1940s
1940s
40 Class Secretary — Rebecca Antas ’08;
505 N. Lakeshore Drive, No. 3401, Chicago IL 60611; 630-254-4485; rebecca.antas@gmail.com
41 Class Secretary — Meg Julian, ’03, ’06JD;
11 E. 36th St., No. 603, New York NY 10016; 646-246-5480; megjulian@gmail.com
42 Class Secretary — John Kirby;
110 Upland Road, Kentfield CA 94904; res/fax 415-925-0544; cell 415-272-4016; annjolene2@aol.com
43 Class Secretary — Bob Masters ’05;
202 Remington Court North Drive, Apt. C, Mishawaka IN 46545; res 574-904-8315; bus 574-234-0121; a.robert.masters@gmail.com
44 God, Country, Notre Dame
Regrettably, the spring and summer has brought news of class members who have passed away. Arthur “Art” P. LeBeau MD, a dedicated surgeon from Elmhurst IL, died in March. He is survived by his wife Ruth and their three children. James E. Padesky also passed away in March. He is survived by his wife Virginia and four children. James was a member of the Sacred Heart Church in Moline IL and American Legion Post 246, the latter of which conducted military honors at his burial. Thomas Clemens of Vienna VA died in April. I received a note from Laura Myers ’11, ’18JD that her grandfather, Phil Myers passed away on June 11 at his home in Fairlawn OH. I had the pleasure of meeting Phil and Laura at the bookstore a few years ago during Reunion. Phil was preceded in death by his father, Notre Dame English professor Fred I. Myers; his wife of 50 years, Rita Wilson Myers; his second wife, Evelyn Garn; and his siblings Laurence, Ralph and Elsie. He is survived by his brother Paul Myers ’56 and sister Mary Lois, and by his seven children, 19 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren. Phil studied aeronautical engineering and was a proud member of the Glee Club during his time at Notre Dame. His final visit to campus was for the Glee Club’s 100th reunion in fall 2015. Phil was a devoted Catholic and possessed a deep love of Notre Dame, which he passed on to many of his children and grandchildren. A born storyteller, he once told of the time a co-worker introduced him at a party as an “ex-Notre Dame man.” Phil told him there was no such thing. Please keep all of the ’44 Notre Dame men in your prayers, and continue to keep in touch. — Laura (Julian) Fraser ’00; 989 Belaire Court, Naperville IL 60563; 773-255-9843; lejulian00@yahoo.com
45 Does 30 Follow 81?
Cryptic? Not really. This is the 81st column I have filed since taking over. And as reporters used to do, the writer would type in “30” at the end of the copy indicating that the story was finished. That may be the case with me. Continuing health problems may force me to relinquish this space soon. It is hardly unusual; in the summer edition of the magazine only one class before 1945 had a class member functioning as secretary. More recent alums were filling in for some classes. That may happen here, but first I would like to know if we have any volunteers from the class to succeed me when I finally write “30.” If so, please contact me at the address at the end of the column. Otherwise, there is little new to report for this column. Bob Erkins died in late April. He is survived by his wife, four daughters and seven grandchildren. — Ted Weber Jr.; 1400 Geary Blvd., Apt. 1409, San Francisco CA 94109; 415-674-8771; theodoreweber@comcast.net
46 Superagers
There are about 66 of us superagers. Send me your stories. My story is that 50 years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. After I had radiation and a laryngectomy, I was back at work in a few weeks at GE with newly learned esophageal speech. After retirement, one of my projects was working as a volunteer tax preparer under the AARP program for 21 years. My wife and I are enjoying life in an independent living facility in Florida near our son. — Paul Taggett; 10 W. Grove Ave., D15, Lake Wales FL 33853; paultaggett@gmail.com
47 Reunion News and High Hopes
Ed Sweeney wrote, “I attended my 21st Reunion (70 years) in June. Class of 1947 presence was scarce. My only classmate was Father Ed Ruetz, as far as I could tell. My mobility is limited but the campus atmosphere is very conducive. With me were my daughter Kathy and one of my grandsons, Chris Major. We all had the usual great time. On Saturday my grandson Brendan ’06 and his fiancée, Kristi, joined us. I turned 94 on July 1, so the 2018 Reunion is a remote probability.” John Molinarolo wrote, “Another month awaiting with enthusiasm and hope for a winning season. Is it really that important, but at 91 years, we like to win. Let’s go looking for more wins. I have happy memories of the lovable Dome, the Grotto, and friends. Go Irish!” Classmates who will be missed include Harold Richard Solomon, 91, of Olathe KS on June 14. Harold was born Sept. 16, 1925 in Marshall MO. He served in the Navy during the Korean War. He then began his career as an investment broker in Kansas City at E. F. Hutton & Co. He was a member of St. Thomas More Parish for 49 years and is a member of More Friends, St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary, the Notre Dame Club of Kansas City and the Heart of America Barbershop Chorus of Kansas City. Harold is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joyce, four children, four grandchildren and eight siblings. John Warren Owen died on Nov. 15, 2016 at the age of 93. Jack is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Norma, and three children. He was the grandfather of 14 and great-grandfather of 23. Jack was a veteran of the Navy 1942-1946, a high school music teacher and a bass soloist and choral director at community and church organizations. Retired Navy Capt. James “Buck” Donald Hereford Jr., 90, died on Feb. 25 in Alexandria VA. He was a resident of Virginia Beach VA for more than 40 years. A native of Wichita KS, he was born July 17, 1926. Buck served for 30 years in the Navy and was a World War II veteran. Following graduation from North High School in 1944 and a year at Missouri Valley College, he began his Navy career in 1945 as an enlisted man and then attended the Notre Dame under the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program and graduated in 1947 with a BS degree in business administration. He was commissioned as an ensign in June 1947 as a Naval Supply Corp officer. He served aboard the USS Noble, USS Eugene A. Greene and USS Hancock. He was the commanding officer of Naval Supply Depot Guam. His other tours included NROTC instructor at Georgia Institute of Technology, Naval Post Graduate School, graduate of Naval War College, DGSC Richmond VA, Norfolk VA, Keflavik Iceland, Mechanicsburg PA, San Francisco, Panama City FL and Chincoteague VA. He was a member of the Order of DeMolay, and OES Chapter 433, of Wichita and the National Sojourners 21, Canal Zone. He was a long-time member of the Norview Lodge No. 113, AF & AM, American Legion Post 113, and Boys State. Active in Boy Scouts for 50 years, he served as a committeeman with Troop 372, Virginia Beach and Troop 996, Alexandria VA. Buck is survived by a sister, two daughters, six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. Buck will always be remembered for his sincere dedication, his bright smile and quick wit. I look forward to hearing from class members with news and stories. Call or email me. — Michael Morris ’80; 949-433-8568; michaelmorris07@gmail.com
48 God Bless All
Eldon O’Brien turns 92 in November. Eldon was a resident of Breen-Phillips and Badin halls, where Father Hesburgh was his rector. Eldon was a lifelong private investigator and the author of a book, In the Shoes of an Investigator. Eldon is dad to 10 children. He has five boys and five girls, whose first names are all Mary. He has 25 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. All are living, as is his wife, Catherine, 85. God bless Eldon and all the class members. It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our fellow Domers from the Class of ’48: David Mosier Jr., MD on May 22; Anton “Tony” Sterker Jr. on May 25; Robert P. “Bob” Kane Sr. on May 22; Richard D. “Dick” Kirk on April 30; Raymond P. Zink on April 19; August F. Ventura on April 9; Norman E. “Norm” Mirrington on March 20; Robert H. “Bob” Hewitt on March 7; William D. “Bill” Brown on March 5, 2015; Brother John J. Nolan, FSC, on June 18, 2013; Edward J. “Ed” McCarthy on May 22, 2013; and James J. “Jim” Dougherty on Dec. 28, 2006. Please stay in touch with stories and updates, old and new. — Dan Gentile; PO Box 2671, Scottsdale AZ 85252; res 480-425-1240; Eileen Surprenant ’09, ’15; eileen.surprenant@gmail.com
49 Looking Good
Jack Molitor reported that after 26 years in Venice FL, he has moved to a retirement complex in Ann Arbor MI to be nearer his family. He noted that he keeps in touch with his old campus roommate, Pat Blackford, in California. I got a call from Frank Finn of Dallas. He still talks fondly of his days on campus and the prize-winning debate team. He mentioned the name Phil Jensen, Kansas, as one of his dear friends. I attempted to complete a circle of calls to Pat and Phil but I struck out; both phone numbers were no longer in service. I will keep trying. I had a nice chat with Bruce Harlan, South Bend. We happily agreed that it’s very good to be still standing and reasonably well these days. Bruce keeps active and is in touch with many of his friends across the country. Ben Gessler, Gibsonia PA, sent along his regards in a very nice note. He recalled our days sitting in sociology classes with Father McCarragher, CSC. Sadly he related that most of his good friends and classmates are gone, including Deibolt, Seyniour, Nardi, Diederick etc. But Ben is well and cherishes the ties and memories of our times on campus. His son, Kevin, was a Domer as is his son-in-law, Jim Norwalk. I heard that the three phases of life are youth, middle age, and “Gee, you’re looking good.” The Alumni Office brought us up to date on class obits reported since the summer edition. They are Edward J. McCarthy, Minneapolis, and Brother John J. Nolan, FSC. RIP old friends. — Joe O’Brien; 18120 Cloverleaf Drive, South Bend IN 46637; 574-271-8323; obie49nd@comcast.net