Always part of the program

Last weekend, we had the great honor and joy to see our good, old friends, Mike and Rosemary Salamone – both at the MAAC XC meet up at Siena and then again for lunch at the Hyde Park Brewery on Sunday afternoon. There are some new followers to this blog, so a little perspective is in order. Mike and Rosemary are the parents of Greg Salamone (Class of 2001), one of the finest distance runners to walk through the doors of the McCann Center. We lost Greg way too soon, back in 2014, to melanoma. Greg was a great student, great runner (former school record holder in the 3,000 steeplechase and 10,000 run), and ultimately a loyal alum and dear friend. Greg’s parents started an endowed scholarship in his name, given each year to a member of the men’s XC team who exemplifies everything Greg stood for in the classroom and on the cross country and track team. This year’s recipient is Michael Kennedy, our lead runner on the cross country team. It sounds corny but I believe that Greg’s spirit is with Kennedy (and our team) every time he races. Greg will always be part of this program, as will his parents. We were able to have lunch with the Salamones and the Kennedys (Mike and his parents), and it was so great for Greg’s parents to meet Mike and get to know him.