Josh stretches "Delta" and donates it to raise funds

Josh Yavelberg

Josh Yavelberg, BFA/MS - Art History, 2002, was at the House on a hot September 16, 2018 to stretch “Delta,” his 2001 oil on canvas (6’-10” x 9’-2”), first exhibited in East Hall at Pratt Institute, September 9 through 14, 2001, shortly after the attack on the World Trade Center. It’s part of a series, ‘Scenes of Inspiration,’ he painted that year. Yavelberg recalls visitors to the exhibit expressing how helpful the show was in light of the tragic events that had just taken place in New York. “Delta” has only been exhibited twice, and it will be featured at the Annual DGT Alumni Day Exhibit. The opening reception is on Saturday, September 29, 2018. “Delta” is being donated to the DGT Foundation, and proceeds from the sale of the painting will benefit Gallery House Internship Program. The painting depicts a party at the House.

3rd Annual DGT Alumni Exhibit

By invitation to the private gallery, DGT Alumni Association, 272 Clinton Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205

DGT Alumni, family and guest, Pratt Institute alumni, students, Faculty and staff are invited to attend the 3rd Annual DGT Alumni Exhibit. Light Food and Refreshments will be served. The event is being held in conjunction with the on-campus events on Pratt Alumni Day 2018. Please RSVP via Eventbrite

Design Competition Call for Entries: Engraved Brick Celebration of Brotherhood and Sisterhood

At Pratt Institute, a lineage of students, going as far back as 1898, continuously contributed  to an enduring legacy of building and cementing life-long friendships while enriching their experience of student life and learning during their college years. Today's living members recall with fondness their fun-filled experiences as members of Delta Gamma Theta during the 1950's, Tau Delta Phi during the 1960s, 1970s and part of the 1980s, Delta Gamma Theta from 1988 through 2006, and Gallery House/Delta Gamma Theta honorees since 2015.

To date, $2,400 in donations from members have been received for the purchase of one or more engraved brick in their own name, or in memory or acknowledgement of another, to support the continuation of DGT's program and to celebrate what has come out of more than a century of friendship-building. A ritual of installing these engraved bricks, celebrating members who are no longer with us, our own experiences and contributions, and that of many to come, is about to begin on Saturday, July 29, 2017. with the selection of a winning design for continuously and indefinitely installing engraved bricks in the rear patio of 272 Clinton Ave., our home since 1964, and to ceremonially begin the initial construction phase of the project. 

The Board of DGT Alumni Association, Inc. has commissioned a design competition, open to all members (active/current on their dues and inactive/not current on their dues), for a continuously expanding 'engraved brick construction' in the rear patio. The intent is to accommodate engraved bricks bearing the name and initiation/induction year of members from the past, as they are identified and verified, the present, and the future as they become part of the DGT lineage. The Board has not determined that the design is for paving or some other form of construction, but only that it should anticipate (not necessarily incorporate) replacement of the wooden fence at some point, by a wall or a newer wooden fence, and that the whole property itself will at some point in time undergo renovations that will incorporate the already installed winning design.  The design submissions should consider what an initial installation of 25 engraved bricks will look like, and how, additional, new engraved bricks will be periodically installed, at least once every year. Consideration should also be given to project feasibility based on ease of installation by DGT volunteers, and low cost based on keeping contracting and permitting  at minimum to none.  Although the donation amount will likely increase over time, DGT envisions $20 (20%) for the brick and installation and $80 (80%) of the donation by each member for each brick going to programs and activities.  As illustrated, the design is for an area, 20' wide by 18' ft deep, at the rear of the property, and currently enclosed on three sides by a dilapidated wooden fence. the area is slightly raised (two steps) as you approach it from the ground floor of the building, and serves as a landing for an existing stairway from the first floor. Nothing currently within this 20' wide and 18' deep area is sacred, and can be removed. Again, the fence will at some point, when financially feasible, be replaced. The costs of improvements such as a new fence at some point, is not a consideration at this time. 

Award: The designer of the winning entry will have an engraved brick acknowledging him or her as the designer. Additionally, the winner will be credited one year of payment on their dues. The winning design will be announced during a pot luck BBQ gathering on July, 29 2017, following a Quarterly Meeting of the membership.  All members within driving distance, or visiting New York at the time, as well as their family members are invited and encouraged to participate in the gathering. 

Submission: Contestants must submit their entry electronically, or on paper media, ANSI size D, Maximum (22" x 34") so that it can be converted to electronic format. File format shall be either PDF or JPG. The name of the contestant shall not appear on the drawings illustrating the design, and instead, this information shall be in the cover email or correspondence, or on the back of the drawing.  Submissions and questions shall be emailed to twong@dgtaa.org, or mailed to the attention of Tom Wong, DGT Alumni Association, 272 Clinton, Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205.

Deadline: The deadline is September 15, 2017.

Judging: All entries will be posted at the DGT website, and an announcement inviting all members in the DGT database, for which DGT has contact information, to submit a vote for their favorite entry. In the case of a tie, the DGT Board of Directors will select a jury panel of non-contestants to break the tie. 

Saturday, May 13, Come on Over to the House if Your in the New York Area

Sketch by Alan Rand

If you’re in town, you’ve got to at least stop by 272 Clinton Ave. (the zoo
of course) on Saturday, May 13. Join in the fun at whichever point you wish,
or just say stop by to say hi.

• 10:00 am to 4:30 pm – General Spring Clean Up and some painting tasks – Pizza for Lunch
• 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm -- Tenant Meet and Greet. DGT Alumni Association has had an unusual turnover of tenants and has scheduled a Meet and Greet to which members and tenants are invited.
• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Induction of the Triple A’s – Aika, Asa and August the fall 2016 Fellows
• 7:00 pm – Gallery House Task Force meets (briefly at least).

Somethin' tells me it's all happening at the zoo (Simon & Garfunkel)

I do believe it
I do believe it's true

The monkeys stand for honesty
Giraffes are insincere
And the elephants are kindly but they're dumb Orangutans are skeptical Of
changes in their cages And the zookeeper is very fond of rum...

May's Birthdays

Roger Lamparter

DGT Alumni Celebrating their birthdays in the month of May include Roger Lamparter, May 5, John Pagan, May 13, John Sovjani, May 22, and William Border, May 31. DGT wishes all members with May birthdays, a very happy one, and also, may you have many more happy birthdays to come.

Ronald James Howanich

Ron Howanich during his college years at Pratt Institute. Photo by Gil Gerald.

DGT Alumni Association and Pratt Institute alumnus Ronald James Howanich passed away on Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Brother Ron, "or the Farmer" as he was nicknamed by fellow members, when in the Spring of 1970 he joined Tau Delta Phi-Tau Sigma Chapter, at the time the undergraduate body of what is now the DGT Alumni Association.  Ron was born in Allentown, PA on March 26, 1951 to the late Mike and Stella (Groller) Howanich. 

Bro. Ron graduated from Parkland HIgh School and later from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, where in 1973 he earned a BA in Industrial Design. He also studied fashion merchandising at the University of California, Fresno.  

At the time of his death Ron had recently retired after a four decades-long career designing holiday decorations for store windows and shopping malls in the U.S. and Canada. His design for eight Nutcracker windows at the Carson Pirie Scott and Company Building in Chicago, received the first place award in an international display competition. Chas Martin, a contemporary of Ron's days as a Pratt Student, who also was Ron's Little Brother, recently noted in commenting about Ron's work as an artist working on canvas. "Ron was unique...He had a vision and technique for creating images of cultural icons." Cultural icons captured by Ron on canvas include Holly Woodlawn, Jean Harlow, Michael Jackson, Madame, and Barack Obama. 

Among his contemporaries at DGT Alumni Association, Ron is remembered as a dedicated Secretary and Treasurer of Tau Delta Phi-Tau Sigma. He was particularly successful in organizing and leading a fundraising program involving showing movies in Memorial Hall on weekends for Pratt students. The movies were all promoted on campus with elaborate silk screen poster prints which in turn became collectors' items. Ron upgraded the quality of the films being shown and Memorial Hall was often packed with students seated in the isles to see the works of Warhol, Fellini and to view classics and popular movies made by others.  Some of featured films included MASH, Fellini's Satyricon, Lonesome Cowboys, TRASH,  and Rocky Horror Picture Show. The were many more. Ron's interest also included classic cars, and he variously owned and drove an early 1960s four-door Lincoln convertible, a mid-1950's Cadillac and a 1960s Mercedes. Ron remained a close friend to many.  He helped one member to secure a temporary job installing Christmas decorations during the recovery period following the serious recession in 1973 when finding placement in an architectural firm was very difficult. He was known to fly across the country to attend an afternoon birthday party of at least one fellow DGT Alumnus. He remained a close friend with Bro. Ramon Lacomba his roommate in the dorm and also at the fraternity house at 272. Clinton Ave., Brooklyn, NY.

Ron died after a relatively brief, five-month battle with cancer, that was diagnosed at a late stage.  He is survived by his sister Linda Galio (Thomas); nieces, nephews, many cousins and his canine love Sheba. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Michael J. Howanich.

Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 am Monday, April 24, 2017 at Brubaker Funeral Home, Inc., 327 Chestnut ST. Coplay, PA. The viewing will be from 10:00 to 11:00 am. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to an animal rescue of your choice or to the American Cancer Society 3893 Adler Pl #170, Bethlehem, PA 18017.

March Birthdays

In March we are expressing happy birthday wishes to Sis. Debbie Dieneman-Kein (Spring 1973/Art) on the 5th of the month, Bro Blase Gallo (1969) on March 13, Bro. Ron Howanich (Spring 1970/1973 Industrial Design and also Bro. Winston Von Engel (1986 Architecture) on the26th, and Bro. Stanley Brown (1977/1980, Industrial Engineering) on the 27th. 

Thrilling! Actual Pratt Students and Recent Graduates Receive Keys to the House

L to R, Ariane Williams, Rudolph Strelis, Asa Maria Camert, Aika Mukhambetova, and Alexa Telano

Brooklyn, NY, February 5, 2017 -- Fall 2015, and Spring and Fall 2016 Gallery House Fellows/Delta Gamma Theta Honor Letters recipients, enthusiastically embraced their charge to further develop, manage and promote the Gallery House Fellowship Program. As part of that charge, the group literally received the keys to the House. Several are actively considering also moving into the available basement unit.  Yes, student life, involving individuals bonded through a common, challenging and skills-building experience, is returning to 272 Clinton Ave. The group's commitment is to make the Gallery House Fellowship opportunity available for current and successive generations of Pratt students. The charge was communicated to the group by Gil Gerald, President. For this Spring Semester the Task Force is being asked to be accountable for: 1) developing a marketing plan to recruit and engage undergraduate students; 2) developing written criteria for selecting Gallery House Fellowship Program participants; 3) managing the relationship of the program with the academic community at Pratt;  4) developing a training curriculum based on the experience of the past three semesters; and 5) coordinating the next DGT Annual Alumni Program Exhibit. Having accomplished these tasks, the Gallery House Program will resume in the Fall Semester of this year. The handing out of keys to the House had practical repercussions in terms of providing the group the freedom to organize their own meeting schedule and begin using the facility for the program. However, the handing out of keys was also a symbolic moment attesting to the success of efforts to continue the DGT experience and values for another generation and a new era. 

Important changes in Governance, Property Management, & Program Management Okay'd at the Annual Meeting

Emerging new faces in leadership; Alexa Telano (BFA '16) and Eric St. James-Lopez (BFA '16), photo center and right, respectively.

The January 28, 2017 Annual Meeting of the DGT Alumni Association's Membership brought new faces to the Governance team of the DGT Alumni Association and the DGT Foundation. Additionally, the appointment of a Property Superintendent was announced, and that position will replace the position previously knows as Resident Property Manager, which was held by Jonathan Levy (Fine Arts '00) who has relocated to Texas. The Gallery House Fellowship Program has been restructured so that it is a program operated by Pratt Students who have been conferred the honorary letters Delta Gamma Theta. 

The Board of Directors of the DGT Alumni Association will now include Eric St. James-Lopez (Fine Arts '16), who was elected Sargent-at-Arms, the fifth position on that Board. Re-elected as Officers of the Board were Gil Gerald (Architecture '74), who will continue as President/Consul, Tom Fiorella (Engineering '74), who will continue as Vice President/Vice Consul, Tom Wong (Engineering '84), who will continue as Treasurer/Quaestor, and Vern Ford (Communications '63), who will continue as Secretary (Scribe). The term for all of these positions is one year.

The DGT Foundation, which was created under a reorganization in 2014, is a tax exempt organization, under IRS Section 501 (c)(3), and it has one member, the DGT Alumni Association, which appoints its Board of Directors. Three individuals were elected to the DGT Foundation's Board. Elected were Gil Gerald (Architecture '74), Tom Wong (Engineering '84) and Alexa Telano (Fine Arts '16). When they meet, the three individuals will elect officers. Because this Board has staggered three-year terms, with no more than one-third of the seats up for election in any given year, a determination, late in implementation, will be made as to which seats will be expiring over the next several years, and when. The Foundation's main role at this time is to serve as the arm that houses the Gallery House Fellowship Program, an educational activity benefiting students. 

With the departure of Jon Levy (Fine Arts '00) and important changes that have occurred in financial management and implemented over the past several years, the position of Resident House Manager was changed by the Board. Paul Fletcher (Fine Arts '97) has been engaged as the Property Superintendent.  He has been hired to perform the work as an independent contractor and this hire was announced at the Annual Meeting. Paul lives in the Clinton Hill neighborhood, and has been renting the refurbished attic space, on the fourth floor, as studio space.  The Board is thrilled that there has been a smooth transition in making these changes. Some of the duties of the Resident House Manager have been eliminated, particularly those dealing with financial transactions and management. Before 2013, much of the check writing and financial management had been provided by the Resident House Manager, and these responsibilities have been gradually shifting away from that position ever since.  All financial transactions are now directly handled by the Treasurer, following an established set of Internal Controls first implemented in 2013. A Bookkeeper, also an independent contractor, currently provides monthly financial record keeping that meets generally acceptable financial accounting standards.  Meeting these standards will no longer be dependent on the skills, or lack thereof, among volunteers serving as officers of the organization. A CPA firm provides accounting advice and preparation of annual tax returns and all required reports to the IRS, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, New York City Department of Finance, and New York State Department of Law/Charities Bureau. 

The Gallery House Program will move in the direction of being a student run program, somewhat analogous in its independence to the archetypal undergraduate fraternity, with gradually reduced alumni involvement, mostly to consist of coaching and training provided to students as they receive fellowships to develop and produce an exhibit.  The basement unit is now available for rent, and is prioritized for rental to students graduating from the program and awarded the letters Delta Gamma Theta on an honorary basis (Associate or Full Members of DGT Alumni Association).

February Birthdays!

Frank Verni, circa 1973 or 1974

Why surely there must be more birthdays to celebrate in February, please share information that would help fill gaps in DGT Alumni Association's database. So far, we know that Matt Dancsecs's (Fall '89/Art-Painting) birthday is on February 13, and that Frank Verni (Engineering '76),  our outpost in Elk Grove, CA celebrates his birthday on February 27.

Thank you, Jon Levy!

DGT Alumni Association is grateful for the leadership, passion, commitment and just plain hard work contributed by Bro. Jonathan Levy to the organization, over the past six years.  His good deeds are most evident in the successes of the Gallery House Fellowship Program, which he first envisioned. As of January 2017, over the course of three semesters, the program has attracted and engaged a total of eight Pratt students.  All eight received a monetary Fellowship Award, learned curating and other skills, and in teams of 2-3 at a time, staged three successful fine art exhibits. All subsequently accepted an invitation to: 1) help continue the program for successive waves of students; 2) become members committed to the Mission of the DGT Alumni Association; and 3) be thus conferred the honorary letters Delta Gamma Theta. There are two years, 2017 and 2018, remaining in the DGT Alumni Association's Five Year Strategic Plan, and the Association is now on the cusp of once again having Pratt students residing at the house and engaging fellow students in a student-run experience that builds leadership skills, and strong professional and interpersonal bonds. 

As developments in his professional and love life now mean that Jon will be relocating to Texas, the Board and graduates of Gallery House recently took a moment to honor him with the 2017 Jonathan Levy Award for Service to Gallery House. Thank you Bro. Jon Levy; it's Great to Be!

Agenda for Annual Membership Meeting Set

The Annual Meeting of the DGT Alumni Association is set for January 28, 2017, starting at 12:00, noon, Eastern Time. Active (dues paid) and inactive members may participate on-site, at 272 Clinton Ave., or online, via web-conference. A link to the web-conference is always embedded in the DGT Alumni Association's calendar on the 'Events' page on Association's website. Only members who have paid their 2017 dues of $10 may vote. A quorum of seven active members (dues paid) is required for the meeting. Following are the anticipated highlights of the agenda:

• Board and Committee Reports - These usually include the President/Consul's Report, the Vice President/Vice Consul's Report, Treasurer/Quaestor's Report, Property Report, and Gallery House Fellowship Program's Report.
• Elections for DGTAA and DGTF Board Seats - The annual election of the five members of the Board of the DGT Alumni Association (DGTAA) will take place, as well as the election of the Board of the DGT Foundation (DGTF). There are five seats on the DGTAA Board: Consul, Vice Consul, Quaestor, Scribe, and Sargent-at-Arms. Current members of the Board seeking re-election include Gil Gerald (Consul), Tom Fiorella (Vice Consul), Tom Wong (Quaestor), and Vern Ford (Scribe). Nominations remain open for all seats until just prior to the casting of votes. There are a minimum of three seats on the DGT Foundation Board, and current members include Chase Hill (President), Tom Wong (Secretary/Treasurer) and Jon Levy.  No nominations have yet been made for these positions, and again, nominations are open until just prior to the casting of votes. 
• Policy on Use of 272 Clinton Ave. for Events - Requests from within the membership, and from without have come in for the use of the Chapter Room and Bar Room for events. The Five Year Strategic Plan anticipated this and the success of the Gallery House Program has precipitated actual requests, including a request for monthly 'spoken word' gatherings.  Opening up the space for additional activities for members and for the community, consistent with our mission and Strategic Plan, must be balanced with the security, safety and comfort of our tenants, as well as for guests. Hence there is a need for a clear policy. A proposal, spearheaded by the Vice President, has been developed in draft form and will be up for a vote at the meeting.
• New Management Structure for the Gallery House Fellowship Program - With the departure of Jon Levy due to new career-related developments, the Board has decided to take several steps to move the program forward, as envisioned, with leadership to be provided by a new generation of members newly inducted into the DGT Alumni Association. Ultimately, the program will continue to shift in that direction until it is fully run by a tight 'fellowship' of undergraduates, bestowed with the honorary letters Delta Gamma Theta, some of whom will reside in the House, with coaching provided by senior undergraduates and graduates. The steps include the formation of a Gallery House Steering Committee made up of volunteers from among the eight new members that have joined over the past four semesters, and at least one DGT Board Member. The steps also include cancelling the Spring 2017 Fellowship Class while the program is retooled based on the success to date, in order to incorporate lessons learned and to ensure for targeting and recruitment success with Pratt Students in their sophomore and junior years.
• New Program Committee for Alumni Activities - In 2017 there will be an emphasis on building a program for Alumni. A new committee will be formed, with meetings to be held via web-conference to ensure for broad participation regardless of where members live. Members will be asked to volunteer for this planning effort. Early results from a survey of members suggest a heightened interest in a number ideas. These ideas will be explored by the Program Committee. The most popular ideas were: Reunions by Pledge/Join Year (100%); Alumni Exhibits (100%); Feature News Articles about Alumni (100%), Virtual Group Reunions (86%), Annual Thanksgiving Dinner (86%), Backyard BBQ's (86%), Regional and State Gatherings (71%), Pratt Alumni Day and Reunion (71%), Virtual Professional Workshops/Discussion Groups (57%). Special Interest Virtual Discussion Groups (57%), and Group Museum Trips (57%). These and other ideas will support the planning process to be carried out by the committee. The survey is still open. 

Thank you if you have already paid your annual dues of $10

Involvement in and support for the DGT Alumni Association annually starts in January with payment of $10 in membership fees. The work of keeping the connection going is volunteer based. However, the fee not only provides for the ability of you to vote at membership meetings, now held by video conference, and to hold office, but for you to  also cover the costs of supplies, stamps and communications to "keep the connection going.' It's easy to do it via PayPal. Thank you in Advance from the Board.

January Birthdays

DGT Alumni Association's records indicate that at least the following individuals celebrate their birthdays in January.  Upcoming birthdays include January 7, for Christine Friello-Fini, January 10, for Richard West (we don't have an email or street address for Richard), January 12 for Paul Gianesini, January 14 for Eric St. James, Lopez, January 15 for Lisa Williams, January 16, for Mark Emelko, January 19, for Alexa Telano, and January 27 for Kenneth Hebel.

Interview with Father Michael Perry

In late November, Father Michael Perry was interviewed at Our Lady of Refuge, in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, so that through the Connector we might share an update on his whereabouts.  For twenty-three years Father Michael Perry was the Chaplain of Pratt Institute, and for twenty-one of those years he served as the Faculty Advisor to Tau Delta Phi - Tau Sigma Fraternity, and Delta Gamma Theta, when the organization reverted to being a local fraternity.  Following is the slightly edited transcript of the interview conducted by Bro. Gil Gerald, Spring '70/Architecture '74.

Gil Gerald: For those who fondly recall the times at the House while you were our Faculty Advisor, as well as those who were not fortunate enough to experience those times, could you talk a little about how it is you became our Faculty Advisor, when was that, and when did that all come to an end?

Father Perry: Well, it's easy to remember how it happened. The previous Faculty Advisor, when he was leaving, came to me and said 'I want to give you the biggest treasure I have.' That was Dean Gene P. Dean...and I don’t know how many years he had been Faculty Advisor to the fraternity, but he loved the fraternity like a father loves his sons...and kind of almost out of the blue he just came and he said to me ‘I want you to take over,’ and I said yes!

Gil Gerald: He was leaving Pratt, I had graduated in ’74 and he was there all the years I was there, from the fall of ’68 to the spring of ’74, so he was there...

Father Perry: Oh I think he was there when Charles Pratt founded the school (laughter). He was part of the institution for a long, long time, and he was loved by everybody; he was a great, great man. I don’t even recall what his job was.

Gil Gerald: He was the Dean of Admissions. He was located in North Hall, and he used to spot me walking across the campus and he used to say to me, “you are walking too fast, why are you walking so fast, where are you going so fast?” He always kidded me about that.

Father Perry: Was it true?

Gil Gerald: Yes!

Father Perry: Well slow down, slow down. He was a great man and he had tremendous affection for the fraternity. He was a very generous and a very loving person. My guess is he looked around...in a sense he was synonymous with the fraternity...everybody of your generation knew him and loved him...and he wanted someone who would take over in the same spirit. It is certainly in that spirit that I did take over. Being Faculty Advisor to the fraternity was definitely one of the greatest hats that I wore in my time at Pratt.  I came to Pratt in 1973, I think it was, and I was there for twenty-three years. I don’t know, maybe two years after I arrived, when Gene Dean left and I took over. Then when I left, I handed it over to a guy who worked in the Library whose name I don’t remember, and then I don’t know what happened. One of the smartest moves that I made when I left Pratt was to close the door behind me. But one of the great things that happened was, through the fraternity’s Alumni Association, to be called back into that circle of brothers. Because, just like with yourself, the fraternity was a really important part of our stay at Pratt. Not everything that happened at the fraternity was exactly what I would call enriching, but it was enlightening. I mean, you know, sitting there for three hours determining how many kegs of beer we were going to have at a party, you know, when I had to go to the bathroom...a point of personal privilege, you know, just didn’t get me there in time (laughter). Some really terrific people passed through that house.

Gil Gerald: What was your role or responsibility as Faculty Advisor? How would you describe that?

Father Perry: Basically to keep the brothers out of the Vice President’s office (laughter). I would come in on a Monday morning and the lights would be blinking on my phone and I would pick up the phone and it would be the Vice President, especially under Dr. Rice, and she would say come up to my office immediately, and I would come up to her office, and she would say, ‘your boys.’ I would just kind of say, ‘okay,’ and I would listen to her tell me what had happened over the weekend, what my boys had done, and then she would wink and I would wink, and then we would call the boys in and then she would yell at them.  I don’t think she ever once took action against them because she loved the fraternity, she understood. It was basically to cover the behinds of the boys.

Gil Gerald: So what was your approach to serving in that role? What are the kinds of things that you did in that role?

Father Perry: Be a shoulder to lean on, be a mediator sometimes...be a taxi to the airport if someone had to go home in an emergency, dry tears...try to be an adult, which is not always easy for me...

Gil Gerald: As you speak it contrasted a little bit with Gene Dean who we were very close to.  I don’t recall Gene ever coming to a meeting, but he may have.  I was only there four or five years at the time...

Father Perry: Oh, interesting...

Gil Gerald: But he was always very accessible, and he lived in the Dorm, on the top floor of the Dorm (Willoughby Hall), up there, and we had some audiophiles, music lovers, and we would go up to Gene Dean’s apartment and he had the best speakers you could find...

Father Perry: Oh yeah, I inherited part of his record collection when he moved, which I donated to Lincoln Center, because they were great, great records.

Gil Gerald: Apparently, in your role, you were present in the house...

Father Perry: Yeah, yeah, it was also good for me, I enjoyed it.  It was a way for me to relate on another level.  I had fun, it was great fun, it was fun when it was fun, and when it wasn’t fun it was work, and I put to work the skills that I had, and sometimes the lines were blurred, so we kind of worked through it.

Gil Gerald: You said sometimes it was enlightening...

Father Perry: Yeah, I was certainly old enough to be everybody’s older brother and at one point old enough to be their father.  But not having a younger brother and not having any children of my own, you know, I learned about what adolescent boys go through, and there are some of the brothers who could tell you about some funny stories about me walking in on them in embarrassing situations...and why not?

Gil Gerald: Well that was pretty cool...What are the moments or occasions that are particularly memorable to you?

Father Perry: I think...um...particularly memorable was singing ‘Hanna,’ which I never could get the words to (laughter)...so I would just stomp my feet and put my shoulders around everyone’s shoulder, like everybody else...and also when the pledges had to come in to my office and boom chug-a-lug me or in any place that they were, like in the Pie Shop and stuff like that, and it was just great fun...

Gil Gerald:  This is called boom chug-a-lug?

Father Perry: Boom chug-a-lug, yes, it may have been after your time, it was a new torture that was invented, and it was done at the top of their voices as they stomped their feet in time and said boom chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug, boom chug-a-lug, or something or the other, SIR, Father Perry, SIR...and there were two things about it that were really fun. First of all it was funny, and secondly, there was a lot of respect shown to me that meant an awful lot to me and there were times when it was rough being at Pratt, especially towards my later years there, the last few years that I was there. It got to be really tough, it was not an easy place for me as a Catholic priest to be.  Most of the time it was fantastic, but there were times when several of the administrators had changed and I almost had to justify my existence there. You know, at one point I ran orientation...the yearbook, I did all kinds of stuff even though I didn’t work for Pratt. I worked at Pratt, but I did not work for Pratt...and yet when a certain few people came in it got really, really...I was on the defensive.  I never felt I was on the offensive, but at the end there I was on the defensive...and so when the brothers, especially the pledges would do their thing I knew that the brothers had my back, and that was what fraternity was about.

Gil Gerald: Interesting; I notice that there is a bench at Pratt that is in your honor.  Could you say something about that?

Father Perry: Actually, I bought that bench, because I was at Pratt for twenty-three years, and that was a significant part of my life and my ministry as a priest, and I wanted not so much to be memorialized as much as I wanted to say I was here. I wanted people to come back and say, I remember him, because I know that for most people I was a positive memory, not for everybody...there are some unfortunate stories and unfortunate mistakes that I made...you know...but I would say for most people I would say it was a positive experience.  The bench is there just to say ‘Kilroy was here.’  The Institute was at the time was charging $2,000 a bench and they gave me a 'family' discount.

Gil Gerald: Oh, okay! We’ve been asked, what’s the latest on Father Perry?  What has happened since that time? What are you doing now?

Father Perry: When I left Pratt I was assigned to a parish in Breezy Point, which is down at the end of Flatbush Avenue. You go all the way down to the end of Flatbush Avenue, you turn right and you go into a gated community where everybody is Irish, including the Italians and everybody else. I was there for two years and then I was assigned to the place where I am now, which is in the middle of Flatbush, just a couple blocks away from Brooklyn College. It’s called Our Lady of Refuge...I have been here going on sixteen years. It’s a great place, it’s poor...we've got a beautiful Art Deco church.  At one time the neighborhood was wealthy and it is probably going back to that again.  We have houses in the area that are going for $3 million. Some actress just bought a house.  She paid $2.5 million for it and she is putting $1 million worth of work into it. So that is the real estate around here...so the neighborhood is changing again.  The three languages in the parish are English, Spanish and Creole, from Haiti. I speak French and kind of a little of English too (laughter). I don’t speak Spanish, I smile in Spanish. I love it here, it’s a great place to be...this neighborhood is an amazing neighborhood where West Indian and Caribbean people came and really took root.  The housing stock in this neighborhood is amazing and there are two lines, the B and the Q, and the F line is here too, so everyone wants to live here...it is almost suburban like.

Gil Gerald: Do you have anything you would want to convey as a message to the members of the DGT Alumni Association?

Father Perry: Yeah, remember what it was like when you were pledging because you will never have that feeling again, because it was something really special. Remember who was in your pledge class and who was in your family tree and all that, and come back. The TDF stuff doesn’t mean that you’re just going to send flowers, it means something...and we’ve all grown up and we’ve all gone away, but there was something that was very sincere about that and it got us through.  You know; how many times you spent in all ‘nighters’ getting one another through impossible classes and stuff?  We did it and there is no reason for it not to continue, and even if it is for the sake of nostalgia, it is a nostalgia that you are entitled to...you know, you earned it by listening to Bolero until it was going to come out of your pores. You earned a right to have that nostalgia and there is nothing wrong with remembering.  Kahlil Gibran, in The Prophet, said ‘remembrance is a form of meeting’...and way back then you were accepted into the fraternity you said you would be there...be there!

Addendum (January 18, 2017):  At the end of the interview, after I had turned off the recorder, we went on chatting, particularly about changes underway. Father Perry said something that I found to be profound and important. I turned on the recorder, but in the end, the recording of that part of the conversation was lost. Father Perry basically said, and I am paraphrasing from memory, that it is the values that we carry forward that matter, the idea of strong life-long friendships for example. 

December Birthdays

Molding Detail from Chapter Room of DGT Alumni Association House, 272 Clinton Avenue

In December Birthday wishes will be due to at least the following members of the DGT Alumni Association, Inc: Bro. Jeffrey O'Donnell (attended Advertising Design) on December 3; Bro. Austin Lawther (Design Management '09) and Ariane Williams on December 5; Bro. Ramon Lacomba (Engineering '74) on December 7; Bro. Alan Rand (Architecture '76), on December 10; Bro. Limore Shur (Illustration '91); Bro. James Rosado (Architecture '96) on December 15; Bro. Sean Murphy (Architecture '93) on December 16; and Bro. Ira Holst (Engineering '71) on December 17.

Known November Birthday Celebrations

DGT extends happy birthday wishes to all members born in the month of November. They include, at the very least: Oran Mills, November 2; Robin Hartman, November 3; Michael Bongiorno, November 12; Mike Santoro, November 14; Lance Bottari, November 15; Elycia Lerman, November 24; Ken Haber, November 25; and Gil Gerald, November 27.

Drawing by Alan Rand, circa 1973

Connector, Fall 2017 Issue

The Fall 2017 issue of Connector, the E-Letter for the DGT Alumni Association highlights current challenges for the organization as it proceeds to complete the final two years, 2017 and 2018, of its Five Year Strategic Plan. A downloadable version of the Fall Issue is available.

Solo Art Exhibit Featuring Julius Babilonia

Julius Babilonia, a DGT Alumni Association and Pratt Institute alumnus, is being featured in a Solo Art Exhibition at Studio 26 Gallery, October 12 through November 6. Studio 26 is located at 179 East 3rd Street, New York, NY.

We are in Compliance with New York State Requirements

The requirements for non-profits to be certified and to file annually with the NYS Charities Bureau is receiving public attention. I thought I would let you know and assure you that we are in full compliance for both DGT Alumni Association and DGT Foundation. We have filed the required annual statements and forms (CHAR500) for each of these two entities.  If anyone should ask you, this is all in order.  We also post information on our web-site, as recommended by the Attorney General (e.g. Tax Returns and information about our registration number with NYS Department of Law/Charities Bureau). We are not required at this time to produce audited financial statements. If we receive $250K or more annually, that requirement will kick in and we would have to start having our finances audited by an independent CPA (It is usually at a cost of about 1% of the budget).  Hopefully we will ensure that, just like paying the utility bills, this matter is handled in the future after any or all of the current officers are no longer responsible. We maintain written Internal Controls, and this guide lists the requirements and dates for this legal obligation, as well as all others.