Years at Blakefield
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the magazine for the loyola blakefield community WINTER 2010 Blakefield Years at Blakefield “We are glad, of course, that the fame of the class of ’35 will be immortal as long as the spirit of the school exists; for it will always be remembered as the first graduating class from Blakefield. But we would be gladder still, if we were to start from the beginning again and enjoy four glorious, fruitful years in our new surroundings. But alas, that can never be. We must go to make room for the class to follow us and the classes to follow them.” - Excerpt from The Loyola, 1935 message from the president s you will recall, the 2009-2010 academic year marks our 75th year at Blakefield. Our gratitude for the generosity of the Blake family Ahas not dwindled. Their contributions have led to an ongoing tradition of Loyola, one that has blossomed in our current surroundings and will surely continue to grow in the future. In the pages that follow, you find: a recap of how it all began with a 36 acre parcel of land, as well as the people and events that have shaped our history. Hopefully, each of you has your own recollections, built from your own personal experiences at Blakefield. I hope this presentation will enable you to cherish those memories with even more fondness. As the year has progressed, we continue to celebrate the many traditions that have been established over our 75 year history at Blakefield. In September, we gathered in the Hollow for the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit and shortly thereafter took delight in yet another spectacular Blakefield Player’s production, The Grapes of Wrath. We soon found ourselves gathered again, for the 90th Annual Turkey Bowl, a tradition that brings together generations of Dons, their families and friends. We also witnessed our Water Polo and Cross Country teams capture first place in the MIAA. The year has brought us many blessings and hope for an even brighter future. However, as the year came to a close, we were faced with several losses. The entire Blakefield community mourned the passing of Peter Beck, a teacher who served from 1981-84 and again from 2007 until his passing on December 23rd. We also learned of the passing of Mary Creaghan just two weeks shy of her 99th birthday. She was among the very first women at Loyola and presided over the Library from 1938 until her retirement in 1975. The Library in Wheeler Hall was long ago named in her honor. We also felt the loss of parent and alumnus Christopher L. Boozer ’79 and Bruce Winand whose three sons have matriculated here. We will continue to honor their legacies at Blakefield and thank God for the blessings their lives were to so many in the Blakefield community. In remembering the legacies of those who have marked our history, each one of us must reflect on how we can cherish our past and take responsibility for the future progress of Loyola as an institution marked by every form of excellence (whether academic, co-curricular, ethical and moral) that St. Ignatius imagined would characterize his schools as they form the leaders who will serve God’s world today and for generations to come. It is a moment to renew our own commitment to being men and women with-and-for- others. Now is the time to begin to build that future. Sincerely in Our Lord, Rev. Thomas A. Pesci, S.J. President 2 Blakefield Magazine coNTENTs WINTER 2010 features 8 8 75 Years at Blakefield departments 2 Message from the president 4 campus news 6 Message from the upper School principal 7 5 Questions 16 performing arts 17 forensics team 18 Ways & Means 7 20 20 alumni events 22 loyola athletics 24 class notes 25 in Memoriam 22 EDITOR Robert Robinson, M.S., DiRectoR of MaRketing & coMMunicationS CONTRIBUTORS ellen Roberts, DiRectoR of DevelopMent; Mike keeney, ‘65, DiRectoR of athleticS PHOTOGRPAHY Rev. Joseph Michini, S.J., ’59; kristen Madairy (klM Digital); Stephen kucharski; Robert Robinson DESIGN Stacey Mcghee Design PRINTING RpM Solutions group 2 Blakefield Magazine WINTER 2010 3 loyola athleticscaMpus news Rev. Terry Charlton, S.J. Shares Experiences from Kenya This fall, Rev. Terry Charlton, S.J. visited Loyola Blake- field and spoke with Dons in Senior religion classes and with the Model United Na- tions club. Fr. Terry helped to found St. Aloysius high school in Kibera, Kenya for AIDS- Orphans. Kibera is Africa’s largest slum, located on the outskirts of Nairobi. There are an estimated 300,000 high school aged students in Kibera who cannot afford or are unable to attend high school (the government only recently funded public education, and only in primary schools). St. Al’s provides free education, uniforms, two meals, and kerosene to study by for its students, at a cost of roughly $350 dollars a year, per student. Without St. Al’s, the orphans would likely not be able to reach their academic and human potential. This year the Model UN club is working to bring two students from St. Al’s to join the club at Georgetown University’s North American Model UN, a simulation that brings together over 4000 high school students from schools across the nation and around the world. The Dons and St. Al’s students will be working together to represent issues important to the United States and the developing world. The club is currently working to raise funds to support the students of St. Al’s and purchase airfare for the guest students. Visit the school’s website at www.sagnairobi.org. Two Seniors Deliver “The Voice of Blakefield” Past Parent, David Brown Shares Stock “The Voice of Blakefield,” otherwise known as the D and Market Advice with Dons Economics Students T Show, founded by Antonio Barbera ‘10 and Alex Darnell David Brown, Senior Vice President of UBS Financial Services, ’10, is a Loyola based podcast talk show covering local sports gave a presentation to Mr. John Feeley’s Economics class. Topics and news, Loyola sports, announcements, interviews, music, covered included the state of the U.S. economy, industries in and live game broadcasting. To hear their broadcast, visit which short term growth is expected, strategies for building a loyolablakefield.org/dandt. profitable stock portfolio and career opportunities in the industry. 45 Blakefield Magazine loyola athletics Annual Michael Destino Memorial Run 240 Middle School students, plus 50 of the 9th graders who were Michael’s classmates and close friends, raised over $12,000. Kurt Imhoff, who had been friends with Michael since pre-school days, raised over $1,100 himself. Rev. Thomas Pesci, S.J., President of Loyola, opened the event with a prayer. Mrs. Mary Destino greeted each runner as he crossed the finish line. Daniel Zawodny ‘10 Receives Dan McNeal Award Daniel Zawodny ‘10 was awarded the Dan McNeal Award at the Mass of the Holy Spirit on September 15, 2009. The award is pre- sented annually to a member of the junior or senior class that exem- plifies the characteristics that Loyola Blakefield holds dear in Jesuit education – a commitment to academic excellence, involvement in his community, and, in his words and in his deeds, a true man for others. The award is given in loving memory of Dan McNeal, a member of the Loyola Blakefield class of 1990, and recipient of the Loyola Alumni Medal. Dan died tragically in the World Trade Cen- ters on the morning of September 11, 2001. Dan led his life, always choosing to think of others first. Zawodny is described by his teachers as: “one of the most approachable and inviting people in his class,” “a magnet of friendship” and “a modest, natural leader.” Dons Honored for Service and Leadership in Parish Joe Curran ‘10, John Sebastian ‘10 and Billy O’Brien ‘10, were each recognized by St. Joseph’s of Cockeysville with Joseph the Servant Leader Awards. They have each been involved with the life of the parish throughout their high school years and were honored for their leadership and service along with eight other high school seniors. 45 Blakefield Magazine WINTER 2010 5 A message from Upper School Principal Anthony Day n the wall of my office are numerous pictorial tributes to the history of OLoyola Blakefield - a proclamation by Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. announcing October 6, 1959 as Loyola Day in Baltimore, a photo of the undefeated 1960 Dons football team, and a photo of baseball coach George Helfrich and his 1937 team. Perhaps most significant, is the graduation photo montage of the class of 1939. Among those graduates are Herb O’Conor (former Maryland Governor 1939 - 1947), famed sports announcer Jim McManus (known to most of the television viewing world as Jim McKay), and Joe Smith who continues to frequent alumni events at Blakefield. I am humbled by the opportunity to live in a school which has assisted in the formation of such fine men. During the 75 years Loyola has called the Blakefield campus home, many things have changed. Not only has the physical plant evolved to accommodate the needs of our students and programs across the decades, but the education our Dons receive has progressed as well. As a school, we have moved from chalkboards to Smartboards, from photography to digital media, from gradebooks to NetClassroom. This is an exciting time to be involved in the education of young men. As a Jesuit institution, we are called upon to be forward-thinking, and Vision Millennial is our attempt to ensure that progress continues. I spent much of last summer reflecting on the previous year and considering ways in which we can enhance the Loyola experience for our Dons.