November 2012
The Annunciator
Find us on the web at www.school.Annunciationcrestwood.com
Brian Dillon ‘81 Called Hero at Empire State
Building Shooting by Marie Villani-York ‘93
Brian Dillon ‘81 was hailed as a hero after lessly blended into the crowds, but, Brian
he risked his own life to help police take said, he wasn’t going to let that happen.
down the Empire State Building shooter on
“He just calmly turned around and
Inside this issue...
August 24 and, many agree, mostly likely walked away, and I wasn't letting him get
averted more deaths.
away,” Brian told NBC 4 New York Sunday.
2
Letters from the
The
Iona
Prep
“I had to do what I had to
Pastor and Principal
alumnus and New Rodo.”
3
First Days of School
chelle resident was
The Annunciation
working as a foreman
graduate followed the man,
4
Bits of Crestwood
at a loading dock at the
and when he saw police,
Empire State Building
began to scream, “Get the
5
Sharing Hope
when he heard the first
guy in the gray suit! He just
gunshot
ring
out.
He
murdered somebody!” The
Around the School and 6
took
off
to
investigate.
police eventually killed the
Parish
Brian then saw Jeffrey
gunman, who pulled out his
10 T. Johnson shoot a
Memorable Songs
handgun. Nine bystanders
man four times in the
were injured by police bul15 head, killing him. The
Reunions
lets during the confrontashooter began to leave
Milestones
19
Brian stands outside his childhood tion.
and could have seamContinued on page 15
home on Hollywood Avenue.
Class Notes
20
Sinatra Remembered
23
Annunciation Elementary School
465 Westchester Avenue
Crestwood, NY 10707
The Annunciator Editorial Board:
Richard Burke ‘48
Patrick F.X. Brennan ‘53
Chris Grealy Brown Daly ‘62
Mary Theresa Gill McCombe ‘75
John Sullivan ‘82
Marie Villani-York ‘93
Melissa Brennan ‘95
Helping Out After Superstorm Sandy
Crestwood was without electricity in the
aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, joining
much of the northeast in the trials and
tribulations of the aftermath of such a
storm. Many of the majestic trees lining
our streets also fell, though driving around
the neighborhood showed that the majority
of these trees only caused minor damage to
homes. It was almost miraculous the way
some gigantic trees fell between houses
rather than on them!
Much of the neighborhood was restored
to power by the following weekend. Prior
to that, those with generators shared their
power with their neighbors, while some
without power found shelter elsewhere as
the temperatures started to dip. Others
made do in their homes, lighting the nights
A massive tree miraculously falls between
houses, rather than on top of them.
Photo Courtesy of Darnell Caballes ‘86
Continued on page 13
Page 2
The Annunciator
School Makes Improvements to Technology
The 2012-13 school year at Annunciation began with an
increased commitment to the school’s technology program
at both the student and the administrative levels.
Annunciation School has had a long commitment to
teaching our students about technology. Over the years,
the computers, which are transported from classroom to
classroom on carts, became obsolete and plagued with
problems. This year the school renewed its commitment to
a technology curriculum by leasing two carts of MacBook
Pros for a total of 60 computers dedicated to student use.
In addition, the school has leased MacBook Pros for the
faculty and staff, and is investing in ongoing and continuing
professional development for the school’s employees
through the hiring of a technology coach who comes to the
school one day per week. Utilizing the services of Educate
LLC, the school hopes to continue building a comprehensive technology program and further increase the ways in
which teachers incorporate technology into core curriculum
subjects. Educate LLC believes that teachers need to be
comfortable with technology so that they can engage today’s students using technology—something that the stu-
dents are frequently more comfortable with than their teachers!
The school also recently deployed Moodle, an online
learning platform. “Moodle will offer Annunciation teachers
different ways to expand upon the learning taking place in the
classroom. Moodle is password protected and each child receives a login and password at the start of the year which allows both students and parents to access the system,” said
Maureen Noonan, school principal. Andrew Sullivan ‘14, son
of John Sullivan ‘82, says, “Moodle is a very good program
for students to keep track of their assignments.”
A portion of the costs associated with these improvements
in technology was paid for by the generous donations made
by alumni in response to an appeal that was sent in July.
Alumni and parents of graduates contributed over $10,000
for this effort. “Annunciation appreciates the generosity of
our graduates and the parents of our graduates and their support of this part of our curriculum,” said Assistant Principal
Erin McHale.
Letter from the Pastor
Letter from the Principal
Dear Alumni and Alumnae,
Dear Alumni,
Autumn in Crestwood is a lovely time. The leaves
begin to change, the air is crisp and the school and
church programs are in full swing. Our school is full.
Our academic programs are excellent. Our sports,
drama and music programs are just about to begin.
How important these are to the school can not be
overstressed as so often, on the athletic field or on the
stage, talents are enhanced and friendships developed.
It is good to see so many of you at class reunions
and hear the wonderful memories that you have of
Annunciation. Thank you to all who contributed to
the Annunciation School Fund.
Be assured of my prayers,
As you reminisce about your first days of school in
this issue of The Annunciator, I assure you that our current
students have made their own. From crisp new uniform
shirts and blouses, to the first day of school pictures, to
the excitement and anticipation of “what will my new
teacher be like?”
Similar to our students’ crisp new uniform shirts and
blouses, the school itself has brand new computers in
place. As you are aware, this school year we have made a
commitment to continue to upgrade and improve the
technology offered to our students at Annunciation. I
wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to
the many alumni who responded to our request for
monetary donations to support this effort. To date, our
MacBooks are in place, our technology coach is on
board, and we continue to explore other ways to remain
current. Your contributions had a direct impact on our
ability to proceed with these initiatives….Thank you!
Page 3 2012
November
Page 3
First Days of School Remembered
The Pre-K class at Anby Eddie Minor and Gene
nunciation, also known as
Galvin. I still speak to
the Class of 2022, arrived
Mike and Jim at least once a
at the school on Monday,
week.”
September 10, 2012. Tiny
Mike Palen was in Richtots, some nervous, some
ard Dalton’s class and, to
excited, were prepared to
this day, they are still good
meet their new teachers
friends. Mike says, “My
and make new friends. Do
first day began at the tudor
the early days of Septemon Westchester Avenue,
ber bring you back to your
which was three and a half
memories of your first day
blocks from my house at
at school? For some of
158 Hollywood Avenue. I
our alumni, the cool days
fed our 36 rabbits, and my
Marin, age 4, and Olivia, age 6, daughters of Amy Sutton
of September just after McNamee ‘85, on the first day of school at Annunciation as they mom screamed at me to get
Labor Day reminded them
going because I was going
enter Pre-K and kindergarten, respectively.
of just that.
to be late. I got halfway to
Mary Ellen Quinn St. Pierre ‘50 recalls her start at An- school and thought I might have left the cage door open, so
nunciation School. “I believe it was 1943, and I was in 2nd I ran back to check the bunnies. Unfortunately, a few had
grade. The school had just started and was in the house gotten out, and one bunny broke his neck but lived to be my
where the nuns lived. I believe we shared the room with the favorite! So, I rounded them up, gave the injured one to my
1st grade. We brought our lunch, but if we forgot, we were Mom (and got scolded again), and ran back to school. I was
treated to a meal by the Sisters. There were about sixteen late. I think my first teacher was named Sister Pauline. She
pupils, and we learned so much. By the time I graduated, was very nice, friendly and understanding that I was a little
the school consisted of two houses next to
late because I was concerned about the rabbits.
each other, and we were well prepared for
I remember I met Jim Fitzgerald (still a close
high school. These houses are across from “I also remember how
friend) and Bill Merola (who lived next door),
the present school. (The convent and the pleased my mother was
and Ray Horncastle.”
house next to it on Westchester Avenue). I that my father agreed to
Linda Oppermann Youngren ‘61 says that
still have the photo of our graduation of 7
she too remembers her first day of school.
let my younger sister and “My family moved from the Bronx into our
boys and 14 girls.”
Patrick Brennan ‘53 says, “I remember me attend Catholic
house on Ridge Street in November 1954.
well my first day at Annunciation. My fifth
(My husband and I bought this Ridge Street
School.”
grade classroom was in a residential buildhouse from my father in September 1980, and
ing on the east side of Westchester Avenue, - Linda Oppermann Youngren
we are empty-nesters there now.)
I had
across the street from the handsome new
started second grade in P.S. 34 in the Morris
school building we would move into the
Park section of the Bronx. At Annunciation, I
following year. It was November 1950, and
was ushered into Sr. Agnes William’s classmy family had finally completed its move from our third room, and Noelle Cummins was asked to share her seat with
floor walk-up apartment in South Yonkers to the fine brick me. I am not exactly sure how long Noelle and I occupied
home my dad had built over three years on Agnola Street. that one chair together, but I remember feeling very welCrestwood was beginning to change as many police, fire and comed and included. How beautiful and kind I thought Sr.
blue-collar veterans, with the help of families and friends, Agnes William was! And how grateful I am to this day for
realized the American dream by constructing their own the way she prepared me for my First Holy Communion in
homes in the suburbs.”
May 1955. I also remember how pleased my mother was
Richard Dalton ‘54 remembers, “It was in September of that my father agreed to let my younger sister and me attend
1949. The school had not been built and classes were held Catholic School.”
in the house across from the present school. On that day, so
Linda’s classmate, Craig Niesz, also remembers his first
long ago, I first met Mike Palen and Jim Fitzgerald. We day. “I can vividly still remember my first day at Annunciawere the original members of the BIG 5, soon to be joined
Continued on page 12
Page 4
The Annunciator
Bits of Crestwood: The Blackout of 1965
by Mark L. Maiello ‘71
If you care to look it up on-line, you can find a few web- Mount Vernon, Yonkers, Bronxville or Tuckahoe as he
sites that describe the Great Northeast Blackout that oc- made his way north.
curred at 5:27 PM on Tuesday, November 9, 1965. It’s
Later, I recall sitting at the dimly-lit kitchen table (candles
worth the trouble. “The Blackout” was an odd combination probably) huddled around my older brother’s transistor raof the emotional and the technological. Something delivered dio trying to pull in signals outside the blacked-out area and
by the great generators overseen by distant “power authori- learning how extensive that area was (where was Canada
ties,” that I suspect everyone took for granted, affected us anyway?). It was both awe-inspiring and wonderful: almost
deeply when it was so abruptly taken away. From Ontario, the same feelings I had about a snow day. It meant you
Canada south to New York City and from the Great Lakes were home – and so was everyone else (or wished they were
eastward through New Hampshire, if you used electricity, - I had no idea about people trapped in subways or elevators
you were caught in its trap. Reador worse, in hospital surgery
ing, watching TV, driving a car,
rooms) - all I knew was that
What do you remember about the
even moving around your home
we were all together.
Great Northeast Blackout of
were made impossible or had sudIf you check into this,
1965?
denly been transformed into a
you will see that there was
strange surreal effort. The darkfortuitously, a full moon that
ness was a grip holding you in Ellen Brophy Morhart ‘67—Homework by candleevening. But that lunar glow
place. It was perhaps my first re- light, waiting for Mom to get home. She was, natuhardly made a difference to a
alization of our dependency on rally, at the A&P. Cash registers of course weren't
small boy suddenly made
the “outside world” – on some- working, so she just left way more than the groceries
aware that this was all very
thing or some people that in some cost. My dad and a Dartmouth buddy were somemuch larger than Crestwood.
way sustained all of us.
This was darkness shared
how able to find “car service” home from ManhatHappening at such a young age
with “the world” – or what I
(I was 7) my memories of the tan. I remember it well!
perceived the world to be.
event have faded. But the images Bob Linderman ‘66—I was getting ready to serve
The blackout was something
that do come to mind remain fas- the closing of 40 hours devotion at the church. Of
exciting, vaguely frightening
cinating and oddly, to some de- course it got cancelled. My dad and his commuting
and ironically, eye-opening.
gree comforting. I can recall my friends got someone to drive into the city to pick
This was a problem that
mother’s relief that my dad had them up.
came from “outside.” And
made it home safely from his
secretly, I thought it was
business in the Bronx. I can only James Magnotta ‘68—I was actually studying for a
fun…all that darkness, but
imagine what it was like to navi- big math test for the following day, which was caneveryone was safe at home.
gate those darkened streets as celled due to the blackout. The light flickered once
All that quiet, but there was
confused drivers of buses, cabs or twice and then off. I remember the full moon
the static and hissing of disand private cars attempted to shining so that it lit up the whole place. With no
tant voices on that little rashare the same roadways suddenly lights on anywhere, the moonlight was spectacular.
dio. All that reliance on
unregulated by traffic lights. The Nancy McArthur ‘68—I was at a neighbor’s house.
something we took for
drive back to Crestwood on the I can't forget how quiet it was; an eerie quiet.
granted, but now we strained
Bronx River Parkway must have
to find out what had gone
been discomforting as dad noticed
Continued on page 10
that there were no lights on in
You can find us on the Web at
www.School.AnnunciationCrestwood.com
November 2012
Page 5
Just Share Hope—Hope Grows Here, Crestwood, NY
were both busy with our lives and our
At different points in our lives, many
jobs but felt we had skills to contribute
of us will look for opportunities to volunand a passion to serve. We saw that a
teer or participate in service programs. As
couple of things were missing in the onwe pick up our heads and take stock of
line world of volunteerism: 1) There
our lives, we see that even through our ups
wasn’t a way for volunteers and organizand downs, we have been blessed in so
ers, both large and small, to communimany ways. Statistics show that many peocate with each other and to share their
ple across all demographics would like to
needs, skills and experiences. 2) We also
give back, to get involved in a meaningful
felt it was almost impossible for organizway. Plus, as a bonus, research indicates
ers of small projects to easily take advanthat there are loads of health benefits,
tage of the web to get their word out
both emotional and physical that result
and tap into folks with a desire to help.
from acts of altruism. With diverse skills,
and often not a lot of time, potential volJustShareHope.com was launched in July 2012. In the
unteers look for programs that will make the most efficient use short time since go-live, we have received lots of positive
of those precious commodities: talent and time. Finding the feedback. Volunteers and organizers are starting to join
right opportunity shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
the community. The executive director of Volunteer SerKatherine Bantz Stipicevic ‘70 and her daughter, Sarah vices at United Way has been very supportive of the conStipicevic ‘02, who live in Crestwood, were at that juncture. cept and the site, and The Food Bank for Westchester will
Looking for an opportunity to give back, they began with an be looking to leverage the site for many of their upcoming
Internet search. The lists and sites that returned were over- initiatives.
whelming. If you Google the word “volunteer,” you will get
Knowing that schools, Scouts and religious groups
over 334,000,000 results!
have service hours as requirements, we shared information
After a year of research and development, the mother and about the site with some elementary and high schools in
the area as a way to support this need.
daughter team co-founded a social media
A significant benefit of the site is that
site, JustShareHope.com, facilitating volstudents can chat about opportunities
unteerism. In their own words, the cothrough the site and decide to support
founders were happy to share the Justa cause individually or as a group. The
ShareHope story here with their fellow
schools have responded favorably.
Annunciation alumni.
Our first significant successful col***
laboration through JustShareHope took
Sarah and I were both interested in
place over the summer. One of the
becoming more involved with volunteerparticipants, a professional chef, was
ism and service; however, we found that
looking to give some of his time to a
the many lists of volunteer opportunities
soup kitchen. The Food Bank of Westdid not provide clear insight to what the
chester saw this and reached out. They
actual opportunity was about. Was it well
asked the chef if instead of supporting
organized? Did prior volunteers feel that
an agency, he would prepare menus
their time was well spent? Was there a
way to look a bit deeper to get answers to Katherine and Sarah Stipicevic, the based on what the Food Bank had to
offer their agencies and then demoncreators of JustShareHope.
our questions? Getting feedback from
Continued on page 12
prior participants was very difficult. We
Annunciation School can now be found on Facebook!
Search “Annunciation School Crestwood, NY”
Page 6
The Annunciator
Around the School and Parish
Annunciation Parish Picnic
Inclement weather and a tornado warning postponed the Annunciation Parish family picnic by a day. Held at Schultze Field on
Sunday, September 9, the picnic was sponsored by the Annunciation Men’s Club with a little help from The Hillcrest Lakers Community Club who opened the doors to their new clubhouse for picnic goers who needed “relief.” Clockwise from top: the children
in the sack race rush toward the finish line; Bill Carr handles the
cooking of hamburgers and hot dogs; Kyle Leahy and Brianna
McElroy, both Class of 2010, at the donation table for the CYO;
and Walter Camas ‘83 and his children, Allison, Brian and Sean,
enjoy the day.
November 2012
Page 7
Around the School and Parish
Thurgood Marshall Junior Mock Trial Competition
In June, the 8th grade prosecution
team of Erin Teige, Caitlyn Martyn,
Liam Butler, Kieran Kilduff, Conor
Lundy and Caroline Van Bramer
took 2nd place in the Thurgood Marshall Junior Mock Trial Competition.
Only two teams from over forty participating teams are selected to compete in the final. Our team represented Annunciation well with their
poise and composed demeanors as
they graciously congratulated the 1st
place team. The 8th grade defense
team had advanced as far as the semifinals. In addition, Erin Teige won a
Nook for being named Best Advocate award. The team was awarded
Yankee tickets to the June 19th game
at which time both the first and second place teams were recognized by
the Yankees.
Presided over by the Hon. Jeffrey Lebowitz of the NYS Supreme Court, the 8th
Grade mock trial team pauses to pose for a photo: Kristian Moyna, Caitlyn Martyn, Caroline Van Bramer, mentor Rebecca Kilduff, Esq., Christina Annechino,
Conor Lundy (dressed as a police officer), Erin Teige, Christine Rutledge
(dressed for her role as an accomplice to the crime), Jacinta Tracey, Kieran
Kilduff, Edward Curry and Liam Butler. (Not pictured are Meredith Taylor and
Macklin Moyna). Rebecca Kilduff is a lawyer with Kaufman, Borgeest and Ryan
LLP and has mentored a mock trial team for six years.
Streets and Avenues
Ssssshhhh! While most corners in Crestwood boast the newest and brightest street signs, if you look
carefully, sometimes you will find a corner where the signs will send you right down “Memory Lane”!
The Annunciator
Page 8
Around the School and Parish
CYO Communion Breakfast
The gym was packed for Annunciation’s CYO Communion Breakfast, which was concelebrated by Msgr. Dennis Keane and Fr. Ivan Lovric on September 16. The
event was sponsored by Crestwood Technology Group,
Houlihan & O’Malley Real Estate Services, Stephen’s
Green, An American Bistro, Dunkin’ Donuts, Verizon and
Phil Pagliarulo, Yonkers PBA, and the Annunciation CYO
Board. Speakers at the breakfast were Andy Borman,
member of the 2001 NCAA Duke basketball team, and
Bob Cimino, 20-year CYO basketball coach and now 15year varsity basketball coach at Mount Vernon High
School. Mr. Borman spoke about the importance of
academics and athletics, while Mr. Cimino spoke about
commitment and respect.
Sarah Fitzmaurice, former member of the Class of
‘98 and John Conlon ‘77 at the check-in table at
the Communion Breakfast.
Carwash for the Kids was held on Sunday, September
16th at Schultze Field. The Hillcrest Lakers 7th/8th
grade football team washed cars to raise money to
support the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in
Yonkers, which provides special medical care for children with complex medical and physical needs. Many
of the players on the team are from Annunciation
School. They were joined by some female classmates
who enjoyed helping the cause. The project was
spearheaded by Michael Apostolopoulos who is a
member of the Class of 2013. The team is coached
by Michael’s father, Steve. Over $15,000 was raised.
There must have been some pretty clean cars in
Crestwood!
November 2012
Page 9
The Annunciator Asks:
When was the last time you lit a candle for someone?
Gail Freddolino London ‘72 lit a candle on May 25, 2012
in The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris while on a fivecountry European vacation with her husband. She lit the candle for their first grandchild, a little girl, who is due at the end
of December. The donation to light the candle was 2 Euro.
Richard Burke ‘48 has lit candles all over the world, such
as after climbing 881 steps at a Buddhist temple in Korea.
“The monk at the top said something that sounded like he
was surprised that I made it up that far and still had the
energy to light a candle. I mumbled back that I was more
worried about having the energy to get back down. He kept
smiling and bowing. I kept looking around for an elevator.
Alas, none appeared.”
Richard says that Spain, Portugal and Ireland have many
beautiful churches in which to light a candle. He had the
privilege of lighting a candle at many churches in Italy as
well as the Vatican. “What a great country for candles!
Great joy, peace and love can be in every candle lit for
someone in their time of need or to celebrate their joy.”
Who was your favorite teacher?
Mary Lou LaSala Pagano ‘79 says that her two favorite teachers were Sr. Margaret Louise and Mrs.
Mary Ann Seiler. “Who can forget Sr. Margaret Louise teaching second grade and getting us ready for
First Communion? I remember her African violets, her parakeet, Charlie, and her singing ‘Walking
My Baby Back Home’ down the hallway.”
“But my favorite teacher of all time has to be Mrs. Seiler, who taught 7th and 8th grade English/Language Arts. She always showed care and concern for us, and her teaching—grammar and
diagramming—was simply the best! We were also very lucky that she allowed us to be creative and
write our own newspaper. Not too many years later, my daughter, Caroline, has Mrs. Seiler teaching
her at The Ursuline School. Mrs. Seiler’s love of teaching is as evident today as it was back in 1979.
I’m so happy that my daughter is getting some of those same teaching techniques from one of the
Mary Ann Seiler and
best teachers of all time.”
Caroline Pagano.
Upcoming Articles
Have you ever wondered what happened to your favorite teacher? Please send the
name of your favorite teacher and an explanation of why he or she was your favorite.
We will try to find the teacher and then feature both of you in a future article about
the paths you each have taken.
Please send an email to [email protected] with your name, year of graduation, favorite teacher and why.
Page 10
The Annunciator
Memorable Songs from Annunciation Years
Our teachers taught us so many things. Math, history,
science and penmanship are just a fraction of what we
learned in grammar school. But somewhere in our memories are the songs that we were taught—whether to help us
memorize some historical fact, to help us understand a biblical lesson, or simply to bring us joy in another form.
Annunciation graduates were asked to remember a song
that they were taught in grade school. Here are some of
their recollections.
James Magnotta ‘68 remembered
music teacher, Mr. Eddy Onorato.
“Mr. Eddy taught us a lot of songs,
but when he taught us to sing We
Wish You a Merry Christmas, he wanted
to hear the word ‘wish’ loud and
clear.” Frank Battaglia ’67 responded
that he was thinking about two songs
that Mr. Eddy taught them over and
over every year. Frank couldn’t remember the names of the songs, but
he could remember the lyrics. “One
was about a German professor. It
went something like—My name is Dr. Eisenbart. Villy villy
vick boom boom. People say I’m very smart. Villy, villy,
vick, boom boom.” The other was a song that was sung in
the round. “There were ten boys in the bed and the middle
one said ‘roll over.’ So they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were nine boys in the bed and the middle one said
‘roll over,’ etc.”
Not everyone was enthused by Mr. Eddy’s song selections. Grace Donovan Feighery ‘67 was not a fan of Fifteen
Miles on the Eire Canal. And at least one of her classmates
remembers her complaining about it back then. A discussion of this led to her classmates remembering other songs
taught to them by Mr. Eddy including the Green Beret Song,
which was popular at the time, as well as, Eating Goober Peas.
Christina DeFeo Crowe ‘94 remembers when “Ms.
Regan taught us He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. I
still remember singing it during the recital.”
Mary Theresa Gill McCombe ‘75 remembers that Sr.
Margaretta taught her class The Song of St. Francis. “Make
me a channel of your peace….It felt like we sang it every
single day!” Her classmate, Tom O’Grady ‘75, agrees, saying, “We did sing that song every single day rather than
learn social studies!”
Virginia Ann Coleman-Prisco ‘89 remembers The Pledge
of Allegiance Song and even found a link to it on Youtube
which she posted on the school’s Facebook page.
Others remember music teacher, Mr. William Taggert.
Meg Hill Nealon ‘76 says, “For our graduation song, which
was sung in church at the graduation Mass, we picked the
Bellamy Brothers Let Your Love Flow. Mr Taggert had us
change a word to make it acceptable. The song lyrics were ‘…
So let that feeling grab you deep inside and send you reeling
where your love can’t hide and then go steering through the
moonlit night with your lover.’ Mr. Taggert changed it to
‘with your brother’ so we could sing it in church.” Malcolm
McKenzie ‘74 remembers that Mr. Taggert would play “Bye,
Bye Miss American Pie. We loved that.”
Bob Linderman ‘66 remembers
learning “Daily Sing in Praise of Mary. I
haven’t sung it in any other church,
but I still remember it to this day.”
Holidays brought other favorites to
mind. Lauren Furgiuele Powell says,
“I can’t remember the name of the
song, but my favorite started with
‘Frosted Window Panes…’ and we
sang it during a Christmas Recital.” A
quick google search reveals that song
to be The Christmas Waltz. Betsy Kaus
Comizio ‘68 remembers Over the River
and Through the Woods being sung for Thanksgiving and Up on
the Rooftop being sung at Christmas.
Patrick Brennan ‘53 remembers learning Holy God We Praise
Your Name. He says, “It is the only recessional hymn I remember singing after Mass all through the 1950’s. Every
time I hear it (and sing it as loudly and lustily as I can), I can
picture Monsignor Dugan at the foot of the altar.”
Blackout
Continued from page 4
wrong. It was simply exciting.
Mom kept hunger at bay in some way. We had a fully
electric range and oven – there was no chance of a hot
meal. Maybe she got a head start and completed part of
dinner before the lights went out (I asked, but she can’t
recall). And I can’t imagine how she fell asleep under those
conditions. Mom always was a bit of a “scaredy cat.” Well,
perhaps a flashlight or two provided some comfort. By
next morning, things had been restored to normal, but for a
few hours, it was an amazing event that suddenly made my
world much bigger. You know, I can still remember hoping for the next one…and that would come in 1977.
November 2012
Page 11
Memories of Sr. Agnes William “s”
Sister Agnes William Croneiser, OP of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, died July 6, 2012, at
Kaplan Hospice in Newburgh, NY. She was 81
years of age. She taught for many years at Annunciation. Below, some of the members of
the Class of 1961 share their memories:
From Theresa O’Connor McLean—Sr.
Agnes William“S” was such a lovely lady:
fun, kind, sweet, and full of energy. I had
her for both first and second grades. I
think of her as so lively and smiling. She
used to jump rope with us girls on the playground during lunch recess---the only
teacher I remember ever doing such a
From Maurice Powers—I had Sr. Agnes
Sr. Agnes William
thing. Of course, she was so young in the
William (or WilliamS, as many of us called her)
early
50s,
but
I
think
that it was her heart that was forever
for both 1st and 2nd grades. I realized she was young, but
young.
am astounded to learn that she was only 22 in 1953. Anytime anyone was absent due to sickness, be it 1 day or 10
days she would always greet us with a “Long time, no see”
From Dick Krug—I also had Sr. Agnes William“S” in
upon our return to class. Despite being a spitball-throwing,
both first and second grades. My short memory of her was
homework “losing,” class disrupter, I always felt she liked
that I didn't think of her as a threat; she was peaceful and
forgiving. However, I did have a few teachers at Annunciame. On the 1st day of 2nd grade I walked into her classtion that put the fear of God in me. For first and second
room. She looked at me and rolled her eyes in mock dread
and said, “Oh no. Not YOU again.” Rest in Peace Sr. Agnes grades, I was able to move along at my own pace because of
WilliamS.
Sr. Agnes William“S.” May she rest in peace.
Who Knows For Sure? A Story of Connections
Note from the Editor: On October 20th, I received
an email from Richard Dalton ‘54 that he sent to
his children, grandchildren and a few close friends. I
was accidentally included on that email. The story,
however, is so moving, and tied to Annunciation,
that I have asked Dick’s permission to print it.
Sisters of Life to see their history, but I must
say they are the happiest group of women I
have ever had the privilege of meeting.
Over the next two years we worked out the
various problems, and they bought the property, a large mansion built in the 1800s with
over 35,000 square feet of living space. They
A number of years ago a lifelong friend,
began the move into the building on June 1,
Jim Fitzgerald ‘54, called to ask if I
2012, which was the anniversary of their
could help some friends of his who were
formation, June 1, 1991. Mary passed away
trying to purchase an older building in
on June 1, 2010. This sent chills up my
my area but were having a number of
spine, but there was one more event which
problems. I agreed, but expected that I
Mary Dalton
made me wonder if this was something bewould send a check and that would be
yond anyone’s control. They decided to call the
the end of it. Shortly after Mary (N.B. Mary is
building—their Mother Home—Annunciation! Mary
Dick’s wife) passed, Jim called to say that I would be
was born on March 25, 1944, the Feast of The Angetting an email from the Sisters of Life asking to
nunciation. Maybe I am reading into this more than
meet with me to discuss the matter.
I should, but it seems that we have an Angel who
A short time later, I received an email from the
wants us to know she is looking out for all. Who
Mother Superior, Mother Agnes Mary. As my wife’s
knows for sure?
name was Mary Agnes, this set off an alarm. I agreed
and met with them in Yonkers, NY and was very
Dick
impressed and agreed to assist. You can Google the
Page 12
The Annunciator
Just Share Hope
The Crestwood Throw is Back!
The “Crestwood Throw”, a
lovely Afghan-type blanket
with all of our local points of
interest pictured on it, is back!
It is the perfect Christmas,
bridal shower, wedding, or
birthday gift. It is also a warm
and comfy blanket during cold
winter nights. It’s a unique
heirloom item to share with
your favorite Annunciation
alumnus or former Crestwood
resident!
Continued from page 5
strate how to make the most efficient use of these ingredients. Instead of helping one soup kitchen every once in
a while, this chef will be helping many different agencies.
This is exactly the type of collaboration we are hoping
the site will support.
You are all invited to join the JustShareHope community to browse opportunities, connect with other volunteers or set up a project as an organizer. There are no
fees associated with the use of the site and information
will never be shared.
Visit the site at www.JustShareHope.com, email us at
[email protected], follow us on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/JustShareHope, or like us on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/pages/JustShareHope/27470415262
4488.
Cost: $40 plus shipping
Colors available: Cranberry or Navy blue
Contact: Pat Leyden
[email protected] or 914-260-4584
First Day of School
door as she comforted me. It didn't take
long for me to calm down and move forward like the rest of my classmates.” He
goes on to say that even though that happened almost 60 years ago, “that fear of
the unknown has stayed with me, but
thanks to Sr. Robert Marie, I survived.”
Continued from page 3
tion when I was 5 years old. My older brother and sister
were students there. I was very sheltered by my mom, and
I was totally unprepared for school. My mom took me
there kicking and screaming. I had the good fortune to
have Sister Robert Marie who took me in her arms and
made me feel at ease. She quickly chased my mom out the
More Than Anything, We Want to Hear From You!

Then and now...would you like to see what your house looks like now? Send us a picture of
what it looked like then and we will take a photo of what it looks like now.

Pizza wars…what was your favorite pizzeria when you went to Annunciation?

Please email [email protected]. Be sure to include your full name and class year.
November 2012
Page 13
Superstorm Sandy
to Breezy Point. A followwith fires in the fireplace,
up email told those who
flashlights and candles.
had donated how appreciated their help was. “We
As those in Crestwood
were one of three groups
already know, there are
serving food. One group
many connections between
was a food truck that
families here and people
served bagels, soup, coffee
and places in some of the
and desserts. The other
hardest hit areas. Some of
food truck served tacos.
our alumni and some of our
They both ran out of food,
parishioners at Annunciaso if we hadn’t been there,
tion lost their primary or
then close to 500 people
vacation homes in the
would have had to do
storm. Others had homes
without a hot meal that
that were damaged but will
A branch sits on wires suspended at the intersection of Pennday. My friend and I
be able to be repaired.
sylvania and Hollywood Avenues. Power was out to most of
served approximately 200
Many had relatives who had
Crestwood from the height of the storm, on Monday, October
burgers and over 300 hotlost homes and all their
29, until the following weekend. Photo Courtesy of Darnell
dogs. We even served
possessions and have taken
Caballes ‘86
yellow fin tuna!
(The
up the offer of shelter here in
owner of the taco truck came to us and said, ‘Where can I
Crestwood.
Like the rest of the tri-state area, and much of the country, get one of those Famous Tuna sandwiches?’) People
people in Crestwood wanted to help out however they could. were speechless over the egg sandwiches, coffee, trays of
One of the first to answer the call was Brendan Fitzpatrick, fa- shepherds pie, Irish stew, and sausage and peppers.
ther of Annunciation School students, first-grader, Riley, and There were hundreds of sandwiches and homemade deskindergartener, Madison. A member of the Annunciation Men’s sert and much more!”
“So many volunteers were from out of state and it was
Club, Brendan used their emailing list on Wednesday, November
7 to solicit help. “I'm helping a friend (John Farley of Washing- a privilege to serve them food too. We were shocked to
tonville, Orange County, NY) BBQ down at Breezy Point on be told that we were ‘lucky’ not to have been shutdown
Friday for all the responders and homeowners who are in need because the volunteer fire department BBQ had been
of a hot meal. My friend’s wife, Laura Harkin Farley, dropped a shutdown by health inspectors earlier in the day. At the
van full of clothes yesterday and she relayed not only the devas- end of the day, we gave the leftovers to the community
center where they will contation that most of us
tinue to benefit the residents.”
are aware of, 100+
homes destroyed by
On Saturday and Sunday,
fire and water, but also
November 10th and 11th,
the lack of hot meals
Annunciation Church, along
for those that are there
with all the parishes in the
day and night - many
Archdiocese, took up a secliving off meal bars.”
ond collection to benefit
He then provided a list
Sandy relief efforts. The parof food items needed
ish donated almost $8,500 to
for the BBQ, which
Catholic Charities, which has
was to be held two days
been spearheading the Archlater at St. Thomas
diocese’s response to the disMore Church in Breezy
aster.
Point.
Residents of hard hit Breezy Point arrive for a hot meal proBy the following weekend,
The helped poured vided by Annunciation parishioner, Brendan Fitzpatrick and
Diane Doyle Vezza ‘75, had
in, and Brendan drove his friend, John Farley. Annunciation parishioners donated
organized a collection of
a car loaded with items food for the hot meal.
Continued on page 14
Continued from page 1
Page 14
The Annunciator
Superstorm Sandy
Continued from page 13
items needed for the recovery efforts. Shovels, brooms, buckets,
contractor bags, work gloves and non-perishable foods filled
boxes outside the church on the weekend of November 17th
and 18th. The Boy Scouts assisted with the collection. Items
were divided into thirds, with one third going to St. Thomas
More Parish in Breezy Point, another third going to St. Virgilius
Church in Broad Channel, and the final third to St. Frances de
Sales in Rockaway. Annunciation alumni Joe Furgiuele ’66 and
John McMahon ‘78 helped deliver the goods to these other parishes.
But Crestwood and
“The victims of Hurri- Annunciation were hardly
finished with their ideas
cane Sandy need help
and suggestions for how to
now. We have a whole
help. The next event to
benefit recovery efforts is
lot of compassion for
brainchild of Casey
the victims and endless the
O’Connor ‘04 who is orgagratitude to our parnizing a 5K run through
Crestwood.
ticipants and supportSays Casey, “As some
ers.” - Casey O’Connor ‘04
of you may know, every
year a group of brave souls
from Crestwood travel to
Rockaway to ‘Plunge’ (see June 2011 edition of The Annunciator)
into the ocean for our friend and neighbor, Annie McMahon,
who is battling cystic fibrosis. Over the years, this annual February trip has raised thousands of dollars to help Annie’s fight by
A large tree fell across Hollywood Avenue, just around the
corner from the school, smashing a fence and a car parked in
a driveway. Photo Courtesy of Darnell Caballes ‘86
Two food trucks and a BBQ were set up outside St. Thomas More Church in Breezy Point to provide a hot meal
to residents of the neighborhood and responders who
had come from all over the United States to help in the
wake of the disaster.
contributing to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Rockaway has helped our small community of Crestwood help
Annie get better. Now, Rockaway is in need. As a community, it is time we come together to rebuild Rockaway.”
On Saturday, December 8th, Casey is organizing a 5K
run which will begin at 9:00 a.m. at Schultze Field. Fees
for the run are $30 for those who are preregistered and
$35 for those registering the day of the event. All proceeds will be donated to The Graybeards
(graybeards.com), a non-profit organization in Rockaway
that started after September 11, 2001, which has been
extremely helpful in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Casey says, “The victims of Hurricane Sandy need help
now. We have a whole lot of compassion for the victims
and endless gratitude to our participants and supporters.
Please come show your support, and have a great morning with your Crestwood friends.”
If you are interested in participating in the 5K or volunteering at the race, please contact Casey O’Connor at
[email protected].
The response to Superstorm Sandy underscores Annunciation and Crestwood’s care and concern for those
who need our help and support. It is also clear that the
desire of people to help, in a time of trial, generates wonderful ideas that bring people and communities together.
November 2012
Page 15
Class of 1961—The Reunions Continue...
The Class of 1961 shared many
Maurice Powers summed up the
stories at their reunion in April
reunion for the class in an email to
2011. In fact, it was a wonder that
the classmates who could not atthey ever left the reunion since, durtend. “The only thing that was
ing the school tours, they had to
missing was YOU! In speaking to
regularly stop along the way as the
good friends our age about the
memory of another classmate was
50th and 51st Reunion, I get the
stirred by something they saw in a
same ‘What? 1961? If you gave
classroom or in a hallway. The last
me 1 million dollars, I couldn't restop of the tour in the gym brought
member one kid in my 8th grade
class, and very few in my high
forth dozens of stories that had
Bill Boylan, Lou Quintano, Bob Pulver, Pat Moyna
school graduating class’! Yeah,
those in attendance in stitches.
‘Deadwood’ was a unique place to
But the best thing about the reunion were the friendships be raised.”
Maurice pointed out that another reunion was being disthat were renewed and the
long-time friendships that cussed for 2014 and asked for input on a location back east
were strengthened even fur- and the possibility of another destination reunion.
ther that day. Sadly, the “Washington DC, The Bahamas, Miami, Nathan’s?” he
Class of 1961 lost two of its asked his classmates. One could almost “see” the smiles on
members who attended that the other end of computers all across the United States.
reunion shortly after the gettogether. Additionally, there
were some in the class who
Lito and Alice Byrnes Morilla
were unable to attend the P h o t o s
original reunion. Conversa- courtesy
of Bill
tions continued offline and online and an idea was formed. Boylan
Why wait another five or ten years to have the next reunion;
why not do it again and why not do it now?
On the weekend of October 19-21, the class held its 51st
anniversary reunion in Scottsdale, AZ. Ten classmates gathered for a memorable weekend of great restaurants, fantastic
golf, hilarious cocktail parties and a dinner hosted by Bob
Preston Burkart, Lou Quintano, Dawn and Pat
Pulver and his wife, Deb, at the Mirabel Country Club.
Moyna
Dillon Called a Hero
Continued from page 1
Johnson, a disgruntled former apparel designer for Hazan
Imports, allegedly killed Steven Ercolino because he held the
co-worker responsible for the loss of his job two years ago.
Brian’s heroic and selfless actions prompted a flood of
praise from the city’s top officials, including Mayor Michael
Bloomberg. The 44-year-old, however, seemed to take the
notoriety in stride, telling Newsday, “I just reacted.”
Brian made the decision to follow the shooter over the
pleas of his colleagues who feared for his safety. Reflecting
on his actions that day, Brian told Newsday, “There are some
things in life you just got to do, you know?”
Fearing for the lives of the thousands of people who
gather outside the iconic New York landmark each day,
Brian said he knew what needed to be done.
He told NBC: “I feel like someone else could have died.
That’s not supposed to happen. “You get up in the morning,
you go home at night, you don’t die from bullets.”
Brian works for Pristine Labor Services as a labor foreman and dock master. He was interviewed by three television stations at this childhood home on Hollywood Avenue,
which he has been working on in preparation for putting it
on the market for sale. When he isn’t working, Brian likes to
spend time with his family, go golfing and enjoy the outdoors.
Page 16
The Annunciator
Class of 1962 Celebrates 50 Years
The Class of 1962 is no
made to send us to
stranger to class reunions.
Annunciation and to
They have happily celethe faculty of the day
brated the anniversary of
for giving us such a
their graduation on two
great education.” The
other occasions. As their
vast majority of the
50th anniversary apclass are college graduproached, the class formed
ates, many with gradua reunion committee conate degrees and insisting of Janet O’Moore
clude many lawyers,
Speight, Tina Hult Brown,
accountants, teachers,
Chris Grealy Brown Daly,
engineers and business
Joe McBrien and Gordon
executives.
Duffield.
Twenty-eight out
The committee pulled
of sixty-five living
together a wonderful reungraduates attended, a
ion weekend beginning with
turnout of 43%, which
casual cocktails on Friday,
Chris notes is “not
September 28, at the Bantz
bad considering our
The Class of 1962 poses on the stairs of the school’s hallway. The
residence on Vermont Terage and that a good
Class ended their reunion weekend with Sunday brunch in the
race in Crestwood.
number are retired and
school and toured the classrooms.
live out of state.” InThe following day, they
cluding spouses, there
took a trip to New York
City where they visited the World Trade Center Memorial, were forty in attendance at the dinner dance.
Margaret Samuels Hoag summarized her reunion weektaking photos of the names of Annunciation alumni William
Wik ‘71 and Christopher Duffy ‘92. Arriving back in West- end in an email to the class. “Dear friends, I wanted to tell
chester, everyone got ready for the central event, which was all of you how much I enjoyed the wonderful dinner dance
held at Shenorock Beach Club in Rye. It was an evening of on Saturday night. Seeing and talking to people I knew at
fun and laughter that included dinner and dancing to tunes such a young age and hearing all the stories of the paths their
of the 50s, 60s and 70s. As Gordon describes it, “A great lives have taken was enlightening and heartwarming. What a
time was had by all the entire weekend. We would still be great bunch of fine adults our class turned into. Annunciapartying at Shenorock except for the fact that there are area tion got us all started down the right path. I want to thank
the committee for all
noise ordinances!!”
their hard work and perOn Sunday morning,
severance to pull us all
the class ended their
back together. I will
weekend with Mass at
keep all of you in a speAnnunciation Church.
cial place in my heart
The class members were
that was waiting to be
the lectors and read the
filled after fifty years.”
petitions at the 11:30
Ruthie Argo Mazzei
Mass and then held a
was already talking about
brunch at the school and
the next reunion. “If
toured around the classeveryone had as great a
rooms.
During the
time as I did, then it
Mass, Sandy Bantz Waltruly was a huge success.
ters, in the petitions,
Let’s not wait ten years
noted how indebted the
class was to their parents The class took a trip to the World Trade Center Memorial on SaturContinued on page 22
“for the sacrifices they day. Here they take a moment to pause at Battery Park.
November 2012
Page 17
Reunion News—Save the Date
Classes of 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1998,
your reunion has been set for April 27, 2013! Please make sure that we have your
email so that we can provide you with information about the plans as they become
available.
Class of 1968
Class Picture Mystery
The Class of 1968 has unearthed their class
picture and has been sharing memories on
Facebook. Two mysteries about the picture
have been solved, but one remains. The visiting priest in the white vestment is Fr. Fleming
who was the graduation speaker. The adult
peaking out from the church vestibule is Mr.
Byrnes. But who is the little tyke on the far
right leaning on his hand watching the photo
being taken? If you can identify that child,
please send an email to the address below:
[email protected].
Order your Annunciation Alumni T-shirt or Hat!!
They Make a Great Christmas Gift!
Annunciation graduate, Ashtyn Lange ‘11, models the Annunciation alumni T-shirt and baseball cap. You too can
identify yourself as a proud Annunciation graduate! Order
the baseball cap for $15 or the T-shirt for $10, plus postage.
The baseball cap is size adjustable and T-shirts are available in large and extra-large. Proceeds go to support our
alumni program.
Email [email protected] or call 914-337-3953 to place
your order today!
Page 18
The Annunciator
Deaths
Please pray for the repose of the souls of the following alumnae:
Anthony Cartularo, father of Philip ‘79 and Anne ‘86
Fred Francis, husband of Julia Wilkinson ‘66
Christa McClory ‘64, sister of Linda, Sunny and the late Susie
Robert Kilkenny, father of Robert ‘80, Elizabeth ‘82, Virginia ‘84, Deirdre ‘85 and Paul ‘90
Kathryn Driscoll Malgieri ‘65, sister of Ann ‘57, Eileen ‘62,
Margaret ‘69 and Daniel ‘71
Thomas Wik, Jr., son of Thomas ‘77
Kenneth Shupe ‘64, brother of Karen ‘53, Marcia ‘54, Gary
‘56, Maureen ‘58, Richard ‘60, Jim ‘65, Michael ‘68 and the
late Steven ‘67
Please pray for the repose of the soul of
former faculty member:
Sr. Agnes William
We also pray for the souls of the following family of
alumni:
Concetta Cappelli, mother of Louis ‘65, Barbara ‘68, Susan
‘72, Connie ‘73, Gina ‘75, and Michael ‘78
Howard Johnson, husband of Maureen Brophy ‘71
Thomas Meagher, Jr., father of Mary Jane ‘77 and Thomas
and Christopher
Fr. John C. Flynn, brother of Mary Ellen ‘48 and the late
Thomas and Jean
Mary Hoy, mother of Paul ‘69, Jeanne ‘70, Mary ‘72 and
Claire Grandsire ‘76
James C. Murphy Sr., father of Bettyann ‘59, Brian ‘61,
Rita Mary ‘67, Kathleen ‘70, John ‘73 and the late James
‘57 and Kevin ‘65
Paul Madden, father of Jason ‘86, Kristin ‘89 and Kathleen ‘94
Emma Pellegini, mother of Walter ‘65
Raffaela Azznara, mother of Stacey ‘72, Mark ‘74 and
Jeanine ‘76
Robert McKeon, father of Maryellen ‘67, Tim ‘71, Noreen
‘72, Michael ‘77 and Patrick ‘79
Franz Hoefling, father of Richard ‘71, Michael ‘74, Dorothy
‘75 and Caroline ‘78
The Deceased Alumni Bulletin
Board hangs in the school’s main
hallway all year long. Each angel
contains the names of all of the
deceased from one particular
class. School families offer to
pray for a class for the entire
month of November.
Have a Mass Said for a Special
Intention at Annunciation
The Annunciation Parish Mass Book still has intentions
available for weekday Masses at 6:45 am and 9:00 am. If
you would like to have a Mass said for a family member or
former parishioner, please call the parish secretary, Jeanne
Doran, at (914) 779-7345 between the hours of 9:00 am
and 3:00 p.m.
November 2012
Page 19
Milestones
Milestone Spotlight
Births
Michael Brown ‘91 and his wife,
Kerry Hurley, announce the birth
of their third son, Declan Joseph,
on March 21. Declan, who
weighed in at 9 lb., 4 ozs. lives in
Boston with his parents and
older brothers, Colin (4) and
Owen (2).
Maureen Lynch Gladding ‘87 and her husband, Brian,
welcomed their first child. William Francis was born on
August 13. The family also recently purchased a house in
Jamestown, RI and are busy settling in. Maureen says,
“Will is a little peanut and is doing great!”
Meagan O’Connell Frederick ‘87 and her husband,
Warren, welcomed their second son, Mason Patrick, on
August 9th. Mason joins
older brother, Jackson,
who is 18 months old.
The Frederick family lives
in the Catskill mountains
and will finish building
their log home this year.
The Conlon/Quinn Wedding
Steven Quinn ‘97 married Carolyn Conlon on October
27, 2012. The couple, who met while at the College of
the Holy Cross, became engaged during a walk on the
beach near the Montauk Lighthouse. Steven added to the
surprise by asking Carolyn’s family, his family, and their
closest friends to surprise her at the house when they returned from the beach. They were married at Our Lady of
Hope Church in Ipswich, MA. The reception was held at
the Crane Estate, and the couple honeymooned in Moorea,
Bora Bora and California.
The wedding party included
many Annunciation graduates.
Robert Quinn ‘01 was his
brother’s best man, and
groomsmen included Steve’s
brothers, Rudy, Peter and
Tom, all class of ‘03, and Ryan
DeSola ‘96.
Steven is a certified financial planner for Wells Fargo
Advisors, and Carolyn is an
attorney recruiter for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &
Flom LLP. They reside on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Helena Sharkey Kirk ‘95, and her husband, Andrew, are
proud to announce the birth of their
daughter, Hannah Marie, who was
Marriages
born in White Plains, NY on June 9.
Hannah weighed in at 8 lbs. and Tracy Merritts ‘91 and Michael McCue were married on Aumeasured 18 1/2 inches long. Her
gust 26 at St. John the Baptist in
godparents are her uncle, Thomas
Yonkers, NY. They held their recepSharkey ‘94, and his wife, Amy. The
tion at The Grandview in PoughkeepKirk family lives in White Plains.
sie, NY. The couple, who became engaged in May in Aruba, were high
school sweethearts. In college, they
Engagements
parted ways, but reconnected two years
ago. Tracy has an associates degree in
Tom Browne ‘77 was recently engaged to Heather Rudisil
criminal justice from WCC and works
of Ephrate, PA. Heather is a police sergeant in New Casfor Diebold, Inc., where she is the New
tle and the couple plans to reside in Putnam Valley after
York metropolitan area service relationtheir October 2013 wedding. Tom retired on September
ship manager. Michael is a graduate of
28 from the NYPD after twenty years and three months
SUNY New Paltz and works for Abstract Inc. as a title insurof service
ance sales representative. (Photo courtesy of Fantasyflash Photography.)
Continued on page 21
Page 20
The Annunciator
Class Notes
1950
Mary Ellen Quinn St. Pierre has
moved from Massachusetts to Florida
where she is enjoying playing tennis
and doing volunteer work at her
church.
1958
Scarsdale Medical’s Team Cure. The
walk was sponsored by the American
Diabetes Association. Nancy was the
team member who raised the most
money individually, and her team raised
over $5,000 cumulatively. The two-mile
walk was held at Mercy College on September 30.
1964
Sheila Waters, who resides in Bronxville, requests prayers for her brother,
Edward, who lives in Florida and is
seriously ill. Edward was a parishioner
of Annunciation from 1949 to 1969.
He is a graduate of Marist College and
served with the US Navy in
Greenland.
Edward retired from
IBM, is a loving husband, father of
five, grandfather of four and owner of
Zany Dachshunds. He is also the beloved brother of Nancy ‘61, Joan Waters Keating and Joseph Waters, Jr.
rently living in Richmond, VA and
working for Capital One.
Julia Wilkinson Francis lost her beloved husband of thirty-four years,
Fred, on June 13th, after a long illness.
Together Julia and Fred had five children and three grandchildren.
1970
Steve Gadomski is an adjunct professor
of Marketing at SUNY Oneonta. He and Katherine Bantz Stipicevic received
his wife, Belle, live in Cooperstown, NY. her doctorate (while working at PepsiCo) in August 2011 from the University of Maryland University College
1966
after 4 LONG years of study.
Elizabeth O'Connor McCollum and
her husband, Paul, who recently moved
from New Hampshire to State College,
PA, are proud to announce the marriage
of their daughter, Erin, to John Barker on
August 11, 2012 in Richmond, Virginia.
It was a lovely wedding, and the entire
O'Connor family was in attendance.
1981
Maria “Mary” Georgiopoulos Pile
started a Pampered Chef business in
March 2012. For those who are unfamiliar with The Pampered Chef, it is
the largest direct seller of high-quality
1961
kitchen tools, serving 12 million cusIn addition, their son, Ryan, graduated tomers worldwide.
Nancy Waters took part in the Step last year from Penn State University with
Continued on page 21
Out Walk to Stop Diabetes as part of a B.S. in chemical engineering and is cur-
Keep Us in Mind!
If you have a bit of news to share—a birth, marriage, anniversary, engagement, job change or other fun life event, please drop us a line
and send us a photo!
If you have a change of email or mailing address, please let us know.
We don’t want to lose touch!
All information can be emailed to [email protected].
Please don’t forget to include your full name and year of graduation.
November 2012
Class Notes
Continued from page 20
Mary, who still lives in Crestwood, is
an independent consultant who is
building a customer base within New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
She offers live in-home cooking demonstrations, catalog shows, Facebook
shows, and fundraisers and is in the
process of working out the details to
conduct a cooking club in her own
home.
1991
Kerri Kneip Austin and her husband,
Michael, just celebrated their 12th
wedding anniversary and their fourth
year living in Ridgefield, CT. Kerri is
due to have her third baby in November, joining siblings Ian Joseph who is
ten and Shannon Elizabeth who is
eight.
Milestones
Continued from page 19
Tina Pietrantuono ‘86 married
Christopher DellaMonica on August
18, 2012 at Annunciation Church.
Joanne Pietrantuono Greenberg ‘90
was her sister’s
maid of honor.
Tina and Chris
met
online
three and a half
years ago. Following a reception at the
Tarrytown
House,
the
couple honeymooned
in
Hawaii. Tina and Chris live in Scarsdale. Tina works in sales, and Chris
works in computer technical support.
Page 21
Dan Fiorito Picked Up by
The New York Yankees
Dan Fiorito ‘04 had the dreams of thousands of grammar school-aged baseball players. He wanted to play in the major leagues and his Annunciation yearbook information reflected that. “His favorite sport is baseball, and he hopes
to someday play in Yankee Stadium for his favorite team, the New York Yankees,” reads his biography on his yearbook page. He pursued his path toward
his dream by playing at Fordham Preparatory
School before joining the Division III team at Manhattanville College in Purchase.
At Manhattanville, Dan’s career did not start as
planned. He blew out his elbow and needed surgery, causing him to sit out freshman year and work
hard to rehabilitate his arm. In sophomore year, he
returned to pitching and also played outfield. During his junior and senior years, he played third base
and shortstop. Dan was named the 2012 Freedom
Conference Player of the Year, named American
Baseball Association All-American third-team selection, and both the National Collegiate Baseball
Writers Association and the ABCA named him firstDaniel Fiorito
team All-Region. He graduated from Manhattanville with a major in education and hung onto his
dreams of playing in the major league.
After being named a top draft prospect, Dan was hopeful that he might be
drafted during the June 4-6, 2012 Major League Baseball draft, but it was not to
be. Knowing that he still had a shot at his dream, he packed his bags after
graduation and moved to Syracuse for the summer where he played for the Salt
Cats in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He finished the season being
named an All-Star in the league.
In an August 23, 2012 interview on www.pickinsplinters.com, Dan described what happened next. “I got invited to a workout at Yankee Stadium,
and they liked what they saw so they invited me to Tampa to workout. After
workouts they signed me this morning, and I’m here for five more days. I report back in January for spring training, and they will see where I will go play
come spring. Dream come true no other way to put it,” Fiorito said of signing
with the team he grew up rooting for.
Since returning from Tampa, Dan has been attending graduate school to
attain a Master’s degree and has been rigorously conditioning and working out
at a baseball facility in Fairfield, CT where he also works and mentors young
players. Dan is looking forward to reporting to spring training in January and
starting his career where he hopes to improve and succeed with each level.
His parents, Marianne and Dan, and his brother, Cristian ‘07, could not be
more proud. When Dan called his parents while in Tampa, they were so happy
to hear the big news and that he had been signed. Marianne said, “It all felt so
surreal. We are truly proud of him and his unrelenting work ethic and thankful
that he has this opportunity to live his dream and that we can watch and enjoy
his journey too.”
Page 22
The Annunciator
1962 Reunion
Continued from page 16
before we get together again.”
Jerry Tracy was also talking about the next time. “The
reunion was so positive and fun; it was ridiculous! The committee threw a great party. I have never danced that much in
one night especially with so many different beautiful women.
I hope everyone else had half the fun Mary and I had. Let's
do it again for our next anniversary. Thanks again to all my
Annunciation classmates for such a good time.”
Ralph “Skip” Maccarone traveled from Michigan to attend
the reunion. “It was truly a moving experience to reunite
with this great group of people, who by whatever circumstance, came together in early life and all made their way for a
half century of being darn good people. I have been privileged to have been among them.”
Above, the weekend began with cocktails at the Bantz residence on Friday
night.
Left, the centerpiece of the reunion was a dinner
dance at Shenorock Beach Club.
Below, the class thanks the organizing
committee for their hard work.
November 2012
Page 23
Frank J. Sinatra III Will Always be Remembered
Frank J. Sinatra III ‘02 loved sports. As a
recently taken a trip to Croatia for six
child, he played basketball, baseball and soccer,
weeks where he traveled into Bosnia to
but it was in baseball that he really excelled. In
visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Medgrammar school, he played for the Hillcrest
jugorje.
Lakers Community Club as well as AnnunciaSadly, Franky passed away on April
tion’s CYO team. In both 7th and 8th grades,
2, 2012 at his family’s home in Scarsdale.
Franky was named Annunciation’s MVP. BeAt the time of his death, he had been
fore graduating from grammar school, Franky
working as a funeral director’s assistant
was listed in “Who’s Who in Youth League
in his family’s business. Franky’s parBaseball 2001, Babe Ruth Division.” Moving
ents, Laura and Frank J. Sinatra Jr., and
on to Archbishop Stepinac High School,
his younger brother, Robert ‘05, started
Franky played for the Crusaders where his hitthe “Franky’s Field of Dreams Foundating record still stands.
tion,” which will benefit various organiBut it was in college where his baseball aczations and programs each year. In adcolades really started to mount up. Franky
dition, the Sinatras have started an anheaded to Westchester Community College
nual $1,000 scholarship to be used towhere he continued to play and led his team in
wards the 8th grade tuition at Annunciaruns batted in and home runs, was named
tion School for a student who has finanFranky played for WestMVP, and was a team captain. As a result, he
cial need and who shares Franky’s paschester Community College
was named to the National Junior College Athsion for baseball.
letic Association’s region XV Division II All Tournament
But the need to remember Franky was also felt by those
Team in 2009 and 2010, the Mid-Hudson Conference who had known him on the field. The Hillcrest Lakers Comsquad in 2009 and 2010, and where he won the Division munity Club dedicated their new batting cages in Franky’s
XV Home Run Derby in 2010.
memory, and on September 23, 2012, Westchester CommuBut even as his educational career was winding down, he nity College retired Franky’s #52 jersey during the WCC
wasn’t ready to give up alumni game. WCC’s alumni game Facebook page said,
baseball. Franky joined “Frank had the biggest heart you could imagine. He would
a post-collegiate league be there for anyone in an instant if you called on him. No
as a member of the matter who you were, he'd take you under his wing. Frank
Harrison Patriots, would always have a smile on and always played his heart out
where he was the 2010 on and off the field. He is watching over us all and pushes us
team MVP, showing all towards the positives in life.”
his talents as a third
The Harrison Patriots were also devastated by the loss of
baseman, first baseman, their star player. They dedicated their 2012 season to Franky.
occasional relief pitcher His jersey hung in the dugout for each of their regular season
and mighty hitter who games, encouraging them to do their best in his memory. It
“could hit the ball a was not surprising then that the team won the 2012 WRWBL
mile.” He also played Championship. The team’s website credits Franky’s memory
with various Bronx for the team’s motivation. “Returning players were fueled by
teams including the the loss of beloved veteran Frank Joseph Sinatra III, and the
Bronx Goliaths.
newcomers were told of his larger than life legacy. #6
When he wasn’t (Franky’s Patriot’s jersey) was with the team at every game,
playing baseball, you and outside of talent, he certainly was a major player at every
could find Franky fish- game.”
ing, boating or snowThe Sinatra family has been honored by all of the tributes
boarding at his family’s that Franky has received and hopes, through his foundation,
vacation home in Lake that he will always be remembered for his warm smile and
Franky, in an Annunciation year- George, NY. He also generous heart.
loved to travel and had
book photo, poses with his team.