Engagement & Development
Donor profile : John F . Freeman ’ 80
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up at Fordham Prep . We know you grew up in the Bronx , so what was the consideration in attending Fordham Prep ?
I started my scholastic career at nearby Our Lady of Mercy on Valentine Avenue in the Fordham section of the Bronx . My older brother attended Fordham University before enlisting in the Marines . Its campus along with the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden provided great childhood memories . My father passed away before I turned 8 and my mother thought it best to move further north to the Woodlawn section of the Bronx .
For grades 6-8 I attended St . Barnabas School where I was active in scouting and served as an altar boy . I then applied to the local high schools , including Cardinal Spellman , Regis , Bronx High School of Science , and Fordham Prep . I was accepted to all these schools ( in retrospect I had peaked academically as a 7th and 8th grader !) and chose to go the Prep over the others with my widowed mother ’ s mixed blessings . While she was very knowledgeable about and a great fan of the Jesuits ( she worked at Murray-Weigel Hall caring for their elderly and infirmed Jesuits ) the prospect of attending what was then the relatively most expensive option of my possible choices was not a financially prudent decision as far as she was concerned . enthused that I chose to study with the Jesuits . Their reasoning was not fully articulated .
What activities / sports were you involved in during your time at the Prep ? Where there any particular subjects you took interest in ? What teachers or administrators made an impact on your Fordham Prep experience ?
While at the Prep I participated in football ( 4 years ) and rugby ( 3 years ); I was a co-captain of the 1979 varsity football team and take pride in our three successive victories over our rival , Xavier High School , in 1977 , 1978 and 1979 . I also participated in Model Congress , but was otherwise time-constrained regarding other extra-curriculars as I worked part-time jobs during much of my high school career . As far as subjects , I had an affinity for math and the sciences . French was relatively easy as I had grown up speaking French with my mother . I was weak in Latin : it required more consistent study habits , which heretofore in my academic career were secondary in application .
Some faculty who stand out for their positive impact include Stanley O ’ Konsky , SJ , Charles Sullivan , SJ , and Russell Sloun , SJ .
What university did you attend after graduating from Fordham Prep and what did you study in college ? How did your time at Fordham Prep prepare you for college and life beyond college ?
I attended Fordham University after the Prep . I had taken some first-year courses at the University during my senior year at the Prep and I was happy to spend four more years at Rose Hill . It was a natural progression for a boy from the Bronx . I arrived at the University well-prepared if ( as mentioned above ) less than ideally proficient in my study habits .
I began with the idea of pre-medical studies , but turned to pre-law by the end of my second year . I played for the rugby club at the University .
Fordham Prep helped lay the groundwork for my academic career through law school . It fostered my sense of belonging to a cherished group of alumni-friends , with many of whom I remain in close contact .
The Prep ’ s combination of a challenging curriculum , its location on the bucolic Fordham University campus and its wide offering of sports persuaded me that it was the best choice for me . Funnily enough , I recall that some of the lay and clerical mentors at my parish school were less than
After graduating from college , what was your career path and what are you currently doing professionally ?
I graduated in 1984 and after a year off enrolled in the evening division of Brooklyn Law School - finally exploring
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