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ISSUE # 4
February 1988
Some REPORTING ... ABOUT LAWRENCE:
by David Kammer ('42)
I had long wanted to visit the monks in Lawrence, especially Conan, my friend
and faithful summer replacement. I had not stopped in the last seven years, Judy
and I found Ken Hogan '64 alone in the principal's office of Central, going over
enrollment and budget figures. Most gracious in receiving us, Ken gave up his
desk work, and we went out to lunch at a local Lebanese restaurant. Ken insisted
that we try several mid-eastern dishes, while, out of respect for his recently lost
twenty-eight pounds, he satisfied himself on a fantastic parsley dish called
tabooli ... with water and a twist of lemon. And did we talk ...
The original wooden structure of CCHS had to be torn down several years ago,
and even though new facilities were built to the left and adjacent to the gym
around 1970, there is still serious need for more space. Central is in the process
of buying the Franciscan Seminary in Andover, where renovating and building
will be needed. Helping this process is the fact that Essex Community College is
anxious to purchase the entire present CCHS property and facilities.
Meanwhile, the last of the Brothers are about to move out of the monks' quarters
on the top floor of the gym to temporary quarters. :Conan Vincent '39, Ernest
Beland '58, Richard LaRose '59, and Tom Petitte '64. In his early seventies now,
Conan is still doing some work with freshmen and is taking care of attendance ...
with many of the students fascinated by him to the point of "imitation"; he still
has his quick and sharp wit. Though there are now no Brothers in nearby Mary
Immaculate Nursing Home, Conan continues in his spare time to go there to do
what he can for old folks.
Ernie Beland is teaching full time at CCHS, one of six Brothers now on the
faculty. Richard LaRose is temporarily in the chemistry department at the
Augustinian's high school in Reading, Mass.
Tom Petitte is yet another story. He came to Lawrence to teach at Central, and
eventually to be dean of discipline and to get involved with the poor part time;
now full time. He has founded Lazarus House, temporary living quarters for
those who have been put out, burned out, or are otherwise poor, jobless, and
without a place to sleep. His work is so respected in Lawrence that after serious
losses from a recent flood, funds came in to recoup and to do even more. Tom
also has a clothes exchange center and a drop-in center for the poor. To help the
neighborhood, Tom bought up a junky bar next door to his center ... and tore the
bar down. (More on Tom, below)
Ken Hogan himself lives on Sheridan Street in a community of six Brothers led
by Gerry Doherty, class of '68, Also there and teaching at Central are Ronnie
Horbatiuk '62. Fred Sambor '64, and Tom Long '79. Completing the group is Bill
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Lambert '57, who since leaving the post as principal of CCHS, has been
associate superintendent of schools for the Boston Archdiocese.
We also visited Leeds Terrace, one of the retirement residences for the Brothers.
Tom Simmons '63 looks over that situation. There we also saw Br. Francis
Gerard (Izzy) '21, Daniel Emilian '38, procurator extraordinaire, and Phil
Bernard '31, erstwhile bus driver for our Tyngsboro groups; and I was so happy
to see Br. Ernest Mary Drolet '20. Ernest was always so accomodating with his
duplicating machine when I was teaching math and doing Sodality work at old
St. Ann's Academy from 1946 to 1957. During that ten year stretch, Ernest
circled my dome many, many times with his barber's clippers and scissors. At
the time of our visit to Leeds, Br. Stephen Forgues (Bee) '28, Br. Emil Michael
(Micky the golfer) '29, and Peter Chanel '37 were visiting family. It was so nice
to see everyone and to share news. Thanks all!
FROM BOB O'HANDLEY ('61): This newsletter is a great idea. As I sit down
with pen in hand, already I feel less guilty for not having been more responsive
to the correspondence that Len has been so faithful to for more than two
decades.
After leaving Christ the King High School and FMS in '67, I returned to
graduate school at Brooklyn Polytech. I married Carol Delaney in 1969 and after
I received my PhD in physics in 1971, we took off for the Mojave Desert for two
and a half years where I had a post doctorate at a research lab. Our first two
children, Kevin and Meghan, are California natives.
I spent nearly seven years at a research lab in New Jersey, then at IBM Research
Center in New York. Our third child, Kara, was born in Morristown in 1975. I've
been on the research staff at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, since 1981, the
longest I've lived in one place or stayed at one job ... ever! My previous record
was four years in Esopus from 9/58 to 8/62.
Over the past twenty years, contact with my MaristBrothers has been too little. I
have many fond memories of those nine years. This newsletter will be a vehicle
to affirm, validate, and rejuvenate all those good relations.(3 Glenn Cove,
Andover, Ma., 01810)
FROM DONALD (Chris Matthew) EDWARDS ('57): I was surprised at my
reactions to the first newsletters. Talk about mixed emotions; sort of like dealing
with a lifetime of unfinished business! Really enlightening to realize that I spent
twelve years of my life with so many wonderful people, and yet I hardly knew
them. Then their voices popped up off the print in the newsletter. It was neat
finding out what had happened to so many wonderful guys over the years. So
many have done so well!
Of late my only contact with monks has been an occasional letter and Christmas
card exchange with Br. Aidan Francis in Florida, and seeing Br. Richard
Rancourt, as well as college classmates John Wilcox and John Trainor, at a
Marist College reunion last year.
After Poughkeepsie I went to St. Helena's and then to Christopher Columbus in
Miami. Almost nineteen years ago, I left Miami to start things over again. The
first year I lived in Willimantic, Connecticut. Then Elaine and I got married in
July of 1971; got a new teaching job the following September; bought a home in
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December; and Chris was born the following July. A helluva lot of doings for the
second year post-brotherhood.
My teenage son is an athlete personified. Hardly a chip off the old block. He's
into basketball, trying to get on the freshman high school team, is on the track
team, loves golf, and has been involved in little league baseball. And I couldn't
swing a bat without divine intervention; didn't really give a damn about sports
actually!
I got a second master's degree several years ago in counselling psychology. My
attempts to get into the counseling field did not work out, so I'm still in teaching.
Has its ups and downs; I'll say no more; at least pay is improving. Elaine works
in the library in Cheshire, and is taking librarian courses at present. She also has
an M.A. in Spanish. That's how we met, on an NDEA grant via Fairfield
University that brought us to Spain in 1968. We've been living here in Cheshire
since 1971, about twelve miles southeast of downtown Waterbury. (84 Bayberry
Road, Cheshire, Ct. 06410... phone: 203-272-7397)
BILL BAKER ('77): Br. Dan Grogan sent me a copy of Marists All. Please put
me on the mailing list, and may I please have copies of issues #1 & #2.
FROM ALBERT (Felix Michael) SHURKUS ('43): Mike phoned to ask about
Berky and to ask for the address of James (Chris Emile) Connelly ('43). We are
sorry that we do not have Jim on our mailing list. Can anyone help?
Mike has been teaching theology at Rivier College, Nashua, N. H., for the past
twenty years. However, he is now on total disability. Last spring he was
diagnosed as having cancer. His wife, a nurse, has had him to Mass General
often and everything possible has been done. Mike asks for our prayers, and
perhaps for a miracle. (4 Maryvale Iane, Burlington, Mass., 01803; phone: 617-
273-5455)
FROM MIKE (Michael Gerard) KRAEMER ('56): As I was raking leaves with
my children several weeks ago, I could not help reflecting on my Juniorate days
when the Master of Juniors, Brother Joseph Damian, would interrupt the reading
at breakfast with an announcement that today is annual Leaf Day. Somehow the
day perked up for all of us (despite the gruel that passed for oatmeal and the
ghastly peanut-butter, honey and butter concoction that we used to whip up in a
frenzy to get us through the day) because that meant that we would have no
classes and that Brother Joe and all his Juniors, along with Berky, would don
work clothes and rake every blessed leaf from the old Juniorate grounds, now the
southern portion of the Marist campus.
What a great void I felt when I learned from Jimmy Maher ('53) about the
passing of our beloved Master of Juniors. Too few of the GMA knew Joe well
and fewer still had the privilege as I did of having him as a Superior. Those of us
who did learn under his tutelage will remember the rigorous asceticism he
imposed on his charges and the sterling example he himself gave of religious
life. Never did he ask anyone to do anything he himself would not do and that
included the most menial of tasks from cleaning the johns to logging the trees in
the forest that surrounded St. Ann's Juniorate.
Brother Joe's daily conferences and his Sunday Gospel studies almost invariably
lasted forty-five minutes to an hour, but what an inspiring, reflective, and
insightful Religious that man was. I still recall many of his daily lessons on
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practical spirituality and his equanimity on all occasions. Many of you knew of
him as a superb geometry teacher, which indeed he was, but Brother Joe was an
intellectual who dispensed the fruits of his wisdom and life in his words and
example.
Those daily jaunts to the cemetery saying the Rosary for the deceased Brothers
and the trek across the Marist Campus to attend Mass at the Scholasticate in all
kinds of weather saw Brother Joe leading his flock like the Pied Piper; and all of
us who were fortunate enough to share in this man's life know that he is at peace
with Our Lady to whom he prayed and dedicated all his life and energy. Rest in
peace, Joe, and thank you.
Delighted.to have been included in the mailing list of GMA. Have kept in touch
with Rich Shea, Jim Maher, Declan, Hugh Crowe ... over the years, but have lost
contact with many whom I still consider friends even though time and geography
have separated us. Married Pat O'Connell in the Esopus Mansion Chapel in
October of 1971, and since then have moved seven times in three states, being
blessed by Providence with six beautiful children: Nora, Michael, John,
Matthew, and twins Catherine and David. Now serving as an administrator for
the Marianists in the Baltimore Provincial House. Best wishes to so many
friends out there especially ... well, there are just too many! (4621 Wards Chapel
Road, Owings Mills, Md., 21117)
FROM FRANK MORAN ('50): For the record I'm the former Br. Peter Michael.
I have been living in Ireland since 1983 with my wife and four kids, three boys
and a twenty-one month little girl. We live just south of Dublin, about eight
miles from the city center.
People over here always ask the same question: "Why did you move to Ireland?"
I'm sure others in the states also wonder why. To begin with, I married an Irish
girl and as a result, we spent many summers here on holiday and grew to love
the pace of life and the people. I suppose you could say I was able to sit back
and compare lifestyles and definitely found myself more at home here in Ireland
than in my native U.S. Even the kids seemed happier in this place, and it
certainly is an easier place to raise them than in the environs of New York.
However, it was a combination of circumstances which finally made the
difference. In 1980 I was one of many school administrators who lost their jobs
due to dropping enrollment, and I had to choose between finding another field of
work in New York and moving elsewhere in the U.S. to continue in education.
Ireland was a viable choice because of family ties and new opportunities for
employment.I am happy I made the move, even with the cultural adjustments
I've had to make.The most difficult one, believe it or not, is just slowing down
and not living by the clock.
My career has taken a slight turn, in that now I am a human resources
development consultant with particular emphasis on career development and
man problems, working on my own. I have recently ventured into the English
market and have teamed up with an enterprising young training firm in London.
Since Dublin is only fifty minutes away from London by air, the commute is
quite simple.
Many thanks for your unexpected yet thoroughly enjoyable newsletter. It was the
most welcome piece of mail I've received from the states in a long time. Please
do send on any back issues of the newsletter issued since #1.
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And if anyone wants to search out his Irish roots, let me know and I'll reserve a
stool at a local pub where we can start the search in a civilized manner. In
keeping with the spirit of the times, may the peace of Christ be with you and
yours. (6 Hainault Grove, Foxrock, Dublin 18, Ireland; phone: (O1) 894364)
FROM FRANCIS GUDYANGA: I am from Zimbabwe, and am currently
finishing a doctorate in mineral technology at the Imperial College of Science
and Technology, London, England. If all goes well, I will be joining the
academic staff in the department of metallurgy at the University of Zimbabwe in
March, 1988. I left the community in 1974 but have maintained very fruitful and
meaningful ties with some of the Marist Brothers in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. I
value their friendship which is priceless.
I am married to Sarah, and we have two sons: the first is seven years old and was
born on the 4th of July! I believe I am still a Marist at heart, and all matters
Marist still interest me. I intend to get involved in some apostolate in Zimbabwe,
along with such developmental projects as one might expect in a developing
country. I hope I can do some justice to the valuable Marist education and
training I am grateful to have received.
You might have gathered that I am not very conversant with the U.S. Marist
scene, though some of my teachers and confreres did their scholasticate at Marist
College, Poughkeepsie. I am still speculating on how you came by my address. I
am immensely glad, however, that someone passed it on to you. The newsletter
was a pleasant, surprise communication. (410 High Street, London Colney, St.
Albans, England, AI2 1HN)
FROM DAVID HEALY ('63): After leaving the monks in August of 1970, I was
classified 1A for the Vietnam draft and thus found it tough trying to get a job.
Once the lottery was introduced, my number was way down on the list, and
several offers of employment came in. However, I decided to emigrate to
Australia, arriving in February, 1971. I've lived here ever since, and am now an
Australian citizen.
In 1975 I moved to Perth, Western Australia, where I met my wife Kay. We have
four daughters: Gina (11), Meg (9), Anne (7), and Terri (5). I did a graduate
course in Computer Education between 1983 and 1985, and will be taking up a
position next year as a computer teacher at Prendiville Catholic College, a new
secondary school in the northern Perth suburbs, about fifteen minutes drive from
home.
Len Voegtle has kept us in the picture regarding things Marist for many years,
for which I'm very grateful. I've read and re-read the two newsletters you've sent,
and will have contacted at least one old classmate by the time you receive this
note. Congratulations on your initiative, and keep up the good work. (48 Adare
Way, Kingsley, Australia, WA6026)
FROM JACK RYAN ('60): We drove up to Flint, Michigan, yesterday to get
together with John and Beth Reynolds ('60) and other old teaching buddies from
Luke Powers Catholic High School; we have continued to get together at least
annually with the Reynolds and with Mike and Pat McGonigle ('60). Mike and
John have both stayed in Catholic education as administrators. My path has led
me into selling foundry equipment.
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After leaving Powers High in 1974 I taught for a year at St. Ignatius Prep in
Chicago. Elaine and I were married in June of 1975, and we moved to Detroit.
Maureen was born in July, 1977. I had an opportunity to join Elaine's Dad in his
manufacturers' rep agency-. He represented three foundry equipment companies
that chose not to establish their own sales office in Michigan. The world of
manufacturing and engineered equipment was both interesting and frustrating.
Gradually I learned what I was selling and have gotten to enjoy it. We have
managed to expand the business to representing ten companies. Elaine's dad
retired five years ago, and we have since hired another salesman. There is a lot
of traveling, but fortunately most of it is by car, and it is rare that I am gone from
home more than one night.
Maureen, Jack (8), and Patrick (6) keep Elaine busy driving them to various
activities. I am quite often able to pull up just before game time, pull off my tie,
and join the coaching staff. After doing soccer and hockey, it was refreshing to
coach baseball, a sport I at least understood. Following our first practice with
seven and eight year olds. I commented to the other coach that we had no one
who could throw the ball from third to first; he said, "Why does that bother you.
We have no one who can catch the ball at first anyway."
Reading Marists All. is a real nostalgia trip, comparable only to going through
my old baseball cards: Phil Rizzutto, Otto Krueger, Sal Maglie, Frank Sutton ...
... I can't imagine there is anyone who doesn't finish an issue, take off his glasses,
sit back and return to those thrilling days 15, 20, 25 years ago. Thanks for the
memories! (1238 Berkshire, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 48230)
DONALD MULCARE ('57): It is nice to be remembered and to be able to share
in the news of people who are important forces in my life. I ask that my father,
Joseph A. Mulcare, known to many Marists, be remembered through the
newsletter. He died on 15 March '87. His date of death was appropriate; he liked
Latin and Julius Caesar.
FROM WILLIAM (David Marcellin) QUINN ('44): Many thanks for all three
issues of Marists All; it is great reading. After I left Poughkeepsie in 1948, I
went to work for the Postal Service. In 1950 I was drafted into the army for two
years; I was in the states all that time. In 1952 I returned to the Postal Service
and remained there until my retirement in '81. I had many good positions,
working with the indoctrination of new employees and with postal inspectors,
but never with the general public.
I have always lived with my parents; I now care for my mother who is 96. I have
to say that I have been blessed by having a good kinship with the Brothers from
the time I left to the present. Many have been so supportive of me. I don't know
what I would do without the wonderful letters from Br. Leonard Voegtle, the
friendship of Brothers Henry Charles, Aidan Francis, Simeon Arthur, and
Brothers Louis Mary, Louis Omer, and Roch Anthony of happy memory.(146-18
24th Ave., Whitestone, N. Y., 11357-3518; ph: 718-353-5304)
FROM RONALD MULHOLLAND ('60): Taken from promotional literature ...
Ronald is Executive Director of Youth Services, Inc. serving Wheeling and the
northern panhandle of West Virginia. The system provides shelter for youths
ages 12-17 caught up in crisis situations where the alternative is incarceration in
county jails or juvenile detention centers. An independent living program offers
older adolescents training in practical skills in dealing with daily life, and
prepares them to assume responsibility for the daily conduct of personal life. The
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Ohio River project is designed for delinquent boys and girls ages 15-18 to use
the river through boating and various related activities as a base upon which to
build positive attitudes toward life and each other. "Because we believe that
children are our greatest natural resource and that we, as a cormunity, have a
responsibility to care for one another, we have established a network of services
that sustain and advance human dignity, particularly among abused and
abandoned children." (702 North Front Street, Wheeling, W. Va., 26003)
FROM GERALD (Patrick Stephen) GALLAGHER ('55): As you know, I'm
running my own business providing services and training to law enforcement
agencies and public officials and risk managers.The travel season is upon me,
and training sessions with different police departments will take me to California
four times, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Tennesee, Oklahoma, and a couple
other places.through my work with policing in Britain, I have now been named a
columnist for a British police review, and I'll be turning out articles for them on a
regular basis.
I had some British police chiefs to my home for dinner, and one of them, a
deputy commandant at the Police Staff College, told me about his fond
memories and experiences with the Marist Brothers in England.
My nephew a recent graduate of St. Joseph's College in Philly, has chosen to
make a two year commitment to a Jesuit program teaching in a high school in
Samoa; well, it turns out that the school is a Marist Brothers High School. All I
could remember was Br. Geranus Gerard, in the accent that included remnants of
four or five languages telling us in the novitiate about his beloved Samoa.
I am happy to see that you are now putting the addresses in the newsletter of
those who write in. I would appreciate Gene Zirkel's address ... 6 Brancatelli
Court, West Islip, 11795. (2328 Malraux Drive, Vienna, Va., 22180)
FROM BILL GILLIGAN ('39): The most recent copy of Marists All was most
welcome, much news on old timers whom I knew. Many thanks! Some Marists,
present and past, may have known my brother, Father Declan (Joe) Gilligan,
S.A. Joe died Thanksgiving, 26th of November. That might be worth passing on
to others; a prayer or two ...
FROM GENE ZIRKEL ('53): Dear Lenny and Dave: It is 10 p.m. I just returned
home, tired from teaching a night course. Pat is away in Boston at a theology
conference; she is presently writing her thesis in theology, Fordham, and will be
Doctor Pat next fall, we hope. My son George, 17, is working at the local Carvel
store. And so the house is empty. When I opened the mail and found the Marists
All newsletter, I sat down and read the entire ten pages. It was great. It buoyed
my feelings of loneliness, and I had to sit down and write to you. Lenny, you
were mentioned so often; it reminded me that I owe you a letter. I was jolted by
the number of young guys who are principals. And I was surprised to see that
Kevin O'Neill ('53) is back in the states from the Philippines. Even the lists were
interesting. The newsletter was just superb.
Recently I went to Dick Masterson's liquor store'and bought a bottle of scotch;
Dick was Luke Francis, ('53). He's one block away: He located me via a
previous newsletter.
As for me, a few years ago I was meditating on my life. I was a full professor
with a good job. No promotions in sight. Life seemed as if it had no more
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hurdles for me. Suddenly all that changed. I was invited to make an "Investment
in Excellence" seminar. I did, and the world changed. Now I myself have been
devoting every spare minute to running these personal development seminars
both at Nassau Community College and in the local community. The seminars
are wonderful. I have used the technique to lose over thirty pounds, improve my
teaching, get over my fear of ladders, etc. Now I can easily do anything. I'd be
glad to give such seminars to the monks or to anyone in the GMC. Right now I
am selling stuffed animals to raise money for our parish outreach program. I
walk around campus with a teddy bear under my arm. When questioned about it,
I respond with something like: "Oh, I'm selling it to you to help feed and clothe
God's poor." It usually works.
By the way, send my brother Vic a copy of the newsletter. He and his wife Kathy
and their two sons are at 218 West Kathleen Drive, Park Ridge, Illinois, 60068.
He was in clocks and watches for years managing the world's largest clock store.
Now they run a White Hen grocery franchise. He was Brother Jogues Michael.
Finally, does anyone know how to say Ordinary Resource in Spanish? ... (6
Brancatelli, West Islip, N. Y., 11795)
FROM JAMES GAFFNEY ('49): Thanks for your Marists All #3. It is great to
hear that Bill Cowie, Br. Luke Driscoll, Emil Denworth, John Tobin, Ed Castine,
and other friends are doing well. I am on a leave of absence, and currently teach
French, Spanish, and Italian at Iona Prep in New Rochelle. Please ask all my
friends to pray that I make the right decision and that all goes well for me. (3131
Grand Concourse, Apt. 11E, Bronx, N. Y. 10468)
JIM MORRISSEY ('54): I thoroughly enjoyed reading the latest edition of the
news on the older monks in and out of the order. Please keep me on the mailing
list. I will forward an entry shortly.
ABOUT BR. TOM PETITTE ('64): From Reader's Digest, December 1987, p.
223
"Mother Teresa's Work of Grace", by Courtney Tower.
"One who came to Calcutta was Marist Brother Thomas Petitte, a high-school
teacher from Lawrence, Mass. He often cried himself to sleep at night because of
the suffering. At the end of his third su'mmer's stay in Calcutta, Mother Teresa
thanked him and eight others but said, very seriously, 'You should stay home and
find the poor in your own neighborhoods ... 'At first I was disappointed, Brother
Tom says, but he returned to Lawrence, a mill town of 59,000, and found its
hidden poor, people who had been the working poor, and had fallen off the edge
and become the very poor. Determined and eloquent, he sold Lawrence on the
need for a temporary refuge for homeless people.
Melchite Eastern rite Catholics raised $10,000 for the down payment for a 15-
room Victorian home at 48 Holly Street. Service clubs donated money.
Merchants and institutions gave food and materials. Carpenters, plumbers,
electricians volunteered to refurbish the building, and Lazarus House opened in
the spring of 1983. 'It's been one miracle after another,' says Brother Tom. 'We
survive through the generosity of God's people, the grace and intervention of the
Holy Spirit, and plain.old hard work.'
What Brother Tom and the people of Lawrence have done serves as an example
of what co-workers and followers of Mother Teresa do in many hundreds of
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towns and cities around the world. Today Lazarus House shelters people referred
by (any denominations) and by social-service agencies. It feeds them and many
others who come during the day seeking food. It helps them find lodging,
sometimes jobs ... Brother Tom, now 42, still tramps the streets in his habit,
walking under the Central Bridge to find homeless outcasts huddled there and in
abandoned cars and burned out buildings, as he did to start Lazarus House."
FROM TOM KIRKMAN ('61): Like so many others who have already written, I
have many fond memories of my Marist years, and it's good to know that the
Marist family is interested in how we are doing. I was fortunate to serve in both
provinces, having taught in Roselle, Chicago, and then Lawrence.
When I left in 1977, I was able to secure a fourth grade teaching position in a
local grammar school. In 1978 I was hired as Personnel Manager at Mary
Immaculate Nursing Home where I am still employed. I became actively
involved with a local community theatre group, and in 1985 became Resident
Artistic Director of the Merrimac College Dramatic Society. So recruiting during
the day and rehearsing at night keeps me busy.
I would like to thank the many Brothers who took the time to ask for me when
they were visiting monks who were patients at MI. You should know the
tremendous witness value hour visits have on our staff. Many are aware of my
Marist roots, so they take the time to comment on the many visitors the sick
Brothers have.
A special thanks to Dave and Gus for making this newsletter possible. I have
included help to defray expenses. I also support the idea of starting a Marist
Retirement Fund. We have received much from the Marist family, a good
education and communal support to name just two. I'm sure that we can do
something for those from whom we learned and with whom we taught and lived.
(118 Byron Avenue, Lawrence, Ma., 01841; phone: 617-685-5156)
EDITORS' NOTE: As a follow-up to Tom's last thought ... It is known that some
are in a position to have written their wills to include the Marist Brothers.
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ISSUE # 4
February 1988
Some REPORTING ... ABOUT LAWRENCE:
by David Kammer ('42)
I had long wanted to visit the monks in Lawrence, especially Conan, my friend
and faithful summer replacement. I had not stopped in the last seven years, Judy
and I found Ken Hogan '64 alone in the principal's office of Central, going over
enrollment and budget figures. Most gracious in receiving us, Ken gave up his
desk work, and we went out to lunch at a local Lebanese restaurant. Ken insisted
that we try several mid-eastern dishes, while, out of respect for his recently lost
twenty-eight pounds, he satisfied himself on a fantastic parsley dish called
tabooli ... with water and a twist of lemon. And did we talk ...
The original wooden structure of CCHS had to be torn down several years ago,
and even though new facilities were built to the left and adjacent to the gym
around 1970, there is still serious need for more space. Central is in the process
of buying the Franciscan Seminary in Andover, where renovating and building
will be needed. Helping this process is the fact that Essex Community College is
anxious to purchase the entire present CCHS property and facilities.
Meanwhile, the last of the Brothers are about to move out of the monks' quarters
on the top floor of the gym to temporary quarters. :Conan Vincent '39, Ernest
Beland '58, Richard LaRose '59, and Tom Petitte '64. In his early seventies now,
Conan is still doing some work with freshmen and is taking care of attendance ...
with many of the students fascinated by him to the point of "imitation"; he still
has his quick and sharp wit. Though there are now no Brothers in nearby Mary
Immaculate Nursing Home, Conan continues in his spare time to go there to do
what he can for old folks.
Ernie Beland is teaching full time at CCHS, one of six Brothers now on the
faculty. Richard LaRose is temporarily in the chemistry department at the
Augustinian's high school in Reading, Mass.
Tom Petitte is yet another story. He came to Lawrence to teach at Central, and
eventually to be dean of discipline and to get involved with the poor part time;
now full time. He has founded Lazarus House, temporary living quarters for
those who have been put out, burned out, or are otherwise poor, jobless, and
without a place to sleep. His work is so respected in Lawrence that after serious
losses from a recent flood, funds came in to recoup and to do even more. Tom
also has a clothes exchange center and a drop-in center for the poor. To help the
neighborhood, Tom bought up a junky bar next door to his center ... and tore the
bar down. (More on Tom, below)
Ken Hogan himself lives on Sheridan Street in a community of six Brothers led
by Gerry Doherty, class of '68, Also there and teaching at Central are Ronnie
Horbatiuk '62. Fred Sambor '64, and Tom Long '79. Completing the group is Bill
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Lambert '57, who since leaving the post as principal of CCHS, has been
associate superintendent of schools for the Boston Archdiocese.
We also visited Leeds Terrace, one of the retirement residences for the Brothers.
Tom Simmons '63 looks over that situation. There we also saw Br. Francis
Gerard (Izzy) '21, Daniel Emilian '38, procurator extraordinaire, and Phil
Bernard '31, erstwhile bus driver for our Tyngsboro groups; and I was so happy
to see Br. Ernest Mary Drolet '20. Ernest was always so accomodating with his
duplicating machine when I was teaching math and doing Sodality work at old
St. Ann's Academy from 1946 to 1957. During that ten year stretch, Ernest
circled my dome many, many times with his barber's clippers and scissors. At
the time of our visit to Leeds, Br. Stephen Forgues (Bee) '28, Br. Emil Michael
(Micky the golfer) '29, and Peter Chanel '37 were visiting family. It was so nice
to see everyone and to share news. Thanks all!
FROM BOB O'HANDLEY ('61): This newsletter is a great idea. As I sit down
with pen in hand, already I feel less guilty for not having been more responsive
to the correspondence that Len has been so faithful to for more than two
decades.
After leaving Christ the King High School and FMS in '67, I returned to
graduate school at Brooklyn Polytech. I married Carol Delaney in 1969 and after
I received my PhD in physics in 1971, we took off for the Mojave Desert for two
and a half years where I had a post doctorate at a research lab. Our first two
children, Kevin and Meghan, are California natives.
I spent nearly seven years at a research lab in New Jersey, then at IBM Research
Center in New York. Our third child, Kara, was born in Morristown in 1975. I've
been on the research staff at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, since 1981, the
longest I've lived in one place or stayed at one job ... ever! My previous record
was four years in Esopus from 9/58 to 8/62.
Over the past twenty years, contact with my MaristBrothers has been too little. I
have many fond memories of those nine years. This newsletter will be a vehicle
to affirm, validate, and rejuvenate all those good relations.(3 Glenn Cove,
Andover, Ma., 01810)
FROM DONALD (Chris Matthew) EDWARDS ('57): I was surprised at my
reactions to the first newsletters. Talk about mixed emotions; sort of like dealing
with a lifetime of unfinished business! Really enlightening to realize that I spent
twelve years of my life with so many wonderful people, and yet I hardly knew
them. Then their voices popped up off the print in the newsletter. It was neat
finding out what had happened to so many wonderful guys over the years. So
many have done so well!
Of late my only contact with monks has been an occasional letter and Christmas
card exchange with Br. Aidan Francis in Florida, and seeing Br. Richard
Rancourt, as well as college classmates John Wilcox and John Trainor, at a
Marist College reunion last year.
After Poughkeepsie I went to St. Helena's and then to Christopher Columbus in
Miami. Almost nineteen years ago, I left Miami to start things over again. The
first year I lived in Willimantic, Connecticut. Then Elaine and I got married in
July of 1971; got a new teaching job the following September; bought a home in
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December; and Chris was born the following July. A helluva lot of doings for the
second year post-brotherhood.
My teenage son is an athlete personified. Hardly a chip off the old block. He's
into basketball, trying to get on the freshman high school team, is on the track
team, loves golf, and has been involved in little league baseball. And I couldn't
swing a bat without divine intervention; didn't really give a damn about sports
actually!
I got a second master's degree several years ago in counselling psychology. My
attempts to get into the counseling field did not work out, so I'm still in teaching.
Has its ups and downs; I'll say no more; at least pay is improving. Elaine works
in the library in Cheshire, and is taking librarian courses at present. She also has
an M.A. in Spanish. That's how we met, on an NDEA grant via Fairfield
University that brought us to Spain in 1968. We've been living here in Cheshire
since 1971, about twelve miles southeast of downtown Waterbury. (84 Bayberry
Road, Cheshire, Ct. 06410... phone: 203-272-7397)
BILL BAKER ('77): Br. Dan Grogan sent me a copy of Marists All. Please put
me on the mailing list, and may I please have copies of issues #1 & #2.
FROM ALBERT (Felix Michael) SHURKUS ('43): Mike phoned to ask about
Berky and to ask for the address of James (Chris Emile) Connelly ('43). We are
sorry that we do not have Jim on our mailing list. Can anyone help?
Mike has been teaching theology at Rivier College, Nashua, N. H., for the past
twenty years. However, he is now on total disability. Last spring he was
diagnosed as having cancer. His wife, a nurse, has had him to Mass General
often and everything possible has been done. Mike asks for our prayers, and
perhaps for a miracle. (4 Maryvale Iane, Burlington, Mass., 01803; phone: 617-
273-5455)
FROM MIKE (Michael Gerard) KRAEMER ('56): As I was raking leaves with
my children several weeks ago, I could not help reflecting on my Juniorate days
when the Master of Juniors, Brother Joseph Damian, would interrupt the reading
at breakfast with an announcement that today is annual Leaf Day. Somehow the
day perked up for all of us (despite the gruel that passed for oatmeal and the
ghastly peanut-butter, honey and butter concoction that we used to whip up in a
frenzy to get us through the day) because that meant that we would have no
classes and that Brother Joe and all his Juniors, along with Berky, would don
work clothes and rake every blessed leaf from the old Juniorate grounds, now the
southern portion of the Marist campus.
What a great void I felt when I learned from Jimmy Maher ('53) about the
passing of our beloved Master of Juniors. Too few of the GMA knew Joe well
and fewer still had the privilege as I did of having him as a Superior. Those of us
who did learn under his tutelage will remember the rigorous asceticism he
imposed on his charges and the sterling example he himself gave of religious
life. Never did he ask anyone to do anything he himself would not do and that
included the most menial of tasks from cleaning the johns to logging the trees in
the forest that surrounded St. Ann's Juniorate.
Brother Joe's daily conferences and his Sunday Gospel studies almost invariably
lasted forty-five minutes to an hour, but what an inspiring, reflective, and
insightful Religious that man was. I still recall many of his daily lessons on
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practical spirituality and his equanimity on all occasions. Many of you knew of
him as a superb geometry teacher, which indeed he was, but Brother Joe was an
intellectual who dispensed the fruits of his wisdom and life in his words and
example.
Those daily jaunts to the cemetery saying the Rosary for the deceased Brothers
and the trek across the Marist Campus to attend Mass at the Scholasticate in all
kinds of weather saw Brother Joe leading his flock like the Pied Piper; and all of
us who were fortunate enough to share in this man's life know that he is at peace
with Our Lady to whom he prayed and dedicated all his life and energy. Rest in
peace, Joe, and thank you.
Delighted.to have been included in the mailing list of GMA. Have kept in touch
with Rich Shea, Jim Maher, Declan, Hugh Crowe ... over the years, but have lost
contact with many whom I still consider friends even though time and geography
have separated us. Married Pat O'Connell in the Esopus Mansion Chapel in
October of 1971, and since then have moved seven times in three states, being
blessed by Providence with six beautiful children: Nora, Michael, John,
Matthew, and twins Catherine and David. Now serving as an administrator for
the Marianists in the Baltimore Provincial House. Best wishes to so many
friends out there especially ... well, there are just too many! (4621 Wards Chapel
Road, Owings Mills, Md., 21117)
FROM FRANK MORAN ('50): For the record I'm the former Br. Peter Michael.
I have been living in Ireland since 1983 with my wife and four kids, three boys
and a twenty-one month little girl. We live just south of Dublin, about eight
miles from the city center.
People over here always ask the same question: "Why did you move to Ireland?"
I'm sure others in the states also wonder why. To begin with, I married an Irish
girl and as a result, we spent many summers here on holiday and grew to love
the pace of life and the people. I suppose you could say I was able to sit back
and compare lifestyles and definitely found myself more at home here in Ireland
than in my native U.S. Even the kids seemed happier in this place, and it
certainly is an easier place to raise them than in the environs of New York.
However, it was a combination of circumstances which finally made the
difference. In 1980 I was one of many school administrators who lost their jobs
due to dropping enrollment, and I had to choose between finding another field of
work in New York and moving elsewhere in the U.S. to continue in education.
Ireland was a viable choice because of family ties and new opportunities for
employment.I am happy I made the move, even with the cultural adjustments
I've had to make.The most difficult one, believe it or not, is just slowing down
and not living by the clock.
My career has taken a slight turn, in that now I am a human resources
development consultant with particular emphasis on career development and
man problems, working on my own. I have recently ventured into the English
market and have teamed up with an enterprising young training firm in London.
Since Dublin is only fifty minutes away from London by air, the commute is
quite simple.
Many thanks for your unexpected yet thoroughly enjoyable newsletter. It was the
most welcome piece of mail I've received from the states in a long time. Please
do send on any back issues of the newsletter issued since #1.
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And if anyone wants to search out his Irish roots, let me know and I'll reserve a
stool at a local pub where we can start the search in a civilized manner. In
keeping with the spirit of the times, may the peace of Christ be with you and
yours. (6 Hainault Grove, Foxrock, Dublin 18, Ireland; phone: (O1) 894364)
FROM FRANCIS GUDYANGA: I am from Zimbabwe, and am currently
finishing a doctorate in mineral technology at the Imperial College of Science
and Technology, London, England. If all goes well, I will be joining the
academic staff in the department of metallurgy at the University of Zimbabwe in
March, 1988. I left the community in 1974 but have maintained very fruitful and
meaningful ties with some of the Marist Brothers in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. I
value their friendship which is priceless.
I am married to Sarah, and we have two sons: the first is seven years old and was
born on the 4th of July! I believe I am still a Marist at heart, and all matters
Marist still interest me. I intend to get involved in some apostolate in Zimbabwe,
along with such developmental projects as one might expect in a developing
country. I hope I can do some justice to the valuable Marist education and
training I am grateful to have received.
You might have gathered that I am not very conversant with the U.S. Marist
scene, though some of my teachers and confreres did their scholasticate at Marist
College, Poughkeepsie. I am still speculating on how you came by my address. I
am immensely glad, however, that someone passed it on to you. The newsletter
was a pleasant, surprise communication. (410 High Street, London Colney, St.
Albans, England, AI2 1HN)
FROM DAVID HEALY ('63): After leaving the monks in August of 1970, I was
classified 1A for the Vietnam draft and thus found it tough trying to get a job.
Once the lottery was introduced, my number was way down on the list, and
several offers of employment came in. However, I decided to emigrate to
Australia, arriving in February, 1971. I've lived here ever since, and am now an
Australian citizen.
In 1975 I moved to Perth, Western Australia, where I met my wife Kay. We have
four daughters: Gina (11), Meg (9), Anne (7), and Terri (5). I did a graduate
course in Computer Education between 1983 and 1985, and will be taking up a
position next year as a computer teacher at Prendiville Catholic College, a new
secondary school in the northern Perth suburbs, about fifteen minutes drive from
home.
Len Voegtle has kept us in the picture regarding things Marist for many years,
for which I'm very grateful. I've read and re-read the two newsletters you've sent,
and will have contacted at least one old classmate by the time you receive this
note. Congratulations on your initiative, and keep up the good work. (48 Adare
Way, Kingsley, Australia, WA6026)
FROM JACK RYAN ('60): We drove up to Flint, Michigan, yesterday to get
together with John and Beth Reynolds ('60) and other old teaching buddies from
Luke Powers Catholic High School; we have continued to get together at least
annually with the Reynolds and with Mike and Pat McGonigle ('60). Mike and
John have both stayed in Catholic education as administrators. My path has led
me into selling foundry equipment.
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After leaving Powers High in 1974 I taught for a year at St. Ignatius Prep in
Chicago. Elaine and I were married in June of 1975, and we moved to Detroit.
Maureen was born in July, 1977. I had an opportunity to join Elaine's Dad in his
manufacturers' rep agency-. He represented three foundry equipment companies
that chose not to establish their own sales office in Michigan. The world of
manufacturing and engineered equipment was both interesting and frustrating.
Gradually I learned what I was selling and have gotten to enjoy it. We have
managed to expand the business to representing ten companies. Elaine's dad
retired five years ago, and we have since hired another salesman. There is a lot
of traveling, but fortunately most of it is by car, and it is rare that I am gone from
home more than one night.
Maureen, Jack (8), and Patrick (6) keep Elaine busy driving them to various
activities. I am quite often able to pull up just before game time, pull off my tie,
and join the coaching staff. After doing soccer and hockey, it was refreshing to
coach baseball, a sport I at least understood. Following our first practice with
seven and eight year olds. I commented to the other coach that we had no one
who could throw the ball from third to first; he said, "Why does that bother you.
We have no one who can catch the ball at first anyway."
Reading Marists All. is a real nostalgia trip, comparable only to going through
my old baseball cards: Phil Rizzutto, Otto Krueger, Sal Maglie, Frank Sutton ...
... I can't imagine there is anyone who doesn't finish an issue, take off his glasses,
sit back and return to those thrilling days 15, 20, 25 years ago. Thanks for the
memories! (1238 Berkshire, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 48230)
DONALD MULCARE ('57): It is nice to be remembered and to be able to share
in the news of people who are important forces in my life. I ask that my father,
Joseph A. Mulcare, known to many Marists, be remembered through the
newsletter. He died on 15 March '87. His date of death was appropriate; he liked
Latin and Julius Caesar.
FROM WILLIAM (David Marcellin) QUINN ('44): Many thanks for all three
issues of Marists All; it is great reading. After I left Poughkeepsie in 1948, I
went to work for the Postal Service. In 1950 I was drafted into the army for two
years; I was in the states all that time. In 1952 I returned to the Postal Service
and remained there until my retirement in '81. I had many good positions,
working with the indoctrination of new employees and with postal inspectors,
but never with the general public.
I have always lived with my parents; I now care for my mother who is 96. I have
to say that I have been blessed by having a good kinship with the Brothers from
the time I left to the present. Many have been so supportive of me. I don't know
what I would do without the wonderful letters from Br. Leonard Voegtle, the
friendship of Brothers Henry Charles, Aidan Francis, Simeon Arthur, and
Brothers Louis Mary, Louis Omer, and Roch Anthony of happy memory.(146-18
24th Ave., Whitestone, N. Y., 11357-3518; ph: 718-353-5304)
FROM RONALD MULHOLLAND ('60): Taken from promotional literature ...
Ronald is Executive Director of Youth Services, Inc. serving Wheeling and the
northern panhandle of West Virginia. The system provides shelter for youths
ages 12-17 caught up in crisis situations where the alternative is incarceration in
county jails or juvenile detention centers. An independent living program offers
older adolescents training in practical skills in dealing with daily life, and
prepares them to assume responsibility for the daily conduct of personal life. The
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Ohio River project is designed for delinquent boys and girls ages 15-18 to use
the river through boating and various related activities as a base upon which to
build positive attitudes toward life and each other. "Because we believe that
children are our greatest natural resource and that we, as a cormunity, have a
responsibility to care for one another, we have established a network of services
that sustain and advance human dignity, particularly among abused and
abandoned children." (702 North Front Street, Wheeling, W. Va., 26003)
FROM GERALD (Patrick Stephen) GALLAGHER ('55): As you know, I'm
running my own business providing services and training to law enforcement
agencies and public officials and risk managers.The travel season is upon me,
and training sessions with different police departments will take me to California
four times, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Tennesee, Oklahoma, and a couple
other places.through my work with policing in Britain, I have now been named a
columnist for a British police review, and I'll be turning out articles for them on a
regular basis.
I had some British police chiefs to my home for dinner, and one of them, a
deputy commandant at the Police Staff College, told me about his fond
memories and experiences with the Marist Brothers in England.
My nephew a recent graduate of St. Joseph's College in Philly, has chosen to
make a two year commitment to a Jesuit program teaching in a high school in
Samoa; well, it turns out that the school is a Marist Brothers High School. All I
could remember was Br. Geranus Gerard, in the accent that included remnants of
four or five languages telling us in the novitiate about his beloved Samoa.
I am happy to see that you are now putting the addresses in the newsletter of
those who write in. I would appreciate Gene Zirkel's address ... 6 Brancatelli
Court, West Islip, 11795. (2328 Malraux Drive, Vienna, Va., 22180)
FROM BILL GILLIGAN ('39): The most recent copy of Marists All was most
welcome, much news on old timers whom I knew. Many thanks! Some Marists,
present and past, may have known my brother, Father Declan (Joe) Gilligan,
S.A. Joe died Thanksgiving, 26th of November. That might be worth passing on
to others; a prayer or two ...
FROM GENE ZIRKEL ('53): Dear Lenny and Dave: It is 10 p.m. I just returned
home, tired from teaching a night course. Pat is away in Boston at a theology
conference; she is presently writing her thesis in theology, Fordham, and will be
Doctor Pat next fall, we hope. My son George, 17, is working at the local Carvel
store. And so the house is empty. When I opened the mail and found the Marists
All newsletter, I sat down and read the entire ten pages. It was great. It buoyed
my feelings of loneliness, and I had to sit down and write to you. Lenny, you
were mentioned so often; it reminded me that I owe you a letter. I was jolted by
the number of young guys who are principals. And I was surprised to see that
Kevin O'Neill ('53) is back in the states from the Philippines. Even the lists were
interesting. The newsletter was just superb.
Recently I went to Dick Masterson's liquor store'and bought a bottle of scotch;
Dick was Luke Francis, ('53). He's one block away: He located me via a
previous newsletter.
As for me, a few years ago I was meditating on my life. I was a full professor
with a good job. No promotions in sight. Life seemed as if it had no more
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hurdles for me. Suddenly all that changed. I was invited to make an "Investment
in Excellence" seminar. I did, and the world changed. Now I myself have been
devoting every spare minute to running these personal development seminars
both at Nassau Community College and in the local community. The seminars
are wonderful. I have used the technique to lose over thirty pounds, improve my
teaching, get over my fear of ladders, etc. Now I can easily do anything. I'd be
glad to give such seminars to the monks or to anyone in the GMC. Right now I
am selling stuffed animals to raise money for our parish outreach program. I
walk around campus with a teddy bear under my arm. When questioned about it,
I respond with something like: "Oh, I'm selling it to you to help feed and clothe
God's poor." It usually works.
By the way, send my brother Vic a copy of the newsletter. He and his wife Kathy
and their two sons are at 218 West Kathleen Drive, Park Ridge, Illinois, 60068.
He was in clocks and watches for years managing the world's largest clock store.
Now they run a White Hen grocery franchise. He was Brother Jogues Michael.
Finally, does anyone know how to say Ordinary Resource in Spanish? ... (6
Brancatelli, West Islip, N. Y., 11795)
FROM JAMES GAFFNEY ('49): Thanks for your Marists All #3. It is great to
hear that Bill Cowie, Br. Luke Driscoll, Emil Denworth, John Tobin, Ed Castine,
and other friends are doing well. I am on a leave of absence, and currently teach
French, Spanish, and Italian at Iona Prep in New Rochelle. Please ask all my
friends to pray that I make the right decision and that all goes well for me. (3131
Grand Concourse, Apt. 11E, Bronx, N. Y. 10468)
JIM MORRISSEY ('54): I thoroughly enjoyed reading the latest edition of the
news on the older monks in and out of the order. Please keep me on the mailing
list. I will forward an entry shortly.
ABOUT BR. TOM PETITTE ('64): From Reader's Digest, December 1987, p.
223
"Mother Teresa's Work of Grace", by Courtney Tower.
"One who came to Calcutta was Marist Brother Thomas Petitte, a high-school
teacher from Lawrence, Mass. He often cried himself to sleep at night because of
the suffering. At the end of his third su'mmer's stay in Calcutta, Mother Teresa
thanked him and eight others but said, very seriously, 'You should stay home and
find the poor in your own neighborhoods ... 'At first I was disappointed, Brother
Tom says, but he returned to Lawrence, a mill town of 59,000, and found its
hidden poor, people who had been the working poor, and had fallen off the edge
and become the very poor. Determined and eloquent, he sold Lawrence on the
need for a temporary refuge for homeless people.
Melchite Eastern rite Catholics raised $10,000 for the down payment for a 15-
room Victorian home at 48 Holly Street. Service clubs donated money.
Merchants and institutions gave food and materials. Carpenters, plumbers,
electricians volunteered to refurbish the building, and Lazarus House opened in
the spring of 1983. 'It's been one miracle after another,' says Brother Tom. 'We
survive through the generosity of God's people, the grace and intervention of the
Holy Spirit, and plain.old hard work.'
What Brother Tom and the people of Lawrence have done serves as an example
of what co-workers and followers of Mother Teresa do in many hundreds of
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towns and cities around the world. Today Lazarus House shelters people referred
by (any denominations) and by social-service agencies. It feeds them and many
others who come during the day seeking food. It helps them find lodging,
sometimes jobs ... Brother Tom, now 42, still tramps the streets in his habit,
walking under the Central Bridge to find homeless outcasts huddled there and in
abandoned cars and burned out buildings, as he did to start Lazarus House."
FROM TOM KIRKMAN ('61): Like so many others who have already written, I
have many fond memories of my Marist years, and it's good to know that the
Marist family is interested in how we are doing. I was fortunate to serve in both
provinces, having taught in Roselle, Chicago, and then Lawrence.
When I left in 1977, I was able to secure a fourth grade teaching position in a
local grammar school. In 1978 I was hired as Personnel Manager at Mary
Immaculate Nursing Home where I am still employed. I became actively
involved with a local community theatre group, and in 1985 became Resident
Artistic Director of the Merrimac College Dramatic Society. So recruiting during
the day and rehearsing at night keeps me busy.
I would like to thank the many Brothers who took the time to ask for me when
they were visiting monks who were patients at MI. You should know the
tremendous witness value hour visits have on our staff. Many are aware of my
Marist roots, so they take the time to comment on the many visitors the sick
Brothers have.
A special thanks to Dave and Gus for making this newsletter possible. I have
included help to defray expenses. I also support the idea of starting a Marist
Retirement Fund. We have received much from the Marist family, a good
education and communal support to name just two. I'm sure that we can do
something for those from whom we learned and with whom we taught and lived.
(118 Byron Avenue, Lawrence, Ma., 01841; phone: 617-685-5156)
EDITORS' NOTE: As a follow-up to Tom's last thought ... It is known that some
are in a position to have written their wills to include the Marist Brothers.
