1960s
1960s
60 Meeting the Deadline
Your writer procrastinates many days before each three-month deadline. This one is April 20 and today is April 17. We had a very busy winter season in Southwest Florida and were able to see many classmates at our monthly class luncheons and several ND oriented activities. It is great to see the classmates get together for any occasion. This brings up the next large ND function, our annual minireunion on Friday Sept. 27 before the Virginia game. Dinner will be at Morris Park Country Club at 6 p.m. Bill Killilea has lined up a great musical group to play some doo-wop from our era. We presently have more than 50 classmates and spouses planning to attend. Give us a call. Jim Curcio is still working as director of patrol with his community in Sun Lakes AZ. He says, “We are a gated community and I have 38 people in our department. I enjoy the entire action with my boss and my staff. It keeps my mind active and I have been blessed with good health to accomplish all this. Also, it keeps me out of my wife’s hair.” Terry Lally says it is trivia time: “One my responsibilities in my work-study job at ND was to dust those old murals down and make sure the general area was clean. They gave me a key to the bottom door, and I had to do this work after hours. At times it cut in on my Cecil’s activities when I had to hustle back to campus. I had a long-handled dust mop that I touched the murals up with, but to be honest I never did look at them closely and contemplate their significance. I also cleaned several classrooms on the second floor every night. My fellow worker was a Polish immigrant who knew very little English but enough to appreciate my stash of beer hidden in our janitor’s room. This room was located off one of the stairway landings, but the door has been covered up for many years. Other than recent renovators, I might be the only one who knows where this and other rooms are today. I’m old.” Rich Juliani says he is retired from a career as a university professor. “I continue to keep my hand in research and writing. I will have my third major monograph, a study of an immigrant community, the Italians of Philadelphia during the First World War, to be published later this year by Temple University Press. I have material for two or three more books, including a lengthy study of the Germans of Philadelphia during the same war, but finding a publisher has become more difficult than ever before. I see Barrie Maguire, Ed Kennedy, Chuck Ladner, Mike Ehrenreich and Joe Hilger at least annually. We were able to go as a group to the Temple game in Philadelphia a few years ago.” Ren Farley says, “I have been teaching at the U of Michigan since 1967. Since I retired, I teach only two courses each year. It keeps me off the streets. Now I offer a course about the history and future of Detroit.” Bob “Barny” Meyer says, “I hope all is well. I'm going to do everything I can to make the reunion. We are very busy making parts for many autos, but I'll try to be there to see Spring Lake guard Steve Berry and Judge Sam Ahto.” Send me an email. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No. 103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com
61 RIP Chuck Lennon
With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of our own Prince Chuck, Charles F. “Chuck” Lennon Jr., who passed away on May 4 at age 80. May he rest in peace. “Few people have so enthusiastically stood for and represented Notre Dame like Chuck,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., ’76, ’78MA, the University’s president. “He was a fount of optimism, knowledge and love for his alma mater who will be dearly missed. Our prayers are with Joan and his family.” A native of Joliet, IL, Chuck earned his bachelor’s degree as a member of our class and played for three seasons and received a monogram in baseball. He earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the University in 1962 and served in the Notre Dame athletics department from 1961 to 1966 as an assistant basketball and baseball coach and an assistant ticket manager. He also served for two years as the University’s coordinator of research and sponsored programs. In addition, Chuck served as associate vice president and executive director of the Notre Dame Alumni Association for 30 years. “Chuck Lennon’s impact on the Notre Dame family cannot be overstated,” said Dolly Duffy ’84, who succeeded Chuck as executive director of the association. “He was a passionate, innovative leader who built an organization that set the standard for alumni associations in higher education. More importantly, Chuck’s kindness, generosity and warmth made him a dear friend and mentor to countless alumni and friends across the country and around the globe.” Chuck is survived by his wife, Joan, five children, three of whom are Notre Dame graduates—Sean, Molly, Brian, Colleen and Kevin—and 16 grandchildren. Visitation was May 13 at the Eck Visitors Center, and a Mass of Christian Burial took place May 14 in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Rev. Jenkins presided and Rev. Edward A. Malloy, CSC, ’63, ’67MA, ’69MA, president emeritus, was the homilist. Please continue to keep Chuck’s family in your prayers. In happier news, I heard from Joe Libby, old reliable, who wrote to report that the minireunion in Naples for St. Patrick’s Day was a great success. He estimates that over 120 of our mates attended. He could not say enough about Frank Annese’s efforts for this year’s class party. Joe says he returned home to have a lumbar fusion at L2-4 on April 3. He wrangled a discharge from the surgical unit to the hospital's inpatient unit allowing him to go through physical therapy as a patient in the hospital with a private room, which made the therapy more convenient and reduced chance of infection. He commented on the 2020 election in a noncommittal way by saying “we no longer have a nation where congressmen and senators from both parties gather informally to discuss issues. Too much posturing.” I am receiving communications from more of our mates who have children and grandchildren who are fourth generation Domers. Ed McAnaney reports that he has a grandchild that is such. He and wife Jeanne attended the reunion in Naples. He says that Frank and Larry did an outstanding job. He also says that Joe Libby was the unofficial greeter at the hotel; he was full of updates and past tales of classmates. He also reported that the covering of the Christopher Columbus murals in the Main Building was a hot topic. He and his wife were driven to the parade and dinner by Roger Fardin (driver) and Mike Esposito (navigator) and it was hilarious. He spent the rest of his time in Florida visiting Pete Rogers and his wife, so it was a very successful reunion for him. Another classmate with a fourth generation Domer is Charles Buckley. He has two granddaughters at ND, one in Class of 2020 and one in 2022. His dad, Class of 1920, taught English while in Law School. His own kids were Class of 1986 and 1988. I had a long chat with John Keegan, our fearless leader senior year. Sadly, he was filling me in on the death of his beloved wife, Diane. He feels that many of us met her because he dated her through all our ND years. Her nickname was “Quig” from her maiden name, Quigley. They have five children, four of whom are ND grads. He said she was a big ND fan. I had an email from Dick Fox advising that our Mike Terry lost his wife Carolyn after a three-year fight with cancer. He also reported in February that he and his wife were headed to Florida to play tennis. In the fall they were in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. In spring they were in Iceland, Germany, France and Switzerland. He has no more room in the passport for stamps. Larry Erickson told me of the death of Frank Guillott due to respiratory problems. His last wish was to see the ND-Clemson game. He died the week before. Please keep all these mates and their families in your prayers. One last item. Reading the ND Magazine for spring 2019, I noted in the article about the Hesburgh documentary that Christine O’Malley was a production partner in the effort. She is the daughter of our classmate James P. O’Malley. I look forward to seeing the documentary of our great past president. That's about it for this note. However, be assured that Abbie is at the front door with the latchstring out just waiting for you to drop in on your way through South Texas. The temperature has already made it into the 90s so you won’t have any difficulty thawing out once you get here. — 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 Good News
Congratulations to Dennis Keating on the birth of his son. He and Sandy welcomed Kayden Yang Keating on March 13. Obviously, Dennis will get the award for having the youngest child. In February, John Mader and I, along with our wives, took a cruise, stopping in San Juan where we spent a good part of the day touring the area with Francisco (Paco) DelValle and Manuel (Manny) Poratta and their wives. The 17th annual class golf outing and social weekend, organized by Jim Krauser, was held in March. Some 35 members of the class attended one or more events, starting with a reception on Thursday hosted by Pat (who was recovering from a broken hip) and Angelo Dabiero. The next day, 20 played golf, and the winning team was made up of Tom Hibbs, Dave Scalise, Jim Olson and Paul Sur, recruited from another class. Tom retired several years ago from Novartis and still lives in the St. Louis area. Dave was a banker with Comerica for 36 years, dividing his time between Florida and Michigan. Jim lives in Omaha and sold his sign business to his children. Congratulations also go to Tony Casale, who scored a hole in one on the 135-yard 13th with a 7 iron. Not to be outdone, Bruce Odlaug had an eagle on the 14th, also with a 7 iron, from 148 yards. Tony is a retired school administrator and Bruce retired as a commercial real estate attorney. The consensus of those attending is that Bruce is still the best golfer in the class. That evening, we were treated to a cocktail hour hosted by Mary and George Williams, followed by dinner. George is still active in a few ventures. Dave Bouton retired after a 30-year Army career and later became headmaster at two high schools. He now teaches at the Army War College on an adjunct basis. Joe Gatti, who was called “John Gotti” by some because of a mild resemblance, is still in the insurance business. Mike Loparco served in the Air Force after graduation. Then he had a career with The Hartford, retiring as VP of marketing. Jack Regan, a retired attorney, said he recently saw Peter Pace, who was his senior-year housemate off campus and in his wedding. He added, “Carol and I recently moved into Holy Cross Village across from campus where we can see the Dome and hear the bells.” Paul Clulo is a retired Michigan state judge and still plays his trumpet daily. Pat Monahan is still manufacturing brooms in “Amazing Arcola IL.” Clem McDonald, a physician at NIH, was instrumental in developing the electronic medical records system. John Roberg, who started out with an ad agency, later went on his own as a freelance writer. Others attending with spouses were Ted Middendorf, John Goverau, George Mammola, Bill Ford, Paul Sica, John Ryan, Armand Reo, Earl Linehan, Dick Dyniewicz and Bob Henry. Coming in from out of town with their spouses were Don Candido, Walt Kelly, Tim Kittredge, Jack Madigan, Bill Moston and Bob Powrie. A couple of locals present included George Anderson and Ted Nylese, along with our inimitable Charley Monahan. William Kirchmeier died on Jan. 29. Ray DeLuca passed away March 19 after a short illness. Dick Musial, Ray’s roommate, said that Ray, who was from Colorado, often returned to campus from vacation with his trunk filled with Coors, which at that time could only be bought in a few western states. He sold it on campus to help pay his way home. Dave Amberg died on April 5. — Raymond Ready; 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 Up and Running
I am honored to succeed Regis Campfield and John O’Brien as secretary of our class. I look forward to keeping I touch with you and reporting your comings and goings. I heard from Artie Berry, who is now living in New Blane AR. Artie went on active duty with the US Army following our graduation, including a tour in Vietnam. After that, he married his longtime sweetheart, Janice; they had been married for 44 years when she passed away in June 2009. Janice and Artie had two children, K Lynn ’89 and Ann. K Lynn has three children and is the Superintendent of the Congaree National Park in Hopkins SC, while Ann teaches 5th grade in Sante Fe NM and is heavily involved with children having dyslexia. After two years in the Army, Artie joined the family business and from that evolved into an entrepreneur, eventually working in retail, wholesale, manufacturing, software and home building. He is retired now and lives by a lake near the Subiaco Monastery, a Benedictine abbey. After Janice died, Artie considered joining the monastery, but was rejected because he was too old. No being satisfied, he pestered the monks until they found things for him to do. Artie recently developed a digital program for the monastery that combines some 10,000 pages in Liturgy of the Hours onto a single tablet. He frequently joins the monks in their daily Gregorian chant and is instrumental in the Abby’s production of peanut brittle, for which it is famous (I thought monks made wine). Artie is quite happy with his current state in life and reports “life is good”. Mike Whitney has weighed in and reports that he sees Felix Balmaz, Harry Fleck, Larry Shubnell, Paul Tschirhart, Bob Bartolo, Tim Haidinger, Jim Mantey, Dave Paliganoff, and “when in near sighting”, Rev. Monk Malloy, CSC, and Bill Sparks. Mike notes that “(S)o far, the heavy hand of mortality has not struck down any of the males in the group, although we have some who have been blessed with wonderful first, and now second wives.” Mike also wrote that “our short stays on this good green earth have all been enriched and blessed in so many untold ways by having shared our college years at the great University of Our Lady, Notre Dame du Lac”. Mike wishes “all the best” to his classmates. I received a short note from Rev. Patrick Cawley, who had just learned of the death of Don Dempsey. Fr. Pat deeply regretted not having learned of Don’s passing in time to attend his funeral. Since I have space to fill, I will tell you a little about myself. I was a finance major at ND, and lived in Breen Phillips, Zahm, Fischer and Sorin Halls. I received a JD from Villanova University School of Law in June 1966, and later that year went on active duty with the US Air Force. I separated with the rank of Captain in Sept 1970 and entered the private practice of law, having a career spanning over 42 years, and retiring as a partner of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young of Philadelphia PA. In April 1972, I married Susanne (Scheuerle), Rosemont College ’71, and we have three boys, John III ’02 (who earned his MBA from Cornell University in 2009), Adam (University of Michigan 2005), and Stephen ’08 (who earned his JD from Widener University School of Law in 2011). John is married with two wonderful children, while Adam and Stephen are engaged. As Artie Berry said, “life is good!” — John F. Dougherty, Jr.; 915 Exeter Crest, Villanova, PA, 215-510-0844; johndoc969@gmail.com
63JD Condolences
Phil Byrne passed away on Oct. 26. Highly respected, he brought a calm philosophical presence to our class. Phil was a man of the north, growing up in St. Paul where he was a grade school and high school classmate of Tom Joyce. After law school, Phil worked in Washington DC for Sen. Walter Mondale drafting civil rights and fair housing legislation. Then it was back north, this time to Alaska, where Phil served as executive director of Alaska Legal Services, a statewide program focused on protecting the rights and improving the conditions of native Alaskans. In a landmark case, he represented five villages in the path of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, obtaining an injunction which halted construction until the villagers were compensated for the impact of the pipeline. Phil returned to Minnesota where he had a distinguished 27-year legal career in public service with the City of St. Paul. Phil’s wife, Mary Lou, passed away in 2010. They had six daughters and 19 grandchildren. He has been busy in retirement, and not just with activities of his 19 grandchildren. Phil found time to volunteer with the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, St. Mary’s Health Clinic, and Hubbs Center. The latter is an adult education program where he taught conversational English. In reflecting on Phil’s death, the volunteer coordinator for Hubbs Center was quoted in the newspaper, “He bought books, dictionaries, calculators, pencils and notebooks and got donations for students who needed supplies. He had just made a book donation delivery the week he died.” — Bob Saxe; 15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com
64 Vietnam Project Completed
ND friend and South Bend resident, Darrell Katovsich, has completed a massive 12-month project identifying ND alumni who were casualties during the Vietnam War era. This has been shared with the Notre Dame Archives. Seven of our classmates are listed. Air Force Capt. Joe Adrian was an F-100 pilot shot down in March 1967. Army Capt. Michael Burns was a MACV advisor who died in combat in September 1969. Air Force Lt. James Cumiskey was an F-100 pilot shot down in June 1967. Marine Corps Maj. Jim Egan has been missing in action since January 1966. He was a forward observer from an artillery battery. Marine Corps Lt. Wayne Gross, a platoon commander, died in Quang Tri in August 1968. Marine Corps Capt. Joseph Powell was a helicopter pilot who died in October 1968. Army Lt. Robert Stork died in Bien Hoa Province in April 1969. In a non-combat death, Navy Lt. George Murphy died in the crash of TWA Flight 128 in the Cincinnati area during November 1967. On a happier note, our reunion and the attendant good times are now in the rearview mirror. Kudos to Paul Basbagill, Bob Casey and Rich Wolfe for coordinating the class dinners and luncheon, golf, photo shoot and Mass at Sacred Heart. I look forward to receiving lots of info from what was, I am sure, a most enjoyable event. I believe Don Dunphy attended. He has been retired for 13 years after a 40-year career at ABC News. He and Sheila live in Manhasset, and recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Both daughters are ND grads. Ted Hardman, a manufacturer’s rep for 40 years, writes that he and Marlene celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss last June. They have three kids, and Ted partners with a couple of the children on investment properties in Cincinnati. Ted introduced me via email to Will Kennedy, who served in Korea as an Army officer after graduation. Will was a pilot and he met Faye at the airport in Manhattan KS, where he worked. They married in November 1968 and have five children and 13 grandchildren. After the Army, Will taught school and then decided to become a lawyer. He was ultimately elected Riley County Attorney, a prosecutorial position, five times over a period of 22 years. At Christmas, Will produces a 24-page, professional quality, illustrated short story that he sends to family and friends. These are exceedingly well done and will be collector items. Ted also linked me to Bob Jochum who shared news on Jack Mulligan and Chuck Tobias. Chuck is in Houston and Jack recently retired in North Carolina. They worked for the same company in the nuclear power industry at one time. Tom Duff and Carl Massarini ask that we keep classmate Mike Ciletti and his wife of 55 years, Jerilyn, in your prayers as Mike deals with the treatment plan for a serious illness in the coming months. Mike Barton forwarded the news that Michael Cummings passed away in March. He was a Marine Corps vet and retired as deputy commissioner for the Department of Aviation at Midway Airport in Chicago. I mentioned in the last column that Andy Heiss died almost a year ago in Easton MD. He was initially a car designer for GM in Detroit but spent the bulk of his working years as an architectural site planner for two medical imaging companies. He and Joan were married in 1980. She reports that Andy loved anything with an engine. His other loves included boating, reading and golfing. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 203-655-3930; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com
64JD Into the 80s
Spring is threatening to arrive in the Bend as this report is written. Our classmates are doing well, with their comings and goings largely related to family activities and travels, despite a growing concern for health issues and, frankly, old age. Almost all of us either have stepped (hopefully) gracefully into their 80s or, like me, are about to do so. As Groucho Marx once said, “Anyone can grow old. All you have to do is live long enough.” I suggest we keep each other in our thoughts and prayers, as exemplified by a memorial service and Mass that I attended in April celebrating the life and spirit of Tom Shaffer, one of our favorite faculty members and mentors during our years at the Law School. Keeping and enhancing good communication among us remains important, and I ask that you email me your current address (email and postal) and phone, cell and land line. Over the years, people have moved and changed internet services to the point where my records are suspect. I also encourage everyone to contact me if a significant event emerges or if we can be of help. Russ Bley reports that all continues well with him as he recently stepped into the 80s group. Jack Kopko is enjoying his relocation to Indian Wells CA. Unusual cold weather in December and January prompted a lengthy vacation trip to Cancun to get warm. Jack Rammel says that he and Mary are fine and send their greetings from the Chicago area. Jim Slater sent me an interesting email composed of pictures of gorgeous spring flowers, including poppies, from Figueroa Mountain, part of the San Rafael chain, which he had taken while hiking on a golden California day, when it was 28 degrees here in South Bend. Jim also mentioned that he’s pared his work to two cases as he winds down his practice. Eileen and Bob Cash are in good health and enjoying their home in Venice FL. Larry Gallick reports the same for himself and Betty. Frank Miele told me that his recovery from a fall from a performance at the Met has not been satisfactory and that he continues to experience severe back and leg pain which probably will be a permanent condition. He has, however, resumed his rigorous exercise routine and is determined to return to normalcy at whatever price. Lou Pfeiler advises that Carol continues to have severe health problems requiring constant care. Jim Mercurio is in good health although he hasn’t resumed his tennis game because of a variety of maladies. Charles Sacher is well and was planning a South Bend trip in May for his granddaughter’s graduation from Notre Dame. He also made a special trip to Venice FL to participate in a St. Patrick’s Day event with a group of ND grads. He sends his regards. Sharon and I are well, and we wish you all of God’s blessings. — Richard Balfe Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; res 574-299-9888; cell 760-567-1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com
65 Triple Domer
After earning his MA and PhD in government and international studies from ND, Bob Hamburger served as a senior officer of Chase Manhattan Bank, Goldman Sachs, Smith Barney and since 1992, of his own investment bank, AGI Corporate Finance Limited, headquartered in London. He spent almost 40 years in Europe until moving recently to Longboat Key FL with his wife, Jane, and a son. His twins, Peter and John ’05, are ND grads. Bob has been a member of the International Advisory Council and the Advisory Council of ND and has ND scholarship funds in his name. Tom Hawkins, retired ob-gyn, living in Naples FL with his wife, Beth, traveled via alligator alley to visit Cathryn and Jim Kirvin who live in West Palm Beach. Jim is an orthopedic surgeon and still works three days a week. His passion is fishing in the Florida Keys. Dick Murray is a fulltime Naples resident, and Marilyn and John Schneider winter near Tom and Beth. After graduation from ND and Navy ROTC, Joe McCourt spent two years on a Navy destroyer escort vessel searching junks off the coast of Vietnam. He returned to ND as a member of the inaugural MBA Class of ’69. This degree led to 30 years in the medical business including many with a large Chicago company. In 1995, Joe moved to Houston, met his wife, Harlee, and started Harlee Medical Technologies. They love Texas and still enjoy running their business. They have two sons. Olga and Dick Ritter made a winter Florida visit to Betty and John Kozak in Vero Beach. Thousand Oaks CA was home to Patty and Barry Branagan, where both worked in the building department for the city of Thousand Oaks and he served seven years as the executive director. After the 1994 earthquake, Barry made a video on earthquake building protection and became a local celebrity. In 2004, they moved to Casa Grande AZ. Over the years they have traveled extensively in the Middle East and Europe. He reports that Glenn Sondag is a dermatologist in Milwaukee, and Deborah and Chuck Trevisan live in Orange County CA. Chuck is a retired architect. Ramon Murphy, NYC pediatrician at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, died in March. He founded the Uptown Pediatrics and Amhold Global Health Center. Ramon is survived by his wife, Dr. Lila Kalinich, two children and four grandchildren. Mike Bochenek PhD, a retired professor emeritus of Elmhurst College, died in November. He is survived by his wife, Donna and two daughters. John Meuleman died in December and is survived by two children. Tom Pilot died in December in South Bend and is survived by his wife, Cynthia, and two daughters including Kathryn ’93. In January Tom Wilson died in La Crosse WI. He is survived by his wife, Anne, and three children. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 W. Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040; jphnd65@hotmail.com
65JD Class Secretary — John Donald O’Shea;
pelagius@qconline.com
66 You Said It
I heard from Starman, aka Jim Starshak, out Hawaii way, who is preparing for his 50th at the ND Law School. He says Matt Dwyer, also a Double Domer, will miss the reunion because of the ND-Georgia game in Athens. Matt’s kids went to U of Georgia and he’ll attend a family reunion at the game but will join “Star” for USC in the Bend. Tim Malloy, an accomplished litigator in the Windy City, will make the reunion, as will Scott (formerly Harry) Atwell, whose wife’s family owns one of the stately old residences on Notre Dame Avenue. Jim reports that his aortic valve failed last November, and he hit the Cleveland Clinic to have it successfully repaired. Jack Gerken of Jack’s Journey’s fame reports that Tom Gorman resides down Athens way and will be in the midst of all the ND festivities. John Flatley sent word and a photo of a gathering of eagles: Dick Vanetten, Hank Schlachter, Jamie Toohey, Joe Pete Wilbert and Terry Golden. Flats reports that the group gets together faithfully, and past attendees have included the late Mike Smith, the late Glen Rey, Andy Dincolo, Bill Wentworth and Mike Caolo. Flats also traveled with Joe Pete and wives, along with Joe Bodell. He visited with Jack Pavlic in Naples FL. Steve Snyder weighed in from San Francisco, where he and wife Nelda have lived since 1970. Steve is a clinical prof of medicine at highly-regarded U of California San Francisco. Steve would love to hear from old pals Marco Locco, Rich Davis and John Reilly. Ken Mahieu sent word of a family trip to India, home to his wife Chin. They took kids and grandkids to meet distant relatives and enjoyed various parts of the country. It was Ken’s 20th trip to India, and during his first in 1971, he met Indira Ghandi. Ken noted that Mike Ryan, a fellow Stanford Hall bud recently retired from his internal medicine practice in Amarillo, where he spent his career. Class president and ’66 connector-par-excellence Cap Gagnon sent a note from Bill Joseph, who is completing his 20th and final year as a municipal court judge in Zanesville OH. Joe Farrell noted that he is mostly retired from a career in community development that featured projects including sewer lines, street paving, sidewalks and park improvements for communities in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. His retirement job is writing, and he’s working on his first novel. Joe recently spoke with Terry Kiwala, who splits his time between his Chicago law office and the golf course. Unfortunately, Joe also related the recent passing of Joe Woods. No details are available. Tim Streb chimed in from San Francisco where he is on the boards of two local dance companies and cares for wife Bugs, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Tim escapes to their Paris apartment two or three times a year. He made the Navy game where he saw Pat and Howard York, Jerry Kennell and his wife, along with Kathy and Cory Hart. Jennifer and Mike Donahue were to join them, but Mike had an SEC filing re his investment firm. They live in Pacific Palisades and Jennifer is a well-known designer for top-tier LA homes. They all plan to get together with Johanna Cashill, wife of the late Pat Cashill. Tim saw Tim Begley in San Francisco in August and caught up with Patty and Paul Fieberg now living in Bend OR. Tim stays in touch with Gus Rini, a public defender in Cleveland, and Dave (George) Rentschler of Salt Lake and NYC, as well as Jim (Jiggs) McAuliff in Bellows Falls VT. Tim noted that John Phillips and Pete Budetti were mentioned in a story about whistle blowers in a February issue of The New Yorker. John Twohey related that Geof Bartz was principal editor of a documentary on the lives and careers of New York newspaper columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill on HBO in January. It got rave reviews. Prolific writer Barry Lopez has produced another winner, Horizon, which received strong reviews from the Wall Street Journal. Fini. — Tom Sullivan; 1108 Westwicke Lane, Lutherville MD 21093; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com
66JD Jealous Mistress
Let me begin by apologizing for having no column last quarter due to being away for a couple of months as well as having received no news. Returning home, I was persuaded to go through some old files in a mostly futile attempt to assist Colleen in decluttering our home and came across a single-page letter dated March 7,1963 signed by one Joseph O’Meara announcing that it gave him “real pleasure” to say my application for admission to the Law School had been approved. Even though I strongly suspect that this was the only time the dean would ever tell me that I gave him “real pleasure,” I’ve decided to keep his letter for the time being, clutter or no, as an example to my grandchildren of how we senior citizens received communications from colleges before the internet. Another interesting fact contained in the letter was a line that courteously stated, “It is desirable, though not required, to make a payment of $50 on account, upon notification of approval of one’s application for admission.” A second letter I came across from the dean, dated June 21, 1963, contained the ominous news that we were required to read three books before our first semester began and we “must pass an examination on them on the first day of class.” Yikes. I’m sure you all recall that one of the books was Catherine Drinker Bowen’s The Lion and the Throne, which dealt with the life and times of Sir Edward Coke. I recall little about the book but I vividly recall being both confused and suspicious when the exam we took that first day of class referred to a Lord “Koch” and wondering if this was simply a spelling error or if it was a devious attempt by the dean to somehow test our reading comprehension skills or otherwise challenge our confidence that we were prepared to begin our relationship with the “jealous mistress” of the law. Just before submitting this column for the summer edition I heard from our intrepid traveler Bob Siebert that he is scheduled for another cruise, this time in Europe, traveling the Rhine and Danube rivers. In closing I wish you all well and renew my quarterly plea for more news. — Philip C. Ruddy; rudds241@aol.com
67 Devlin to Duke
Joe Devlin is taking his traveling cotillion to the Duke game Nov. 9 along with Chip Malik, Tim Creany, Pete Mavrelis and a cast of others. All are welcome. Contact Joe at josephddevlin@cs.com. Mike Shay writes for the first time in 50 years to let us know he retired from practicing law after about 30 years, then served as a superior court judge for another 16. He continues to serve as a judge trial referee. In his spare time, he has been researching and writing military history. His seventh work, Hunter Liggett: A Soldier’s General, was recently published by Texas A&M U Press. He and his wife Marilyn ’68SMC celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and enjoy traveling the US by car. They have two grown sons, Ted and Kevin ’97, and four grandchildren. Mike stays in touch with Bill Willard of Gadsden AL, Dale Shaffer in El Paso TX and his roommate Marty Reddy of Reston VA. Mike is looking to hear from Frank Koserowski and Ted Gill. Jim Thornton writes that Allison and Don Conners live in Traverse City MI and in December traveled to Louisville to visit with Jim and his wife Dee. Jim and Don were freshman roommates in Stanford Hall. Mike Dunlavey traveled with his son, John, verifying sites contained in three battlefield travel guides for France, the Benelux countries and WWI sites. These sites are titled “The Road to War-France from Caesar to WWII.” They also traveled to Wein and the sausage festal Weingut Graeber in Ektokoben, Germany. Mike also traveled with his son, Mike ’91, on the “vomit comet” with Hoop Roche and Bill Conole from Erie to NYC for the Syracuse game. Jerry Romanek writes that Beth and Alan Baumert were in Chicago to cheer on their daughter Jennifer in the US Dressage Festival of Champions. Jen recently won teen gold and individual silver in the 2019 Nations Cup on a great horse named Champion. While in Chicago, Jerry and Alan and their wives met with the Northwest Side Chicago Domers for lunch at Sweetwater Tavern and Grille to celebrate Jen’s success. Also in attendance were Bob Michalak and his wife Annette, Mike Novy, Don Savaiano and his wife Pat, Gene Klesta and his wife Nancy, Rich Luckew and Tom Luckew ’75. Liz and Bob Scheuble took their annual snowbird trip to Marco island FL where they had lunch with Gretchen and Tom Graham. On the way to Florida, Bob and Liz stopped by campus to attend the Maryland lacrosse game where they saw Judy and Dan Shaughnessey along with 18 inches of snow. The unpleasant part of this job is to inform you about classmates who have passed on. We lost three great ones recently. Dennis Hogerty lost a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s on Feb. 11. Dennis’ wife Diane moved the two of them to Ann Arbor about four years ago, but his funeral was in Ft. Collins CO, where he lived the previous 50 years. Dennis was a pillar of the Ft. Collins community where it seemed he knew everyone and was huge Colorado State U booster. Dennis was a good friend. We also lost Steve Jones on Feb. 21, and his wife Mary wanted to make sure his classmates knew. His funeral was in Garden City, Long Island. Steve was famous on campus for his bowling with Rev. Brennan and Bob Dowdell as well as playing euchre and bridge. He was generally seen as the All-American good-time boy. Steve will be missed. We also lost Jim Barry in January. This space cannot hold all the testimonials I received for Jim. He organized our last two class reunions, as well as the golf outings for the Class of ’67 for as long as we have had reunions. Jim served as a marshal at the Masters Golf Tournament for 16 years. Student broadcasters at WSND did a two-hour salute to Jim by playing the best music of the 1960s. This two-hour program can be found at www3.nd.edu/~wsnd/. Thank you for the communication this quarter. Please keep it coming. — Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com
67JD Minireunion a Success
As I told you in my broadcast emails, Nancy and Jim Olson arranged a minireunion of our class in Florida and I believe it was a huge success. The idea came about through emails from our guys that mentioned several of them annually take a break from winter up north by following the snowbirds to the Naples area. Would they be interested in an opportunity to get together with other members of the class? Yes, indeed. And so, the first annual minireunion was born. Jerry Berthold drove from Georgia the day before the reunion. He arranged to meet Ken Lazarus and they played a round of golf then met Ken’s wife Marylyn and joined the others at the restaurant. Ken still has his hand in the business, and he had an article published in the December issue of the Federal Lawyer on the World Health Organization proposal to create a new psychological disorder called “gaming disorder.” Ken has been following the issue for a client. In addition to these folks, they were joined by Carol and Dom Monterosso (who looks better and healthier than he did 52 years ago), Pam and Tom Sullivan, Christine and Jay Johnston and of course Nancy and Jim Olson. Of special note was the appearance of Lori and Dave Francescani, who flew from New York. For some of us, it was the first time we saw Dave since 1967. We were especially pleased to have Lois Brenner and her daughter, Theresa, attend. When Louis Brenner died two years ago, Lois asked me if she could stay on our email list so as not to lose contact with the class. Of course, I was delighted to do so and even more delighted when I heard she came to our minireunion. You’ll remember that Dean O’Meara, at graduation, awarded “diplomas” to the wives of our classmates acknowledging their help and support in our success. Would there be an interest in making this an annual affair? Yes, indeed or, perhaps other minireunions in other parts of the country where several of us live or gather? I think we’re at that point in our lives where we should not miss an opportunity to get together. I was conspicuous by my absence, but I had a note from my doctor, and I am looking forward to joining the crew next year. Other news: Lynn and Ted Sinars are planning to travel for several weeks next August on an eastern European tour: Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna and Prague. The schedule allows the wildly optimistic Ted to be home in Chicago for the Cubs and the baseball playoffs. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@gmail.com
68 For Your Viewing Pleasure
Have you viewed the video record Dennis Reeder created of the 50th reunion? Enjoy about 40 minutes of unvarnished classmate comments, emotions and behavior. You can click from the blog, ndclass1968.com, or use vimeo.com/313921478. If you’re ready for some binge viewing, click from the blog to John Oliver’s celebration of Pat Collins’ Washington DC NBC Channel 4 reporting or use youtube.com/watch?v=nTryv89cMJY. And after reloading the popcorn bowl, click from the blog or use wnit.org/programs/legends/joe-kernan.html to watch the South Bend PBS station’s documentary about Joe Kernan. Among friends appearing on camera is Skip Strezlecki, who was present with many other classmates on March 14 when WNIT hosted a viewing. During the reception that Joyce and Matt Walsh hosted in the new architecture building resulting from their family’s gift, class president Tom Weyer noted the ubiquity of the Great ’68 in the evening’s celebration. Not only Joe Kernan himself, but the Architecture Building, then to the DeBartolo building and the viewing in the Michael Browning Theater. The crowd was strong and proud: Joyce and Matt Walsh, Carmi and Chris Murphy, Tom Cuggino, Pat and Gene Cavanaugh, Jenny and Pat Barth, Greg Downes, Jim O’Rourke, Steve Anderson, Mary Lou and Dennis Toolan, John Walsh, Tom Gibbs, and yours truly Tom Figel, among many. Still, Matt pointed out that a May showing would have swelled the group to include those who winter in Naples. As he looked about him at the reception group and the environs, Tom Weyer observed that as some guys age, they carve out a man cave in a basement or a garage. “But Matt Walsh did this,” the grand new building for the Architecture Department. The whole visit was a fine time for Ron Kurtz, who wrote, “Four former track teammates attended the Joe Kernan tribute: Ken Howard (San Francisco), Pete Farrell (Princeton NJ), Bob Timm (Lake Geneva WI) and Ron Kurtz (Houston), also joined by fellow Badin Hall denizen, Paul Nowak (Nashville). We stuck around until Saturday morning so we could be entertained/educated by two of our Class of ’69 teammates who failed to escape Northern Indiana’s clutches, Mark Walsh and Dan Saracino. Lately, to lessen the crankiness brought about by the preponderance of night home games on the schedule, our group has been gathering, along with our wives, at remote locations on fall football weekends. This fall we’ll be joined by John O’Connor and his wife Jan in Sedona AZ.” In January, Dave Graves married Marcy Callahan in Del Ray FL. At the ceremony were Pat and Rich Rogers, Neil Rogers, Marty Rogers, Pat DeMare, Joan and Mike Carroll and Brian McManus, who hosted a reception in his Boca Raton apartment. Left off the guest list of 180 attendees was Jim Hutchinson. Despite lab reports, he let Dave “borrow” senior year; Jim took out the slight as victor against all comers in a nine-ball pool tournament. Look for future announcements of the Graves’ dog, minivan, and children’s soccer play. Susan and Brian Schanning cruised in Norway during January for viewing of the Northern Lights “and were on the same ship that got in trouble recently. No problems on our cruise, although we had to bypass a port on the way back due to weather conditions. It’s a good reminder that on the water, it doesn’t take many failures/mistakes to get into big trouble quickly. In March, we traveled to NYC to celebrate Sue’s latest decennial birthday with friends who came up from Baltimore. Tom Fitzharris was on hand to offer us his Metropolitan Museum of Art docent services for an afternoon. We had a fantastic time as Tom led us through a tour of Greek, Roman and Egyptian art and architecture. Tom and I have been friends since growing up in Eastchester NY and attending Immaculate Conception School from kindergarten through eighth grade. Tom’s art portfolio has come a long way since we were in Miss Noble’s weekly art class.” Jay Schwartz has begun the blog titled One More Thing. For expression of his sentiments on varied topics, see jayschwartzonthegrid.com. In your prayers, remember the mother of Tom Misch, who died in March, and the family of James Bigler, who died in Gainesville FL Dec. 18. After studying law for a time, Jim spent a career as a police detective in Miami. Also, remember Tom McKenna of Carmel IN as he recovers from hip replacement surgery and anticipates surgery on his knees. Please send news. — Tom Figel; 1054 W. North Shore, Apt. 3E, Chicago IL 60626; 773-764-4898; tfigel@reputecture.com
68JD Blown Away
In connection with my April 8 request for information for Class Notes that are due on April 20, I received a note from Hugh Griffin where he informed me that he just sat as a judge for the first year moot court finals at Notre Dame, and that he was blown away by how good all the finalists were. Tom Curtin reported that he and Tom Ward and Carole attended the funeral of Dean Tom Shaffer in March. Ivan Bodensteiner and Tom Kapacinskas were also at the funeral Mass that was held at the St. Therese Little Flower Catholic Church where Tom and Nancy were founding members. Tom’s children and grandchildren delivered his eulogy and their comments were funny and poignant. After a lunch at the Morris Inn, Tom and the Wards stopped at a bench honoring Tom, which is in the front of the new Law School on Notre Dame Avenue. John Coyle’s granddaughter, Casey Martiack is a sophomore cheerleader, but despite her best efforts, the Irish were unable to beat Baylor. In April, Jack Sandner, Laurie and Dick Manning, Patty and John Pusey, plus Tom Curtin met for dinner in Chicago. Tom noted that Dick’s skin cancer has improved and that he is in fine shape, except that his knees are shot from participating in too much touch football for the Tort Feasors in 1966 to ’67. Apparently, Dick’s wit remains his greatest gift, except for Laurie, of course. Jack worked the room at his favorite restaurant, Volare, while the group watched in awe since everyone knows Jack. Pusey regaled the group with his puns, which were extremely funny when we first heard them 52 years ago. As for Suzanne and yours truly, Dennis Collins, we spent a week in Sea Island with our family, including four grandchildren under the age of 5. After the family departed, Suzanne and I went to Jacksonville for some NCAA games, which included four games in one day. Please remember in your prayers our deceased classmates, including John Amerman, Emilio Belluomini, John Burgess, Albert Dudash, Richard Hirsch, Joseph Ladd, Larry Miller and Robert Wilczek. In the event I do not receive more updates from classmates, my thoughts are to share information about some of the events that occurred between 1965 and 1968, except those incidents involving me. — Dennis Collins; 2203 Derby Way, St. Louis MO 63131; bus 314-516-2648; dgc@greensfelder.com
69 50th Class Reunion and Thank You
Classmates, as I write this column the third week of April 2019, I am full of anticipation about a very successful 50th Reunion for the Class of 1969. We just reached the University minimum of $100,000 for our scholarship fund. While we always knew this effort would be successful, our scholarship fund is now “in the books” as a legacy from our class to future Notre Dame students. This fund hopefully will only grow between now and the reunion and beyond. It seems a fitting legacy for future Notre Dame students to be aware of and remember the Class of 1969. Also, I want to thank the many members of our class who assisted in our reunion. Organizing: Ray Patnaud, John Hickey; Seminars: David Coulter, Greg Hipskind, Tony Alessandra; Film: The Edge of Paradise, John Wehrheim, Dan Saracino; Weekend playlist: Jim Rogers; Military recognition event: Mike Cerre, Mike Collins, Pete Sullivan, Ed Weinlein; Dinner speakers: Tom Breen Friday night, Bill Wade Friday night, Terry Hanratty Saturday night; Reunion book: Gary Campana, Bob Gibbons, John Hickey, Dave Sim; Mass: Greg Schatz will do one reading, Vic Sayour prayers of the faithful; Eucharistic ministers: Philip Daniels, Tim Danielson, Paul Fries, Thomas Genis, Timothy Gohmann, C. David Hickey, Donald Jacobson, Michael Karwoski, Thomas Ladky, Michael Lewis, John Lynch, Thomas Nichol, John O’Hara, Thomas Shannon, David Steffen, Joseph Stein, Edward Weinlein, William Zahn; Phone callers for attendance and scholarship fund: Ralph Williams, Tom Breen, Tim Meskill, Greg Schatz, Ed Weinlein, Ray Patnaud, John Shern, Bill Chapman, Tom Ladky, Tom Phillips, John Quinn, Matt White, Tom Altmeyer, Mike Karwoski, Pat Cronin, Jerry Teagan. Thank you all. Everyone has done a lot of work, but it is well worth the effort for our class. Unfortunately, I must advise of four deaths. Frank E. Bugaris Jr. passed away on Aug. 3, 2018, William P. Mahoney III passed away on Oct. 28, Vincent “Vinnie” J. Kraft Jr. passed away on Feb. 3 and Dr. Edward R. Kinley IV passed away on Feb. 4. These classmates will be remembered during our reunion. We ask that you keep them in your prayers, and if you know them, please contact their families to express your condolences. They will be sorely missed, and I am sorry that they will not have the opportunity of attending our reunion. Also, on April 3, classmate Tim Meskill’s mom, Adelaide A. (Hogan) Meskill, passed away at the age of 100 in York Beach ME. There was a wonderful celebration of her life by Tim and his family. I knew his mom personally and she was just a terrific example of the greatest generation. Finally, on a personal note, it has been my honor and privilege to serve as the Class of 1969’s secretary since our fifth reunion in 1974. I have attempted to carry out my duties diligently and not miss a publication of the magazine, although I have missed a couple. I have enjoyed connecting with classmates who have taken the time to communicate with me, and I have tried to forward their stories and comments to the wider audience of our class so that all may be enriched and perhaps entertained. It has occurred to me in the last year and a half, however, that with new technology and a new perspective, that someone in our class has risen to the fore and deserves to be our class secretary. As you know, Ray Patnaud has served as assistant class secretary for all these years and done so with distinction. He has not had a speaking role, and mostly assisted with the processing of information. The fact that Ray lives in South Bend, he has been our boots on the ground for assistance with class efforts and projects. After consultation with Ray and making the case that John Hickey, because of his efforts with the blog, reunion book and other interests for the class, should be elected as our new class secretary, Ray was totally in support of the idea. This will be old news when you read it, but it is my intention to nominate, hopefully by acclamation, John Hickey to become our secretary for the Class of 1969 based upon his incredible resume with his weekly blog and keen interest in all things relative to the Class of 1969. During our reunion planning, the financial aid and the Alumni Association have been amazed at the penetration of the weekly blog and at its depth and breadth of information conveyed to our classmates. If you are one of the few people who haven’t seen it, please contact us to sign up. We reach over two-thirds of our class, maybe upwards of three-quarters of our class, on a weekly basis because of John’s efforts. At our class election on May 31, I will be honored to nominate John Hickey as our class secretary to take us into the future. I most humbly and gratefully appreciate the opportunity to have served our class for these many years. All the best. Go Irish. — Tom Ryan; 248-334-9938; sylvanlawtr@gmail.com
69MBA Class Secretary — Dennis B. McCarthy;
PO Box 246, Bear Lake MI 49614; 231-864-3111 ext. 115; dbmc2@blarneycastleoil.com
69JD Making Calls
One of the nice aspects of being class secretary is telephone conversations with our classmates. There are no 5-minute calls; there is always a lot to talk about. That’s a reason to attend the 50th reunion. Matt Dwyer cannot make the reunion. He has children who attended Georgia. He is hosting a family gathering and will be at the game. Matt will be at the USC game and will be at the Saint Thomas More reception. Pete Driscoll has a trial set for the reunion weekend, but he thinks the case may be resolved. He will be there if it does. Ted Gardner is on the fence. He has many interesting stories to relate about himself and his life as a lawyer. Ted is a runner or was until an injury he sustained at a family party. I think he is back in his Nikes by now. Jim Leavy was a maybe for the reunion. He retired as an AUSA and lives in New England. He is still a Red Socks fan. Jim Barba will miss the reunion. He has a family reunion in the South of France that requires his attendance. Poor baby. We have a total of 24 committed to the reunion. There is room for more. Let me know if you want a reunion polo shirt. Tom McCusker will be at the reunion. He is celebrating the graduation of his daughter, Marie, the 15th member of his family to graduate from ND. Bill Keck was at the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final. It was a great event even with the outcome. I officially retired at the end of June, but I will continue to work with the Hawaii Foodbank and a few special projects. Sue and I plan on celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with a riverboat trip down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel. On a sad note, we lost another classmate. Brian Riordan died in Chicago on Nov. 19. Please keep his wife, Sharon, and his children Becky, Molly, Tom, and Emmett in your prayers. — Jim Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; 808-395-0443; 808-778-4033; starman@hawaii.rr.com