1940s

40 Back On Duty

After spending seven days in the hospital at a critical time for submitting our class news, I am back and working on this report. This assignment (cannot call it a job) is a real blessing as I get to keep in touch with each of you and actually grow closer to dear friends. It has been a blessing through the years and I thank the Good Lord. The oldest news is about the death of Ed Kelly. In late July, Henry Rogers sent me the copy of Ed’s obituary. Ed and his wife Bette were active in class functions, and before her death, they were involved with class winter affairs in Florida. Ed continued to remain active until he became homebound. Then we had regular phone calls with him for a long time. Ed will be missed by all of us. In Henry’s note he stated, “I am holding on, but living is getting rougher each week. My main ache is an arthritic hip. It takes about four Tylenol a day to determine who is master of the domain. Even reaching for the bottle takes extra effort.” Another regular reunion attendee who passed away is Joe Sotak. His son, Joe Sotak III ’65, reported his death. His son always brought him to reunions because their classes were on the same reunion cycle. The two of them were most regular in their attendance, and we will miss seeing them. I also received an email from Rita Martin ’79 who wrote, “You wondered if anyone was reading your notes, so I had to respond. Of course, old habits never die, so as soon as I read Class of ’79, I read Class of 1940. It is nice to read about your class and think of my dad, John ‘Red’ Martin, and how proud he was to be one of the men of the Class of 1940. Time flies; I will be attending my 35th class reunion in June. Incredible. Dad instilled in me the importance of going. I missed one for the birth of our daughter and the other for our new house. I am an attorney with Bayer, as in aspirin. Our daughter Claire graduated from Saint Mary’s in 2011 with a nursing degree, lives in NYC and works at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I did go to the National Championship game in Miami. It was wonderful to spend four days with friends. I hope that you are well and continue writing your notes.” Meg Caird, 97, also wrote to let me know that she reads the column. Her husband Don Caird passed away four years ago and she misses him but has seven children, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren to console her. We thank her for her interest. Frank McBride ’50 sent us a get-well card with his own type of humorous comments in response to my question about readers. It was great to hear from him. We received Christmas greetings from Bob Molin and his daughters, as well as Tom Liston and Bob Frost. That number is getting smaller every year. According to my records we now number 52 living members. I have been asked for news about John Benedict, Chuck McCarthy, Bob Gristanti, Bill Cleary, Paul Morrison and Joe Saitta, among many others. If you have any news about them or any others of our class, all of us readers would appreciate hearing it. We acquired a unique painting of Notre Dame as a birthday gift. It is called “Mother and Son” featuring the Golden Dome with Our Mother and the Statue of Jesus facing her on the main quadrangle along with reminders of the Basilica, the library with “Touchdown Jesus,” the Grotto and the two lakes in the background. We hung it on the wall where we have the three shelves of our 21 annual ND Christmas ornaments, making it a most attractive wall. We have pictures of it if any of you are interested. We manage to keep going and have been able to get back to attending morning Mass again. We wish all of you who have read this far the very best and ask that God shower His blessing on each of you. – Bob Sanford; 3212 N. Miller Road, No. 106, Scottsdale AZ 85251; 480-433-7916; r40shorty@aol.com

41 In Memoriam

Barney Gallagher ’71 wrote to inform me that his father, Charles Raymond “Ray” Gallagher, passed away on Dec. 9. Ray resided in Pass Christian MS from 1986 until Hurricane Katrina. Then he and his wife moved back to their previous home of Lubbock TX. An independent oil and gas operator, Ray was still going to the office three days a week. Barney recalled his dad’s WWII service as a lieutenant in the Navy. Ray fondly remembered VJ Day, when he and his fellow servicemen were being transferred from Europe to the Pacific and threw their weapons into the Pacific. Please keep Ray and his family in your prayers. – Meg Julian ’03, ‘06JD; 171 E. 89th St. 5A, New York NY 10128; 646-246-5480; megjulian@gmail.com

42 Past to Present

We will share a letter from Gene Hunt, formerly from Brooklyn, now Cranberry Township PA, in the next Circa ’42 newsletter. It’s his first in a long time, and you will enjoy his take on classmates, their travails, and on becoming a PFC in the Army. Most of us missed the news of George Kopp’s death. He passed away on Feb. 1, 2012. He lived a full life and was survived by a sister and six sons, as well as 29 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren. His career path in business administration and his personal life took on new meaning when he was ordained a permanent deacon in 1973. Other than his family, this was his greatest achievement. He served at Visitation Parish in Kansas City, where he enjoyed the love and respect of the clergy and parishioners. Judge Bob Miller came home after spending 10 days in the hospital for shoulder surgery. He picked a bad day, Jan. 28, the coldest day in 50 years in South Bend, and if that wasn’t enough, his furnace conked out. Bob celebrated by overseeing the installation of a new one. Resilient and durable, he’s recuperating with a confidence that makes the rest of us count our blessings. – John Kirby; 110 Upland Road, Kentfield CA 94904; res/fax 415-925-0544; cell 415-272-4016

43 Class Secretary – Bob Masters ’05;

202 Remington Court North Drive, Apt. C, Mishawaka IN 46545; bus 574-234-0121, res 574-904-8315; a.robert.masters@gmail.com

44 Continued Connections

There was some confusion in the last column: the daughter of John Henneberger is Melinda Henneberger ’80, who writes for the Washington Post. My apologies for an error in reporting about reporting. A few readers brought it to my attention, so I’m glad there are folks out there reading to keep me honest. Tom O’Reilly attended the BYU game in the press box with his grandson Patrick. He snapped a keepsake photo with Dan Hicks and Mike Mayock to remember the day. Tom spoke with Mary and Ben Brunetti in November on the occasion of Ben’s birthday. Also celebrating a milestone birthday was Phil Myers, who was honored on his 90th with a special Mass and dinner at St. Sebastian Church in Akron OH. His granddaughter Laura Myers ’11 shared that his seven children and most of his 19 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, along with many extended relatives and friends, made it to Ohio for the party. Sadly, Walter J. Stumpf ’79 wrote to report of the death of his father Frank Stumpf on New Year’s Day. Frank and his wife of 68 years, Madelyn, were blessed to travel to Notre Dame last May to witness the graduation of two grandsons. Being a member of the Class of ’44 was one of his proudest achievements, and he spoke frequently of his many friends. He will be deeply missed by family and friends. Brian Regan ’61 wrote of his wife’s uncle, the late James Malone, who passed away in November. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Peggy, whom he married in 1974 in the Basilica. His local Toledo newspaper wrote a thoughtful obituary. The University notified me of the deaths of Joseph M. Taaffe of Chicago in August and William H. Grafe Jr. in September. My search for information about these gentlemen revealed that Joseph was a jazz music lover, humorist, history lover and great storyteller. Bill retired from Abbott Laboratories and moved to Jupiter FL where he began a second career as a residential real estate agent. He was the 1957 recipient of the Man of the Year Award from the Notre Dame Club of Greater Cincinnati and founder of the Jupiter-Tequesta Winter ND Luncheon Club, through which he and friends found camaraderie, enjoyment and a continued connection to the University. I hope this column provides you the same. Be well. – Laura (Julian) Fraser ’00; 989 Belaire Court, Naperville IL 60563; 773-255-9843; lejulian00@yahoo.com

45 In Memoriam

John Lavery died in Temple Terrace FL early in December. He worked as an attorney both in private practice and for government agencies from 1951 to 1995 in the Chicago area. He was active in Republican politics and the Naval Reserve, retiring in 1965 with the rank of lieutenant commander. He remained very active until his health declined. His daughter Michelle recalls his walking Clashmore Katie, a Welsh terrier obviously named after Notre Dame’s Clashmore Mike. He is survived by daughters Michelle and Christina and three grandchildren. Rev. William Donahue, CSC, died last September at Holy Cross House at Notre Dame. He was on the faculty of Kings College from 1953 to 1974 and was rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin TX from 1974 to 1989, when he became pastor of Holy Family Parish in Copperas Cove TX. He is survived by two sisters. John DeVries died at his home in Essex Fells NJ in mid-September. He was an internationally recognized authority in the field of online computerized lotteries and racetrack wagering systems. He oversaw the development of computerized pari-mutuel systems for the largest racetracks in the United States and abroad, as well as the development of off-track betting operations in New York City and elsewhere. He is survived by five children, 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Dr. Bernard Schoo, a surgeon with a specialty in pediatrics, died in Louisville in October. He had been a president of the medical staff at Audubon Hospital and an associate professor of surgery at the U of Louisville. He is survived by six children, 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The mention here last month of the death of Stan Idzerda brought notes from *Bob Thomas and Denny Scully. Both recalled Stan’s presence at our 65th reunion, where he told of his experiences on the battleship West Virginia during the Pearl Harbor attack. The ship did not sink but listed badly, and he and 30 of his shipmates were trapped in a compartment below decks until someone found a ladder and they escaped. Reporting for duty the next day, Stan was assigned to a destroyer that soon engaged in a firefight with a Japanese submarine. – Ted Weber Jr.; 1400 Geary Blvd. Apt 1409, San Francisco CA 94109; 415-674-8771; theodoreweber@comcast.net

46 Class Secretary – William O’Neil; William.oneil@verizon.net

47 Snow Drifts on His Bed

Ed Sweeney writes that he is looking forward to attending our 67th class reunion this spring. It will be the 19th he has attended. Gordon Forester writes that the cold winter reminded him of the good old days of 1941, sleeping in Bronson Hall with the windows open and snow drifts on his bed. The May 16, 1947 Scholastic Magazine noted: “Notre Dame and Army, perennial contenders for the national intercollegiate football championship, almost met at West Point on May 4 to decide the intercollegiate debating championship. Each competed against the best 29 debate teams from more than 500 colleges and universities. Notre Dame and Army finished in a tie for third.” Classmates who passed away include William M. Archibald, 89, on Dec. 19 in Park Ridge IL. A regular contributor to these Class Notes, Bill was a Naval officer in WWII, retired senior vice president of Edward Hines Lumber Co. Chicago retail division, past president of the Lumber Trade Association of Greater Chicago, past president of Park Ridge Country Club, an avid golfer and a devoted ND alumnus. Survivors include his wife Marylin, “Mel,” five children, eight grandchildren (including Margaret Archibald ’13) and eight great-grandchildren. *Leonard John Marchinski, 87, of Mohnton PA passed away on Oct. 6 in Reading PA after a two-month illness. He initially attended Northwestern, where he played football. An ardent student of aeronautical engineering, he graduated from ND in 1947 with a bachelor of science and subsequently obtained his master of science from Drexel University. He also enlisted in the Navy. Leonard began working for Piasecki Helicopters in 1950, which became the VERTOL division of Boeing Aircraft. During this time, he was local chapter president of the American Helicopter Society and was a local pioneer in the application of finite element analysis to advanced composite structural design technology. During Leonard’s 60-year career, he directed Boeing’s stress and structures team in their crowning achievement, the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Survivors include his devoted wife of 62 years, Rita, two children, and three grandchildren. Dr. James Edward (Cotton) Vanderbosch passed away on Oct. 29. Jim was raised in Luchon, France, and on the north side of Chicago. He maintained a life-long affection for Notre Dame, even marrying at the Log Chapel on campus. A Navy veteran of WWII, he also served as an Army regimental surgeon in occupied Germany during the Korean War years. Jim was a prominent psychiatrist who began a suicide prevention program for the City of Chicago. He was the first clinical director of the Old Orchard Psychiatric Hospital in Skokie. In addition to his medical practice, he was an accomplished singer and guitarist who played in a band until recently. He leaves behind his loving wife, Jean, seven children and 24 grandchildren. Jim was fun loving, playful, smart, kind, empathetic and talented in many ways. James B. Cormack, 90, passed away Nov. 1 in Chicago. A Chicago native, James served with the Army in Europe during World War II and was a Purple Heart recipient. He held an undergraduate degree from ND and master’s degree from IIT. He was employed for 41 years with White Cap Inc. in Chicago. James was a longtime member of St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic Church in Downers Grove, and he enjoyed photography. Survivors include eight children, 13 grandchildren and three cherished great-grandchildren. Frank Preston May passed away on Aug. 31. A native of Salyersville KY, Preston served in the Navy ROTC during World War II. The Navy sent him to Notre Dame, where he received a BA degree in mathematics in 1947; he earned a MS in mathematics in 1950 at Indiana U. Preston’s long teaching career included excellent service as a teacher and chair of the math department at Evanston Township High School in Illinois and later as supervisor of math teachers in four schools. Preston was dedicated to the enrichment of educational opportunities for gifted students. His development of innovative high school programs for advanced placement mathematics students was recognized nationally. His great sense of humor and outlook on life will be remembered by all. Preston is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Eldonna, as well as four children, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. – Michael Morris ’80; 949-433-8568; michaelmorris07@gmail.com

48 Happy 90th Birthday

That is the highlight of this state of our lives as members of the Class of 1948. I was dismayed at first when my son, Dr. Don, called from Ft. Lauderdale a week beforehand to announce his intention to join me on my 90th birthday, Jan. 21, so we could enjoy each other’s company for a couple of days. Since all of my family lives back east except for one son, Dr. Mark, who lives here in Chandler, I had expected to have a quiet celebration with Mark and four grandchildren during the holiday weekend. I reacted to Don’s call with reservation, since to my mind a five-hour flight each way and five days off from an MD’s schedule wasn’t worth the trip. But, nevertheless, I relented with a measure of enthusiasm. He would call me from his hotel room upon arrival Saturday morning and I would join him. When he did call me, I could hear familiar voices in the background alerting me to what would be a total surprise. When I reached his room, I was met by a room full of family members kicking off perhaps the greatest weekend of my life. It was especially enjoyable to them since they were sharing in the 80-degree sunshine, having left the bitter cold of a deadly winter at home. We enjoyed a rousing lunch at The Phoenician and then, exhausted, returned to our rooms for a much-needed nap. Mark had quietly made all the arrangements, which included dinner at the Olive Garden, famous for birthday parties. All family members attended, including my granddaughter who is a freshman on a volleyball scholarship at Taylor U in Upland IN. Despite some evidence of jetlag fatigue, the flashing cell phones and bubbling conversation carried the merriment of the occasion with a hearty “Auld Lang Syne” refrain. A continental breakfast on Sunday was enjoyed by all, but then came another totally unexpected turn of events when we attended church. For background, all three of my sons were raised in Jesuit schools. Mark is also a medical missionary. Grateful for his education and subsequent success, he established a mission church and homeless center in South Mesa, a subsidized housing area, open 24/7 where we attended church. Mark has quadruplet children age 15. Grace is a gifted singer and her brother, Chris, is a gifted guitar player. Both are members of the church choir and orchestra. With their other siblings, they also act as ushers and greeters. So when we arrived at church, we were served by our own grandchildren. I am so grateful to be so blessed. We lunched at Easy Tomato and saw them off at the airport. I wrote this so if you are alone on your 90th, please share my good fortune. Go Irish.We are saddened to report the recent passings of Robert W. Gorman of Chesterfield MO on July 23; C. James Styers of Cedar Rapids IA on Aug.15; Robert E. Connell Jr. of Houston TX on July 24; Lawrence J. Raville on Aug. 14; Robert E. Livingston of Munster IN on Aug. 1; Harold F. Wismann on Sept.19; and Merritt C. Hoglund on Sept. 3. — Dan Gentile; PO Box 2671, Scottsdale AZ 85252; res 480-425-1240 or Eileen Zander; 1538 Oakhill Drive North, South Bend IN 46637; bus 574-631-7505; ezander@nd.edu

49 Some Profiles

While most of the nation endures frigid weather, we think of the warm DuLac rays we’ll enjoy at Reunion. We’ll have a fine representation. I hope to see you there. Mary McNamee Bower asked us to wish happy 90th birthday to her dad, Paul J. McNamee of Bloomington IL. Paul makes that milestone on June 25. He is the proud father of seven, grandfather of 15 and great-grandfather of one. He drives to Holy Trinity Church for daily Mass and watches as many ND games as possible. Best wishes, Paul, and may you have many more. The alumni office sent along news on Raymond Chamberland of Canaan CT. Recently fans, friends, family and students gathered at the newly refurbished gymnasium at Undermountain School in Sheffield MA. The Chamberland Gym was first dedicated in 1987 in honor of former basketball coach and principal, Ray. Prior to becoming principal, he served as the assistant principal and athletic director. Ray began his career at the school in 1957 as the football coach. He also cofounded the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Ray thanked the assembly, and they thanked him back, especially when he spoke of the wonderful culture built in the school, community and state. Undermountain was special to Ray because it was family. David Casey ’80 emailed the notice that his dad, Maurice F. Casey, of South Hadley MA passed away in December. Moe was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star in World War II. In 2009 he was awarded the French Legion of Honor medal. After graduation from ND, starting from his kitchen table, he opened an advertising agency and over a 40-year period he built it into the leading agency in western Massachusetts. In the late 1960s, Moe founded Posters, Inc., creating military and historic posters. The company is the largest manufacturer of these items. He was the past president of the ND Club of Western Massachusetts. He was a gentleman farmer, raising sheep as well. When he sold his sheep to Hampshire College he loved telling everyone that his sheep had finally left and gone to college. Carl Liebscher of Davenport IA informed us that his first cousin, Joseph M. Mengden of Grosse Pointe MI, died recently. Joe was a navigator on a B-17 during WWII. After graduating from ND, he began a 40-year career in the banking business. He joined the brokerage firm of the 1st of Michigan Corp. and ended up as owner of that very successful enterprise. Carl added some humorous stories of his own and will share them with us at the coming reunion. – Joe O’Brien; 18120 Cloverleaf, South Bend IN 46637; 574-271-8323; obie49nd@comcast.net