1960s
1960s
60 Plan to Attend Our 60th
Peggy and Don Curlovic attended our magnificent minireunion on Sept. 14 before the Vanderbilt game. He wasn’t too sure if he would like it, but he loved it. Don taught math at Indiana State and Indiana U. There were about 50 in attendance, including a few who got overly exuberant. Bill Killilea lined up the JT Buffet music group to add to the evening’s enjoyment. It worked so well that Bill lined them up for the 2019 minireunion on Sept. 27, the Friday night before the Virginia game. It should be an afternoon game, the kind we like, so it will be a good time for a party the eve before the game. Gene Masters says, “I wouldn’t know how it feels to be 80. I will be 78 until May, four days after Ruth and I celebrate our 50th.” I heard from John Maher. He and Linda are living the good life in New Castle IN. John is sorry he didn’t make the band reunion at the Stanford halftime. Jack Schroeder recalls, “Coach Gibbons was my mentor the first two and a half years at ND. I went out for the b-ball team as a freshman but broke my collarbone and couldn't participate that year. At his invitation, I went back as a sophomore, but played with the freshmen just to keep in the loop. I went out again junior year but separated my shoulder. End of career.” Observations by Mike Monahan: “There is something for everyone in the Crossroads. The description almost doesn’t do justice to the scale of the buildings. I was on campus for a golf outing in June and was stunned by the magnitude of the expansion on the south end of the campus. The Crossroads may be in the center of the academic buildings, but it strikes me that packing a lunch would be prudent when making the trek from most of the dorms.” Bill Pauwels likes to “lead, teach, think, critique, innovate, invest, and write. And I agree with Steve Jobs that doing what one likes to do is important. Doing it inside a job that enables you and your colleagues to earn a good living can make for an enjoyable and even successful business career. Fortunately, during much of my business career I was able to do what I liked to do inside the companies that employed me. And I was able to make a good living doing it. That was indeed a double blessing. Thank you, Lord.” Walt Russell went to the North Carolina State game in 2017 and took the former head football coach at the U of Mary whom he had coached for several years prior to his full-time retirement. “My friend is still teaching at U Mary and this time in October is their break, so he only has that time to go to Notre Dame.” Charles Smith MD is a cardiologist enjoying the rural atmosphere of Pauma Valley CA. He enjoys golf and has been consulting for the Indian Health Council in Valley Center CA. He and Peg have six children and 17 grandchildren. He and his brother, Arthur ’64, are co-authors of a book American Grandfather, available on Amazon.com. The book promotes the values that support the powers of the individual human soul: mind, will and heart. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No.103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; 239-461-0980; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com
61 New Notes
Joe Libby is one of my most consistent sources for these notes. He commented on the notes over the years as well done and he hopes that I outlive everybody in the class. Thanks for the sentiment Joe, but I’m concerned about my 401k covering the duration. He wrote to say that Frank (Chick) Annese is doing a great job planning the minireunion in Florida March 14 to 17. So far, we have the following arrangements: hotel: Hampton Inn of Naples FL; rate $229 if booked by Feb. 17 plus 11 percent tax; rate available three days before and three days after; reservations 800-426-7866 or 239-596-1299. Andy Lawler wrote that he noted the comment in the winter issue that Jerry Kearns’ granddaughter is a fourth-generation Domer. Andy’s granddaughter is also a fourth-generation Domer, and as I write this, she is a sophomore on the sacred sod. Their great grandfathers graduated in the class of 1929, just in time for a bitter lesson in economics. Their dads were on the campus for two years together in the 1990s, and of course Andy and Jerry were together with us 1957 to 1961. I got a tome from St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation, which holds a dinner annually to celebrate individuals aged 75 or older who are making an impact in St. Louis through philanthropy, volunteerism and leadership. It is also a fundraising event and they enclosed a stamped envelope for contributions. If anyone is interested, I will provide address and phone. Dr. Ron Gregory is being honored this year by St. Andrews because, after he graduated with us, he returned to St. Louis and served six decades spending most of his time working for non-profit organizations with a mission to help youth, families and older adults attain self-sustaining lives by providing enriched social, educational and recreational resources. Currently he serves on several boards that promote history, the arts and music. During his younger years, he was a high school track man. He ran away from people. (He holds the Sumner High School record for the mile run.) In his career and retirement, he runs toward them, providing help and assistance. Congratulations Ron. While on the subject of charities, Jay Mondry sent me a brochure outlining the work he has done for years on North Country Charity. This is a group that supports a hospice and orphanage in Poland. He has gone to Poland to further their work for years. Jay is a retired judge and lives in Park Rapids MN and Port Charlotte FL. He will be in Florida in March and plans to attend the reunion. Dominican Sister of Peace Sister Corinne Staub passed away in Columbus OH. She was a master’s degree recipient in 1961. In Joe Libby's email, he said that Roger Mahon told him that Ned Grant’s son had died unexpectedly. Our condolences to Ned and family. This is a difficult loss. Our hearts are with you Ned. That's about it for this quarter. Please be assured that the latch string is out, and Abbie is right by the door with the hope that one or more of you will drop in while you’re on your way through South Texas. See you soon. — 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 Irish Meeting
While in Ireland this past summer, my wife and I met Judy and Barry Merrill for lunch in a corner of County Clare. Barry left ND after junior year and went into the Navy as a radioman on a nuclear sub. He then won a scholarship to Purdue where he received his bachelor’s and master’s, and later earned a PhD from Illinois. While working on the PhD, he was employed at State Farm exploring the possibility of measuring the utilization and capacity of their IBM computers in relation to claims processing for detecting fraud. He later worked at SUN Oil and was able to validate his doctorate thesis of having developed a source code for computer performance. The result is he became one of the pioneers of what we know today as analytics. In 1984, he formed Merrill Consultants which he still runs. However, not all is work, as they live in Ireland for three months of the year and in the Dallas area the rest of the time. He and Judy are to be commended for their work in furthering higher education with a private program having given 80 college scholarships to those who would otherwise not have the wherewithal. Mike Clayton and Paul Robb graduated with ME/nuclear engineering degrees. Mike entered the Army becoming a nuclear weapons officer while Paul went with Eastman Kodak. Mike says, “When I left the Army, Paul convinced me to interview with Kodak and I ended up making a career there, mostly with the establishment of the Satellite Reconnaissance Program, building systems to capture pictures of the Soviet Union and other areas of concern at the time.” Mike later helped with the construction of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the commercial remote sensing satellites that produce images for sites such as Google Earth. “I had a great time and was involved with President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative and other fascinating technology.” He later became Kodak’s chief technology officer, a member of their technology council, and worked on the development of airborne sensor systems. Paul left Kodak for Lockheed Martin, working on many of the same programs. Both retired with Mike residing in the Rochester area, and Paul living in California. Peter Vieira said for 52 years he had been telling his wife about Jenny Lake in the Tetons, so they decided to take a trip there last summer, stopping by campus, (having missed the 55th), to see all the expansion. “We then boarded Amtrak’s Empire Builder to Whitefish MT and then toured Glacier, Yellowstone and Teton National Parks in a red Mustang convertible. I was finally able to show Rosemary the little peninsula near the bridge on Jenny Lake where Barry Maher, Tom Smith, Joe Bracco and I ate lunch on our way to SF after leaving Dillon Hall in a Carey drive-a-way delivery.” In Yellowstone, they were unable to find the cabin where a bear had overturned their garbage can one midnight, followed by their throwing beer cans at it “causing such a ruckus that the rangers demanded we show up the next morning at their station to talk about the phony ID we (I) used to buy the beer.” Pete Kerney passed away on July 11 in Massachusetts. Pete was a ME major and later got a PhD studying cryogenics. John Tarnowski died on July 22 in Michigan. When John retired, he went “off grid,” giving up cell phones and computers. Ben Aspero passed away on Aug. 22 in Morristown, NJ where he had practiced law for many years. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com
62JD Class Secretary — Paul K. Rooney;
1209 Oakmont Drive, No. 2, Walnut Creek CA 94595; rooneypaul12@gmail.com
63 Information Abounds
I asked for information and you responded, so much so that I do not have room for it all. Thank you. John Boka retired in 1998 and then worked preparing tax returns for the next 10 years. He and Mary spend the winters in Mesa AZ. They enjoy the RV lifestyle and travel the Midwest in their 40-foot motorhome, visiting their daughters in Madison and St. Louis. Ron Tisch is enjoying retirement with his wife of 50 years in Paradise Valley AZ, while summering in Sewickley PA. Jack Garrity is retired in Loveland OH. He and Sue, with three children and 10 grandchildren, downsized to a ranch house. Though generally healthy, he, like many classmates, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Phil Ryan is a semi-retired physician in Dallas. He and Becky have three kids and 10 grandchildren, all in Texas. His comment is, “life is good.” Tom Michael retired from Cummins Engine in 2008. He volunteers for the Special Olympics and the International Order of Alhambra. Look for him as a marshal on the 9th hole at ND’s Warren Golf Course next June at the US Senior Open. Matt Murphy retired 18 years ago from GM. He and Terry live on Skidaway Island. He is recovering from his sixth hip operation. Don Gillespie is a retired physician in Missoula MT. He’s recently visited with Tom Willmeng in Kalamazoo, John Coleman in Naples, John Madden in Houston, Joe Conrad in Salt Lake City, and Larry Griffin and Scott Carroll in Colorado. Barb and Bob McIntyre live in San Antonio. They stay busy visiting their two ND sons and 12 grandchildren who are in Houston and Dallas, between trips to Hawaii and Hilton Head. John “Fuzzy” Bruno sold the renowned “Pen and Pencil,” became a vintner on Long Island, and now he and Nancy are happily retired on Amelia Island. Dick Woods retired from his law practice on the Jersey Shore, and he and Barbara are enjoying the urban amenities of Center City Philadelphia, with its walkability, restaurants and cultural attractions. Greg Foust from Bath OH retired from Firestone-Bridgestone at 53. He and Jean recently installed a home elevator for future aging in place. Roseanne and Scott Carroll retired seven years ago to Evergreen CO from his practice as an allergist in Atlanta. They’ve done one or two medical missions a year over the past 20 years with Flying Doctors of America. Mary Ann (Hickey) SMC and James Michael Walsh live in Lincolnshire IL, not far from their two daughters, who live in the Chicago area. Dawn and Buzz Gillogly live in Westford MA outside Boston and enjoy the active ND club with their game watches, boat trips, theater events and other activities. He reports that his ND roommate, Rob Irvine, died last year, and as a former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors. Denis Morrow reports that his wife Carolyn passed away in August, after 52 good years together. We’ve also received recent notice of the passing of John Doyle on May 28, Bob Snow on June 9, Dave Gruber on May 29, Ron Guzda in June, Tom Halperin on May 23, and Don Mulligan in November 2014. Please keep them and their families in your prayers. — John O’Brien; jgob41@yahoo.com
63JD Condolences
Arlene Feldmeier ’60SMC, Mike Feldmeier’s wife of 56 years, passed away May 26. Arlene and Mike worked as a team for many years supporting fund raising and other activities of Catholic Charities in the Chicago area. They also shared a love of sports, particularly ND football and the Chicago White Sox. Arlene was an accomplished golfer. Our class expresses condolences to Mike and his family, and admiration for the example he and Arlene set for the rest of us. The last issue of Notre Dame Magazine had a very interesting article on Archbishop Charles Brown ’81, explaining how his new assignment as the Vatican ambassador to Albania from the same position in Ireland was a promotion. We can’t top that but can report on parallel circumstances in the life of Ed Adams. Recently he gave a presentation to ND Law School students on his experiences as a globetrotting law professor. It all started several years ago when Ed was invited by the Center for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria, to participate in a program that sends distinguished senior lawyers as visiting professors to teach in law schools in Europe. Receiving this exciting news undoubtedly made Ed feel like he was at the top of the world, a feeling reinforced shortly thereafter upon receiving his first assignment to teach bankruptcy in Novosibirsk, Siberia. Although described in Lonely Planet as a pit stop on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia with a fine university and other cultural amenities. Maybe it’s the location, maybe it’s the subject, or maybe it doesn’t matter because Ed speaks highly of his students in Siberia as hard working and eager to learn about bankruptcy. Having successfully handled his rookie assignment to Siberia, Ed subsequently was sent to teach in Budapest, Krakow, the Czech Republic and Latvia. This spring he will be teaching at a university in Slovenia. Congratulations, Ed, on the great work. — Bob Saxe; 15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com
64 After 54 Years
Bob Patterson checked in from Asheville NC. He describes his life story as a work in process to be titled “So Far, So Good.” That’s a Steve McQueen line from The Magnificent Seven, which Bob saw in Washington Hall in 1960. After graduation, he spent his early years in marketing and sales at IBM. He moved to office development projects for firms in Chicago and Charlotte before doing corporate real estate throughout the US with BoA. Retiring in 2006, he owns and operates a Seniors Helping Seniors home care franchise in Asheville. He has three children and three granddaughters and is the proud holder of a Sports Car Club National Racing License. Jim Mason writes from Wyomissing PA that he has remarried after five years as a widower. Would you believe his marriage to Erika in Germany this summer included his first best man functioning in the same role for the second time? Gisela and Mike Carey and Kathy and I were among several hundred toasting Paul Tierney for 27 years of leadership contributions to TechnoServe. This highly respected not-for-profit provides business solutions to poverty in the developing world by linking people to information, capital and markets. We understand that Mike Yannuzzi celebrated his 75th with a surprise party thrown by daughter Cara and wife Della in Richmond. Mike was doubly surprised when PJ Shelley and Larry Russo made long trips to attend. From Charlotte comes news that Pete Murray had a pacemaker installed in August. He reports he is feeling great. Pat and Paul Basbagill, along with Mary and Tom Benson, were recent guests of Kathy and Jay Sommerkamp at their home in Winston-Salem for the Wake Forest game. Jay is recovering from back surgery and feeling the best he has felt in years. Tom is being challenged by Parkinson’s. For classmates with a calendar, 2019 means we celebrate our 55th year as alumni. We do not have a reunion planned at this time. Historical experience tells us that putting on one of these things is a great deal of work and not many attend. If anyone wants to undertake such a mission, they are welcome to give it a go. Keep me posted so I can share any plans, formal or informal. Cas Giampaolo died in June in Providence after a 10-year battle with a rare disease, primary amyloidosis (AL). He was a practicing physician for 45 years with dual degrees from ND. Cas was a distinguished pathologist with leadership roles in hospitals throughout the Northeast and in Chicago. During his Army service he worked at Walter Reed, and subsequently held numerous academic appointments. He is survived by his wife, Jo Ellen Mistarz, and daughter Gina. Lt. Col. Tom Langenfeld of Crofton MD died in September. His 26 years of military service included a mix of strategic cryptologic and tactical intelligence assignments. He served in many top-level roles as a military intelligence officer before retiring in 1994. Then he worked as a defense contractor for several firms. He is survived by wife Joan, two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Joe Theby writes that classmate Don Williams, an American Christian poet, died in July in Santa Ana CA. We also learned that Andy Hartnett died in 2010, Dick Lee of Springboro OH died in 2016 and Ed Gasior of Chicago and Dr. Gene Klamecki passed in 2017. This summer we lost Ed Norton of Pittsford NY, Andy Heiss of Easton MD, John Cullen of Orinda CA, Bob Jones and Bob Gaertner. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 203-655-3930; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com
64JD Medical Updates
Here’s a brief summary of my conversations with our classmates. Lou Pfeiler told me that Carol’s medical issues are unimproved, and that much of his day is consumed with care for her. Bob Cash sustained what he thought was a bruised lower leg but subsequently it turned into a serious condition replete with surgery, drains and antibiotic treatment. He is recovering but admonishes all of us not to trip over a shower threshold. Bob Frost slipped and fell at a supermarket because of water puddling from a defective cooling unit. Jack Jiganti’s spouse Dorothy joined our class medical brigade by experiencing a mysterious blackout leading to several days’ hospitalization while traveling with Jack in Florence, Italy. Jack has created a memorial fund at Omega House of Houghton honoring his long-time friend and our classmate Gerry Vairo. The fund is to support end of life care in Copper Country, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, for residents with limited resources. Hurley Smith thankfully reports that he has totally recovered following radiation treatments for cancer. Recovery from a fall from a ladder during a performance of Romeo and Juliet at the NY Met continues for Frank Miele. He now is back on stage as a supernumerary in La Bohème, Aida and Tosca. Charlie Sweeney is battling Parkinson’s disease and its side effects, particularly sleep deprivation. He is planning to get out of the cold of South Bend by wintering in Florida at his place in Long Boat Key. Gene Kramer sends his regards from Cleveland as he and JoAnn enjoy their lake-front living and Gene grieves the quick exit of his beloved Indians from the baseball playoffs. Russ Bley is in his 10th year of volunteer tutoring at his former grade school in St. Louis. He still participates in St. Louis U’s host family program, and this year has his first student from Saudi Arabia. Jack Kopko has relocated from Indiana Dunes country to Palm Desert CA, where Sharon and I often winter. Bob Hanlon still is litigating product liability cases in New Jersey. He enjoys his family and is celebrating the academic and athletic achievements of his granddaughter, an outstanding scholarship swimmer and student at LSU. Mariam and Jim Slater remain happily ensconced in Santa Barbara where Jim is busy with his mediation practice. Kay and Tom Conneely celebrated their wedding anniversary with a European trip highlighted by a stay in Sicily. Jim Mercurio and I had an interesting conversation that revisited several of our common experiences during the 1960s when we were JAGs serving in Vietnam and later in DC representing the US on appeals from court martial. Jim and I were co-counsel on one of the early cases involving the legality of the war in Vietnam. Charles Sacher and I chat often. He continues to work extraordinary hours but is always available with incisive comments and helpful suggestions. All goes well with Ernie Zavodnik in Venice FL where he remains active in local government and his parish. Larry Gallick and Bob Cash also have homes in Venice and so far, have been spared the wrath of major fall storms. Lastly, Larry is making a run to become the class bad pundit, a niche I thought was mine. To test him, I sent 10 of his puns to my friends to see if any would make them laugh. No pun in 10 did. — Richard Balfe Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; 574-299-9888; 760-567-1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com
65 Recognition
Brockport NY is home to Kathy and Jim Goetz where he continues a full-time pediatrics practice and is a Eucharistic minister at his parish. October was a special month as the U of Rochester Medical Center promoted Jim to clinical professor of pediatrics and the local health center named their facility after him. Andy Gross celebrated his retirement from 50 years in emergency medicine with the publication of a collection of his short stories, “Ten Tales, the Youthful Adventurers of Pete and Toad,” available on Amazon. In 2001 he received an MLA degree from Stanford and lives in northern California where tennis and skiing occupy his free time. Andy’s ND roommate was Phil Purcell, who subsequently earned a degree at the London School of Economics and pursued many productive business ventures including starting the Discover Card and serving as CEO of Morgan Stanley. He is an emeritus trustee of the University and lives in Deer Valley UT. ND’s basketball arena is named in his honor. Joe Palmer earned his PhD in English from Purdue and continues to teach literature there. He and his wife, Maryann, have two daughters both of whom are ND grads. Jack O’Connell and wife Barbara live in Boca Raton. He is retired from a public relations career and writes a trade publication called the Maritime Executive. Jack has graduate degrees from Harvard and U of Virginia. Jack writes that in August June and Brian Barbour celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at a surprise party in Providence RI. Brian taught English at Providence College for 40 years after earning his PhD at Kent State. They have three sons and four grandchildren. Along with Jack, guests included Ed Burke and Frank Gaul, both of whom wore their Blue Circle pins in honor of Brian, who was also a member. Frank and Brian defended the merits and reputation of Sorin against the advocates for Lyons Hall, who became quite vocal during the evening. Ed lives in Boston and was a state senator in Massachusetts for 40 years and teaches part time. Frank lives in Hingham MA and is retired from a successful Wall Street career but still has a small investment firm. In our last column, the loss of two of our classmates during the Vietnam War was noted. Both John Pastore and Peter Langenus wrote that their good friend and classmate, Terry Ryan, was also killed while serving as a Naval aviator on a carrier off Vietnam. A catapult failure forced emergency ejection, which caused his death. His father was Canadian, and he was buried in a family grave. Peter just learned of the location after years of searching and visited this year. Peter was an Airborne Ranger and commanded a light infantry brigade of 180 men in Vietnam in 1969. They would spend more than a month on patrol during monsoon season without weather protection, bathing or shaving. In March, he will return for the fifth time to the places that he is not allowed to visit and at these locations will say prayers for friends who did not return. Peter lives in New Canaan CT and takes the train to NYC daily where he has a law practice in civil litigation. John Pastore is also an attorney and has a law firm with other partners. He and his wife, Diane, live in Niskayuna NY and have a daughter, Kathleen ’94. He cycles 2,500-3,500 miles a year regardless of the weather. In September, Doug Bodnovich died in Sarasota where he had moved two years ago from the Chicago area, which he called home. He had a 40-year career in the insurance industry. Doug is survived by wife Kristine, son John ’02, two daughters and two grandchildren. Funeral Mass was at ND’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040;
jphnd65@hotmail.com
65JD Class Secretary — John Donald O’Shea;
pelagius@qconline.com
66 Ruminations
I heard through Cap Gagnon that Art Mier attended the Stanford game with a family party of 11. Art played in the 26th annual George Blaha (voice of the Detroit Pistons and MSU football) Invitational Golf Tourney in Michigan, along with Ray Flynn. Regular attendee Keith Stark had a conflict. Art connected on an LA trip with Beverly Hills resident Jim Hayden. Jim, with an assist from Bill Dwyer, wrote the new book The Pluck of the Irish, an anthology relating stories of 10 sports figures who were inspired by ND and went on to make a difference. Cap sat at the Pitt game with Boston attorney Paul Ware and Susan. Paul recalled the fledgling Irish lacrosse team with mates Bill Joseph and Don Snyder. Don Bouffard reports that his May knee replacement is working well. Jack Gerken was on campus for the Ball State and Vandy games and tailgated with Ray Neihengen from Chicago and Jerry Erbach from DC. Denny Corrigan came in from Wisconsin for Vandy. In a letter to John Flatley, Denny O’Toole shared thoughts, including that his St. Louis U High class sent six men to ND: him, Tom Gorla, Denny O’Connell, Bill Ott, and two now deceased, Larry Dirnberger (early in the Vietnam War) and Tom Spurr. Denny noted his Jesuit education and that ND mates Bill Breen, Joe Robinson and the late Jim Phelan were fellow Jebby alumni. He also mentioned other respected ND mates from Texas: Denny Dunnigan, John Buck, and Terry Golden. He spoke about Jamie Toohey, Jim Murray, Pat Linski, Jay Hickey, Paul Bergson, the late Mike McAdams and John Twohey. John and Mary Jane are enjoying grandparenting. Their Pulitzer Prize-winning daughter Megan is on leave from the New York Times to pen a behind-the-scenes account of how she and an NYT colleague broke the Harvey Weinstein story. Brad Pittt’s production company has purchased movie rights to the book. JT met in NYC with Vince Uhl, active in the international water-resources consulting business, working in exotic places such as Afghanistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Haiti, Somalia and the Kalahari Desert. Tom Bettag still teaches journalism at U Maryland. Judy and Minch Lewis are still in Syracuse, where they have happily resided since 1966. Dan Overholser retired from dentistry. He and Pat live in Myrtle Beach, where there is good golf but not much ND affinity. His daughter practices dentistry in Texas and his son does IT work for the Pentagon in Germany. Congrats to Mike Rush, who was recently elected as Senior Alumni rep for upper New York State and New England, working with senior alumni and local ND clubs. He’ll have plenty to do after his planned retirement next June from the business faculty at BC in Boston. Mike credits Dick Martiny of Maryland for helping him win the alumni slot. Mike noted that our late classmate Jim Ballard’s son was buried with full military honors at Arlington after a train accident. He reminded that Sid Baker’s wife recently died after a long cancer battle. MR also reported that Bob Riviello is back playing golf after a bypass operation, that Mike Smith is thinking of moving back to Chicago from Santa Fe, that Bill Loftus did a Mediterranean cruise, and that Mike Boone is active with the Senior Alumni in Denver. We have some additional sad news. Mike Caolo’s wife Caroline died last August following a long struggle. I heard from Cole Clark that All American distance runner Mike Coffee passed in August. Word came that Marty Dunn passed on in July. Finally, I neglected to mention in the last issue the passing of Bob Plank. His roomie, Paul Sauer of Columbus, reminded me. Bob was a great guy who loved life and had many laughs, particularly at our 45th reunion. He joined Rush, Dave Worland, Mike Mooney, Pat Ryan and others as a powerful ROTC basketball team that won the campus championship. That’s it for now. Send news. — Tom Sullivan; 1108 Westwicke Lane, Lutherville MD 21093; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com
66JD Unexpected
The difficulty with being the secretary for a class that graduated more than 52 years ago is the recognition that obituaries of people our age seldom contain the word “unexpectedly.” Regardless, it is a shock to report the death of a classmate. Regrettably, I report the death of Ben Aspero, 77, on Aug. 22 in New Vernon NJ where he practiced law until this year. Ben was a Double Domer, having received his undergrad degree in 1962 and graduating from Law School in 1966. He married his wife Sally in 1971; she and their three sons survive him. Ben and Sally’s presence at our reunions, including our 50th, was always a joyous event and his contagious good humor and enthusiasm for life were inspirations to us all. Throughout his career Ben was an active participant in New Jersey’s legal, charitable and religious communities and he founded the Craig School, an independent school specializing in working with students in grades 2 through 12 who have language-based learning disabilities. He was a true renaissance man who loved reading, classical music as well as playing a vigorous game of tennis. He was a great classmate and his exuberant presence will be missed at our next reunion. Steve Seall forwarded to me the group photo that Bonnie had taken of us at our last reunion, and the fact that Bob Krause and Ben have passed away should serve as reminder to appreciate our own lives and loved ones while we’re able. On a happier note, I heard from Bill Sanneman, who had been in touch with Pat Bowers, who is still working full time for Health and Human Services in Washington DC. Bill reports that he still works a little bit and spends lots of time at his Florida home. Bob Murphy recently brought my attention to the fact that Al McKenna, a member of the advisory council of the Law School, works with the University’s Black Law Student Association, and the school annually honors ND graduates who have distinguished themselves within the African American community by awarding them the Alvin McKenna award. Another fully employed classmate is, of course, Walt Terry, who persists in working 50 hours a week including five hours on Saturday. Walt and I shared the experiences of frequent dreams in which we find ourselves in courtrooms totally unprepared for whatever hearing is to take place or in classrooms to be tested on subjects we had failed to study for. Anyone have similar dreams? — Philip C. Ruddy; rudds241@aol.com
67 Waikiki
Karl Gustke, Bob Schoenherr and their partners met at Bellows Air Force Base on Oahu in the fall. They were vacationing together and watched the Ball State game on Waikiki. Bob and Samantha returned to campus for the Pitt game and Karl and Melba were on campus for the Florida State game. Joe Devlin held his periodic cotillion at the Northwestern game in Chicago where he, Chip Malek, Tim Creany, George Goeddeke and Pete Mavrelis with their spouses headquartered at the Drake Hotel. Paul Basbagill ’64 wrote to let us know our classmate Alan Page’s wife Diane passed way in September. Phil Carter as well as the Tom Rhoads family have written to let us know Tom has ordered the stop of cancer treatments since he was notified of the spread of the cancer. Please write so that this column can be published. — Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis Street, Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com
67JD Bye, Bye Boise
Maureen and Jack Harty relocated from Idaho to Temecula near Santa Cruz in Southern California. Jack claims the reason for the move was his desire for more traffic jams and delays, which just don’t exist in Boise. However, another factor may be that the Hartys lived in California for 20 years early in his career and he practiced law there. Their children and grandchildren live there. The warmer winter weather will be gentler on Maureen, who has back issues. Jack will continue his financial investment company, which is digital and can be operated from anywhere. It’s uncertain whether Jack’s explosive and cantankerous personality, at least when watching ND football, will increase the risk of earthquake activity near his new home. Lynn and Ted Sinars traveled to Croatia for several weeks in October. Can the Cubs advance in the playoffs without their direct support? Sadly, no. Samantha and Jack Couch spent October cruising down the Rhine River on a Viking Cruise ship. Mo Nicholson writes that he misses the back-and-forth exchange from our classmates criticizing our football coach. It’s hard to stay angry when you’re 70. Mo enjoys cruising and plans cruises to Hawaii and the Panama Canal next year. He moved to Sun City West AZ and changed his email address to morrisnicholson593@gmail.com. John Nelson continues his frenetic activity and leadership, on a local and nationwide level, for the Crime Stoppers organization. Unfortunately, he had to cancel an extensive planned trip to Costa Rica because of some life-altering changes to wife Linda’s health. Jim Mollison writes that wife Germaine, recovered from a nasty fall last year, has again tempted fate by mistaking the gas pedal for the brake and driving into the brick building that houses Jim’s law firm. The van crumpled like it was made from a sheet of aluminum foil (of course, it was) and Germaine cracked her sternum. Grandson Carlo, a third-grader, traveled with his baseball team to Detroit and won a state pitching machine championship. Roz and Steve Lamantia like to point out that all the names in their little black book end in MD. All our best to the wives in our class and we hope for speedy recoveries. Dick Muench is justly proud of his grandson playing football for Cornell and his granddaughter, who is pursuing a career as a wildlife biologist. Jerry Berthold reports that he met his son Jeff ’92 at the Vandy game and added a round of golf. Jerry claims he hurt his rotator cuff during the match and that’s why he lost. He hopes to meet up with Sean Keenan for a ND women’s BB game in January. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and good thoughts following our visit from Hurricane Florence. As we travel less than three miles from our house and see people’s lives and livelihoods piled along the curb, we will not be heard to complain about a few of our trees overturned and some water damage in our oceanfront condominium 30 miles away. Deo Gratias. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@gmail.com
68 Tailgate and Marriage Secrets
Keeping the glorious reunion mojo going, the South Bend classmates in combination with the Chicago ones made a large swath of the near-stadium parking lot a tailgate gathering place for friends who can’t get enough of a good time on fall weekends. Twice, Muffet McGraw arrived to show off her team’s NCAA trophy before photo-bombing a smiling, green-shirted row of Fred Ferlic, Gene Cavanaugh, Joe Kernan, Tom Gibbs, Bryan Dunigan, Dennis Toolan, Dave Dittman and class president Tom Weyer. Tom McKenna of Carmel IN, recalling the tailgate’s origin in Honest John Weyer’s discovery of an open Engineering classroom when we were students, called the gathering “a public trust.” The core tailgate pack, minus the South Bend friends who had seen the Weyers all other fall weekends, met Oct. 20 at the invitation of the Weyer children for a Chicago party celebrating a tradition almost as lengthy: Mary and Tom Weyer’s 50 years of marriage. The secret? “Find a woman you can’t live without and then stay alive,” Tom said. After he and Mary spoke, Roger Guerin said, “That’s the longest speech Tom Weyer has given without mentioning Rocky Bleier.” Bryan Dunigan, Patty and Rick McPartlin, Mary Lou and Dennis Toolan, Tom Durkin, Joyce and Matt Walsh, Sheila and Tom Gibbs were there. Mick Hyland was absent but caught up with the first reunion of his Pangborn Hall study group. Three days later, with leaves turning color and temperatures falling, Bob Ptak went to join Donna in Naples. Jean and Roger Guerin will go after Christmas along with Carmi and Chris Murphy, Paul Dunn, Meg and Jeff Keyes, and Bob Brady. Expect a flow of postcards: alligators guarding golf balls (Guerin), a beach sunset (Dunn), and the off-color (Ptak). On the East Coast, Jay Schwartz hosted a lunch party at the fashionable Harry Browne’s in Annapolis for Muff and Mike Baroody, Emily and Pat Collins, Elise and Dennis Reeder, Tom Condon, Nancy and me, Tom Figel. The Schwartz-centric menu appears on the blog ndclass1968.com.The St. Louis legal community named Tom Corbett a leading practitioner in trusts and estates. Jorge Robert R. Saavreda, regretting that he missed the reunion, wrote, “We have recently moved from Stafford County VA (where we lived for 20 years) to Denton County TX, north of Dallas and Fort Worth. The move was encouraged by my mother's failing health. She is 96 with associated physical challenges. Although originally from Puerto Rico, our family has, over the past 30 years, slowly relocated to the Dallas Metroplex. Health permitting, we will make the next reunion.” Check the experience Allen Brown had. “A group of us (Mike Carroll, Mike Ford, Tony Shaheen, Bill Clark, Ed Ferry and Brian McManus) got a Facetime session going with Geoffrey Thornton, who was in the Seattle area. The FaceTime with Geoffrey was capped by a surprise 10-minute conversation with Lou Holtz, who happened to also be on the seventh-floor outdoor courtyard on the Duncan Center. Tony asked Lou if, prior to the Catholics v. Convicts tilt, he really said to “leave Jimmy Johnson’s a** for me.” Lou said yes, he recalls saying something to that effect prior to the game. The group also got to engage Dr. Brian Ratigan, an orthopedic surgeon in South Bend who was also there. Brian, as you recall played linebacker for Lou as well as the Indianapolis Colts.” Mike Hampsey’s death in June, followed in August by John Longhi’s death after 30 years of Parkinson’s suffering, led Chuck Perrin to compose a song: https://youtu.be/bJPGcmJ6usw. After returning from Peace Corps service with the heart of nurse Tess, John earned a Harvard doctorate in geology and then became a research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia U. Mike Carty, who would have been hard to keep away from the reunion, died months before, in February 2018. Paul Zalesky brought John’s death to our attention; Phil Feola did the same for Mike. Father John Pearson, CSC, was in South Bend for a visit and a surgery when the South Bend Tribune announced the death of Prof. Donald Sniegowski. Tom Condon’s brother Jim, a Vermont radio personality and state legislator some think was the funniest Condon, died in August. Funny? Listen to one radio skit, “Leave it to Bernie,” on soundcloud.com. Thanks to Bob Smith, Joe Hale, Jim Hutchinson and others who help us keep up with our news. Please send notes and photos. — Tom Figel; 1054 W. North Shore, Apt. 3E, Chicago IL 60626; 312-223-9536; tfigel@reputecture.com
68JD Pre-Reunion Update
This article was submitted for publication on Oct. 20, and so everyone will have to wait for the “grand summary” of our 50th reunion. Paul Gore called me and advised that he could not make the reunion but offered his best to our class. Hopefully, by the time you read this article, Pete King will have been re-elected to Congress. We all thank Pete for his great service to our country. Suzanne and I just returned from a 12-day D-Day tour, which was one of Stephen Ambrose’s historical tours. It was incredible to stand on the beaches of Normandy and experience the powerful emotions of visiting the military cemeteries. Ron Drez was our tour guide who assisted Dr. Ambrose with his research for Ambrose’s publication D-Day: June 6, 1944, interviewing many of the World War II veterans who spoke to him about their experiences. The highlights included: The Churchill War Rooms, Southwick House (where Eisenhower, Montgomery, Ramsay and staff planned the invasion), Normandy Beaches, Ste-Mere-Eglise (the iconic Church and steeple at Ste-Mere-Eglise) and the guns at Longues-sur-Mer, Pointe-du-Hoc (where the rangers scaled the cliffs), and finally, Bastogne, where we took a tour and heard about the Ardennes and the Battle of the Bulge. Next, in the event you did not read Bob Sidman’s excellent comments concerning the moral crisis of our Church which appeared in a letter to the editor in the autumn edition of Notre Dame Magazine, Bob stated the following: “What is glaringly absent from Ken Woodward’s analysis are the many significant factors caused by the Church’s own failures to bear witness to the essential Gospel message. Certainly, prominent among those factors is the pervasive worldwide scandal of the sexual abuse of youth by priests, and the shameful failure of the bishops to punish the abusers and protect the abused. And what credibility can the Church claim when it continues to insist that women still must be excluded from full participation in its ministry, even forbidding any discussion or debate about the topic? And how does the Church credibly assert that we are all God’s children deserving of respect and love, yet condemn gay persons as being substantially disordered? There are innumerable other issues that cause otherwise faithful followers to seriously question church doctrine. The Church held the faithful in check for centuries by invoking tyranny and orthodoxy. The world has changed, and the old tricks no longer work. This is a difficult time for all of us since numerous Catholic Church leaders (bishops and cardinals) have simply “looked the other way” in addressing these issues. However, in making our overall judgment, we should also remember Father Bill Lewers and the positive impact he had on all of our lives while we were at Notre Dame.” Finally, let’s remember the deceased members of our class including John Amerman, Emilio Belluomini, John Burgess, Albert Dudash, Richard Hirsch, Joseph Ladd, Larry Miller and Robert Wilczek. I need help from my classmates for information to include in these columns. — Dennis G. Collins; 314-516-2648; dgc@greensfelder.com
69 Reunion Update
John Quinn writes that he was in St. Louis with his grandchildren and caught up with retired Judge Steve Kernan. Hopefully, Steve will join us at our 50th reunion. Mike Bars wants his classmates to know that his nephew, Alex Bars, was one of the captains of the team this year but unfortunately was injured at the Stanford name. Mike is retired in Buford SC and would be happy to entertain anyone who appears in that area of the world. Mike is also anticipating joining the Notre Dame Club of Hilton Head and will probably run into Ed Weinlein there. Tom Ladkey and other classmates are supportive of the Milwaukee Brewers. He and McCauley, Hickey, Merritt, Sackoff, Beres, Moran, Jacobsen, Kavaluskus, Lyons, Schmidlin and Shannon went to a late August game and enjoyed a Brewers’ win. Unfortunately, they did not prevail against the LA Dodgers in the playoffs. The Edwardsburg 10, consisting of Ralph Williams, Richard Sullivan, Louis Leone, Matt White, Dean Benner, Dick Cimino, John Quinn, Delbert Hosemann, Greg Schatz and I enjoyed the Stanford game and tailgated with Missy and Joe Fisher and Polly and John Sturm. Unfortunately, we missed classmate Greg Downes, who was otherwise tied up, but he played golf with some of us on Thursday. Also, joining the tailgate as honorary members of the Class of ’69 was my daughter, Meghan ’00, and her roommates, Sarah Harbuck, Giulia Bertucci Arencibia, Jennifer Metzger Stinnett and Courtney (Howlett) Moore. They added a great vibe to the tailgate. Mike Cerre wants the class to know that Bob Whitmore is going to be inducted into the Ring of Honor on Jan. 12 during the Notre Dame v. Boston College basketball game. It is quite an honor for our classmate, who was a terrific basketball player and a great member of the Class of ’69, so those who attend will enjoy a great event. All our best to Bob for this honor. Lastly, plans are well under way for our 50th Reunion. The class fund has been established and the agreement is being tweaked with some suggestions from our class in that the Class of ’69 descendants, should they qualify, would be given preference for any scholarships once the fund is established. If no classmates’ descendants qualify that year, the University would use the funds to help other deserving students with scholarship assistance at the University. This legacy will live on well beyond our lifetimes and the scholarship beneficiaries will be notified that the funds are available through the generosity of the Class of 1969. The links are available on the website to donate. I urge everyone to try to attend the reunion and to donate to the scholarship fund. Further, anyone who wishes to have a program on Friday or Saturday should contact me. There is going to be a military recognition event on Friday morning honoring the members of our class and the other five-year classes who served in the military, especially honoring the Vietnam vets, but also honoring any other military service by classmates at each five-year reunion with the Class of ’69 being highlighted as the 50-year class. On a sad note, I have just been made aware that classmate James J. Hodgkiss MD passed away in August. Our condolences to his family. Our classmate Dr. Ron Maier, who was a St. Ed’s resident from Shadyside OH was inducted in October in Boston as president of American College of Surgeons. Dr. Maier is an internationally recognized trauma surgeon and researcher. He was a fair rugby player in his younger years. Please reach out to classmates relative to participation and attending our reunion, as well as donating to the scholarship fund. All the best. Go Irish. — Tom Ryan; 248-334-9938; sylvanlawtr@gmail.com
69MBA Sad News Again
Again, I am the bearer of sad news for our class. Peter James Smith passed away on Aug. 13 at Cape Cod Hospital. Pete is survived by his wife Linda of 50 years and two children and six grandchildren. Linda and Pete lived for long stretches in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania with multi-year adventures to the Netherlands and Switzerland. In 1970, Peter joined Digital Equipment Corp. as a marketing specialist and eventually rose to serve as SVP of worldwide marketing and SVP of international operations during his 24-year career at the company. After leaving Digital in 1994, Pete joined a software company named Ansys as president and CEO. I always remember Pete for his quick sense of humor and mischievous grin. I can still see him peering into the window of one of our old classrooms at the Hayes Healy Building during our 40th reunion, wine glass in hand. He was also known to be a man of ethical character in business. We will all miss Pete. On a lighter note, the following classmates, alumni and wives met for dinner after the Ball State game in September: Ken Samara, Nick Walz, Joe Cavato, Sue and Tom Sanna, Jean and Chris Odenback, Joe Cavato Jr. ’99, Brian McCarthy ’98 and Sue Jerutis and her grandson. In addition, Tim Ponisciak ’03, who oversees MBA graduate alumni relations joined us to talk about all the events, tours and social gatherings for our 50th reunion. It is going to be a great event, so please save the date for May 30 to June 2. The University, MBA Program and ND Alumni Association are going all out to make sure this is a once in a lifetime special event, along with induction into the 50 Year Club. Please watch for notices and registration information from the University. If you have any questions regarding the reunion or news for our class, please contact me. — Dennis B. McCarthy; PO Box 246, Bear Lake MI 49614; 231-864-3111 ext. 115; dbmc2@blarneycastleoil.com
69JD Reunion Plans
I will be sending the Morris Inn reservation information to you after football season. I am also making arrangement for reunion polo shirts and 50-year hats. Please send me your shirt size if you will be attending the reunion the weekend of Sept. 21, when we play Georgia in Atlanta. So far, the following have said they will attend: Hugh Mundy, Tom Bonner, David Prior, Jim Brady, Scott Atwell, John MacLeod, Bill Hassing, Dan Herbert, James Barba, Tim Malloy, Robert Greene, Nick Trogan, Hank Catenacci, Merle Wilberding, Vince Stamp and Pat Cooney. Tom McCusker and Pat Berg sent me positive replies but not their shirt sizes. We are working on Pete Driscoll; Matt Dwyer is a maybe. I had lunch with Lynn and Tim McLaughlin before the Stanford game. Puma will be at the reunion and will help with the arrangements. I saw Joe McNeil at the Law School before the Stanford weekend. Joe and Pat Cooney were at the March Under the Arch before the game. — James L. Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; 808-778-4033; 808-395-0443; starman@hawaii.rr.com