Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (June 17, 1923 – January 31, 2012) was an American
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. He served as archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1988 to 2003. Bevilacqua previously served as bishop of the
Diocese of Pittsburgh from 1983 to 1987 and as an auxiliary bishop of the
Diocese of Brooklyn from 1980 to 1983. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991.
Biography
Early life and education
Anthony Bevilacqua was born on June 17, 1923, in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, to Luigi (1884–1961) and Maria (née Codella, 1893–1968) Bevilacqua.
Luigi was born in
Spinazzola, Italy and worked as a
bricklayer
A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of maso ...
. and Maria was born in
Calitri, Italy. Anthony Bevilacqua had four brothers: Michael, Angelo, Rocco, and Frank; and six sisters, Josephine (died of
meningitis
Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...
at age two), Isabella, Virginia, Mary Jo, Gloria, and Madeline. Luigi immigrated to the United States in 1910, followed by Maria and their oldest son, Michael. The family lived in
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...
; Hartford, Connecticut; and Brooklyn before settling in
Woodhaven, Queens
Woodhaven is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the north by Park Lane South and Forest Park, on the east by Richmond Hill, on the south by Ozone Park and Atlantic Avenue, an ...
. Luigi operated a
hair dying shop and
shoe shine shop in Queens.
Anthony Bevilacqua attended Public School No. 60, St. Thomas the Apostle School, and
Richmond Hill High School, all in the
Borough of Queens. He then studied at
Cathedral College in Queens, where he won prizes in mathematics and science. He earned a trip to Washington, D.C. for an essay on the
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...
.
[ Bevilacqua graduated from Cathedral College with a ]Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in 1943, and then entered the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York.
Ordination and ministry
Bevilacqua was ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the priesthood for the Diocese of Brooklyn by Bishop Thomas Malloy on June 11, 1949, at St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn. He then served as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Mary Parish in Brooklyn and St. Mary Parish on Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
until 1950.[ Bevilacqua taught at Cathedral College from 1950 to 1954, and then entered the ]Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
in Rome. He obtained a Doctor of Canon Law
Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...
degree ''summa cum laude'' from the Gregorian in 1956.[
After returning to Brooklyn, Bevilacqua served on the diocesan tribunal and as a chaplain to the Sisters of St. Joseph congregation in Brentwood, New York.][ He earned a ]Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
in political science from Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1962, and was named vice-chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of the diocese in 1965. From 1968 to 1980, Bevilacqua was a visiting professor
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...
of canon law at Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.[ During this time, he also founded the Diocesan Office for Migration and Refugees in 1971. Bevilacqua earned a J.D. from St. John's University in 1975.][ He was admitted to practice law in the courts of New York and ]Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
and before the U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
.[
Bevilacqua was named by the ]Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
as honorary prelate of his holiness on January 23, 1976; he became chancellor of the diocese that year also.["Philly cardinal dies ahead of child sex abuse trial", MSNBC news service, February 1, 2012]
/ref> He remained chancellor of the diocese and director of its Migration and Refugee Office until 1983. From 1977 to 1980, Bevilacqua taught immigration law
Immigration law includes the national statutes, Primary and secondary legislation, regulations, and Precedent, legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as ...
as an adjunct professor at St. John's University School of Law.[
]
Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn
On October 7, 1980, Bevilacqua was appointed as an auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of Aquae Albae in Byzacena by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
. He received his episcopal consecration
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
on November 24, 1980, from Bishop Francis Mugavero, with Bishops John J. Snyder and Charles Mulrooney serving as co-consecrators
A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop.
The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...
, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn. Bevilacqua selected as his episcopal motto: ''Ecclesia Mater Nostra'', meaning "The Church, our Mother."
Mansour controversy
In 1983, Bevilacqua became involved in the case of Agnes Mary Mansour. A member of the Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...
religious order in Detroit, Mansour administered the State of Michigan's Medicaid
Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...
program as the director of the Michigan Department of Social Services. In 1983, Detroit Archbishop Edmund Szoka asked Mansour to declare her opposition to public financing of abortion procedures, which she refused to do. The Vatican then sent Bevilacqua to meet with her. He told Mansour that if she did not resign as director, she would have to leave the Sisters of Mercy. Mansour chose to keep her job and leave the religious order.
In the early 1980s, as chair of the Committee on Canonical Affairs, Bevilacqua led the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) through the first phases of implementing the new 1983 Code of Canon Law
The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...
, making appropriate adaptations for the United States.["Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, retired Philadelphia archbishop, dies at age 88", ''Catholic Star Herald'', February 2, 2012](_blank)
/ref>
Bishop of Pittsburgh
Bevilacqua was named by Pope John Paul II as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh on October 7, 1983.[ Succeeding Bishop Vincent Leonard, Bevilacqua was consecrated by Bishop Mugavero on December 12, 1983. He was a member of the 1987 World Synod of Bishops on the role of ]laity
In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all Church membership, members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-Ordination, ordained members of religious orders, e ...
in the church and the world.[
]
O'Connor abuse case
In 1985, John O'Connor, a priest of the Diocese of Camden in New Jersey, was charged with inappropriately touching a 14-year-old boy in that diocese during a sleepover. O'Connor was arrested, then released to a pretrial intervention program in Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, followed by a period of court supervision. After O'Connor's completion of the program, Camden Bishop George Guilfoyle asked Bevilacqua to accept O'Connor in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Bevilacqua agreed and assigned O'Connor as a hospital chaplain. O'Connor was moved back to the Diocese of Camden in 1993 because his 1984 Cape May County
Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic ...
victim had sued and received a settlement.[DeRosier, John. "Ex-Vineland priest named in Pennsylvania child sex abuse report", ''The Press of Atlantic City'', August 16, 2018](_blank)
/ref>
Karabin abuse case
On August 14, 2018, Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro
Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the attorney general of Pen ...
released a grand jury report detailing alleged sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses, including the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The report showed a 1985 memo written by Bevilacqua in which he rejected a request to reassign Joseph Karabin, a diocese priest, after two children told the diocese he had sexually molested them. Bevilacqua did not report Karabin to the police, but sent him instead to a treatment center for alcohol abuse
Alcohol abuse encompasses a spectrum of alcohol-related substance abuse. This spectrum can range from being mild, moderate, or severe. This can look like consumption of more than 2 drinks per day on average for men, or more than 1 drink per ...
in Maryland. Karabin was kept on restricted assignments until 2002, when he was appointed as chaplain at a retirement home. Donald Wuerl
Donald William Wuerl (born November 12, 1940) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Washington from 2006 to 2018. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle (1986 to 1987) and Bishop of Pit ...
, Bevilacqua's successor as bishop, withdrew Karabin's appointment and suspended his priestly faculties.[Vendel, Christine. "Pittsburgh-area priest accused of sex abuse wanted own parish to keep from 'acting out'", Pennlive.com, August 14, 2018](_blank)
/ref>
In 1986, Bevilacqua banned women from participating in the Holy Thursday
Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the Lord's Supper, among other names,The day is also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. is ...
foot-washing service. He said that the service was a re-enactment of the Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...
, in which Jesus only washed men's feet. After pushback from Catholic women and from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bevilacqua relented, allowing individual pastors to decide. However, he refused to attend services that washed women's feet.
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Pope John Paul II appointed Bevilacqua as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on December 8, 1987. Succeeding Cardinal John Krol, Bevilacqua was installed on February 11, 1988, and named cardinal-priest
A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...
of Ss. Redentore e S. Alfonso in Via Merulana in the consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
*Consistor ...
of June 28, 1991.["Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua dies at the age of 88", ''Catholic Philly'', February 1, 2012](_blank)
/ref>
In 1998, Bevilacqua asked Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served in the Presidency of George W. Bush, George W. Bush administration as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003 and as the U ...
to fund food stamp
In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal government program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income persons to help them maintai ...
assistance for immigrants and instituted service centers for Latino and African American Catholics.[Zucchino, David. "Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua dies at 88; archbishop of Philadelphia", ''Los Angeles Times'', February 3, 2012]
/ref>
Bevilacqua is remembered for his frequent visits to churches in the diocese, his knowledge of fiscal matters, his conservatism, and his closing of schools. Organizationally, he divided the archdiocese into six vicariate
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
s, each with a general vicariate, and subdivided the central administration into six secretariats. He hosted a weekly radio call-in program, ''Live with Cardinal Bevilacqua'', which aired on WZZD-AM in Philadelphia. In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA
PoliticsPA.com is a website centered on the politics of Pennsylvania.
Content
The website reports on political and campaign news in Pennsylvania, from the state legislature up to federal races. The editors write occasional features, like the ...
"Power 50" list of politically influential personalities.
Within the USCCB, Bevilacqua served as chair of the Committee on Migration from 1983 to 1984, during which time he visited the refugee camps of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
and Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. He also chaired the Committee for Canonical Affairs (1981–1984) and the Committee on Pro-Life Activities. In 2005, the Philadelphia District Attorney's office issued a report that criticized Bevilacqua and his predecessor, Cardinal Krol, for failing to protect children in the archdiocese from sexual abuse by priests.
Retirement and death
Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 in June 1998, Bevilacqua submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II, who allowed him to continue in his post. Bevilacqua lost the right to participate in a papal conclave
A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church.
Concerns around ...
when he reached the age of 80 in June 2003. His resignation was finally accepted by the Pope on July 15, 2003,[ Bevilacqua served as ]apostolic administrator
An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of the archdiocese until the installation of his successor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, on October 7, 2003. In retirement, Bevilacqua lived at his home on the grounds of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
In February 2011 it was reported that Bevilacqua was suffering from cancer and dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
. In November 2011, Bevilacqua gave a seven-hour deposition in a sealed hearing on the handling of sexual abuse cases in the archdiocese. Due to his declining health, his testimony was videotaped. Defense lawyers said the cardinal could no longer recognize the priest who had been his longtime aide.
Bevilacqua died suddenly on January 31, 2012, at age 88 in his home in Wynnewood.
Lynn negligence case
In 2012, Monsignor William Lynn, former secretary for clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was convicted of one count of child endangerment. This conviction resulted from his negligent oversight of Edward Avery, a priest in the archdiocese, who sexually fondled a 12-year-old boy. Lynn was acquitted of conspiracy and a second child endangerment count. Lynn's lawyers had argued that the case should be thrown out. They presented a 1994 memo that showed that Lynn had prepared a list of 35 abuse allegations against priests in the archdiocese. Bevilacqua had ordered Monsignor James Molloy to destroy the list.
Picard retaliation
During Lynn's trial, it was revealed that in 1996, Monsignor Michael Picard, the pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Newtown, Pennsylvania, had expressed concerns to Bevilacqua regarding a priest assigned to his parish. That unnamed priest had been accused of sexually assaulting a minor in 1982. In response, Bevilacqua ordered Picard to apologize to the priest and spend two weeks on a contemplative retreat. The other priest was transferred to another parish. In response to Picard's allegation, the archdiocese said it had received no complaints about the accused priest's work in 15 years of service to three parishes. That priest died in 2006.
Bevilacqua abuse allegation
In September 2018, the Diocese of Pittsburgh was sued by Heather Taylor, a former student at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin School near Pittsburgh. Taylor claimed that Bevilacqua, then bishop of Pittsburgh, had groped her while visiting St. Gabriel. She also accused two other priests on the school faculty of molesting her, both of whom were found to have sexually abused minors.
Viewpoints
In 2000, Bevilacqua testified before the Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...
in support of a bill that would enact a moratorium on capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
in that state.
Bevilacqua was a frequent critic of LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
rights, calling it an "...aberration, moral evil...". He also believed that gay men
Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual men, bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as ''gay'' and a number of gay men also identify as ''queer''. Historic terminology for gay men has included ''Sexual inversion (sexology), in ...
should not be accepted as Catholic priests.
In 2004, Bevilacqua praised the banning of abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
services for women in US military hospitals by Congress. In 2009, Bevilacqua joined other American bishops in condemning the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
for inviting President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
to be its commencement speaker. This was due to Obama's support for abortion rights
Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...
. Bevilacqua commented:It is my hope and prayer that the University of Notre Dame will rescind the invitation to President Obama to speak at the commencement and withhold the conferral of an honorary degree to him or to anyone who so blatantly disregards the basic moral principles upon which the United States of America was founded.
References
Sources
*
External links
Curriculum vitae in ''The Daily Catholic''
Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh History of Bishops webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevilacqua, Anthony
1923 births
2012 deaths
21st-century American cardinals
20th-century American cardinals
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
American people of Italian descent
Roman Catholic archbishops of Philadelphia
Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II
Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Roman Catholic bishops of Pittsburgh
St. John's University School of Law alumni
Religious leaders from Brooklyn
Religious leaders from New Rochelle, New York
Catholics from New York (state)
People from Woodhaven, Queens
Richmond Hill High School (Queens) alumni