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Posted November 8, 2009 This story was in the New York Post on Saturday the 8th of November. It speaks to the character and ideals possessed by Joe Paterno '45. Greg McCaig '71 made us aware of the story and was kind enogh to call Father Jack Alexander SJ to tell him about this wonder story. Greg also offers some insightful commentary as to how this story relates to our days at the Prep. Thanks Greg! Hey guys...... Read a story in Sat NY Post. It was about the Ohio St. vs/ Penn St game today. It turns out that the QB for Ohio St is a central PA kid who chose to go to the dark side (OSU) despite being recruited by Joe Pa. last year. So in advance of his appearance in Happy Valley today, the Official Penn St Marketing Assoc printed up thousands of T-shirts with this kid as the target -literally. The shirts were dominated by the kids first name -Tyrell --and saying that he was Tyrell the Cryer --with a bulls eye on his uniform number (2) The great Joe Pa --rooted in his Jesuit experience --told the PSMA on thurs --that the shirts were inappropriate and that he demanded that they be pulled from sale immediately. They bowed to the legendary Coach!!! The whole batch of thousands of already printed t-shirts was immediately removed from any and all campus points of sale. (WOW !!!!) As I read the story and it's amazing conclusion ---I picked up the phone to call our beloved Fr. Alex. My intention was to share my thoughts about this story. Here you have a massive state wide school (45,000 +students) And a very public state school.(that's to say --no Church influence allowed) Yet ....here's is a Brooklyn born, Brooklyn Prep educated, and a Jesuit philosophy instilled man ---who is able to not only question an obvious miscarriage towards a young man who simply chose what he believed to be his direction in life ---but as a very public iconic figure ---he accomplishes the extraordinary result because of his personal Christian life. That right ! ---his life --his belief were all that he needed. He flexed his Catholic Jesuit life belief ---and simply told the administration to stop it. It was all about --a wise man ---taught long ago by the great Jesuits ----that this was inappropriate . Nothing politically correct. Simply ---this is about the way I was raised --the way I was taught (Jesuits) the way I live my life and because of those reasons I am telling you --to stop this attack on this young man, AMAZING !!!! He took the great Jesuit reasoning of ". “Cura Personales” and stopped a very public state school from doing what he firmly belived to be the wrong path. He knocked them out cold. How amazing is that? Fr Alex --loved my take on the whole story. We both agreed that we didn't need any story to embellish the legacy of Joe Pa. But this one was a great addendum to that legacy of a great inspired dedicated life ---built long ago on the shoulders of the Jesuits. 99% of the people that love and adore Joe Pa ---do so because of his remarkable success as a football coach. We all from the Brooklyn Prep world are part of the 1% --who know him as the real "Man for others" that the Jesuits taught him to be. What a special 1% --we belong to. God Bless I love the Jesuits and I love Brooklyn Prep !!!!! greg
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Welcome home, Terrelle. Or maybe not, if we are to believe what you said before last year’s Penn State game. “I’m from Ohio now.” Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette. Pa., starting quarterback for Ohio State and certified villain in the Keystone State after choosing the Buckeyes over the Nittany Lions. It would have been OK to not to stay home — guys cross borders all the time — but Pryor dropped this bomb on signing day: “Too country,” he said. “I don’t like the area.” So it’s no surprise Pryor will not have many friends in Beaver Stadium today, when the Nittany Lions (8-1 overall, 4-1 in the Big 10) play host to the Buckeyes (7-2, 4-1). With undefeated Iowa in control of its destiny, it’s an elimination game for the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions — the loser virtually having no shot of a conference title.  AP Terrelle Pryor adsonar_placementId=1482094;adsonar_pid=871776;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=300;adsonar_zh=225;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com';The Penn State Marketing Association designed a T-shirt with a Nittany Lions handing a shirt to a forlorn-looking football player wearing Pryor’s No. 2 and the following inscription: “The Nutcracker: A Terrelle Cryer Story.” Penn State coach Joe Paterno didn’t find the shirt appropriate, and the PSMA has pulled them, which, of course, is one of the great marketing ploys of all time. Even Pryor wants one. “I’d like to get a few [T-shirts] before the game,” he said after last week’s destruction of New Mexico State. “I’d like to wear one in warm-ups. I guess they’re trying to get in my head. I’m glad I found out before the game. I can’t let anything get to me.” Especially Penn State’s defense. It was Mark Rubin who forced Pryor to fumble last year setting up the Nittany Lions’ winning touchdown. After the loss, Pryor was inconsolable on the sidelines in Ohio Stadium. Alas, the inspiration for the banned T-shirt. Pryor has thrown just four more touchdowns (13) than interceptions (9). He has completed just 54.6 percent of his passes. His four-turnover game at Purdue led to a Boilermakers win and the end of Ohio State’s 17-game conference road win streak. “They’re going to tear me up,” Pryor said of Penn State fans. “I’m sure they’ll be throwing stuff and yelling stuff, and I’ll probably get booed in warm-ups. But I won’t hear any of it. I’ve got my [football] family with me. We’ve got to be a rock.”
Posted November 5, 2009
Here's a photo of Joe Paterno, Class of '45 with another BP Alumnus, Andy Rizzo, Class of '60. Posted October 3, 2009 The following is a death notice we received for our beloved Father Oppido SJ. DEATH NOTICE The usual suffrages of the Society are to be offered for the repose of the soul of Father Oppido, SJ who died on Friday, October 2, 2009 at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey. Father Oppido was born on January 28, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York and entered the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew-on-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, New York, on August 14, 1942. WAKE: Sunday, October 4, 20097:00 – 9:00 PM Monday, October 5, 2009 2:00 – 5:00 PM St. Peter’s Prep Chapel 144 Grand Street Jersey City, NJ 07302-4499 MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Monday, October 5, 2009 7:00 PM Our Lady of Czestochawa Church120 Sussex St
Jersey City, NJ 07302 (between Washington and Warren Streets) Parking is available in the St. Peter’s Prep parking lot on York Street (between Van Vorst and Warren Streets) BURIAL: Jesuit CemeteryAuriesville, NYAu Notes of condolence may be sent to Father Oppido’s sister: Ms. Mary Oppido 159 Taylor Avenue East Meadow, NY 11554 Requiescat in Pace Posted September 10, 2009 In 1998 the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association honored Brother Rick Curry, SJ as our Honorary Alumnus of the Year. Brother Curry founded the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped over 30 years ago, which provides support and guidance to handicapped people with a strong emphasis on helping returning veterans. On Sunday September 13th at the Holy Trinity Church in Washington DC Brother Curry will be ordained a priest. The BPAA offers Brother Curry our deepest congradulations on this wonderful day. Anyone wishing to make a donation to this needy cause may go to the NTWH website at www.ntwh.org Posted May 23, 2009 On Tuesday May 19th Father Jack Alexander SJ was honored by the President of Fordham Prep, Father Ken Boller SJ, and the Board of the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association for his dedication and foresight in creating of the Rev. John D Alexander Endowment Fund. The Fund over the past decade has donated $1,600,000 to over 300 needy students so that they may have the benefit of a Jesuit education. A portrait of Father Jack was hung in the Hall of Honor at Fordham Prep along with a plaque that reads: In gratitude for the ongoing scholarship support from the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association's Rev. John D Alexander SJ Endowment Fund
This will be a lasting reminder of the great benefit to Jesuit eduation that has been provided by the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association. Click on the link below to view photos of the evening. http://dott.smugmug.com/gallery/8329739_iMWHQ#545819942_EWuXq Posted May 12, 2009 The following is a letter from the Murphy Family. Their daughter was one of our Scholarship Recipients for 2009. She spoke eloquently at the Mass before our recent Annual Dinner about the impact the BPAA Scholarship has had on her life. Dear Mr. Barry, Fr. Fitzpatrick and all the Members of the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association: It was certainly a pleasure and honor to meet you both at the Alumni mass last night. We cannot thank you enough for the generosity and support shown to our daughter over the past four years. Her years at Loyola School have enriched her academically, socially and spiritually. She was so touched by the many alumni who stopped to congratulate her and offer their kind words. We know that not only is she well prepared for college life but for a future of giving back to others. Nothing exemplifies this more than the example of the Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association. Again, we wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you God's continued blessings. You are truly men for others. Regards, The Murphy Family Posted May 11, 2009 The 48th Annual Reunion Dinner was a fantastic evening attended by over 415 Alumni. Three Scholarship Recipients spoke and Bill Clancy MD '59 was honored as Alumnus of the Year. Photos of the evenings events can be viewed in the News/Photos and Reunions/Past Annual Dinners sections. Next years dinner will be held on Thursday May 6th 2010.
Posted April 25, 2009 Did you ever wonder where all our fellow Alumni have settled over the years. Well thanks to our Webmaster Bud Roepkin '53 here is a list of the different states and countries where BP Alumni now reside. ALABAMA - 8
ALASKA - 3
ARKANSAS - 2
ARIZONA - 39
CALIFORNIA - 213
COLORADO - 33
CONNECTICUT - 189
DELAWARE - 10
FLORIDA - 369
GEORGIA - 53
HAWAII - 10
IDAHO - 2
ILLINOIS - 39
INDIANA - 11
IOWA - 1
KANSAS - 5
KENTUCKY - 11
LOUISIANA - 4
MAINE - 15
MARYLAND - 112
MASSACHUCETS - 103
MICHIGAN - 23
MINNESOTA - 11
MISSISSIPPI - 5
MISSOURI - 16
MONTANA - 2
NEBRASKA - 3
NEVADA - 11
NEW HAMPSHIRE - 22
NEW JERSEY - 559
NEW MEXICO - 14
NEW YORK - 2018
NORTH CAROLINA - 92
NORTH DAKOTA - 1
OHIO - 47
OKLAHOMA - 9
OREGON - 10
PENNSYLVANIA - 119
RHODE ISLAND - 15
SOUTH CAROLINA - 42
SOUTH DAKOTA - 1
TENNESSEE - 17
TEXAS - 81
UTAH - 1
VERMONT - 30
VIRGINIA - 146
WASHINGTON - 39
WEST VIRGINIA - 1
WISCONSIN - 12
WYOMING - 2
DIST. OF COLUMBIA - 22
AP ( MILITARY ADDRESS) - 1
CANADA - 8
CHILE - 1
COSTA RICA - 1
ENGLAND - 2
FRANCE - 1
GERMANY - 1
IRELAND - 2
JAPAN - 1
KOREA - 1
NETHERLANDS - 1
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES - 1
PHILIPPINES - 5
PUERTO RICO - 1
REPUBLIC OF CHINA - 1
SWITZERLAND - 1
THAILAND - 2 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Posted April 23, 2009 Every year at our Annual Dinner in May we honor an Alumnus who has demonstrated the virtues of living a Christian life. Although success in ones chosen career is important it is only part of this story. The candidates must display conscience, competence and compassion in their private and public lives. If you know of fellow Alumni that you believe should be considered please send all pertinent information, including a resume if possible, to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or by mail to : This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it BPAA-Alumnus of the Year Father Dan Fitzpatrick SJ Fordham University Loyola Hall Bronx, NY 10458 Thank you for your help. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Posted - April 6, 2009 Murt Lawrence Celebration and Party On the feast of St. Valentine, about 60 Brooklyn Prep track alumni and two dozen Lawrence children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren demonstrated their love, admiration and respect for Murt Lawrence, coach, teacher, father, mentor and role model of a truly-Christian gentleman. The day began at “The Armory”, the indoor track venue of yesteryear, which used to wreak with the odor of wintergreen and atomic balm, and where many of Murt’s track stalwarts competed on the 220 yd. flat floor track, hoping they would not be sent to splinterville on the unbanked turns. The “new” Armory now sports a 200 meter banked track with synthetic composite bouncy material on the raised wooden flooring as well as a huge 4-sided TV screen hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the arena, continuously showing the race currently underway. Surprisingly none of the female and male competitors appeared to make a misstep as they juggled racing and watching themselves on “the big screen”. Murt never taught us how to manage that! We can all imagine what he might have said. By mid-afternoon the alums and the Lawrence families began to quickly congregate in the stands above the “last turn” looking down the final straightaway to the finish. There were handshakes, hugs and bearhugs, quizzical looks (is that really you?), and an enormous sense of camaraderie. Over the next 2-3 hours times became faster, heights and distances became greater, career successes exceeded expectations and reality, facts about family, hobbies and ailments were exchanged, and lost teammates were mourned. Occasionally we would follow a close race, but it was all about a bond solidified under the tutelage of a man we had come to honor. These were the CHSAA Championships in Track & Field for the boys and girls in all the Catholic high schools in the NY Metro area. Later in the afternoon, we were all invited down onto the floor inside the track. There we gathered for the start of the “Murt Lawrence Boys Championship 1600M Run” while overhead the big screen announced: “The Armory honors long time Brooklyn Prep Coach Murtha P. Lawrence for his dedication to the sport of Track & Field.” This signage would appear on the screen intermittently throughout the day. Kevin Lawrence, Murt’s youngest son, was the Official Starter, and the race, appropriately enough, was won by a young man from a Jesuit school, Canisius Prep, in the very fast time of 4:17.54. He was kind enough to participate in a few group photos. Immediately after the race, the CHSAA honored Murt posthumously and awarded a blazer to Kevin Lawrence, representing Murt and the whole Lawrence family. After this ceremony we made our way back to our seats for more fraternizing and story-telling. Soon it was time to head to Coogan’s up the street for the Reunion Dinner. We had a brief reception to allow us to get a beverage, find our seats, and mingle some more. Fr. Jack Alexander, SJ, Chaplain of the BPAA, said grace before we all moved through the buffet line and had an excellent dinner. As dessert was being served, a few of Murt’s Men expressed their feelings about what Murt meant to them and to the sport. Then Kevin Lawrence spoke about his Dad and about the memorial fund for Murt at ACHIEVE and its “Talking Hands Program”. Kevin reported that, to date, about $8500 had been donated by BP track alums and that this money was being used to help fund the annual Spring Concert in which the “special people” sang songs in sign language. Each year over 1000 people attend this event. Murt’s daughter, Nancy, is one of the participants of this program and a beneficiary of all that ACHIEVE has to offer. She was at the Reunion Dinner and is a warml and loving woman, who really enjoyed herself. ACHIEVE, and the Lawrence family in particular, are deeply moved and very appreciative of the generosity of Murt’s Men for a cause that meant so much to him. In addition, two of Murt’s grandson’s each spoke about their grandfather and what he was like and meant to them and their families. We saw Murt from a different perspective. They spoke from the heart and it had its impact there in each of us. They were a marvelous testament to Murt. The evening concluded with a benediction from Fr. Dan Fitzpatrick, SJ, the new Moderator of BPAA, in which he remembered those teammates who are ill and those now being coached by Murt on his angelic track team. Many guys wanted to come but were unable to do so due to distance, family conflicts, illness, infirmities, etc. A few sent notes and tributes to Murt, some of which are published on the BP Track Alums website. This memorial event for Murt was great success. A comment by the Lawrence family sums it up best. “Thank you for an amazing day in New York. We are all lucky to be the beneficiaries of your hard work. I hope you enjoyed February 14th as much as my sisters and I did, and all the extended Lawrence's, too. It was, as stated, ‘a hell of a party’.” Posted - March 1, 2009 Murt Lawrence Memorial Event On the feast of St. Valentine, about 60 Brooklyn Prep track alumni and two dozen Lawrence children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren demonstrated their love, admiration and respect for Murt Lawrence, coach, teacher, father, mentor and role model of a truly-Christian gentleman. The day began at "The Armory", the indoor track venue of yesteryear, which used to wreak the odor of wintergreen and atomic balm, and where many of Murt’s track stalwarts competed on the 220 yd. Flat floor track hoping they would not be sent to splinterville on the unbanked turns. The "new" Armory now sports a 200 meter banked track with synthetic composite bouncy material an the raised wooden flooring as well as a huge 4-sided TV screen hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the arena, continously showing the race currently underway. Surprisingly none of the female and male competitors appeared to make a misstep as they juggled racing and watching themselves on "the big screen". Murt never taught us how to manage that! We can all imagine what he might have said. By mid-afternoon the alums and the Lawrence families began to quickly congregate in the stands about the "last turn" looking down the final straightaway to the finish. There were handshakes, hugs and bearhugs, quizzical looks (is that really?), and an enormous sense of camaraderie. Over the next 2-3 hours times became faster, heights and distances became greater, career successes exceeded expectations and reality, facts about family, hobbies and ailments were exchanged, and lost teammates were mourned. Occasionally we would follow a close race, but it was all about a bond solidified under the tutelage of a man we had come to honor. These were the CHSSA Champions in Track & Field for the boys and girls in all the Catholic high schools in the NY metro area. Later in the afternoon, we were all invited down onto the floor inside the track. There we gathered for the start of the "Murt Lawrence Boys Championship 1600M Run" while overhead the big screen announced "The Armory honors long time Brooklyn Prep Coach Murtha P. Lawrence for his dedication to the sport of Track & Field." This signage would appear on the screen intermittently throughout the day. Kevin Lawrence, Murt’s youngest son, was the Official Starter, and the race, appropriately enough, was won by a young man from a Jesuit school, Canisius Prep, in the very fast time of 4:17.54. He was kind enough to participate in a few group photos. Immediately after the race, the CHSSA honored Murt posthumously and awarded a blazer to Kevin Lawrence, representing Murt and the whole Lawrence family. After this ceremony we made our way back to our seats for more fraternizing and story-telling. Soon it was time to head to Coogan’s up the street for the Reunion Dinner. We had a brief reception to allow us to get a beverage, find our seats, and mingle some more. Fr. Jack Alexander, SJ Chaplain of the BPAA, said grace before we all moved through the buffet line and had an excellent dinner. As dessert was being served, a few of Murt’s Men expressed their feelings about what Murt meant to them and to the sport. Then Kevin Lawrence spoke about his Dad and about the memorial fund for Murt at ACHIEVE and its "Talking Hands Program". Kevin reported that, to date, about $8500 had been donated by BP track alums and that this money was being used to help fund the annual Spring Concert in which the "special people" sang songs in sign language. Each year over 1000 people attend this event. Murt’s daughter, Nancy, is one of the participants of this program and a beneficiary of all that ACHIEVE has to offer. She was at the Reunion Dinner and is a warm and loving woman, who really enjoyed herself. ACHIEVE, and the Lawrence family in particular are deeply moved and very appreciative of the generosity of Murt’s Men for a cause that meant so much to him. In addition, two of Murt’s grandson’s each spoke about their grandfather and what he was like and meant to them and their families. We saw Murt from a different perspective. They spoke from the heart and it had its impact there in each of us. They were a marvelous testament to Murt. The evening concluded with a benediction from Fr. Dan Fitzpatrick, SJ the new Moderator of BPAA, in which he remembered those teammates who are ill and those now being coached by Murt on his angelic track team. Many guys wanted to come but were unable to do so due to distance, family conflicts, illness, infirmities, etc. A few sent notes and tributes to Murt, some of which are published on the BP Track Alums website. This memorial event for Murt was a great success. A comment by the Lawrence family sums it up best. "Thank you for an amazing day in New York. We are all lucky to be the beneficiaries of you hard work. I hope you enjoyed February 14th as much as my sisters and I did, and all the extended Lawrence’s too. It was, as stated, ‘a hell of a party’."
Posted - February 24, 2009 Frank Ziegler, '58 will be honored at the Hearts and Minds - St. Peter's College Annual Scholarship Dinner on April 2, 2009. He will be receiving the Loyalty to Alma Mater Award.
Posted - January 25, 2009 Murt Lawrence Memorial Event On Saturday, February 14, 2009, the Catholic High School Athletic Association will be conducting the City Championships at “The Armory”. I am sure you all remember that place. For your amusement, amazement, and general interest in nostalgia, you may wish to go on-line at either www.chsaatrack.org or http://ny.milesplit.us. At this meet the 1600M will be named in honor of Murt Lawrence. While we don’t as yet have the exact time, the Meet Director estimates that it will be run some time between Noon and 1PM. The Meet starts at 9AM for those who really want their fill of HS Track. It would be terrific if many of us could be there for the 1600M. I believe that Murt came in 2nd in this race (the Mile) in his senior year when it was held in MSG. At around 5-5:30PM, the CHSAA honors certain coaches each year; and one of them this year will be Murt, posthumously. A CHSAA blazer will be awarded to Kevin Lawrence, representing Murt and the family. After these ceremonies we will convene at Coogan’s Restaurant, 4015 Broadway at 169th St. for a buffet dinner and suitable liquid refreshments in a separate room just for our group. This dinner will be the reunion dinner for all of the BP Track guys and it will run from 6PM until 8:00PM. Refreshments after that are on your own tab in the main room of the restaurant. In order to make sure that we will have the room, we need a headcount as quickly as possible and we will need to make a deposit. So it is very important that we hear from those of you who intend to come along with a check for the dinner. Spouses are welcome. The cost of the dinner with refreshments, tax, fees & gratuities is $50 per person. The space available to us has a limited capacity (maybe around 100). Therefore, the first guys who send in their checks get in. If you intend to come and have not yet sent in your check, you need to do so quickly so that you won’t be disappointed. The Lawrence family will have 16 adults there, plus an additional 3 great-grandchildren of Murt. If you received previous correspondence, when we were unsure of the cost of the dinner, it was suggested that you send a check for $100. Any residual would either be paid back to you, or you could opt to donate the money to a cause (see below) that would also honor Murt. If you did so, the first $50 will go to the cost of your dinner, the remainder will go to the Memorial Fund (see below). If you sent in $100 and are not going to the dinner, then all of it will go to the Memorial Fund. If, however, you would like some of that returned to you, please notify Frank Tomeo at the address below. For those who have yet to send any money, we have changed the procedure now that we have firmed up our plans and the cost of the dinner. If you are coming to the dinner, then send a check to Frank. The check should be made out to the “Murtha P. Lawrence Fund” with Reunion Dinner written on face and sent to: Frank Tomeo, 2427 Goose Creek Rd., Dunnville, KY 42528. That gets you into the dinner. If you would also like to send in a gift of any amount to the Memorial Fund, see the instructions below for that purpose. If you do not plan to attend the reunion dinner, but would like to donate to the Memorial Fund, please see what follows. It describes what the Fund will be used for as well as how to make a donation in Murt’s memory. There had been considerable discussion within the steering committee about what to do with donations to honor Murt’s memory. The criteria adopted was to do what we think Murt would want us to do. To that end we discussed the matter with Murt’s children and they among themselves. The decision is to donate the money collected to the ACHIEVE Talking Hands Program ( http://www.achieveny.org/ ) located in Binghampton, NY, where Murt lived in the last years of his life. This was formerly known as the Broome-Tioga ARC and was formed by parents for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Murt’s daughter, Nancy, was a beneficiary of this program and Murt and Maura worked with the program and were so pleased with how it helped Nancy. When Murt died, and when Maura died just a few months later, the family asked that donations be made to this program in lieu of flowers. Some of us have already given to this Program in memory of Murt. At Murt’s funeral, the individuals in the Program came and sang (in sign language) for Murt. It must have been a very touching moment. To give directly to the Program, call Amy Howard at: 607-231-5260 and specify the gift is in memory of Murt Lawrence. For additional info about donating, go to: http://www.achieveny.org/donate.htm. Please do not donate on-line, even though it is easy, because you cannot identify the gift as being in memory of Murt. Please go to the Memorials section and read the wonderful story submitted by Murt's son Kevin.
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