1960s

60 Reunion Recollections Needed

It appears our count for our 55th was about 100 classmates and 50 spouses or significant others. What a great class. Email your Reunion recollections to me. Paul Barela says, “*Father Ted* received the Laetare Medal in 1987. He was a unique person who espoused and lived the tenets of the University as well or better than any other. Notre Dame has been a special place, before, during and after his presidency but much of what makes it special now is because of him. If you agree, send a note to the current president, Father John Jenkins. Former provost, Nathan Hatch who is now president of Wake Forest, has written a nice note on the Internet titled, ‘What I learned from Father Ted.’” Wejay Bundara sends a pre-Reunion note, “I guess our era is coming to an end. It seems to have passed so quickly. All we can do is hang on as best as we can for as long as we can. I have been doing well except for an arthritic knee. I passed my annual FAA flight physical last week so I can fly for another year. I hope to survive long enough to fly my plane to ND June 2015.” Tim Carroll says that on Feb. 15 Bruce Cossacchi visited him in Arizona with his pal, Briget, and their RV. He was glad to have caught up with them. He continues, “*Tom Hirons* and Janet are now here from Santa Fe. I’m dragging them out for one of my favorite hikes, including a mountain which includes a dangerous area known as Fat Man’s Gap, so the ND family is never far away. I have talked with former Ambassador Thomas Simons, part of my 18-person brain trust who is prepping me for our Reunion presentation in June. (He is still at Harvard and churning out about one book every two years.) According to Terry Keating’s note, I am to be entertaining and enlightening. I’ll certainly give it the old college try. I have been invited back to Embassy/Warsaw and to Embassy/London in April so I ought to pick up some interesting factoids therein. Please don’t hold the event in the beer tent. I’d lose the whole audience in a thrice.” Mike McKee and Fred Gade, aka “The Doc” in the 1960 University theatre production of The Most Happy Fellow, attended a recent ND Glee Club minireunion in Alexandria VA. Bill Ward says, “In these days of remembrance, I thought I’d share with the class my initial memory of Father Ted. My first time at Notre Dame was reporting for our freshman year. Seeing the campus for the first time, I began a tour when a priest ran into me and asked if he could show me around and I accepted. After a while he suggested I should meet the girls of Saint Mary’s and suggested that he was driving there in 10 minutes and if I would wait outside the admin building he’d take me there. I waited and rode with him. It was some time during orientation that I realized that the priest was the president, Father Ted.” Mary Kay Biddle Aisthorpe ’61SMC writes that John Edwin Aisthorpe died in 1988, just four years after retiring from the Navy. “Our daughter, Kelly Aisthorpe Waller ’86SMC, married John Waller ’86 and in honor of her 50th birthday, they established a scholarship at Notre Dame in honor of her dad. The Capt. John E. Aisthorpe Memorial Scholarship is directed to outstanding ND students in need of financial assistance, specifically whose family background is military. As the class of ’60 will be celebrating their 55th reunion, I am hopeful John’s classmates can be made aware of the scholarship. John truly loved Notre Dame and was very active in the ND Club here in Atlanta for many years until his death.” Arlene and Dave Christian have become involved with Arlington [VA] Neighborhood Village organization that aims to help people age in place. Volunteers are matched up to folks who need assistance, such as driving them to medical appointments, taking notes during the appointments, grocery shopping, hooking up computers, etc. They would like to hear from classmates who may have information on similar ventures. Diane and Leo Dilling have had a whirlwind medical issue with Leo’s August 22 bypass surgery, which started as a urinary tract infection. All worked out well in the end, and they are thankful for the thoughts and prayers from classmates. Leo was back home on August 27 – pretty quick, Leo! Nick Healy writes, “I was the first President of Ave Maria University, serving in that capacity from 1999 until 2011. Throughout those years I was also a member of the Board of Trustees. Now I am heading up a group to start a new college in Ireland. It is going great. Newman College Ireland has 14 students and is having its inaugural year in Rome. I travel frequently to Ireland to select facilities for a campus and set up all the ensuing parts of the college.” Gretchen and Mike McKee and Nancy and Ron Zlotnik have been congratulating each other for their 50th wedding anniversaries. And Congratulations from all your classmates! Priscilla and Chuck Sawicki have recently moved to Willow Valley Retirement Communities. He and Bill McCoy had dinner at Lancaster Stockyards, and Chuck says Jules knows almost everyone in Lancaster PA. Chuck asks the class to say a prayer for Priscilla who is starting radiation on multiple myeloma that has spread to her spine. Dick Nowery notes “we are at that stage in our lives where sickness, death, etc. is inevitable! But with faith and help from the Lord and friends we go on no matter what! You have been an inspiration for our class so keep up the good work!” Update from Tom Kamp: “In early October, I had a double laminectomy and a fusion of three levels. Linda and I went to Patagonia for 17 days in January 2015. In January and March 2014 we went to Guatemala and Tanzania, respectively. Both trips had a requirement to do a 3+ mile walk. Enjoyed the note on Nester Weigand’s 75th bash. That whole crew of Fay, Waters, and McCoy were always in the same dorm as Belmont and I and we had lots of fun with them. I did send Terry a contribution for the class treasury with one caveat –not to be used to bail out Detroit.” — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No.103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; 239-461-0980; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com

60JD Class Secretary — John DiNardo;

512-264-2027; johnadinardo.58@gmail.com

61 Catching Up

Rick Redznak has come out of hiding. He reports, in his first letter to ND Magazine since graduation in 1961, that he and wife Alexandra live in St. Johnsbury VT. They have three children: Alex, a captain in the 101st Airborne; Dennis in the Yankees’ front office; and daughter Kelly, with a son named “Calvin Cooledge.” In our freshman year he became friends with “Yaz” and sees him at Fenway Park from time to time. Rick was in Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines in Vietnam. He was wounded and spends a lot of his time with Wounded Warriors. After returning home he was a sociology and psychology teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy for 30 years. When he was 30, he went to the Grotto and prayed that God would help him find a wife. Within three weeks, he linked up with Alexandra, and they have been married for 43 years. He says Alexandra is a big ND fan. He has been trying to find his roommate Dennis Pollack for years. Mary Lou and Barry Schline have moved to a one-level cluster home (no stairs, no outside maintenance). It is only two miles from where they lived before so parish and involvement remains the same. His new email is bearnd61@gmail.com. Ted Dawson was kind enough to note my humanitarian award. He reported on the UND dinner on Feb. 15 in Naples FL where our class had the largest number in attendance, which gave rise to a photo op. Unfortunately, I could not open the picture to describe for you what kind of shape they were in. There were 13 in the photo including Mike Hoch, Prince Chuck Lennon, Phil Farley, George Bott, Ted Dawson, Dolly Duffy ’84, Dave Balane, Frank Annese, Paul Flemming, Spike Werner, Tim Monahan, John May and George Niemeyer. I have not received the annual report on the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Naples as of this writing, but hope to be able to report to you on that happening next time. Pat Smyth turned 76, and his sons, Pat and Sean, took him to Dublin for St. Pat’s week. A good time was had by all. He says he’ll see everybody at the Georgia Tech game Sept. 19, which is the weekend of our minireunion. Tom King said that Dolly Duffy and the Alumni Association are hosting an open house at the Eck Visitors Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 18, a good time to meet up. George Macor has a daughter Alison ’88 who penned an article for the spring ND Magazine titled, “Failure Is Not an Ending.” Larry McElvoy provided this info to me and says George and Judy are proud parents even though Alison received her master’s and PhD degrees at U of Texas in Austin. (You will recall I inadvertently changed George’s name a few issues ago. He’s got his old name back.) Frank Hamilton wrote to sadly let me know that our classmate Charles Sacher lost his wife, Dorothy, in February. Charles also holds a JD from the ND Law School. I seem to remember Chuck running for class office with a card that said, “Authentic Fake I.D.” on the back side. That’s all the news that’s fit to print for now. Please be assured that Abbie is diligently waiting at the front door with the latch string out just hoping you’ll drop by on your way through South Texas. — Joseph P. (“Pat”) Kelly; 2103 N. Wheeler St., Victoria TX 77901; 361-573-9982; jpkellytx@sbcglobal.net

61JD Class Secretary — John N. Moreland;

jnmnd1958@aol.com

62 Father Hesburgh Stories

With Father Hesburgh’s passing, I received many stories recounting encounters members of the class had with him. Most were relayed in my bi-weekly class message, but here are two that capture the essence of the man. Lou Schirano said they had a mutual friend who was a large contributor to ND. When the friend died, Lou and Linda went to the funeral at the local synagogue and in walked Father Ted. Lou then relates the following: “Linda said, ‘I wonder what he is going to do?’ I replied, ‘Say the Kadesh, probably in Hebrew.’ Then Ted gave the penultimate eulogy. Ted did a Ted. He was perfect. He ended with, ‘I guess I should pray. This is from the book of Genesis.’ Then he recited the verse from the first book of the Torah, in Hebrew. He finished, paused, and said, ‘I guess I should try to translate this for those who do not speak Hebrew.’ I who unfortunately still don’t know when to keep my mouth shut, turned to Linda and said, ‘For all the Jews here,’ which I said too loudly and drew a laugh from the two rows around us. The shot I got in the ribs still hurts. After the service, I walked up behind him as we were headed to the cemetery and said, ‘Nice one, Ted.’ I think he recognized the voice (he couldn’t make me out) and responded, ‘Like that? I haven’t done that one since Gregorian in 1946!’ That was the Ted I will always remember.” Wayne Thompson’s remembrance was, “I was a senior, visiting my sister, having lunch on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City and in walks Father Hesburgh, alone. I went up and asked him to join us. He was to be the main speaker at a Catholic educators conference. He started the conversation with his famous, ‘I just flew in from…’, in this instance it was Buenos Aires.” Wayne also said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. “My doctors said it is not really aggressive, but also not the kind that you ignore.” Choices for treatment were radiation or surgery. Wayne chose radiation and, at this writing, has finished the treatment protocol. In fact, when this comes out, Wayne will have returned from a safari in Namibia. Sue and Roger Smith reside in West Union SC, about 10 miles from Clemson. “We moved here 10 years ago and have gotten to be very good friends with a 1956 Clemson graduate and his wife. We attend a lot of Clemson games with them and will also be attending the Clemson-ND game with them. Normally I root for Clemson. As I told our friends, in the stands my wife and I will be a blue/gold flower in the middle of an orange field.” Although Bob Henry’s book, described in the last column, is still being vetted, he learned he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and will be inducted this October in Washington DC. Bob added, “The NAE is part of the National Academies that also include the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine which operate under the congressional act of incorporation that was signed by President Lincoln in 1863. These academies are to respond whenever called upon by any department or agency of the government, to investigate, examine experiment and report upon any subject of science or art.” When you read this, the class will have a new website, undclassof1962.weebly.com. It will make material easier to post. — 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; pkr101@aol.com

63 Magnificent Memories

Pat Didomizio noted the death of Dennis Stark who was an instructor in the ND Physical Education Dept. until the program was terminated. Pat says, “We were the last class to graduate from that program, beginning in 1959, dubbed the Magnificent Seven. We were Brian Boulac, Tom Dunn, Fred Paycheck, John Skeese, Cliff Bellone, John O’Malley and me. I note that the program included classes and instruction in all sports, but also in numerous sciences such as kinesiology and physiology. My memory tells me that a PE degree from ND, in those days, was much respected. In our sophomore year, I roomed with Tom Dunn and Bob Dubois. We all returned to Connecticut after graduation. As for me, I have always been in law enforcement, including 25 years with the US District Court for Connecticut, as a probation and parole officer and chief. After retirement I spent 10 years as a federal investigator completing security background investigations for various branches of the military and US government agencies. Judy and I will be married 50 years. We have two children. We have been fortunate to have traveled all over the world. We enjoy golf, and especially visits to NYC, San Francisco, Vermont and Florida. I believe it was 1991 when I was a guest at the Walter Camp Football Foundation Dinner at Yale and was enjoying cocktails in the VIP lounge with dozens of others, wearing a rather large name tag that said ‘Patty.’ Father Ted was being honored as Man of the Year. As Father Ted ascended the stairs to the lounge, our eyes met, and I quickly placed my ND ring on the railing. Without missing a beat, he walked right up to me, called me ‘Patty’ and we embraced. Needless to say, Father Ted had no idea who I was, but his gesture increased my status that night, and led to a number of lies regarding our close relationship at ND. What a great man, in so many ways.” Mike Whitney says Paul Tschirhart, Harry Fleck, Felix Balmaz and Larry Shubnell met at Meg O’Malleys in Melbourne FL on St. Patrick’s Day. Karen and Frank Simonic, Sam Young and wife Grace, and Ed Hoerster and wife Judy held a minireunion in Tucson on March 10. Frank and Sam are permanent residents of Tucson. Ed and Judy are snowbirds. Sam, Ed, Judy and I volunteer at ND ACE Academies in Tucson. Bill Yaley of Mariposa CA has written a historical novel, Struggle to Survive, about the 1975 Babylift operation. One of Bill’s daughters, who is Vietnamese, came to America on the Babylift. The novel revolves around the last two months of the Vietnam War. Bill says, “This was a time when we were trying to get orphans (many of whom were Amerasians) out of the country before the North Vietnamese took Saigon.” The book can be purchased on Amazon. Bill will be doing a book signing at the Notre Dame Bookstore during the Georgia Tech football weekend, Sept. 19. After three years in the Marines, Bill worked in real estate and real estate development and operates a real estate appraisal company. He has coached track and field at Mariposa County High School for six years. He and Arlene have three biological sons and three adopted daughters, one from Vietnam and two from Korea, one of whom died scuba diving. Bill says, “Our local Rotary Club has sponsored a golf tournament in memory of our daughter, Mollie Suh. In the past 11 years, the tournament has raised over $130,000 for scholarships. Pete Price and Cliff Bellone have both played in the tournament. Two of our children graduated from ND, one was an Irish Guard.” I just received word that Joseph M. Masso died in 2013 at home in Glassboro NJ, where he operated Masso’s Catering. Wife Barbara survived as did three children and 11 grandchildren. — Regis W. Campfield; 7534 Oakbluff, Dallas TX 75254; res 972-239-1141; fax 972-458-6928; rwcampfield@alumni.nd.edu

63JD Sad News

Danny Boy is gone. On February 27, 2015 Bud Malone followed Father Hesburgh in death by about four hours. Those at our 50th Reunion may recall Bud was not feeling well. What he thought was a cold, then pneumonia, actually was a serious deteriorating lung condition. In January he received the good news that he was cleared for a lung transplant subject to passing a week of strenuous testing. At the end of the week he received bad news not only that the test results were unsatisfactory but that he needed to be hospitalized and probably had about two weeks to live. In separate visits to the hospital Ed Fillenwarth and I were both amazed to find him absolutely unchanged. He was laughing, telling stories, joking, even about his situation. At one point he said to Mary Ellen: “Bob is my witness. Put in my obituary please send flowers rather than donating to your favorite charity.” We all laughed. The last sentence of his obituary in the Dallas Morning News on March 31 reads: “The deceased specifically requests flowers in lieu of donating to your favorite charity.” Bud did everything he could to ease the burden on his family who remained with him throughout the last 19 days. His grace, courage and faith in dealing with the inevitability of the situation will forever provide inspiration to all who knew him. Our Class President, apparently unaware that his term of office expired more than 50 years ago, has designated me to carry on for Bud in writing this column. Please let me know what is going on. — Bob Saxe; 15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill, CA 95037; 408-779-3668; Bsaxe5@aol.com

64 More Reunion Connections

Juan Cintron reports that his family has been living in Cuernavaca, Mexico for the past 44 years. They have three kids and six grandchildren. Daughters Maria ’87 and Anita ’94 are ND grads. They and son Juan work in the family manufacturing and consulting businesses. Juan and his wife spend time traveling and particularly like seeing the world from the balcony of a cruise ship. Juan has served for several years on the Latin American and Caribbean Advisory Board at the University. Sal Leccese is very busy with his multi-family development business. He has over 2,000 units in the pipeline in five states. He and Jackie have completed a new summer home on Canandaigua Lake in upstate New York. Sal reports that the “Gig” (Good Irish Guys) game this year is Georgia Tech. Regulars include Dave Kostolansky, Jim Baker, Dick Russell, Carl Massarini, Mike Ciletti and their families. The group is fortunate to have the next generation of young Domers and their friends to organize the Gig tailgater. Included is Sal’s daughter, Dana ’92. After remaining silent for more than a quarter century, Mike Long and wife Ann surfaced at the 50th. Mike is a retired attorney and former president of Ensign-Bickford Industries, an almost 200-year-old Connecticut-based manufacturing company. The Longs have three children and eight grandchildren. Their daughter, Maura, is a ’91 grad. Lance Babst reports that it is about time for the New Orleans area quarterly luncheon. Chip Carpenter, Leon Reymond, Joe LaNasa, Walter Gamard and Lance take this opportunity to try menu items which have no resemblance to their normal diets. Lance retired last year and has resumed art classes and painting after a 20-year intermission. He reports that most of the paintings find their way to the children’s walls, but he donates a few to auctions at their church. For five years, Lance has been serving as an advocate, representing those seeking an annulment of marriage. After a 35-year hiatus, Lance has resumed his law practice, which pretty much involves providing free advice. John Poelker had heart bypass surgery recently in Atlanta. Janet was by his side to provide encouragement, along with their three kids and six grandchildren. John and Janet just celebrated their 48th anniversary. The recent heart challenge has John thinking that it may be time to hang up his spurs. He has been running a large bank turnaround in South Carolina, but recently stepped down from that post. He remains on a couple of boards but will likely begin to cut back on those duties as well. Pete Murray is one of a large group of classmates sharing comments across a broad range of issues. He recently had lunch in Charlotte with John Geraghty and John’s brother, Mike ’62, and Mike’s son. A good time was had by all. I am sure there were many laughs and lots of tall tales. Sandy and Bruce Tuthill had a delightful dinner at the home of Barbie and David Ellis in Hilton Head. There is an unconfirmed report that Bruce and Sandy visited with almost 20 members of their family. That couldn’t possibly be true. In April, yours truly had an opportunity to complete a “bucket list” item: landing on an aircraft carrier at sea off the California coast, followed by a day observing flight operations up close and personal, then departing the next day via a catapult-assisted take off. Exciting? No question. More impressive, however, was the quality of young people who make this ship and its aircraft go. We are in their debt. Keep in your thoughts Adrian King whose wife Carolyn passed away in April after a lengthy illness. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 203-655-3930; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com

64JD End of a Rugged Winter

This is being written in late April as I gaze from my den window at a wintery snow squall and some bewildered deer. (John Deere and Jane Doe?) I am cheered by Gerry Vairo’s inspirational greetings to all of us and his upbeat report that his MS is basically stable at this time. He is extremely busy in winding down his law firm in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Maria Ryan (Michael Ryan) sent me an unexpected email to say she remains well in Peoria and enjoys our quarterly report. Sharon and I ran into Judy Stepanek (Michael Stepanek) while out and about in the Bend, and she also sends her best to Michael’s mates. Betty and Larry Gallick are embarking on a group tour of South Africa. They also report that they, Eileen and Bob Cash and Helen and Ernie Zavodnyik had dinner in Venice FL with Carol and Lou Pfeiler. I spoke with Lou and Carol recently, and they pass on their greetings to everyone. Lou continues his laudatory work of providing military services at funerals and services for veterans. He passes on that he sees a rekindling of patriotism in Iowa and a continuing strong demand for military ceremonial services. Last year, he directed well over 60. Ernie and Helen are headed to New York to celebrate their grandson’s first birthday. Marian and Jim Slater also have the travel bug and are planning a trip to Croatia and also are planning to visit us here for the Georgia Tech football game in the fall. Dawn and Bob Frost are enjoying good health and the end of a rugged winter in Worthington OH. Kay and Tom Conneely safely navigated a month-long ski trip to Park City, Alta and other resorts, returning to Mill Valley with all appendages unbroken. Russ Bley continues his outstanding service, involving mentoring, teaching and acting as a volunteer “parent” in St. Louis, with the Ignatian Volunteer Corps and as a tutor at his alma mater, St. Cecilia School and Academy, where he also serves on the board of directors. Hurley Smith and spouse Donna remain in Washington VA and send greetings to us. Frank Miele remains active in Manhattan, performing with the American Ballet Theatre and the New York Metropolitan Opera. Kathleen and Robert Hanlon enjoy good health and family in West Long Branch NJ. Bob has refocused his practice to less litigation and more project work. Georgia and Charlie Sweeney remain in Long Boat Key FL, awaiting spring’s arrival in the Bend and a dinner with us. I talk somewhat regularly with Charles Sacher, who continues to amaze Sharon and me with his courage and strength following Dorothy’s passing. Charles’s granddaughter will be a freshman at ND in the fall. Sharon and I had the pleasure of meeting her, Charles’s son and grandson recently. Jack Kopko is very busy in his practice in Merrillville IN; he and Adele have ameliorated the effects of a hard winter by two trips to Mexico. They are planning to attend the graduation of their daughter from medical school at the U of New York in Buffalo followed by a trip to Boston and Portland. Peace and blessings to everyone. — Richard Balfe Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; 574-299-9888; cell 760-567-1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com

65 Classy Class

Since this column requires submission prior to Reunion, details of that grand event will be forthcoming. Ken Geoly is a nephrologist but has retired from clinical practice and serves as a consultant with Inova Health Systems on the application of electronic medical records. After being widowed for many years, Ken remarried last summer and honeymooned in Paris. He now lives in Anacosta River MD. Jim Brocke and wife, Marianne, live in Carmel IN, where he is a certified financial planner with Mass Mutual Financial Group. Recently Jim initiated a small educational endowment with the Rockne Fund and ND’s development office that helps the tutoring program for our linemen. He played tackle on our great football team. I always thought that the linemen were the smart ones. Bob Varga and his wife, Avril, reside in Poway CA. Bob is VP of marketing for ViaSat, a commercial and defense satellite communications provider. Their four children live on both coasts. Last year Bob attended the National Security Seminar at the US Army War College in Carlisle Barracks PA. He was sponsored by Peter Langenus, who is a trustee of the USAWC Foundation. Peter is also a trustee of Regis College in Weston MA, the alma mater of his wife, Eileen. Peter continues to practice law on a full-time basis. His office is in NYC, and he lives in New Canaan CT. Last winter Peter, Bob and their spouses vacationed in Jamaica. Army Maj. Chuck Contino lives near Frankfurt, Germany. He could not make Reunion but reports that he has won a very hard-fought battle with colon cancer, which left him with residual side effects from chemotherapy. Chuck would appreciate any assistance in locating Kenneth Kemper. Jim Dwyer has been appointed to the advisory board of Mongolia Holdings, Inc. His experience has been investment banking in NYC and for the last 13 years in Mongolia. He has worked with the largest banks in that country, as well as the North America-Mongolia Business Council as COO of their Mongolia branch. Loss of close friends and classmates is increasing in numbers as we age. Unfortunately two good men are among them. Joe DiGregorio succumbed to a long and heroic battle with lymphoma just one month before our 50th. Joe D and his wife, Carolyn, had retired to Santa Rosa CA, where he enjoyed recognition for his unique photographs, many of which appeared on wine labels. He was raised in South Philly and after ND he earned a PhD in chemistry at Penn State. Joe Paterno arranged a tutorial job for him, which made possible his doctorate studies while raising a family. Joe D is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and two children. Bobbie Schnaus McCarthy ’66SMC reported that her husband, Lee McCarthy, died in March after a struggle with lung cancer. Lee was raised in Boardman OH and after graduation he had a long and very productive career as a broadcast journalist with NBC News. He and Bobbie retired to West Chester PA, where he taught several journalism courses at the local college. Bobbie and Lee had five children. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040; jphnd65@hotmail.com

65JD 50 Years

In June, it will be 50 years since our class was graduated from ND Law School, and our 50th Reunion will have taken place by the time this publishes. Bob Kennedy, John McQuillan and Fernand “Tex” Dutile all were looking forward to the Reunion. — John Donald O’Shea; pelagius@qconline.com

66 Nary a Year Hence

We will gather next June 3-5 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our launching from the shadow of the Golden Dome onto life’s main street. Since that hot June Sunday afternoon on the main quad so long ago, we have moved on to confront challenges and opportunities, joys and sorrows, successes and failures and powerful victories that have characterized an amazing five-decade journey. Class president Cappy Gagnon will join with longtime reunion planner Ray Flynn and other stalwarts to create what will undoubtedly be a wonderful period of renewal and rebirth, a reaffirmation of longstanding friendships and re-engagement with the extraordinary University that prepared us for the epic pilgrimage we have so artfully pursued. No matter the phenomenal plans, what will ensure the 50th’s success will be you. Block the dates today and reach out to your old ND gang, hopefully at least five classmates, to encourage them to join in the festivities. Let’s make this really special. Now for the news. Don Snyder and wife Sheila wrote that they were in Naples FL escaping the record Boston snows. Sid Baker sent a note reminiscing about Mike Smith, who was in the Bengal Bouts and won the 165-pound championship our sophomore year, the toughest weight class. Buck Hunter won it junior year, and Jude Lenahan took the title our senior year. Mike has retired to Santa Fe following a successful law career in Chicago, and Sid is working hard to convince Mike to hit the reunion in June. Tony Andrea is promising to be on hand in June and is connecting with Tony Rivizzigno and a lot of his old crowd, including the remaining Nightliters. Bob Ronin sent word from Gloria CT of his mother’s passing in February. Speaking of passing, there was incredible class chatter about Father Ted‘s death. Many extraordinary memories and stories were related by folks like Mike Caolo from Dallas, Cole Clarke from the Chicago burbs, Jamie Toohey also of Chicago, Mike Krach in Philly, John Reding, Dan Olson, Tom Begley and many others. Bill Dwyer, longtime sports editor of the LA Times, relates a story about Jim Hayden, our mate “who scrambled his way through ND with so many jobs he could have received a second degree in survival.” It turns out that Jim had special admiration for Father Ted and some years later re-connected with him on campus. Thus began a friendship over 25 years or so. Hayden, a Hollywood screenwriter who is good at his craft, has sold options on screenplays for some time. In recent years, Hayden convinced Father Ted to award him the rights to do a film about Hesburgh’s extraordinary life. Hayden says of his relationship with Father Ted, “My entire association with him was nothing but gratifying.” The life of Father Ted awaits its close-up on the silver screen. Stay tuned and one of these days maybe George Clooney will play the lead. I heard from Denny Corrigan that friends and colleagues of award-winning writer, Barry Lopez, have established the Barry Lopez Visiting Writer in Ethics and Community Fellowship at the Ala Kukai Retreat Center in Hana HI. We heard from Bolton Anthony, who lives with wife Lisa in Chapel Hill NC and has worked as a teacher of English and creative writing, as a librarian, as a university administrator and as a social change activist. Since 1999, he has managed the nonprofit Second Journey, which he founded. Bolton’s current project is to organize an educational experience that will include a stay at Bargo Finocchieto, the Italian village restored by our mate John Phillips, US ambassador to Italy. Bolton reports that John Clarke retired from the Library of Congress and lives with wife Donna in Chevy Chase MD, where he continues to write poetry. Also that Bill O’Brien is retired from full-time work at Georgetown U and lives with wife Karen in Silver Spring MD, while continuing to teach thought-provoking elective courses in the Frank O’Malley tradition. Bolton notes that Vincent Beckman lives in Lincolnshire IL with wife Carmen, whom he met as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. Vincent spent his 40-year law career in Chicago providing legal services to migrant workers and advocating for their rights. Finally, we learned that Ed Hugetz lives in Houston with wife Donna. Ed is a VP in the U of Houston system and in his spare time makes documentaries. I recently had breakfast with John Twohey, who retired from the Chicago Tribune a few years back but continues to engage in creative writing. I also caught up with old friend Mike Rush for pizza and beer during a recent visit to Boston, where Mike teaches business at BC. He’s fired up about the reunion. Fini for this issue, but God bless and continue to keep me posted. Please note my new cell phone number and email address. — Tom Sullivan; 2028 Elmwood Ave., Wilmette IL 60091; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com

66JD Summer Notes

The February 2015 edition of The Golden Domer, the newsletter of Notre Dame Senior Alumni, contained a well written and well deserved tribute to our classmate Mike Roche for his leadership in organizing, for the past 38 years, an annual weekend retreat at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington IL. The retreat, according to Mike, allows its ND alumni participants to “recharge their spiritual batteries” by participating in a weekend of faith and reflection. Mike remains chairman of the board and name partner of his Chicago law firm, Schuyler, Roche and Chrisham. Bob Siebert is continuing to enjoy his post-retirement travels. In January he enjoyed a Caribbean cruise and in September will be cruising from Venice to Greece and on to Turkey. Bob encouraged me to remind you that our 50th Reunion is coming up next year, and we hope we will have larger than usual attendance for this significant event. I’ll be communicating with you as we get closer to the reunion with more details. — Philip C. Ruddy; 15911 Lakeshore Road, Union Pier MI 49129; 269-469-1933; rudds241@aol.com

67 Horse Sense

Mine That Bird, the horse who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby, of whom Peter Lamantia was the co-breeder, was recently elected to the Canadian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame. This apparently is a rare occurrence for a small breeder, and Peter is justifiably proud. Rich Linting is part of the Irish Entrepreneurs Network and recently participated in the McCloskey Business Plan Competition in the Mendoza College of Business as a judge. Dan Madigan recently had meetings with Pat Donovan, Paul Tobin and Pete Mavrelis, his “kitchen cabinet,” for a chain of specialty bookstores that Dan acquired in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, fulfilling one of Dan’s childhood dreams. Please take the time to write as we have no class column unless we start to share information. — Bert Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com

67JD Cuba Si

Nancy and Jim Olson had a great time traveling to Cuba in February and they report they had complete freedom to move about as they pleased and to take pictures of whatever they wished. Jim is a big Hemingway fan and was eager to visit the author’s house in Havana. Jim also said the Cubans they met expressed affection for Americans. The Olsons like to book with ND Alumni Travel and enjoy traveling with fellow Domers. Beth and Frank Verterano also booked with ND Travel for a fly/cruise vacation to Tahiti. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and they had lots of rain. Although travel brochures tout vacations that offer long, lazy days on the beach, the Verteranos believe that the ideal vacation should have a variety of activities and interesting attractions. Frank got a little bored and a little sick from eating local fruits that probably were washed in the local water. Caveat tourista. Flo and I took our routine cruise in the Caribbean in January. Thankfully, it was routine; no lost luggage, no rain, no 50-foot rogue waves crashing into the ship. In the fall, we’ll take back-to-back cruises out of Rome; the first around the Mediterranean and the second to Greece and Turkey. Lenny Bonfanti wrote to me in February and reported Peabody had 48 inches of snow in the previous four days. He will no longer make jokes about Buffalo. Well, at least not jokes about the weather in Buffalo. Lenny is still practicing at 27 Lowell St. in Peabody and has no plans to retire. Mary retired as city tax collector and now enjoys babysitting for their three grandchildren. Their lawyer son Jim and wife live nearby. Grandchild Kendall, 6, played Gretel in a local production of The Sound of Music and performed before a very enthusiastic audience of 1,200 persons. Their lawyer daughter Shelia and family also live nearby and Lenny foresees an ND athletic scholarship for their granddaughter Natalie, 4. ND will be playing in Fenway Park in November and Len and family are looking for tickets. Let him know if you can help him. Dave Kamm often responds to my plea for news but swears that he has none. He continues to enjoy his Michigan and Florida homes and occasionally gets in a round of golf. Sean Keenan is much the same; he’s doing well in Canton and the kids and grandkids are also doing well. Marylyn and Ken Lazarus write that they are happy and doing well. They spent a month in Palm Springs in March and celebrated the first birthday of grandson, Quincy. John Nelson took time out from shoveling yak poop on his ranch (yes, he has a bunch of yaks and a whole pile of poop), to respond to my call for news and, as always, I am grateful. Fly-fishing in the area is great this season, and John reports that he catches 10 to 20 trout each time he goes out. John shares his house in the Colorado mountains with his wife and at least one 10-foot stuffed alligator that he bagged in his big-game hunting days. If you change your email address or your Internet provider, please let me know. Just recently, I’ve lost contact with several of you, specifically, Mike Smith and John Fine, and I have no way of getting an updated address. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@aol.com

68 Powerful Factions

Our class news exceeds the magazine space provided, so please see the full report, including photographs and obituaries, at ndclass1968.com. Bryan Dunigan did not realize that he had invited Ted Nugent (not a classmate) as well as Ted Nebel (a classmate) to his Dec. 2014 Christmas party until Bryan read the report in the recent class notes. This shows that the class secretary, despite Bob Ptak‘s watchfulness, was so over-served at the party that he ventured into very dangerous space: that is, the possibility of rousing the Fenwick High School, Oak Park IL, faction of the class, a group almost as numerous and more cohesive than the steady, salt of the earth Tom faction led by Class President Tom Weyer. The Fenwick faction is so powerful that it has its own honorary consul to the Czech Republic in the person of Richard Pivnicka. Furthermore, the group can bring influence on Slovakia through Rich’s wife, Barbara, who is honorary consul to that country. This suggests a California mansion alive with gripping intrigue, an impression only heightened by the photograph of smooth, shaken-not-stirred Rich with Barbara as they posed like a Gilbert’s ad for the Blue Circle at their residence’s entrance for a March article in the San Francisco Chronicle. A shortage of California moisture seems to have provoked additional California writers. With help from Ironman competitor Alex Georgiou and Ironman observer Bryan Dunigan, a YouTube series about Mike Burgener and CrossFit training came to light. Already a solid favorite of women, the Burgener series is now going after the desirable demographic of cool guys Mike’s age. Help by clicking the links on our class blog. During February, Maureen and Bill Clark had a good Miami reunion and a bedbug experience with River Edge NJ grammar school friends Mike Carroll (Pepperell MA), Terry Adrian, (NYC) and Rick Dawn of Miami Beach. Says Bill: “After battling it out with AirBnB most of the night (about the bedbugs at the first place), we ended up leaving and settling in at Miami Beach where we lounged by the pool, swam in the ocean, took in the Art Deco architecture and admired the comely women. [Bill means Maureen and the other spouses.] I knew Mr. Botet’s Spanish class would come in handy.” Retired for four years, the Clarks travel from Lafayette CA to Basel, Switzerland, to Lexington MA, where they enjoy long summer visits with their grandchildren. Jim Hutchinson returned to an old campus politics issue with a proposal that we recruit the Rolling Stones for our 50th Reunion: “They could sing some of their all-time hits modified for their, and our, current ages: I can’t get no Bowel Action/Hey you get off of my lawn/Time ain’t on my side/19th cardiac arrest/You can’t always remember what you want/Wobbly Jack Flash/Mother’s Little Walker/Brown Something and many other favorites.” Our class is grieving for Father Ted Hesburgh, Father James Tunstead Burtchaell, Mike Philbin, Lenny Joyce, Merlin Bellinger and Genevieve Ptak, mother of Bob Ptak. Mike Philbin died April 24 in Nashville TN. Think Father Hesburgh had an effect on us? Twenty-four minutes apart, John Walsh and Tom McCloskey, sent these memories. John said, “Father Hesburgh’s greater effect on my life has grown out of something that he wrote years ago, that I read during our senior year. He was writing about young grads and dads who used to ask him about what things they could do to make a great and lasting impression on their children, like taking them to Disney World or on expensive vacations. Father Hesburgh wrote, ‘The greatest thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother.’” And Tom said, “When I asked if he had any advice for me going into my marriage, he told me, ‘to always remember that the greatest thing a father could do for his children is to love their mother.’” Emails about Lenny Joyce, who died in July 2014, bring to mind Class President Tom Weyer’s punchline from a joke about a man made to speak kindly of a deceased neighbor: “His brother was worse.” During his Notre Dame time, Lenny took proud inspiration from the boldness and fire of his older brother Kevin. Even in reminiscences critical of Lenny’s lifelong political views, classmates admire the constancy of Lenny’s concern with justice. Post your own comments on the blog. Please send news. — Tom Figel; 1054 W. North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago IL 60626; 312-223-9536; tfigel@lake-effect.com

68JD Class Secretary — Dennis Collins;

Greensfelder Hemker & Gale, PC, 10 S. Broadway, Suite 2000, St. Louis MO 63102; 314-516-2648; fax 314-241-3643; dgc@greensfelder.com

69 Life of Service

Jim Jullian writes that classmate Chris Page passed away on Feb. 9 after a nine-month battle with cancer. He is survived by wife Mary, sons Michael and Christopher and three grandchildren. Two grandchildren preceded him in death. The Stanford Hall crew of John Hoffman, Mike Swiatek, Steve Miller and myself, along with our wives and Sherry Blackwell (late Mark ’69), attended his funeral service in Southport NC. Chris and Mary relocated to North Carolina from Chicago after his retirement 10 years ago. The attendance at the service and the reception was a testament to the life of service that Chris led in retirement. Mary Page saved the second pew for the Class of ’69. Many others simply could not fit in the church. Our plans to say a few words at the reception were dashed by the crowd in excess of 350, which made any sort of a presentation impossible. We did offer a sentimental rendition of the Victory March and Alma Mater. There were other alums there from other classes whom I did not know, and they joined in. Our condolences are offered to the family and friends of Chris Page. What great support by the class at his service. Mike Brennan writes that classmate Patrick D. Ertel passed away March 15 at his adopted hometown of Beaufort SC after suffering a massive heart attack. A celebration of Patrick’s life will occur at his resting place, on the University of Notre Dame campus, during the weekend of Oct. 17, so that family and friends from across the country may share his greatest joys in his honor: good beer, great stories, the Golden Dome and, if luck will have it, an Irish victory. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in Patrick’s name to the University of Notre Dame, 1100 Grace Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 45656. Our condolences are offered to the family and friends of Patrick D. Ertel. Our classmate, Dick Lavely, is trying to rally the troops for our 50th Reunion. Consider purchasing a custom T-shirt for our class. The proceeds will go to the Dr. Tom Dooley Foundation. I recommend support to the extent that you can. For more information, please contact Dick at laves@aol.com. On a happier note, I hope everyone has a great spring and summer. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Southern Cal game. — Tom Ryan; 248-334-9938; sylvanlawtr@gmail.com

69MBA Save the Date

Make sure that you save Sept. 19, the Georgia Tech game, as the date for our minireunion. We have again reserved Sunny Italy for our dinner. It will be hard to beat last years’ attendance of 35 people unless Rita Knittel brings her whole family back again. We had a great time and hope that more will join us this fall. Vinny George and Ken Samara ran into each other in Dallas the other day and were due to have dinner shortly after their encounter. It’s a small world. Vinny said that Ken’s cancer is in remission and he feels and looks great. Vinny reports that Ken just returned from a cruise from Singapore to Oman. Ken has been a consistent world traveler since graduation. Vinny and Ken are planning on attending our dinner after the Georgia Tech game. Cindy and Vinny George’s son is getting married in Chicago the weekend of the Texas game. Their daughter has moved from Utah to San Antonio, a little closer to Mom and Dad in Dallas. Sue and Tom Sanna report that they have a new grandson named Finnegan Armsted Reardon, born to their daughter, Francie, and Neal Reardon. What a great Irish name. Christmas was spent in San Francisco with their other daughter, Stacey, and son-in-law Matt. I received a Christmas card from Joyce and Cliff Fleming. In all, I counted an immediate family of 20 members in the photo. Joyce and Cliff took a bucket list dream trip to France in 2014. That’s all for now. I hope to see you in South Bend for the Georgia Tech game. If you have news about yourself or family for the next issue, please contact me. — Dennis B. McCarthy; PO Box 246, Bear Lake MI 49614; bus 231-864-3111 ext. 115; dbmc2@blarneycastleoil.com

69JD Five Principles Revisited

Hugh Mundy went through some things he had put away after our graduation. Among his treasures was a copy of Prof. Shaffer’s “Five Principles of the Common Law.” I sent an email with a copy of the Five Principles to our classmates. It turns out that many of us kept copies of the Five Principles and more than one have a framed copy hanging in their offices. Those who graduated before our class only had Four Principles since the fifth was “discovered” in February of 1969. We lost two of our classmates. Jon Paul Rubach MD died on Sept. 7, and Arl Williams passed away on March 13. The outpouring from our classmates demonstrated the inaccuracy of the First Principle. Jon Paul and Arl were wonderful people. We offer our condolences to their wives, Kathleen and Theresa, and their families. The email from Scott Atwell evoked the image of Jon Paul in his saddle shoes. They will be missed. George Ball’s wife, Dianne, passed away on March 29. Please keep George and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Football season will be fast approaching by the time this column is published. Tom McCusker will be on campus to watch his daughter play in the Marching Band as it passes “under the arch.” I hope to see as many of you as possible at the Law School before the Texas, Navy and USC games. Let me know if you will be attending the Stanford game. Maybe we can have a minireunion in San Francisco. — Jim Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; res 808-395-0443; bus 808-523 2515; jstarshak@carlsmith.com