ABPLANALP MEMORIAL EXHIBIT HONORS MATRIARCH
ABPLANALP MEMORIAL EXHIBIT HONORS MATRIARCH
By Louis DiGiorno ’ 88 P ’ 26
Our prayers continue to go out to the Abplanalp family , who lost their matriarch this past August , Josephine “ Josie ” Abplanalp , mother of John , Class of ’ 75 . She joins in eternity her beloved husband , Robert , Class of ’ 39 , who had gone on to his reward some twenty Augusts earlier .
Josie and Bob Abplanalp hold a unique place in our school ’ s history . It would not be untrue to say that during the logistically difficult and financially troublesome era of the late 1960s and early 1970s , as the Prep legally separated from the University to become a standalone institution unto itself , the Abplanalps ’ devotion and support were foremost among the forces that kept Fordham Prep from closing its doors forever and becoming nothing more than an interesting footnote in the story of Rose Hill . As has been said , in Fordham Prep ’ s greatest time of need , the Abplanalps gave our school nothing short of a future .
In memory of these extraordinary Prep parents , benefactors , and former trustees , Alma Mater has restored and displayed the last of the original desks that furnished “ the new Prep building ,” or Shea Hall , when it first opened to students in the fall of 1972 : an enduring testament to Mr . and Mrs . Abplanalp ’ s remarkable generosity .
The desk has been fitted with a memorial plaque in the style of Shea Hall ’ s early 1970s signage , a picture of Robert and Josephine selected by their daughter , Marie , and Bob ’ s 1939 yearbook portrait . In addition , we have added a framed matchbook from Mercurio ’ s , the restaurant where the Abplanalps had their first date back in 1955 ; a mid-century magazine advertisement for the Precision Valve Corporation , the Yonkersheadquartered company Bob had founded in the late ’ 40s ; and a six-ounce glass container section of a vintage Precision Valve paint sprayer — repurposed as a pen and pencil holder .
May Josephine and Robert rest in peace , and may they never be forgotten here at the school they helped save .
LEFT : The Abplanalp Memorial Exhibit in Shea Hall .
RIGHT : Close-up of Robert and Josephine Abplanalp photos and memorabilia .
BELOW : Close-up of Robert Abplanalp ’ s advertisement for the Precision Valve Corporation and special pencil cup .
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FORDHAM PREP RAMVIEW