1960s

60 Ian and Other Issues

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your good wishes, prayers and encouragement during our approximately four months of homelessness and bouncing around here and there for places to lay our heads. I guess we just haven’t lived long enough, but we have never in our long (or short) lives seen this kind of devastation for at least a million people. My note to Bill Boland who was checking on our status: “No internet, no water, no electricity, spotty or no phone service, every car in this place under a carport, or in a garage – totaled. Cars washing down the street one after the other and most are smushed against other cars. No way to get to the one grocery that’s open. Refrigerator and freezer close to room temperature. Hurricanes not built for people in their 80s. A few people here are in extremely bad shape mentally.” On a better note, our class luncheons (eight monthly, beginning in October) continue on, although our attendance has dropped severely over the past five to eight years. Steve Barry has had great success in the Palm Beach Gardens area with about 20 in attendance in January. We sent a note out in December for prayers for Tom Rini, who had just been admitted to hospice. Tom Quinn responded: “Absolutely! Tom is well remembered. One by one the petals drop from a rose. May the Good Lord welcome all of us on our way home.” Jake Marhoefer responded to the death of Dan MacDonald: Dan roomed with John Maher (dec) sophomore year in Stanford Hall. I had the good fortune to live in the room across from them. Needless to say, there was no shortage of fun and laughter. When Dan was at Fort Dix in NJ, I was in grad school in Philadelphia, so we occasionally got together and explored Manhattan nightlife. They don’t come any better than John and Dan. Chuck Sawicki was recently honored for his 57-year involvement with Rotary, which is a service organization started 118 years ago. A note from Don Dimberio, who has just had his autobiographical history published. “I wanted to tell you my first book was released on Amazon this past week. It’s called The Sisters from Campobasso. It’s the story of my mother and her emigration to America with her two sisters in 1916.” I can say—it is a good read! A note from Bruce Cosacchi in response to a note from Keith Hauge: “I do recall our times in California well. Seems we bumped into each other many times by chance and it was always a pleasant bump. I didn’t make the last trip down to the most recent game since they eliminated the SF hotel and bus ride making logistics for out-of-towners like myself more difficult. They eliminated the Friday pep rally at the hotel as well, making my trip less important. I hope to get down there again and I hope we bump into each other again. In the meantime, I will continue to do my best at the piano here, testing memory recall on two thousand songs or so as requests come in each evening. All the best. Go Irish.” This is the last note ever received from Bill Heaphy, who passed away on Nov. 11, 2019: “Still haven’t decided about our 50th reunion in 2020. Just got back from a family reunion in CT.” Drop me an email or two with some short stories! Thanks.  — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove #103, Fort Myers FL 33908; 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com

 

61 No News Is No News

Communications must be suffering a pandemic hangover as they were slim and none for the last quarter. I did get an email from Beverly Grace Blake on the death of her husband, Joe Blake, on Aug. 15, 2022, after six months of treatment. He is survived by his wife and two ND graduate daughters: Maureen Blake Gill ’92 and Meghan Blake Payne ’95, and another daughter, Mary. Beverly says he was truly a Notre Dame man. I was unable to download his eulogy. Robert D. McCutchan’s wife, Sheila, called me to report his death in July. You may remember that Bob was the head senior football manager. My fondest memory of him at that time was the Navy game in 1959. Near the end of the game, he was working the kicking tees for the game. Coach K sent in a running play. It was fourth down and seven yards to go. We had not had much luck trying to run against the Navy line. In the excitement, Bob thought he was to throw the kicking tee and he did just that. Kieran Kealy and I were near Bob on the sideline and all of us were afraid that if Stickles missed it might be the end of the managers. Coach K did not like students being the managers. Nonetheless, the red flags were flying, they marched off the penalty. The snap went back, the ball teed up, and Stickles aced it. Relief! At the end of the following week, Sports Illustrated wrote about the game and dedicated almost a full column to Bob’s audacious “coaching from the sidelines” deed that won the game for the Irish. Bob was a CPA for American Airlines in Dallas before retirement. Those of us who resided in Sorin Hall would certainly envy the current residents who now live in an original 1881 building that has undergone a 50% addition. From the pictures, you cannot tell where the original building ended and the add-on began. This is because the bricks came from campus buildings that were taken down and the bricks preserved (remember the old Fieldhouse?). This is a plea for you to tell me what is going on in your life. Who is still working and who is retired? I would particularly like to showcase what you do for someone else. So please write. Fiction is not part of the Class Notes. And remember, notes or no, Abbie is faithfully waiting at the front door with the latchstring out just waiting for you to come by on your way through South Texas. Y’all come. We’d love to see you. Y’all (that’s plural), we’d love to see you. . . . Heads up, I have a new email address, check it out below. — Joseph P. (“Pat”) Kelly; 2103 N. Wheeler St., Victoria TX 77901; 361-573-9982; jpkellytx@gmail.com

 

61JD Class Secretary — John N. Moreland;

jnmnd1958@aol.com

 

62 Good News, Bad News

Dick Gemperle retired as board president of Hugo House, a nonprofit center for the literary arts in Seattle. His term included a capital campaign and a construction project. On the center’s 25th anniversary, a classroom in their new space was dedicated to Dick in recognition of his service. Jerry McKenna learned that another grandchild was accepted to ND this coming fall. Jerry and his wife, Gail, were able to hook up with Sandy and Dennis Keating while on vacation in Hawaii. Dennis recently learned that the Hesburgh Library added the “Keating Collection” to its Rare Books and Special Collections section. It is composed of posters, picture albums, magazines, and pamphlets, along with pins, badges, etc., that Dennis acquired while living in China after the Cultural Revolution. Neil Hitz says his My Life Directory has garnered national publicity resulting in sales from across the US. The directory guides one to enter the location of important documents, files and contacts, so that when there is an interruption, the family knows where to find everything. From the good news–bad news department, Jim Squyers celebrated his first Thanksgiving dinner alone while isolating from his wife, who had COVID. His grandson, who had gotten his driver’s license three weeks earlier, delivered a food basket and upon leaving backed into a car. Tom Connolly recently published his “third and final book of my series, The TLC Story: Severe Dementia.” The previous two had the same TLC Story title. One addresses mild dementia and the other moderate dementia. Tom said, “I worked on this project for six years with an altruistic motivation and believe the books will help anyone caregiving a loved one with dementia in their home. Each addresses one of the three stages to help the caregiver’s efforts during that particular stage.” He added, “The Severe Dementia book is the story about our final years together. Naturally, I never envisioned I would ever become a caregiver husband during Laura’s end-of-life stage. The marriage vow, ‘in sickness and in health,’ took on complex personal responsibilities when Laura’s dementia progressed to the final stage.” Tom focused on the severe stage book as a guide to the caregiver, sharing “hundreds of my caregiving tactics, therapies, and strategies. Many tips and recommendations explain how to provide tender loving care.” Paul Shellhammer is a urologist and also wrote a book with his wife, Louise, an illustrator. It is aimed at the other end of the life spectrum. “During the pandemic, we conjured up an ‘unmet need,’ namely education for children and their parents and grandparents about workings of the urinary system.” The result is a children’s book, titled Why We Wee and How, as told by Bladdy Bladder. It too is self-published and available from Blurb. Again, if you are not receiving my weekly/biweekly Sunday messages, please let me know so I can get you on the class mailing list. I received word that Vince Hatt passed away last July. Fr. Dick Warner, CSC, who had served as superior general of the CSCs, passed away on Sept. 21, 2022. Last November we lost Willie Reagan, who was retired from the FBI. He spent several years in the 1970s and ’80s working undercover, living as a hippie in communes on the West Coast with people planning to kill top leaders in California and Washington DC. Later, he was assigned to catch drug lords throughout the US. He worked mostly on his own. His only protection was an empty wallet with false identification and the ability to make up stories while being threatened with death. Damian Wren died in Chicago on Dec. 22. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com

 

62JD Class Secretary

From Pat Cox: “Due to some health problems, I decided to move to Holy Cross Village located near Notre Dame. I now live near my son, Michael, and his wife, Brenda. Elsa is in her second year at Notre Dame. Liam is a junior at Trinity High School. Our other three children live out of state but enjoy visiting during game weekends. It has been fun watching our 10 grandchildren grow up. I would also like to thank Marianne and Tom Kelly for keeping us informed. Love and prayers to all.” We are sorry to report that Peter O’Connell Kelly passed away on Oct. 31, 2022. He has two children and five grandchildren and spent time traveling between Buenos Aires and Pewaukee Lake WI to spend time with them. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Susan. — Tom Kelly; marianne1956@sbcglobal.net

 

63 Reunion 2023

The 60th anniversary of our graduation will be celebrated on campus June 1-4 of this year. The University is sending out information. You can view details at reunion.nd.edu or contact the organizers at reunion@nd.edu. Steve Peters and his wife, Rita, were presented with The Grand Cross of the Order of  The Holy Sepulcher on Oct. 15, 2022, by Cardinal Dolan at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York; this is the highest rank of the Order. Steve wrote, “not bad for a guy from a coal mining town of 4,000 in Pennsylvania!” Jack O’Connell and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married 59 years. They have four children and two grandchildren. Mary Ann is a retired public health nurse and Jack a retired partner of a real estate development firm. Mary Ann is confined to a nursing home, while Jack lives in an assisted care facility, both in New Haven CN. The couple went to kindergarten through high school together. Jack visits her every day and says “I have found that increasing my prayer life helps a lot!” Walter Terry graduated from ND Law School in 1966 and then joined a small law firm in Oneonta NY, where he has lived ever since with his wife of 57 years, Diane. They have four daughters, one of whom, Malene ’91, is an ND grad. Frank Carnevale, retired vice president of Bausch and Lomb, and his wife, Elizabeth, who reside near Rochester, and Dave Seaman, a retired NY State Family Court judge, and his wife, Bonnie, who reside near Buffalo, joined the Terry’s to watch the ND v. Navy game at their home. They telephoned Les Renkey, who retired from his first career as an attorney with the US government and then later as an attorney for the state of Kentucky. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Louisville. Walt is still working full-time in a solo law practice in Oneonta. Mike Whitney was a Mechanical Engineer at ND, followed by an MBA in finance and economics from Western Michigan U. During his career, he was president of companies that were distributors of hi-tech machinery to manufacturers of metal parts.  After that phase, Mike and his late wife of 56 years, Rosemary, who had a Masters in Library Science from Dominican U, started a mom-and-pop consultancy catering to domestic and overseas customers doing market research, which they ran for 16 years. Mike has two children and now lives in Milford OH. He is a participant in an informal Zoom session group, including Paul Tschirhart, Bob Bartolo, Harry Fleck, Larry Shubnell, Felix Balmaz, Dave Paliganoff, Mike Byrne and Tim Haidinger. Members of the group held a reunion on Campus for the ND-Stanford debacle and they were joined for dinner by Rev. Edward A. “Monk” Malloy, CSC. Mike reported that Bill Sparks died on May 22, 2022.  Bill was an economics major, followed by an MBA from Cornell. After completing his Army service, Bill became CEO of Greif Brothers Packaging Products in Columbus. Bill is survived by his wife, Marlene. The Alumni Office has advised of the deaths of the following Class members: David P. Thomas died on Sept. 22, 2022 in Cedarburg WI, survived by his daughter, Carrie; Lawrence J. Niklas died on Sept. 25, 2022 in Cincinnati, survived by his wife, Marie, and two children; Frank J. Stahl died on July 9, 2022 in Williamsville NY, survived by his wife, Marie; and Dr. Philip F. Riley died on Aug. 22, 2022 in Harrisonburg VA,  survived by his wife, Sheila.  — John F. Dougherty Jr.; 915 Exeter Crest, Villanova PA 19085; 215-510-0844; johndoc969@gmail.com

 

63JD Class Secretary — Bob Saxe;

15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com

 

64 Lots of Input from ’64 . . .

David Nardone of Hillsboro OR made me aware of an initiative sponsored by the Library of Congress: the Veterans History Project. The LoC is interested in obtaining narrative stories, recorded interviews and photographs of veterans. David served as a Navy physician in Vietnam after training in internal medicine. He spent his entire career at the VA and on the faculty at an Oregon med school. In retirement, he is engaged in a wide array of volunteer opportunities focusing on health care, while also enjoying time with his wife of 53 years, Mary Ellen, their daughters and a three-year-old grandson. He is an avid Zoom user and is looking to engage in ND Zoom gatherings. Speaking of veterans, both John and Jerry Bradley checked in from Dallas, where they are successful real estate brokers. During Vietnam, both were Navy line officers and are early members of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club. They reminisced about their buddies on the third floor of Stanford: Mike Cummings, Ed Norton, Roger Foley, Pat McCormick and PJ Shelley. While Mike and Ed have passed, Roger and wife Joyce travel to Florida to avoid South Bend winters, while Father Pat is back home in Erie after serving as a priest in the Atlanta area and then for over 20 years as a Navy and Air Force chaplain. PJ continues his internet radio show on WAPJ. Synda and Terry Kollman continue to enjoy sunny South Florida. In “retirement,” Terry splits time between consulting and volunteer work, crediting former roomie Dave Kostolansky for a push in the latter direction. Heard anew from Peter Murray, now 80 but as cantankerous as ever. Ted Hardman writes that he recently lunched with Bob Jochum, who settled in Indianapolis after graduation and had a successful career in engineering before continuing the run with a CPA. John Nelson celebrates the completion of the Montrose Public Safety Facility he and his friends have been working on for over two years. Per John Hargrove, Joe Jordan was just recognized by Nativity Prep, an all-scholarship school in San Diego that serves first-generation students from historically under-resourced communities. Kudos to Joe for his 20-plus-year commitment. Patsy and Pat Callahan brought the family together in Miami Beach to celebrate his 80th. Big group with four kids and 11 grandchildren joining. A great card from Ed Stubbing with reflections on Christmas and words of humble heroes and spiritual blessings. Jon James reports that he spent November in India visiting the orphanage he co-founded while raising funds for maintenance and operations. First from Dave Ellis then from Rich Russell of Hampton Falls NH came the sad news that Mike Joyce passed in Hilton Head SC in November. He had a very successful career in public accounting with Deloitte, holding leadership positions in their Philadelphia and Boston offices, with subsequent service on a number of boards. Mike was very involved in ND alumni affairs, even serving as president of ND’s National Alumni Association. He is survived by wife Jean, along with four children and eight grandchildren. Little-known fact: Mike arranged the blind date which led to roomie Rich Russell’s marriage to Nancy. Frank Fee advised that brother-in-law John McCurdy of Killingworth CT passed in November. John was a Navy officer after graduation, with deployments to Vietnam and Europe. After ad agency work in New York City, John started his own shop in New Haven, which he ran for 35 years. He is survived by his wife Kathleen, along with three children and three grandchildren. Jack Etowski notes that Vietnam Army vet and subsequent lawyer Jim Murray passed away in Fort Lauderdale FL. From Mike Barton comes news that attorney Walt Morrissey of Oak Brook IL died in December. Wife Jane, three kids, and 10 grandchildren survive. — Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 917-860-5385; paul.richard.charron@gmail.com

64JD Class Secretary — Richard Balfe Wagner;

1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; 574-299-9888; 760-567-1270

 

65 Saving the Planet

Bernie Zahren, owner and founder of Zahren Financial Co. (est. 1984), a private, multimillion-dollar investment fund focused on multiple renewable energy projects, remains fully involved in all the developments. His home has won two prizes from the Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge. In December, Bernie was elected to honorary membership in the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. A remarkable achievement in that Bernie is a finance guy rather than a scientist, but he is committed to funding viable renewable energy projects. He earned his MBA at the U of Pittsburgh. Doug Lovejoy continues to serve as a board member “emeritus” of the Catholic China Association, which has a mission to promote understanding and friendship among Catholics in the USA and China. They have a three-year project focused on Chinese students studying in the USA starting with select schools in the Bay Area. ND has shown an interest in the concept. Doug continues to serve as a deacon at his parish in Annapolis. Louise and Rich Franco spent three months last summer circumnavigating the entire country towing their little Casita camping trailer starting from their home in Santa Rosa CA. For 30 years Rich worked as a trial lawyer in VT before retiring in Santa Rosa. In the hill country west of Austin TX, they camped with Mike Powers, a fellow Badinite. Mike is a retired Navy pilot and serves as a land manager of a nature conservatory in Austin. He is an active outdoorsman. Rich also joined up with Tim Murphy, another denizen of Badin. Tim is a retired professor of accounting at Diablo Valley College and is a CPA and has a JD degree. He and his wife Janice have three children including daughter Marita ’04. Santa Rosa is now their home. Linda and Ken Geoly live on the MD side of the Potomac and never tire of watching the sunsets and boats. Ken is a retired nephrologist but still serves as a consultant to the widely used electronic medical records company EPIC. Steve Price died in October 2021 of lung cancer. Mike Powers was able to visit him two weeks prior to his death in Colorado Springs. Steve was a member of the ND tennis team and continued to play in competitive tournaments statewide in CO. After earning his JD at the U of Florida, he entered the Army’s JAG and served in Vietnam as a captain. After his military service, Steve had a private legal practice in Colorado Springs focused on the underserved and less privileged and was a committed supporter of environmental justice. He is survived by his son. In November Michael Maier Jr. died in Spring TX. Mike was retired from Shell Oil Co. and is survived by his wife, Phyllis, and children: Shannon ’95 and Michael ’94. — 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 Keep On Keeping On!

I’m writing this in mid-January from Naples FL, where Kim and I are dodging the New England winter for three months. I had dinner with Al Augustine, now retired and wintering in Naples following a successful career practicing law in Chicago. Al is into bridge, golf and reading while consulting on a part-time basis. He was anticipating a visit from good friend Tim Cullen, a retired submariner from Bremerton WA. I plan to connect with John Flatley when he arrives later in January. Heard from Cyburn Sullivan in Covington TN, where he grew up and retired from his law practice. Living with his son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids in the house built by his great-granddaddy, Cyburn has health issues but keeps a great attitude. I connected with John Lienhard in Annapolis. A retired naval officer, he’s active with folks from the Naval Academy, including ret. Adm. Tom Lynch, brother of the late/great ND gridder from our era, Jim Lynch ’67. John had a stroke but remains positive. A happenstance! Ric Trentman out UT way noted that he attended Ft. Worth Laneri HS and in 1960 journeyed with his class up to Oklahoma City for a football contest with what turned out to be my Bishop McGuinness HS team. I played in the game and we defeated our TX guests and hosted them in a post-game mixer. Small world! Class prez Cap Gagnon heard from Barry Barth that he and Barb are aiming for Dublin for the Aug. 26 ND-Navy contest. With luck, I’ll be there as well, following a golf tour in the auld sod. Ed Schaffler checked in from Dallas, fully retired and with four grandkids currently at ND. Jane and Ed have so many kin either at or alums of ND and SMC, it’s impossible to count them. They saw Dick Garrett at the Cal game but missed Tom Talaga. The Schaffler clan will attend the USC game at ND in the fall. Ken Ivan recalled highlights of his stint as a kicker on our Irish football team, including nailing the winning field goal against USC in ’64. Ken’s post-ND career was with the FBI. I see Paul “Don” Snyder around Cape Cod. Now retired following a career with the FDIC, Don has penned a couple of novels and helps folks applying for US citizenship, including an Afghan family who worked with the US. He and Sheila celebrated their 50th with kids and grandkids. Don connects with Frank Sheehan and Jack Bergen, who was honored by the Boston ND Club for his service. Sad news: the January passing of Bob Conway. An ND Trustee, he had a stellar career as a partner with Goldman Sachs. Through his generosity, Conway Hall exists in London as part of ND’s program there. Proud of his stint as QB for the Rochester MN Lourdes HS Eagles, Bob was active with an ND Zoom group including classmates Pete Budetti, John Frey, John Schwartz, John Buck, Bill O’Brien, Jack Clarke, John Phillips, Jim Schulte, John Swaner, Max Graham, Pablo Moore, Larry Allen, Paul Walker, Drew Kershen and Tim Gunn. Also departing this life in November and December of ’22 were Tom Beall, Greg Hobbs Jr., Paul Coogan, Dave Goebel, Brian Kennedy, Bob Ludwig, and Dick Miller. No details available. Entreaties on their behalf through the good Lady on the Dome! Join the class website created and ably maintained by Jack Gerken (1966.undclass.org). New registrants include Ray Dell’Osso, Tom Fogerty, Tom Gould, Don Hemmer, Gary Morrow, George Mouzakis, and Claiborne Perrilliat. Keep moving, be well and send news. — Tom Sullivan; 1090 Shore Road, Unit 14, Pocasset MA 02559; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com

 

66JD Best Regulatory Attorney in the U.S.

The words above are attributed to Hugh McColl, former CEO of Bank of America, who was speaking to a reporter from the Charlotte Observer about our classmate Paul Polking. As those of you who have provided email addresses already know, Paul passed away on Dec. 14, 2022, at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Joan, five children and 20 grandchildren. He was a native of Breda IA and grew up on his family’s farm. He was a Double Domer, earning a degree in the Class of ’59 as well as his JD. Paul served in the Navy from 1959 to 1963. He gave quite a bit of his time, talent and treasure to Notre Dame and served on the Law Advisory Council. He and Joan established the Polking Family Fellowship at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture at the Law School. Paul enjoyed his career at North Carolina National Bank, which became NationsBank in 1992 and Bank of America in 1998, all during his service as general counsel to those banks. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Walt Terry reports that he spoke with Bill Sanneman around the end of last year. Bill is mostly retired and spends considerable time in FL with his bride, Vicky, but occasionally goes to court to handle minor criminal cases. Mike Sullivan sent a great email indicating that he now appreciates his time in law school more than he did when he was a student. He says that “for the most part, I was too busy trying to figure out what law school was all about.” He and his wife, Peg, have been married for 57 years and have four children, including twin sons, both of whom are university English professors, and nine grandchildren. Mike and Peg have lived in the Chicago area (Woodstock, McHenry County) ever since law school graduation. He worked for insurance companies for three years, was in private practice for seven years and felt privileged to serve as a judge in the Circuit Court of McHenry County for 42 years until he retired. Mike and Peg were married during Christmas break in 1965. Despite being a married student (not permitted to occupy a dormitory room), he returned to Fisher Hall for the final semester, but Peg stayed at home to finish her degree at Mundelein College in Chicago. At the Law School ceremony following commencement, spouses of married students received a diploma. Since Mike had submitted her name, Peg came up to receive her diploma from Dean O’Meara, who looked shell-shocked. The dean just stared at her, trying to figure out how a married couple could have made it through a semester living in a dormitory. As always, no news, no column. — Scott Maxwell; 2781 Siena Lakes Circle, Unit 2444, Naples FL 34109; cell 215-920-0616; ndscotty@gmail.com

 

67 Bereavement

Angelo Schiralli informed us that he and class president George Goeddeke, along with 66 team reunion members, have started a bereavement fund for 66 teammates. They have been sending a special Notre Dame vase with the deceased’s name and uniform number to the widows and family along with a Mass card from the Monogram Club. But they need resources in order to continue, so the bereavement fund has been established. Donations should be made payable to Angelo Schiralli Reserve Account with the memo section reading ND 1966 Bereavement Fund, attention Laura Di Egidio, 701 US Highway One, Suite 401 North Palm Beach FL 33408. Last fall on Stanford weekend, Tom Long, Ed Witanowski, Paul Chelminiack and Tony Martin ’68Arch convened to offer a toast in celebration of the full and extraordinary life of Ed Ogiba, who passed away in June 2022. After ND, Ed served in the military and earned an MBA from NYU. Ed had a brilliant career in advertising and marketing in Toronto, New York City and Sarasota FL, including the establishment of his own firm, GroupEFO. With his exposure to heavy artillery and later contracting Meniere’s disease, Ed experienced extreme hearing loss in midlife. He then became a zealous advocate for the hearing impaired and served on multiple advisory boards as well as president of the Sarasota chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America. His keen intelligence, creativity and sense of humor will live on in the memories of all those fortunate enough to know him. Kevin McNevins writes from Dallas to let us know that Al Karam passed away on Oct. 28, 2022, in San Antonio. As Kevin writes, Al was about as tall as he was wide and was a freshman footballer after being named a Texas All-Stater. Both of his sons graduated from Notre Dame. A large piece of Al’s life was centered on St. George Maronite Catholic Church, which was well-represented by Lebanese Americans. Al and his wife, Nancy, led a pilgrimage from St. George’s to Lebanon in 2018 where Al visited the villages of his grandparents and met the remaining Karam family members still there. Phil Carter, professor emeritus at North Carolina State U in the College of Veterinary Medicine, writes to inform us that Jim Truman, professor emeritus at the U of Washington, was elected to the National Academy of Science (NAS) in 2022. NAS was established by President Abraham Lincoln to advise Congress on matters of science. Please send some good news. — Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1501, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com

 

67JD Not Much News; Maybe a Good Thing

At our age, news is not usually good, and therefore your anemic responses to my request for news is probably a good thing. There is no colUmn without U. Jim Olson writes that Hurricane Ian did a job on their winter retreat on Sanibel Island FL (you’ve probably seen the destruction of the causeway on the news), but they will be able to have a short respite from the Indiana winter in St. Pete Beach and Clearwater. John Hargrove writes that his only news is the onslaught of rainstorms in “sunny” California. Sean Keenan reports that all his kids and grandkids visited him over the holidays. Sean has made a resolution to return to the gym and stick to a wellness program with the aim to get back on the golf course this spring. Beth and Frank Verterano write that Beth has retired from her career as a financial planner but Frank has not retired and probably never will. Beth has some problems with a rotator cuff and is in rehab. Frank will have cataract surgery, and I hope he has the success that I had a number of years ago. They are planning a trip to the PA bar meeting in Orlando FL and a side trip to Disney World. I assume they’ve taken out a second mortgage in anticipation of the trip. Frank Cihlar has returned from his trip to Spain and Sicily. Like several of our classmates, Frank continues his interest in community theater with his sold-out performance in A Christmas Carol—The Musical. His son and daughter are doing well and living in Bellingham WA. Medically, he’s doing well, but has a “tune-up” scheduled on his artificial hip; apparently, some of the parts have worn out. Frank will join Brother Barkley for a trout fishing trip in MT. Actually, Frank’s big news is that he is now co-owner of a small villa in Trabia, Sicily. Included with the property is a small olive grove with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. He hopes to be awash in extra virgin olive oil by next year. Although he didn’t specifically invite his classmates, I’m sure he’d welcome any who would care to travel and spend some time crushing olives. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@aol.com

 

68 Book It June 1–4, 2023, Reunion!

An event that was once far, far in our future is nearly in our present: the 55th reunion of the Class of 1968. Put June 1–4 on your calendar. Wondering if those good friends will attend? Getting in touch and making plans is not hard. Use my.nd.edu, click on Directory and look up names from any class. If you haven’t done so already, registration at my.nd.edu is needed and is very simple, very fast. The directory usually provides plenty of information: address, email, phone numbers. Fred Ferlic and the South Bend stalwarts are making plans with Notre Dame on our behalf. Chris Murphy and Class President Tom Weyer continue to keep secure the sensitive documents of their administrations. As for the class Mass, Father John Pearson, CSC, expects to attend from Arizona. So does Father John Sheehan from whatever location the Jesuits and the fates are going to assign him. And Deacon Bob Smith will attend from South Carolina. Jim Hutchinson, sanguine about seeing all of us at the 60th, 65th, 70th reunions as well as all the bowl games, is skipping this reunion in favor of a river cruise on the Danube with his family. COVID caused postponement last year. California’s Ben Lucchese will be at the reunion, maybe with his former roommate Dan Paracchini. (Say a prayer for Dan, who will undergo cancer surgery during January.) A festive group of Chicago classmates attended the Dec. 2, 2022 Irish Fellowship Luncheon at Chicago’s Conrad Hilton Hotel. Since the printed notes do not include photos, you’ll have to think back to 1968 and bring to your mind’s eye the hirsute, athletic Tom Gibbs, Matt Walsh, Roger Guerin, Mickey Hyland, Rick McPartlin, John Walsh, Tom McKenna (Chicago) and Tom Durkin. Another Irish celebration is in Ken Warburton’s plans. Ken wants to host a barbecue at his Sligo property for those who will be in the Republic of Ireland for the August Navy game. Ken has no internet, so RSVP and get directions and details by calling him: 516-695-0476. Tom Durkin, who is a principal of weekly Zoom sessions held with General Program friends, raised his prominence with a story about a party he attended long ago in London. At the party was Bianca Jagger, who had learned Tom was a lawyer. She approached him and asked if he would represent her. The rest of the tale has a fog of General Program discussion upon it. Ned Buchbinder, who is intimate with this parallel Notre Dame universe, wrote: “For the last few years in COVID time, we have met weekly: Bob Heinemann, Jim ‘Tiger’ Schaefer, Jim Chapman, Paul Higgins, Dan Doyle, Tom Gogan, Mike McCullough, Tom Durkin, Tom Fitzharris, Stephen Weeg, Tim Andrews, Jay Schwartz, Rich Havel, and Ned Buchbinder. Topics: ND football, Bianca Jagger, friendship, lapsed Catholics, Jewish schmoozin’, New York, art appreciation, extra innings, a story about ‘almost’ dating Annette Funicello, Parkinson’s disease, MS, sleep apnea, open heart surgery. Each session begins with a musical overture. . .and of course, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of Lithuania. . .followed by ‘Queen of Victory, pray for us.’ We talk to and listen to and support and are grateful for each other.” Norm Jeddeloh, Chicago law partner, has published the novel A Boat Named Blind Faith, available from Amazon. Norm advises that it’s “not anything about Notre Dame, but very indirectly it talks about spirituality.” Dennis “Hog” Dorratcague attended a Jan. 10 military ceremony honoring Mike McCormick and Robert Alan “Arlo” Clark on the 50th anniversary of their being killed over North Vietnam. “Mike flew the A6A Intruder out of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington state and Al Clark was his bombardier/navigator (B/N). Mike and I went through Naval ROTC at ND for four years, and I had to attend the celebration. Mike and I were at NAS Whidbey at the same time, although my deployments did not coincide with Mike’s deployments on USS Midway. I only visited a couple of times with Mike at Whidbey Island and one time on the USS Midway during his first cruise in spring of 1972.” Dennis sent photos that will be used in an email to everyone soon. About 800 of the class receive class news emails that sometimes include sad news as well as good. If you are one of the 800, you have received word recently of the deaths of Jim Woods, Charles Garreau, John Locher, the mother of Tom Gibbs and Richard Coburn, partner of Paul Ramsey. Not one of the 800? Register at my.nd.edu. Please send news and photos to Tom Figel. — Tom Figel; 455 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach CA 90802; 312-241-7917; tfigel@reputecture.com

 

68JD Catching Up

On a positive note, we learned that the National Aviation Hall of Fame located in Dayton OH elected Jim Cooling to a two-year term as the chair of the board of trustees. It is the only Aviation Hall of Fame chartered by Congress and has a goal of “honoring aerospace legends to inspire future leaders.” In addition, Jim Seckinger reports that his wife, Sheila, was awarded the Order of Canada. On the negative side, we are sad to report that Gerry Rapien died this past summer after a great career as a litigation attorney for the Taft Firm in Cincinnati. Bob Sidman added that Gerry was his mock trial lawyer partner and a frequent golfing partner. Ivan Bodensteiner advised that his wife died on Nov. 12, 2022, after a difficult battle with Alzheimer’s. She will be missed. Ivan retired from teaching five years ago but continues working on civil rights cases. As Tom Curtin noted, this is a difficult time for all of us with the passing of great friends. As to our 2023 reunion, Jim Cooling suggested either attending the Ohio State or USC game and noted that Tom Curtin would be responsible for obtaining a block of tickets for either game. Alan Barnarad was a little more practical and suggested that our 55th reunion be celebrated while the team was playing an out-of-town game so that everyone could stay at the Morris Inn. Ernie Abate provided an update that John Pusey and he visited in Peoria IL this past October and had an enjoyable lunch. They sat alongside what Peoria refers to as the “world’s most beautiful drive” along the Illinois River and reminisced about the past. In an Oct. 14, 2022, letter to the 1968 Notre Dame Law School Class, Terry Kelly shared his thoughts on Notre Dame Law School’s Constitutional Road from Prof. Roger Peters to Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Terry shared with all of us his flexibility when he noted that Alice and he remain in their home of 52 years in Denver and that he is also driving a 2009 Honda Civic because it runs. He recalled the “shared terror” of our class and added that Dean Joseph O’Mara would proceed at night to the Grotto during our exams period and blow out the candles. Terry concluded his 22-page analysis of the history of the Law School by quoting that “Mark Twain once wrote a friend that he didn’t have time to write a short letter, so he wrote a long one.” Lanny Bonenberger and Owen Lopez shared responses to Terry Kelly’s memo. Terry responded, “Dear Lanny and all other survivors.” Please remember in your prayers our deceased classmates, including John Amerman, Emilio Belluomini, John Burgess, Albert Dudash, Richard Hirsch, Joseph Ladd, Tom Kapacinskas, Steve Madonna, Larry Miller, Michael Williamson, Gerry Rapien, Jack Sandner and Robert Wilczek. Also, please remember in your prayers the difficulties that members of our class and their families are experiencing as we move into our 80s. A final plea: please let me hear from you with regard to any information that you wish to share with the class. As Tom Curtin always concludes, “Go Irish.” — Dennis G. Collins; 2203 Derby Way, St. Louis MO 63131; bus 314-516-2648; dgc@greensfelder.com

 

69 Accolades and Mini-Reunions

Tom Figel ’68 wrote that Helena and Kevin Daly relocated to Ireland in 2022. August: Boys Town (Boys Town NE) awarded Dan Chesire its 2022 Father Flanagan Distinguished Alumnus Award. October: I erred by not including Ernie Gargarao, Fritz Gatz, and Tim Schlindwein as part of the group that played in their 28th annual South Bend golf outing. Tim is the founder of the group. My apologies. Bill Rados married Andrea Chamblee. Don Jacobson, Dan Merritt, and I saw the ND Glee Club perform in Milwaukee. John Wehrheim headed to Bhutan for two months to work on his three-year project: Living Masters of the Hidden Lands: Bhutan’s Great Lamas, Yogis, and Hermits. “Bill Hurd: An Evening of Jazz—Concerts in the Grove” with some of Memphis’ finest musicians was held before 300 attendees in Germantown TN. Mike Cerre did a PBS NewsHour segment about the movie The Greatest Beer Run Ever. BYU game: Phyllis and Dave Farrell, Steve Hext, Dave Liss, Paul Miller, Mary and Fritz Gast and their two children, Eric ’06, ’07 and Jen ’12, reunited that weekend. Rickey (Kotte ’69SMC) and Gregg Ackermann celebrated their 52nd anniversary with their entire family and attended the game. Stanford game: Bill Costantini, Greg Downes, Kevin Flynn, Dave Heskin and Dick Merritt also joined Tom Ryan’s band of ’69ers mentioned in the last class notes. In November, Tom Flanagan, Larry Pezanko, Greg Ryder, Chip Stumpf and Bill Wade attended the Innovation Rally at ND’s Thomas and Diane Quinn Hall. Chip, Greg, Larry, and their wives attended the Clemson game and saw Dan Saracino. Mary and Mike Ryan sat in a suite with other members of the College of Science Advisory Council. Later in the month, Mike finished third in the 70+ age bracket in the Milwaukee Turkey Trot. In December, 11 ’69ers attended the third annual ORD-MKE Christmas lunch in the Metropolitan Club, Willis Tower, Chicago. Locals attending were Mike Busby, Mike McDermott, Ebby Moran, Rick Redmond, Bill Wade and host Tim Schlindwein; the Cheeseheads were John Berres, Don Jacobson, Jim Lyons, Tom Shannon and yours truly. Chuck Nelson retired after serving as the executive director of the Judd Leighton Foundation in South Bend for 13 years. Florida Gulf State U awarded Bill Mitch the status of professor emeritus at its December commencement. The Indianapolis Athletic Club Foundation named John Quinn its 2023 Irish Citizen of the Year. NDAA Executive Director Dolly Duffy ’84 thanked Mike Cerre for his work in producing five ND veterans programs for the Notre Dame Senior Alumni since November 2020 with an original watercolor print by Clint Sullivan featuring Mike’s image with the Golden Dome and the Clarke Memorial Fountain. January: Notre Dame Magazine’s Notebook featured Fritz Keppler’s donation of his 1966–76 4,000+ page Innsbruck diary in its 2022–23 Winter edition. In September, Keri and Tom Shannon will have two granddaughters at ND—Quinn ’26 and Molly ’27. On a winter pilgrimage to campus, Sharon and Ed Weinlein ran into Mary and Greg Downes at Rocco’s. The class blog now has over 1,600 stories with 1.1 million views. In memoriam: Mario Siravo, June 6 in Maryland; Father Tom Hosinski, CSC, Oct. 24 at Notre Dame’s Holy Cross House; Gary Rimlinger, Nov. 1, 2022, in Buffalo; Vicki Fischer, wife of Tom Fischer, Nov. 19, 2022, in Cedar Grove WI; Joe Fry, Jan. 6, 2023, in Vero Beach FL; Tom Hartz, Jan. 15, 2023, in Nashville IN. Our sincerest condolences to their families and friends. Requiescant in pace. Please keep classmates and their family members who are dealing with medical challenges in your prayers. God bless. — John Hickey; jphjr47@hotmail.com; notredameclassof1969blog.blogspot.com

 

69MBA Class Secretary — Bob Dowdell;

31625 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach CA 92651; 714-381-6104; bobdowdell55@gmail.com

 

69JD Priors in Ballinamore, Ireland

The football season kicks off with the Navy game in Dublin on Aug. 26. Although he professes no ownership, Dave Prior has been talking up Priors Pub in Ballinamore. Dave will take a pause in his Dog Network News column while he travels to the old sod for the game. He hopes some of our classmates can join him. No package tour from Notre Dame but I am sure we will see one soon. Let Dave and me know if you have an interest in attending. Bill Keck is still working and joins his wife, Barbara, in St. Petersburg FL, who escapes the Midwest winter on the weekends. Joe Kennedy traveled to Newton PA to watch the Syracuse game with Rich Cerbone ’70JD. Jim Barba writes that Rose is off to Italy in April while he is in Albany avoiding the COVID virus, although he and his family were together for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jim and Rose have two grandchildren, ages 13 and 15. He and his family will head for Cape Cod this summer. Maybe he can meet up with Jim Leavy who is “right around the corner.” Let me know if you have any thoughts on a mini reunion this fall. I need to make some arrangements if we are getting together. — Jim Starshak; 889 Ka’ohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; res 808-395-0443; cell 808-778-4033; starman@hawaii.rr.com