Gilligan family announces establishment of perpetual scholarship at Spirit of Xaverian Gala
Xaverian hosted its annual Spirit of Xaverian Gala on Nov. 18 at the Metropolitan in Manhattan, drawing more than 300 attendees. The event honored Spirit of Xaverian Award Recipient Edward P. Gilligan ’77 (1959-2015), president of the American Express Company and a member of Xaverian’s board of trustees; James E. Leonard ’76, chief of Department, FDNY; Joseph M. Corrado ’73, senior managing director, The Boston Company Asset Management, LLC; Michael J. Mennella ’64, executive vice president, Tishman Construction and a member of Xaverian‘s board of trustees.
The evening’s events were made special by the presence of student volunteers throughout the program. Guests were greeted by the students in the pipe and drum corps and enjoyed music by the jazz band throughout cocktail hour. The formal portion of the evening was kicked off by a performance by the pipe and drum corps and an a cappella rendition of the National Anthem sung by Dan Walker ’77. Associate Director for Advancement and Athletics Eddie Mayrose ’79 served as the master of ceremonies.
Following a video tribute to Ed Gilligan ’77, Lisa, his wife, delivered touching remarks and announced the establishment of a perpetual scholarship in Ed’s name at Xaverian. She said, “Ed never forgot his experience at Xaverian and the role it played in enabling him to rise about his circumstances. When he joined the board of trustees, he did so because he believed it was an opportunity to make a difference and a way to make sure other young people have the same opportunity he had to succeed. It is for this reason that my children and I have decided to honor Ed’s memory by establishing a perpetual scholarship at Xaverian in his name. We can’t think of a better way to pay it forward than by enabling other young men and women to attend this fine school.”
