Bishop Byrne High School Knights of Honor Induction Ceremony

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1 Bishop Byrne High School Knights of Honor Induction Ceremony Bishop Byrne has a proud heritage stemming from St. Thomas High School, a parochial high school which began serving the South Memphis area in The parish of St. Thomas had begun in 1905 and was named in honor of the Bishop of Nashville at that time, Thomas Sebastian Byrne ( ). Father Edwin Cleary, pastor of St. Paul Parish envisioned a co-educational school to provide a Catholic education to high school students in the tri-state area. Following the closure of St. Thomas Academy, Bishop Byrne High School was founded in 1965, honoring once again the man who commissioned St. Thomas Church. Father Thomas Cashin, a priest of the Diocese of Nashville (and a Memphian) was the first principal of Bishop Byrne. With him were the Saint Cecilia Dominican Sisters of Nashville, for whom Father Cashin had recently been the chaplain of their motherhouse in Nashville. In the fall of 2012 Bishop Byrne Principal Clyde Israel held a commemorative service for the placement of St. Thomas s cornerstone in a rock garden in the Bishop Byrne Commons. Bishop Byrne High School will host its inaugural Knights of Honor Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, April 5, Our featured Guest of Honor will be Father Johnnie Smith, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. The program will be held in the Sylvia Viglietti Gymnasium. The doors will open at 5:30 pm for socializing, food and wine followed by the induction ceremony beginning at 7:15 pm. Consideration for selection into the Hall of Fame is based on alums and faculty whose personal accomplishments and civic contributions distinguish them in their chosen fields. The candidate must embody the four Dominican pillars of prayer, study, community and service, in a manner that will inspire the students of Bishop Byrne High School in the pursuit of excellence. Our inaugural class of Knights of Honor Hall of Fame inductees are Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, class of 70; Mark Prudhomme, class of 71: Patrick W. Lawler, class of 73; Curtis L. Weathers, class of 74; Don Williams (posthumous) class of 78; and Kellie Lartigue (posthumous) class of 84. Mr. Clyde Israel, Mr. Carlo Pirani, Ms. Sylvia Viglietti and Fr. Thomas Cashin (posthumous) are faculty members who will also be inducted.

2 Archbishop J. Peter Sartain D.D., S.T.L Archbishop Sartain graduated from BBHS in After earning a bachelor s degree in English from St. Meinrad, he earned a degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St Thomas in Rome in 1977 and earned a licentiate of Sacred Theology with specialization in Sacramental Theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum San Anselmo in Rome in Following his ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese of Memphis in 1978, he was appointed associate pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows in Memphis and later served as pastor of St. Louis Church from 1992 to During his priesthood in Memphis he served in numerous positions including director of vocations, chancellor, moderator of the curia, vicar for clergy and vicar general. He was the diocesan administrator for the Diocese of Memphis for a short time while the See of Memphis was vacant. He is the current Archbishop of Seattle. He previously served as Bishop of Joliet, Illinois and Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas. John Mark Prudhomme After graduating from Bishop Byrne in 1971, Mark entered the University of Alabama on a football scholarship. Mark graduated after 5 years, including a Red Shirt year in football, with a Bachelors Degree in Business. During those five years Mark played on Coach Paul Bear Bryant s SEC Championship team every year and one National Championship team in Mark entered the financial services industry with Nortwestern Mutual Life in He has remained with the company for 35 years. One of the highlights of his adult life has been his association with Youth Villages. He served on the Youth Villages Board of Directors for a number of years and as chairman for three years. He has also been a volunteer football coach at every level from pee wee to high school since the early 80 s. Patrick W. Lawler Pat graduated from Bishop Byrne High School in His entire career has been spent working with society s most vulnerable children. He began as a counselor at Tall Trees Guidance School when he was 18 years old and then worked at Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County for five years before becoming the CEO of Dogwood Village, which became Youth Villages in Under his leadership Youth Villages has become one of the largest private providers of services to troubled children and their families in the country. Youth Villages has established an array of specialized treatment programs operated by an effective team of more than 2,700 employees in 66 locations across 11 states and the District of Columbia.

3 Curtis L. Weathers After graduating from Bishop Byrne in 1974, Curtis attended the University of Mississippi on a football scholarship, where he excelled as a tight end. While attending Ole Miss Curtis was elected as President of the Black Student Association (2 years), member of the M Club, Chancellor s Advisory Committee, University Judiciary Committee and BSU Gospel Choir. After graduating with a Bachelor s of Public Administration Degree, Curtis continued his football career with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL ( ). During his tenure at Cleveland he served as an NFL Players Association Player Representative. He was the Cleveland Browns Most Valuable Player (Special Teams) In 2007 Curtis was inducted into the University of Mississippi Hall of Fame and received the Distinguished American Award, Ole Miss Chapter of National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Donald Williams Don William s educational life began in the Catholic School System at St. Augustine and its affiliates, graduating at Bishop Byrne High School in At Bishop Byrne, Don was a member of the football and wrestling teams. Following graduation, he matriculated at the University of Tennessee, Martin receiving a B. S. degree in communications. Don embarked on a 16 year career with the Memphis Police Department, performing exceptionally until his premature death on January 29, A standing room only crowd filled the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to laud the life and mourn the untimely death of a man who led by serving others. He had spent more than a month in critical condition following the shooting at a Frayser comedy club a day after Christmas. Don was very active in St. Augustine Men s Club, Catholic scouting, and still found time to coach Immaculate Conception s 5th grade girls basketball and soccer teams. Kellie Lartigue Early in her life, Kellie was dedicated with an intention to make a difference. Soon after graduation from Southwestern at Memphis (now, Rhodes College) in 1988, Kellie decided to join the Peace Corp as a volunteer. Her 2 year Peace Corp commitment put her by assignment to Keur Samba Guye, a remote village in Senegal, West Africa. There, she became fluent in Wolof and French, she met Karim NDiaye, who would soon become her husband, and she began her dedication to public health within an international community. In 2002 she joined the Global Aids Program (GAP) as a country support officer in Mali, West Africa. Kellie died December 21, 2007, from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. From someone who started with the people who lived immediately around her, the ripple of her efforts are felt worldwide.

4 Father Thomas F. Cashin After graduating from Christian Brothers College-High School Division in 1939, he attended the UT-Knoxville where he had a double major in Math-Philosophy. He was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He loved to dance and he considered dancing an exercise. In fact, he was the 1940 Inter-Fraternity Council jitterbug champion. Father Cashin, a priest of the Diocese of Nashville (and a Memphian) was the first principal of Bishop Byrne. With him were the Dominican Sisters of the St. Cecilia congregation of Nashville, for whom Father Cashin had recently been the chaplain of their motherhouse in Nashville. Clyde (Coach) Israel Clyde Israel, a native of Jacksonville, Florida has served education in the Memphis/Mississippi area since Coach has taught in the public as well as private and parochial schools. He has coached football, wrestling, girls and boys basketball, golf, baseball and has produced champions in various varsity sports and TSSAA competitions. In the Diocese he has served at St. Benedict, Bishop Byrne and Memphis Catholic. At Byrne he has been Athletic Director, Dean of Students and Principal. He is married to Charlotte Anne (Janes) Israel and has two grown children, Jason and Jennifer. He is proud of his 10 wonderful grandchildren. Carlo B. Pirani Carlo began his Catholic education in kindergarten at St. Thomas School at Trigg and Lauderdale in South Memphis. He continued at Catholic High School for Boys where he excelled in football and wrestling and was a Golden Glove boxing champion. From 1965 to 1978 he worked for the Catholic Diocese of Memphis as a high school teacher, guidance counselor, coach, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. He is credited with bringing wrestling back to the Memphis area and will always be known as the Grandfather of Wrestling in West Tennessee. Sylvia Viglietti Sylvia Viglietti is a life-long resident of the Memphis area. Miss V is a product of Catholic education and attended Our Lady of sorrows, St. Agnes Academy, and Sienna College. She attended graduate classes at Memphis State. She was a counselor at Camp Mary Mount while in college, worked with the Memphis Park Commission, taught at St Thomas and Bishop Byrne and was inducted in the Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in She has always been

5 interested in working with youth, and one of her favorite classes was Christian Service. Many of her former students still have fond memories of that class. Tickets are only $50.00 per person Tables of 10 are available for $ per table. Net proceeds will be donated to the Catherine Sartain Technological Fund at St. Paul School. For payment information and to reserve a seat call: (901)

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