LinkedIn a Resource for All Alumni

Around this time of year, when we finally start thawing out from the deep winter freeze, the Stanner Alumni Center often receives communications from talented and motivated young alumni who are seeking internship opportunities in a variety of professions. This is also the time of year that the Stanner Alumni Center is made aware of a variety of employment and internship opportunities offered by established alumni who would like to promote them to our community. In an effort to accommodate both those seeking and those presenting opportunities, we encourage you to join our LinkedIn group: Archbishop Molloy High School Alumni. The Group has over 1,580+ members and continues to grow daily.

For our young alumni, here are a couple of pointers:

• Update all sections of your LinkedIn profile.
• Upload a professional profile picture.
• Be proactive. Make sure you utilize resources such as http://www.internships.com/summer/new-york-ny.
• Invite personal and professional contacts to endorse your “Skills” section.
• Be specific. Saying you want an internship in Media is too broad and does not provide your audience an understanding of what exactly you wish to pursue professionally.
• For example: when pursuing “Media” are you hoping to find an opportunity in TV? Digital Advertising? Radio? More specifically, is it sports? Music? The more specific you are in what you are seeking, the more effective your search will become.

Stanner Golf Classic – Live & Silent Auction Prizes

• When: Monday, May 4th, 2015
• Where: Plandome Country Club | North Hills Country Club
• Contact: Maria Ford | mford@molloyhs.org | (718) 943-3186
• Click here to download the 2015 golf invitation

Over the past several weeks we’ve shared different aspects of the Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic that make it a premier high school alumni outing. From the great work of our honorees and volunteers, to outstanding raffle prizes including trips to Las Vegas and the Super Bowl, to highlighting the students that benefit from your participation, the Stanner Golf Classic is a unique and cherished Molloy tradition. This week we would like to focus on auction prizes. (Pictured: A sampling of items featured in last year’s silent auction, including signed sports memorabilia, premier power tools, weekend getaways, and more)

In recent years, Molloy has presented some fantastic auction prizes for its golfers. The auction takes two forms: silent and live. The silent auction features prizes such as sports tickets, (think Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Nets, NCAA, etc.) concert tickets (U2, Journey, and Billy Joel have been previously offered), lavish liquor and wine baskets, weekend getaways, private rounds of golf, electronics, high quality power tools, and more unique items that keep bidders coming back for more. The prizes are always diverse and offer our alumni and friends the variety they have grown accustomed to at Molloy’s outings. We expect prizes like these to once again be winnable via silent auction on May 4th – and some surprises too.

Molloy’s live auction takes place shortly after dinner and features highly competitive prizes. In recent years Molloy has auctioned off weekend retreats, sports packages, and private dinners with Hall of Fame alumni like former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly ’59 – just to name a few. This year’s live auction is already shaping up to be a strong one, with two items confirmed for bidding. First, Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81 will showcase his talents in the kitchen by offering his homemade gourmet menu drawing from Italian cooking as well as his German roots. Last year, Mr. Karsten’s “Dinner by President” went for top dollar – twice. As a result of the high bids, Mr. Karsten prepared two exquisite dinners for two groups of hungry, enthusiastic alumni and friends. Alumni who took part in the dinners were blown away by the quality of the food and atmosphere. (Pictured above left: Anthony DiRusso ’80 and his family and friends pose with President/Chef Richard Karsten ’81 | Pictured above right L-R: Mike McGuire ’81, Brad Katinas ’90, Craig Katinas ’93, Ted McGuinness ’81, Chris Mitchell ’93, Richard Karsten ’81, and Matthew Luckie ’89 Mike Connolly ’90)

The second prize that has been confirmed is dinner at Rao’s Restaurant in Manhattan. Rao’s is as renowned for its exclusivity as it is its food, making securing a table at the restaurant a tough task. Molloy will auction off dinner for four on a Friday night at 8:00pm at the famous restaurant at this year’s Stanner Golf Classic. The date of the dinner is to be mutually agreeable by the donor of the prize and the winning bidder. The winning bidder will submit three potential dates from which the donor will select their preferred date. We hope you will consider registering today and being a part of the action, and the auction, on May 4th.

For more information on this year’s auction, as well as purchasing raffle tickets, sponsoring journal ads, or registering a foursome, please contact Alumni Relations Director Maria Ford at (718) 943-3186 mford@molloyhs.org. We are also accepting volunteers at this time, so let us know if you’d like to get involved!

Around the School

Molloy Pipes & Drums Marches in St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Archbishop Molloy High School was fortunate to be represented during this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade up 5th Avenue as its Pipes & Drums Band marched the route from start to finish. At one point, the band turned to acknowledge a crowd of Stanner faithful assembled near FAO Schwartz at Central Park South, playing a few tribute notes before continuing up the parade route. Molloy was also represented by its recently formed Alumni Pipes & Drums Band, which made one of its first public appearances in Tuesday’s parade. We will have more information on the alumni band in the coming weeks, but for now please browse the photos below taken by Ed Shannon ’84 and former Pipes & Drums Band member Joanna Sawyer ’05.

Upcoming Events

SMILE 50th Anniversary Celebration – TOMORROW

• When: Saturday, March 21st | 4:00 PM
• Where: Archbishop Molloy High School
• Admission: Free
• REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

Tomorrow evening Molloy will honor 50 years of SMILE (Something More In Life’s Experience). After months of preparation, we will welcome over 300 alumni, friends, students, and several SMILE founders and their families, for a landmark day in the history of the program. A loose schedule of events is provided below:

• Prayer Service (4:00 PM)
• Presentation (4:30 PM)
• “SMILE Museum” featuring artifacts & footage that tell the SMILE story (5:00 PM)
• Reception featuring food and other light refreshments (5:00 PM)

Walk ups are welcome, but you must check in outside the Jack Curran Gym. Please plan to arrive shortly around 3:30 PM to allow enough time to get settled for the prayer service. Greeters will be present to direct you. The parking lot will be open for your use. We look forward to sharing this milestone event with you.

13th and Final Tommy Ashton 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

• When: April 17th & 18th, 2015
• Where: Sebastian Parish Center (Woodside)
• REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED

The 13th and final Tommy Ashton 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament will be held on April 17th & 18th at St. Sebastian Parish Center. From its beginning, the Tournament’s goal was to remember and honor Tommy Ashton ‘97, a young man who was killed in the attack on America on September 11, 2001. In memory of Tommy, the generosity of our valued sponsors, participants, volunteers and spectators has enabled the Tournament to donate over $285,000 to worthwhile charitable organizations and local projects. Learn more about registering, sponsoring, and raffle tickets at www.thomasashtonfoundation.com.

Robert C. Thomas ‘11 will begin his studies in the Master of Science in Financial Engineering program at Columbia University in fall 2015. Robert is graduating from St. John’s University this May with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and a minors in Mathematics and Computer Science, as well as having completed the school’s Honors Program. During his time in college, Robert was heavily involved in extracurricular activities, including enjoying an election to the Executive Board of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and writing the chapter’s first alumni newsletter, holding representative and chairman positions within Student Government, and studying abroad in Rome in summer 2014. His passion for community service and Campus Ministry throughout his collegiate years led him to volunteer at the Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, Florida with other students during his last spring break. Give Kids the World is a non-profit resort dedicated to providing a dream vacation for children with terminal and life-threatening illnesses and their families. It was a life-changing and humbling experience. Interacting with people from all walks of life during service plunges helped Robert find the capacity to lead by example and inspire change in his University community. We wish Robert the best of luck in graduate school and his future career!

Edwidge Turenne ‘98 is proud to share that he has accepted the role of Assistant Director of Financial Aid at the New School University. “I will be meeting and greeting students and parents during orientations and throughout the year. I will also be responsible for counseling students in regards to their Financial Aid options and representing the university at national conferences and other events,” explained Edwidge. In addition, Edwidge will oversee awarding, budgeting, and spending for all federal, state, and institutional funds. “As I get better acclimated at the university I will be looking forward to helping the Molloy family with the insight and experience I can provide as it relates to my new role.”

We regret to inform our community of the passing of Marina Santos, mother of our friend and colleague Lou Santos. Mrs. Santos passed away Tuesday afternoon. Please keep the Santos family in your prayers.

We are saddened to report that John Sangster, Class of 1964, passed away on February 26, 2015. Jack, as friends called him, grew up in Lynbrook, attended Molloy, and later graduated from NYU Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1968. He received an NDEA Fellowship for a PhD at the University of Virginia. Jack’s professional career was in development for The Fund for New Priorities and Amnesty International, which allowed him to travel abroad quite a bite throughout his life. He is survived by his best friend, Deidre Gerlach of Coral Springs, FL and his sisters, Helen Sangster Dwyer of Schuylerville, NY and Mary (Charley) Rance of Tacoma, WA and nieces and nephew, Helen Hitchens, Susan Herzfeld and Will Rance all of San Diego, CA. Please keep John in your prayers.

We are saddened to share the passing of Gloria Maria Harmel, mother of George Harmel Jr. ’62. In George’s words, “My mother met many Stanners through Brother Leo Richard  in the sixties and thereafter. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother to my three daughters, and great-grandmother to her 14 great grandchildren. She was very much loved by my wife Maria and our daughters, Lara, Kimberly and Kristin. She will be greatly missed by us all.” Please keep Gloria Harmel in your prayers.

Molloy shared early last week the passing of Mr. Griffith X. Clarke, Class of 1959, of Sea Girt, NJ, on March 5th, 2015. Mr. Clarke’s generosity impacted the lives of many young men and women at Molloy for decades. As an original Stanner who attended both St. Ann’s and Molloy, Mr. Clarke’s love of the Marist Brothers and the Stanner family grew early in his life. The guidance and lessons the Marist Brothers bestowed upon Mr. Clarke as a young boy helped shape him into a kind, considerate, and generous man. The education Mr. Clarke received at St. Ann’s and Molloy would also aid him in his professional career, which began at Charles E. Quincey & Co as a “runner”. Throughout his years at Quincey, Mr. Clarke worked hard to earn his way up the ranks, moving swiftly through operations and accounting, to the trading desk, to a partnership. He would become a member of the New York Stock Exchange and a primary dealer in US government securities. In January of 1979, Mr. Clarke founded his firm, G.X. Clarke & Company with his five partners. Mr. Clarke oversaw operations at the firm until his retirement in January of 2015.

As a dedicated alumnus, Mr. Clarke voluntarily supported Molloy and the Marist Brothers and was an active and enthusiastic ambassador for his alma mater’s mission. His professional success and work within the St. Ann’s/Molloy community quickly earned him induction into the Stanner Hall of Fame. Mr. Clarke maintained many friendships and formed many lasting bonds within the Stanner community for over 50 years, including with several of the Marist Brothers who taught him at St. Ann’s. Just recently, Mr. Clarke traveled to Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx with Molloy President Richard Karsten ’81 to visit Br. James Ryan ’48 shortly before Br. Ryan’s passing. During the visit, and during most other alumni gatherings, Mr. Clarke’s pride in being a Stanner always shone through. His dedication to our community will always be sincerely appreciated.

While Griffith accomplished so much in his professional career, he would always say his greatest accomplishment was his family. The administration, faculty, staff, and students at Archbishop Molloy High School extend their sincerest condolences to Mr. Clarke’s wife, Catherine, and the entire Clarke family. We ask that our alumni and friends to please continue to keep Mr. Clarke and his family in their prayers.