26th Annual Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic:

Be a Signature Sponsor

The Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic has always been a great opportunity for our alumni community to come together, reminisce, close out business deals and one-up each other out on the greens – all in good fun of course. An already positive event becomes more-so when you factor in the countless number of students that the outing has helped over the years. Jim Kinnier, Joe Smith, and John Gibbons, three exceptional teachers in Molloy’s history as well as the founders of the Stanner Golf Classic, always had young Stanners in mind when they spent countless hours each month planning Molloy’s largest all-class reunion. The Stanner Golf Classic directly impacts the lives of students every year through the awarding of the Jim Kinnier Scholarship, the Joe Smith Scholarship, and the John Gibbons Memorial Scholarship. These needs-assistance scholarships are crucial to the success of their recipients – particularly in the face of the economic hardships many families have faced in recent years. These scholarships provide financial aid, helping students dealing with extraordinary circumstances who would otherwise not be able to receive the excellent education in mind, body and spirit that Molloy offers. In turn, dozens of volunteers from the community work extremely hard to raise the most money they can at the Stanner Golf Classic.

Corporate sponsors have been among the most generous contributors to the Stanner Golf Classic for many years. The philanthropic support of Stanner businesses and professionals has positively affected countless students in need, and it has shown no signs of slowing down. With the coming of every New Year, however, the Stanner community adopts a greater ambition to excel further than ever before. Just as those at Molloy work hard with volunteers to put on a great event, we ask that our Stanner businesses and professionals work even harder with the benefits of our needs-assistance scholarships at the forefront of it all. The Stanner Golf Classic can be more impactful than ever with a Signature Sponsorship commitment of $40,000. Your business’ major gift to Molloy awards 2 foursomes, brunch, cocktails, dinner, a permanent plaque in the Stanner Alumni Center showcase, and prominent signage for your company on both golf courses as well as your company logo on the cover of our journal, a journal ad inside, and signage during cocktail and dinner hour. Your generosity helps perpetuate the outstanding tradition of excellence at Archbishop Molloy High School, and we are truly gracious for all that you do for our Stanners.

For more information on a Signature Sponsorship, golf reservations, journal ads, raffle tickets and more please contact alumni@molloyhs.org.

Around the School

Most students enjoyed a brief respite from their challenging academic and athletic schedules last week as school closed for mid-winter vacation. A group of passionate thespians, however, sacrificed much of their free time to prepare for a string of performances that truly speak (or in this case, sing) to their sensibilities. The Stanner Players, under the guidance of Director Ms. Jessica Petschauer ’04, have been whole-heartedly preparing for their upcoming foray into the hit musical Oklahoma! The story captures tender moments in time between Oklahoma farm girl Laurey Williams and Curly McLain, a charming cowboy. Being a somewhat difficult musical to perform, the Stanner Players must be ready and on point. You wouldn’t notice any  intimidation on the part of the Players though. Students have been confidently singing bars, practicing lines, and going through the motions for weeks since tryouts were first held. With no time to lose, the Players met frequently over their vacation time to make sure they are ready to go when their March run begins. Not only are they working on understanding how their characters will captivate audiences, but they must also work very hard at creating sets, costumes, props, and everything in between. As you can see from the accompanying photo, they may have made a mess during the creative process, but they had no trouble in returning the theater to its original tidy state – true dedication indeed! We hope you’ll mark your calendars for performances March 16th through 18th and March 23rd through 25th.

Sports Update

Molloy senior George Davis scored 19 points in the Varsity squad’s 65-59 win over St. Peter’s in the CHSAA Class AA second round playoff contest on February 29th. The Stanners will advance to play Holy Cross on Sunday at 1:00pm at Fordham University. Sophomore C.J. Davis scored 15 points while junior Marko Kozul scored 14 points with 13 rebounds. Morrell Gaskins also racked up 14 points. The win was number 953 of Coach Jack Curran’s storied career. Photo courtesy of Frank Locascio and MSG Varsity.

Upcoming Events

Lawyer’s Alumni Network Event – Last Call!

Register Online Now! There’s only a few days left to register for the second event in our Lawyers Alumni Network series offering insightful discussions and many opportunities to build contacts with fellow Stanners. Admission to this event is free thanks to the wonderful generosity of Matthew T. McLaughlin ’87 and the Lawyers Network Committee. Stanners working in or studying law are invited to Venable LLP at Rockefeller Center (1270 6th Ave, 25th Floor) on Wednesday, March 7th at 6:30pm to sit in on a discussion led by Assistant Dean Robert J. Reilly ’68 (Of the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham School of Law). Dean Reilly also resides in the Stanner Hall of Fame. Mr. McLaughlin will moderate a Q&A session following Dean Reilly’s presentation, which is a great opportunity for young lawyers or those in training to gain important knowledge about the business. Following the conclusion of the program, all in attendance will enjoy light refreshments, hors’ d’oeuvres and adult beverages. Register online here or contact Craig Katinas ’93 via email at ckatinas@molloyhs.org for more info. Be sure to also visit LinkedIn and search Molloy Lawyers under groups to get connected.

Wine Tasting Event

Register Online Now! There are still a few spots left, so make sure to register today! All Stanner alumni of legal age are invited to attend a special wine tasting at Molloy in the William J. Murphy Library, and spots are filling up fast! The event, taking place on Thursday, March 15th at 6:30pm, will be a “Wine 101” tasting class in the basics of wine conducted by our in-house wine expert Mr. Jim Sheehan ’75, who has served Molloy as an English teacher and chorus leader for many years. According to Jim, “Novice or veteran, you’ll find something worth your while in this class.” Offerings from California, Washington, France, Portugal and more will be provided for all alumni anxious to learn about the often mysterious world of wine. Jim will also be available after his presentation for additional questions. Several other Molloy faculty members are expected to attend, including Ms. Mary Pat Gannon, Mr. Eric Stolze ‘86, Mr. Dennis Vellucci and more. Registration for this event is $35 per person. Space is extremely limited, so register online here or call the Stanner Alumni Center at (718) 441-9210.

10th Annual Tommy Ashton 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

The Tommy Ashton 3-On-3 Basketball Tournament is scheduled for Friday, April 13, and Saturday April 14 at the St. Sebastian Parish Center in Woodside, Queens. Tommy Ashton ’97 was a lifelong resident of Woodside who lost his life on September 11, 2001 while working as an electrical apprentice for Local 3 IBEW in the World Trade Center. A proud graduate of Molloy, Tommy was a Peer Group Leader. He also swam on the Varsity Swim team for 4 years and was captain of the team in his Senior Year. A basketball tournament was established to collect donations for those in need in Tommy’s memory. This year’s Tournament proceeds will be donated to No Greater Sacrifice, a non-profit organization dedicated to the children of our nation’s fallen and wounded Service members. For more information read the event flyer here, or click here for sponsorship information.

Director of Campus Ministry Mike Germano ’93 was enjoying a fun-filled family getaway in Disneyworld last week over mid-winter break when out of the blue he came across a very familiar face. It turns out Mike and family bumped into classmate Jeffrey Clarke ’93 not once, not twice, but three separate times while trekking through the Disneyworld and Epcot grounds. Mike was truly excited by the coincidence. “What is the likelihood of two graduates from Molloy, from the same year, meeting at the same Disney Park, at the same exact location on Ash Wednesday? Obviously, very good!” Mike and Jeff took the opportunity to catch up and, of course, pose for a family photo.

Currently at spring training with the New York Mets, former Stanner Mike Baxter ’02 is also on the cover of “metroBASEBALL” Magazine, a new quarterly publication covering all levels of NY-area baseball, amateur and professional. Mike is featured in a great article, and if you flip through the magazine you’re sure to spot some other Stanners along the way. “metroBASEBALL” Magazine can be found throughout Brooklyn and Queens primarily, at nearby sports facilities such as The Cage in Middle Village, memorabilia outlets like Royal Collectibles in Forest Hills, sporting goods stores like Dephillips Sports in Bayside, and at all Maspeth Federal Savings branches. For more information, please contact metrobaseballny@gmail.com.

Gene Logan ’58 Speaks on Creative Writing

Novelist and former St. Ann’s student Gene Logan ’58 spent time at Molloy on Monday speaking in Mr. Matt Kilkelly’s creative writing classes. Room 302 was happy to host Gene, who shared details about his creative process as well as a background on the influences for his fictional book Burning Hearts, which was highlighted in the Beehive in April 2011. Gene talked about his main inspiration for the book – a couple he observed at a Church function who married just weeks after their senior prom and who 20 years later are still journeying through life together. This led to a fictional story about two individuals who are deeply in love throughout high school, but are faced with a struggle to maintain that relationship when they must also attempt to pursue their God-given talents in professional athletics. Gene began the lecture by describing other authors who have spent as little as 4 days or as many as 21 years creating their masterpieces. “It’s not about how long it takes you to write,” said Gene. “It’s about developing your ability to tell a story for as long as it takes.” Gene said he wrote his entire novel in one large section before breaking it into individual chapters later. He also stressed the importance of re-asserting a general theme throughout one’s writing. In the case of Gene’s novel, the theme of love and faith intersects with everyday life in a realistic and meaningful way.  Gene encouraged students interested in writing to continually search for inspiration, as it is always easier to write about something that one can identify with on a personal level. Burning Hearts can be purchased through Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

Class Updates

Michael Dono ’63 sent us a note letting us know that he is currently retired from Marsh and McLennan after 27 years as Senior Vice President in the compliance group. He is looking forward to his 50th anniversary reunion in 2013. Michael is now located in Commack, New York.

Richard Ricciardi ‘74, PhD, NP is proud to announce that he was recently appointed by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to serve on the US Department of Health and Human Services Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee. You can read more about Richard, his promotion, and the HHS here.

Andrew Palmieri ’81 is the incoming Chair of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in Alexandria, Virginia. Andrew, previously the chair of the Chamber’s government relations committee, is very excited about his new role and hopes to continue the success of the Chamber and develop its membership and demographics.

Please pray for the family of Stephen Sweetman ’93, who has suffered the loss of two dear loved ones in the past 2 weeks.

We are very saddened to share news of the passing of Mrs. Gilda Schmidt, mother of Nancy Catalanotto. Gilda passed away after courageously battling cancer. Please pray for Gilda, Nancy and their family during this difficult time.