After year of waiting, Lower Merion parents receive graduation DVDs

MERION STATION, Pa. (WPVI) -- It took a year, but last year's graduating class from Waldron Mercy Academy in Merion Station, Lower Merion Township can finally relive their graduation.

For the first time Monday night, parents got to watch their kids' liturgy and commencement exercises which took place a year ago.

The school had paid $1,600 to a company named Advance Media to tape, edit and produce DVDs for the 60 parents of the students. But the school alleges the company never delivered.

"I tried to get in touch with Advance Media, I left several phone messages, tried to send emails, get in touch with them through the website, and I didn't have any success," Joan Barone of Waldron Mercy Academy said.

The daughter of Ron Donatucci, the Philadelphia Register of Wills, was among those who graduated. He contacted the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection who assigned a lawyer to the case.

As it turns out, the case was handled by an alumnus of Waldron Mercy Academy and the case was settled on Good Friday.

"Lo and behold the man showed up on Good Friday fittingly enough and he came in with the DVDs in hand, was very apologetic," attorney Michael Rugnetta said.

After watching their kids' graduation on a big screen TV, each family was finally given a DVD copy they had paid for.

"My heart's beating a mile a minute. This is something that we've been working on really since September," parent Mary Jane Przydzial said.

"We're very, very happy, I'm just overwhelmed with emotion right now because it means a lot," parent Maria Levzzi said.

"It's just a nice wonderful emotional moment; we really didn't think we would be able to get this DVD," parent Sharon Coyne said.