Damien High School

Terrence Kent '85 by Andrew Boylan '04

Since its beginnings as Pomona Catholic Boys' High School, Damien has aided many young men in their transitions to adult life. These graduates go on to college and enter a variety of fields, including medicine, law, teaching, professional athletics, and business. Yet professional success does not merit induction into the Damien Hall of Fame. An inductee into the Hall of Fame must exhibit an outlook beyond that of the professional world. Inductees distinguish themselves through an awareness of their community and their ability to positively make a difference, an attitude exemplified by Terry Kent. Tonight, the Damien community gathers to induct two men who display this positive attitude of community awareness and involvement into the Damien Hall of Fame. Terry Kent always knew he would spend his high school years at Damien. As one of nine graduates from his family, Terry joined a long line of Damien alumni. Two uncles and a brother passed through Damien's campus before Terry, and another brother and four cousins have graduated since. Terry believes that his Damien experience provided the moral and social foundation for his later life. During his time at Damien, he especially  enjoyed having Father Dennis and Mrs. O'Leary as teachers. He points to his freshman mathematics class with Father Dennis as providing him with a true glimpse of the Spartan spirit embodied in the Damien faculty, students, and alumni, a spirit that shines bright in his life today. After graduation in 1985, Terry went on to study at Citrus College . He, along with seven other Damien alumni, are employed by Crestwood Corporation, a local land development company of which Terry is currently marketing director and office manager. However, this accomplishment is not what sets him apart from other Damien graduates. Besides working for Crestwood, Terry is involved in an extensive amount of community projects and charitable work. Along with Father Mike Barry, Provincial of the Sacred Hearts Fathers, Terry provides aid to homeless and battered women and children through Mary's Table and Veronica's Home of Mercy. He serves on the board of directors and is helping to raise over one million dollars for the construction of a new complex to house battered women and children in the San Bernardino area. Three years ago, Terry became a crucial part of the Tijuana Mission Club. One of his cousins, who has since graduated Damien, signed him up to lead the construction of a house. Terry has since become instrumental in securing donations for the club's house building projects. Last summer, through his contacts at Crestwood Corporation, he secured the donation of over ten thousand dollars of cash and material supplies that aided in the construction of six homes and a church. As if his other community involvement isn't enough, Terry also serves as president of the school board for St. Dorothy's School in Glendora . Through the church, he works on the master planning committee for the building program, as well as sponsoring several classroom upgrade projects. Terry Kent demonstrates a genuine concern for the community that surrounds him. When asked what he enjoys most about his community involvement, Terry highlights the sense of gratitude and personal satisfaction that comes from making an important difference in the life of another person. He feels that his education at Damien provided him with the ability to appreciate such experiences. Terry Kent's extensive record of community involvement distinguishes him as a Damien graduate. Terry embodies an awareness of the needs of the less fortunate in the community around him. By using his professional success to help others, Terry has become very deserving of the honor bestowed upon him tonight. Congratulations to Mr. Kent on his induction into the Damien Hall of Fame.  

Dale Frasca '77 by Eric Gardiner '04

When Mr. Dale Frasca came to Damien in the summer of 1973 as an incoming freshman, he was not expecting to like it at first, until he realized that he "was in the same boat as every other freshman at Damien." From that point on, he developed a distinct love for Damien, along with all of his other Spartan brothers and classmates, and the love has not stopped since. Dale is just one example of Damien excellence that has continued to extend itself after graduation, and he is honored for his continued success not only as a Spartan alumnus, but also as a giving and genuine person. What started out as a work experience class at Damien turned into an occupation for Dale at a relatively early age. Sophomore year, he worked part-time at a plumbing store in Covina ; he thought he would enjoy the work as he had always been intrigued by construction. After graduation, Dale continued to do what he loved, and by the young age of twenty-five, he already had his contractor's license. He then went into business himself, buying out another local plumbing company, and he is now the proud owner of his successful plumbing company, Frasca Plumbing, Inc. In the process of becoming a successful entrepreneur, Dale also met his wonderful wife, Jo Ann, and started a family of his own: Peter, age ten, Philip, age eight, Eric, age six, and Emily, age four. Dale joked that he intends to pay back Damien for all his undeserved detentions by putting three more Frascas through Damien's halls. Mr. Frasca has donated much time and effort to the Damien community throughout his life. He boasted that he first started working at Damien when his class donated the bushes that surround the perimeter of the senior quad. However, he has done much since. Beginning in 1996, Dale began to rework some of the piping and water systems at Damien, and he has continued to do so. He is always here working on something, whether it be installing new drinking fountains, refurbishing some old rusty pipes, or overhauling some other piping systems. In fact, it was during a drain line project down on the track that Dale did what he is most famous for: saving the historic Damien bell. In 1998, Dale was on the track overhauling the drain line pipes; when a pick-up truck drove by with the Damien spirit bell that Dale so vividly remembered from his time at Damien. He stopped the truck, and the driver explained he was cleaning up some of the scrap metal from stadium storage; but in the words of Dale, "That bell belongs here at Damien." Dale took the bell to his home in La Verne, stored it in his cabin up in the mountains, then gave it to fellow alumnus Lenny Luiten ('78), of Luiten Welding, Inc. After Lenny had fixed up the bell, Dale reinstated it in its former glory to a thankful Damien community. Since its reinstatement, it has become a staple of Damien spirit and the Pit Dale Frasca has always been very willing and generous with his time and effort to Damien because he truly loves the institution and the opportunities it gave him. He raved about Damien during the interview explaining that there was nothing you could not talk about in school, and that the environment was such that he had no false friends. He explained that there was an instant trust about Damien and its members that was unlike anything he had ever experienced or has experienced since, and that many of the friends he made then are some of his best friends today. He says that the most unforgettably fun part of Damien was the tri-school dances. Still, he insists that Damien well prepared him for his job, and for the world outside of school. Dale put it lightly, "I never thought I would use the geometry formulas Fr. Travers taught me, but now I use them every day." Dale strongly stressed the fad that having the priests of Damien as his teachers was one of the most fun and interesting experiences of his life. Anyone that talks to Dale can obviously tell that he is very thankful for his high school experience at Damien; he truly bleeds green, and the amount he gives back to the Damien community is evidence of this alone. He wishes to thank the Damien teachers and staff for all that they have done for him and his class, which he considers one of the most successful ones in the school's history. He lives by an enthusiastic maxim: "Live life to the fullest each day." Congratulations to Dale Frasca on becoming an inductee into the Damien Hall of Fame. The school and community wish him the best of luck as he continues the Damien legacy for life.