Manhattan College President Selected as Featured Speaker at the Westchester Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Annual Dinner
Irish society will hold annual black-tie dinner on March 14
Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., president of Manhattan College, will be the featured speaker at the 59th annual dinner of the Westchester chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. The dinner will be held at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, N.Y., on March 14.
O’Donnell will be joined on the dais by two Manhattan College alumni: James Landy ’76, chairman of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Westchester, and Matthew McCrosson ’72, chapter president.
“It is an honor to address the Westchester Friendly Sons, an organization that does a great deal of good in the community, and in which many prominent Jaspers have served in leadership positions,” O’Donnell said. “Manhattan's history is closely intertwined with the story of Irish-Americans in the greater New York region, and I am proud to be in a position to help celebrate that story.”
O’Donnell’s talk will focus on Manhattan College as a gateway of opportunity for immigrants, starting with the Irish and continuing with other first- and second-generation students today.
“Brennan O’Donnell has completely put his arms around his Irish heritage,” said McCrosson. “He’s been recognized as a leading Irish-American educator, he’s marched the last several years in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and he’s just a great Irishman."
In December 2011, O’Donnell was recognized as one of the top figures in education with an Irish heritage by the Irish Voice newspaper. During this year’s New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, O’Donnell will march with Manhattan College’s Gaelic Society, Pipes and Drums Band and hundreds of alumni and students.
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was formed in 1771, in Philadelphia, by two-dozen men of Irish descent, dedicated to the cause of liberty. New York State Senator William F. Condon established the society’s Westchester chapter in 1954. The group remains a charitable and faith-based society, and a portion of the proceeds from the March 14 dinner will go to the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers.
More than 600 guests are expected to attend the dinner.
Media interested in attending the dinner should contact John Tucker at (718) 862-7232 or john.tucker@manhattan.edu.
UPDATE WITH PHOTO FROM MARCH 14 DINNER:
(l to r): James Landy, Brennan O'Donnell, Matthew McCrosson
Credit: Joe Vericker/PhotoBureau