Scott Fedor '94 | Hon. John V. Corrigan ‘38 Distinguished Alumnus Award Winner
Scott Fedor ’94 credits his faith and experience at Saint Ignatius with preparing him for life. As a student at Saint Ignatius, Scott was given tools for his toolbox that helped him navigate a journey far different than anything he had imagined. A devastating diving accident in 2009 left him with a C-3 spinal cord injury that paralyzed him below the neck. The 2024 recipient of the Hon. John V. Corrigan ‘38 Distinguished Alumnus Award would use those tools as he recovered from the accident to become an author and motivational speaker.
“I've been preparing for this all my life, in a way. I just didn’t realize it. You start to trust in your faith and fall back on it in a way that helps you appreciate what it means. When you have to rely on your faith to help carry you through your day and help you adjust to a whole new way of life, you realize how strong faith is. I think Saint Ignatius helped me form that bedrock, even though I didn't realize how much was being formed at the time” says Scott.
Scott recalls Mr. Dan Corrigan ’78, Mr. Tom Healy ’74, Mr. Rich Fujimoto ’66, Coach Chuck Kyle ’69, Mr. Joe Toner ’73, Doc Pennock ’64 and Mr. Jim Skerl ’74, as teachers who had a profound impact on him. “Mr. Skerl’s teachings and The Little Prince, I still hold that book very near and dear to my heart, as I think a lot of students do. Coach Kyle taught us about teamwork and that a group of ordinary individuals can work together to accomplish great things” he continues.
Today Scott is a motivational speaker and author of “Head Strong”, a memoir he released in 2019. He is also founder and president of Getting Back Up, a non profit organization that provides individuals with spinal cord injuries funding for exercise-based recovery programs and adaptable products. He serves on the Board of Directors for LEAP (Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential) and is an advocate member of The Adversity 2 Advocacy Alliance.
“I think there's a difference between an Ignatius man and someone who didn't go to Ignatius. And you can certainly appreciate that and sense that when you're in the company of alumni and others, there's just a difference; a different outlook, a different faith, a different base. A bedrock that your experiences since you were an adolescent teen have been built upon and it's more of a spirit that I think Saint Ignatius represents, as opposed to just an education” Scott continues.
Scott credits Saint Ignatius for the resiliency he developed as a student and he is grateful to the community for its unbelievable support. He comments that people he hadn’t spoken to since high school were the first to reach out to him following the accident. To this day, some of his best friends and best relationships are fellow classmates, as well as teachers.
“It’s the community, you start to really sense that being a Man for Others isn't just a slogan or a catchphrase that we're taught. You start to understand what that means. And as much as I try to give back to the school every chance I get just because of how much the school has given me, I still feel like I'm taking more than I'm giving. I don't think the Saint Ignatius community realizes how strong I've been able to become due to their support and their constant prayers. That faith and bedrock that formed all those years ago has really been what's carried me through” Scott reflects.
“The fact that I can look back on my time here that I enjoyed, but even today, I can look back to a week ago when I last saw some of my friends that went to Ignatius, and we're still in touch. We still would do anything for each other. In fact, I'm living proof of what they have done” Scott shares.
Scott has many great stories to tell, but one in particular stands out is when he got to meet Bruce Springsteen. Scott had gone to see “The Boss” with some friends, including childhood friend Rev. Damian Ference. During the concert, Springsteen dedicated “We Are Alive” to Scott and afterward Scott and his friends met the superstar backstage. Springsteen noticed that both of them were wearing a Miraculous Medal of Mary and Scott told him that the “good Catholic guys have to stick together”. It may be an understatement when Scott refers to the moment as “pretty cool.”
Scott was humbled, surprised and grateful when he found out he was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. To think of all the amazing people that have come through these halls, and all the years that the school has been around, to be recognized with such an achievement, is an honor.
Kevin Cook '86 | Founders' Award Winner
Michelle Cook remembers when her husband Kevin ’86 got the phone call from Rev. Raymond P. Guiao, S.J. ’82 telling him that he is this year’s recipient of the Founders’ Award. “He hung up the phone and was speechless, which is rare for him,” she says with a smile.
Each year the Saint Ignatius Alumni Association honors one of its members for his outstanding service to the school. The Founders’ Award, which was named to honor the late Rev. Robert Welsh, S.J. ’54 and the late Mr. and Mrs. Murlan J. Murphy ’36 for their dedication and service to Saint Ignatius High School, is being awarded to Kevin Cook ’86. Kevin is honored and humbled to receive the award named for the Jesuit who he admired and respected so much.
“Fr. Welsh was the heart and soul of Saint Ignatius,” says Kevin. “He was present, he knew the students, he challenged you to be the best you could be. He never let you forget that the mission was about serving God. For me, the neat thing about this recognition is remembering him and the impact he has had on my life.”
Kevin acknowledges that one of the best things that happened to him because of Saint Ignatius was meeting Michelle while coaching her brother on the football team. Fr. Welsh married them several years later and Kevin admits that Michelle has made the biggest difference in his life.
With their three sons, Jack ’16, Ryan ’17 and Henry ’20, support of Saint Ignatius has always been a priority. Kevin has served as President of the Alumni Executive Council and is a past chairman of the Thomas Koch Alumni Golf Outing committee, the Bellarmine Award Selection committee, the Distinguished Alumnus Selection committee, the Annual Fund Phone-a-Thon and the current chairman of Hall of Fame selection committee, and Michelle was always willing to help where needed.
One of the greatest rewards he discovered from serving on the committees was meeting alumni from different decades. “There were alumni that attended Saint Ignatius while the country was at war, to those who attended during a global pandemic. Yet at their core, they were all the same in their commitment to their alma mater,” Kevin remarks.
Kevin says he is receiving this award for those that came before him. Saint Ignatius does such a great job having role models, mentors, teachers and others that set the benchmark for giving back to the school. “There is a long list of alumni and friends who showed me the way. I have a lot of respect for them personally and professionally, and when they asked me to get involved, I wanted to be associated with those people. It was hard not to reconnect.”
Today Kevin is the Managing Member at Albemarle Advisors, LLC, which provides coaching, mentoring, fractional executive and advisory services to privately-held and family-owned businesses. He holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Cleveland State University.
Kevin is honored to receive this prestigious award.
John Fanta '13 | Young Alumnus Award Winner
John Fanta ’13 comes from a long line of Saint Ignatius men. Growing up, he imitated the ways in which his grandfather, father, and uncles lived out what it means to be a Man for Others, in anticipation of his time at Saint Ignatius. “From the time I was little, there was never a question of whether or not I would be at 1911 West 30th. It was always known. And when you grow up going to Byers Field on a Saturday night, or going to Sullivan Gym on Fridays and Saturdays during the winter to stay warm, you quickly learn that Saint Ignatius is a place for everybody,” John shares.
When John arrived at Saint Ignatius as a freshman, he was determined to play football with the Wildcats. However, a few days after his freshman season ended, John’s father asked him what he was planning to do next. “It goes along with that whole idea of an ‘and’ man at Saint Ignatius,” John explains, “there's so much that this place offers.”
A few days later, John approached Athletic Director Rory Fitzpatrick ’88 in search of a new opportunity and was sent over to Jeff McCormick ’83 to talk about the Saint Ignatius Broadcasting Network (SIBN). At the time, the SIBN was new to campus, and John was ready to dive right in. The pair talked for more than two hours, and by the time the conversation ended, John had agreed to join SIBN.
McCormick invited John to be a cameraman at Wildcat basketball games, and soon after, John was on air as a broadcaster for SIBN. “I proceeded to learn every position on a broadcast, from behind the scenes to play-by-play to analyst to pre-game host to halftime host to reporter to interviewing coaches and student-athletes, and everything in between. That all goes back to Mr. McCormick,” John explains.
John credits his relationships with faculty members, including Coach Chuck Kyle ’69, McCormick, and Fitzpatrick, with much of his success. John was a heavily involved student at Saint Ignatius, participating in football, chorus, the Cat-o’-Tonics, student senate, and SIBN. “For me, this place has countless relationships and connections and lessons that I still take with me today about doing things the right way,” John says. “Anything is possible at Saint Ignatius High School.”
John’s participation in SIBN sparked a passion that inspired him to pursue a career as a professional sports broadcaster. After graduating from Saint Ignatius, John went on to study journalism at Seton Hall University, where he followed the mens and womens basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and soccer teams across the country as a broadcaster, traveling to over half of the US states while doing so. After college, the Big East Network hired John to host his own show, The Big East Shootaround. In 2018, John became a Fox Sports college basketball play-by-play commentator and reporter.
Throughout his successful career, John has stayed connected with young broadcasters, both in his current state of New Jersey and back home at Saint Ignatius, by volunteering at camps and school broadcasting programs. “The message has always been the same: ‘Do it for someone else when they need you down the road. Be that person, be that Man for Others.’ ‘Man for Others’ is not just a phrase here. We live it. And the feeling that you get when you're in this building and on this campus is a feeling I never want to leave my heart,” John shares.
Being selected for the Young Alumnus Award was a profoundly emotional moment for John, especially as he remembered his late father, who had been one of his biggest supporters. John attributes his success to the unwavering support of his family, particularly his parents, Gerry and Molly, who ensured he could attend and excel at Saint Ignatius, and his wife, Victoria, who has been by his side throughout his career. For John, this honor is not just a personal achievement but a tribute to his family's legacy at Saint Ignatius High School.