Pribil, a 2004 graduate of South Side High School and a lifelong resident of Rockville Centre, was diagnosed with angiosarcoma in July 2005, the summer after his freshman year at SUNY-Albany. The disease is a very rare and deadly type of cancer that attacks the body's soft tissue. In Pribil's case, it attacked the soft tissue around his heart.
Still, he kept his spirits up throughout the course of the illness. Always optimistic, he took an avid interest in his medical care, keeping meticulous logs of treatments he underwent as well as his daily routine for maintaining his physical health and his diet. "Kenny thought he was going to conquer this cancer," said his mother. "He was always hopeful and positive about his next stage of getting well, no matter what treatment was involved. He believed that he would be the miracle."
Pribil was very active at South Side. He was a shot putter and discus thrower on the track team. A member of the National Honor Society, he was active in Youth Court and the Debate Team, which was one of his favorite activities, as he loved debating many things, especially politics. Outside school, he had a range of interests as well. He was known for his contagious sense of humor. He was an excellent skier, having skied throughout Europe starting at age 12, and he became a certified scuba diver at 16. He was also an avid reader of everything from politics to science fiction to literary classics.
Pribil was perhaps best known, however, for his most beloved hobby, poker - specifically Texas Hold 'Em. "During the last two years of his life, poker was all he ever talked about," his sister Jackie said. Many of his friends mentioned playing poker with him, she said. "I guess you learn a lot about a person at the poker table."
Pribil constantly played online poker, not because he was interested in gambling, but because he wanted to hone his skills. He read many books on the game and was always studying it.
"He had a shrewd, analytical mind and was more of a strategist," Lorette said.
It was poker that helped keep Pribil's spirits up when he couldn't return to SUNY-Albany in August 2005. He also took online courses through the SUNY system, as well as classes at Nassau Community College. "When Kenny couldn't return to SUNY-Albany, he realized how important it was to study hard and do well in your college years," Lorette said. Even though he was sick and had his own worries, he would encourage friends who he felt were underachieving to do better at school, and to work hard so they could succeed in their adult lives.
Rather than let their mourning get the best of them, members of Pribil's family decided to do some good in Kenny's name. His interest in education moved them to start the Ken Pribil Jr. Scholarship Foundation in his honor. The foundation awards a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from South Side High School who will go on to pursue a four-year degree. The scholarship includes an incentive program for every A he or she earns.
The requirements for the scholarship include a high GPA and involvment in the International Baccalaureate educational track, and applicants should also have an interest in studying business, accounting or real estate, be involved in a variety of extracurricular activities and have an entrepreneurial or philanthropic bent.
The inaugural winners of the award were announced in June. The foundation plans to award a scholarship each year, but this year it found that it had two very qualified applicants. Richard Motschwiller was designated the scholarship winner, while Daniel Weine was given an achievement award. Both students were acquainted with Pribil through their work with the Rockville Centre Recreation Summer Playground Camp.
Much of the foundation's funding came from donations after Pribil's death. Additional money was raised at a 4-kilometer run and barbecue held in his honor at Hempstead Lake State Park July 11. Forty people ran the race, while 100 turned up for the barbecue. The Pribil family plans to make this an annual event.
Local groups also did what they could to raise money for the foundation. A group of eighth-graders at South Side Middle School held a car wash. A group of leaders-in-training and campers at the RVC Recreation Camp program held a bake sale and donated the proceeds to the foundation. "The outpouring from the community has been tremendous," said Kenny's mother, Lorette. "We're very thankful for the communities outpouring of love and support."
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