February 04, 2013
On January 25, 2013, the
Law School Alumni Association held its annual luncheon at the
Hilton New York. The room was filled with almost 300 alumni,
faculty, students, administrators and friends, a spirited gathering
of the St. John’s Law community to celebrate alma mater.
Among the attendees reconnecting with classmates and colleagues
were distinguished judges, public officials and practitioners,
Including: Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick ’67, ’03HON; Hon. Mario
M. Cuomo ’56, ‘75HON; Hon. Randall T. Eng '72; Hon. Dennis Jacobs;
Joseph M. Mattone, Sr. ’55, ’94HON; Hon. Reinaldo E. Rivera ’76,
’06HON; and Hon. Israel Rubin ’50, ’92HON.
After welcome remarks by Alumni Association President Alan B.
Hodish ’89,
Dean Michael A. Simons updated the audience on a year of
continued success at the Law School, marked by innovative new
global programs like the NATO Practicum, student wins in New York
State Bar Association Labor Law and Intellectual Property
competitions, and the selfless service of students, faculty and
administrators in helping their community as it recovers from
Sandy. Acknowledging the challenges facing law schools across the
country, Dean Simons proudly reported that St. John’s Law has
adapted well to the changing climate and expressed confidence that
it will not only survive this transition, but will thrive as a
school that prepares students to become hard-working lawyers ready
to take their place as leaders in their communities and in an
esteemed profession. He also noted that the Law School is not alone
in fostering student success. By giving back to the Law School as
donors, employers and mentors, St. John’s Law alumni continually
nurture and grow the Law School family.
Dean Simons also noted that the St. John’s family suffered a
great loss this year with the death of Hon. Theodore T. Jones, Jr.
’72, ’07HON, who will be honored at the Law School’s 2013
Commencement Exercises with a posthumously awarded Medal of Honor,
St. John’s highest recognition for an alumnus. Judge Jones’ wife,
Joan, will be there to accept the honor, and Judge Jones’ colleague
on the New York State Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Jonathan
Lippman, will deliver the Commencement Address. Dean Simons thanked
all who contributed to the Law School’s Hon. Theodore T. Jones, Jr.
Memorial Fund and encouraged everyone to participate in the
memorial golf outing the Alumni Association will host in honor of
Judge Jones on April 16, 2013 at the Wykagil Country Club in New
Rochelle.
Read Full Text of Dean Simons’s Remarks
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Dean Simons then presented the John J. Murphy Award to Roy L.
Reardon ’54, ’00HON, a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett,
in recognition of his distinguished service to the public, the
profession and the Rule of Law. Dean Simons described Mr. Reardon
as extraordinarily generous with his time and his resources to help
our students. The Law School named an internal moot court
competition after him and, every year, he comes back to judge the
final round. He has also established a generous endowment to fund
fellowship positions for students working in the court system. At
an annual dinner gathering, Mr. Reardon spends time with the
student fellows, offering advice, telling them about his career,
and providing them with a wonderful role model as a fierce defender
of the profession.
As the audience listened with rapt attention, Mr. Reardon
accepted the award. Describing himself as a “poster child” for St.
John’s Vincentian Mission, he shared that he came from a family of
modest means and worked his way through college and law school.
After college, he had an opportunity to play professional
basketball, but chose to attend law school at St. John’s instead.
He never regretted that decision. At Simpson Thacher, he took every
opportunity to hone his skills and to learn as much as he could
about the practice of law. Crediting his success to the Law School,
Mr. Reardon said he has always done what he can to give back and
encouraged his fellow alumni to do the same through scholarships
and other support.
To round out the celebration, Meghan Cannella ’07, a sixth year
Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, received the Recent
Graduate Service Award for outstanding service to the Law School. A
member of the Alumni Association’s Manhattan Chapter, Ms. Canella
supports a number of Law School initiatives, including the annual
Public Interest Auction and the Law Firm Challenge. She also
teaches advocacy skills to student members of the Moot Court Honor
Society as an Adjunct Professor at the Law School. Ms. Cannella has
deep roots in the St. John’s Law family. Her husband, Robert F.
Carroll, Jr. '05, is a St. John’s Law graduate, as are both of her
parents, Nicholas M. Cannella '75 and Joanne Welty '76. She
continues a proud tradition of helping the Law School provide an
exemplary legal education to a diverse student body.