Alumni Connecti N - St. Vincent-St. Mary High School

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Soon after Tom and Yvonne were
married Tom joined the Army Reserves
where he soon earned his rank as a Master
Sergeant. Tom accepted a Regular Army
Commission and again, he proudly rose
through the ranks.
During this time in Tom’s life he and
Yvonne were blessed with five children,
built his life insurance business, The Jesser
Group, which fifty years later is being
managed by his second son Tom, where
they both are members of The Million
Dollar Round Table, educated his children
in Catholic schools, and still remained a
dedicated member and volunteer of Our
Lady of The Cedars Catholic Church.
During his lifetime membership to
Our Lady of The Cedars Church, Tom has
dedicated his life to serving God. Tom has
served on church council, council
President, served as chairperson many
times for the church’s annual festival,
served many years as a delegate to the
National Apostolate of Maronites, serves on
The National Shrine of Our Lady of
Lebanon Board of Directors and with
fellow parishioners established The
Interfaith Care Givers Ministry in
participation with the loving guidance of
the late Sister Jordan Haddad. Tom also
worked closely with Sister Jordan in many
areas of her ministry. Tom was awarded
“The Masabki Award” named after two
Maronite Saints who dedicated their lives to
serving God, their country and Christians
everywhere.
Tom’s service to his community and
country is also to be noted. He is involved
in Veterans rights, Rotary and Make a Wish
Foundation.
Not only dedicated to helping those in
need in this country, Tom (along with other
members of the Sahgbeen Society) is
responsible for carrying on the tradition
left to him by his father and others that
came before him. This is a group of men
that are descendants of a village in Lebanon
that raises money to continue to educate
children of all faiths in Lebanon. This
school was built by funds raised by Tom’s
father and many other benefactors. There is
also scholarship money granted to students
locally who apply for tuition assistance for
college.
Tom has remained an active member
in his class of 1953 quarterly lunches and
reunions. During his years of parenting,
Tom has been challenged with illnesses that
have threatened his own life and illnesses
that have challenged the lives of his
children. His prayers, his quiet support,
constant guidance and with Yvonne by his
side carried his family through these very
difficult times.
Toms’ years of service are far from
slowing down. He is still very active in his
insurance business with his son Tom, he is
still found running errands for the sick and
working in his church kitchen or just
lending an ear or praying with a friend.
Tom’s wish and prayers are that his
children and his sixteen grandchildren walk
in the path of our Lord, work in his various
fields and grow in stature in the Lord’s
image. What more could any man wish for?
Patrick Verderico M61
Patrick Verderico was born in Akron,
Ohio to Nick and Mary Verderico, the third
of eight children. He and his family were
members of St. Mary Parish where Pat
attended both grade school and high
school, graduating in 1961.
While a student at St. Mary High
School, he was Junior Class President,
President of the Student Council, Editor of
the Yearbook, Buckeye Boys State
Representative, Treasurer of the National
Honor Society, Co-captain of the football
team, and recipient of the Knights of
Columbus Manhood Award.
Pat graduated from The University of
Akron in 1965 with a major in Political
Science and minors in Math and Spanish.
Pat, as did his sister and brothers, worked
throughout his college years. While in
college, he enlisted in the U. S. Marine
Corps Reserve. After basic training, he
trained one weekend a month and two
weeks each summer.
After graduation, Pat joined the Peace
Corps and served as a volunteer in
Honduras, Central America, for two years.
He trained at St. Louis University, receiving
a Certificate in Latin American Studies,
followed by a month’s cultural immersion
in Puerto Rico. He spent the first year in
the rural countryside of Honduras as a
Community Developer, working with
subsistence farmers with a United Nations
backed demonstration project utilizing
fertilizers in the growing of watermelons,
beans, and corn. He organized the
community in completing the construction
of a central park, which was dedicated to
President Kennedy and inaugurated by the
U.S. Ambassador to Honduras. He then
moved to the capital, Tegucigalpa, where he
served as the National Commissioner of
Boy Scouts. He was in charge of 700 scouts
and founded many new troops. He
initiated adult leadership training programs
and served as the host of a half hour weekly
scouting radio program.
After the completion of his Peace
Corps service, Pat received a graduate
research assistantship from Pennsylvania
State University. He did research for a Ford
Foundation project studying agrarian
reform and its administration in Chile and
Peru. Pat graduated from Penn State with a
Masters Degree in Public Administration.
Pat began his business career with
Ford Motor Company in Los Angeles in
marketing, holding positions as a sales
planning analyst, assistant new car
merchandising manager, and assistant to
the general sales manager. Some highlights
of this experience were the hosting of the
South American Ford dealers, participating
in the international new car show, and
developing dealer incentive contests to help
sell new cars and trucks.
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