January 28, 2014
Black and White Buzz, Spring 2014
WHEN REV. ANDREW ROYALS ’01, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Benedict the Moor parishes in Washington, D.C., learned of the shooting spree at the Naval Yard that tragic morning in September, he instinctively did two things: first, head to the scene to lend counseling and support, and later, offer noontime Mass at St. Vincent for the victims and their families. His picture — dispensing Holy Communion at St. Vincent, and standing amid a throng of media near the shooting that left 13 dead, including the shooter — was published by national and local media. “Helping people, that’s our goal,” said Father Andrew to one media outlet.
JOHN E. FARLEY, M.D. ’45 of Riverside, R.I., knew the identity of the little boy pictured getting the autograph of 6-foot 10-inch Friar basketball center Jim Hadnot ’62 in the fall issue of Providence College Magazine. The lad was Dr. Farley’s son, Paul E. Farley. Paul later enrolled at PC and interrupted his education to serve in the U.S. Army, including Germany. Sadly, after he returned to resume his education, he was killed by a drunken driver. Paul E. Farley was posthumously awarded a PC degree.
ST. DOMINIC WEEKEND, which celebrates the generosity of benefactors, caught the attention of Bob Clark ’80 last October. Big time. Clark flew in from his home in Colorado for the weekend’s festivities, which included the dedication of the Ruane Center for the Humanities and a dinner. A day after returning home, Clark emailed his PC fund-raising contact, Steve Duryea ’82, saying he “left inspired” and wanted to pay off the balance — more than half — on a $100,000 endowed scholarship pledge his wife, Susan (Berg) Clark ’80, and he made in 2012. The Robert ’80 and Susan ’80 Clark Scholarship Fund will benefit students on the basis of financial need and academic merit, with a preference for students from Colorado. Clark is the president of Technology Staffing Services at Robert Half and a member of the PC School of Business Advisory Council.
THE INFLUENCE OF A GOOD TEACHER can never be overstated. Tim O’Connor, who did not attend PC, responded to an In Memoriam in the last magazine on Dr. Norma Kroll, who taught English at PC from 1985 to 2010. O’Connor had Dr. Kroll in an English class his freshman year at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. A language and literature scholar, Dr. Kroll “helped me more with my writing and critical thinking than any other teacher,” said O’Connor. “To you, Mrs. Kroll, I remember your rose-colored glasses for those 8:30 a.m. classes and thank you for your great help and teaching.”
A PROUD LAUREN CRAMER ’17 (North Kingstown, R.I.) wrote us to say that, three generations later, she’s become the second in her family to attend PC. Her great-grandfather, Joseph Bruno ’44, who lives in Tampa, Fla., “is very excited for me to be a student here.” A double major in psychology and social work, Lauren attended the Legacy Family Lunch during Freshman Family Weekend.
Several READERS of the last magazine pointed out that the laboratory “subject” depicted in the full-page photo leading off the Class Notes section was a far cry from a frog. The two undergraduates pictured during a dissection in the 2001-02 academic year were working on a piglet. Well, it’s back to biology class …
AS FURTHER PROOF we’re not perfect, we owe an apology to Kieran Murray ’09, who was misidentified on the Class Agents page in the last magazine. We accidentally ran a picture of her classmate, Kerri Murray ’09, not Kieran.
IT WAS HEARTWARMING to see former Friar infielder John McDonald ’10SCE in the post-game celebration and victory parade for the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox. While he was not on the team’s playoff roster, McDonald played the last month of the regular season with the Sox as a defensive specialist and a mentor to younger players. Featured on pages 38 and 39 of this magazine, he distinguishes himself with an ardent work ethic — as seen in his ability to hold down a Major League Baseball job for 15 seasons and to return to PC to earn a bachelor’s degree. He enjoyed the Series-clinching celebration with his wife, Maura Cignetti-McDonald ’99; daughter Jackie, 5; and son Anthony, 3.
