BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP MARCH 24 - MARCH 30, 2017 49 St. Joseph's College brings Brooklyn to the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade BY PATRICK WEINBERG [email protected] Brooklyn pride took over the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade this past Friday when students and alumni from St. Joseph’s College took part in the annual celebration, which saw 150,000 marchers and over two million people watching. St. Joseph’s College, located in Clinton Hill, has a Gaelic Society, comprised of students proud of their heritage and their friends, Irish or otherwise. The goal of the society is keep Irish culture alive through a series of events throughout the school year, including a St. Patrick’s Day party that took place earlier in the week before the parade, and featured Irish Soda Bread, Irish step dancers and traditional music. Representatives of the college’s Brooklyn campus were also joined by compatriots from the school’s other campus located in Patchogue, Long Island. Megan Finnerty, president of the Gaelic Society, honored both her school and her Irish roots, saying, “I felt a sense of unity between both campuses. We all shared a common identity as people from St. Joseph College, whether as current students or alumni. Marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade is definitely a long-held tradition that should continue on in the St. Joseph’s community.” Michele Cipriano, president of the college’s Student Government Association, returned to march again this year, and despite not being Irish herself, she certainly has school spirit. “Walking in the parade helps foster a sense of community within not only the St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn community, but also with the Long Island campus and even alumni,” she said. Finnerty also acknowledged the attention that her school received. “A couple of people shouted things at us like ‘My nephew graduated from there’ or ‘I graduated from there’ and many people on the sides were chanting for St. Joseph’s,” she recalled. While these students may not all share the same background, they were definitely excited to represent their school, and besides, “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Patrick Weinberg Students from St. Joseph’s College at the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Diana Munson continues AHRC support in memory of Thurman BY JIM DOLAN “He was just an enigma,” said Diana Munson, widow of the New York Yankee catching icon Thurman Munson who dominated Major League Baseball behind the plate during the 1970s. “He was as hard as nails on the field and also a caring family man at the same time.” Part of that caring also extended to the AHRC cause that Munson adopted during his playing days in the Bronx, explained his wife during the 37th annual Thurman Munson Dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Following Munson’s tragic demise in a plane crash in 1979, Diana has hosted this annual fundraiser since 1980. AHRC is an organization that provides services to people with developmental disabilities. In addition to raising funds for the AHRC NYC Foundation Inc., Diana Munson informed attendees that over the years she has also visited the AHRC facilities that serve the children and adults that are Diana Munson, widow of Yankee great (1969-1979) Thurman Munson stands between two of her husband’s 1977 teammates, Graig Nettles (left) and Bucky Dent. intellectually and developmentally disabled. Such New York City facilities benefiting from the fundraiser can be found locally at the Dyker Heights AHRC Middle/High School at the corner of 12th Avenue and 66th Street, the site of the former Regina Pacis elementary school. Headed by Principal Andrew Photo by Jim Dolan Winfrey, this facility serves autistic children from 12 years all the way to 21 years of age. Although not as high profile as the recent Munson Dinner, Winfrey — along with his staff and student families — is currently preparing for his school’s own fundraiser at Buckley’s Restaurant on April 1, where he hopes to top last year’s proceeds of $25,000.
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