1960s

60 Reunion Finally 

After three cancellations of our 60th due to the coronavirus, the originally scheduled June 2020 reunion was finally enjoyed during the Purdue weekend, Sept. 16-19. What a joy it was to see classmates and spouses and do some reminiscing. The panel discussion, directed by Bill Scheckler, was a highlight of the weekend. The panelists were well prepared and interesting. Tom Banchoff, Tim Carroll, Terry Keating, Rev. Jim Radde and Bill Scheckler were the only panelists remaining of the 15 or 20 previous panelists. Jim Radde spoke of an item of great importance in the Catholic Church and prefaced his comments about the possibilities for women priests with two appointments by Pope Francis of women to high positions. Nina Glibetić, assistant professor in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame, has been appointed by Pope Francis as a consultor, with a five-year term, for the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. The congregation assists the development and protects the rights of the Eastern Catholic Churches while maintaining the heritage of the Eastern traditions alongside the liturgical, disciplinary and spiritual heritage of the Latin rite. Pope Francis also appointed Argentine theologian Emilce Cuda as the new head of office of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a position she assumed Sept. 1. A laywoman and mother of two, Cuda will work with the new secretary, Rodrigo Guerra López, a Mexican philosophy professor and also a layman. Ben Finley was able to visit his son Micah, a junior engineering major, while at the reunion. Don (Hotdog) White was honored for his many years of service toward the Class of 1960 football ticket acquisition and ticket trades. A nice note from Claire, who says: “We recently visited with one of Donnie’s children in Maine celebrating Don’s 83rd birthday. We are home now and relaxing and telling everybody what a great time we had. (God bless Cappy Gagnon ’64 for his transport accommodation and fellowship.) Donnie was thrilled spending time with Susan and Steve Barry, who organized the celebration.” We have checked the 2022 football schedule and have selected the California weekend for our next minireunion. The game is Sept. 17, and the class dinner will be on Friday night. Mark your calendars. I have been keeping the deceased list on our class website up to date. Currently it is at 525. I have added a section for photos from the 60th reunion. Please send pictures from the weekend to me and I will add them. Several classmates are using the live feed page to enter comments, recollections, and general information. It is another way to stay in touch. I just received notice of five classmates who died in August and September: John Barrett (9-22-21), Jack Eatinger (8-27-21), Gene Holewinski (9-2-21), Ed Meyer (9-4-21) and Al Sabal (9-27-21). Larry Delaney had a nice phone call with Joe Shaw. Joe has some significant skin cancer issues being treated. He has a 16-year-old grandson at a Jesuit school in Boston. Joe was one of the smartest guys in our class. He was an accounting major and passed the New York and Illinois CPA exam in one sitting before graduation. But, flying got into his blood and he became a career Navy pilot and flew two tours over Vietnam. He finished his career at the Pentagon. Ron Gregory says he could still run the mile but needs to use the calendar instead of a stopwatch. Special notice: ND uses digital tickets on smartphones for all sports, effective in September. All 35 folks who had our class Purdue tickets used this procedure for our reunion game and most reported “it wasn’t too bad.” We will again be offering group tickets for the California game for our minireunion weekend. We will be requiring payment for the tickets before ordering them. Stay tuned. More is to follow. Call me if you need help signing on to our Class of 1960 site. Or you can call the online help desk at 574-631-1759. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove, No. 103, Ft. Myers FL 33908; cell 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com 

 

61 Can You Top This, Continued

It is always happy news when you hear good things about our classmates. I spoke with Tim Monahan. He had emailed me and the demon that shows up most of the time in my computer saw it and erased the email. Since the next day was my deadline for the winter issue, I got on it. Tim wanted to weigh in on the children of our classmates who have graduated from ND. Tim has nine kids and says his money is somewhere on the campus of our beloved ND. Well, not that this is a competition, but Tim weighs in with six of his lovely children who have diplomas, including two who were walk-ons in football and wound up earning scholarships and starting positions. They are Thomas ’87, Jon ’90, Patrick ’91 (football), Chris ’95, Mark ’96 (football) and Catherine M. Alves ’95. What a team. This accounting of mates with kids with ND degrees is beginning to get legs, so please weigh in with me. Regrettably, I have received information on the passing of several classmates. Joe Libby reports that Dave (Rocky) Ryan’s wife has died. Rocky was her caregiver 24/7 for the last two years. He also reports that Roger McMahon called to tell him that Bill Murphy died. The Alumni Office sent me a report on recent deaths among the alumni and our Joseph Schwartz was listed. Please pray for their souls and for their grieving families. I know that everybody has suffered from the effects of the social distancing and staying home regimen of COVID. Maybe you could take a few minutes to email or write to me and say what you are doing to maintain your sanity and family relations. I received only one email this reporting period. I could make up something, but I have had trouble with that before. If you are a fugitive and do not want your whereabouts known, just tell me and I won’t print your name. I’ll just say I heard from a classmate and not say where you are. Though Abbie is still dealing with pain and problems after surgery almost two years ago, she continues to perform her duties at the front door. And yes, the latch string is always out. So, please come see us when you are passing through South Texas; we’d love to see you. — Joseph P. (“Pat) Kelly; 2103 N. Wheeler St., Victoria TX 77901; leave a message 361-573-9982; jpkellytx@sbcglobal.net

           

61JD Class Secretary — John N. Moreland;

jnmnd1958@aol.com

                                               

62 Family Business

Judy and Dave Castaldi were honored with doctor of liberal art degrees from Marian U. In September, I noted two members of the class were afflicted with dementia. Mike Minelli’s wife, Sharon, responded by recommending a book, The Alzheimer’s Spouse, which helped her understand what Mike was going through. She thought other spouses in the same situation might be interested. After graduation, three members of the class went to work in long established family businesses. Paul Belden, whose father, Paul Jr. ’32, came to ND from Canton OH, where Belden Bricks started in 1885. After graduation, he approached the University about using Belden Bricks on some new buildings on the drawing board. Since then, the University has exclusively used Belden bricks on all construction calling for brick. Paul, our classmate, started out by working in the brickyard during high school and in the summers. Upon graduation, he became a yard foreman and about a year later was assigned to call on architects to get them to specify their brick. Their selling point was the quality and consistency of the brick color over the years. Paul elected to stay in sales and formed his own sales company carving out Michigan as his exclusive territory within the Belden organization. Bill Choquette, after finishing his ROTC obligation and obtaining his MBA from Columbia, joined his family business, the Gilbane Company. It is celebrating its 150th anniversary and was started by Bill’s great-grandfather, who emigrated from Ireland during the famine. The company began by making windows and doors and has subsequently branched into many building and development projects. It now concentrates on very large government, school and hospital projects. When Bill started with the company, most of the family members were engineers, so he was assigned to the business side and then asked to take over the DC office to develop business. He was wildly successful and helped the company grow from 90 employees to over 3,000 at the time he retired in fall of 2020. Bill said the success of the business was adherence to its core values that have proven to work because 70 percent of all new business is from current and former clients. Tom Miller worked for Metal Forms (established in 1909 as a family business that designs, engineers and manufactures products for general and concrete construction) during high school and college but upon graduation decided to go into sales with another company and learn the concrete business from a different perspective. Tom came back to Metal Forms in the 1970s and took over the business in 1980 as the third-generation Miller to head it up. He built the company by coming up with better methods, better products and acquiring companies that complement their business. Today, it is a totally vertically integrated national and international business. So, what is the common denominator? The responses included integrity, teamwork, dedication to excellence, loyalty, discipline, surrounding themselves with good people, and caring for and empowering their employees. If you plan on coming to the reunion the first weekend in June, please let me know if you have not already done so. Try to come in on Thursday as we will have a get-together dinner off campus that evening. Since my last column, I received word that Vic Grabowski died in April 2020; Simon St. Laurent passed away on June 12; Fred Springsteel on July 1; Don Maicher on July 16; Mike Bishko on Aug. 9 (of COVID); Jim Black on Sept. 9; Rodger Brown on Sept. 10; and Tom Walsh on Sept.18. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com

 

62JD Reunion Planning

We have another heartbreaking loss. Our dear classmate, Theodore (Ted) Fitzgerald, passed away peacefully on Aug. 22. Our hearts go out to Ted’s wife, Nadaline, and his children, Andrew, Kathleen and Thaddeus, as well as his nine grandchildren. We visited with Stan Pecora in September while at the ND undergrad reunion. Stan is active in his law practice and doing well. Denny Sullivan reports that he is in the process of closing his practice. He has given up trial work and is doing some consulting and estate work. Denny was the recipient of the William Roper Award by the St. Thomas More Club of Dallas for his service to the Church, including being general counsel. He and Bev are generally in good health and enjoying watching their eight grandchildren grow into fine young men and women. Norm Stark checked in to say hello and that all is well in Erie PA. Marianne and I had a great time catching up with Jim Gould and his friend Stacy Hunter on a fantastic evening in downtown Chicago. Jim reports all is well, and he is enjoying life. Save the dates for our 60th Law School reunion: April 29 - May 1. Christine Stucko has been diligent in her efforts and has blocked 15 rooms at the Morris Inn as well as a private dining room for Saturday evening. The rooms also are reserved for Thursday in case anyone wishes to arrive early. Christine reports the possibility of a stadium tour on Friday afternoon, golf tee times, meeting the dean of the Law School on Saturday evening, and Mass on Sunday morning. Your input is welcome. This is a big reunion, and we hope to see you there. Please pass the reunion information to other classmates and please respond when Christine reaches out about attending the reunion. — Tom Kelly; 802 Ambriance Drive, Burr Ridge IL 60527; 630-891-3182; marianne1956@sbcglobal.net

 

63 Roommates

J. Brian Sheedy MD and M. Scott Carroll MD were roommates our freshman year on the second floor of Breen-Phillips. Brian graduated from SUNY-Buffalo Medical School in 1967 then served as one of three Navy internists at the US Capitol in 1970-71 in lieu of a year in Southeast Asia. He was an NIH-sponsored fellow in hematology/oncology at the U of Miami and joined the first university-trained hematology/oncology practice in Tallahassee. He retired as director of palliative care at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center in 2018. Brian and his wife of 57 years, Wende, have lived in Tallahassee since 1974. They have two children including Michael ’90, and six grandchildren. Scott graduated from St. Louis U Medical School in 1967, specializing in pediatrics. After serving two years with the Air Force, Scott earned a specialty in allergy/asthma from the U of Michigan and spent 40 years practicing in Atlanta GA. Scott also spent over 20 years with Flying Doctors of America on medical missions around the world. He is retired and living with his wife of 23 years, Roseanne, in Evergreen CO. They have four children and five grandchildren. Matt Murphy weighed in to say that he joined the Michigan National Guard following graduation and then went to General Motors in Detroit, enjoying a career of 37 years. Matt was with Chevrolet in sales and marketing, and he was transferred about 10 times throughout the country. Matt and his bride, Terry, look forward to their 57th anniversary and live on Skidaway Island in Savannah GA. Included in his ND family is his brother, Jim ’60, Matt’s three sons and son-in-law (whose wife is a Saint Mary’s grad) and a granddaughter in the Class of 2021. The Murphys joined classmates Terry Desmond, Pat O’Brien, Greg Schwartz, Larry Morgan, Mike Walker, Brian Richardson in Naples FL on St. Patrick’s Day. John Delmore spent two-and-a-half years in the Army Signal Corps after graduation. Married while in the service, the Delmores later moved to Moline IL where John designed and assembled tractors for International Harvester. John later moved to South Bend and spent two years as building commissioner for the city. Over the next 17 years, he served as the director of utilities at Notre Dame and director of facilities at Saint Mary’s College before retirement. In his 11 years at Notre Dame, he never missed a home football game, watching from the press box while overseeing stadium power and sound. I heard from R. Thomas Derengoski ’70, who read about Ed Burke in the fall issue: “As a boy my dad, a Double Domer, took us to football games once a year at Notre Dame. ... I was about 12 when we went to a Purdue game that we lost 51-19. Our seats were right next to the tunnel where the players entered. After the game, I hung over the edge of the tunnel railing hoping for a souvenir or some acknowledgement from one of my idols. Miraculously, a Notre Dame player reached up and handed me his chinstrap. I was thrilled, and it took away the sting of the loss to Purdue. The player who gave me that chinstrap was Ed Burke.” Over the Purdue game weekend, Scott Maxwell, Ed Rutkowski, Denny Murphy, Jim Stauffer, Myron Busby and Jim O’Donnell attended a memorial Mass in the Basilica for Brian Boulac, concelebrated by our own Rev. Edward “Monk” Malloy, CSC, and Rev. Charlie O’Hara. Steve Peters sent the obituary for Joe Ferary III, who died on Aug. 14 in Acworth GA. Steve and Joe grew up together in Uniontown PA. Following graduation, Joe worked in the wine and liquor business in Maryland and, later, Georgia. Joe had two children with his first wife, Diane, and seven grandchildren. Joe remarried in 1995 to his surviving wife, Mary Beth, and had one stepdaughter and two step grandchildren. Joe retired in 2003 and resided in Panama City FL until 2020. John Imperial forwarded the obituary of James Robert Mantey, who died Sept. 8 in Boca Raton FL. Jim was an EE major who first worked for Westinghouse in Washington DC before earning an MBA from Wharton. He then worked for Eastern Airlines before joining Arvida Corp. developing properties in Boca Raton. He next bought a Toro distributorship in Miami called Hector Turf, which he owned at his death. Jim is survived by his wife, Sandra, two children and five grandchildren. The Alumni Association reports the passing of the following classmates: Thomas P. O’Connor died on April 3 in Winter Springs FL, survived by wife Mary and two children; Richard J. Riordan died May 28 in Medford NJ, survived by wife Leslie and two children; Gerald A. Witt died on May 5, 2020, survived by wife Kathleen; and Richard J. Tushla MD died on July 24 in Santa Paula CA, survived by wife Connie and two children. — John F. Dougherty Jr., 915 Exeter Crest, Villanova PA 19085; 215-510-0844, johndoc969@gmail.com

 

63JD Remembering Pat Cullen

Pat Cullen passed away unexpectedly on June 12. He had finished a trial just a few months earlier. Pat leaves behind his wife Betty, three children and six grandchildren. His son Chuck ’90 is also an ND Law School graduate. Pat was the first person I ever met who played lacrosse. Once that novelty was over, it became obvious that he could and would do a lot more than lacrosse. Pat was in the Moot Court Finals with Bob Noe, Tom Brannigan and Jim Lekin arguing before US Supreme Court Justice Byron White. After three years of Army service, Pat settled down in Baltimore with a trial practice for the next 55 years. He worked hard during those years to improve the public and Catholic schools in Baltimore. He served as president of the school board for the Archdiocese of Baltimore while at the same time founding a very successful nonprofit (You Too Can, Inc.) with the mission of improving the academic performance of disadvantaged students in the public schools of Baltimore. His concept was innovative. Rather than focus on the kids, the objective of You Can Too was to get parents involved in the school activities of their children with a result that their children would do better in school. Bob Noe has been one of Pat’s closest friends for many years and reflects on their friendship: “Notre Dame Law School brought us together for the beginning of a friendship that lasted more than 60 years. We stayed in touch and the similarities in our lives were amazing. We practiced in firms of the same size and both of us concentrated on civil litigation. Many times we shared ideas about tough cases, especially when they were about to go to trial. Another common interest was Catholic school education. We both served on, and headed, school boards. Again, we shared ideas and strategies. We got together as much as geography permitted, including a great trip with our wives to Belgium, Germany and Ireland. Our common membership in the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys enabled us to get together at the meetings. One of our visits to the Cullen abode was extended several days by a winter blizzard. That gave us more time to swap stories about life in the ND pressure cooker. I will miss my good friend.” — Bob Saxe; 15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com 

 

64 Sad News Indeed 

It was sad to learn that all-around good guy, friend and class president Bruce Tuthill passed away on Aug. 30 in Hingham MA. Truly one of a kind, Bruce left a legacy of generosity and accomplishment, and more than a few laughs as well. After serving as an Army officer, Bruce earned his MBA from Harvard and embarked upon a successful career as a stockbroker, most notably at E. F. Hutton. Like most of us, he “married up.” His partnership with Sandy began in 1968 and led to four daughters and 14 grandchildren. A committed golfer, Bruce missed his 10:40 a.m. tee time the morning he died, but not much else. He had played with buddies Adrian King, Red Moroney and Ed Kelly a month before and was pleased to take their money. Mary Ann and Frank Gaul ’65 hosted a soirée the night before the funeral where Paul Tierney, Tom O’Brien, Mike Carey, yours truly Paul Charron and spouses, along with John Lalli, swapped Bruce stories, most of them true. Eddie Burke ’65, Ed Kelly and Frank Fee joined for the services. Despite the best efforts of two Glee Clubbers, the Alma Mater and the Victory March were a bit off key, but enthusiastically rendered. I learned from Bob Dunne that classmate Marty Lombardi succumbed to COVID in August. Bob Hahn of Lutsen MN, a longtime practicing CPA, died in June. Also, Jerry Dolan passed away in Dearborn MI after a career spent in education. Judy and two children survive. Elsewhere, John Pagel writes that he and Rosemary are doing well in Denver NC on the shores of beautiful Lake Norman. They just celebrated their 56th anniversary, as was the case for Linda and John Nelson in Montrose CO. John is on the other side of 80, still hunting and fishing and staying close to his passions for the law, public safety and community service. Former Marine Dave Garner checked in from Metro DC where he remains deeply involved in church and family activities. No one who knows Dave would be surprised to learn that he continues to stay especially close to national security issues, frequently from an “up close and personal’’ vantage point. It turns out that many in his family circle are serving in the military or in support roles. Like Bruce and many of us, Tony Strati served on active duty before joining a predecessor of KPMG, the big public accounting firm, and getting his MBA at ND. This career choice worked out well as Tony spent 37 years with the firm, serving in three different locations (Chicago, New Orleans, Albuquerque) and retiring as the senior managing partner of the Rio Grande Business Unit. He was in the Pentagon on 9/11 but away from where the plane hit. He spends his time these days in church and community service activities. Tony and Helena have four children and 11 grandchildren. In what seems to be a recurring theme in this column, they just celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. Recently deceased classmate Juan Cintron was in their wedding party. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 917-850-5385; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com

 

64JD Enjoying Their Days

This report is being penned in early fall with a faulty computer and a magazine deadline looming. I hope it is somewhat informative about our compatriots’ comings and goings. Most class members are in reasonably good health and enjoying their days, especially, with their families at their homes, a version of “sheltering in place.” Russ Bley has recovered from significant health issues involving hospitalization at the first of the year. Jim Slater reports that he is in good spirits and well on the road to recovery from an almost undiagnosable malady leading to his recent hospitalization and release in Santa Barbara. Frank Miele says he has regained a high level of physical fitness with his enhanced PT routine that includes bicycling in Central Park, weightlifting and other exercises. He also is thrilled to appear in each of the three acts of the opera Turandot as a supernumerary trumpeter. Lou Pfeiler’s well-being has improved since embarking on an exercise program for strength, mobility and energy. Bob Cash and Larry Gallick continue to live on the same street in Venice FL and send their regards. Larry has the dubious task of patrolling the premises for unwanted guests, so Betty is not surprised. Bob Frost says that he and spouse Dawn are fine and enjoying living in the Columbus OH area. Currently, Bob is free of nagging health concerns. In August Charles Sacher was our house guest here in South Bend during freshman orientation, accompanying his family while they settled his granddaughter, Anacatalina, as the next generation of Sachers to attend Notre Dame. Joining us for dinner were Joan and Tim Monahan ’61, undergraduate friends of ours. I spoke recently with Jack Jiganti, who is spending more time in Chicago. He recently bought Lake Michigan property in New Buffalo MI and reports that he and Dorothy are well. Mary and Jack Rammel are well and send greetings to all. They ventured out in late summer on a driving trip to points north and thoroughly enjoyed their trip. I had a good chat with Tom Conneely, who like other classmates is befuddled by the current events on the football field. Kay is having some health challenges, so please keep them in your prayers. — Richard Balfe Wagner; 1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 4661; res 574-299-9888; cell 760 567 1270; rswagnersb@gmail.com  

 

65 May Is Near

The Morris Inn will be our venue for our reunion of May 31 to June 1, 2022. Rooms are still available at a reduced rate. Both class dinners, complete with entertainment, will be held there. Details on cost and planned functions will be in University mailings. Our gathering is separate from the official ND Reunion which begins several days later. Future ’65 reunions will never be this ideal and the ability to attend not as predictable. News for our column is unusually sparse, which suggests that you are enjoying retirement. Phil Mantey wrote that he is living in Bay Village OH near Cleveland and has retired from a partnership with a biotech company but still does consulting. His wife, Katherine, has vascular dementia which has been a challenge for their family. Bob Dilenschneider’s firm, The Dilenschneider Group in NYC, celebrated their 31st year in business. They provide a variety of services to business clients including to 20 percent of the nation’s Fortune 100 corporations along with crisis-management advice for private companies, public entities and individuals. Bob serves on the boards of several private companies and on the Institute for International Education, which is the largest student exchange program in the world. Barry Branagan was a good friend of Jim Smithwick in high school and at ND. He often thinks of Jim and 9/11. Jim’s wife, Bonnie, worked in one of the twin towers. After the planes hit, she was frantically calling his office, just down the street, to ask what he thought she should do. Jim had run outside trying to understand what had happened and never had the chance to say goodbye. Two years later, Jim died of what many said was a broken heart. Joe Dundon wrote that Al Schulte died in July in Sarasota FL, where he had lived with his wife, Marcia, for the past 40 years. He is also survived by two children and five grandchildren. For the last two decades, Al produced local TV shows and became a video producer specializing in documentaries of art. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040; jphnd65@hotmail.com

 

65JD Class Secretary — Henry Boitel;

324 Brower Ave., Rockville Centre NY 11570; boitel@mindspring.com

 

66 While You Were Away

I regret the confusion in the last column regarding the hoped-for minireunion on campus for the Virginia Tech game. It was challenging for class president Cap Gagnon and the South Bend gang to gauge interest and pull things together. But they will surely wow us for our 55th with a make-up reunion next June. Speaking of Cap, Paul Ware and Bill Joseph were planning to visit before the SC game, and he shared that Rich Sauget was inducted into the Frontier League Hall of Fame for his efforts to promote minor league baseball. My son Chris and I made it to Chicago for the Irish win over Wisconsin. We took in a Cubs-Cards game and did the town up right. We also connected with my third son, Connor, and later with Mike Rush and his son Brian ’03 for postgame tailgating. Jack Gerken continues his yeoman work with the class website, 1966.undclass.org. Some 22 of us recently registered, bringing the total to north of 330. It’s a great way to stay current, so sign up today. Art Frigo and Gusty Rini responded enthusiastically to JG’s reminder about the upcoming reunion. I connected by phone with Ed Seymour in Detroit who was headed to campus for the Toledo game. That reminded me of Ed’s great brother, the late Herb Seymour, who was a friend to many. Rev. Mike Geisler has enjoyed a career as a priest and member of Opus Dei, having taught and served in NYC, Boston, DC and Chicago. Since 1989, he has been assigned to the Wespine Study Center in St. Louis. Mike Roddy was slated to hit South Bend for the North Carolina game. Ken Khoury, my fellow alum of Bishop McGuinness HS in Oklahoma City, weighed in from California where he was last seen practicing psychiatry. Dave Dodson, Bob Luetkemeyer and the late Jim Kelley also trekked north from BMHS to the Dome. Bill Scanlon did grad work at Wisconsin U and labored in health economics for the GAO in DC. He’s since continued in health policy in a variety of roles. He and Martha reside in the DC area near kids and grandkids. John Berges was on campus for the Purdue game. He and his wife have been to Alaska numerous times and sponsor a dog team in the Iditarod. Ted Frericks sent word that his Marion OH barrister practice includes estate planning, probate, real estate and business law. Luke McGuinness was wrapping up his summer on Martha’s Vineyard and headed back to Chicago. Now to the toughest part of this assignment: remembering, praying for and honoring ND mates who have transitioned to their eternal rewards. Bob Edler sent word that his good friend and ND roomie Dr. Bill Ott died Sept. 19 in St. Louis, where he enjoyed a distinguished career as an OBGYN. Ed Eiswirth echoed Bob’s kind words about BO. Pete Siegwald left us on Oct. 7. Roger Aiello departed following a bout with cancer on Oct. 15 in Niles MI, where he and Evelyn have lived periodically since 2003. Roger grew up in Houston and held executive positions with several international engineering companies before retiring in 2017. He did a sabbatical with the ND Development Office from 2002-08. Roger loved ND athletics, Italy and fine wines. RIP to our mates. Here is a brief memory of our required dining hall duds. I wore the same coat and tie for four years, stains and all. I recall hearing of a creative lad who one hot day trimmed off a generous portion of his coat sleeves, only to be told at check-in to come back when he had proper regalia. He returned with the sleeves re-attached with athletic tape. Apparently, they let him in. If that was one of you, kudos and fess up. I am wondering what’s up with Ben Nelson, Pete Polombit and Jim Murphy, all from Stanford. And Lou Sharpe, please check in with an update. I always welcome news about you and ’66ers. Be well, stand tall and aim high. It’s where we all want to end up. — Tom Sullivan; 227 Dunrobin Road, Mashpee MA 02649; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com

 

66JD We Lost Another Good Man 

Most of you already know that Bob Siebert passed away on Aug. 7. Bob received his undergraduate degree from Belmont Abbey College, and it was Abbot Placid Solari, OSB, a monk of the abbey, who initially reported the sad news to Paul Polking. Bob was a Vietnam vet, having served in the Army. He worked for the federal government for over 40 years and enjoyed world travel and photography. He was a frequent contributor to International Travel News. Bob suffered a fatal heart attack following a long battle with heart and ambulatory issues. Jim Murray noted that it was a shame that such a pleasant person had such a difficult time over the last few years. Tom Harvey referred to Bob as a “good guy” and Tom Griffin, still living in Monaco with his wife, Sandra, called him “a lovely man with deep-seated beliefs” and someone who led a “full and interesting Christian life.” Tom and Sandra have avoided COVID and feel that living in Monaco has provided “a bit of an oasis” from the virus. They had plans to return to the US to visit relatives in Texas, California and Michigan at the end of October, which is their first trip back since June of 2020. That’s it for news from you. No news from you equals no news in this column. Please send any information you have about classmates to me at my email address below. If you get to southwest Florida, give me a call so we can get together. Stay safe and stay healthy. — Scott Maxwell; 2781 Siena Lakes Circle, Unit 2444, Naples FL 34109; cell 215- 920-0616; ndscotty@gmail.com

 

67 Memphis Boys

Danny Canale and Karl Gustke came from Memphis to Notre Dame together in 1963. This year they drove from Nashville, where Danny lives, to Memphis together for the 150th anniversary celebration of their high school, Christian Brothers of Memphis. Charlie Fosters was a third delegate from Memphis Christian Brothers to the class of 1967. Danny was salutatorian from that high school class. Notre Dame admissions allowed Karl to enter to balance out Danny’s academic prowess. Dan was a pathologist after graduating from medical school at Vanderbilt U and a residency at Yale U. He retired a few years ago after being head of the pathology department at Baptist Hospital of Nashville. He has since been a medical director at two startup biotech companies, one of which has gone public. Karl was a pilot for 30 years, first with the Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam, and then with United Airlines where he flew 757s and eventually became an instructor at United’s Denver training center. He resides with wife Melba on boat-front property in St. Petersburg FL. Jerry Romanek from the northwest side of Chicago writes that area Domers get together annually at Christmas. Most of the group also played softball when on campus as students. Included is Bob Michalak, center field, a retired partner at Roche, now residing in Evanston IL and president of his HOA in Palm Beach FL; Mike Novy, second base, retired from the IRS and now teaches law at Loyola U Chicago Law School, residing in DesPlaines; Gene Klesta, pitcher, retired from Underwriter’s Lab and resides in Naperville IL; and Rich Luckew, coach, retired from Wright Patterson AF Avionics and resides in Brookhaven GA. Jerry retired from Abbott Lab as director of quality assurance for Asia, Africa and South America and resides in Niles IL. Not in attendance were the outfielders except for Dan Savaiano, short center, residing in Lake Lulu WI. Jerry can usually be found on football weekends at Bob Denvir’s tailgate party, which seems like class of ’67 headquarters. Leo Collins and George Goeddeke informed us about the ’66 National Champs 55th reunion held over the Purdue victory weekend. The health of many of the teammates and classmates was a point of discussion. Angelo Schirelli and Harry Alexander helped co-chair the weekend along with class president George. Captain Jim Lynch had a sore throat during the weekend and was not able to speak, but was in attendance. About 20 teammates attended a memorial Mass for Brian Boulac ’63, ’65MA, who was their freshman coach. Each wore a properly designated Irish football jersey with numbers from their playing days, which was much appreciated by Brian’s widow, Micki. Mark Hubbard ’72, author of Undisputed about the 1966 team, and a biography on Ara Parseghian that will be published soon, hosted an evening at his home. The second evening was held at the Morris Park Country Club and was attended by the first lady of Notre Dame football, Katie Parseghian. Several members spread out across various media outlets to satisfy questions about “where are they now?” including Tim Gorman, Terry Hanratty ’69, Nick Eddy and George. Rocky Blier ’68 and his son produced a memorial video for the event. Kevin Hardy could not attend due to having undergone many surgeries and losing about 110 pounds. Larry Conjar could not attend due to his caregiving responsibilities for his wife, Donna. Dick Swatland and Ron Jezorski attended in wheelchairs because of medical issues. Tim Gorman recently had heart surgery. Hawkeye from the MASH unit was on standby for the weekend in case any further medical issues arose. John Raniere’s widow, Sharon, informed us that Earl Catron of Coral Springs FL passed away May 28. Earl was a member of the Irish marching band and a rock band, The Nightlighters, while on campus. Earl had a real estate business in North Broward County FL and was awarded emeritus status in 2008. Andy Reardon wanted us to know that Pat Finneran was appointed to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Pat was a decorated Marine Corps pilot with over 20 years in the Corps, including three tours in Vietnam. After his military career, Pat headed the Boeing Aircraft production facility in St. Louis. Pat and his wife live outside Atlanta. Please write with info about our classmates. — Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com

 

67JD Traveling Resumes, Sort Of

Samantha and Jack Couch managed to travel to Alaska on a cruise that had been delayed for a year. The rest of the year was routine travel to medically related offices. Roseanne and Jim Harrington are traveling a bit, but only to the myriad doctor appointments and a procedure to implant a stent. A non-medical trip was to aN ND home game. Please keep their daughter, Maris, in your prayers as she continues her long fight against COVID. Beth and Frank Verterano celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August with a small party at home. They are using their season tickets to Wisconsin and ND football games. Dave Francescani and Ken Lazarus dropped a line to express awe at Tony Luber’s trial schedule in this, his 80th year. The rest of us share that sentiment. Bobby Barkley, living 50 miles north of New Orleans, sheltered in place as Hurricane Ida blew through town. He survived the storm but then traveled to Alabama until power was restored. Bobby, the youngest in our class, is also traveling more for doctor visits. However, he doesn’t often self-medicate, but he does self-diagnose and concludes that his medical resources can’t match TV’s Marcus Welby MD. Lynne and Ted Sinars traveled to Acadia National Park for daily hikes and eating lobster (at $30 per pound) for nearly every meal. They loved Maine and, but for the seven-month winters, they would consider relocating. Sean Keenan writes that he had another medical episode that landed him in the hospital for four days, but he’s recovered and at home. The upside of his episode was that his daughters and their families came to town for extended visits. John Blasi was at the Cincinnati game with two of his children and visited one of his grandsons, who is a sophomore. Jerry Berthold reports that he got a breakthrough COVID infection after attending his high school reunion. Of course, he promptly shared the infection with his wife, Margaret. But the symptoms were not bad, more like a bad cold, and both are feeling much better. The setback caused them to miss the early part of their annual family reunion trip to the West Coast, but they still spent three wonderful weeks with the grandchildren. Jack Harty, according to one man’s opinion, celebrated 55 years of blissful marriage; we await the opinion of Maureen, his better half. Apparently, as I understand it, Jack, in a dispute over his electric utility bill, moved north from Southern California along the coast to the Monterey Peninsula only to discover that he still has the same electric utility company. However, the summers are 30 degrees cooler, and the scenery is beautiful. John Nelson continues his very active lifestyle with hunting and fishing and volunteering in public service with the local police, overseeing judges’ performance in the 7th Judicial District and helping to run a local non-profit transit company. Since leaving his legal career in Phoenix, he has assisted in building eight public structures near his ranch. Wife Linda threw him a surprise 80th birthday party at the beginning of the year. Kudos to Mike Seng, co-executive director of John Marshall Law School’s (UIC) Fair Housing Legal Support Center & Clinic, who was honored by the Catholic Lawyers Guild in Chicago at the 87th annual Votive Red Mass. Mike was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his long career of work focused on discrimination in housing in the Chicago community. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; 252-638-5913; im4irish@aol.com

 

68 Sadness, Comfort and Joy

In short order, within 24 hours, the announcements came: Rick Oldani telling of wife Kaysie’s death in Phoenix just before their 52nd wedding anniversary, followed a month later by the death in Houston of Ed LaVigne, who had been Rich’s best man. Then, on Oct. 1, Bob Ptak, ever a mainstay of the Chicago classmates, died. All this occurred soon after Joe Masley ’01 wrote of the death of his father, John Masley, on June 20. Rick Oldani met Kathryn “Kaysie” when she approached the Coca-Cola stand he was manning at a Stepan Center concert junior year. Kaysie’s funeral took place on their anniversary. Ed LaVigne, from Coral Gables FL, was an electrical engineer and a musician who played bass guitar. Bob Ptak, frequently at the center of any party, managed to pass while Notre Dame was enjoying an undefeated season. Small comfort there, and perhaps a factor in the team’s loss the next day. John Masley, a mathematics professor at U of Illinois-Chicago, matched his brilliance in the subject (PhD from Princeton) with his success as a husband and father. After Oct. 17, see the obituaries, including that received from Bill Betz’s daughter Emma, at ndclass1968.com. May time and the comfort we give our classmates’ families now dull the sharpness of each loss. A year and some months after his death, Joe Kernan’s classmates raised funds for a tree and a bench that was dedicated before the North Carolina game on Oct. 30. The memorial is near the Walsh Family Hall of Architecture donated by Matt Walsh and his wife, Joyce, and the future site of the Raclin Murphy Art Museum donated by Carmie and Chris Murphy. Judy and Tom Culcasi organized a largely Keenan hall reunion in August, including a picnic in the Culcasi backyard, a boat tour of the Chicago River and lakefront and a Lemont restaurant dinner that deepened friendships for Tom Phillips, Bill Cleary, Mike Obiala, Tom Curtin, John Soleau, Joe Hale, Phil Mika, Ed Marsh, Dan Collins, Steve LaPlante, Ted Bratthauar, Mike Woods, John Walsh, Chris Murphy, Gene Cavanaugh, Bryan Dunigan and Fred Ferlic. Tom Phillips’ friend Ellen and all the wives kept the reunion and the boat in their channels. Pete Farrell, longtime Princeton track coach, was appointed to the Hall of Fame by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, honoring his merits as the man he has always been, not just the coach he was for many years. Bob Brady will celebrate his December birthday with a Naples FL party and a performance of some new cabaret material. Bob’s former roommate Brian Schanning recently unearthed photos from 1973, when, just out of the military and, as in the case of Nancy Carlin ’69SMC and me, recently married, we posed on seaside rocks during a Boston-area gathering. We men, in comparison to today, were hirsute. Judge for yourself on the blog: ndclass1968.com. Correspondence that began with Walt Moxham’s notice of an Observer letter assailing the cost and inconvenience of viewing games through streaming led to his former roommate Tom Brislin presenting his own supporting view in new correspondence to the University. Let me know if you would like to read Tom’s thoughtful letters about Notre Dame as we knew it. A painting by Tom Fitzharris appeared in an online show of the New York Studio School alumni during August. In the footsteps of Paul Zalesky, Mike Moore and many other grandparents, Nancy and I have relocated from Chicago to Long Beach CA. Our travels included along-the-route stops for camping near the Madison IN accommodations of Mary Ann and Tom McKenna; nights in Alexandria VA with Elise Stephens Reeder; lunch with Jay Schwartz and Pat Collins; and New England visits with Joan and Will Dunfey and Anne and Tom Condon. There should be no diminishment in news of the Chicago area classmates gathered around class president Tom Weyer. Instead, there should be an uptick in California news once we and the locals Bill Kelly, John O’Connor, Forrest Hainline, Dan Lungren, Tom Warner, Mike Helmer, Rich Pivnicka, Mike Burgener and wintering Tom Phillips gather beneath the Great ’68 flag at a Burning Man. Please send news and photos to the new address, same phone number. — Tom Figel; 455 East Ocean Blvd., Apt. 202, Long Beach CA 90802; 312-241-7917; tfigel@reputecture.com; notes and photos at ndclass1968.com

 

68JD A Close Class

On a positive note, Carole Sandner noted how much she enjoys the column, and the closeness of our class. Skip Griffin advised that he had a nice visit with Charlie Weiss and his wife at the St. Morris event in Chicago for the Shamrock game. Charlie added that he attended the Notre Dame Law School reception at the Chicago Athletic Club on Friday evening before the game. Kevin Warren ’90JD, the Big Ten Commissioner and a Notre Dame Law School graduate, spoke at the event, as did Law School Dean G. Marcus Cole. As to the visit between Charlie and Skip, Weiss added that Skip is one of the premier appellate lawyers in Illinois. The following weekend Charlie, along with Tom Curtin, attended the Notre Dame-Cincinnati game. Tom and Charlie are on the Notre Dame Alumni Association Board and the fall meeting was held in the week before the game. At the Law School tailgate before the game, Charlie and Tom spoke with John Hargrove ’64, ’67JD, who was a year ahead of us and who is a retired bankruptcy judge from San Diego. They also spoke with Jim Starshak ’66, ’69JD, who was a year behind us. Jim practices in Honolulu but flew over to attend the game. Cincinnati beat us and snapped our 23-game streak of home victories. Tom provided an update on his family. On the Curtin grandparenting effort, he reported his failures. Grandson Collin is a sophomore at the U of Miami and his brother Ryan is a freshman at Alabama. There is hope for Collin, who is a pre law/business major. Grandson Matty informed Tom in no uncertain terms that he was going to ND, Duke or Princeton. Grandson Dylan graduated from the U of Scranton and is working in the finance department at Tommy Hilfiger. Tom continues his work as president of Autism NJ that helps grandson Tommy and many others. Tom is still working full time at McElroy Deutsch in Morristown and continues to chair the USDC New Jersey Lawyers Advisory Committee. We received an update from Bob Sidman, which said, “Greetings from Ohio. Mary and I have curtailed our wanderlust for almost two years, but we hope to resume some travel adventures soon. On the schedule is a trip to Tucson early next year to meet up with (Rich Hennessey and Dennis Kelly and wives). We sold our second home in Sarasota to spend more time closer to our daughters’ families here in Columbus and in Madison WI. Our two grandsons are now 15 and almost 12. Mary and I remain healthy and thankfully free of COVID, although we lost two close friends to the virus. We send our best wishes to everyone in our class.” Pat Pacella shared with us the unfortunate death of his daughter, Theresa. She was a tremendous tennis player and traveled the world in her tennis career. She loved her family and will be missed by all. Our prayers for Diane and Pat and the entire family. As Jim McGovern noted after reviewing Theresa’s obituary, “My, oh my, what an impressive life she lived.” In closing, let’s remember the deceased members of our class, including John Amerman, Emilio Belluomini, John Burgess, Albert Dudash, Richard Hirsch, Joseph Ladd, E. Miller, Jack Sandner and Robert Wilczek. — Dennis G. Collins; 2203 Derby Way, St. Louis MO 63131; bus 314-516-2648; dgc@greensfelder.com

 

69 Minireunions in the Time of Delta

Mike Cerre has produced four segments for PBS NewsHour since Aug. 24 on Bill Pinkey’s solo sail around the world, the power of music to heal, the Taliban threatening Afghan agriculture, and Seattle’s Vietnamese helping Afghan refugees. In August, the fourth annual MKE-ORD Brewers’ game outing included these from Chicagoland: Mike Brennan, Jim Burke, Jack Gannon, John Hodel, Mike Keane, Mike McDermott, Peter McInerney, Ebby Moran, John Nesbitt, Gene O’Malley, Tim Schlindwein; from Moline Dick Farrell and John Leinart; from Casper WY Neil Short; from Wisconsin John Berres, Tom DeChant, Don Jacobson, Tom Ladky, Jim Lyons, Mike Ryan, Brian Schmidlin and yours truly John Hickey. Gathering at the Toledo game were Terry Fiorna, Mike Fogarty, and Dan Merritt. Sixteen Innsbruckers met for their annual reunion and shared a Friday dinner, a Saturday tailgate hosted by Sharon and Chuck Nelson, a postgame dinner at Judy and Bill Hennig’s Niles MI home, and Sunday memorial service for recently deceased Bill Clark and Tim Weizer at the Holy Cross Chapel in the Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering, followed by a brunch co-hosted by Mary Ann and Bob Gessner and Karen and Jim Gleason at the Gleason home. Other attendees were Jim Atkins, Jim Bennett, Jim Bodary, Andy Fedynsky, Charlene Franz, Tim Gohmann, Steve Kavalauskas, Fritz Keppler, Tom Kroblin, John Leinart, Chuck Schmidt, Rich Smith, Bob Woodrick, plus wives and guests. At the Purdue game weekend, Senior Alumni Golf Tournament participants on Thursday were Sean Duerr, Jack Hannigan, Dave Heskin (sponsored the dinner), Herb Kahler, Tommy Kraemer, Dave Seeley and Jim Slattery. (I sponsored the tournament’s 10th hole.) The ’66 National Championship team was honored at halftime. The known attendees included Bob Belden, Frank Criniti, Bob Gladieux, Terry Hanratty, Mike Holtzapfel, Eric Norri, Coley O’Brien and Tom Reynolds. Student managers and trainers Mike Busby, Len Moretti, Brad McConville, Tom Shannon and others gathered. “Farley Bros” Dick DeSimon, Tom Flanagan, Greg Ryder and Chip Stumpf met for the game. Other known attendees were Bill Costantini, Bob Dyke and Mike Ryan. At the Wisconsin game, Jim Fackelman celebrated his 50th ND MBA anniversary. Other known attendees were Dean Benner, John Kowalczyk, Jim E. Lyons, Peter McInerney, Chuck Nelson and me. At the game against Virginia Tech, Alumni Buffaloes met for their annual ACC road game. Included were Kelley Macke ’70, Jack Mahon, Bill Schweitzer, Bob Search and Brian Schmidlin. Dr. Nick Petrelli wrote, “I am still working in the cancer field as medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute in Delaware. I stopped operating several years ago as a surgical oncologist. My wife of 43 years, Cathy, and our two daughters are safe and doing well. My message to everyone is get vaccinated.” Dr. Greg Hipskind gave a talk on Oct. 1 about his published research on reversing traumatic brain injury with near infrared light at the World Association of Light/Laser Therapists Virtual Summit meeting. John Quinn and his brother Mickey met and chatted with Rocky Bleier ’68 at an Indy event. Since early October, Nancy and Paul Godbout have been visiting Paris for seven weeks. Tony Ingraffea appeared on CBS Saturday Morning Oct. 9 in the feature “Will Industrial-Scale Bitcoin Mining Impact the Environment?” Ed Fitzpatrick donated to the ND archives his father’s goalpost fragment from the 1926 ND at Army game in Yankee Stadium. 50th anniversary: Mary Alice (Herod) ’69SMC and Dick Lajoie in August. Deaths: Jim Pratt, July 20, Tucson AZ; Rob Ream, Aug. 14, Columbus NC; John May’s wife, Amanda (Crabtree) ’69SMC, Aug. 24; Hub Miller’s wife, Kate (Pastore) ’70SMC, Aug 31. Peter McInerney’s wife, Christine Oldani ’72SMC, Sept. 24; Dick Licini’s wife, Deborah, Oct. 13. Our sincerest condolences to their families and friends. Requiescant in pace. Stay healthy, and God bless. — John Hickey; jphjr47@hotmail.com; notredameclassof1969blog.blogspot.com 

 

69MBA Keeping in Touch

We held our annual reunion this year at the Toledo game and had a great turnout, including Jerry Claeys, Nick Walz, Bob and Jody Orthey, Joyce and Cliff Fleming, Linda and Joe Cavato, Peggy and Tom Condon, Vince George, Denny McCarthy and yours truly Bob Dowdell. Rick Dunn ’67 also attended, as did Natalie Sargent from the University. Unfortunately, our coordinator, Ken Samara, pulled up sick the night before departure and couldn’t attend. We have targeted the Cal game next year for our next reunion and everyone is invited. Ken and Denny will get information to you in plenty of time. We continue to have our biweekly Zoom calls, normally on Monday evenings. The meeting includes about five to 10 classmates and lasts 60 to 90 minutes. We have two new additions to the Zoom group: Bill Fong, who lives in Westbury, Long Island, after several years in Hong Kong, and Jim Mossey, who, after many years in sunny Indiana, now lives near Bob Orthey, so they get together in the Twin Cities. As I read the columns around our class, they read like obituary lists, so everyone take care of yourselves. — Bob Dowdell; 31625 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach CA 92651; 714-381-6104; bobdowdell55@gmail.com

 

69JD Minireunion

Planning an event on campus proved to be difficult, but not impossible. Events from 2020 were held this year along with the events planned for 2021. Joe Kennedy took Amtrak to South Bend and back to Poughkeepsie. Joe Frantin flew into Chicago and stayed with Sue and me before we drove to Notre Dame. We had a great dinner at Rosebuds in Chicago. Tony Siemer and Lady Di endured the seven-hour drive to and from Teutopolis IL. Lynn and Tim McLaughlin were a great help, especially taking us to the South Bend Farmer’s Market. Scott Atwell called us and extended his greetings and was sorry he missed getting together with us. Although our group was small, we had ample time to talk about everything from our lives, and from Greek history to football. Tom McCusker was a late cancellation. He was struck by a car in the parking lot of a grocery store. Tom was recovering but not fast enough to join the reunion. Hugh Mundy had a last-minute engagement and missed the reunion, as did Jim Mackin. George Ball sent me an email during the reunion and wanted to get together with me in Honolulu on his way back from Jakarta. Sue and I had dinner with Anne and Dave Prior before the Cincinnati game. They missed the reunion to attend a family wedding. The Law School hosted an event before the game and I had a chance to talk with Tom Curtin ’68JD and Charlie Weiss ’68JD, who attended the affair. Joe Kennedy and Merle Wilberding are putting the final touches on “The Saga,” an unofficial history of our three years at the Law School. Dean G. Marcus Cole has agreed to add a note on the status of the Law School 50 years after our graduation. The small group at the reunion allowed us to witness “Frantinizing,” the ability of Joe Frantin to engage perfect strangers in a conversation in which they bare their souls to him in Spanish or in English. Until our next reunion in 2024, stay well and stay safe. — Jim Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; res 808-395-0443; cell 808-7784033; starman@hawaii.rr.com