Summer 2019 | August 19, 2019
Looking back at a great summer at Timon….
Summer 2019 began with Timon’s 70th Commencement and our sending several dozen boys off into the world at colleges, jobs, and Navy outposts around the world.

LEFT: The Timon Class of 2019

As has become a great Timon tradition, our graduates were joined by our 50 th anniversary graduating class. The Class of 1969 was well-represented on graduation day in receiving honorary diplomas, but also for the entire weekend celebrating five decades as Timon men.

LEFT: The Timon Class of 1969

The days following graduation on campus are just as exciting for the boys in ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades as they take part in Moving Up Day, and officially take over the sophomore, junior, and senior seats in the auditorium.

LEFT: The Class of 2020 rightfully takes its place in the senior class seats in the auditorium on Moving Up Day.


Our Timon Fest was a fantastic social and financial success, with a music tent filled with bands like The Taverners, The Black Rock Beatles, Johnny Hart and The Mess, and Strictly Hip. We also hosted reunions from several classes in the beer tent—hundreds renewed acquaintances with their Timon family.

LEFT: Strictly Hip entertains at Timon Fest 2019

Our Tiger Trot 5k continued to grow again this year despite intense heat and humidity at the starting gun. We’re proud to host the opening run in the South Buffalo Race series.

LEFT: Our Buffalo Police help start the race.

Summer Timon, our July day camp, took middle school aged boys to New Era Field, Sahlen Field, Canisius College’s eSports lab, the splendor of Letchworth State Park, and a historical tour and hike through the Old First Ward.

LEFT: Gene Overdorf tells tales of the Old First Ward with campers along the Buffalo River

Our annual Jim Hillery Golf Tournament was an all-time success both on the course and as a fundraiser.

Athletic Director Joe Licata and Cooper Panek worked together again in creating and unveiling a series of secondary logos for our Timon Tigers

… And we still have a couple weeks to go before school starts—it’s enough time for a few more great improvements and surprises coming as our boys head back to class.

We did pause to remember two of our Timon brothers this past month as well. Keep scrolling to read more about Paul Humphrey and Brother Ed Coughlin.
And we’re planning a great Timon fall to come!
After a fun-filled and rejuvenating summer, Bishop Timon – St. Jude High School starts the 2019-20 school year with enrollment up for the freshman class and for the school as a whole.

Under the leadership of Dr. James Newton, now in his second year as principal, our faculty and staff will be focused on increasing student achievement, building a positive school climate, and focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.

Even before we get to the first day of school on Thursday, September 5, we already have opportunities to make a difference at Timon. There’s a beer blast for the benefit of our football team this Sunday ( buy your $25 tickets online now) and the new Sideline Gold Club membership allows alumni and friends of Timon to help defray the cost of new football jerseys, while also getting their own brand new jersey personalized with name and number.

The next best chance to encourage the 7 th or 8 th grade boys in your life to join the growing Timon Family comes with our annual Open House on Tuesday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 25 from 6-8pm. It’s a great chance for us to show the next class of Timon men what we’re all about.
We’re also gearing up for our revamped Kaleidoscope Auction and Dinner on Saturday, November 9.

This is our largest fundraiser of the year, and every cent brought in goes to help bring more boys to Timon through the Fr. Joel Campbell OFM Scholarship Fund.  

We’ll be making it easier for more members of our Timon Community to join us at this year’s Kaleidoscope—keep watching the What’s Happening at 601 newsletter for details on how you can help our boys who need it the most.
Remembering our brothers Paul & Ed
This summer, the Timon Community very suddenly lost two beloved friends and brothers.

We were shocked to lose one of our students to violence. Junior Paul Humphrey was killed on July 13. We gathered as a community to remember Paul and support one another through this tragic loss on the school’s front lawn, and will continue to remember Paul—who wore number 2 for the Tigers—throughout the school year with the “2gether” campaign being spearheaded by Joe Licata.

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Shock came again a few weeks later when the Timon Alum who perhaps better than any other who has ever walked the halls at 601 McKinley lived a life modelled after St. Francis and his teachings.

Brother Edward Coughlin ’66 died after a complication during a surgical procedure. The Franciscan Friar had spent the last five years as President of Siena College and many years in service at St. Bonaventure University and as a leader within the Franciscan community.

RIGHT: Brother Ed visits with fellow Timon grad Ted Overdorf ’60 this spring at a Siena College reunion.

In realizing Brother Ed’s love for Timon and the difficulties some families have in paying for a Franciscan-based education, his family generously created Brother Edward Coughlin Financial Aid Fund in his memory. Read more about Brother Ed’s legacy or give to the fund here.

Operations Director Ron Bertovich was inducted into the Mid Mon Valley (PA) Sports Hall of Fame.


Art Teacher Sue Nowak’s painted stained glass piece “Save Our Children” was featured at the Carnegie Art Center’s Member Show.
Joseph Foss ’16 and Kiernan Higgins ’17 were named to the Dean’s Lists at their respective colleges. Foss is studying biochemistry at the University of Scranton and Higgins is studying accounting.

Fr. Ted Drennan ’79 was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of San Bernardino in May. After graduating from Timon, he spent 30 years in the Marine Corps, retiring as a Master Gunnery Sergeant. He’s been studying at St. John’s Seminary since 2011.
Steven Banko ’64 was inducted into the New York State Veterans’ Hall of Fame. He was nominated by Senator Tim Kennedy.

The service of Paul Rudnicki ’60—in the Army in Vietnam and in helping veterans at home—was commemorated in The Buffalo News.


Hon. Gerald J. Whalen ’75, was awarded the 2019 Jurist of the Year Award from The Judges & Police Executives Conference of Erie County. 
IN MEMORIAM
Paul Humphrey, Class of 2022
Mrs. Janet Schram, retired guidance counselor

Dennis M. Keefe '70
Michael J. McMorrow '55
James J. Huson '74
Michael R. Lang '11
Craig Penders '76
Bill C. Renowden '58
Daniel J. Hurley '61
William Diehl '64
Robert Reilly '53
John J. Keane '57
Robert Slater '55
James "Jimmer" Hayes '98
Brother Edward Coughlin '66
Joshua Mack '08
George Stumberg '79
Thomas J. Franey '51
Brian J. McDonnell '75
John E. Broderick ‘67
A Summer of Reunions
Class of 2009
Class of 1989
Class of 1964
Below: Scenes from the Jim Hillery Golf Tournament
Remembering Woodstock fifty years later with Jim DiSarno ‘66
My girlfriend of six weeks at that time and I were at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. I have not only been living with the lasting memories of that time, but I have also been living with the same girlfriend-- NOW MY WIFE OF 50 YEARS AS OF December 27, 2019. Ya, I know, met in July married in December!

RIGHT: Timon's cast of HAIR, 1969-70.

Of the thousands of kids who were at Woodstock we were probably the least likely ones to be there. As I remember, one of my cousins asked me if I would like to go to a concert with her and her friends. I immediately said yes based on my past concert experiences. I mean why not. I had been to college weekend concerts at St. Bonaventure U. in Olean NY to see artist like Dionne Warwick and others of the like. And I know my girlfriend had seen The Letterman Group at SUNY Buffalo.

SOOOO with little or no information on hand I asked my girlfriend to go with me. She said yes. We were in the beginning stages of our relationship and we so enjoyed being with each other that we didn't care who or what kind of a concert it was.

As the date of the concert was close, my cousin told me to meet her and her friends in a parking lot of a grocery store on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo at 7:00pm. We were going to drive all night to get to the concert. Because we were to follow them, I don't remember asking where we were going or if I did ask-- I really didn't care.

Well on the night of the meet, as my cousin and her friends drove down from the commune in Canada where they were living, I was picking up my girlfriend at her parent’s house. I can still picture her walking out the back door of the house and as usual she looked great. I said hi and took her little overnight suit case, which I am sure was filled with at least three sets of clothes underwear and make up and put in the trunk of my 1967 ford Galaxy 500 next to my bag and my work belt. At this time, I was working as an Iron Worker.

To jump ahead with the story, we arrived at Bethel early in the morning of the first day of the concert. I didn't even notice that there weren't many if any motels where we were. While we were following one of the vehicles in the group, I saw the one in front of mine veer off the road and into a field. I pulled over and asked the driver if he had lost control of the vehicle. He looked back at me with a puzzled look and said " everything is fine, this is where we are staying, didn't your cousin tell you to bring a tent? "

Well after the shock and anger wore off, we decided to stay and make the best of it. We were parked next to a group of large pine trees and myself being a past Boy Scout combined with my skills at tying rebar, which was part of my job as an Iron Worker I decided to make a lean to from pine branches.
With luggage left in the trunk of the car I grabbed my pliers and reel of tie wire and we began tearing branches off of the pine trees and tying them up with wire.

Well yada yada yada, the lean-to turned out great. The problem was now our hands were loaded with pine sap so we decided to go somewhere to clean up HA!

Like anyone there was worried about being lean.

Well as it turns out by making a right turn instead of a left turn after cleaning up we never got back to the concert and where our great lean-to was. 

Our final destination was some motel in New Jersey. Can't remember where and don't care. One might say we were an extension of the Woodstock love fest that weekend.

SO BOTTOM LINE IS WE WERE THERE BUT WE WERN'T!

I HAVE ENJOYED TELLING THIS STORY FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS AND NOW AT AGE 70, I HOPE TO TELL IT FOR THE NEXT 30.