the mock trial experience: - girard college
TRANSCRIPT
GirardToday
n academic institutions, students of all ages compete on numerous and varied fields of battle. And, whether they seek to be the top math student, the best writer or the most convincing actor, students usually prepare for a test or a performance that falls within certain predictable parameters. They expect to be asked the capital of Chile, the correct spelling of a vocabulary word or the square root of 64.
Students who join Mock Trial teams, like athletes, must prepare for the unexpected.
Similarities between the Mock Trial experience and the athletic experience do not end there. In Mock Trial as in sports, the competitors must learn the rules of the game, fill certain roles/
take certain defined positions and operate successfully on both offense and defense. But the biggest challenge for young people in both arenas is that they have to think on their feet.
“All of the teams get the same case,” explains faculty advisor Bill Gallagher. “But how each member of the team presents information or asks questions makes an enormous difference in the outcome.”
Girard College has had Mock Trial teams in the past, but the current teams grew out of the efforts of two avid volunteers. During the 2009-10 school year, Seth Goldberg and Nolan Atkinson, lawyers from the Duane Morris law firm, worked as mentors for four Girard juniors who expressed an interest in the law. They added a few more students the following year, and formed a Mock Trial team during the third year.
The 2011-12 team, coached by Goldberg, Atkinson and Temple law student Catherine Cramer, hit the ground running. Placed in the somewhat less-competitive league for schools participating for only the first or second year, the Girard newbies finished the season as the developmental league champs. Advancing into the regular league finals, they faced the city’s top team in their first match and lost by just one point. Girard students and their coaches were elated.
“We had so much to be proud of,” said Gallagher. “In addition to recognition earned for their diligence and talent, the team won the league’s award for good sportsmanship.”
At the start of the 2012-13 academic year, Gallagher knew that the returning coaches and students were planning to build on the momentum of their dramatic first-year success and shoot for victory in the competitive league. So he directed his efforts towards finding a coach for a second team, a new developmental team. Gallagher, long-time
The Mock Trial Experience: Thinking on Their FeeT
in ThiS iSSUe
Mock Trial Experience ........................1-2
The Christmas Hug .................................3
Campus News .......................................... 4
Staff Profile: Kerry Porter ....................5
Editorial/Contact info:This publication is produced by members
of the Girard College Development Office.
Your feedback is welcome!
Contact the editor, Polly Mitchell, at:
or 215.787.2735.
Spring 2013
I
See MoCk TriAL on page 2
s Senior Tommy Eldridge played the part of an expert witness, a crane operator who testified for the defense.
s
Mock Trial Team 1 (front row, left to right:) Chelsea Adebiyi, Georgiana Spencer-Minor,
Ivory Ibuaka, Anya Johnson, Brandon Dixon; (back row:) Chelcey Little, Tommy
Eldridge.
2 | GIRARD Today www.girardcollege.edu
Did You Know?
Mock Trial team members must
adhere to a strict code of civility,
and there are clearly defined
guidelines for the presiding judge,
jurors/scoring judges, attorney
advisors and time keepers.
Mock Trial continued from page 1
history teacher and baseball coach at Girard, called on an alumnus who had been one of his players, Ron Marrero ’94. Now an attorney with Robert J. Casey Jr. and Associates, Marrero jumped at the chance. Cramer suggested another Temple Law student, Cindy Morgan, to work as a second coach for the new team.
“Our teams’ successes are directly related to the talent and enthusiasm of our volunteer coaches,” Gallagher said. “The lawyers and law students spend many, many hours helping our students understand the case and learn the law.”
So in November, when the Mock Trial case was distributed to all participating schools, Girard had two teams preparing for competition.
The case centered around a fatal accident at a construction site. Who was responsible? Was the site safe? Was the crane operator qualified? What about the homeless man loitering nearby? Did someone tamper with equipment?
Students read and discussed the details of the case, memorizing certain parts, and met with their coaches to learn the law pertaining to the facts. They assumed roles and practiced their parts as both defense and prosecution, readying themselves for the unknowable.
Competition began in February.
The cases were heard in real court rooms in the Criminal Justice Center near City Hall. To preserve
a truly impartial atmosphere, students, coaches and guests were forbidden to wear uniforms, ID tags, school colors or anything else that might identify each school’s identity. All students identified addressed each other by their assigned names, their parts in the “play.”
Both teams did well. The developmental team enjoyed victory and suffered defeat, gaining valuable experience for next year. The second-year, more competitive team plowed relentlessly forward, fine-tuning their attack.
Review, practice, review, practice again. Their diligence and perseverance was noteworthy.
And they had fun. Sophomore Brandon Dixon joined the team as time-keeper. “I agreed to help out,” he said, “but as soon as I watched them practice, I knew I wanted to do it next year.”
Staff and family members who attended the events invariably talked about two things: how professional all of the students were, and how much better-prepared the Girard College students appeared to be.
The greater Girard community was thrilled as our first team made it to the city finals. In one stressful evening, the team had to win twice to advance, and they did so with grace and confidence. On March 13, they lost a
close semi-final match against Central High, officially earning their place as second-best Mock Trial team in Philadelphia.
In spite of the team loss, individual members were lauded. Senior Ivory Ibuaka was named “Best Advocate,” and Chelcey Little was named “Best Witness.”
I can’t find words to express how proud I have been of each and every one of these students,” said Gallagher. “They set out to do something really difficult, something new, and they worked at it until they became successful.”
Next year? Some of the Mock Trial students will graduate, and some will move up from the second team, but it is a good bet that Girard College will be a powerful force in 2013-14. Stay tuned.
Team 1Chelsea AdibiyiBrandon Dixon (Timekeeper)Tommy EldridgeIvory IbuakaAnya JohnsonChelcey LittleGeorgiana Spencer
Team 2Al Acevedo Chris AroyoNadira BodieAaron Cook Montrell HendersonDanielle IbuakaMalik LowryDerek McDuffieXhonia RobinsonSiani WalkerAaron YoungDelaney Vincent
Team 2 practices in the Upper School Library after dinner with coaches Cindy Morgan and Ron Marrero ’94. Left to right are Derek McDuffie, Montrell Henderson, Morgan, Siani Walker, Marrero and Xhonia Robinson.
Student Malik Lowry, subbing on team 1 in February, gets a little last-minute advice from advisor Gallagher (center) and coach Cramer (left foreground). Coaches Goldberg and Atkinson (L to R background) talk to Spencer while Ibuaka looks on (far right). Timekeeper Dixon gathers his papers (top left).
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www.girardcollege.edu GIRARD Today | 3
On Friday, Dec. 20, the Upper School assembly featured Assistant Dean (Ed) Gallagher ’96 granting students’ wishes: a new soccer ball, a gift card to iTunes, lunch with a favorite teacher and a bag of gummie bears were among the varied and easily answered requests. Thanks to Gallagher’s humor and energy, the atmosphere was light-hearted; after all, this was the last assembly before winter break.
But eventually Gallagher came to the wish that he qualified as “just a little different.”
Junior Gabbie Carter had written that she wished she could give a hug to the people affected by the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. Gallagher explained that – although deeply touched by Carter’s unselfish wish – he initially had struggled to think of a way to make her wish come true. Fate placed colleague John Romano, chair of the science department, in this story at exactly the right time and place; he stepped up to the challenge, offering to carry Carter’s hug to Connecticut as part of his Christmas travels.
At the holiday assembly, Gallagher called both the generous young lady and the inspired teacher to the stage. Carter gave her hug to Romano, and Romano pledged to carry it to Newtown. And that was only the beginning.
Romano reached out via various social networks. The end result was a phone call from Newtown Red Cross volunteer Amy Thomas who organized a small group to met Romano in a Newtown church parking lot. On December 23, an extraordinary and emotional connection took place, as Romano said to each person he hugged, “This is from Gabrielle Carter.”
THE CHRISTMAS MAS HUGONE STUDENT’S WISH, ONE TEACHER’S CHALLENGE
TOP LEFT: Romano shares hugs in Newtown, Conn.
LEFT: L to R Gabrielle Carter ’14, John Romano, President Clarence D. Armbrister, Amy Thomas and Assistant Dean Ed Gallagher ’97
RIGHT: Every member of the student body dropped a quarter into a jar as part of the lesson of individual power.
Romano spent several hours talking to people who were “carrying a weight I could not even imagine” and felt a strength he had never felt before.
After the winter break, Romano invited Thomas to came to Philadelphia and talk to the Girard College student body. As Chapel speaker on February 6, Thomas showed slides of her quiet New England town, and described her personal experience on December 14. She talked about the national outpouring of love and grief that followed, and about the power of one particular hug, the hug sent from Girard College.
Thomas also brought a message and a lesson: “If it is to be, then it is up to me.” Having distributed a quarter to each person in chapel, she pointed out a jar at the foot of the podium – a collection for Girard College – and suggested that everyone could decide whether to put his/her quarter in the jar. She explained that, although a quarter is a small amount, donating the quarter is a concrete example of the individual’s power to affect change. As the chapel ended, every person walked past the podium and dropped his or her quarter in the jar.
The story and its aftermath have profoundly affected many of us at Girard today, and will continue to remind us of the importance of each individual.
To gain a deeper understanding of the emotional journey traveled by teacher John Romano, join his blog at http://paleolithicromano.wordpress.com. You will also find news stories on our website, including a video of local TV news coverage on our YouTube channel.
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FoUrTh grADerS hUnT For hiSTorYThis is the first year that Girard fourth-graders are participating in the award-winning History Hunters Youth Reporter Program. Through visits to four of Philadelphia’s greatest historic houses (Stenton, Cliveden, the Johnson House and Wyck), the students learn how to hunt for history in their own neighborhood, become “investigative reporters” on assignment, then writing their findings as newspaper articles.
Teacher Tara Pelosi was particularly delighted with the pre- and post-visit activities.
“The students absorb a lot of information before they get to the historic home,” she said. “This means they have a better understanding of what the guides talk about on site and actually enhance their learning.”
When they write about their visit afterwards, they are assigned various roles to gain wider experience in expression. They may act as a travel writer, an interviewer, an editor, or even an illustrator of the news story.
According to the History Hunters workbook, “Each house has a story to tell.” At Johnson House (right), the students learned about the Underground Railroad that went through Germantown.
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4 | GIRARD Today www.girardcollege.edu
Campus News
Lower School Celebrated Birth of UN
Leading up to a special October assembly recognizing the 50th birthday of the United Nations, students in grades 1-6 created 192 flags, one for each member country, creating a colorful display in the first-floor hall. u
Fall Trailblazer Raised Funds and Friends
On Saturday, October 27, runners, walkers and volunteers supported the fall 5K Trailblazer, raising more than $8,000 for Girard College. v
Homecoming Pix are Online
Alumni and friends enjoyed a beautiful Homecoming on October 27. Make sure you look at the photos on our website under Alumni--Alumni Events.
Admission Held Open House
On Saturday, November 3, the Admission Office welcomed 111 families to an Open House on campus for information sessions and a tour. From those families, 129 students applied, 96 to the Lower School and 33 to the Upper School.
Students Participated in “Day of Remembrance”
On Friday, December 14, select members from Student Council, Kevin Giorno’s fifth-grade class, and the Upper School Bell Choir traveled to Laurel Hill Cemetery to pay their respects to all former Girard College students who are buried in the Girard College plot.
Wells Fargo Partners with Girard
On Wednesday, December 19, representatives from Wells Fargo came to our campus to kick off a new school partnership program. Girard and 10 other Philadelphia-area schools were “adopted” by Wells Fargo and will benefit by gaining volunteers at events, classroom assistance teaching financial literacy, tickets to sports and cultural events and small cash donations to support campus projects.
Five Inducted into National Honor Society
Four seniors and a sophomore were inducted into the NHS on Friday, January 11. They are Lawra Tidwell, Brittani Watson, Cynterria Henderson, Ivory Ibuaka and sophomore Brandon Dixon, only the second sophomore in the history of Girard College to be inducted into this select organization. w
Harvard Admission Rep Visited
On Friday, January 18, the Upper School had the opportunity to learn what it takes to gain admission to and be successful at Harvard University. Many of our students could be eligible for full-tuition scholarships to Harvard based on income level, if qualified. x
Girard was Site of Largest Day of Service in Nation
For the fourth consecutive year, Girard College was the “signature site” of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, January 19.
2012-13 FALL AND WINTER HIGHLIGHTS Upper School forms Student World Affairs Council
Upper School students interested in current events have partnered with the Greater Philadelphia World Affairs Council to form their own group. Students and faculty advisor Bill Gallagher attended numerous discussion events and seminars throughout the city, holding their own debates later. Two of the students, Chris Arroyo and Tommy Eldridge, acted as Student Leaders for the 2013 Global Economic Forum on March 15, representing Mexico on the topics of Global Corruption and Energy for Economic Growth.
Choir Performs at NAIS Convention
The Lower School choir performed at the general session of the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) convention on Friday, March 1, held in Philadelphia this year. Music Department chair Paul Eaton directed about 55 children (grades 2-6) in a montage of several different songs that brought the audience to its feet. Watch the video on our website.
MSA Accreditation Underway
Accreditation is an essential process among traditional and non-traditional schools, colleges and universities throughout the world. Girard College, like all other schools accredited by Middle States, must periodically renew its accreditation. The process began last summer and will continue through October 2013 when representatives of MSA will visit our campus.
New Banners Beautify Campus
Banners have been added to the lamp-posts on Girard’s campus, proclaiming the five Core Values. y
Senior is 2nd in State Long Jump
Senior Khiry Twyman finished second in long jump in the state Track and Field Championships at
22’8.5.” He will go to the Penn Relays High School Invitational Long Jump. He will be in a field of the top thirty long jumpers from the United States and the Caribbean
Girls Basketball went to States
The Lady Cavaliers won District I honors and got as far as the “Sweet 16” level of state competition. They had a great season and represented Girard well. GO CAVALIERS!
Support the Good Friends Gala
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honoring Mayor Michael A. NutterFriday, April 5, 6:00 p.m.
Founder’s Hall at Girard College
ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT THE CHILDREN OF GIRARD COLLEGE
Become a sponsor, learn more at www.girardcollege.edu/gala
Music provided by L.A. StarzDinner by Cescaphe
Cocktail attire; valet parkingLimited seating: $250 per person tax-deductible contribution of $125.
www.girardcollege.edu GIRARD Today | 5
STAY In THE Loop!
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E-News: Make sure we have
your CURRENT and CORRECT
e-mail address!
Contact the Teresa Coffey in the
Development Office today.
KERRY poRTER ’96: Audio-Visual SpecialistAlumnus Kerry Porter came to Girard College in 1984 as a second-grader. That seven-year-old boy could not have imagined the long-term relationship with Girard that lay ahead. Today, Porter is the Audio-Visual Specialist in the Glasser Broadcast Communications Center, teaching classes, providing audio and video set-ups for various school events, and planning the future of broadcast communications technology at Girard.
Community Service projectsGirard students and staff worked on a variety of community service projects during the 2012-13 school year. To date, these projects include: collecting funds for Hurricane Sandy victims, a food drive for Philabundance food pantry, a coat and blanket drive, and a candy-gram and carnation sale for Valentine’s Day that benefitted the Girard College Development Fund.
JoIn US for Girard Cares Day
Girard Cares Day was originally scheduled for April 13, but it has been moved to the first Saturday in May. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us on May 4 for campus clean-up, flower planting and fellowship.
Founder’s Day is May 18
Read lots more information in the alumni section of this newsletter, but plan to come to campus on Founder’s Day. Alumni and friends will enjoy a variety of activities as well as a special Chapel service.
kerry Porter’s Wishlist
• produce a movie once each year
•haveastudentnewsteamthatcoverseveryevent
•produceatalkshowandaironacablenetwork
•videotapeclassesandlecturessothatstudentscanrevisitandrelearn
•purchaseavanformobileproductioncapabilities
* Read more about Glasser, to be named the Stephen Girard Award winner on Founder’s Day, May 2013, on page 1 of the Steel & Garnet (alumni) section of this newsletter.
“I started working in the AV department with Keith Steininger when I was in sixth grade,” Porter says. “Except for my college years, you might say that I never left.”
After graduation in 1996, Porter went to AIPh (Art Institute of Philadelphia) and majored in video production. He worked initially for a rental equipment firm that supplied lighting and sound equipment to various clients, but eventually accepted a job back at Girard College as assistant to then-AV Director Steininger in 1999. They worked together for 10 years until Steininger became the Activities Director and Porter took charge of broadcast communications and the copy center.
Although Porter’s affable personality and “can do” attitude have been a consistent presence on campus over the years, the technology and programming have changed dramatically.
At one time, AV was part of the curriculum. Because the class was required, Porter had many more students to work with and was able to produce longer projects. A team of students filled regular roles such as videographer, news writer and on-air talent, and the campus TV station, GCN, aired programs that were 35-40 minutes in length. All programs were produced on tape; editing was slow and cumbersome.
Today, Porter works with students in several smaller groups where participation is optional. Seniors may choose Broadcast Communications as a one-trimester elective, and Porter teaches them basic filming and editing during the academic day. Additionally, students in grades 6, 7 or 8 can participate in an after-school club, part of the 21st CCLC (21st Century Community Learning Center) after-school enrichment program funded by a state grant. And finally, a core team of high school students have trained to videotape every Chapel and special events such as school concerts.
A recent significant improvement in AV options for Porter and his students has been the addition of industry-standard TriCaster broadcast system. Thanks to the generous support of alumnus Lt. Colonel Joseph Glasser, (USAF Ret.) ’42*, the new equipment was installed in 2012. All camera feeds are sent to one control space, shots are edited, sound is mixed, titles are added and DVDs are burned through one desktop system.
“There is no more tape,” says Porter. “The TriCaster provides a truly professional experience for our students.”
Although delighted by recent technological improvements, Porter has a clearly defined wish list that he shares without hesitation.
“Looking forward is an essential part of my job and my personality,” he says. “I am committed to making the department the best it can be.”
s Porter works with seventh graders in an after-school video club.
t The TriCaster system has upgraded Girard’s AV capabilities considerably.
FUnD nAME CHAnGEAs of March, 2013, the name
“Girard College Development Fund” has
been legally changed to “Girard College
Foundation.”
All donations to Girard College go into this
fund in support of the school, its programs
and students. Look for our new name on
publications in the future.
STEEL &Garnet
Spring 2013
STEEL &Garnet
If there were a Girard College hall of fame honoring alumni who give
back to our school, Joe Glasser ’42 would be a charter member – an
everybody’s first-round pick.How fitting, then, to bestow on him our highest accolade. To say he is an obvious choice for the Stephen Girard Award is understatement on a grand scale. He was chosen not only in his first year of nomination but on the awards committee’s first round of balloting.
What makes Joe Glasser so eminently qualified and deserving? It would take more space than we have available here to list his accomplishments and contributions, but we’ll try to cover the highlights.
Start with the fact that he is a member of one of Girard’s most distinguished classes: 1942. A class that produced the likes of soccer All-American and collegiate hall of famer Erwin Antoni, television and film star Russell Johnson, master marine model maker Al Seebode, and internationally-famed Oxford professor of psychology Lawrence Weiskrantz, among others.
Next, consider that he is a member of “the greatest generation,” a term coined by TV anchor and journalist Tom Brokaw to describe The Great Depression children who sacrificed so much for their country in World War II. It is perhaps here that the character of Joe Glasser and the Class of ’42 shines the brightest. There were 75 members of this class and 71 of them answered our nation’s call to arms. Three paid the ultimate price.
Glasser served with distinction in the Army Air Corps as a B-17 navigator. He flew 34 bombing missions over Europe. His plane was shot down in
February 1945. He parachuted safely but it was 50/50 whether he would land on the Allied or the Nazi side of the battle line. Gratefully it was the former, and he was eventually reunited with, and ended up in command of, his surviving B-17 crew. His first two command decisions? Take the crew to Paris and go to the Folies Bergere.
Glasser was subsequently returned to England, reassigned, and flew ten more missions before V-E Day. That’s a lot of life and death experience for a young man who only a year before had been safely inside the walls of Girard College.
Glasser was recalled to active duty (1950-51) for the Korean Conflict and subsequently transferred to Headquarters USAF where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff Personnel at the Pentagon. He maintained his flight status until 1970 and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1985. Between WW II and Korea he studied at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a BS in Economics in 1947 and an MBA in 1948.
Glasser is also a former member of the University of Connecticut faculty where he taught in the School of Business Administration for nearly 30 years. He is the author of Fundamentals of Applied Industrial Management Administration, published in 1975.
Now let’s look at the memberships that made up Joe Glasser’s public service career. For some 50 years he served with governmental agencies involved in the resolution of labor-management issues, including: the National Labor Relations Board, American Arbitration Association, National Mediation Board, and the Veterans and Social Security Administrations. He also
served in a host of state-level positions with boards in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Since 1970, Glasser has been the chief executive officer of Eljen Corporation a company he founded to bring new technology-based products to drainage and on-site water treatment systems. Two patents for unique drainage products are held in the name of Joseph Glasser at the US Patent Office.
This brings us to what is arguably his most important membership: the Girard College Alumni. Ever since graduation in 1942 – over seven decades ago! – Joe Glasser has subscribed to the philosophy that “to whom much has been given, much is required.” He viewed “required” as the personal obligation to give back to the school that had given so much to him. And when he fulfilled that obligation, he did so with unbridled generosity.
Several years ago Joe provided the funds, in excess of $200,000, to outfit the Girard Educational Technology Services (GETS) program with updated electronic news gathering and video editing equipment in an expanded facility that bears his name: the Lt. Colonel Joseph Glasser Broadcast Communications Center.
He contributed another $50,000 to our Alumni Association and designated it for the support of Girard graduates who become sick, infirm, or destitute. This sensitive fund has already made disbursements for hospital bills and funeral expenses of Hummers who have fallen on hard times.
Last year, Glasser donated a quarter of a million dollarsfor use in the restoration work in Founder’s Hall and the Chapel. This latest Joseph Glasser Fund has joined forces with the Founder’s Keepers Initiative to restore and preserve Founder’s Hall, now a designated National Historic Landmark structure. Two major projects – the restoration of the main entrance doors and the repair or replication of first floor windows – are already underway thanks to his generosity and concern.
Few, if any, can match this man’s dedication, capacity for giving back, and esprit d’ecole. We salute you, Lt. Colonel Joseph Glasser. You have our abiding admiration, respect, and gratitude.
— Jon Newton ’56
Lt. Colonel Joseph Glasser Wins 2013 Stephen Girard Award
ABOVE LEFT: Joseph Glasser (left) with classmate Dr. Lawrence Weiskrantz, at the 2012 Founder’s Day re-dedication of the communications center named after him.
www.girardcollege.edu STEEL & GARNET | 3
Letter from the PresidentIt’s hard to believe, but the holidays are over and a new year is upon us. The Alumni Association has been busy holding special events and planning for this year’s Founder’s Day weekend during the past few months.
In December, the GCAA sponsored the annual Girard College Secret Santa Program, a nearly sixty-year-old tradition that seeks to assure that no student at Girard College will go without a gift during the holiday season. All Lower School students participated in Santa Night and met with Santa and received gifts while the Upper School students enjoyed a trip to one of the local malls to purchase gifts for themselves or loved ones. The Secret Santa event has become very special to our younger brothers and sisters. It was fully financed this year by the generosity of GCAA members and I would like to extend my personal thanks to all who made a contribution. If you would like to make a contribution for the 2013 holiday season event, please contact the Alumni Office.
When I began my term as GCAA President in July, a number of members approached me and asked to revive an event that has been a favorite among our members for many years. I am very happy to report that the GCAA held its annual holiday party at the Mummers Museum in South Philadelphia this past December. Thanks to the generosity and hard work of Events Committee Chairman and past GCAA President, Joe Garbarino ’71, and his family, a number of members and their guests attended a “Hummers at the Mummers” dinner-dance that was catered by the Garbarino family. Guests enjoyed a feast of Italian food and pastries and danced to a Mummers string band and a guest DJ. Everyone had a terrific time. Mark your calendars for Hummers at the Mummers 2013 in December. Read more about Joe who has recently accepted the job of GCAA Director of page XX.
As many of you know, the GCAA conducts an annual wall calendar fundraiser. The 2013 edition of the GCAA calendar is very special to all of us, as it focuses entirely on the life of our founder and benefactor, Stephen Girard. Thanks to the hard work and skill of three people, we have published a calendar that chronicles Stephen Girard’s life through photographs of his collection in Founder’s Hall. Gill Bunker, ’53 and Founder’s Hall curator, Elizabeth Laurent, chose the items to photograph and Garry Norton, ’67 donated his photographic expertise. Each month also features a watermark of Founder’s Hall or some other building important to the life of Stephen Girard. I hope you will agree that this is one of the finest calendars we have published in years and that you will show your appreciation and generosity by sending a gift to the Alumni Fund for Girard College. The Fund relies on your generosity to continue sponsoring student trips and activities, and the calendar fundraiser is its most significant source of revenue
Finally, we at the GCAA are excited to begin planning for Founder’s Day coming up on May 18, 2013. This year’s Stephen Girard Award recipient is Joseph Glasser, ’42. The annual Alumni Banquet will be held on Friday, May 17, when we will honor Mr. Glasser; the Class of 1963, the 50th anniversary class being our guests of honor; and the members of the Class of 2013 who will be inducted into the GCAA. Events are being planned for the entire weekend and a schedule and registration form will be mailed to our members shortly. I look forward to meeting and speaking with our members during the Founder’s Day weekend events this year.
Joe Samuel, ’88 President, Girard College Alumni Association
GCAA OFFICERS
Joseph Samuel ’88 President
Anthony J. Schiavo ’59 First Vice President
Ethel Richards ’01 Second Vice President
J. Victor Jurciukonis ’58 Treasurer
Joseph Garbarino ’71 Director of GCAA
CHAPTERS
ARIZONA DESERT Bert Levin ’47 (480) 860-2831
CAVALIERS Ed Crawford ’96 (215) 868-7833
DELAWARE COUNTY Fran (Dixie) Dugan ’40 (215) 913-9428
FLORIDA Bill Rowe, June ’48 (305) 271-8574
LEHIGH VALLEY Dennis Oswald ’71 (610) 433-7628
POCONO-NORTHEAST John Pekar ’71 (570) 824-0863
It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of a new Director of Alumni Relations effective April 1, 2013. Joe Garbarino, ’71 needs no introduction to many of you. Joe graduated from Girard College in 1971 and LaSalle University in 1976. Joe was the 2005 Stephen Girard Award recipient and a 1994 Alumni Award of Merit winner. He is a past President of the Alumni Association, and he has served with distinction on the GCAA Board of Governors, most recently as chair of the Events Committee doing the important work of planning for Founder’s Day and other Alumni events.
Joe’s career spans over forty years in operations management and business development. Most notably, Joe served thirty-two years as Director of Campus Operations at University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
I am delighted that Joe has decided to serve the GCAA as Director of Alumni Relations. His relationships with fellow alumni are both wide and deep, and he is uniquely qualified to identify and address what the Association needs to better serve its members. He represents the best of what it means to be a member of our Alumni and the Girard College community, and I am sure he will be an even more outstanding asset to our Association as its Director.
Please extend your hardy congratulations to Joe Garbarino, ‘71 and wish him the best of luck in his new role as Alumni Director. He can be reached at the Alumni Office by telephone at 215-232-8882 or by email at [email protected].
— Joe Samuel ’88, GCAA President
New GCAA Director Named
NEW YORK-EMPIRE Dennis Lalli ’68 (212) 777-9223
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Richard Bohner ’79 (310) 375-9752
SOUTH JERSEY WAVE Anthony J. Schiavo ’59 (856) 466-9216
TEXAS LONE STAR Jim O’Neill ’51 (214) 361-6633
WASHINGTON D.C. Bernie Oliver ’78 (443) 324-3620
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA Rich O’Brien ’65 (412) 422-9528
Scholarship Application
DEADLiNESAny Alumnus who is applying for
a grad school scholarship from the Girard College
Alumni Association MUST submit his/her application form prior to the following deadlines:
Funds Needed: Apps Due: September - December August 1
January - May November 1
June - August April 1
TARDY APPLICATIONS WILL BE DENIED.
Awards are not guaranteed
and students must apply
for each semester for consideration.
More information is available
under ALUMNI on our website,
www.girardcollege.edu.
4 | STEEL & GARNET www.girardcollege.edu
FouNDer’S DAy Schedule
VOLUNTEER FOR FOUNDER’S DAyWe at the Alumni Office still need help with ensuring that Founder’s Day runs as smoothly as possible.
We have many minor jobs for which we need volunteers. you need not commit to an entire day; you can volunteer for an hour or two. The more people we have, the shorter we will need each individual volunteer.
The jobs include: Alumni registration, merchandise sales, lunch ticket sales, poppy sales, lunch ticket collection, lunch elevator operator, tram car driver and help with the Baseball, Soccer and Basketball games.
To volunteer, please contact the GCAA Office. Call 215-232-8882.
Thank you!
GOLF OUTINGFriday, May 17, 2013 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ramblewood Country Club
ALUMNI DINNERFriday, May 17, 2013 6:00 Hors D’oeuvres / 7:00 Induction / 7:30 p.m. Dinner
MEMORIAL MASS AT STEPHEN GIRARD’S CHURCHSaturday, May 18, 2013
OLDE ST. AUGUSTINE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH4th & Vine Streets, Philadelphia, PA Mass will be from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 8:45 a.m.
FOUNDER’S DAYSaturday, May 18, 2013
8:00 a.m. Gates open for alumni.
All Day Girard College Alumni Association booth: Tuttle Pavilion GCAA merchandise sale Purchase lunch tickets for $10/$5 for children 12 and under Scout tent open – adjacent to the Tuttle Pavilion purchase Hum Muds, hot dogs, sodas, coffee and donuts
9:00 a.m. Wreath Ceremony – Founder’s Hall, Stephen Girard’s sarcophagus
10:00 a.m. Chapel Service honoring Joseph Glasser ’42, 2013 winner of the Stephen Girard Award; 50th Reunion Class of 1963
11:30 a.m. Alumni Soccer game – Rocco Montana Field
12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Luncheon in Banker Hall, Rooms 106 and 105 no reservations required; $10/$5 for children 12 and under
12:30 to 3:00 p.m. Stephen Girard Collection and Girardiana Room open – Founder’s Hall (2nd floor)
1:00 to 3:00 Horse and Carriage rides with Stephen Girard
1:00 p.m. Alumni Basketball – Armory
2:00 p.m. Alumni Baseball – Field behind Allen Hall
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On December 15, about 70 of us enjoyed a fabulous time at the GCAA-sponsored holiday party held at the world famous 2-Street Mummers Museum and Banquet Hall. Sponsored for 22 years by the Stephen Girard Memorial Committee, this event was revived as a function of the GCAA. While the event had been moved to a Valentine Gala event due to weather conditions, GCAA President Joe Samuel had asked that it return to the holiday season and be reinstated as a regular annual event for the members and guests of the GCAA.
With a buffet of epicurean delights of seven hot entrees, salads and condiments, one alumnus remarked, “Thank God I plan to make a resolution to go on a diet in the New Year.” The food, as in years past, was donated by Stella Cucina Catering. The deserts of Italian fare , the center pieces and the hall decorations were donated by Lee Garbarino.
The very popular Hardly Ables, former captains of the String Bands that so proudly march up Broad Street every new year’s day, performed a full hour of Mummers’ Music and honored request for favorite selections. The Hardly Ables have played at this event for many years and at alumni luncheons on Founders Day. The highlight of the evening was the Bud Murray ’53 rendition of “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” With singing and choreography, the entertainment was worth twice the price of admission.
The music provided was very well received throughout the evening and many of the attendees were enticed to do the Mummers’ Strut, making some think the alumni should consider a comic brigade for the 2014 Mummers Parade. Miriam McGee would have been proud of her boys and their dates. We are told that Bob Furphy, ’48 and his lovely wife Marie have attended all 23 events.
The excitement added by the 22 elegant gift baskets provided a great extra, with something for all. JimKelly ’49 and his family won many baskets with a strong investment in raffle tickets. Thank you, Jim.
A very special thanks to Stella Cucina Catering and to Lee Garbarino for hosting and providing those great desserts and chocolates. An additional thank you to Alicia Orehowsky of the Alumni Office for all her work to make this event successful.
Hummers at the Mummers
SUNDAY LUNCHEON AT STEPHEN GIRARD’S FARMSunday, May 19, 2013 12:00 to 3:00 Farm House is at 20th & Shunk Streets, Philadelphia, PA
GCAA president Joe Samuel ’88 posed with vice presidents Anthony J. Schiavo ’59 and Ethel Richards ’01. Photo credit: Bob Furphy ’48.
Check your mailbox for a brochure describing 2013 Founder’s Day events. Call the Alumni Office for further information at 215-232-8882.
www.girardcollege.edu STEEL & GARNET | 5
For more than 60 years, the Girard College Alumni Association has accepted the responsibility of assuring that Girard students are not overlooked at Christmas time. The GCAA accomplishes this through the Secret Santa Program and special contributions from its members. This tradition goes back more than 60 years, and we wanted to be certain that Christmas 2012 was not any different. Our objective has always been to assure that no child is overlooked during the holidays and this goal has become even more important as the economy continues to flounder and unemployment continues at unusually high rates.
This year, the Alumni Association sponsored Santa Night for the Lower School children (200 children in grades 1 through 6). Santa Night is a cookies-and-hot-chocolate party that was highlighted by Santa himself who brought a stocking full of goodies and a small gift for each child. You should have been there to hear the cheers of the little children when Santa arrived with one of his elves. Several alums attended to assist the staff at Girard make Santa Night a big success. The gift of adult time was especially appreciated by the children and what a great opportunity for them to see faces behind those stories of the Girard alumni. Also, some alums chose to send warm winter coats, hats, gloves, a truck, a doll or a stuffed animal that were given to children with particular needs.
There was a different approach for the Upper School children (200 children in Grades 7 through 12). Girard College organizes a shopping night for the Upper School children. This year, the Upper School children were taken to the Franklin Mills Mall in northeast Philadelphia. Accompanied by their resident advisors, the entire Upper School student body went on the shopping trip to select presents for their moms, grandmothers and other family members. For these older children, we solicited the aid of the Upper School counselors and teachers to identify those children who might not otherwise have a merry Christmas if we did not help. The Alumni Association pitched in by sponsoring the bus trip and secretly providing gift cards to a select few (about 25) particularly needy children so they could participate in the shopping event. The Secret Santa gift cards were distributed
through the school’s counselors who advised the children on the use of the money, taught them how to select gifts and encouraged them to save a portion of the money to purchase gifts for those who may be special in their lives.
The Secret Santa Program we developed, with the help of the residential staff at Girard, benefitted every student at Girard at Christmas. No Girard child was overlooked.
SECRET SANTA PROgRAm: rousing Success in 2012
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PITTSBurGH HoNorS GIrArD TeACHer: REBECCA RAgLAND LEWISThe WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER hosted a dinner on December 15, 2012, at the LeMont Restaurant at which Rebecca Ragland Lewis was presented a proclamation formally signed by Luke Ravenstahl, Mayor of Pittsburgh. The proclamation highlights Lewis’s humanitarian and award-winning efforts in the field of science.
Lewis, a native Pittsburgher and graduate of North Catholic High School, is a science teacher at Girard and has instituted several remarkable projects involving her students. She started Project Terrapin, in which the class annually raises and cares for endangered terrapin hatchlings and released them back into their natural environment.
She was personally honored by England’s Prince Edward when she was presented awards for her
completion of The Duke of Edinburgh program at our school. The program teaches students to strive toward excellence in skills and community service.
Lewis started the recycling program at Girard. The program teaches students the value of environmental organization. She also established an elementary science curriculum where students are exposed to hands-on robotics and engineering.
The president of North Catholic High School, Frank Orga, made the presentation for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. The dinner was attended by members of Lewis’s family and members of the Pittsburgh Chapter including Rich and Jan Kopec, Kent Lydic, Myron and Jeanne Caplan, Bob Fark, and Rich O’Brien, who organized the event.
December 15, 2012 was declared “Rebecca Ragland Lewis Day” in Pittsburgh. Girard College, North Catholic High School, and the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are extremely proud of Rebecca Ragland Lewis for her continuing work in making this world a better place.
Rebecca Lewis
6 | STEEL & GARNET www.girardcollege.edu
CHAPTer NeWS
Sixth Grade Visits PA Coal MinesOn October 10, the sixth graders participated in a field trip to the Lackawanna Coal Company mines and museum, courtesy of the POCONO CHAPTER of the Girard College Alumni Association. The children were given a tour of the museum that explained the development of the coal mining industry in Pennsylvania, the immigration of thousands of skilled mine workers from Wales and western Europe and the hardships suffered by the coal miners. Afterwards, they descended by tram car more than 300 feet into a now-closed mine to see first hand the working conditions of coal mining.
Florida Chapter to Celebrate 50th AnniversaryThis year, the FLORIDA CHAPTER will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organization of the Chapter on October 11th and 12th. Everyone is invited to attend. While Bill Rowe, the current Chapter President, is the only surviving member of the original 14 organizers, nearly all of the past Chapter Presidents have indicated they will attend this great celebration.
The anniversary celebration will be held at the Hilton Hotel on Singer Island in Florida, the place to be and relax in October. Make your reservations to enjoy the weather and the many activities planned for the weekend. You may make arrangements to attend by calling Bill Rowe at 305-271-8574.
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On February 27, a new statue was unveiled in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The statue shows a woman, described by President Obama as “slight of stature but mighty in courage.” She is Rosa Parks, and her image is the first full-sized statue of an African-American woman to appear in Statuary Hall.Girard alumnus Eugene Daub is the sculptor.The statue is the result of a search by the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). Daub collaborated with his partner, Rob Firmin of Daub & Firmin Studios, on the initial approach and historical research. After the team became a finalist, Daub created a 24” clay “maquette” or model, which won the competition.The next step was for Daub to create the full-sized clay that would eventually be cast into bronze, 7 1/2 feet tall weighing 2,700 pounds. He and Firmin also collaborated on the design for the granite pedestal.Working in San Pedro, California, Daub has more than 30 years of experience as a professional artist. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts, and Alfred University, and he is a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society.Daub attended Girard from 1950-53 after his father died of health complications resulting from his experiences in WWII. Although he missed his mother at first, Daub soon became comfortable at Girard where he benefitted from the order of the campus routine, the camaraderie of new friends and a certain amount of free time when he could draw.“I had a few close friends at Girard, but I was kind of a loner,” he said. “On weekends, I would roam around the campus and make little drawings and watercolors.”
“In third grade, I drew a dinosaur and received some sort of award,” Daub said. “That was the first time that I remember thinking, ‘Hey, I might be good at this!’”That feeling was a “big thrill,” and the early recognition of his talent changed him. From then on, he made art out of anything and at every chance he got.After two or three years, Daub left Girard for a new home with his mother in Rivertown, New Jersey.“It was short but definitive time,” Daub said about his years as a Hummer. “I remember certain things vividly: going to the quarter-master for new or used clothes and shoes,” he said. “I loved it; we all wore knickers, and looked like English kids.”Although originally from Pottstown, Pa., Daub’s mother moved to New Jersey, then Philadelphia and finally Pittsburgh. While living in Pittsburgh, Daub married and had four children.In the early years of his career, he was a graphic artist and art director, but at some point felt the need to sculpt. He was initially employed at the Franklin Mint where he gained experience in “relief.” He later moved on to three-dimensional work and pursued commissions.Eventually divorced, Daub moved to California in 1989. He remarried an artist from Fresno, Anne Olsen, who is a painter and jewelry-maker. He works with a partner – Firmin – who who collaborates with him on projects and conducts research for commissions.Alumni and friends can view many examples of Daub’s work on his website, dfsculpturestudios.com. In the Greater Philadelphia area, you can see his work at the Methodist Hospital on South Broad Street (Christ the Healer in the chapel) and at the Presbyterian Church in Paoli, Pa. (a
Sculptor Eugene Daub ’60 Creates Historic Statue
ALL ALUmNI: SAVE THE DATE
— April 20 & 21, 2013 —
The TExAS LONE STAR CHAPTER invites any and all Girard alumni to attend
a reunion held at the fabulous HILTON DALLAS LINCOLN CENTER
(800-245-3304/972-934-8400)
Friday: dinner / Saturday Day: activities (museums, shopping, golf) Saturday Evening: business meeting, banquet with speakers
Let’s bring our families together and talk about “living in the Temple on the Hill.”
Call Joel Batalsky ’58 at 214-908-3708 for more information.
relief ). Daub is also well known as the designer of the Philadelphia Freedom medal, also known as the Freedom medal.
Rosa Parks, sculpted by Eugene Daub ’60, was recently unveiled at the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
7 | STEEL & GARNET www.girardcollege.edu
’Til our hearts be still …Recently deceased Brothers and Sisters
of Girard College
NAME CLASS OFGuy Anhorn 1964John Boyce 1941Fred Brahin 1944Carmen Buccieri 1948Darron Corriden 1969James Costello 1950Steve Crawford 1953James eckard 1952Anthony esposito 1955Maurice Gawlas 1949Karl Giulian 1954Frank Johnson 1948John Kinsey 1953Thomas Kolowitz 1964Dominic Mascioli 1942Cory Morton 2004William owens 1953elmer Parton 1943Thomas randall 1941edward rosenberg 1943robert rowe 1947Brian ruth 1978Thomas Salerno 1942earl Stover 1947Sedgwick Tourison 1958
If you know of any classmates who have
passed away and have not been reported
to the GCAA office, please inform us at
[email protected] or at 215-232-8882,
and we will make sure they are remembered.
ALuMNI oBITuArIeSBOB ROWE ’47
Robert (Bob) Rowe ’47 passed away on October 1, 2012 after a long illness. His brother William (Bill) Rowe, ’48 reflects on their lives as brothers and shares some of his memories of Bob.
As long as I can remember, Bob has always been the ideal big brother – maybe because of strong paternal instinct or maybe he felt he was responsible for me after our father’s death. Who knows? Bob and I were born in a little coal-mining town called Plains, Pennsylvania – in the heart of the Anthracite coal region in Northeast Pennsylvania, the largest Anthracite coal deposits in the world. We were born in a house on Henry Street that stands to this day.
When Bob was five years old and I was three, our father passed away at age 33. Dad was sick for five years and bedridden for the last two years of his life. Like so many at Girard, as I would soon learn, our mother was left penniless. So she, our sister, Bob and I had to move in with our grandmother and grandfather.
Our mother learned of a school for fatherless boys in Philadelphia called Girard College that was founded by a Frenchman, Stephen Girard, in 1848. Girard admitted boys between the ages of 6 and 10. At the time, there were 1,600 boys enrolled in the school. The boys in the school received free food, clothing, education and all a boy would need until he graduated at age 18.
When Bob turned six, our mother enrolled him in Girard College, and there he joined his new family for the next 10 1/2 years. Not long after, on my sixth birthday, I joined Bob at Girard. One would think brothers would be assigned to the same dormitory at least some of the time, but Bob and I never had that opportunity until we reached high school. On occasion, we might pass each other in the halls of the elementary school. Sometimes, when we attended services in the huge, overpowering chapel, we might get a glimpse of each other.
Sundays were different. After the Sunday morning chapel service, all the boys who had brothers in the school would meet for a half hour or so in the Armory. The Armory had three basketball courts, an indoor track, four rehearsal rooms for the Junior and Senior bands and orchestras and the uniform/locker rooms for each of the four companies in the battalion. This special time was called “Brothers Line” where we shared letters from home or our own experiences during the week at school. We would go back to our respective dormitories after Brothers Line. It wasn’t until I entered high school that Bob and I were in the same dormitory, Bordeaux Hall.
Come summer vacations, it was Bob and I at our grandmother’s. Her house was situated on a hill and completely surrounded by open fields. You could see all the way to the Susquehanna River, about a mile away. We knew that little town like a book. It had one traffic light then and still has only one. Bob and I and our friends would explore abandoned coal mines. We would roam Plains, had all of the best peach trees staked out, and we would help ourselves. We also did some night-time raiding when the trees were too visible during the day.
On occasion we would hike up to the Poconos. There was a place where the water came rushing down, cascading over the rocks. It formed a beautiful clear blue pool that we called Blue Bottom. There we went skinny-dipping: no girls allowed.
One day, Georgie McBride (Bob’s friend) wanted to go frogging in a swamp on the other side of the river. They invited me to go along. The swamp where the frogs were was in the town of Wyoming, Pennsylvania. In order to get there we had to cross the Wyoming Bridge. I don’t know if we got any frogs or if we saw any. Regardless, it was fun. On the way back, Bob and Georgie decided to have a little fun with me. They each picked me up under the arms and dangled me over the railing in the middle of the bridge above the Susquehanna River, laughing all the time while I was screaming. My grandmother probably heard me a mile away. Great sport for them, but no fun for me! That was my big brother.
The most fun Bob and I had together, and it was always just Bob and me, was picking blackberries. We picked them for our grandmother to make jelly and for our grandfather to make wine. We would get up early in the morning while everyone was asleep. Our grandmother would leave the berry pails on the kitchen table for us. On one particular day that sticks in
my memory, we set out slogging through the dew-laden weeds. We picked three patches that morning and we knew which patches to pass up if we had recently picked them. The next patch was about a quarter of a mile away on the other side of the railroad tracks. We had a commuter train that ran just eighteen miles between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. A lot like the Metrorail, it was powered by the electricity from the third rail. Unlike the Metrorail, there was no cover on the third rail—just bare metal. We walked the tracks to the next patch. To get on the other side we had to get up onto the train tracks, then jump to clear the third rail. Bob said he’d go first. I watched him get on the tracks then as he jumped, his foot slipped and one foot hit the third rail. I thought he was a goner – but the jolt of that electricity threw him into a complete somersault and he landed on the other side of the tracks facing me. We both stood there looking at each other in utter amazement that he was alive. Then that famous Bob Rowe grin came over his face and he held up his pail and said, “Look! I didn’t even lose any berries!” That was the first of his nine lives.
It was a sad time for us when we had to leave Plains to go back to school. Our mother would make fudge and invite all our friends to roast potatoes on a fire in the open field. The next day we would go to Wilkes-Barre and load a caravan of three or four buses that would take all of the boys living in that area back to Girard College. As the bus climbed that first mountain, there was a big bend in the road where we could look back and see our entire valley from the Poconos on the east to the Appalachian Mountains on the west. We would look back to see if we recognized any landmarks of Plains which always was our home.
On the other side of that mountain range lay Philadelphia, the city of history and culture and sophistication and Girard College with its strict discipline and regimentation; two totally different worlds: Plains and Girard.
Once back at school, there was our memorable Brothers Line. Girard for some reason did not serve us pancakes for breakfast in the lower classes. It was a bitter cold Sunday when we met in the Armory. Bob was a new freshman in high school in Bordeaux Hall. They did serve pancakes to high school students. He said to me, “Let’s go outside.” Once outside, Bob proceeded to pull a white cotton cloth napkin out of his overcoat pocket and give it to me. Inside were two pancakes. I never tasted pancakes as good as those that came out of my brother’s overcoat pocket.
When I became a freshman in Bordeaux, there was a system called Class Preference that was practiced among the students – not sanctioned by the school. A senior could make a lower classman (usually a freshman) shine his shoes, polish the brass on his battalion uniform, or press his suit or uniform. For some reason, it was common for Girardians to call each other by our last names (with the exception for those who had nicknames). Bob didn’t want me to have any issues with my peers nor for anyone to feel I was being protected by my big brother. He suggested I call him Rowe (not Bob), and he also refer to me by our last name. That went on throughout our high school days.
Then came another summer vacation. Our mother had been working for Pan American Airways and was transferred from New York to Miami. We were going to go there by train for our vacation. Those of us who had to travel long distances to go home were given a box lunch to hold us over while travelling. The kitchen staff at Girard gave Bob and me three box lunches each. We were the talk of our peers at breakfast; they’d say, “Look at the Rowe brothers with three lunches each.” I still don’t know how we managed our way to the 30th Street Railroad Station with our suitcases and all those lunches in tow.
The first thing Bob did when he got to Miami was to get a job. He found one at a shell factory on Miami Ave., painting shells for
bracelets and necklaces. He quit when he made enough money to buy us outfits for the summer instead of the Girard College issue. The rest of the money he spent on us for the beach, movies, mini-golf and other activities.
At Girard, Bob was the “Big Man on Campus.” He was a member of the National Honor Society and carried the flag in the Battalion Color Guard, but it was his athletic prowess that made him BMOC. He earned more athletic letters than any other athlete who had preceded him in 100 years. He was captain of the soccer team and scored the winning goal against our arch-rival Northeast High in a championship game. He was co-captain of the basketball team and he was a high jumper on the track team. He loved his school and his classmates and was forever indebted to our benefactor, Stephen Girard.
After Girard, he worked for Curtis Publishing Co. (Saturday Evening Post) and boarded at Mom McCracken’s with his friend Liz Mayer and other former graduates who didn’t have a place to go after graduation. Even then, he sent money to the school for my bus fare to visit my grandparents during Easter for the last time.
When Bob came to live in Miami permanently, he first worked as a mail carrier in the Tobacco Road area. Then he went to Armour & Co. where he found his niche in the food business. Howard Johnson then hired him away as a regional manager. From there, he went into the food brokerage business with Morgan Beaver. At last he found his dream by creating his own business: Bob Rowe Sales. He was his own boss and he didn’t have to answer to anyone.
Just as he excelled at Girard, he excelled in business. A tough competitor, he worked hard to get the winning edge just as he did in sports. He was tough but fair, earning the respect and endearment of his suppliers, customers and employees.
Girard College is a independent boarding school for academically capable students, grades 1 through 12, from families with limited financial resources, each headed by a single parent or guardian. Girard’s mission is to prepare students for advanced education and life as informed, ethical and productive citizens through a rigorous educational program that promotes intellectual, social and emotional growth.
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Mark YourCalendar
Golf Outing May 17
Founder’s Day May 18
Upper School Graduation June 6
Lower School Graduation June 14
STEEL &Garnet
ALUMNI: Many details about
the schedule for Founder’s Day, May 18
are inside.
Look in your mailbox for the 2013 Founder’s Day brochure. Call the GCAA Office if you
have questions: 215-232-8882
ENJOY OUR COLLABORATiVE NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the spring issue of GIRARD TODAY and the STeel & GARneT. This is the third issue produced collaboratively by Girard College and the GCAA (Girard College Alumni Association). When you finish reading one division, turn the newsletter over and upside down, and start again!
IN THIS ISSUE
Glasser Wins Stephen Girard Award................................1
GCAA President’s Letter .....................................................2 New GCAA Director Named ..............................................2
Founder’s Day Schedule .....................................................3 100 years Ago in the S&G ...................................................3
Secret Santa .............................................................................4 Hummers at the Mummers .................................................4
Chapter News ..........................................................................5
??? ................................................................................................6
Business Directory ................................................................7 Wells Fargo Gift ......................................................................7
Obituaries ................................................................................8 GCAA Officers/Chapters .....................................................8
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