[caption id="attachment_67719" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Bishop Gerald Walsh."]
Power Memorial Academy alumni are hard at it this week putting the final touches to their upcoming 80th anniversary scholarship dinner.
The former students of the iconic Irish Christian Brothers high school on Manhattan's West Side, which closed in the 1980s, are gathering on Saturday, Nov. 5 at the "630 Second" banqueting hall in Manhattan. Prominent alumni including Bishop Gerald Walsh, Congressman Joe Crowley, NBA Hall of Fame member Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, former NYC Council Speaker Peter Vallone, and Terence McAdams will be honored at the event.
The alumni are raising money for a scholarship fund to support students in Catholic high schools.
Power was a national powerhouse in high school basketball. Kareem's team was ranked as the best high school basketball team of last century. Len Elmore (basketball analyst for CBS & ESPN)'s team, a few years later, was ranked number one in the country.
"The teachers, the brothers and the lay teachers were great role models. We were taught the value of hard work, faithfulness to God, the value of looking after your neighbor, the value of the family structure," said Bishop Walsh of his days at Power.
"Power shaped my formation on various personal and educational levels, in a community that grew its strength from the diversity of this great city. To be able to provide financial assistance to needy inner-city young men whose family want to duplicate my high school experience allows the Power alumni to give back and keeps the Power mission alive," said Rep. Crowley.
Details on the gathering from Brendan Brosh at (212)685-4600 ext. 6983 or at powermemorialacademy.com.
