1980s

80 Reunions Abound 

Much of our news this quarter comes from reunions, mostly virtual, large and small. Kudos to the men of Morrissey Manor for their successful reunion by Zoom. More than 50 percent of 85 former residents (46 in all) joined a virtual happy hour. Their committee included Kevin Blake, Ken Kadleck, Tom Larson, Bob Meckes, Martin Sheehan, Mike Sullivan, Rev. Joe Uhen and Ed Zier. Shortly thereafter, our class officers hosted the first virtual reunion for the class. Led by Mary Ryan Amato, Leo Latz, Beth Laracca, Dom Yocious and me, we featured Mary Meg McCarthy, executive director of the National Immigrant Justice Center, Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle, Vagas Ferguson, and members of our class who were in the Glee Club. They included Terry Poplava, Phil Jaurigue, Jeff Rubenstein, Chris Fenoglio, Michael Hough, Dave Cockerill, Dave Ciarlone, Ken Kadleck, John Walsh and John Jacobs. Joining us from afar were the Rev. (Padre) Joe Uhen who said Mass for us and remembered our deceased classmates, and Dolly Duffy, executive director of the Alumni Association. Dolly shared preliminary plans for our reunion to be held in June of 2021. As soon as we know a date, we will share it far and wide. Announced during our virtual reunion, Frances and Jim Lukeman will serve as class VPs. Jim recently retired as a major general (two stars) after 40 years of service as a Marine. Class reunion giving co-chairs Cindy Cronin Cahill and Leo Latz ask that you consider making a 40th reunion gift to Notre Dame towards the Student Emergency Relief Fund and unrestricted financial aid. In recognition of our class reunion gifts, Notre Dame will plant a tree and place a park bench on campus to memorialize our departed classmates. We hope to have our class picture at the tree and on the bench in time for our in-person reunion next year. Finally, we depleted our class reunion fund to make our historic virtual reunion possible, so please also consider a small gift to replenish our class fund to assist in funding our in-person reunion (aka beer tent). See a class email for instructions. Chris Gilson organized a virtual happy hour. Participants included Chris (Pittsburgh), Lee Smolen (Indianapolis), Mike Budd (Chicago), Ralph Rogieri (Los Angeles), Ray Nanni (White Rock NM) and Roy Bixby (Milwaukee). Bill Kresse has been appointed to serve on the bipartisan, 10-member American Bar Association Advisory Commission on Election Law. While sending in photos for our reunion, Tom Goblirsch included an update: He recently returned from a mission trip to Peru only to belatedly discover that his host was our own chaplain, Padre Joe Uhen. Tom spent 27 years with the Air Force on active duty and the reserves. In civilian life, he is an anesthesiologist on the faculty of the medical school at Washington U in St. Louis. A proud father of four, Tom has been married to his wife, Terri, for 32 years. Mike Melbinger announced the arrival of his first grandbaby. Our hearts go out to Marc Radell, John Scully and Kate McGuire who lost their fathers; Joann Dowd Clayback, Mary Clare Heraty and Joe Philbin who lost their mothers; Beth Komachi and Pete Cleary who lost both parents; John Callaway who lost his wife, and John Paulik. — Mary Ellen Woods; mew.1980@alumni.nd.edu; facebook.com/groups/notredame80/ 

 

80MBA Good Humor

Laughter is a vitamin to restore youthfulness, and a medicine for an ailing world. That was the opening line of the fourth published compilation of jokes by Dan Buck ’77, ’79MBA which I had the pleasure to read and edit for him. It is hard to edit a book when you must move on to the next joke but are still laughing from the previous one. The book is titled Laughing In-Place and it is a perfect way to pass the time while at home. Well done, Dan. Dan’s classmate Tom Brogan ’77, ’79MBA also had me laughing recently by writing that he was so bored during the pandemic and with the lack of sports that he was watching the semifinals of the American Cornhole Championships on ESPN. That’s boredom, and I hate to admit it, but I immediately tuned into watch as well. Scott Stratman writes that he has been doing some standup comedy and goes by a great stage name: Big Daddy Stratty. Scott also says he recently joined up with a partner in the wine and spirits distribution business and has been busy tasting wines, tequilas, bourbons and scotches and adds with some irony that business has been great during these times. Scott and his wife Therese moved back to Nebraska from Colorado and have five grandchildren with number six on the way. Paul Katilas counts himself lucky to be considered an essential business since he supports the healthcare industry, so he has been staying very busy during the pandemic. However, Paul always seems to have worthwhile side projects and this year is no different. He is assisting the family of Elmer Layden, one of Grantland Rice’s Four Horsemen, to be considered for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Paul makes a great case for Layden’s inclusion for his contributions as the NFL’s first commissioner during the World War II years. We hope that he is successful in getting this well-deserved honor for one of the University’s most storied players. On a sadder note we recently learned of Prof. Edward Trubac’s passing. Mike Colbert wrote to say that he was one of his favorite teachers and I concur, but I also remember that he was the pitcher for the Professors vs. the MBAs in softball. During one game, our late classmate Bill Earley started to heckle our great economics professor as he was pitching by blurting out that “This guy can’t pitch; his arm is inelastic.” Ed Trubac had to stop pitching for a minute because he was laughing so hard. A special thanks go out to all who have responded that they were going to attend and offered to assist with the reunion planning this year but, as Curly from the Three Stooges often said, we were victims of circumstance. I sincerely hope that we can have a reunion in 2021 and will try and help organize one, so stay tuned and stay healthy and, of course, Go Irish. — Joe Kearney; 203-364-0346; jos.w.kearney@gmail.com

 

80JD Class Secretary — Sheila O’Brien;

sobrien368@aol.com

 

81 Here and There

Greetings from Janice Peterson MD who lives in Plymouth IN. Janice is caring for her mother there, and for the past seven years has worked as a family practice physician for St. Joseph Medical Center. Prior to that, she spent nine years as a fledgling sister with St. Mother Teresa’s sisters, and eight years as a missionary volunteer in Ethiopia. Janice lived in Badin Hall and studied in the general program. She wrote, “The Class of ’81 was a remarkable group of people. I always felt blessed to attend ND.” Anne Fink Roy was recently elected to the Notre Dame Alumni Board as the regional director for Florida. She joins a long line of classmates who have served at the board level. We are lucky to have her representing all of us. Her three-year term started July 1 and she is excited to work with the board and the Florida clubs. Anne was looking forward to a couple of football games this fall but things are not looking promising as the deadline for these notes looms. Mike Scolaro’s daughter, Allison Beckwith ’20MA, received her master’s from Notre Dame’s Remick Leadership Program of ACE in July. Mike and family were completely adorned in ND-wear while celebrating in the backyard. In reaction to events in the United States and around the globe last spring, Marybeth Marx and Chris Conboy enjoyed a mostly social-distanced al fresco dinner in Connecticut in July. Kevin Hawkins hosted a series of online meetings in which classmates shared their perspectives and experiences about racism, justice and culture. As Kevin wrote, “The point is to find a place where our hearts meet, and to encourage each other to move forward with efforts to affect positive change in our world.” I was able to participate in one of the meetings and it was quite moving to hear disparate experiences, give and receive encouragement, and enjoy the open-mindedness of fellow participants. Mike Carillo ’17 shared the sad news of the passing of his uncle and our classmate, Ted Corcoran, DMD, MD. Ted died in July due to complications from COVID-19 in Virginia. He maintained two private dental practices in Arlington and Falls Church VA for 27 years. And he volunteered at the Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Clinic as a consulting oral surgeon for 26 years. Above all, Ted cherished his wife, Becky, and their sons Steven, David and Thomas. Tim Coonan and Terry Coonan’s mom, Kay, passed away in July. She was mentioned in recent Class Notes. Kay was a loving force in many lives. This simple poem by Henri-Frédéric Amiel came to mind as a reflection on her life: “Life is short, and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us; so be swift to love, and make haste to be kind, and may the Divine Mystery who is beyond our ability to know but who made us, and who loves us, and who travels with us, bless us and keep us in peace.” Aren’t we all grateful for the parents who got us to Notre Dame and beyond? Please join the Class of ’81 Facebook page where about 400 classmates reminisce, entertain, pray and opine. Please email updates before our Oct. 20 deadline. You are loved members of the Class of ’81 and we want to know how you are doing. And no one likes skimpy Class Notes. Thanks to everyone who has already shared updates and those of you who are now inspired. — Mary Murphy; marymurphy81@alumni.nd.edu

 

81MBA Class Secretary — E.J. Fleming;

Dove’s Rest, 600 Hall Hill Road, Somers CT 06071; flemingiv@aol.com 

 

81JD Major Accomplishments

Big things are happening for Bob Allen. The 2020 Chambers and Partner global ratings in the yachts and superyachts category were released recently, and Bob’s firm, Robert Allen Law, was one of the two highest rated firms in America and one of the seven highest rated in the world. Bob was appointed by Gov. Ron Desantis to Florida’s Judicial Nominating Commission for the 4th District Court of Appeals. Jim Blasé is busy with his Teddy Roosevelt project. You may recall from one of our columns last year that Jim had written and published a book about TR’s 1903 western trip. Since then, Jim has begun volume two regarding TR’s 1911 western trip. Jim also published two other books that can be purchased through Amazon: one regarding estate planning and the other about St. Jacinta Fatima Good Shepherdess. Not to be outdone, Bill Fearnow published a collection of stories titled Stories from Way Out West. It is available on Amazon and Kindle. Mike Borders reports that he and Nancy McDonald retired effective Jan. 1. Nancy retired as general counsel of Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and Mike as vice chair of Dykema. On June 20, Lorne O. Liechty reached a goal he’d held for years by climbing to the top of Pikes Peak. Lorne says, “It was exhausting but worth it.” Dave Goldenshu appeared on the Tucker Carlson show in June when he was interviewed about his representation of the stepmother of Garrett Rolfe, the police officer involved in the altercation and fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta at the since burned-down Wendy’s. Heidi Masano reports that she and her daughter tested positive for the coronavirus on March 17. Fortunately, they both had mild cases. Lori Masters became chair of the board of the Human Trafficking Legal Center. The center trains lawyers to help and represent survivors of human trafficking. The center provides reports and resources regarding the issues that can arise in these representations. Lori also notes that in June she won election to serve as one of the DC Bar’s delegates to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, the policy-making arm of the ABA. Doriana Fontanella was interviewed on Fox radio in St. Louis. The interview arose out of the fact that her cell phone number is one digit different from the fax number for the Colorado Department of Labor. Due to the unemployment related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the many thousands who were recently out of work were trying to submit applications for the relief, except they were faxing the paperwork to Doriana instead of the DOL. She reached out to four local television news stations hoping they would put out a PSA about checking the number before sending faxes. Fox News reached out to Doriana and interviewed her for the evening news. A Fox radio station in St. Louis saw the report and contacted her for a radio interview. John Fitzpatrick informs us that he has two more grandsons, bringing his total to six grandsons. Fitz is still trying cases. In his last case before the courts were closed down due to the virus restrictions, he was representing Emory Hospital in Atlanta, which was being sued by former NFL player and ND grad Zeke Motta ’13. Carolyn and Steve Cordill caught up with Ellen (McLaughlin) and Bob Cimala while in Chicago shortly after Bob had knee replacement surgery. They saw each other over the past few years in Dallas when both had children at SMU. — Michael Palumbo; 3799 E. Peachtree Drive, Chandler AZ 85249; res 480-284-4004; bus 602-262-5931; mpalumbo@jsslaw.com

82 Proud Parents

Kathe and Joe Rafferty live in Kingston MA where Joe is a physician for the VA Boston Healthcare System. They have four children. Patrick ’20 just graduated in a virtual graduation ceremony, which ND President Rev. John Jenkins, CSC ‘76, ’78MA, made memorable under the circumstances. Patrick and his brother, Luke ’19, majored in mechanical engineering, were avid Bengal Bouts participants and both were in ROTC. Patrick will be commissioned into the Navy and Luke is an engineer for Pepper Construction in Chicago. Daughter Kaylene is a 2017 grad of Memorial U of Newfoundland and son Sean attends U of Miami. Erin Hooks, and her husband, Rob, moved from Michigan after 15 years and settled in Hickory NC in 2015. Erin went back for an MBA in nonprofit management from Lenoir-Rhyne U last year and works as the director of development at the Humane Society of Catawba County. Rob flies NetJets. They have two children: Colleen and Chris, who is a captain in the Army, carrying on the family tradition of serving our country. Thanks Erin and Rob for your service in the Air Force. Andrew Farah is a certified investment management analyst and lives in Green Bay with his wife of 35 years, Laura. They are proud grandparents to four with one more bundle of joy on the way. Frank Oelerich works for XMS Capital, an M&A advisory boutique, and is also on the board of directors of MFA Financial. Frank and wife, Mary ’82SMC, have been sheltering in Chicago during the pandemic while hosting the kids, grandkids and extended family. Daughter Molly, her husband, Andrew, and four kids have moved into their basement and are working remotely while waiting on a house by Wrigley Field. Margo, and her husband, Nate, are also sharing the house. The house is full but the Olerichs love every minute of togetherness. Frank and Mary love playing golf, taking walks, and enjoying life in the suburbs of Chicago. Daniel J. Dondanville died on April 29 at his residence in New Buffalo MI after a courageous battle with ALS. He married his college sweetheart, Anne Hesslau, two years after graduation. Dan was the senior resident director and a wealth management advisor for Merrill Lynch where he worked for 35 years. In 2015, he was named among the top 400 US Retirement Plan Advisors by Financial Times Magazine. He was also the recipient of Merrill’s most prestigious award, the David Brady Award, given to financial services professionals who demonstrate outstanding philanthropy, client focus, and overall commitment to ML and their local community. He is survived by Anne, his devoted sons, Brian, Tim, Patrick, Roger and Adrian, grandson, Griffin, his parents, and siblings. He will be missed. Our hearts are broken. The following is an obit written by our classmate, Rudy Fernandez. “With a sad heart, I must share the news of the passing of our dear friend, Greg (Erj) Erjavac, whom I met on the first day of our freshman year in Keenan Hall. After graduating from ND, Erj became a Double Domer when he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He spent 35 years with TRW, with stints in Australia and England. During his tenure as an EE, he encountered, assisted with, and solved complex problems of highly confidential and sensitive information. He was passionate about his job while trying to make a positive difference in the world. He was brilliant, helpful, and patient. He saw technology capabilities 20 years into the future. He had a heart attack while riding a bike in Madison WI. Erj is survived by his sisters Marianne ’83SMC, Katherine and Sandra. May he rest in peace.” I hope this issue finds you healthy and safe during this pandemic. We continue to pray for our University, our priests, teachers, and everyone on the front lines for their safety and speedy recovery. As always, send us your updates. — Dave and Tess Lewis; 30 Battle Ridge Road, Morris Plains NJ 07950; cell 973-219-4050; tess@lewislegal.com or dave@lewislegal.com 

82MBA It Has Been Too Long

I know it has been quite some time since I reached out, but I hope everyone is staying safe and well during this unprecedented time. I am officially retired from Wintrust Wealth Management, but still maintain my financial consulting practice. I am spending time between Naperville IL and Naples FL trying to improve my golf game. I have one grandson, and a granddaughter is on the way. Please feel free to send me any updates or news, as I would like to inform everyone more regularly about our class. Our 40-year reunion is scheduled for June of 2022, which is hard to believe, but I hope to get some of us there. Be well. — Renée (Amirkanian) Sutherland; cell 630-846-2707; reneemsr@aol.com

 

82JD More Nickels for Nickels

Tim Nickels’ daughter, Grace ’17, ’20JD, graduated from ND Law School in May. This fall will be the first time in 12 years that Tim will not be paying tuition to ND. All four of Tim’s children have ND degrees: Maggie ’12, Nora ’13, Ted ’15 and Grace. Tim paid a collective 19 years’ worth of tuition. I’m sure the ND Development Office is aware that Tim now has extra cash in his pocket. Tim Abeska has been elected to the board of directors of Mid-Shore Pro Bono in Maryland. Mid-Shore connects low income individuals and families who need civil litigation services with volunteer attorneys and community resources in the eastern shore of Maryland. Tim has been a volunteer with the organization since March 2018. Patty and John Smith spent much of the coronavirus lockdown at their home in Naples FL. John says he was able to visit with Jane Lynch several times during the spring. Please send me news. — Frank Julian; ndlaw82@gmail.com

 

83 Social Distancing

This is our second column while we are socially distancing and taking other steps to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. The past several months have resulted in much upheaval in the nation, in our lives and in our homes. I continue to offer my hopes and best wishes for the health and safety of each of you, your families and loved ones, and all members of our extended Notre Dame family. Maureen (Burns) Zappala won her quarter-final round in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. Congratulations and best of luck in the semifinal round. Christopher Temple Davis has reported that the nonprofit he founded, Building Trust Americas, has raised donations to provide emergency food and hygiene supplies to 400 families in Ciudadela Sucre, a group of 12 neighborhoods outside Bogota, Colombia. More than 30 members of the Class of 1983 have made donations. If you are interested in donating, you can make a tax-deductible donation at givebutter.com/IhDkOC/christopherdavis. Congratulations to Clare Padgett on becoming the new vice president of research and development at Abilitech Medical Inc. Prior to joining Abilitech, Clare was with Medtronic for 31 years where she held several key roles in mechanical engineering, product development, management, and strategic planning. Clare and Chris Davis were able to have a socially distant dinner during a rainstorm on Chris’ screen porch along with Chris’ husband, Greg ’84, in June. Dan Renaldo reports that after working in media for most of his career, he never thought he would be running a non-profit in Paterson NJ during a pandemic. He is with Eva’s Village and the organization has continued to serve the hundreds of men, women and children who live in their halfway houses and shelters and who eat in their community kitchen. Dan would like to thank Mike Hanifin who is a trustee at the Margaret A. Darrin Charitable Trust. Mike visited Eva’s Village and met with its executive vice president of development and external relations and has indicated that the trust will be making a grant to Eva’s Village. Please keep Robert Murphy and his family in your prayers. His father Maurice ’52 passed away in April after a battle with Alzheimer’s. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, six of his eight children, 17 grandchildren and six (soon to be seven) great- grandchildren. There will be a memorial Mass later. Please also keep Sheila Roesler and her family in your prayers. Sheila’s brother, Mark ’87, passed away in June. Jeff Ottoboni writes that after over 30 years in the wine business, he has recently moved on to beer by joining one of the top 50 brewers in the country, North Coast Brewing from Fort Bragg CA. Jeff lives in Mendocino CA. Best of luck in the new adventure. We now have more than 500 members of the Class of 1983 as members of our class Facebook page. Joining is simple. On Facebook, search for “Notre Dame Class of 1983” and select join. That’s all there is to it. The Facebook page is restricted to members of the Class of 1983. If you have news you would like to share with the class, send me a note or email and I’ll be happy to include it in the next column. — Louis J. (“Chip”) Denkovic; 520 West 43 St., No. 32G, New York NY 10036; res 917-399-8784; bus 212-537-1781; ldenkovic@gmail.com

 

83MBA Class Secretary — John Hilbrich;

630-677-2725; john.hilbrich@gmail.com 

 

83JD Dedicated to the Law

Shawn Newman emailed me to report that he is a full-time faculty member at Saint Martin’s U and a part-time faculty member at Pierce College. Shawn teaches a variety of undergrad and grad courses, including business law, employment law, commercial transactions, civil liberties, business ethics, etc. Eddie Snelling and I had a delightful email exchange in the spring. After 28 years as an assistant attorney general for the State of Georgia, three years as an associate county attorney, and five years as an administrative law judge, he has retired from the practice of law. He decided to retire after battling pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and a brain tumor. Much to the surprise of his doctors, Eddie is doing well. He works part-time for a construction company and even plays in a competitive tennis league. His two sons are Notre Dame grads. Finally, Marianne Lafferty Vorhees emailed that she is adjusting to life as a judge during this time of COVID-19. She had been working one week in the courthouse and four weeks from home. She is very involved in judicial education, having done the Civil Law Update for the last several years at the judges’ annual conference. She presents on other topics as well. The Indiana Supreme Court appointed her to its rules committee. Marianne reports that she hopes to retire in 2022. Please send me an email with an update on you or a classmate for this column. — Ann E. Merchlewitz; cell 507-450-6609; bus 507-457-1587; amerchle@smumn.edu 

 

84 Classmates and Updates

Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin is pleased to announce that Mark Himsworth, business litigation, has been named to the 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers List. Peggy (Rodgers) and John Kalas live in the NYC area where she is an environmental lawyer and director of the High Seas Alliance, working to protect oceans and marine life. Lynn and George Eversman live in the Cleveland area where George is an ER doctor. They have a son in college and a daughter in medical school. Sonya Jones Penn is a labor and employment attorney serving as chief negotiator for the US Patent & Trademark Office negotiating collective bargaining agreements. She is also on the board of the Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center, a nonprofit mediation and conflict resolution services provider. Her daughter is with Teach for America and her son is in college. Sheila (Horvath) and Jeff Cousino live in Plymouth MI where she is a CPA. Their three kids wear a “different green.” One is a Michigan State U grad and two are enrolled there. Katherine and Mike Garvey live in Chagrin Falls OH with two college-aged kids and one who will be in college soon. Mike is a patent attorney. Libbi and Jack Mason celebrated 30 years of marriage. They are in Avon Lake OH and have two grown sons. Connie and Tom Murray live in the Pittsburgh area with their high school daughter. According to unnamed sources, Tom still looks like he did when we graduated. Please keep the family of Greg Devero in your prayers as they mourn Greg’s passing. Also keep Peggy Jones in your prayers as she lost her sister to COVID-19. Peggy is an associate professor at Nebraska, focusing on Black studies and women and gender studies. — Martha Avery; mayoravery@comcast.net

 

84JD Class Secretary — Matthew J. Dunn;

19834 Timbered Estates Lane, Carlinville IL 62626; 773-294-6851; mdunn19834@gmail.com

 

85 Sad News

I am sad to inform you of the death of our classmate, Enrico Torres Santos. He died at his home in Leesburg VA on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19. Enrico spent most of his childhood on Guam but came to the United States in 1981 to study at Notre Dame. He lived in Flanner and majored in accounting. He later earned his MBA in finance at Georgia State. Enrico became a United States citizen in 1989 and proudly served in the Army Reserves for three years. He was CFO of the Army Distaff Foundation for the past 15 years. Enrico is survived by his wife, Margaret, daughters Francesca, Luisa, Gabriela, and Rosa, and a son, Joseph. Please keep them in your prayers and pray for the repose of the soul of Enrico. Our class reunion was cancelled due to COVID-19 but class chaplain Rev. Jim Heyd and Rev. Pat Neary, CSC, met on campus in early June to celebrate a Mass for our class and light a candle at the Grotto in memory of Class of 1985 members living and deceased. Later in the summer, on July 16, Father Jim and Father Pat gathered at Notre Dame again and held a class Mass in the Log Chapel with class president Dean Christy in attendance. Father Jim served as main celebrant and Father Pat delivered the homily. Afterward, the three walked to the Grotto and lit a candle for each of our 35 deceased classmates. These events were recorded and then made available for viewing on July 29. They were streamed through a YouTube channel and will be available in the new 1985 community in myNotreDame. Father Jim has expressed interest in starting an outreach program for contacting and supporting the family members of classmates who have died. Thank you to our class priests. — Kathleen Doyle Yaninek; yanzlaw@comcast.net

 

85MBA Class Secretary — Dom Yocius;

dyocius@ameritech.net

 

85JD Inspiration and Good News

It is sometimes difficult to find good news during this stressful time that we call the new normal. Do you want to be soothed? Then go to YouTube and search for “National Philharmonic Chorale’s virtual performance of The Ground by Ola Gjeilo.” This delightful virtual choir features our classmate Tom Nessinger. It is beautiful and incredibly comforting. John Daly offers us some good news. The Dalys are well and recently welcomed their 11th grandchild. They have eight boys and three girls. John is chief compliance officer and associate general counsel at Yum! Brands Inc. Michon Hinz is excited to report that her daughter Alanna is a freshman at ND majoring in neuroscience. Alanna and the family traveled from their home in San Diego to South Bend with N-95 masks and face shields, navigated a modified socially distanced family orientation, and no doubt will have a first semester unlike any other. Michon’s youngest daughter, Michaela, is a sophomore at Our Lady of Peace High School in San Diego. Frank Tantone was recently named chairman of the Suffolk County Bar Association Joint Family and Matrimonial Law Committee. Frank is a judge in family court and specializes in child neglect and abuse cases. Frank notes, “Needless to say, it is tough work, but we do our best to protect children.” Frank’s son Nick ’13 rescheduled his wedding for a second time. They are on their third wedding date, and the wedding is now set for a year after the original date. COVID-19 has taken from us in large and small ways, but of course there are silver linings. I have found that attending Mass on YouTube is spiritually uplifting, and that my kids are exceptionally good at trivia games. I look forward to hearing your good news. — Kelly Kiernan Largey; kellyjd1985@alumni.nd.edu

 

86 Costa Rican Superfoods

Last May, Tony Del Castillo and his wife Jessie celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. Their daughter Maria and husband Dexter recently announced they are expecting a future Domer linebacker to come into the world, making Tony and Jessie first-time grandparents. Their son Daniel graduated from Stetson and is enrolled in the physical therapy program at Florida Gulf

Coast U. Dan and Colleen Pacifico love life in Sarasota FL. Dan continues his career as an interventional cardiologist at his practice at Florida Cardiac Consultants, and their daughters Cristin ’15 and Kelly ’18 are happily living in Chicago. Cristin works as an investor at TechNexus in venture capital and Kelly, their mechanical engineer, is a senior development associate at Leeward Renewables in the energy sector. Cristin was recently appointed regional director of Illinois for the Notre Dame Young Alumni Board of Directors. Dan and Colleen look forward to returning to campus in a post-COVID world and continue to support Our Lady. Tom White is launching a new brand, Endow Cacao. A roadside stop with a local family selling cacao led him to this venture with a mission to raise living standards for Latin American farmers by bringing this ancient healthy and increasingly popular superfood to the US. Kate O’Malley has been nominated for the 2020 Excellence in Advocacy Award given by Women in Government Relations. The award goes to advocates who represent their issue, cause or organization in the public policy arena. Kate and her firm, K.O. Strategies, were nominated for the “Excellence in a State Issue Campaign” category for her work on the “1/2 Cent for Mental Health” campaign in Winnebago County IL, for which her firm directed strategy and communications. The campaign won by a commanding 24-point margin, 62 percent to 38 percent. The referendum that passed will generate $12-$13 million in local funding for mental health and substance abuse services. From time to time we search for stories of corporate longevity. Mike D’Alessandro has been at MetLife almost 30 years, but when we checked in with him, he said that Mark Weingartner of Minnesota had been at MetLife even longer. Mike runs into Mark at internal sales conferences. Mike and his wife, Margaret, enjoy golf and their kids: Mike, 24, (UNC Lacrosse National Champ in 2016); Kelly, 23, second-grade teacher in Fairfax VA; Kate, 21, entering her senior year at U of South Carolina and Erin, 17, entering her senior year of high school. Mike has two brothers who are ND grads, Paul ’80 and Greg ’82, a sister, Karen ’84SMC, and a brother-in-law John Engeman ’83. They make watching ND games very animated. John Kunz wrote that he was getting ready to drop his daughter off at Villanova for her freshman year. He was hoping to see Marty Connor on the trip. John’s son is in his senior year at Indiana U Kelley School of Business. Keith and Ginny Blissert Bachman’s son Landon started his freshman year at ND this fall as part of the Class of 2024. Landon has joined the engineering school and intends to major in computer sciences. He is living in Baumer. I am sad to report the passing of one of our beloved classmates. Mary T. Amico left us in May after a brief battle with ovarian cancer. She passed peacefully and was surrounded by her loving family. Mary was a Double Domer with her BA and an MBA in 1988. She was a two-time monogram winner and one of the first female divers at ND. Please keep her family in your prayers. A candle has been lit at the Grotto for Mary on behalf of all of us. Take care and God Bless. — John Spatz; 201-264-2459; john@jjscb.com

 

86MBA Transitions

Congratulations to Scott Malpass who retired from Notre Dame in June after 32 years of service as the University’s chief investment officer. Scott has been honored for his investment prowess by countless publications and has assembled an outstanding investment team to ensure ND’s endowment will continue to grow. Chief Investment Officer Magazine bestowed a lifetime achievement award on Scott in 2014; he was also named one of 12 leading CIOs profiled in the book Foundation and Endowment Investing: Philosophies and Strategies of Top Investors and Institutions. Enjoy your well-earned retirement, Scott. If you get bored, I have a small portfolio that needs managing so I can retire at some point as well. Congratulations also go out to Kathleen Reidy who is foundation director for Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest. She previously served as the academy’s director of alumni relations. Blessings to all of you and your families. I pray for your continued health and good fortune during these trying times. — Maureen (Mullan) Decker; 21855 Town Gate, Macomb MI 48044; bus 586-741-4305; mobile 586-817-1317; maureen.decker@mclaren.org

 

86JD Adult Children at Home

The common theme seems to be that adult children are “safer at mom and dad’s place.” Here is what I learned on a Zoom call with classmates. Two of Beth and Mike Mulhern’s three children are sheltering at home in Winnetka, at least through the summer: Matthew, a rising senior at U of Wisconsin, and Claire, a rising junior at U Illinois. Eliza and Tim Reynolds have been sheltering at their Harbor Springs MI beach house on Little Traverse Bay with three of their five children. Tim ran a backwoods trail marathon. Mike and Tim are continuing with their consulting business, doing most of their client sessions as livestreams. Maureen Madion ’86, ’89JD and Tim Tompkins and two of their three children are sheltering in their home on Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City. Tim has been with Markel Insurance for two years, commuting as needed to Richmond VA. But his travel has since gone from 65 percent to zero. Mary Curry and Bert Sugayan and two of their three children are home in Palm Desert CA, current average temp 115 degrees. Bert tees it up by 7 a.m. to finish in two hours when it hits 100. I haven’t heard from anyone who can match Kevin Griffith’s handicap. Mike Cooney is nearing his 34th year at the Dykema firm in Detroit, handling commercial, IP and products liability matters and chairing the firm’s litigation group. Mike writes, “To the extent there can be an upside to COVID, it’s having our adult kids back home, working remotely and eating everything in sight.” Rob Kurnick’s daughter, Claire, graduated from the U of Denver this spring but without pomp and circumstance due to COVID. Rob’s twins are rising seniors, one at U of Miami in Florida and the other at U of Dayton. John Mauel, head of Fulbright’s Energy Practice, is home alone in Houston. Spouse Joan Flood, daughter Margaret ’14, and son Patrick who starts at Booth Business at U Chicago in fall, are sheltering at their lake house in Iowa. John and Joan are proud grandparents of John Liam Mauel, 14 months, the progeny of their son Patrick. Ed Murphy is sheltering in South Bend with wife Lucetta and son Graham, who starts on his MBA at NYU in the fall. Daughter Devin is riding out the storm in LA. Paul Kirsch gave up California (LA but mostly San Francisco) “big firm” life to open a two-person shop with a longtime partner in Berkeley and now walks to the office — while wearing his mask, of course. Paul litigates antitrust, IP and employment cases. Paul’s son, Daniel, graduated from Williams in 2018 followed by a year’s fellowship studying the world’s zoos in continental Europe, Australia, Singapore and spots in between. Daughter Leah is a rising junior at Tufts. Chicagoans Jerome Frazel and spouse Nancy Wilder ’87 sheltered during July on Cuttyhunk Island MA. Tom Hinchey emailed that he has quit going to the office, instead handling everything via Zoom. He had time to travel to New Orleans with daughters Audrey, who is heading into senior year at Tulane, and Maddi who is working remotely on her master’s. Dave Barry checked in from Portland ME. He is in his fifth year as managing partner of Pierce Atwood LLP and litigates complex commercial cases. Dave and spouse, Kelly, were nearly empty nesters (still with a new yellow lab puppy and a rising college senior) when COVID hit and their older three children returned home to shelter in the relative safety of Maine. “It was fun to have them home with us, but I’d say we are ready to resume a more normal rhythm.” True that. — Brian Bates; bbates@abblaw.com 

 

87 Depth of Talent

Happy fall, everyone. I hope you are reading this in the middle of a winning Irish football season. I know a lot of ticket holders were still hoping to be in the stands, but it could be very memorable to watch on TV with only the team’s most ardent fans, the students, there in person. This quarter, I put the call out for updates on classmates involved in the performing arts, and as always, I was amazed at the depth and talent of the Class of ’87. Terry Koch McGraw, of Origin Productions, and John Carney and his wife, Holly, together with Picturehouse, have produced the film, Fatima, based on the true story. The film was shot in Portugal, and from the photos Terry sent, the cinematography is stunning, a real work of art. The planned release date was Aug. 14, with a schedule of pop-ups and drive-in theatre dates to supplement the official release. Tammy (Bower) Meyer was a choir member at St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe MI for almost 20 years. She writes that she formed many close friendships and strengthened her faith by singing God’s word. After becoming empty nesters, Tammy and her husband John bought a condo in Scottsdale, and now that they’re spending most of their time there, she plans to join the choir at St. Patrick’s Parish when they return in late fall. Susan Koper has had an illustrious and exciting career in dance. After graduating from ND, Susan danced with the Empire State Ballet and more recently performed with the dance collective z3movement project. She also performs her own work in various festivals including performances in New York, Chicago, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, Mexico City and Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The recipient of numerous art grants, Susan is mentoring and guiding young artists as an assistant professor of dance at Ball State U. Unrelated to performing arts, but fun to hear: Ellen McDonald spent the summer of ’86 as an intern in Washington DC with Alison Fahrenkopf, Joan Harvath, Greg Rees, Paul Nonte and Mark Farmer. Mark dated and went on to marry Ellen’s roommate from that summer, Sheila Queenan, a St. Thomas U graduate. Fast forward 30 years, and Mark and Sheila’s son Max crossed professional paths with Ellen, and when they made the family connection, Ellen was able to reunite with Mark and Sheila at their vineyard in northern California. Mark was kind enough to send the link to the vineyard and it looks wonderful. I’m filing away “cool business ventures” for a future theme of the column, and a vineyard would definitely qualify. Periodically, the Alumni Association sends me press releases about classmates and this quarter I received two. First, Thomas Prevoznik is a finalist in this year’s Service to America Medals for his work with the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force. He and his colleagues investigated and arrested 73 health care professionals in six states for the unlawful distribution of 40 million medically unnecessary pain pills, helping to address the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic. Second, First Source Bank is pleased to announce the addition of Ann Rathburn-Lacopo to the Wealth Advisory Services Team, serving the Elkhart area. Congratulations to them. Finally, I’m saddened to write that we’ve lost three cherished classmates: Rev. David Scheidler, CSC, Mark Roesler and Tom Cramer. Tom died in July 2019 and was living in Chicago. He is survived by his sister, Susan M. Muldoon. I don’t have official information from the University on our other two classmates, and when I receive that, I’ll be able to cover their deaths more thoroughly. However, I know from social media that all three were loved deeply, lived deeply and will be deeply missed. Please keep them and their family and friends in your prayers. I hope you’re staying well and safe in this challenging time. — Meg Hamilton; meghamilton@yahoo.com

 

87MBA Send Updates

Hello everyone. The updates are few and far between, so please send me news. By the time this is published, I hope we will have recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak and everyone will be healthy and doing well. I recently received an update from Bob Krohn, robertbkrohn@yahoo.com. Bob and his family are fine and managing well with the “social distancing world” at their home in Maryland. His daughter Celia was keeping busy at Notre Dame with online learning as she completed her sophomore year. Bob is pleased that his son, Ryan, will become a freshman at Notre Dame in the Mendoza College of Business. Several of our classmates’ children have joined the Notre Dame family. Jake Frego, Ken Kavanagh, Mark Brostowski, Jay Jhaveri, Bob Krohn, Joe Bars and Chris Murphy have been fortunate to have one or more of their children attend or graduate from Notre Dame. Please let us know if I have missed anyone and I will add their names in the next column. I also received an update from David Kater. Dave provided information on the passing of his wife, Patti Cassidy Kater, which was reported in the summer 2019 issue. Dave and Patti were married in October 1987, the year of graduation, and stayed married until Patti’s passing in June 2019. They have four children and their second granddaughter was born in 2019. Dave is NA sales manager for a business unit of American Renolit. Our deepest condolences go out to Dave and his family. Keep the information flowing. We look forward to hearing from you. Stay positive and healthy. Go Irish. — Perry N. Dellelce; Wildeboer Dellelce LLP, Suite 800, Wildeboer Dellelce Place, 365 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario M5H 2V1; 416-361-5899; fax 416-361-1790; perry@wildlaw.ca

 

87JD Meet the Presidents

Juan Bermudez, the mayor of Doral, was on the tarmac in July to welcome President Trump to South Florida where the President was visiting Southern Command and participating in a discussion at a local church. They caught up on what each had been doing to stay busy since they first met 10 years ago during Juan’s first stint as Doral’s mayor. Juan is up for reelection in November. John McKeegan returned home to Pennsylvania to begin his tenure as president of Mount Aloysius College, a small Catholic institution founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy. John had been the vice president for institutional advancement and general counsel at Linfield College in Oregon since 2010. Dave Moorman had been planning an Alaska trip, but like many of us, his summer plans changed. Instead, he and his wife and two sons rented an RV and left Orlando for a four-week trip north and west. They visited 20 states, with one of the highlights being a two-day dig for dinosaur fossils on a western Montana ranch. Chip Lewis’ son, Tommy, graduated from Indiana U and has enrolled in the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business MBA program as a member of the class of 2021. Phil Kalamaros will be experiencing a new family dynamic as he sends his son off to college at Butler U. He and his wife, Lynn, remain busy at work and at home with their two teenage daughters which, as Phil points out, leaves him outnumbered and obviously wrong anytime he opens his mouth. Kim (Cafaro) Schlifske proudly announces that, notwithstanding her COVID-induced homeschooling instruction, her four children have advanced to the next grade. They range from eighth to twelfth grades. Shauna Brennan operates Outside General Counsel, a boutique law firm in Las Vegas, with Seattle offices. She also owns Property Guardians Inc., a Seattle real estate company, and operates Smart Seller, offering education and investment opportunities in commercial real estate. Shauna serves on the community advisory board for the Salvation Army of Southern Nevada, is a member of the SEEDS of Hope Committee (Saving, Empowering, Educating and Restoring DreamS for survivors of sex trafficking and acute trauma), and sits on the boards of Living Grace Homes, maternity homes for homeless girls, and Youth Leadership Authority, dedicated to providing character development and opportunities to at-risk community youth. Shauna has two grown daughters and four grandchildren. Shauna, Mary (Ambrose) Gerak, Kristin (Tomanto) Jaros, and Karen Koster organize monthly Zoom calls for the women in our class to discuss relevant topics. More than half of the women in our class participated in a recent call. If you’re not getting notice of the meetings and would like to participate, please drop Mary a line at gerakamb@comcast.net. Sadly, Scott Cessar lost his mom, Dolores, in June. She was 91 and had celebrated 70 years of marriage this year with Scott’s dad, Rick. Scott was fortunate to be able to spend some time with his mom in her final days here before the angels came to take her home. Congratulations to Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Amy (Ronayne) Krause for her appointment by Governor Whitmer as chair of the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board. In July, Amy’s mom turned 97 and they were able to have an in-person visit. Amy also noted that she is a Detroit Tigers fan and was happy that former Tiger Max Scherzer was able to play a significant role in helping his new team, the Washington Nationals, win the 2019 World Series. Please send me news to share in this column or in our class email loop. — Mike Gurdak; 202-879-3939; mpgurdak@jonesday.com

 

88 Virtual Connection

Virtual watch parties may be the way of gathering with classmates this football season. With the Ireland/Navy game and the Stanford minireunion off the table, as well as many other unofficial class football rendezvous, resourcefulness is in order. Please send updates as you find new ways to connect with classmates. Numerous attorneys in our ranks have continued to hone their craft and have garnered honors. Kenneth Lumb, managing partner of the Chicago law firm, Corboy & Demetrio, was selected to the Lawdragon Leading Lawyers in America list for the second year. The Lawdragon 500 designates the top attorneys nationwide. Ken was also chosen as one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers for the second time. Earlier in the year, he was named to the 2020 edition of the Best Lawyers in America. Ken and his wife, Tricia (Mulvihill)’ 88SMC, sheltered in place in Wheaton with their three children: Ken, ’19 Brown U, Bridget, a senior at ND, and Tara, a freshman at Fordham. Another ’88er to have in your corner is Joe Morford. Joe’s peers selected him again for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America. A managing partner at Tucker Ellis LLP in Cleveland, Joe advocates for non-hourly alternative fee arrangements and takes a results-driven approach to efficiently arriving at positive outcomes for his clients. Bill Webb runs his own law firm in San Francisco, where he practices business litigation. He is one of the authors and editors of Litigating and Judging Business Entity Governance Disputes in California (LexisNexis, 2019). Bill, wife Irina and their son, 8, plan to move to Denver, where he will open an extension office of his San Francisco-based firm. They are looking forward to hiking, skiing and meeting up with fellow Domers. “Making the best of it” was the message of Norm Campbell’s email. His twins, Patrick and Ryan, finished their freshman year at Notre Dame from home, and he reflected that, remembering how much we fell in love with ND that first year, it was hard to see them under his roof. The boys’ plans to travel overseas this summer also took a hit, so they opted for summer coursework instead. His daughter will begin her journey to become a PA after completing her service as an EMT in Indianapolis. Norm and wife Beth started new jobs in January and had to adjust via conference calls. From California, Kevin Brennan shared that working from home with Warner Brothers has been challenging as he and his colleagues have endeavored to keep track of all shows that have shut down production and have attempted to figure out the timing and cost of restarting everything. For example, their TV series, Supernatural, was wrapping up its final season when the pandemic began. They had only two shows left to shoot. Fans of the show had followed its characters and plot line for 15 years. Kevin’s team wished to give them the grand finale they deserve, but they are on hold. “Such is life in Hollywood,” he mused. Scott Shishman, the region president of Old National Bank in Bloomington IN, reported that he has never worked as hard as he did during the quarantine, interpreting, approving, documenting and disbursing PPP loans. He noted that it was “stressful, tiresome and rewarding work that was crucially important to help my clients, my bank and my country.” — Laurine Megna; PO Box 6847, Avon CO 81620; 970-390-9742; magnet@vail.net 

 

88MBA Class Secretary — Ron Linczer;

1251 N. Eddy St., Suite 300, South Bend, IN 46617; mobile 574-302-2832; bus 574-631-3591; rlinczer@nd.edu

 

88JD Changes

So much has changed these past few months, and we have lots of news to report. Lisa Hurni Jackson started a new job as senior corporate counsel at Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. Megan Bovee moved into an office share arrangement with about 20 other attorneys. She is surrounded by experts in a wide variety of legal subjects, all appropriately socially distancing. Megan reports she has worked in big firms, small firms and with her own little empire of attorneys and staff, but this office share arrangement is by far the happiest of all work environments. Joe Shannon’s firm just launched a podcast called “The Opening Statement with Joe Shannon.” They are looking for guests as well as listeners. In fact, Joe has interviewed several of our classmates including Amy Maher who is running for judge in Illinois and Peter Grenier of Washington DC on his career. He interviews people from all walks of life and has them tell him their stories. It has been incredibly eye opening, and Joe looks forward to seeing where the journey takes him. Our very own Dan Lynch was profiled in a recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine, “Show Taper/Defense Attorney Represents George Floyd Protesters Pro Bono.” It is a wonderful article highlighting Dan’s many accomplishments. He sure has been busy since graduation. Be sure to pull up the article. Joe, you should contact Dan for the podcast. Lien Dang Galloway, associate general counsel of the Peace Corps, says hello to everyone. Karen and Joe Karaszewski happily report that their daughter, Abby, will be starting at Notre Dame in the fall. She will be studying physics. Joe serves on the board of the Notre Dame Law Association, along with Tim McLean and Jeff Linton. Joe has worked at the US Attorney’s Office in Buffalo since 1992 and currently serves as criminal chief. He reports that he did not have any bees at his home during the pandemic. As I stated earlier, Amy Maher is running for circuit judge in Madison County IL. If classmates want to see what she is up to on the campaign trail, check out her Facebook page, maher4judge, or her web page, MaherforCircuitJudge.com. Obviously, she chose blue and gold for her campaign colors. Our colleague, Dave Gilmartin, took a role as general counsel for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago. Good luck, Dave. Laurie Murphy is the chair of the private client estate planning group at Miller Johnson in Grand Rapids. She is working from home and staying healthy. Her son, Paul Manderfeld, the son of the late Don Manderfeld ’89JD, is at the U of Miami. She and her son downsized to an old farmhouse, a fixer-upper out in the country. They hope to have chickens, turkeys, barn cats and a big garden next year. Thanks for sharing, Laurie. Finally, I am happy to report that Brad Benson was elected to the Colorado Christian U Board of Trustees. Congratulations, Brad. Don’t forget to send me news and updates. — Lori Merlo Coticchia; lcoticchia@ruffingmontessori.org

 

89 Hello Out There

We are looking for class updates more than ever. Our 30th reunion came and went last year, and lo and behold there has not been a lot of news from our Class of ’89. This cannot be the case with such a dynamic group of Domers. Please send updates about your lives, family, successes and even struggles. I live in North Carolina in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area where I bump into a handful of our classmates including Dan Gerlach and Craig and Theresa Merrigan. After decades in public service Dan Gerlach has started his own consulting firm in Raleigh, working with state business leaders, foundations and government on economic development and rural issues. Dan encourages classmates to reach out to him. He was glad to visit with Eric Emerson when Eric was in North Carolina over the holidays. He runs into Kathleen (Birmingham) and Ron Burkhart at Mass at St. Raphael from time to time. This update came from Chris “Leo” Saenger: “Several years ago, the Dillon boys pledged to get together annually. Events have included film premiere parties for Catholics vs. Convicts and Hesburgh, a couple of Tough Mudders, golf outings and Zoom parties. Participants include Patrick Creadon, Terry Lally, Kevin McDowell, Patrick Walsh, Joe Capko, Brian McGuckin, Digger O’Brien, Paul Heller, Michael Green, Pat Marget, Timothy Burke, Christopher Paulison, Dan Mason, John Grossi, Matt Mahoney, Terry Campbell, Joe Bozzella and me.” And there have been Domers at Sundance. For the second year in a row, Terry Lally and wife Bettina hosted Patrick “Creads” Creadon, wife Christine O’Malley and their three daughters during the festival. Christine produced the opening night film at Sundance 2020, Miss Americana: Taylor Swift. Creads directed and O’Malley produced the opening night film the year before at Slamdance 2019, Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story. Jerry Lally and wife Donna were also in attendance. Terry Lally provided local expertise on how to move through Park City effortlessly during all its festival madness; Bettina made her world-class fondue both years. Terry Lally says he is living one of Creads’ films that could easily be dubbed Ski Bum in Park City. I talk regularly with Val Lamanna who has relocated to South Bend after her work led her on a multi-decade whirlwind tour including Boston, New York City, Chicago and Ireland. There is no doubt that there are stimulating stories from our class that could inspire us all at a time when hope and inspiration are needed. Thank you to Noel (Murtha) DiNome who has tirelessly served as our class secretary for a few decades. I’ll give the communications role a go and can only be successful with input and news from you. Here is hoping that you and your families are in good health and taking care. God bless. Go Irish. — Kerrie (Wagner) Debbs; kwagsnd89@gmail.com

 

89MBA Class Secretary — Maggie DeVoe;

612-845-9662; maggiedevoe@yahoo.com

 

89JD Class Secretary — Jenny O’Leary Smith;

jennyoleary@comcast.net