HISTORY OF SAINTS FRISKIES ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
THE SMALL BEGINNING
by J. Benedict Wreh '72
President 2005 - 2007
It all began with a simple idea when a group of classmates in 1992 decided to meet to take count of their classmates and to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Intelligentsias Class of 1972 of St. Patrick’s High School in Monrovia, Liberia. And so exactly twenty years to the date, the week of December 9, 1992 the boys of the class of 1972 met in Atlanta, GA at the home of T. Markos Roberts.
Present at that first gathering, or what we thought was the our first reunion as a class, were Charles W. Ford, Jr., Stanton B Johnson, Jr., Crispin Jones, Christopher A Mingle, Edmund K Neblett, Jerry Ivor Wilkins, J Benedict Wreh, Sandy Woodrow Yancy and of course the host T. Markos Roberts.
The Saturday morning meeting of December 12, 1992 of the Intelligentsia (Class of ’72) was interrupted by some of the older boys who were in the area that weekend, notably Othello Brandy and Armah Karmo. The bigger boys demanded with a threat of DT (detention) after listening to why we were gathered, that we end our meeting and meet later that day at the home of Armah Karmo. The Class of ’72 obliged and their meeting was adjourned a short while later.
Later that evening, the Class of ’72 met with a larger group at the home of Armah Karmo. Several graduates and friends of St. Patrick attended that meeting. Some of those present at that first meeting included Othello Brandy, Armah Karmo, Joseph Bailey, Nathaniel Denu, and B. Henrique Smith. At the end of that gathering it was agreed to form the SPHS Alumni Association in the USA and the Maryland/DC area was selected for the first convention in 1993.
At the first Annual Convention held in Silver Spring, MD in 1993, Kpadi Williams ’73 was elected first President along with Henry Clement-Vice President, John Gurley-financial Secretary, Edmund K Neblett-Treasurer, B. Henrique Smith-Secretary and Armah Karmo-chaplain. Also present at that first Convention were Brother Austin Maley-Former Principal and Basketball Coach, Brother Paul Clark-former Principal, Brother James Kozak, Brother Dennis Van Germet-Former Coach and Brother Robert Saltzman. The draft constitution was ratified and several committees were set up. Atlanta was chosen as the site for the second convention set for Memorial Day weekend 1994.
The Friskies heard of the meeting. Some of them even attended the First Convention and knowing that they are never people to be left on the sideline, questioned the wisdom of The Saints going without them. Lead by A. Ruth Weeks, Judy Stryker, Amanda Fumbah Paasewe, Rhonda James Dunbar and Princess Mensah Bull, the Friskies asked the Saints if the Saints had forgotten the phrase, “Behind every successful man stands a strong (and good) woman...” So at the Atlanta Convention, after the election of Joseph Bailey as President, it was voted unanimously that the Friskies of STC be part of the Association.
The third Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois in 1995. Under the Presidency of Crispin Jones, the Friskies of St. Teresa’s Convent was officially welcome and incorporated into the Association. The girls actually participated in the deliberations and the events of that weekend in the Windy City. Thus the St. Patrick's High School & St. Teresa's Convent High School Alumni Association, USA Inc was founded.
The organization is legally chartered as St. Patrick's and St. Teresa's Convent High Schools Alumni Association, USA, Inc. Under the administration of former President Quallyna Porte, the organization was rebranded as Saints Friskies Alumni Association (SFAA) in 2012. The organization has been operating as Saints Friskies Alumni Association since then. In May 2018, the current President, Stephen Koffa, took the initiative to trademark the name Saints Friskies Alumni Association so that the organization can also conduct official business in that name.
The rebranding of the organization comes with both a web and social media presence. The web address of Saints Friskies Alumni Association (SFAA) is https://www.stcsphs.org/, and you can follow SFAA on social media at https://www.facebook.com/saints.friskies.5.
++DECEASED
