the Prep’s inimitable raconteur who had
touched down as a member of the Social
Studies Department in 1966 after a
career with Eastern Airlines. The film's
director, William Blatty, felt that Mr.
McCormack's desk would work perfectly
in the scene and used it on the set. “The
Exorcist Desk” is still in use today in the
classroom of Mr. William Bozzone, a
member of the Faculty since 1989.
129) February 23, 1967: At a 125th
Anniversary Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria,
Fordham University pledges $500,000
towards the construction of new Prep
building. By the end of the evening, an
additional $500,000 is pledged
anonymously. After their first anonymous
pledge, the continued generosity of
Josephine and Robert Abplanalp, Class of
1939, would help keep the Prep afloat
during its first decade as a standalone
institution.
137) 1972-1973 School Year: Soccer
makes its first appearance at the Prep in
the form of student-run intramurals
organized by seniors John Dolgetta,
Kenneth Perelli and Michael Camerota.
130) Late July 1969: On his very first
professional broadcast on WNEW, Pete
Fornatale, Class of 1963, reads a
commercial for the upcoming “Woodstock
Music and Arts Fair: a three-day Aquarian
exposition at White Lake in the town of
Bethel in Sullivan County, New York.”
131) October 16, 1969: The Miracle
Mets rally to defeat the Orioles 5-3 at
Shea Stadium, winning the 1969 World
Series. The general manager of the
championship team is “Fordham” Johnny
Murphy, Class of 1925. During his own
career on the mound in the '30s and '40s,
Murphy had become one of the first
celebrated relief pitchers in the game,
playing with the Yankees and Red Sox.
132) November 30, 1969: Ceremonial
groundbreaking for the new Prep building.
Joseph Kain, Class of 1971, a junior in
Homeroom 3A, is on hand to film the event.
Construction begins the following February.
134) June 7, 1970: SSgt. Robert Murray
’64 unhesitatingly and with complete
disregard for his own safety, throws
himself on a grenade absorbing the full
and fatal impact of the explosion,
preventing the death or injury of the
other members of his squad. In August
1974, SSgt. Murray would be
138) Winter 1974: Fordham Prep first
officially hits the ice with the creation of
both varsity and junior varsity teams
under the direction of Coach Joseph
Abbatini and Assistant Coach Patrick
Moran. Among the first to sign up for the
fledgling ice squad are seniors Arthur
DeCesare, David DeTone and Noel
Hamlet, junior Mike O'Brien, and
sophomore Sean Moran.
posthumously awarded the Medal of
Honor. In addition to Murray, Fordham
Prep honors and recalls six other alumni
who were killed or declared missing in
action during the Vietnam War: Capt.
Edward Hughes, Class of 1956; Cpl.
Patrick O’Keefe, Class of 1965; SSgt.
Robert Private, Class of 1964; Sgt. William
Van Tassel, Class of 1965; Cpl. Jonathan
Richards, Class of 1965; and Maj. Eugene
Pabst, Class of 1960.
135) September 1972: A few weeks
into the school year, the Prep says
farewell to Hughes Hall and makes the
move into the “New Prep Building,” Shea
Hall. Be