Produced by: Office of Communications, Institutional Advancement
September 3, 2013
Queens becomes the center of the sports world each August when it hosts the US Open Tennis Championships – and St. John’s alumni and friends joined in on this year’s action! At a private reception, guests mixed and mingled with friends before heading over to Arthur Ashe Stadium to enjoy second-round men’s and women’s matches.
“I come to this event every year, and it’s always a great time for the alumni,” explained Lee Eisenberg ’67C, who, during his undergraduate days, served as a Student Athletic Trainer for the Men’s Basketball team.
“Those were great days,” he recalled, “and I’m glad to still be a part of the St. John’s community. The mission is still the same – to educate children of parents who never went to college. That’s a big reason why I’m happy to still be close with and supportive of the University.”
Susan Doss ’92CBA, ’94MBA, meanwhile, brought her family with her to the event and chatted with fellow alumni and former classmates about old professors and courses.
“I’ve always loved tennis, so to combine that with the St. John’s community is really special,” she said. “The University did so much to help me throughout my life and career, so the community is sort of like a family to me. That’s why it’s only natural that I bring my family with me – we love it every year.”
Once the matches began, guests were able to watch live action featuring superstars like Caroline Wozniacki and Rafael Nadal, both of whom won their matches in straight sets. The games served as a perfect backdrop to the fun conversation and networking that went on throughout the night – an aspect of the event that recent graduate Sean Ramlal ’06TCB greatly enjoyed.
“There are a lot of young alumni here tonight, so that’s great to see,” he explained. “It’s especially important for recent graduates to attend because of the networking opportunities – so many successful alumni come to these events, and you never know who you’ll run into. Most importantly, in the spirit of St. John’s, these successful alumni are always so generous and eager to give back and help.”
As the reception came to a close, Scott Williams, Associate Vice President of the Office of Alumni Relations, thanked the guests for coming and for their continued support of St. John’s.
“An event like this is a firm reminder of the pride we all have in St. John’s,” he said. “With so many academic and athletic achievements going on here at the University day in and day out, we have good reason to be proud. And the support of alumni and friends like you is precisely what makes it all possible.”