McGuire Made a Contribution To New York Police Departtnent By BERNARD P. BEGLANE obert J. McGuire was sworn in by Mayor would not be worth doing. Frankly, the support kept R Edward I. Koch as the 32nd Commissioner of the me going." ALUMNI QUAATEALY Police Department of the City of New York on Jan. 1, McGuire, a native of the Bronx, received a B.A. 1978. He was 41 at the time, making him the youngest degree, magna cum laude, from Iona College in 1958. Volume V, No. 4 Spring 1984 commissioner in the illustrious history of the He was a point guard for the Gaels' basketball team department. coached by Jimmy McDermott. Last Dec. 29, Bob resigned to begin a new career. .. hile pursuing his law degree, earned cum laude, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of W at St. John's, Bob was editor-in-chief of the Law McGuire Made Contribution to New York Pinkerton's, Inc. His six years as commissioner made Review and also had a very strong relationship with Police Department . Page 3 him second only to Lewis J. Valentine (14 years) as far the late Harold McNiece, then the Dean of the School as longevity was concerned. of Law. 'There Is Life West of the Hudson' . Page 5 "I loved every day of it ," offered the 1961 graduate of "Harold was my mentor," explained the husband of St. John's University Today ... ......... ..... ...... ... Page 7 the School of Law of St. John's University. "In a sense, the former Joan Wroldsen. "He took me under his it's a thankless position, but I was enormously wing and taught me what the world was all about and What's Happening? ........... .. ................... ... Page 10 satisfied. I knew that I was doing something that law was an enormous service of public good." 27th Annual U niversity Ball . Page 12 important. After being admitted to the practice of law before Alumni Personals . Page 13 "To be sure, there were stressful times ... shootings the New York State Bar in 1961, he earned the same of officers, visiting them tn the hospital, attending their distinction in the U.S. District Court in 1963, the U.S. Redmen Sports ... From the Sidelines . Page 18 funerals. You wear many hats. You are a dis­ Court of Appeals a year later and the U.S. Supreme Shopping in the Book Store . Page 20 ciplinarian . a coach ... and a cheerleader. .. a public Court in 1966. spokesman. From 1962-66, McGuire was an assistant U.S. Visit Scandinavia . Page 22 "The public's biggest concern is crime, and as the Attorney under Robert Morgenthau and prosecuted Visit New Orleans .... .. .......... .............. Inside Back Cover commissioner you reflect the mayor's attitude on the criminal cases in the Southern District of New York. matter. I have to say that I was fortunate in that I "Morgenthau, like McNiece, had a great deal of received strong support from the policemen and from influence on my professional life," explained the father ST. JOHN'S ALUMNI QUARTERLY, the Alumni maga,ine of St. John's Universit y, Ne"' York, is the public. You would feel alone without that. The job of two children, Brendan and Kristina. "The Southern published four Li mes a year - J anuary. Apri l, July and October- by the Office of Alumni Rela ti ons. An office District office was the most prestigious. is located a t St. J ohn's Uni ve rsity, Jamaica , New York 11 439, telephone (2 12 ) 990-6232, and Staten Island, Ne"' "It had the most successful group of lawyers and York 10301 , telephone (2 12) 447-4343 , Ext. 228. Morgenthau worked very hard. He was extremely professional, ran a clean office and allowed you to do OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS what you had to do." Vice President Morgenthau's endorsement also went a long way Rev. Thomas \I. Concagh, C.M. towards McGuire's appointment as · the police commissioner. Director Assistant Directors "John Keenan called me one day and told me he Tho mas M. Kitts Queens Campus was submitting my name," recalled Bob who earned a Claire C. McKeever Master of Laws in Public Administrative Law from New York University in 1962 Staten Island Campus "He thought I would be a terrific choice and I told Mary M. Kenn y him I would love it. I had no second thoughts. I knew all about police work as my father (James) retired from Editor Assistant to the Director the department as a deputy chief inspector after 39 Bernard P. Beglane Queens Campus years of service." Alumni Quarlerly Christine M. Maher cGuire, who only knew him socially, was inter­ M viewed by Mayor Koch and received the appoint­ On the front cover: Robert McGuire, fo rmer Commissioner of the New York Poli ce Department, left, and ment. T homas Ferguson, President and Genera l Manager of the Washington Post. "I know that Morgenthau's support was important," Mayor Edward I. Koch congratulates Robert McGuire after the St. continued the native New Yorker who had served as John's University School of Law alumnus was sworn in as Police legal adviser to the Police Department in Somalia, T he opinio ns and vi<'wpoint st'xpr('sscd in thi s maga,im·arc 110I IH'(TSsaril y th os('of St. Jo lin ·. .., l l11i vn"it y. it..., ad111i 11 istr.11io11 or Commissioner of New York City. it s offict'JS. East Africa. 3 cop who violated it. Good cops became better cops. Crime was reduced ... robberies by 15%, burglaries by 20%. We did things that worked." 'There Is Life West of the Hudson' "Because New York is the media capital and so much attention is placed on everything, people think By BERNARD P. BEGLANE we have the highest rate of crime. Not so. Detroit , St. Louis and Los Angeles are a lot hi gher." om Ferguson was not a typical fresnman at McGuire, a one-time director of the Community T St. John's University in 1954. After all, he was Law Offices in the Volunteer Lawyers Program in East on a basketball scholarship as a result of his Harlem, is also proud the relationship he fostered prowness at the now-shuttered St. Augustine's between the Poli ce Department and the Federal H.S., Brooklyn. Bureau of Investigation. Six years later when he completed his studies as Ironicall y, after graduating from Iona he thought of a history major in the University College, Tom going into the FBI, but instead, opted for law school. Ferguson was not a typical graduate. Press conferences were part of Commissioner McGuire's day-to-day "Working criminal cases in the U.S. Attorney's There were no flunked courses or anything of the routine. Office set the tone for me in my life," he continued. kind that required him to study six years for a "I received many letters from poli cemen when my "Becoming the commissioner, as I mentioned degree. resignation was announced. They stated their pride earlier, was the best thing I ever did in my life . As I also At the end of his freshman year, Tom married over my being their commissioner. That meant a great Helen Walsh and switched to night classes. Two mentioned, the public's biggest concern is crime. The deal to me. · public officials do not seem to be aware of that. children came right away and that meant three jobs "Good cops hate bad cops. Bad cops ruin the "People have 'stickup money' ready to give to kids ... one on a full-time basis with American Tobacco, department. tear it down. I'm happy that I made a now when they are held up. There are doormen at a second as a dishwasher (by hand) three nights a contribution." apartment buildings to keep criminals from entering. week in a restaurant in Brooklyn and the third as a How tough was it to leave? People are afraid to go to church or temple ... to go to Pinkerton security guard at Aqueduct Race Track "It was an extremely hard decision," was the reply. bingo or the movies at night. They have iron doors on on Saturdays. Tom Ferguson, President and General Manager of the Washington "One side of me wanted to stay, but the other side said Post, checks over a copy of the paper. their businesses and double and triple locks on doors Even after earning his undergraduate degree, it was time to go. You have to walk off the stage in their homes or apartments. They live their lives in Tom Ferguson is not your typical man in the and Long Island and discovered that people were voluntarily. fear of crime." business world. very positive about the publication. "I've been in and out of government and there is no Six years does not seem a long time in the position. From sales (American Tobacco) to marketing "When I received the initial call, I told the people tenure .. no pension. The financial problems worry When asked to explain how that span of time happens (American Cyanamide) to publishing (at first that I was not interested," continued Ferguson. "It you. When you stop working you have nothing but to be the second longest in the history of the Parade and now the prestigious Washington Post), was about the time that Life, Look and the your family. It was time to think about them. department, McGuire answered, "First of all, it's an Tom Ferguson stresses one thing ... values. Saturday Evening Post all folded, so the publis,hing "No question .