Alumni News

 Not too many Fenwick alumni can boast the incredibly diverse resume of Jen LaVita ’05. A graduate of Syracuse University, Jen started her career as a US Army Air Defense Artillery Officer, which entailed leading platoons of soldiers, flying blimps, and sky diving from planes! She then left the Army and pursued their real passion – for the arts.

Today, Jen is an accomplished, award-winning artist living in California with her husband. Her talents in the arts are many, but a growing love of hers is the design and painting of very large murals, seen throughout the city of Los Angeles, around Palm Springs, CA, as far away as Seville, Spain, and as close to Fenwick as Salem, MA.

Jen has stayed connected to her military background as an Executive Board member of the United States Veterans’ Artist Alliance (USVAA). In conjunction with the USVAA, Jen has exhibited her work with Warner Brothers, Sony, and Boeing, and she was featured on ABC News. And when not scaling buildings to paint murals, Jen is a volunteer artist with the non-profit, Access Books CA, designing and leading teams of volunteers in painting murals in lower income schools throughout Los Angeles.

We were thrilled to welcome Jen back to Fenwick in January, as she connected with students in several art classes. She spoke to the students about following their passion in the arts, and about ways to make their love for art a thriving profession. Jen showed the students a wide selection of her works and the shared the various techniques she uses in painting her pieces.

We enjoyed our time speaking with Jen and learned about her days at Fenwick. When asked why she chose to attend Fenwick, she said, “The school’s Catholic feel, its community, and the facilities were all important to me.” When asked about her favorite classes, Jen quickly responded, “My art classes with Mr. Phelan and Mrs. Hallinan. They were both very influential in my art career. My art classes at Fenwick gave me a better foundation than those in college.”

When talking about the overall skills she learned at Fenwick, Jen told us that Fenwick teaches its students to be good people, both kind and well-rounded. Jen then offered the following words of advice to Fenwick’s students, “Hard work pays off. Explore! Keep open minded and always try new things!”

Thank you, Jen, for coming to Fenwick and sharing your passion for the arts with our students! If you wish to learn more about Jen’s work, please visit her website at: https://www.jenlavita.com/

We recently met up with Richie Travers ’73 at a 50th reunion football event at Fenwick. After a brief conversation with Richie, we had the opportunity to visit with him at his distribution center in Chelsea where he owns and operates one of the area’s largest fruit and vegetable companies—Travers Fruit Company. During our tour with Richie, large produce shipments were arriving every few minutes from all over the country and the globe. 

Richie spent years in the food wholesale industry, and back in 2011 he and his brother, Paul, created the Travers Fruit Company. His company services many of Boston’s major restaurants, grocery stores, leading hotels, and private companies. Richie, who starts his day at 3:00am making sure all of the necessary shipments and deliveries for the day ahead are set, told us that his brother is the best business partner a guy can have! 

There is strong Fenwick legacy in Richie’s family, as all three of his sisters graduated from Fenwick as well—Ann ’69, Elaine ’71, and Barbara ’74. When asked how he got in to the produce industry, Richie told us, “In my late teens I worked for a fruit store, then became interested in starting my own store, which I did for several years, then moved on to selling fruits and vegetables on the whole food side, which I did for 22 years. Ultimately, I created the Travers Fruit Company with my brother Paul, and it has been full steam ahead!” 

When asked about skills he learned while at Fenwick, Richie told us that his many great athletic coaches taught him structure, and the overall Fenwick experience gave him great social skills. As for advice to give to today’s Fenwick students, Richie said, “Life is a marathon, so always keep marching forward. And always be kind to those people in your life.” 

Thank you, Richie, for sharing your story with us, and for keeping our grocery store shelves stocked with apples, bananas, strawberries, and so much more! To learn more about the Travers Fruit Company, please visit them on Facebook at:

 www.facebook.com/TraversFruit/

We recently had the opportunity to meet with Krisha Naroski ’89 Plauché in her office and showroom overlooking Little Harbor in Marblehead, MA. Krisha is the owner of Onboard Interiors, an award-winning full-service design firm specializing in custom marine interiors for power and sailboats, both private and commercial. Krisha’s portfolio of work has boats ranging in size from 24 feet to over 200 feet! Krisha’s resume includes celebrity yachts, super yachts, historic yachts, and the largest privately-owned sailing yacht in the world!

Krisha’s experience in the marine world is quite extensive. Her background as a licensed United States Coast Guard Captain and a certification from Westlawn School of Marine Technology, along with several years as a yacht designer, provide Krisha with the skills and tools to outfit any vessel. She is also a contributing author to many industry magazines, past Director of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association, and a member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

When asked why she chose to attend Fenwick, Krisha told us that after she graduated from middle school at St. Mary’s in Danvers it was a comfortable fit for her. According to Krisha, “My favorite memories from Fenwick include the great retreats, being in the plays, and my art class with Mrs. Daley and my French Class with Ms. Colozzi.” Krisha added, “Faith was a very important piece of my education at Fenwick. It is something still very important to me and my family.”

Krisha, who graduated from Simmons University with a double major in marketing and management, is grateful for the many skill sets she learned at Fenwick. “The school really helped me learn how to map out my day and stay organized, something I use every day,” said Krisha. In addition to Krisha, her sister Shayna also graduated from Fenwick in 1994. When Krisha was asked for some thoughts to pass along to the current students at Fenwick, she told us, “Congratulations, you made it through Covid. You have really been tested the past two years and you have succeeded! Use this adaptability and resilience to your advantage in life.” 

Thank you Krisha for sharing your interesting story, and Fenwick memories with us! 

As we met in the lobby of the Torigian Family YMCA in Peabody to do our alumni spotlight interview, it was clear that Kathleen Kelly’84 Walsh was right at home with everyone there. As the President and Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA of Metro North, she was greeting many staff, Y members and guests that she knew well. With a strong and clear mission, the Metro North YMCA strengthens the communities it serves, which includes Peabody, Lynn, Melrose, Saugus, and Stoneham, through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. The YMCA of Metro North serves over 60,000 people annually.

When asked why she chose to attend Fenwick, Kathleen quickly answered by saying, “My older sister, Lynda, went to Fenwick, Class of 1982 and she loved the vibe of the School. And I wanted the same! My sister Karen ’85, then followed along as well.” Kathleen’s favorite memory of her time at Fenwick is being on the Cross Country Team. I discovered my passion for running at Fenwick, and I’m still running today!”  And boy is Kathleen still running, as she has completed 61 marathons all over the country and the world, such as Hawaii, Paris, Philadelphia, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Maine. She has completed 23 Boston Marathons!

After graduating from Fenwick, Kathleen went on to Providence College where she earned her bachelor's degree in Business and Humanities. After graduating from Providence, Kathleen went on to Northeastern University and earned her master's degree in sports and recreation. Immediately after graduating from Northeastern, Kathleen began her career with the YMCA, where she has had a 30+ year career.

According to Kathleen, “Fenwick formed my character, my value of teamwork, time management skills, and the value of friendships.” When asked what words of advice would you give to today’s Fenwick students, she told us, “Don’t back yourself into a corner, be flexible, and be adaptive. And most importantly, cherish the friendships you make at Fenwick. Many of my best friends are from Fenwick, and they are like members of my family.”

On a warm summer afternoon, sitting on the upper level of The Deck restaurant in Salisbury, owner Mark Audette’74 and his son Conrad '06, shared with us their memories of their Fenwick years. They also reflected upon their professional journeys owning and operating three wonderfully unique and incredibly successful restaurants. “It is truly a family business,” said Mark. “My son Conrad '06, manages The Deck in Salisbury. My daughter Carling '09, along with my wife, Tara, manage The Village Restaurant in Essex. And I manage Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant in Newburyport.” According to Mark, they also employ several Fenwick graduates.

Regarding their time at Fenwick, Mark remembered fondly his theology class where he learned about a variety of religions around the world. He also recalled fondly Fr. Graham’s English class. “I never had one bad day at Fenwick,” Mark declared. And for Conrad, he remembered his choral experience when the Fenwick singing group traveled to NYC to perform at Carnegie Hall. “Winning the conference with the Swim and Tennis teams was also an exciting time for me at Fenwick,” added Conrad.

When asked why they chose to attend Fenwick, Conrad very much wanted a Catholic education. He knew his father had a very positive experience at Fenwick and he wanted a similar culture and community to strengthen his faith. Mark selected Fenwick for its co-educational and Catholic mission. Both spoke eloquently about how, years later, they are still using the skills they developed at Fenwick. Mark said, “Learning how to get along with diverse groups of people is something that has served me well.” And Conrad told us, “My Fenwick education made me who I am today. It solidified my Catholic faith and gave me the foundation I needed for the rest of my life.”

When asked what words of advice they would give to today’s Fenwick students, Mark quickly replied, “Take pride in everything you do.” Conrad shared, “Explore the many theological beliefs and spiritual opportunities in your four years at Fenwick.”

The next time you are in Salisbury, Essex, or Newburyport, stop into one of the Audette restaurant establishments for a bite to eat and some Fenwick reminiscing!

Fenwick grad, JB Braun ’80, pursued his dream of sailing. That has produced a transatlantic speed record and two America’s Cup victories! JB grew up in Marblehead and fell in love with sailing at a young age. He was always fascinated by how the wind could propel a boat of any size. After graduating from Fenwick, JB went on to Northeastern University to major in mechanical engineering. While at Northeastern, JB did all three of his co-op internships working in a lab at MIT helping to develop a computerized air-flow analysis system for Hood Sailmakers in Marblehead.

JB’s career after college took off like a rocket! He accepted a job with Hood Sailmakers, while at the same time pursuing his love for competitive sailing. In 1986, JB won the silver medal in the Flying Dutchman class at the Goodwill Games. In 1988, he went to the Soul, South Korea Olympic Games as an alternate and trained many of the competitors on the US Sailing Olympic Team. JB’s professional career has equally excelled in the world of sail design. He worked at Hood Sails for six years, Doyle Sailmakers for nine years, and North Sails for the past 23 years. In 2016, JB produced sails for a record-breaking solo round-the-world speed record that was captained by Thomas Coville. Currently, JB is living in London where he is working on the design of the next America’s Cup boat for England.

When asked about his favorite class at Fenwick, JB quickly answered, “Sr. Geraldine's math class!” In recalling his favorite memories of Fenwick, JB said, “Playing hockey at the old Boston Garden in the state’s high school hockey tournament, as well as being inducted into Fenwick’s Hall of Fame.” In regard to the skills he feels he learned while at Fenwick, JB told us that the School’s tight knit community helped him greatly with all of his interpersonal skills. He shared these words of advice to today’s Fenwick students: “Be sure to always follow your dream. Find the thing you really love to do and pursue that as your job. We all need to enjoy what we are doing!”

Congratulations JB, and best wishes for smooth sailing in your future endeavors!

While you may not recognize his name, we are sure you will recognize his work! John Tlumacki ’74 is a well-known and highly regarded photographer for the Boston Globe, and for the past 40 years he has covered the events that make the news. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the bombing at the Boston Marathon, from the Red Sox winning the World Series to the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, John has photographed the moments that have shaped our country and our Commonwealth. As an individual photographer, John has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize on numerous occasions, and along with the team at the Boston Globe, he earned a Pulitzer for his work on the Boston Marathon bombing. John was also named National Press Photographers Association's 2014 photojournalist of the year. John’s impact and legacy is most remarkable!

John grew up in Beverly, MA with the love of playing baseball and hockey. He chose to attend Fenwick with the intention of being seen for his talent in sports and for his Catholic faith. He took a photo course and was taught how to develop photos, and his love for photography grew from there. Sophomore year in high school, his father bought him a camera and John began taking photos at Fenwick’s sporting events and became very good friends with all the athletes.

John’s favorite class was his Spanish class, which allowed him to travel to Spain twice. Being able to explore the world at a young age and seeing Morocco and bullfighting with his fellow classmates and teachers, it inspired him to pursue a career in photojournalism and explore the world. John eventually went to Boston University and majored in Communications, afterwards had an internship at UPI, American international news agency, and then got his job at the Boston Globe, where he has the responsibility to communicate these events to the world with his talent of photography.

John shared with us his favorite memory from Fenwick, which was trying out for varsity baseball. He described the tryouts as “bootcamp for baseball”, where you had to run up the hill in the short stop which made him feel like if he can do this, he can do anything. This inspired John to share these words to us for all our current and future students. “Do everything you dream of doing, don’t give up and take yourself to the limit. Your four years of high school sets the course for the rest of your life, so go to games, go to parties, make friends, and put your heart and soul into being the best student.” – John Tlumacki

“Make sure to take advantage of the great Fenwick academic foundation, work hard and study consistently, and remember to have fun!” These are the wise and sound words of advice given to today’s Fenwick students from R. Stanton Dodge’86, who is the Chief Legal Officer for DraftKings.

Stanton fondly remembers the strong academic formation that Fenwick provided him. To this day, he has the vivid memory of learning how to write in his English classes and how everything was broken down grammatically to the smallest detail, all of which he needs and uses in his daily life. Even after many years, the essential skills that Stanton learned at Fenwick are serving him well.

While attending Fenwick, Stanton very much enjoyed his Spanish class with Mr. John Farley '68 and his Art class with Mrs. Helen Babis-Licare, specifically ceramics. When he was a Senior, he fondly recalls the art award he received. Stanton’s favorite memories of Fenwick are Spirit Week, the Senior Luau, and getting to celebrate with his fellow classmates.

After his time at Fenwick, Stanton went to the University of Vermont and majored in Business Accounting. While taking his required college courses, one class really stood out to him, Business Law, and his professor’s stories and experiences inspired him to pursue law as a career. After graduating from UVM, Stanton earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School. When he graduated from Law School, he began his career working in the legal department of Dish Network, a start-up company at that time in the mid-90s. In 2016, Stanton met the CEO of DraftKings and began a discussion that led him to his current position today as the company’s Chief Legal Officer.  

Stanton, who lives in Colorado with his wife and children, currently serves on Fenwick’s President’s Council providing valuable insight on the School’s strategic plan and sacred mission.

If you visit Salem, MA regularly, you must know of Notch Brewery and Tap Room. The owner of Notch, Chris Lohring, graduated from Bishop Fenwick in 1983 and while he was here his favorite class was Physics, taught by Joe Malizia. Chris told us that physics opened his eyes to how fun learning can be, and it made him want to pursue a career something related to science.

After Fenwick, Chris attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute and then went on to business school at Northeastern University and was lucky to get involved in a project developing a small brewery plan for an entrepreneurship class. That experience led him to pursue a career in brewing beer. A few years later, Chris went to brewing school in Chicago, Siebel Institute of Technology, and was a co-founder and head brewer at a brewery in Boston before starting the well-known Notch Brewery. 

In 2010, Notch Brewery officially launched, named for the nick made to a keep a record when you’re having more than one. It was the first brewing company in the US to focus exclusively on session beer. To read more of Notch’s story, go to https://www.notchbrewing.com/ or stop by one of their locations. If you visit Notch, you may spot Chris sharing a beer with some of his fellow Fenwick classmates!

Fun Fact: Chris played varsity Basketball for four years and went on to play in college. “I held the record at Fenwick for most fouls in a single season, and for all I know I still hold that honor!” – Chris Lohring

I’m sure many of you know Matt Reed for his daily television reporting on Boston’s WCVB Channel 5 morning news, but you probably didn’t know that Matt is a 2007 graduate from Bishop Fenwick!  Matt’s journey to being on one of the top-rated morning news programs in the country is inspirational in many ways. After his graduation from Fenwick, Matt went on to the University of Miami for his undergraduate degree, and then on to Boston University where he received his master’s degree in journalism. After completing his degree at BU, Matt’s career path took him to many television stations around the country, first in Boston at Channel 7 as a news writer, then on to Texas as a reporter and producer, then on to Providence, Rhode Island, as a general assignment reporter, and eventually to Boston’s Channel 5.

When asked about his favorite class at Fenwick, Matt quickly replied, “Mr. K and Social Studies.” Mr. K of course is Mr. Kawczynski.  “Mr. K prepared me so well for my honors classes and he was one of my refences for College.” When Matt was asked about his favorite Fenwick memory, he talked about playing on the soccer team.  “I loved playing on the Fenwick soccer team. I made lifelong friends on that team!”

When Matt reflected on how Fenwick has helped him with his television news career, he feels that his religion classes helped him to be a better reporter in many ways.  “My religion classes taught me about compassion and treating people the right way.  I use this compassion in how I conduct my interviews. It is important to me that I treat people right and that I do my job in a kind way.”

So the next time you are watching the morning news and hearing about a breaking story in Boston, most likely it is a Fenwick Crusader giving you all of the details!

Bishop Fenwick loves to see success in the family and the occasional BigMac. We discovered this unique father daughter dynamic who are Fenwick alums that own multiple McDonald’s restaurants in the Sarasota and Bradenton Florida area. Bob Davies, class of ’66, recently retired from being a very successful owner of 6 different McDonald’s and his daughter, Denise Davies Wheeler class of ’93, who followed in her father’s footsteps now owns 5 McDonald’s restaurants in the same area.

Bob started working at McDonald’s part time when he was a teenager in school at Fenwick and has worked his way up the ladder until he finally opened his first restaurant in 1988. Denise joined her dad working at the same McDonald’s in 1997 until she decided in 2012 to partake in the same success as her father and open her first McDonald’s. Bob mentioned to us that Fenwick has provided him with a quality education and helped him create the foundation for going forward. He also can’t forget his class’ undefeated football team and the band marching up Margin St to celebrate with Tredwell’s ice cream. Bob also has another daughter, Heather Davies Villebrun, class of ’89, a brother, Brian Davies, class of ’71, and a sister, Diane Davies Ingalls, class of ’63, who are all a part of the Fenwick family. What a legacy!

During the COVID pandemic, Denise positioned to stay open, and the McDonald’s company supported them and offered guidance for all owners. Denise said that McDonald’s is a people business, it gives you the ability to understand other people and be compassionate. All of her restaurant locations are going strong and have around 1500 cars going through their drive thru on a daily basis. We are so proud of their success and honored that Bishop Fenwick can be a part of their story!

Photo Caption: Pictured from left to right, John Mahoney '88, Mark Mahoney '80, Stephanie Gagnan Mahoney '81 and Spencer Mahoney '09

We love to see our Fenwick alumni having great success with their business ventures! Congratulations to the Mahoney family on the opening of their new coffee roasting facility for Atomic Coffee Roasters in Peabody, MA. John Mahoney ’88 and his brother Andrew’84 started Atomic Coffee Roasters 25 years ago. The genesis of the business came from when John and Andrew were professional mountain bike racers and fell in love with the coffee culture out west. They created one of the first coffee shops in New England to roast coffee “in house”, and to introduce Latte art to the North Shore.  Mark Mahoney ’80 joined the business 4 years ago and brought his sons, Spencer Mahoney ’09 and Logan Mahoney, into the Operations and Business Development of the company. 

Stephanie Gagnan Mahoney ’81 inspired her husband, Mark, to get into the food business 37 years ago. She has run multiple cafes over the years in Salem, Beverly, Manchester and now owns and operates the Blue Canoe Café in Marblehead. Stephanie’s family has been in the coffee business for generations, so coffee is in their blood!

Other Fenwick alumni engaged with the Atomic Coffee Roasters business as advisors include Jim Crowley ’80 and Mike Walsh ’80.

Congratulations to Alex Newell ‘12, who just performed in “Wicked in Concert” on PBS, which aired on August 29^th, 2021. He sang beautifully to the song, Popular, which was originally sung by Kristin Chenoweth in the original Wicked cast.

Since graduating from Fenwick, Alex has been a star in all he has done. Fenwick was honored to have Alex perform at its 50^th Gala. Some of Alex’s well known roles can be seen in Glee, Once Upon An Island on Broadway and, most recently, NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. We are so proud of all of his success, and we can’t wait to see more of his amazing talent!

Wicked in Concert is now streaming on pbs.org – Watch and enjoy!

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