USA! USA! USA!
The opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London are just hours away and thousands of Olympians are preparing to represent their home countries from across the globe. As we root on Team USA, we can’t help but to recognize the Stanner Olympians of the past. Tom Farrell ’61, one of the greatest runners the school has ever seen, competed in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, and later in Mexico City in 1968 where he won a bronze medal in the Men’s 800 Meters. Kevin Joyce ’69 (pictured), one of Coach Curran’s most notable star athletes, won a silver medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as a member of the US National Basketball Team. Kawan Lovelace ’94, competing for team Belize at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, put up outstanding numbers in the Men’s Triple Jump. Most recently, Roselyn Gold-Onwude ’05 played with the Nigerian National Basketball Team in the 2012 FIBA Qualifiers. The team upset Greece 80-79 and then defeated the Dominican Republic to earn a spot in the 2012 Summer Olympics. In the spirit of the exceptional performances of these Stanners, we wish all of our American Olympians luck as they face the many challenges ahead.
Stanner Happy Hour @ Park Avenue Tavern
On Tuesday July 17th, Stanners, family members and friends came together at Park Avenue Tavern in Manhattan for a special Happy Hour event. From 6pm to 8pm, attendees enjoyed an open bar in a private space reserved for the Molloy community. The Tavern’s prime location and casual atmosphere served as the perfect setting for alumni to catch up, network and make new friends too. The evening’s success was due in large part to the efforts of the Flanagan brothers, Richard ’84, Matthew ’85, and Justin ’90 as well as our friends at the Park Avenue Tavern. When the opportunity to help Molloy arose, the Flanagans jumped at the chance. “It’s about getting everyone together,” said Rich. “We would love to set this up again. It’s great to see everyone and to help the school at the same time.” The room was quite packed – perhaps partially aided by the star power of Survivor season 10 winner Tom Westman ’82, who was happy to be a part of the festivities.
The room did quiet down for just a few minutes as the 50/50 raffle drawing took place. Mrs. Mary Flanagan, mother of the Flanagan boys, accepted the honor of picking out the winning ticket, which ultimately belonged to Marisa Spadano ’05. Marisa’s winning ticket earned her over $400, and we would like to congratulate her once again. Even after the happy hour had come to a close, dozens of Stanners stuck around for much of the remainder of the evening to reminisce as well as discuss their ideas for future alumni events, including those for newly established alumni networks.
“It is very exciting that Stanners spanning 5 decades, from the 1960’s all the way through the 2000’s, can share these experiences together, and in some cases learn a great deal from one another,” said President Richard Karsten ’81. “Everyone was particularly enthusiastic tonight about helping Molloy, and that is a great sign as we look ahead to exciting new events coming up this fall.” By the end of the night, the Stanner Happy Hour had raised over $1,300 for the Fund For Molloy. On behalf of everyone here at Molloy as well as the Flanagan brothers and our friends at the Park Avenue Tavern thank you to all that came out to support our alma mater. We hope to see you all, and some new faces, at future alumni events. Check out some more photos from the evening below:
Dinner by President
Have you ever had dinner prepared for you by a President? Or have you wondered how a “Dinner by President” would fair? In the case of the Stanner Alumni Center, we certainly have! Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81 offered his creative chef services to the highest bidder for the first time at the 25th Anniversary Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic in May 2011. The winning bidder, Adrian Mariacher ’97, was entitled to a gourmet dinner for 8 at Molloy prepared by Mr. Karsten. Adrian was so pleased with the dinner that he went on record saying, “The meal was fantastic. Richard made us feel right back at home at our beloved high school. The night exceeded my expectations and we all had a great time.” Alumni Relations Director Maria Ford and Alumni Development Director Craig Katinas ’93, inspired by Adrian’s four star rating, placed the winning bid for “Dinner by President” at the most recent Stanner Golf Classic in 2012. During the dinner we learned first-hand that Mr. Karsten may have missed his true calling.
Throughout the evening, diners were served by none other than Julia ’09 and Kayla Karsten ’12, who were as courteous and professional a wait staff as any in New York City. The menu began with crostini two ways, including classic tomato bruschetta as well as Portobello, pesto and Parmesan. The menu really started to turn heads with the next dish – a handmade vegetable and herb ravioli served in a white wine reduction. The reduction, a tedious process according to Mr. Karsten, turned out to be one of the highlights of the night. But wait, there’s more. Following the ravioli were extremely tender cuts of filet mignon, served with “Luger” style bacon, roasted fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables. A delicious chocolate ganache finished off what could only be described as a stellar dinner. “Great food with great colleagues,” said Katinas, who has no regrets about the winning bid. “Everything was made from scratch and each dish was better than the last. I was partial to the ravioli. I could probably eat 100 of those.” Maria was equally impressed with the food, but it was the overall experience that was most important to her. “It gave us an opportunity to relax and enjoy each others’ company at the end of a busy school year,” she said. “I’m thankful for what we were able to share.”
5 Weeks Left to Participate in the $50,000 Challenge
Over the course of the 2011/12 school year, the Fund For Molloy has raised over $311,000 with the help of close to 1,000 total gifts. Recently, an anonymous benefactor provided a $50,000 challenge to Molloy in an effort to lift our total over $350,000 for the year. From now until August 31, 2012 every donation to the Fund For Molloy will be matched 2:1 with the help of this anonymous benefactor. We have made strides since the challenge began on June 29th, but there is still much work to be done to reach our goal of $50,000. Gifts to the 2012 Fund For Molloy offer the necessary resources to:
- Provide needs assistance funding ensuring a student whose family is addressing financial or extraordinary circumstances could remain here at Molloy.
- Renovations to the St. Ann’s Courtyard entrance
- Repair a 40 square foot section of roof atop the Ralph DeChiaro Arts & Sciences Building
- New Ventilation, repairs and upgrades to the Kitchen and Cafeteria (Refrigeration systems, grills, ovens)
Every dollar you provide affects the immediate priorities of the school. Gifts to the Fund For Molloy are critical to maintaining and improving our 6-acre campus. Everyone at Molloy is truly grateful for your support. Thank you for your generous consideration and continuing the tradition of charity here at Stanner High. Please remember the Stanner Alumni Center is here to serve you, so please feel free to contact us anytime at (718) 441-9210.
Around the School
Jack Curran Basketball Camp
For two weeks in July, dozens of kids ages 6 and up from many different Queens communities had a chance to learn from the best as Molloy once again hosted its annual Jack Curran Basketball Camp. Every morning the aspiring b-ball players gathered near center court to pay close attention to Coach Curran and Coach John Martinson as they provided instruction and lessons of the game while several alumni volunteers demonstrated plays on the court. Camp participants would then perform drills and play scrimmage games throughout the afternoon, attempting to execute what they learned. While things seemed to be moving along as normal, there was a wave of excitement that hit the camp towards its last day. The kids got a special surprise visit from former NBA star Kenny Anderson ’89, who took pictures, shook hands and signed autographs. It was a thrill for the camp-goers – and for Coach Curran too. Coach is always happy to see his players return to the school, and when it happens to be a former NBA star like Anderson, it makes the visit all the more special.
Paul Jahn ’75 sent the following: “Just touching base to say that I was recently appointed Executive Director of the Workers’ Compensation Policy Institute in Latham, NY. I also wanted to send along a very warm greeting to Ms. Mary Pat Gannon. I was in her first group of ‘ne’er do wells’ back when she was still Ms. Mary Pat Maloney. I gained a lifelong appreciation for Joyce and Yeats and T. S. Eliot as a result of being in her class. I have to belatedly congratulate her on a well deserved induction into the Stanner Hall of Fame in 2008.”
Tony Gambardella ’72 sent a note to let us know he is happily married with three kids with the youngest heading off to Boston University in late August. Tony is currently practicing insurance and reinsurance law for domestic and international carriers as a partner at Rivkin Radler LLP. George DeHaven ’72, who Tony met on his first day at Molloy in 1968, is a partner at the same company. Tony also let us know that his twin brother, Tom Gambardella ’72, is also happily married with four kids. He is practicing law as a partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman and Dicker. Tony looks forward to seeing all of his classmates at their 40th anniversary reunion on November 3rd at Molloy!
Liana Angrisani ’10 will be attending University Las Cruces in New Mexico this fall where she has earned an out of state competitive scholarship. Liana is looking forward to living away from New York – a new experience for her. “I’m all about new experiences,” she says, as she hopes to study Nutrition and Fitness. While she attends school, Liana will also be working with her father and his business “Amore 2 Go”, a food truck serving pizza as well as some other, sweeter confections. Liana will be tasked with promoting the business through the web (including social media) as well as making some of the product herself. “My dad had a pizza truck when he was younger and he decided he wanted to share that experience with me,” Liana explains. “I bake a lot, so why not sell it?” She hopes to learn a great deal about running a business from her dad. Liana also wishes her sister Isabella much luck as she begins her freshman year at Molloy in September.
Louis Lamia ’10 is interning with Texas Instruments in Dallas this summer. Louis secured the internship after an interview at a conference in Anaheim with the Society of Professional Hispanic engineers. He anticipates that he will be doing software and programming work. He has experience in applications engineering and may work on customer needs for products as well. “Yeah I know I’ll be coding in C…and I hate C,” Louis joked. “It’s ok. I’ll make myself like it.” Summing up everything else that’s been going on, Louis said, “Life is good.”
Dan Schulte ’45 informed us of the passing of his cousin and St. Ann’s classmate Raymond Klein ’49 in 2011 after suffering a heart attack. Please say a prayer for Raymond.
We received word that Mike Tabert ‘65 passed away on June 1, 2012. He was a retired battalion chief, who served for thirty years with the Colorado Fire Department. He was 63 years old at his time of passing. Please pray for Mike and his family.
We are saddened to share news of the passing of the father of Anna Oldakowski ’12. Please pray for the Oldakowski family during this very difficult time.