DeSales Catholic School hosted its annual Distinguished Alumni induction dinner Thursday night at Lockport Town and Country Club, and followed up with unveiling of the updated Hall of Fame display in the school on Friday morning.
The 2023 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductees are all graduates of DeSales High School: Regina Gaul Granchelli, class of 1972; Therese Hannigan, class of 1987; Michael T. Mullane, class of 1974; Jennifer Judge Murphy, class of 1988; and Cynthia Hillman Voelker, class of 1973.
The induction dinner was emceed by Dr. James Shaw, himself a DeSales hall of fame inductee, and chaired by Mark Jaekle. Proceeds from the dinner help to fund tuition assistance grants at DCS.
In tandem with the unveiling of the updated hall of fame display, the distinguished alumni and their families joined students for a school-wide Mass said by Rev. Joseph Dumphrey, OSFS '53. Kindergarten and preschool students helped welcome the alumni back to their alma mater by singing for them.
Hall of Fame inductees are DeSales alumni, living or deceased, who have achieved distinction in their lives and careers after graduation. Bearing the motto "Enshrining Our Past, Ensuring Our Future," the Hall of Fame induction serves as the highest honor bestowed by DeSales Catholic School.
Nominations may be submitted by parents, relatives, friends, alumni and members of the communities served by DeSales. Nominees must be graduates of one of the Catholic schools affiliated with DeSales (DeSales High School, St. Joseph's Academy, St. Mary's School, St. Patrick's School, St. John the Baptist School, Lockport Catholic School or DeSales Catholic School), and are first eligible for selection 15 calendar years following their class's graduation. Selection is based on the nominee's achievements in a variety of areas, such as their career and professional life, civic and community involvement, personal and family accomplishments, as well as their embodiment of the Catholic values taught by the school's patron, St. Francis de Sales.
2023 DeSales Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductees, from left, Therese Hannigan '87, Cynthia Hillman Voelker '73, Michael Mullane '74, Regina Gaul Granchelli '72 and Jennifer Judge Murphy '88 at Lockport Town and Country Club, where the annual induction dinner hosted by DeSales Catholic School was held Thursday night.
The Rev. Father Dumphrey, OSFS '53, who was inducted into the DeSales Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2013, said Mass on Friday morning for the newly inducted hall of fame members. Here, Dumphrey is accompanied by altar server Emma Haseley.