Molloy Names New Varsity Coaches
For 55 years, Coach Jack Curran developed talented young Stanners into more than just great athletes. Curran helped his players to grow into men of dignity, respect, and character. Winning was the byproduct of his main philosophy: it’s all about the kids. Following his 55th season coaching Stanner basketball, the Molloy and national sports communities were shocked and saddened by Curran’s passing on March 14th. We all lost a friend and mentor that day. In the months that followed, all who knew Jack Curran paid tribute to his life, his spirit, his work, and his legacy. Among those who remembered Curran were those who worked closest to him, including Molloy teachers, coaches, and staff. Now, two of these individuals hope to carry on Coach’s legacy in bringing the school’s basketball and baseball programs forward.
Archbishop Molloy High School named Mr. Mike McCleary and Mr. Brad Lyons as the new varsity coaches for boys basketball and baseball respectively. McCleary, the school’s Athletic Director, served as an assistant basketball coach to Curran for over a dozen years. In addition, McCleary assumed interim coaching duties during the final weeks of the 2012-13 season while Curran was sidelined with a knee injury. McCleary described Curran’s death as a “tremendous loss” not only for the school’s community, but for him as well. McCleary worked closely on the court with Curran, but he also shared an office with the legendary coach. This helped them establish a very close friendship, and one which has helped McCleary grow as a person and a coach in his own right. “I’m honored to get the chance to take over for Jack, and hopefully I’ll do it well,” McCleary said. He plans to implement many of the same philosophies and strategies that Curran found success with.
Mr. Lyons, a math teacher at Molloy, served as an assistant baseball coach to Curran during the 2011-12 season. Following Curran’s passing, and prior to the beginning of the 2013 spring season, Lyons assumed interim coaching duties. The Stanners squad achieved a 13-4 record and the fifth seed in the CHSAA playoffs under his instruction. Lyons expressed a strong desire to continue his work with the team while carrying on Curran’s legacy. He is honored to take on this new challenge and looks forward to a successful year along with returning assistant coaches Br. James Vagan and Matt Rizzotti ’04.
Almost A Year Since Superstorm Sandy and The Work Continues
by Br. Pat Hogan
Archbishop Molloy High School is picking up where it left off in February – because the job is not finished and help is still needed. The St. Marcellin Champagnat Service Society (SMCS) spent a week earlier in August reaching out to the people of Roxbury and Far Rockaway. Every morning at 7:30am, 40 to 50 members of the SMCS gathered at Molloy, boarded two yellow school buses, and headed to the Rockaways. We picked up volunteers in Howard Beach and Broad Channel along the way. Before heading over the bridge, we were fortunate to be treated to bagels and coffee by Brother Dan O’Riordan ’85, and later our first lunch was donated by Sean Tubridy ’01, a Molloy graduate who owns the Bungalow Bar Restaurant in Rockaway. Other meals and supplies were provided from Molloy’s Storm Recovery Fund. By patronizing local restaurants, we were able to infuse some money into the Rockaway economy.
So what did we do? Well, if you recall, we shoveled sand, sand, and more sand down in Breezy Point back in February. So this August we focused on landscaping. We pulled weeds, weeds, and more weeds. Our first job was to help out St. Genevieve Church in Roxbury. Led by Mr. Chris Dougherty ’91 and myself, 50 volunteers wearing our blue shirts descended upon the playground there. We cleared the area of weeds and trash, and as soon as we had the play area cleared it was invaded by local kids. Their laughter sent us a message: this is why we are here, on our hands and knees, pulling grass and knocking down dead trees. When we walked away from the job we felt we had made their lives a little brighter because we cared. Not all the work was that easy. We moved on to Far Rockaway to clean out basements. This task was spearheaded by Ms. Lauren Kemmerer, Ms. Dyana Christie and Ms. Sabina Kobinski ’04. Together, with other volunteers, they cleaned tarpaulins and organized and cataloged donated materials. When they finished, we talked and realized that, in the process, we had helped a grassroots volunteer program, “Smallwater,” run by Michelle Cortez to be able to distribute months of donated materials more efficiently.
The rest of the week was filled with odd but important jobs. One of our groups helped to re-attach a porch; while another group helped a family get their house cleaned up. There is still so much more work to do, but our presence shouted out to everyone who saw us that this sea of blue shirts has not forgotten that they still need help.
At this year’s World Youth Day, Pope Francis challenged the young people in attendance to “make a difference” in the lives of others. As we gathered in Molloy’s student chapel on Friday night, we paused for our own personal reflections. We all recalled the many residents of the Rockaways who came to us one after another, without knowing who we were, to quietly say, “Thanks for coming.” After discussing these reflections together, it was clear to me that our students had met the call of our Pope.
Prayers for Mr. Egan
The Stanner Alumni Center received a message recently from Tony O’Shea ’83, who had some news regarding former faculty member Mr. Raymond Egan. Mr. Egan, a popular history teacher and former moderator of “The Stanner” newspaper for many years, has recently been suffering from some significant health issues. “Molloy meant the world to Mr. Egan,” said Tony. “I know it would mean a great deal to him right now if he heard from some of his old students, and if he knew the community was praying for him.” In turn, we ask that members of our community pray for Mr. Egan during this difficult time.
A group of 1982 grads recently enjoyed a “mini-reunion” hosted by Kevin Dehler ’82 in Sag Harbor, New York. Alumni joining Kevin for the gathering included Paul Foschi, John Coffey, James O’Neill, Tom Westman, John Mangan, and Brian O’Connor.
After enjoying the latest issue of Stanner Life magazine, which he received from son-in-law Anthony Filosa ’00, Gerald Vecchio ’64 decided to send us an alumni update of us own. He went on to describe his life after graduation from Molloy: “My career path is totally unlike 98% of Molloy grads. I was drafted in 1967 and served in the US Army Infantry until 1969. I was “lucky” enough to experience the Tet Offensive as my tour started in Jan. 1968 and ended in Jan. 1969. My unit was Alpha Co. 3rd Battalion 1st Infantry of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade of the America Division. Let’s suffice it to say that a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart were not easily earned in this “theatre of war.” I went in as an E-1 & came out an E-5. Now the good news. I attribute the excellent education & Marist training along with the will to succeed in the non-military world as my ticket to avoidance of PTSD. Elsewhere, I have put my Economics degree to good work as I then spent over 10 years with Household Finance Corp. upon service discharge, managing five different branch offices. After that, the bulk of my career was spent as an officer for Chase Manhattan Bank (Retail Bank-Credit Card Division). And, for the past seven years, I have been the Receivables Mgr. at well respected NYC law firm Herrick FeinStein LLP. Our clients include the NY Yankees, NY Mets, Bridgestone/Firestone, RXR Realty, and many other highly regarded firms. I work part time now, so I guess you can say that I am semi-retired at 66 years of age. I have two daughters: Nicole, who received her Masters in Audiology from Hunter College, and Brooke, who graduated from Boston University in 2007. For the past seven years she has worked for a Public Relations firm that deals with the hotel/restaurant business all over the country. She also works part time for well known chef Bobby Flay. Also, July 15th marked my 30th wedding anniversary with wife Fern. For the past several years, I have been in contact with Frank Krumenaker ’64, who graduated #2 in grade point average. He & his wife Barbara live in an idyllic paradise in Pacifica, California, right on the coast. My wife & I plan to visit out there early in 2014. I look forward to next year’s 1964 reunion and hearing about others’ life experiences since the day we all graduated at Colden Center in June 1964. And, last but not least, RIP Jack Curran and Joe Gordon ’64.”
Bob Guiliano ’70 is happy to announce his marriage to Kathleen LoPuzzo on July 20th, 2013. The newlyweds were married in a Catholic wedding in the chapel at Providence Rest in the Bronx. Congratulations Bob and Kathleen!
The Molloy family has been deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Matthew Mooney, brother of Molloy faculty member Donald Mooney. We ask that our alumni community and friends please pray for the Mooney family during this extremely difficult time.
We are saddened by the passing of Joseph Kavanagh ’68, brother of Kenneth ’69. Joseph is survived by a son, Kenneth Kavanagh-Squires. According to Kenneth, Joseph pursued his passion for theater throughout his life; a passion that was developed during his years at Archbishop Molloy High School. Please keep Joseph and the Kavanagh family in your prayers.
The Molloy community is saddened by the death Judge Joseph M. McLaughlin, father of Matthew ’87. Judge McLaughlin, a Fordham Law Professor and Dean Honorable, died on August 8, 2013. He was 80. The following are excerpts from a Fordham Law publication:
“Judge McLaughlin will be remembered at Fordham for his superb classroom teaching skills combined with brilliant case analysis and the lightning humor he displayed throughout his entire career: as a dedicated and beloved professor, a sagacious dean, and an accomplished federal judge. He was a prolific writer and earned a distinguished reputation for his published legal scholarship on the law of evidence and civil procedure. His publications include Weinstein’s Evidence, New York and Federal Rules of Evidence, and a monthly column in the New York Law Journal called ‘Trial Practice.’ A 1954 graduate of Fordham College, McLaughlin entered Fordham Law School after service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Fordham Law Review and on the School’s National Moot Court Team. After graduating first in his Fordham Law class in 1959, he joined the firm of Cahill, Gordon & Reindel and then returned to Fordham two years later where he began teaching Evidence and New York Practice. In 1971, Judge McLaughlin was appointed Dean of Fordham Law. During his ten-year deanship, he made a number of important contributions to the Law School, including augmenting the faculty with more women and professors from outside the Fordham community. In his first year alone he increased the number of faculty from 20 to 25.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Judge McLaughlin to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York where he served for almost a decade. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush nominated Judge McLaughlin for elevation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 1998 he assumed senior status. Until his retirement, Judge McLaughlin was one of four Fordham Law alumni serving as a federal judge at the U.S. court of appeals level. Judge McLaughlin wrote more than 800 opinions during his time on the bench. Some of his noteworthy rulings include United States v. Mulheren, United States v. Acosta, and Karibian v. Columbia University. In judicial evaluations, lawyers consistently described him as fair, unbiased, and evenhanded in his rulings.
Judge McLaughlin is survived by his wife, Frances, his three sons, Andrew, Joseph ’88, and Matthew ’94, and his daughter, Mary Jo.
Molloy was recently informed of the passing of Mr. William J. Dunn. Mr. Dunn worked as an English teacher at Molloy during the late 1960s and 1970s. According to his son William, Mr. Dunn loved teaching at Molloy. William recalls getting the opportunity to travel with his father to the school to watch the great Stanner basketball squads during that era, which boasted players such as Kevin Joyce ’69 and Brian Winters ’70. Mr. Dunn also considered Coach Jack Curran a good friend during his tenure at Molloy. One of Mr. Dunn’s proudest moments came when one of his students had written a book about Shakespeare. In the forward of the book, Mr. Dunn was included among those most influential to the author. Mr. Dunn never forgot his time at Molloy, and cherished his memories of teaching at the school much later in his life. We ask that our community please pray for Mr. William J. Dunn and his family.
We are saddened to share the passing of Conrad Fioretti ’55. The following is from Mr. Fioretti’s obituary, which was provided by his family: “Conrad Fioretti of Pine Brook, NJ passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 10, 2013. He was 76 years old. He was also known to his family and friends as “Connie”, “Honest Connie” and “Pops”. Born and raised in East Harlem, Mr. Fioretti lived the last 47 years of his life in Pine Brook, NJ. He graduated from St. Ann’s Academy in 1955 and later Manhattan College with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1959. He went on to get his MEE at City College of NY in 1965 and his MBA at Farleigh Dickerson University in 1978. Mr. Fioretti worked most of his career as a manager and executive at ITT and Magnavox in their Space Defense Communications area. After retiring, he later joined his sons Peter and Robert working in their real estate development company overseeing their accounting department. He had a very long history of being civically involved in the Pine Brook/Montville area. As a young father he helped coach Bronco football and Little League baseball as well as being involved with the cub scouts. He served for many years on the Montville Township MUA including being Chairmen for a number of them. He was a member of St Pius X Catholic Church since moving to Pine Brook in 1965. He was a daily communicant, served on the finance committee, was an usher and supported the Montville Township Food Pantry since its inception in 2010. He was also a member of UNICO, the Knights of Columbus, the Montville Senior Club and one of the original supporters of Metropolitan State Bank, which is now Lakeland Bank.” Please pray for the Fioretti family.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Ms. Elizabeth Lumley, mother of Kevin ’77 and Michael ’83. Elizabeth passed away on March 6th, 2013.
We are saddened to share news of the passing of Mrs. Connie Lipset, wife of retired faculty member Mr. Mark Lipset. Please pray for the Lipset family during this difficult time of mourning.
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