he Old Paradians’ Association has rounded out the 2019 year by honouring its former President Lewis Derrico with the Tenete Award.

At its penultimate meeting in November, members of the Association committee unanimously voted in favour of the award being bestowed upon Lewis, who was forced to relinquish the presidency in June due to health reasons.

Dr Paul Shannon (1985), with whom Lewis is pictured here at the Association’s wine-tasting evening in 2016, succeeded Lewis as President.

The Tenete Award was instituted in 1974 – co-incidentally the same year Lewis officiated as Parade College captain - to mark the 60th anniversary of the Old Paradians’ Association’s existence and to renew its pledge to serve Parade College and its students.

The award recognises outstanding service in the interests of the College – in Lewis’s case, as College Captain and later teacher from 1979 to 1986 and as Association President from 2010 through to June this year.

Lewis considered the Old Paradians’ Association’s acknowledgment by way of the award “incredibly humbling” as he reflected on his College connection first forged more than 50 years ago.

“To have attended Parade from the very first day in 1968 and been part of the growth of the College in different ways - first as Captain under the Principalship of Br. McCarthy, then as teacher under Br. Wright and Br. Collins and finally as an Old Boy on the committee under Br. Moore - means so much,” Lewis said.

“The trifecta has been very good to me. I consider myself very, very fortunate to be an Old Paradian.

“In terms of the Tenete Award, I cannot express just how appreciative I am on being acknowledged. Over the years I have admired the recipients of the Award since its inception. I am humbled and honoured to be acknowledged and named in such esteemed company as all previous Award winners.

“I thank the OPA Committee for recognising me for this Award - a humbling Award with so much good occurring within the Parade Community by Paradians.”

Previous winners of the Tenete Award, some named posthumously, are as follows: Rene Stella, Keith Barker, Dr Denis Moore, Frank Mount, James Augustine Gorman, James Kennedy, John Collopy, Judge James Galvin Gorman, Leo Kelly, Lou Arthur, Percy Matthews, Brother TB Garvey MBE, Brother WA Moloney, The Most Reverend AF Fox DD and Bill Dunne.

The Association will present the award to Lewis on a date to be fixed.