Brooklyn Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
History
Brooklyn Prep was a highly selective Jesuit preparatory school founded by the Society of Jesus in 1908. The school educated generations of young men from throughout New York City and Long Island until its untimely closure in 1972.The Prep was located on 1150 Carroll Street in the Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. The grounds and buildings are presently part of Medgar Evers College
Medgar Evers College
Medgar Evers College is a senior college of The City University of New York.Medgar Evers College was officially established in 1970 through cooperation from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn...
of the City University of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(CUNY). Located next to the Prep was the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, which was also run by the Jesuits and which was closed in 2011.
As a Jesuit institution, Brooklyn Prep was noted for its religious values, classical roots (e.g., Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek), and dress code (ties & jackets) - all part of its goal of turning out well-rounded, educated men. Most of its graduates matriculated to four-year colleges. It was part of a group of seven Jesuit secondary schools in New York, New Jersey (Regis, Xavier, Loyola, Fordham Prep, St. Peter's Prep and McQuaid).
The 100th anniversary of the school was celebrated by alumni and former faculty in October 2008.
Alumni
Brooklyn Preparatory School's alumni have attended many colleges, including City College, Brooklyn College, Queens College, St. Francis College (NY), MIT, Amherst, Cornell, Columbia, Fordham, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Syracuse University, Polytechnic Inst. of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Brown, Princeton, Boston College, Holy Cross, Georgetown, Harvard, Notre Dame, Berkeley, Univ. of Chicago and Yale.Among Brooklyn Prep's notable alumni are the following:
- Robert S. BennettRobert S. BennettRobert S. Bennett is an American attorney best known for representing President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal. Bennett is also famous for representing Judith Miller in the Valerie Plame CIA leak grand jury investigation case, Caspar Weinberger, the U.S...
, '57 - Washington DC attorney - William Peter BlattyWilliam Peter BlattyWilliam Peter Blatty is an American writer and filmmaker. The novel The Exorcist, written in 1971, is his magnum opus; he also penned the subsequent screenplay version of the film, for which he won an Academy Award....
, '45 - author of "The ExorcistThe ExorcistThe Exorcist is a novel of supernatural suspense by William Peter Blatty, published by Harper & Row in 1971. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism that Blatty heard about while he was a student in the class of 1950 at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school...
" - James W Brannigan, Jr, '49 - US Attorney - Maine and San Diego
- Joseph Califano, '48 - former Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare
- Bill Carter - (New York Times, TV columnist and author of several books on TV
- William P. FordWilliam P. FordWilliam P. Ford was the brother of Ita Ford, and an advocate for his sister and the people of El Salvador.-Legal career:He graduated from Fordham College in 1960, and later received his law degree from St. John's University. Originally, he worked for the law firm of Mudge Rose, and later formed...
, '53 [deceased] - international civil rights attorney - Jack HofsissJack HofsissJack Hofsiss is an American theatre, film and television director. He received a Tony Award for his direction of The Elephant Man on Broadway, the youngest director to have ever received it at the time...
, '67 - director of "The Elephant Man" - Joseph M. McLaughlinJoseph M. McLaughlinJoseph Michael McLaughlin is a federal appellate judge in the United States.Born in Brooklyn, New York. He received an A.B. from Fordham College in 1954, and was in the United States Army Corps of Engineers Captain from 1955 to 1957. He then received a LL.B. from Fordham University School of Law...
, '50 - Senior Appellate Judge, Second Circuit - John SextonJohn SextonJohn Edward Sexton is the fifteenth President of New York University, having held this position since May 17, 2002, and the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Dean of the NYU School of Law, which during his deanship became one...
, '59 - President of New York University - Raymond SillerRaymond SillerRaymond "Ray" Siller is an American television writer and political consultant. He was nominated for four Emmy Awards as long-time head writer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He has written for four U.S. presidents and contributed articles to The New York Times, The Wall Street...
, '56 - television writer, political consultant - Joseph Paterno, '44 - all - time leader in wins as a football head coach, Penn State University
- George BartonGeorge BartonGeorge Burton can refer to:*George Barton , Australian sport shooter*George Aaron Barton , Canadian clergyman*George Burnett Barton , Australian lawyer*George Elliott Barton , New Zealand politician...
, '43 - funeral director, Brooklyn, New York
The Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association keeps the memory of the school alive by hosting an annual alumni dinner in New York City and by the maintenance of an Alumni Association Fund, which supports scholarships and educational causes.
Faculty
Noted faculty have included:- Daniel BerriganDaniel BerriganDaniel Berrigan, SJ is an American Catholic priest, peace activist, and poet. Daniel and his brother Philip were for a time on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for their involvement in antiwar protests during the Vietnam war....
, SJ - peace activist and distinguished author and poet - John C. LawnJohn C. LawnJohn C. "Jack" Lawn served as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration between 26 July 1985 and 23 March 1990. On 1 March 1985, Lawn, who had served as Deputy Administrator since 1982, was designated Acting Administrator following the retirement of Francis M. Mullen. On 4 April 1985,...
- varsity basketball coach, who became Drug Enforcement AdministrationDrug Enforcement AdministrationThe Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
Administrator, COO of the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, and CEO of The Century Council - Anthony J. Paone, SJ - author of several religious books
- Charles Winans - a noted teacher whose life and influence on students was detailed in the privately published book titled Charlie's Prep
External links
(faculty member of Brooklyn Prep 1952-1972)a 1961 graduate comments on Brooklyn Prep and Catholic education since the 1960s