Upcoming Fall Events

Stanner Alumni Reunion – 1 WEEK AWAY!

• When: Saturday, November 7, 2015
• Where: Archbishop Molloy High School
• Who: Classes of 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 & 2010
• REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Alumni with class years ending in 0 or 5 have just four days left to register for their reunion! The Stanner Alumni Reunion is a great opportunity to come back to your alma mater and reconnect with classmates from years past. Upwards of 600 alumni have attended the reunion in recent years, and we’re hoping to match that success on November 7th. Space is ultimately limited, so we recommend registering as soon as possible to secure your seat.

For those traveling from out of town, a discounted hotel rate has been offered by the Courtyard Marriott at Laguardia Airport (details are available on your event registration page). Valet parking will be available and will operate on first come first served basis.

When arriving please enter through the parking lot doors opposite the track and baseball field (other entrances will not be open). The evening will begin with early check in at 4:30pm and a Mass of Remembrance in the Ralph DeChiaro Theater at 5:00pm, which honors the memory lost Stanners. Cocktail receptions for each class will begin around 6:20pm. Class photos, dinner, music and dancing will begin in the 7:00pm hour with dessert to follow. Volunteers and signage will direct you to each location throughout the evening.

Molloy Real Estate Alumni Network – Inaugural Event!

• When: Wednesday, November 18th | 6:00pm
• Where: RFR Realty LLC (285 Madison Ave, 11th Floor)
• Who: All alumni in real estate or construction
• REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

The Stanner Alumni Center is pleased to announce an upcoming NEW networking event. The Real Estate Network is open to all Stanners, particularly those in commercial real estate, building/facilities management, construction, architecture, and engineering. Join us for remarks by guest speaker Gerard Schumm ’68 (Executive Vice President, RFR Realty LLC), prime professional networking opportunities, hors d’oeuvres and beverages. This event has been made possible thanks to the leadership and support of Gerard Schumm and the generosity of RFR Realty LLC. Register online by November 16th.

Connecticut Alumni Chapter Gathering

• When: Tuesday, November 17th | 6:00pm
• Where: Two Roads Brewery, Stratford, Connecticut
• Who: Alumni ages 21+
• REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Molloy is proud to announce a gathering of our Connecticut alumni on November 17th! Alumni are invited to the Two Roads Brewery in Stratford, CT to meet members of the Stanner Alumni Center staff, connect with other alumni, enjoy a brewery tour with samples, and food, drinks, and coffee to follow. This is a great opportunity to build our Connecticut Alumni Chapter, and your participation will help us make future events possible. Questions can be forwarded to Matt Rizzotti (email above).

Alumni Race at Van Cortlandt Park

• When: Saturday, November 14th | 12:15pm
• Where: Van Cortlandt Park
• Contact: Frank Gambino ‘74
• REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

If you are interested in representing Molloy in the annual Alumni Race at Van Cortlandt Park during the CHSAA Championship Cross Country Meet, please contact Coach Frank Gambino (email above). Frank will provide further details on the race. Good luck to our participating alumni!

Around the School

Fall Open House Sees Record Turnout

On Sunday, October 18th, Molloy hosted a successful Open House for elementary students and their families. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteers welcomed a record crowd of over 4,900 visitors to Briarwood throughout the day for a comprehensive, up close and personal look at what Molloy has to offer. “Very often, Open House is the day that prospective students and their parents make the critical decision to choose Molloy,” said President Richard Karsten ’81. “We are proud to welcome visitors to our beautiful campus, but we are most proud of our faculty and students who do such a great job in articulating what make Molloy the best choice.”

No less than 1,415 families registered inquiry cards, while over 2,000 information kits were distributed. From academics to athletics, spiritual life to student leadership, every aspect of Molloy was covered. “There were a few changes in the presentation this year, including providing more in depth information about Freshman Camp and the retreat program, as well as highlighting several diverse Stanner musicians,” said Admissions Director Ms. Leslie Poole-Petit. “Overall we received a lot of positive feedback from our guests.” Ms. Petit credited the Stanner community collectively as a big reason why Molloy has seen increased success in its admissions strategy. “This year more faculty, students, and alumni have been involved in the recruitment process than ever before. We are grateful to all those who volunteered at our Open House and represented Molloy at a variety of parish events throughout the past year on behalf of Admissions.”

Pro Trombonist Lectures Molloy’s Brass Players

Molloy’s brass players recently enjoyed an informative and interactive guest lecture by Swiss musician Amadis Dunkel. Mr. Dunkel, born in Spain and raised in Switzerland and Italy, is a performer, educator, conductor, and composer. He specializes in Jazz Trombone and has worked with many other accomplished musicians in major venues around the world. During the lecture, Mr. Dunkel demonstrated the physics of sound production, breathing techniques, how to warm up properly, and free buzzing. “Everyone is unique. Everyone’s mouth is different, and so everyone’s way of playing a brass instrument is special to them,” said Mr. Dunkel. Students were also taught the importance of conditioning exercises and finding their comfort zone. “If you are comfortable, playing your instrument will be effortless,” he explained.

Mr. Dunkel concluded his lecture with a brief tutorial of how to understand the meaning of a piece of music. “You must really listen to the music, not just in the background. Imagine what the artist is trying to say through the piece.” The students in attendance had a great time and appreciated Mr. Dunkel’s enthusiasm and obvious passion for music. Special thanks to Ms. Ya Ting Yang and Mr. Dunkel for making this lecture possible.

College Guidance Welcomes New Face, Same Care

September 2015 marked the beginning of a new journey for Gus Esgro. The University of Scranton grad, who holds a degree in International Studies, joined Mr. Ted McGuinness ’81 in Molloy’s College Guidance department. Gus enjoyed early professional success in sports information, but after earning a Masters in secondary education, he returned to Scranton to work in admissions at small tech college. “I got a sense of the admissions and recruitment field there, which turned out to be great for my career,” said Gus. He would join the admissions department at his alma mater Scranton in June 2012. “My primary recruitment area was New York City, including all five boroughs, Westchester and Rockland counties. I visited many different schools as a recruiter, ran Scranton’s royal ambassador tour guide program, and continued to learn about the recruitment process.”

One of the schools Gus visited each year was Molloy – and it became one of his favorites. “One of the things I really liked about Molloy as someone on the outside looking in is how welcoming everyone is. Whenever I visited the school to pitch Scranton, Stanners were prepared, asked fantastic questions, and were comfortable talking about their needs or concerns in choosing a college. Many of them also have their eyes set on diverse professional fields, which isn’t always the norm.” Gus believes his work with Scranton prepared him well for his new role as a college guidance counselor. “Now that I’m on the other side of the desk I feel at home. I know what college recruiters are looking for, and that helps me conduct my one-on-one sessions with students now. I enjoy meeting new students and getting to know them. In the larger groups I teach we go over everything from refining one’s college search, to finishing applications and submitting them to schools.”

Fall is one of the busiest times for College Guidance. In years past the Beehive has featured many visits from college representatives. Schools like Scranton, Annapolis, NYU, St. John’s, FIT, Notre Dame, University of Chicago, Boston University, The New School, and so many others identify Molloy as a prime recruitment opportunity. “We want to get as many college representatives to visit Molloy as possible,” said Gus. “From the first day of school until Thanksgiving it’s nonstop. Despite the workload, I will stay late if a student needs help. I want to make sure every student is prepared. Ted and I don’t want them to be intimidated by a school’s prestige. Our job is to get down to the core of what Stanners want to study, and then match them with the right environment. It’s a challenge, but the end result is a well-rounded and better experience.” For a list of colleges visiting Molloy this fall, CLICK HERE.

Looking Back…Memories of Br. Eugene

Raoul Wientzen ’64 recently responded to our “Looking Back” Beehive contest (see right column) and shared some thoughts about one of the men pictured:

“Br. Eugene was my Latin teacher for two years. He also subbed in my freshman English class for about a month while my very favorite teacher of all time, Br. Francis Xavier, was recovering from surgery. I distinctly remember two things about that month. First, Br. Eugene assigned the class a Christmas break task of reading any Charles Dickens novel and doing a book report on it, to be handed in the day class resumed in the New Year. Most of the class read A Christmas Carol. Not me! I read, sadly, Barnaby Rudge. Class resumed, reports were handed in, and the next day he was furious so many had read A Christmas Carol! Suspecting the unforgivable sibling sins of sloth and duplicity, he gave them all zeros as grades. The class protested: he had made no prohibition of reading that novel, so it was unfair, unjust, that they now be punished. A brisk argument ensued, and he relented it was a lesson in many things; ethics, logic, fairness, democracy. Maybe even humility on his part: acknowledging he had erred in not thinking through his assignment more clearly.”

“My second memory was more meaningful to me, always the budding writer. We had read some poems in class. I seem to remember one was The Highwayman. We discussed meter, meaning and rhyme. With about fifteen minutes left in the period, Br. Eugene told us to take out a half-sheet and write a poem – for a grade! I was very unhappy to see all my classmates just go at it, writing as if creating poems was easy. I struggled for most of the allotted time, writing nothing because I had no poem-at-the-ready to jot down. I thought poetry was serious business, not a fifteen minute exercise. Finally, with about two minutes left, I began what now in retrospect I know was an ad-hominem jab at Br. Eugene. I still remember how my poem began: ‘There is a man in the front of the room, whose posture reminds me of a broom.’ Time expired, I handed it in, got a poor grade for not completing the assignment, but I felt somehow I learned firsthand a lot about what poetry is by having him make such a spontaneous demand.”

In 2013, Dr. Raoul Wientzen sent a copy of his first novel, The Assembler of Parts, to Br. Eugene. “I included a note telling him my failure to produce for him a piece of writing in 1960 was the reason I wrote this work in 2013. His intellectual rigor was what impressed and inspired me and so many of my classmates.” Dr. Wientzen is currently nearing completion of his second novel.

Class Updates

The Stanner Alumni Center is happy to share that Natasa Negovan ’04 and Louis Martinelli ’04 were married in Tuscany, Italy on September 12, 2015. Several Stanner classmates and close friends witnessed the happy occasion including maid of honor Danielle Olsen ’04 and bridesmaids Kristen Classi ’04, Cecilia Fonseca ’04, and Maria Delio ’04.

Michael J. D’Angelo ’93 has been promoted to Vice President of Labor Relations for Hyatt Hotels Corp. Michael’s responsibilities in this role include all labor relations policy decision making and administration for the Americas region of the company (US, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America). As of September, Michael is also Co-Chair of the Labor Relations Council of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Congratulations, Michael!

As noted in The Beehive on September 18th, Paul Galbraith ’74 is to be featured in an episode of Mysteries at the Museum on the Travel Channel this fall. We have now learned that Paul’s episode will air on Friday, November 13th at 9:00pm. Paul will portray historical figure Otto Von Bismarck in the episode. If you miss it on TV, you can catch the segment on the Travel Channel’s website the following week. Be sure to tune in and support Paul!

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Barbara J. Cavanagh, wife of Thomas J. Cavanagh ’63. Barbara and Thomas were married for 45 years. “She will always be in our hearts,” shared Tom. Please pray for the Cavanagh family during their time of mourning.