June 13, 2008
Friends and family were on hand June 13 as 24 honorees were
recognized for their many achievements at Alumni Convocation held
in Taffner Field House on the Queens campus.
Photo Gallery
The event highlighted some of the University’s extremely
accomplished alumni who have flourished in their various fields,
from industry to entertainment. This year’s honorees were Alumni
Outstanding Achievement Award recipients Theresa P. Ahlstrom
’83CBA; Charles J. Antonucci, Sr. '78CBA; Brian Kenneth Baumann
'78CBA; Akram Boutros, M.D. '83C; Lawrence J. Burke '73Ed, '77GEd;
Hon. Alfred C. Cerullo III, Esq. '83NDC, '86L; James A. Coufos
'68UC; Navnit H. Shah ‘73GP, '81Ph.D.; Joan Sheridan LaBarge
'78SVC; and Jeffry S. Wengroff '73CBA; Pietas Medal recipients
Lesley H. Collins '83SVC; Adrian P. Fitzsimons '68Ed, '71MBA;
Robert L. O'Connor '43C; Bro. Augustine Towey, C.M. '58C, '60G,
'86HON and Mary Kay Vyskocil, Esq. '83L. Bernard J. Babb, Esq.
'53C, '58L and Patricia Mahoney '58Ed were inducted into the
Heritage Circle and Jerome Belson, Esq. '48L, '80HON; John D.
Birchby, Esq. '73L; and Arthur J. Mirante II, Esq. '68L, '98HON
received the President's Medal. Donald F. Reid, Esq. '58CBA, '62L,
'87HON and Peggy Murrain '83Ed.D., '98HON received the Medal of
Honor and Frank Le Veness '63Ed, '64G, '68Ph.D. received the
International Medal. An honorary degree of Doctor of Commercial
Science was conferred upon Edward A. Romano '63CBA.
Students Christine Bentz ’09Ed and Daphne Pierre ’09TCB opened
the program by singing the National Anthem and University Provost
Julia A. Upton, RSM,
Ph.D. ’73G, ’75G offered the invocation. Mr. Reid was the
evening’s keynote speaker and expressed his appreciation in
receiving the Medal of Honor, the highest honor which can be
bestowed upon an alumnus. He shared with the audience some of his
many personal and professional achievements since graduating from
St. John’s and reflected on how the “great St. John’s story”
paralleled his own life and career. His degree, he said, opened
doors for him which led to his success. “Our alma mater
has always been about opportunity,” he said. “The opportunity to
grow, to succeed, to realize the potentials many of us never knew
we had and we had to move out into the world with our St. John’s
diploma in our hands and our Vincentian values in our hearts. What
a combination that is.”
University President Rev. Donald J.
Harrington, C.M. thanked Mr. Reid for his comments and said the
presence of those gathered helped tell the story of St. John’s. “We
celebrate with the honorees the wonderful, wonderful things that
they have accomplished,” he said. “We celebrate what they have done
and that they have never strayed far from alma mater.” All of the
alumni honored were celebrating anniversaries, having graduated in
a year ending in “3” or “8.” The evening concluded with a dessert
reception.