 5, 2007

Your Name and Class Year (if applicable): _______________________________

Daytime Phone: _________________ E-Mail: ________________________

Nominee’s Name and Class Year (if applicable): __________________________

Briefly describe the reason for nomination:

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Xavier High School is pleased to announce that the

President’s Office is now accepting nominations for

the Xavier Hall of Fame. Qualifications for admittance

into the Hall of Fame require that the person be a

graduate, faculty member, or administrator at Xavier

who has been outstanding as a “follower of Christ”

in the tradition of St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis

Xavier in the service of God and his or her neighbors,

country, or civic community.

Please return this nomination to Xavier High School

by June 15th.

Xavier Hall of Fame

Class Notes


by Karol Kurzatkowski ’06

Members of the Class of 1947 andtheir wives met up for lunch while inFlorida in late 2006! Pictured standing(l.-r.) are Bob Stolarik, Joe Loughlin,and Joe Meehan, along with GeneMalone (seated).“Gene, Joe andmyself were members of the samecommissioning class in the MarineCorps,” Stolarik wrote to Xavier.“Joe was captain of the swim team at Xavier!”

While in from California to attend arecent wedding, Jack McDermottcaught up with The Grain HouseGang, all members of the Class of1956. The Gang held a special lunch-eon in Basking Ridge, NJ on March27th, and ten members of the classwarmly welcomed Jack, who wasunable to attend his 50th Reunion dueto an illness. The delayed 50th Reunionwas a great success, and the grouphad a commemorative “Xavier 1956”banner made just for the occasion.

Pictured, standing (l.-r.) are Class of ’56 graduates Anthony Cusumano,Joe DeFoe, Nick Burriesci, AnthonyBorrello, Anthony Cangemi andNelson Deusebio; pictured sitting (l.-r.)are Joe Laferrera, Jack McDermott,Patrick Rouse, Charlie Ferrara and Fred Wolff.

1945Richard Lohr sends his regards to hisfellow ’45ers.

1948Tom Kennedy is spending his retire-ment in the great Northwest where he enjoys fishing, square-dancing,and traveling to the east or Alaska.

1949Bill Bolger celebrated his 50th wed-ding anniversary, his 75th birthday, andattended the annual Class of 1949reunion all within the past year. He washonored as one of the 25 greatest play-ers of the Georgetown Basketball Hallof Fame at a ceremony on February10th. Rev. John McShane, retired pas-tor of Holy Family Parish in Canarsie,Brooklyn and retired chaplain in the US Army Reserve, will celebrate hisGolden Anniversary to the priesthoodon June 3rd at the ImmaculateConception Church in Douglaston, NY.

1951Harold Sherrington has retired fromhis obstetrics-gynecology practice inStamford, Connecticut.

1952Luis del Rosario was honored at theRotary District 7230 Gift of Life DinnerDance on February 3rd for his commit-ment toward children facing medicalissues worldwide. Among other accom-plishments, Luis spearheaded severalfundraising projects that helped raiseover $300,000 for arthritis research. Hiswork with the Gift of Life allowed himto be directly involved with saving thelives of over 100 children who sufferedfrom various ailments and benefitedfrom Gift of Life operations.

1953Thomas Bonomo has retired from hisprivate dental practice and is spendinghis time taking courses on the Civil Warand Ancient Greece while brushing upon his Italian grammar.

1955Jim O’Connell invites all Sons of Xavierto join him this year in Williamsburg, VAas the country celebrates the 400th

anniversary of the establishment ofJamestown. John Gallagher’s articleon the link between religious funda-mentalism and political extremismcalled “Why Are They Like That?” can beseen in the latest edition of the FBI’sNational Academy Associate magazine.

1963Ernie Dewald spent two weeks in theGulfport, MS working as a forensic dentist following Hurricane Katrina.

1964Sal Sclafani is the Chairman ofRadiology at Downstate MedicalSchool. Charles J. Reilly, Jr. eagerlyawaits the birth of his second grand-child in June.

1968John Crowe recently retired as ser-geant from the Rockville Centre PoliceDepartment and will be splitting histime between Point Lookout, NY andVero Beach, FL.

1969Jack Billi, M.D. is a professor of medi-cine and an associate dean at theUniversity of Michigan Medical School.

1970 James Horris wished to acknowledgehis son and daughter, who have bothserved in Iraq.

1975Manuel A. Romero, Esq. was appointedChairman of the New York StateGrievance committee, which is responsible for attorney discipline in the boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens,and Staten Island.

1976Francis Connolly is the presidingjudge of the Civil Division in theMinnesota State District Court.

1977Richard A. Gallego has worked for the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory(NY) for the past twenty-five years and looks forward to celebrating his25th wedding anniversary with his wife, Mary Rose.


Class Notes

1978Dan Gorman was awarded the FBIDirector’s Award for Excellence onOctober 11, 2006.

1980Paul Ching has been transferred byCitigroup to work in Hong Kong. Paullooks forward to hearing from otherXavier alumni in the region.

1981Phil Lynch retired as a lieutenant fromthe NYPD, and has received his teachinglicense from the state of Virginia. Philsays he gained his inspiration to teachmath from Mr. Baker and Mr. Finnegan.

1984Greg McCartney serves on the Board of Directors for the Engineers andArchitects of Hawaii and has been select-ed by NASA as a 2007 Solar SystemAmbassador. Michael Walter completedhis fourth marathon, the White RockMarathon in Dallas, TX, with a personalrecord of 3 hours 54 minutes and 46 seconds. He hopes to run the BostonMarathon some time in the near future.

1988Christopher Bilsback moved toConway, South Carolina where he has taken a position as store managerwith Lowe’s Home Improvement.

1990Paul Piccard recently published three books on computer security:Securing 1M + P2P Applications (2005),Combating Spyware in the Enterprise(2006), and Emerging Threat Analysis(2006)

1992Martin Camacho currently serves as anAcute Care Nurse Practitioner in theemergency room at the Hospital of theUniversity of Pennsylvania and as anadjunct faculty member for the AdultCare Nurse Practitioner Program at theSchool of Nursing at the University ofPennsylvania. Joseph La Ferlita hasbeen appointed Vice Chair of theCommittee on the Surrogate’s Courts of the New York State Bar Association’sTrusts and Estates Law section. Thisthree-year position will call Joseph to

discuss issues affecting the practice inthe Surrogate’s Court and to recommendchanges in policy and procedure.

1995Christopher Geissler completed his second Masters Degree, a 6th YearDegree in Educational Administrationand Leadership. He currently lives withhis wife and son in Newtown, CT.

1997Joseph Stapleton was awardedHonorable Discharge from the U.S.Army and has since joined the VirginiaNational Guard. Martin Tubridy is theDirector of Physical Fitness for the Health& Fitness Unit of the Local 3 ElectriciansUnion. Ed Wahesh is the Director ofDrug and Alcohol Education at FordhamUniversity.

1999After Xavier, Anthony Chionchio wenton graduate Touro Law School andpassed the New York State and NewJersey Bar Exams. Anthony currentlyworks as an assistant district attorney inNassau County. He is engaged and willbe married August 31, 2007.

2000Matthew D. Byrne graduated with aBachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice fromJohn Jay College in 2006. He is currentlythe assistant Ice Hockey Coach atFieldston High School in Riverdale andplans on pursuing his Master’s Degree atHunter College. Jared Marinos graduat-ed flight school on November 16, 2006.Jared will now be stationed at theHunter Army Airfield with the 3rdInfantry Division in Savannah, Georgiawhere he will be flying Blackhawk heli-copters. Tim Williamson accepted theposition of Assistant Director of MediaRelations at Columbia University.

2001Sean Miller was student council president at St. Francis College.

2003David del Cuadro-Zimmerman will be graduating from the US MilitaryAcademy at West Point this spring,where he has been made the Dean’s List in every term.

Armand Raquel-Santos ’92 andJulian F. Morgan ’92 traveled toBoracay Island, in the Philippines, inJuly 2006 to visit Armand’s brother,Armin Raquel-Santos ’85. Picturedhere are (l.-r.) Armin Raquel-Santos’86, Armand Raquel-Santos ’92 and Julian F. Morgan ’92.


DEATHSAlumniCornelius F. Bastable ’28, January 2, 2007Anthony F. Posteraro ’34, January 4, 2007Joseph A. Manganaro ’35, March 29, 2006Hon. John A. Garbarino ’36,

December 29, 2006Martin F. Conroy ’39, December 19, 2006Edward G. Cushing ’39, December 25, 2006John J. Linney ’39, April 9, 2007 Charles Hess ’40, July 27, 2006Leo A. Kiley ’44, January 13, 2007T. Eugene Malone ’47, February 13, 2007John M. Gibbons ’50, July 22, 2006Richard F. Heimbuch ’56,

December 11, 2006William F. Walsh ’57, December 8, 2006Eugene O. Duffy ’66, November 7, 2006Kevin E. Honan ’69, June 17, 2006Carlos P. Corton ’74, October 26, 2006Stefan R. Bodnarenko ’75,

February 12, 2007Karl Dettmer ’86, November 15, 2006Adrian B. Carney ’96, January 10, 2007

FamilyAnne Concannon, mother-in-law of

Kevin Cuddihy ’86, January 29, 2007David Corcoran, son of

E. Peter Corcoran ’46, April 6, 2007Anne Fitzgerald, sister of

Francis Leahy ’41, April 24, 2005Thomas P. Hanlon, son of

Thomas J. ’58, November 28, 2004Irene Herrmann, mother of Rev. Frank

Herrmann, S.J. ’63, January 4, 2007Catherine Leahy, wife of

Francis ’41, May 9, 2006Catherine Soyer, mother of Colin ’77

and Adam ’79, October 8, 2006Anne Spartaro, wife of

Christopher ’89, December 23, 2006Gladwyn Vincent, father of

Steven ’75, December 6, 2006

FriendsPatricia A. Albert, sister of

Rev. Joseph W. Lux, S.J., former Xavierfaculty member, January 10, 2007

Lillian Buchanan, mother-in-law of Franklin Caesar ’72, former XavierAssistant Headmaster,December 28, 2006

Michael Dormer, father of Patrick J. Dormer, Xavier faculty member, November 20, 2006

Karen M. Harkness, mother of Gregory Harkness, Xavier faculty member, December 26, 2006

Gertrude McCarthy, mother-in-law ofDaniel Cronin ’63, January 7, 2007

Frances Myers, grandmother of Gregory Harkness, Xavier faculty member, December 1, 2006

BIRTHS

Anna Christine Bilsback, September 22, 2006Theresa and Christopher Bilsback ’88

Griffin Xavier Geissler, November 30, 2006Terra and Christopher Geissler ’95

WEDDINGSThomas Moreo ’85 and Joelle Siegel,

July 28, 2006Francis Pope ’90 and Barbara Vasquez,

September 22, 2006Lucas Rosu ’97 and Kelly Martins,

July 8, 2006

IN MEMORIAMMsgr. Robert R. Mazziotta ’33, pastor of emeritus of Our Lady of Pity parish on Staten Island, died on November 4, 2006. After attending Xavier, Msgr. Mazziotta went on to study for the priesthood at Cathedral College and at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. He was ordained in 1941 and named a monsignor in 1965.

Auxiliary Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan celebrated the Mass of Christian burial, which was offered on November 8th at Holy Rosary Church where Msgr. Mazziotta once served as pastor. Edward Cardinal Egan,archbishop of New York, released a statement expressing his gratitude for Msgr. Mazziotta’s service to thechurch: “I have known Monsignor for many years and have always seen in him a dedicated priest of JesusChrist…he demonstrated a deep commitment to the Lord and His Church.”

Mileposts

Bill Cashman ’45 and his lovely wife, Jill, weremarried October 2, 2006! Bill and his wife cele-brated their wedding with a fun-filled trip to Las Vegas in February, where Bill said he hit itbig on the blackjack tables!


I attended the Jesuit Secondary Education Association’s National Conference for

Advancement and Alumni Relations held in Phoenix, AZ in late January.The conference was

attended by representatives from 38 Jesuit high schools in the U.S.The agenda and the 100 +

attendees provided many opportunities to discuss the multiple issues that affect each school’s

fundraising performance and success.

One of the most informative sessions at the conference focused on increasing the endow-

ments. Xavier, for most of its history, benefited greatly from its “living endowment,” the Jesuits

who created the school and made up the majority of the faculty and administration.The costs of

running the school were substantially reduced because the members of the Society contributed

their services for small stipends to sustain the Xavier Jesuit community. Unfortunately that “living

endowment” has been severely compromised by the graying of its current members and the

reduction of new vocations to the Society. As a result, there has been a decreasing number of

Jesuit faculty and administrators at the school.

Less Jesuit and more lay faculty and administrators at Xavier, along with increased operating

expenses, have resulted in higher costs each year. Social justice and market competition require

fair salaries and benefits be paid to both recruit and retain an excellent faculty and administra-

tion. Increases in tuition can and will help to reduce these rising costs, but to fund these

increased expenses by tuition alone could lead to reduced opportunities for a Xavier education

to worthy students on the economic margins of poverty, and consequently compromise Xavier’s

mission. Currently the Annual Fund is effectively “bridging the gap” between tuition revenue and

operating expenses, but there is a great need to reduce the pressure on that source of revenue.

One of the ways to compensate for the reduced “living endowment” and the financial chal-

lenges it presents is to continue to increase the school’s financial endowment. Currently Xavier’s

four endowment accounts (Strict/Scholarship, Faculty, Higher Achievement Program and

Plant/Tech) total approximately $25,000,000. Although the total endowment has grown in recent

years, it still is small in comparison to several other Jesuit and private high schools. In fact, it is

well under the 2.5 times the operating budget, which is considered average.

Each million dollar increase in the endowment will add approximately $50,000 to school

revenues annually.These additional funds can provide either needed dollars for financial aid or

significant dollars to reduce operating expenses now being paid for by tuition or donations to

the annual fund.When alumni, parents or friends make an outright or deferred gift to either the

scholarship endowments or when they endow their annual gift to the annual fund, they will

simultaneously provide for the future financial health of the institution they love and ensure

their legacy for all time.We hope that some of you would consider funding a named scholarship

($150,000 funded either at once, in installments over a three to five year period or with an estate

gift) or endow your annual fund gift in a similar way. For example, if you are currently contribut-

ing $1,000 each year to the annual fund, you could continue giving that amount annually, in per-

petuity, by giving a $20,000 gift to endow it. In this way your gift will keep on giving, providing

opportunities for students well into the future.

Please take some time to consider these options. If you have any questions or would like more

information about possibly endowing a major gift, please call me at 212.337.7539. Thank you

again from the entire Xavier High School Community for your continued generosity and support.

We are forever grateful to you.

FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

JOE GORSKIVice President for Advancement

Creating an endowed gift will ensure that your financial

support and Xavier last forever. An endowed gift is a dona-

tion that is maintained by Xavier High School in perpetuity.

The principal amount will always remain intact because only

a fraction of the fund is used each year by our school for the

purposes you indicate. The other portion remains untouched

to help raise the endowment and optimistically keep pace

with inflation. There is something magical about this kind of

gift, because decades from now your endowment will pro-

vide similar benefits as they were when you created it.

Planned Giving that works for you:

Income-Producing Plans: Charitable gift annuities

and charitable remainder trusts.

Charitable Lead Trusts: Support Xavier now

and still leave assets to your heirs.

Bequests: Make a gift by will.

Life Insurance: Use a life insurance

policy to make a substantial gift.

Letter of Intent: To let us know if you have

already provided for Xavier in your estate plan.

A New Tax-Saving Opportunity for

Donors aged 701⁄2 or Older!

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), signed into law

on August 17, 2006, is the most sweeping pension legislation

in over 30 years and includes a number of significant tax

incentives to enhance and protect retirement savings for

millions of Americans. The Pensions Protections Act of 2006

encourages donors who are 701⁄2 or older to financially

support charitable organizations across the United States.

Under the new law, you can make a lifetime gift using

funds from your individual retirement account (IRA) without

any undesirable tax effects. The new law does not require

you to report any amount taken from your IRA as taxable

income, nor do you need to take a charitable deduction for

the gift. This helps you, the donor, because prior to passing

this law some donors had been forced to pay more income

taxes than they would have, had they not made a gift.

Now you can make your gift while you are living and

be able to watch the benefits Xavier High School students

receive from your generosity. Your IRA gift can be made

simply, without tax complications, and you can be a witness

to your generosity.

Requirement:

• You are age 701⁄2 or older

• The gift is not larger than $100,000

• The gift is made before December 31, 2007

• You transfer funds directly from an IRA or Rollover IRA

• You make the gift to a public charity

Planned Giving is important to Xavier High School

Contact info

Loual Puliafito ’00Advancement Officer

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

Alumnews Calendar

Golf OutingMay 22, 2007

Baccalaureate Mass and DinnerJune 2, 2007

Senior BreakfastJune 5, 2007

GraduationJune 7, 2007

Alumni Farewell to Xavier Faculty Legends Reception June 8, 2007

Volunteer ReceptionJune 14, 2007

Xavier Society and Loyola Associates ReceptionSeptember 19, 2007

President’s ReceptionSeptember 26, 2007

President’s DinnerOctober 4, 2007

Parent’s PhonathonOctober 15-18, 2007

Xavier High School Open HouseOctober 27, 2007

Career DayNovember 9, 2007

Young Alumni Luncheon and RallyNovember 21, 2007

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDManchester, NHPermit No. 206

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

xavier alumnews may 2007

Documents

xavier hall of fame

xavier high schoolmagazine

xavier high schoolrev

alumni relationsjoseph

alumnewsdear alumni

year old

longtime xavier teachers

novembers hall of fame