Homecoming for Mike Baxter ‘02
Last September we shared a story about Mike Baxter and his first call to the major leagues with the San Diego Padres. Baxter had been with the Padres for over 5 years before receiving t
he news that he would finally break into the big show. The rookie would provide the Padres with another bat and defensive option down the stretch of the 2010 season. Trying to bring some momentum with him in 2011, Baxter prepared diligently for Spring Training. Unfortunately for Mike his season did not start out as he intended as he suffered an injury to his thumb that would require surgery and 8 weeks on the disabled list. Although he had been hitting well since returning from his injury, a numbers game would see Baxter placed on waivers by the Padres organization. With each door that closes in Major League Baseball, however, another will surely open. In mid-July Baxter found himself being pursued by his hometown New York Mets – his team of choice growing up as a kid in Queens not many years ago. The Mets have battled injuries and depth issues all season, so the potential addition of a left-handed bat such as Baxter made perfect sense. Baxter was officially claimed off waivers by the Mets on July 22nd, prompting him to report to the Mets’ minor league affiliate in Port St. Lucie. After 4 games Baxter quickly escalated to the Mets’ AAA team in Buffalo. In 11 games for Buffalo he provided consistent offense with power and solid defense. On Sunday, August 7th the Mets suffered two key injuries in their major league lineup that left them desperate for help. Baxter was one of two minor league players to receive the call to the majors.
News spread quickly throughout the Stanner community as one of their own had broken through for the hometown team. Facebook and Twitter lit up with comments and “Likes” and many alumni purchased tickets to the next Mets home game in hopes that they would get the chance to cheer Baxter on as he represents the Mets, New York, and of course Archbishop Molloy High School. And wouldn’t you know it, Baxter didn’t disappoint. The left-handed outfielder took a fastball from Padres pitcher Chad Qualls to the opposite field for an RBI double during a pinch-hit at bat, which proved to be a key hit in the Mets’ eventual comeback victory one inning later. Baxter’s friends and family made up a huge cheering section at the stadium, which was highlighted during the game’s broadcast. Video of Baxter’s first Mets hit can be viewed here: http://mets.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17804847. A few short days later Baxter would make his first start with the Mets in right field, providing a great throw to home plate, a hit and 2 walks. The Queens native’s promotion and immediate contribution to his favorite team has gotten the attention of local media as readers are excited to learn about one of their own living the dream. Journalists have been especially intrigued by Baxter’s 2002 contributions to Molloy’s 2002 CHSAA title, which happened to be decided at Shea Stadium. To read more about Baxter’s rise to the bigs, click here, click here, or click here. Make sure to tune in to Mets games down the stretch and cheer Mike on.
Freshman Camp 2011
For more than 35 years Archbishop Molloy High School has welcomed incoming freshmen to the Marist Brothers retreat at Esopus for Freshman Camp. According to Mr. Jim Sheldon ‘88, “Molloy Incoming Freshman Camp is one of the greatest experiences that a student can have in high school.” A student’s first year at high school is not always the easiest transition, but Freshman Camp is a great way to relieve any potential stress that comes from attending a new school. For one week students are able to “break the ice” and make new friends with other freshmen and upperclassmen, meet faculty members and Marist Brothers who will be teaching them for the next four years, and enjoy outdoor activities and exercise, and establish a sense of community – all while taking full advantage of the gorgeous facilities overlooking the Hudson River. In addition to the faculty and staff that serve as mentors, many alumni return to Esopus each year as volunteer counselors for Freshman Camp (as well as each retreat during the school year). These alums usually have a great experience at Esopus of their own, and love nothing more than to return and lend their experiences to budding Stanners. It’s all about incoming freshmen interacting with their immediate Molloy community and getting comfortable with themselves and in their new surroundings. Freshman Camp has always been a very popular program, seeing reservations fill up every single year. 2011 was no exception as the camp was filled capacity with students looking to establish long-lasting friendships and memories. Click Here for Freshman Camp 2011 Photo Gallery.
Upcoming Events
Stanner Class Reunion & Hall of Fame Induction
Register Online Now! The next Stanner Class Reunion is less than 3 months away. On Saturday, November 5th, 2011 the classes of 1941, 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006 will reunite at Archbishop Molloy High School. We hope that you will come back and reconnect with your classmates and Molloy faculty, and also to see what will be our brand new school library! The library hadn’t been renovated since Molloy was built in 1957, but as of fall 2011 it will surely drop some jaws. The day begins with registration at 4:30 PM with the annual Mass of Remembrance taking place at 5:00 PM in the Ralph DeChiaro Theater. After Mass at 6:00 PM there will be a very special Stanner Hall of Fame induction for legendary track coach Frank Rienzo (pictured at the 1960 Penn Relays with champs Thomas McCauliffe ’60, Robert Dowd ’61, Thomas Farrell ’61, and John Ryan ’60). Mr. Rienzo will be in attendance to receive this honor, which will surely draw a crowd. The classes of 1961 and 1986, celebrating their 50th and 25th anniversary reunions respectively, will take part in the alumni medal presentation immediately following the Hall of Fame induction. At 6:30 PM alumni will enjoy cocktail receptions, followed by dinner, dancing, and open bar at 7:30 PM. Click here to find your class’ registration page, or contact Maria Ford at 718.943.3186 or email mford@molloyhs.org for more information.
The Andrew Harvey Memorial 5K Fun Run is scheduled for Sunday, October 2nd, 2011. As always the event is named in honor of Andrew Harvey ’98 who was killed in a tragic train accident during his junior year at Molloy. Andrew embodied the determination of an athlete and the commitment of a scholar, and he was well known around his community as well as around Molloy. Andrew’s memory lives on each year through the Fun Run and the scholarship established in his name. Click here to register online for this event, or download a printable registration form. Donate to Andrew’s scholarship fund here. For more information, please contact Mr. Frank Gambino at fgambino@molloyhs.org. Register by September 30th to receive your free Fun Run T-shirt the day of the event. Make sure to specify your shirt size when you register!
John “Jack” Coulter ’53 was in town last week visiting from his home in Alexandria, Virginia and made sure to pay a visit to Archbishop Molloy High School. Jack is a proud graduate of St. Ann’s Academy and remembers well his days learning up at the campus on Lexington Avenue and East 76th Street in Manhattan. Known as “Colt” or “Tex” and hailing from Bayside back then, Jack was your typical St. Ann’s student. He enjoyed math and physics and participated in a number of extracurricular activities including Yearbook and The Stanner newspaper. Jack also ran Intramural Track, played punchball and handball. He perused his 1953 yearbook and explained his many contributions to the design as well as the coincidence that his brother-in-law Peter Cousseau ’53 was in fact right next to his senior portrait! Jack enjoyed talking about all the Brothers that taught him while looking at their photos, and emphasizing how much respect he has always held for the Marist Brothers that educated him as well as other young people around the world. Jack viewed the St. Ann’s Display Case outside the Stanner Alumni Center where he pointed out the senior privilege (a bucket-style hat) and a photo of the subway station the students used every day. Jack also took a walk along the Stanner Hall of Fame exhibit and talked about the great Coach Lou Carnesecca ’43. After graduating from St. Ann’s Academy, Jack earned a B.S. at Fordham University and an M.S. at the University of Rochester. He is a retired project engineer from The Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo, California and spends some of his time these days volunteering at a Church and a hospital back home in Virginia – a sure sign that the values instilled in him by the Marist Brothers at St. Ann’s continue to resonate some 58 years later. Jack attended his 50th Anniversary Class Reunion in 2003 and remains involved with the Stanner community even from his home in Virginia. He looks forward to many future issues of “The Beehive” too! Pictured above: Craig Katinas ’93 speaks to Jack Coulter and Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81 about items residing in the St. Ann’s display case.
Ken Bergin ’69 was recently at a large dinner party in Fort Lauderdale with Dan Clancy, who told him that he graduated from St. Ann’s Academy in 1957. Ken took the opportunity to re-introduce Dan to friend Joe Fontana, also St. Ann’s class of 1957. According to Ken, “They hadn’t seen each other in all those years! I’m glad I had the pleasure to re-introduce them.”
Stanner Hall of Famer Charles Camarda ’70 and good friend Charlie Flood ‘68 have been working on a project that involves bringing high school students together in a virtual community to solve real world problems while in a “university setting.” The program started based on NASA’s initiatives in the world of education including major STEM science, technology, engineering, and math initiatives. Camarda’s mission is to create a situation where more high school students become interested in engineering and establish a comfort level with a virtual community. The project involves a 2 week study program including a “grand challenge.” One of NASA’s grand challenges will be issued to participating students, which will prompt them to follow Camarda’s ICED engineering methodology (Innovative Conceptual Engineering Design). The ICED provides space for students across the country to collaborate with mentors, professors, and experts at NASA to solve real world engineering problems. Camarda and Flood teamed up about a year ago and have been working hard on the curriculum, which launched recently this summer. In the second year of the program, students from Molloy attended Camarda’s NYU-Poly’s ICED course. He continues to work with Mary Mallia to keep Stanners involved with the program going forward. The collaboratory for innovative conceptual engineering design. Camarda and Flood enjoy working together on this project. Although they shared 2 years together at Molloy (‘67 and ‘68), it took nearly 45 years to find out what they had in common.
Bob Cusick ‘75 sent the following: “In January, my wife and I watched a video about a student project at a middle school in Whitwell, Tennessee titled “Paper Clips“, and I was deeply moved by the film. What started at the school back in 2001 as an idea to collect paper clips in honor of those exterminated by the Nazis in WWII turned into an incredible human tolerance studies program. I was even more amazed about what I learned about the school and the students — and so starts my part of this story…I envisioned, developed, fundraised, and coordinated a trip for a group of current student ambassadors from the WMS Holocaust memorial program to visit original Holocaust sites in Poland and Germany. I felt it was important to bring the students responsible for running the Holocaust Memorial program right to the source. Their courage and determination to teach others about what happened — to make a positive impact on the lives of others — and to remind everyone about the importance of perseverance, empathy, tolerance, and understanding is admirable. This is a life-changing opportunity for these young students, and a unique and profound educational opportunity. Our recently completed six-day trip was from June 15 to June 21, and included a group of nine students from WMS, along with one of the students from the original Paper Clips film (grown up with children of her own), and two chaperones – the now-retired principal from the film, and the school’s current principal. This trip was filmed over three of our days of travel, and will be part of a semi-sequel to the original film (expected to debut in early 2012). Traveling along with our group of pilgrims was the original film’s director, a Polish speaking guide, and security. The story about this trip also appeared on the front page of the Westchester NY Journal News on May 16th. Regards.” Click the newspaper image to read more about Bob’s great work.
Matthew Lopez-Viola ’99 (pictured left) was honored with the Arthur J. Laufer Memorial Medal at the FDNY’s annual medal ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in June. Matt received the honor for his bravery and selflessness in saving three drowning victims from the East River on July 28th, 2010. Read an initial report of the story here, or read further about the medal ceremony here. The accompanying photo shows Matt with another honored firefighter with the gear they used to save the victims shortly after the incident. Congratulations, Matt!
We are sad to share that Charles Camarda ’70 recently lost his mother. Please pray for Mrs. Camarda and the entire Camarda family.
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