Xavier Elects 2016 Hall of Fame Class 

Eleven Sons of Xavier—six living and five posthumous—will be inducted into the Xavier Hall of Fame on October 28. Business, military, and community leaders, philanthropists, Jesuits, an ambassador, and a New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal number among the 2016 class.

The six living inductees to the Xavier Hall of Fame are Rev. John Replogle, S.J. ’51, who has served as a teacher, Director of Ignatian Service Programs, Assistant to the President, and Alumni Chaplain during his decades on 16th Street; LTC Desmond Flanigan, USA (Ret.) ’56, a 26-year veteran of the U.S. Army and recipient of the Silver Star; Michael LaQuaglia, M.D. ’68, chief of pediatric surgical service and Joseph H. Burchenal Chair in Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Robert Robotti ’71, renowned portfolio manager and president of Robotti and Company; Mike Fernandez ’72, chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners and lead contributor to Xavier’s new 33,000-sq. ft. addition, Fernandez-Duminuco Hall; and Francis Comerford ’73, president of commercial operations and chief revenue officer for 28 NBC and Telemundo stations and 2012 Grand Marshal of the New York City St. Patrick’s Parade.

The posthumous honorees are Augustus Vincent Tack, a painter and member of the College of St. Francis Xavier’s Class of 1890; Rev. George McMahon, S.J. ’40, who served as a vital part of Fordham University’s administration for 40 years; Hon. Francis Ruddy ’55, a staunch advocate for political and human rights and former U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea; Gerald FitzGerald ’58, an aviation executive, novelist, and co-chair of the task force that negotiated the first expansion of the Xavier campus in more than a century; and MSG James Jones, USA (Ret.), a longtime member of the military science department and moderator of the X-Squad.

This year’s induction at Pier Sixty marks 25 years since the first Hall of Fame dinner in 1991. All proceeds benefit Xavier’s Ignatian Scholars program, which helps attract and retain a student body filled with intelligent, motivated young men of diverse backgrounds and means. A cocktail hour will kick off the event at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Registration will be available online in February. Until then, questions can be directed to Helene Strong at 212-924-7900, ext. 1654, or strongh@xavierhs.org.