Alan Alda and Jon Voight Honor Their Teacher and Mentor, Reverend Bernie McMahon

May 1, 2009 - PRLog -- Noted actors and Archbishop Stepinac High School alumni Alan Alda and Jon Voight were on hand to honor Father Bernie McMahon— a former long-time member of the school’s faculty— at the school’s Major Bowes Award ceremony, Saturday evening, April 25.  Father McMahon was presented with the award for having inspired many young students including Alda and Voight when he taught dramatics and literature at Stepinac from 1951 to 1971.

Alda (class of 1952) and Voight (class of 56) credit Father McMahon for having been a major influence when they were students at Stepinac and inspiring them to pursue acting careers. During his tenure, Reverend McMahon moderated the Drama Club and directed several of its productions, chaired the English Department and oversaw the Shepherd Yearbook and the Phoenix Literary Magazine. He also served as chair of the Alumni Association.

Father Tom Collins, Vice Principal of  Stepinac Student Life, said: “It is fitting that Father McMahon is the recipient of the Major Bowes Award which has been bestowed on individuals whose superb talents have inspired and instructed Stepinac Drama Club students across the decades.” He added: “Father McMahon joins a long list of outstanding teachers at Stepinac who have played a key role in shaping the lives of many students who have gone to become leaders in their chosen professions and in their communities.”

Alda, who lived in Elmsford when he attended Stepinac, not only performed  in Stepinac Drama Club productions but he co-wrote the books for two original school musicals.  He went on to become  an Academy-Award nominated, Emmy-award and Golden Globe winning actor, director and screenwriter. After his landmark television series, M*A*S*H, Alda explored his lifelong interest in science as host of PBS's Scientific American Frontiers. His new PBS science show, The Human Spark, airs in fall 2009.

Voight, a native of Yonkers, starred in the Drama Club’s production of “Song of Norway.” He has a long distinguished career as a leading man and character actor who won an Academy Award as Best Actor in Coming Home and starred in other landmark films including  Midnight Cowboy and Deliverance.   He is also a Golden Globe winner and Emmy-nominated actor and has recently been starring in the hit television series, 24.

Father McMahon earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota, a Doctorate from St. John’s University and a Fulbright Fellowship to study at Cambridge University. Ordained a priest in 1948, Father McMahon has been a life-long teacher and campus chaplain and has officiated at the weddings of countless students and the baptisms of their children.

Reflecting on his approach to teaching, Father McMahon said: “My job was not to impose but to elicit what my students had inside of them. What I tried to do was create a sense of joy. If they have that joy, they will find the real person in the character they are presenting.”

Following the presentation of the Major Bowes Award, student members of the Stepinac’s Drama Club took to the same Major Bowes Auditorium stage where Alda and Voight performed as students to present a performance of the musical, Curtains, directed by Frank Portanova, Vice Principal, Academics and Curriculum.

Proceeds from the cost of the tickets will be used to enhance the school’s Drama Club including special events and capital improvements of the Major Bowes Theatre.

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Founded in 1948, Archbishop Stepinac High School’s mission is to offer young men a highly competitive academic and extracurricular program that will prepare them for college and leadership roles. The faculty and staff accomplish these objectives by pursuing excellence and creating a supportive, disciplined atmosphere with a strong sense of camaraderie and Christian values that are unique to the Stepinac experience. For more information on Stepinac High School please visit www.stepinac.org.