The Notre Dame & St. Mary’s Irish Legends Gala will be held on Saturday, April 8 at Via Veneto. The gala is Notre Dame & St. Mary’s version of a hall of fame and honorees are selected based on outstanding achievement and/or significant contribution to the schools/community. This year’s honorees are:

Kirk Cistaro ’85 – Kirk Cistaro, a Notre Dame graduate from the class of 1985. He is the son of Judy Cistaro and the late Jim Cistaro. He has one brother Jim, Jr. (class of 1983). Kirk is married to Theresa Boyle Cistaro and they have four children, Sarah Powers (2007) and her husband Ryan, Cal (2014), and twins Clare (2018) and Anthony (2018). They also have three granddaughters, Adalyn, Harper and Finley. Upon graduation from Notre Dame High School, Kirk attended Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He then attended Fairmont State College. For the past twenty four years he has been a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service in Buckhannon, WV. He was also a sports official for twenty two years, officiating high school and college basketball, baseball, and football games. This was one of his most enjoyable hobbies because of the many friends and relationships he made over the years. He also enjoys his life as a mailman because of the interaction with people on his route on a daily basis. His biggest joy in life, however, is seeing his children be a part of the Notre Dame family and he has loved watching them grow in their many activities at Notre Dame High School.

Paul & Patty DuPont ’76 &’77 – Patty DuPont is the daughter of the late Dale and Dorothy Dolan Lockard (’36), of Clarksburg. A graduate of Fairmont State College with a Regents BA degree with a Regents BA degree (emphasis in education and psychology), she is certified through the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston to teach religion and has done so at both St Mary’s and Notre Dame for the last sixteen years. For the last three years, she has served as Notre Dame’s Director of Religious Education. She is also moderator of the Student Council and is a volunteer assistant soccer coach. For the last thirty six years she has been married to her high school sweetheart, Paul DuPont. Paul is the son of Donald (48) and Jean Simon DuPont. He is a lifelong resident of Clarksburg. Upon graduation, Paul joined the United States Air Force receiving the rank of Staff Sergeant in the 1st Tactical Fighter wing at Langley Air Force Base, before being honorably discharged. After his service to his country, Paul was employed by the US Postal Service for twenty five years, serving as Postmaster of Clarksburg during his tenure. Paul retired in 2009 and started J.A.M. Services, a home improvement business. He has been the Varsity Golf Coach at Notre Dame for fourteen years with his team making an appearance at the State Tournament for thirteen of those years. Patty and Paul are the parents of three children. Joseph DuPont (’05) and his wife Krista, Anastasia DuPont Shaffer (’07) and her husband Victor Shaffer (’05) and Maria Dupont (’12). They are the proud grandparents of Julian Shaffer (2033). They are honored to be chosen as Irish Legends

Jo Anne Lucente McNemar ’71 – Jo Anne Lucente McNemar, married to Clyde Thomas, is a 1971 graduate of Notre Dame High School. Her parents, Joe and Velma Lucente, proudly supported all of Jo Anne’s sisters (Teresa, Regina, Maria, and Valerie) in being NDHS graduates. Jo Anne has one daughter, Kelli Jo, who is also a graduate of Notre Dame. While working, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Fairmont State University and earned a Master’s Degree in Community Health Education from the WVU School of Medicine. Jo Anne has thirty years of experience in the field of substance abuse prevention and is a certified Prevention Specialist II. She has held various positions working with substance abuse prevention in local, state, and national roles. Currently she is serving as Program Manager for Partnerships for Success, Harrison Co Prevention Partnership Coordinator and Dream TEAM Youth Coalition Coordinator.  Her passion for substance abuse prevention is seen as she works to build capacity and increase skills of others. Recently she won the US Attorney’s Award for Community Outreach and accepted the US Dept. of Justice FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award on behalf of the Harrison County Prevention Coalition.  Jo Anne was also named as the August 2016 Harrison County Citizen of the Month.

Cecilia Oliverio Petitto ’65 –  Cecilia Oliverio Petitto attended St. Mary’s Grade School and graduated from Notre Dame High School in1965. Cecilia is the daughter of the late Pete and Carmina Oliverio. Pete was a well known employee of the Catholic School System for 50 Years. In 1970, Cecilia married Steve Petitto, Notre Dame Class of 1965 and they have three children, Stephen, Notre Dame Class of 1990 and Distinguished Young Alumnus, 2016, Jeffrey, Notre Dame Class of 1993 and Alyssa, Notre Dame Class of 1995. They have four beautiful grandchildren, Ashleigh and Trey who attend Notre Dame and Katie and Anthony of Cannonsburg, Pennysvania. Cecilia and Steve are members of Immaculate Conception Church. Cecilia graduated from Fairmont State College with a Bachelors degree in Education in 1969. She taught first grade in the public school system for two years and taught for 28 years at St. Mary’s Grade School. Cecilia continues to substitute at St. Mary’s Grade School since her retirement in 2010. During her High School years at Notre Dame, Cecilia served as Secretary of the Student Council, Cheerleader for four years, Homecoming Princess and Queen. She loves to cook, bake and enjoys having family and friends at the house.  Steve and Cecilia enjoy their family beach vacations to visit with their daughter. Cecilia is honored to be chosen an Irish Legend.

The Sacred Heart Children’s Center (Honorary) – The Sacred Heart Children’s Center of Harrison County, WV opened as an orphanage in April 1928. An order of Catholic nuns from New Jersey, the Capuchin sisters, operated it. Its purpose was to “train children to accept their respective places in the future with daring courage and confidence.” The home was located on Hornor Avenue in Clarksburg, where it would remain for more than forty years. The sisters lovingly cared for children from the age of two to eighteen, both boys and girls, so that siblings could remain together. During the depression, about seventy-five children lived in the home. Later that number averaged forty five. By the late 1960’s, the number of residents had begun to dwindle. At the same time, only two or three sisters remained to care for the children, and they had reached retirement age. Sometime earlier, a Mr. Koplegard had made a donation to the orphanage and later, Chesney Carney, a Clarksburg attorney, donated a rather large sum of money to the orphanage, to be used to benefit children of Harrison County. This was placed in a trust account along with the Koplegard donation. By the time the orphanage closed at the end of June 1970, the board of directors had incorporated as Sacred Heart Children’s Center, Inc. This new board decided to establish a day care center in the building and monthly board meetings became filled with discussions of complying with ever-increasing state requirements. By early 1980s, the Sacred Heart Children’s Center became a volunteer-directed, private foundation accepting funds and granting requests to benefit children through schools, churches, and other agencies in Harrison County. They have invested in many projects at Notre Dame High School and St. Mary’s Grade School over the course of several years.