1930s

30 Blending in ND Generations

Editor’s Note: This column was prepared by John Manion’56 and Dick Savage’30 in the final days of Savage’s life.

As this column is being prepared, our friend Dick Savage is in hospice care at his home in Chicago. One of Dick’s seven children, Florence, has been with Dick most of the time since he fell on his porch last June, after returning from Reunion 2012. Dick has been house bound since that time, except for brief emergency trip to the hospital. Dick and I (John Manion ’56, class secretary) have been friends since Janet Mead introduced us at Reunion 2006. Dick has proudly held the torch for his Class of 1930. Dick is the lone survivor, and I’m told the senior living Notre Dame alumnus, having been cited in the past as such by former Alumni Executive
Director Chuck Lennon ’61, ’62MA. Except for this friendship, my personal ties or qualifications are meeting and visits with folks you recognize from Rockne days: Frank Carideo, Burt Metzger, Paul Castner, Moose Krause, Harry Stuhldreher (son John is class of ’56), Moon Mullins (son Mike was ’56), Fred Miller (Freddie Jr. was ’56). Honoring Dick Savage and his desire to “not miss the deadline for this issue,” he asked me to fill in. Prayers are that he will enjoy reading it, and be back to provide future columns. Here are notes from five ’56 men with close ties to the great Notre Dame Class of 1930. Joe Hennessy ’56 wrote, “My dad, Joseph W. Hennessy, was a 1930 grad. He was from Johnson City NY. He married Evelyn Diroll in Mishawaka, in 1932, and moved to Binghamton NY (where I was born), in 1934. When I was 2, they moved back to Mishawaka. Dad began his life-insurance career with John Hancock that year, and ended his career as a general agent, retiring at 65 in 1971. He passed the baton to me; I retired in 1999, and passed the duties to our sons: Kevin ’80, Terry ’81 and Joe Jr. ’82. (Kevin graduated just before my dad and mom attended his 50th Reunion.) Truly an ND family; oh yes, and there is Terry’s daughter, Kristin Hennessy ’02, and Joe Jr.’s Paige Hennessy ’09.” Jack Riley ’56 wrote, “My dad was a member of the Class of ’30, but only went one year, and then had to quit to help support his mother after his stepfather died. He lived in Brownson Hall and ran track. His name was John J. Riley and was known as “Jack” or Spike” by his friends. He came from Marengo IL. I still have a somewhat beat-up copy of his ’27 Dome yearbook, a photo of the Brownson Hall residents and the brass Notre Dame belt buckle he wore. He was a Notre Dame man until the day he died, and was my inspiration to want to attend. One of his happiest days was the day I graduated, even though he complained it cost him $10,000, almost unbelievable at today’s prices. My mother and dad are buried at the
Marengo Catholic cemetery, and when I go to visit my son in Naperville, I always drive out and visit the cemetery. Dad never kept in touch with classmates afterwards to my knowledge.” Jack Sigler ’56 wrote, “Here is what the 1930 yearbook says about Jackson Sigler Sr.: bachelor of philosophy in foreign commerce; Student Activities Council; vice president, Commerce Forum; president, Presidents Club; Sophomore Cotillion Committee; Junior Prom Committee; Senior Ball Committee; representative to Mid-West Students Conference.” J. Thomas McIntire ’56 wrote, “My dad, Vincent McIntire, was a 1930 graduate and probably knew Dick Savage. Dad wrote for the Scholastic and the Juggler when he was a student. I think he may have been the editor of the Scholastic, because I have copies of editorials he wrote.” Joseph Ruppe of Mishawaka wrote, “My father, Joseph P. Ruppe Sr., was in the Class of ’30, the second of four Joe Ruppes to attend Notre Dame: 1882, 1930, 1956, 1986, plus one great uncle, three uncles, two brothers, and a daughter ’87.” Rev. Herb Yost, CSC, will remember at Mass the members of our Class of 1930 and their families, living and dead.

33 Calling All Classmates

According to the University’s alumni database, there are still 10 men from this class listed as “active.” These active men are Chester “Chet” Barbeck, Michael “Mike” Besso, James “Jim” Devlin, Jesse Dickey, Thomas “Tom” Dorris, Jerome “Jerry” Ferrara, Paul “Pete” Kreuz, Theodore “Ted” Dolan, Christopher “Chris” Reilly, and Frederick “Fred” Schmidt. Any information on these men would be greatly appreciated. Decades before anyone had ever heard of a BCS Championship, the men from this class had the great fortune to be students during two national championship seasons under the great Knute Rockne ’14, one in 1929, and one in 1930. I was lucky enough to attend the unbelievably exciting triple overtime game against Pittsburgh in November. I met up with my college roommates, Jennifer Cleary Dewing ’95 and Maria Austria Fox ’95. We visited our old dorm, Howard Hall, which was one of the dorms my grandfather, Arthur Lavery, lived in 80 years ago. Howard was a brand new dorm for the men of this class, and is now one of the older dorms on campus. Please feel free to contact me with any memories or news you would like to share, especially anything that would be of interest to senior alumni. — Katie (Gorman) Duffy ’95; 295 Jacobs Circle, Harleysville PA 19438; res 215-513-1542; duffynd95@yahoo.com

36 Going Strong at 100

I just got out of the hospital after spending six days with Montezuma’s revenge, better known as the norovirus that hits cruise ships, but I wasn’t on a cruise ship. When I returned home I received a note from Joe Newman in Florida, who celebrated his 100th birthday. They had a big party for him and he drove himself and a friend to the party and home again after dark. Keep up the good work, Joe, maybe you’ll make it to 115. I have no other news except to say that my youngest grandson will be entering ND in the fall. He joins his brother and sister, who are already there. He is the tenth descendant from the Norton clan to go to ND. His father and uncle are also ND alums. What a change from when we were there, when the tuition was $900 a year. I haven’t heard from anyone else in the class. If you are out there and still alive, send me a note. — John Norton; jwn176@aol.com

37 Remembering Gallivan

I was able to pay a visit to Bernie Hartz a few months ago when I was in the Indianapolis area to pick up my sister from Purdue. I enjoyed a tour of his home, decorated with lots of ND memorabilia, and got to meet his daughter, who was visiting from Texas. He also showed me some of his watercolors, as he took up painting over the course of the past year. He gave me a painting to take with me. It’s a wonderful memory from my trip. Thomas Delker died in October 2012. He graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in engineering and was living in South Bend at the time of his death. He was an active volunteer in Right to Life and the Women’s Care Center in the South Bend community. John Gallivan also passed on in the fall. The program in journalism, ethics and democracy at Notre Dame bears his name, and he has an incredible legacy in his hometown of Salt Lake City. He founded broadcast companies in Utah, was instrumental in planning for the convention center in Salt Lake, the Park City Ski Resort, and helped the city win the Olympic bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics. He also shaped the vision for a plaza in Salt Lake, which is now named after him. For his work in the community, he was awarded honorary degrees from the U of Utah, Westminster College, Brigham Young U, and Southern Utah State U. Pope John Paul II made him a knight in the Order of St. Gregory. Gallivan also cared for the less fortunate in his community through establishing apartment housing for the chronically homeless; this was a primary focus of his life and legacy. Friends and family remember him as a gentle man who lived the Golden Rule and loved humankind unconditionally. — Kathleen Coverick ’08; 911 Hagan Ave., New Orleans LA 70119; 708-305-5536; kathleen.coverick@gmail.com

38 75 Years

I regret to report that Hugh Correll passed away on Nov. 13. Please keep Hugh and his family in your prayers. Congratulations to the Class of 1938, which this spring will celebrate 75 years as alumni. According to the University Archives, the 549 members of the class celebrated commencement on June 5, 1938, with the address given by Southern California attorney Hon. Terence Byrne Cosgrove ’06 (1906, that is). John K. Schemmer, valedictorian, delivered his address on Class Day, June 4. Chester Soleta, CSC, read the class poem, and Leonard Skoglund gave the class oration (John, Chester, and Leonard are deceased). The Solemn Pontifical Mass for the class was celebrated in the gymnasium by the Most Rev. Bernard J. Sheil, DD, auxiliary bishop of Chicago. Commencement weekend also marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. The milestone was celebrated in the Basilica by His Excellency, Most Rev. Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, DD, titular archbishop of Laodicea and apostolic delegate to the United States. The June 1938 edition of Alumnus magazine announced that economic conditions forced the Alumni Office to initiate the University’s career placement services. The Alumni Office noted that its “work with the Class of 1938 and the alumni questionnaires sent out during the year have brought intimations of success if we can count on the continued cooperation of alumni, particularly the clubs.” It seems safe to say the alumni have continued to cooperate; perhaps this was the birth of the ND network as our later generations know it. According to the magazine, commencement weekend also served as a meeting time of the Athletic Board of Control, at which time they decided to reduce alumni football preference from eight to four tickets for any given game. The magazine cited football’s recent “popular favor … to the extent of one or more annual sell-outs.” The change in ticket allotment was intended to increase the number of alumni in the Alumni Section at games, however, alumni would be offered the option to request public application forms to be sent directly to friends, a practice that the magazine noted “has saved many alumni time, expense, and embarrassment.” It is a big milestone and reunion year for the class, so please send in stories you would like to share. — Meg Julian ’03, ’06JD; 171 E. 89th St. No. 5A; New York NY 10128; 646-246-5480; megjulian@gmail.com

39 Fate’s Fickle Finger

Many of us can recall major encounters that changed the direction of our lives. But we don’t know how many near-misses there were: old friends who happened to be in the same area but whose presence never came to our attention. After the recent issue of Notre Dame Magazine arrived in mid-January, I received an email from Frank Pfaff commenting on my report on the death and career of my long time roommate, Andy Wilson. He reported that he too had attended Notre Dame with a friend from first grade, Bill Murray, and they had graduated together as chemical engineers. In checking the Dome yearbook, I noted that he and Bill were from Elizabeth NJ. I had grown up as a New Yorker until my career took me elsewhere at age 27, but I had had two brief Jersey connections. I was born in New Jersey because my mother was staying with my father’s sister’s family in Ridgewood while he served in the Army during World War I. And for six months in 1942, I taught a seventh grade class in Cranford, nine miles west of Elizabeth. When I cited these facts in an email to Frank, he replied that he had lived and raised a family in Cranford for 30 years, starting in 1942. In our coming and goings, he said, we may have ridden the same Jersey Central Railroad. But that’s not all. After 32 years of enduring winter blizzards in Minnesota and Buffalo, my wife and I became snowbirds and bought a condo for vacation time in Boynton Beach FL. Guess where it turns out Frank has lived for many years? You got it, Boynton Beach. In recent years, the one thing I could usually depend on was that whenever it was time for a new column, there would be news from my two most reliable correspondents, Pete Sandrock and Paul Tully. There is news of both again, but this time it is from one of them and only about the other. The winter issue of Notre Dame Magazine reported that Pete Sandrock died on Aug. 23. Pete was the kind of person who just liked people, and he was especially passionate about all things Notre Dame. He had been happily married three times. Before you jump to unwarranted conclusions, I’ll explain by quoting what I wrote in my column for the winter ’07 issue: “His first wife passed away in ’72, his second in ’84. About six years later, he was traveling on an Amtrak train to visit relatives in Wisconsin when someone introduced him to Barbara, who was heading eastward from California. They found out they had a lot in common and eventually it led to wedding bells.” In ’07, I reported Pete’s age as 93. That means he must have been about 98 when he died. Paul Tully and his wife, Lynne, sent a Christmas card that included 18 lines of light verse summing up their contentment as they adapt to a new lifestyle in their Maplewood NJ retirement home. — Bill Donnelly; 6152 Verde Trail N, Apt. D201, Boca Raton FL 33433-2412; 561-852-9474; donnlywa@bellsouth.net