1960s
1960s
60 Think about It: 60th for ’60
It is not too early to begin planning and scheduling for our 60th for ’60 reunion, Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 7, 2020. Your octogenarian officers are hard at work planning special events such as dinners, tours, Mass or visit to the Grotto, nap times, seminars etc., in the hopes of getting 250 of Notre Dame’s greatest class to return to ND for this memorable event. Let us hear from you with an early indication of your intentions. We will need to find proper venues for our activities. There will be excellent van and golf cart transportation around campus, so we can take advantage of all the sightseeing, viewing new buildings and other activities. We are working with Dick Corbett for our kickoff dinner on Thursday in Corbett Family Hall. Our class will be able to assist any classmate who has difficulty with the cost of the reunion. More information later. Morituri te salutant. This may be our last chance to gather our remaining rosebuds at the special place where so many lifelong friendships were established. There is magic in the sound of her name. Camaraderie and fellowship; don’t leave home without them. Ed Bukowski says, “after the long, cold winter here in western New York, and once warm weather arrived, I haven't spent time checking emails. We've been busy visiting grandchildren and getting the sailboat ready to go.” Keith Hauge says, “as I approach birthday number 80, I am thankful for the years God has given me, but I am not yet wondering why I have lived so long. I look forward to reading our class column written by you for many, many years to come.” Gale Cawley writes on being 80: “Starting in my freshman year, and despite the heroic efforts of Tom Banchoff trying to tutor me in theory of math, I flunked the course. I am here to tell you that at 80 years, I still don’t understand a word of it, and somehow got here without that wisdom. After that rocky start, and a few other hard knocks of gaining a higher education, I managed to graduate and make it to my 80s, remembering the clichés of not buying green bananas, and always reading the obits first in the newspaper.” Carol and Tony Reuter write, “It would be Tony’s greatest joy and gift to be at Notre Dame for the reunion. He is such a great man and loves ND. Tony is in skilled care permanently. He needs lots of help. His legs are done, and he is in a power chair full time. He will be there in spirit.” Tim Carroll departed for the Arabian Peninsula (Doha, Qatar, Muscat, Oman, etc.) in August, to take note of various odds and ends. His trip ended in Barcelona, there to motor to the Pyrenees, and a few days at La Vella, the capital of the wee nation-state of Andorra. “That country ticked off my list will finish Europe for me,” he says. Ed Kennedy says he talked to Tommy Quinn who had lung cancer and the tumors were so close to his heart that the doctors could not operate. “Before I could call him, John O’Keefe called me with the news that Tom died the day before. Tom’s wife, Sheila (John O’Keefe’s sister), is a great gal.” There were three classmates who passed away, and we received no notification from other classmates. These were Clem DeMack on March 29, Chuck Wentworth May 18 and Bill Najjum on Oct. 16, 2014. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No.103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; 239-461-0980; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com
61 Naples or Bust
The first to write me this quarter was Joe Libby. He was filling me in on his plans to attend a wedding and meet up with Jay Kilroy, who is the brother of Dave Kilroy with whom Joe roomed our junior year. Joe was also in touch with Bob Mahoney, Dave Ryan and Doug Svendson. He also was in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, mentioned below. After my plea for help in the summer column, I got replies that allow me to provide at least a partial list of attendees at the parade. First are Margaret and Ted Dawson, then Chidey and Phil Farley, Jill and Pat Feeney, Marylou and Ned Grant, Carol and Bill Queenan, Kathy and Bill Steber, Katie and Bob Weber, Spike Werner and Rev. Denis O’Shaughnessy, Joan and Prince Chuck Lennon. Frank Annese followed up with the following: the Lennons, the Hoeys, Suzie and Mike Hoch, Mike Brennan, Margaret and Dave Balane, Cathy and John May, Carol and George Bott, Ginny and George Neimeyer, Carol and Al Salvino, Jerry Fitzpatrick, and wife, Margaret and Bill Cronin, John Linahan, and of course Joe Libby and his wife. Both are afraid they left someone out. All this togetherness spawned a proposal which you may have received through Larry Erickson. A growing number of classmates have been coming to Naples over the St. Patrick’s Day Parade weekend and have been attending the Saturday night Mass and dinner arranged by Frank “Chick” Annese at a local country club. A group of classmates have come up with a proposal for expanding this gathering into a minireunion. Obviously, this will require some planning. Frank Annese has agreed to investigate the hotel possibilities and do his usual great job of arranging Saturday evening, but we need your assistance because we hope to encourage greater participation in these events. At this point, all we need is a tentative commitment and numbers, so we can determine if the hotel rooms option should be pursued. Please visit our class website (1961.undclass.org) and tell Larry Erickson if you are a “definitely yes” or a “maybe yes.” Contact Frank at ffannesend1961@gmail.com or 11547 Aerie Lane, Naples FL 34120. Jerry Kearns contacted me recently. His granddaughter, Emma Kearns, is an incoming freshman and lives in Cavanaugh Hall, his freshman dorm. She is fourth generation. His dad was Class of 1929, we are 1961, her father (his son) is Class of ’93 and now Emma. I regret to report the death of Joseph A. Kirk of DuBois PA. After our graduation, he did post grad work at Penn State U. He was president and CEO of Beaver Meadow Creamery. He is survived by his wife, Pat, daughters Mary and Jane, and sons, Robert, William and Paul and six grandchildren. He was a dear friend of Tom Conneely who provided me with this information. That’s about it for now. Please note our deadline has been moved up to the 20th of the previous month so don't wait until the first of February, May, August and November. Please be assured that Abbie is at the front door waiting for you to drop by on your way through South Texas. Y’all come. — Joseph P. (Pat) Kelly; 2103 N. Wheeler, Victoria TX 77901; 361-573-9982; jpkellytx@sbcglobal.net
61JD Class Secretary — John N. Moreland;
jnmnd1958@aol.com
62 Numbers
Earlier this year, John Eck asked how many in the class remembered their laundry number, the same as our ID number but with the 5 dropped. Short answer: a lot. Bill Cleary, Frank Schlick, Mike Joyce, Steve Enright, Peter Maloney, John Neidhart, Jim Flynn, Bob (W.) Cihak, Charley Lancelot, and John McNamara replied almost immediately, with several saying they use it as their computer password or bank PIN. How was our ID number assigned? Some said it was the order in which the deposit confirming our acceptance was received. Dick Hodder writes, “After being in pain in my right hip since a replacement last June, the doctor found two bacteria. The pain I’ve had for over a year was due to infection. It looks like they will have to replace the hip again and do a knee replacement later. Surgery number three. Maybe they should close with a zipper.” Tom Quinn and Bob Hanlon and their wives spent a weekend in Charleston. Kathie and Bob were married over the Christmas holidays in 1961 with Tom, Jim Hoover and Tom O’Mara in the wedding party. Tom said he and Bob were roomies for three years but, “he dumped me for Kathie senior year.” Tom added, “we had a great time rehashing the old days. Nancy and I hadn’t seen Bobby and Kathie since the wedding and I hadn’t seen Bob since our 25th in 1993.” Another reunion had Eddie Schnurr, Mike Dougherty, Tom Weiss, Jim Fitzgibbon, Fred Spatz and Joe Mohlenkamp attending their 60th at St. Xavier in Louisville. While Ron Herm says that he “is finally retired,” Dick Gemperle has been appointed president of a Seattle nonprofit devoted to creative writing. Also, Bill Snyder notes that he, Walt Kelly, Bob Henry, Jim Breen, Brand Bobosky and Greg Weismantel are still working in some form and asks, “Is this the new retirement age, 78?” It turns out we have several authors in the class, some of whom have been noted previously, including John Hutton and John Dailey. Joe Novello is working on his seventh book. It is about a Jesuit psychiatrist, Angelo D’Agostino, a missionary in Kenya working to save HIV babies. Pat Monahan compiled The History of the World-Famous Arcola Lawn Rangers, Chris Korth has written Sensible Tax Reform - Simple, Just & Effective. Paul Radde and Rene Muller have at least four books to their credit, and Tony Bill wrote Movie Speak - How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set. Most are listed on Amazon under the author’s name. Pete Hyland (80657) last returned to ND for the Glee Club’s 75th anniversary reunion in 1990. Commenting on the reconstruction of Corby Hall, he said his dad (’26) had his name on one of the yellow bricks and asks if the descendants of those early grads will be able to salvage these mementos. We lost Dan Kenney, Jim Kolb and Richard Janicki this year. Dan went into the Navy after graduation. Upon discharge, he moved to California and started a landscape architecture business, later expanding into general contracting in the San Jose area. Dan subsequently became a stockbroker. After moving to Northern California, he was appointed the local fire chief. Jim interrupted grad school to join the Peace Corps and was assigned to Colombia. After finishing his graduate degree, he became part of the Peace Corps staff. Following a stint as an officer in the Army, Jim went with the Department of Health and Human Services working in a variety of management positions, retiring in 2002. Richard was a native of South Bend. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com
62JD Class Secretary — Paul K. Rooney;
1209 Oakmont Drive, No. 2, Walnut Creek CA 94595; rooneypaul12@gmail.com
63 Strong Spirit
Our 55th reunion and gathering are behind us. We are closer to being 100 than 50, but the spirit is strong. At least six classmates planned to attend but had to cancel for health issues. Hopefully recovery is on the way. John Pastore, a semiretired cardiologist and professor of medicine at Tufts U, wrote from Naples FL where he winters with Marilyn, his wife of 54 years. Marilyn, whom he met in the eighth grade, is the moving force behind their Inn at Mountain View Farm (innmtnview.com) in East Burke VT. It’s a historic farm that she has transformed into a bed and breakfast inn. John started the Mountain View Farm Animal Sanctuary on the property (mvfas.org). The inn and sanctuary would welcome visits from Notre Dame friends. John still works part time as a cardiologist and enjoys teaching and patient contact. A few years ago, he started a small consulting business to help attorneys understand the medical records of their clients and ensure that the patients receive the care and coverage to which they’re entitled. It does not deal with malpractice issues. John is still involved with the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. He was the international secretary when the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He’d be delighted to hear from classmates at jop2map@gmail.com. David Swire reports that at the 50 Year Club Reunion, Amy Coney Barrett, who was a finalist on Trump’s list for the US Supreme Court, gave a lecture at the Law School titled, “From John Jay to John Roberts: The Evolution of the Supreme Court.” She was, in his description, terrific. For now, Yale beat Notre Dame. Jack Hogan flew to Hong Kong where his son Sean was ordained as a deacon in the Salesians by Cardinal Zen. He then got to watch as Sean gave his first homily as a deacon at the 11:30 Father’s Day Mass. Sean used a story from his youth when Jack and Anne had built a new swing set, which became a mecca for neighborhood kids and parents, and deftly tied it into the reading about the mustard seed. Jack was touched and proud. Sean is now happily off to Australia, and Jack is very proud. Tom Jolie wrote about moving with his wife of 54 years, Judy, into Scottish Home, an assisted living facility in the Chicago Forest Preserve. Judy was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s eight years ago. Judy had to move into the adjacent Caledonia House, where she could get the required care. While she has no short-term memory, she recalls remarkable details about their long life together. Tom welcomes visitors and would be delighted to hear from old friends. Call Tom at 704-848-4676. Ken Telesca of Fairfax VA passed away on Aug. 11, 2017 after a battle with brain cancer. Ken spent 25 years at the Export-Import Bank of the US, then studied for a PhD in pastoral counseling at Loyola of Maryland. His inspiring second career was as a pastoral counselor for Catholic Charities of Arlington. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Peg, and four children: Maria ’90SMC, Meg Ramey ’92SMC, Kate Banks ’97, and Chip, and granddaughter Grace Ramey. I spoke with Kathy Kearney, the widow of Edward Kearney. He was an engineer who traveled the world in his practice and he also taught. He died in January after struggling with Parkinson’s and a stroke. On their honeymoon, 51 years ago, they drove to Notre Dame for a Purdue game so he could show Kathy the campus. He leaves three children and seven grandchildren. Jim Bemis wrote that Patrick McDonnell died on June 3. Pat graduated in aeronautical engineering, went to Creighton Law School, and practiced in Omaha. Jack Keeley reports that Tom Halperin of Hinsdale IL passed away at the end of May. He leaves his wife of nearly 50 years, Patricia. Tom was always quick with a smile. He had two daughters, Jenna and Bethany, and 10 grandchildren, who held him completely under their sway. Jack recently saw Bill Gorman, who he reports hasn’t aged. Jack and wife Irene live in West Virginia but spend much of the winter on Longboat Key near Sarasota. (Makes sense to me.) We just received word that Jack Cullen died on July 8. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jacklyn, three sons and seven grandchildren. Jack graduated from the U of San Francisco Law School. He practiced law in San Francisco and coached football at his high school alma mater. — John O’Brien; jgob41@yahoo.com
63JD Class Secretary — Bob Saxe;
15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com
64 Dave Barlow Breaks Radio Silence
That is a great headline and it was wonderful to hear from Dave Barlow after a sabbatical of several years. We have Nantucket in common and shared a lengthy email exchange about “the faraway island.” After getting his doctorate in clinical psychology at Vermont, he held faculty positions at Brown, SUNY-Albany and, for the last 20 years, Boston U where he remains active part time. Dave and his old gang of classmates including Charlie Kell, Jim Voss, Paul Fitzgerald and Nick Nicholson get together almost every year. Sadly, the numbers of this Irish crew are dwindling, with the passing of Tim Coakley, Lou Esposito and Jim Birmingham, among others. Dave is professor of psychology and psychiatry emeritus and founder of BU’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders. He and Beverly are blessed with four grandchildren. Writing while traveling on the “left coast,” Midwesterner Pat Deluhery shared postcard perspective about a film festival in Hollywood. Always insightful, Pat indicates Hollywood is not much like Indiana or Iowa. Jim Oliver had a wonderful career in city and county management in the Norfolk area. Last April, he was appointed city treasurer by the circuit court to fill an unexpired term. Earlier in the year, Jim was selected Norfolk First Citizen, a real honor for this hometown boy. John Scully writes from Riverside IL where all is well. He remains active advising C-suite clients on how to find their next C-suite position. Sounds like several of us should speak with John. Bill Bosworth, and wife Judy led a group of 30 on a tour of national parks a year ago. It was quite the adventure. In 2014, Bill wrote a novel, The Decision. He followed in 2017 by writing a fictional story based on the life of the Apostle Matthew. I was happy to hear from Tom Gerlacher who wrote to remind us to make plans to attend our 55th reunion next year. That seems like a great and timely idea. Tom heads back to ND annually and plans on doing so each year for as long as he can. Tom Sessi writes that Bill Likar died in Houston this year. He spent his career in the healthcare industry, holding high level general management positions until his retirement in 2006. Surviving are three children and three grandchildren. Tom Floyd ’63 was kind enough to share the obituary of Jim Olley who passed away in 2015 in Wentzville MO. He is survived by wife Bonnie, five children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Jim graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering and spent his career at McDonnell Aircraft/ Boeing until his retirement in 2011. I also understand that Bill Phalan died in 2012 in Mesquite NV. Lou Brenner died this year in Naples FL. We have no further details. Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 203-655-3930; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com
64JD Start Bragging
Preparing this report reminds me of a Will Rogers quote, “eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.” Are we there yet? In conversations about their comings and goings, classmates invariably have drifted into discussions about life as a journey that is traveled with a large helping of blessings along the way to meet our various challenges. In this vein, should we consider another reunion as part of ND Reunion on campus or offsite someplace else? If you have some thoughts, please let me know. In my discussions with classmates, health also has become a frequent issue. Frank Miele reports that he fell 10 feet from stairs to the stage below while performing in Romeo and Juliet at the American Ballet Theatre. He severely injured his back and lower torso, and his ability to fully walk has been affected. Indomitably, he remains positive and says, “It’s not over until you quit.” That is the title of a book he is writing. Lou Pfeiler relates sad news that medical issues with Carol have worsened. Most of his days are filled with care for her. Hurley Smith has undergone extensive chemotherapy treatments and says he anticipates a full recovery. Charley Sweeney has enjoyably down-sized to a condo but is experiencing some health issues that limit his golf outings. Russ Bley enjoyed a summer trip to Cuba and is planning another to Iceland in September. Mary and Jack Rammel are traveling to France to tour old fortress villages, perhaps to be followed by a river tour of Croatia, including Dracula’s castle. Jim Slater says all is well in Santa Barbara and that he remains busy in his mediation practice. Charles Sacher also is busy in his Miami tax practice and has retired from climbing onto his roof for cleanups at the request of his family and friends, including me. Larry Gallick, one of my old law school roommates, says he and Betty had an enjoyable summer with family and friends at their summer place on Lake Ontario. Jim Mercurio told me that he is chairman of the Democrat Club of DC while also finding time to resume playing tennis after shoulder and knee injuries. Eileen and Bob Cash are well, enjoying their seasonal stays at Florida and Cincinnati. Bob Hanlon says he remains active in his product liability firm and is doing well health wise. In his words, “things are great.” Tom Conneely sends his best to everyone. He and Kay are traveling to London to celebrate their wedding anniversary and are enjoying life in Mill Valley. Bob Frost asks me to report that, for once, he has no known malaises and feels fine. Suzie and Ernie Zavodnyik just returned from a river cruise on the Elbe highlighted by a visit in Budapest where he has family. Ernie also reports that he is the proud grandfather of newly arrived Francis, whose parents are ND grads. Finally, my sister Zoe Graham ’60SMC, whom many of you know, sustained a stroke in early July and remains in serious condition. Blessings to all. Stay in touch. — Richard Balfe Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; 574-299-9888; cell 760-567-1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com
65 Hawk and Dove and Baseball
After 40 years, Paul Meagher retired from the iconic Capitol Hill bar, The Hawk and Dove, where he worked since the late 1960s, often lending a sympathetic ear to both political sides. Paul and wife Jackie live in a Capitol Hill townhouse that is a 15-minute walk from the Nats Stadium. Both are zealous baseball and Nats fans. In ’94 he organized a national “bus-in” to Cleveland to “blow the whistle” on the owners in protest of the baseball strike that year. About 10,000 fans showed up outside Cleveland Stadium blowing their plastic whistles. His other commitment is to his local parish where he serves as a lector. Joanne and John Rooney live north of Steubenville OH where John has his own firm, RFC Consulting, which recruits and places attorneys for law firms. I saw him at our local church while they were visiting their son on Mercer Island. The Class ’59 and Darrell Katovsich have compiled a list of ND alumni who were casualties during the Vietnam War era, August 1964 to May 1975, and have presented it to ND Archives. Our class lost two members: 1st Lt. Jim Pavlicek, who was awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart and 2nd Lt. Ed Dalton, who was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. John Fremont Fischer is an infectious diseases physician at the Medical College of Georgia. He was a member of the ND Glee Club and developed a passion for singing. While at medical school he formed a glee club. While serving as a Navy flight surgeon, he was active in the Naval Air Training Command Choir in Pensacola and now he sings in a barbershop quartet. John and wife Peggy live in Augusta GA and have six children. After a heroic 14-month battle with metastatic melanoma, Tom Kostelnik died in May in Peoria AZ. He remained optimistic during the treatments and donated his body to the U of Arizona Anatomical Body Donor Program for medical research. He was an avid golfer and even briefly returned to the links. Tom and Connie were married just short of 52 years, which was his football jersey number. In July we lost Ken Lipinski to complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He is survived by his wife, Bunny, at their home in Laguna Woods CA. Ed Lupton and Mike Conerty visited him a few days before his demise and gave the eulogy at his funeral. Ken was a CPA with Arthur Andersen in Cleveland and had his own real estate development company in San Diego. He founded and coached a senior slow pitch softball team that became the USA senior slow pitch champion in two different years. Ken’s name is in the softball slow pitch hall of fame. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040; jphnd65@hotmail.com
65JD Class Secretary — John Donald O’Shea;
pelagius@qconline.com
66 Nowhere but Up
I spoke with Jim Smith, who hangs out in Lancaster PA and got some tidbits. Denny Conway retired from the FBI in Denver and is a private investigator in KC. Dangerous Dan McGinn is retired from his gig as a pitching coach at UN Omaha and spends lots of time with grandson Liam, 6, preparing him to follow in grandpa’s shoes as a flame thrower. Dick Schreder, a psychologist in Catonsville MD, joined Smitty and John Quinn at Jim’s family business, Smith’s Hotel, last fall for an ND game watch. John also retired from the FBI and is consulting in Connecticut. Smitty noted that Harry Long, who lost his wife to cancer, is spending time helping cancer patients deal with their illness. Smitty was looking forward to catching up with old bud Charlie O’Brien, who lives north of Baltimore up near the Susquehanna River. I recall that Charlie hit a home run in the trash business and is retired. Bill Seidensticker connected with class president Cap Gagnon looking to find old buds Jim Curran and Dan Overholser, mentioned in my last column. A good group of mates attended the 50 Year Club Reunion: Bob Seaman, Minch Lewis, Mike Roddy, Roger Aiello, Jim Johnson, John Lucas, Pat Madden, John Geist and Pat McRedmond. Mike Rush is threatening to retire from his teaching job at BC next June. The General is tentatively planning to hang out in Chicago and South Bend to be near the Dome and his son and family. We’ll see. John Twohey, Tom Bettag and Minch Lewis are continuing to spearhead the Pete Duranko fund initiative at ND. Serious resources, $208,000, have been raised from 399 classmates in Pete’s memory to fund head injury prevention and treatment among ND athletes. ND is happy with the progress being made and fundraising will continue this fall. Stay tuned. I’m helping with a research study to be conducted by Boston U, evaluating the impact playing major college football has had on the health of some 500 former ND players on teams from 1964 to 1980. The result should be a solid, comprehensive bank of data to help guide the ND football and athletic programs in dealing with head and related neurologic injuries. BU is ground zero for research on CTE and ND cannot be officially involved in the study, to protect the independence and integrity of the conclusions. I heard from Tony Rivizzigno in Syracuse, who’s still practicing law and staying close to his two kids. He keeps in touch with Tony Andrea, who is retired in Dorsett VT and still consulting in sports management. Their good bud Bob Basche is selling yachts in Rowayton CT, and another old friend, Dr. Bob Lombardo, has retired from his NYC endocrinology practice and spends time in Quog, Long Island. Paul Ahr sent word that he and Pat are now living in Lake Worth FL where he is CEO of the Recovery Outcomes Institute, a non-profit working to reduce substance abuse disorders. Paul’s also finishing up his MA in international affairs. I learned that ’65 Fighting Irish football captain and retired attorney Phil Sheridan and Kathy have moved from Jersey to the Virginia suburbs near DC to be closer to kids and grandkids. John Jackoboice will have three grandkids at ND this fall. Tout suite for this issue. — Tom Sullivan; 1108 Westwicke Lane, Lutherville MD 21093; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com
66JD Cruising Along
It was another quiet quarter for our class, which probably is good news since I’ve not been made aware of any grave misfortunes among our classmates. Nor have I been made aware of any good fortunes, so perhaps we’ve reached the stage when we’re content to live with as little excitement as possible. Except, of course, for Bob Siebert, who continues to travel the world on his beloved cruise ships, this time taking a 14-day cruise to Japan, China and South Korea in October. Bob reports that the aging process, including arthritis in his lower back, may cause him to reduce his travel in the next few years. But since he is my most faithful correspondent, I hope he and all of you remain in good health for a long time. — Philip Ruddy; rudds241@aol.com
67 Jerry Young, RIP
We lost Jerry Young to cancer over the summer, as reported to us by his college roommate Bill Gehrke. Jerry was one of many classmates who came to Notre Dame from the U of Detroit Jesuit Preparatory High School. Jerry went to law school after graduating as a history major and practiced law in the Detroit area for his entire life. And worked at Stroh’s brewery while attending law school. On campus, Jerry was a competitive athlete. He had a football scholarship offer to attend John Carroll U in Cleveland but turned that down to exercise his aggression through interhall football. He also saved some competitiveness for the handball courts in the Rock after football season subsided. He was a great classmate and will be missed. Bill Struck also passed away over the summer. Bill was in Stanford Hall our freshman year. He was a disc jockey at WSND when the Beatles arrived in the US in 1964. Bill transferred to the U of Dayton. He was in the broadcasting business his whole life, experiencing merger after merger. His employer at retirement was Clear Channel. Pete Tierney of Boulder CO received the William D. Reynolds Award from the University for his work with at-risk young people for 50 years. He was presented the honor at a luncheon at the Morris Inn, attended by classmates John Gregory, Bob Reidy and Ted Stransky. Pete reports that Ted just retired from a successful ophthalmology practice in Evansville IN. John is in his 36th year at White Plains Hospital where he directs the Department of Behavior Health. Bob continues to practice law in Chicago but devotes a large amount of his time to acting. Pete also saw John Dempsey in February at Sandhills Community College in North Carolina where John has been president for 28 years. During that visit, Pete also spent time with Rev. Tom Madden who is pastor of St. Peter’s and St. Mary’s Church in Haverstraw. Pete recently retired as the founder and lead teacher of Long View High School, a small public alternative school, in Lakewood CO. Michele and Andy Reardon recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with help from classmate Joe Kane and his wife Nancy. Andy met Michele while traveling with the Glee Club; Joe was his Glee Club travel roommate. Mike Steele PhD of Pacific U in Oregon has written a book on Notre Dame football, Miracle Moments in Fighting Irish Football History. It accompanies his four editions of the Fighting Irish Encyclopedia, which includes two biographies of Knute Rockne and one of Dan Devine. Jim Lynch and Terry Hanratty ’69 have endorsements on the back cover of the new book. Please write so we can share information. — Burt R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St, Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com
67JD Frogman Fine Resurfaces
John Fine, who fell off my radar several years ago, has surfaced at his horse farm in Gettysburg PA. However, he has not been idle. Having published 24 books on scuba diving and the environment, he has been teaching deep sea diving and coral research. While exploring the sunken remains of a WWII B-17 in the Mediterranean, he found the dog tags of one of the US crew members. Not content to leave it and move on, he launched a remarkable quest “for the rest of the story.” Read the newspaper account of John’s efforts that I’ve reprinted in a broadcast email to our class. Mike Seng gave a talk at the ND Law School on “The History and Future of the Fair Housing Act.” Mike has long been involved in the Civil Rights movement, having traveled as a law student to Mississippi during the summer of 1966. He was recently quoted in a magazine article on housing issues in Cairo Ill. Mike was a civil rights lawyer in Cairo 1972-76. Ted Sinars writes to mark 50 years of practicing law with Jack Jiganti ’64JD. They were associates and partners in their original firm and two succeeding firms. I mentioned in a previous column that Germaine and Jim Mollison celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July. Steve Lamantia reminds us that he witnessed that event and he and Roz joined the Mollisons for a celebration at Sacred Heart on campus. Steve was recently elected president of the ND Club of Buffalo/Western New York, a singular honor for someone without an undergraduate degree from ND. Steve plans to return to campus with his granddaughter for the Pitt game. Beth and Frank Verterano look forward to football season at ND and Penn State where they hold season tickets. Beth recently attended a women’s football clinic but didn’t suit up. Pam and Tom Sullivan were very impressed with a 10-day tour of Poland and believe it is one of the best kept secrets in Europe. Dick Muench proudly announces that his grandson, Jack, will play football at Cornell. Margaret and Jerry Berthold are in Portland OR for their annual month of summer fun with daughter and grandchildren. Jack Couch and wife Sam remain active in providing therapeutic horseback riding for handicapped children in the area. They will take their granddaughter to Ireland to celebrate her college graduation. John Nelson faced numerous wildfire threats near his home in southwestern Colorado. John continues his efforts in Crime Stoppers and raising money to increase the local police force. Jim Harrington had successful surgeries to combat breast cancer, a rare disease in men. He was lucky when a scan for bronchitis revealed the rare malignancy in time for treatment. Marylyn and Ken Lazarus played host to the John Hargroves when John visited Quantico to celebrate a 50th reunion of his USMC officer class. Sean Keenan also visited Ken when he traveled through DC. Bob Barkley’s wife Diana is threatening to sue him in his capacity as their condo president for not enforcing condo rules. Bayou Bob was never in favor of rules. Frank Cihlar had a wonderful time touring New Zealand and Australia. Frank’s love of theatrics got the better of him when introduced to a Mauri tribal prince, and he concocted a fanciful farce to explain how he traveled there: “…having flown on a kaka bird, dumped in the ocean and rescued by an (Uber?) whale.” Luckily, I don’t think the prince spoke English. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@gmail.com
68 Great Time with the Great ’68
With Mike Burgener at home in California for a son’s visit, with Monk Forness occupied as part of the Homeland Security force, and with Brien Murphy approaching middle years, Notre Dame was able to breathe a sigh of relief as the wave of returning ’68 celebrants, more than 500 strong, flowed across the weekend as a wave and not a tsunami. In deference to Fred Ferlic, who led our South Bend classmates and other volunteers in reunion planning, the events took place in English. John O’Connor and Ralph Neas, who spoke on Watergate history and on the modern political climate, would have been captivating in any language. John’s history of former FBI agent Mark Felt and the Watergate events paid attention to the impact of investigative articles written by journalists Pat Collins and by Tom Condon. Ralph Neas provided notes now available on the blog at ndclass1968.com. Also on the blog are photos and the text of the Rev. John Pearson’s sermon for our class Mass. Guests new to the Great ’68 may have been startled by the legions of Toms, as if the reunion were a final scene from a remake of Spartacus, this time with class president Tom Weyer in the role of Tomacus. On the big screen of the reunion, no one loomed larger than Rocky Bleier, whose two performances of his one-man play excited universal praise. The popularity of the play plus the talent of Rocky the auctioneer added to the till of an immense class gift. University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC ’76, ’78MA, was able to acknowledge a gift exceeding $56 million. With the gift so sizable, there was neither a first nor a second collection at the class Mass concelebrated at Sacred Heart by classmates Rev. John Pearson, CSC, and Rev. John Sheehan, SJ. Deacon Bob Smith assisted, and Michael Minton, class president our senior year, was a Eucharistic minister. Some saw Jeff Keyes and Bob Brady, who are neighbors in Naples FL, watching from confessionals. Bill Cleary met Lou Holtz at the Saturday night dinner, then said he could mark off an item on his bucket list. Lou replied, “You need to improve your bucket list.” The reunion attendance produced a rarity that the Chicagoans enjoyed as much as anyone else; they were outnumbered by classmates from lands beyond South Bend and Chicago. Former roommates Walt Moxham and Tom Brislin rolled in from upstate New York and Connecticut. Pat Furey and Mike Trombetta came from Hawaii. Paul Higgins, as ready for golf as he was in the past for other sport, came from Oregon with Jim Chapman. Jake Keenan came from Cambridge MA. Susan and Brian Schanning, used to sailing the globe, had the sensation of moving about on dry land. Lynn and Charlie Schmitt combined the reunion with other Midwest stops. Jay Schwartz regaled a group that included Dave Martin’s wife Janis with Dave’s football exploits, including scoring his only touchdown on an intercepted pass in the 51-0 beat down of Southern Cal in Los Angeles in 1966, the week after the 10-10 tie in East Lansing. Dave believes his real estate career may be more memorable than his foray in the NFL. Ned Buchbinder organized a seminar for General Program classmates including Tom Fitzharris, Tom Durkin, Guy Faris, Tiger Schaefer, and Bob Heineman. After the reunion, former Naval officer Mike Baroody and Muff drove to Lake Superior for a look at the nation’s watery northern frontier. The Keenan troops were a strong presence. Joe Hale’s report runs deep into the blog, so don’t be content with what’s here in print. Joe writes, “Keenanites who attended the reunion included Tom Voglewede and Dave Percio who were on my floor. So were Dennis Dorratcague, Mike Woods, Rich Falvey, Rocky Bleier, Tom Culcasi, Gene “Skip” Schraeder, Bill Nungesser, Wayne Micek, Tom Phillips and Ted Bratthauar. The following had supper on Friday night at the Lasalle Grill: Ted Bratthauar and his wife Ann Benton, (at her request, we called her Benny), Kathryn and Steve LaPlante, Ellen and Skip Schraeder and myself. Skip and Steve served in the field artillery in Vietnam. They attended the Military Commemoration, and I sat by them.” At the same ceremony, Joe Kernan received honors. Carmi and Chris Murphy gave the reunion a rousing finish with a generous Sunday brunch thrown at their home for the entire class. Neil Rogers, Rich Rogers and Bob Santaloci were in a car driven eastward by Pat Demare. Neil reported that when Pat reached the Indiana-Ohio border, “he managed to blow through the gate going at least 60 miles an hour. The gate itself took off for the nearest cornfield.” Mike Hampsey, much remembered during the weekend, succumbed to heart ailments on June 4. John Walsh and Charlie Schmitt planned to be among those giving the lifelong musician a musical memorial in Titusville PA on Aug. 12. Keep getting together and keep sending me news and photos. — Tom Figel; 1054 West North Shore, Apt 3E, Chicago IL 60626; 312-223-9536; tfigel@reputecture.com
68JD Congratulations
We extend our congratulations to Charlie Weiss, who appeared on CBS This Morning on May 14 because of a pro bono case in which he served as the lead attorney. On May 2, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned David Robinson’s murder conviction and ordered his release from prison after 17 years of wrongful imprisonment. In addition, Charlie was named an honoree in Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s 2018 ICON Awards that recognize 25 attorneys from the state for their sustained success and strong leadership within and outside the field of law. Charlie is a past president of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Missouri Bar and the St. Louis Bar Foundation. There has been limited information from classmates, but Tom Curtin reported that the Graham Curtin firm that he formed three decades ago has been acquired by McElry Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter, which has a multitude of offices throughout the United States. His new firm has a reputation as a formidable litigation shop and Tom should be a great asset to his new firm. As many of you know, Tom was president of the New Jersey and Morris County bar associations and has been active in leadership in the American Bar Association, as well as in other courts and professional groups. Tom served on several bar-related committees, including the chairmanship of the Commission on Professionalism, the board of trustees of New Jersey Legal Services and the board of governors of the American Bar Association. We wish Tom continued success. On a personal note, Chambers USA once again named me as one of the premier lawyers in the labor and employment area in representing management. Chambers selects attorneys and law firms from across the world. In its comments about our firm’s labor department, Chambers noted that Greensfelder had “a significant bench of attorneys experienced in traditional labor and employment law, and members of its litigation team have an excellent track record in representing household names across the country.” We are fast approaching our 50th reunion, Nov. 16-18. You received notice from Notre Dame in July, and I hope that you can join us as we endeavor to relive our glory days. Please contact my administrative assistant, Courtney Poplstein at cbh@greensfelder.com if you wish to attend the reunion. In closing, let’s always remember the deceased members of our class, including John Amerman, Emilio Belluomini, John Burgess, Albert Dudash, Richard Hirsch, Joseph Ladd, E. Miller and Robert Wilczek. — Dennis Collins; dgc@greensfelder.com
69 50th Reunion Getting Closer
Since my last column, we have had volunteers to help on our fundraising effort for our class gift. We need more participation, so I would appreciate you responding to the call to advance our efforts for our class gift. There are ongoing discussions with the Notre Dame Alumni Association as to a goal for our gift. At this time, we need to raise a minimum of $100,000 dedicated to our class gift for a scholarship fund from the Class of 1969 for future Notre Dame students. I know we can do better than that. We should be able to meet the minimum and beyond, but there will be further conversation and details relative to an exact number. Along that line, if there is any program of interest to the class, you can contact me, and we can arrange to include it in the program at our reunion. Joseph Nash writes that he and his wife Cheryl renewed their wedding vows June 15 at the Log Chapel where they were married 50 years earlier. He also supports the establishment of an endowment fund to reduce student debt after graduation. His parents were hard working people and he and his brother owe their parents a debt of gratitude for allowing them to graduate from Notre Dame debt free. But considering the cost of today’s higher education, Joe supports the efforts of our scholarship endowment fund. Congratulations to Joe and Cheryl. I hope to see them at our reunion next year. Through the efforts of John Hickey, we recognize our classmate, Navy Lt. jg. Thomas Francis Hanagan, who died when his plane crashed into the ocean after a launch from the carrier USS Forrestal on Nov. 16, 1970. Tom is the only known Class of ’69 member to have died in military service during the Vietnam War. Ed Weinlein also provided information regarding Tom’s military career. Our classmate will be entered into the Notre Dame Archives from our class. We thank him and all who have served our country. May Tom rest in peace. I look forward to seeing folks at the Stanford game. Please talk up the reunion amongst your various groups. I hope to have an excellent turnout, so everyone can catch up and renew acquaintances. All the best. Go Irish. — Tom Ryan; 248-334-9938; sylvanlawtr@gmail.com
69MBA Remembering
With sadness, I report the passing of Frederick (Rick) M. Yarborough. Rick passed away on Feb. 23 in Wilmington DE. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Pam, two children and two grandchildren. After graduation Rick proudly served in the Navy and the Naval Reserve until 1990, retiring as a senior chief petty officer. He also worked for Dupont for 35 years, retiring in 2004. Rick returned for our 40th reunion and had planned on coming back for our 50th. If you would like to donate in Rick’s name, the family would appreciate gifts to the American Lung Association, 630 Churchmans Road, Suite 202, Newark DE 19702. On a happier note, Joyce and Cliff Fleming continue to enjoy their family and are building a new house in Chesterton IN. Sue and Tom Sanna report that their youngest daughter Frances Sanna Reardon ’00 will be adding to the list of potential alumni in January 2019. Hopefully by the time you read this column, I will have seen many of you at the minireunion in conjunction with the Ball State game. If you have news for our class, please contact me. — Dennis B. McCarthy; PO Box 246, Bear Lake MI 49614; 231-864-3111 ext. 115; dbmc2@blarneycastleoil.com
69JD Class Secretary — Jim Starshak;
889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; res 808-395-0443; cell 808-778-4033; starman@hawaii.rr.com