A lasting legacy for a once-proud school

"What is the beginning of anything but a meeting of dreams and reality?

It was in a defunct convent that 13 students found their new school a pleasant reality, close to the countryside of Grymes Hill and within earshot of the electric trolleys that gaily rattled up and down Austin Place.

And an even greater dream was fulfilled -- this little academy, even in the first decade of its existence, became one of New York City's finest secondary schools."

A writer with a touch of the poet in his or her soul penned those words for the last yearbook of Augustinian Academy, the 1969 yearbook. The date alluded to in "The Beginning" was Sept. 13, 1899, the day "that in that brick building of the new Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish the first Catholic high school on Staten Island was begun."

The final chapter is being written as you read this. The once-graceful Spanish mission-style building that had been home to Augustinian Academy from 1926 through 1969 is being demolished. Ravaged by fire and vandalism, the building was in such poor shape that hope for renovation was dashed.

Last week, Tom Conway, president of the Augustinian Academy Alumni Association, played tour guide, taking me for a stroll through the academy's Hall of Memories, a corridor on the second floor of Our Lady of Good Counsel School on Austin Place, Tompkinsville, where it all began.

Photographs from the school's past line one wall and four large glass trophy cases containing a variety of memorabilia dominate the opposite wall. Staring out from the photos are some prominent Staten Islanders who are alumni of the former academy.

Easily spotted were Thomas R. Sullivan, retired justice of the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, and the late John D. Kearney, who served as Staten Island's public administrator.

Conway pointed out other notables. Among them was John Braniff Jr., a fifth-generation Islander who played for the Stapes, a Staten Island team that competed in the National Football League in the 1930s. His son, John Braniff III, a well-known civic activist who died almost a year ago, also was an alumni.

Other "Augies" graduates, he noted, include former Family Court Judge Dan Leddy, who now writes a weekly column (Tuesday) for the Advance called "On the Law"; Michael Mazella, principal of St. Ann's School, Dongan Hills; Bill Welsh, a track star of the 1940s-1950s and a member of the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame; Joe Keeney, who was executive director of Sea View Hospital and Home; Mark Lauria, chairman of the board of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center; Stephen Barranco, 1962 winner of the Varsity Club award; Charles P. Goggi, a jockey, inventor and wine maker; and John and Bill Franzreb, whose family operated the Clove Lake Stable in Sunnyside for many years.

Welsh returned to the academy as a teacher-coach and took the track team to the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden in 1957, Conway reported.

He wasn't the only student who returned to the school to teach and coach and Braniff wasn't the only alumni to play for the Stapes. In fact, the academy is no doubt the only Island high school to boast of two players on the Stapes. Joe Baeszler was the other one. He coached the "Augies" football team when it was a power. According to Conway, the legendary New Dorp coach Sal Somma was a great admirer of Baeszler, who was a Sandy Hook pilot for 30 years.

Way back, the academy team played Curtis High School for the right to adopt maroon and blue as the school colors, Conway said. "It's obvious who won," he added, standing under a large maroon-and-blue banner in the Hall of Memories. Curtis teams wear maroon and white.

I'm probably going to leave out some names that should be included here but we're giving it our best shot. Any list of academy alumni must include basketball star Billy Seaman, the school's only 1,000-point scorer; Bob Steele, former athletic director at McKee/Staten Island Tech; Mike Marotta, former principal of Tottenville High; Tom Walsh, 1954 Jaques Award winner, and our own Mark Hanley (editorial page editor) and George Kochman (sports reporter).

Another alumnus is the actor Patrick Collins of the class of 1966, whose extensive television work includes several appearances on "Law and Order." Collins appeared in a couple of mini-series "Blind Ambition" and "On the Wings of Eagles." He was a series regular on "Supertrain" and "Checking In" and guest-starred in nearly 40 TV shows, ranging from "Welcome Back Kotter" to "Newhart" to "ER" and "Third Watch."

His feature film credits include "Jersey Girl" and director Garry Marshall's "Young Doctors in Love," among others, and his stage credits include Off-Broadway and regional productions of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Don't Drink the Water," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Joan of Lorraine."

The building that housed the academy was purchased by Wagner College in 1993 for a little more than $3.7 million. In 1985, it had been acquired by developers after having served as a retreat house since the closing of the school. It was abandoned by the developers.

At first there was talk that Wagner would restore the building but after years of neglect, vandalism and heavy damage caused by a fire in February 2003, restoration was no longer a viable option. Now plans call for the college to build an academic structure on the property but, thanks to Dr. Richard Guarasci, who took over as president of Wagner in 2002, the old school will not be forgotten.

Guarasci "has been a breath of fresh air," Conway said. Last month, he hosted a reception for the Alumni Association in conjunction with a visit to the old building for a last look.

"He's going to let us build a monument on the site and let us recreate the Hall of Memories there," Conway continued. In addition, some Wagner trustees, including Jack Irving of the Augustinian Academy class of 1965, donated $10,000 to start an Augustinian Academy scholarship fund. The Alumni Association chipped in another $1,000.

"We've never been about fund-raising before but in the next five to 10 years, we'll be raising money for the Hall of Memories and the scholarship fund," Conway said.

During our visit to the Hall of Memories at Good Counsel, I met Frances Santangelo, the school principal, who introduced me to a member of the faculty, Mary K. Johnson. Ms Johnson is the niece of the Rev. Patrick J. Kenny, who was selected to study in Germany while a student at Villanova University. Father Kenny was ordained in the Augustinian Church in Wurzburg, Germany, in 1935. Because of the language skill he acquired, Father Kenny worked with German prisoners of war at the old Halloran Hospital, Willowbrook, Ms. Johnson said.

Father Kenny, a native Islander, attended Curtis but graduated from Augustinian Academy in 1927. When he returned from Germany, he was assigned to the Grymes Hill school and rose to become prior.

His name and the names of the others mentioned above and many more make for a lasting legacy of a once-proud educational institution. It's a legacy not wiped away by the destruction of a building as long as there are alumni around to keep it alive.

Mike Azzara's Memories column appears in the Arts & Ideas section of the Sunday Advance. He may be reached at azzara@siadvance.com.

All eyes are on the 'abbies'

Historically 1946 was the year that divided the generations.

It was the year that launched America's largest generation of 78.2 million-strong "baby boomers," the nickname given to Americans born between 1946 and 1964.

While other generations have grown old and made their impact on American culture and values, baby boomers, perhaps because of their sheer numbers, have been the focus of attention from historians and the media. And this year, they remind us, the wave of first-year baby boomers turn 60 years old.

The numbers are impressive. There were 3.4 million Americans born in 1946, a jump from 2.8 million the year before.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 7, 929 people a day will turn 60 this year.

The company is impressive, as well. Turning 60 this year are George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Patty Duke, Reggie Jackson, Sally Field, Liza Minnelli, Dolly Parton, Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones and Diane Keaton -- just to name a celebrity baker's dozen.

The Class of 1946 are the folks that Newsweek magazine christened "abbies," short for "aging baby boomers." They are the folks who worry, or are supposed to be worried, about such things as pensions, Social Security and retirement on the horizon. They obsess about their health, staying fit, trim and looking "young." And, characteristically, they are young at heart, looking forward to the next 10 to 25 years of a life that they fully expect to be around for.

Tim Miller, a management consultant from West Brighton, who turns 60 tomorrow, reflects the attitude of the cohort.

"I guess I don't think of myself as 'aging' or getting older," he said. "Old age will have to take me kicking and screaming."

Miller, who enjoys running and works out daily, said he plans to run a 13 1/2-mile marathon through Central Park later this month.

Wagner College President Dr. Richard Guarasci, who also turns 60 this year, credits the parents of baby boomers for nurturing their can-do attitude and optimism about aging. Parents of boomers -- who grew up during wartime and the Depression -- wanted better for their offspring -- everything from a better education to the fruits of consumerism.

"The baby boomers are the children of the 'Greatest Generation', as Tom Brokaw described them. Most of our parents grew up in the Depression and had nothing," Guarasci said.

"We were the families they made when they came home from the war and we've had far greater opportunities than they ever did. As a result, much has been expected of us by them," he said. "No matter our age, we are still their children at heart and most of us will always hope we've made them proud.

Diane Lore is an Advance features writer and columnist. Contact her at lore@siadvance.com.