Reunion Brings 3’s and 8’s Back to Campus

Nearly 250 alumni participated in Reunions Weekend honoring the 3’s and 8’s from 1948 – 2018. On Friday, May 12, the Class of 1973 kicked off the weekend, celebrating their 50th Reunion in Ward Hall.  The strong leadership of Reunion Committee members - Vin Gandolfo, David Gately, Bob Lawler, Bob Maguire, Andrew Maloney, and Jay McInerney - drew 29 enthusiastic members of the class back to St. Sebastian’s. In honor of their Reunion, the Class of 1973 set a new record, raising $342,000 and naming the language lab in honor of their French teacher and track coach, Daniel F. McNeil, and established the Daniel F. McNeil Class of 1973 Scholarship Fund.

In addition to the 1973’s, on Friday night the Classes of 1968 and 1983 celebrated their 55th and 40th Reunions in the Burke Family Center.  A highlight for the Class of 1968 was a St. Sebastian’s trivia contest orchestrated by Jim Dunn and Ron Rich!  Known as the class who led St. Sebastian’s from Nonantum Hill to Needham, the Class of 1983 enjoyed dinner together on Friday evening, but got the old competitive spirit going on Saturday morning when Matt Lawler and Allan McCarthy faced off in a tennis match on campus.  Lawler and McCarthy played in honor of their classmate, Christopher “Kip” Dugan, who passed away in June of 2020.

The festivities continued on Saturday morning, when the Golden Arrows gathered in Martin Hall.  In recognition of the “giants whose shoulders we stand on,” Golden Arrow membership is reserved for alumni who have achieved their 50^th Reunion and beyond.  For the first time ever, we had a 75^th Reunion celebrant on campus, and not just one, but two!  Jack Boyle ’48 and Andy McAuliffe ’48 shared this distinction together and additionally, both have grandsons in the Class of 2023, Jack Boyle and Tommy McAuliffe!

For the second time, the “Order of the Day Award” was presented to a member of the Golden Arrow Society who has exhibited a lifetime of dedication to the service of his fellow man.  His selfless commitment to others is the fulfillment of the St. Sebastian’s Order of the Day, “Love God, work hard, and take good care of one another.” This year’s recipient was Kevin Daley ’61 in recognition of his lifetime of service dating back to his time in the Peace Corps and his leadership in the Austin Smiles Plastic Surgery Foundation serving cleft lip and cleft palate patients in Latin America.

Six members of the Class of 2023 addressed the alumni at the Golden Arrow Luncheon, sharing their experiences at St. Sebastian’s as well as their plans for the future. Landon Bailey, Lars Gubitosi, Jack Heeney, Tommy McAuliffe, Eddie Ryan, and Patrick Sliz spent time with our alumni, highlighting the timeless Brotherhood that prevails at St. Sebastian’s.

In a Reunion Weekend highlight, the Class of 1978 honored their classmate, Sengil “Inky” Inkiala for his inspirational life story.  Inky came to St. Sebastian’s from the Congo having lost his sight at 10 years of age and did all of his studies in Braille!  This remarkable alumnus set an example in “toughness” to all of his classmates.  Inky was presented with a “Once in, never out. Arrows forever!” plaque including a Braille translation.

Reunion events continued at the Cocktail Reception and Clambake on Saturday night. Before dinner, alumni, friends, and family gathered on the Class of 2017 Courtyard for a reception and class photos. The attendees enjoyed catching up over a dinner of clam chowder, lobster and steak tips in the Burke Family Center's wrestling room. The program included remarks from Headmaster Burke, welcoming alumni back to campus, and a video presentation featuring photos from the Reunion classes. Mr. Burke recognized the outstanding efforts of the Class of 2018 who achieved the highest alumni participation percentage in the Alumni Fund of all Reunion classes at 60%.

Showing their true Arrows spirit, the following alumni were recognized for the extra effort to get back to campus from across the USA!  Rob Brooks `08 - Colorado, Alan Comeau `73 - Florida, Mark Cousins `73 – Oregon, Thomas Feeney `73 – Indiana, Jim Giblin `78 – Illinois, Joey Guarino ’13 – California, Ryan Kennedy `93 – Virginia, Larry Kirk `73 – DC, John Lawler `78 – Pennsylvania, Bob Maguire `73 – Florida, Paul Maloof `68 – Virginia, Cam Martin `18 – Florida, Wes Mateo `03 – Ohio, Will McPherson `18 – DC, Neil Melley `18 – Florida, Brendan O’Reilly `03 – Tennessee, Elliot Otto `98 – California, Chris Riley `13 – Oregon, John Ryan `98 – Illinois, Paul Scemama `18 - Virginia

In a testament to the family atmosphere that exists at St. Sebastian’s, the following family members all share the 3’s & 8’s Reunion cycle, David Calabro `78 & Alex Calabro `13 (uncle-nephew), John DeSisto `88 & Matt DeSisto `18 (uncle-nephew), Ryan Kennedy `93 & Bob Kennedy `98 (brothers), John Lawler `78 & Matt Lawler `83 (brothers), Tom Looney `78 & Kevin looney `13 (father-son), Ed McCarthy `78 & Ed McCarthy `13 (father-son).

It was great to see so many alumni back on campus. To all 4’s & 9’s, make your plans for next year’s Reunion on May 11! Once in, never out. Arrows forever!