Crimson Shield April 2013

2013 Alumnus of the Year - I

Michael Kimble ('81) grew up in Gentilly and went to St. Raphael School through grade 7.

His family had no connection to any private high school. So he applied to Brother Martin because it was closest, and his older brother (Kenneth '77) went there.
Mike received an academic scholarship, which made his father proud. Yet he found out later that his father paid the tuition so that the money could go to a more needy student.

Michael was always goal-oriented.

In third grade, I read that longer strides made you feel more confident. So I lengthened my stride. In tenth grade, I wanted to be an Eagle Scout and two years later I was. When I was 12, a neighbor talked to me about getting in shape. So I exercised until I could do 20 chin ups and run a mile in under seven minutes.

When he entered eighth grade, he was in much better shape than his classmates.

But that didn't help in football. Trying out for FB, Mike took a handoff and was knocked on his backside by a bigger boy. I had a black and blue mark on my butt. The next day, I could barely move. That was the end of my football career.
He went out for wrestling and was a little better at that sport but still not tough enough.
Michael found a niche with cross country and track. At the beginning, athletic ability doesn't matter that much in cross country. Since I'd been training, I started #3 on the JV. I ran in several meets, but I kept getting knocked further down the food chain.
But Jack Schommer allowed anyone who practiced to remain on the team. One of my happiest sporting memories was when we won the state championship my senior year. Since I had lifted weights, I was the only person who dared lift Coach Schommer. So there's a picture in the yearbook of coach on my shoulder.

Michael Kimble carries Coach Jack Schommer after
the 1980 Cross Country state championship race.

Mike earned membership in the National Honor Society. He joined the cheerleaders and participated in a play at Cabrini High School to meet girls.

History and languages were his best subjects.

He took three years of Spanish from Frank Ferrara.
He won the American History Award.
Math wasn't his best subject, but he had excellent teachers: Nancy Autin, Norma Canizzaro, then Brother More for Calculus. It wasn't until I got to college and took Calculus for Economics that I had any clue as to what calculus was for.

Mike hadn't thought much about the Golden Crusader Award as he entered his senior year.

He knew it represented the spirit and values of Brother Martin.
He was disappointed when he wasn't selected because he considered himself one of the best students and participated in various activities.

The disappointment didn't last long, but it was always in the back of my head. A seed was planted that there's something else out there that's important too, something that people I respect, that formed me, think is important. It wasn't something that drove me, but it was one aspect of a complex system.

Mike became one of the few members of his class to leave the state for college.

As a National Merit Semifinalist, he received information from colleges all over the nation.
He had never heard of Columbia University in New York City but, after a recruiter came down and left brochures, he decided to apply there in part because of Columbia's needs-blind admissions policy.
He didn't know until he arrived on campus that the school wasn't coed. The recruiter didn't tell me that. (Columbia accepted women his senior year.)
He needed a student loan and an on-campus job to supplement his scholarship aid. He used his computer science background to teach BASIC at the Computer School for Children.
Even though history and language were his first loves, he decided to pick a practical major - Economics.

He quickly discovered something at the Ivy League school.

The education I received at Brother Martin was in no way inferior to the top Eastern boarding schools. I never felt intimidated. One of the things I value most about my education at Brother Martin is the environment that teaches that you're not better than anyone else and no one else is better than you. We're all God's children. We're all important. We have different talents. You're better in certain things, but that doesn't really matter. The boarding school grads might have known classical composers, but they don't know how to peel a crawfish.

For financial reasons, he finished his degree in three years and took a job in the Big Apple. But his education wouldn't end there.

To be continued ...

Return to top | Questions and Comments Welcome

‹‹ Front page Next article ›› 2013 Alumnus of the Year - I Michael Kimble 2013 Alumnus of the Year Michael Kimble ('81) grew up in Gentilly and went to St. Raphael School through grade 7. His family had no connection to any private high school. So he applied to Brother Martin because it was closest, and his older brother (Kenneth '77) went there. Mike received an academic scholarship, which made his father proud. Yet he found out later that his father paid the tuition so that the money could go to a more needy student. Michael was always goal-oriented. In third grade, I read that longer strides made you feel more confident. So I lengthened my stride. In tenth grade, I wanted to be an Eagle Scout and two years later I was. When I was 12, a neighbor talked to me about getting in shape. So I exercised until I could do 20 chin ups and run a mile in under seven minutes.
When he entered eighth grade, he was in much better shape than his classmates. But that didn't help in football. Trying out for FB, Mike took a handoff and was knocked on his backside by a bigger boy. I had a black and blue mark on my butt. The next day, I could barely move. That was the end of my football career. He went out for wrestling and was a little better at that sport but still not tough enough. Michael found a niche with cross country and track. At the beginning, athletic ability doesn't matter that much in cross country. Since I'd been training, I started #3 on the JV. I ran in several meets, but I kept getting knocked further down the food chain. But Jack Schommer allowed anyone who practiced to remain on the team. One of my happiest sporting memories was when we won the state championship my senior year. Since I had lifted weights, I was the only person who dared lift Coach Schommer. So there's a picture in the yearbook of coach on my shoulder. Michael Kimble carries Coach Jack Schommer after the 1980 Cross Country state championship race. Mike earned membership in the National Honor Society. He joined the cheerleaders and participated in a play at Cabrini High School to meet girls. History and languages were his best subjects. He took three years of Spanish from Frank Ferrara. He won the American History Award. Math wasn't his best subject, but he had excellent teachers: Nancy Autin, Norma Canizzaro, then Brother More for Calculus. It wasn't until I got to college and took Calculus for Economics that I had any clue as to what calculus was for.	Mike hadn't thought much about the Golden Crusader Award as he entered his senior year. He knew it represented the spirit and values of Brother Martin. He was disappointed when he wasn't selected because he considered himself one of the best students and participated in various activities. The disappointment didn't last long, but it was always in the back of my head. A seed was planted that there's something else out there that's important too, something that people I respect, that formed me, think is important. It wasn't something that drove me, but it was one aspect of a complex system. Mike became one of the few members of his class to leave the state for college. As a National Merit Semifinalist, he received information from colleges all over the nation. He had never heard of Columbia University in New York City but, after a recruiter came down and left brochures, he decided to apply there in part because of Columbia's needs-blind admissions policy. He didn't know until he arrived on campus that the school wasn't coed. The recruiter didn't tell me that. (Columbia accepted women his senior year.) He needed a student loan and an on-campus job to supplement his scholarship aid. He used his computer science background to teach BASIC at the Computer School for Children. Even though history and language were his first loves, he decided to pick a practical major - Economics. He quickly discovered something at the Ivy League school. The education I received at Brother Martin was in no way inferior to the top Eastern boarding schools. I never felt intimidated. One of the things I value most about my education at Brother Martin is the environment that teaches that you're not better than anyone else and no one else is better than you. We're all God's children. We're all important. We have different talents. You're better in certain things, but that doesn't really matter. The boarding school grads might have known classical composers, but they don't know how to peel a crawfish. For financial reasons, he finished his degree in three years and took a job in the Big Apple. But his education wouldn't end there. To be continued ...
Return to top \| Questions and Comments Welcome

	CRIMSON SHIELD THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL
April 2013 Published Monthly September through May