1970s
1970s
70 Outstanding Leadership
Twenty months remain until our magical 50th reunion in June 2020. Few of our teachers will attend, but I note that one of my son’s leaders, Rev. Bill Lies, CSC, 93 M.Div., has been elected provincial superior for the US Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He had resided in Alumni Hall and led Lou ’08 and his friends along with thousands of others in Alumni Hall. He also was the executive director of the Center for Social Concerns for many years. He will be an outstanding leader of more than 400 priests, brothers, and seminarians in the province. I have had the pleasure of meeting him several times and can attest to his energy and charisma. Somehow, he elevated the concept of the Alumni Dawgs to respectability in the 21st century. As a resident of Alumni, I did not consider myself a “dawg.” In fact, the pejorative “Day Dogs” was used by our illustrious Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, to describe students who lived off campus. Language is a funny thing. By now our annual football minireunion has passed, with only a few games until bowl season begins. I hope you can travel to the campus or see the team at a nice away venue. Thanks, as usual, to former president, Paul Partyka, for organizing the events. Thanks also to our current president, Rick Libowitz, who has finalized the “friends of Rick” trip to Israel in May 2019, departing from Newark. Kathy and Tony Alholm’s son Tim married on April 8. Another son, Dan, moved to Nashville in March to start a branch of a Chicago law firm. Tony’s mother, Lydia, celebrated her 98th birthday in Texas in April. Tony passed away in 1999, a year after whittling his golf handicap to 7. His memory reminded me of other events 20 years ago. June 21, 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the world’s largest lake-associated epidemic of leptospirosis, which developed in 100 triathletes who ran, biked, and swam at Lake Springfield. As the city’s leptospirosis consultant, I’m proud that we’ve had no more cases. The source appeared to be some exotic animals temporarily housed at an upstream site where they bathed, voided and drank. To follow other stories from 1998, I called Kevin Kennedy, then VP of clinical sciences for Flair Communications in Chicago and recently married. Alas, no one answered the number attributed to Flair on their website. Chris Wolf was then senior VP and CFO of Swank, Inc., a manufacturer of costume jewelry and leather products with a daughter representing the fourth generation to attend ND. I still marvel at the oil portrait of Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, at the Hesburgh Center painted by Vickie Spieler, at the behest of and in memory of her husband, Dave, who died almost 25 years ago. Ed Smith ’70, ’73JD taught a Great Books seminar to the first ND class of women in 1972-73. He later served on the Ohio State Bar Association Ethics Committee. Mike Celizic, a talented columnist for sports and other subjects for the Bergen County Record, passed away several years ago. Condolences to the family of Tim McHugh, who died March 20. He is survived by brother Tom and children Emily, Matthew, and Samantha. Bob Watson of Peterborough, Ontario, died Dec. 9. He is survived by wife Loma and children James, Lisa, Mark and Stephanie. Mike Mead died June 13 in Naperville and is survived by his brother Christopher ’66. — Don Graham; 1901 Glenwood Ave., Springfield IL 62704; 217-652-1560; fever1@me.com
70MBA Class Secretary — John Carroll;
4315 Alta Dr., Apt 1301, Suwanee GA 30024; johnrcarroll@bellsouth.net
70JD As Autumn Leaves
I recently heard from Joe Murray, who advises that he continues his practice as a solo attorney in East Bridgewater MA. His career began in the local DA’s office and today much of his time is devoted to criminal defense work. As Joe noted, Prof. Blakey would be proud. Joe dealt with a heart attack at age 42 and then quadruple bypass and a stroke last year. Thanks to the outstanding doctors at Boston Medical Center, he fully recovered from those setbacks. Joe, like many from our class, joined the Army ROTC during law school. He served 26 years with the Army Reserves and retired as a JAG lieutenant colonel. On July 4, 2017, Joe was inducted into the Ancient & Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. The organization was founded in 1638 and membership has included four US presidents. Joe’s daughters Kate and Celestine have become ardent ND fans despite the fact they attended Northeastern and Boston College. Joe wanted me to share his email address and said he would enjoy hearing from you: attyjoemurray@gmail.com. I write this column in early July and realize that as you read, autumn leaves have begun to fall. As Veteran’s Day draws near, hats off to Joe and to all of you who served in our nation’s military. Until next time, I wish each of you a happy Thanksgiving and, as always, I look forward to hearing from you. Go Irish. — John K. Plumb; jkplumb37@gmail.com
71 Summer Golf
Gentlemen, a planning note for 2019 for golfers and fans of the game. ND’s Warren Golf Course will host the 2019 US Senior Open June 24-30. For those who may wish to get up close, numerous positions are available for volunteers. More info at warrengolfcourse.com. Mike Kelly, Ed O’Neill, Kevin Cosgrove and Dale Venvertloh, this event has your name on it. Also on the golf front, Mike Hinga and Bob Neidert hosted the 13th annual Hinga-Kelly Golf tournament in Angola IN on June 21. Golfing participants included Bill Barz, Jim Wright, Bill Trapp, Chuck Nightengale, Dewey Poskon, Mike Creaney, Craig Stark, Ed Grenda, Tom Eaton and Gary Kos. Others attending as non-golfers, perhaps because of bad knees or a preference to sit and visit, were Tom Sinnott, Joe Maxim, Denny DePrimio, Mike Kondrla, Jim Yoder and Jim Macdonald. The menus for the two-day event displayed geographic variety since nine states were represented. However, the beverage menus were more limited to the adult type. Andy Canale of Newton MA passed away in February. A native of Memphis, Andy obtained his PhD and was a practicing psychologist. Condolences to Kay and the rest of the family. Marty Kuharich of Springfield IL passed away in June. Marty was a native of Hammond and a long-time employee of the State of Illinois, finishing his career with the Dept. of Professional Regulation. He also refereed high school football on the side. He is survived by Joyce and their sons, Anthony ’97 and Michael ’99. Chuck Snakard continues his annual tradition of a lengthy historical trip, this year traveling throughout the Pacific, over to Australia and New Zealand, visiting WWII sites. Also from Chuck and other classmates who have visited the WWII Museum in New Orleans, it is a first-rate institution well worth a trip. Betty and I had a chance to visit with Dale and Bob Latiff of Alexandria VA over lunch. Bob was on campus to teach a class in a summer program for rising high school seniors. Even though Bob is a retired Air Force officer, Dale explained that it is her preference that they travel to campus by Amtrak when possible. Collis Jones visited campus twice this spring, once for a b-ball reunion with his two sons as guests. Then in April, the ABA had a 50th anniversary gathering in Indianapolis that presented an opportunity to bring his twin daughters to campus for a tour and a visit with Polly DeCicco, Coach Mike’s widow. Both were opportune times to show all four kids the ’71 team’s pictures that still grace the upper level of the JACC concourse. Paul Bonitatibus escorted his grandson from New Orleans to campus for summer soccer camp. Jane and Tim O’Connor came from upstate New York to visit kids and their grandson. Thus, an instant foursome for Paul, Tim, Betty and me. Even though it was our course, Paul had home court advantage since the humid 90-degree afternoon was a mild spring breeze for him. Again, this football season we will tailgate on the back patio, so please stop by. We are five blocks south of the main gate. Enjoy the fall. — John Snider; 830 N. Saint Peter St., South Bend IN 46617-1936; res 574-217-8961; cell 312-860-1779; jlscpa@yahoo.com
71MBA More Travelers
Our classmates have done lots of traveling this year. Helena and Tony Strati spent two months this summer on a Danube River cruise and visiting friends and relatives in France, Germany and Italy. They also made several trips back to Elkhart to visit relatives. While in South Bend, they visited with Patricia and Rod Spear. Rod continues his docent work at the Snite Museum of Art on campus and is president of his Mishawaka High School alumni group. They welcome visitors to the South Bend area. Gary Groom lives most of the year in Florida and continues to dance up a storm. He plans to be back in Indiana soon. I have sources that report that Louise and Steve Anella visited Cuba last year with an ND traveling group. Robbie (Parker) Fackelman ’71MA and I returned from a road trip to Colorado to see our new granddaughter. We plan trips to South Bend and Evanston this fall for football games. — Jim Fackelman; 4635 Lakeview Circle, Slinger WI 53086; res 262-644-6245; cell 414-379-0968; jfackelman@alumni.nd.edu
71JD Class Secretary — E. Bryan Dunigan;
221 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1454, Chicago IL 60601; 312-857-2114; bdunigan@duniganlaw.com
72 A Bit of Campus History
Let me know if you ever donated something to ND archives? Last spring, I did, and the Class of 1969 blog posted it: a New York Times full-page ad from 1969 (to learn more, visit notredameclassof1969blog.blogspot.com and search for “Notre Dame no nonsense ad”). Also, let me know if any of your professors started their classes with a prayer? The late Edward A. Goerner ’52 did with this: “Send us, O Lord, the Holy Spirit among whose gifts are wisdom and understanding.” Then there’s advice that Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, gave a married veteran. It has been quoted often, including by David O. McKay, the late president of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). I think it may be the most important thing Father Hesburgh ever said or did, more than his work in academia, race relations, ecumenism, etc. The veteran asked him how he could best show his love for his children. Father responded, “Love their mother.” The first expression of this advice I have found appeared in Reader’s Digest in January 1963, but it may have been said when he was serving as chaplain to Vetville, the home of students who were married veterans located north of the current Hesburgh Memorial Library. He was chaplain before he became president in 1952. I wonder how his advice became public. Joe Markosek is retiring this fall after 36 years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Like a student with a perfect attendance record, Joe never missed a vote. His son Brandon hopes to fill his shoes. Bill McDevitt retires next spring. He attended Villanova Law School and practiced law in Philadelphia for 15 years. In 1990, after teaching as an adjunct for a few semesters at Saint Joseph’s U, he joined the full-time faculty as a business law professor in the Haub School of Business. Dave Keitges and Dick Schultz were roommates in Keenan Hall for seven semesters. After graduation, they volunteered with the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) for two years at Nanzan High School and University, Nagoya, Japan. Dick spent 33 years in IT as a manager and senior executive. He’s been married 40 years to Helen and lives in Ashburn VA. Their two sons are married. The older one, Michael ’04, married Gill Dukes ’04SMC. Alfred J. Angeli informs us that Mike Martinelli is on the ballot for New York Supreme Court, the name of the state’s trial-level court. Edward Lay passed away Nov. 24, 2008. He is survived by his brother Gerard of Coraopolis PA. Deacon Jerry Kostas passed away on March 18 in Evergreen CO. His wife Debbie survives him. J. Victor Lupo, passed away March 27 and he is survived by his wife Regina and their four children. James M. Brennan III MD passed on April 18 and is survived by his wife Michelle and their three children. Let us pray for each other, living and deceased, to the Mother of Holiness. — Jim Thunder; thundergroup@alumni.nd.edu
72MBA Happy News, Sad News, No News
We've gone from happy news to sad news in last issue to no news this time. That is better than sad at least. I’m writing this in mid-July and hoping everyone is enjoying the summer. As you read it, we’ll be in the middle of football season and hoping the Irish are doing well. Also, I’m hoping to get some news, preferably good, for next time. — Alex McLellan; cell 913-991-0944; irish72mba@excite.com
72JD Class Secretary — Chris Schraff;
1881 Marble Cliff Crossing Court, Columbus OH 43204; 614-227-2097; cschraff@porterwright.com
73 Successful Reunion
More than 150 classmates, spouses and others attended our 45th reunion on campus May 31 to June 3. A good time was had by all, and I would highly encourage any classmates who could not make it back to this reunion to please put the 50th reunion on your calendar. It will be held the first weekend in June in 2023. You should come to the reunion to see the incredible construction and changes to the campus in the last 10 years. We were blessed to have our Saturday night dinner atop the east stands of Notre Dame Stadium affording the class an incredible view of the campus. Our dinner speakers were interesting. Dr. John Gaski ʼ71 spoke Friday night about the changes at Notre Dame. The Gas Man’s speech was delivered with his usual wit and candor. Speaking Saturday night was former ND basketball star Chris (Hawk) Stevens, a professor in the business school. Hawk provided us with his perspective of what is happening at Notre Dame and the professors touched on the athletic success in non-football sports and, of course, prognosticated about Irish football for 2018. Another highlight of the reunion was our Class Mass on Friday evening. Over 150 of our classmates have passed away. We remembered these individuals with our petitions and prayers. Space won’t permit me here to mention every one of the 157 attendees, but I will make note of some of the people with whom I spoke. Robin Beran came up from Padre Island TX where he is enjoying retirement following a stellar career at Caterpillar in Peoria IL. Gary Caruso returned from Washington DC where he still dabbles in the liberal side of things. I played golf with Gerald Clarke and Jim Diette on Saturday at the Warren Golf Course. Gerald is an accountant in Appleton WI and Jim has been practicing dentistry in Connecticut since graduation. Jim was especially sharp answering the sports trivia questions. Former football manager Bill Duffy was in attendance. I enjoyed talking at the Saturday night dinner with Walt Hanley. Bill Kemp, a former attorney with General Motors, came in from Michigan. Nick Kiernan, after an impressive career at CBS, is engaged in new entrepreneurial activities. One person who has not missed a reunion is David Klunk who still resides in his hometown in Pennsylvania. I attended the Sycamore Trust meeting on Saturday with Rich Maggi. Looking dapper as he always does showing his store’s clothing line was John Maus of West Palm Beach FL. John visited his vacation home in Petoskey MI prior to coming down to ND. I enjoyed conversing with Sharon and Bob May who reside near Wichita KS. Their son works at ND, so they get back to campus frequently. I also spoke with Paul McGee who is living in Chicago. It was good to catch up with Ray Mohrman who is still a physician in St. Louis MO. Ray’s son and my son were classmates and close friends at Illinois Wesleyan U. Remember Bob Moorman? He still is active in charitable work in Florida. Coming in from Las Vegas was John Mowbray. John is one of the most prominent attorneys in the State of Nevada. Dome editor Mike Paulius was present. Susan and Bill Phillips, with whom I played golf last year at the senior alumni golf outing, arrived from Missouri and enjoyed a great time. The Pittsburgh contingent was represented by Sandy and Ray Popeck along with Pat and Jim Bulger. Jim is said to still be able to throw a football a country mile. I didn’t see Jim and his sidekick Jim Roolf tossing any footballs around, however. Bill Reitz was in attendance. I enjoyed a nice conversation with Bill Sauerland who is still working in Libertyville IL just north of Chicago. John Young came up from St. Louis. I will have some additional reports in the next column. I heard from a few other classmates who could not make the reunion. Bob Scott writes from Lenexa KS where he is the judge for the City of Lenexa. It sounds like a great gig, Bob. It was good to hear from Mike LaFrance, the best golfer in our class. Mike manages a golf course in Brandenburg KY. Please keep your information and news coming. — Michael W. Hansen; 3013 Sanctuary Court, Joliet IL 60435; mikehansen@mikehansenlaw.com
73MBA Happy 45th Anniversary Continued
Gene Schraeder shares that he returned to ND to attend his 50th undergrad reunion of the Class of ’68. He had the chance to stay with Chuck Welter for a couple days and they got in some golf as well as visiting his son’s distillery in Three Oaks Michigan. FYI, the spirits are outstanding, and they are served in the bar at the Morris Inn. The distillery name is Journeyman. Reunion was wonderful with a full tribute ceremony to Vietnam vets in front of the admin building. Former Indiana governor and POW Joe Kernan ’68 was there, as was four-time Super Bowl winner Rocky Bleier ’68. FYI, Rocky has produced a one-man show called The Play, which recaps his life. Even if you were not an ND fan, the show is worth seeing. They may be taking it on the road. Gene and his wife Ellen loved it. Also, the dinner was held in the upper level of the football stadium, which probably is the last time he will be there since he has not donated a building to the school. They got a picture with Lou Holtz as he was the key note speaker. My granddaughter Victoria turns 16 in January and will be driving soon. Our grandsons James and Will are tearing up the elementary park soccer fields. Let the Spirit continue to have all our classmates respond and share anniversary stories and new email addresses with us. You are always welcome to contact us when in Southern California. If you have not corresponded in some time, please take the time to share your experiences with your classmates. Please continue to forward your new email addresses and those of classmates. — Thomas Jindra; 7179 Alviso Ave., Jurupa Valley CA 92509; res and fax 951-685-2091; tajindra@charter.net
73JD Class Secretary — Tony Palumbo;
tpalumbo@palumbowolfe.com
74 Autumn Already?
Here we are full force into autumn. Where did the summer go? It is only eight months until our 45th reunion. Please remember to designate your funding to the University for your annual giving and earmark it to our 1974 class reunion and join us. Some of us have fleeting memories, so meeting new people, even though you sat next to them in class long ago, is especially fun. Let’s start with Jim Hyman. Jim is the co-chair of the senior alumni committee for the ND Club of Chicago, and he’s kicking that committee into gear. So far, we’ve met for lunch, volunteered at Our Lady of the Angels and had several after-hours events. Here is interesting info on Jim: he has traveled to Ireland by himself at least six times. It was great fun seeing Tim (Phantom) Daro and Tom (Ribs) Mirabito this summer. Tom’s son Nate got married in July. It was a bit of a scorcher that day in Chicago, yet the event was fun. We guessed that Tom brought his weather from Florida with him. Gary Potempa is on the board of the ND Club of Chicago. It’s great to see our class represented in Chicago, as I now step away as the president emeritus. Gary will do a great job for the club. I told him he had better make us proud. Jim (Whales) Whalen tells of finally closing the books on due bills from the 2018 POG (Phantom — aka Saul — thought the terms were net 30 and just paid). The POG men had 11 boys in the Venetian Palace. “A great time at 2018 POG with many great memories, golf matches, beach time, adult beverages, pool/spa time, great food and many stories.” Apparently, Steve “Buck” Rodgers won the ART in going away fashion for his story telling. The POG boys are gearing up for their 2019 bonding in Destin FL in April. I was honored to receive the annual gift they present to the POG adventurers. I love my keychain. I trust everyone was able to secure their second loan to buy football tickets for this season. I look forward to seeing most of you at least at the tailgates. I personally enjoyed being on YouTube for ND Day, talking about our veteran initiative that I initiated when president of the ND Chicago Club. Like good health, we all take it for granted until it’s not there. It is the same with freedom, we are blessed that America has such beautiful freedom for all, so unlike other countries. Share your news, please. Remember to line item your contribution to our reunion, and may God Bless. — Dede Simon; 440 N. Wabash Ave. No. 3905, Chicago IL 60611; 312-882-3731; domerdede@aol.com
74MBA Lack of News
Since the last issue of Notre Dame Magazine, I have not received contact from any of our esteemed 1974 MBA classmates. Everyone who had contacted me previously, and who had included some personal information to share, mentioned how glad they were to read about the comings and goings of our fellow 1974 graduates. However, I cannot publish what I do not know. So, this is a plea to all who have enjoyed reading about our MBA compatriots: contact me. It does not take very much of your time. There are many of you out there about whom we would like to hear. — Jack Burnett; 19248 Glen Eagles Drive, Livonia MI 48152; 734-464-3458; jburnet1@sbcglobal.net
74JD Four More Years
Mike O’Connell won re-election as Jefferson County Attorney in Louisville convincingly with 63 percent of the vote. Mike and Ellen’s daughter Annie is running for Jefferson Circuit Court judge. This quarter’s suggested reading is International Shoe Co. v. Washington. Take care. — Joe O’Reilly; cell 502-649-6944; joe.oreilly34@icloud.com
75 Tom Harrison Honored
American Studies buddy Tom Harrison reports from California that he was the 2018 recipient of the Max Hart Lifetime Achievement Award from the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation. This award recognizes outstanding career accomplishments by a fundraising professional. He is retired from serving as the CEO of the Russ Reid agency. Mike Dent of Holy Cross Hogs fame is retired and splitting his time between Seattle and Huntington Beach CA. Recently he had a fun reunion with Milton Miles in South Carolina and made phone contact with Anthony Warren, who lives in Alabama. Paul “Nana” Ryan, also a “Hog,” wrote to share the details of a Holy Cross Hall minireunion that was organized by Drew Danik who teaches in the South Bend Schools. The latest gathering was during the NC State weekend and involved 100 former Hogs and their spouses, including classmates Bedford Bruno, Mark Anzelon, Dick Kelley, Joe D’Alusio, Rick Golden, Scott Dentz, Jesse Lamsam, Tom Lionelli, Mike Fitzgerald, Frank Loftus, Ed Merrion, Steve Cahir, Ken Scarola, Drew Danik and Paul Ryan. The 2018 reunion was Sept. 14-16 for the Vanderbilt game. Please remember in your prayers our late classmate, Robert Tracey of Geneva IL. He passed away March 12, and is survived by his wife, Leigh Crowley, and three children. I had the good fortune to follow ND women hoopsters to Columbus OH for the NCAA title game in early April. What a thrill to see Arike’s high-arch shot strike gold. I stayed with Jack Malone, who served as a deacon at Easter Mass that morning. Then I had lunch in Indy the next day with Ed Elliott from Vermont, who was visiting family in the Hoosier State. It is a small world and lifelong friendships are still going strong. Congrats to Jed Curtis’s son, Conor, who was married in Seattle in March. Thanks for sending so much timely news. Keep it up. — Norm Bower; 3946 Fernwood Ave., Davenport IA 52807; 563-349-0469; normbower@mchsi.com
75MBA Class Secretary — Jim Ouimet;
215-862-3080; jimouimet@comcast.net
75JD Excellence in Education
Coachella Valley teacher and nationally acclaimed education advocate, Chauncey Veatch was recognized at the 2018 Latino Spirit Awards and was presented with the inaugural “Friend of the Latino Community” citation for his contributions to excellence in education. In 2002, out of several million deserving candidates, Chauncey was named National Teacher of the Year and was honored at a White House ceremony by President George W. Bush. Our classmate is also an Army veteran. Bill Grimmer is an adjunct professor at the law school. He spent nearly a decade as a state prosecutor in Michigan and more than 30 years as a federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice in South Bend before retiring. Bill has taught at the law school as an adjunct since 1990; his son Patrick is a recent law graduate. Sometime back, Fred Bernardi was profiled in the Pekin Daily Times following his retirement as chief public defender in Tazewell County. In his role, he defended the indigent for more than 40 years, supervised a large staff of assistants, and earned a reputation as an “amiable perfectionist” in and around the county courthouse. In addition to his undergraduate and law degrees from Notre Dame, Fred has a master’s degree in law from Harvard U. Drop me an email and let me know what is happening in your life, so we can keep this column active. Go Irish. — Frederick Giel; fggiel@gmail.com
76 Smooth Sailing
Rosemary Tirinnanzi Lesser and her husband Dave celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary by sailing their boat La Vie en Rose around Vancouver Island and south to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and on to Baja, Mexico. Rosemary and Dave designed the boat and it was launched in 2012. They had originally planned to sail across the Pacific this summer to Tasmania for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, but some unavoidable delays cut their time short, so they stayed on the West Coast. They attended the Navy game in San Diego. Don Opal wrote that Ted Ursu was named Man of the Year by the Notre Dame Club of Cleveland. He was inducted at a ceremony in September. This was a great honor for Ted, who has been very active in the club. Bruce Fortelka welcomed his second granddaughter who was born to his daughter Kim Kuchenbecker ’07. Vince Converse retired to a home he and his wife Raquel built in Bataan, Philippines. Vince spent 20 years as a Naval officer and another 20 as an IT project manager with CSC. In 1997, Vince sponsored a child, Jenalee Almes ’06 from the Philippines. After graduating with a degree in environmental geosciences, she married Gabriel Converse ’07PhD. (No relation to Vince). They have two children, Gabrielle and Cameron and work at Purdue. Vince sends best wishes to his NROTC and Stanford friends. Dan Adler wrote that his father, Joe Adler ’53 died in June. Joe loved Notre Dame and the Cubs. He was a firm believer in the power of prayer. While at Notre Dame he visited the Grotto often and at one of those visits he prayed for guidance in finding a wife. Shortly thereafter he met a Saint Mary’s student, Jodie Biddle, and they were married 52 years until her death in 2014. Jack Wertzberger is an attorney in Dubuque and just completed his term as president of Humanities Iowa. Jack continues on the Humanities Iowa board as past president and also serves his Dubuque community on the boards of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and the Dubuque Museum of Art. Wendy Duffy is hoping to identify class members who might want to take a cruise sponsored by the Alumni Association. She has met with Notre Dame’s travel representative and identified three cruises planned for 2019 that don’t conflict with football season. They are Legendary Europe, Awe of Alaska and Gaelic Glory. If you are interested, contact Wendy at duffeyinboston@aol.com. Please continue to send me news and updates. Also, be sure to check our class website at 1976.undclass.org for the latest information about class activities. — Mary Anne Kennedy Reilly; 7423 18th St. NE, Saint Petersburg FL 33702; 727-480-1251; mareilly@rfs-pa.com
76MBA Class Secretary — Mike Norris;
mikenorris@alumni.nd.edu
76JD Class Secretary — Virgil L. Roth;
625 Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 255, South Pasadena CA 91030; 626-441-1178; fax 626-441-1166; vroth@vlrlaw.com
77 Family Milestones
Maureen O’Neill, director of development for Oxford Law, heard University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC, ’76, ’78MA speak at Oxford U’s Pembroke College just before she and her husband Martin traveled north for a wedding. Mary and John Shaughnessy’s daughter Kathleen received her PhD in physical therapy at Northwestern U in April, and Chris Bergin’s daughter, Kelly, graduated from Oklahoma U Law School in May. Victoria Stephan and her husband Terry Westbrook celebrated the wedding of son Christopher Nelson to Mary Kidney, at the U of Chicago Quadrangle Club in May. Chris is a U of Chicago Law School graduate. Many alumni, family and friends of Evelyn and Edmund Stephan ’33 joyfully attended. Lauri and Jim Sullivan, assistant director of Notre Dame’s Executive MBA Program, hosted the June wedding of daughter Kerry Sullivan ’13 to Dennis Smith ’13 in Saugatuck MI. Kerry and Dennis work in Manhattan and will make their home in Hoboken NJ. Jim and Lauri hosted Ellen Duffy Naylor and her husband Rodgers this summer. The couple are 1998 MBA alumni of the Darden School of Business at U of Virginia. Ellen and Rodgers, who live in Denver, traveled to Midwest art fairs in June. Rodgers created a portrait that was used for the poster for the 57th Street Hyde Park Art Festival, currently in its 71st year. Barb and Paul Heroman and Barb and Cris Armstrong were cruising the Rhine River Valley on July 4, a trip that came together during our 40th reunion last year. Paul is an assistant director of the Stayer Center’s EMBA program. Phyllis Provost McNeil and her son Doug attended her niece Melissa’s graduation in Birmingham AL. Then they helped her DAR chapter place 86 flags on the graves of Revolutionary War veterans of Cheshire CT for Memorial Day with her son Duncan. Carol and Tim Cawley hosted an annual ’77 dinner in Chicago with Louise (Karas) and Tom Hayden, Tricia and John Donahue, Kathy Walker Beenen, Peg Hornback Culhane and Mike Culhane, Tom Digan and Mike Miller, who flew in from Cleveland. Class president Rob Tully enjoyed the 32nd annual Cubs and Pubs weekend in Chicago with Bill Walsh, Jay Pittas and Mike Santillo. Montgomery Kersten met Mickey Mouse at Disneyland for the first time with identical twin sons Zachary and Xander, 9, and son, Kalion, 7, and his wife Christy. Dave Caron and Deborah Mackellar Jackson married in July. Sean Farrell ran the ND program in Haiti for two years helping distribute fortified salt that kills a disease-causing parasite. He learned its Bon Sel delivery truck was burned to ash in Port Au Prince riots. John Curran reached mandatory retirement in June, completing a 41-year career with Deloitte. Stan Bobowski works in commercial and residential real estate in Naperville IL. Bill Ellsworth enjoyed a mid-June golf trip to Nova Scotia with Dave Sonego, Rich Wanders, and Rich Wanders’ brother, Steve. Lynn Mertensotto Girard plans to attend the 2019 US Senior Open June 24-30 at ND’s Warren Golf Course with friends. Sheila O’Brien, Janet Carney O’Brien, Elaine Cerny Raccuglia, Deb Kenny Ellsworth, Eileen O’Grady Daday, Donna Hinton, Kathy Walker Beenen, Estelle Broussard Huston, and I met for a Millennium Park concert in Chicago in August. Deb Kenny Ellsworth and Bill Ellsworth welcomed Finn and Liam Ellsworth, identical twin sons of Ashley and Brian Ellsworth. Carolyn Short and Joe Torsella welcomed grandson Logan Henry, son of Kelly and William Henry. Our condolences go out to Rob Pfeifer on the loss of his father, Joseph. We were heartbroken to hear of the passing of Michael Stillwell and Timothy Marcotte. Both lived in Zahm Hall. Services were attended by many Zahm Hall brothers. Please send your news to me at the email address below. — Virginia McGowan Bishop; 847-291-7510; classof1977@alumni.nd.edu
77MBA Greetings to All
Brenda Darnley Martin sent a note that her mother, Eloise Darnley, passed at the age of 93 in Bloomfield Hills MI on Nov. 21, 2017. She was the proud matriarch of her Notre Dame family that included Brenda, Deborah Darnley-Fisch MD ’78, James Dana Darnley ’79, and son-in-law Michael J. Martin ’74. I am still working. My sons have graduated from college. Charlie graduated from Ole Miss and George from Michigan in December. After paying tuition, I do stand for “Hail to the Victors.” — Alan J. Fisher; afisher@hoeyfarina.com
77JD Time for Travel and Volunteering
Some retired classmates stay busy with children, grandchildren, travel and volunteer opportunities. Kathie DeMetz retired after 37 years as a public defender in Cleveland where she was periodically seen on TV headed to an initial hearing with a high-profile defendant. Kathie can now be seen volunteering at the Cleveland Convention Center, Kids’ Book Bank, food bank, and animal shelter. Kathie took a break from volunteer activities to celebrate her son Marc’s graduation with an advanced degree from Harvard Business School. She also has more time to help the growing family of her daughter Carrie, vice president of a Catholic grade school, and to watch her beloved Cavaliers and Browns. Kathie is no fair-weather or winning-season fan. Bill Chenoweth and Linda Olivieri celebrated their daughter’s PhD in marine biology from the U of Alaska Fairbanks with a trip to Alaska to attend Ellen’s oral defense of her dissertation. They also enjoy time with daughter Katie Lopez ’05, program manager of the Office of Global Activities at U of M, her husband, Bill Lopez ’05, and grandkids Mia and Miguel. Please send news of your latest endeavors. — Janey Bennett; 4100 Edison Lakes Parkway, Mishawaka IN 46545; res 574-383-5745; bus 574-243-4100; jbenn@maylorber.com
78 Fall Foray
As you know, in June we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our graduation and it was a blast. My journey back to campus was entertaining from the start because my travel partners were John Delaney, Rich Riley, John “Cuz” Coyne and Jimmy “Dun-bar” Dunne. Shortly after arrival, we ran into Stan Ziehrel. Our class was housed in the Ritz-Carlton of dormitories, Dunne Hall, and Pat Flynn and company did a fantastic job of stocking our lobby area with plenty of liquid refreshments. Jay Scanlon has finally eased into retirement, leaving the family business, Governor Clinton Cleaners, in the capable hands of his son. Bill “Beefsteak” Reifsteck was in from California, and we reminisced about senior. Danny Romano hosted an outstanding golf event Thursday at his club, Butterfield in Chicago. Jim “Boobie” Clarke and Greg “ Sweets” Switaj were honored to be invited. Jeff “Carp” Carpenter had an emergency dental issue and had to miss it. Johnny Talbot was there. Jamie Stephens, Larry Morris, Michael Conat and Tom O'Neill also were firing their irons. Pat Flynn hosted a golf event at Morris Park on Friday morning which was equally successful. Jimmy “Martini” Martin, John “Cuz” Coyne, Don “Dancing Bear” Smail, and Jimmy “Dun-Bar” Dunne added sparkle to this outing. We had a beautiful Mass on Friday evening, celebrated by Rev. Ed Shea, OFM, in the Dunne Hall Chapel. Mass was followed by dinner in the Joyce Center, where our class honored the legendary Irish coach, Digger Phelps, eloquently introduced by Marianne Corr. Scott Malpass ’84, vice president and chief investment officer of the University, also addressed the class. On Saturday evening, we enjoyed a dinner at the Morris Inn with guest speaker Rev. Bill Lies, CSC, ’93, the new provincial of the US Province of the Holy Cross order. At this dinner, our infamous trip to Hawaii was chanced off. The winner was Jim McMenamin. One table at this dinner looked like the crew that used to dance the nights away in South Bend. Jim “Boobie” Clarke, Tony “Disco” Crudele, Pat “Jaws” Coveny and Don “Dancing Bear” Smail were checking to see if they still had the moves. I also saw Dr. Bob March, noted heart surgeon for many years at Rush-Presbyterian hospital in Chicago, who recently brought his expertise to St Joseph Hospital in South Bend. Our after-dinner gatherings were in the common area of Dunne Hall, which you can imagine, was like party central. There was Mike Van Acker and Ed May, reliving tales of happenings in Alumni Hall all those years ago. Mike Hellinghausen and Mark Baumgartner were excited to see many fellow Alumni Hall Dawgs in attendance. Michelle Quinn and Nace Mullen shared memories of their days serving on the Sophomore Literary Festival Committee together. There was Mary White Packer chatting with Dennis Doughty, Lorraine Ehrline Sedlacek reminiscing with Tom “Tippy” Coryn and Brian Cronin. Pete “Tis” O’Sullivan was excited to be back for his first reunion. Pete “Hales” Haley, Steve “Bones” Conover, Randy “Wheat” Heimbuch and I attended a lecture at DeBartolo Hall on Saturday titled, “Living Your Spirituality.” Dr. John “FX” Horan was transfixed by the new leprechaun statue at the Joyce Center. Denny Ogburn, still as humorous as ever, is still practicing law in Louisville KY. Sheryl Daigle Switaj, Danielle Ponozzo Clark, Diane Galdikas, Gulyas, Lynne Savard Glennon and Diane Halliwell Byers were thrilled to be back on campus and share stories of those special days in Badin Hall. Arriving on Saturday were Colleen Hickey and Kathy Valdiserri, as well as Maureen and Mike Staub. It was good to see Mary Emich, still active in outdoor sports, and still a great conversationalist. Danny James was in good spirits; his unmistakable laugh was in fine form. Speaking with Mike Conaty is like taking a mini class, he is knowledgeable on so many topics. Vicki Lopez lives in Miami FL and runs her own community and government relations firm. Marge (Meagher) Hamm lives in Wilmette IL and is the director of the Chicago Bears Care organization. She is married to Ward Hamm ’79. Tracy (Kee) Christopher lives in Houston TX where she is an elected appellate judge for the 14th Court of Appeals. Molly (McGuire) Lieberman lives in Allentown PA. Molly made her first trip to Ireland and goes back to nannying her grandchildren in the fall. Nancy Cox PhD lives in Nashville TN and is the director of the Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt U. She is also the founding director of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute. Also enjoying the magic were Pat Dermody, Kathy Brennan Thomsen, Lyssa O’Neill McCaughey, Chris Kluka, Molly Murtaugh Myers, Mary Beth Tumulty Brandes, Lisa Lyons Stevens, Ann Keenan McCarthy, Maureen Kelly Berkley and Liz Naquin Borger. Rosemary (Marx) and Steve Durant were in from San Francisco. Many thanks to Mary Lou Mulvihill Skalkos and Pat Flynn, for their efforts to make this such a memorable weekend. Please remember in your prayers the families of Liz Naquin Borger, whose husband died, Steve Conover, whose mother died, and Mark “Bubba” Molloy, who passed away suddenly in January. Thanks to Bill “Hoagy” Carmichael for passing this along. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. Stay in touch. — Jim “Souls” Coyne; 1801 Butler Pike, Apt. 20, Conshohocken PA 19428; 267-847-8808; jcoyne@cohs.com
78MBA Class Secretary — Mamie Anthoine Ney;
350 Alewive Road, Kennebunk ME 04043-6013; res 207-229-0989; bus 207-333-6640 ex 2020; irishwasherwoman@alumni.nd.edu
78JD Class Secretary — Dan LaVille;
US Bankruptcy Court, One Division Avenue North, Room 200, Grand Rapids MI 49503; bus 616-732-2751; dlaville@comcast.net
79 Reunion Alert
We will celebrate our 40-year reunion next spring. Jerry Castellini, our president and president and CIO of CastleArk Management in Chicago, already has started planning. Please attend and insist that your friends and roommates do as well. Steve Welch wrote about his fellow Howard Hall resident and cross-country teammate Joe Strohman, who received the Ben E. Nordman Public Service Award from the Ventura County Bar Association in recognition of his career-spanning commitment to public service, including Legal Aid, the local ND Club, an organization to feed the poor, and the Rotary Club. Joe, who has three daughters, has been with Ferguson Case Orr Paterson since 1983. Mary (Hesburgh) and Jay Flaherty made a generous donation to rehab Corby Hall and to assist aging CSCs. Val (Stefani) Cahill, who lives in the Chicago area, is the proud grandmother of James Patrick. Condolences to James Darnley, whose mother died in 2017. Jeff (Abe) Kohler reports from Philadelphia that after a career with the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer, he has been leading his own retained executive search firm that specializes in recruiting newspaper and digital senior executives for 23 years. Abe and Mo ’81SMC enjoy teaching their grandchildren Rachel and Timothy about ND. Also in Philly, Gary DeVito and Joe Toddy are partners at their law firm. Abe and Gary are investors in an Irish distillery on the River Moy in County Mayo. Alex Tomei, a financial planner and proud grandfather, was elected East Region Director of the ND Alumni Board following his presidency of the ND Central Jersey Club. Mary (Shukis) and Dr. Rick Behler ’77MA, ’79PhD live in Philly and DC. DiAnne and George Scanlon live in Jacksonville and Chicago. George is the retired CEO of FNF and serves on various public and non-profit boards. Longtime pals Joe Ferrara and John Romanelli are in New York. Joe is the VP and general manager of strategic development and industry/government relations for US Concrete. After a 25-year career as an investment banker, John founded a corporate finance advisory firm assisting public and privately-held companies with a variety of strategic matters. Kevin Dages serves as an expert witness on valuation and accounting as part of Compass Lexecon's international litigation practice. In 2010, Bob Rasmus founded Hi-Crush Proppants, an industry leader in the raw frac sand sector. He shuttles between Houston and Chicago. After retiring from Navistar, Tom Feifar joined Optimum Vehicle Logistics as its GM in Milwaukee. He and Kathy live in Inverness IL. Tom and George Behrens report that at the Northwestern game they will convene a 39-year anniversary celebration of the Dillon Hall “Tools’ Wuss Hockey World Championship.” They expect Tim Craig, Bill Grady, Ward Hamm, Tom Noonan, John Smith, Bob Rasmus, Jim MacKrell, and Mike Brooks to attend. Cathy (Santoro) and Bruce Flowers live in Elmhurst IL. Bruce was honored at ND for the 40th anniversary of the 1978 Final Four basketball team. He is the procurement officer for Park Ridge. He also volunteers as a coach and mentor for sports and recreation activities for adults with special needs. For 20 years, Cathy has been the head librarian and a reading resource teacher at Ascension Grade School in Oak Park. Thanks to this column’s stringer, Abe, for a good portion of the news. Please let us know what you and your friends are up to. — Barbara A. Langhenry; 3901 Whitman Ave., Cleveland OH 44113; res 216-651-8962; bus 216-664-2893; breclw@aol.com
79MBA Class Secretary — Patty Kennedy Kerr;
7750 Leonard St. NE, Ada MI 49301; 616-682-1223; kerrtaxcpa@gmail.com
79JD Class Secretary — Daniel F. McNeil;
1001 NW Lovejoy, Unit 205, Portland OR 97209; 503-539-9188; mcneil.daniel12@gmail.com