October 25, 2011
St. John’s University honored its Brooklyn roots at the 5th
Annual Schermerhorn Street Reunion, reconnecting alumni from the
University’s former “vertical campus.”
Photo gallery
The reunion
took place for the first time on the Queens campus, allowing guests
to see firsthand the University’s recent growth. And during a
ceremony at St. Thomas More Church, Schermerhorn graduates were
honored in a very special way, as University Chaplain Rev. John
Kettelburger, C.M. blessed four stained-glass windows that had once
been part of the St. Vincent de Paul Chapel of Schermerhorn
Street.
“We decided to hold this year’s event on the Queens campus as a way
to link St. John’s past and present, strengthening the connection
of the Schermerhorn Street graduates to the University today,” Fr.
Kettelburger said. “That connection is proudly displayed in a
number of locations on the Queens campus, including these beautiful
stained-glass windows that now serve as a striking feature of our
on-campus church.”
At a reception in the D’Angelo Center, guests were able to look
through old Schermerhorn Street yearbooks, watch a photo slideshow
and participate in auctions and raffles.
Best of all, members of this close-knit alumni group reminisced
about their beloved campus.
“Schermerhorn Street was a unique place,” said Mary I. Mazeau
’55MLS, an alumna who also worked as the campus’s Registrar for 10
years. “The closeness and camaraderie made it an incredible place.
And now to have the Queens campus honoring its Brooklyn roots in
this way really shows the appreciation St. John’s has for its
history. That’s something you don’t see from most
universities.”
John Tutunjian ’59UC agreed and was glad to check out the Queens
campus – especially the D’Angelo Center.
“I enjoyed
coming out to Jamaica today and stepping into this wonderful
D’Angelo Center,” he said. “We’ve come a long way since our campus
at Schermerhorn Street, and it’s nice to know the University hasn’t
forgotten us. The blessing of the stained-glass windows was a nice
touch and is a beautiful on-campus reminder of our history.”
Mary Carole Schafenberg ’70Ed, ’80GEd – the founder of the
Schermerhorn Street Committee and a member of The McCallen Society
– noted that because this particular reunion took place in Queens,
St. John’s was able to merge its past with its present.
“The Queens campus was a very foreign establishment to most of us
at Schermerhorn Street,” she said. “So to hold this event here, to
show us the stained-glass windows and plaque honoring our place in
the St. John’s story, was wonderful to see. It’s great that we are
being acknowledged in this way and remembered as an important part
of the University.”
In the end, the 5th Annual Schermerhorn Street Reunion embodied
what the campus always stood for: closeness, friendship and warm
memories.
“Seeing my old classmates and friends is precisely why I stay
involved,” said James Hall ’55UC. “It’s an opportunity to renew old
acquaintances and enjoy the camaraderie that existed. And as this
event proves so wonderfully, that camaraderie is still alive and
well and an important part of all of our lives.”