Brian Whinnery '98
President, Hays Financial Group
How has your high school experience impacted your life?
My high school experience taught me the value of hard work, believing in yourself, and the knowledge that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
What advice would you give a current CDH student?
Be nice to every single person in the building. Life is too short to be a jerk. The true sign of your character is how you treat others when no one is watching.
What does being a graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall mean to you?
It’s membership in the best club in the Country.
What is your favorite memory of high school?
How long do you have?? The easy answer would be the countless on-field successes I enjoyed but…
My Senior year in math class – Mr. Cody used to have a big game at the end of the year. I’m at the board squaring off against our class Valedictorian. The game had these nuances where teams could bet on the person at the board. The stakes get raised to 6x the normal points and as Mr. Cody is reading off the problem I remember it from a week or two ago and write the answer before he finishes reading the problem. We won the Math contest. The other kid is now a PhD and Math Professor and I had to spell check “Valedictorian" as I’m writing this answer but at that moment in time…I got it.
Why is it important to you to support our school?
I grew up three blocks from school on Eleanor & Albert, walked to school every day. My oldest child’s name is Eleanor (and my son would be named Albert if that wasn’t such a terrible name to give a child). I loved every minute of my four years there. Without a doubt, CDH was the most formative influence of my childhood and instrumental in laying the foundation for the person I hope to become.