January 30, 2014

Class Agents/1964: 50th-year reunion

Commencement day on Hendricken Field for members of the Class of 1964.
Commencement day on Hendricken Field for members of the Class of 1964.

“What is your most enduring memory of Providence College?”

Francis J. Darigan, Jr. ’64

Lives: Jamestown, R.I.

Career: Retired Associate Justice, R.I. Superior Court

“The most enduring memory is the sense of community I felt by belonging to a class of young men, all beginning to find our way in the world under the guidance of a great group of Dominican friars who cared about us and were themselves ‘men’s men’ who taught us real values and what was important in life…. It was definitely a transforming time for me as the first member of my family to have the ability to go to college.”

Bob Dugan ’64

Lives: Medfield, Mass.

Career: Retired, The TJX Companies

“Two favorite memories: the NIT Basketball Championship in 1961, when I was a freshman, and the ECAC Hockey Championship in 1964, when I was a senior. Both events reinforced the camaraderie and great school spirit we enjoyed at Providence.”

Phil Jones ’64

Lives: Norfolk, Mass.

Career: Former CEO/President, Ultrafine Powder, Inc.

“Many memories, but the best was spending time with my three roommates and other friends solving all our personal and the world’s problems. Never quite got it all done!”

Vince Plona ’64

Lives: Bloomfield, Conn.

Career: Retired, Aetna Life Insurance Co.

“With 50 years of perspective, my most enduring memory is the making of life-long friendships.”

David Rabadan ’64

Lives: Annandale, Va.

Career: Retired U.S. History Teacher, Teaneck High School, New Jersey; Retired Foreign Service Officer, U.S. State Department

“My most vivid memory was learning about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy during my senior year when I was president of the Friars Club. A decision had to be made about whether to cancel our Friars Formal at the Biltmore Hotel. We decided to go ahead despite the circumstances, mostly on the grounds that most of the attendees were en route. It was a somber evening, a gathering of a community in shock. A slightly out-of-kilter yearbook photo taken that night symbolizes the disconnect between the reality in Texas and the formal dance in Rhode Island.”