Lowell High School Distinguished Alums ~ Class of 2011

September 1, 2011 by Marie Posted in Education, History, Lowell, Politics, Culture, Current Events 1 Comment

Lowell High School has chosen its 2011 Class of Distinguished Alumni. This celebration of distinguished alums began back in 2004 when literary great Jack Kerouac (1939), businessman and philanthopist George Behrakis (1951), U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas (1958) and businessman Elkin McCallum and his wife community activist Donna Lavigne (both 1961) were honored and saluted as role models for LHS students.

The honorees for the Class of 2011 are of varied backgrounds, experiences and accomplishments – a prince of the Roman Catholic Church, a ground-breaking scientist and researcher, a longtime leader of the Lowell School system, a renown epidemiologist and an activist for widowed women and their families.

*William Henry O’Connell, Class of 1876, was ordained in 1884. He served as archbishop of Boston beginning in 1907 and 100 years ago on November 17, 1911 was elevated to cardinal. His 36-year tenure is the longest in the history of the Archdiocese of Boston.

* John Stack, Class of 1924, graduated from MIT, was named a Fulbright scholar and worked at the Langley Research Center as a scientist. He has been recognized with many award for his outstanding career and reputation advancing supersonic flight regimes.

* George Tsapatsaris, Class of 1949, was second-longest-serving superintendent in Lowell Public School history. He served as a teacher, administrator and superintendent for more than four decades. His tenure as superintendent is noted for insuring equal educational opportunities for students and for an ambitious, comprehensive and successful school building program.

* Robert Goldberg, Class of 1968, is professor and director of the Division of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is actively involved in community-based surveillance projects and observational studies examining the natural history of coronary heart disease, heart failure and other chronic diseases.

* Patti Fleming Quigley, Class of 1982, earned a BA in finance from UMass Lowell and went on to a successful career at various commercial-lending organizations.After her husband Patrick was killed on Sept. 11, 2001 she established “Beyond the 11th” – a nonprofit to support projects that provide sustainable income to Afghan widows and their families.

The celebration of these Distinguished Alumni will be held on Thursday November 3, 2001 at Lowell High School from 6:00-8:00 pm. Tickets are $50 and can be reserved by calling Gail Green at Lowell High School – 978-937-8964. You can read about the past classes of LHS Distinguished Alums here You might want to nominate your own candidaye for Distinguished Alum.

In case you missed Rita Savard’s article in the Lowell Sun amid the realities and coverage of Hurricane Irene, you can read it here at lowellsun.com.

Stay tuned for more on these honorees and the November event.

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