Overcast, slightly rainy skies didn’t keep more than 400 members of the Fordham community from coming together to march up Fifth Avenue as part of New York City’s 264th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It’s something Fordham has done almost every year since 1937, said Michael Griffin, associate vice president for alumni relations, at a brunch held at the Harvard Club prior to the parade.
For the third straight year, President Tania Tetlow led the Fordham contingent. In a prerecorded message broadcast on NBC during the parade, she noted that Fordham is “Irish to its core,” as it was founded in 1841 by Archbishop John Hughes to “serve the hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants streaming into New York” who needed education and “investment in the talent that they brought with them.”
“We are so proud to continue the joyfulness of our Irish heritage on WFUV’s Irish show every Sunday,” she said, referencing Ceol na nGael, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. “We are proud to revel in the academic intellectual heritage of Ireland. We created the first Irish studies program in the United States, and continue to educate our students in the glory of that tradition.”
Another Ram also had a special role in the festivities: John B. Kelly, GABELLI ’76, LAW ’79, was one of five aides to the grand marshal.
