1980s
1980s
80 ND ’80 Serves
ND ’80 Serves is looking for volunteers for the class service initiative steering committee. We are also accepting nominations for Spotlight on Service. For more information check our Facebook Group (ND ’80) or email Carrie Seringer at cseringer@yahoo.com. Rosemary Mills Russell reports that Carol McKenna is recovering from a successful surgery. Rosemary also visited Father Joe Uhen’s parish, Santisimo Sacramento in Piura, Peru. According to Rosemary, “It was amazing.” She also visited Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu. After a short stop at home, she traveled to Vermont for a family reunion on her husband's side: three nonagenarians in the eldest generation and 10 of their great grandchildren. Diego Pena’s daughter, Tirza ’15, got married to her high school sweetheart near Dallas. Many of Tirza’s ND classmates and friends attended the wedding, including Libby Byrne ’15. Libby’s father Jim Byrne and his bride Kathy also attended. Outlined against a blue-gray May sky the five horseman rode together again in Kentucky for the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Donna and Mark Laemmle hosted an extraordinary gathering of 1980 ND grads including Conrad Mazeski, Lynn and Jay Ferriero, Paul D’Alessandro and Tammy Reilly, and Mari and Chris Lyons. The races were exciting and fun to watch but the weekend was capped with the unexpected dramatic engagement proposal, at Churchill Downs, by Logan Watts to Julie Laemmle ’11SMC. Mary Ryan Amato had lunch with Frances and Jim Lukeman. Jim is a major general in the Marine Corps and recently accepted a two-year post in Seoul, Korea. Frances is a teacher and left her position in Fairfax VA to accompany Jim to Korea, where she will take on the official duties of supporting and hosting Marine families and visiting VIPs. Jim and Frances are expecting their second grandchild in November. George Quill writes to say that he and wife Deb are preparing for two weddings. Their daughter Kari will be married in October and her sister Jenna next year. George will also preside as celebrant for his brother Tim’s wedding. George, the “softy,” is preparing to “choke up” at the ceremonies. Treehouse Publishing Group (St. Louis) will publish Christopher Fenoglio’s Christmas poem in an illustrated hardcover book. “The Secret of the Santa Box” helps parents navigate the troubling terrain of moving from Santa Claus to the manger in a loving and empowering way. The Lyons Ladies had their annual reunion weekend at the Lake Michigan home of Kathy McCann Carey. Beachside fun was capped off by a beautiful Sunday Mass celebrated by Father Nate Wills dedicated to Steve Palmer, the dearly departed husband of Laura Flaherty Palmer. Attendees were: Mary Blachowicz Lewis, Beth LaRocca, Karen Pierce, Cindy Casper Durley, Cindy Cronin Cahill, Molly McLaughlin Rhine, Francie Mulvihill Bennett, Jamie Goodrich Ziegler, Ann McRedmond Waddey, Rae Anne Mense Shamp, Josephine Lucey, Mary Fishman, Maureen Hennessy Pekosh, Lucy Maloney Jones, Patti O'Neill Smith, Michelle Renaldo Ferguson, Maritza Poza Grise, and Michele Williams Abbott. Ann (Terri) Foley came up to join us for part of the day too. They are looking forward to another great time for their 60th. Mike Cahill, Marty Curran, Curtis Wesseln, Martin Birkel, Matt Dalton, Doug Kriegshauser, Bill Graham, Jeff Hannapel, Michael Morris, Tom Michalek, Tom Walsh, and Mike Whittington descended on San Diego for baseball, biking, bodysurfing, brewery tours, bragging, and general debauchery. The dirty dozen celebrated being old, alive, and relived fading memories. Local brew master Marty Birkel hosted and kept the schedule jam packed with activities, many of which included beverages. More sad news: We lost classmate Patrick Fujawa; Mark McNally lost his mom; and Jean Mellett, Bill Vita, Mary Jo Basra Higgins and Melinda Henneberger lost their dads. Laura (Flaherty) Palmer lost her husband Steve after a long battle with cancer. — Mary Ellen Woods; mew.1980@alumni.nd.edu
80MBA Weddings, Retirements, Anniversaries, Kids
Thanks to everyone who responded to my recent request for updated email addresses. I am thrilled that so many have been able to reconnect in such a short period of time. I hope that others will drop me a quick line so that they can be updated on future reunions, news, etc. Since then, Scott Stratman wrote that he has four children, including a daughter who was a surgical nurse during several tours in Iraq. He also started a photo blast asking everyone to send in pictures via email. Those responding included Judy and Doug Cooper, Walt Zukowski, who sent a nice picture of himself and wife Nancy at dinner celebrating their 41th anniversary, and Nancy (Cook) Curley, who rummaged through her files and sent in our class photos. Enrique Baena sent a picture from Mexico City and said he visits campus every three or four years. Jim Publicover announced that his son and daughter-in-law just had identical twin sons named Henry and James and are affectionately known as “the burrito boys.” Paul Katilas gets the award for the most fit picture, well, at least a Greek facsimile. Mike Previte, Pat Ward and Joe Bowers also sent photos. Nancy (Zaytoun) Kenna sent in a great picture including her husband and five sons. Her two youngest are enrolled at the U of North Carolina. Nancy and son Peter took a wonderful trip to Poland in the spring, and had some help planning the trip from Doug Cooper. Janet and Scott Jessup’s daughter Lauren ’13 married Army Maj. Fadji Kumapley in May and they are stationed in Germany. Scott and Janet’s sons John and Kyle reside in Vail and John competed in the Paratriathlon National Championships in June. Kyle teaches middle school in between his adventure sports and their daughter Kerry received her MA at NYU and teaches art therapy and yoga. Bill Homer writes that he is now officially retired from Deloitte & Touche and is enjoying the life as a beach bum at the Jersey Shore. His daughter Liz graduated as a chemistry major from Saint Mary’s College and is working in Chicago as a chemist. Neil McMahon writes that he is winding down his career in commercial real estate and is working on his personal bucket list. Neil and his wife Debra are grandparents courtesy of his daughter Alexa ’09. His son Morgan is a junior at Case with a double major in electrical and computer engineering. Debra recently retired and is teaching an advanced competitive strategy class at Georgetown. Neil misses MBA school so much that he often sits in on her class. I don’t believe that he takes her quizzes or exams, however. Neil and Debra will be away during the NC State game but Neil sends his best to the class. Kathleen and Mike Colbert will be celebrating their 40th anniversary later this year with a trip from Bucharest to Budapest. He hopes the ND football team can reach the Fiesta Bowl this year so that he can host the ’80MBA party. Thanks, Mike. He also sent in a funny picture with the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball mascot at one of their home games. As for me, our eldest son Patrick’s band, Station, just came out with a new music video. Son Matt is headed back to theU of Connecticut for his PhD in genetics and genomics. Our youngest son, Torin, is starting high school this fall but he and dad are headed to ND for the Temple game first. Go Irish. — Joe Kearney; 9 Daniels Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470; 203-364-0346; jos.w.kearney@gmail.com
80JD Fondly Remembered
Please keep Mike DeBoni and his family in your prayers on the death of his wife, Jacqueline. Mike, we are thinking of you during these tender times. God rest Ara Parseghian, a hero on and off the field. He led the Irish to great victories, shepherded us in defeat and fought to make the world a better place. Ara, rest in peace. Jane Farrell is happy to report that her daughter will be a law student at Notre Dame. Congrats to Jane and to another great Farrell lawyer. In your spare time, please go to law.nd.edu and take a look at all the news and great happenings at the Law School. The students are as eager as we were and there is great energy in the air. Think about volunteering your time and energy to make Notre Dame Law better and better. And, send your news, of course. God’s peace upon each of us. Love to all. — Sheila O’Brien; sobrien368@aol.com
81 Career Moves, Time with Friends
This column is due before our Miami game tailgater, and published after, so I can only commit by saying, “It was fun!” Steve Reifenberg is the co-director of the Integration Lab at Notre Dame’s new Keough School of Global Affairs. He is married to Chris Cervenak ’82, who is the associate director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights. One of their three children, Natasha, is a senior at Notre Dame. The Berklee College of Music in Boston recently promoted Ralph Jaccodine to full-time professor in their music business/management department. This comes after 25 years of managing musical artists and several years of teaching on a part-time basis. Ralph will still run his company, Ralph Jaccodine Management, as he teaches the next generation of music industry leaders. In June, Steve Riese traveled to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for the annual meeting of the Military Operations Research Society. At the symposium, Steve was installed as a fellow of the society to recognize his ongoing service, including his recent term as president. In his travels, Steve visited fellow Arkie classmates Bob Ritger and Michael Molinelli in Mendham NJ and Briarcliff NY, respectively. Since retiring from the Army in 2006, Steve and Velora have lived in Plattsmouth NE, and raised three Notre Dame graduates: Kevin ’06, Brian ’08, and Jessica ’10. Craig Chval met up with classmate and fellow Sports Information student assistant Brian Beglane when Craig and son Luke traveled to New York. Craig and Luke were on a baseball trip across the U.S. Brian gave them a mini-tour of Manhattan and Queens before a private tour of Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA. Last June, Farley Hall alumna Kathleen Durkin Ferry reconnected with Jenny Kimball Olendorff on a fabulous Notre Dame trip to Alaska. I clinked a glass or two with Patricia Craig and Michael Ward in Chicago. Patricia is an architect who, with her carpenter-husband Pat, refurbishes northside apartments. Mike is an actor, on stage and in film, and helps young talent get their start in the business. Both make their way to campus each fall to cheer on the Irish. I also reconnected with Ann Smith Miller, who has been based in San Jose CA while her husband, Bill, serves as interim CEO for a promising start-up. Ann is enjoying everything northern California has to offer, before she and Bill head back to the Southeast. Before this most recent adventure, they logged more than 20,000 nautical miles, traveling to ports between New York and Trinidad. Part one of your assignment: meet a classmate for coffee, a glass of wine, or just a walk. There is something powerful about being the same age, with a shared history, as part of a network of friends. You never know where the conversation will lead, from football to faith, from backyard gardens to world travel. Part two of your assignment: send me an update, to the email address below. I am sorry to report the passing of two of our dear classmates: Raymond Quintin Jr. of Holy Cross Hall and Edward Clinton Jr. of Flanner Hall. Both were loving husbands and fathers. Please join me in praying for their families and friends, who are extended members of our ND family. Please join us on the Class of 1981 Facebook page where classmates share their version of wit and wisdom. Please email updates about you and your classmates before our Feb. 1 deadline. You are important and loved members of the Class of ’81 and we want to know how you are doing. — Mary Murphy; marymurphy81@alumni.nd.edu
81MBA Class Secretary — E. J. Fleming;
600 Hall Hill Road, Somers CT 06071; 860-749-7621; flemingiv@aol.com
81JD Meeting of the Minds
Bill Fearnow told me an interesting story about running into Steve Barclay ’80JD: “I was at a brew pub opening at the revitalized shopping center at Camelback and Central in Phoenix. Dawson, Bill and Betsy’s son, took us there. The owners are clients of the PR firm Dawson writes copy for. I was sitting outside with Benton, Dawson’s son, as the interior was jammed and noisy. A distinguished, silver-haired, good looking developer kind of guy came outside, and we both commented on how nicely the redevelopment project had been done. There was something strangely familiar about his voice and the way he carried himself. We chatted some more and I finally demanded that he tell me his name. It was Steve Barclay. I identified myself and we had a good laugh about having failed to recognize each other given our advanced age. As you may recall, Steve was at Snell & Wilmer when you and I arrived. Steve and Steve Cruise had also rented Betsy’s and my house on Eagle Lake their third year, our second year. It was great to see him.” Diane (Leidy) and Ed Bleisner’s daughter, Anne Marie ’14, ’17MA, will be starting her teaching career at a high school early college program in Denver this fall. Her bachelor’s is in French and English literature and her master’s is in English lit so she will be teaching English as part of the Teach for America program and this will be the start of a two-year commitment with that group. She taught English at a high school in France for a year after getting her bachelor’s. Jim Blase is re-designing the conference room in his office. It will be decorated in a US Constitution and Constitutional Convention theme. He plans to include a photo of Charlie Rice, “the heart and soul of Notre Dame Law School, and a great constitutional law professor.” Condolences to John Fitzpatrick, whose mom passed on June 22 at age 93. She and his dad, who died 25 years ago, were due to be buried with full military honors at Quantico National Cemetery on Sept 1. Both his mom and dad will have the military headstones as his father served in WWII on the Missouri when the Japanese surrendered, and his mom was a Navy nurse. Another part of the “greatest generation” comes to a close. Rest in Peace. Bob Allen continues his jet-setting speaking tour with several presentations: International Yacht Brokers Association Sales Summit in Sarasota on Aug. 22, on the topic of Yacht Purchase Agreements: The Consequence of Cancellation; in Cannes at 1862 Wines and Spirits in Cannes Sept. 14; in Monaco at the Mare Forum Yachts 2017 on Sept. 29 with the subject of Fiscal and Legal Issues Affecting the Yacht Industry: Looking Ahead; and at the Corporate Jet Investor Conference 2017 in Miami Nov. 28-29, on the subject of Simplifying Jet Purchase Transactions: Are Standardized Contracts the Way to Go? Bob notes, “I gotta keep working hard; I’ve got a little boy turning 6 in September.” Tim Rastello informs that his son Reilly, a junior at ND, spent an exciting summer in Washington DC as an intern for our classmate Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly. Tim also tells us that his family is getting ready for a family football civil war as his daughter, Mackenzie, is a senior at U of Georgia. The whole family will attend the game in South Bend and Tim expects his wife to paint half of her face green and the other half red. God bless and go Irish. — Michael Palumbo; 3799 E. Peachtree Drive, Chandler AZ 85249; res 480-284-4004; bus 602-262-5931; mpalumbo@jsslaw.com
82 Tent Was Highlight
We had an amazing 35th Reunion. About 235 classmates graced us with their appearance and looked amazingly young and vibrant. This year we made arrangements to have our own class tent behind our assigned dorm, Keough Hall. According to many attendees, this was the highlight of the reunion. It was great having our own gathering space with music, wine, beer and snacks. We plan to continue the tradition and improve on our new idea. Our class president and VP, Rose Carroll and Eileen Wirley spent months planning all the various details of our event. Rose coordinated the Friday night class dinner as well as the “Father Ted Talk” mini seminars, created a slide show, and designed and printed the Mass program. She even procured our own ’82 class wristbands and koozies as well as printed copies of the Dog Book. Eileen planned the Mass, was in charge of printing individual buttons with our senior pictures. You had to find your own button, a highlight of the event. And of course, was our DJ at the tent. Our classmates really appreciated all these personal details. I can’t thank them enough for all their hard work. Our Friday evening Mass was said by our classmate Father Chuck Wood in the chapel of Keough Hall. It was standing room only. We would like to thank Jan (Corey) Hawk, Tom Nessinger, Kevin Mullane and Carol (Coxon) Falvey for serving at Mass. It was followed by dinner at the Jordan Hall of Science. Our guest speaker and classmate Peter Daly was truly inspirational. Peter is the co-founder of the Holy Family Surgery in Honduras and is looking into building another one in the Dominican Republic. For more information (and I highly recommend it) please go to holyfamily-surgerycenter.org. We had a great slide show of our college years followed by drinks and dancing at our tent. We had a spectacular turnout for our class picture on Saturday afternoon. Another highlight was our Ted Talk format in which six of our classmates shared their insights on various topics. Our featured speakers were Brian McLaughlin, Dr. Kevin Gibbons, Julie Hersh, Dr. Teresa Diserio, Linda Horning-Pitt and John Murphy. Thank you all for your contributions. The Saturday night dinner has been changed to an informal dinner on north quad, A Taste of ND. This new format proved to be excellent. We had stations with a variety of tapas foods for all foodies. All were paired with pre-selected wines. This great spread was followed by music and dancing and capped off with paella prepared and served at the all-class party tent. Once again, our class gathered at our class tent at Keough Hall for drinks, dancing and late-night pizza. All in all, a truly spectacular weekend was had by all. If you missed this one, start planning for our 40th. We would like to see you there and break all attendance records. Laura Neerdaels and Andrew E. Farah have been married for 32 years and live in Green Bay. They have four daughters, two of whom are grads of Saint Mary’s. Andrew has been an independent wealth advisor for 15 years and is a director for the Green Bay Packers. — Dave and Tess Lewis; 30 Battle Ridge Road, Morris Plains NJ 07950; cell 973-219-4050; tess@lewislegal.com or dave@lewislegal.com
82MBA Class Secretary — Renée (Amirkanian) Cooper;
reneemsr@aol.com
82JD 35th Reunion Recap
While the turnout was relatively low, the fun level was high at our 35th reunion in June. Attending were Kathy and Tom Brickley (who were celebrating the recent birth of their first grandchild), Joe Cosrove, Jean Gorman, Liz Imhoff, Carol and I, Jane Lynch (who never misses a reunion, but was disappointed in the absence of John Smith), Rob Neate, Mark Spitler, and Anita and Tom Veldman. Anita and Tom hosted our group for cocktails at their beautiful home near campus after the Law School dinner on Saturday evening. Ophelia Camina sent me a note indicating that she could not attend the reunion as she was taking her twins to Italy for a high school graduation present. It was a very nice graduation gift indeed. Renee Rabinowitz was the subject of a New York Times article in June. Renee, who is 83, purchased a business class ticket on El Al Airlines for a flight to Tel Aviv in December 2015. After she was seated in her aisle seat on the plane, the passenger in the window seat arrived. He was an Orthodox Jew who objected, on religious grounds, to sitting next to a woman. The airline forced Renee to change seats to accommodate the man’s objections. Renee sued the airline for sexual discrimination, and the Israeli court ruled in her favor. Under the ruling, the airline is prohibited from asking a passenger to change seats at the request of another passenger based on gender. Cele (Glacy) and Bruce Baty, Wendy and Tim Nickels, and Carol and I spent five fun-filled days in the Puglia region of Italy in July to celebrate our respective 60th birthdays. We enjoyed great food and wine, and many laughs, in this beautiful region of Italy. Bruce even learned a bit about the art of embroidering a shirt. Tim Abeska retired from Barnes & Thornburg in South Bend in July. Tim and Mary Ann moved to their home in the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Kathy Brickley retired from the ND General Counsel’s office in June. Congratulations to both. Condolences to Rob Neate and Julie (Puthoff) Minor, whose mothers passed away this year. — Frank Julian; ndlaw82@gmail.com
83 Condolences, Updates, Congrats
We have some sad news about two of our classmates. Matt Stolwyk lost his beloved wife, Kris, this year. Brian Murray says Matt and Kris were married only five short years but their happiness was a joy to behold. Dan Kelly passed away July 13. Thank you to Dom Yocius ’80, ’85MBA for sharing the news. Mike Joyce said Dan was a great person and provided the reminder that we should all take a moment to reflect on how fragile our lives can be. Our condolences to the families of Kris and Dan. In happier news, Jeff Monaghan registered to do the final day of the Notre Dame Trail and planned to be on campus for the picnic and Mass in late August. Jeff is working for Heartland Transportation in Wisconsin assisting people in wheelchairs with the activities of daily life, a very worthy endeavor. As previously reported, Hannah Storm recently received the Lifetime Excellence in Sports Communication Award from Marist College. Among those present to pay tribute to Hannah that evening was bestselling author Nicolas Sparks ’88. Congratulations to James McDonough and William McDonough on joining the law firm Jackson Walker LLP as partners in San Antonio. Jimmy counsels public and private companies and financial institutions on corporate finance transactions, including real estate transactions, mortgage lending transactions and commercial office and retail leasing transactions. Billy advises a diverse range of businesses in mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and joint ventures. While in Montreal, Keith Kriegshauser and family visited the Oratory of St. Joseph, the most important shrine to St. Joseph, which was founded by St. Brother Andre Bessett, CSC. Chris Temple Davis reports that his Habitat for Humanity team is raising funds to provide housing for a family in Colombia. The team raised at least 65 percent of their goal. Chris expresses his thanks to classmates who have donated. You can find more information about the Habitat effort on the Class Facebook page. Haresh Patel was interviewed at the Future of Energy Summit on current industry and market conditions. Haresh is co-founder and CEO of Mercatus Inc., a company that provides energy investment management. Thanks to Amy (Hirsh) Guarino for posting a link to the interview on the Class Facebook page. Larry Smith, Steve Berry and Mario Manta attended the soccer reunion on campus this spring. The reunion was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of men’s soccer becoming a varsity sport. Be sure to join the Class Facebook page if you haven’t already. You’ll be able to reconnect with class members, get even more information on what everyone is doing and a “sneak peek” of this column. Membership on the Class Facebook page is still growing. Search for “Notre Dame Class of 1983” and click “join”. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to provide updates about our classmates. Feel free to drop me a line with news you’d like to share. — Louis J. “Chip” Denkovic; 520 West 43 St., 32G, New York NY 10036; cell 917-399-8784; bus. 212-762-6674; ldenkovic@gmail.com
83MBA Class Secretary — John Hilbrich;
630-677-2725; john.hilbrich@gmail.com
83JD Congratulations
Congratulations to these classmates who were named Super Lawyers in 2017 in their respective states or areas: Jim Betterman, Mike Bettinger, Mark Bush, Jay Coleman, Matt Feeney, John Gorman, Jack Greiner, Rob LaBerge, Jim Lynch, Steve Miller, Brian Mueller, Jim Niehaus, Terry O’Connor, Michael Pietrykowski, Mike Ripp, John Staran, Butch Wagner, and Pete Walsh. We’re proud of you. If I missed anyone, please let me know. I am happy to announce that Mark ’82JD and I will be grandparents in October. We attended our eldest son’s wedding in August. Time sure does fly. It seems like only yesterday we were all together at the law school. Please send me an email with an update on you or a classmate for this column. — Ann E. Merchlewitz; Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, 700 Terrace Heights No. 30, Winona MN 55987; res 507-454-4774; bus 507-457-1587; amerchle@smumn.edu
84 Truly Blessed
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Congratulations to Mark Himsworth on his appointment to the board of directors of the Community Health & Youth Foundation in Montgomery County PA. The foundation’s programs focus on literacy and wellness. In addition, Mark, an attorney at Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin was named a 2017 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the area of business litigation. Peter Ciotta is the communications director with Millennium Collaborative Care in western New York. Teresa (Marzolf) Prego is proud to announce their eldest daughter’s graduation from the Notre Dame ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) program, and her placement as a teacher in Denver. Asheville NC was the place to be for our annual get-together. Ellen (Banovetz) Kaiser, Anne (Wernimont) Kritzmire, Marie Devlin, Teresa (Hedrick) Williams, Ellie (Knapp) Cullom, Beth (Hards) Stechschulte, Mary Jo (Conradt) Francis, Kelly (Frank) Kehl, Paula (Toohy) Smith and I enjoyed a lovely weekend, complete with bears in the front yard, touring the Biltmore, hiking Mt. Pisgah, good food and great company. We were treated to a special get-together with Mark Stechschulte at the top of Mt. Pisgah since he was in the area hiking while we were there. I cherish these get-togethers. They show how truly blessed we are. Please remember Paul Ragan in your prayers. Paul passed away in the spring. He devoted his life to the Holy Spirit and wrote Gift of the Holy Spirit and other books expressing his devotion. — Martha Avery; mayoravery@comcast.net |
84MBA Class Secretary — Tom Phillips;
bus 407-629-4420; fax 407-629-4480; mobile 407-580-8757; taprealtor@earthlink.net
84JD Career News and Condolences
I saw Stephen Mendoza at a recent ISBA environmental law conference in Chicago. Steve continues his leadership role at the Office of Regional Counsel for USEPA in Chicago. Steve supervises a staff of attorneys responsible for ensuring compliance with federal environmental laws throughout the Midwest. I have also been in touch with Kristen Campfield Furlan as we monitor, review and at times challenge or defend the environmental policies of the current administration in Washington DC. Kristen works on air pollution legal and policy issues for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. After 10 years in Los Angeles, and a year in England, she is settled in Hershey PA and reports that yes, the air does smell like chocolate (and no, her agency does not monitor for that). She is married to Ron Furlan, a Villanova civil engineer with two wonderful children in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. We express our condolences to Judy Murtagh Schulz ’81,’84JD on the death of her dear mother, Janet Bartley Diethelm Murtagh. Mrs. Murtagh was an amazingly generous and gracious hostess, but more importantly a dear friend to scores of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students as she hosted tailgate parties for many decades at ND football games. Jim Carr and Linda Ruel Fasano represented our class at the funeral in Toledo. Stephen Walroth-Sadurni has expanded his footprint from Miami by opening an office in Seattle. Stephen was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 2015 and he and his family, preferring the climate of Puget Sound, live in Bellevue WA while his boutique firm, Walroth-Sadurni Law, maintains offices in Miami and Seattle. Stephen represents clients in all aspects of corporate, commercial and international law matters in the U.S., and as a foreign law consultant in Mexico and Latin America. — Matthew J. Dunn; 19834 Timbered Estates Lane, Carlinville IL 62626; 773-294-6851; mdunn19834@gmail.com
85 Leaders in Their Field
Robert Vonderheide MD, DPhil, an internationally renowned expert on cancer immunotherapy and translational research, was named the new director of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the U of Pennsylvania. He is the Hanna Wise Professor in Cancer Research at the Perelman School of Medicine. The ACC has been continuously designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute since 1973, one of 45 such centers in the United States. In 2015, the ACC was rated as “exceptional” during a competitive research funding review, the highest possible rating for an NCI cancer center. Through a focus on novel immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and breast and ovarian cancers, Vonderheide has mapped new models for speeding translational or “bench to bedside” research. He has worked on innovative, vaccine-based approaches for cancer treatment and prevention. He has also worked closely with collaborators in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine on projects that have strengthened human and canine health. Vonderheide’s research has appeared in Nature, Science, Cell, the New England Journal of Medicine, and other leading medical journals. Vonderheide is a graduate of the Harvard Medical School, as well as Oxford U where he earned a doctorate in immunology as a Rhodes Scholar. He completed residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. David Keglovits was named by Chambers USA to its list of Leaders in Their Field. He practices law with the firm of Gable Gotwals and was honored for his work in litigation-general commercial. The firm has offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The qualities on which Chambers USA rankings are assessed include technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities valued by legal clients. Interviews are conducted with peers outside of the firm and clients in order to determine inclusions and rankings. — Kathleen Doyle Yaninek; yanzlaw@comcast.net
85MBA Familiar Faces
I had the pleasure of attending the May 2017 MBA graduation ceremony. As the faculty processed in, familiar faces included Prof. Dave Richiutte and Prof. Ken Milani. During the ceremony, the current class recognized Prof. Richiutte as an outstanding accounting professor. Dirk McMahon was on campus for his daughter Anna’s undergraduate commencement ceremonies. We were unable to see each other, but did exchange text messages. Carla Cortes ’85, associate director of admissions and recruiting, based at Mendoza’s Chicago location, continues to be present at ND Club of Chicago events. At the recent ND Club of Chicago outing, Carla distributed information and water bottles highlighting Mendoza programs. The Mendoza Mixers in Chicago continued during July with a presentation by Brian Gallagher ’90, co-founder of TwinBridge Capital Partners. Tom O’Connell ’86MBA was in attendance. The Mendoza administration continues to ask alumni for introductions to prospective candidates for Mendoza programs and help in finding summer internships for MBAs between their first and second years or full-time employment after graduation. Mendoza contacts include director of graduate business career services John Rooney ’95MBA at jrooney@nd.edu; associate director of recruiting and admission Carla Cortes at ccortez1@nd.edu; and Jim Sullivan ’77, associate director of career services, who is a resource to graduates in career transition. Jim’s email address is james.b.sullivan.382@nd.edu. Please send news. — Dom Yocius; dyocius@ameritech.net
85JD Back to School
The start of the school year brought big changes for many of us. Joseph Shannon’s daughter Evangeline is a freshman at ND and his daughter Margaret is a junior. Joseph can count four for four Notre Dame students/grads among the Shannon kids. Laura Hanson’s son Will is headed to U of Wisconsin at Madison. My twins are college freshman too: Aidan is at The College of the Holy Cross and Bobby is at Marquette U. My son Tommy is a senior at Boston College. Yes, there are conflicting parents’ weekends. Joe Harraka had a busy summer keeping up with his three kids. Joe’s son Josh graduated from Cornell with a degree in engineering and is working as a junior financial analyst in New York. Joe’s daughter Mimi is a senior at USC and spent the summer interning at a law firm in Santa Monica. While visiting Mimi, Joe had a chance to stop in at Dave Scheper’s office, where he and Mimi helped Dave celebrate a big litigation victory before taking in a Dodgers game. Joe’s youngest son Jake is a sophomore at the U of Laverne in Los Angeles County. Terry Brady has joined the board of trustees of Cristo Rey St. Martin, a Catholic high school in Waukegan IL offering students of limited means a rigorous college preparatory curriculum integrated with work-study experience. Enthusiastic and hard-working teams of Cristo Rey students are sharing entry-level jobs in the law, marketing and cybersecurity departments at Underwriters Laboratories, where Terry serves as chief commercial and legal officer. Michon Hinz attended the Women’s March on Washington in January. Michon said, “Although I have been a lawyer in the public sector for years, it was the single greatest civic-minded action I have ever taken. The cheers of nearly a million women and men for freedom, liberty and equality still ring in my ears. The streets and buildings of DC shook with our chanting and footsteps.” Michon was hosted by our classmate Cari Votava in Alexandria VA. Cari is a senior financial sector specialist at the World Bank and travels often in Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places. Cari also donates her time teaching tennis to young people in Sierra Leone and has raised money to send kids to the All Africa Junior Tennis Tournament. Back home in San Diego, Michon volunteers at Indivisible (a civic action group), the U of San Diego, legal clinics, and at Casa Cornelia, an immigrants’ rights group operated by an order of Catholic sisters in San Diego. Please continue to send me your news. It’s great to hear from you. — Kelly Kiernan Largey; largey@fr.com
86 Great to Hear from You
If memory serves me correct, the last time Bob Musselman was featured in some class notes was in the offshoot independent rag that I wrote (with all of your help) just after we graduated. I was happy he reached out. He says, “After 30 years I finally have some alumni notes to report. The first week of January, my ’86 roommate Jeff McGowan, his wife Jan and their daughter Kate, a student at Saint Mary’s, visited Florida from their home in South Bend. After they swam with the manatees, my wife Julie and I met them for lunch in Crystal River, reminiscing and laughing until the beer and ice tea were spurting from our noses. On Feb. 11, I reciprocated. In conjunction with a visit to my son John in Milwaukee, who graduated Florida State U in 2016 and works for Miller Coors, John and I went to South Bend to see the Irish thrash the Seminoles. Before the game, we were hosted by the McGowans at their home, and then adjourned to the Linebacker for more beer nose-spurting. John and I spent the night at the Morris Inn. Staying there is thus checked off my bucket list. Like everyone else who has not been to campus in a while (in my case 2003), I was amazed at all the growth. I really soaked it in with long walks on the old quads with my son, two visits to the Grotto, Mass on Sunday, a trip to the Rockne Memorial where I showed John the place I swam every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after calculus my first semester. Now I'm a Lepra-Nole, with my eldest a married FSU graduate and third year dental school student, John doing well at Miller Coors and moving to Denver to work at their facility in Golden, and third son Joey a sophomore Seminole and active in the circus there. Yes, they have a real deal circus, as opposed to the ND football “circus.” My fourth son, Will, is a junior in high school and will likely head to Tallahassee also. Julie and I have two daughters. Mary, 15, is a freshman and has the best chance of becoming a Domer due to her grades and the improving economy. Kate, 12, wants to visit the campus too. Wouldn't that be ironic. Back during a 2003 visit, I had four sons in town, aged 5 to 12. Decked out in ND jerseys, I dreamed that they would be Domers, and that I could afford it. Alas, the reality of Notre Dame’s ascent to super-elite status and a brutal recession quenched those dreams. I developed some bitterness toward my alma mater. No matter what they or I did, it was not something I could pass along to my kids, my big Catholic family in fact was an impediment to affording a private school education. And our University president’s policies rankled my traditional Catholic sensibilities. The Obama visit made it hard to root for the Irish when they lost to the Seminoles in 2015, though I did, working those Rosary beads until the last minute in the last row above Bobby Bowden Field. This was a cathartic visit. I felt some peace being among the students. I felt happy for them that they were blessed with four years in such special surrounds. I realized that Notre Dame is my place. It doesn't have to be my kids’ place, though their ND gear hangs close to their Seminole stuff. As far as the Catholic part goes, you can’t visit the Basilica or the Grotto and question the Notre Dame identity. I yearn to go back there for the Catholic part. Whenever I get Notre Dame Magazine, it strikes me how our class notes keep moving toward the back, like lemmings off a cliff. Thanks for all you do keeping members of our class connected and making it clear that we can always come home to Notre Dame. I for sure will be back in 2018 when the Seminoles face the Irish in football, likely accompanied by four boys in garnet and gold. Perhaps we could share some beer-spurting laughs then.” Thanks Bob. Our Lady’s Place has always had her arms open to us all. And that Irish/Seminoles match up may have to be the game we do our class gig. Take care and God Bless. — John Spatz; 201-891-1415; john@jjscb.com.
86MBA Catching Up with Classmates
Greg Brinkerhoff and Tom Quigley scored tickets to the NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regional Finals in late March in San Jose and spent a fun Thursday together, enjoying adult beverages as they reminisced about every classmate they could remember. Sounds like a great time. Mike Meffert enjoys his work in commercial real estate, where he helps Silicon Valley startups and other companies grow their businesses. He and his wife Claudia traveled to Ireland this summer for his younger daughter’s graduation. Francesca, 21, received her international business degree from the U of Limerick (Go Irish!), while his older daughter Gabriella, 23, now lives back in Chicago, the good old Midwest. Dan Kerrigan started a job in Hong Kong in January. He is running equity trading in the region for a European investment bank. He had a minireunion last year in San Diego with JR Reid, Sam Poulos and Rick Roberts. He also saw Pao Sarasin while visiting Bangkok recently. Sue Giovanini shared some very sad news. “It is with great sadness that I report the death of my good friend and our classmate, Paul Kwiatkowski. Paul died of brain cancer in August 2016. His passing is still surreal to me, even after all these months. Paul and his wife Maaike had three children when he joined our class in 1984. They had three more amazing children. They are a second family to me. Paul, a financial guru, found work he loved in the mining industry. He and his family made roots in the mountains of Colorado, as they spent the last several years outside of Colorado Springs in the Black Forest. As his sister, Helene, said, ‘Paul was a great person as he has left his influence for us to share with others.’ I miss Paul profoundly, but I know that I share in his continued blessings.” I remember Paul as a very genuine and sincere man and I keep his family and Sue in my prayers that their sorrow may be eased with their fond memories of him. — Maureen Decker; 21855 Town Gate, Macomb MI 48044; res 586-468-7713; bus 586-741-4305; cell 586-817-1317; maureen.decker@mclaren.org
86JD Class Secretary – Don Passenger;
180 Ottawa Ave., Suite 1200, Grand Rapids MI 49503; 616-632-5704; dpasseng@gmail.com
87 Friendships Rekindled at Reunion
Our 30th Reunion was a big success according to the emails I received, the photos on Facebook and talking with classmates. I want to start out by giving a big thank you to the 30th Reunion planning team of Kevin Maddox, Christa-Marie Singleton, Matt Yeakey and Frank Zomerfeld. It is hard to imagine the amount of work that goes into planning such a big event. This team worked really hard to make sure everyone had a fantastic time. If you see any of these folks in person or on Facebook, make sure you thank them personally. Also, a special thank you to Nylce (Prada) Myers for gathering photos and putting them together for the 30-year slideshow shown at the dinner. Another thank you to those who made the slideshow possible by sending in photos. Monsignor Tom Powers delivered a truly inspiring dinner speech in memory of Father Ted. He spoke about the importance of living our lives in a polarized world according to the values Father Ted taught us. After spending 10 years at the Vatican, Father Tom now serves as the vicar general at the Diocese of Bridgeport CT and works in the Vatican’s Congregation of Bishops Office. Since 2009, Father Tom has been the “English-language voice of the Vatican.” He helps the Pope bring the word of God to millions of people through the annual television broadcasts at Christmas by translating the Pope’s message into English. He had the special honor of translating Pope Francis’ inaugural Mass from St. Peter’s Square. Liza (McAndrews) and Mark Conces attended their first reunion and caught up with many PW and Flanner friends. Their son Andrew is a sophomore at ND. Mark has just started at Santander Bank as their senior vice president and director of retail sales reporting and analytics, based out of Boston. Liza continues to love her role as preschool music teacher and learning lab coordinator at Wilmington Friends School in Wilmington DE. Also at the reunion was the Morrissey crew of Mike Galvin, Fritz Duda, Pat McCauley, Tom Hardiman, Bob Armour, Brian Quinn, Chris Henry, Dave Martin, and Pete Kolettis. There was a highly competitive game of whiffle ball with the Lyons women, which included. Beth (Nolan) Miller, Mary Carol (Creadon) Murphy, Anne (Culligan) Toal, Penny (Rohrer) Moss, Christine (Sapienza) Figueroa, Allison (Farhenkopf) Brigati, Karen (Phelps) Moyer and Lisa (Dickinson) Michaux. I heard from Betsy (Butler) Danes that she and her husband, Stratton, have moved to Connecticut where Betsy grew up. Stratton is joining a partnership with old friends from residency. Betsy is thrilled that they are living in Old Lyme, which is right on the Connecticut River and has a beautiful shoreline. Linda (Ludtke) and Terry Maag ’89 were unable to attend the reunion as they were at ND a few weeks earlier for their son's graduation. Their son, Erik Maag ’17 graduated with majors in German and environmental science, and a minor in energy studies. Linda is in private practice in OB/GYN and Terry is the director of hospice and palliative care at Health Partners. They also have a daughter, Ellie, who attends Princeton. Linda and Terry had a terrific vacation in Puerto Rico earlier this year with Colleen (Foy) Gudgel and Kristin (Nigro) and Steve Kranz. Football teammates Pete Rokich, Scott Rogers and Tom Riley along with Mike Perinno ’86 and Jim Baugus ’89 met up in May for a three-day minireunion at Riley’s Retreat on Treasure Island FL. Riley's Retreat is a vacation rental property owned by Tom that offers special discounts to the Notre Dame family. David Cosgrove and his wife Sheila welcomed 10-month-old Frances into their family. Jeanette and Marc Burdell had the pleasure of seeing their son Michael Burdell ’10 get married at the Basilica in August. Sadly, Bartly Reilly died suddenly this summer. Bart’s family asked that donations be made to Divine Word Missionaries, PO Box 6099, Techny IL 60082-6099. — Katherine Bull; 406 E. 50th St., Lower Unit, Savannah GA 31405; kmbull47@gmail.com
87MBA Happy, Healthy and Doing Well
Hello everyone. Reunion 2017 on June 1-4 was a complete success. I can’t believe we all celebrated our 30th Reunion and we all still look the same. We all had a fantastic and fun time. Some of the attendees included Ron Bigler (ron.j.bigler@verizon.com), Kevin (“Wally”) Bridges (kebridges@sympatico.ca), Ellen Crowley (ellen.crowley@captrustadvisors.com), Jake Frego (jake.frego@bankofamerica.com), Rick Hans (rjhhome@icloud.com), Mike McCarthy (mccarthyfava@gmail.com), Bill McGillicuddy (wmcgilli@sharpsec.com), Chris Murphy (cmurph18@nd.edu), Bernardo Norena (bnorenao1@gmail.com) and his wife Anna Marie, Doug Thatcher (dthatcher@nwcmortgage.com), Mark Brostowski (mbrostowski@gmail.com), Mayling Clements (mwclements@mac.com), Constance O’Brien (constance.obrien@gmail.com), Kenneth Kavanagh (kavanagh@fgcu.edu), John VanRenterghem (vanrenterghem@yahoo.com) and David Schneider (djschneids@comcast.net). All of us seem to be happy, healthy and doing well. I will be attending and hosting a tailgate for the Georgia and USC games. All are invited. Look for the Canadian flag beside Legends, or as you know it, the Senior Bar. Confirmed to attend the tailgates are Jake Frego, Mark Brostowski, Mayling Clements, Chris Murphy and Bernardo Norena. If you are attending the above noted games, let me know by email and I’ll ensure that we all meet. I hope to see everyone at our 35th anniversary. Go Irish. — Perry N. Dellelce; Wildeboer Dellelce LLP, Suite 800, Wildeboer Dellelce Place, 365 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario M5H 2V1; 416-361-5899; fax 416-361-1790; perry@wildlaw.ca
87JD Class Secretary — Tim Borchers;
tim.borchers62@gmail.com
88 En Garde! Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Molly (Sullivan) Slaney for being inducted to the USA Fencing Hall of Fame July 4 in Salt Lake City. While at Notre Dame, Molly won the NCAA Championships as a foil fencer, in ’86 and ’88. Another collegiate distinction came in ’87, when she helped lead the Irish women’s fencing team to the national championship. This marked the first time an ND women’s team earned a national title in any sport. On the worldwide fencing scene, Molly represented the US in the Olympics in ’88 and ’92 and was the Pan Am Games champion in ’87 and ’91. Living in Bradford MA with husband Keith, Molly has raised two athletically inclined children. Mikaela is a diver at the U of Louisville, and Troy is a freshman lacrosse recruit at Wheaton College. Molly works as a motivational speaker and a fencing coach with local youth programs. In September, she assumed the joint position of coach and co-director of the Vivo Fencing Club. Two years ago, I shared that Shawn Sexton had been in touch from Atlanta to share news of his ALS diagnosis. In the time since this life-altering determination, while he’s experienced decline, he embraced medical technologies that enable him to maintain the highest level of functioning possible, even collaborating with his 16-year-old son John to create a number of assistive devices. Among other things, their shared ingenuity has produced a Windows app that allows Shawn to control the power and the modes of his power chair via his eye gaze, using a relay as a switch. In fact, the comprehensive Tobii DynaVox eye gaze system that he received last December has enhanced his ability to communicate and to independently control his environment. (For example, he can change the temperature or open the garage door). What’s more, this system allowed him to participate in a Georgia Tech robotics study whereby he remotely drove a robot and moved its arms and then traveled to the study site to direct the robot to bring him a drink. Our thoughts and prayers are for Shawn’s wife, Karen, who tends to him around the clock. Classmate Michelle Melland, who lives with ALS as well, has also found a way to use her DyanVox eye gaze system to engage in a meaningful pursuit, one centered around her love of reading. Back in April ’16, she kicked off a blog called “Book Thoughts from Bed” (bookthoughtsfrombed.com). Via this blog, she provides weekly reviews and hosts a monthly virtual book group. (I am eager to look to Michelle for book recommendations.) Michelle is also available for freelance projects. She writes about numerous business topics, and can be contacted through her book blog. To read more about Michelle and the way her Badin dorm mates, including Sue Pusek, Margo Kirchner and Cathy Nonnenkamp Lindner, have rallied around her and her family, see Alison Macor’s story in the summer ’16 issue of Notre Dame Magazine: https://magazine.nd.edu/news/adding-chapters/. Alison has been beautifully chronicling Michelle’s story for ND Magazine since autumn ’14. Sadly, Kenneth Soos passed away on March 10. Ken, who hailed from South Bend, played baseball for Washington High, where he was an all-conference player for three years and an all-state selection his junior year. He then attended ND on a baseball scholarship and graduated with business degree. We wish the Soos family comfort and peace. — Laurine Megna; PO Box 6847, Avon CO 81620; 970-390-9742; magnet@vail.net
88MBA Class Secretary — Ron Linczer;
1251 N. Eddy St., Suite 300, South Bend IN 46617; mobile 574-302-2832; bus 574-631-3591; rlinczer@nd.edu
88JD Freshman at ND
Dan Lynch reports that his son James Lynch will be attending Notre Dame this fall, Class of 2021. He has been admitted to the Mendoza School of Business after completion of the First Year of Studies. Congratulations James. — Lisa Marie Visingardi; 3389 12th St., Riverside CA 92501; bus 951-248-0315; res 789-6272; lisa.visingardi@jud.ca.gov
89 Around the World
Thanks to all who reached out over the last few months. First, I want to send out a big welcome to the 50 and Fabulous Club as many of us has reached this half-century mark over the last year. I wish our ND ’89 family another half century of health, happiness and family. A winning football season would not be bad either. I heard from Capt. Randy Gallagher, who just returned from a year mobilization as the training and exercise director for the Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. He ran into Col. Chris Walls at the Peace Support Training Center in Addis, Ethiopia. Randy and Chris were supporting Exercise Justified Accord to examine issues associated with transitioning security responsibilities for Somalia to the Somalia National Security Forces. Also they met with Butch Pederson ’93 and commiserated over ND’s football season and concluded if there was any good time to deploy, last season was it. I also heard from Paul Kelly. Paul reminisced about living in Sorin Hall, and about attending Tulane Medical School with Freddy Achecar, Paul Wagaspauck, Joe Candela, Joe Woods, and Norma Ada. He finished his training with a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. He lives and works on Long Island with offices on the North Fork of the island and one in the Hamptons. He is a proud ND dad. His eldest daughter graduated from ND in 2016 and just finished her first year of medical school at NYU. His middle daughter is a junior at ND and his youngest is a senior in high school. And while hoping for a trifecta, he will be happy with whatever college choice she ultimately makes. Lastly, I had dinner in Denver with Megan Frigon Cohen. I am lucky enough to work with Megan as part of the AECOM global human resources team. What a treat to catch up in person about family, friends and our ND experience. Keep the news coming. — Noel DiNome; noel.d.dinome@live.com
89MBA Class Secretary — Maggie DeVoe;
612-845-9662; maggiedevoe@yahoo.com
89JD Class Secretary — Jenny O’Leary Smith;
jennyoleary@comcast.net