Honored at Tenth Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast

St. Francis College’s Director of Alumni Relations and Graduate of the Class of ’74, Dennis McDermott was honored as the Irishman of the Year at the Tenth Annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast hosted by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, Al O’Hagan and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz on Thursday, March 17 at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

I was fortunate to have the Franciscan Brothers who came from Ireland to Brooklyn to teach the poor,” said McDermott. “They taught me the values of loyalty, kindness and giving to others.”

After graduating from St. Francis as the Men’s Basketball Career Leading Scorer (now third all-time) and being drafted by the New York Knicks, McDermott became Athletic Director and Men’s High School Basketball Coach at The Packer Collegiate Institute. He then embarked on a career on Wall Street as a Municipal Bond Broker, working at Clifford Drake (which became J.J. Kenny), Chapdelaine and Municipal Partners Inc.. He then spent two years as Athletic Director at Xaverian High School before returning to his alma mater in 2000 as Director of Alumni Relations. Every year, McDermott helps plan and host numerous events helping St. Francis alumni connect with each other and the College.

St. Francis College President Brendan J. Dugan ’68 introduced McDermott, who recalled viewing President Dugan as a role model when growing up in St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Carroll Gardens.

McDermott is an active supporter of the Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) and Al’s Angels. He is a life-long Brooklynite, where he still resides in Gravesend with his wife Cathy and son Brian.

Others honored at the St. Patrick’s Breakfast were Judge Kelly O’Neill Levy (Justice William T. Bellard Memorial Award), Martin Brennan (Commodore John Barry Award) and Inspector Charles Scholl, NYPD (Paul O’Dwyer / Thomas Cuite Award).

The ceremony, which was conducted by Honorable Bernard J. Graham, Acting Justice of Supreme Court of Kings County, included a performance of Irish Dancing by The O’Malley School of Dance and the singing of the Irish and American National Anthems by Mary Elizabeth O’Regan (Irish) and John Houlihan (American).

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