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| Volume #6 Issue #8 Date: August 2020
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| 51st Annual FRIAR CLASSIC
Golf Outing Is This Friday!
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Members of the Class of 2001 preparing to tee off in 2019.
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The 51st Annual Friar Classic is taking place this Friday, August 14th. Join the Fenwick Community for a fun day at Cantigny Golf Club in Wheaton, IL! There are 9-hole tee times still available; 18-hole tee times are extremely limited. To book 18 holes, please contact Alumni Relations Director Peter Durkin '03 at (708) 214-1212 or via email at pdurkin@fenwickfriars.com.
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Silent Auction Is Open!
You don’t need to be present to bid on or win silent auction items.
Bid on fabulous items, such as:
• Chicago Bulls memorabilia
• Rounds of golf at area courses
• Midwest travel destinations
And more!
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| Virtual Graduation for Class of '20
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On July 23, Fenwick held a virtual commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020:
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Video breakdown by segment: Click on the content you'd like to see.
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| Pair of Alumni to Co-Chair New
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
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DEI Chair Shafondra Matthews '01
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Vice Chair Roberto Sepulveda '93
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The recently formed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee met for the second time on August 6. The Chair of the committee, Shafondra Matthews '01, and Vice Chair, Roberto Sepulveda '93, were installed in their new roles and six sub-committees were populated with members of the DEI committee:
● Cultural Inclusion and Sensitivity Training
● Policy and Governing Practices
● Curriculum
● Student, Faculty, Staff Recruitment
● Admissions and Financial Aid
● Community Service
It is expected that the substantive work of the committee will be done in the sub-committees, which will bring recommendations to the larger committee for further action.
Additionally, since the first meeting in late June, cultural inclusion and sensitivity (CIS) training has been scheduled for the board of directors at its annual retreat and school-wide CIS training is being researched for implementation this school year, a new scholarship fund has been established for students coming to Fenwick from two schools primarily serving the Austin community, and curriculum changes have been announced for the 2021-22 school year.
Fenwick is grateful for all of our community members who have stepped forward to serve in this very important capacity and looks forward to their input in the years to come.
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| Remembering Friar Writer Jim Quinlan '52
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Fenwick alumnus James Quinlan '52 passed away on March 29 at the age of 85. Originally from St. Louis, Jim was a journalist, screenwriter, author, pilot and one-time resident of Bradenton, Florida. A parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena (Oak Park), he boxed in the Chicago Golden Gloves and, at Fenwick, participated in the Camera Club, Dance Committee and intramural sports.
After high school. Mr. Quinlan attended Loyola University in Chicago and graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1957. He married Maureen Walsh in 1959 and they had four children.
After moving his family to southeast Florida in 1969, he found his calling as a writer. He was hired first by the Palm Beach Times and then the Palm Beach Post, where he had a successful career especially with his human-interest column. He rose to become City Editor of the paper. Later in his career he wrote for the Albuquerque Journal where he won the E. H. Shaeffer Award for an expose on Native Americans in Truchas, New Mexico. He also wrote for the Philadelphia Daily News, Chicago Sun-Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of two books: Spying on Fishback and The Trout Snout Caper.
His best-known writing work was the screenplay and story for "Michael," which became a major motion picture released in 1996 starring John Travolta, William Hurt and Andie MacDowell. (Is Michael (below right) an angel or isn't he?) The story was inspired by Quinlan's experience working for two years as a writer for the National Enquirer in the 1970s. For the past 30 years he lived in Bradenton with his second wife, Connie. In his retirement, he enjoyed visits from his family, flying his Cessna 150C and smoking his pipe.
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Quinlan's 1952 Fenwick yearbook portrait.
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Actor John Travolta as Michael in 1996.
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| Congrats to Class of 1983's Joel Montalbano,
New International Space Station Manager!
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently named Fenwick Friars' alumnus Joel Montalbano '83 as Manager of its International Space Station (ISS) Program. Prior to becoming ISS Deputy Program Manager in 2012, Montalbano was Director of NASA’s Human Space Flight Program in Russia for four years. Read more.
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| COLLEGIATE FRIARS: 2016 Classmates
Bridget Corcoran and Brendan Jones
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Ms. Corcoran is a SLU '20 graduate.
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Mr. Jones is a '20 Marquette graduate.
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BRIDGET CORCORAN
Fenwick Graduation: 2016
Hometown: Elmhurst, IL
Grade School: Visitation
College: Saint Louis University
Major: Investigative and Medical Sciences (IMS)
Internship: My sophomore year at SLU I accepted a position at St. Louis Children’s hospital as a phlebotomist and laboratory assistant. I had the opportunity to work with the greatest kids, exercise the diagnostic laboratory science I learned at SLU, and collaborate with some of the most prestigious pediatric medical professionals.
Career aspirations: I am applying to Physician Assistant (PA) schools all across the country. I have three interview offers already and cannot wait to see where I end up! Read more.
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BRENDAN JONES
Fenwick Graduation: 2016
Hometown: Riverside, IL
Grade School: St. Mary’s
College: Marquette University
Major: Economics
Post-graduate plans: After graduating from Marquette University in May, I was fortunate enough to accept a position as an Operations Assistant at Guaranteed Rate in Chicago. I help mortgage brokers and their clients throughout the lending process. During these hard times, it is rewarding to help people make their dreams of buying a home come true.
Fenwick achievements/activities: I was a member of the football team for four years and was a Kairos leader my senior year. Read more.
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| FACULTY FOCUS: Math Teacher & Alumnus
Ray Kotty '85 Begins 28th Year Teaching Friars
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Mr. Kotty teaching remotely from home.
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What did you do prior to becoming a teacher at Fenwick?
RK: After graduating with my B.S. degree in psychology, I was accepted into the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great as a novice. After a period of discernment, I left and returned to the University to obtain my Illinois teaching license and an M.S. degree in mathematics education.
What are you currently reading for enjoyment?
RK: I go though phases of genre in my recreational reading. Currently, I am reading books that require slow and careful reading with a lot of opportunity for independent contemplation. Right now, there are two books that I’m involved in. The first is Computability and Logic by George Boolos et alia. It has many well thought out problems that need to be worked out by the reader. It’s quite satisfying to be engaged with a book in this way. The second is Infinity and the Mind by Rudy Rucker. Maybe a quote from the introduction can explain this one: “The first time I met [proof theorist] Takeuti, I asked him what set theory was all about. ‘We are trying to get an exact description of thoughts of infinite mind,’ he said. And then he laughed, as if filled with happiness by this impossible task.” Read more.
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| Video: CDC/COVID-19 Protocols for Students
Entering the School Building This Month
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| More Golf Is Coming on October 1: Fenwick's
10th Annual PASS THE TORCH Event
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The 10th Annual Pass the Torch Golf Outing will take place on Thursday, October 1, 2020, at Oak Park Country Club. Registration information is forthcoming. This year's honorees are Bill Divane, Jr. '60 and Bob Cooney '70.
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| Class Reunions Are Moving to Spring of 2021
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The health and well-being of our community members is our utmost priority, so we have decided to postpone this year’s reunion for the class years ending in 0 and 5. We plan to host your reunion in the Spring of 2021. This decision was made with great consideration and takes into account several factors, including:
- The recommendations by local health departments to cancel large events and gatherings.
- The risk to the most vulnerable members of our alumni and faculty community, who are advised not to travel and avoid exposure to large groups.
While we would love to see your faces back at Fenwick, we cannot consider planning anything without putting your health and safety first. That is what’s most important. When we do gather again, it will be filled with incredible Friar pride.
If you would like to add your input on what you would like your reunion to look like, please email Alumni Relations Director Peter Durkin '03 at pdurkin@fenwickfriars.com. We need reunion committees for all classes!
Details will be forthcoming in early 2021.
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| New Dominican Faces at Fenwick
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Fenwick High School welcomes Fr. Jude McPeak (at left), who joins our Campus Ministry team as a chaplain. Father McPeak entered the Dominican novitiate in 2007 and was ordained as a priest in 2014. He has worked in campus ministry at Indiana University and as vocation director for the Dominican Friars Province of St. Albert the Great (Central Province) in Chicago.
Last Friday, August 7, on the Vigil of the Solemnity of Our Holy Father Dominic, at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in River Forest, novice brother Joseph Timothy Van Havermaet made his Simple Profession to the Order of Preachers and the Province of St. Albert the Great. After making his first vows, Br. Joe will attend the Aquinas Institute for theological studies.
This past Saturday, also at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, Dominican Brother Christopher Johnson, O.P., pictured at right, was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ by Bishop Edward M. Rice of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Fr. Chris is set to join the faculty of Fenwick!
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Brother Christopher Johnson, O.P. (right) was ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ by Bishop Edward M. Rice of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
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| Fenwick Business Directory
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Please use our new Fenwick Business Directory to support Friar-owned and operated businesses. To be added to the online directory free of charge, please send the name of the business, phone number and website to Alumni Relations Director Peter Durkin '03 at pdurkin@fenwickfriars.com.
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Pass the Torch Golf Outing
Thursday, October 1
68th Annual Blackfriars Gala
Friday, November 20
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| Sign Up for "FriarsConnect"
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FriarsConnect recently went through an upgrade in its design! Log in or sign up today to check out Fenwick’s exclusive alumni platform. Nearly 1,000 members of the Friar Community have signed up for this service that keeps you connected to your fellow Friars.
FriarsConnect allows you to:
- Find jobs and opportunities where you can work with your fellow Friars
- Cultivate meaningful mentoring opportunities
- Connect with and organize the powerful relationships available via the
Fenwick community - And so much more!
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| From the School Archives ...
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Tuesdays are for trivia on Fenwick "social-media" channels: Who was Fr. Feltrop?
Father Victor Feltrop, O.P. was a Dominican for 63 years and a priest for 57 of those, Rev. Thomas Dolan said in his eulogy. adding that Fr. Feltrop's passing in 1985 marked the end of an era: "Father Feltrop was the last survivor of the original faculty at Fenwick," Fr. Dolan explained. "The tiny group that was first in 'the long white line;' the priests who have taught in the school; the brothers who have labored mightily and long in its maintenance in days when we were too poor to have much outside help. He was among those first great men; Father Thornton, Father Gainor, the rest who built far better than they knew. For today, over 50 years after the foundation of the school, it has been singled out in the whole nation and held up as a testimonial to excellence. The crown that it has received just recently rests firmly on the foundations that were laid by Father Feltrop and the others.
"Father Feltrop’s ministry was varied," noted Fr. Dolan. "At a time when Tony Lawless, then the lone layman on the faculty, was running the greatest one-man Athletic Department in the history of education, Father Feltrop organized and coached basketball teams and trained them every afternoon when his long day of teaching was over. These teams were feeders for the varsity and many of their members became stars."
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Have something to share with your fellow alumni? Please send all of your alumni news and happenings to Peter Durkin '03, Director of Alumni Relations (pdurkin@fenwickfriars.com).
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Freshman Orientation for the Class of 2024 begins on August 19, while upper-classmen and women return to school on August 24. Please help to ensure that the next generation of Friars is as well prepared for their futures as you were!
Click the button below to make a donation:
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Fenwick High School is owned and sponsored by the Dominican Friars
of the Province of St. Albert the Great headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
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