1990s
1990s
90 Reunion (Tentatively) Rescheduled
Marty Demmings and his wife, Amy, have landed in Indianapolis for the last six years with their three children, Jack, 16; Emily, 15; and Katie, 13, after previously living in Austin, Portland OR and Chicago. He leads operations and supply chain at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a Danaher company, making equipment and genomics used for medical research and patient testing in the global fight against COVID-19. He and Amy are spending most of their free time at kids’ soccer games around the state. Jack’s Guerin Catholic High team is in the hunt for the state championship and Marty visited campus a few weeks ago with Emily after a game in South Bend. He says the administration has done a great job setting up the quads with lighting, seating and fire pits for students to study and socialize outdoors. Spikeball appears to be the big trend among students, and the changes to the campus since 1990 are stunning. Ann Brogan Martin checked in from Gilbert AZ where she lives with her husband, Brad and two teenage girls, Emma and Grace. She founded Apricity Wealth Management, a boutique financial advising firm, almost three years ago and says that it was the best decision she’s ever made. She lost her dad, Frank Brogan ’49, at age 98 on St. Patrick’s Day. She is pretty sure he planned it that way. With the reunion cancelled, she connected via Zoom with fellow BP classmates, Dianne Lucian, Kristin (Sosnowski) Georgi, Jill (Skonicki) Smith, Karen Weyrauch, Peggy (McGunigal) States, Martha Clowdsley, Julie (Beyers) Rutter, Angela (Mendoza) Fabacher, Mary-Ann (Hansen) Guyler and Mary Ellen (Feliz) Poirier for a virtual happy hour. Holly ’86 and Tom Shaw live in Moorpark CA. Tom is a site director for Pharmavite making Nature Made vitamins, and Holly is senior director of operations for Optioncare. Their Brady Bunch of four are Bret ’15, Hanna, Kirsten and Kellie. Bret works for Stone Brewing, Hanna is with National Veterinary Associates, Kirsten is a freshman studying Art at Kutztown U and Kellie is a sophomore in high school. COVID-19 canceled a planned trip to Ireland and a fall reunion of Keenan Hall brothers, all Class of ’90. Mike Manning, Pete Mourani, Chris Balint, Rich Tierney, Rick Meyer, Pat Perrella, Joe DeSalvo, Annette Quill and Tom have managed to get some virtual card games and happy hours together to stay in touch. Finally, the Alumni Association has announced a tentative date for our rescheduled 30-year class reunion: June 3-6, 2021. If you are interested in joining the reunion planning committee, please send me a note. Please keep track of us on Facebook at Notre Dame Irish Class of 1990 and at 1990.undclass.org. Go Irish. — Marty Falkenberg; 23 Casselton Road, Raymond ME 04071; 847-323-4717; martin.falkenberg@yahoo.com
90MBA Class Secretary — Dave Wilson;
104 N. Wilson Court, Palatine IL 60067; david_c_wilson@hotmail.com
90JD See You Next Year
I hope you and your families are healthy and managing OK during this unusual time. As I write this, we are coming off a beautiful fall weekend in New England with lots of time spent outdoors, soaking up the sunshine and spending socially distanced time with friends and neighbors. As much as I enjoyed the weekend, I found myself thinking more than once about what this weekend was supposed to be. The last time I wrote, plans were in place for our 30th reunion on campus. We were supposed to tailgate, attend the Stanford game and continue reminiscing and catching up until the wee hours. I was so looking forward to seeing all of you. Well, it might be a year late, but we will celebrate our 30th reunion in June over two consecutive weekends. For the class of 1990, the reunion will be June 3-6, 2021, subject to any changing local guidance regarding large gatherings. In addition to that, and since many of you liked the idea of celebrating our reunion with a game tailgate, we will pick a game once we know how things are shaping up for next fall. That’s all for now but know that I often think of you and our years together. You’ll be hearing more soon about our delayed celebration. Take good care of yourselves and drop me a note to let me know how you are doing. — Cathy (Pollock) Gregory; cagregory@sbcglobal.net
91 Class Secretary — Suzi (Criqui) Mueller;
cell 917-886-8176; suzi@cbglobalsearch.com
91MBA Little Bit of News
Daniel Maus is celebrating 25 years with Edward Jones in Fontana WI. He reports that he is still “loving it and still growing, professionally.” His son Kevin graduated from ND in May 2020 and is working in civil engineering consulting in Chicago. His daughter Nora is a junior at ND and is happy, even in the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, Dan’s wife has paused her 30-year career as a United Airlines flight attendant. She is splitting her leave time with their parish’s Society of Saint Vincent de Paul chapter and volunteering at their local Catholic grade school. Daniel also shared that he has been so inspired by his kids’ Notre Dame experience and a desire to improve as a catechist, that he began taking courses in ND’s Master of Theology program. He says, “My brain hurts but my heart is full.” Kevin Bradford says get ready for our MBA Class of 1991 30-year reunion. We are in the planning stages and would welcome assistance in organizing this event. Reach out to Kevin at kdbradfo@uci.edu if you are interested in helping with this important, fun event. The alumni and friends website, my.nd.edu, has gotten a facelift. Unfortunately, they took away my ability to email you. They are adding this feature back soon. In the meantime, do not wait for me to email you, please continue to share your news. — Patty (Spiekermann) Lynch; pattylynch05@gmail.com
91JD Your Dreams
John Fisher published his second book, The Law Firm of Your Dreams. His first book, The Power of a System, was named the all-time top law firm book by BookAuthority.org. John is the principal of John H. Fisher PC and practices catastrophic medical malpractice and injury law in New York, Alabama, Illinois and Connecticut. John’s wife, Lisa, is a Supreme Court Justice in New York. John and Lisa are parents to Tim, Alek and Lily. John has generously offered to send signed copies to members of the class upon request to jfisherlawyer@gmail.com. Jeff Oh is the secretary and executive vice president of CoImmune. Founded in 2019, CoImmue is involved in the development and manufacture of cell-based therapeutics to treat cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. I would love to know what is going on in your world. Stay safe and healthy, my friends. Until next time, act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God. — Martha (Boesen) Trout; 12823 Clark St., Clive IA 50325; cell 515-249-9235; work 515-281-6660; marthatrout@gmail.com
92 Rearview Mirror
Goodbye 2020. It is hard to believe the new decade brought such turmoil and change to so many lives across the globe. Some moved ZIP codes or shifted to working from home while others brought furry friends into the family. I was one of many who acquired a COVID-19 pup. Maddie Ruth was born in March and made her way into my heart in early May. She is a rescue Pyrador who thinks she is a pocket-sized pooch. She will pop in and out of Zoom calls and has mastered jumping on the desk chair to get my attention for work breaks. Here is how others spent their spring and summer months: baby booties and growing families. Scott Fraser sent word his third child, daughter Samantha Ayla, was born on April 13. Her first name is after Scott’s great-grandfather and White House policeman, Samuel. Her middle name means “halo of light around the moon” in Turkish and “strong and resilient place” in Scottish. The proud parents hope she is both. Martin Scruggs and wife, Kemi, welcomed Mason Ismail in July. On her 50th birthday (Aug. 21) Lisa Bernstein and her spouse, Sean Klunder, became official adoptive parents. After 4.5 years of uncertainty due to the child welfare system and then COVID-19 delays, the date serendipitously marked the official adoption day of their foster daughter, Alayna, 9. Family and friends, including aunt Pamela Bernstein-Curcio and uncle Brian Curcio ’88 along with honorary aunt Karen Mack ’92 helped celebrate. Now that is a 50th birthday celebration. Additional accolades for 2020: Mark Jordan retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a lieutenant colonel after serving for 28 years. He still has a full-time job with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta so is not formally retired from work life yet. Jennifer (Degnan) Smith successfully defended her PhD in July adding doctor to her title. Andrew Campbell is a special education teacher in Nevada and trains a therapy dog for people with physical disabilities. He also sends word he has built a chicken coop on behalf of the local community and teaches American Sign Language. Laura McCoy’s sons graduated from college in May. Her eldest, Eddie ’20, graduated from ND with a degree in civil engineering and son Jacob graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in sociology. Please send condolences to Laura as she lost her husband, Eddie McCoy Jr., on July 11. In addition, condolences to the friends and family of Dr. Amy Eckert, who passed away suddenly on July 29, and Elizabeth Marie “Liz” Anroman, who passed away on September 9. May 2021 bring special memories and new appreciation for people or places we took for granted before 2020 blew through our world. Do not forget to update your contact info on the alumni.nd.edu website and share any 5-0 celebrations, news or creative COVID-19 activities and adventures. Facebook page: University of Notre Dame, Class of 1992. God bless. Go Irish. — Jill-Beth (JB) Hayes; ndclassof92@gmail.com
92MBA Groundhog Year
I was sure when I wrote last quarter’s column that we would be heading back to normal times by now. As the pandemic wears on, I hope you are healthy, safe and finding new ways to entertain yourselves. At least we had some Notre Dame football. Alison (Littlefield) O’Rear started a new career: teaching fourth-grade boys with dyslexia and ADHD at Denver Academy. Alison’s son is in college in Texas and her twin daughters are seniors in high school. Garrett Mock and Jim Grace were all set to cheer on the Irish in Dublin this summer but COVID had other plans. I am told that upon news of the cancellation, the prices of Midleton and Guinness declined sharply. After two years in Seoul and three years in Tokyo with Nike and Adidas Golf/TaylorMade, Chris Hahn is moving to Miami for a new role as senior vice president of golf, tennis and brand strategy for Perry Ellis International. As always, please send updates and join our class Facebook page. — Julie Pendell; pendell.julie@gmail.com
92JD Class Secretary — Paul A. Drey;
6701 Westown Parkway, Suite 100, West Des Moines IA 50266; bus 515-271-1765; paul.drey@brickgentrylaw.com
93 Welcome to the Half-Century Club
Several of my closest friends celebrated their 50th birthdays in September and October. Shout outs to Sonia, Kami, Dana, Dan, and Brian. This means that the rest of us will be doing the same as we close out 2020 and ring in 2021. Drop me a line to share how you plan on celebrating your new membership to the half-century club. The year of COVID has impacted how we socialize, celebrate, and travel, so planning a big bash or bucket list trip for next year gives us something to look forward to. COVID has given us some unexpected downtime. I spent part of my summer going through a box of snail mail correspondence from our college years. I had the most amazing walk down memory lane while reading letters from the summer of ’92, right before our senior year. A friend headed to Russia for classes; two friends remained on campus for summer classes; another friend had an internship in Chicago; and one friend admitted to getting really drunk on his 21st birthday and going home without his shoes. It was extraordinary to unfold each letter and hear their voices from almost three decades ago. When I started writing our Class Notes in 1993, you wrote me actual letters, stuffed them in envelopes and affixed a stamp. How times have changed. At least the last decade of graduates has conducted all correspondence via email. I also spent part of my summer shredding hard copies of column submissions from the 1990s. (I’m apparently a bit of a pack rat.) I was doing a big paper purge since my husband, Jim, and I decided to leave Hilton Head Island after six months and return to our house in southern California. Jobs took us away from California in 2007, so 13 years later, we’re excited to go back to the West Coast. There’s no graceful transition to my next topic, and it’s the part of Class Notes that I dread. It is with a heavy heart that I share news of the passing of two classmates, Tom Nevins and Thomas M. O’Brien. Tom Nevins passed away in February 2020 and is survived by his wife and classmate, Stephanie (Overmyer) Nevins, and their two boys, Nathaniel and Theodore. Thomas O’Brien passed away on June 2. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their four children, Brendan, Charles, Jack and Margaret. Please also pray for classmate Michael P. Griffin, whose wife, Catherine Gehred-Griffin ’98, passed away July 13. Catherine is survived by Michael and their three children, Basil, Benedict and Miriam. It is shocking and dispiriting that we should lose Tom, Thomas and Catherine at such a young age, especially as we celebrate (or acknowledge) turning 50. The loss of these three lives is a sober reminder to be grateful for our health and to live our lives to the fullest. Stay well. — Anne Marie (Krauza) Yuhas; 32 Tuberose Street, Ladera Ranch CA 92694; 623-606-7000; yuhas93@gmail.com
93MBA Dad Stories
I have a couple of fun updates from two dads in our class. I love reading the updates about your families. The first one is from Olivier Lemaignen. I will copy what he sent to me. “2020 has definitely been an odd, yet extremely busy year. Alex ’18 has been in the Navy for 2.5 years, stationed in Norfolk VA. Lauren ’20 graduated virtually with a dual major in economics and political science. After a canceled internship this summer, she was hired full time by Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington DC. She will be assigned government projects, and just got settled in Alexandria VA this week. We were bummed not to be able to share a traditional graduation at ND with her but we hope it will get back to normal next year when it is Sophie’s turn to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering. My three ‘little guys’ aren’t so little anymore, ages 16, 14, and 11. They have not experienced much disruption since all my kids are homeschooled. Jeremy, 16, is driving now, and that’s definitely a milestone that reminds me of the years passing by. On the job front, 2020 has probably been one of my busiest years since becoming self-employed. Between marketing consulting contracts, starting a marketing agency, and pursuing my passion of coaching individuals and teams, the weekends are a welcome break from the whirlwind of the work week. I feel grateful for the business and the busyness, as so many are struggling. I hope my ND family is doing well and enjoying time together. I have to admit, I enjoy my new 15-second commute and spending every meal with my wife, Isabelle.” Todd Moore also sent fun dad stories about his girls. Todd and Carol have been living in the Chicago area (River Forest) since 2017. He says, “…and while all of you have grown kids now, my girls are 9 and 7 and we’re dealing with COVID inspired e-learning.” Todd is approaching 30 years in the Air Force Reserves which gives him plenty of time to be with the girls and help with school. In fact, when he sent me his update, he was facilitating a learning pod with five second graders. He said due to COVID he has enjoyed the time he has been able to spend with Carol and the girls. On a work note, in April he was deployed with the Air Force to Springfield IL as the Air Force rep to the State of Illinois for COVID response. He said basically any help that Illinois requested from the Air Force to move supplies or equipment went through Todd to coordinate. Thank you, Todd, for your continued service in the Air Force. I have a fun story. My freshman at ND, Natalie, met a girl on her floor whose dad attended MBA school with us. He graduated in the class after our class. Natalie called and asked me if I knew Thomas Donohue ’94MBA. What a small world. I hope this update finds you all healthy. I pray that each of you has had at least a little bit of time these last few months to reflect, enjoy family time and appreciate the little things that are so special that God does for us each day. Please send your Christmas letter to me so that I may include your information in my next deadline which is Jan. 20, 2021. Go Irish. — Tricia Hug Schorr; cell 317-987-5000; thugschorr@yahoo.com
93JD A Few Updates
At the request of the institution’s president, Robert Mitchell is serving as the interim associate dean of academic affairs at the Joint Special Operations U in Tampa FL. Rob reports that he enjoys the reserved parking spot. Speaking of Florida, Gilberto Perez was appointed to the Florida Circuit Court. He took the bench on October 5 and is assigned to the Unified Family Court in Fort Myers. Our class is blessed with many attorneys who are dedicated to service. In other news, Richard Rolwing is always kicking butt. (Note that Rolwing and the word always have the same consonant cluster of “lw.”) Rich recently received the John Marshall Award for trial litigation. The award recognizes attorneys whose legal efforts involved presenting major government cases at the trial level. It is kind of humbling to report on our super-star classmates who are putting service above self. So, don’t leave me hanging. Send me your updates so that the next column can be even more interesting. Peace and blessings to you all. As my mom always says to me: you pray for me and I’ll pray for thee. — Jamie O’Brien; jamesobrienesq@yahoo.com
94 Class Secretary — Joe Poe;
ndclass1994@yahoo.com
94MBA Class Secretary — Rodger Laurite;
678-644-0422; rodgerlaurite@hotmail.com
94JD Send Information, Please
I hope you are well. Please send me updates or class information. — Doug Duncan; pdouglasduncanjr@yahoo.com
95 Class Secretary — Colleen (Mickus) and Mike Robson;
1814 N. Robincrest Lane, Glenview IL 60025; cell 847-772-0551; therobsons@sbcglobal.net
95MBA Class Secretary — Renee Werner;
134 Willow Blvd., Willow Springs IL 60480; 773-528-3929; reneewerner@yahoo.com
95JD Good Things in Bad Times
Chris Pardi writes that his daughter Catherine is attending Notre Dame as part of the Class of 2024 as a computer science engineering major. “She joins my daughter Lauren who is in the Class of 2022 majoring in chemical engineering. My wife, Mary, and I will be empty nesters. We appreciate the quality time we spent with the girls during the quarantine, the only good thing that has come out of these difficult times.” Hon. Elizabeth Baird Hurley moderated a panel discussion titled, “How Women Have Shaped the Judiciary” held at the Law School to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. The panelists were Chief Justice Loretta Rush of the Indiana Supreme Court, Judge Elizabeth Tavitas from the Indiana Court of Appeals, and Judge Amy Coney Barrett ’97JD, then of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. — Julia Meister; meister@taftlaw.com
96 Class Secretary — Kate Crisham;
catherine.crisham@usdoj.gov
96MBA Class Secretary — Maureen Maher;
ndmba96news@hotmail.com
96JD JAG Retirement, Judicial Beginnings
Hello all. Strange times continue. I hope everyone is staying safe out there. Jeff Kopp officially retired after completing 30 years in the Army JAG Corps Reserves. His “part-time job” afforded him opportunities to travel to support Army operations in interesting places over the years, including Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Jeff will continue to devote his time to his other job as a partner in Foley & Lardner’s Detroit office, and following orders from his wife, Denise. Jeff says he welcomes the change and is confident that the next generation will do a great job leading our armed forces. The Kopps have three sons in the Army or Army ROTC programs. His youngest, Lucas, is a freshman ROTC cadet at Notre Dame. In August, Scott Hardy was sworn in as a district judge in the Western District of Pennsylvania after being nominated by President Trump in December 2019 and then confirmed by the Senate in July 2020. Yours truly, Chris Spataro, also will take the bench soon. I am set to be sworn in as judge of the Elkhart Superior Court No. 5 on January 1, 2021. If you have news to share, please contact me. — Chris Spataro; 57027 Wedgefield Court, Elkhart IN 46516; 574-596-2417; chrisjspataro@gmail.com
97 Yay, Its 2021
All were too busy staying healthy and voting to send any updates my way. I hope everyone was able to have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Please send updates. — Kate (Fisher) Murray; 1840 Huntingdon Road, Huntingdon Valley PA 19006; kmurraynd@yahoo.com
97MBA Class Secretary — Paul Mongelluzzo;
646-584-7340; paulanthonymba@gmail.com
97JD Congratulations
It was amazing to see our classmate Amy Coney Barrett be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jack and I watched her live nomination with our children and it was thrilling and inspiring to see her be introduced and make her speech with her family looking on. It was an unforgettable and exciting day for our law school. The confirmation hearings were riveting as Amy, always composed, answered innumerable questions with grace and without notes. Hearing Amy’s voice on television transported a lot of us back 26 years to the fall of first year when Amy’s focus and analysis were similarly unwavering no matter the professors’ questions. With a classmate in the national news, one of the best things to come out of Amy’s nomination was reconnecting with old classmates and even becoming friendlier with those we may not have known well when we were at Notre Dame. Congratulations, Amy. Thank you for serving our country in this way. We know you will be a remarkable Supreme Court justice. In other news, Raymond J. Tittman founded his own firm in January, Tittmann Weix LLP, an insurance coverage firm with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin and Raleigh. The firm’s new website is tittmannweix.com. Ray’s firm handles cyber and gig economy insurance, including the policies issued to DoorDash, GrubHub and Shipt. The firm has doubled in size already this year, overcoming sharp pandemic headwinds. He works closely with classmate Peter J. Loughlin, vice president of Assurant Inc. Ray was also named the Law360 MVP for the year 2019 in the field of insurance. Scott Sroka works as a senior investigative attorney in the Office of the Inspector General at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria VA. Joe Scavetta welcomed Phyllis, a sweet French bulldog, into his family, while Scott Whipple is pondering dog ownership. Many members of our class are part of the Notre Dame Law Class of 1997 Facebook group. Please join if you are so inclined. We had lots of activity on the page this fall, and it was fun to catch up with people in that informal setting. Go Irish. — Julie Vales; cell 973-727-5767; juliemvales@gmail.com; john.vales@dentons.com
98 Goodbye 2020
I hope all of you had a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday season. If there are any updates that you would like to share with our classmates, please send them to me. Happy 2021 to you all. Go Irish. — Bob Flannery; rflannery98@gmail.com
98MBA Class Secretary — Joseph Dunlop;
330 N. Rockingham Way, Amherst NY 14228; res 716-625-8470; bus 716-821-9393 Ext. 274; joseph.dunlop.1@gmail.com
98JD Class Secretary — Chris Putt;
mobile 574-514-3703; crputt@gmail.com
99 Class Secretary — Erin (Wysong) Martin;
erinmartin03@yahoo.com
99MBA Class Secretary — Christy (Hayes) King;
christyking@alumni.nd.edu
99JD Class Secretary — Steve Boettinger;
boettinger@alumni.nd.edu