Antoinette Iadarola
President
Cabrini College
610 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087

February 14, 2005

Dear Dr. Iadarola,

On March 30, 1985, a distant twenty years ago, my father arrived home from the midnight shift of The Philadelphia Police Stakeout Unit, and drove myself and my mother to what I can only describe to you as the single most important day of my life. We were going to an Open-House for high school seniors at a not-so-widely known Catholic College called 'Cabrini'.

As a Police Officer, my father didn't make spit for a salary. And I guess, sending me to a wealthy school on the Main Line would seem like a far-fetched idea to him. After all, he used to sell his vacation time back to the city to help pay our high school tuition. But, on that day, I quickly fell in love with the school.

I can remember like it was yesterday. It was on that day that I met Rocco Sansone, Ron Bellopede, and the person with whom I would spend the rest of my life with, Donna Dougherty. On that day, I felt the world opening up to me. I felt as though big things were about to happen for me. My world was busting at its seams!

There was one obstacle there was no way of getting over. Tuition and Room & Board. At a whopping $12,000, I must have been asking the impossible. I was just an average student with no special talent in athletics.

Again, I can remember it like it was yesterday. We were standing outside the old gym in Sacred Heart Hall. My father and mother were greeted by John Dzik. As I was in La-La-Land, Dzik pulled my father into that small conference room across from where the registrar's office was and in a matter of an hour or so, wiped that worried look off my poor father's face.

Mr. Dzik understood my parent's dilemma and he personally helped find us the financial aid necessary for me to attend Cabrini College. If my memory is correct, Dzik was wearing two hats at the time, Athletic Director and Dean of Admissions.

A few months later I received two letters in the mail. One from John Dzik accepting me to Cabrini College and the other from Howard Buzzard welcoming me to the Business Department.

Dzik could have easily told my father "Why don't you do yourself a favor and send him to an affordable state school". He didn't. Dzik went ABOVE AND BEYOND his duty to help us. Over the next four years, I saw those similar qualities in Carter Craigie, Brian Metz, James Hedtke, Ruby Remley, Margaret McGuinness, and others. These were all people that made Cabrini GREAT! These are people that helped make Cabrini the success it is today. These are all people who "Could have gone anywhere. They chose Cabrini." These are people that helped me become the person I am today. John Dzik was a leader among these people. He reflected the CABRINI SPIRIT.

It was always my belief that Dzik was so talented a coach that he could have left Cabrini in the dust during his prime and cashed-in at a much larger university.

Going to Cabrini helped shape my life, and John Dzik deserves credit for being instrumental in helping that happen for me. I feel eternally thankful to him for that.

On a distant February 14th seventeen years ago today my college sweetheart, Donna Dougherty '89, and I walked from her dormitory room in The Mansion in the bitter cold all the way to Minella's Diner to celebrate our 3rd of many many Valentine's Days together. We remember it like it was yesterday.

I wish to show my support and loyalty to John Dzik for the support he gave my parents twenty years ago. I need to thank Mr. Dzik for helping to create these wonderful memories I have today.

It is with this letter that I resign my role as agent of the class of 1989.

I referred one of your Freshman this year from all the way down here in southern Maryland. She really wanted to go to the University of Delaware. I talked her parents into sending her to Cabrini. I'm not so sure I can do that for you any longer.

It's a shame, because I really love Cabrini. But, I suspect that Cabrini has gotten too big to remember the names of the people that made it great.

Sincerely,

Steven Pascali

Class of 1989

Police Officer, Montgomery County, Maryland