Page 48 - Salesianum - Distinguished Gentleman - Summer 2020

GRAD
GLIMPSES
1960s
ED HYNES ’60 and ED ZYGMONSKI ’66 serve on the advisory board of Lewes in Bloom (LIB), a 266-member garden club that takes care of 28 gardens and venues,
35 hanging baskets and 40 industrial-
sized flower pots in Lewes, DE. In 2018, Lewes entered Communities in Bloom’s International Challenge and won the Grand Prize for the Most Beautiful Medium Sized City. As a result of the international award, LIB received an invitation to participate in Cervia, Italy’s “Maggio in Flore” (May in Bloom). This 47-year-old open-air flower festival is the largest in Europe and Lewes was the first American city to be invited
to attend. Only 60 participants are invited and LIB was in the company of cities such as Prague, Budapest, Innsbruck, Stuttgart, Vienna, Rome, Florence, Monaco, Milan, Bologna, Turin and Venice to name a few.
JOHN RILEY ’64:
In the fall of 2019, John published Delaware Eyewitness — Behind the Scenes in the First State. Part memoir, part contemporary
Delaware history, the book is dedicated
to all Vietnam veterans, especially three American heroes who, for at least a portion of their lives, called Delaware home: Lt. Commander James J. Connell ’57, Colonel Murphy Neal Jones and Brigadier General Jon Reynolds. Two chapters are devoted
to John Riley’s years at Salesianum, with a special focus placed on Fr. Robert Kenney ’42, OSFS. John explains, “Without him,
I would have never gone to college. His intervention was truly life-changing for me.” John’s book took first place as the winner of the Delaware Press Association’s Annual Communications contest in the category of “Nonfiction Books for Adult Readers — Autobiography or Memoir.”
LT. GENERAL FRANCIS VAVALA ’65:
In April 2019, Francis was honored by
the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington with the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award. The award was presented at the Catholic Charities’ annual dinner and recognizes exemplary individuals who
have demonstrated a deep commitment to addressing human suffering and promoting and restoring the well-being of people.
1970s
JAY FAULKNER ’76: In April 2019,
Jay was inducted into the Delaware Afro- American Sports Hall of Fame for football. Jay earned notoriety while at Salesianum as a football and track standout who rushed for 2,000 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in
15 career games. He went on to play in three bowl games for the University of North Carolina as well as playing for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.
GREG SCHEU ’79: In May 2019, Greg retired as President, Americas Region of ABB Ltd., Switzerland and received the Industry Award of Merit from the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED). The award recognized ABB as a long-term supporter of NAED.
1980s
ANTHONY ALBENCE ’89: In June 2019, Anthony was nominated as Delaware’s new State Elections Director by Governor John Carney and confirmed for a four-year term by the Senate. Anthony previously served as the New Castle County Director for the Delaware Department of Elections.
46 DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN | Summer 2020