Chaminade Family Personal Notes

Patrick Kemp ’04 (CHS Faculty) and his wife Meaghan welcomed their daughter Maggie Lucie on June 13, 2022.

Bro. Peter Pontolillo, S.M. '56 - April 12, 2022

Chris Alpert '91 and his wife, Liz, welcomed their son, Tye Anderson Alpert, on May 29, 2022.

David Miller ’07 and his wife, Grace, welcomed their son, David Miller III, on May 31, 2022.

Andrew has been nominated Valedictorian of his graduating class from Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business, on May 21,2022. Congratulations Andrew!

George Knipfing ’59 - was a member of the CHS track team. He was one of 20 students in the class of '59 to  attend Mount St Mary’s University in Maryland (graduating in1963).  He was recently inducted into Mount St. Mary’s University Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Kris Kalibat ’07 and his wife Kelly welcomed their daughter Kinsley Elizabeth on May 3, 2022

Kevin Tighe ’74 - April 17, 2022

Gavin Russell ’25 - March 2, 2022

Patrick Grindel, a senior studying mechanical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and a cadet in the ROTC Gateway Battalion, has been recognized by the U.S. Army Cadet Command as a Distinguished Military Graduate, ranking fourth in a nationwide field of 6,000 cadets.

Edward Christie ’62 - April 24, 2022

Kenneth Maguire ’96 - April 14, 2022

Peter Turner ’73 - brother of Joseph ’85 - February 6, 2016

Joseph "Jeff" Thomas ’62 - June 18, 2018

Robert Jordan ’70 - November 16, 2021

Michael Beck‘s book 365 Questions For Couples recently surpassed sales of 80,000 copies it has been translated into many foreign languages he coordinated with his wife and older daughter.

James P Schulz, ‘04, and his wife Jessica welcomed their second daughter, Claire Alice on June 11, 2021

Lawrence Palestri ’72 - brother of Gregory ’74 - February 20, 2015

Thomas Lahey ’58 - July 9, 2017

Rev. John Fitzgerald ’60 - brother of William ’51 (RIP) - February 7, 2022

John Ferrari ’55 - brother of Louis ’57, uncle of Richard Torykian ’88, James Torykian ’91, and James Torykian ’82, in-law of Richard Torykian ’57 - March 20, 2022

Charles Leya ’76 - February 2022

Christopher Rosaschi ’94 - brother of Alexander ’04 and Thomas ’03, cousin of Carney Mahon ’14, Sean Mahon ’11, and Brogan Mahon ’15, nephew of Kenneth Mahon ’79 - February 17, 2022

Frederick Mueller ’45 - brother of William ’49 (RIP) - December 12, 2022

Thomas Beirne ’45 - February 27, 2022

Eugene Kavanagh ’65 - February 19, 2022

Brian Ciullo ’08 married Meaghan Hurley on April 9, 2022.
 

Victor Liriano & Christian Leon - cousins of Johnathan Beltre-Rojas ’24 - March 19, 2022

Richard Whearty ’57 - brother of Robert ’54 and Thomas ’50 (RIP) - March 2, 2022

Brendan Marshall ’85 - brother of John ’78, Gerard ’81, and Thomas ’91 - March 23, 2022

Kevin O'Hagen ’68 - March 23, 2022

James P. Reilly ’68 - February 13, 2022

Robert Harren ’70 - February 23, 2022

Christopher Rosasschi ’94 - brother of Alexander ’04 and Thomas ’03, nephew of Kenneth Mahon ’79, cousin of Carney Mahon ’14, Sean Mahon ’11, and Brogan Mahon ’15 - February 17, 2022

Jeffrey Walsh ’69 - December 24, 2021

Rev. Paul G. Driscoll ’56 - January 14, 2022

Joseph Genovese ’91 - brother of Anthony ’98 (RIP) - January 12, 2022

Victor J. Dillon ’54 - October 21, 2021

Joseph McLaughlin ’74 - December 13, 2021

Walter J Longman ’49 – cousin of Eric Beste ’87 – March 29, 2022

Jim recently started a new position as Senior Implementation Manager at Customer Dynamics, a Contact Center Software provider based in Draper, UT. Jim has spent the past 15 years in a variety of roles focused on Contact Center Technology, as both a customer and a provider. If any fellow alumni are looking for help evolutionizing your contact centers, moving to the cloud, or adopting a digital-first strategy, please reach out to Jim.

James Joseph Kerr '60 - uncle of Jackson Zullo ’24 - April 3, 2022

Brian R. Hayes ’99 (CHS Faculty) and his wife Kiera welcomed their daughter Nellie Brynn on January 10, 2022.

Frank Amoroso '66, recently published his tenth book, Stefan and the Celestial Sword. Mr. Amoroso generally writes historical novels on such diverse topics as the beginning of WWI, the Russian Revolution, the origins of the Federal Reserve Bank, and a trilogy on the early life of Babe Ruth, culminating in the 1918 world Series between the Red Sox and the Cubs. Stefan and the Celestial Sword is his first foray into fantasy and magical realism.

His books are available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. To inquire about speaking and interview opportunities, please contact simply francis publishing company at simplyfrancispublishing@gmail.com

 Richard Bollenbacher, cousin of Robert Histing ’59 and dear friend of Elena Metzler (CHS Staff) passed away on April 2, 2022.

Kevin Lombardi '04 and his wife, welcomed their second daughter, Brynn Caroline, on February 2, 2022. Big sister Casey Jane is super excited!

Michael Razzano '04 and his wife Nicole welcomed their second son, Nico Henry, on November 1, 2021.

Andrew Corcoran ’01 and his wife, Amanda, welcomed their son Jack Henry, on February 22, 2022.

Robert S. Dujardin ’80 and his wife, Priscilla, welcomed their daughter Sophia Noëlle on December 3, 2021.

Robert Harrison Porter ’40 passed away peacefully at home on January 20, 2022.  He is predeceased by his brothers Donald ’47 and Francis ’42.

Augustino D'Alonzo ’59 passed away on January 15, 2022.  He is the grandfather of Dante D'Alonzo ’24.

Jerry Longarzo ’81 passed away on January 11, 2022

Jeffrey Michael Gier, Jr ’19 passed away on January 9, 2022.

Fr. Philip Karl Eichner, S.M. ’53, who died in the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary on January 1, 2022, at the age of 86 with 67 years of religious profession.

William Joseph Florence ’61 - brother of Henry ’52 - December 17, 2021

William LaBorne ’57 - December 31, 2021

George Ackerson ’62 passed away on December 25, 2021.

Joseph Lawless ’10- December 21, 2021.

Lt. Col. Lawrence Leahy ’67, USA (Ret.) was inducted into the University of Tennessee Army ROTC Hall of Fame on November 12, 2021

Colin Hickey ’05 married Nicole Faulkner on November 20, 2021

Robert ("Bob") Safarik ’57 passed away surrounded by loved ones on December 9, 2021.

John M. Wood ’62 passed away on November 30, 2021 brother of Joseph ’63 and Paul ’67 and uncle of Christopher ’94.

George McDougal ’48 passed on November 19, 2021.  George was predeceased by his brothers Edward ’36 and Jerome ’45 and was the uncle of Patrick ’70, Peter ’61 and Edward ’58.

Joseph Fitzgerald ’03 and his wife, Kathleen, welcomed their son Henry Davis on August 21, 2021

Anne Greco – mother of Annamarie Mansueto (CHS staff), mother-in-law of Carlo Mansueto (CHS staff), and grandmother of Michael ’13 – November 17, 2021

Peter Murawski ’96 and his wife Dina welcomed their daughter Marcella Lamanna on October 30, 2021

Maria Balletta - mother of Bro. Stephen ’74 (CHS faculty) and Richard ’77 - October 14, 2021

Frederick Sebastiano – uncle of Deborah Kendric (CHS staff) and granduncle of Anthony Kendric ’22 – July 7, 2021

Perry Giaccone – aunt of Bro. Stephen Balletta ’74 (CHS faculty) and Richard Balletta ’77 – October 25, 2021

Rosemary C. Rorke – aunt of Bro. Thomas Cleary ’81 and grandmother of Matthew Davis (CHS staff), Sean Davis ’17, and Timothy Davis ’17 – November 8, 2021

James Hanley ’02 and his wife, Megan, welcomed their daughter Annette Catherine in October 2021. She is also the new niece of Christopher Hanley ’04!

Chaplain Fr. Peter Heiskell, S.M. '86 officiated the marriage of Zachary Diehl '11 and his wife Kelly May on October 9, 2021 in St. Joachim's Church in Rockport, Massachusetts. The reception took place at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester. Here he is pictured here with Zachary and several other Chaminade alumni who attended the wedding.

On September 26, 2021, current students Francis Morrisey ’22, Joseph Arnold ’22, and Jake Grosso ’22 honored Mr. Frank Morrisey (Chaminade Current parent, CAPA, FDNY Lieutenant), currently battling 9/11 related cancer, by running in the annual Tunnel to Towers run. What a wonderful surprise and honor shown by these young men to Mr. Morrisey!

Straton Podaras '16 Signs with LA Angels

Straton Podaras '16 will soon be moving from the East Coast to the West Coast. The Chaminade alumnus and collegiate baseball player has signed with the Los Angeles Angels as an undrafted free agent.
During his time at Chaminade, Straton played baseball all four years and served as captain. He also participated in Emmaus and the Student-Athlete Leadership Program.
He completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Radford University in Radford, Virginia. It was during his final year there that he performed his best season. Straton was also named one of 16 semifinalists for the Buster Posey Award, an honor given to the nation's top catcher annually.
Best of luck, Straton – go Flyers!

Luke Valentino '21 and Kieran Morse '21 came in first and second place, respectively, as recipients of the 2021 Steven McDonald Memorial Scholarship Award from the NYPD With Open Arms organization. Pictured are the award recipients with Patti Ann McDonald P'05 (third from left), widow of Detective Steven McDonald, who was shot and paralyzed in Central Park in 1986, along with other representatives from the organization.

The scholarship is awarded to graduating seniors within the NYPD community living with special needs or those who are family members of a special needs individual. Congratulations, Luke and Kieran!

Gonzalo R Vazquez-Jimenez ’18, a fourth year Chemistry major and Biology major in St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recently earned distinction as a co-author of a research paper that is published in Molecular Neurobiology, a prestigious science journal. Gonzolo cowrote the piece "The Intersection of Parkinson's Disease, Viral Infections, and COVID-19", along with Simon G. Moleer Ph.D., Provots and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor, Biological Sciences, St. John's College of Liberal ARts and Sciences. Ph.D. students Alberim Kurtishi and Benjamin Rosen also coauthored the paper, which explores the relationship and numerous similarities between Parkinson's disease and COVID-19.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34033061/

Irene Rabbitt – mother of Clare Morosoff (CHS Staff), grandmother of Peter Carriero ’96 (CHS Faculty) and mother-in-law of William Carriero ’69 (CHS Retired Faculty) – June 6, 2021

On May 15, 2021, current student Mark Stephen ’22 was awarded the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

Frank Soler '10 married Gianina Alagia on May 7, 2021

Peter Micheels – uncle of Michael Ingrassia ’94 (CHS Faculty) – December 21, 2020

Chuck Mansfield ’62 and Tom Kiley ’62  have co-authored a new book (the sixth published book for Chuck Mansfield), THE PERFECT SEASON: The Untold Story of Chaminade High School’s First Undefeated and Untied Varsity Football Team. It is an inspirational story of how faith, persistence, desire, and brotherhood can make great things happen.

Congratulations to Matthew Vowinkle of the Class of 2017 on being the second pick of the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. Vowinkle has been drafted to FC Cincinnati! 

As a freshman soccer player, Vowinkle was voted Best in League. His sophomore year, he was given the rare opportunity to join the Varsity Soccer team here at Chaminade. As his high school career progressed, Vowinkle was not only voted Gatorade's New York State Player of the year, but he also became a two-time All-American player for soccer. Upon graduating, Vowinkle received a full scholarship to Hofstra University to play for the Hofstra Pride.  Coach Mike Gallagher said of Vowinkle, "Matt was one of the most complete players we have ever had. He is immensely talented, but his hard work and grit impressed me the most."

Timothy Pond ’09 married Kaitlin LaCasse on October 10, 2020

Kenneth Caccavale ’08 married Paula Fastuca on March 21, 2020

      Paula Fastuca and Ken Caccavale were supposed to have an almost 200-guest wedding in mid-March, but they had to postpone it because of the coronavirus. The couple decided to have a small wedding ceremony on the roof of their apartment building with their immediate family on the day they were supposed to get married. The couple's family set up a makeshift altar for them on the roof, and their neighbors cheered them on from other roofs and fire escapes while they said their vows.

Timothy Andre ’03 married Danielle Bastow on October 10, 2020

Sean O’Connell ‘92 published his first book,  Release the Snyder Cut.  This nonfiction book documents an historic Hollywood controversy about a lost Justice League film that fans had to fight to see. The film hits HBO MAX in March, 2021.

Captain Mike Flatley ’89, USN, and Don Caetano ’89 had an impromptu reunion at the York College in Queens for the opening of a COVID-19 vaccination site on February 24, 2021.  CAPT Flatley serves as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for the Department of Defense at the site, while Caetano is the External Affairs Director for the regional office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Mike served on active duty from 1993-1999, has been in the Navy Reserve since 2002, and works for Pratt & Whitney in his civilian life.  Don has worked for FEMA since 2010 after retiring from a 20-year career in the United States Marine Corps.

Arthur O’Connor '54 and his wife of 58 years, Marcy, have moved to Bay Village of Sarasota, a Continuing Care Retirement Community.  They have lived in Sarasota since 1986. Art is a Co-founder and former President of the Chaminade Southwest Florida Alumni Chapter.

Chuck Mansfield ’62 and his wife, Mame, have co-authored a new book.  Kevin Courageous: A Journey of Faith, Hope and Love is the brainchild of the authors, who are Kevin’s paternal grandparents. They conceived of writing such a work in the wake of the tragic illness that befell their second grandson, Kevin Sean Mansfield, on February 23, 2018. One week after being stricken, Kevin, with his mother by his side and still in his hospital bed, opened his eyes and emerged from a coma. He could not yet speak or stand or walk or take care of any of his personal needs. Quite miraculously, Kevin resisted death and his family gives thanks to the Lord for sparing him and giving him renewed life.

Charles Ruff '66 has sold his orthodontist practice this past spring after practicing for 40 years and is now working part time. He is still teaching at the Harvard Department of Orthodontics also part time. He is looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary with his wife, Rebecca, in November.

Robert Hussey ’67 was elected by the membership of the Mercedes Club of New York as the 2019 Member of the Year. Bob has been instrumental in the immense success of the “Great Marques Concours d’Elegance” car show, which has become the largest Concours Car Show in the northeast.

Richard (Dick) Kearns '68 and his wife Maureen (Mo) were honored at the 2020 Monsignor James McDonald Memorial Golf Outing on August 31, 2020, a fundraising event which is held annually to support St. Aidan School (Williston Park).

Joseph Castrigno '86 and Sherry Lynn Herr were married on April 18, 2020.

Paul Annunizato '87 is involved with several volunteer services, one of which is The Homeland Security Foundation. His focus was to expand its reach to the west coast. The Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation West was sworn in on November 12, 2019, where Paul holds the seat of Vice Chair of the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation.

William Hussey '95 and his wife Moira welcomed their third child, Charlotte Grace, on November 10, 2019.

Kevin Flanagan '98 and his wife Jen welcomed their son, Declan Jeffrey, on July 16, 2020.

Michael Dolce '99 (CHS faculty) and his wife, Kelly, welcomed their daughter Molly Ann on October 8, 2020.

Matthew Kelly '07 married Kimberly Brower on August 28, 2020.

Christopher Ambrosio '10 and Taylor Colleen Curley were married on October 4, 2019. In photo: Raymond Moylan '10, Andrew Napolitano '10, Joseph Guarino '97, Daniel Carter '10, Matthew Austin ’09,  David Portmore '10, Christopher Ambrosio '10, Matthew Ambrosio '16, Luke Bonomo '11, Gregory Gerner '10, Mr. Daniel Petruccio (Faculty), Michael Lagumina '10

John Felbinger '13 married Veronica Kelleher on December 27, 2019.

Oliver Roberts '14, a second year Harvard Law student, will be arguing a case against the IRS in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, on behalf of low–income taxpayers. As a student attorney in the Harvard Legal Services Tax Clinic, Oliver has spent this past semester representing low–income taxpayers against the IRS. Oliver had also spent undergraduate years interning at the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania, for the House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC and for multiple congressional offices.

Adam Giardina (CHS Faculty) and his wife, Elizabeth, welcomed their son Michael Alfredo on October 2, 2020.

John Mazzello (CHS Faulty) and his wife, Diana, welcomed their son Luke Joseph, on August 26, 2020.

Ana Moz (CHS staff) and her husband Wilfredo, welcomed their daughter, Nicole, on January 27, 2020. 

Benjamin Volpe (CHS faculty) and his wife Theresa, welcomed their daughter, Cecilia Wren, on April 5, 2020.