1980s

80 Fighting For . . . 

Our very own Bob Jones, professor and associate dean for experiential programs in the Notre Dame Law School, was featured in the first installment of ND’s award-winning “What Would You Fight For?” series. In it, he and his students in the Appalachia Externship are “fighting to educate a different kind of lawyer” and in so doing, helping disabled Kentuckians have their Social Security benefits restored. And, they do the work because, in the words of one of the students, Brendan O’Leary ’22JD, the Kentuckians “lose some of their dignity.” Tim Fort received the Distinguished Career Faculty Award from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (sort of the Oscar for lifetime achievement). You can see Tim’s LinkedIn post for more background. Dr. Tricia Curtin was on campus this fall to accept the Rev. Putz Award from the ND Senior Alumni. She accepted it on behalf of all the ND Haiti teams for 16 trips to Haiti. Tricia notes that while her name may be on the award, it was not just for her but rather for all those who have worked in service to Haiti. Classmate Cindy Lupica, part of the Senior Alumni team, took the opportunity to visit and catch up. Leaders all, Tricia was the youngest senior alum to receive this award—something Chair Dan Kimball ’68 made a point of saying. Tricia enjoyed seeing Dolly Duffy ’84 at the event. Joining Tricia was another classmate, Fr. Tom Streit, CSC, PhD ’94, chaplain of the senior alumni group. Paul Lewis reports that he dropped off his daughter Clare in August. She is in Badin, the oldest female dorm—not Sorin, but pretty cool. She joins her brother Jack, who is a junior in Keenan. Per Paul, the Sorin renovation looks great. Paul saw his old roommate Phil Hicks during his visit. All should check out his book Old Notre Dame about his year at Sorin during our class. Paul visited Joe Slovenic’s gravesite and noted the wonderful care provided by the Cedar Grove Cemetery staff. Tim Higgins has been offering color commentary on the TV broadcasts of the Oregon HS Soccer team for the local cable access company OCA Media. That’s one way to cope with an empty nest! José Valdivia notes that his second grandchild (a girl, Elise) was born in August. The parents, his son Joey and his wife, Maura, are both Double Domers (undergrad and law), so some have strong ND bloodlines. Our hearts go out to Pat Lavin Riley, Martin Brown, and brother Paul Brown who lost their mothers; and the family of Jeffrey T. Sullivan. We add a special note of consolation for Conrad Majewski who lost his sister in a tragic accident. — Mary Ellen Woods; mew.1980@alumni.nd.edu; facebook.com/groups/notredame80/

 

80MBA Thankful and Lucky

I spoke with Victor Yaendel after Hurricane Ian hit and he described a harrowing experience in living through that nightmare. Vic and his wife Laurie reside in Englewood FL, which was close to the left eye wall of the storm. They suffered water, window, and roof damage. Vic said one out of three homes suffered major damage. They hunkered down in an interior closet during the worst part of the storm but thankfully, they are safe and only lost power for about seven hours. The football game against California brought several of our classmates to South Bend including Mike Maloney and his son Thomas and daughter-in-law, Tori. Thomas will be graduating soon from the Executive MBA program and works as a project manager for Walsh Construction. Mike Colbert and his son Andrew also attended and were joined by Walt Zukowski. Mike is retired but is very active in many volunteer organizations. Walt is still working as an attorney in Peru IL and loving it in large part because of his great professional and support staff. He credits his wife, Nancy, who is the office manager, as essential to the business. They are expecting their eighth grandchild around the new year and their final child, Abigail, is getting married next April. Rich Walker drove up from Denton TX and stopped at several historical places along the way including traveling back in time to visit the 1918 WWI hero Alvin York’s homestead in Tennessee. Rich did not have a ticket to the game but figured he could buy one from a scalper outside the stadium. We had to break the news to him that this was 2022, not 1918, and that paper tickets no longer existed. Fortunately for Rich, Mike Colbert had an extra ticket, so he was able to attend. Mike Previte wrote to say that his retirement plan is now up to date, and he will end his full-time teaching role in June. He expects to do a lot of volunteer workshops with his parish and some corporate training as well. He adds that of course, retirement includes travel with his wife, Laura. Smart add, Mike. Nancy (Zaytoun) Kenna says that her family of North Carolina graduates would be attending the Tar Heels football game against the Irish. They were in South Bend for our mini-reunion a few years ago. Dave Kavanagh drove in from Chicago just to hang out at our tailgater before the game and then drove back. Everyone was glad to catch up with him including our tailgate hosts Dan Buck ’79MBA, Len Morris ’79MBA, Tom Brogan ’79MBA, John Hurley ’79MBA, and Doug Wetmore ’79. Dave said that Pete King was attending the game but was with a large family contingent and was not able to meet with us beforehand. Scott Jessup was also sorry to have missed the mini-reunion but had a very good reason as he was in Spain on a bike trip. Scott adds that they were all on e-bikes, so it sounds more impressive than it was, but that they had a great time. He also graciously commented on the pictures I sent that we all looked unchanged from 1980, but I think the Spanish air may have affected Scott’s vision slightly. It was nice to hear from classmates who also sent in comments and good wishes, including Larry Sellars, Molly (Murtagh) Meyers, Neil McMahon, and Doug Cooper. Please drop me a line if you have a new email address, contact info, or just to say hello to the class. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. — Joe Kearney; 475-225-1421; jos.w.kearney@gmail.com

 

80JD Class Secretary — Sheila O’Brien;

sobrien368@aol.com

 

81 Books, Friendship, Loss

The Rev. Dr. Robert Phillips is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Washington. His new book, A Space for Grace: Pathways from Brokenness to Beauty, invites us on a journey to reflect upon times of personal brokenness using psychological, theological, and relationship-focused lenses. Classmates attended book talks in the fall for Kathy Corcoran’s book, In the Mouth of the Wolf: A Murder, a Cover-Up, and the True Cost of Silencing the Press. One reviewer wrote, “A searing look at the unsolved 2012 murder of Regina Martínez . . . succeeds both as an homage to the heroic Martínez and as a gripping real-life whodunit.” Brian Clingen and his wife, Deidre, have generously funded the Clingen Family Center at the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies. The center expands our study of Ireland and its place in the modern world by sponsoring and supporting ND faculty, faculty exchanges, fellowships, and student summer internships in Ireland. In addition, lectures, workshops, and conferences at the University and in Ireland engage faculty, students, academic collaborators, and the Notre Dame and Irish studies communities. Bill Hochul and his wife, Kathy, welcomed their first granddaughter, Sofia, via their son Will ’13JD and his wife, Christina. Their home in Albany is near Bill’s former ND roommate Dr. Chet Meisel. Last spring, eight Fisher-ites and their spouses rented a home in Asheville NC for a reunion weekend, including Tim Mitchell, Bob Heimach, and Thom Englert. This was their third reunion weekend in recent years. Robert Durgin, Kevin Smith, Keith Melaragno, Tom Gibbons, Brian McMorrow, Janet Bergeron, Rose Tenney, Anne Fink Roy, Gilbert Salinas, Billy Kane, Lynne and Paul Thomas Partridge, Susan Melley Molinaro, and Cathy Klee Miller got together for the ND-BYU game in Las Vegas. Our class had a big reunion at the ND-Stanford game and you know this list is not complete—it came mostly from attendees’ memories (!): Amy Olin Mathes, Ann Marie Pearson Lei, Ann Smith Miller, Anne Conradt Wilson, Barb Corbett, Beth Toomey, Betsy Shadley Bernard, Bob Gerth, Bob Ziton, Brendan Foley, Brian Glade, Brian Morris, Brian Murphy, Cathy Klee Miller, Chuck Neff, Craig Chval, Dan Bruno, Danny Flynn, Dan Gonzales, Dave Bernards, Dave Link, Dave Lockard, Dorothy and Dave Walker Pusateri, Diane DeBoer Salat, Donna Leary Smith, Eileen Tarpey, Ginny McCarthy Logue, Ginny Morrison Gadel, Jack Murphy, Jana Schutt Patchen, Jane Stoffel Gerold, Janet Bergeron, Jim Crowe, Jim Veraldi, Jo Cameron, John Gschwind, John Solari, Kathleen Durkin Ferry, Kathy Corcoran, Kay Mangelsdorf, Keith Melaragno, Kevin Cleary, Kevin Hawkins, Kevin Lovejoy, Mara Hart Filo, Meg Goerner Collins, Mike “Pro” Burke, Mike Grace, MJ Johnston, Nancy Haegel, Nick Vehr, Pat Glennon, Paul Mansky, Ray Schmitt, Rick Valencia, Shaun McAuley Corry, Stephen Hoey, Ted Horan, Tim Comerford, Tim Murphy, Tim Twardzik, Tom Gibbons, Tom Jennings, Tommy Langan, and Walter Keating. Phew! Six Lewis Hall women met up in Hawaii: Cathy Costello O’Dea, Sheila Shand Webster, Debbie Loverde Frogameni, Kathy Zarate, Joni Clark, and Madeline Philbin. Madeline works as a regional organizer for the ONE Campaign (co-founded by U2’s Bono), a global movement advocating for policies that put an end to extreme poverty and preventable disease. She does quite a bit of stateside travel with ONE, and for about two weeks each year through Catholic Relief Services, she travels to Africa where she facilitates leadership training for farmer co-ops. Mary Keleher Castle recently walked the Camino de Santiago, from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, then on to Finisterre. Mary would be happy to share tips with anyone interested. I am sorry to report that Bill Siewe passed away last June. He was part of the 1977 National Championship football team and I loved this description of one key play he was part of: “...as Bill Siewe snapped the ball to holder Tim Koegel, the wind stopped, the seas parted, and 59,075 Notre Dame faithful glanced down from the heavens just long enough to see [Harry] Oliver’s game-saving, 51-yard prayer collapse over the crossbar.” Remember?? Bill was known as a kind-hearted brother, husband, and father, and was always keeping his friends and family laughing. Please pray for his wife, Sheila, and their family. Please email updates before our next deadline—you are loved members of the Class of ’81 and we want to know how you are doing. Thanks to everyone who has already shared updates and those of you who are now inspired. — Mary Murphy; marymurphy81@alumni.nd.edu

 

81MBA Where Did Summer Go?

Well, summer is over, and the football season is halfway over (may be a good or a bad thing, or both). Trying times for the team and fans, but I have faith! Go Irish! It was a busy summer for Sheila and I and our extended family. A great vacation to Higgins Lake MI and lots of great family time and our three grandsons (Keagan, 7.5; twins Finn and Madden, 6) loved the lake life! I’ve been traveling pretty extensively including just wrapping up a two-week business trip to Europe (Hamburg, Milan, Berlin, Rotterdam, Amsterdam). Looking forward to a quiet Nov/Dec. I suffered through the Marshall and Stanford games in South Bend and will be at UNLV, Clemson, and BC. Kathy and Bob Weidner celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary in August, and she has been cancer-free for five years! Their daughter, Lauren, and son-in-law Zach are expecting their second child on Nov. 1—older brother Noah turned 2 on Aug. 21. Their youngest son Matt got married on Sept. 17. He and their daughter-in-law, Lindsey, live in Chicago and love golf. Their middle child, Rob, is engaged to be married in Cape Town, South Africa, next March. He and his fiancée, Cassidy, live in Carlsbad CA. Bob is completing his 21st year at the Metals Service Center Institute and plans on working another seven to nine years, God willing. They occasionally see Carol and Park Owens as they both belong to Biltmore CC in North Barrington. Mike Langnecker commented that I am truly a road warrior—thanks, Mike, it keeps me young! Mike doesn’t think that he’s been on a plane in four years and not sure that he would remember how to get to Pittsburgh International Airport. Mike has not been to a game in years, but is hopeful to return to see a game on campus when the Irish turn things around a bit. Mike’s daughter and her husband did go out to Vegas for the BYU game. Hey Mike, they should go to every game based on the results of that game! Mike and Jan are busy doing all kinds of fun things that 67-year-olds do and Mike said he’s really excited about our 8.7% Social Security raise for 2023! Susan Leopold writes that she loved my photo of the Dome in my email soliciting class updates! She hopes that the next several games will be a more positive experience than the Stanford game. Susan and her husband did two Traveling Irish trips this year and recommended the group. Although they have traveled quite a bit, they had never done an organized tour before. She got tired of doing her own research and bookings so they tried the Traveling Irish for a trip to Yellowstone. Since it was a fantastic experience, they booked another to western Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer, which was also an awesome experience. On a personal note, Susan decided to take up horseback riding (English) about six months ago. She always loved looking at horses but never had the time or money to pursue the adventure until now. According to Susan, horses are God’s perfect creation! In an overly crazy and hectic world, they bring calm and peace. The outside of horses is good for the inside of people! She rides twice a week and just loves learning something new. For anyone with an inclination toward animals and nature, she highly recommends horses. They are addictive…in fact, Susan recently purchased the horse on which she has been training! His name is Lookey! Jim Connelly, like most of us, is pretty dismayed with the football team thus far. OK, Jim, now that we have your correct email (thanks to Chris Grant) we’ll look forward to some outstanding updates from you in the future! Chris Grant checks in to let us know that he will be at the ND UNLV. His son Christopher ’14 and some of his ND friends in Chicago are having a father’s weekend, with that game as part of the fun. He looks forward to connecting with any MBA classmates and shares his cell number: 484 431-7044. Remember, please send me your current email address so I can update the class list. I look forward to sharing more news from even more of our ’81 classmates! Go Irish!! — Steve Simmerman; 3126 E. Desert Broom Way, Phoenix AZ 85048; cell 602-524-7662; srsimmerman@gmail.com

 

81JD Authors and Awards

Claire Skinner reports that she and her husband, Jim, live three blocks from the gulf in Naples FL and are “incredibly grateful that their house was spared the devastation from Hurricane Ian experienced by so many others—just one block from us. In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing Mike Palumbo and Peter Durand at the wedding of the youngest daughter of our dear departed classmate Fred Miller and his widow, Martha Durand Miller.” Since his retirement from president of Canisius University, John Hurley has been pedaling his bike all across America. Jim Blase just completed the fourth and final volume in his four-volume Theodore Roosevelt U.S. Travels series of books, which is available on Amazon. The book is titled A Bittersweet Journey: Theodore Roosevelt’s 1902 New England Trip. Give Kids A Chance (gkac.org), a charity started in 2004 by Brian McDonough, recently held its 18th annual charity event in Miami Beach. The proceeds of the event will enable the charity to award 25 $5,000 scholarships to low-income high school seniors to assist them in pursuing their dreams of going to college. Since its inception, over 450 scholarships have been awarded to high school seniors. Tim Rastello’s daughter, Mackenzie Rastello ’22JD, graduated from NDLS magna cum laude in May. Tim was given the incredible privilege of “hooding” her at the ceremony, an honor that is reserved for lawyers holding a degree from ND. “One of the highlights of my life, for sure.” Jim Blase is not the only author in our class. Lori Masters published the third edition of her book, Liability Insurance in International Arbitration: The Bermuda Form, in early 2022. Lori is also chair of the board of the Human Trafficking Legal Center, which trains lawyers to represent survivors of human trafficking and helps them achieve justice (and recover unpaid wages, stolen passports, etc.) and in more recent years now also is focused on calling out and eliminating slavery in global supply chains. TJ Piskorski reports that Ellen McLaughlin of Seyfarth Shaw received the 2022 Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law’s Inspiration Award. The Inspiration Award is given to a female attorney who serves as an inspiration to other female attorneys in areas of professional excellence, personal achievement, and gender parity. Contrary to previous representations about retirement, John Fitzpatrick tried two cases to verdict—one in Atlanta defending Emory Hospital—hung jury, 8–4 for defense where plaintiff asked for $60 million. Two weeks later he went to Dallas for a week-long trial defending an oil company. Got a defense verdict. He is defending another oil company in Santa Fe in November. “So I’m slowing down. . . . But next year will be different.” What’s the over/under? Bob Allen’s son, Ryan, was one of 16 boys invited in his age division to the Little Mo National Tennis Tournament in Austin, and is now a top 10 player for 11 and under players in the US. Professionally, Bob helped organize the first Superyacht Law Summit in Monaco in September, during the Monaco Yacht Show, where he spoke on the subject of “Comparative Approaches to Yacht Transactions: The American and Mediterranean Models” and also moderated at the Marine Money Yacht Finance Forum a conversation on “The State of the Yacht Industry,” featuring the subject of the Russian yacht seizures and due process. The summary of my Canadian Maritime Provinces cruise is postponed until a later edition, perhaps forever. Good luck and Go Irish. — Michael R. Palumbo; 4729 Casey Lane, Cave Creek AZ 85331; cell 602-703-0358; bus 602-262-5931; mpalumbo@jsslaw.com

 

82 Class Secretary — Dave and Tess Lewis;

30 Battle Ridge Road, Morris Plains NJ 07950; cell 973-219-4050; tess@lewislegal.com; dave@lewislegal.com

 

82MBA Class Secretary — Renne (Amirkanian) Sutherland;

mobile 630-846-2707; reneemsr@aol.com

 

82JD Deacon Tim

Tim Nickels’ daughter, Nora, was married in Chicago in July. Cele (Glacy) Baty, Carol, and I were on hand for the beautiful ceremony. After Tim walked Nora down the aisle, he quickly changed into his vestments and concelebrated the Mass and delivered a very touching homily in his role as an ordained Deacon of the Catholic Church. The wedding took place at the same church where Wendy and Tim were married 33 years ago. Cele and Bruce Baty and Carol and I spent two weeks in Italy in July to celebrate our 65th birthdays. We visited Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany, and Lake Orta and, of course, had fantastic food and wine along the way. One of the highlights of the trip was having lunch with the US ambassador to the Holy See, Hon. Joe Donnelly ’77, ’81JD, and his wife, Jill ’76, at the ambassador’s villa in Rome. Ophelia Camiña was featured in an article in Lawdragon in July for being named one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers. Ophelia is a partner with Susman Godfrey in Dallas. Kim (Ptak) and Tim Rooney, Anita and Tom Veldman, Sheila and Perry Vieth, and Carol and I were on campus over the Marshall weekend for the Law School Advisory Council meetings. The Veldmans were also celebrating the birth of their ninth grandchild. Bruce Baty, Liz (Medina) and Greg Imhoff, John Smith, and Carol and I were on campus over the Cal weekend for the NDLA board meeting. Condolences to Ed McNally, whose father, Dr. Randall McNally, passed away in July at the age of 92. Dr. McNally was a plastic surgeon. In 1972 he performed skin grafts for Kim Phan Thi, the 9-year-old South Vietnamese girl better known as the “napalm girl,” who was seen in a Pulitzer Prize–winning photo running down a road screaming in pain. — Fran Julian; ndlaw82@gmail.com

 

83 Reunion is Coming!

Mark your calendars! Our 40th class reunion is coming up from June 1-4 on campus. These reunions are terrific events and offer a great opportunity to reconnect with your classmates. We are seeking volunteers to assist at reunion with service at the Class Mass, including Eucharistic ministers, acolytes, musicians, and people to bring the gifts to the altar. If you are interested, please contact me or Clare Padgett. Please remember Patrick Butler, Jill (Counts) Posuniak, and Marianne Fitzpatrick, wife of Bob Fitzpatrick, and their families in your prayers. Patrick, Jill, and Marianne have all recently passed away. Patrick Gallagher has published a children’s book, Uncle Sam Is Coming To Town (With Santa Claus), which is available for purchase on Amazon. Patrick also reports that he and his wife, Roberta, welcomed a grandson, Padraig Mark, in January. Padraig’s parents are Sarah ’21MDiv and Thomas Gallagher ’16. Congratulations to the Gallaghers. Cindy (Walter) and Dana Stalcup recently did a hiking tour from Valenca, Portugal/Tui, Spain, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. They walked about 100 miles in their six-day experience, including side ventures. Tom Melsheimer reports that his son Jack got married in Texas during July and that Jeanette and Greg Miller were in attendance. Tom’s son Jeff ’18 was the best man. John Goetz (from Keenan Hall) has retired as head coach of the Ridgefield CT girls’ cross country/indoor and outdoor track teams after 11 years. During his tenure, the cross-country team was 158–8 and won six state championships and eight conference championships. Michele Chynoweth had her new novel, The Wise Man, included in the available books in the Notre Dame Bookstore. The book is also available on Amazon. Michael Murphy reports that 21 Pangborn residents enjoyed a recent wonderful weekend in Nashville and Franklin TN. They enjoyed meals in various restaurants, took line dancing lessons, and toured many of the famous sites. In attendance were Steve Karaffa, John Educato, Patrick Doran, Mike Honerlaw, Jack McKenna, Bob Fricke, Tom O’Brien, Stoney Ferlman, Dave Pokel, John Hyland, Paul Ornosky, Michael Corcoran, Mark Corcoran, Matt Mullen, Chris Clouse, Tim White, John Mangan, Jim Elliott, Steve Carberry, Tom Kustner, Michael Murphy, their wives, and (although not a Pangborn resident) Mary (Rauth) O’Brien. John Goebelbecker is raising money to fight ALS in honor of his high school classmate Kevin Heller. If you are interested in supporting this cause, please contact John through the class Facebook page. Chris Temple Davis was recently able to meet up in San Francisco with Liz Crudo. He also recently got together with Sarah McGrath and Clare Padgett. Chris is raising funds for his charity, Building Trust Americas, which works to assist impoverished communities outside Bogota, Colombia. If you are interested in supporting this cause, please contact Chris through the class Facebook page. Mike O’Brien continues to provide insightful and inspiring posts on our class Facebook page. They provide wonderful life thoughts and lessons for personal reflection. Speaking of Facebook, if you aren’t a member of the class page, you may be wondering how to join. It’s simple! On Facebook, search for “Notre Dame Class of 1983” and select join. That’s all there is to it. The page is limited to members of the Class of ’83. We currently have over 530 members and would be very happy to add many more. You’ll be able to reconnect with classmates without waiting for reunion, see pictures, and get news of who will be attending various Notre Dame and non–Notre Dame events. If you have any news you’d 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 Next Generation

I received an email from Paul Lewis, who reports that his daughter Clare is now a freshman at ND, joining her brother Jack, a junior. Paul is the ethics director for BAE Systems, which has its HQ in northern Virginia. He sees Haig Kalbian every once in a while, but he is a world traveler. I also received an email from Haig, which confirms his world traveler status. Haig reports that these days, he spends a great deal of time in Dubai where his firm has offices focusing on construction arbitration matters. As we prepare for our 40th class reunion, make sure to add or update your profile on myNotreDame. I can send emails out with information about the reunion, but they will only go to those with current emails on record in myNotreDame. Please send me an update on you or a fellow classmate for this column. — Ann E. Merchlewitz; cell 507-450-6609; bus 507-457-1587; amerchle@smumn.edu

 

84 A Variety of News

Kudos to Jim Whalen, Tom Gibbons, John Sharkley, Jeffery Alton, and Joe Whelan for riding 60 miles for 60 years to raise funds for Play Like a Champion Today. Penny and Carl Bice logged 492 miles hiking in support of March with Valor 2022 to raise funds to stop soldier suicide. David Gaus, founder of Andean Health and Development, was named 2022 Catholic Doctor of the Year by the Mission Doctors Association. Susan Lubecki and Elizabeth Feely helped the Irish open their football season at the Ohio State game. Michael Molinelli is closing out Molarity with Molarity Odyssey, a graphic novel involving an ND football victory over USC and their farcical adventures as they return to South Bend. Available on Amazon. Please keep the family of Rob Ebert, who passed after a courageous battle with cancer, in your prayers. — Martha (Burns) Avery; mayoravery@comcast.net

 

84MBA Class Secretary — Dhanraj Bhagat;

dbhagat1960@gmail.com

 

84JD The Band Played On 

My wife, Jackie, and I spent time with Cathy and Jeff Ray, Michelle and Ed Ristaino and sons Kyle and Brandon, Ann and John Firth, Peter Reilly, his son Patrick and his 91-year-old father, and Mark Carney and his son Nolan in Las Vegas for the Shamrock Series game against BYU. It was especially nice to see Cathy and Jeff who currently live in Las Vegas and have not been back to campus for a football game in decades. John Firth reports that he has retired from Quality Dining, Inc., the Mishawaka-based restaurant holding company he led for many years. Ann Firth continues her service to the University as vice president and chief of staff to the president. I saw Judge Tom Schroeder on campus the weekend of the Cal game, which was also the law school homecoming weekend. I was on campus for parents’ weekend at my daughter’s dorm and to watch her playing with the Marching Band. Tom, chief judge of the Middle District of North Carolina, continues to serve as president of the Notre Dame Law Association and was on campus attending meetings. Tom shared his excitement for the current state of the law school given the outstanding caliber of students and faculty it has attracted. Prayers and condolences to Brian Moynihan and his family on the passing of his dear mother, Patricia Moynihan. Please send updates. — Matthew Dunn; 773-294-6851; mdunn19834@gmail.com

 

85 History Repeats Itself

When Rick Clark was in the London Program in 1983 he could never have guessed that his daughter Erin ’24, a Pasquerilla West resident, would follow in his footsteps 39 years later. While in London, Erin completed the London Marathon and observed the queen’s memorial service. Rick writes that these are “more unique events than any I had while there.” Erin’s twin brother, Casey, is at UW-Madison and was elected president of his fraternity as a sophomore. Rick lives in Park Ridge IL with his wife, Kathleen. He works for Grant Thornton as procurement and outsourcing director. Rick writes, “Park Ridge is equidistant from both colleges, so fortunately I see lots of them and college games.” Rick is still in contact with our classmates Joe O’Leary, Matt Revord, Kevin Duffy, Brian Hagan, and Paula Bourjaily. Breen-Phillips was in the house at Joan Rolwing’s snowbird home in Venice FL in February. In attendance were Amy Alexander (Griffin), Cindy Lagone (Vera), Martha Uhler (Kutashy), Lisa Banker (Erhardt), Paulette Marino (Heuring), Michelle Quertinmont (Rhinesmith), Peggy Healy, Marylou Bailey (Yepson), Terry Biracree (Kuczkowski), Barb Stevetski (Stevens), and Kathy Cloud (St. Amand). They traveled from Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, North Carolina, Indiana, and Pennsylvania and included some who also live in Florida. Becky Miklos and Caroline Singular couldn’t make it—and were missed. This group has been getting together about every two years since we graduated. (Michelle has attended every one of the BP mini reunions!) Joan writes, “The 1980s music and dance moves were broken out in the evenings, with beach and pool time during the day. So many great memories revisited and catching up on all the family news. As with all good friends—you just pick up where you left off— never missing a beat—no matter how long it has been since you’ve spoken. The only thing that seems to change—we can afford better wine and spirits!” The group is planning to hold the next mini reunion in Texas. Please email soon! — Kathleen Doyle Yaninek; yanzlaw@comcast.net

 

85JD Thoughts on End-of-Life Planning

If you missed reading my quarterly email seeking news, and you probably did not, it was because I was cycling through Piedmont, Italy, this fall. New hobbies and more vacation time are some of the benefits I have enjoyed after leaving my full-time legal marketing job in 2019. I now advise small law firms and medical practices on marketing. I have also been reading, writing, and speaking about an important topic: how we prepare for death. Planning for how we want to live life at the end of our lives helps us have better final days and can comfort our loved ones. Speaking of tools to help live a better life: Congratulations to Connor Toohill ’14, the son of Karen Kiley and Steve Toohill ’84JD, who was honored as one of the 2022 Domer Dozen cohort, 12 graduates ages 32 and younger who have demonstrated excellence in faith, service, learning, or work—the core pillars of the ND Alumni Association’s mission. Connor was recognized for his work creating Ritual (www.ritual.io), an app that supports mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health with guided audio practices from leaders in science, faith, and culture. I use the Ritual app and it is terrific and the contributors are amazing. Ritual received another accolade this fall when Connor’s co-founder, ND Mendoza College of Business Professor Matt Bloom, was named the first-place prize winner of the 2022 1st Source Bank Commercialization Award for his work on Ritual. Send your news, or your thoughts about end-of-life planning to my email. It would be great to hear from you. — Kelly Kiernan Largey; kellyjd1985@alumni.nd.edu

 

86 Innsbruckers Unite!

A group of 86ers from the 1983–84 Innsbruck group held an awesome reunion in Austria. Innsbruckers included Michael Foy, Peter McManus, Mark Herkert, Katy Boldt Cushing SMC, Michael Carroll, Lisa Considine, and Liz Kenney. Mark’s wife, Beth Bisignano, also joined. They had such a great time revisiting Salzburg and being with each other. After their week there, a smaller group (Mark, Beth, Lisa, Liz, and three kiddos) spent six days hut-to-hut hiking in the Dolomites. The group is already planning its next gathering! Marlena and Tim Griffin enjoyed getting back to campus a number of times this fall to see their son, a senior, play in the band. John Dearie and his wife, Stephanie, were also back to catch a game as their daughter is a freshman. Chris Hirschfeld has been a corporate finance consultant for most of his career, advising business owners on mergers and acquisitions, exit planning, and specifically ESOPs. He also provides independent business appraisals for estate and gift tax, divorces, business litigation, bank financing, and business sales and purchases. After 25 years, he decided to go out on his own, starting his own practice in September. His oldest son has also joined him in this venture. He can be found at www.capitaleanalytics.com. Wendy and Paul Kolano, Dean Sullivan, and André Hutchinson met up in Coeur d’Alene ID to attend the wedding of Marcella and Matt Johnson’s son, Henry. Matt’s father and the Johnson family patriarch, Dr. Art Johnson ’57, presided over much Notre Dame storytelling, including many fond memories of a memorable night in the famed Dillon Pub during ’86 Junior Parents Weekend. Tana and André Hutchinson kicked off last summer hosting a “Pop-Up Art Gallery and Networking” event at their home in San Diego’s Highland Valley wine country. Renowned artist Kathleen Keifer ’85 (accompanied by her husband, Jim Keifer ’85) transformed their home into an ND-themed art gallery, generously donating 20% of all proceeds to the Notre Dame Club of San Diego scholarship fund. Former ND quarterback Rick Mirer ’93 donated “Play Like A Champion Today” wine, filmmaker Pat Creadon ’89 donated signed memorabilia from his ESPN’s 30-for-30 “Catholics vs. Convicts” and the big-screen Hesburgh movie, and former ND quarterback Malik Zaire ’17 shared personal whiskey tastings featuring his Onora “Lucky Lefty” straight bourbon whiskey. Other attendees included Marcella and Matt Johnson, Annette Broeren and Kevin Mickey, Kelsey Hutchinson ’15, Katie Griffin ’13SMC, Kristine Kruczek Mains ’89SMC, former ND safety Max Redfield ’18, Kristen and Mike Trimm ’88, and the dynamic wife-and-husband duo Adriana ’00 and Martin Holguin ’14MBA, among many other ND alums from the San Diego area. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago appointed Peggy Hardek as the chairperson of its board of directors. Peggy joined the Red Cross board of directors in 2016 where she served on various committees and capacities, including the co-chairing of the 2019 Heroes Breakfast Leadership Committee. She is also a partner in PwC’s Cyber, Risk & Regulatory practice. For those interested in praying the Rosary together as a class on a monthly basis please email me. Format will be over Zoom. Take care and God bless! — John Spatz; 201-264-2459; john@jjscb.com

 

86MBA Go Irish Bears!

Back in June, Dave Sobek and his wife went to the Zac Brown Band concert at Truist Park in Atlanta, and their seats happened to be right next to Jim Gleason and his wife, who also live in the Atlanta area. This was completely coincidental, and they were very surprised and enjoyed catching up with each other. Dave attended the Stanford and Shamrock Classic (Las Vegas) games this year. As a UC Berkeley undergrad, Mike Meffert didn’t ever expect the Bears to face the Irish. When he heard they were playing for the first time in 55 years, he and his wife, Claudia, made plans to go to the game with their Chicago-based daughters, Gabriella and Francesca. They met up with ND roommates Tom Belanger and Tom Bene and their wives, and had a FaceTime video call to join John O’Donnell, who couldn’t be there in person. In the stands, Mike cheered both for the Bears and the Irish yelling “Go Irish Bears!” and had to explain to confused fans that he graduated from both schools. Hearing both Cal’s and ND’s fight songs ringing the stadium brought tears to his eyes and he felt thankful for a great family, friends, and schools. Mike didn’t get the tie he wished for, but it was a glorious day with an ND victory in the end. I’m on my way out the door to journey to SB for the UNLV, where I’ll meet up with Doug Young ’86, Mitch Opalski ’86, and Suds Reddy ’86, along with some other friends. Please keep one of our classmates who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer in your prayers. I am not at liberty to reveal their name at this time. — Maureen (Mullan) Decker; 21855 Town Gate, Macomb MI 48044; bus 586-741-4305; mobile 586-817-1317; maureen.decker@mclaren.org

 

86JD The Summer Report

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting up with a few of the “boys” from the class for some golf and fly fishing in northern Michigan last summer. Traverse City resident Tim Tompkins was our host and fly-fishing guide. Joining in were Bert Sugayan, Tim Reynolds, and Mike Mulhern. Golf and fishing venues were spectacular. Now, since you will be reading this in January, I would like to remind you that Bert and his spouse Mary live in Palm Desert CA and are empty nesters with several open bedrooms. Their daughter Andaya (Washington State U) lives in Philly working in youth voter education; Kiely (Columbia College), who had her short play, Cartwheeling Across America, premiere at NY Theater Festival in November, is in NYC; and Ruby (Cornell U) lives in LA working for a PR/marketing firm. Eliza and Tim Reynold’s daughter, Samantha (BC), became engaged over the summer. Daughters Olivia (Villanova) and Isabelle (Elon U) both live and work in Chicago; daughter Faith (Elon U) lives and works in NYC; son Timmy (Georgetown) is in DC. Maureen and Tim Tompkins’ daughter, Nonnie (UM), married last year. She is an underwriter at AXA in Seattle. Beth and Mike’s son, Kevin (Bucknell), works as a financial analyst for Nuveen in Chicago, their son Matt (U Wisconsin) is a research analyst at Mintel, also in Chicago; daughter Clair (recent U Illinois grad), living with the parental units in Winnetka, is an associate product manager at Medline Industries. Paul Kenny and his daughters, Karter and Harper, had a summer visit with Nancy Wilder ’87JD and Jerome Frazel at Nan and Jerome’s place on Cuttyhunk Island MA, where they “clammed, swam, and [Paul and J] slammed a few beers.” Steve Powell checked in from Bloomfield Hills, reporting that his and Holly’s three daughters are, for the first time in seven years, at the same school: Notre Dame Prep, in Pontiac MI. Luckily oldest daughter Olivia (11th grade) drives her sisters (Caroline, ninth; Jillian, sixth) to school and numerous activities (swimming, volleyball, band, etc.). When Steve is not attending the never-ending stream of kid events, he “performs remarkably awesome legal services for deserving clients” (yes, his words). He occasionally catches up with Mike Shields and Tim Riordan, most recently last summer at the Detroit Athletic Club. While enjoying adult beverages at the club, they connected with “reasonable man” Scott Bilse and Anna (Moore) Carulas by text. Mike got Steve, Tim, and Denny Barnes together for a Red Wings game last season. Mary Jane and Mike Walker recently spent time hiking in southern Utah at Zion and Bryce National Parks and Antelope Canyon on the Navajo reservation (I can highly recommend the US Park Service Lifetime Pass). Susan and Tom Burger’s daughter, Mary (Centre College) and husband Jake Murphy, brought Susan and Tom their first grandchild last year. Susan and Tom’s oldest son, Mark ’21, is an architecture grad currently serving in the US Army; daughter Anna ’22 is with the US Department of Defense; and son Steven is at EKU in its ROTC program. Arizonans Chris Kramer and spouse (also Chris), recently retired as CEO of the Arizona Institute of Breast Health, are planning to go to the Navy game next season in Dublin and would love to find out who else in the class may be there. Chris represents condemning authorities in eminent domain cases and was recently named Lawyer of the Year for Eminent Domain by Best Lawyers. Chris specifically asked that I mention that he is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support and prayers from our classmates following the death of his son in 2020. Please send me your news. — Brian Bates; bbates@abblaw.com

 

87 Flannerpalooza 

Happy 2023, Class of ’87! I hope each of you had the chance to connect with loved ones over the holidays, and that you’re now enjoying some peace and quiet as you get back into your regular routine. Last July, I got two emails from classmates within hours of sending the October column off for publication, so apologies for the delay in sharing the following news: Christa-Marie Singleton presented the keynote speech at Notre Dame’s eighth annual Berthiaume Institute “Population Health and Pandemic Planning: Opportunities to Reimagine the Community’s Health with Precision Health Approaches.” Christa is currently chief medical officer in the Office of Policy Analytics and Population Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and she also just received the 2022 Alumni Fellow Award from the U of Louisville School of Medicine. One 2022 visit to campus wasn’t enough, however, as Christa, along with fellow cat-herders Nylce Prada Myers, Miriam Hill, Gretchen Weiss Jerzerc, Kevin Maddock, Matt Yeakey, and Frank Zomerfeld, helped organize our 35th reunion back to campus and welcome over 145 members of the class of ’87. You may remember from the October issue that Bill Kelly let us know about the Alumni golf weekend last summer. Joe McCarthy filled in more details about the event, and he says: “I wanted to reach out with some news from just this past weekend from South Bend where we held our 27th consecutive hardly-strictly Alumni Hall, hardly-strictly golf event. We have done this every year since 1995 and it rotates around the country with a different host each year so that the organizational burden is shared. Every few years we seem to make it back to Notre Dame and play some of the excellent courses now in the area. This year was hosted beautifully and efficiently by John Libert and Tom Falkenberg. Lucky for us, Tom is now a co-owner of the Linebacker Lounge. Questionable business decision on his part given we spent as much time there on his tab as we did on the golf course. Last year’s champion, Tom Freeman, treated us to a champions’ dinner of Kansas City barbecue on Friday night and the champion for this year was Kevin Daly. Other attendees besides myself included: John Eustermann, Joe Cox, Keith Spatz, Hank Hayman, John Nickodemus, Bill Kelly, Chris Toal, Ken Schuermann, Tom Meagher, Dave Patchin, Eugene O’Connor, Tim Smith, Tom Seitz, Steve Coffey, Steve Deem, and John Fallon. Scott Stephen is also a regular attendee but did not make it this year as his wife, Jennifer, recently passed away after a long fight with cancer.” Deep condolences, Scott, on Jennifer’s passing, and may the love of God and the connections you have within the Notre Dame community surround and sustain you in this difficult time. You are in our prayers. Chris McLean sounds like he’s had a great football season (despite the Irish losses), and wrote the following: “In September I embarked upon a two-week road trip from Houston to the Cal and UNC (in Chapel Hill) games, encompassing 3,800 miles and 18 states, and seeing 32 ’87 classmates along the way. We had another large gathering at our annual Flannerpalooza tailgate party hosted this year at the Cal game by Chris McLean, Don Klein, Don Urgo, David Brigati, Rick Effer, John Veltri, and Fred Pugliano (now co-hosted by Beth Grojean Healy, Jeanne Dooley Robinson, Amy Baker Farnsworth, and Loraine Prieto Berchtold in the Stadium Reserved Lot in space 31 right in front of Legends!). Other ’87 classmates in attendance included Brian Deidtrich, Patty Silk, Leah Weis McDonald, Meredith Healy Duncan, Lisa Thumess Kovalik, Mary Carol Creadon, Steve Taeyaerts, Mark Conces, John Libert, Bruce Nakfor, Xavier Zang, Dan Aldrich, and Mike O’Grady as well as Mike Quinn ’85 and Mike Shim ’88. At the UNC game John Garside hosted a tailgater attended by classmates Ray Powers, Tom Tully, Peter Sojka, and Tim Murney. Other sightings included Karen Jones, Blake Garside ’86, Tim Kempton ’86, and Tom Ryder ’86. Also seen on the road trip along the way were Tom Healy, Kevin Virostek, Allison Fahrenkopf Brigati, and Mike McNamee. It was a long trip but I loved every minute of it. Open invite to all ’87 classmates at Flannerpalooza at future games.” Now, that’s a party I plan on attending next year—I think I know almost everyone on that list! Write any time with your news—your story is an important thread in the fabric of our class. — Meg Brennan Hamilton; meghamilton@yahoo.com

 

87MBA Mini Reunion at the Canadian Tailgate

Hello from Notre Dame everyone! I state “from Notre Dame” as it feels like I have been there since September. With four football games and move-in week under my belt, I have been on campus a fair bit this fall. Sue and I are enjoying the experience with my daughter who is now a sophomore living in Lyons Hall. However, I am not the only one of our classmates who have been on campus. At the Stanford game we enjoyed a mini reunion with Janet and Jake Frego, Maribeth and Mark Brostowski, Ron Bigler, Cathy and Chris Murphy, Connie O’Brien, and Nancy (Ball) Martin and her husband. All are doing very well, and it was great to get together at the Canadian Tailgate. Here is an update from Nancy: “My first child, daughter Clarice, of five just got married in Iowa this past weekend! One down, four to go! My youngest, daughter Annie, is a junior at Texas A&M. Clarice just graduated with her master’s in social work. She and her husband live in Iowa. Another daughter, Kelsey, is in her second year of a three-year master’s program for marine biology in South Carolina. Another daughter, Marybeth, works at a hospital as a registered diagnostic sonographer in Illinois. My son, Johnny, manages an off-roading business in Columbia MO and is a new homeowner.” As always, keep the information flowing. I will send out an email soon with all the email addresses that I have. Keep in touch and remember the Canadian Tailgate is always there. Look for the Canadian flag, directly east of Legends in the Stadium Parking Lot. — 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 60?!

Amy (Ronayne) Krause stepped down from the bench in December after almost 20 years as judge to join a small boutique law firm, Chartier and Nyamfukudza, in Okemos MI. Amy sees it as a bonus that her husband is one of the lawyers in the firm and is looking forward to practicing in the areas of criminal defense, state and federal appellate proceedings, and mediation, including no-fault and family law cases. Dan Ryan, a retired judge, was able to officiate the wedding of one of his two Navy pilot sons. Phil Kalamaros is staying active in retirement. He took a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with his two daughters, finishing a house. He also completed the seven-day Natchez Trace Parkway ride to benefit Andean Health and Development and started teaching at Southwestern Michigan College, while his wife, Lynn ’90, ’93JD, continues to work and teach at Notre Dame. Phil also spent a few days with John Magnuson and his wife, Holly, in Idaho. Mary (Ambrose) Gerak was in Kentucky for work and met up with Jeanne Box in Louisville. John Owens is back on the road in Asia after working remotely during the pandemic. John’s work continues to be focused on policy and regulatory work in the areas of digital finance. Shauna Brennan’s husband, Randy Prince, passed in August. Please keep Randy, Shauna, and their loved ones in your prayers. Scott Cessar’s dad, Rick, passed at the age of 93 after a long and productive life of service to others. No doubt Mr. Cessar has already been reunited with his high school sweetheart, Dolores, who passed in 2020. Please keep Mr. Cessar, Scott, and their family in your prayers. Finally, many of us hit the milestone of 60 during 2022. I’m not sure where that number came from, but I certainly feel blessed that I was able to celebrate 60. Several of our classmates were not as fortunate. Please remember and send up a prayer for Pat Connors, Luis Flores, Kim Fanning, Tom Dahlberg, Marv Hamilton, Jeff Jankowski, Joe House, John Coutilish, and Kitt Cooper. Please send me news to share in this column or in our class email loop. — Mike Gurdak; 202-879-3939; mpgurdak@jonesday.com

 

88 Just Over Four Months from Now . . .

. . . many of us will be together at our 35th reunion, time-traveling through old memories and generating new ones! Thursday, June 1, to Sunday, June 4—or any combination of days in that timeframe—are the dates to put on your calendar. This is an ideal time to reach out to your ’88 buddies to motivate the crew! As usual, we will use broadcast emails and our class Facebook group to share reunion details and updates. Plus, we will communicate information on the live feed of the Class of ’88 website though the myNotreDame Alumni & Friends platform. (Please send an email to the address below if you have questions about this.) One of our own is now a member of the NDAA board of directors! Andy Barlow of Austin reached out to let us know that, having embarked upon a two-year term last July, he is available to be a conduit for our ideas, questions, etc. His NDAA email address is board.director10@alumni.nd.edu. Career-wise, he celebrated his one-year anniversary at a crisis communications firm this past November. Dad-wise, he’s proud to announce that he watched his daughter, Haley ’17, defend her PhD in genetics at UT-Southwestern in Dallas. Having a way with words like her dad, she is seeking a position as a science communicator. In IL, Corboy & Demetrio managing partner Kenneth Lumb was selected to the 2022 edition of “Trailblazers—Plaintiffs’ Lawyers” by the National Law Journal. Ken is one of only 50 plaintiff’s attorneys nationwide and the only attorney in Illinois selected to the elite list. Mary Marley was in touch recently with the news of Ed Bottei’s sudden death. She fondly recalled that Ed was “king of the mailroom” during summers spent working there (at ND) with her, along with Walt Henry, Christy Conklin, and Becky (Goerner) Bach. Originally from South Bend, Ed made his home in Sergeant Bluff IA with wife Deana and stepdaughter Sadie. After graduation, he completed medical school, an internal medicine residency, and a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the U of Chicago. He went on to the U of Cincinnati for a fellowship in clinical toxicology and hyperbaric medicine. In ’02, he moved to Iowa where he served as the medical director of the Iowa Poison Control Center, the state medical toxicologist for the Iowa Department of Public Health, and an adjunct clinical professor at the University of Iowa. An active member of St. Thomas Orthodox Church, he was a board member there, as well as serving on the board at the Food Bank of Siouxland. His interests included photography, history, and Harry Potter, and his passions were his career, his family, and his church. Condolences to all those who knew and loved Ed. At our ’88 Reunion Mass, we will honor Ed and all ’88 classmates who have gone on to their eternal rest ahead of us. — Laurine Megna; PO Box 6847, Avon CO 81620; 970-390-9742; classof1988@alumni.nd.edu

 

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 Class Secretary — Lori Merlo Coticchia;

lcoticchia@aol.com; lcoticchia@ruffingmontessori.org

 

89 Next Generation and Other Goings On

Our class travels well during football season. Dan Gerlach reports having had quite the summer of seeing long-ago friends. His family travels took him through Portland OR where he met up with Jim Patterson and Molly Burtchaell. Then back in North Carolina the week before the Irish victory over UNC–Chapel Hill, Dan was paid a visit by Kathleen (Maglicic) and Rich Gund who came to Research Triangle Park to visit one of their daughters. Dan and Kathleen recalled how they met prior to ND on a high school religious retreat and have maintained their friendship over the years. In other fall travels, it is funny how the old saying “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” still rings true. Not a lot of responses but in reaching out to several of our classmates there were a fair number who attended the victory of the Irish over BYU including a handful of Dillonites and Morrissey guys and their wives. A beautiful day, an Irish victory, and the sights and sounds of Las Vegas made the trip fun for all. Speaking of Dillonites, an inspirational next-generation story from Pat “Walshy” Walsh whose son, Sean, is living in Dillon Hall and as a junior is part of a squad of guys who practice every day with the ND women’s basketball team to help prepare the women for their strongest competition. Sean was recently a manager with the men’s team and aspires to become a walk-on for Coach Brey. Of course this would be a dream come true for Sean’s dad, as the story could come full circle from Walshy’s goal back in our day of being the walk-on for the ND men’s team. Hope is still alive! Please keep the stories coming. God bless. Go Irish. — Kerrie (Wagner) Debbs; kwagsnd89@gmail.com

 

89MBA Class Secretary — Margaret DeVoe;

612-845-9662; maggiedevoe@yahoo.com

 

89JD Class Secretary — Jenny O’Leary Smith;

312-504-2298; jennyoleary@comcast.net