16th Street Spotlight - Alumni

30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302
ALUMNEWS OF XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
MARCH 2010
Alumnews Calendar
Alumni Hockey Game
March 27, 2010
D.C. Club Event
March 30, 2010
Scholarship Reception
April 13, 2010
Boston
Alumni Reception
April 15, 2010
XBC Spring Event
April 21, 2010
Class-chair Cocktails
April 27, 2010
Reunion Weekend
Classes ending in 0 & 5!
April 30 - May 1, 2010
Golf Outing
May 18, 2010
16th Street Spotlight
Graduates in the Performing Arts

In this Issue
8 Turkey Bowl Victory Says it All!
Tom O’Hara ’69 is at it again! We pulled the famous Xavier sports
aficionado away from his computer long enough for him to share
a few pages on the exciting 2009 football season, capped off with
a thrilling overtime Turkey Bowl victory against rival Fordham Prep!
21 Coming of Age on the Silver Screen
Steven Strait ’04 has had an exciting entrance into show business!
The star of 10,000 B.C. (2008) can be seen in the newly released
film City Island (2009), and Steven recently told Alumnews that
he continues to bring with him the lessons he learned at Xavier.
24 Film…the Evolution!
Vlad Wolynetz ’88, head of production at AMC, joins Mr. Vincent
Vargas, longtime Xavier faculty member, in a discussion on the
history of film studies at Xavier. New changes to curriculum
brought film study back into the classroom!
DEPARTMENTS
1 President’s Message
2 From the
Advancement Office
3 News from the Quad
March 2010 Vol. 13 No. 1
XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL
John R. Raslowsky
President
Michael LiVigni
Headmaster
Office of Advancement
and Alumni Relations
Joseph F. Gorski
Vice President for Advancement
and Alumni Relations
Mark A. Mongelluzzo, Esq.
Director of Annual and Planned Giving
Michael L. Benigno ’00
Managing Editor of Alumnews
Director of Communications
Shane Lavin ’03
Director of Alumni Relations
Helene Strong
Parents’ Association Coordinator
15 New Faces at Xavier
30 Class Notes
34 Mileposts
Barbara Ciulla
Advancement Office Manager
Norma Piecyk
Administrative Assistant
to the President and to the
VP for Advancement
Contributing Writers
Tom O’Hara ‘69
Mark A. Mongelluzzo, Esq.
Shane Lavin ’03
Photography
Michael L. Benigno ’00
Alumnews, the Xavier High School
magazine, is published three times
a year by Xavier High School.
Correspondence and address
changes should be mailed to:
Alumnews
Managing Editor
Xavier High School
30 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011-6302
3
15
Xavier grads in the performing arts
(top to bottom), Tom DeGrezia ’00,
Jayce Bartok ’90, Steven Strait ’04
with mother, Jean, Ray Lustig ’90
and Vlad Wolynetz ’88.
Mass of the Holy Spirit
13
JROTC Fall Awards Ceremony
The CFX Acoustic Coffeehouse
Turkey Bowl Champions!
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Sharing
the Xavier
Story
Dear Sons and Friends of Xavier:
Greetings from 16th Street where Xavier continues to be abuzz with activity. The St. Patrick’s
Day Parade, the Military Ball, the start of the rugby season (and the limps, gashes and bruises
that accompany that start), mass and dinner commissioning our Holy Week CFX service trip
to Alabama, Lenten penance services and the sacrament of reconciliation, the winter sports
banquet and tonight’s band concert all provide reminders of the talents and gifts of our
community and the many ways our students and faculty share these gifts with great generosity.
St Irenaeus, the 2nd century bishop of Lyons, wrote “the glory of God is man fully
alive.” Xavier is blessed with over 1000 men and women—students, faculty and staff—fully
alive and engaged in this world. They live lives that indeed give glory to God. The same is
true of our alumni. We are happy to once again share their stories.
You are reading on your computer the first electronic edition of Xavier’s Alumnews, the
newest part of Xavier’s outreach to our alumni, parents and friends. Through the years our
communication with the Xavier community has grown and evolved in a number of ways to
meet emerging needs and take advantage of new technologies. From the letters of Fr. Joe
Latella, S.J. through newsletters and magazines and most recently via the weekly E-news,
Xavier continues to tell her story. The decision was made last spring to move from three print
editions of Alumnews to two print and one electronic edition. The decision was motivated
by a variety of concerns. Publishing Alumnews electronically saves paper and substantially
reduces our costs. Each print edition from design through production and mailing is a $20,000
expense. In addition to the cost savings, the electronic Alumnews allows for the development
and presentation of stories in a variety of formats including the use of audio and video. We
are excited about the possibilities.
In the future, we anticipate publishing two print and one electronic edition each year,
in addition to the annual report. The electronic Alumnews nicely compliments the Xavier
E-news which is published each week classes are in session and periodically in the summer.
The E-news is sent to all alumni, parents and friends, usually on Fridays. We are happy to
have the opportunity to share that story with you in new and exciting ways. We welcome
your feedback on this issue, our publication plans and all our communication with you.
Feedback can be address to Mr. Michael Benigno ’00, our director of communications, at
benignom@xavierhs.org or 212-924-7900 x.1435. Please feel free as well to contact me at
raslowskyj@xavierhs.org or 212-337-7538 about our publications or any other Xavier issue.
As I write, our Lenten journey is drawing to a close. Palm Sunday is near and will be
followed by the Easter Triduum. It is a week commemorating the great mysteries of our faith
leading to the joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is a week when we are reminded
of Jesus’s humanity in His triumph on Palm Sunday, His meal with friends on Holy Thursday
and His loneliness, betrayal, suffering and desperation on Good Friday. While we may at times
be challenged connecting to God, this week powerfully reminds us that God came to us—
incarnate in our world—to connect to us: to know loneliness, to suffer and to confront sin.
Loneliness, suffering and sin are experiences we all share. They are experiences the Church
now bears in all her humanity.
Yet the suffering and even the death are not the end of the story. Resurrection dawns,
joy is real and Alleluia is heard once again. As it is true for Christ, so it is for us. This is the
greatest of stories we share at Xavier.
Be assured of my prayers for you, your families, the Society of Jesus and the Church during
these holy days. Please remember all of us at Xavier in yours.
God’s blessings,
Or by email to
benignom@xavierhs.org
30
John R. Raslowsky
President
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
1

The Mass of the Holy Spirit,
September 11, 2009.
From the Advancement Office
Xavier Takes On New Media!
JOE GORSKI
Vice President
for Advancement
As I write this column, it is the last
week in January and I am at 38,000 feet,
on my way to Arizona and Southern
California for three alumni receptions.
When you read it, it will be March and
spring will just be getting its start in
New York.
The theme of this spring Alumnews
is focused on the Performing Arts and
several of our alumni who work in the
field of acting, film production and screenplay
writing. Hopefully you will find their
stories compelling and the information
about the latest comings and goings
at the school, as well as milestones and
changes in the lives of our graduates,
interesting and worthwhile. Perhaps,
however, a more important aspect of this
issue demonstrates how the Advancement
Office at Xavier continues its journey toward
greater technological productivity and
toward a greener and more paperless
operation. Although our previous issues
of this magazine are available on line, this
is the first issue to be designed, published
and distributed as electronic media only.
For the past decade, we have attempted
to upgrade our publications, increasing
the breadth and depth of their content,
as well as the number of pages in each
issue, and we have gone from a magazine
primarily black and white to a full-color,
glossy magazine. We have generally
published and mailed three issues a year
(plus an annual report), but as you are
well-aware, the costs of paper, designing,
publishing and mailing have been on the
rise. At the same time, technological
advances in electronic media have given
organizations (both for-profit and nonprofit)
the challenge and opportunity
to stay in contact with its constituents
in a less expensive way.
Xavier has made some forays into
the use of electronic media. We began
by introducing an online community in
the fall of 2002. We wanted our communication
to be more interactive and the
information in our online alumni directory
to be more up to date. As a result, people
could visit our website, read about happenings
at Xavier, learn about, register
and pay for events on line, donate online
as well as have extended discussion with
other alumni. We have had some success
in the past, but we are now dedicating
ourselves to improving our presence
online and in other social media such
as Facebook and perhaps even Twitter.
To that end, we have restructured the
Advancement office to take advantage
of these technological advances. Mike
Benigno ’00, who has been responsible
for the Alumnews since the summer of
2005, has been relieved of his alumni
relations responsibilities and, as director
of communications, is now dedicated to
improving Xavier’s presence in all media,
electronic and print. In his new position,
he will be responsible for press releases,
the editing, design and publication of
Alumnews, as well as the Annual Report
and our weekly E-newsletter which has
been redesigned over the last four months.
All of this activity is to better communicate
with each of our constituents, alumni,
parents and friends and to save paper
and reduce expenses.
To ensure our success in these efforts
however, we need your help. We cannot
provide proper communication between
Xavier and you without your email address.
We are currently working hard to obtain
email addresses for all our graduates,
graduate parents and current parents and
friends. Our database has a total of 15,000
constituents from the above groups, but
right now we only have about 6,000 active
email addresses. I urge you to visit our on
line community at www.xavierhsalumni.org
and register your email address and your
other contact information.
It is a new century and a new decade.
Enjoy this issue of our magazine and let’s
work together to improve communication
between us through embracing the technology
available to us. Thank you for your
cooperation and all that each of you do in
support of Xavier.
IN BRIEF:
Xavier welcomed its 33rd
president, Mr. John Raslowsky!
Class chair program is
revamped! Help us out!
The XBC highlights Xavier’s
Service to the Nation…
The Francis X. Leahy ’41 Alumni
Service Award will recognize
outstanding alumni…
JROTC Fall Awards recognize
the achievements of cadets…
A Xavier freshman
reflects on his first Maroon
and Blue Day…
Justice Antonin Scalia ’53,
Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60
and Dave Anderson ’47
speak at two New York
Historical Society events…
Xavier Italian students
are set to travel abroad…
Thanksgiving food drive
shatters records!
Beefsteak, Glover Fundraiser…
and more!
Quad
News from the
Welcoming Xavier’s 33rd President
On a day steeped in Xavier tradition, Mr. John
Raslowsky, the 33rd president of Xavier High School,
was installed with a grand ceremony that took place
on the occasion of the Mass of the Holy Spirit, celebrated
on September 11, 2009.
V. Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J. ’77, provincial of
the New York Province of the Society of Jesus,
presided over the Mass along with a special extended
delegation of Jesuits from the New York Province,
and Mr. Raslowsky was presented with the College of
St. Francis Xavier Presidential Chain of Office, a gift of
the Class of 2009. The chain, engraved with the
names of each prior Xavier president, is symbolic of
the continuous line of fine leaders that have guided
Xavier since its first president, Fr. John Larkin, S.J.,
held office beginning in 1847.
As chair of Xavier’s board of trustees,
Richard Nolan, Jr., Esq. ’83 publicly acknowledged
Mr. Raslowsky’s presidency and bestowed up on him
the authority and responsibility of office, granted by
the board.
Mr. Nolan spoke highly of Mr. Raslowsky’s
qualifications before the congregation, and in
a previous letter to alumni and supporters, wrote,
“We firmly believe that Jack is the leader Xavier
needs to achieve even higher levels of performance
and success as it seeks to prepare the young men
of today and tomorrow for service to our country,
our city, and our Catholic faith.”
V. Rev. David Ciancimino, S.J. ’77
with Mr. Raslowsky
Mr. Raslowsky with his family, (l.-r.) Sarah,
Rebecca, Rachel, Christian, and John
2 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
3

News from the Quad
News from the Quad
Welcoming Xavier’s
33rd President
continued from pg. 3
Fr. Ciancimino said, “Mr. Raslowsky’s
assuming the presidency at Xavier
brings us to a new and exciting time
in Xavier’s history, a time marked by
both continuity with Xavier’s rich tradition
and at the same time one marked
by exciting new opportunities. Jack
brings to his role as Xavier’s president
a profound experience of Jesuit schools
and Ignatian leadership, based on his
years of involvement in the schools
of the New York Province as a student,
faculty member, and administrator.”
Fr. Ciancimino went on to express
his gratitude for the laypeople that serve
the Jesuit mission, and commented that
their presence is mutually beneficial: their
openness to Ignatian spirituality and
the Jesuit mission allows that mission
a much wider scope than it would have
otherwise had, while the Society and
the lives of individual Jesuits have been
broadened and enriched by their duties.
Prior to his presidency, Mr. Raslowsky
served as superintendent of schools, in
Hoboken, New Jersey. He has an established,
25-year record of involvement
in Jesuit education, having previously
served as a teacher, coach, and principal
at St. Peter’s Prep, and also as assistant
for secondary and pre-secondary education,
and assistant for lay faith formation,
both in the New York Province.
Because of major renovation work
taking place in the Church of St. Francis
Xavier, the Mass was held at St. Paul the
Apostle Church on Manhattan’s West
Support in all forms
Class Chair Program is Revamped
Mr. Raslowsky addressing the Xavier community following his installation as president
In an effort to increase communication
between alumni and the school, the
advancement team has been working
to revamp and reenergize the Class Chair
program. With renewed commitment
to the effort, we hope to enable our Class
Chairmen to coordinate a two-way flow
of information between alumni and the
school. It is our hope that Class Chairmen
will not only serve as messengers of the
school but that they also invite and
encourage their classmates to share
news, attend events and keep connected
with one another and with the whole
Xavier community.
Side. The beautiful cathedral proved an
excellent host for the Xavier congregation,
and many invited guests returned
to Xavier afterward for a lunch that
welcomed Mr. Raslowsky.
Attendees also included past and
present board members, Mr. Raslowsky’s
wife, Sarah, and their four children,
John, Christian, Rebecca, and Rachel.
By Shane Lavin ’03
Over the past few months we have
been evaluating the effectiveness of
the position as it exists today and have
begun to take the necessary steps to
make it more of a constructive source
of frequent dialogue between alumni
and Xavier. We have been reaching
out to identify new Chairmen for those
classes in need of one or more, and
are enthusiastic as we look forward
to a better and more efficient effort in
the coming year. We have already found
new Chairmen for several classes but we
will continue our pursuit until we have
found Chairmen for all of our classes!
If you’re interested in becoming a Class Chair please contact Shane Lavin ’03
at lavins@xavierhs.org.
XBC focuses on
Service to the Nation
The Xavier Business Council held its fall networking and educational
event on Oct. 15th, focusing on Xavier’s Service to the Nation as four
distinguished Xavier alumni who served the country in the armed
forces spoke before a gathered crowd in the Meditz Family Library/
Learning Center.
Lt. Col. Roy Campbell, Xavier’s senior army instructor, moderated
the event, which featured Rear Admiral Thomas Steffens US Navy
(Ret.) ’65, Col. Ray Lustig USAF (Ret.) ’64, Major Ed McGoldrick US
Army Reserve ’91, and Major Vance Kuhner US Army Reserve ’90.
Together, in addition to stories about their Xavier experiences and
deployments, the graduates spoke about modern developments in
warfare, particularly in relation to extended media coverage in the age
of the 24-hour news cycle.
The next XBC event will feature graduates in journalism,
including Mike Sheehan ’66 and Michael Gargiulo ’77,
and is set for April 21st Questions? Email xbc@xavierhs.org.
Alumni Service Award
will Honor a Dedicated Alumnus
On Thursday evening October 8, 2009,
at the President’s Council dinner at the
Union League Club, Xavier announced
the establishment of the Francis X.
Leahy ’41 Alumni Service Award to
honor one of its most dedicated Sons.
The announcement was met with
enthusiastic applause and gratitude
to Mr. Frank Leahy ’41. The award will
be presented every year at the annual
Reunion Gala to a Xavier alumnus
celebrating a reunion year, whose
voluntary service to Xavier epitomizes
the dedication and enthusiasm
of Mr. Leahy.
Frank Leahy’s dedication the past
few years to Xavier’s fundraising efforts
has been truly extraordinary. Not only
does Frank attend all 11 evenings of
the alumni Phonathon in February and
March each year, but, since fiscal 2007,
he has also voluntarily dedicated an
additional two to three full-time weeks
in the Advancement Office in the spring,
calling members of the Xavier family
to encourage them to contribute to
the Annual Fund or to remind them to
fulfill an outstanding pledge. Frank has
made well over 6,000 phone calls over
the course of this time: his melodious,
friendly voice beckoning all to come
through for the Maroon and Blue. His
efforts have paid off—fiscal 2007, 2008
and 2009 were the three most successful
years for the Annual Fund.
Frank grew up in the Yorkville section
of Manhattan, where he was a parishioner
of St. Ignatius Loyola parish. He entered
Xavier in the fall of 1937 and remains
grateful for the Jesuit education he
received here. As Frank has noted on
more than one occasion, “The Jesuits were
tough, but they cared a lot about us.”
After graduating with the June class
of 1941, Frank worked for a short time
before entering the United States Army
in early 1943. After the war, he was able
to take advantage of the G.I. Bill, receiving
a business degree from Fordham in 1951;
then followed a long, successful career
in textiles. Of course, as a true “Man
for Others” Frank has contributed to
the Annual Fund every year since its
inception in fiscal 1983 and, in the
past three years, as a member of the
President’s Council.
XBC panel, October 15, 2009
Mr. Raslowsky and Rich Nolan, Jr, Esq. ’83
with Mr. Leahy at the President’s Council dinner
At the dinner, Frank accepted this
honor with his usual grace and charm
and expressed gratitude for being
recognized. He spoke briefly about
his time as a student on 16th Street
and what Xavier has always meant
to him. Indeed, for all of Frank’s hard
work and diligence, this was a welldeserved
honor.
Stay tuned for the announcement
of the inaugural recipient(s) of the
Francis X. Leahy ’41 Alumni Service
Award in the next issue of Alumnews.
4 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
5

News from the Quad
News from the Quad
Fall Awards Highlight the Regiment’s Best
The annual fall awards ceremony for
the Xavier JROTC regiment took place on
December 6th, recognizing cadets that
were receiving promotions and honoring
those who achieved outstanding
leadership and academic distinctions.
The entire regiment, as well as family
members and guests, gathered in the
Xavier gymnasium, hearing remarks from
both Mr. Michael LiVigni, headmaster,
and Mr. John Raslowsky, president,
before being addressed by Lt. Col. Roy
Campbell, senior army instructor,
and Cdt. Col. Kevin Taub ’09
The Xavier Regiment is enjoying its
highest enrollment since the military
program went optional in 1972, due
largely to a revitalized freshman orientation
program that allows all new cadets
to experience a wider breadth of military
life at Xavier. Speaking to the freshmen
cadets gathered, Cdt. Col. Taub said,
“You are what makes this ceremony
very special. If the officers are the brains,
the non-commissioned officers are the
muscle; you are the backbone of the
Regiment. In the few short months you
have been here at Xavier, you have
trumped all expectations. The motivation
and initiative shown by the Class of 2013
reassures me that the future of the
Regiment is bright.”
Cdt. Col. Taub went on to encourage
young cadets to get involved in life
at Xavier to the fullest extent possible,
whether as part of any of the regimental
sub-groups or in other facets of the
Xavier experience.
Lt. Col. Campbell recalled a number
of different images from the past few
months that summed up some of the
best accomplishments of regimental
participants, spanning the range of years
from freshman to senior.
“The Regiment is growing disciplined
leaders of character who take their
virtues garnered from JROTC and infuse
sports, clubs, and Campus Ministry with
these values,” Lt. Col. Campbell said.
“Cadets are clearly not one-dimensional
students. We could tell a story about
leadership growth for every cadet in
the Regiment, their courage, shared
sacrifice, and selflessness.”
THE 2010 ANNUAL FUND
Cadets being promoted to CDT/PVT or CDT/PFC
Xavier’s academic and extracurricular
ambitions surpass the resources provided
through tuition revenue and endowment
income. Currently, a gap of $2,500 per
student exists between tuition and fees
charged and the actual cost of education.
The success of the Annual Fund allows
Xavier to fill this gap and to continue its
tradition of excellence by offering our
students endless possibilities.
Over 2,400 people have generously
donated $1,325,000 in cash and pledges
to the 2010 Xavier Annual Fund—the
goal is $1,950,000. Every gift counts
and makes a difference in the lives
of our current students.
Maroon and Blue Day
The highlight of the school year!
Freshman Malik Horton ’13 reflects
on the excitement of Maroon and Blue Day.
On Friday September 25, 2009, Xavier students
came prepared for the highlight of the year: Maroon
and Blue Day. Students from the junior and freshman
classes represented the blue team and squared off
against the seniors and sophomores, who proudly
represented maroon. Despite maroon’s first victory ever
(I was on the blue team!), it was quite an enjoyable day
for all who participated.
From early in the morning, each side was quite
determined to capture glory. From the loudness
competitions, to rooting their teams on in tug-of-war,
the teams showed their Xavier pride throughout the
day. The maroon team was determined to go home
with their first victory in three years, and
despite their victory in the end, the highlight
of the day came at the end of the festivities,
when junior Adam Salazar absolutely stole the
show with his amazing rendition of Journey’s
“Don’t Stop Believin’” in the karaoke contest.
He performed well enough to cause the
judges to stand up and wave their hands
behind him as he continued to sing, hitting
every note with perfect pitch.
Overall, as an incoming freshman, I had
heard a great deal about Maroon and Blue Day,
and true to my expectations, it was an incredibly
exciting event. I think I can speak for all of Xavier
when I say that this will definitely be one of the
highlights of the 2009-2010 school year.
Mr. Ben Suro with
Mrs. Margaret Gonzalez
A Michael Jackson tribute
during the Xavier-Idol contest
Mr. Raslowsky
getting dunked
in the dunk-tank!
If you have not already done so, contribute to the Annual Fund today by visiting www.xavierhsalumni.org/annualfund.
Or, call the Advancement office at (212) 924-7900, ext. 1581.
6 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
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7

News from the Quad
News from the Quad
Captain Pat Coleman leads the way against Hayes
Men
For All Seasons
By Tom O’Hara ’69
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too….
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same….
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there’s nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;
….If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run—
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man my son!
—IF, by Rudyard Kipling
kiddsback@aol.com
W
hen head coach Chris
Stevens ’83 addressed
his Xavier Football family
at their annual awards breakfast this
January, he told the players and their
parents about a trip he and his longtime
line coach Brian McMahon made to
Chicago three years ago to learn the
secrets of high school coach Mike Rude,
nationally-recognized wizard of the
venerable Single Wing.
During one break from their lessons,
said Coach Stevens, the three discussed
their chosen profession. “Coach Rude
made the point that some years you
may go 10-1, and other years you may
go 3-8, but what people don’t realize is
that sometimes you do the best coaching
you’ve ever done in those 3-8 years
and end up winning three games that
you probably should not have won.”
When Coach Stevens gathered his
troops at their pre-season mini-camp
in Red Hook last June, the task facing
Chris Mattina faces a tough Xaverian Defense
him seemed daunting. His 2008 Knights
had finished 8-3 and won the regularseason
Catholic High School Football
League AA-Division title but had dropped
their last two games: a 42-38 thriller to
AAA-Division Holy Trinity in the playoff
semi-finals and a televised 41-28 loss
to AAA-Division Fordham Prep at
Coffey Field on Thanksgiving Day.
Famous Seamus Kelly ’09, the
greatest running back in the 127-year
history of Xavier Football and the heart
of Coach Stevens’s record-shattering
single-wing blitzkrieg, was bound for
Berkeley and 24-time national collegiate
rugby champion University of California.
Departing 16th Street with The Famous
One were nearly all of the battle-hardened
linemen who had convoyed him
through opposing defenses like so
many panzers.
On defense, the Knights had just
three starters returning from a unit that
had given up an average of 26 points
and 311 yards per game—295 points
and 3,423 yards total—and which ranked
16th in the 21-team Catholic High School
Football League. Opposing coaches could
not stop the Amazing Fantastic Gridiron
Wayback Machine in 2008, but they
could outscore it. Xavier’s D-Men—
aggressive, hard-hitting but inconsistent—had
allowed 40-plus points in
four games, including all three losses.
Coach Stevens and his staff would
have to build a new team for 2009 and
they were going to have to do it quickly,
because the Knights’ first four games
were against the four toughest teams
on their schedule.
Perhaps it was divine intervention.
Maybe the Almighty is a Xavier fan. God
knows, the Single Wing is nearly as old
as Creation itself. In what could only
be called a case of deus ex Wayback
Machina, one piece of the puzzle fell
unexpectedly into place when Queens
rival Christ the King decided to cut costs
by laying off junior faculty, including its
well-regarded head football coach. Word
reached Coach Stevens and by the end
of June, Coach Kevin Kelly had found a
new home on 16th Street.
With one move, Chris had secured
one of the CHSFL’s best defensive minds.
Xavier’s own longtime defensive sage
Bill Pazske was hobbled with severely
arthritic knees and Coach Kelly’s arrival
would allow him to assume a more
sedentary role—sort of a football
Don Zimmer to Chris Stevens’ Joe Torre.
When the team reconvened in mid-
August, there was a hard week of daily
five-hour practices on the hot, dusty
plains of Red Hook, followed by a weeklong
training camp in the Pennsylvania
Jonny Clark fights for yards against Cardinal Hayes
wilderness. The Knights returned to 16th
Street late on a Friday afternoon, and
by early Saturday morning they were
back on the road to Westchester, where
they scrimmaged three high schools,
one after the other.
Sunday was a day of rest—the
only one of the entire pre-season. On
Monday—Labor Day—Coach Stevens
summoned his players and coaches
back to work. Four days later, on
September 11th, The Team Formerly
Known as the Kaydets… and then the
Bruins… opened their 2009 campaign
before the home crowd at Aviator Field.
Despite all their hard work, the season
did not start well for the 16th Street Kids.
Chris Stevens could have gone outside
the CHSFL and scheduled St. Patsy of
the Tomato Cans for the sure opening
night win, as many of his fellow coaches
chose to do. He decided instead that his
young team would have their baptism
of fire sooner rather than later and
scheduled Xaverian, an AAA-Division
playoff semi-finalist in 2008. The New
York Post, taking note of their size
and speed and their multiple offensive
weapons, including two consensus
Division I college prospects, ranked the
Clippers No. 7 in its preseason poll of
all New York City high schools. The five
sportswriters handicapping the game for
8 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
9

News from the Quad
News from the Quad
Coach Kevin Kelly rallying the troops The Knights in wild celebration at the Turkey Bowl! Captain John Gearity wins Turkey Bowl MVP honors
“Perhaps it was divine intervention. Maybe the Almighty is a Xavier fan. God knows, the Single Wing is nearly as old as Creation itself. ”
The Post and The New York Daily News
were unanimous: Xaverian would triumph.
The final score was 28-6 Xaverian but
it was even worse than that. Captain
and two-time Xavier Athlete of the Year
Sean Carley ’10 had gone down with
a knee injury early in the second half.
He had been able to hobble off the field
under his own steam, so his coaches and
teammates were stunned when they
learned that the three-sport athlete
(football, basketball and rugby) was
finished for the season. Sean, who had
played a key role in the Knights’ 2008
championship run at tight end, was also
anchoring one end of the defensive
line. Xavier’s few veteran linemen had
become even fewer.
Inexperience, inconsistency and
penalties on offense continued to plague
Xavier at Aviator Field the following
Friday night when Stevens’ men fell
to Archbishop Stepinac 22-7. This loss
was especially hard to take because
the Knights entered the fourth quarter
trailing just 3-0 before the roof fell in.
Xavier had been 13-1 in their Jamaica
Bay stronghold over the past three seasons,
and now they had dropped two
in a row. Including their season-ending
defeats at the hands of Holy Trinity and
Fordham Prep in 2008, the Knights were
mired in their longest winless streak
since losing five games at the end of
the 2005 season and the start of the
2006 campaign.
Their backs to the wall, the 16th
Street Kids rallied to shut out St. John
the Baptist 26-0 in week three. The
victory—Xavier’s first regular-season
win over its longtime nemesis in years—
was especially satisfying because it came
at Cougar Field in West Islip, Long Island,
before a raucous Baptist crowd egged
on by the most obnoxious P.A. announcer
the Knights had heard since their epic
playoff victory against AAA-Division
Monsignor Farrell on Staten Island
the previous year.
The elation of Xavier and its fans
was short-lived, however. The following
Friday night found the 16th Street Road
Warriors up in the Bronx at New York
Maritime College. The opponent was
Cardinal Hayes and the lads from Regis
Philbin’s alma mater were looking for
revenge after their record-breaking
86-42 loss to the Knights in 2008. The
Cardinals had retooled and reloaded,
with a new spread passing offense
designed to make full use of the
Division I college prospects on their
roster, and a large and quick defense
to whom the Single Wing was not the
enigma it had been the previous year.
To ensure maximum fan support,
Hayes made this game their Homecoming,
and the Cardinal supporters turned out
in force. Xavier stumbled out of the gate,
recovered and battled back, but the
lethal Cardinal offense, which seemed
able to score at anytime from anywhere
on the field, was too much for the
Knights. Hayes 26, Xavier 13.
With half the regular season gone,
the Knights were struggling at 1-3
and the Xavier Gridironmen and their
coaches had arrived at the proverbial
moment of truth. The defense seemed
little changed from 2008: hard-hitting,
aggressive, intermittently brilliant,
too often inconsistent.
On offense, the Amazing, Fantastic
Gridiron Wayback Machine was sputtering.
Had the Single Wing’s better days
come and gone from 16th Street along
with Famous Seamus, the last of Stevens’
Four Horsemen? It was a question that
many outside the football program were
asking out loud, and one that the coaches
and players must, in their darkest
moments, have secretly asked themselves.
As fans and alumni well know, the
127-year history of Xavier Football has
not been a chronicle of unbroken success.
Far from it. And if these Knights were
going to unravel under the unrelenting
grind of daily commutes, demanding
academics and late practices on distant
Brooklyn fields punctuated by defeat
each weekend, now was the time.
Well, they didn’t unravel. The 16th
Street Kids had been blooded but not
broken. The experience they gained from
their defeats was hard earned, but it was
experience nonetheless, and as the
philosopher said, that which does not kill
you makes you stronger. This was the
moment for the seniors to step up and
lead, and now they showed why they
won more football games in their four
years at Xavier than any class before
them. Above all, the players and coaches
never lost faith in themselves.
The Amazing, Fantastic Gridiron
Wayback Machine roared back to life
as Coach Stevens reconstituted the Four
(More) Horsemen and returned to the
rushing-by-committee running attack
that had served the Knights so well
in 2007. Coach Kelly’s defense quietly
became the best in the entire CHSFL.
And Coach McMahon rebuilt the offensive
and defensive lines. Over the next
four weeks, Xavier outscored St. Peter’s
(Staten Island), Bishop Ford, Cardinal
Spellman and Christ the King 150-25
to finish 5-3 (5-2 within the division)
and reach the AA-Division playoffs
for a second straight year.
After losing 21-14 in the playoff
quarter-finals to traditional AAA-Division
power Mount St. Michael, a game that
was televised on MSG Varsity network,
the Knights bounced back to defeat
AA-A Division champion Stepinac in the
CHSFL Bowl Game. That contest featured
yet another thrilling Xavier comeback
as the 16th Street Kids rallied in the mud
and the blood to score two touchdowns
in the final two minutes and win 14-6.
On Thanksgiving Day, the 2009
Knights closed out the season at Aviator
Field. There would be no title banners
this year, but this team secured their own
special place in Xavier football legend
when they defeated AAA-Division playoff
team and archrival Fordham Prep 35-27
in a thrilling overtime win that had the
large crowd of Xavier faithful on their
feet from the opening kickoff to the
final whistle.
Tallying up the victories from this
year’s season, having now won seven
games three seasons in a row brought
about a milestone for Coach Stevens and
company—this is the winningest three
years in Xavier football history, with
a record of 25-8. Also, Xavier has won
seven-plus games only seven times in
127 years. We’ve now done that three
years in a row!
Regretfully, there is not enough
space here to record all the memorable
moments and players from the 2009
season. You are heartily encouraged to
go to the Xavier Football section of the
Xavier website, where you will find all
the scores and game statistics, numerous
articles from the New York media, terrific
action photos, and even some random
scribblings from something called The
Xavier Football and Rugby Alumni News.
Here’s to the 2009 Xavier Football
Knights. Thanks for the memories, men!
If you would like to receive that
last publication via e-mail—it’s
free!—please e-mail Tom O’Hara ’69
at kiddsback@aol.com.
10 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
11 ALUMNEWS —MARCH 2009
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
11

News from the Quad
News from the Quad
Justice Antonin Scalia ’53, Dave Anderson ’47, Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60
Speak at the New York Historical Society
Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60 with Xavier guests The Xavier delegation poses with Dave Anderson ’47
The Supreme Court Justice,
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer,
and lawyer spoke at two
recent events.
Delegations from Xavier recently attended two exciting events that brought
prominent Xavier grads before audiences at the New York Historical Society.
On Feb. 4th, Justice Antonin Scalia ’53 and Philip Lacovara, Esq. ’60 participated
in the NYHS’s reenactment of Ex parte Milligan, part of the historical society’s yearlong
focus on Lincoln in New York. In 1864 Lambdin Milligan was arrested for his
alleged involvement in a conspiracy to free Confederate soldiers from Union prison
camps. Sentenced to death for treason by a military commission, Milligan subsequently
challenged the commission’s jurisdiction in a petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
Justice Scalia, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, presided
at the reenactment, while Lacovara, currently senior counsel at Mayer Brown JSM,
argued on behalf of the government that Milligan’s arrest and trial before the military
tribunal was legal, justifiable and the correct course of action.
The presentations and commentary from the bench were always learned and
often humorous and insightful. The assembled audience enjoyed seeing history
in action and clearly appreciated the work of counsel and the court.
One week later, on Feb. 9th, in an evening of humor, conversation and camaraderie,
Dave Anderson ’47, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and author,
joined football great Frank Gifford, Tony Morante, of the New York Yankees organization,
and boxing writer Bert Sugar in a panel discussion to share and compare
their memories of the classic game dubbed “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
The 1958 football championship game between the Giants and the Colts marked
the first time a championship game had ever been broadcasted on a national level.
“Whether you think it was a good game or not, it was probably the most important,”
Mr. Anderson said. In the end, the nation watched with rapt attention, and the
“DE-fense” chant, new as of only a few years before, was thrown into the spotlight
for the first time. As a direct result of the game that day, Mr. Anderson pointed out,
the American Football League was founded a year later and the sport never looked
back. As Bert Sugar stated, “It added a sport, is what it added. What it took away
was your Sunday afternoon, which your wife had before!”
Italian Exchange Program
Jesuit Students from Around the World
Exchange students from the Istituto
Leone XIII school in Milan, Italy, spent
ten days with Xavier juniors and seniors
set to travel abroad in April. The ten
exchange students arrived with two
faculty moderators on November 27th,
kicking off what would be ten days
of class shadowing, as well as cultural
excursions in New York and the New
England area.
The Istituto Leone XIII is a Jesuit
school founded in 1893, and the program
is a shining example of the interconnectivity
of Jesuit institutions even across
international boundaries. The guests
were hosted by ten Xavier students
currently studying Italian, and the ten
young men, plus chaperones, will travel
to Milan in April to stay with the students
they hosted here in New York.
Thanksgiving
Food Drive
Breaks all previous records
The Xavier community participated
in a massive food drive this past
November, pooling together its
resources to make a substantial
impact on local hunger.
For Xavier, the annual food drive
is more than just charity during the
holiday season; it is also a way to raise
awareness among our community
of the injustice of hunger in our city,
country, and world.
“We collected 5,484 items of
food, reaching 91% of our goal,” said
Mr. Joseph Petriello, director of Ignatian
Service Programs. “Our dress down
day brought in an additional $1,741.
As a community of faith called to be
in solidarity with the poor and hungry,
we serve others with a deep awareness
of our Jesuit mission and Ignatian identity.
In the words of St. Ignatius Loyola’s
Excursions included walking tours
of Greenwich Village and the Lower
East Side, as well as trips to Ellis Island,
the United Nations and Central Park. In
addition, the group traveled to colonial
Massachusetts to visit the Norman
Rockwell Museum, in Stockbridge.
“I think the students really enjoyed
their visit, and it was a good opportunity
for them to learn about some of the
differences between the American school
system and the Italian school system,”
said Mrs. Enrica Klarberg, Xavier foreign
language teacher and organizer of the
program. “Our guys are really looking
forward to their trip in April.”
In October 2008, a group of students
from the Kongholm Gymnasium, in
Denmark, visited Xavier to study the
American electoral process. Xavier
students in an A.P. government class
followed with a trip to Denmark this
past spring.
Prayer for Generosity, we hope ‘to give
and not to count the cost.’”
The Xavier food brings in more food
to the Church of St. Francis Xavier food
pantry than any other event throughout
the entire year.
Watch the “Xavier Food Drive.”
Xavier students with exchange participants.
Ice skating in Central Park
The food drive in the Xavier Commons
Food collected in previous years:
2007 3,694 items
2008 5,441 items
2009 5,484 items
12 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
13

News from the Quad
News from the Quad
Were You There? This Season’s Alumni Events…
Xavier alumni and supporters gathered at three West Coast alumni receptions in January, offering grads and guests
Young Alumni Reception
Young grads gathered for lunch in the Commons before attending
the Turkey Bowl football rally, Nov. 25, 2009.
the chance to meet President Jack Raslowsky. Thanks to all those who helped make the winter receptions special!
Los Angeles
Jan. 28, 2010
(l.-r.)
Bob Hubbard ’69, Dante
Manzi ’55, Kathy Hubbard, Eddie
Cullen ’05, Santiago Armstrong
’73, Kevin Pickles ’59, Bob
Fitzpatrick ’56, Charlie Cuccinello
’70, Jack Raslowsky, Ed Daily ’80,
Mary Fitzpatrick, Bob Traica ’71,
and Joe Gorski.
Turkey Bowl Football Game
San Diego
Jan. 27, 2010
(kneeling l.–r.)
Ken Poggenburg ’52
and Lou Cumming ’56
(standing l.–r.)
Cathy Spatuzzi, Mike Saptuzzi
’73, Dave Harrison ’76, Sheila
Poggenburg, Pete Gaskin ’62,
Jack Raslowsky, Elisabeth
Jensen, Bernard Jensen ’37,
Jack McDermott ’56,
and Frank Tirelli ’70.
Bernard Jensen ’37 and
Frank Tirelli ’70 at the
San Diego reception
Cadets at the Turkey Bowl!
Mr. McKinney was at hand to greet some of the hundreds of alumni
gathered at Aviator Field
Phoenix
Jan. 26, 2010
Lt. Col. Roy Campbell with
Maj. Paul Castells US Army ’77
D.C.
December 2, 2009
Mr. Raslowsky with alumni on his first D.C. Reception!
(l.-r.)
Joe Gorski, Ken Zask ’53,
Michael Cobian ’98, Jim
O’Byrne ’83, Shelly O’Byrne,
Hank Miller ’53, Andreas
Andrea ’99, and Jack
Raslowsky.
14 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
15

News from the Quad
Xavier Pride
Peaks In January
Artwork from a vintage
Xavier promotional poster.
The Lcpl. Michael Glover Scholarship Fundraiser,
Jan. 23, 2010
Xavier was packed to the
rafters with supporters at two
major events in just a single
January weekend that
brought in literally hundreds
of alumni and guests who
gathered for causes near and
dear to their hearts.
On Fri., Jan. 22nd, a recordsetting
crowd attended the annual
Beefsteak Dinner, a fun, all-you-can-eat
event that has been a Xavier tradition—
and a New York tradition—for many years.
“This year’s Beefsteak dinner was
another great success,” said Mr. Shane
Lavin ’03, director of alumni relations.
“We had 347 alumni and friends from
the classes of 1946 through 2006 joining
us for fun, fellowship and, of course, beef.
We had a number of great raffle prizes
and our big winner of the night was
Joe Hutton ’98, who walked away with
the $2,240 prize from the 50/50 raffle.
It was a great opportunity for alums
to reconnect with each other as well
as some of their former teachers
and administrators.”
“It’s a great way to reconnect with
alumni,” Ryan Woerner ’06 said at the
event. “It’s good because everybody’s
so busy with their daily schedules—
it’s a good way to get back, to meet
up and enjoy some good beefsteak.”
The next day, Xavier was transformed
into the setting for another event that
has proven to be very special to many—
the 3rd Annual LCpl. Mike Glover ’97
Scholarship Fundraiser that has honored
the memory of Mike, who was tragically
killed while on patrol with the U.S. Marines
in Fallujah, Iraq, on August 16, 2006.
The Xavier gym was filled with
hundreds of people from every part
of Mike’s life, from his fellow Sons of
Xavier and friends from SUNY Albany
and Pace Law School, to former
lifeguards from his neighborhood,
Rockaway Beach.
“It seemed like all of Rockaway
was there,” Adam Lynch ’97, Mike’s
classmate and co-founder of the Friends
of Mike Glover, wrote after the event.
“If you had witnessed the gym full of
people, the food and the large bar, you
might think that it took an incredible
amount of work and time to produce
such an event. The truth is that Mike
had so many friends and left such
an enduring legacy that he made
it incredibly easy for us.”
Adam went on: “The events
of September 11th and the deaths
of his close friends, including Charlie
Heeran ’96, had a profound effect
on Mike and he gave up his law school
studies to join the Marines because he
wanted to help. He volunteered to be
deployed to Iraq even though he was
not ordered to because he did not want
his unit to be there with out him. When
you have a man who gave so much to
so many people, and who made such
an impression, all we had to do was
put the pieces together. The willingness
that people display to help and donate,
either monetarily or with auction items,
is astounding.”
The LCpl. Michael Glover ’97 scholarship
is nearing its goal and every bit of
support helps. Donations can be made
online through the Glover website and
are fully tax deductible, as they are made
directly to Xavier.
New Faces at Xavier
There are always new faces here at Xavier! Alumnews
began profiling new staff members in the February 2008
issue, and the initial piece received lots of positive
feedback—even from our current students!
The faculty and staff at Xavier have the most contact
with our students, and it is important for our alumni to be
introduced to them. Learn more about five new members
of the Xavier community.
Visit www.friendsofmikeglover.com, where you can also purchase T-shirts,
bumper stickers and bracelets for a small donation. You may also donate
through the Xavier website at www.xavierhs.org.
The Beefsteak Dinner, Jan. 22, 2010
16 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
17

…280 more
new faces!
Mr. Dennis Baker, S.J.
History
Hometown: Niagara Falls, New York
High School you graduated from:
Canisius High School
College(s) you graduated from
and degree: Fordham University,
BA in History; Niagara University,
MS in Criminal Justice Administration;
Fordham University, MA in Philosophy
Kelly Kull
Mathematics
Hometown: Middle Village, Queens
High School you graduated from:
Christ the King RHS
College(s) you graduated from
and degree: St. Francis College,
BS in Mathematics
Shane Lavin ’03
Director of Alumni Relations
Hometown: Jackson Heights, Queens
High School you graduated from: Xavier
College(s) you graduated from
and degree: College of the Holy Cross,
AB in French & Political Science
Alicia Psillos
Mathematics
Hometown: Plainview, New York
High School you graduated from:
Our Lady of Mercy Academy
College(s) you graduated from
and degree: Manhattan College,
BS in Math Education
Josh Stager
Science and Technology
Hometown: Boring, Oregon
(for real—zip code 97330)
High School you graduated from:
Sam Barlow High School
College(s) you graduated from
and degree: Oregon State University,
BS in Physics, Oregon State University,
MS in Science Education,
Favorite TV show: SportsCenter
Favorite Book: Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
Favorite food: Seafood
What type of music do you listen to?
All types. Beethoven, Biggie, Chesney,
the Stones...
Something you can’t live without: God
Favorite summer activity: The beach
(with 50+ SPF)
Worst job that you’ve ever had:
US Postal Service Mailman
(I wasn’t very good at it)
Hidden talent: I’m a decent cook
Do you collect anything? I still have
all of my old baseball cards from
the 80s at my parents’ house
Habit you’re trying to break:
Lagging behind on emails and
phone calls to family and friends
What you do the minute you get home:
Since I live at Xavier, technically I work
from home. I like the commute.
Favorite movie: The Big Lebowski
Favorite Quote:
“Half the lies they tell about me
aren’t true.”—Yogi Berra
Favorite TV show: Numb3rs
Favorite food: Anything grilled
on the BBQ
Best book you’ve ever read:
Tuesdays with Morrie
Thing that annoys you most:
People without manners
What type of music do you listen to?
Pop, rock, hip-hop
Something you can’t live without:
My son
Favorite spot in NYC: Upper East Side
Favorite summer activity: Beach volleyball
Worst job that you’ve ever had:
I worked at a children’s party place
and had to dress as Woody from
Toy Story
Hidden talent: I love to tap dance.
Habit you’re trying to break:
Biting my nails
What you do the minute you get home:
Collapse on the couch!
Favorite movie: A Few Good Men
Favorite TV show: Lost
Favorite food:
Raclette (the meal, not the cheese)
Best book you’ve ever read:
Tough to put a finger on the best
ever—maybe Everything is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer, but the best
I’ve read in the past year or so is
Netherland by Joseph O’Neill
Thing that annoys you most: Picky eating
What type of music do you listen to?
Indie, alternative, post-punk, ambient
electronic, post-rock and shoegaze
Something you can’t live without:
My iPhone.
Favorite spot in NYC: Gantry Plaza State
Park, in Long Island City—great view
Favorite summer activity:
Traveling abroad somewhere new
Worst job that you’ve ever had:
Through college as a doorman
and porter at a luxury Park Avenue
apartment building—it really wasn’t
a bad job, but my duties often included
cleaning up after dogs, collecting
trash and mopping
Do you collect anything: Refrigerator
magnets from each city I visit
Habit you’re trying to break:
Drinking soda
Favorite movie: Trainspotting
or The Thin Red Line
Favorite TV show: Friends
Favorite food: Pizza and anything
with cheese
Thing that annoys you most:
People that are rude with no manners!
What type of music do you listen to?
I like any type of music
Something you can’t live without:
Cheese—just kidding! My family
and friends
Favorite spot in NYC: Many, but if I had
to pick, Van Cordlandt Park
Favorite summer activity:
Going to the beach and traveling
Worst job that you’ve ever had:
CVS when I was in high school—
I quit after 2 days
Hidden talent: I love to draw and paint
Do you collect anything?
Rosary beads from different countries
Habit you’re trying to break: Rushing
What you do the minute you get home:
Shower and get into sweats
Favorite movie: A League of Their Own
Favorite Quote:
“Behind every passion is someone
with the courage to try.”
Favorite TV show: Star Trek (all series)
Favorite food: Pizza
Best book you’ve ever read:
A Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
What type of music do you listen to?
Anything that was written before
I was born
Something you can’t live without:
My wife
Favorite spot in NYC: Inwood Hill Park
Favorite summer activity:
Walking in the evening
Worst job that you’ve ever had:
Working for a crooked
house-painting company
Hidden talent:
I can look good in a mullet
Do you collect anything?
Not purposely
Habit you’re trying to break:
Diet Coke
Favorite movie: Life is Beautiful
Favorite Quote:
“It’s the perfect plan...
nothing could go wrong!”
The afternoon of March 3rd
marked the beginning of the newest
generation of Xavier students, as
more than 280 young men registered
as members of the Class of 2014.
The event was a joyous occasion
for the students and their families,
and many, like Jordan Berka ’14
took the opportunity to pick up some
exciting Xavier clothes to wear during
the last of his 8th grade days.
“When I came for Knight for
a Day, I really liked the attitude of
everyone here,” said Jordan. “I liked
how the teachers really helped the
students, and I also liked all the
buildings and sights in the city,
and how it’s always moving.”
After an initial look at the
Class of 2014, it’s clear that Xavier
continues to attract some of New
York City’s brightest and hardestworking
young men. Many of the
incoming freshmen live in Brooklyn,
Manhattan, and Queen. There also
continues to be a growing number
of students from Staten Island and
a healthy number of students from
the Bronx and New Jersey.
The Admissions Committee
was especially selective this year,
as the school has been at full enrollment
for some time, with a record
number of applicants: over 1,300!
“Those who chose to attend Xavier
have a great four years of intellectual,
physical, and spiritual development
in front of them” said Mr. Benjamin
Hamm, director of admissions.
18 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
19

By Michael L. Benigno ’00
Coming of age
on the Silver Screen
Born and raised in Manhattan, Steven Strait ’04 at an early age entered the world of modeling
and made his stage debut in a musical at Village Community School—all before he ever walked
through the doors on 16th Street. He escaped a saber-toothed tiger in 10,000 B.C. (2008), was thrown
through a barn fighting a warlock in The Covenant (2006) and can be seen in a lead role with
Andy Garcia in City Island (2009).
16th Street
Spotlight
Steven Strait’s status as the only student
walking around the Xavier halls with flowing,
curly locks of hair, may have, for a short
time, been a point of envy for his classmates.
But it didn’t take long for the word to
get out: the image of this tall, baby-faced
Manhattan-born kid you sat next to in class
could be seen, among other places, at the
mall, pasted on a large wall inside the
Abercrombie & Fitch store.
Strait’s classmates knew his story as
just a simple matter of fact: his hair length
was for professional reasons and came with
expressed permission from the dean of
students and the headmaster—but he
wasn’t the kind of young man to boast.
In fact, in February of his freshman year,
just before the start of English class, Strait
slinked down low in his chair, embarrassed
but smiling, suspicious ever since he walked
into the classroom and saw a television cart
and VCR set up in Mrs. Gonzalez’s classroom.
Gonzalez—still one of Strait’s favorite
teachers today—pressed play on the VCR
and there was Steven in his TV debut, from
an episode of Third Watch that had aired
the night before.
Steven and his Xavier classmates
watched as he was portrayed reenacting
a character’s years-ago love affair with
a friend’s sister.
“It was very embarrassing, but
Mrs. Gonzalez was so sweet about it,
and she was very supportive of me,”
Strait recalled recently. “It was almost
a love scene though!”
Strait said that his time at Xavier was
extremely positive, and that he was particularly
grateful for the support he received
from teachers and administration on the
occasions he had to miss school.
“I think, more than anything, what Xavier
provided for me was the self-discipline that
you need to be successful in the arts,” he
said. “Acting inherently doesn’t have much
structure. There are no rules or boundaries,
and it’s all very ambiguous. Xavier taught
me to build that structure for myself and
to stay focused not just on my particular
job, but also on the project itself. Xavier’s
the place that I really learned that, and
it has served me incredibly well.”
Steven’s schedule was very busy,
between classes at Stella Adler School
for Acting, modeling and being in a band
with a group of friends. After his Xavier
graduation, it wasn’t long before some
remarkably appropriate roles seemed
to gravitate toward him.
After initially moving to California and
snagging a role in the Disney film Sky High
(2005), Steven’s talent as both an actor
and a musician (and even his long hair)
was put to good use in Undiscovered (2005),
when he played a New York musician who
moves to the West Coast and struggles to live
amidst the dangers of new fame. Steven
even did his own singing for the film.
In The Covenant (2006), Steven plays
lead character Caleb Danvers, a student at
a prestigious New England private school
that, Steven said, had elements of his time
20 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
21

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
10,000 B.C. (2008)
A prehistoric epic that follows
a young mammoth hunter
on a dangerous quest to secure
the future of his tribe.
Steven Strait with his mother, Jean, at the premier of City Island A younger Steven with Xavier classmates Getting a (rare) haircut!
at Xavier—the uniforms, the camaraderie
among fellow characters. Steven and three
other young actors, including Chace
Crawford, play four teenage descendents
of a secret 17th century sect of witches who
face off against a banished fifth member
who surfaces and threatens to destroy
the secrecy of the group.
Strait’s character is the Mustang-driving,
popular, but responsible leader of the pack
and the film is filled with compelling special
effects and dramatic fight scenes that allowed
him to dive straight into some rather
unconventional working conditions.
For a movie-ending brawl between the
rogue descendant, a computerized cable
system developed by Cirque du Soleil was
used in order to allow realistic 360-degree
action while actors defied gravity and flew
into the air after bone-shattering blows. A
month-and-a-half before those scenes were
set to be filmed, the mechanism was set up
inside a warehouse near Montreal while the
actors became acquainted with the system
and learned to control their bodies while
being harnessed and hoisted off the ground.
“Three guys controlled the rig, and it took
a long time to get used to it because once
they started it, it was already programmed,
so you were along for the ride if something
went wrong,” Strait said. “We went through
a lot of flexibility training to control the
movement of our bodies while we were
being moved around.”
Steven enjoyed the other-worldiness
of the plotline, and the action was a unique
opportunity, but he couldn’t even see what
was coming next.
In the prehistoric epic tale 10,000 B.C.
(2008) Steven spent over a year living and
filming in New Zealand, South Africa and
Namibia. Directed by Roland Emerick, who
also wrote and directed big-budget films
such as Independence Day (1996) and The
Day After Tomorrow (2004), B.C. is centered
upon Steven’s character, D’Leh, as he leads
a group of warriors to rescue the love of
his life, Evolet, played by Camilla Belle.
B.C. was yet another extremely physical
role for Steven, and he said he does not
know exactly why he is drawn to such
active parts, but he suspects that it may
have something to do with the fact that
his mother, Jean, had been a karate teacher
during his youth. In one recognizable scene
from B.C., Steven comes face to face with
a saber-toothed tiger that, he said, wasn’t
quite as scary in real life.
During filming, Steven, in full D’Leh
costume, had to recite lines in a simulated
environment, and oftentimes animals like
the tiger were really just represented by a
few yard sticks and tennis balls that provided
focal points before digital effects were
added to compose the actual animal.
It was a different kind of acting, and one
that stretched his skills to a new level.
“It was definitely an adjustment to
work with such a high amount of computer
generated imagery,” he said. “I really had
to learn to use my imagination in a specific
way to make all of those things real to me.
You have to react like your life is in danger,
and initially it was a major challenge. But
once you get used to it—it’s a strange frame
of mind to be in, really—then anything is
possible because you’re projecting what
your mindset needs to be in that moment.
It definitely allowed me to grow as an actor.”
As Steven continues his acting career,
he is excited about what kind of new,
adventurous experiences will come his
way. But, he said, he hasn’t taken any part
of his successful start for granted.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate, there’s
no question about it. I feel extremely
blessed that I’ve been able to fulfill that
piece of who I am through my work, and,
really, I don’t define success as a number,
or in terms of money or fame. I think that
has nothing to do with what success is
for me. Being able to do what you love
is being pretty successful in my mind.”
Look for Steven in City Island, which won
the Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award.
City Island opened March 19th in theaters.
Steven Strait lives in Los Angeles with his wife,
actress Lynn Collins.
City Island (2009)
A funny and smart family tale
about the secrets of the past catching
up with the lies of a modern-day
mystery family.
The Covenant (2006)
Four young men with supernatural
ancestry battle it out with a long-lost
jealous fifth power that was thought
to have died off.
22 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010 23

Film… the Evolution!
Mr. Vincent Vargas, Xavier’s own veteran Spanish teacher and long-time Film Club moderator
and his former student, AMC Head of Production Vlad Wolynetz ’88 who oversees the awardwinning
shows Mad Men and Breaking Bad, get together for dinner and conversation about
all things film as Xavier High School unveils a new film course senior elective.
PRE-PRANDIAL
Mr. Vincent Vargas: I’m sure you’ll
remember that when you entered Xavier as
a freshman, there was a film course available
to upperclassmen, but by the time you were
ready to take it that film course was history.
Vlad Wolynetz: My impression of the
course was that they screened films up in
room 5L6. There was an old three-lens video
projector unit hooked to a very primitive
3/4 inch U-matic recorder. Now and then
some of our teachers, mostly our English
teachers, took the class up there to show
us a movie. I remember seeing Julius Caesar
there. The colors were never right, and
one lens was always out of focus.
Vargas : Technology was not that
friendly toward films in those days.
Wolynetz: Xavier was filled with a number
of now long-lost cultural artifacts. We had
film strip projectors, which along with their
audio cassette and LP companions would
BEEP you into the next slide. And on special
occasions the 16mm projectors would
come out and somebody would run an
actual motion picture.
Vargas: Xavier owned a 16mm reduction
of A Man for all Seasons.
Wolynetz: I remember that vividly: it was
a condensed version of an instructional
film called Selected Excerpts of Paul Scofield.
It was a beaten up old print from the 1970s.
I would say that a couple of times a year
somebody would show something on film
and inevitably the film would break. The
science department was big on showing
16mm documentaries of how the egg
is fertilized, and that sort of thing.
Vargas: Well, one of the reasons why I’m
resurrecting these old memories is that the
class that suddenly disappeared when you
came in as a freshman is very much back
at Xavier. This year I am teaching a course
called “Elements of Cinema” and one of
the things that it is doing is reviving the
tradition of film study that was here in this
school when you came in. I would say it
picks up where the old course left off
over twenty years ago.
Wolynetz: I think it’s a very smart addition
to the curriculum.
Vargas: The wonderful thing about it is that
with today’s technology showing a film in
a classroom setting is a very rewarding and
stress-free experience for the teacher. During
your student days, showing any type of film
was always treacherous for any instructor.
Technology, or the lack thereof, always
seemed to get the better of us. These days
technology is very much on the side of the
teachers and not against us.
APPETIZER
Vargas: The founding of the Film Club back
in the late 1980s was an important event
in the lives of many Xavier students who
have gone on to work in show business.
Many alumni have told me, over the years,
that it was their first exposure to a world
of film that they did not know existed.
Wolynetz: It was back in 1986.
Film Club started just as the Xavier
film course disappeared.
Vargas: Even though everybody was
showing 16mm films in those days, as you
mentioned earlier, I remember that we were
really adventurous and initially showed all
the films we studied in the then-new VHS
format that was rapidly catching on.
Wolynetz: Yes, and since my family had
been early adopters of the technology
I wound up providing many of the tapes
that were played in the first sessions
of Film Club.
Vargas: Yes, in versions that now nobody
would dare show. These were not the best
quality. Some of the silent movies we
showed did not even have soundtracks.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Mad Men
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning
series set in the 1960s at a New York
ad agency, focusing on the mysterious
but talented executive, Don Draper.
Season three encores air Sundays
at midnight/11 central on AMC;
season four airs later in the year.
Wolynetz: Some of the silent films we
showed sometimes barely had pictures!
Vargas: But honestly, the soundtracks were
so bad sometimes that I remember I often
turned the volume down and I made you
guys watch the films completely silent.
Wolynetz: It was the burgeoning era of
VHS, and I was really happy that Film Club
came along when it did. I was thrilled to
have been at one of the initial meetings
and to have stayed with it for my last two
years at Xavier. The school was filled with
these 22-inch TV sets and VCRs on carts.
The picture was very small and often the
VCRs had “tracking” issues, if anyone even
remembers what that is.
Vargas: The funny thing was that after
making great strides in showing films
on VHS we ended up going back and
showing films on rented 16mm film.
Wolynetz: Watching films on a little
television set on a cart obviously
had its limitations.
Breaking Bad
A drama about a high school
chemistry teacher who suffers
from a terrible mid-life crisis and
eventually turns to a life of crime.
Sundays 10p.m./9 central on AMC.
24 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
25

MAIN COURSE
“I think [film]
is an essential
course of
study for
young people.”
Vlad Wolynetz ’88
Vargas: So, getting back to the present,
we’ve done a complete circle. Now that
I am teaching a film course we are back
projecting movies once more, but this
time using the latest technology available,
including Blu-Ray DVDs. The technology
that’s around now is perfect for running
this kind of film study course.
Wolynetz: What must be fun about teaching
a class like “Elements of Cinema” is that
it is a combination of a history course, an
archeology course, a philosophy course,
a technical grammar course, a literature
course, and an art course. And underneath
it all, you have psychology, you have theology,
you have whole worlds that are brought up
from the context of the films themselves.
Vargas: And don’t forget the language
aspect. My point of departure for this course
from its original inception and planning
to the everyday classroom teaching of it
is language. Which makes sense because
I am primarily a language teacher, and I am
interested in how we communicate. When
preparing this course I made a point of
underlining the fact that today’s young
audiences do not like, enjoy, or understand
old classic films not because they are old,
but because they lack the basic tools to
understand the language in which the
film was written.
Wolynetz: And you don’t just mean
the world language of the country
in which the film was produced.
Vargas: I mean the visual language that
gives the film its unique look and structure:
a visual language that is on a very different
plane from the language used in films today.
Ultimately, I feel that the aim of the course
is to train the students to become good
“readers” of film so that, in the end, they
can all become film literate.
Wolynetz: Well, look, I can vividly remember
feeling that when the film course disappeared
from Xavier. As a student, it totally left a huge
void in the school’s curriculum. Media mattered
back then and, if anything, its study
today has become far more imperative in
the 21st century.
Vargas: Well, it’s back now! And I have to
tell you: the whole idea of a film course is a
pretty rare commodity in high schools these
days. Film courses just don’t appear in every
high school curriculum. Therefore it is so
important for Xavier to have this discipline,
and it puts us way ahead of the game of
other high schools. Look, every waking hour
we are bombarded by the media with film
and cinematic technique. It is important
to understand how, why and with what
we are being bombarded.
Wolynetz: I think it is an essential course
of study for young people. You’re quite right:
at a minimum you are being marketed to
every minute of every day. You can’t walk
down the street or a hallway inside of a
building without being “sold” to. The basis
of that kind of artistic manipulation is found
in cinema because that’s where it all started.
You are cued to be moved or intrigued or
repelled or angered or emboldened by that
grammar and technique, whether in a film
or in an ad. In order to make sense of it all
you really have to be able to read it, to interpret
it, and think about it critically which
is what we were taught to do at Xavier. The
exploitation of wish fulfillment is something
we delve into all the time on Mad Men, so
I’ve grown very familiar with many of the
techniques used to sell things to people.
I do think that a course that teaches you
the discipline to dissect those things in
your mind and to separate what’s hyperbole
from reality is absolutely essential at a school
like ours and is a necessary component to
a complete 21st century education.
See the faces
of Xavier in the Arts
Meet with Tom Degrezia ’00,
Jayce Bartok ’90 and Ray Lustig ’90
RAY LUSTIG ’90
Current Work:
Two commissions for chamber orchestra
pieces—one that incorporates the existing
fragments of a lost cantata from J.S. Bach.
Also, an opera-theater work based on the
story of one of medical history’s greatest
heroes, Ignaz Semmelweis. Finally, film score
work on a short film by animator, brother,
John Lustig ’00.
Previously:
Ray’s orchestral composition, “UNSTUCK,”
inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse
Five and memories of his grandparents’
struggles with dementia, won ASCAP’s
top prize for orchestral works, was premiered
by the Juilliard Symphony in Lincoln Center’s
Alice Tully Hall.
Lustig’s composition, Images from
a Sunken City, inspired by time spent
in post-Katrina New Orleans, also
premiered at Alice Tully Hall.
Commissions from the New York City Ballet’s
Choreographic Institute, Yass Hakoshima
Movement Theater, and other dance groups.
Challenges:
“Trying to avoid being categorized too narrowly.
At Xavier I learned to avoid simplistic
categorizations, to keep an open and active
mind, to explore. As a composer, I’m interested
in the spaces between styles and genres. My
music has elements of symphonic classic
music, minimalism, pop, electronica, jazz,
folk, cabaret, etc. And I never know where
my next inspiration will come from, so I try
guard against being labeled too restrictively.
This is a challenge, but it’s also where the
excitement comes from.”
Look For:
• Performances of his new work with the
Metropolis Ensemble and American
Opera Projects
• A collaboration with composer Joe Carrano
on a score for the A.D. Calvo indie film
The Melancholy Fantastic
• “Unstuck” will be released this year on
Albany Records with the Bowling Green
Philharmonia
Ray’s Advice:
“As an artist, one of the biggest challenges
is in learning to accept rejection and keep
moving on. Artists tend to be sensitive
people, so even one rejection can be
crippling. But even the most successful
artists get rejections all the time. Stay
positive and your successes will soon
grow and proliferate.”
Little-known fact:
“Before going to graduate school in
composition, I worked in molecular biology
at Columbia University and Massachusetts
Hospital, where I published papers on
cell division.”
26 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
27

JAYCE (WILCHUSKY) BARTOK ’90
The Xavier High School
26th Annual Golf Outing
Current Work:
In the upcoming film Coming Up Roses,
Jayce plays a drug dealer in 1980’s New
Hampshire. “It’s a sweet indie film about
a mom and her teenage daughter trying
to make a go of it.”
Prior Work:
• FILM
Suburbia, Spiderman, The Station Agent,
and Cop Out
• TV
Law and Order, OZ, numerous TV movies.
• THEATER
Made In Poland at 59E59
• WRITER
The Cake Eaters, dir. Mary Stuart Masterson,
starring Kristen Stewart
• DIRECTOR
Altered By Elvis (doc.)
TOM DEGREZIA ’00
Biggest challenge:
“Writing, acting, and co-producing The Cake Eaters.
It was the hardest thing I’ve done, a big risk, but one
that pushed me forward as an actor, writer, and
filmmaker. I was extremely nervous going into the
process, being that it was the first screenplay I had
written. In general, the biggest obstacles in the arts
arrive everyday, but I can’t think of an occupation
more rewarding.”
Look for:
Jayce’s new screenplay, Red River, a true crime
drama about a normal family in the Midwest that
shockingly appear to be connected to the death
of a young college student in the Mississippi River.
Jayce’s advice:
“These days, you can’t just be an actor, you have
to diversify—do commercials, voice-overs, write,
act, direct, develop projects for yourself and your
friends for the web....really be a visionary in terms
of getting noticed and creating opportunities.”
Little-known fact:
Jayce Bartok is the voice of the Sundance Channel.
Westchester Hills Golf Club
May 18, 2010
9:30 a.m. Registration
10:30 a.m. Brunch Buffet/Driving Range
12:00 p.m. Shotgun Start
4:30 p.m. Putting Contest Finals
4:50 p.m. JBC Final Round for $50,000
5:15 p.m. Cocktail Reception and hors d’oeuvres
6:15 p.m. Dinner/ Awards/ Raffles
Register online:
www.xavierhsalumni.org/golf10
Packages
Maroon Package - $1,700
Includes 1 Foursome, 1 Tee Sponsorship, and
an acknowledgement in our Annual Report
Golf - $350
Includes 1 golfer, Brunch, Gifts, Snacks & Beverages
on the course, Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and Dinner.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Event Sponsor - $5,000
Includes a Foursome, recognition signs naming the tournament
(The Your Business Name 25th Annual Xavier Golf Outing),
a Jesuit Sponsorship, and an acknowledgement in our
Tournament Program and Annual Report.
Dinner Sponsor - $3,000
Includes 2 golfers, a recognition sign at the tournament and an
acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.
Brunch Sponsor - $2,500
Includes 2 golfers, a sign at the tournament and
an acknowledgement in our Tournament Program
and Annual Report.
Cart Sponsor- $2,000
Includes 1 golfer and an acknowledgement
in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.
28 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
Current Work:
Tom can’t release too much info on his newest
project, but it’s a political, horror, thriller film.
“The coolest detail I can give you is that it will
be shot in 3D.” He is also working on a science
fiction novel that spans the course of 20 years
and four books called The Legend of Jimmy Hoax.
Prior Work:
“A script doctor,” Tom says. “Script work and
editing. I have worked on some scripts that
I’ve gone into production with and others
that I have done revisions on.”
His most recent film, Xtacy, won three awards
at the New York Independent Film Festival, Best
Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Picture.
Biggest challenge:
“I’d like to believe that I have no shortage of good
ideas, however, the two biggest challenges I face
as a filmmaker are completing a screenplay that
I feel passionate enough about to move forward
with, and then raising the money. The fundraising
is no walk in the park, and due to the state that
our country is in at the moment, low budget indie
films are the first to suffer outside of Hollywood.”
Look for:
Look for Sympathy for the Devil to hopefully
be released.
Tom’s advice:
“Make sure this is what you truly want in your life.
You have to not only love this field, but you also
have to crave it with every ounce of you soul. I’m
not talking about fame, because if that’s what
you want, I don’t really recommend diving head
first into this line of work. There are heartbreak
and tough years that come along with making
the choice to be in the arts. However, if you love
it and you work hard, you can find very rewarding
years ahead of you. You’ll get hundreds of
“no’s” before you get a “yes.” The “no’s” hurt, but
they only make the “yes” that much sweeter.”
ORLANDO VACATION RAFFLE
A 3-day vacation getaway for two people with deluxe
accommodations at the Ginn Reunion Resort & Spa
in Orlando, Florida, or Hammock Beach Resort
in Palm, Coast, Florida.
$50
per ticket
(Winner need not be present;
you will be notified by Xavier)
www.xavierhsalumni.org/golfraffle10
Sponsor a Jesuit - $350
Adds a Jesuit golfer to the outing and includes an
acknowledgement in our Tournament Program and Annual Report.
Golf Shirt Sponsor - $3,000
Talk about advertisement, your Company Logo will be printed
on all the Golf Shirts, a recognition sign will be posted, and an
acknowledgement will appear in our Tournament Program &
Annual Report. Foursome also included.
Hole/Tee Sponsor - $400
Includes 1 tee sign and an acknowledgement in our Annual Report.
Your participation and support in the auctions, raffles, and sponsorships
greatly contributes to the growth of financial assistance
programs so that we can continue to serve a diverse student body!
Name: __________________________________________ Class of: ___________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________ Email: __________________________
■ Enclosed is my check made payable to Xavier High School for $_____________
■ Please charge my credit card.
■ Mastercard
■ Visa
Card # ___________________________
Expiration ________________________
Please return Joe Gorski, Vice President for Advancement
this form to: Xavier High School 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302

The Performing Arts at Xavier Today
1
2
3
4
ACOUSTIC COFFEEHOUSE
Since 2004, the Xavier Acoustic Coffeehouse
has been a venue to highlight student and
faculty bands and musicians, bringing the Xavier
community together for good music, good
coffee, and good times. On Friday, December
4th, more than 200 students, family members
and guests watched a great line-up of student
bands as they performed in the Commons
gymnasium, raising $5,500 to benefit the
upcoming round of Companions of St. Francis
Xavier service trips. The second Acoustic
Coffeehouse took place March 13, 2010.
Watch “Scenes from the Acoustic
Coffeehouse” shot on Dec. 4th
in the Xavier Commons.
XAVIER DRAMATICS
Each year, it is tradition for the Xavier Dramatics
Society to put on a winter drama and a spring
musical production. This year, productions
included “Epic Proportions” and “Grease.” In
addition, the XDS presents a student-directed
freshman production.
Check out “Grease” at Xavier April, 16th.
CHORUS
A choral group gives students and faculty
alike the opportunity to perform regularly
at school Masses and special events.
BAND
Several student musical groups, including a jazz
ensemble and a marching band use Xavier’s
ever-improving band room. In the past school
year, students have been able to use the digital
recording room to monitor their progress over
time and improve their skills.
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
Set for May 21st, a colorful night celebrating the
arts at Xavier, hosted by Fine Arts department
chair Mrs. Denise Iacovone, showcasing student
artwork, poetry readings, dramatic and choral
performances; senior student artwork auction.
1 CFX Coffeehouse, Dec. 4, 2009
2 “Epic Proportions”
3 Mass of the Holy Spirit
4 The Xavier Blue Night band performs
at Colgate-Palmolive headquarters.
COURSE GUIDE
Foundations of Acting 101
A theater course designed
to provide students with the
building blocks for truthful,
creative, and spontaneous—
‘moment to moment’ acting.
Film Acting Technique
Film and theatre terminology
(intention, motivation, relationship,
obstacles) is introduced
through various individual and
group exercises. Parts of scenes
and monolouges are video-taped
with playback critiques an
essential part of class time.
Moviemaking and
Editing with Final Cut Pro
Basics of pre-production,
production, and post-production.
Students are prepared to take
the Apple Level One FCP6 Pro
certification test. Students will
plan, produce, edit, and screen
their own short films at the
end of the year.
The Elements of Cinema
Students watch and discuss the
greatest movies of all time and
learn the various components
that make up the language of
film. Over the course of the year,
working industry professionals
such as writers, producers, and
directors will visit the class to
guest lecture.
A.P. Studio Art
A college-level course focused
on building students’ personal
artistic voice and personal
theme, based on stringent
College Board guidelines.
SAVE THE DATE!
Xavier High School
HALL OF FAME DINNER
Rev. Vincent L. Biagi, S.J. ’67
Rev. Robert Lauder ’52 Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlan 1900 John W. Spollen, Esq. ’62
Place
PIER SIXTY
at Chelsea Piers
New York, NY 10011
Time
RECEPTION
6:00 - 7:00 pm
DINNER
7:00 pm
Friday, November 5, 2010
Rev. Vincent L. Biagi, S.J. ’67
Assistant for Secondary and
Pre-secondary Education and Lay
Formation; former Xavier teacher
and Regis High School principal.
Arthur D. Cashin, Jr. ’59
Director of Floor Operations for UBS
at the New York Stock Exchange
and regular commentator on CNBC.
Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. ’52
Xavier Board of Trustees multiple
terms, Chairman 2005-2208;
counselor to educational institutions
including Fordham University,
St. Francis College, College of
New Rochelle.
Arthur D. Cashin, Jr. ’59 Thomas A. Conniff, Esq. ’52 Hon. John R. Countryman ’50
Hon. John R. Countryman ’50
Served at various posts in the Middle
East, lastly as the Ambassador to
the Sultanate of Oman. He is an
active participant at Xavier’s Career
Day for juniors.
Rev. Robert Lauder ’52
Ordained in 1960 as a priest,
he is currently teaching philosophy
at St. John’s University. Has written
for The Tablet for forty years and
contributes to America Magazine.
Msgr. Arthur J. Scanlan 1900
Member of the faculty at Dunwoodie,
then Rector from 1931 to1940. In
1940, established St. Helena’s parish,
then a grammar school, academic
and commercial high schools.
John W. Spollen, Esq. ’62
Former member of the Xavier
Board of Trustees and Advancement
Committee Chair; dedicated and
devoted service to many institutions,
the NY Province, and his parish.
30 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
31

Class Notes
Class Notes
1940
Come to your70th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
1941
Bob Walsh ’41 sent us a photo
wearing the Xavier sweatshirt he
picked up while attending Xavier’s
Westchester Reception on Nov. 5th!
1942
Donald Dawkins was awarded
the Legion of Merit by the President
of France for his service to the country
in 1944. John Maloney was ordained
a permanent deacon and was selected to
receive communion from Pope Benedict
in May 2009 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
1945
Come to your65th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
Samuel Falvo reports that he scored
a hole-in-one at the Eglin Airbase golf
course and that he had dinner with
classmate, Jack McGoldrick.
1946
James J. O’Connor enjoys traveling,
fishing and playing with his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren
in his retirement.
1947
Francis Galdi and wife Lee joined
classmate Harold Brauner and wife
Betty for Christmas dinner.
1948
The family of Len Abbot writes:
“please pray for Len. His love of
Xavier was always on his mind.”
Daniel Fitzgerald recently published
a novel entitled Donovan’s Dilemma.
Tom Kennedy writes that he is
enjoying his retirement years
square-dancing and fishing
in Idaho.
1949
John Hauss has published a book of
collected memoirs, Taking the Conn and
Nicking the Con, about his experiences
as a naval officer during the Korean War
and his long career as an FBI agent.
John O’Neill is the proud father
of five and grandfather of 17.
1950
Come to your60th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
Richard Byrnes teaches art
at the Studio Ceraveux in France.
1951
Charles Cavanagh, Gerard Lawrence,
and Chester Klimuszko ’50 vacationed
together with their wives at the Somerset
Resort in the Turks and Cancion Islands.
Michael Fitzgerald was recognized
as Catholic Doctor of the Year and
was recently presented with the World
Difference Award by the Mission Doctors
Association. In addition to running his
gastroenterology practice, Michael serves
as a volunteer physician at a clinic for
the uninsured on Syracuse’s north side,
and has trained Haitian doctors to
combat the country’s poverty.
1952
William McCaughney and wife Arline
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
in November. Francis Notaro and
wife Marie celebrated their 10th year as
volunteers for the Habitat for Humanity
in Newburgh, NY. Francis would love
to hear from old timers from the
class of ’52 at 845-565-7345.
1953
Mark Delaney was sworn in as
Commissioner of Comal County (Texas)
where he will supervise the fire department
and emergency services. John A.
Spizziri is eagerly awaiting the birth
of his third great-grandson, Anthony
Xavier Quinn.
1955
Come to your55th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
Eugene Bozzo celebrated his 70th
birthday with family in Italy. John
Gallagher was named “Director
of the Year” by the Board of Police
Reserves of Suffolk County. Ron Lofaro
co-authored a paper on aviation psychology
and presented the paper at
the 2009 International Symposium on
Aviation Psychology. After working
since the age of 16, Frank Spera
retired in April 2009 at the age of 71.
1956
Kevin Donohue attended Jerry Faye’s
70th birthday party this past summer.
Members of the class of 1956 gathered
for their 5th Annual Christmas Party.
Attendee Nelson Deusebio writes:
“It’s a rather doubtful that any other
class in Xavier’s long and proud history
can make this exclusive claim.” Frank
Perroni ’56 recently wrote to Xavier to
share the good news about his company,
Independent Energy, LLC, which has
patented and will commercialize a novel
lectromagnetic Generator/Motor, the
“Power 6 Generator” for clean electrical
power in homes, vehicles, offices, and
medical facilities. To learn more, visit
www.independentenergyllc.com.
1958
Thomas Hoar has authored two
textbooks about taxation and business:
Tax Aspects of Business Transactions—
a First Course Test Item File (1999)
and Test Book to Accompany College
Accounting (1991). Thomas Malone
retired after a career in corporate IT
and proprietorship of Sea Cliff Paint
& Hardware.
Dr. Greg Scotten ’59 was recently elected District Commander of the
3200-member District 22 of the United States Power Squadrons. The district
is home to the 18 Florida Gulf Coast squadrons. Attending the induction
ceremony were Past District Commander Fred Adame ’56 and Past Squadron
Commander George Martin ’50. Pictured above (l.-r.): Greg Scotten ’59,
Fred Adame ’56, and George Martin ’50
1959
Albert Rosa co-authored the sixth
edition of a textbook about circuits
and published a chapter in the
Handbook of Engineering Fundamentals.
Greg Scotten was elected District
Commander of the 3200-member
District 22 of the United States Power
Squadrons. Charles Vega is the proud
grandfather of five!
1960
Come to your50th
CLASS REUNION
on April 30-May 1, 2010!
John Cavallaro retired from his
position as CEO of HELP/PSI, a health
organization for HIV/AIDS substance
abuse patients. John will soon be
ordained a full-time deacon in Florida.
1962
William Grubb recently entertained
classmates Tom Callahan and George
Dean. Rocco Iacovone’s latest CD
release of original jazz made it to #18
nationally on the college charts. You
can hear samples of his music on his
website roccojohnmusic.com.
32 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
33

1963
Ernest Dewald was appointed to
the dental assistant National Board Test
Construction to formulate a nationwide
examination for expanded function
dental assistants. Thomas Lyndon
is practicing law in Washington D.C.
and keeps in touch with classmates
Frank Herrmann, William Porter,
and John Mahon (Thomas and John
are brothers-in-law). John Mahon
was ordained permanent deacon
for the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT.
1964
Jack Marotta attended the
Christening of Richard Monahan’s
third grandchild.
1965
Come to your45th
CLASS REUNION
on April 30-May 1, 2010!
Robert Abbene was named to
Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT
Leaders for 2010. Recently retired,
Glen McComb married Marry Anne
Hartman in October 2009.
1966
Alfred Ashford was appointed
Senior Associate Dean for the Columbia
University Medical Center Affiliation at
Harlem Hospital Center. Ed DeSimone
is in his 20th year on the Pharmacy
Faculty in Creighton University and
was designated Fellow of the American
Pharmacists Association in March 2008.
Conrad Tridente keeps busy in his
retirement by umpiring and refereeing
over 200 baseball and basketball games
per year.
1967
Robert Kresofsky recently celebrated
his 60th birthday with his wife and some
classmates. Robert Loffredo is a proud
grandfather! Bill Strasser was appointed
Director of the Saddle River Valley Bank
based in Saddle River, NJ.
1968
Frank D’Elia is a managing partner of
Associates in Urology (PA). John Walsh
created Walsh Management, which
assists organizations by providing
support services and training classes.
1969
Thomas Murphy lives in Wellesley, MA,
is married and has two boys. Daniel
Sczepanski rejoices at the Xavier
Thanksgiving Day victory over Fordham.
1970
Come to your40th
CLASS REUNION
on April 30-May 1, 2010!
1971
Robert Hynes is working with the
Federal Housing Finance Agency
on the housing crisis in the D.C. area.
1975
Come to your35th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
John Muller is an attending
anesthesiologist at the Hospital
for Special Surgery in New York
and the proud parent of three.
1976
Mike Butler, the superintendent
of Corporate Human Resources
at Cablevision, recently celebrated
his 25th wedding anniversary with
wife Ginny. Colonel T.J. Farrell
is on his second tour of combat
in Kuwait as the Division Chief
for the Third Army G-36 Directorate.
1977
Reid Muller is a cardiologist at SJH
Cardiology in Liverpool, NY. Anthony
Sarro is the president of a medical
billing services and systems firm
called Medical Practice Innovations.
1978
Fr. David Berolotti serves at the
combined parish of All Saints/Our Lady
of Montserrate and at Woodhull Hospital
in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
1980
Come to your30th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
Michael Corso works for the Quaglia
Institute for Student Aspirations, a
non-profit dedicated to improving the
learning environment for all students.
1983
James M. Karpowich earned his
Doctorate of Education from Seton
Hall University in August 2009.
Jim McEleney was promoted
to CEO of Bank of New York Mellon
(India) and has relocated to Pune, India.
Vincente Murrell works as an attorney
for the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp,
1984
James Curley works for Wachovia/
Wells Fargo in Charlotte, NC.
1985
Come to your25th
CLASS REUNION
on April 30-May 1, 2010!
Jesse Mojica serves as Director of
Educational Policy under the Bronx
Borough President.
1986
Robert Suarez graduated from the
Thomas Cooley Law School in January
2010 and received a letter of recommendation
from Gen. David Petraeus
for a position as General Counsel for
the Department of Homeland Security.
1987
Bart Daudelin took a position as
business representative for backstage
workers on Broadway and other live
theater shows with the I.A.T.S.E. Local 764.
Joseph Sheehan married in August
2008 with classmate, Christopher
Timpone serving as groomsman
and brother, John ’83, serving
at best man.
1988
Frank J. Luongo has been recalled
to the Navy and will be deployed
to Mexico City.
1990
Come to your20th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
Francis Creighton returned to Capitol
Hill as Chief of Staff for Congressman
Chris Murphy of Connecticut. Jayce
Bartok’s screenwriting film debut,
The Cake Eaters is now available on
DVD. Raymond Lustig III, doctoral
candidate at the Juliard School,
received the prestigious American
Academy of Arts and Letters’ Charles
Ives Fellowship.
1991
Joseph Degliuomini returned from
a 12-month deployment to Iraq and
will be moving to Tampa this summer
for an assignment to Special Operations
Command for a Joint Assignment.
1995
Come to your15th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
John C. Giordano returned from a
year’s deployment in Kuwait and has
relocated to Fort Meade in Maryland.
1998
Charles Petz is married
with a one-year-old daughter.
1999
Robert McGee works for the
Department of Defense and coaches
football for a local high school.
2000
Come to your10th
CLASS REUNION
on May 1, 2010!
Jared Marinos is a captain with the
U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division and is
stationed in Afghanistan for 13 months.
On the weekend of Jan. 15th, Giancarlo Rindone ’09 and Stephen Chiaia met with Mrs. Grace
Lamour, her son Hank Lamour ’82, and Eric Klein ’87 to watch Klein’s son perform at a gymnastics
competition at West Point. Giancarlo and Stephen joined Mrs. Lamour for a tour and dinner.
“We had a delightful evening and I was very proud of our Xavier men,” Mrs. Lamour wrote.
2003
Timothy Callahan is teaching English
and studying Mandarin in Shanghai.
David del Cuadro graduated from
ranger training in the summer of 2009,
and is now stationed in the aviation
unit at Fort Flood. Peter Faherty
is a law clerk in the Employment Law
Department of Tully Rincky PLLC.
2005
Come to your5th
CLASS REUNION
on April 30th, 2010!
William Lembo is proudly serving
his country in Afghanistan with the
82nd Airborne Division. R.J Peterson
graduated from the Catholic University
of America in 2009 and is teaching
high school in Long Branch, NJ.
2007
Nick Hendra played in two NCAA
Basketball tournaments in 2008
and 2009 for American University.
Maxime Sinal recently traveled
to Tijuana, Mexico, to work with
Esperanza International through
Long Island University: C.W. Post.
Max spent a week working with 11
other volunteers to restore hope by
helping build a foundation for one
home and a roof for another.
2009
Peter Kouretsos is a freshman
at Loyola University of Maryland.
Correction
A Classnote published in the July/August 2009 issue of Alumnews misspelled
the name of a 2005 graduate. The note should have read: Carl Muraco
graduated from Saint Joseph’s University.
34 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
MARCH 2010 — ALUMNEWS
35

Mileposts
Mileposts
IN MEMORIAM
DEATHS
Alumni
James Fitzpatrick ’34,
May 11, 2009
Peter P. Lucchio ’35, February 24, 2009
Rev. Charles R. Malle ’36,
August 30, 2009
John J. Paret ’36, August 29, 2006
Louis Adimando ’38,
December 27, 2009
Rev. James F. Coleman ’39, May 31, 2003
John R. Smith ’39, September 16, 2006
John M. Morio ’40, May 21, 2009
William P. Joyce ’41, May 8, 2008
Harry C. de Venoge ’42,
November 12, 2009
Xavier Riccobono ’42, July 21, 2004
Felix R. Suarez ’42, September 10, 2009
Rev. Thomas LaVelle ’43, July 17, 2009
Thomas J. McCormack ’44,
September 23, 2006
Rev. Joseph A. Novak, S.J. ’44 ,
January 10, 2010
Rev. Thomas Lavelle ’43, a Maryknoll
priest, died July 17, 2009. The middle child
of nine, Fr. Lavelle once told the Alumnews
that he insisted on entering the Maryknoll
seminary because he knew there was more
of a guarantee that he would be assigned
to foreign missionary work. After a brief stint
in the U.S. Army at the close of World War II,
he began work in Tihosuco, Mexico, serving
a ten-year-old parish of about 10,000 people
for the next ten years, working as pastor
for three.
Fr. Lavelle eventually learned to speak
the local Mayan dialect, and in interviews with
Maryknoll staff members, he often reflected
the joys he found in immersing himself in
the colorful native culture. On weekly trips
to the outskirts of the Yucatan Peninsula, he
mentored parishioners that had been baptized
Maurice R. Roche, Jr. ’44,
January 19, 2009
Edward B. Andrews ’45, June 8, 2009
Charles G. Herrmann ’45,
September 26, 2008
James Mallin ’45, August 19, 2008
William S. Nutley ’45,
December 29, 2009
Edward M. Lenard ’48, January 3, 2009
William Bolger ’49, October 8, 2009
Lucky Linton ’49, June 15, 2009
Eugene J. Brennan ’49, October 8, 2009
John W. Halloran ’51,
December 24, 2008
Louis Anthony Perrone ’51,
June 17, 2009
Eric C. Zoller ’51, December 5, 2009
William H. Casey ’52, August 28, 2008
John A. Lawler ’52, September 16, 2009
Richard T. Myers ’52, June 24, 2008
Victor J. Palace ’53, June 2, 2009
but did not practice religion regularly. He also
conducted catechism classes and organized
nightly prayer meetings.
In all, Fr. Lavelle would continue his work
in Mexico at Dzidzantun, near the northern
tip of the peninsula, supervising a high school
and middle school. In 1992, he was appointed
the Superior of Maryknoll’s missions in Mexico.
In all, he spent 50 years of service in Mexico
and, though he said he would have chosen
to live out the rest of his life living where he
served, in illness he lived in St. Theresa’s Hall,
in Ossining, New York, in the company and care
of fellow Maryknollers, just down the road
from the seminary where his journey began.
Anthony B. Bini ’55, April 27, 2007
Alfred Bianco ’57, June 5, 2009
Martin J. Callaghan, Jr. ’57, June 28, 2009
James C. Foley ’57, January 25, 2010
Anthony Tardio ’57, February 1, 2010
Francis J. Morison, Esq. ’58,
February 15, 2010
Edward W. Gotti ’59, August 25, 2009
Daniel T. Brigham ’61, April 17, 2009
Joseph M. Coyle ’61,
September 13, 2009
William C. Christman ’62,
September 18, 2008
Michael J. Vitale ’66,
December 18, 2009
Joseph Francis Hourigan ’68,
November 9, 2009
Jay Politi ’68, January 17, 2010
Carlos M. Alvarez ’79,
December 16, 2009
Alan Beckermeister ’88,
November 26, 2009
DEATHS
Family
George J. Brecht,
father of Gregory ’83,
October 27, 2009
Joseph P. Cristiano,
father of Robert ’96,
February 23, 2009
Diane Farinacci-Murray,
wife of Kip Murray ’73,
September 19, 2009
Theresa Furey,
mother of Matthew ’07,
September 24, 2009
Florence Galligan,
mother of Christopher ’81
and James ’84,
November 6, 2009
Roland Gunther,
father of John ’94,
December 2, 2009
Mary Joan Keegan,
mother of Edward ’79
February 22, 2010
Barbara LoMenzo,
wife of Roger ’60,
December 26, 2009
Ricardo Lopez,
son of Louis ’49,
October 21, 2009
Ann T. McGrorey,
wife of John ’36,
September 26, 2008
John McShane,
son of Owen ’29,
January 6, 2010
Mary Manning Naimoli,
wife of John ’36,
October 26, 2008
BIRTHS
Luke Anthony Angerame,
August 21, 2009
Lisa and Paul Angerame ’78
Caitlin Grace Brennan,
October 5, 2009
Katie and George C. Brennan ’89
Olivia Creighton,
June 29, 2009
Julia and John Creighton ’96
Helen Pellino,
mother of Glenn ’67 and Barry ’68,
December 12, 2009
Roseann Lyons Piekarz,
daughter of Thomas Lyons ’51,
September 8, 2008
Anthony Polito,
father of Anthony ’88,
January 6, 2008
Helen M. Sullivan,
mother-in-law of Michael Ford ’63,
December 27, 2009
Olive F. Swensen,
wife of Christopher ’39,
May 18, 2008
Susan Toohill,
sister-in-law of Daniel Denihan ’65,
February 3, 2010
Mary Catherine Williamson,
mother of Paul ’57,
August 28, 2009
Fredric Wolff III,
son of Fredric ’56,
August 14, 2009
Charles W. Wood,
father of Vincent ’00,
July 21, 2009
Celeste A. Yacovone,
wife of Joseph ’71,
July 1, 2009
John J. Young,
father of John ’77,
Christopher ’79 and Peter ’83,
August 31, 2008
Helen Zic,
mother of Walter ’81,
March 21, 2008
Alexi and Justin Hammel,
December 4, 2008
Valerie Dube and
William Hammel ’88
Connor Mullen,
June 14, 2009
Jeanne Holly and Greg Mullen ’88
Justin John Polito,
September 12, 2006
Patricia and Anthony Polito ’88
Friends
Daisy Atherton,
mother of SFC Wayne Atherton,
December 24, 2009
Janet Conway,
mother-in-law of Denise Conway,
Xavier staff, January 29, 2010
William Crist,
father-in-law of Gerard Walker,
Xavier faculty, October 20, 2009
Ceil Hoebermann,
mother-in-law of Dcn. Vincent
Laurato, former Xavier faculty,
June 30, 2009
Rev. Robert G. Lynch, S.J.,
former Xavier faculty,
October 20, 2009
Alice McNally,
mother of Kitty,
former Xavier faculty,
October 19, 2009
Rev. John Scully, S.J.,
former Xavier faculty,
August 18, 2009
WEDDINGS
Deborah Ellis and Douglas LeVien ’90,
August 8, 2009
Patricia Stell and Joseph W. Fleck ’52,
September 5, 2009
36 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010
37

Want to stay plugged into the latest from 16th street?
Make Xavier’s exciting E-newsletter
part of your week!
School news,
event invitations,
web video
and more.
Explore your legacy.
WE HEAR YOU!
Since Xavier launched its weekly
E-newsletter in December 2009,
the school has been bombarded
with great feedback from alumni
and friends who have let us know
they’ve made the E-news part
of their weekly routine!
The E-news is published every
Friday during the school year, and
includes all the latest highlights
from 16th Street—academic news,
JROTC highlights, sports accomplishments,
service work and more!
Also, plenty of news from the wide
network of Xavier graduates and
photos from alumni events.
If you don’t get the E-news
already, send your email
to enews@xavierhs.org,
and come along for the
ride beginning this week.
What’s New for 2010?
It's an extraordinarily uncertain time—tax wise, that is. This
is the first year in decades that American tax law repealed
the federal estate tax. As of Jan. 1, 2010, federal estate taxes
are repealed for any deaths that occur during this calendar
year, regardless of the size of that person’s estate. While that
sounds like a good thing for everyone, it could actually be
a double-edged sword.
New for 2010: Convert Your IRA
The year 2010 offers a great opportunity if you have an IRA.
Any amount you withdraw from an IRA is typically taxable
income to you, so being able to have a Roth IRA that you
can access tax-free is a great advantage to you. A Roth IRA
allows you to take funds from the plan income tax–free
if you meet certain conditions, and you never have to
take mandatory withdrawals during your lifetime. When
converting, you'll have to pay income tax on the IRA amount
you convert, but you can pay half the taxes in 2011 and half
in 2012. If your IRA is currently worth less than what it used
to be, perhaps due to a market decline, it may be an opportune
time to convert to a Roth. If it is worth less when you
convert it, you'll pay tax on a smaller amount. Take this
opportunity to expand your philanthropic desires by making
a tax-deductible gift to Xavier High School to help offset
the taxes generated by the Roth conversion.
Ways You Can Make a Lasting Difference
You may have noticed that many of the truly good things
in this world are a result of people opening their hearts.
This generosity is often a thank you for assistance received
in the past, an expression of compassion for a mission that
touched someone’s heart or the result of witnessing the
inspiring story of someone in need.
Your options for giving are almost as abundant as your
reasons for giving—and we appreciate any support
you have to offer.
To read these articles, please go to:
www.xavierhsalumni.org
Then click on “Planned Giving Advice”
For more information please contact us:
Joseph Gorski 212.924.7900 ext. 1539
or gorskij@xavierhs.org
Mark A. Mongelluzzo, Esq. 212.924.7900 ext. 1436
or mongelluzzom@xavierhs.org
38 ALUMNEWS — MARCH 2010