RAN - Summer 2005 08.indd - Regis High School

4 Regis Alumni News
2005 Alumni Senior
Luncheon Recap
On May 4, 2005 at the Alumni – Senior Luncheon the Regis Alumni Association honored Don Gross ’43 with the St.
John Francis Regis award. Don received the award in recognition for his lifetime of service and generosity to those in
need. The following is the text of Don’s remarks from that afternoon.
Father O’Hare, members of the
faculty of Regis High School, fellow
Alumni and soon-to-be-graduates
of the class of 2005.
In reviewing the list of those who
had previously received the “John
Francis Regis Award”, I was very
impressed with the credentials
of those individuals who were
honored. I was also very humbled
that Regis saw fit to make me this
year’s honoree. Since I am the first
graduate from the 1940’s to be so
honored, I can only assume that the
decision may have had something
to do with respect for the elderly.
I would like to extend my sincere
thanks to Fr. O’Hare and the
administration of Regis High School
for this honor. It means a great deal
to me because Regis High School
has played such an important part
in the formation of my life.
“Each of us
has our own
unique talents
and God given
abilities that we
should be truly
grateful for.“
When told that I would have to say a few
words to you today, I wondered what I
could possibly say to this year’s seniors.
I thought of the Jesuit educational
mantra of preparing “men and women
for others”. While at Regis, I was never
a great debater or speaker, so I can’t
expect to say anything to you today
that you’ll find unforgettable. I would,
however, like to talk to you about just
two words and I hope that you will think
about them after you go home today.
The first word is EXAMPLE. A dear
friend of mine, Msgr. Jim McNamara
recently wrote that - “our worth lies
not in what we do, but in who we are”.
He was writing about the life of Pope
John Paul II. Msgr. Jim’s point was that
the Pope was such a great example to
the world. It wasn’t so much what John
Paul accomplished in his life but the
model he was for all to see of a man
living a dedicated life and accepting the
suffering he had to endure.
These words apply to us too. Your
worth and my worth doesn’t come
from the things we do or the goals we
achieve, but in the kind of person that
we are. What kind of an example are
we to those around us? Those who
are in contact with us each day? Our
family? Our friends? Our co-workers or
co-students? Are the people around us
better because we are who we are?
As I was preparing this talk, I thought of
so many people in my life whose example
was such a gift to me. People
whose goodness and kindness and
yes, love made a difference in my
life. I thought of my parents and my
elementary school principal, a nun
who was the one person mainly
responsible for my attending Regis.
I thought of the many wonderful
examples that were given to me at
Regis by such dedicated Jesuits as
Fr. Dan Burke and his brother Tom
Burke. My freshman year teacher,
Fr. Mike Costello and two presidents
at Regis who meant a lot to me, Fr.
Bill Wood, a dear friend and Fr. Ray
Swords. To me these men were
outstanding living examples to be
imitated and followed. There were
wonderful lay teachers like Joe
Quintavalle and Harry Kirwin, who
gave their lives to the students of
Regis and were outstanding
examples. You can think of those
people in your own life who are
great examples including those
wonderful teachers at Regis today.
Just six weeks ago, Regis lost a great
teacher, Fr. Steve Duffy. He gave over
50 years of his life to the students
of Regis, but it was his example
of how to live a life joyfully and
humbly that touched so many. To
some, Fr. Stephen Duffy was “just”
a high school teacher but he was
a wonderful example to so many
Regis grads. Steve’s worth was not
in what he did~ but in who he was.