03 August 2018
Hafa Adai my fellow brothers,
Thank you to all the people and classes that participated in our annual election of officers in July. It means a lot to me that you took time out of your day to exercise your right to make decisions within our alumni community. Thank you for entrusting me with the many responsibilities our prestigious organization oversees and moves. I would also like to say “thank you” to Dr. Andrew Eusebio ’74, for the many years of selfless leadership he put in to get this organization moving in the right direction. I don’t think he gets enough credit for the many sacrifices and extremely hard work he put in for 10 years as the leader of our organization. On behalf of all our alumni brothers, “thank you” Doc for all you have done, and continue to do behind the scenes. It doesn’t go unnoticed. I would also like to thank Peter Roy Martinez ’65 and Gerard Bautista ’84 for their service to the organization, as well as all other past officers who have served in some capacity over the years. My hope is to continue to live up to the expectation and prestige that you have all set. With your wisdom and groundwork, I am confident that I will continue to take positive steps forward.
I’d also like to congratulate Ismael “Temo” Perez ’94 on his selection as principal of Father Duenas. I, along with our newly elected leaders and entire alumni community, look forward to working closely with you on the continuous improvement of our school.
We, as an organization, and as an alumni community, have a lot of hard work ahead of us. That being said, I would like to quickly outline my top priorities as President of our Alumni Association.
First, I pledge to work closely with the FD Endowment Foundation and FD Administration to ensure our visions align with what we collectively view as the path forward for our beloved school. Together, and only together, can we continue to succeed, improve our campus, engage our alumni and consistently produce future leaders for our island. Communication and hard work are key foundations to any successful relationship, and I promise to do both during my tenure as President.
Next, I want to repair all alumni relationships. There is quite a handful of individuals and classes that feel they do not get the respect and recognition they so richly deserve. I cannot take back any hardships that have been cast in the past, but I can promise you that I will talk to you, face to face as a real man, and listen attentively to your concerns and hardships. As brothers, we will never agree on everything. As brothers, we will fight. But as bothers, we are still family, and it is because of that we must move on from the past and lay a foundation to what we collectively feel is the best way forward. My door is open. My contact information is below. I’m ready to hear from all of you.
A point of discussion for quite some time is who is a Father Duenas alumnus? This has been a contentious topic for many, many years. I fully intend on putting this issue to rest once and for all. I don’t know what the right answer is, but I do know the best way to handle it. It is to listen to all classes and stakeholders and work together to come to a resolution. I cannot promise you that the decision that is made will be the right decision in everybody’s eyes. But I can promise you it will be made with the careful insight and the valuable input of everyone, and that once it is done, you will have a complete, transparent explanation as to why it was made. This will not be easy. And it will take some time to ponder. But I didn’t sign up for this position to do easy work, and do it quickly. Never have…never will.
That being said, I fully intend on engaging and challenging all alumni of all classes to become more involved in our efforts. We should not have to wait for a 20-year reunion to reunite. We should not have to wait for a summer basketball tournament to get involved. We should take an active role in following our association, in following our Endowment and our Administration and continuously asking “what can I do to help?” We need to be more visible in the community supporting our school’s academic and athletic teams. I promise you will be challenged. And you’ll either hate me or love me for it. And for those that hate me, well, I also didn’t sign up for this position to win a popularity contest. I do not shy away from hard conversations. And believe me, they’re coming!
Lastly, I fully intend on assisting our Endowment and our Administration with pushing forward our Capital Improvements projects. We have the knowledge. We have the leaders. We have the plans. We have the financial capability. All we need is the action and fortitude to move forward. Mark my words…we will move forward with our plans! I will not let the hard work put it in over the years go to waste. The time is now!
Thank you again to all of you, my fellow brothers. Together, with our newly elected leaders, and the guidance of those before us, I pledge to move forward with the platform I have just laid out. Now, let’s get to work!!!
Fortes in Fide,
Eddie Pelkey
96ers
671.888.0370
eddiepelkey@gmail.com