1940s

40 An Unexpected Gift

A surprising gift from a parish friend prompted many happy memories. The friend asked if we would like an autographed ND football. It was from the 1972 football season signed by Ara Parseghian, the coaching staff and all the members of the 1972 football team. It contained many autographs of those who played in the 1973 National Championship game on New Year’s Eve at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. We attended the game with Fran and Mize Morris, and after the thrilling victory, we ended up down on the Tulane U field celebrating with the other fans. After that we went to a New Year’s party at the home of Liz and Terry Smith. I had a delightful phone call from Ruthie O’Dowd, widow of Jerry O’Dowd, recently. She was going through some old ND memorabilia and thought of us. We recalled all the happy times the four of us had during the years at ND and Saint Mary’s College functions. I tried to respond to her through the mail and by phone, but never made it. I would appreciate another call from you, Ruthie. I received Christmas cards from Bob Molin, who is with his daughter and lives across the street from church, so is able to get to Mass regularly. Babe and Bob Frost celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary during the year. I think that gives them the record of the longest living married couple in our class. Henry Rogers reported that his wife, Helen, passed away during the year, so he remains living alone at the retirement facility. Ruth and Tom Liston also checked in, but without any special news. I read about the death of Walt Dray in the SMC Courier magazine before receiving the report from ND. Walt and his wife, Peg, were the proud parents of eight children, some living in different parts of the country. This gave them the opportunity of visiting many different places. I could always count on regular news reports from Walt during the years. Although the two of us had flu shots, we suffered bad bouts of the flu and it took a fairly long time to recover. However, we are doing well now. Both of us can still get around and manage to get to daily Mass and participate in some church activities. We appreciate our assisted living situation realizing that we have slowed down. We keep all of you in our prayers and may God continue to shower His blessings and graces on each of you. — Bob Sanford; 3212 N. Miller Rd. No.106, Scottsdale AZ 85251; 480-433-7916; r40shorty@aol.com

41 Keep in Touch

This past winter was a quiet one, without any updates from the University or class members or families. Your notes and stories are always welcome and of interest. Please continue to write or call. In the meantime, best wishes to the Class of ’41. — Meg Julian ’03, ’06JD; 171 E. 89th St. No. 5A; New York NY 10128; 646-246-5480; megjulian@gmail.com

42 Shipmates

James O’Neal died at his home in Rye NY on Jan. 25. His beloved wife, Mary, died in April 2010. He was the devoted father of Sally Maloney (Edward), Ellen Walsh (Robert), Mary Marvin (Davidson), Kathy Wasilko (James), Peggy Sheppard (Thomas), James Jr., 19 grandchildren, and 23 great grandchildren. Jim graduated from Notre Dame, was senior class president and winner of the Notre Dame Dome Award. He served as a Navy officer on the USS Canfield in the Sea of Japan during WWII. He had a long and successful career in advertising in St. Louis, which brought him to New York to work for D’Arcy and Campbell-Ewald as a top executive at the firms. Mass of Christian Burial was held at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye. Jim was a warm and sensitive person, caring for the needs of others, as a classmate, in the service and in business. We all loved Jim O’Neal. Dan Canale is not doing very well but is still mobile with the aid of a walker. He enjoys keeping up with all news of Notre Dame and sends his best wishes to the rest of the class. Ray Rowan of Seattle was under the weather with the flu but was delighted to hear from ’42 members. He promises to follow up with us shortly. Jim Asmuth, a retired deacon, was recovering from double pneumonia and experiencing difficulty in writing and speaking. He was grateful for my promise to send him written news of ’42 members. Jim Fayette, Burlington VT, died on Oct. 16. His wife died three years ago. Chris Rohrs Jr. ’08, grandson of our Tom Fitzharris, who died July 3, 2012, in Eastchester NY, says, Tom “always told me he read the class notes section of ND Magazine so I know he’d love to get his own mention. He would check his own class then son Tom Fitzharris III ’68, son-in-law and my dad Chris Rohrs ’71, my older sister ’05, and mine ’08.” Tom also served in WWII as a major in the Marine Corps. Joseph G. Duffey ’48, Williamsville NY spotted in the last issue of Notre Dame Magazine the news of the passing of my brother, Arthur ’43. Joe started at ND in January ’43, joining the Navy V-12 program, eventually getting his commission as ensign and joining Arthur on the Altamaha in San Diego. “Art and I spent a lot of time together discussing Notre Dame as we went about our duties crossing the Pacific many times and visiting a lot of islands. We were in Saipan when the plane carrying the atomic bomb flew over enroute to Japan. It was great knowing Art and I thought you might be interested in my connection.” John Bauchman ’69 writes, “I am writing to inform you and the class of 1942 of my father, Robert W. Bauchman, passing on Jan. 6 at home in Las Vegas with his wife, Alice, and seven children at his side. Dad treasured his time at Notre Dame and the friends he made there. He was especially proud to have two sons, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren attend Notre Dame. The last football game he watched was ND-USC, and he was happy to see the Irish back in the top ranks of college football.” Judge Bob Miller attended the Alabama game on the 40-yard line and Colin Kirby ’10JD also got in. Tom Walker, Bob Hargrave, and George Blatt and I hereby share our exchange of New Year’s greetings with the rest of our class. — John Kirby; 110 Upland Road, Kentfield CA 94904; phone and fax 415-925-0544; mobile 415-272-4016

44 Generations

I received another letter from Gerald Welch and I applaud his 90th birthday present to himself of giving up 74 years of smoking, cold turkey. Other than Jerry’s letter, it has been a quiet quarter for happy news as many of you no doubt spent time with your families for the holidays. On a personal note, we welcomed our second son, Brody, and if my math is right, he could be a graduate 90 years after the fine men of this class. Stephen J. McElroy ’72 wrote to inform me that Andrew R. McElroy died Christmas Eve. He truly lived the ideals of a Notre Dame man. Family, God, country, and Notre Dame were everything to him. He was the son, brother, and uncle of Notre Dame men as well: Leo C. McElroy ’10, James A. McElroy ’43, and John J. Keogh ’70. Jack Morgan ’51 notified me of the passing of Edwin S. Sochalski in January. His Dearborn Heights, MI obituary highlighted his love of his alma mater, bowling, and business. He is survived by his wife, Helen, and five children. The University notified me of the deaths of Wilber F. Doll, Paul A. Marietta, and Sister M. Alice Pethe OSF. — Laura (Julian) Fraser ’00; 989 Belaire Ct., Naperville IL 60563; 773-255-9843; lejulian00@yahoo.com

45 Sick Call

Bob Thomas forwarded a note from Thadd Harrington, who reports success and problems with varied surgeries. A hip replacement in 1994 is “still working nicely. In 2000, I had my right knee replaced but fell and broke it in 2005, and the knee just doesn’t work right anymore and the ortho surgeon doesn’t know what to do. I still take a good walk every morning and feel wonderful, not like an 88 year old is supposed to feel. Betty is in a wheelchair full time so things go slower. We have a nice cabin at Cedar Key FL, where we go for a week each month to eat fresh seafood and drink beer on the water.” Bob also reports that Art Kartman has a condo in Mount Vernon OH. Shirley and he have spent the last 20 winters in Florida but expect to sell that property this year. He says several “parts” (particularly his back) have worn out and that he spends most of his time with TV, computer, and reading, plus visiting a casino at least once a month. Joe Fisher, who lives in Moon Township PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh), regrets that in recent years he has not been able to attend games in South Bend but was delighted that with the help of his two sons he was able to attend the Miami game in Soldier Field this year. “It was a thrill to sing the Alma Mater with sons Paul ’77 and Mark, who attended Yale and sang with the fabled Whiffenpoofs.” In the autumn issue, I mentioned Rev. Jim Gower, widely known for his work with Pax Christi, and mentioned that he was hospitalized in a nursing home. Word has come that Jim died in December in Bar Harbor ME. In his annual Christmas letter from Bangladesh, Rev. Dick Timm, CSC, noted he had celebrated two jubilees this year: 60 years in Bangladesh and 70 years of religious vows in Holy Cross. During the year, he was among those honored by the government of Bangladesh at a ceremony recognizing the contributions of those who have contributed in a significant way to the liberation of the country. Despite some travel problems (including a five-hour layover in Bangkok and a 10-hour trip at night sleeping on three seats) he was among the speakers at a conference in Kuwon, South Korea. Bob Riordan died in San Diego in November. After several years with the Foreign Service, Bob left government and worked for Wheelabrator and other companies in Europe, South America, Mexico, and the United States. Upon retirement, he continued traveling and working as a travel writer. His stories and photographs were published in newspapers in this country, Canada, and England. He is survived by five children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Word has been received of the deaths of James Bersbach and Sister M. Justine Sabourin. — Ted Weber Jr.; 1400 Geary Blvd. Apt 1409, San Francisco CA 94109; 415-674-8771; theodoreweber@comcast.net

47 Real Gems

Eugene Diamond and his beautiful bride have 13 children. Eight sons and three daughters graduated from ND, two daughters graduated from SMC. There are four doctors, four lawyers, and a daughter recently received her PhD in sacred theology. He fondly remembers his ND logic teacher, Father Brennan. Eugene had a long, fulfilling career as a pediatric doctor, including time as a medic in the Korean War. Ed Desloge took time away from his shop, where he was making window trim for his work with the local Habitat for Humanity in Tallahassee, to talk with me. Using his BSEE from ND and PhD in physics, he retired from Florida State U after 35 years of teaching. He and his wife remain active and have five children and 15 grandkids. Ed matriculated at ND in 1941 at 16, as his St. Louis grammar school only had seven grades. He remembers living in nearly every dorm on campus after spending freshman year in Brownson and his countless strides as a half-miler on the track team. He spent time in the Navy Air Corps before returning to ND to graduate. Jerome Hendel is still lively and sharp, celebrating his 53rd wedding anniversary. He was married at Sacred Heart on campus and is the proud father of six. He remembers listening to his first ND football game on the radio as 4 year old growing up on the family farm. He was one of the thousand ND students at Yankee Stadium for the 1946 game with Army. He mentioned Jim Hoffman and Bill Griffey ’48. Retired Notre Dame swimming coach Dennis Stark stays in contact with many of his alumni swimmers through an annual newsletter to them via email. He also is pleasantly surprised to see alum swimmers at games or swim meets on campus, including the annual Dennis Stark Relays held each October at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. At 89, Ed Sweeney doesn’t travel much, but plans to attend Reunion in May with his daughter, Kathy Santone, and her two ND alums, Brigitte Burton ’04 and Brendan Meyer ’06. Two of his grandsons, Brendan and his cousin, Sean Sweeney, attended the ND-Alabama Bowl Game and had an enjoyable weekend despite the outcome. Jim Simon reports that he is alive and feels like one of the last of the Mohicans. He and Eileen will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in September. Gordon Forester is a permanent deacon with Papal permission, enjoying the activities of living in a great full-life-care retirement home in Greensboro NC and the wonderful company of his wife, Jean Lindsay Berry. Classmates who passed away and will be missed include Robert Richard Keenan of Appleton WI on Oct.16, at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Nance, their six children, and 17 grandchildren. A native of Dover NH, Bob’s time at ND was interrupted by WWII service in the Pacific, after which he graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy. He graduated from Georgetown U School of Foreign Service in 1949 and had a 41-year career with the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. Lester David DeTrempe, 88, of Peoria IL, died on Oct. 30. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary, 11 children, 39 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. He proudly served during WWII in the 104th Infantry Division (Timberwolves) and Company C, 415th Infantry Regiment. He had a 42-year career with P.A. Bergner & Co., retiring as the senior VP of finance. Thomas George Scheitlin, 88, of Evansville IN, died on Jan. 17. An Evansville native, Tom attended ND from 1943 through 1945 as a member of the Navy V-12 Officer’s Candidate Program. Tom served four months of additional Navy training, including three months on the Montpelier, and was commissioned in 1946, as an ensign in the Naval Reserve. Returning to ND, he graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering. Tom began working as an engineer with International Harvester, later joining Seeger Refrigeration and Whirlpool for 36 years, retiring in 1984, as general manager of product engineering refrigeration group products and developed three refrigeration patents as he was an inventor at heart. Tom is survived by his beautiful wife of 63 years, Ann DeJean, seven of their eight children, 12 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. — Michael Morris ’80; 949-433-8568; michaelmorris07@gmail.com

48 Thanks, God

Congratulations to this year’s band members, to Director Ken Dye, Mrs. Dye (the Band’s Mrs. Rockne), and 77-years-young assistant director of University bands, Larry Dwyer. His extended career at Notre Dame will be a great asset to the band, the University and the ND student/alumni body. In commemorating this moment in the history of ND football, the time has come to publish the following notable letter to George Keenan (“Cluster Class” secretary 1945-1949, mega reunion 1986). “Dear George, Thank you very much for your letter. Had I known that your class covered five years, I would have spent 25 minutes. You always seem to have the best time of all the class reunions, but perhaps it is because you were there in the “golden” years of Notre Dame football. I have asked my secretary to send you an autographed picture, which you requested for your wall. I, like you, have a great deal of respect for Gerry Faust, and the positive approach he brought to Notre Dame. I can’t be like him, as I can only impersonate myself, and I don’t do that very well all the time. Thanks again, and let’s hope we can enjoy some success here at Notre Dame. Sincerely, Lou Holtz.” Coincident with the above, it would be appropriate to resurrect the following for perhaps the last time: “ND has ‘fits’ with honorary monogram winners.” According to Joe Doyle, “When a record number of Notre Dame monogram winners met on campus last weekend, it was fitting — and also not so fitting — when the board awarded some honorary memberships. It’s not that Dr. Thomas Carney, Eleanor VanderHagen, Art Statuto, and George Keenan were not deserving of the honor. But it did sort of shake up the club’s tailor. Can you imagine trying to come up with a monogram jacket small enough to fit Eleanor, who would fit in the pocket of Statuto’s jacket? … Keenan likewise deserved a monogram award. He was a three-year manager prior to military service, but in 1946, he wasn’t one of the top three senior managers, even though he made some of the football trips. Only the top three managers were honored and Keenan missed out.” We sadly report the recent passing of William J. Crumley of Ridgewood NJ, on Oct. 29, and Robert “Bob” Percival of Charlotte NC on Nov. 11. Both men were true American heroes, having served in the Navy and Marines, respectively. — Dan Gentile; PO Box 2671, Scottsdale AZ 85252; res 480-425-1240; Eileen Zander ’09; 1538 Oakhill Drive North, South Bend IN 46637; res 317-292-2060; bus 574-631-7505; ezander@nd.edu

49 Play It Again, Sam

In the winter issue of Pillars, a publication for friends of the Congregation of Holy Cross, an article highlighted unique ministries of Holy Cross complete with pictures. One showed our classmate, Rev. Tom McNally, CSC, a popular volunteer chaplain at the Indiana State Prison, at prayer through the bars with an inmate. That’s our Tom at the top of his game. However, I won’t comment on the shot of Rev. Paul Doyle, CSC, rector of Dillon Hall and Athletic Department chaplain, shown “crowd surfing” at a pep rally. Where did he get those pants? In November, my grandson and I were invited to a “reading” at O’Shaughnessy Hall. What a pleasant afternoon we had with a very enthusiastic audience as Sam Hazo, Pittsburgh PA, provided superb excerpts from his poetry, fiction, essays, etc. He featured themes from his recent books, Like A Man Gone Mad and The Stroke of a Pen, as well as from his vast array of poetry. Next came his article in the winter edition of Notre Dame Magazine, “The Shore that Calls Us Home.” In reflecting on returning home through life’s journeys, Sam recounts ND 50th Reunion and the poem he wrote for that nostalgic occasion. The article also gives us his poem, “Home Are the Sailors,” and another telling of his visit to the Holy Cross cemetery. With him we recognize the names, “Black Mac,” “Rational” Ward, “Big” and “Little” McAvoy, Burke, Soleta, Keho, and Fiery Frank. I had a great visit to Miami except for the outcome of the game. I thought it would be my last hurrah, so it was special and had to be done. I looked for a reprise of the 1988 victory in Arizona. I recalled carrying that heavy Fiesta Bowl trophy from the stadium to the celebration at the hotel that night. Since the last publication, the Alumni Office has advised us of the following classmates who have passed away: Hubert A. Adams, Huntley IL; Stanley E. Bailey Jr., Wyoming MI; Edward G. Fritz, Greenville SC; Robert A. Lopker, Jupiter FL; Patrick K. McCarren, Butler PA; Donald M. Weber, Darien IL. Rest in peace, old friends. — Joe O’Brien; 18120 Cloverleaf, South Bend IN 46637; 574-271-2383; obie49nd@comcast.net