Annual Dinner Puts Face on Those Who Give and Receive

In an annual tradition at St. Francis College honoring the Franciscan ideal of giving back, more than 150 people, including scholarship recipients and the people who funded their awards, came together for a special reception on December 6.

James Konkel ’57, retired Partner of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, spoke about the three scholarships he’s funded, for his wife, mother and the Duns Scotus Honors Society. Konkel and his classmate and co-benefactor of the Duns Scotus scholarship Albert Doumar ’57, former Vice President at J.P. Morgan Chase, spoke about when they were in Duns Scotus as students at St. Francis and Brother Leo Quinn raised the idea of having a scholarship for members. Konkel joked that it took them 40 years to realize that dream, while Doumar, expanding on a quote from Mother Teresa added, “Every time you contribute to or create a scholarship at St. Francis College, it’s Christmas all over again.”

Among the other donors who attended were Peter Callahan ’63 who travelled from Florida and attended with his daughter, St. Francis Board of Trustees member Carolyn Callahan. They spent time with the John Daniel Callahan Memorial Scholarship recipient Deirdre Turner ’11, a student in the five year combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree program in Accounting. In addition to her class work, Turner is currently working at Ernst & Young after interning there, at JP Morgan Chase and working for the Callahans at McFadden Publishing.

After meeting Carolyn at a previous scholarship reception, Turner called her for some advice on looking for an internship. “When I went to meet Carolyn she laid out some of the magazines of the company, introduced me to the CFO of the company and said, you’ll start in June. I was in such shock and so excited,” said Turner. “The Callahan’s really took me under their wing. This scholarship has allowed me to fulfill my dreams at St. Francis College. Internships, study abroad in Ireland, the Honors Program, Duns Scotus Honors Society, and a full-time job at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms. I plan to give back to St. Francis College and the Callahan’s in any way I can in the future.”

Among the other guest at the reception were Linda and Gerald ’58 Curtin from North Carolina, who met with the Curtin Family Honorary scholar, Hadar Burger, an international student with a double major in Management and Math in her senior year at St. Francis. “Every journey begins with a single step,” said Burger to her sponsors. “Thank you for allowing me to begin mine.”

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.
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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu