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
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