Upcoming Alumni Events
Below are the upcoming events and functions for Brother Rice Alumni. If you are interested in participating or supporting these events and functions, adding new events or revising a current event, we invite you to contact Matt Kelly ’96 at 773.429.4343 or Jan Hickey at 773.420.4340.
Carry on the Crusade at the Union League Club
December 7, 2023 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Basketball Alumni Night
January 19, 2024 @ 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Brian Bulkley Scholarship
January 21, 2024 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Southwest Florida Trip
February 5, 2024 - February 9, 2024
Alumni Meetings and News
Monthly Board Meetings – 2nd Monday of the Month
Beginning in August and continuing through June, the vice president of alumni services and alumni board president preside over the agenda that includes reports on the results and progress of past and ongoing activities and events. Alumni from all years who wish to help improve our events and activities are welcome to attend.
Please contact Jan Hickey (773-429-4340) for exact date and time.
Alumni News
(In print and online and throughout the year by email)
Alumni News is no longer disbursed twice a year into all active alumni mailboxes via USPS. Please continue to check back on the website for continuous alumni news. Thousands of alumni and friends are already receiving continuous alumni and school news by email all year long. In addition to continuous information about events and activities, you can read profiles of alumni accomplishments. We welcome even more suggestions for newsworthy stories for expanded coverage of Alumni News.
Contact Matt Kelly ’96 (mkelly@brrice.org) or Jan Hickey (jhickey@brrice.org) with your newsworthy stories about fellow alumni.
Alumni Event Descriptions
The Brother Rice High School Alumni Association established the formation of the Brother Rice Alumni Interactive Network for Business (BRAIN for Business) in April 2013. The goal of BRAIN for Business is to continuously connect members of the Brother Rice business community, yielding endless business, job and internship opportunities for our alumni and Brother Rice High School students alike, hold regular networking meetings throughout the Chicagoland area at business affiliated with or owned by BR alumni, while also publishing an online directory of alumni businesses. We also hold regular networking meetings throughout the Chicagoland area at alumni owned or managed businesses, while publishing an online directory of alumni businesses.
Membership is open to all Brother Rice alumni.
We are currently seeking to expand the leadership of BRAIN for Business. To that end, we seek three alumni – one alumnus who is from the 80’s or older, one from the 90’s, and one from the 00’s or younger who wish to lead the group in seeking alumni to host, sponsor, and promote 3 BRAIN for Business meetings per year throughout the Chicagoland area.
If you are interested in hosting or sponsoring a BRAIN for Business meeting, please contact Vice President Alumni Relations Matt Kelly ’96.
Hosted at alumni-owned Reilly’s Daughter since 1987, the tradition continues there in order to show appreciation for the dedicated faculty and staff at Brother Rice, sometime within the first two weeks of September. Sponsorships are encouraged to help offset the cost of the event.
Friday, November 8, 2019 ~ The All-Alumni Reunion Dinner will be held in the Carmody Center (BRHS cafeteria). For the 8th consecutive year, we are hosting the All-Alumni Reunion Dinner on campus. Special anniversary reservations are available for graduating classes of ’64, celebrating their 55th; ’69, celebrating their 50th; ’74, their 45th; ’79, their 40th; ’84, their 35th; ’89, their 30th; ’94, their 25th; ’99, their 20th; ’04, their 15th; ’09, their 10th; and ’14, their 5th.
The cost for dinner is $80 per person and a “Special Young Alumni (2009-2014) Rate” of $60. Contact Matt Kelly ’96 at 773-429- 4343 or mkelly@brrice.org to help or Jan Hickey at jhickey@brrice.org or at 773-429- 4340 to make reservations today.
Show us your business, school, class anniversary, and community spirit with a business ad or special message in the program booklet. Alumni who cannot attend can be there in spirit with ad-book messages to classmates and honorees. Ads are the primary source of revenue for the Alumni Association, which helps keep alumni informed and united through many events and notices throughout the year. Costs for ads range from $60 to $1,500. Contact Alumni Director Jim Casey to find out how to support your alma mater or to learn more about the upcoming dinner and other alumni events.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Beginning in 2010, the Alumni Association has sponsored pizzas and soft drinks for the most recent graduates to come back on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving to pick up their yearbooks. Hosted by the journalism/yearbook class and Ms. Becky Pacetti, Matt Kelly and Jan Hickey will be joined by Larry Heavey ’71 and Joe Ferrick ‘75 to serve the pizza and pop and welcome back our newest alumni for their first and largest reunion of classmates.
Annually sponsored by Dr. Marty Burke ’80 and hosted by the President and Institutional Advancement team at Brother Rice, this gathering of Brother Rice alumni professionals takes place at the Union League Club on the first Thursday in December.
The 2019 Alumni Night will be held this year at Reilly’s Daughter, immediately following the 5:00 P.M. Varsity Basketball game against Leo on Saturday, January 26th. Complimentary pizza and beverages will served. Hosted by the volunteers in the Alumni Association, school personnel and co-hosted by Leo alums, the reception is supported by sponsors who are displayed on a sign, posted on alumni news and the alumni website, and very much appreciated. Additional sponsors can contact Jim Casey or Jan Hickey.
View the 2018-2019 Varsity Basketball Schedule here.
Date TBD
On Career Day, alumni come to share stories about their various paths from Brother Rice to their careers. All junior classes and many senior classes devote most of the day hosting alumni. This is an opportunity to teach our young men something you know well, while networking with fellow alumni and greeting former teachers. Contact Matt Kelly at mkelly@brrice.org or at 773-429- 4343 if you would like to participate.
Founded and named after John P. Leahy ’61, this award honors five finalists, including one winner, nominated first by their fellow classmates and then the teachers and staff members of Brother Rice High School. Finalists are awarded plaques at the All-Alumni Reunion Dinner and receive scholarship funds toward senior-year tuition.
Alumnus Larry Platt ’68 visits all the sophomore classes to introduce the Larry Platt Essay Contest. More than 40% of the class have traditionally participated since 2003, with 100% hearing Larry’s message about why he sponsors the scholarship, demonstrating alumni support to young Crusaders at an early age.
The Alumni Golf Outing is held at Gleneagles Country Club in Lemont. Founded in 1986, the golf outing has grown to play host to as many as 225 golfers, most of whom also join their fellow Crusaders for dinner. While the Alumni Association raises approximately $10,000 from the tournament, most of the fees and donations are poured right back into the event, which has made it an affordable outing that creates lasting memories.
Established in 2003, Seniors Today Alumni Tomorrow connects today’s seniors with the Alumni Association by inviting them to purchase a STAT polo shirt that they can wear in lieu of a school approved polo. Participation has shown increased momentum, as the special privilege is yet another noticeable display of unity with alumni.
Since 1974, the Alumni Softball League of Brother Rice is the largest high-school alumni softball league in the Chicagoland area. The league is also noted for its family “picnic-like” atmosphere on Sunday afternoons. Initial team meetings take place in early March, with games played in May, June, and July. The age range for these players is from 18 to 50-something, with occasional appearances from players in their 60’s. Bob Amedio ’93 is the League Commissioner and it is his leadership that has led to the growth of the league. Alumni wishing to join an existing team or form another should contact Jan Hickey before March 1, 2019.
Over the years, the Alumni Office has sponsored or supported anniversaries of championships and memorial liturgies. The Alumni Association also assists organizations, teams, or any group of alumni who gather and remain connected to the mission of Brother Rice High School.
Alumni also support the school as donors, members of the Board of Directors, the Finance Committee, the Development Committee, the Dads’ Club, committees for anniversaries, special parties, and by attending and/or organizing groups to support the Circle of Champions Athletic Hall of Fame in April, Back to School Barbecue, the Foundation Golf Outing in August, the CAAC Golf Outing in September, and the Sports Night in March. While these activities and events are not hosted or sponsored by the Alumni Association, the Alumni Office and volunteer members offer continuous and valuable support.
Class Captains help build attendance to events, especially during their anniversary years. Class Captains begin by finding lost alumni and building networks through social media. Contact Matt Kelly at mkelly@brrice.org for more information.
If a surplus is available after paying our alumni secretary and sponsoring the Rice Review and many and various school and community events, and after purchasing many Mass cards throughout the year, we are glad to offer a gift to the school. Most recently, the Alumni Association has donated thousands of dollars to the Lifeguard Fund, the capital campaigns, for iPads for the scanning of 52 yearbooks to be posted on-line, for resurfacing the track, and for general school improvements.
Other Alumni Events
Circle of Champions inductee announcements, a great game, and a post-game reception, all in one night at beautiful Gary Little Stadium on campus, hosted by the Athletic Department on Homecoming Friday.
Circle of Champions page coming soon.
Contact Jim Casey at jcasey@brrice.org or Kevin Larson at klarson@brrice.org. Traditionally, the event is held the last Monday of August.
Contact Tim O’Connell at toconnell@brrice.org for details. Traditionally, the outing is help the second Saturday of September.
