St. John's News
Donning Red in a Sea of Green, St. John's University Makes Its Mark at St. Patrick's Day Parade
March 17, 2008
Cheers and chants of “Let’s Go Red Storm” greeted members of the
St. John’s University community who marched in New York City’s
247th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17, 2008.
Sporting red sashes and green St. John’s baseball caps, more
than 200 alumni, students, faculty, staff, administrators and
friends of the University marched up Fifth Avenue from 46th Street
to the end of the parade route on 86th Street. The marchers waved
and smiled as the crowd shouted out greetings and encouraged them
along their way. It was an invigorating experience for those who
participated. Brothers Jim (’08C) and Brendan Lavin ’10C said they
couldn’t miss the opportunity. “We’re 100 percent Irish,” Jim said.
“Basically our whole family is here,” Brendan added. “We had to
show our pride for St. John’s.”
It was a day when everyone was Irish and the festivities began
with a special breakfast held at The Westin New York at Times
Square where McCallen
Society and Loughlin
Society members joined other alumni to mingle prior to the
parade. William Jackson ’95C attended with his namesake father,
wife Christine and son, seven-month-old William Jackson III. “We
came to celebrate our Irish heritage and to allow William to enjoy
his first St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” he said. “It was nice to see
that St. John’s put something together. I have a lot of good
memories at St. John’s and I enjoyed my time there.” MaryRose Kenny
’87C, ’91G attended with her husband Richard (’90L) and children
Caroline, 15, and Kevin, 8. The group all sported green. “We’re a
very Irish bunch,” she said, laughing.
Spencer Reames, Esq. ’99C, ’02L attended the parade when he was
younger and said he was happy to return. “I thought it would be
great to continue the tradition, especially with St. John’s,” he
said. “St. John’s has always had a family atmosphere so it’s sort
of like getting together with your family for the holiday. It’s
great to be here.” Attendees at the breakfast donned green St.
John’s caps on their way out of the hotel as they headed to march
in the parade.
A chilly start to the day didn’t dampen the spirits of those
walking the parade route. Jamie Makaron ventured from Las Vegas,
NV, to join her sister Barbara Bauer ’71G, ’79Ph.D. in supporting
St. John’s. “I came in for this parade,” Makaron said. Adrian
Kerrigan, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at St.
John’s experienced first hand the enthusiasm of those present.
“It’s a beautiful day for St. John’s and for New York City,” he
said. “It’s a wonderful combination. We had a great contingent and
I’m very excited about the day.” Brian Browne ’93C, ’97G Assistant
Vice President for Government Relations and Executive Director of
the Manhattan campus said the number of participants continues to
grow as more and more people want to come out to show their pride
in St. John’s red among the sea of green. “I think it’s a great
turnout,” he said. Browne continued, “It gets bigger and bigger
every year. We’ve got a good mix of students, faculty, staff,
administrators and alumni. It’s great.”