Eastside, Westside!
Friends Gather For Support of College
(Spring 1999 Newsletter)
The New York Athletic Club's splendid ballroom
overlooking Central Park in Manhattan was the site for the
April 9 Easter Dinner Dance sponsored by the President's Council
to benefit Thomas Aquinas College. It was the first major
dinner for friends of Thomas Aquinas College in New York City.
The enthusiastic response of the more than 140 friends who
attended suggests more will follow.
Following a cocktail reception, the dinner
began with an invocation by Fr. George Rutler, popular author/speaker
and EWTN-television host. Tibor Kerekes, Jr. welcomed the
guests on behalf of the President's Council.
John Cardinal O'Connor, a long-time friend
of the College, was the evening's main speaker. The Cardinal-Archbishop
gave the Commencement Address at the College in 1989 and the
keynote address at the 25th Anniversary Dinner in Los Angeles
in 1995. He rose to a standing ovation following his introduction
by President's Council member Robert Monahan. Cardinal O'Connor
praised the College as "an extraordinary contribution
to the life of the Church in the United States."
Following the Cardinal was Dr. Ronald McArthur,
founder and president emeritus of Thomas Aquinas College.
Dr. McArthur was introduced by Fr. John Higgins, Class of
1990, who serves as assistant pastor at the Church of the
Holy Rosary in the Bronx. Cardinal O'Connor had anticipated
Fr. Higgins' presence: "I hope I will embarrass him -
because a young man at his age should be embarrassed to have
his bishop say this in public - he is one of the finest, finest
young priests in the Archdiocese of New York." Dr. McArthur
spoke on the importance of the Thomistic tradition in higher
education.
The Dinner Committee included Dr. Harry and
Mrs. Jean Browne, Tom and Pip Donahoe, Dr. Paul and Mrs. Pat
Fallon, Stephen and Tara Hamilton, Frank and Frances Hardart,
Jack and June Heffernan, Tibor Kerekes, Jr., Bob Monahan,
James and Nancy Price, Madeleine Stebbins, and Susan Toscani.
Mrs. Stebbins' presence at the dinner was an edifying reminder
of a wonderful friendship the College has enjoyed over the
years: Her late husband, H. Lyman Stebbins, founded Catholics
United for the Faith and was the first recipient of the St.
Thomas Aquinas Medallion in 1972.
Assisting in dinner details were alumni Paul
Cosgrove ('91) on video, Janine Ducharme ('91) on flowers,
and Robin Kretschmer ('99) and Sean Murray ('98) on hospitality.
Vice-President for Development Daniel Grimm ('76) was Master
of Ceremonies for the evening event, which National Events
Coordinator Ginger Mortensen ('96) had engineered.
The Lester Lanin Orchestra played dance music
favorites - swings, polkas, and waltzes - to a full dance-floor
of guests, till midnight.
|
