WEST ORANGE, NJ — Perhaps no other family in U.S. history has been as closely associated with Irish America than the Kennedy family. So to have former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy — son of the legendary legislator Ted Kennedy — help ring in St. Patrick’s Day in West Orange was significant. But Kennedy did not just come to town for an enjoyable evening, he was there to honor the memory of Brendan Tevlin, the Livingston college student gunned down and robbed here nearly two years ago.
Kennedy, former U.S. ambassador to Germany Philip D. Murphy and the Irish Network New Jersey hosted a celebration of Irish culture at the Shillelagh Club on March 16, to benefit the Brendan Patrick Tevlin ’13 Memorial Field Fund, which was established by Tevlin’s family and alma mater Seton Hall Preparatory School to raise money for a school athletic field named after the teen. The event raised an estimated $8,000, according to SHP Director of Institutional Advancement Matthew Cannizzo, bringing the fund’s total earnings to $600,000, more than halfway to its ultimate goal of $1 million.
For Kennedy, supporting the Tevlin fund was personal. As the nephew of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, who were both murdered in their prime, the former Rhode Island congressman and current New Jersey resident said he knows the effects violence can have on the loved ones of a victim. It was due to this connection that Kennedy felt compelled to participate in the fundraiser.
“My heart goes out to them,” Kennedy told the West Orange Chronicle in an interview during the event. “All of us mourn the loss of Brendan, whose life was cut short.”
Murphy agreed that Tevlin was an “extraordinary young man” whose field will help a lot of athletes; while at SHP, Tevlin has played lacrosse. So when he and Kennedy were looking for a special cause for which they could raise funds, he said the Tevlin fund was an easy choice.
“Seton Hall Prep is doing an enormous amount of good with that money,” Murphy told the Chronicle amid the festivities, referring to the refurbishment of the field that will host SHP’s lacrosse, football and soccer teams. “It’s his memory. It’s his legacy.”
Having a permanent place to keep Tevlin’s memory alive in the heart of West Orange was exactly the reason why the memorial field was first envisioned, according to Tevlin’s parents, Allison and Michael. And ever since the fund was announced, the Tevlins’ family and friends have come out in droves to support it, organizing everything from benefit concerts to tribute lacrosse festivals in addition to contributing donations.
The Tevlins said anything that benefits the fund is greatly appreciated, but to have Kennedy and Murphy go out of their way for their son — whom the men described as simply “amazing” — means a lot, they said.
“It’s a great honor,” Allison Tevlin told the Chronicle during the occasion. “We’re just so grateful. And Pat Kennedy and Phil Murphy gave such warm remarks. We’re just humbled.”
Considering that Brendan Tevlin was a proud Irishman throughout his life — he often played the bagpipes at community events, and his family has long belonged to Irish organizations such as the Shillelagh Club and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick — it was only fitting that his fund be benefited by a pre-St. Patrick’s Day party. And it certainly was quite the party, featuring friends laughing and catching up while enjoying corned beef sandwiches and traditional Irish music played by a live band. A bagpiper even played briefly, enrapturing the crowded room.
By holding such festivities, Irish Network New Jersey President Steve Lenox said his organization hoped to give those of Irish heritage a chance to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Irish Proclamation of Independence from the United Kingdom while also celebrating their culture in general. And the approximately 37 million Irish descendants living in the United States definitely have a lot to be proud of, Lenox said, as the Irish have established a legacy of service to their community from the classroom to law enforcement to the “highest reaches of office.”
Dating back to when Irish sailor Patrick Maguire became the first of Christopher Columbus’ crew to set foot in the Americas, the Irish have made an indelible impact on America. At least 15 presidents, including Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan, can trace their roots back to Ireland, while Irish architect James Hoban designed the White House using the Leinster House of Ireland as an inspiration. Meanwhile, countless Irish-Americans have made an impact on this country artistically and athletically, from actor George Clooney to singer Bing Crosby, from novelist Margaret Mitchell to baseball player Derek Jeter.
Recently, a West Orange native of Irish heritage made history; astronaut Scott Kelly set the record for most accumulated days spent in space with 382. During his yearlong mission aboard the International Space Station, Kelly and his twin brother Mark — a fellow astronaut — also participated in a genetic study that could help NASA eventually send a crew to Mars. It was recently announced that Pleasantdale Elementary School will be renamed after the brother astronauts, who attended the school as children.
Despite these contributions, the Irish have not always been treated well. As former governor and current state Sen. Richard Codey told the Chronicle, his ancestors and many other Irish immigrants like them were treated very poorly upon their arrival in America, often having to face “Irish need not apply” signs in storefronts when searching for work. Yet they managed to overcome their hardship and make lives for themselves just as many immigrants are still trying to do, to which Codey said his fellow Irish-Americans should pay attention.
“I look at the immigrants of today and say ‘Those were my grandparents 100 years ago,’” Codey said at the event. “We should welcome them because we weren’t welcomed. We should learn from our experience.”
Difficult times or not, former Councilman Joe Brennan and NJ Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association Vice President Rich Mikutsky said the Irish are always proud of their heritage and values. In addition to supporting the Tevlins, whom they called wonderful people, Brennan and Mikutsky said the event was a great night to celebrate Irish culture.
Freeholder Brendan Gill also appreciated the chance to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by connecting with Irish-Americans from all over New Jersey. Gill told the Chronicle that his Irish heritage represents an important part of who he is as a person. And that is why he never forgets the values so integral to that culture.
“Family, faith, tradition — those are some of the greatest things you can have,” Gill said during the party. “That’s why I think it’s important to celebrate and keep that tradition going.”
Irish culture was a pivotal part of Murphy’s upbringing as well, as he recalled in his opening remarks. Growing up “middle class on a good day,” the former diplomat said he has always admired his fellow Irish-Americans’ ability to always “punch above their weight” and make successes of themselves. At the same time, as he told the Chronicle, the Irish have always given back to their communities, which he called another inherent part of the ethnicity.
“It seems to be instilled in us as children,” Murphy told the Chronicle. “So many of us have grown up with the call to serve.”
Murphy himself can be viewed as an example of this. After rising to the rank of senior director of Goldman Sachs, Murphy left the prestigious investment banking firm to serve as the national finance chair for the Democratic National Committee before holding the position of ambassador to Germany from 2009 to 2013. Many political pundits now consider him a likely gubernatorial candidate for 2017.
But none of that would have been possible without having the Kennedy family as role models, Murphy acknowledged in his opening remarks. He said he has always been impressed that the Kennedys, in spite of their immense wealth, always looked out for the middle and lower classes when in office while dedicating their time to numerous social causes.
Patrick J. Kennedy is today continuing that tradition, acting as an advocate for the mentally ill after serving more than 20 years in the Rhode Island and U.S. houses of representatives. Kennedy told the Chronicle he believes being Irish is a big part of why his family and so many other Irish-Americans have dedicated their lives to helping others. That is because suffering is in the Irish DNA, he said, explaining that the Irish descend from tragedies such as the potato famine of the mid-1800s. As a result, the former congressman said they know what it means to feel hardship and inherently want to prevent others from experiencing the same.
“We don’t forget where we come from,” Kennedy said. “We’re all in this together, and not just in the ethnic sense, but in the spiritual sense, too.”
Photos by Sean Quinn
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What a great honor for the tevlin family and friends.