Dr. Phillip Connell will be the second recipient to be honored with the Vincent V Albanese Achievement Award at the 136th Canastota Alumni Association banquet to be held June 24. He is to be recognized for his life commitment and service as a missionary, counselor and teacher for many people in need, here in the United States and abroad.
A 1953 graduate of Canastota High School, Phillip obtained a B.A. and M.A. in Theology from The Mary Immaculate Seminary. He then received an M.S. in Urban Ministry from the New York Theological Seminary where he focused on counseling skills and later earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Development.
Following his Ordination from the Vincentian Seminary in 1963, Phillip was sent to Panama where he worked as a missionary in both the rural villages and the Canal Zone. After a three-year period he was assigned to a large Vincentian parish located in a very poor area in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Remaining there until 1970, his knowledge of Spanish helped him to serve a diverse population of immigrants from Puerto Rico and other parts of Central and South America as well as African migrants.
In August of 1970, Phillip and Ginny met and later married; Phillip changing his career to work as a Probation Officer in northern Westchester for two years. He then took a position serving as Corrections Officer at Greenhaven Prison where he provided counseling and therapy to inmates. Following this experience he worked as a Psychologist at a nearby state mental hospital.
Moving to Thousand Oaks, California in 1974, Phillip and Ginny became licensed Marriage and Family Therapists working together in private practice for fourteen years. Earning his Ph.D. during these years, he began teaching graduate classes at California Lutheran University in the Masters in Business Administration Degree program. Phillip then became interested in an international graduate-level program in Leadership entitled “Operation Impact”, this sponsored by Azusa Pacific University. He made annual trips abroad for part of each year for nearly twenty years, providing classes for both Christian missionaries and local people who qualified for earning graduate degrees. This program gave him the opportunity to travel to South America, Asia, Africa and some areas of Europe.
In his retirement years, Phillip continues to assist people in identifying their talents and abilities in order to enhance their contributions to society. While travel is now more difficult for him, Phillip still enjoys communicating with people of all ages with different backgrounds and of diverse cultures.
Banquet Saturday, June 24, at Rusty Rail, Canastota. Public invited. Reservations by June 17 to Charlene Barres (315) 264-2044 or Charbarres@aim.com. Tickets $25.