When Carmine Palombo 1970 first walked through the doors of Catholic Central, the school was located on West Outer Drive in Detroit, just a mile and a half from his childhood home.

More than five decades later, he still makes the trip to the school's Novi campus nearly every week.

As Chairman of the Board of Directors, Palombo has spent the past six years helping guide the school's future. This September, his term as chairman will come to a close, but his commitment to Catholic Central remains as strong as ever.

For Palombo, that commitment began long before he ever became a student.

"I grew up in Precious Blood Parish," he said. "Catholic Central was our parish high school. I walked to school every day, and growing up, it was the only place I wanted to go."

Raised near Six Mile and Schaefer by parents who immigrated from Italy, Palombo says education and hard work were simply part of family life. His father worked in construction, while his mother stayed home to raise their family. Eventually, his younger brother would also graduate from Catholic Central.

Although he dreamed of attending Catholic Central, getting there wasn't automatic.

Palombo was initially placed on the waiting list before eventually being admitted. Focused on succeeding academically, he spent most of that first year simply adjusting to the demands of school.

Then, near the end of freshman year, one conversation changed everything.

Fr. Paul Rybicki, CSB, his English teacher and the school's disciplinarian, asked him to stay after class.

"I thought, 'What did I do?'" Palombo recalled with a laugh.

Instead, Fr. Rybicki had something entirely different in mind.

"You're too good a student to be walking home at the end of the school day without doing anything," the priest told him.

It wasn't a suggestion.

Fr. Rybicki informed him that he would spend the summer taking first-aid classes and become the football team's student manager the following fall.

"He didn't ask me," Palombo said. "He told me."

When Palombo got home, he thought he should ask his mother for permission.

"He said, 'You don't ask your mom. You tell your mom this is what Father wants you to do, and it'll be just fine.'"

It was.

By his junior year, Palombo became head manager of the football team while also serving as one of the managers for the wrestling team. As a senior, he also became a basketball manager.

Looking back, he credits that opportunity with shaping the person he would become.

"It changed my life," he said. "It taught me responsibility. I became an even better student because you had to manage your time, and it was a confidence builder. I don't know what he saw, but whatever he saw sure helped me the rest of my life."

After graduating in 1970, Palombo originally planned to become a history teacher and return to Catholic Central as a coach. But the uncertainty surrounding the Vietnam War draft caused him to reconsider.

Instead, he enrolled at the University of Detroit and earned a degree in civil engineering. He joined the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments as a transportation engineer, eventually serving 43 years with the organization before retiring as Deputy Director in 2018.

Looking back on that career, Palombo believes many of the lessons that helped him succeed began at Catholic Central.

"You learn things here that you don't even know you're learning," he said. "You find those things out later."

His return to Catholic Central came years before retirement.

When Fr. Elmer, CSB, began planning the campaign to move the school from Redford to Novi, he asked Palombo to help with fundraising efforts. Palombo hosted meetings with classmates at his home before later joining the Alumni Board.

Not long afterward, he was invited to serve on the Board of Directors. After several years on the board, his fellow trustees elected him chairman.

Today, Palombo says the board's responsibilities go far beyond approving budgets and tuition rates.

"We're trying to make sure everybody is rolling in the same direction," he said.

He also believes staying connected to the day-to-day life of the school is essential.

"I come into CC once a week," he said. "If you're going to govern, you've got to know what's going on."

As Catholic Central approaches its 100th anniversary, Palombo understands why some alumni wonder whether the school has changed over the decades.

His answer is yes - and no.

Of course, the school looks different than it did in 1970.

Students no longer carry stacks of textbooks through the halls. Nearly all of his teachers were Basilian priests, while today's faculty looks much different. Even the discipline has changed from the days of "JUG," Saturday work details assigned for repeated infractions.

But beneath those changes, Palombo believes the heart of Catholic Central remains exactly the same.

"You're still getting the same Basilian education," he said. "You're still being taught Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge."

He points to the Brotherhood as perhaps the greatest example.

"Here I am, 74 years old, and there's still 30, 40, 50 people I graduated with that I talk to on a regular basis," he said.

Trying to explain that Brotherhood to someone who hasn't experienced it isn't easy.

"It's about the people," Palombo said. "Catholic Central is about people. It's always been about people."

That bond, he says, extends far beyond graduation.

"When I find out somebody is a Catholic Central graduate, right away we have shared experiences," he said. "There's a trust there."

As conversations continue about the future of Catholic Central, Palombo remains confident that the school's identity will never change.

"I've had board members wonder that we're going to become a private boarding school," he said. "We could never become that."

Why?

"Because of our values. Because of who we are. Because of the camaraderie."

For Palombo, the answer ultimately comes back to the school's Basilian foundation.

"When people ask what makes us different from Brother Rice, Orchard Lake St. Mary's, Divine Child, or any other Catholic school, the answer is simple - the Basilian charism. That hasn't changed, and it's not going to change."

As his tenure as chairman comes to an end, Palombo isn't focused on accomplishments or titles.

Instead, he hopes the qualities that shaped him as a student continue shaping young men for generations to come.

"We'll always be Catholic Central."