May 21, 2012
Anniversaries are meant to be acknowledged. They remind us of
who we once were by providing both a factual and emotional link
between our past and present.
Photo gallery
For
members of the St. John’s Class of 1962, their connection to the
University and the memories of their college days took center stage
as they joined their fellow classmates at The Jubilarian Society
Dinner, an annual gathering for alumni who are celebrating or have
already celebrated the 50th Anniversary of their graduation.
The event began with Mass in St. Thomas More Church, followed by a
cocktail reception and dinner in the D’Angelo Center, where the
alumni and their guests were welcomed by St. John’s University
President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M.
“I congratulate you and thank you for being here with us,” said Fr.
Harrington. “I see so many people who have stayed connected
to St. John’s, and so my request tonight is really a simple one.
For those of you who are involved, I ask you to stay involved. For
those who have not been involved, I ask that you be involved in
whatever way you can. And I also ask that you pray for our students
and pray for us. With your prayers we will continue to do our best
and remain faithful to our special mission as a Catholic and
Vincentian university.”
For many attendees, this was their first time back on campus since
receiving their diploma five or more decades ago. Back then, the
newly-opened Queens campus was still a work in progress, bearing
little resemblance to what it has become today. The many contrasts
between then and now were topics of conversation throughout the
evening.
“When I was a student, we were the first class to start in
St. Albert Hall,” recalled Maryagnes Clasen Lenahan ’62P. “I
remember that on my first day there were no doors or blackboards in
the classrooms. We had to walk up a plank to get into the building,
because everything was still under construction. Once we got into
the classroom we had to dust off the chairs before we could sit in
them. That’s how we started out, and despite those relatively minor
inconveniences, we were all glad to be here. Today the University
really looks like a campus. It’s wonderful to see how far St.
John’s has come since I was a student here, and it’s great to be
back!”
Over the years Michael Walsh ’62C, ’65GEd, ’66G has participated in
many St. John’s activities. He has gone to a number of Red Storm
basketball games and marched with the University in the St.
Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. Not surprisingly, coming
back for this special celebration was a priority for this active
alumnus.
“When I heard about this event, I knew right away that I wanted to
be here,” he said. “Looking back on the time from when I was a
student, it seems like everything went by so quickly. When you’re a
young person looking ahead, the years seem to stretch on forever,
but when you’re looking back, it’s like they passed in the blink of
an eye. St. John’s gave me a great education. I was a Math major in
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and after I
graduated I became a Math teacher for many years on Long island and
eventually became a Superintendent of Schools. The University means
a lot to me, and it’s great to see some people I haven’t seen in a
long time.”
When Robert Rosener ’62P graduated from St. John’s, he took more
than his undergraduate degree in Pharmacy into the professional
world. He also brought the values that, even then, were
incorporated into every aspect of the University experience.
“I’ve worked in industry throughout my career,” he said,
“and the values that I learned at St. John’s have stayed with me
throughout that entire time. I’ve always tried to maintain a high
professional standard and those standards started for me at St.
John’s. The University has always been very important to me, and
I’m very happy to be back today. I remember coming to St. John’s as
a new student and when I graduated there were only three buildings
on the campus. Looking around at all of the beautiful buildings
that are here today, like the Residence
Village, St. Thomas More
Church, the baseball and soccer fields, it’s just amazing to see
how this campus has been transformed. To come back after so many
years and see all of these changes is unbelievable.”
Returning to campus for the second time in two years, Howard
Minnick ’61C acknowledged that this special gathering has linked
his personal family with his St. John’s family. Minnick came back
to celebrate with the Class of 1961 in 2011, and was grateful for
the opportunity to participate again this year when his wife Anita
(’62Ed) reached her own milestone.
“My wife graduated from The School of Education in 1962,” he said.
“We were here for my anniversary last year, so it’s nice that we
can celebrate together two years in a row. St. John’s has made so
much progress, in so many ways, since Anita and I were students. It
has definitely surged ahead to become one of the leading
universities of the 21st Century I still have a few of my
original St. John’s t-shirts, a sweatshirt and a cap, which always
bring back special memories. I’ll hold on to those forever, until I
eventually turn them over to my children. For Anita and I, coming
back to St. John’s is like coming home.”
After earning his B.S. in Biology from St. John’s College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Gabriel DeAngelis ’59C went to
medical school and later established a practice a few blocks from
the University’s Queens campus. Over the years he has remained
connected to St. John’s in a variety of ways, including his role as
a physician for many of the University’s Vincentian priests.
As with many alumni, his fondest memories are of the former
students who shared his strong work ethic and intense desire to
succeed.
“When I was at St. John’s, I’ll never forget the strong bond that
the students had with each other,” he noted. “We were always
helping each other, and having a lot of fun. But at the same time,
we made certain to excel in our studies because we knew that our
families had made sacrifices to send us to St. John’s, and so we
made an effort to work hard so that we could be successful later in
life. We appreciated what our families were doing for us and we
made sure to take advantage of all that the University had to
offer. Many years have passed since those days, but I’m happy to
say that I’m still involved with St. John’s today. I support the
library and would love to see a medical school on this campus in
the future. Events like this are great, because they really keep
the link between the past and present alive.”