St. John's News

Three outstanding Staten Island community leaders were honored at the Second Annual Evening with the President at the Richmond County Country Club on May 16. The event attracted over 140 alumni, friends and local business owners to recognize the contributions of the honorees to the University, their communities and society, at large.

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University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington C.M., Vice Provost Sharon Lynch Norton Esq. and other members of the administration presented the awards to the honorees and spoke in praise of their merits. “[The honorees] have embraced the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul and extended his philosophy of caring and compassion for others into very real situations for very real people,” said Dr. Norton.

The President’s Medal was awarded to Linda Baran, first female Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. A staunch supporter of the local business community, Baran pioneered several avenues of growth at the Chamber including welcoming the input of St. John’s students for the Chamber’s marketing strategy. Baran is also a member of the Community Advisory Boards for Fresh Kills Park, West Shore Land Use and the Stapleton Homeport. She was also recently named to the Staten Island Traffic and Transportation Task Force by the Office of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The President’s Medal was also awarded posthumously to Patricia Gilmartin ’56NDC. Gilmartin was an educator in the New York City school system for over 30 years, renowned for her commitment to the success of her students. A graduate of Notre Dame College before it became part of St. John’s, she led a distinguished career which began at several schools on Staten Island including PS 17, New Brighton; PS 54, Willowbrook; and PS 8, Great Kills. She became principal of PS 21, Elm Park and remained there until her retirement, when she brought her knowledge and expertise to St. John’s as a member of the adjunct faculty—brilliantly preparing the next generation of teachers for the rigors of the field. Gilmartin also served on several schools’ boards including St. Joseph by the Sea High School, Sister Elizabeth Boyle Early Learning Center and St. Peter’s Elementary School.

The Terence Cardinal Cooke Medal was presented to John J. Brennan for his almost 50 years of academic excellence at St. John’s and his untiring work on behalf of the Staten Island community. He began a notable career at St. John’s as an adjunct instructor of history, served as a full-time member of the faculty, dean of University College, Brooklyn Center and chair of the Division of Social Sciences for two terms. At the Staten Island campus, Brennan served as director of Evening and Weekend Programs, assistant vice president of Notre Dame College and associate dean of Notre Dame College. He is perhaps best known for his extraordinary leadership of the Honors Program, which has enriched the lives of thousands of high achieving students. Brennan was also a member of several organizations such as Community Planning Board #3, the Democratic County Committee of Staten Island and the Village Green Residents Civic Organization.

The evening included cocktails and the award presentation. Funds were also raised to support the Staten Island Scholarship. Guests expressed their pleasure with the event and their desire to continue supporting the University. "I'm always happy to see any event that supports St. John's,” said Dr. Larry Arann. “This is a universal educational institution that has a well-deserved reputation."