{"id":238171,"date":"2026-05-20T16:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/238171\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:33:08","slug":"queens-knights-of-columbus-honor-founding-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/238171\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens Knights of Columbus Honor Founding Members"},"content":{"rendered":"

GLENDALE\u00a0\u2014\u00a0As the Msgr. Sherman Council 5103\u00a0Knights of Columbus\u00a0prepared for\u00a0their 65th Anniversary Dinner\u00a0on May 15,\u00a0special attention was\u00a0given to\u00a0two of its\u00a0founding members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don Gander, 90,\u00a0helped form the council\u2019s charter in April of 1961, and\u00a0John Hickey,\u00a085, was among the first to\u00a0join. They\u00a0are the last two original members, said Sal Laurenzano, a past grand knight for\u00a0Council 5103.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This\u00a0council\u00a0is named for the first pastor of nearby Sacred Heart\u00a0of Jesus\u00a0Parish, where Gander and Hickey are lifelong members.\u00a0Msgr. George Sherman founded the parish in 1929 and served as its pastor until 1957.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI did belong to the Holy Name\u00a0Society,\u201d Gander recalled.\u00a0\u201cAnd\u00a0(then the parish)\u00a0started the Knights of Columbus.\u00a0So,\u00a0I said,\u00a0\u2018I might as well join.\u2019\u00a0\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"This photo of Don Gander is from the early 1960s when he helped form the Knights of Columbus council associated with Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Glendale. (Photo: Courtesy of Msgr. Sherman Council 5103 Knights of Columbus)<\/p>\n

Gander\u00a0owned a local gas station and, later, an auto repair shop. He\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know anything about the Knights of Columbus<\/a>\u00a0when he\u00a0joined,\u00a0but\u00a0said he \u201cdid learn a lot throughout the years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a former grand knight for the council,\u00a0Gander is\u00a0still active at its meeting house on\u00a0Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. He opens the mail, pays bills, and whenever the council members meet,\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0the designated bartender.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED: How the Knights of Columbus Are Celebrating America\u2019s 250th Anniversary<\/a><\/p>\n

But sharing a drink or two is the last item on the agenda for the\u00a0members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They have\u00a0much\u00a0to\u00a0do\u00a0for the community, and it all\u00a0costs money\u00a0\u2014\u00a0about $20,000 to $30,000 a year, said James Funaro, another former grand knight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Projects include annual food drives, Christmas parties for people with disabilities, and visits to children in hospitals.\u00a0This council\u2019s knights also support pro-life organizations like Bridge to Life<\/a>.\u00a0In everything they do,\u00a0the knights\u00a0seek\u00a0to be\u00a0Catholic\u00a0gentlemen who prioritize\u00a0charity and\u00a0faith.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAll\u00a0the money that we accumulate,\u00a0we give it all out to charity,\u201d Gander said.\u00a0\u201cWe\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0keep any money for ourselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"John Hickey, shown in this photo from the early 1960s, was one of the first to join the local Knights of Columbus council. It also includes members from nearby St. Pancras Parish. (Photo: Courtesy of Msgr. Sherman Council 5103 Knights of Columbus)<\/p>\n

The Knights of Columbus have been doing this work since 1882, when\u00a0Blessed Father Michael McGivney<\/a> founded the fraternal service order in New Haven, Connecticut.\u00a0Now,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a global organization with 18,700 councils worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hickey said the council\u2019s fraternal camaraderie\u00a0separates\u00a0it from other organizations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The former auto\u00a0salesman\u00a0schedules his involvement\u00a0in\u00a0behind-the-scenes\u00a0help\u00a0at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy<\/a>, especially for athletic events in the\u00a0gym. Through\u00a0the years,\u00a0Hickey\u00a0has\u00a0helped organize the Catholic Youth Organization<\/a> teams, including basketball, softball, and bowling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED: At Pro Vita Mass, Knights of Columbus Reaffirm Commitment to Life in the Diocese of Brooklyn<\/a><\/p>\n

Hickey\u00a0also counseled the youth \u201cSquires\u201d program, and\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0enthralled by the accomplishments its former members achieved as adults.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hickey said he sometimes worries about the council\u2019s future and whether there will be enough knights to continue\u00a0their\u00a0work. But that angst is short-lived, thanks to the recruiting skills of younger members like Laurenzano.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s like a pied piper,\u201d Hickey said. \u201cI\u2019m\u00a0not being\u00a0facetious.\u00a0All of a sudden, we\u00a0get\u00a0new members.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GLENDALE\u00a0\u2014\u00a0As the Msgr. Sherman Council 5103\u00a0Knights of Columbus\u00a0prepared for\u00a0their 65th Anniversary Dinner\u00a0on May 15,\u00a0special attention was\u00a0given to\u00a0two of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238172,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-238171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238171\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}