Fri
Jun
20
What's in a name?
Regis Philbin’s full name is Regis Francis Xavier Philbin.
His parents, devout Catholics, named him Regis after Regis High School, an all boys Catholic high school in Manhattan. He was named Francis Xavier after Saint Francis Xavier, which also happens to be the name of another all boys Catholic high school in Manhattan (I spent a few afternoons at Xavier back in the day. Good times.)
If my parents had been as inspired as Mr. & Mrs. Philbin, I could have been named Fontbonne Kearney. Luckily my mom went to public school and watched a lot of soap operas, which is why I lucked out with Melissa Joy.