On Thursday evening, October 13, the Father’s Club held its annual Father/Son Dinner. The main speaker of the night was  U.S. Army Colonel William Speier, a 1987 graduate, who described his Mount Carmel experience and how it framed the rest of his life.

The 7 p.m. event began as Mr. Patrick Maloney, president of the Father’s Club, welcomed everyone to the event.

Senior MJ Faso and his father, Sergeant at Arm of the Father’s Club Christopher Faso Sr., led the fathers and sons in reciting the traditional pledges which contained promises to care for each other throughout the rest of their lives.

After the pledges, everyone enjoyed a dinner of chicken and pasta, before the main speaker, Colonel Speier, was introduced to the crowd.

Speier, who  played football and competed at Fight Night during his time at Carmel, related how those experiences helped him to understand what it meant to be a Mount Carmel man.

“Leadership and service. Those are the two things I’d say Mount Carmel stands for.” He then went on to explain how Mount Carmel students are able to understand how to serve others because they see examples of it daily.

Growing up in a poorer family in the Riverdale neighborhood, Speier remembered the many examples of generosity he saw during his time at Mount Carmel, such as when Coach Frank Kiszka would lend him a coat and tie on Mass days – not because he forgot his at home, but because he didn’t own a coat and tie.

After high school, he graduated from the United States Military Academy and went on to serve in many posts throughout the world, including Germany and South Korea.  The most challenging time for him was in 2006-2007, when he had responsibility for receiving the remains of fallen soldiers and notifying families of their deceased loved ones.

“It took every ounce of faith, grace, and compassion to make it through these days,” he notes about this time of his life. However, Mount Carmel provided him with the ability to make it through this tough time.

Speier thanked Mount Carmel for everything it provided him, crediting the experience for developing his work ethic that enabled him to make the most of the resources Mount Carmel provided.

Referencing the school’s motto, he emphasized “I truly cared to work at it and became a better man.”