October 24, 2014
Black & White Buzz, Fall 2014
THE CONTENTS in the large box mailed from the College to John B. “Slip” Barnini ’40 at his Boca Raton, Fla., condominium made John and his three daughters tear up. Sent to recognize his 100th birthday on May 31, 2014, were a framed Friar jersey, a citation from College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 and the Board of Trustees, and a plaque that thanked “a Providence College Legend” for his support and generosity. A three-sport athlete as an undergraduate, Barnini is a platinum-level member of the 1917 Society for lifetime giving. Barnini and his family attribute his long life to healthy eating, a close-knit family, an “attitude of gratitude,” and his love of life. Thanks, a hundred times over, Slip!
LAURA STRAIT ’07, who was featured in our Summer 2013 magazine for her work teaching at ERES Academy, a charter school in Oakland, Calif., spent an “incredible” summer of educational residency and reflection in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Palo Alto, Calif. Strait was one of four teachers nationally to be awarded the $25,000 Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice, given to exceptional teachers working in high-poverty public schools. Her principal nominated her for the honor. She was one of 800 applicants.
A NATIONAL TV audience and subsequently, millions more via social networks, locked in on manager and mentor extraordinaire Dave Belisle ’81 in his post-game address to his Cumberland (R.I.) American team after it was eliminated from the Little League World Series in August. Highlighted and praised by ESPN broadcasters throughout the series for his encouraging, uplifting commentary with his players, the one-time Friar hockey player saved his most riveting words for last.
THE DWC story package in the Summer 2014 magazine resonated with many alumni, including William Humphrey ’77 of Pacific Palisades, Calif. He was “deeply moved,” particularly in seeing the images of DWC icons Dr. Richard J. Grace ’62 and the late Dr. Rodney K. Delasanta ’53, and by Grace’s historical perspective on the program. He recalled the weekly tradition in which professors assumed the role of a famous philosopher, writer, or religious figure to exhibit the varying sides of an issue. “I feel like I am back in the class in 1973,” he remarked.
THE LATE J. Raymond Vadnais ’54 embodied the “Heart and Soul” spirit of the Friars’ men’s basketball team long before the term became common. The Pawtucket, R.I., bachelor, who worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance for 35 years, was a lifelong Friar fan and a season ticket-holder for approximately 50 years. In his estate, Mr. Vadnais left the basketball program $100,000. Loyalty was very important to Mr. Vadnais, said his cousin, former PC trustee David A. Duffy ’61 & ’11Hon. His life was framed by devotion to a small circle of friends, his church, care for his parents until they passed away, and Friar basketball. “You don’t hear about every-day guys like Ray,” Duffy told one media outlet. “He never asked for any glory.”
