1940s

40 Class Secretary — Rebecca (Antas) Smith;

542 Fairview Ave., Glen Ellyn IL 60137; 630-254-4485; rebecca.antas@gmail.com 

 

41 Class Secretary — Meg Julian ’03, ’06JD;

11 E. 36th St., No. 603, New York NY 10016; 646-246-5480; megjulian@gmail.com

 

42 Looking Back, Looking Forward

2020 is a significant year for many in the Class of ’42. Those who survived WWII and those who are still here today, mark their 100th birthdays. So, if you are one of the lucky Class of ’42 centenarians reading this, happy birthday to you. If Steve Graliker was still on this earth, his leap year birthday would make him 25 years young. Happy birthday, “Den Mother,” as Judge Robert Miller Sr. named him. Steve was always ever-ready for a ’42 reunion. If eyes from another class year should fall on this column, know the importance of attending your class reunion. High-tech communication devices are useful, but they are no match for heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul, and mind-to-mind personal connections. We were notified of classmate Charles Whyte’s death on Aug. 30. Husband of Eleanor and father of 12, Charlie loved adventures with his family. He had a fascination with airplanes and cars. In his early years, he rebuilt many old English sports cars. Charlie also attended the Naval Academy and was a veteran of the Army Corps of Engineers in WWII. Ralph Onofrio MD died on Jan. 9. He served in the Navy in active duty for two years and remained in the Naval Reserve until 1956. Dr. Onofrio was appointed chief of obstetrics and gynecology in 1959 and served in that role for 34 years. He was responsible for the births of thousands of babies during his career and retired at age 82. We honor your legacy, Dr. Onofrio, for your dedication to bringing babies into this world who are all gifts from God. He and his wife, Anna, were parents of 13 children. Last year, he gave his daughter, Christine, a list of places to visit at ND, including Breen-Phillips Hall, telling her that he was in the first class to reside there. You will recall that Breen-Phillips Hall also housed Navy officers in training from 1942 to 1945. It was also the office of Coach Frank Leahy. Dr. Onofrio was a dedicated soul who would go to the Grotto before tests. Do you remember your trek to the Grotto as well? As you make your own memories of ND, let me share with you these Class of ’42 memories so well penned by our classmate Prof. John Malone: “Recall the trip to Gotham town to play the cadets on Yankee ground. The band-led march down old Broadway while the Irish cops held the cars at bay. The Empire State and the automat, Rockefeller Center and old St. Pat’s. Recall that night in Rockne’s Hall, its perfumed conversion for the Senior Ball. The jet-black tails and the ties of white, the gorgeous gals in the creamy light, Monroe’s race with the silvery moon to the song of the skylark and the crazy loon. Recall the springtime of ’42 when commencement brought that sad adieu. Knowing not what was for us in store, as we faced the perils of the World’s War. But deeply grateful just the same, for the precious years at Notre Dame.” Please send me news or memories you would like to share. — C. John Kirby; 110 Upland Road, Kentfield CA 94904; res/fax 415-295-7604; cell 415-272-4016; or Ann Schanuel; annjolene2@aol.com

 

43 Class Secretary — A. Robert Masters ’05;

1906 E. Madison St., South Bend IN 46601; armasters@nfmlaw.com

 

44 Class Secretary — Laura (Julian) Fraser ’00;

1021 Royal Bombay Court, Naperville IL 60563; 773-255-9843; lejfraser@outlook.com

 

45 Lives Well Lived

The night before Michael G. Garry died, he stated, “Everyone was always good to me.” He was flipping through a scrapbook of memories. “And they still are.” Mike died on Oct.18. According to his family, Mike was a nonagenarian with the energy of a quadragenarian. Once he could no longer get around easily, Mike started writing letters and essays spreading encouragement, support, hope and optimism. He loved Martin County MN where his parents immigrated in 1868. His father was a grain elevator operator and eventually Mike owned and operated Garry Elevator, Inc. His 40-year success came from enthusiasm and a constant desire to learn, even having his children pull over on the highway, trudge into a field, pick ears of corn and bring them home. Interests and activities involved his church and his community. He never hosted a family event without including community service projects even as simple as delivering Christmas Meals on Wheels or playing music for the Salvation Army Christmas lunch. Most important, though, was Mike’s interest in every person he was talking with, including family, friend or new acquaintance. He wrote, “over a lifetime, your contribution in this world will not be measured so much by what you have accomplished but what you have stood for as a person.” Mike’s consistent pillar was his Catholic faith. Commitment to faith led him to daily rosaries, the Knights of Columbus, involvement with the St. John Vianney School and the prayer on his lips during his last moments of life. Mike’s eight children and their families wrote a spectacular obituary showing the depth of their love and the fullness of Mike’s life. Now the traffic in Fairmont MN is moving more smoothly since Mike’s designated driver is no longer required to go at a snail’s pace allowing Mike enough time to recollect the histories of the houses driven past. John B. Caron passed peacefully on Jan. 15 in Greenwich CT. John was a husband, father, ethicist, businessman, educator and Catholic lay activist. He graduated in chemical engineering and served in the Navy during WWII. Later, he created Caron International, a multinational textile company, after inheriting a smaller business from his father. Besides running a multinational yarn and textile company, John was an ND Trustee, taught a business ethics class, chaired the Academic and Faculty Affairs Committee and created a program with Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, aimed at helping multinational companies respond to the needs of the poor. He once wrote, “I want people to know how I loved and served my church.” John became deeply involved in alleviating poverty and other Catholic causes. His Catholic attitude evolved from the Christian Family Movement. He served on the board of Technoserve, a non-profit providing business solutions to rural poverty in 29 countries. John had a firm resolve but a gentle demeanor, which helped him steer the National Catholic Reporter for 13 years as an independent, lay Catholic voice in a clergy-dominated church. He had a special mix of social justice and business acumen. John was also proud of chairing the St. Michael’s Church building committee. As an avid reader he often led the Great Books discussions at the Greenwich Library. He had a love of the outdoors and adventure which took him skiing, camping, fishing, and cycling around the world with family and friends. John’s wife Ann and their six children and their families will continue to celebrate his life through Justice in Motion, an organization dedicated to protecting migrant rights across borders. — Melissa Erkins Rackish ’77; 1224 Campbell St., Williamsport PA 17701; 570-326-4289; mrackish@comcast.net

 

46 Two More Navy Officers

Robert Fronke, 92, died April 29, 2019. He was born Nov. 2, 1926, in Kansas City MO, where he was raised as a Catholic boy and earned the Eagle Scout Badge. While attending ND he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy. He served in the Navy for 24 years, including in Corpus Christi TX where he met Martha Jo Schulze and convinced her to travel to    Yokohama, Japan, to marry him. They were married in Japan in 1952 and had their first child, Michael, in 1953. Michael passed away in 2014. During Robert’s years of Navy service, he completed his bachelor’s degree at the U of Georgia and earned an MBA from Stanford where he was in the top 10 percent of his class. During his final assignment as the supply corps officer at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, he and Martha fell in love with the city and decided to retire. He retired from the Navy as a commander in 1964. Next, he became a CPA and served for 18 years as city auditor for Long Beach. After retiring from the city, he taught accounting and finance at Pepperdine U. He is survived by his wife, Martha, four children and many grand and great-grandchildren. Navy Capt. Chester Dean Cullison, 93, passed away on June 25, 2019, in Beaufort SC. He was born Aug. 26, 1925, in Newark OH. He received a BS in electrical engineering from ND and master’s from George Washington U. He was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy and served 33 years on active duty. He served during WWII and in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He was a member of the commissioning crew of USS Kitty Hawk. After military service he worked for the Unisys Corp. in Arlington VA. In 1989, he and his wife, Mimi, built a house on Dataw Island SC, where he enjoyed golf, woodworking, and genealogy. He moved to an apartment at Morningside of Beaufort Assisted Living in Nov. 2013. He is predeceased by Mimi, his wife of 52 years. He is survived by two children and grand and great-grandchildren. — Paul Taggett; 10 W. Grove Ave., D15, Lake Wales FL 33853; paultaggett@gmail.com

 

47 Love Thee Notre Dame

I am sad to report the passing of A. Samuel “Sam” Adelo on Sept. 22 and Otis B. Mack on Aug. 29. — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; eileen.surprenant@gmail.com

 

48 Loyal Sons

I am sad to report the passing of Thomas J. “Tom” Peloso Jr. on Sept. 10, 2019, and Charles S. “Charlie” Trotter on Sept. 8, 2019. Tom Dowling, son of Gerald J. “Jerry” Dowling, submitted a beautiful tribute to his father, who passed away on Oct. 22, 2019, following a life well lived. After his graduation from ND with a BS in electrical engineering at the tender age of 20, Jerry quickly landed at Westinghouse Electric in their transformer division, where he worked for 40 years until his retirement in 1988. Jerry’s time there was interrupted by his stint in the Army during the Korean conflict. During that time, he spent time at the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico and the Jet Propulsion Lab for Guided Missiles in California. A lifelong Catholic, Jerry was devoted to his family, friends, and faith. Surviving him are his beloved spouse of 64 years, Polly, and his nine children, 22 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. ND was a constant in his life, as evidenced by his 50-year recognition by the University Club. ND had a profound impact on him as he remained active for 25 years in volunteer activities in his community, including hospice and Meals on Wheels. Jerry was an inspiration to all of us with his warm smile, optimism, sense of humor and enduring faith. Cheers to my pen pal, John J. Cahill, on his 95th birthday. I was excited to hear from John of Salt Lake City with some excellent news of historical note. John writes: “I read the alumni class news regularly and look forward to receiving the magazine and reading about the classes of 1945-50. You may recall that I and many others were members of the Class of 1946 when I arrived at ND in September 1942. My class became mixed as (first) the Class of ’46 that were in the Naval ROTC, (second) the lads who had medical problems and were not eligible for military service, and (third) some of us who served returned from the service early enough to graduate in 1947. I came back to ND in September ’46 after returning from the Pacific earlier that year. I completed my education at ND in February ’48 and attended the formal graduation in June ’48. I believe that Fulton Sheen, a well-known Catholic bishop from NYC, was the graduation speaker. Other veterans may have returned and finished their educations at ND later than their peers and thus would have graduated in ’49 and ’50. Fast-forward to 2019, when I celebrated my 95th birthday on April 11. I am looking forward to my 100th in a few more years. I am reasonably healthy both physically and mentally, although I have all of the usual maladies that old folks seem to accumulate. Well, at our ages, the members of the class of ’48 and those surrounding that year are passing on and I read those notices with a bit of sadness and especially when I knew a particular deceased.” — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; eileen.surprenant@gmail.com 

 

49 Class Secretary — Joe O’Brien;

18120 Cloverleaf Drive, South Bend IN 46637; 574-271-8323; obie49nd@comcast.net