1940s

40 Class Secretary — Rebecca (Antas) Smith;

542 Fairview Ave., Glen Ellyn IL 60137; 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- 295-7604; cell 415-272-4016; or Ann Schanuel; annjolene2@aol.com

 

43 In Our Hearts Forever

With sadness, I report the passing of several ’43 classmates. Edward Neagle passed away on April 19 at home with his family beside him. Born on March 20, 1922, Judge Neagle was a lieutenant in the Navy in World War II and later became a judge. He made his home in Livingston NJ with his wife of 65 years, Jane. Jane preceded him in death in 2016. Notre Dame, Our Mother was the entrance hymn at Judge Neagle’s funeral Mass, and the Notre Dame Victory March was played at the exit. Over the years, I enjoyed exchanging phone calls and letters with Judge Neagle, who was a true gentleman and son of Notre Dame. We also lost Vincent P. Slatt and Godfrey F. Buranich. Mr. Slatt passed on March 9. His survivors are his many children and grandchildren including ND alumni Stephen D. Slatt ’71, Christopher G. Slatt ’80, Danielle C. Slatt ’08 and Stephanie M. Slatt ’11. Mr. Buranich passed on July 18, 2018. He is survived by six sons, who I am sure were a great comfort and source of pride for their father. May our lost friends rest in peace and in God’s arms. Lives well lived, all, and lived in Notre Dame. — A. Robert Masters ’05; 1906 E. Madison St., South Bend IN 46601; armasters@nfmlaw.com

 

44 Reunited 75 years

I received a wonderful note from John Hickey ’69 letting me know that John W. Anhut represented Notre Dame’s finest at the 75th reunion. He met him at the Morris Inn and writes of the encounter at the class blog notredameclassof1969blog.blogspot.com. The site includes similar stories from Ernie Gargaro ’69, who Anhut recognized from Detroit club activities, and Jim Bodary ’69, with whom Anhut shared a mutual (now deceased) friend, Bob Faught. I enjoyed reading of the many father/son ties in ’44 and ’69 classes and spotted my own parents in one of the reunion photos. The Notre Dame world is sometimes quite small. Hickey shared that Frank Leahy ’31, Bob Faught, and his father, John Hickey, were stationed at Pearl Harbor in the Navy during World War II. At a Sept. 3, 1944 meeting of Notre Dame alums at Pearl Harbor, they posed for a photo with all the ND monogram winners present. You can find the photo and many other rich stories involving ’44 classmates on the ’69 class blog. This author could never recap in a way to do it justice. The University notified me that Warren Roque and Edward Olszewski passed away in April and May, respectively. Warren’s obituary described him as having an insatiable desire to learn. He was an avid reader and writer of stories and poetry and worked on teaching himself Spanish. His wit, intelligence, kindness and faithfulness will be sorely missed by all who loved him. A highly decorated WWII pilot, Ed was a hero who loved his country. He was a man of deep faith and a friend to all, according to his obituary. My sympathies to friends and family. I look forward to hearing from you if you have memories or stories to share. Be well. — Laura (Julian) Fraser ’00; 1021 Royal Bombay Court, Naperville IL 60563; 773-255-9843; lejfraser@outlook.com

 

45 Remembering New Coke

My condolences to Jeanne and the family of William H. “Bill” Klem. Bill passed away May 14. He was born in New York and when he was about 2, his family moved to Lakeland FL due to his father’s asthma. After he graduated from Lakeland High School, Bill headed to ND and into the NROTC program. He was commissioned as ensign and served on the destroyer USS Orleck at the end of WWII. He and Jeanne Yuncker married in South Bend. Bill received his law degree from ND in 1950. While in law school Bill worked part time at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Then during the Korean Conflict, in 1952, he was recalled to active duty aboard the destroyer USS Rich. Afterward, with a growing family, Bill resigned his Navy commission. Enjoying the business aspect of Coca-Cola, Bill was hired full-time and after spending 42 years with the company, he retired in 1989. Bill and Jeanne ’44SMC were married 73 years. Their family included five children: Kathy, Ann, Janet, Bill and Thomas. He will be missed by eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. After retiring, Bill and Jeanne traveled extensively around Europe, India and China. He also enjoyed family gatherings, fishing, golfing, ND football and reading. Bill’s last contribution was donating his body to the IU School of Medicine Anatomy Education Program. So how does this wonderful man’s passing bring up memories? Bill had written to me when I took over this column explaining that he, Joe “J.D.” Usina and my father, Bob Erkins, were the only three from Florida in their class. All were ROTC. When The Dome was not published for a few years due to the war, the ROTC published The Irish Pennant in ’43 and ’44. Again, the boys in blue stepped up. But what really brought back a wonderful football weekend memory was reading about Bill’s work at Coca-Cola. I think it was the fall of 1984 when Coca-Cola held a blind taste test at ND. A football weekend was a great time to ask an excited crowd to taste a new beverage. My parents were staying at the Morris Inn and I was on campus. In many locations, tents and tables were set up for comparing Pepsi, Coca-Cola (now called Classic) and the New Coke. I am sure that Bill was very involved with this taste test. As we all know, so many changes have taken place in the beverage industry over the years but with this one, I was a participant on that beautiful fall weekend. — Melissa Erkins Rackish ’77; 1224 Campbell St., Williamsport PA 17701; 570-326-4289; mrackish@comcast.net

 

46 More about the Super Agers

George Lake DeLoach Jr. died Nov. 12, 2018 in Cleveland MS at 93. He was born in the Jefferson Community MS Nov. 24, 1925. In 1943, he joined the Navy and was assigned to the V12 program at ND where he received a BS in naval science with a major in mechanical engineering and a commission as ensign in 1946. He served in the Pacific until 1947. Upon his return home, he attended Mississippi State U where he graduated in 1949 with a BS in electrical engineering. He was then employed at the Mississippi Power Light Co and then at Entergy. He retired in 1990. He was married to Sara Nelle Anniston for 63 years. She predeceased him. They had three children. George Robert Muller, 92, of Hopewell VA went to be with the Lord on Jan. 15. He had two degrees from ND, a BS in Naval Science in 1946 and a BS in chemical engineering in 1949. He served in the Navy in WWII and the Korean War and retired in 1953 with the rank of lieutenant. He worked for Allied Chemical/Honeywell as a project engineer and had several patents including the fabric used in the first successful installation of air bags for Ford in 1969. He retired after 30 years and then worked for Firestone for an additional eight years as a senior technical advisor. He was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Veronica. They had eight children, 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Brother Martin Wilson, CSC, 95, passed away Feb. 5 in Austin TX. He was born and raised in Natchez MS. He received a BA in history in 1946 at ND and later a master’s in education at Our Lady of the Lake U, San Antonio TX. After teaching a few years at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, he served as a missionary in East Pakistan for 14 years. Back in the states, he was a teacher and counselor at Holy Cross schools in Miami, Sherman Oaks CA and New Orleans. In 1993, he retired from school duties and devoted himself to providing support services to Holy Cross Brothers as long as he was able. Richard Dale “Dick” Nichols, 92, of MacPherson KS passed away Mar 7. He was in the V12 program at Kansas U, Park College MO and ND where he received his commission as ensign. He served aboard a minesweeper in the Atlantic and a new destroyer in the Gulf Coast. After his Navy service, he graduated from Kansas State with a degree in agriculture economics and technical journalism. He started in the banking business at the Hutchinson National Bank, Hutchinson KS. In 1960, he moved to McPherson and served as the president of the Home State and Trust Co until 1990, when he was elected to the US Congress. After his service, he returned as chairman of the board and retired from banking after 54 years. He married Constance Weinbrenner on March 25, 1951. They had three children. Constance died July 6, 1994. He married Linda Carol Hupp on April 21, 1996. Linda had two children of her own. He is survived by Linda, his wife of 22 years, 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. — Paul Taggett; 10 W. Grove Ave., D15, Lake Wales FL 33853; paultaggett@gmail.com

 

47 Sad Farewells

I am sad to report the passing of the following alumni: Hugh W. Skidmore on April 19, John C. Thomas on April 12, Robert P. “Bob” Reid on April 6, Charles J. “Charlie” Joiner on March 28, and Edward M. “Ed” Whelan on March 24. As a brief introduction, my name is Eileen Surprenant and I graduated from ND in 2009 as well as from the Mendoza College of Business MNA program in 2015. I had the honor of working at Our Lady’s University for eight years and my husband, David Surprenant ’12, and I were married at the Basilica in 2015. I was a long-time collaborator with Dan Gentile ’48 on the notes for the Class of 1948 before his passing. I look forward to hearing from you and recording your updates for the Class of 1947. Go Irish. — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; eileen.surprenant@gmail.com

 

48 Loyal Sons of Notre Dame

I am sad to report the passing of the following alumni: Brother William L. Schu, CSC, on March 15, Francis R. “Frank” Farley on April 25, William G. “Bill” Gompers on May 3, Joseph “Joe” Reilly on May 12, and John H. Horrigan on May 16. I heard from William E. “Bill” Harrington III ’87 and he graciously shared the following stories and reminiscences about his father, William E. “Bill” Harrington Jr., who passed away on Jan. 18 at the age of 94. Bill Jr. enrolled at ND in 1942, but his education was interrupted by two years of service as a pilot in the Army Air Corp during which he survived a near-fatal crash during training. He returned to his beloved Notre Dame and graduated in 1948. He then moved east to New York to begin a career in advertising at Young & Rubicam where he met Margaret McCabe. They soon married and eventually moved to Darien CT where they raised a family while he pursued a new career in real estate as an owner of Scott Associates and Harrington Real Estate, retiring at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, five children, 13 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. The only thing he loved as much as his family and friends was the University of Notre Dame. He was an avid ND fan and religiously made annual trips for at least one home football game each fall. The last was our 2018 victory over Michigan. He remained active in serving his community until his last days, and he was an inspiration to all with his warm smile, unparalleled optimism, sense of humor, and loyalty. — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; eileen.surprenant@gmail.com

 

49 May the Road Rise Up to Meet You

Retired Air Force Col. Joe Beck of Little Rock called to say hello and thanks for the good work of transitioning class affairs since Al Lesko’s death. Joe has his ME degree from ND and his master’s from Purdue. He has three brothers, all Domers, Louis ’53, Bill ’55 and John ’61. Joe had a lifelong love affair with flying starting at age 15. He joined the Air Force after graduating from ND and retired as a bird colonel after 24 years of service flying every type of aircraft the Air Force had to offer. How’s this for nostalgia? Claire Archibald came across a letter dated Oct. 25, 1995 from Jim Butz to Joe Archibald that she thought would bring back fond memories for us to share. The letter recounted a funeral Mass in the Basilica for our old sports information director Charlie Callahan. Rev. Ned Joyce said the Mass and Rev. Ted Hesburgh gave the eulogy. Over 200 were on hand, including such gridiron greats as Brennan, Panelli, Martin, Dickson, Bertelli, Miller, Lujack, Druze, Groom, Ruggerio, Tripuka, Robin, Hart, McGurk, Ashbaugh and a host of others. Jim opined that if Charlie had his way, after the burial in Cedar Grove, everyone should head down to Woodwards to continue the celebration. You remember Woodwards? A lot of ND athletic lore was created there. Our local paper ran the obit for Chuck Lienhart of Plymouth IN who passed away recently. Chuck graduated from ND at age 20 cum laude in music. He was a member of the glee club, a licensed pilot at age 16, served in the Army and National Guard, had a career in real estate, was a bank VP, an accomplished pianist, led his own quartet performing in local venues, enjoyed golf, fishing, sailing, and was a popular ballroom dance instructor. Oh yes, he was married with two daughters and six grandchildren. A man for all seasons? You bet. Where did he find the time? And so old friends, “Until we meet again may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.” — Joe O’Brien; 18120 Cloverleaf Drive, South Bend IN 46637; 574-271-8323; obie49nd@comcast.net