Fall 2011 â¢ Vol. 28, Issue 1 - Eagle Online - Niagara University

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Remembering Brother Steve 16 In Brother Stephen J. Kennedy, C.M., cheerfulness and charity went hand in hand. His desire to “work with the people” led him to donate countless hours in service to the poor and underserved in the Niagara Falls area, both while working as postmaster at Niagara University, a position he held for 24 years, and after his retirement in 1987. On Friday, Oct. 7, during a memorial Mass in Alumni Chapel, the Niagara University community celebrated the life of Brother Steve, who passed away on Sept. 27 at the age of 84. A native of Philadelphia, Brother Steve entered the Congregation of the Mission in 1957 after serving in the Navy during World War II and pursuing a career in business. He was assigned to the Vincentian Motherhouse in Germantown, Pa., where he served in a variety of administrative posts. In 1963, he was assigned to Niagara University as postmaster of the university’s Post Office, a position that enabled him to get to know hundreds of Niagara students. “I think I knew every student by their first name,” he once said. He so enjoyed his friendship with the students that he took advantage of opportunities to work with them in extracurricular pursuits, including coaching the university’s golf team and moderating the men’s and women’s hockey teams. When the women’s team earned a berth into the NCAA Frozen Four in 2001-02, the players received rings for their achievement. Brother Steve received a ring as well and wore it often. “e ring meant a great deal to him,” the Rev. Joseph Hubbert, C.M., ’73, Vincentian religious superior, recalls. Brother Steve also enjoyed the company of his confreres and would initiate opportunities for them to get together, often over Chinese food or as members of a ursday night bowling team. e team was “more camaraderie than competition for him,” says Father Hubbert. But what Brother Steve was most passionate about was helping the less fortunate in his community. “is is what life is all about: Love thy neighbor — not abstractly, but concretely,” he once said, and his life clearly reflected this conviction. He donated countless hours to a variety of charitable causes in the Niagara Falls area on days off and after hours during his postal career. He prepared meals, attended to clean up and provided hospitality to patrons of Maranatha House and the Lampstead, two projects of the Catholic Worker; tutored disadvantaged elementary and high school students; started a program to teach African American history in local churches and in the Niagara County jail; and helped to bring a literacy program to the area’s maximum-security prison. Retirement afforded Brother Steve the time to do full time what he had been doing on a part-time basis, and, in 1987, he established the St. Vincent de Paul Center of Niagara University. Under his direction, the center distributed millions of pieces of clothing, furniture and foodstuffs to disadvantaged families in the area and collected toys for needy children each Christmas. He also had a great appreciation for Native American culture and worked with members of the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Niagara County and the Six Nations Reservation in Canada. His enthusiasm for and devotion to this work inspired hundreds of Niagara University students to follow his example. ese charitable deeds, he said, rounds out their education. For several years, Brother Steve could be found behind the wheel of a 14-foot van that was donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Center. With it, he would make his rounds through the community, collecting clothing, appliances and household goods for the distribution center. Jan Reele, who has worked for the Vincentians for the past 12 years, recalls that when Brother Steve drove his truck onto the Tuscarora Reservation, the children would run toward it “as if (he) were Santa Claus.” In recognition of his selfless dedication to the underserved, Brother Steve was honored with a number of awards, including the Niagara University Caritas Medal and the President’s Medal from St. John’s University. On Tuesday, Oct. 4, a funeral Mass was held at St. Vincent’s Seminary in Philadelphia. Brother Steve was laid to rest that afternoon at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Princeton, N.J. “Brother Steve Kennedy was our postmaster for many years, but it was his compassion, service of the poor and his consistent smile and joyful spirit that made him a very special person here at Niagara University; he was indeed a second Vincent de Paul for us and the Western New York community he loved to serve,” said the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., Niagara University president. “Brother Steve will live forever in the hearts of everyone who knew him.”
Hockey Player Learns Life Lesson in Tanzania “W hat’s it like in the United States?” It was simple question, but as he looked at the boy who had asked, a boy who was about 13 or 14 and had left his village of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, only a handful of times, Sam Goodwin couldn’t come up with the words to describe a place that was so very different from the places the boy knew. is was a defining moment in a journey that started as an adventure but became a life-altering experience for Sam, a senior communications/French major from St. Louis, Mo. He had heard about a trip to Tanzania that a friend had taken the year before to volunteer at a village school, and he was intrigued. He asked his friend to help him arrange a similar trip for himself. “I’ll go anywhere, especially if I haven’t been there,” Sam says. “Traveling in general and seeing new places is something I enjoy. at whole idea is what interested me.” So, just days after completing his classes in May, Sam boarded a plane in Chicago and landed some 18 hours later in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. ere, he met Charlie Sloan, a former Peace Corps volunteer who had established the school where Sam would work for the next three weeks, and with whom he’d stay while in the East African country. Although Charlie’s house had some modern conveniences — a kitchen, family room with TV, running water — Sam says it was nothing like home. By Lisa McMahon “For three weeks, I can honestly say that we lived like they did,” he says. “It was frustrating because there were times when we were pretty hungry, but we wanted the experience and we got it.” Sam spent the majority of his time at Nianjema primary and secondary school, where his main responsibility was to help the students improve their English skills. He’d assist the older students with their classroom work and play games with the younger ones. When he wasn’t at the school, Sam worked out to keep in shape for hockey. e Purple Eagles forward would run, despite the 90-degree heat, and kept up with his conditioning routine in Charlie’s small workout room. “Hockey is the number one priority in my life,” Sam says, “so I had to make sure that things with that were okay before I did anything else.” By the time his three weeks were over, Sam was ready to return home. But he returned with a new perspective and a greater appreciation of how fortunate he is. “You really realize how good you have it here,” he says. “I learned how much they appreciate simple things that we just completely take for granted. It’s really hard to explain unless you’re there.” And he says he still thinks about the boy and the simple question he asked. “I still don’t know how to answer the question,” Sam says. “I still don’t know where to start.” 17 NOVEmBER DECEmBER 2011-2012 Purple Eagles Sports Schedule Date Team Opponent Time Date Team Opponent Time Date Team Opponent Time Nov. 19 Women’s Basketball Winthrop 3 p.m. Dec. 13 Men’s Basketball DREXEL 7 p.m. Jan. 27 Men’s Basketball LOYOLA* 7 p.m. Women’s Hockey ST. CLOUD STATE 2 p.m. Women’s Basketball Ohio TBA Men’s Hockey Robert Morris** 7:05 p.m. Nov. 20 Women’s Basketball Bradley 1 p.m. Nov. 21 Men’s Basketball South Dakota State 5 p.m. Nov. 22 Men’s Basketball Mercer 7:30 p.m. Men’s Hockey Cornell 7 p.m. Nov. 23 Men’s Basketball Sam Houston State 5 p.m. Nov. 25 Women’s Basketball BUCKNELL 7 p.m. Nov. 26 Men’s Hockey Sacred Heart** 4 p.m. Nov. 27 Men’s Hockey Sacred Heart** 4 p.m. Women’s Basketball PENN 2 p.m. Nov. 28 Men’s Basketball St. Francis (PA) 7 p.m. Dec. 2 Men’s Basketball FAIRFIELD* 7 p.m. Women’s Basketball Colgate TBA Men’s Hockey Bentley** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Ohio State 7 p.m. Dec. 3 Men’s Hockey Bentley** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Ohio State 2 p.m. Dec. 4 Men’s Basketball IONA* 2 p.m. Dec. 6 Women’s Basketball Albany TBA Dec. 7 Men’s Basketball BUFFALO 7 p.m. Dec. 9 Men’s Hockey Robert Morris** 7:05 p.m. Dec. 10 Men’s Basketball Hartford 6 p.m. Women’s Basketball BINGHAMTON 2 p.m. Men’s Hockey Mercyhurst** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey CLARKSON 7 p.m. Dec. 11 Women’s Hockey CLARKSON 2 p.m. DECEmBER JANUARY Dec. 16 Women’s Basketball St. Bonaventure TBA Dec. 22 Men’s Basketball Quinnipiac TBA Dec. 28 Men’s Basketball UMBC TBA Dec. 29 Women’s Basketball Syracuse TBA Dec. 30 Men’s Basketball ST. BONAVENTURE 7 p.m. Men’s Hockey Minnesota 7:05 p.m. Dec. 31 Men’s Hockey Princeton 4 p.m. Jan. 2 Men’s Basketball Loyola* TBA Jan. 6 Men’s Basketball Iona* 7 p.m. Men’s Hockey UConn** 7:05 p.m. Jan. 7 Men’s Hockey UConn** 7:05 p.m. Jan. 8 Men’s Basketball Siena* TBA Jan. 13 Men’s Basketball SAINT PETER’S* TBA Men’s Hockey ARMY** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Mercyhurst*** 2 p.m. Jan. 14 Men’s Hockey ARMY** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey MERCYHURST*** 2 p.m. Jan. 15 Men’s Basketball MARIST* 2 p.m. Jan. 19 Men’s Basketball Canisius* TBA Jan. 20 Men’s Hockey AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Syracuse*** 7 p.m. Jan. 21 Men’s Hockey AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Syracuse*** 2 p.m. Jan. 22 Men’s Basketball Manhattan* TBA Women’s Hockey ROBERT MORRIS*** 7 p.m. Jan. 28 Men’s Hockey ROBERT MORRIS** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Robert Morris*** 7 p.m. Jan. 29 Men’s Basketball MANHATTAN* 2 p.m. Feb. 3 Men’s Basketball Fairfield* TBA Men’s Hockey Mercyhurst** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey MERCYHURST*** 7 p.m. Feb. 4 Men’s Hockey MERCYHURST** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Mercyhurst*** 7 p.m. Feb. 5 Men’s Basketball Rider* TBA Feb. 9 Men’s Basketball SIENA* 7 p.m. Feb. 10 Men’s Hockey AIR FORCE** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey Robert Morris*** 7 p.m. Feb. 11 Men’s Basketball RIDER* TBA Men’s Hockey AIR FORCE** 7:05 p.m. Feb. 12 Women’s Hockey ROBERT MORRIS*** 5 p.m. Feb. 14 Men’s Hockey Canisius** 7:05 p.m. Feb. 15 Men’s Basketball CANISIUS* 7 p.m. Feb. 16 Men’s Hockey CANISIUS** 7:05 p.m. Feb. 24 Men’s Basketball Saint Peter’s* TBA Men’s Hockey RIT** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey SYRACUSE*** 2 p.m. Feb. 25 Men’s Hockey RIT** 7:05 p.m. Women’s Hockey SYRACUSE*** 2 p.m. Feb. 26 Men’s Basketball Marist* TBA HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS * denotes MAAC games ** denotes an Atlantic Hockey Association contest *** denotes a College Hockey America contest JANUARY FEBRUARY
Page 1 and 2: EAGLE N I A G A R A U N I V E R S I
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Page 6 and 7: ON THE RIDGE 4 The grand opening an
Page 8 and 9: ON THE RIDGE Professor Teaching Stu
Page 10 and 11: ON THE RIDGE Nursing Is Back at Nia
Page 13: STUDENT PROFILE William Habschied:
Page 16 and 17: Student manager Mike Rockwood was i
Page 20 and 21: ADVANCEmENT mATTERS Robert J. Bull,
Page 22 and 23: 20 Class of 1986 graduates Sean Buo
Page 24 and 25: 22 Among the alumni who were honore
Page 27 and 28: Growing in Faith AAt the very heart
Page 29 and 30: 27 is a continuous learning experie
Page 31: NEWS FROm THE NEST Who Was There ki
Page 34 and 35: CATCHING UP 32 CLASS NOTES 1955 Ric
Page 36 and 37: CATCHING UP 34 Deans Awards Dr. Jam
Page 38 and 39: CATCHING UP Fond memories 36 L-r: C
Page 40 and 41: CATCHING UP Nursing Alumni Council
Page 43 and 44: THE LAST WORD Growing up, I was the

Fall 2011 â¢ Vol. 28, Issue 1 - Eagle Online - Niagara University

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Fall 2011 â¢ Vol. 28, Issue 1 - Eagle Online - Niagara University