WARWICK, RI (April 9, 2024) – Fr. Robert L. Marciano, KHS ’75, President, is pleased to announce that he will award three Bishop Hendricken Medals of Honor at Epoch: The 2024 Gala for Hendricken presented by Flood Auto Group on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Fr. Marciano will honor Lt. Colonel Joseph Cichon, Jr., former Social Studies Department Chair; Fr. Marcel Taillon, Pastor at St. Thomas More Parish and former Bishop Hendricken Chaplain; and The Gambardellas, a longtime Bishop Hendricken family. The evening will begin at 6pm. Honors presentation will take place at 8:30pm.
The Medal of Honor is awarded annually by Bishop Hendricken’s president to those who actively promote, strengthen, and advance the school’s mission. Previous recipients of the award include Michael Flood P’11, President of Flood Auto Group; Joseph P. Healey ’84, Co-Founder of HealthCor Management; the late Gerald “Gerry” Habershaw ’83, Principal at Pilgrim and Warwick Veterans Memorial High Schools; Gary Furtado P’02, former President and CEO of Navigant Credit Union; the late Br. Richard Grodin, C.F.C., founder of Epoch and Hendricken faculty member; and former Warwick Mayor and Rhode Island Governor Philip Noel.
“In their own way, each of this year’s honorees have lived, exemplified, and championed the Bishop Hendricken mission,” said Fr. Marciano. “Their unwavering dedication to our school enriches our community with faith, excellence, and a commitment to service; each a shining example of how to better others’ lives by living the Gospel values. We are proud and privileged to honor them at Epoch: The 2024 Gala for Hendricken.”
After graduating from Providence College, Cichon served in the U.S. Army and then in Reserve until 1998. As a devout Catholic, Cichon worked for the Diocese of Providence and spent 3 years organizing its archives. He began his teaching career at Our Lady of Providence High School before coming to Bishop Hendricken in 1978. Cichon taught and coached at Hendricken through his retirement in 2012. He was inducted into the Bishop Hendricken Hall of Fame in 2007. Cichon has had a lasting impact on the greater school community by initiating the Vietnam War Memorial Wall project in the 600 wing on campus.
For ten years, Fr. Taillon served as Bishop Hendricken’s chaplain. During his time here, Fr. Taillon created the Lazarus Fraternity, a support group for Hendricken students dealing with the loss of an immediate family member. Father has also made a lasting impact on the school community through the development of the Don Bosco Scholarship which benefits students coming to Bishop Hendricken from underprivileged backgrounds. Fr. Taillon has served in various capacities for the Diocese of Providence, and is currently the pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Narragansett. This April, he will begin a new assignment in Washington, DC as Interim Vocations Director for the Archdiocese for the Military Services.
A family that embodies servant leadership and Christian service, The Gambardella Family has been involved at Bishop Hendricken in various capacities for over 30 years. The late Tom Gambardella ’76 was a staple of our community as Director of Campus Ministry, and his wife, Mary Jo, has been a longtime member of the Theology faculty and former Young Men’s Chorus director. All three of their sons — Michael ’03, Matthew ’04, and Mark ’09 — attended Bishop Hendricken, and their daughter, Regina, participated in the school’s arts program as a high schooler before returning as librarian from 2016-2022.
Lt. Colonel Cichon, Fr. Taillon, and The Gambardella Family will be in attendance to accept their honors. Tickets for Epoch: The 2024 Gala for Hendricken are on sale now at hendricken.com/epoch. All proceeds from the gala benefit tuition assistance for young men who wish to attend Bishop Hendricken, but need help to make it a reality.
