1960s

60 Loss of Our Class President

I am very sad to report the passing of our longtime president Bill Killilea on Sept. 22. He has been our leader for 40 or so years and has been a dear friend to all classmates who knew him. Please keep Jan and all the Killilea family in your prayers. Our new president, Terry Keating, stepped in adroitly and handled our 2019 minireunion on Sept. 27 before the Virginia game. Most of the reunion schedule is now in place and only a few things remain to finish up. We are looking forward to our fantastic 60th in June. The list of folks planning to attend is presently at about 180. The official signup information comes out in late January or early February. Jump on it when it arrives and join the 60th reunion of the class of 1960, the greatest class to go through ND. Bob Scholtz is not doing well in Tulsa. I spoke with Barbara in October and she indicated Bob had fallen several times and is presently in nursing care and working on some rehab. Ann and Tom Keegan are in a new beautiful assisted living community. Tom is having some memory issues but remains in good spirits and is enjoying our Fighting Irish. Diane and Ed Krall planned to go to Washington state in September and visit the area where Diane is from. They also planned to meet up with son Tim and his family. Coincidentally Marion Brown was stationed there also. Ed was sorry to hear about Bill O’Hara and Armand (Belge) Bobrick passing away. Their names brought back some memories. Between our junior and senior years Bob Kriner and I went to summer school to try to catch up and lessen our load for senior year. Mike Foley said he will probably attend the 60th reunion. He has two grandchildren at ND, and he will be at graduation in May 2019 and in 2021. He is retired and does quite a bit of volunteering at a free clinic and Saint Vincent de Paul and takes communion to a nursing home every week. Dan Lyons, reflecting on his brother-in-law Roger Bernardi’s passing, says, “Rog and I married sisters, Marty and Ann, in a double wedding in July 1964 in Charleston. The four of us have naturally been close over the years and have been lucky to spend anniversaries together in Virginia, Bermuda, Italy, Paris and West Virginia, plus a memorable ND weekend celebration when Rog ended a tour in Vietnam and flew directly to ND in November. His flight started at 115 degrees and ended at 15 degrees in South Bend. Liberal amounts of Scotch helped him through reentry to the US. Rog was an excellent Army colonel over a 30-year career, a devoted father and a fiercely loyal Domer.” We send out obituaries via the ND email system as we receive them. However, for each email I send, only about 55 percent of the 535 classmates with an email address in the system open the mail. To update the recent deaths, the following are newly reported classmates who died as of Oct. 20 as I write this article. Tom Bertsch 1/15/2016, John Kelly (Chicago) 6/9/2019, John Burns 7/17/2019, Robert Bennison 7/4/2019, James Doherty 7/15/2019, Robert Marshall 8/19/2019, and Bill Roth 10/13/2019. Go Irish. Please let me know if you plan to attend the reunion and have not already told me. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No. 103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com

 

61 Oh, Canada

Bill Hanley, by way of Kerry Temple ’74, editor of this magazine, passed the word that our classmate Mark Thompson, professor emeritus of U of British Columbia, has been awarded the Distinguished Order of Canada. The award was presented to him by the Governor General of Canada. This is a remarkable achievement for our class by one of our own. Congratulations, Mark. I know each of you can read and write, but it seems the entire East Coast is relying on my trusty friend Joe Libby to do the communicating. I have four emails from him, and I appreciate his diligent efforts. His first was a report on a remarkable statistic. Our class had more than 100 Marine 2nd lieutenants, setting a record for the USMC. Only Annapolis has had more from a class. They came from NROTC, PLC, and OCS. Joe had breakfast with Roger McMahon and reports that Roger’s humor and wit are as sharp as they were back in our days at ND. He hopes they can get a group together soon for a crab eating contest at the shore. Terry Martin called me a week ago, just reporting in. We all know how acting our age is getting to us, but Terry is bucking the trend. Most of us are retired by now. He is a lawyer (of course) and still in active practice in Williamsburg VA. He was a member of the ND band when we were at school and still returns to play the trumpet at the football game featuring the band of old and new members. In addition, he plays a mean harmonica, is growing a beard (try to imagine) and playing Santa Claus to kids, the elderly and the sick. I had an enjoyable exchange with Col. Brian Regan covering several subjects. It started last summer when he met Bishop Cahill, the bishop of our Diocese of Victoria TX. Brian told him he knew someone in Victoria, me. And passed his card to me. Brian lamented Prince Chuck Lennon’s death and reported that he and our prince attended grade school and high school together in Joliet IL and then were together at ND. Brian pursued many an avocation over the years and proudly reports his service in the Marine Corps and ultimate retirement as a full bird colonel. Joe Libby expressed to me his negative vibes over our loss of classmates in recent years. No doubt about it, the list grows every quarter. We lost another. I reported in the last column on the death of George Janicek, which was reported to me by his wife Stefanie. I recently learned of the death of James E.R. Sheeler Jr. at home in Brenham TX Dec. 9, 2018. He was an EE with a BS from the Engineering School at ND. He ran track on a scholarship for us. His wife, Brenda, died in 2013. Pat Smyth requested prayers for his son Pat Jr. who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Please pray for our mates who have died, are sick, or otherwise in need of prayers and the members of our families who need help from above. Finally, the St. Patrick’s Day events in Naples FL are scheduled for March 14, 2020. Frank has booked rooms at the Hampton Inn (239-596-1299). The Mass, dedicated to Chuck Lennon and all deceased members of ND 1961, and dinner will be at Talis Park Country Club. All are invited, including spouses of deceased mates. Abbie is already at the front door with the latchstring out waiting for you to drop by on your way through South Texas. We’d love to see you. — 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 The Gamut

One morning in July, I had a chance to get together with John Macheca. We covered the gamut of what we had each been doing since graduation. I was fascinated with John’s work history. He was a Latin American Studies major and spent time in Mexico after graduation. He later went with a government security agency and then returned to ND working with the development office while based in Chicago. When the University had an opening for the Director of Student Affairs, John forwarded the name of another classmate for the position. However, the University selected John though he never applied for it. John relayed several stories and to put it mildly, he had to deal with a myriad of situations that had unique twists and turns. John now lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and does a lot of travelling in his RV. While we were in school, it was not uncommon to have seminarians in class. Unfortunately, we never got to know them. Rev. Claude Pomerleau, who passed away in July, was a professor of government and international relations at ND for 20 years before taking up the position of director of Peace Studies and Social Justice at the U of Portland. He had a multifaceted career and taught in Chile and Uganda where he established the Department of Diplomacy and International Studies at Uganda Martyrs U. Father Claude was highly regarded in the CSC community and at his eulogy, he was described as a priest, teacher, chaplain, scholar, pastoral resident, musician and friend. Jack Green sent a note saying that he and Don Yates joined the Peace Corps upon graduation. “After three months of training at San Jose State College we were assigned to Barrios in Sulu Province in the Philippine Islands returning home in 1964, Don to New Jersey and me to Pennsylvania. Although relatively close geographically we had not seen each other until Don visited me recently. After 52 years we had a lot of catching up to do. And we did during the ensuing four days.” Dan Kralik, whose home is in Mexico, said that starting in 2000, “five of us began our annual ND minireunions with John Moosbrugger, Pat Phillips, Dick Schimpf, John Tidgewell and me. We alternated annually as each one of us began by hosting a reunion at our homes. Then we increased the budget to 5 stars. By acclamation, Dick received two prestigious awards: the only Dean's List recipient of the five and, the only participant in all 19 minireunions to-date. We lost “Moose” in 2012, but this past November marked our 20th, together with our wives.” The Tidgewells hosted this year at Pueblo Bonito in Cabo San Lucas. Look for reminders in the class newsletter regarding the Desert Domers golf tournament and other activities scheduled for the weekend of March 19-21. Bill Snyder, Mike Murray, John Roberg and Dick Trujillo are among the group driving this event. More details will be found in my Sunday morning emails as the date gets closer. As we get on in years, the losses of classmates mount. Since my last column, we lost, in addition to Father Pomerleau, Dennis Cole, Denny Walljasper, Richard K. Green, Bill Mullaney, Fred Cappetta, John Carraher, Nick Buoniconti and Bob Lafayette. Has your email changed recently? If so, let me have your current one so you can get the weekly updates and other notifications. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com

 

62JD May the Road Rise Up to Meet You

We received the sad news that Michael E. Phenner passed away on Sept.18 at his home in Evanston IL. George McAndrews visited with Mike several times in the six weeks before he passed and has many fine memories of their friendship. Please say a prayer for Mike. George has three children who graduated from ND, two of them from the Law School. George’s grandson, Nick McCauley is a freshman at ND. Denny Sullivan writes that he is the recipient of the William Roper Award from the St. Thomas More Society for his achievements as a Catholic attorney. Denny spends time with Jim Goethals and they are members of the Serra Club. Katherine and Paul Rooney live in a retirement community in Walnut Creek near San Francisco. They visit Hawaii several times each year. Paul’s son, Keith, is a solicitor in London where he lives with his son, Enlai, who attends Weatherby Grammar School and has written a song, “We Just Met Last Night,” which has been available on iTunes. Christine Stucko reports that Jim Stucko’s granddaughter, Katie, an ND alum, has two daughters. — Thomas J. Kelly; 802 Ambriance Drive, Burr Ridge IL 60527; marianne1956@sbcglobal.net

 

63 Much News

Scott Maxwell checked in to say he received a call from Mary Campfield in early June saying she would be in Hilton Head SC with some friends. Etta and Scott joined Mary for breakfast on the island and had a great time catching up on family and ND. Scott’s family has experienced serious health issues over the last several years, but “thankfully have made it through to the other end of the tunnel.” Scott and Lou Lucas (aka “dirt man” as a result of his expertise in growing grapes) have been in touch on several occasions. Lou has been battling health issues, but things seem under control. Lou and his wines were featured recently in one of the business journals serving California. He was honored by the Santa Barbara Historical Society for his efforts in pioneering development of the wine industry in Santa Barbara County. Rev. Charles O’Hara will celebrate his 50th year as a priest in 2020, having been ordained at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood PA. For the past 13 years, he has been pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Spring City. Charlie’s first assignment following ordination was a three-year tour at St. Cecilia’s in Philadelphia, following which he served five years as a teacher and coach at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, while also teaching at Bishop Shanahan High School in Dowingtown. Thereafter, he was director of pastoral counseling and spirituality at St. John’s Center in Dowingtown, with a weekend ministry at Our Lady of Consolation in Parkersburg. Charlie has two master’s degrees, one in theology and the other in pastoral counseling. Somehow, he finds the time to play golf, and for the past several years has joined Jerry O’Grady, Matt McCloskey and me in a foursome at the Neeson Scholarship outing. Charlie is the anchor man of the team and, with his booming drives, sharp short game, and laser-like putting, has led us to respectable finishes. Hon. Paul Kelly recently took senior status as a judge sitting on the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (covers six western states), wrote that his lovely wife, Ruth, and he recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary with a “double-nickel” party. They have five children, four of whom graduated from ND, and 13 grandchildren. Three granddaughters are ND graduates, and a grandson is a freshman at the University. Of Ruth and Paul’s grandchildren, the eldest is a fourth-year medical student, while the youngest is in kindergarten. Jerry “White” Schmidt, who, along with my predecessor in this job, John O’Brien, staged the “Gathering” at the Morris Inn in May 2018, is looking toward a similar event in 2023. We would “camp out” at the Morris Inn for several days in advance of the University’s official reunion weekend. White would like to get indications of interest from you; his email address is jerry_schmidt@kenwal.com. Brian “Bomber” Richardson has served the Notre Dame Club of the Lehigh Valley as president, vice president and treasurer for over 20 years, and was instrumental in the startup of a scholarship program in 1993. That program continues today and provides scholarships of $2,500 per year to four students from the Lehigh Valley area. Way to go Bomber. Incidentally, word is that Bomber was in the stands at this year’s USC game and his presence was an inspiration to the team resulting in a victory. Ed Delahanty wins “Host of the Year” award for inviting our class members to visit his tailgate party at home games. His site is located behind the Legends tent as part of a group of seven families who have eight blue tents and the name Delahanty proudly displayed on his flag. — John F. Dougherty Jr.; 915 Exeter Crest, Villanova PA 19085; 215-510-0844; johndoc969@gmail.com

 

63JD Back in Business

Tom Brannigan’s grandson, Jack Brannigan, was recruited by ND and will soon be in South Bend on a baseball scholarship. Jack is following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Tom was a baseball walk-on at Notre Dame his freshman year playing on a team which included Carl Yastrzemski. Ed Kearse is in great shape and enjoying life. He and Alice play golf five or six times a week. Both hit all the tournaments and get deserved satisfaction surprising the 30-40 age crowd by winning. My plan would be for Alice to wheel Ed onto the course where he could make a few bets before starting tournament play. In those years when it snows in upstate New York, Ed and Alice retire to their golf course home in Florida. Pat Cullen’s son Chuck ’90 is a ND Law School graduate. Recently they played together in a Notre Dame Club golf tournament at which Pat offered the opening prayer. It must have been an oversight, but Kearse didn’t mention anything about opening prayers at his tournaments. Pat continues to work on the very successful nonprofit (You Too Can, Inc) he formed years ago. Its mission is to raise the academic performance of disadvantaged children in Baltimore. His innovative approach is not designed to put the kids through new hoops but instead works to involve their parents in school activities thereby getting them engaged in their children’s education. Jim Lekin continues to oversee operations at Willett as CEO. In September, Jim and Kate completed a two-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land visiting Israel, Jordon and the West Bank. They renewed their wedding vows in Cana before Bishop Dennis Madden who married them in Baltimore and who also holds a PhD degree from ND. They walked the Stations of the Cross in old Jerusalem, which Jim describes as “a grueling experience.” The trip was an interesting combination of old and new with the highly contested Israeli national election going on at the same time. Bob Noe is doing well and was in South Bend for the Virginia game. He has reduced his work schedule to four days a week. Last year the firm moved across town. It was the first move in 70 years. Bob has been asked to chair the committee working to plan the next move. Sometime between now and implementation of the new 70-year plan, he will have to take over writing this column. — Bob Saxe; 15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com

 

64 Minireunions Are in Fashion

…so, we decided to have one here in Darien. Hosts Susan and Paul Tierney and Kathy and I welcomed Barbie and David Ellis, Gisela and Mike Carey, Alison and Tom O’Brien, Sandy and Bruce Tuthill and Mary Ann and Frank Gaul ’65. We spent time as a group discussing the concept of our friendship, how each of us spends his/her typical day and reviewing medical histories. We also shared memorable stories which remain not quite ready for prime time. As usual, Mike Carey regaled the group with tales of legal proceedings past and present. Fascinating. Mike has been attempting to retire for a few years, but always finds one more case to wrap up. Their first grandchild arrived this spring. Tom O’Brien no longer practices corporate law. He completed a MA in theology and has been teaching theology and scripture since 2002. A licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Church, Tom and a rabbi colleague will lead their second interfaith trip to Israel next spring. He and Alison recently celebrated their 52nd anniversary and move between homes in Palm Beach Gardens and Plainville CT. The Tierneys have just completed remodeling a home they purchased in northern Italy. After spending considerable time in Italy for some years, they finally took the plunge. Paul spends more and more time on his non-profit interests while Susan travels to Aspen, San Francisco and NYC to see kids and grandkids. The Tuthills live in Plymouth MA, close to all four daughters and families. Sandy is a successful decorator and attempts to keep track of Bruce who now seems to have retired. David and Barbie are in Hilton Head fulltime, and close to three of their four girls. We note that David’s shape has not changed at all over the years. He is still svelte. A great cook at home, David is the resident “big cheese” at the Sea Pines Country Club. Mary Ann and Frank Gaul live in Hingham, just outside of Boston. All three children live nearby. Frank had a successful career in sales and trading, mostly fixed income securities. Kathy and I spend most of our time in Darien where we have both children and their families, including five grandkids, within 15 minutes. I have cut back most of my board work to spend time with the kids, and now travel to New York City much less frequently. We just demolished our home in Nantucket and are building it anew, but 5 feet higher to mitigate the risk of flooding. I heard from my friend and former “garmento” Jim LaBarba. He used to run Carole Little when I was at Liz Claiborne. All is well and he is still in Palos Verdes CA. Not too many classes have correspondents “on the ground” in Homer Glen IL. We are fortunate to have Frank Bujan serve in this important role. He advised that John Meyer had organized a Mass for deceased members of the Brother Rice High School class of 1960. Frank attended this event, as did Mike Barton and Bill Kean. I also heard from my friend, Mike Bradley of Shreveport LA, who promised to give me a news update for the next issue. Please keep in your prayers the family of Jerry Whalen, who died this past June in Yuma AZ. No further details. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 917-860-5385; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com

 

64JD Beautiful Fall

As this report is written, a beautiful Midwestern fall is settling into Indiana, finding our classmates generally in good health, enjoying their families and the season. Sharon and I are fine, and on campus often. Like many in our class, I passed through the portal marked “80,” wondering where all the years had gone but finding solace in a quote from Will Rogers to the effect that when you’re dissatisfied with your growing age and would like to go back to your youth, think of algebra. Travel seems to be a primary activity. Jim Slater recently called me from Valencia, Spain, to talk about his, Marian’s (and family) weeks-long wonderful stay there along with his upcoming trip to Egypt. Russ Bley is planning a trip to Egypt this fall and is taking his family. Tom Conneely reports that he and Kay are fine and have enjoyed a quiet summer in Mill Valley with their family, probably a time made more comfortable by virtue of all their family living within 15 minutes of everyone. Jim Mercurio is in good health and spirits in Bethesda MD and has developed an interest in Civil War history in connection with his participation in a long-term learning program at American U. Bob Frost and Dawn have completed their downsizing and relocation to Lewis Center OH where both are enjoying the convenience and niceness of their new abode. Bob also is warding off a continuing gaggle of foot and back issues. Hurley Smith also is downsizing and relocating to a gated community in Winchester VA. He also has been blessed health wise by being declared cancer free. Bob Cash and Eileen are returning to their winter place in Naples FL after spending some of the summer in northern Michigan. Bob passed along an interesting experience there in finding an antique organ marked “ND” at a music museum. His birthday (not yet 80) was celebrated back in Cincinnati with his large family and included the surprise attendance of Betty and Larry Gallick. A highlight of the Gallick’s summer was a cruise from Malta to Sicily and Corsica. Jack Kopko and Adele are enjoying their relocation last year to Indian Wells CA and recently welcomed another grandchild to the family. Charles Sacher is taking another family trip, this one to Spain, where his granddaughter and some family members will participate in a language immersion program. Frank Miele’s recovery from a fall at the NY Met several months ago continues, and he will be appearing this season in LaBoheme, Tosca and Turandot. Bob Hanlon’s daughter, a mother of four, continues her successful recovery from breast cancer after surgery and chemotherapy treatment. More good news: I spoke with Charlie Sweeney, who attends exercise class to meet the challenges of Parkinson’s disease. He and I are having a catch-up coffee next week. Lou Pfeiler reports that Carol is holding her own as she deals with her progressive illness. Lou continues to exhibit exceptional courage, strength and support in dealing with this challenge. Lastly, thanks to those who sent me their updated email addresses, home addresses and phone numbers. I encourage those who have not updated us to do so to facilitate our communications. God bless. — Richard Balfe Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; res 574-299-9888; cell 760-567-1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com

 

65 55th Reunion

June 4-7 will be our 55th reunion. Please try to attend, carpe diem. Thursday’s dinner is separate from the University’s program and is organized again by our class treasurer, Bob Lee, who assumed this responsibility after the death years ago of Rick Carey. Details regarding cost, location and method of payment will be in our spring class column. Irene and Ed Ojdana have generously again offered to provide the wine from their award-winning Napa Valley winery. Unique musical entertainment will be featured. Margot and Bob spend winters in HH along with many ND retirees. Last fall they kept busy attending seven family weddings. Lil ’65SMC and Larry Beshel, our class president, live in Short Hills NJ and have three grandchildren. Larry continues full time as managing director of investments for Wells Fargo. Last summer they met Joan ’65SMC and Bill Slattery in NYC. Bill retired 20 years ago as VP of TWA. They were visiting the new hotel within JFK’s refurbished TWA original terminal. Minneapolis is their home and location of several of their restaurants. Larry and Bill’s wives were roommates at Saint Mary’s. Bill Tucker, who performed at our 50th reunion, was recruited by Jim Muller to play his guitar for a family reunion last August. His rendering of “Willy McBride” spoke to all generations present. Jim has resumed activity with Russian and US doctors against the nuclear arms race. He continues as a clinical cardiologist twice weekly at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and as a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School. Remaining time is spent with his co-founded company, Spectra Wave, which makes an OCT-NIRS coronary catheter. During the hurricane season, John Gearen’s second home in the Bahamas sustained heavy damage and access has been limited. Vicki and Joe Dundon continue to live in South Bend and winter in Venice FL. Two of their grandchildren play in the ND band. Sarah and Peter Jost escaped from their Chicago home to tour the Pacific Northwest in September. Rory Dolan is a retired ophthalmologist in Port Washington NY. Rory and his wife, Xiomara, are full-time golfers. Rev. Paul Doyle, CSC, has served as rector of Dillon for decades. With renovation in progress he has been relocated to Baumer Hall, which opened last summer on the old golf course. His new room is so large that he gets lost. For over 50 years, Father Paul has dedicated his life to the University and served in many leadership positions. He is humble about his contributions and often is under-recognized for them. We are fortunate to have Paul as a classmate. Last August, Tom Belleau died of cancer at his home in Setauket NY. He is survived by wife, Olga, and two children. Tom earned an MBA and CPA from NYU and worked as an accountant and CFO in Melville NY. He was a eucharistic minister and active in the Knights of Columbus. His ND hat was worn in the casket while the fight song played. In July, Phil Brady died. He is survived by wife, Sheila, and four children. In August John Hirschfelder died in Seattle. He held an MS and PhD. He is survived by wife, Rosemary. In May Ed France died and in 2016 Ray Mannion died. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA; jphnd65@hotmail.com

 

65JD Class Secretary — John Donald O’Shea;

pelagius@qconline.com

 

66 Domer Land

Good times on campus for USC. Rich Sauget from St. Louis, Jim Smith from Lancaster and Pat McRedmond of Nashville were also there, but we never caught up. Rich has numerous successful business ventures, one of which is called The Perfect Mound, an artificial pitching mound, which he invented. It is catching on in baseball around the country and getting rave reviews. George Bernard was in for the VA game and attended a lecture on neuroscience and asked the prof about the Pete Duranko Fund, which she had not heard about. Bob Schmitt, of Burbank CA noted that Gary Kohs, who was mentioned last issue, started the ND Sports Car Club and ran the Sports Car Spectacular in Stepan Center. John McCormick sent word from Tulsa that he attended a Marine Corps squadron reunion and that Walsh roomie Jim Davey drove in from Myrtle Beach to catch up. Residents of Chicago may have noted that John Buck’s 9,600 square foot luxury apartment in the Windy City was up for sale. John has been hitting it out of the park in real estate for years. Class President Cap Gagnon heard from Jim Gorman, who had a 30-year career with the US Treasury and now divides time between Seattle and the foothills outside of town. John Flatley, Hank Schlachter and Bernie Van Etten attended the New Mexico game on campus. I heard that Mike Reich, who left ND senior year to join the Air Force, resides in Luray VA following a career with the US Export-Import Bank. Charlie Nigro lives in Kansas City and connected with Tom Meurer, who lives on Long Boat Key, for the NCAA Women’s Final Four. They met up with Mark Mahaffey at halftime. Bill Hickey wrote that he shared dinner with Jay Hickey, Marty Tierney, Tom Plunket and Tom Beall. Marty is involved with his brothers in Taft Street Vineyards in Sonoma. Jay retired from the American Horse Council. Tom B retired from the US Government and his role at the Agency in Langley. Tom P lives in Fairfax. Bill is retired after 44 years as a civil trial layer in DC and Maryland. Bill saw Mike Cunningham, who is consulting with property developers in the Boston area. Ann and Guy Williams have relocated to Baltimore after 45 years in New Orleans, where he was an internist and addictionologist. They wanted to be close to their son. Guy is trying to connect with his roomie Bruce Walthers and has been in touch with John Fry, who had a distinguished career in medicine at UW Madison. Jay Rini wrote that he is suffering from incurable cancer and wanted to update mates on his life and career. Jay worked as a lawyer for the Department of State in DC and one of his assignments was final disposition of the dead from the Jonestown massacre. He also did duty in Rome before retiring in 2004. He spends time on business in Afghanistan and lives part time in Tuscany. He’s been married for 50 years and has two sons. Jay says life has been incredibly good for him. The class necrology continues to grow. Jim Gallagher, successful attorney on Long Island, passed away late last summer. Paul Coogan and others sent word of Jim’s demise. I saw Jim several times since graduation and he was a personable, gregarious fellow who will be missed by many. Tim Malloy, of Burr Ridge IL passed away in early September. Tim co-founded one of the country’s leading intellectual property law firms and became recognized as one of the world’s finest patent attorneys. He served as lead counsel in numerous litigations and argued before the US Supreme Court. Also, I heard that Ed Hugetz recently lost his wife Donna. Ed had a 40-year career at U Houston and continues to engage in his passion, film editing. Some mates are expressing interest in a formal 55th reunion. Let Cap or me know if that possibility interests you. On a personal note, we sold our Martha’s Vineyard vacation home and acquired one in Mashpee, Cape Cod. It happens to be on a 27-hole golf course and the shopping and health care are much better on the Cape. That’s the news that’s fit to print for this edition. Be well and go Irish. — Tom Sullivan; 1108 Westwicke Lane, Lutherville MD 21093; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com

 

66JD Class Secretary — Philip C. Ruddy;

rudds241@aol.com

 

67 Quinn Published

Dan Madigan writes from Milwaukee that Jim (JB) Quinn has published a new book, Don’t Be Afraid to Win: How Free Agency Changed the Business of Pro Sports. The book explains how professional sports went from a quaint collection of athletes that had to take jobs in the off season to pay their bills to the industry it is today. Jim takes the reader inside the tense meetings between owners, players and league unions to explain the intricacies of free agency and why it matters. Jim has been labeled by the New York Times as “instrumental in helping change the face of major professional sports.” Jim has been involved with this issue since the 1970s, battling owners in all four professional major leagues dating back to Oscar Robertson’s free agency case. Mary Lou and Dick Kinney returned to campus to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary the weekend of Sept. 14-15. They first met in the rathskeller of LaFortune Student Center in 1965. Their daughter Molly, son Toby and his boys Colm, Gareth and Torin joined them for the New Mexico football weekend. George Goeddeke was the keynote speaker at the 95th annual UND Celebration for the Notre Dame Club of Detroit Aug. 13 at the Birmingham Country Club. Premium ticket purchasers got to sit at the same table with George. Someone said George’s dad Vincent was looking down from heaven with a squint in his eye. Dennis McCarthy wrote about the death of Alan Kramer several months back. Alan served as the head student manager of the 1966 football team. After graduation, John married his wife Maria and was off to the Navy flight school. He ultimately flew P3 Orions, a Navy reconnaissance plane. Alan’s squadron was deployed to Vietnam for three years and seven months. The last 23 years of his life, Alan and his family lived in Grafton WI. Tom Rieck informs us that Steve Hartel and his wife Pat traveled to Chicago for their annual get together with Bob Browne and his wife Connie along with Tom and his wife Penny. They dined at The Barn Steakhouse in Evanston. Tom and Steve continued the celebration at the Virginia game. Steve has traveled extensively for business and pleasure, while continuing to live in New Orleans and Biloxi. Bob lives in Glenview but spends four months a year in Naples, while continuing of counsel to his Chicago law firm. Tom also reports he saw Dan Murray at the New Mexico game. Dan is retired from practicing law and teaches a course in corporate bankruptcy in the Notre Dame Law School. Tom continues to be in regular contact with Dick Ludwig, who lives in a San Diego suburb with his wife Susan. Joe Broecker and Happy Fox sadly informed us that Jim McInerney died unexpectedly in October from a massive heart attack. Please write with some good news about our classmates. — Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com

 

67JD Calling All Doctors

Marylyn and Ken Lazarus filed a whole litany of medical setbacks. Marylyn “simply” had a second knee replaced while Ken underwent seven weeks of intensive radiology to rid himself of a cancerous vocal cord and then contracted pneumonia, which led to further surgery. Another surgery cleaned up a problem in his spine and another removed cataracts. Ken maintains that they are both in relatively good health and that life is good. All our best to them. Yours truly Jim Heinhold reports on his apparent lack of ability to remain upright after his latest slip and fall resulting in a broken humerus bone. The doctors also found some related heart problems and oblation and ablation procedures are due soon. Jim claims credit for his prescient action, some 54 years ago, in marrying Flo, a nurse specializing in geriatric care. John Nelson reports that wife Lynn has some significant medical challenges, but they are “dealing with it.” John continues to work his Alpaca ranch but keeps a wary eye out for rustlers, dope pushers and a recent flurry of bear incursions with malice on their minds. Luckily, John attributes the absence of bear damage on his property to his seven-foot perimeter fence and the no trespassing signs he’s posted. Who knew bears could read? Jack Harty, Jim Mollison and Tony Luber offer prayers and good wishes to everyone in our class currently undergoing medical procedures or dealing with medical issues. John Blasi narrowly escaped injury while serving as a member of the chain gang at his grandson’s football game. Lynn and Ted Sinars had a wonderful trip touring Eastern Europe. One of the highlights was a one-hour performance by 10 members of the Vienna Opera in the very room where Maria Theresa was entertained by Mozart. They returned home just in time to see their beloved Cubbies fold. Reality bites. Lois Brenner also enjoyed touring Budapest with her son, Louis, and family and then extended her vacation in the US before returning home to Naples FL. Beth and Frank Verterano enjoyed their cruise on the Danube in July. Next year they plan to visit southern Italy and Greece. Since September, they have been on the ND or the Penn State campus for football games plus one weekend in Athens for the Georgia game. Oh well, in every life a little rain must fall. Jim Harrington’s granddaughter Emma is a PhD student in math at Northwestern. The Harringtons are cleaning out 40 years of accumulation in preparation for downsizing. Jane and John Hargrove celebrated the birth of another grandson, Patrick, in August. The Hargroves planned to be at the Stanford game in Palo Alto in November. Lori and Dave Francescani planned to attend the ND-BC game also in November. Joyce and Hal Bliss survived the monsoon storms that caused problems in the Phoenix area by evacuating to Sedona for a week. Did you spot Bob Barkley or his grandson, Buster, at the recently televised Cowboys-Saints game? Buster was selected to be the male “kicking tee retriever” for the game and Bob got a sideline pass. Sean Keenan was saddened and surprised when his former law firm, Day, Ketterer, announced its immediate dissolution. Sean has been associated with the firm for 48 years and will miss his comfy “of counsel” office but he will not be affected financially. Change Sean’s email address to jkeenan001@neo.rr.com. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; 252-638-5913; im4irish@gmail.com 

 

68 The Door Was Unlocked

When Honest John Weyer, father of class president Tom Weyer, pushed at an unlocked Engineering Building classroom door 50 years ago, he only meant to find shelter for a pre-game celebration. At the time, some of us had hair, a military future, and hopes of girlfriends who didn’t come from the center of magazines. What Honest John opened turned into a tradition. Now that tailgate has abutting-the-stadium space arranged by Matt Walsh and tended by a squad of South Bend and Michiana classmates. While no one seems in need of help such as the Pampers of early parenthood, we are enjoying the time before we need adult diapers along with our fellowship. In the meantime, the tailgate is gloriously appointed with classmates. John Walsh and his grandson Vasant Banks were with Roger Guerin, Mary Lou and Dennis Toolan, Tom Gibbs, Joyce and Matt Walsh, Fred Ferlic (the Tayco Boot entrepreneur), Bryan Dunigan, Mike Ryan and Ned Buchbinder at the New Mexico game. The Virginia game drew those friends plus Donna and Bob Ptak, Steve Anderson, Tom Durkin and visitors from beyond the Midwest horizons: Ed Lewis, Lloyd Adams, Pete Adams, and Bill Gormley from New Jersey, Pat and Rich Rogers from New York, Tom Condon from Connecticut, and Bill Kenealy from Maryland. We had about three dozen classmates, none in need of anything but friendship and laughs. Ed Lewis remembered the work required each of the game Saturdays: “Most don't know that Gene Cavanaugh and Fred Ferlic arrive at the stadium parking lot at 6:30 a.m. to hold spaces near Matt's parking slots. Then the Chicago contingent (Tom Weyer, Tom Gibbs, Bryan) arrives. They all bring food and drinks for anyone who shows up to enjoy. And, this generosity has inconceivably gone on for 50 years. Wow.” Veronica and Ken DiLaura made a Spain and Portugal river cruise in May the time for their own reunion with Gloria and Mike Coleman. In San Francisco, the Hon. Czech Consul General Richard Pivnicka hosted graduates from the McCloskey New Venture competition winner Resonado at the time of the Louisville game. Rick frequently sees John O’Connor as well as Dennis Withers, who comes from Atlanta for visits with his Napa Valley daughter, Boo Withers Beckstoffer ’97. Mike Crutcher wrote from China, his home since 2006: “I came here to do humanitarian work. I met my wife in 2007, married in 2008. Education is our mainstay, mostly teaching English. A little background on me: After ND, I was an Air Force/Air National Guard pilot, then lived in DC for a while. I went back home to Big D and was in the real estate business there. At age 31, I had a born-again experience which radically changed my lifestyle and priorities. I was led to graduate school to study theology/psychology.” In his note, Mike shouted out to best ND buddies Jan and Dave Martin, Dennis Withers, Chris Murphy, Rocky Bleier, Dan Harshman, Steve Anderson and Jay Jordan. Philadelphian Joe Ferry’s first return to campus two years ago awakened a hunger in him for repeat attention and a second visit for the 50th reunion. The note Joe wrote (found in full on ndclass1968.com) has pushed him to the fore with the labeling of John O’Connor as “effulgent” and with this sample: “In 1998, my wife and I went to Annapolis to celebrate our wedding anniversary and my birthday. The Naval Academy Class of ’68 was celebrating its 30th anniversary and it was headquartered at our hotel. My wife alerted me to this and, pointing to a man who was about my age, said, ‘That guy looks like he was in that class.’ I approached the man and asked, ‘Are you a member of the Class of 1968?’ He said that he was. I said that I was, also, but at Notre Dame. The entire weekend the Navy Class of ’68 welcomed me like I was one of them because of the ND-Navy relationship.” Joe Hale called attention to the recognition of Tom Culcasi’s son Phil, an alum who was one of four Illinois educators named in a White House list of the nation’s superior math and science teachers. September 2019 news included the sadness of two deaths: Geoff Gillette, well-known for his work with the band Captain Electric and then his career in music production, and Tom Knowles, one of the Fenwick High School classmates who expanded the Oak Park IL friendships with myriad Notre Dame ones. Please remember them and their families, and please read the memories posted at ndclass1968.com. Please send news and photos. — Tom Figel; 1054 W. North Shore, Apt. 3E, Chicago IL 60626; 773-764-4898; tfigel@reputecture.com

 

68JD Welcome Addition

In response to my request for information, Jim Cooling reported that he has been practicing aviation law in Kansas City 40 years, and now has his son James is in the firm. Jim’s son is an attorney, aviator, new father and a welcome addition to the firm. Jim remains a trustee of the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton OH. In his spare time, he has been eating Mahomes Magic Crunch Cereal and hoping the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl. He attended the Super Bowl last year when the Chiefs failed to show up. Jim has 10 grandchildren and his bride, Ann, is still wondering why she married such an “older” gentleman. Charlie Weiss reports that he traveled to Notre Dame the weekend of Sept. 26-29 for a board meeting of the Notre Dame Law Association in order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Law School, and to see the ND-Virginia game. On Thursday evening a small group had dinner with the new dean, Marcus Cole. He spoke to the full NDLA Board at the meeting on Friday. On Friday evening Charlie attended a reception with over 600 guests, where the new dean spoke to the law school graduates and guests. Charlie reports the new dean is very impressive. His mother is Dutch from the Netherlands and his father is from Liberia. His brother went to Notre Dame, and he and his brother watched Notre Dame football reruns on Sunday mornings after Mass. He graduated from Cornell U and went to Northwestern Law School, where he was on full scholarship. He clerked for the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and then worked for the Chicago firm of Mayer Brown for a couple of years before joining the faculty of Stanford Law School. While at Stanford, he served as dean for curriculum and academic affairs. To top Charlie’s weekend, Notre Dame beat undefeated Virginia. On Sept. 20, Tom Curtin received the first Chief Judge Jerome H. Simandle Award from the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey for outstanding service to the federal bench and bar in New Jersey. Tom credits his accomplishments to the Honorable John Coyle. At 79 and 3 months, Jim Wirtz reports that he is still working as a sole practitioner with a primary focus on estate planning, estate administration and income tax. Jim works seven days a week during tax season (January to April 15), but cuts back to four days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the remainder of the year. After trips to Italy, France (twice), Amsterdam, Belgium and South Africa, Mary and Jim have not traveled this year. Ernie Abate shared with us some of the past. After about nine months in the Marine Corps training for combat, and much to his surprise, Ernie was assigned duties as a judge advocate and later appointed as a military judge. In that capacity, he presided over 56 courts martial. Ernie valued his time in the Corps, and credits Notre Dame Law School for providing him the tools he needed to take on such responsibilities and discharge them competently. Finally, please remember in our prayers our deceased classmates including John Amerman, Emilio Belluomini, John Burgess, Albert Dudash, Richard Hirsch, Joseph Ladd, Larry Miller and Robert Wilczek. — Dennis Collins; 2203 Derby Way, St. Louis MO 63131; bus. 314-516-2648; dgc@greensfelder.com

 

69 Mucho Minireunions

John Sturm, the University’s first associate vice president for federal and Washington relations since 2012, retired in early 2018. In May, architect majors Joe Bosco, Jim Canestaro, Dan Kearney, and Adam Lontai held a minireunion in Knoxville TN, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Asheville NC. Contact Dan (kdtjh29@aol.com) for future ’69er “Archie” gatherings. At Baird’s 100th anniversary celebration on June 13, chairman Paul E. Purcell received the Brenton H. Rupple Award, Baird’s highest community service honor. Mary Helen and John Quinn unexpectedly met Mugsy ’69SMC and John Shern in Indy on Aug. 2 when the Sherns flew in from Atlanta for a wedding of mutual friends. Delbert Hosemann convincingly won Mississippi’s Republican lieutenant governor primary on Aug. 6. Gene Hammond and Diane and Steve Kavalauskas met at Lake Tahoe in August with five other 1965 St. Joseph High School (Kenosha WI) alums for their 10th annual minireunion. Gene and Diane are first cousins. Bill Mitsch co-sponsored the Wetlands Mitigating Harmful Algal Blooms in Huron OH on Aug. 3. He was a keynote speaker at the Asian Wetland Conference in Suncheon City, Korea on Aug. 19. On Aug. 28, 15 Chicagoans (Jim Burke, Jay Canna, John Hodel, PJ Hosty, Mike Keane, Mike McDermott, Peter McInerney, Ebby Moran, John Nesbitt, John O’Rourke, Rick Redmond, Bob Sacoff, Tim Schlindwein, Bill Wade, Ralph Williams), eight Milwaukeeans (yours truly John Hickey, Steve Kavalauskas, Tom Ladky, Jim Lyons, Mike McCauley, Dan Merritt, Mike Ryan, Brian Schmidlin), three Kenoshans (John Berres, Tony Kluka, Don Jacobson), and Rev. Kevin Hickey ’73 from Boston gathered for the third-annual MKE–ORD ’69er baseball outing at Miller Park. Bob “Flash” Franken retired Sept. 1 after working at ND since 2000 as the adviser to the Dome, Scholastic, The Juggler, and The Shirt Project. Bob and his wife, artist Cathy McCormick, live in Granger IN. In September, Mike Cerre posted on his Globe TV website an interview with Secretary of Defense James Mattis. At the UVA football weekend, Jim D’Auria, Mark DaVia, John Stodola, and George Wingenfeld held a minireunion including dinner at Parisi’s and a drive-by of their old apartment on Portage Avenue. Bob Burke and Dave Heskin sat on the 50-yard line for the game. Dave and Dave Seeley played at the Senior Alumni Golf Outing. At the Bowling Green weekend, Louis MacKenzie and JoAnn Grima ’69SMC hosted John Augeri for dinner. Mike Brennan attended the game with Nancy and Mike Franger. At the USC weekend, Dr. Mark Walsh organized the 27th-annual Emil T. Hofman Lecture with speaker Dr. Robert J. Marsh ’78. Tom Breen, Dick Cimino, Lou Leone, Greg Schatz, Richard Sullivan, Matt White, Ralph Williams, and Tom Ryan stayed together in a cottage in Edwardsburg MI. Tom’s daughter Meghan ’00 joined them for the game. Gary Campana and Jack Coath traveled to the game together. The Stumpf brothers, Chip, Walter ’79, and David ’86, had a family reunion. Brian Schmidlin and Kelley Macke also attended the game. Mike Karwoski and Dave Heskin visited Normandy, France, in October. Fiftieth wedding anniversaries: Wanda and Dick Ott at the Log Chapel in June; Mary Beth (Hill)’69SMC and John Campbell in September. Congratulations. Bob Gibbons, Dave Sim, and I published Notre Dame Class of 1969: Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary in December. Classmate deaths include Mike Dembeck, who died July 22 in Georgia after an extended illness. Rick Schroeter died Aug. 13 in Round MN after a short illness. After a long illness, Jim Kelly died in Union City CA on Sept. 11. He and Cathie (Coleman) ’68SMC celebrated their 50th anniversary in June. Our deepest condolences to their families and friends. Take care, stay healthy and God bless. — John Hickey; 262-385-1961; jphjr47@hotmail.com

 

69MBA More Minireunions

Our class had its annual football reunion at the Virginia game with dinner arranged by Ken Samara at Sunny Italy, which had been flooded the night before from all the rain in South Bend. We were joined by Dean Martijn Cremers and his wife, Liesabeth for the dinner. Martijn wore his 50-year MBA shirt, but yours truly Bob Dowdell forgot his. Attendees included Brian and Dennis McCarthy, Rich Dunn ’67, Jim Halas, Ken Samara and his sister, Diane Volkart, Sue and Tom Sanna, Nick Walz, Linda and Joe Cavato and their offspring, Sue Jerutis and family. Sue took many pictures and said she would put them on the Notre Dame First MBA Class of ’69 Facebook group, where we all would appreciate others in the class to also post updates. In other news, Tom Condon says he is working his way into retirement without much difficulty. Archie Sullivan says he is also gradually handing his business over to family, and that he now has a great-granddaughter. I think she is the first fourth generational in the class. The next minireunion will be Sept. 19 for the Western Michigan game. We don’t get many chances anymore to get together, so lock it in. — Bob Dowdell; 31625 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach CA 92651; 714-381-6104; bobdowdell55@gmail.com

 

69JD Reunion, Law School Anniversary

A total of 24 classmates were at the reunion: Scott Atwell, Tom Bonner, Jim Brady, Hank Catenacci, Jim Cooney, Pete Driscoll, Joe Frantin, Bob Greene, Bill Hassing, Dam Hebert, Bill Keck, John Macleod, Tom McCusker, Tim McLaughlin, Joe McNeil, Hugh Mundy, Frank Murray, Dave Prior, Tony Siemer, Vince Stamp, Nick Trogan, Merle Wilberding and yours truly. I want to send special thanks to Tammye Raster ’92JD for her help with the reunion. Besides the dinners on Friday and Saturday, we had a memorial service at the Grotto for our classmates who had passed away led by Rev. John DeRiso. Joe Frantin led us in the memorial and Hank Catenacci did a reading. A candle was lit in the center of the top row for our deceased classmates and those who could not attend due to health reasons. We took a tour of the stadium and walked on the field. Bob Greene took pictures as did Tammye and others. I will share by email. I took a poster-size picture of our graduation picture taken on the steps of the Law School. It is now permanently on display. Bill Keck and Regis Trenda also attended the festivities for the 150th anniversary of the Law School. We had an opportunity to meet the new dean, Marcus Cole. Matt Dwyer was not able to attend but we have plans to meet at the USC game. Tom Reed also missed the reunion but writes that he is now semiretired from the veterans’ law clinic that he founded at Widener U Delaware Law School. Tom also teaches at the Osher Institute of Lifelong Learning at the U of Delaware. He wishes the class “clear skies and following wind.” John Reid retired from the DOJ in 2018 after 41 years. He served the last 19 years as an immigration judge. Plans have begun for our next reunion in two years. The consensus is to have the reunion on campus during an away football weekend. As it should be, as it is. — Jim Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; 808-395-0443; 808-778-4033; starman@hawaii.rr.com