"It was a significant honor to be invited into the club because there were only a few of us who qualified," wrote Gino Massafra, one of 26 Warde students who earned membership in the club. "Candidly, I often felt that most of my peers in that group were much brighter than I was," added the former editor-in-chief of the Crimson Crier."I was fortunate to have classmates who were remarkably talented young students, some of whom went on to Harvard, MIT, Yale, Cornell, and Columbia. Being considered a part of that group was quite humbling," noted Massafra.
Dr. Harold V. Huneke, the national secretary treasurer who was associate professor of Math at the University of Oklahoma, said only those schools "with excellent math programs earned membership in the club since all courses in math and the qualifications of the mathematics faculty and students are examined in detail by the club's governors and officers."
Miniumum requirements for eligibility for a student were completion with distinction of at least four semesters of college preparatory math and enrollment in the fifth semester. The student must have had an overall grade of at least a B in all of his or her high school work. Leonard Launer was the faculty sponsor for the club.
"I recognize the name Leonard Launder, but I’ve been racking my brain to try to remember the names of my other math teachers during the period from 1994-1998, and I am coming up blank," admitted Massafra by email yesterday. "What I do recall is that one particular new member of the faculty was a good-looking young guy who taught us algebra and who had all the girls swooning, sort of a Richard Chamberlain/Dr. Kildare look. Perhaps someone else can recall his name."
Other students who earned membership into the exclusive club included John Benson, Leonard Bernstein, Merritt Cole, Robert Contolini, Francine Ecsedy, Peter Guarnaccia, Gail Harinstein, Michael Hartenberg, Michael Howard, Gwenn Klein, Karen Kovacs, Sherry Kramer, Iris Mayer, Craig McPherson, Arlene Neuman, Jack Raineault, Philip Schopick, Hilary Shapiro, Michael Shapiro, Emily Sheketoff, Brad Silver, John Simone, Carol Strickman, Sandra Walsh, and Mark Windt.
Massafra moved to Atlanta in 1968 years ago and never left. "Forty-two years later, I consider it the best decision I ever made," he pointed out. "I met my wife here. She’s a transplant from central Illinois, and we now enjoy traveling and spending time with our two grandsons."
Massafra attended Georgia Tech where he majored in Aerospace Engineering. "The aerospace industry took a hit, however, after we landed on the moon in 1969. With that writing on the wall, I redirected my efforts to a BA Degree in Management. Then, I was introduced to the legal profession, and that led me to where I am today as a trial attorney specializing in business litigation."
Massafra and his wife are active volunteers with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. They will be in New York this weekend for an ASO concert at Carnegie Hall. His parents still live in Fairfield, and his three brothers, Robert, Mark, and Carl, who also attended Andrew Warde, still live in the area.
Paul
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