POWER MEMORIAL ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC.
POWER ALUM CONTRIBUTE OVER $75K TO THE “PAR” CHALLENGE THE DRIVE TO HELP ALL HALLOWS H.S CONTINUES
Holding true to the Power Spirit, PMA alumni have been responding positively to the Power-All Hallows-Rice (“PAR”) Challenge. To date, approximately $75,000.00 has been contributed or pledged by PMA alum to the initiative. This amount will be matched by Rice High School alumnus, Joseph Murphy. Mr. Murphy’s challenge is seeking to raise $500,000 from the alumni of the three Edmund Rice Christian Brothers NYC high schools, namely, Power Memorial Academy, Rice High School and the only remaining ERCB high school, All Hallows High School. All Hallows High School, whose facilities are in urgent need of many structural and mechanical repairs, will be the beneficiary of the PAR Challenge proceeds. According to Sean Crowley, who represents PMA in this initiative, “These are difficult times and I’m thrilled by the response from the Power family. Each dollar raised ensures the young men at All Hallows will continue to receive the type of education that we all benefitted from at Power.” He is urging all Power alumni to continue to contribute to this worthwhile cause and prevent All Hallows from going the unfortunate route of both Power and Rice. If you have not already contributed to the PAR Challenge, you are still able to do so. There are two ways that you can contribute to this worthy cause: either by pledging a monthly donation or a one-time donation. Both methods may be paid for through your credit card or, by sending a check. There are other creative methods that you can help raise money for this cause. For instance, after the passing of his mother, Mary Eileen Crowley, Sean Crowley took an innovative approach in supporting the challenge by asking his friends and family to contribute to the PAR Challenge in lieu of flowers. This request resulted in contributions in excess of $14,000. Please see the attached PAR Challenge pledge form for payment details. PMAAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS ANNUAL BOARD OF DIRECTOR ELECTIONS HELD As required by the association’s bylaws, the Annual PMAAA Board of Directors meeting was convened on May 15th, 2021. The meeting was held via teleconference due to COVID-19 concerns. The primary purpose of the annual meeting is to elect those Board members whose term expires in May 2021. Since Board members terms are two years, and half of the members terms alternate each year, the following Board members term expired as of May 2021: Carl Hall Richard Martin Norm Jardine Brian McCann Stephan Kallas Dennis Mooney Steven Lazarus Thomas Tuffey All the members listed above were unanimously reappointed to another two year term after a vote of the full board was conducted. The Regular Board of Directors meeting immediately followed. The Board discussed the status of the upcoming PMAAA events, Hall of Fame Committee report and fund raising initiatives. The next PMAAA Board meeting is scheduled for July 17, 2021 at 9:30 AM. The meeting will be held virtually utilizing Zoom.
Minutes of the latest meetings are posted on the PMAAA website: www.PowerMemorialAcademy.com
FILE: PMAAA Q1 2021 Newsletter-FINAL.docx
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 2
THE POWER OF THE RING
This is an incredible and uplifting story of how a Power class ring that was lost by a PMA alum, made its way to the prop department at the Kaufman Studios in Astoria, appeared in a TV sitcom episode, used as an engagement ring, and eventually returned several years later to its owner. The story begins in 1992 with a Power class ring being found on a street a few blocks away from the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens. The finder of the ring, who worked at the studio, subsequently gave the ring to the studio’s prop department. When a ring was needed as a prop for an episode of the 1990’s television sitcom Here and Now, which was taped at the Kaufman Studios, the recently found Power ring was chosen. The scene that the ring appears in involves the star of the sitcom, Malcom Jamal Warner. He plays a character who used the ring while asking his classmate to go steady. One of the writers of the show was a gentleman named Mike Milligan. At that time, Mike was in a relationship with his present wife, Jill. She also worked on that same show. After the completion of the scene in which Malcom Jamal Warner used the ring to ask his classmate to go steady, Warner suggested that Jill use this ring to propose to Mike and not wait for him to propose to her—which she did! Thus, the Power class ring became an engagement ring. After the proposal, Mike was thrilled to have the ring both as a symbol of his engagement to Jill and, being a huge L.A. Laker fan, he knew that Laker star, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, had attended Power. Mike Milligan (right) tries on the Power class ring after Jill (left) used the ring to propose to Mike after a taping of the sitcom Here Mike and Jill Milligan eventually moved and Now. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Milligan) back to Los Angeles where they continued their involvement in TV. Mike is a talented writer who has written and produced several television sitcoms, including: Good Times, The Jefferson’s, and What’s Happening. In addition to their television work, both Mike and Jill
(Story continues on page 6)
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 3
PMAAA CONTINUES HALL OF FAME PODCASTS
Adding to the successful HOF broadcast that was introduced in November 2020 which featured HOF member Maurice Weaver, the Power alumni association has produced two other podcasts which are available on YouTube. The first of the two new PMAAA podcasts features Power basketball star Jap Trimble. Jap, a PMA 1970 graduate, was twice inducted into the PMAAA Hall of Fame. First as a member of the 1970 City Championship team, and as an individual in 2020. The other HOF podcast includes Len Elmore who is also a two-time HOF inductee and a member of the class of 1970. Len was inducted as an individual in 2012, then again in 2013 as a member of the 1970 City Championship team. In addition to being the 1970 CHSAA City Champions, the 1970 Power varsity team was also rated the number one high school team in the country. Both podcasts were hosted by another PMA HOF member, Steve Kallas. PMAAA Board member, Dennis Mooney, provided postproduction editing. During the course of each interview, Steve probed the backgrounds of both Jap Trimble and Len Elmore seeking the reasons why they ended up choosing Power as their high school. Both Trimble and Elmore shared interesting stories as to how they eventually became Jap Trimble and Len Elmore being interviewed by Steve Kallas. Powermen. After graduating from PMA, the University of Maryland became the college of choice for both Elmore and Trimble. Each spoke of their fascinating stories of their successful college basketball careers at the University of Maryland. Kallas went on to explore the very impressive post college careers that both of the Hall of Famers enjoyed. The duration of each interview is approximately one hour and is well worth the time to view. The Jap Trimble interview may be viewed by clicking the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ7MyGjX1fM&t=37s. The link for the Len Elmore interview is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNTQKtO7_tc&t=42s. In addition to the Len Elmore and Jap Trimble podcasts, PMAAA Board member Rick Martin hosted a Broadcast: “Musical Memories of the PMA Band” on Thursday, May 13 at 7 PM. The broadcast featured members of the PMAAA Band, including HOF member Lou Panacciulli and PMAAA President Chick Pisani. The group shared memories of Mr. Morra, Mr. Ingram and Mr. Cassidy who all taught music at PMA. The broadcast was kicked off by the playing a recording of the Power Alma Mater that was recorded by the PMA Band and Glee Club in the 1960s. The evening would not be complete if the annual PMA Christmas Concert favorite tune, Midnight in Moscow, was not played. Although the turn out was not as large as anticipated, the broadcast was thoroughly enjoyed by all participants. Rick Martin welcomes suggestions of topics for future broadcasts. Rick may be contacted at [email protected] or on the PMAAA Facebook page.
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 4
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT FORMER PMAAA BOARD MEMBER IS APPOINTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK TO THE STATE BOARD OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTANCY
Former member of the PMAAA Board of Directors, Joseph Maffia, has been appointed by the University of the State of New York to the State Board of Public Accountancy as a Board Member. Mr. Maffia, who graduated from PMA in 1977, will serve a 5-year term in that position. According to an announcement that was made by the firm that he is currently partner of, Janover, LLC, the role of a State Board Member is an integral part of the Office of the Professions governing licensed CPA Professionals, by advising the Regents and the Education Department of the State of New York on all aspects of professional education, licensing, practice, and conduct. Mr. Maffia, who currently resides in New York City with his wife, has practiced public accounting for approximately 40 years. His clients include businesses that consist of technology, sports, arts & entertainment, and not-for-profits sectors. Before joining Janover LLC in 2004, Mr. Maffia was Controller for Don King Productions, and he held a number of audit and accounting positions with Paramount Pictures and its parent company, Gulf & Western. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Iona College. He currently teaches advanced auditing in the graduate program at Hunter College. In addition to the PMAAA Board of Directors, Joseph has served on the board of Joseph Maffia several not-for-profit organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors of The New Dramatists and the 34th Street Partnership. He chairs the New Dramatists audit committee and serves on the 34th Street Partnership audit Committee. For the past five years he has served on Manhattan’s Community Board #5. Previously he was on the board and an Officer of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. In his free time, Joe enjoys spending time with family and friends, photography, flying his drone, driving his Tesla, politics and economics.
LOU PANACCIULLI TO BE INSTALLED AS PRESIDENT OF MINEOLA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Lou Panacciulli has been selected to become the President of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce. He is scheduled to take office in June 2021 replacing the current Chamber of Commerce president, Joel Harris.
Lou graduated from PMA in 1968 and went on to attend Pace University earning a bachelor’s degree in music. He has the distinction of being the first graduate to have received this degree in a unique cooperative program with New York University. Mr. Panacciulli received his master’s degree from New York University in 1973. He is currently an active member of many major music and educational organizations on Long Island. Lou Panacciulli Since 1984, Maestro Lou Panacciulli has been the Music Director and Conductor of The Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra. The NPSO performs a series of free outdoor summer concerts throughout Nassau County.
Lou was inducted into the PMA Hall of Fame in 2015 as has been an active participant of the PMAAA.
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 5
POWERFUL THOUGHTS 11 by Dr. John R. Cleary, PMA ‘57
It seemed too easy to get away with “stuff’ in Brother Murphy’s English class. Our section had its share of troublemakers and characters whose churlish personalities seemed to blossom once they stepped into his room. Aside from our mouse routine, guys would make weird sounds under their breath or ask the same question over and over, simply in an attempt to annoy the “aging” brother. Fortunately for me, throughout my entire academic career, I had a strong memory. It’s getting weaker as I age, but I’m working at it. In Mr. Dzubak’s Spanish class there would be 100 or 0 on short quizzes, meaning all or nothing grades. Tough for some; easy for me. If I never cracked my Spanish text to study the night before a quiz, I would scan it as I walked into the room and shazam, I aced it, whether vocabulary or verb conjugations. That didn’t hold true for me in Brother Murphy’s class, however. But I had my personal strategy to take our weekly vocabulary test. Ten words from the glossary at the end of our English anthology text were to be tested. (Too long to memorize at a glance.) If I chose not to study or really forgot to, all I did was tear the page out from my text, fold it into one column which exposed the word and its definition, and voilà, I could scroll it under the inkwell hole in my desk. The word and its definition appeared before me as if I had an iPad in hand. While I never got caught and did get my 100% on each test, it wasn’t fair -- but did brother care? Note: Dr. Cleary has volunteered to author a series of articles reflecting on his experiences at PMA. Alumni are encouraged to submit articles and share their experiences at Power Memorial Academy. Send your articles to: [email protected]
PMAAA MIXER SCHEDULED FOR JUNE OTHER PMAAA EVENTS WILL BE SCHEDULED AS PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS EASE
After missing last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual PMAAA Mixer is now scheduled for Saturday, June 26th. All Hallows president Ron Schutte and principal Susan Natale have graciously offered the use of their facilities to hold the event. In order to comply with proper social distancing protocols, the event will be held in the AHHS gymnasium and the open air North yard that is adjacent to the gymnasium. The PMAAA Mixer was first introduced in 2018 as a way to encourage participation of the “younger” Power alumni in PMAAA sponsored events and to reunite with their classmates. There is no admission charge to attend the event and free refreshments are available. There will be PMA merchandise available for purchase. As in the past, there will also be an exhibit of Power memorabilia. As of this writing, the Board is working on plans to hold the Annual Hall of Fame Dinner that is tentatively scheduled for November 6th, 2021. The Association is planning to honor both the 2020 and 2021 HOF candidates at this event. As soon as all the specifics are worked out with the Immaculate Conception Center, an announcement will be made to the alumni. At this time, we are optimistic that the NYS authorities will allow the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to be held on March 17, 2022 clearing the way for the PMAAA contingent to march and hold the Post Parade Party after a two year hiatus. Alumni are encouraged to look for event status updates by checking the PMAAA website at www.PowerMemorialAcademy.com and the PMAAA social media sites.
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 6
The Power of the Ring (continued from page 2) have authored numerous books, including: Grandpa Rules, Grandma Rules: Notes on Grandmotherhood, the World's Best Job and Dad Rules: Notes on Fatherhood, the World's Best Job. Earlier this year, the PMAAA received the following email:
-----Original Message----- From: Mike Milligan < > To: [email protected]
Mike Milligan here. Long story about its provenance; but we live. In L.A. and would like to return it. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks.
Mike Milligan’s email was forwarded to PMAAA Board member and Archivist, Kevin McGeary who began his quest to track down the owner. At the request of Kevin, an announcement was placed in the January edition of the PMAAA Newsletter seeking the whereabouts of John O’Hagan. At a committee meeting, Kevin happened to mention to fellow Board member, Carl Hall, about the tale of the ring. Carl knew John from his days at Power and subsequently contacted him. When Carl got in touch with John to notify him that his class ring was found, John, who is currently the head trader for Trellus Management Company, LLC, did not realize that his ring had been lost. According to John, he most likely lost the ring when he moved from his home in Astoria in 1992. John lived on the same street near the Kaufman Studios where the ring was found. Shortly after being notified about his ring, through efforts of the Board, John was put in touch with Mike Milligan. Mike conveyed to John, via a series of emails, the background of the ring and provided John with a several photos depicting Mike and Jill with the storied and well- travelled ring. John was finally reunited with his class ring after a twenty-nine year absence when Mike John O'Hagan – PMA ‘82 proudly displays his graciously shipped the ring to John’s New Jersey home. PMA Class Ring which was returned to him by Mike Milligan. The Milligan’s should be applauded for their efforts tracking down the owner and ultimately returning an item that has a great significance to both the Milligan’s and John O’Hagan.
Shop at Amazon Smile & Amazon will Donate to the PMAAA.
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 7
FUND RAISING ALTERNATIVES Since most of the 2020 and 2021 PMAAA events had to be cancelled/postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant decrease in fundraising revenues, The funds contributed by the alumni benefit the PMAAA Scholarship Fund. There are several alternatives that the alumni may utilize to contribute to the fund, including the following: Send contribution by mail, by sending a check to the following address: Power Memorial Academy Alumni Association, Inc. Cherokee Station P.O. Box 20493 New York, NY 10021-0068 An alum can click on the following link: Donate to PMAAA and donate utilizing PayPal from the PMAAA website. The following are other methods that an alum can help the Association’s Scholarship Fund. If you and/or family shop utilizing Amazon, an alumnus can shop utilizing an AmazonSmile account. Amazon will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases that are made on Amazon. There is no cost to the customer and you still enjoy the same price that you would receive on your current Amazon account. To set up an AmazonSmile account, simply follow the instructions below: 1. Copy and bookmark the following link: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/dashboard/ref=smi_se_ssr_btnr1_setch?ie=UTF8&pldnNewSubDash=1 2. On the registration page, there is a box/section to search for your charity. We are listed as Power Memorial Academy Alumni Association Inc. Once you make PMAAA your charity, you fill out some other minor info, then you are set. Lastly, Facebook has a program that allows FB users to raise funds for their favorite charity. FB users can sign on to the FB Birthday Fundraiser Program and select Power Memorial Academy Alumni Association as the charity to donate to. Facebook provides all the information you need to establish a fundraiser by clicking on the link below: https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers?birthday&source=search_shortcut FINAL DISMISSAL The following Alumni have gone to their final dismissal: John Bergstrom – Class 1962 Peter Lovett – Class of 1969 Jack Bettridge – Class of 1964 Eulalio Rodriquez -- Class of 1965 James T. Healy – Class of 1966 Michael Yankow – Class of 1965 RaymondPhillip Kenny (Ray) -- ClassJ. Cubells of 19 –6 5Class of 1954 John Yannasi – Class of 1965 Al Faraday – Class of 1975 • + May they rest in peace + •
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! The association requests your assistance in keeping track of our Alumni. Should you know of any alumni who have recently passed, please notify Kevin McGeary at: [email protected] or Joseph DeFazio at: [email protected]. Kindly provide the name of the deceased alumnus and the class year. All alumni who have passed will be acknowledged at the next Mass of Remembrance.
FOLLOW PMAAA ON SOCIAL MEDIA PMAAA has taken to social media to help spread the word about the association. Board member, Rick Martin, leads the social media activities for the association. In addition to the PMA Facebook and Linkedin accounts, PMAAA activities can now be tracked on Twitter. The PMAAA Twitter account that has been established by Rick is “#PMA4Life.”
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 8
PRESIDENT’S LETTER MAY 2021
Dear Brother Panthers, It seems things are looking up. The country is steadily recovering from Covid 19. With that in mind, we hope restrictions will be lifted in time for our Hall of Fame dinner, which is tentatively scheduled for November 6, 2021. Let’s pray the restrictions are lifted. Over the past several months, the board members have been busy with an array of tasks. Keeping up with All Hallows, Sean Crowley, Carl Hall and Kevin McGeary have been working with Ron Schutte. They have scheduled the Social Mixer for Saturday, June 26, 2021. The PAR Challenge has become a tremendous success for us and All Hallows with Power raising over $50,000 and more donations are coming in. Sean Crowley feels very confident we will hit the $75,000.00 mark soon enough. Maurice Zuniga ’81, has become a volunteer with the PMAAA Board and introduced a challenge coin suggestion. He came up with a design of the Power crest on one side and the school building on the other side. We saw a sample coin and it is sure to become a hit. The board voted to have a batch made and we will have them in our possession very soon. I want to acknowledge and commend Steve Lazarus - PMA ’79 for his kindness, empathy and consideration in the truest traditions of our Alma Mater. Steve learned Al Faraday - PMA ’75 was extremely sick in hospice care. Steve contacted Maurice Zuniga where they arranged to meet and Maurice handed over the prototype Power Challenge Coin to Steve, who brought it with him on his subsequent visit to Al Faraday. Steve handed the coin to Al which made his day. Unfortunately, Al subsequently succumbed to his illness and the coin was displayed at his wake. Well done, Steve! You are a credit to PMAAA. During our discussions at the latest PMAAA Board meeting, which are still being held via Zoom, the idea was proposed to let any alumnus join us who wishes to partake in the meetings. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Brian McCann at [email protected] who will include you in the meeting notifications. Please keep us informed of any change of address/contact information in order to keep our database current.
Pro Christo Rege, Andrew “Chick” Pisani President, PMAAA
MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES The 2021 PMAAA Hall of Fame and Reunion Dinner has been tentatively rescheduled for November 6, 2021. This event will mark the milestone anniversaries for the following classes: Class of 1951 – 70 Years Class of 1961 – 60 Years Class of 1971 – 50 Years Class of 1981 – 40 Years Please note that since the 2020 Hall of Fame Dinner was cancelled, we will be celebrating the same milestone anniversaries for the classes of 1950, 1960, 1970 and 1980. Celebrating these anniversaries at the next HOF Event held at the Immaculate Conception Center located in Douglaston, NY is a perfect setting for the occasion. In recent years, both the Class of ’66 and the Class of ’68 successfully held their 50th Anniversary reunion as part of the annual HOF dinner. All alumni of the classes that have upcoming milestone anniversaries are encouraged to organize their fellow classmates to celebrate their anniversary. If you wish to volunteer to organize a reunion for your class, please contact Brian McCann at [email protected]. The PMAAA Board can assist volunteers with alumni contact information, reserving tables and providing special recognition at the event.
PMAAA Newsletter – April 2021 Page 9
PMAAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Andrew “Chick” Pisani - President [email protected] Michael Kelly - Vice President [email protected] Kevin Bollbach - Treasurer [email protected] ALUMNI CAN UPDATE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW AND COMPLETING THE ONLINE FORM. Brian McCann - Secretary [email protected] https://forms.gle/uHfDbdi76CgbYgSH8 Sean Crowley [email protected] Joseph DeFazio VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! [email protected] The Association is seeking volunteers for the Carl Hall [email protected] following initiatives: Norm Jardine PMAAA WEBSITE IMPROVEMENT [email protected] PROJECT Steve Kallas [email protected] In order to improve the PMAAA website, the Board is seeking volunteers with website design expertise to Stephen Lazarus volunteer their time and knowledge to assist with this [email protected] initiative. Please contact Rick Martin at: Richard Martin [email protected] or Dennis [email protected] Mooney at Kevin McGeary [email protected]. [email protected] Dennis Mooney SCHOLARSHIP FUND RAISING PROJECT [email protected] Volunteers are needed to work on ad hoc committees that John Torres may be formed for special purposes. The Board is [email protected] currently seeking alumnus who can bring financial Thomas Tuffey expertise to the recently formed fund-raising committee. [email protected] Anyone interested in joining this committee should Web Master contact PMAAA Board Member Carl Hall at: [email protected]. John Begley [email protected] CLASS CAPTAIN INITIATIVE Class Captains are still needed for each graduating class. PMAAA Website Class Captains play an important part in communicating www.PowerMemorialAcademy.com with their classmates and getting the word out on various PMAAA events. All Class Captain volunteers will be provided with contact information for their corresponding classmates. Alumni who may be interested in volunteering to be a Class Captain, please contact Kevin McGeary at [email protected] or Brian McCann at [email protected]
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POWER - ALL HALLOWS – RICE (“PAR”) CHALLENGE PLEDGE FORM
FILE: PMAAA Q1 2021 Newsletter-FINAL.docx