1960s
1960s
60 Football and Other News
Nick Healy has been working hard on establishing the Newman College Ireland since he retired as president of Ave Marie U. Earlier this year he reported, “the Newman College is finishing its third year. It has been a great struggle given the shocking decline in the faith in Ireland.” A sad note comes from Larry Delaney. “Kay and I will not be able to attend any more ND football games. The stadium is just too much for my replaced knees. You have done a terrific job of keeping track of many issues for our class. Thanks. Each year I get psyched for the football season, expecting a National Championship. I was not one of the ‘fire Kelly’ crowd, and hope he can perform better this year.” From Boomer Basolo: “Wow, our numbers continue to dwindle. I ran track sophomore year with David Cotton. Hank Frawley and Peter Corrigan were in residence halls with me.” Update from Tom Lauth: “Thanks for sharing these sad messages. I appreciate all you do and have done over the years to keep us informed about each other. I celebrated my 79th birthday recently and thankfully am in reasonably good health.” Tom has been on the faculty at U of Georgia for a number of years. I wonder who he rooted for in September. Ed Hanna was saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Marose. “Bob and I were roommates our junior and senior years. Bob was always a gentleman and an excellent student. Sadly we lost track of one another through the years. The funeral home has a picture of him, but there is no obituary posted and no next of kin. There are condolences from a number of his students who really admired him and his teaching. I contacted the funeral home, but of course they cannot give out any information without approval of the family.” Gale Cawley of Hagar Shores MI was having a hard time finding springtime this year as temps were down around 30 to 32 along the Michigan shoreline, and the low was 25 degrees inland. “I haven't seen any damage reports on the fruit farms yet, but there has to be some. I was sorry to hear my old running mate on the track and cross country team Dave Cotton passed away. It has been a rough year on Roseanne as they had a son pass away about a year ago. Dave was a coach and left quite a family legacy in running, as he had a son who was a top-flight collegiate runner, and a granddaughter graduating from Georgetown U who was a star distance runner. My health has held up pretty well, but recently I've developed the habit of checking the obits to see who I’ve outlived.” Bob Keeley did the triple Polar Plunge for cancer awareness this year in Lake Michigan, in the Pacific in Coronado while visiting friends, and in the Atlantic while visiting in Gloucester. These efforts raised more than $1 million toward the efforts to cure cancer. Pat Heenan played one year of varsity football in high school and his senior year at ND. He won three campus interhall football championships at ND. He was the starting end for the Dillon Hall campus champions in the fall of 1958. He was the starting end opposite Monty Stickles for the Fighting Irish in the fall of 1959. The following year he was starting left cornerback for the Washington Redskins. Our president Bill Killilea recently had a hip replaced. He wants everyone to know that he came through with flying colors and our class presidency remains in good hands. Remember: No stories from you brings no column for ’60. Please send me your stories, updates and no lies. Danke. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No. 103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; 239-461-0980; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com
60JD Class Secretary — John DiNardo;
512-264-2027; johnadinardo.58@gmail.com
61 Updates
Chuck Lennon wrote to say that the minireunion had to be canceled because of our inability to meet the University's required participants. (Food, drinks, catering personnel, space, etc.) Only six of our mates signed up. Chuck thinks the Labor Day holiday and the game competition (Temple) hit us pretty hard in this event. Denis Retoske gave me an update. He lives in Brentwood TN, and yes, he is a lawyer. He is licensed in Tennessee, California and Washington DC. It makes one wonder if he might pick up a new client in DC. There’s an increase of legal activity currently in the capital. He also is licensed as a general and civil mediator in Tennessee. On the personal side, he is helping move granddaughters Anna into Saint Mary’s and Mary into ND. Both will graduate in 2021. His son Denis Jr. is a Domer from the Class of 1988. We have lost several classmates. Charles Lee Gillia died May 19. He left his own obituary, in his own handwriting. He graduated with us in 1961, was a Marine, has a ME degree from Memphis State and was an accountant for 40 years. Never married, says he never could find a woman that would have him. James Michael (Mike) White's wife, Dona, wrote about his death in July after a long illness. He is survived by her and three children, Maura, Michael and Meghan. Philip F. Schuster's death was reported by his daughter, Chiaria. He is survived by her, his wife, Margharita, and his son, Eric. Bill Nebel, of football fame, died in July. He is survived by his wife of 53 years and children Bill, Kitty and Sally and several grandchildren. Patrick Joseph Callahan passed away leaving wife Sandy and children Katie and Christopher. After ND he served in the Navy, and obtained an MBA from Rutgers U. Pat was a lifelong commercial banker. He enjoyed traveling with Sandy, serving on many civic boards, bowling, golf, and spending time with his grandchildren. Bill Hanley, Jerry Mathias and others wrote or called me on the death of our classmate Father Michael Heffernan Smith, a priest for 51 years. He was a native of Augusta, ordained in 1966 and served his first parish, St. Mary's on the Hill in Augusta. From 1968 to 1979 he served as director of the Department of Christian Formation and director of Camp Villa Marie Church in Savannah. He was pastor at St. Anthony’s in Savannah from 1979 to 1988, pastor at St. Matthew’s 1988 to 1997 in Savannah, Holy Redeemer from 1997 to 2001 and retired after serving at Immaculate Conception Church 2007 to 2008. Bill wrote: “Mike was an exemplary son of ND having spent 51 years in the priesthood in the Diocese of Savanna ministering to the needy, minorities, migrants and the incarcerated. His life was full, his heart was open and his love boundless.” Many of you have written or emailed me about Tom Ryan. He was the top man in the submarine unit for the Navy. Due to his distinguished career, his family requested burial in Arlington with full military honors. This will occur at 12:45 p.m. Oct. 23 with Father Denis O’Shaughnessy as celebrant. Last but not least, we list the death of Edward B. McDonough Jr., my roommate from law school at the U of Texas. He had quite a struggle at the end. He graduated from UT in 1964 and went into the practice in Houston. He began in the Harris County District Attorney's office as a deputy DA. In 1969 he became an assistant US attorney. In 1974, he was appointed US attorney for the southern district of Texas by President Gerald Ford. He was quite busy because his district included a significant portion of the Texas/Mexico border. His distinguished career included serving as lead prosecutor in the USA v. George Parr case involving voter fraud in South Texas, a chapter in Texas politics that gave rise to many books about the “Duke of Duval” as the defendant was known. In 1968 Congress passed a bill authorizing authorities to obtain court orders to intercept communications of individuals suspected of violating federal laws. In the early 1970s, he tried a case in Victoria, which was the first criminal case in the southern district of Texas resulting from a court-ordered wiretap. Ed offered me an opportunity to be his assistant. When I discussed it with my partners, they said these are our gamblers and we are not going to contribute to their conviction. As it turned out, numerous clients hired me to see that their names did not come up in the wiretap. After leaving public office Ed defended those accused of white-collar crime. That’s it for now, but remember that “you know who” is by the front door with the latchstring out waiting for you to stop in while passing through South Texas. — Joseph P. (Pat) Kelly; 2103 N. Wheeler, Victoria TX 77901; 361-573-9982; jpkellytx@sbcglobal.net
61JD Class Secretary — John N. Moreland;
jnmnd1958@aol.com
62 Reunion to Remember
The Reunion turnout for our class was beyond the University’s expectations (but not ours) as 105 members attended all or part of the activities. For various reasons, several arrived on Wednesday and that evening, Mike Dunigan hosted a dinner at Sunny Italy. It happened to be Father Carl Ebey’s birthday and Mike had arranged for the restaurant to make a birthday cake. But Carl, at the last minute, had to stay in Rome on Congregation business. Carl, the cake was good. Others at the dinner were Lou Schirano, Tom Maxwell, Henry Burns, Frank Dunham, Jim Pottmyer, John Studebaker, Barry Ryan, Jack Regan, and Father Joe Carey. I asked Joe about the ESPN special, Catholics vs. Convicts which has been rerun recently, wherein Pat Walsh said he had a briefcase containing $35,000 from the game day sale of shirts. Pat gave it to Joe because he knew Joe had a safe in his Dillon Hall room. Joe said he remembered the amount as $14,000 but it “has grown over time.” The weekend weather was great. It started off with a golf tournament at the Warren course with 32 members of the class participating; no winners, just a good time. More than120 members and spouses attended the kickoff dinner Thursday night at the Morris Park Country Club. Guests included Vince Hartigan’s wife, Kitty, and Father Joe Murphy’s sister. The evening started with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres that included the largest shrimp I had ever seen. The meal was excellent and concluded with cherries jubilee and Bananas Foster. The surprise of the night was when the attendees were told the wine donated by Joe Gallo was a special blend produced for our class and, in essence, should be considered a limited edition. The bottles came with a label designed just for the dinner. Cheers erupted when Lou Schirano later announced that Joe had sent a sufficient quantity so that each member attending the reunion would be given two bottles as a remembrance. For those who stayed in McGlinn Hall, Friday morning began with a “morning check.” The fire alarm was triggered due to a malfunction and all had to evacuate. Don Candido, observing the exodus, commented that it resembled a fire drill in an old folk’s home. A couple spouses did not take too kindly to that remark. Paul Radde and John Shanahan put on seminars for the class that were well attended. Paul’s topic was “Aging Defiantly” and John spoke on nuclear energy. John is president of Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy USA, part of a worldwide body dedicated “to improving the living standards for all humanity and cleaning up and protecting the environment.” I attended a University seminar sponsored by the Asian Pacific Alumni and learned that Ken Kwak, who passed away on campus in 2005, has a scholarship named in his honor designated for an Asian Pacific student. Barry Maher has retired from the legal department at AT&T and lives on Cape Cod. Barry has ditched his computer and cell phone in the process. Denny Butler and Bill Weinsheimer retired from the practice of law in Cleveland and Chicago respectively, but Hayes Kavanagh is still at it in New York while Peter Doyle is still involved with real estate development in Houston and other cities. John Dailey is still practicing medicine and writing poetry. Jim Breen, who just had a knee replaced, is a deacon in his parish and Jerry McKenna is still sculpting with over 250 works to his credit. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com
62JD Grand Old Time at Reunion
Well, we had a grand old time at our 55th Law Reunion at the lovely, refurbished Morris Inn. Attendees: Mike and Sandy Brady, Wanda and Jay Charon, Neal Collins, Pat and Bob Cox, Ted Fitzgerald, Jim Gould, sadly without his wonderful wife Nancy who died some months ago, Marianne and Tom Kelly, Kevin Lyons, Felix Mackzewski, Dan Manelli, Kathy and George McAndrews, Stan Pecora, Katherine and I, Donna and Norman Stark, Christine Stucko, Beverly and Dennis Sullivan, and George VanderVennet. Also sadly, 19 of our mates have passed on. We have scheduled our next reunion two years hence. Kindly note that I changed my email, five years ago. Stay well. Postpone nil. — Paul K. Rooney;
1209 Oakmont Drive, No. 2, Walnut Creek CA 94595; rooneypaul12@gmail.com
63 The Gathering
John O’Brien and his large email group of classmates have a proposal for a get-together of ’63ers prior to the beginning of the official ND Reunion, which starts May 31, 2018. While the Class of 1963 is included in Reunion as part of the 50-year club, many with whom John communicated felt that they would enjoy something more specific to Monk’s Men. Jerry Schmidt has secured a very limited block of rooms at the Morris Inn for the Class of ’63 for the few days leading up to the official Reunion at an attractive $99 rate. (Move-out date is May 31, no extensions). Thus, we will arrive at ND Tuesday May 29, have lunch, cocktails and dinner on the 30th, and a morning liturgy and a farewell lunch on May 31. Activities: golf event on May 30, and campus tours for those interested. There will be plenty of “hang time” spent getting reacquainted. Want to stay for the official University Reunion? Sign up separately and stay. Those solely interested in a class gathering would move on. Reservations at the Morris Inn for the unofficial gathering: Group name is Class of 1963. Tel: 574-631-2000. If attending, notify John O’Brien, jobrien@prairiecapital.com, henceforth known as convener-in-chief. Morris Inn rooms are limited; 20 rooms already are claimed, as this is written. Also make certain that ND has your current email address. Marty Meeker says, “Carol and I are going to check off an item on our bucket list this December as we leave for a five-month around-the-world cruise ending in London in May. We are thinking of flying to ND for the 55th after the cruise instead of going home. We’ve lived in Cabo for seven years. We don't have much desire to return to the States except for harvest each fall.” Bill Lieber writes, “Dave Seng died July 13, in Dahlonega GA, a victim of pulmonary fibrosis. Bob Dahlke, John Delmore, John Ford and I attended the funeral. Survivors include wife Erin, daughter, Shannon, sons, Matthew ’93 and Andrew ’99. Ed “Spugs” Kennedy, self-styled old desert rat, says, “Kathy and I left Arizona and moved to Austin TX to be close to the kids. The 2,000-mile round trip every holiday was getting old. John Lamberti visited on his great American odyssey driving an RV all over the West, visiting every national park. Father Time is slowly creeping up on us. I even declined free tickets to the Army game in San Antonio. I hear from Ed Burke who is ensconced in the wine country in California.” Brian Richardson said, “Greg Schwartz had his annual St. Patrick's Day party in Naples FL. He saw a number of ex Detroiters: Larry Morgan, Micky Walker, Cliff Angers, Terry Desmond, Matt Murphy, Pat O'Brien, Pete Jason and Don Rothermick. The Murphys, O’Briens, Richardsons and Hugh Kelly were at St. Agnes’s St. Pat’s Day Mass.” Retired Big 10 football official Jim Sherlock died in July, survived by wife Marlene and three children, four grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. Ed Burke said, “Jim was a great guy, but that comes naturally to those of us who grew up on Chicago’s south side.” Jim was former chief assistant to the Cook County sheriff after many years with Stewart-Warner. In June, John O’Brien reported that Mike Ryan MD, a cardiologist at Philadelphia’s Bryn Mawr Hospital on the Main Line for four decades, “lost his battle with cancer. Mike, from Kansas City, and Priscilla were married for more than 50 years. Mike was a gourmand who loved to sail.” Priscilla said he died “under the care of all the nurses he had worked with.” Mike was said to have had a life-altering event when he had an open-heart triple bypass procedure. Later he told his wife, “This is not going to happen to me again.” He made lifestyle changes for himself, and dedicated the rest of his career to preventing heart disease in others. “He raced sailboats in numerous regattas and served as ship’s doctor aboard a boat that competed in a Newport to Bermuda race.” Tom Lantry died May 5, survived by wife Anne. Ed Burke observed, “Knowing Tom is another gift we received from our alma mater.” With ND BA and BS, and Wharton MBA, Tom was a captain in the US Public Health Service Reserves, a philanthropist and a historic preservationist, restoring 1769 and 1842 buildings for current use as well as a 1923-era business railcar. — Regis W. Campfield; 7534 Oakbluff, Dallas TX 75254; 972-239-1141; rwcampfield@alumni.nd.edu
63JD Class Secretary — Bob Saxe;
15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; 408-779-3668; bsaxe5@aol.com
64 Would You Believe?
Hole in one, number 25, that’s a claim Pat Mucci can support. His most recent was at Pine Valley in New Jersey. Numbers 23 and 24 were on the same golf course (Monterrey Peninsula Country Club), on the same hole, with the same foursome. Pat feels fortunate to play on most of the great courses in America, especially enjoying the ability to do so with his youngest son. I heard from George Novak, who noted an earlier column’s mention of Dave Garner and Mike Mayer visiting in Jacksonville. George never realized that Mike, his sophomore roommate, has been living 40 miles away for the last 10 years. George is now pretty much retired, except for monitoring a couple of private investments. He and Virginia live in Ponte Vedra Beach FL and spend summers in Jackson Hole. My buddy from Keenan and Lyons, Gene Koster, provided an update on family and friends from his home in Lynchburg VA. Gene was diagnosed in early 2016 with prostate cancer. A total of 39 radiation treatments concluded six months later. So far, the PSAs are good. Gene noted that our classmate, urologist Joe LaNasa in New Orleans, was particularly helpful as a counselor. Gene highlighted the article Mike Kirchen did for the ND Senior Alumni website. It detailed Mike’s story growing up in Canada, playing the trombone, coming to ND, making the band and recounting band experiences. If I had any idea how much fun these guys had, I would have learned to play a musical instrument. World traveler Joe Mayer is a prolific communicator, with time on his hands. He and Sheron are spending the summer in St. Petersburg, Russia. They needed a coffee table for their rental apartment. Joe sent me a snapshot of the Ikea selection in St. Petersburg, which was surprisingly extensive.
I received the sad news that Jim Tierney passed away in March in Florham Park NJ. Vince Schirf died in April in New Albany OH. Dr. Larry Cibula of Muskogee OK died in May. I also heard from Bobbye Borchers Flecker ’64SMC that our classmate Bob Lesko passed away in June in Pasadena after a battle with a rare lung disease. Bob was a classically trained television, film and stage actor whose signature artistic achievement was writing and performing his one-man show about Benjamin Franklin. The Huffington Post described this work as “superb” and “sublime.” Prior to moving to Pasadena 13 years ago with his wife, Kathie, they had resided for many years in Washington, where Bob had a lengthy and noteworthy career in business as a management consultant. Jack McCabe and Bobbye shared with me the articulate musings on Bob’s passing from our classmate, Jim McNerney. Jim described Bob as possessing a down-home, blue-collar working class shtick which proved to be immensely entertaining to one and all. Jim recalled that the thing about Bob that was truly impressive was his ability to say outrageous things in 1950s Nice Girl mixed company. “Things that would have gotten the rest of us ignored or slapped but which from Bob had everyone rolling on the floor with laughter.” Jim’s concluding comment was that Bob remains one of the most unforgettable characters of his young adulthood, noting he will be greatly missed. As will Jim Tierney, Vince Schirf and Larry Cibula. Please keep them in your prayers. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 203-655-3930; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com
64JD Class Report
Sharon and I send our best wishes for a wonderful fall, which as of this column’s submission in late July is reflective of peaceful times, family and friends’ visits and vacations and plain enjoyment of the good old summertime without disruption or bad news. August marks the second anniversary of the passing of John Leahy, back in the day the head football manager and resident barkeep of the “Stadium Bar and Grill.” His widow Sheila has shared a wonderful, warming note about life without John and her transformation from an ND wife to an Oblate of St. Andrew’s Benedictine Abbey in Valyermo CA with a new name, Antonia. Along her way, Sheila sustained a broken neck in a paralyzing, near-fatal fall from which she has substantially and miraculously recovered. Her profoundly simple message to each of us is to thank the Good Lord for all life’s blessings He has bestowed on us, particularly those relating to our families and loved ones. Gerry Vairo, continuing his struggle with MS, echoes Sheila’s thoughts. He has stabilized since his air evacuation in January, although he has been hospitalized twice since then with pneumonia and receives in-hospital treatment twice weekly. He says he’s gotten a “reprieve” and is “back fighting the good fight.” Charles Sacher reflects this summer’s family theme. He took his son Richard and family on a Tauck “Bridges” tour (aimed at bridging the generations) to western Canada to experience horseback riding, rafting, wildlife viewing and other outdoor activities. Last summer, Charles took his son Charles and children on a similar tour to the Bay area where Tom Conneely served as the tour guide. These trips were designed to revisit early family excursions that he and Dorothy took when their boys were young. Larry Gallick similarly took his children and grandchildren on a Walt Disney cruise to Alaska. Larry and Betty are ensconced in their summer home on Lake Ontario. Eileen and Bob Cash are enjoying the season in Cincinnati following an annual family reunion in Michigan. Lou Pfeiler and Carol seem fine after experiencing some violent storms in the Dubuque area. Lou says he’s musclebound after felling some 10 trees in the storm’s aftermath. They are proud to report that their daughter has been appointed magistrate judge for their area. Frank Miele says he has little to report, but is continuing his regimen of daily bike riding, running, weight lifting, and stretch exercises. In the fall, he will return to the MET in Turandot (as a priest in the first act and a trumpeter in the second and third) and in LaBoheme (member of the populace in the second act.) Bob Frost has become a medical piñata for a litany of ills including hip surgery and a reverse shoulder replacement. He is in his usual good spirits. His summer was brightened by a lengthy visit from his son, who lives in Korea. Jack Kopko is in the process of cutting back on his bankruptcy practice and is planning another trip to Mexico with Adele. Russ Bley had a very enjoyable trip through the Ozarks in July and was impressed by a stay in Bentonville AR, the home of Walmart. Sharon and I had visited there in the early spring and were impressed by its wonderful museum, art gallery and a relocated Frank Lloyd Wright house. Russ’s next venture is a trip to Costa Rica to live with local families in order to develop his Spanish language proficiency, helpful in his writing the official history of St. Cecilia’s, Russ’s Hispanic parish in St. Louis. Jim Slater continues his mediation practice while enjoying a summer filled with visiting children and grandchildren and following the baseball adventures of a grandson. Peace to all. — Richard Bale Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; 574-299-9888; cell 760-567-1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com
65 Lee Leads Chicago Charity
Bob Lee, retired from the banking industry, serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Allendale Association. It is a prominent Chicago charitable organization with residential facilities dedicated to excellence and innovation in the care, education, treatment and advocacy for troubled children, youth and families. Bob and wife Margot have a home in Lake Forest IL and Hilton Head, but are spending considerable time in Boulder CO where their daughter had her first child, their second grandchild. Dick DuFour retired as EVP of the Chicago Board Options Exchange three years ago. He remains busy looking after a grandson and taking classes in physics, quantum mechanics and relativity at Northwestern. Despite a life in finance, his interest has always been in this arena. For many years, Jim Longe, Paul Ray and Dick have gathered at a football game, then spent a few days at his place in Lakeside MI. Joe Dundon reports that George Ripley has moved from New Jersey to Portland OR where two of his daughters reside. In our senior year, George was an editor of The Dome along with Jim Berbert and Bob Gilmartin. Gail and Ray Bejarano live in Florida. He and his son continue to pursue their love of flying. Sarasota FL is home to Marsha and Al Schulte; they have a health care and wellness company. Pat Ford is a part-time Miami resident and a fulltime photographer after retiring from his law practice years ago. He travels the world extensively from one exotic fishing location and lodge to another for free. Pat has published two fly fishing books and assisted on a dozen others. Additionally, he has had over a hundred magazine covers, and holds more than two dozen International Game Fish Association world records. Also, he has done work for the Miami Dolphins. I have seen many of Pat’s photographs. The new digital cameras produce remarkable images, as does the man behind the lens. Those interested can see his work at patfordphotos.com. After ND, Dave Pivec played for the LA Rams for three years and the Denver Broncos for one year. In 1985, he founded Pivec Advertising in Timonium MD, which has been a very successful business enterprise. Ann and Jim Jennings have two children and live in Hernando MS. Jim is retired from the meat packing industry. He reports that Dennis McCarthy died in May. He was Jim’s roommate through our sophomore year when Dennis left ND. Dennis founded the McCarthy Report, a premier high school football scouting service. Jim also had sad news of the passing of two more classmates. Bill Miles, former Alaska representative for two terms, died in April in Florida where he had retired after living in Alaska for 35 years. While in retirement, Bill wrote two novels and many short stories. Jim Jennings and Bill Tucker flew to Florida to visit a few weeks before his death from COPD. After a struggle with lung cancer, Steve Zeber died in May in Memphis. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann, and two children. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040; jphnd65@hotmail.com
65JD Too Modest
Since those of you who are still alive appear to be too modest to tell me anything about yourselves, could those of you who have passed during the last 10 years, send me something so I can let your classmates know how things are with you? — John Donald O’Shea; pelagius@qconline.com
66 RIP ND Hero, Ara
We were on hand for the birth of the Era of Ara, which officially began on that snowy early winter afternoon in 1963 on the porch of Sorin Hall. He was a true giant, coach, mentor, motivator, compassionate advocate, father, grandfather and Notre Dame man. I consider it a blessing and honor to have played for Ara during his initial two years under the Dome. It was also special to have been at his 90th birthday celebration and to have conversed and spent time with him in June 2015 when he was as alert and purposeful as ever. God bless Ara and his family. Judy and Rich Sauget were on campus from the St. Louis area for the services memorializing Ara and reported that they were powerful and fitting. I ran into Dick Martiny at the ND Club of Maryland’s UND Night in early May. He was hale and hearty, but was nosed out in the last Alumni Board election. Dick still serves on the Senior Alumni Board. The good news is that he helped recruit Mike Boone, our mate from the Denver area, to also serve on the Senior Alumni Board. I re-connected with Frank Mackle by email. He is living in South Florida, where he spent one of his careers in the import/distribution business and the other in community development. He is semi-retired and remains most proud of his six kids and 13 grandchildren. Two of his sons went to ND, along with a daughter-in-law and one grandson, thus far. I spent a few hours on the links up Martha’s Vineyard way in July with Luke McGuinness, who is enjoying retirement after a distinguished career leading a number of health care organizations. Mike Mooney chimed in recently with a note to Dean Planeaux, Jack Pavlic and others recalling his time spent in Vietnam, particularly in reference to the recent Budweiser commercial and the special bottle the company designed to commemorate our troops. Bob Schmitt sent word that I managed to misspell the famous Jude Lenahan’s name in the last edition. Bob hung with Jude, John Berges, Pat Farrell and others of the Bengal Bouts fraternity. In his retirement, Bob is now leading tours, mostly won through charity auctions, of Jay Leno’s garage, which is filled with exotic cars. Class president Cap Gagnon journeyed back to his home stomping ground in Gloucester MA for his 55th high school reunion. Along the way he had lunch in Boston with Mike Rush, who is still teaching business at BC. Cap said that John Rahiya was planning a campus visit for the Georgia game and reminded that Don Snyder and Sheila were off to Belgium and the Netherlands, before taking a cruise. Jack Gerken was also planning an ND visit for the Temple and UGA games and looked forward to seeing Ray Neihengen, Jerry Erbach, Dan Rooney and Harry Terhune. Don’t forget to check out Jack’s class website: 1966.undclass.org. I also heard through Jim Starshak in Chicago from Don Umhofer, who spent his career in the law in California, where he served as a municipal court judge and later a superior court judge. Don and Besty live in San Luis Obispo and he fills in as a judge throughout the state. Bill Harrigan sent the sad news of his wife Cathy’s passing after 50 years of marriage. They have four adopted kids. Also I just heard from Bill Seidensticker from Pinehurst NC of the sudden passing in May of Pat Simpson, his life-long friend and ND classmate. Pat had a successful career in manufacturing before retiring to Pinehurst in 1999. Pat and Cheryl were married for 52 years and have three children. Bill is an orthopedic surgeon and played a lot of golf with Pat. I heard from Charlie O’Brien, retired trash magnate who lives north of Baltimore. He was heading in for minor surgery and we are hoping to get together in the near term. As you consider year-end giving, don’t forget the Duranko Fund at ND, which our class initiated. The progress reported by the Athletic Department staff in assessing and addressing concussion-related issues among ND athletes has been significant. The fund is being expended in positive fashion and needs replenishment. I expect to be on campus for the USC game. Fini for this issue. Keep me posted on developments. — Tom Sullivan; 1108 Westwicke Lane, Lutherville MD 21093; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com
66JD Mixed Blessing
As we grow older, my role as class secretary becomes a mixed blessing because much of the news I receive focuses on illness and death rather than on the happier events following graduation more than 50 years ago. Bob Siebert alerted me to the death of our illustrious classmate Bob Krause, who died of diabetes on July 13 in Bloomfield Hills MI. Bob had an extremely successful legal career. Many articles about his achievements as a litigator can be found on the Internet, where he is referred to as “a master with a jury and feared in the deposition room.” Bob’s obituary included reference to “his infectious laugh, his keen wit and his appetite for travel, fly-fishing, red meat and chardonnay.” Bob is survived by his wife Terri; they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in March. They had three sons, Kevin, Sean and Jeff, and five grandchildren. From our first days in Law School, Bob was recognized as a leader and an industrious scholar whose personable good humor was greatly appreciated by all of us as we struggled through those years of trying to survive the O’Meara regime. On a more cheerful note, Walt Terry wrote to tell me that he and Dee recently had dinner with Kate and Tom Hull. Tom explained that he had heart surgery last year, which kept him from attending our 50th Reunion, but he has recovered nicely and is playing golf two or three times a week. Walt says he still works 50 hours a week but insists he is “still having a fun time.” What a guy. — Philip C. Ruddy; 15911 Lakeshore Road, Union Pier MI 49129; rudds241@aol.com
67 Reunion 50
Our reunion was very successful. More than 525 registrants attended. Thursday night got us started at the Warren Golf Course Clubhouse where John Lium was successful in inviting and bringing Coach Ara to an informal gathering for those who came in Thursday night. Ara answered questions and bantered with his former players in attendance including John, Leo Collins, Joe Marsico, Angelo Schiralli, George Goeddeke, Tom Rhoads, Jim Ryan and Dick Swatland. Here are some statistics on our class: 3,970 applicants in 1963, 1,518 were enrolled in the fall of ’63; 1,326 were awarded degrees in 1967 or later, and 1,134 of us are still living as of June 1. Some classmates significantly engaged in the reunion weekend. Dennis McCarthy handled the O’Neill Hall lounge area to include stocking it with beverages and snacks as well as cleaning it up nightly. Bob Sullivan organized all activities and participants in our Class Mass. Peter Munson, longtime class president, sang a beautiful “Our Father” at the Mass. Joe O’Neill provided the heavy lifting by arranging to house our class in the O’Neill Family Hall dormitory, and arranging for the speakers and venues for our dinners. Friday morning began with a shotgun golf outing with about 60 classmates playing. Our dinner Friday night was in the west wing of the South Dining Hall where Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick spoke and answered questions. Before the evening in the South Dining Hall ended, the planning committee recommended, and the class members affirmed by acclamation that George Goeddeke be named class president. Saturday’s luncheon on the basketball floor of the Purcell Pavilion saw University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC, ’76, ’78MA, induct each member of the class into the 50 Year Club. Father Jenkins had his photo taken with each member of the class as he handed them the 50 Year Club certificate. Membership in the 50 Year Club entitles us to attend any reunion henceforth, as the Class of ’67 will no longer have a designated Class of ’67 reunion, but can participate any time as part of the 50 Year Club. Father Jenkins was also our featured speaker at Saturday night’s dinner in the Monogram Room in the Joyce Center. He also answered questions ranging from the football team’s record to the construction on campus, to how students benefit from all of the changes. After dinner, most found a watering hole, usually the O’Neill Hall lounge. Overall, the weekend was successful and enjoyable. However, after the reunion, we received news that John Horney MD died of a heart attack after returning from a three-week European golfing vacation. John called Angelo Schiralli June 11 after returning from his trip to find out how our reunion went. He died that evening. While tracking down class members for the reunion, we discovered we lost three classmates that we never knew had passed on. Those were Joe Boyles in August of ’09, Bill Kearney in November of ’13, and Franklin Sotomayor in November of ’15. Bob Plebanek notified us that the remains of Capt. Joe Smith were returned from Cambodia after 46 years. His F-100 was downed there in April 1971. Please write with stories and experiences at the reunion so we can share with everyone. Or just plain write. — Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com
67JD Reunion a Success
My deadline for this column precedes our reunion by at least six weeks. So how do I know the reunion was a great success? Because every member of our class who was asked to help did so; because we had 68 percent of our extant members signed up; because our Law School provided help to make it happen and because whenever we have two or more classmates gather and lift a glass to remember and rejoice in our shared struggle, it will be a shared success. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@aol.com
68 Coming into View: 50-Year Reunion
In the aftermath of every Reunion, questions come: “Was Dave Martin there? Where does Steve Rechtsteiner live these days?” This time around, with the benefit of 50 years of experience, we can learn the answers beforehand and avoid the post-reunion regret. Put the 50-year reunion, first weekend of June 2018, on your calendar. Pack your South Bend suitcase: one side for hot weather clothes, one side for the other type, and get in touch with people who are among the most important of your friends. Finding other alumni is not hard. Notre Dame provides a site for finding addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and many times, information about employers, spouses and the names of children. The website is my.nd.edu. You’ll need a username and password. On the mailing label of your Notre Dame Magazine is a number that will serve as your username. You can change it later. Once you have chosen a password to go with the username, you will notice “Find” at the right. Under “Find”, see “Alumni” and, from there, you are off to the races, ready to gather the contact information of friends from our class and others. And if you have the illusion that a 50-year reunion is unimportant, speak to someone a year or two ahead of us about the experience. Remember the advice of Eddie Kurtz: “No croakin’.” Just in case some of us have lost a step during the five decades, the plans being made by class president Tom Weyer and his committee make some accommodations. The climbing of the Dome will occur during daylight hours. The rugby scrimmage will be five minutes shorter than the last time. To the disappointment of Mike Burgener and Joe Blake, there will be no South Bend Ironman competition during the weekend. Father John Sheehan, SJ, who has made his fashion mark at previous reunions, may be asked to design ceremonial garb for class officers. Father John is pastor of a parish in Amman, Jordan. Chiseled Bill Cleary surely will be ready for dawn calisthenics at the shore of the lake: “Just won the southeast regional handball tournament (doubles) in Chattanooga with my partner Rick Graham, an Ann Arbor and U of M grad. In short, reunion excitement is in store. Tom Dorsel, now retired from a career as a psychology professor, sent a link to a song he has written about the ND football team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhVcFYtSduk. Think of Gordon Lightfoot and get ready to enjoy Tom’s humor. He wrote another song in January about Clemson’s National Championship. Tom’s daughter graduated from Clemson, so he has what he terms minimal loyalty. Both songs can be found by searching “Tom Dorsel” on YouTube. John O’Connor, who knew and represented Watergate’s Deep Throat Mark Felt, wrote an even-handed Hill blog article reflecting on former FBI Director James Comey and Mark Felt. See http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/337811-jim-comey-is-no-mark-felt. Tom Loarie sent news of his former Alumni roommate Juan (John) Bolivar’s death in June. “Many may remember John as the evening manager of the pool hall underneath the Huddle. John spent many years at United Technologies in senior roles then left to run his own business in Las Cruces NM. John suffered from COPD. He leaves behind his wife of 30 years, Susan, and his sister, Christina, who attended Saint Mary’s.” Tom is co-founder and CEO of Bryologyx as well as host of “The Mentors,” www.thementorsradio.com, a radio interview program that airs Saturdays. Dennis Lopez’s death in June, less than two years after publication of his book, A Tradesman’s Tale, www.tradesmanstale.org, had friends reminiscing and mourning him in emails and poetry. Our blog, www.ndclass1968.com, has notes and poems posted. Please send photos and news. — Tom Figel; 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3E, Chicago IL 60626; 312-223-9536; tfigel@reputecture.com
68JD Time Well Spent
I received an update from Ernie Abate, who continues to practice law full-time, including commercial transactions and estate work, along with things typically done in the general law practice. Ernie is practicing law with his son. Ernie noted that he serves as a trustee for many clients and their children and that this consumes a significant amount of his time. He also serves as one of the three directors on a foundation that issues grants of over $3 million per year. On behalf of the foundation, Ernie has visited Haiti to review some of the projects that the foundation has funded. He also serves on a hospital board, which he reports has been quite an enlightening endeavor. Ernie has four grandchildren, one in high school, two in college, and one working as an investment banker. I advised Ernie that we were a little behind him since we have grandchildren aged 8 weeks, 2 and 3. Ernie reports that since 1982 he has been running (at a slow jog) about 1,100 to 1,300 miles per year. He reports that he also plays golf whenever he can, and that he and Tom Curtin played together this past summer. Jim Seckinger reports that he and Sheila had a family get-together in June on the shores of Lake Michigan in Stevensville MI. The get-together included seven children, seven partners and 10 grandchildren. Jim said the youngsters are still focused on their parents and grandparents, and still believe there is no wrong in either group. He noted that Ann joined them from her home in San Jose CA. The big news is that Lanny Bonenberger left Wheeling WV after his 75th birthday. He now resides in Triadelphia WV. The unanswered question is whether Barbara followed her man. Tom Curtin was reappointed as chair of the lawyers advisory committee for the US District Court of New Jersey. For those planning a visit to ND this fall, Tom Curtin, Charlie Weiss and I plan to attend the Miami of Ohio game on Sept. 30. Let us know if you can join us. I continue to practice fulltime and was selected again in May by Chambers, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, as one of the leading management labor lawyers in the Midwest. (I owe it all to the “Chief”). We will also keep you posted on our reunion plans for 2018. Finally, I would appreciate if everyone could take a few moments to write me an update on you and your family. — Dennis G. Collins; dgc@greensfelder.com
69 Catching Up
I am sad to report that two of our classmates have passed away: Jim Leahy and Lou Yeager. Our condolences to their families. Please remember them in your prayers and reach out to their families. I am sure that would be appreciated. Classmate Michael Bars will be retiring from the practice of law. Mike practices law about a mile from me in Oakland County MI and as of Sept. 1, he will be retiring to Beaufort SC. I am sure he will be happy to entertain and house any classmates who are in the area. Congratulations to Mike. Steve Kavalauskas writes that six of the 40 classmates who attended our sophomore year abroad in Innsbruck, Austria, (1966-67) reunited in Austria for a 50-year celebration. They met in Salzburg on June 9 and traveled to Innsbruck on June 12, parting ways on June 15. They toasted colleagues who could not be with them on the trip and the four who have passed from our midst. In addition to Steve and Diane were Jim Bennett and Elizabeth Beard, Karen and Jim Gleason, Tim Gohmann and daughters Anna and Mary Alice, Judy and Bill Hennig, and Larry Rubly and Juliet Amante. On a personal note, Colleen and I as well as Dr. Tom Phillips and his wife, Suzanne, traveled to Omaha for a surprise 70th birthday party for Judge Mike Coffey and Judge Greg Schatz on June 3. Many of Greg and Mike’s family and friends were present along with many of Omaha’s finest. It appeared that the boys were surprised by the party and a good time was had by all. Colleen took our family on an Alaskan cruise for my 70th birthday in late June. We were entertained by Joan ’69SMC and Tim Meskill and their family in Seattle, as they hosted a dinner for our entire family and their family. It is just a small example of a great friendship, which began in August 1965 in Keenan Hall and fortunately and thankfully has endured for all these years. We appreciated their hospitality and I know this story is replicated throughout our class, but I just wanted to share our appreciation to Tim and Joan for their hospitality to our family. Lastly, in between the periodic emails and the quarterly issues for Notre Dame Magazine, classmate John Hickey has done an outstanding job by being responsible for the Class of 1969 blog, which now, through John’s efforts, can now be viewed through a link on the Alumni Association website: notredameclassof1969blog.blogspot.com. Many, many thanks to John for all his efforts. This is a very effective way to communicate on a regular basis. There are many interesting articles on the blog already, so please enjoy. John is working on other articles as well. See you at the Southern Cal game. Go Irish. All the best. — Tom Ryan; 248-334-9938; sylvanlawtr@gmail.com
69MBA Minireunion
Hopefully you read this column just after you attended the minireunion on Sept. 30, the Miami of Ohio game. Rita Knittel let me know in July that she was planning on attending the game to see all John’s friends. I hope we did not let her down. Also, we will be working with the MBA Alumni Office for a gala event for our 50th reunion in 2019. Bob Dowdell and I recently attended our 50th undergraduate reunion at ND. It was a great event that we hope to duplicate for our 50th. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime event that you will not want to miss. I received notes from Joyce and Cliff Fleming as well as Sue and Tom Sanna and all is well in their families. If you have news about yourself or family please contract me. — Dennis B. McCarthy; PO Box 246, Bear Lake MI 49614; bus 231-864-3111 ext. 115; dbmc2@blarneycastleoil.com
69JD No Fake News
Hank Catenacci is serving on the Law Advisory Council. Hank and his wife, Kathy, will be at the Wake Forest game. George Ball was serving on a mission in Indonesia as part of an outreach program for his church in Park City UT. This is an ongoing project with George, who served as team leader this trip. Matt Dwyer writes that after his annual 10-day golf trip to Ireland with his best of friend for 50 years, John Horney MD ’67, and their wives, John passed away. The funeral for Dr. Horney was well attended by Domers, including Tim Malloy and Denny Mackin. Joe Frantin is having a Catholics vs. Convicts blowout when we play U of Miami (Florida) on Nov. 11. Joe promises to have an adequate supply of Geritol for those who will attend. I was asked to conduct mock interviews for law school students clerking in Hawaii. Accept the offer if you are asked. The students are remarkable in many ways. Scott Atwell asked that I send his sentiment about our class after nearly 50 years: “When hearing of the loss of a classmate I find myself regretting my failure to have reached out earlier to just say ‘Hey, how are you?’ Many excuses and no action. Let me say how marvelous it is and has been to know you, to be your classmate and colleague, and how much I admire each and every one of you. I count you all as good friends, even without seeing you for years, and by that I include everyone from Austin to Zak. Pax vobiscum.” — Jim Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825-1314; bus 808-523-2515; res 808-395-0443; jstarshak@carlsmith.com