October 12, 2010
John J. Desmond almost didn’t come to St. John’s University.
By the time he graduated from high school, Desmond was already
working to help support his family. His father was unable to work
due to a disabling heart condition, and his mother’s salary as a
bank clerk wasn’t enough to meet the family’s needs. This bright
young man was looking for a good but affordable college, and St.
John’s was high on his list, but the family’s financial situation
nearly put his dreams our of reach.
“When I
came to St. John’s and they told me how much it was going to cost,
I still couldn’t afford it,” he recalled. “But then they sent me
over to the Financial Aid Office to meet with Mr. Joseph Sciame
[’71Ed, currently Vice President, Community Relations] and the next
day he called me and gave me a scholarship and a student loan at a
very low rate of interest. If it wasn’t for what he did to help me,
I probably wouldn’t have been able to come here.”
Desmond’s serious work ethic allowed him to make the most of the
opportunity the University offered him. He graduated magna cum
laude from St. John’s College of Business Administration and
embarked on an outstanding career in public accounting. Currently
Partner-in-Charge of the Long Island office of Grant Thornton and a
member of their Partnership Board, this personable and highly
accomplished executive has remained one of St. John’s most loyal
and supportive alumni.
“When I first started my career it was all work for me, and I
didn’t have much time for anything else,” he said. “But when I
switched firms and went to Grant Thornton, a colleague who was very
active at St. John’s got me involved and I started to give back for
what I had received. I was a member of the University Council back
then, and it was fun to come back and just walk around the campus
again. I was also able to help start the Grant Thornton Scholarship
Fund, something that we fund each year to give scholarships to
students like me who really need financial help to come to St.
John’s.”
Acknowledging
both his personal and professional accomplishments, the University
proudly named him the honoree of the
2010 Alumni Golf Outing, held on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at
the Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, NY. “When I heard that I was
going to be the honoree, I have to admit that, at first, it was a
little overwhelming,” he said. “I’m really privileged to be called
upon in this way because I’m joining a great group of past
honorees, and that means a lot to me.”
As with so many in the University family, Desmond firmly
believes that the Vincentian values are among the most defining
aspects of St. John’s. They are ideals that he has embraced
throughout his life, and are an important part of his behavior both
in business and the community-at-large.
“When I was a student at St. John’s, between working and studying,
I didn’t have much free time to spend on campus,” he noted. “But
the Vincentian Fathers somehow seemed to bring their values into
play for me, and they’ve really stayed with me. I’ve found those
values to be very important in business, because they define how
you deal with people and help you to always do the right thing for
them. St. John’s taught me that everyone deserves to be treated
with respect, and that the more caring you are the better results
you’ll get out of life. I’m very active with the Boy Scouts, and to
me it’s important to pass those values on to the kids.”
He is genuinely impressed with the changes that have taken place
at St. John’s since the days when he was a grateful scholarship
student working his way through school. “It’s just amazing, and so
wonderful to see where the University has gone from the time that I
was a student here in the early 1970s,” he said. “They’ve
accomplished so much, at it seems like there’s no end in
sight!”