Beglane

SFP Scholarship Fund Remembers Fallen Firefighter

BY BERNIE BEGLANE

“St. Francis Prep has a long and illustrious history of recognizing, honoring and paying tribute to its outstanding alumni, especially those who are its unmistakable heroes.”

As the alumni director and varsity baseball coach of St. Francis Prep, Brother Robert Kent, O.S.F., was speaking about the protocol followed by the Fresh Meadows school when one of their own meets a tragic and sudden death.

Such as happened to Daniel Francis Pujdak of the Class of 2001, who, as a member of the New York Fire Department, fell 50 feet to his death battling a cigarette-sparked fire in Williamsburg last June 21.

So on Friday, Oct. 12, St. Francis Prep’s ninth annual Homecoming – a golf outing and barbeque – will be held at the Clearview Golf Course, Bayside.

Sponsored by the Prep’s Baseball Program, the event is being staged in memory of Dan, who was assigned to Ladder Company 146 at the time of his death.

“His mother, Christina, and father, Leo, gave us permission to do this,” stated Brother Kent.

“We are going to establish scholarships in Dan’s memory to provide tuition assistance to needy students.”

Brother Kent knew Dan quite well since he taught him in the classroom as well as coached him on the baseball field.

“Most guys,” continued the coach, would be very uptight before a game, but he was the opposite.

“Dan was the clown to get the team loose. He was always joking and could mimic anybody.

“‘Life should be fun’ was something Dan said frequently.”

Upon graduating from St. Francis Prep, Pujdak, whose father continues to teach religion at the school, studied at the State University of New York at Cortland for his undergraduate degree.

“He always planned to be a firefighter,” interjected Mel Tse, executive director of the Greenpoint YMCA where Dan worked as a personal trainer prior to joining the NYFD.

“Dan always wanted to help people out. To put your life before others is the biggest sacrifice. He was living his life and setting a path.”

When Dan first started as a probie, no job was too small for him, said Phil DePaolo of Williamsburg who is close to members of Ladder Co. 146.

“Last summer, he was still pretty new and he was cleaning up because that’s what probies do, and he was doing it with a smile,” offered Phil. “Dan was full of life, high energy, very dedicated.”

Ironically, the St. Francis Prep alumnus died the same day that Brother Kent and his players were at a clinic at Cathedral Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Douglaston.

Players Knew Him

“Naturally, it was a shock,” related the coach. “Older players on the varsity knew of him.

“The last time I had seen Dan was at a reunion. Whatever he did, he always put his whole heart into it.”

Captain Jerry Fort, supervisor at Ladder No. 14, remembers Pujdak, who was buried from St. Cecilia’s parish, Greenpoint, where he grew up.

“Dan,” he began, “would often come to work two and one-half hours early. That’s how eager he was to get going.

“No question, Dan spent the last two years living his dream. He loved what he did.

“There are anywhere from 25 to 50 different personalities in a firehouse and it is a rare breed of fireman who gets along with each one. Danny was that breed.”

To which Joseph Castellano, an assistant principal at St. Francis Prep, offered, “Daniel always had a desire to be of service and to give back.

“When you combined that with his love of physical fitness, you had the perfect equation for a firefighter.

“Plus he found time to volunteer at nursing homes and soup kitchens.”

Firehouse Tour

Dan’s mother, Christina, is a second grade teacher at P.S. 257, Williamsburg. A few days prior to Dan’s death, she took the class for a tour of Ladder 146.

“I laughed the whole time,” she stated, “because Dan let the children run all around the firehouse, playing games among the firefighters.

“Our family was deeply touched by how everybody, starting with Mayor Bloomberg, responded.

“In a way, it’s like we have a new family now. However, nothing can bring back our son.”

Marie Elena Giossi Photos   

The Sullivan girls from Larchmont, N.Y., had this honor thanks to their dad, James, formerly from St. Therese of Lisieux parish, East Flatbush, who won this prize as well as four tickets to the game after participating in an auction at The Tablet’s Annual Bishops’ Celebrity Golf Classic, held Aug. 9 at North Hills Country Club, Manhasset, L.I. The Sullivans collected the ballplayers’ autographs and spent time with mascot Pee Wee and Cyclones’ pitcher Dan McDonald, shown above.

James and Emily Sullivan watched with pride as their daughters Katie and Lilly threw out the ceremonial first pitch at KeySpan Park, left, on Wednesday, Sept. 5, before the Brooklyn Cyclones defeated the Lowell Spinners, 3-1.