Alumni Milestones
Here is some information about what Gloucester Catholic Alumni are currently doing..
Gloucester Catholic alumni are scattered all over the globe. They are proud members
of our family, as well as their own, and continue to make outstanding contributions
to society. Here is just a brief listing of some recent news about our alumni that
has been brought to our attention:
Art DiPatri ‘58 will be inducted posthumously into the
Camden County Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, October 27 at Lucien’s Manor in Berlin.
Art is being honored as an individual who brought “honor and glory” to Camden County
through sports. Art’s wife, Sheila, will accept the award honoring Art’s lifetime
of accomplishments. Tickets are available for the event by contacting Dana or Kim
at (856) 225-5322
Joe Cogan ‘63 is retiring from a 42 year teaching career
in the Woodlynne and Stratford Public School systems. Joe will continue to coach
basketball at Stratford….something he has been doing for 44 years!
Marty O’Connor ‘65 retired as principal of the Cold Spring
School after serving 39 years in the Gloucester City Public Schools. He and his
wife, Joanne O’Donnell O’Connor ‘68, reside in Gloucester
City and have four children (all Rams!) and two grandchildren.
Michael Payne ‘89 was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and
selected to command a battalion in FY12 at Fort Hood Army Military Base in Texas.
Mike will command 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary
Division at Fort Hood. A battalion is 500-800 soldiers strong and includes six companies.
Barbara Porreca-Knecht ‘70 was honored with Shire Pharmaceuticals’
2010 CEO Award. Barbara is described as an avid volunteer and role model for Shire’s
commitment to the community. Since joining the firm in 2004, she has worked with
a variety of service projects. Last year, she re-envisioned the firm’s annual Project Santa for underprivileged children in Chester County, serving as Mrs. Claus herself,
as she brought dinner, games and gifts to Philadelphia’s Northern Home for Children.
Another Ram- Done Act of Kindness!
Cecelia Kawecka ‘74 opened Hairworks in Brooklawn.
Christine Bobiak ‘85 is an associate on the staff of this
full service salon located on the Brooklawn Circle.
Christopher Micaletti ‘92 and Jennifer Worrell
‘90 were married on April 30, 2011 in Cape May, NJ.
Bridgette Cooper ‘02, niece of Jennifer and proud member of
the US Coast Guard, was in attendance. Chris and Jenn now make their home in Gloucester
City.
Bill Glassman, Jr. ‘01, his wife Nicole, and daughter
Hannah are happy to welcome their son/brother, Noah Joseph. He was born on March 15, 2011.
Jessica Brino ‘04 recently completed her Master of Arts
in History from Rutgers University.
Stephanie Dabek ‘08, junior history major / media studies
minor at the Catholic University of America, interned this summer at the Smithsonian
Institute’s Air and Space Museum. Stephanie was recently accepted into Phi Alpha
Theta, the International Honor Society for History, and Pi Gamma Mu, the International
Honor Society in Social Sciences.
Brittany Sullivan ‘09 completed a memorable season of
softball at Gloucester County College. GCC wrapped up an outstanding 49-5 season,
winning the Junior College National Championship (NJCAA). Brittany was 12-1 as a
pitcher with a 2.10 ERA and batted .375 while also seeing spot duty at 3rd base.
Brittany earned her A.A.S Degree in Criminal Justice and will continue her academic
and softball career at Rutgers University, Camden.
Joe Lafferty ‘10, a Chemistry/Pre-Med major at Susquehanna University, has
been elected vice president of his class and to a seat on the university’s
Student Conduct Board. He is a member of Susquehanna’s undefeated swim team and
varsity cross country/track team. Joe finished his year on the Dean’s List and will
serve as a resident assistant next year. Joe spent the summer as a volunteer medical
intern at Camp Nejeda, a residential camp for children with Type 1 diabetes.
Marissa Kinsey ‘10, a freshman at Immaculata University,
has been named to the 2011 Colonial States Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
An honor student, Marissa is a member of the legendary Mighty Macs varsity basketball
team.
GC Alum Eric Batchelor '95 - A Leader in Cancer Research at Harvard
It has been an exciting road for Eric Batchelor ‘ 95 -- from high school days at Gloucester Catholic to post-doctoral research at Harvard Medical School. But the renowned scientist credits the GCHS work ethic and the support of such faculty members as Anne Heim, Bob Nark and Denise Tabasco as contributing to his success. These mentors offered advice, kept in touch, and, perhaps most importantly, pushed him to work his hardest. Eric says he felt “completely prepared” for the rigors of the academic world. Eric currently is completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, where he is studying the regulation of tumor suppressor. In a few months, he will be
moving down to Bethesda, Maryland where he will start his own lab at the National Cancer Institute.
Eric had many options when he graduated from high school, but wanted a total college experience and chose Villanova. He majored in physics and was selected for Phi Beta Kappa. At Villanova’s commencement in 1999, Eric received the medal as the top student in physics and his GCHS classmate, Dr. Marissa Fankhanel, earned the medal for biology. Eric moved on to earn a Master’s and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in Physics. At that time, the now Dr. Batchelor, switched his attention to a relatively new field called Systems Biology, which is the intersection of Physics, Math, Biology and Computer Science. His PhD focused on the quantitative aspects of biological signal transduction.
Eric’s resume includes such honors as the 2006 Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching; the American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship; and the National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship. But it is not all work and no play for this distinguished researcher. Having enjoyed performing in the school plays at Gloucester Catholic, Eric was intrigued by an ad for social dance classes. Those lessons quickly developed into a new passion. For the past four years, he has been dancing competitively for the Harvard Ballroom Dance Team, which competes nationally and internationally. Who knew that learning a couple of steps for the school plays would eventually lead to a serious hobby?
Remembered as a quiet but popular high school student, Eric has been described as “wearing his learning lightly”. As with many GC grads, Eric recalls the lessons learned both inside and outside the classroom. “I think the biggest lesson I learned is that no one is isolated, we are all part of not only a greater community of people, but also the environment as a whole. What we do affects things around us. We all share a great responsibility, a stewardship, to look out for one another and protect our world.”
And what advice does this savvy cancer researcher give to today’s students? “The best advice I could give would be to do your best to live a full, balanced life. By this I mean one should study hard and take pride in one’s work, but at the same time, cultivate outside interests and friendships that will enrich your life. For example, I had a great time competing with the forensics team in high school, and made some great friends in the process. What I later came to realize is that the skills I developed in forensics helped me in numerous areas of my life – from developing good public speaking skills for formal scientific presentations, to being able to feel comfortable walking up to a new person and engaging in a friendly conversation.
And it is nice to know that the GC lip-dub has even been seen on Harvard Square! “It’s been a while since I’ve been around GC, but I felt a huge pang of nostalgia a few months back. I saw the YouTube video of the current students performing “Don’t Stop Believing” and was completely blown away. Such a great group of students with so much school spirit, it was really amazing!”
GC Alum Named
Vice President of
Saint Joseph’s University
A Gloucester Catholic alumnus has been named the
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of
Saint Joseph’s University. John Smithson,
a member of
the Class of 1964, will provide administrative oversight
for the university’s Departments of Financial Affairs,
External Affairs, Administrative Services, Planning,
Internal Audit and Development and Alumni Relations.
An outstanding baseball player for the Rams, John
earned a full baseball scholarship to Saint Joe’s, where
he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1968
and his MBA in 1982. He is a graduate of the U.S. Navy
Officer Candidate School and served as a United States
Naval Officer from 1968-72. His professional career
includes positions as President/ CEO of PMA Capital
Corporation and Senior Vice President, Towers Perrin
Reinsurance.
John served as Chairman of the Saint Joseph’s
University Board of Trustees, 2003-2007, and was
inducted into the Saint Joseph’s University Baseball Hall
of Fame in 2005.