The Beehive – 12/21/12

by Joe Sommo ’03

Yesterday, the Marist community lost one of its greatest treasures. Brother Francis Regis, who lived his entire life in the way of Mary and at the behest of the mission of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, passed away and entered into God’s heavenly kingdom. Having impacted the lives of thousands of students for over four decades, Br. Regis leaves a legacy of kindness, compassion and love. His everyday demeanor was something to behold. Whether in his office, in the hall, or anywhere else in the building, Br. Regis always had time to talk with or help a student. There was never a day in which he was not smiling, nor was there ever a moment when he was not brightening the lives of everyone around him.

Br. Regis moved from Resurrection-Ascension to begin teaching at Archbishop Molloy High School in 1964. In doing so, he became one of the first certified counselors in the early history of Molloy. This would prove to be wonderful news for Stanners, as Br. Regis’ guidance and caring spirit positively influenced their lives for over a generation. For many years, Br. Regis welcomed freshman students as their sole counselor. His warm personality helped establish a safe, friendly atmosphere for these students, lessening their burden of beginning life at a new school. His later and most recent work came in the form of working with sophomores in student peer groups. These sessions allowed him to establish a personal connection with many of his students, which brought him joy everyday. Br. Regis always spoke about his peer groups, his group leaders, and his students with great pride. His guidance also extended to members of Molloy’s faculty and administration, as his words and actions constantly made him a role model for his peers. Br. Regis’ work as an educator, a counselor and a Marist Brother were later honored with his induction into the Stanner Hall of Fame in 2007.

Br. Regis retired from counseling at the end of the 2011/12 school year. While no longer leading peer group sessions, he still never passed up an opportunity to walk the halls of Stanner High and give blessings to students, faculty and staff. He also maintained his sharp sense of humor, which he loved to display everyday. Brother Regis’ loving mentorship made him an extremely popular figure amongst all who knew him. He was a caring, loving soul, and truly epitomized what it means to be Marist. This was his gift. We are all fortunate to have known Brother Francis Regis, and perhaps even more so to be able to carry on his legacy as one Marist community. Please keep Br. Regis and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Information on visitation services are listed below (We apologize if this information arrives to you late, as these events have transpired rather quickly):

Wake

Funeral Mass

Strong Showing for Molloy Finance Network

After successful initiatives by our Stanner women, lawyers and badges, alumni working in various sectors of Financial Services have now made their mark. Over 80 alumni attended the inaugural Molloy Finance Alumni Network event hosted and co-sponsored by UBS Financial Services (200 Park Avenue) as well as our alumni Finance Network Committee. A wide range of business professionals were on hand including traders, partners, investors, accountants and treasurers – just to name a few. Over 65 different companies were represented on an evening when alumni were honored to have Mr. Michael P. Ryan serve as guest speaker. Mr. Ryan is Chief Investment Strategist and Head of UBS Wealth Management Research Americas, and he took time out of his extremely busy schedule (literally having just arrived from Boston earlier in the evening) to share a presentation on “Market Outlook Post Election” with our Stanners. Mr. Ryan’s expertise in market and investment insights has gained him regular appearances on CNN, CNBC, PBS, TV Tokyo and Bloomberg Television as well as frequent quotes in The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones News Services, Reuters, Financial Times, Nikkei news and Bloomberg. In addition, although a Holy Cross grad, Mr. Ryan was delighted to accept the title of “Stanner for a Day.”

Following Mr. Ryan’s presentation, alumni began networking, which proved the old notion that “it’s a small world” as many were surprised to see old friends and classmates representing other well known companies. One can never tell how these rekindled relationships could potentially benefit their career down the road, but maintaining these connections is key. “Molloy’s professional networks have been very successful over the past two years,” said Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81. “Our Stanners in financial services have started out of the gate strong. The connections alumni made at this inaugural event were very important, and we hope to encourage more business interaction in Spring 2013 at our next event.” Similarly, Finance Committee members Bill Farrell ’72 (First Vice President-Investments/Wealth Advisor, UBS) and Eric Zielinski ’90 (Director of Due Diligence/Alternative Investments, UBS Wealth Management Americas) felt the event was strong, providing alumni working in finance a platform to not only further their individual careers, refer business, and to help others achieve short and long-term goals. “We were overwhelmed by the interest and attendance,” said Eric. “The evening offered Stanners from all corners and all levels of the finance industry the opportunity to connect, explore business opportunities and reminisce about their years at Molloy.” Meanwhile, Bill has high hopes for the success of the network. “I look forward to more great events in the new year.” Special thanks to UBS Financial Services, Mr. Mike Ryan, and our Finance Network Committee for all of their contributions to our inaugural finance event.

Click Here for a photo gallery from our Inaugural Finance Alumni Network Event.

DC Alumni Cheer On Varsity Boys

Since 1989, the Gonzaga DC Classic has helped athletes and their families welcome the holiday season with a highly competitive basketball tournament featuring 8 of the toughest high school teams in the northeast. For Molloy, 2012 marked the 7th time Coach Jack Curran and Molloy’s Varsity boys have participated in the tournament. With Molloy vs. Gonzaga set for Friday night, December 12th, and more games to follow on Saturday, there was an opportunity to reunite our great DC alumni chapter for the first time in a number of years. Representing the Stanner Alumni Center, Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81 and Alumni Development Director Craig Katinas ’93 traveled to DC to meet with over 25 alumni and their families over the course of the weekend.

With a reception for alumni planned for Saturday, several Stanners met with Richard and Craig a day early to take in the marquee matchup between Molloy and hometown Gonzaga on Friday night. “It was very organic,” said Craig. “We didn’t plan on meeting that night, but it was very easy to spot Molloy alums cheering behind the bench.” Playing in enemy territory, Molloy fought hard at the behest of Coach Curran, who not surprisingly was a big draw for many DC alums. Curran may come off as soft spoken at times in conversation, but during games he is fierce – a competitor in the same way as his Stanners. Every order from Coach motivated his players against Gonzaga, but also elicited a roar from the Molloy crowd. In the end, Molloy suffered a tough loss to the home team, but there was still work to be done.

On Saturday, a larger group of Stanners were on hand to watch the tournament as well as see Coach. The Varsity boys had a shootaround prior to their tipoff vs. Germantown Academy (Ft. Washington, PA) while Coach engaged alumni by taking photos and surprising everyone with his remarkable recollection of their contributions to his teams “back in the day.” According to Coach, some of his former players in attendance were more talented than others. In addition, alumni were treated to Molloy Varsity caps signed by Coach himself, which are sure to have a special place in their homes. Alumni cheered our Stanners while reminiscing about their days at Molloy. While this was the first Molloy event in quite a while for several alumni, all were truly ecstatic to be a part of it. “The boys surely gave a great effort,” said Virginia alum Richard Wright ’79. Coach and the Varsity squad would eventually finish 5th in the tournament, beating Germantown and Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA). Before all was said and done, however, alumni and their families joined Richard, Craig, Coach Curran and Athletic Director Mike McCleary at the Dubliner Restaurant near Gonzaga HS for some more spirited conversation over food and drinks. It was a great weekend for alumni who rarely get to participate in Stanner activities, and now there is hope for more gatherings in the same vain. “It was great to see some new faces in the fold down in DC,” said President Karsten. “It has been a pleasure to be a part of the revitalization of the DC alumni chapter.” We would like to extend special thanks to all alumni and family members who gathered throughout the weekend, as well as Coach Curran and the boys Varsity team for their time and courtesy.

Around the School

Christmas Concert

Talented Stanner singers and musicians greeted fellow students and family members this season with wonderful renditions of a number of holiday classics during Molloy’s annual Christmas Concert Series. Ms. Ya-Ting Yang and Mr. Jim Sheehan ’75 led the freshman/sophomore chorus and the junior/senior chorus respectively in a festive Jack Curran Gymnasium. In addition, Molloy’s band contributed performances as well, featuring a number of songs representative of the season. Selections included O Holy Night, Deck The Halls, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Silent Night and more. All members of our community are always welcome to attend the Christmas Concert Series, and we hope that you will consider marking your calendar next December (always be sure to check www.molloyhs.org for information on school events). View a video of “O Holy Night” sung by Molloy’s Junior/Senior chorus below.

Community Continues to Help Sandy Victims

Support for our Stanners affected by Hurricane Sandy is still strong, as our community continues to make gifts to Molloy’s Storm Recovery Fund. We have seen alumni, family members, friends, faculty and administration, and even our students giving whatever they can to help their neighbors. Two such recent donations, however, came from unexpected sources. First, Mr. Julian Palmo and Mr. Larry Hirsch of LifeSpire paid a visit to Molloy to deliver a donation. LifeSpire celebrates over sixty years of advocacy and services to New Yorkers with developmental or physical disabilities, and they continue to help improve the lives of disabled persons. Students who participate in the LifeSpire Bowling Program meet on Sundays throughout the school year to help disabled individuals enjoy an afternoon of bowling while providing friendship. Mr. Mike Germano ’93, organizer of the program, was happy to host Mr. Palmo and Mr. Hirsch, and thanked them for their generosity behalf on behalf of Molloy as well as the families that will benefit most from their donation. Second, Ms. Elise Forest-Rosenblum, aunt of student Matt Capp ’15, visited President Richard Karsten ’81 to deliver a check on behalf of her company Pronovias. With roots in Barcelona and shops in over 80 countries, Pronovias specializes in lace, embroidery and high-quality silk fabrics for wedding gowns in high demand by brides worldwide. If her name sounds familiar, you may recognize Elise from her work helping brides-to-be pick out their perfect wedding gowns on previous seasons of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC. Now with Pronovias, Elise was extremely proud that her company chose to follow her lead and support Stanners in need. “This is a great school, and we’re so happy to help,” Elise told President Karsten. We extend thanks to LifeSpire and Pronovias for their generosity toward our Stanners this Christmas season. We also received generous donations from other Marist schools with money collected through their local campus ministry programs. Thank you to Central Catholic in Laurence, Massachusetts, Marist High School in Chicago, and Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.

Mike Gaertner ’69 and his wife Marianne became grandparents for the second time in three months with the birth of Eamonn William Gerbracht, son of their daughter Kerry and son-in-law Grady. Eamonn was born at NYU Langone just as Hurricane Sandy struck, forcing the new baby, parents and grandparents to flee from Lower Manhattan to the safety of a midtown hotel. In Mike’s words, “By publication of this news, I am officially informing the AMHS admissions office to save a seat for Eamonn, who hopefully will be in the class of 2030 and a star performer for the track team!”

Dr. Joel Ducoste ’84, professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, has been appointed by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to a three-year term on the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB). His appointment began in October. The SAB provides independent advice and peer review to the EPA administrator on the scientific and technical aspects of environmental issues. Ducoste has also been reappointed to a second three-year term on the SAB’s Drinking Water Committee, which provides advice to the administrator on the technical aspects of EPA’s national drinking water standards program.

Let us continue to keep the victims of the tragedy in Newtown, CT in our thoughts and prayers.

As previously mentioned, please pray for the repose of the soul of our beloved Brother Francis Regis, FMS.

It is our sad duty to inform you of the death of, Mary Ellen DiMeo, mother of John ’92, Douglas ’95, and Jeffrey ’96 and sister of Brother James Norton. Please keep Brother James and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

The Stanner community was saddened last week by the passing of Mr. Joseph Gordon ’64. Joe was a true Stanner in every way. A member of Molloy’s alumni Hall of Fame, Joe has always been engaged in the school community, serving on the golf committee since its inception as well as the Stanner Golf Classic’s first Chairman in 1993. Joe was always a constant supporter of the outing, yet still found time to volunteer on the Br. Ron Committee for many, many years. Joe leaves behind his loving wife Linda and three children: daughter Kelley, and sons Patrick ’97 and Kevin ’01.