2010s
2010s
10 Babies Galore
There are many exciting new arrivals to announce. Kate D'Ambrose Slaboch and her husband Brian Slaboch ’09 welcomed their first child, Anna Audrey. Meghan (Thornton) and Joel Lugo welcomed their son, Finn, on Oct. 31. Lindsay (Williams) Short and Ryan Short welcomed their second daughter, Elaine Marie, on Dec. 2. Katie Citro and Adam Crone welcomed baby boy John “Jack” Theodore on Dec. 3. Maggie (Bolotin) Dean and Michael Dean welcomed their twin boys, John “Jack” Patrick and Ryan James, on Jan. 15. Carolyn (McCarthy) Logie and her husband Matt welcomed their second child, Anna Jean, in April. The whole family, even big brother Peter, is thrilled with the new arrival. I sincerely hope all the babies have learned to “Sleep Like a Champion Today.” Will Staruk married Maribeth Cote in May 2017 in Duxbury MA. John Maltese was a groomsman. They moved to San Jose CA after Will completed his PhD in aerospace engineering at the U of Maryland. Pat Bruen and Kylynn Fontaine were married in June 2017 in Boston. Guests of honor at the reception included the New England Aquarium’s penguin brigade. Bridal party included Sara Seidler, Gina Camarata, Jackie (Mullen) Gonzales, Samantha Williams, Kyle (Hagelskamp) Egloff, Conor Bruen ’11, Austin Bruen ’14, Justin Jamero, Adam Twardzik, Cory Hakanen and John Tierney. They live in South Boston with more cats than their landlord can know about. Gina Camarata and John Tierney married at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in July 2017. The bridal party included Laura Camarata ’16, Samantha Williams, Kylynn Fontaine, Kyle (Hagelskamp) Egloff, Pat Bruen, and Cory Hakanen. Father Jim King, CSC, ’81 presided. They live in Chicago, where John is a general surgery resident at Rush U and Cook County Hospitals, and Gina is a veterinarian caring for the West Loop's furry inhabitants. Robert Simmer had burritos for lunch on 36 consecutive workdays, from Feb. 5 to March 27. This accomplishment earned him Chipotle’s Minnesota Customer of the Month in consecutive months, becoming the first back-to-back recipient in the award's history. — Matthew Malloy; ndclass2010@gmail.com
10MBA Always Up to Something
Joe Boone recently co-founded Water Street Partners, a real estate investment company in Minneapolis. They are focused on middle-market investments in commercial real estate and invest on behalf of private and institutional investment vehicles. Started by Joe and another Excelsior Group alumnus, Water Street will buy existing properties, with an eye to making value-add investments. The company also specializes in raising equity for outside development teams. Joe, his wife Becky, and one-year-old daughter live in Minneapolis. Garrett Busch ’09, ’10 MBA and his wife Betsy Busch ’10, ’11 MSA welcomed their fourth baby, Felicity Margaret Busch, on Sept. 26, 2017. The triplets, or “trinitots” as they are known, turned 2 and love their new baby sister. Garrett remains the CEO of the family winery Trinitas but took on the role of VP of strategic initiatives within the family’s parent company The Busch Group starting January 2018. Lastly, they are excited that their new tasting room for Trinitas Cellars will be opening in July. It will be part of the Meritage Resort’s expansion called Vista Collina, where they will be joined on property by eight other wineries. It is a very exciting project, and there is nothing like it in Napa. They cannot wait to open and welcome everyone. Casey Sponseller and wife Nikki welcomed twin boys to their family on Feb. 15. Lincoln Benjamin and Lucas Samuel are doing great, and brother Cayden, 21 months, might be the happiest and most rested of the family. Casey also received a promotion to senior solution engineer at Salesforce.org, on their higher education team. This promotion was timely because of the sheer amount of diapers the family is going through. Life is good. Go Irish. Ted Kwartler is teaching part time as an adjunct faculty member at Harvard U Extension School. He will be teaching data science for managers this summer and fall. Tim Hannigan is happy to announce that after nine years with Harley-Davidson Motor Company, he recently accepted a promotion to a new position as the assistant plant manager for Nemak, a global Tier 1 automotive supplier of high pressure aluminum die castings located in Sheboygan WI. He is joining their executive leadership team that oversees two manufacturing facilities and a smelting operation. Nemak has 30 plants globally and he is excited to join their growing operation. Tim and wife Katie, an internal auditor at Harley-Davidson, reside in Wauwatosa WI. Their daughter Emme recently turned 4 and is anxiously anticipating moving to K4 in August. This wraps up another quarter for team MBA 2010. Now take a moment and send me some details of “what’s good” to include in the next update. Share your news anytime. Go Irish. — John Gerberich; cell 847-331-4707; jgerberi@alumni.nd.edu
10JD Busy, Busy, Busy
As they say, “First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes the baby in the baby carriage….” And this update has all three. Why don’t we start with love? For spring break, Allyson Spacht ’04 ’10JD returned home from Punta De Mita, Mexico, with a sparkly addition to her finger after saying, “Sí” to now fiancé, Diego Gamboa Sorensen. Being a Double Domer, Ally forgives Diego for choosing to go to “the other” Indiana school (IU) for his MBA. Heading back to the States, on a beautiful April afternoon, Stacey Forbes was completely surprised by boyfriend Justin Heyman, who got down on one knee to ask her to marry him in what was the cutest proposal ever. She was even more surprised when only a few minutes after saying yes, her family and friends came running out of a nearby cabin yelling in excitement. Among them was Erin (Brown) Jones who introduced the happy couple. There are whispers of a winter wedding. Next up, marriage. Megan McCrum and Michael Gerardi ’07 ’10JD had a gorgeous (that bouquet was stunning) wedding in Washington DC in February. The guest list included too many ND graduates to name, but among them were Stacey Forbes, Annalee (Janke) and Will Seath ’06, ’11MArch, ’11MADU, Russell Schaefer ’08, ’08MBA, Chris Eakins ’07, Jonathan Miller ’07, Adam Higgins ’07, Peter Biava ’08, John Lindenmeyer ’07, and his brother and sister John Gerardi ’10, ’13JD and Christine Gerardi ’15. Was this really a ND reunion? You will be happy to know, if only to complete my theme, that there are many babies in NDLS baby carriages. First up, Sarah Woolley and David Diorio welcomed little Anna Burnham to their family. Erin Butler ’11JD and Corey O’Neal met Kellan Patrick O’Neal in February. He is named after his two wonderful grandfathers. Big sister Grace is very excited, and Corey says Kellan’s a future Notre Dame linebacker, so be on the lookout come Class of 2036. Jessika (Osorio) and Mark Ishu celebrated the birth of their son on March 15. He had the exact same measurements of big sister Atorina. Kimberly Gilsdorf and Jonathan Miner welcomed Sophia Karen Miner to the world in March to experience a chilly Seattle welcome. Besides attending weddings, Annalee (Janke) and Will Seath were busy welcoming their son Thomas Fulton Seath on April 6. If you ask his parents, he is named for their patron saints: St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Thomas More. If you ask big sister Helena, he is probably just named for a useful engine. Finally, the woman we all know and love (and miss), Susie ’03, ’10JD and husband Matt Wine ’15JD welcomed baby number four, Margaret Anne (Maisie), in April. Four babies, no wonder she has no time for updates. Siblings love their new sister and are very excited to see her each morning. (Did they think she would disappear at night?) Congrats to everyone on all their special moments. Keep sending me your updates for my next column. Until next time. — Jennifer (Hernandez) Laffitte; 10310 Southwest 128th Ave., Miami FL 33186; res 305-322-7154; bus 786-762-3815; jherna11@alumni.nd.edu
11 Wedding Bells, Baby Booties
Michael Eardley married Jane Powers in August 2017 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Chicago. Michael met Jane at a young adult book club at the parish, where he wooed her with wit, wisdom, and alliteration. At the reception, groomsman Luke Stavole and I, and a dozen other faithful Stedsmen amazed all in attendance with a coordinated dance to Miley Cyrus’s “See You Again,” one of the more enduring lessons from undergrad years. Michael and Jane excitedly anticipated the birth of their son in June. Matt LaFleur married Lindsey (Lundy) in November 2016 and welcomed their first child, a son named Emmerich Matthew LaFleur, March 9. Jordan (Gamble) and David Downham of Indianapolis had a baby boy, Theodore Eugene Downham, on March 3. Marine Capt. Sean C. Sasso is an F/A-18 pilot stationed at Miramar CA. He just finished a tour in the Far East. He spent time in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Okinawa, Australia and Alaska. Congratulations to Laura Myers who became a Double Domer on May 19 after graduating from ND Law School. She will move to Atlanta to start work at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. After living in New York City for almost eight years, Tanya Barrios will move with her partner Danielle Dorrego ’14 to Boston where Danielle will complete her orthodontics residency at Harvard's School of Dental Medicine. Mike Sobolewski will move to Boston in the fall to begin his first year at Harvard Business School. Alyssa Jank completed the part-time MBA program at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business in March. Alyssa works at Constellation Brands on the emerging opportunities consumer insights team. She is thankful to her family and friends for putting up with her for the past 2.75 years and is looking forward to enjoying free time. — Evan James; ndclass2011@gmail.com
11JD Wedding Snapshot
Imagine the perfect Notre Dame wedding. It would have to be with a bride named Erin, who is a Double Domer, on St. Patrick’s Day under a rare March sun in South Bend. Congrats, you have a picture of the joyous wedding day of Erin Rogozinski to Matthew Swafford at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in 2018. Rev. Joe Carey, CSC, ’62 married the lucky pair. The wedding party included notable NDLS 2011 alums Danielle (Palkert) Hermanny ’07 and yours truly. The party was historic and ended at the one and only Linebacker Lounge. Esteemed ND guests include Andy DeRyckere ’84, Patricia Curtin White ’80, Mary Ellen (Pearce) ’80 and Mike Ball 79, Scott Bentivenga ’85, John Queally ’10, Caitlin Kopf Ford ’08, Sarah Hirschman ’08, Ryan Shepherd ’08, Tiffany Garcia ’08, Mariana Montes Jenner ’08, Matt Jenner ’08, David Hochstetler ’07, Rachel Cota Hochstetler ’08, Amanda Martin Shepard ’08, Megan Brown Czerwinski ’08, Vanessa Generelli ’08, Jordan Gallo Jacobs ’08, Meghan (McGarr) ’08 and Jordan Beltz ’08, Samantha (Winters) and Greg McAplin ’07, Annie and Chris Weir, Jason DiNapoli, Alex Hermanny, Meghan (Sweeney) ’08, ’11JD and Brett Bean, Dat Boy David Thaxton ’07, ’11JD, Ryan Finlen ’06, ’11JD, PJ Hines, Ryan Ouyang, Dan Nora, Blake Rambo, Anna (Rodriguez) ’07, ’14MBA and Jerry McKeever ’07, ’11JD. Cheers to a lifetime of luck and March madness for the Swaffords. The law school class of 2011 is also happy to greet several new mini members. Megan Irving and Todd Dusky welcomed Griffin on Jan. 18. Theo is the best big brother. Chrissi Mark Mercado and husband Carl welcomed Eliana Rose on Sept. 21, 2017. Kimberly Kayatta Melcher welcomed number three, Lyra Valentina on March 26. Anna (Dudenhoeffer) and Chris Simpson welcomed their holiday baby, Seamus Christopher, on Dec. 24. Send updates my way. — Lauren Sharkey; lksharkey@gmail.com
12 Class Secretary — Tyler Harmsen;
Ricardo Lyon 361, Santiago, Chile; tharmsen@alumni.nd.edu
12MBA Class Secretary — Chris Villani;
christopher.villani@gmail.com
12JD Classmate Connections
Hello classmates, I hope you’re having a wonderful year so far, and that this past quarter was fulfilling for you on professional and personal levels. Let’s start with the babies. Jim Audette apologizes for the late notice but wanted us to know that his wife Jessica gave birth to their first child, Jacob Logan, in October. Congratulations, Jim and Jessica, and don’t worry about the delay. If it’s within two years, I’ll print it. Kevin Knight and his wife Jess welcomed their daughter Ryan Madison in April. Kevin started working as an assistant US Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, and reports that everyone is doing great except for son Jack, who is deeply skeptical of the new addition to the family. And to wrap up this section, Charlie Drury and his wife Bridget said hello to their son, Charles Drury IV, in November. Charlie III recently wrapped up four-and-a-half years of active duty in the Marine Corps infantry. He was deployed twice, spending time in Europe and Asia, including a stint above the Arctic Circle in Norway and Sweden. That sounds cool. Charlie is returning to the practice of law in St. Louis. Drew Stokesbary reports (and Ballotpedia confirms) that he is in his second term in the Washington State Legislature. He was elected minority floor leader in March and spends his non-government time working at a boutique corporate practice focusing on startups and private funds. Drew reports he is very upset that Shawn Durrani did not make an appearance in Seattle for training this year. No response has been received from Mr. Durrani. Carter (Mills) Isham reports that she is still working with Lexis, and that she and husband Robert Isham ’14JD bought a condo in a cool old building off Lake Shore Drive. Carter said that the new place has way better water pressure than any previous apartment she rented, so she’s really stoked. Andrew Doyle recently led his bowling team to a championship title in the Deschutes County league. He wants to credit “NDLS Bowling League Iron Man” Mike Kiel for his training techniques. And finally, Alvin Adjei told me that he was nominated to the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. He said I could get more details on his Facebook page, where I saw that he was also elected to the board of the Houston Young Lawyers Association. I expressed hesitation at printing news not focused on his true passions of woodworking and small-lake sailing, and Alvin sent back an emoji of a guy doing a facepalm. All joking aside, Alvin, you are an amazing, beautiful person with the grace and strength of an eagle. I am elated that the good people of Houston are finally seeing you for the hero I always knew you to be. Thanks everyone. Keep those updates coming. — James Champlin; james.c.champlin@gmail.com
13 Radio Silence
I’m embarrassed. Apparently in my old age I’ve forgotten how the interwebs work. I must have tried to upload this to the YouTubes instead of the right site. Don’t worry though, I’ve included everything y’all missed. Starting off with engagements and weddings, Alyssa Borrego got engaged to Jonathan Col. I don’t know much about Texas weddings, but if they’re anything like the Texas tailgates there’s more gin and brisket than people. I also heard that Megan Limos got engaged to Ryan Hammond, and Kevin Doherty was happy to tell me that Spencer Andrew became engaged to Sarah Cole. Despite being rusty, Ryan Lion put together a clever way to ask Ivey Summerlin to marry him. Suzi Spitzer and Drew Webster ’12 had a Domer-studded wedding in October, saying they “brought the best of the Backer to the reception,” which wins my heart. In attendance were Anel Terron, Caela Cleber, Nik Cleber, Dan Ampon, Christina Shelley, Hillary Ott, Tylor Mondragon, Linnea Fechtner ’12, Brittany Ockenfels ’12, and Adam Wojcik. Ting Zheng gave a shout out to Alysha Thomas and Sean Liebster for their wedding as well. Cincinnati native and grade-school-balance-beam-pro Brian Mitchell got married to Katie Corgan in October. By the time this article is published Kim Neary will have gotten married to Nick Daegele in what I’m sure was another Domer-studded, wonderful wedding. But it would be more Finny’s connected than Backer connected. Finally, Kellie (Raddell) and John O’Brien had themselves quite the busy year. They got married in May 2017, had their first child in February 2018, and bought their first house. They did more adulting in one year than I’ve done in 27. Social updates are next. Ryan Lion, my professional Facebook snoop, wanted to congratulate Anna Perino on the birth of her niece, Luca. Andrew McKernan also wanted to point out that I forgot to mention that he is the godfather of Gabe Delattte’s daughter. Congratulations to Robby Toole and his wife Emily on their second child, Augusta “Gussie” Lynn Toole. Additional congrats to Greta (Hurlbut) and Kevin Kelly on the birth of their first child, Clifford. Anthony Albert just graduated UPenn’s school of dental medicine and will be pursuing additional training in orthodontics. So, he’ll also be investing in taffy and caramels. I was fortunate to run into a good friend and classmate last fall while he was interviewing for family medicine residencies. There I am, normal day at the office, when the best tenor that Sorin College ever heard comes strolling in. Leave it to Nathan Lin to really brighten up a day like that. On a personal note, I’d like to thank Ritu Narayan (MSU) for settling to marry this ol’ joke-recycling columnist. That’s all I got folks. Please help me fill the next article. If there’s something you’d like printed or that you’d like to read about in the column, I’d love to include it. Cheers. — Chris Champlin; Cincinnati OH; nd2013updates@gmail.com
13MBA No News is Good News
I didn’t receive any updates from classmates this time around. I assume this means we are all too busy trying to take over the world and keeping those plans secret. Rather than use my remaining space to pontificate on why Crash Davis is correct and there should be a constitutional amendment outlawing the designated hitter, I’ll save the column space for another class. The next update will be after the reunion, so hopefully I have all kinds of tidbits to share. The deadline for the next notes is July 30, send me info. — Nick Imgrund; 314-775-7364; daimgrund@yahoo.com
13JD Petra and Olive Edition
Congratulations to Lisa (Pollack) Fulkerson and Ryan Fulkerson on the birth of their daughter, Petra Isabel Fulkerson. I should note that Lisa submitted a birth announcement to me in December, but I was overly excited with Blakey news and forgot to include it in the spring Issue. Apologies to Petra, one of several humans who exist on Earth because their parents decided to join the Notre Dame Law Class of 2013. Robert Cross and Kelly Cross are Petra’s godparents, who incidentally welcomed a baby bull shark of their own: Olive Marie Cross. Congratulations to both couples on their beautiful daughters, and everyone please send me baby news. I will get it in the Class Notes within a calendar year. Would you like to see your classmates’ cute babies, instead of merely reading about them in this magazine, or hearting pics on Insta? Then come to our class reunion on Saturday, Sept. 15, the Vandy weekend. The law school will host a law homecoming tailgate on DeBartolo Quad with open bar. Please check the class Facebook page for more details. See you there. — Alex Blair; apblair@gmail.com
14 Class Secretary — Michael Nichols;
miketnicholsii@gmail.com
14MBA Class Secretary — Jessica Bonanno;
407-808-7148; jbonanno@alumni.nd.edu; Krick Cahill; 518-598-4222; kcahill1@alumni.nd.edu
14JD Class Secretary — Rachel Hanley;
rachelrhanley@gmail.com
15 Class Secretary — Robert Reed;
cell 847-691-0666; rreed1@alumni.nd.edu
15JD Secretary Handing over Duties
My time writing for Class Notes has come to an end. Alisa Finelli has graciously agreed to take over. Really Alisa, painting a fence is a lot of fun. I am not sure I can give it up. Ok, I’ll let you do it. Alisa is wonderful, knows everyone, is social media savvy, and will do a great job of stalking for updates. Welcome, Alisa. She is a federal law clerk for the District Court. for the Northern District of Illinois. According to an anonymous source, Russ Ward, who works as the assistant county attorney for the Marion County Board of County Commissioners in Ocala FL and his wife Dafne welcomed a child to the world. Katie Jo Lunningham moved to Atlanta from Kansas City to begin a clerkship with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Her husband also recently earned his PhD. Jason Becker ran into Ruben Gonzalez on a street in North Carolina. Readers, this is what I was updated on. Not a wedding or a job, but randomly running into someone, and not even in any place exciting. But Jason, I appreciate the effort. Keep painting Alisa, it really is fun. You must wait for it. Jim Wilson opened the Wilson Law Firm focusing on real estate, property, and estate planning. Jim is an avid outdoorsman who has been taking full advantage of living the dream with his family in Billings MT. There is no word on his rating with the Montana Bar Association, but he has a 5/5 rating on Facebook. Now, to get as many updates as possible in this final edition, here is a jam-packed section. Kyle Chen lives in Ann Arbor MI (enemy territory) and works for Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn as an IP attorney. Preston Mortemore, U of Michigan undergrad and associate with Pepper Hamilton in Detroit, married Sienna White, an associate with Jones Day in Detroit, in Grand Teton National Park on June 15. He disagrees about the enemy territory part; however, it could be worse as you could be a USC alumnus like Patrick Meehan who started his own business and immigration focused law firm, Meehan & Naveed LLP, based out of Washington DC, which is a 12-hour car trip from Lafayette IN, based on driving conditions at the time this was written. Corben Lee of West Lafayette is a business lawyer with the Gutwein Law firm. Cassidy Laux is a deputy prosecuting attorney for Tippecanoe County. Stephen Astringer is a bankruptcy attorney with Polsinelli in Wilmington DE, and Joe Hess is an assistant attorney general with the State of Ohio. All three got married within the last year and didn’t tell me. For my final announcement, Margaret Anne “Maisie” Wine ’40 was born on April 7. Mom who is amazing, beautiful and is real-life superhero, and dad (that is me, I think) are all doing great and her siblings are giving her plenty of attention. Thanks for letting me update you and hopefully provide some brief entertainment over these last few years. If you want to contact me for any reason, which would be a surprise given your track record, please do so at mwine@alumni.nd.edu. From now on though, send those updates about recent surgeries, disbarments, product recommendations, adoptions (pets only), or anything else to Alisa at alisafineli@gmail.com. Who did she know to get a Gmail account that doesn’t require the use of some abbreviation, addition of special characters, or the use of some random 4-6-digit number? You’re suspect Alisa, suspect! Anyway, it’s been fun and in the great words of Matt Damon from Ocean’s Thirteen, “I’ll see ya when I see ya.” Go Irish. — Matthew Wine
16 We Have Class Notes
The title says it all, Class of 2016. Happy to be reporting on our classmates to you all, so please send me your updates. Congratulations to Maggie (Skoch) Musso and Anthony Musso ’15, married on March 17th earlier this year. Nothing like a good St. Patrick’s Day wedding for a good Irish couple. Maggie and Anthony currently live in Chicago where she is a third-year student at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and he works for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Regina Engel recently moved out of Chicago after getting a promotion at Amazon Logistics, taking her talents to Minneapolis and joining a good Notre Dame crew there. Becca (Self) and Colin Devine welcome sweet baby Vera on March 20th. Is the earth flat? Ask Caroline Clark. The Year of Teddy seems to be going well—we’re all cheering on Teddy Cogan as over half the year is gone and hopefully most of the resolutions kept! If you’d like to keep up with all the latest news happening in Wooster, Ohio, please follow Jack Rooney, reporter for The Daily Wooster. Alex Wilcox usually covers Michiana news and sports on WNDU but spent a few days back in April reporting on all things Notre Dame Day. Thanks to everyone who supported any aspect of the University during those giving days — what we do as alumni really matters, so please stay connected and continue supporting all the parts of ND you loved as a student. If you haven’t seen Sorin:A Notre Dame Story, please do. Check the touring schedule online, or check it out on campus when you come back for football games. Class President Tommy Schneeman is living in Chicago, cracking jokes and sharing too much of his personal life up on stage. That’s comedy for ya! Brian Cimons is in New York and to be honest, I’m unsure if golf or KPMG is his full-time job. If you need a good book suggestion, check in with Elizabeth Orem over at @gladly.overbooked. We’ve reached the end of several two-year programs — congrats congrats to anyone who did ACE, PACE, AmeriCorps, JVC, etc. Shout-out to my ACE 23 ladies Taylor Kelly, Kara Neumann, Kelly Griffith, Megan Schilling, and Madi King! Sarah Philo will be starting at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle in the fall. When she finishes, she’ll have a PhD in Environmental and Occupational Hygiene. Congratulations to Giuliana Carozza and Frankie Cipollone on your engagement. In other news, James Bowyer got a dog. No surprise it’s a basset hound — little Sherlock is a happy pup. Next time you’re on campus stop by McKenna Hall to say hi to me and catch me up on your life. I’ll buy you a drink at Rohr’s. Email me when you have a chance. I’d love to hear from you. — Bridget Doyle; bdoyle3@alumni.nd.edu