Jesuit Blessed with Impactful Convocations Mike Petters ’77, CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2016-17 7 he fall semester brought dozens of outstanding speakers and presentations to Jesuit High School students at morning Convocation. Among the many notable speakers was Mike Petters ’77, who gave the annual Veterans Day presentation in November. With several Jesuit alumni veterans in attendance (including Lt. Col. Lucien Campillo ’88, who spoke on Veterans Day 2015), and the University of South Florida’s Air Force ROTC Color Guard, Petters, the CEO of America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), spoke about the value of preparation, the importance of service, and how his Jesuit background prepared him for his military and shipbuilding careers. Petters, who also spoke to three Jesuit classes that day, was honored as a Lone Sailor Award recipient in 2015, a prestigious award presented by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation. Past recipients include U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, and John Kennedy. The eldest of fi ve brothers who all graduated from Jesuit in the 1970s and ’80s, Petters earned a physics degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982. As CEO of HII in Newport News, Va., the only builder of aircraft carriers in the U.S., Petters made national news in 2016 with the announcement that all but $1 of his $950,000 salary would go toward workforce training and scholarships for children of employees. “It’s a chance to give people the chance to create a little bit different future for themselves,” said Petters, who was raised on a large orange and cattle farm in the community of St. Joe in Pasco County. “Somebody did that for me; I’m lucky enough to have the chance to do it for others.” In November, John Pridmore captivated the student body with a powerful, straightforward account of his delinquent youth and gangster career before embracing his faith and dramatically turning his life around. Raised in London, Pridmore was a regular in detention centers and prisons for years. He shared with the students his remarkable journey to a spiritual life, and he is now the author of several books, including “From Gangland to Promised Land” and “Journey to Freedom.” In October, a trio of alumni – Will Wellman ’01, Chris Whitney ’01, and Michael Muniz ’01 – spoke of how Jesuit brotherhood and a commitment to be “Men for Others” has propelled them to raise nearly $2 million in six years to help cure the kidney disease FSGS, via their annual event the Tampa Pig Jig on the River. Wellman, who has FSGS, has become a leading advocate and fundraiser for FSGS, with assists from Whitney, Muniz, and many others, including dozens of Jesuit students who volunteer at the event annually. Also in October, Brandon Eady ’97 who was paralyzed in a car accident in 2011, walked up to the microphone without assistance and spoke powerfully about overcoming adversity. And twice during the fall, nationally renowned speaker Jimmy Mitchell addressed the student body about living an authentic life, and about his experience with Jesuit students in the caves of Austria during the World Youth Day 2016 trip. And in September, Brigadier General Tom Draude spoke at Jesuit about his 30 years of experience in the U.S. Marine Corps, during which he received two Distinguished Service medals, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, and a Navy Commendation medal. T Will Wellman ’01 (speaking), with Chris Whitney ’01 and Michael Muniz ’01 at left John Pridmore (right), with Fr. Patrick Hough, S.J., gave a powerful presentation
19632JH
To see the actual publication please follow the link above