12th Annual President’s Dinner A Night to
Remember
It was a night for celebration as 1,145 supporters and special
friends of St. John’s University gathered for the 12th Annual
President’s Dinner in the Grand Ballroom of New York’s fabled
Waldorf=Astoria. Guests enjoyed the opportunity to
acknowledge St. John’s outstanding accomplishments and reaffirm its
unique mission of service to others, a commitment that has remained
at the heart of the University for more than 140 years.
This year’s President’s Dinner was the most successful in
University history, raising an unprecedented
$2,157,703 for scholarships to directly benefit its most deserving
students.
A highlight of every President’s Dinner is the presentation of St.
John’s prestigious Spirit of Service Award, established to
recognize outstanding individuals who have lived their lives in
accordance with the Vincentian ideals of serving the underserved in
a spirit of caring and compassion. Award recipients for
2009 included Carol A.
and Denis P. Kelleher '65CBA, '91HON, Chief Executive Officer,
Wall Street Access and Frank J.
Sciame Jr., Founder and CEO of F.J. Sciame Construction Co.,
Inc.
After
accepting their Spirit of Service Award, Denis Kelleher
acknowledged the sense of hope and optimism that has always been
such a part of the St. John’s experience. Speaking on behalf
of himself and Carol, Mr. Kelleher noted that “When we celebrate
St. John’s University we celebrate an essential optimism that
permeates every corner of this great University of ours. It’s
an optimism grounded in our belief in the grace of God, in
ourselves and those we love, and in the future. The optimism
is infectious, and it moves us to action. St. John’s teaches
us that the world God created is a good place, although not without
challenges, and it is within our power to make it better.”
Honoree Frank
J. Sciame, Jr., expressed his long-standing affection for St.
John’s and his gratitude for being selected as a Spirit of Service
Award recipient. “Receiving this Award tonight really means
so much to me,” he said. “Tonight is the happiest day of my
life, and I’m blessed that my parents, my wife Barbara and my
children are here to share it with me. Whatever I’ve done, I
never could have done it without them.”
The 12th Annual President’s Dinner was particularly special as the
guests recognized Rev.
Donald J. Harrington, C.M. on the occasion of the 20th
anniversary of his presidency of St. John’s. The past two
decades have been years of tremendous growth, excitement and
success at the University, and everyone in the Grand Ballroom took
advantage of this opportunity to acknowledge Fr. Harrington for his
commitment to, vision for and leadership of St. John’s by rising to
their feet in an exuberant standing ovation.
Acknowledging the transformations that have taken place throughout
the University during the past 20 years, Fr. Harrington was quick
to point out that these historic accomplishments were achieved
through the collaboration of the entire St. John’s community. “This
evening, as we note the progress that our beloved University has
made in the past 20 years, I acknowledge and I thank so many for
the credit that is given to me. But, as so many of you know
well, this progress is due to the extraordinary efforts of many,
many people.”
Fr.
Harrington expressed his gratitude to the President’s Dinner guests
and credited their support for allowing the University and its
students to remain a force for positive change. “The support
you have given to St. John’s this evening in this incredibly
challenging and difficult economic environment bespeaks the even
greater potential of this University.”
He reminded everyone that, “We as a University are founded upon the
vision, upon the values, upon the gospel of Vincent de Paul.
And for this reason we seek to do what we do quietly, in Vincent’s
way, but always effectively – as was also Vincent’s way. I
urge you to be proud of St. John’s, but to do so with a Vincentian
heart. Others need not know the good that we do – as long as
we do it and as long as our students, and especially the poor, are
served effectively.”
President’s Dinner Co-Chairperson William L. Collins ‘76C noted
that the unprecedented success of the event becomes even more
significant when considered in terms of the negative impact that
the faltering economy has had on fundraising initiatives
nationwide. “We all know that the economic climate of
this past year has been tough on everyone,” he said. “And
yet, the loyal friends of St. John’s came through again to make
this the most successful President’s Dinner in University
history.”
“St. John’s
teaches its students to offer hope to the hopeless, help to the
helpless and compassion in a world that is all to often harsh and
unforgiving to many members of our society,” remarked WNBC News 4
Sports Anchor Bruce Beck, who served as the evening’s Master of
Ceremonies. “St. John’s students are expected to learn, but
they are also encouraged to dream. They get an education in
what it means to be a kind and caring human being, one who sees a
wrong and tries to right it, who sees a problem and tries to solve
it and who sees a hope and tries to realize it.”
Guests were uniformly vocal in their praise for the University that
has done so much for so many. They were particularly happy to
have an opportunity to acknowledge the transformations that have
taken place at St. John’s during Fr. Harrington’s presidency.
“Tonight is so very special for me personally,” noted Very Rev.
Michael J. Carroll, C.M. ’09HON, Provincial Superior of the Eastern
Province of the Congregation of the Mission and Vice Chair of the
Board of Trustees of St. John’s University. “I remember 20
years ago being at Fr. Harrington’s inauguration. To be here
tonight so close to the actual date of his 20th anniversary and to
look back on his many achievements during those years is absolutely
wonderful.”
“The President’s Dinner is always special because it brings
together the people who care so deeply, not only about the
University but about the Vincentian values and culture in general,”
remarked Joseph C. O’Connor ’82CBA, a member of the University’s
Board of Trustees. “Our Spirit of Service [Award] honorees
tonight are really exceptional, and it’s nice to be able to
recognize Fr. Harrington for his exceptional work and
dedication. It’s very, very appropriate that we’re
finally honoring him.”
Joseph M. Mattone, Sr., Esq. ’53C, ’55L, ’94HON, a member of the
Board of Governors of St. John’s University and a past Spirit of
Service Award honoree agreed that the annual President’s Dinner is
always an enjoyable event. “The President’s Dinner is always
a classy event and the honorees are always very special people who
really live the Vincentian mission,” he said. “It’s wonderful
to come here and see old friends and enjoy their company, and
tonight is even more special because Fr. Harrington has done such a
marvelous job over the past 20 years. He’s really gotten the
alumni involved in the university and has made us all very proud
that we went to St. John’s.”
When not
assisting the honorees and guests, members of The President’s
Society expressed their gratitude to the donors whose generosity
continues to help them realize their dream of a St. John’s
education. “It’s really exciting to see so many people coming
out to support the institution that I’ve come to be a part of and
love,” said Jessica Greco ’10C, a Speech Language Pathology
major. “The University’s wonderful donors are the reason I am
here [at St. John’s] and the only reason I am here. I could
never have been here without their help.”
Kevin Whelan ’10CPS, a Computer Science major, was excited to be a
part of such a premier event. “It’s a little bit
overwhelming,” he admitted “but it’s great to be among all of these
donors and benefactors who do so much to help the students.
It’s wonderful to be around and talk to the people who make our
education possible.”
Peter P. D’Angelo ’78MBA, ’06HON, a member of the Board of Trustees
of St. John’s University and Vice-Chair of St. John’s Board
of Governors summarized the feelings that were evident throughout
this joyful evening. “For me, and probably for all of
us here tonight, the recognition of Fr. Harrington, who spent the
last two decades of his life transforming St. John’s University
from a commuter school to a world class university is just a
tremendous accomplishment. That’s really what makes tonight
extra special.”