August 11, 2018
St. John’s alumni gathered for an old-fashioned barbeque at the home of Kevin F. Reed ’75C and his wife, Joann, in Spring Lake, NJ, on July 28, 2018.
The relaxed festivities began with a welcome from Mr. Reed, a member of The Loughlin Society, Chairman of the Board of The Peter J. Tobin School of Business, and former member of the St. John’s University Board of Governors. “We have many alumni in New Jersey, particularly on the Jersey shore, and St. John’s should reach out to them with events like this,” he said. “I think former graduates want to connect or reconnect with the University.”
He would also like to see more students in the state attend his alma mater. “High school students and their guidance counselors have heard about us, but may not be aware of exactly what we offer. That is where our alumni can serve as ambassadors for the University—to help us recruit bright students for St. John’s.”
After Mr. Reed’s remarks, the group enjoyed mingling as they ate their lunch. Three recent graduates, Yehuda Daniel Katz ’17TCB, Samir Bendriss ’17TCB, and Sabba Manyara ’17TCB, became friends at work. “We were in the same orientation class in freshman year and in the same program for four years, but never met,” explained Ms. Manyara. “We started at Willis Towers Watson, a global multinational risk management and insurance company in Brooklyn, NY, on the same day—and then it took eight months for us to finally get an opportunity to speak with each other.” Mr. Katz said they all connected because of their very similar experiences at St. John’s.
Susan M. Damiani ’87CBA, Director of Gift Planning, helped promote the event and was pleasantly surprised to see a family friend and fellow alumna, Mary Anne Canavan ’63Ed, ’73GEd. The camaraderie that exists among alumni made the barbecue even more special. “At these events, you may come and think you are not going to know anyone, but there is always somebody you have a connection with,” said Ms. Damiani.
“This barbecue could not have gone better, and we definitely plan to do it again next year,” said Mr. Reed. “Many alumni might not be aware of all of the great things taking place at St. John’s, so this is a way for us to share what is happening.”