1970s

70 Mark Your Calendars

Reunion 2025 is less than a year away, barring COVID delays. En route to South Bend you should read Jim Thunder ’72’s illustrated biography of John Mroz, who died in 2014. It recounts two legacies: reimagining the Sophomore Literary Festival and founding the EastWest Institute. John served as clandestine envoy of Ronald Reagan to Yasir Arafat to convince (unsuccessfully) the Palestine Liberation Organization to accept Israel’s right to exist. Jim’s research included communication with Chuck Nau ’69 (student body VP 1968-69); Marty Kress, John’s roommate on campus and in Boston after graduation; Tito Trevino; Jim Metzger ’71; Barney Gallagher ’71; Rich Hunter ’71; and Frank Barrett ’75. The biography and Jim’s oral interview with the College of Charleston will be posted by the college, where John helped create the School of Language, Cultures, and World Affairs. Thanks to John’s sophomore work, Professor Carvel Collins spoke at the festival and then taught a delightful senior course at ND English: 190C, The Literature of William Faulkner. I found my essays in the basement. John’s widow, Karen, donated his papers to the ND Archives. Brian Fullam died Dec. 20 in Phoenix. After an Arizona State MBA, he served the Phoenix Police Department 25 years, reaching the rank of commander. Then an advanced degree in education from Northern Arizona U led to several years of grade school teaching. Next, the State Department recruited him for a two-year stint organizing the Albanian national police force. Brian’s two children — Christopher, a former Marine, now deceased, and Stephanie — both had delightful sons. Mike Hendryx (Houston attorney), John Felton, Rich Doyle, Dave Cloud, Mike Boger and spouses reunited at a Galveston Bay sailing club over St. Patrick’s weekend. The photos look great, evidently taken before green beer was served. Kate and Pat Murphy hosted Lisa and Kevin Kennedy, Barb and Ben Truskoski and 13 other “Traveling Irish” among 630 cruisers for 16 days around Australia and New Zealand in February. The Murphys returned to Charleston SC near three grandchildren, away from the South Bend winter. Rev. Steve Newton, CSC, first director of South Bend’s Center for the Homeless, is executive director of the Association of US Catholic Priests. The March 2024 Reflection of the Congregation contains his succinct review of Pope Francis’ “synodality,” which substituted for “The Way,” basing one’s life on the life and teachings of Jesus. The South Bend Coal Line Trail, next to our 2020 Class project, The Reunion green space on the St. Joseph River, celebrated the opening March 21 of a small pavilion and bicycle-pedestrian bridge over the river. Kevin Rooney represented our Class. Several ND public affairs representatives and city government officials attended, including Mayor James Mueller ’04, an ND grad. A permanent park bench commemorating our Class is possible. Kevin announced First Friday’s long-awaited second album, Second Chances, only 54 years after its debut. Sources say that First Friday is the only 1960s band that recorded an album and still performs with all of its original members. After a successful 2023 show at The Cutting Room in Manhattan, they plan an Oct. 19 encore at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis, once Chuck Berry’s home. Ed O’Brien died Feb. 13 in Leominster MA. He is survived by wife Donna, daughter Jennifer and several grandchildren. After graduate school at Babson College, he consulted for Systems Software Associates before retirement, during which he enjoyed family, eight grandchildren, Cape Cod, golf, grilling, reading, playing guitar, traveling, tinkering and Johnny Walker Red. Jane and John Monnich of Detroit and Pat and I enjoyed golf, Springfield friends and Puerto Vallarta’s nightlife for a week in March. Start planning for next June. — Don Graham; 1901 S. Glenwood, Springfield IL 62704; 217-652-1560; fever1@me.com

 

70MBA Class Secretary — John Carroll;

4315 Alta Drive, Apt. 1301, Suwanee GA 30024; 404-281-6524; johnrcarroll@outlook.com

 

70JD As Time Goes By 

With sadness I note that our classmate John Meany passed away Sept. 11, 2023. A lifelong resident of Chicago, John was a graduate of Fenwick High School and a Double Domer, having completed his undergraduate work at ND in 1967. His obituary noted he served in the US Army during Vietnam and enjoyed a good game of golf now and then. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary (Mortimer) ’67SMC, and is survived by his son John, daughter Nora and four grandchildren. John and Mary dated while they were students at ND and Saint Mary’s. Jack Van De North and John went to the same high school together. Terry O’Connor recalled a fun day on the shores of Lake Michigan with Mary, John and others back in the ’60s when we were all young at heart. Ken Iverson noted that during law school he, Dan Rybak, Dick Blumberg and Jim Hardgrove were housemates with John the first semester of our third year. In retirement years Joyce and Tom Sopko would occasionally have dinner with John and Mary during the winter months in FL. John loved ND, and autumn afternoons would often find him hosting tailgate parties in the campus parking lot before Irish football games. All recall John as a good man who was most proud of his children. Please remember John and his family in your prayers. I heard from many of you around Christmas. Jerry Perry wrote that as the holidays approached his car was demolished by a deer near Minneapolis. He and Jamie Cawley should talk. Dick Farina’s aircraft was grounded at Christmas while awaiting maintenance work on its landing gear. Ken Iverson took in a basketball game at ND in December and was traveling to the Gulf Coast after New Year’s. Marcia Goslawski faithfully reads this column and writes that it has been 30 years since her husband, our classmate Len Goslawski, passed away. Dick Blumberg was relaxing on the beach in Mazatlán, Mexico. Anne and John Klein note that life is good and they have been blessed with three wonderful grandchildren. Jim Kirker was working on his fifth book. Down on Pawleys Island SC, Rich Sullivan was spending time enjoying his grandkids. Tom DiGrazia sent “aloha” greetings from Kailua HI. Jim Harrington said all is well in Big Sky Country. Joe Kane continues to sing with the renowned Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Carol and Terry O’Connor have a tradition of baking cookies with grandkids on Christmas Eve. Dan Shea’s plan for Christmas was “to make no plans” and simply enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. A holiday card from Celie and Bob Urland proudly displayed their ND flag on the porch of their GA home. Joe Jankowski went “of counsel” to his NJ firm and planned to head south after the holidays. Out in San Diego, John L’Estrange welcomed his son and his family home from Saudi Arabia for Christmas. John had attended the ND vs. USC game last fall and, not having been back for a while, hardly recognized the campus. JoAnn and Mike Kelleher were enjoying their four grandchildren being home for the holidays. Tom Sopko successfully helped coordinate the 150th anniversary celebration of the founding of the South Bend Bar Association. Dave Weigle, Justin Tedrowe, Jim Doyle, John Pappas, Jamie Cawley, Tom Ebel, Dick Slawson, John Forhan, Brad Freeman, Joe Leahy, Dan Rybak, Bob Forgash, John Tully, Jack Van De North and Gerry Egan sent season’s greetings that I belatedly pass on to all of you. I sincerely thank everyone for staying in touch over so many years. Until next time, stay well. Go Irish! — John K. Plumb; jkplumb37@gmail.com

 

71 Spring Events

The 66th Collegiate Jazz Festival was held this past February. Kudos to all of you who had anything to do with the planning and execution of this endeavor while on campus, possibly even playing in one of the bands. This year one of the professional drummers shared the fact that he had performed in the event in the ’80s as a student from another school. Clearly, he had an appreciation for the opportunity to participate in such an undertaking, then and now. On Spring Game weekend Jerry Kammer, State College PA, was on campus for the 60th anniversary of the origin of the lacrosse team, and Peter Moulder, Pittsburgh, attended the Alumni Association spring meetings. Bruce Barker, Lowell MI, and his brother had a free weekend so they also came for the Spring Game, but when it was over kept heading south to Anderson IN, home of Hoosier Park Racing & Casino. Bruce had banked some chits with the family last fall when he brought Denice, their daughter, and son-in-law and grandkids to their first ND game, the Central Michigan game, where the kids attended. Carl Mehrbach, Lyme NH, continues to paint and draw, exhibiting his work at the Silvermine Art Galleries in New Canaan CT. Bob Bullard passed away in April after a long battle with cancer. Originally from Fort Lauderdale, he was a management major and a resident of Flanner. After his long sales career with AT&T in Buffalo NY, the family relocated to Bluffton SC. Maureen continued working in the nursing field while Bullitt slid over into the Mr. Mom role. Something about helping the kids and spoiling the grandkids being more fun than hustling communications gear in the corporate arena. Condolences to the entire family. Rev. Don Fetters, CSC, passed away in March. A native of South Bend, he was a government major while residing at Moreau Seminary. He had a long and varied career in education throughout the US and internationally in Mexico, Chile and Peru before returning to campus in 2019. Dan Nicholson, St. Charles IL, passed away in March. Postgraduate work after ND included an MBA from Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in econ from the London School of Economics, as a forerunner to a varied career in information systems. Dan was a native of Milwaukee and a finance major, and he lived in Cavanaugh. Condolences to Madeleine and the rest of their family. Condolences to Joe St. Onge, Yonkers NY, and the rest of the family on the passing of Kitty in April. Rev. Doug Smith, CSC, a resident of Corby Hall, continues to expand on his new later-in-life career as an international tour host. The latest trip was a sea cruise from Barcelona to Venice, with 25 alums on board. I’m still tailgating in the backyard, weather permitting; come on by. — John Snider; 830 N. Saint Peter St., South Bend IN 46617-1936; res 574-217-8961; cell 312-860-1779; jlscpa@yahoo.com

 

71MBA April News

I can always count on Helena and Tony Strati to provide some news as they continue their active lifestyle. They are into skiing, swimming and pickleball and have traveled all over the country to attend high school graduations for their many grandchildren. They are also planning some trips to the Midwest this summer and will try to visit with Robbie and me. Patricia and Rod Spear are getting acclimated to their new downsized home. Rod is very enthused about continuing his activity as docent at the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus. Robbie (Parker) ’71MA and Jim Fackelman recently took three of their grandchildren back to campus to see the women’s basketball game in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Besides a great win, another highlight was hanging around after the game to get pictures and autographs with Coach Ivey and several of the players. Jim McCullough is planning his first visit to campus in many years later this year. — Jim Fackelman; 4635 Lakeview Circle, Slinger WI 53086; res 262-644-6245; cell 414-379-0968; jfackelman@alumni.nd.edu

71JD Class Secretary — E. Bryan Dunigan;

19 S. LaSalle, Suite 1202, Chicago IL 60603; 312-857-2114; bdunigan@duniganlaw.com

 

72 John Edwin Mroz ’70

I prepared a 100-page, illustrated biography of John Edwin Mroz ’70, who died in 2014, recounting his two legacies: reimagining the Sophomore Literary Festival and founding the EastWest Institute, noted for its “track 2” diplomacy. He was a candidate for student body president ’69-’70 during our freshman year. John received many awards, including one for his work on the reunification of Germany. In preparing the materials about his time at ND, I communicated with Chuck Nau ’69 (student body VP, 1968-69); Marty Kress ’70, a roommate of John’s both on campus and also after graduation in Boston; Tito Trevino ’70; Jim Metzger ’71; Barney Gallagher ’71; Rich Hunter ’71; and Frank Barrett ’75. The biography will be posted by the College of Charleston with which John was affiliated. My oral history interview with the college will also be posted. Gretchen (Blumer) ’74SMC and Tom Gaul ’75MBA have lived in NH for 25 years. Tom learned French in Angers, which helped during his work assignments in the packaging business in France and Switzerland. Bill Wilka left his San Francisco firm of 23 years and is now of counsel to another firm. Phil Glotzbach received an honorary degree and was the commencement speaker this spring from Denison. He has a book coming out this summer for students and parents: Embrace Your Freedom: Winning Strategies to Succeed in College and in Life. Previously unreported is the death on Sept. 10, 2022, of Steve Cass in Oman, where he had worked for quite some time. John (“DJ” or “Jack”) Candon passed on Dec. 5, 2023. He came to ND and Farley from Mount St. Joseph Academy, Rutland VT. He obtained his law degree from Marquette. He served in the VT legislature for six years with his father and two cousins. He chaired the boards of trustees of the U of Vermont and Vermont Public TV. As Santa Claus, he was known to remember children’s names and ages, use sign language, and say “Merry Christmas” in many languages. He studied toy catalogs every year to make sure he was up on the latest trends, even to the point of being able to name most American Girl dolls. Our condolences to Martha, his wife of 50 years, and their son, Patrick. Joseph C. Cassini III ’76MBA, ’76JD passed Jan. 19. He came to ND and Flanner from West Orange NJ. On campus he was involved with Omicron Delta Epsilon, The Observer and the swim team and was hall president. In 2012, the Law School announced the establishment of the Hon. Joseph C. and Margaret Cassini III Endowment for Excellence to support the Law School’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program, designed to ensure that graduates may accept public interest and public service positions even when those roles pay modest salaries. He was a NJ judge for 33 years and had a passion for collector cars. Our condolences to his wife and their daughter, Caroline. Let us pray for each other, living and deceased, to the Mother of Holiness. — Jim Thunder; thundergroup@alumni.nd.edu

 

72MBA Class Secretary — Alex McLellan;

913-991-0944; irish72mba@gmail.com

 

72JD Class Secretary — Chris Schraff;

1881 Marble Cliff Crossing Ct., Columbus OH 43204; 614-227-2097; cschraff@porterwright.com

 

73 What Do You Do in Retirement?

Many of us are retired and we often get the question, what do you do in retirement? John Mowbray had an answer April 8 when he flew from his hometown of Las Vegas to Marion IL to view the solar eclipse with Janet and Tom Wolf. John is an accomplished photographer and took some incredible pictures as Marion was right in the middle of the eclipse route. In fact, Marion is known as the “hub of our universe.” Both Tom and John are still practicing law. John also was the recent recipient of the 2024 Liberty Bell Award in Las Vegas, a very prestigious honor given by the Clark County Law Foundation. Congratulations, John! Speaking of lawyers in our Class, it was great to reconnect with Bill Kaufman of Minneapolis. Bill has been retired for some years now and he and Mary Ellen ’73SMC have a winter home in Henderson NV. Bill is still an accomplished golfer and very graciously hosted Jim Roolf and two of our friends at Edina Country Club in Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend. Bill Little writes from TX where he still dabbles in the practice of law. Bill and his daughter went to Ireland last October. He had graduated from Trinity College in Dublin 10 years ago and wanted to check it out. As all of you know, our Class is now and will be continuing to experience the deaths of classmates. I was extremely saddened to hear of the untimely passing of Dan Dunne. Dan was the most outstanding cross country runner in our class and also one of the stars of the track team. Dan had worked for R.R. Donnelly for many years before retiring and recently was an associate professor at Moraine Valley College in south Chicago. Dan was a genuine soft-spoken good guy. He is survived by his wife and three children. In addition, Rev. Nathan “Jim” Munsch succumbed following a four-year struggle with ALS. He had served parishes in the dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown and Greensburg and taught at both St. Vincent College and St. Vincent Seminary. Attending the Marcus Freeman reunion of former football players in April were Mike Creaney, Mike Frantz, Jim Roolf and Lou Ferrello. Speaking of football players in our Class, I understand Tom Freisthoffer is the head of the city council in Fort Wayne IN. I’m looking for news! Don’t be bashful. — Michael W. Hansen; 3013 Sanctuary Court, Joliet IL 60435; cell 815-212-3661; mikehansen@mikehansenlaw.com

 

73MBA Looking for More Responses

John Erwin writes that in 2023, he retired, and he and his wife, Kellie, moved from OH (Columbus area) to LA (Lake Pontchartrain area) to be near their son and daughter and their families. They now love being grandpa and grandma to their grandson on a weekly basis. Gus Browne tells us that he is finally back to traveling. His last trip was in 2019. Then COVID hit. Today you will find him on tour in France, doing the Catholic church tour! Then on to Amsterdam this coming Sunday. Recently celebrating his 80th birthday, he adds that sure there are a few aches and pains but they are under control. I am always looking forward to hearing from all of you to fill our allotted space in this magazine. Send me your updated email addresses and any additions or corrections to these magazine inputs. Please continue to support our legacy ’73MBA Notre Dame Magazine alumni quarterly input opportunities — share your job promotions, retirements, ND memories, teammate get-togethers and family or grandchildren stories. You are always welcome to visit us in Southern CA. — Thomas Jindra; tajindra@charter.net

 

73JD Slow News, Again

It has been another slow news quarter but, since too much of the news I get deals with the passing of a classmate, I am OK with it. I am headed to South Bend tomorrow for a reunion of sorts celebrating 60 years of lacrosse at Notre Dame. As far as I know Jim Courtney (rest in peace) and I are the only students at the Law School who played on the club team. Also, by the time this Class Note appears in print, Jane and I will have moved back to Quechee VT. We sold our place in Fort Myers FL (fortunately very quickly) and are looking forward to enduring cold winters and mud seasons again. It is amazing the extent to which I will go to have something different to report. Please help. Our address is at the end of this note. — Paul Reagan; 328 Fletcher Lane, Box 641, Quechee VT; cell 847-915-9796; pvreagan@gmail.com

 

74 50 Years Ago and Current News 

As I write this, our 50-year Class Reunion is still before us in several weeks, although when you receive this, you will have already enjoyed a wonderful time filled with laughter, memories, old classmates and acquaintances and newfound friends. We were excited to do all the planning, and trust you had a fabulous time. On with some news — Rich Soeder and his former classmates have also geared up for the 50th. Four of them, two from Pittsburgh and two from Chicago, got together months ago for some fun golf competition, some dinner and general camaraderie at the Chicago Golf Club. The group included three retirees, and one still working. First on the lineup includes Tom Campbell, who now resides in Naples FL and has retired from the Board of Trade. Second retiree includes Bill Munch, who still lives in Chicago. Bill retired from his civil engineering responsibilities for the Sanitation Department in Chicago. Rich Soeder retired after a 35-year career with PNC Financial in wealth management and shares his time between Pittsburgh and Naples FL. And finally, Jim Mall, who is still working as a partner for a law firm in Pittsburgh. Sounds like a great time. Fun times were also had from a group from Alumni Hall who decided in 2023 to recreate the Oct. 1, 1973, picture from ND watching the ND/Duke game. It was a sensational event, not only since many hadn’t seen each other in 45 years, but the fun and energy of yesteryear was regained. The attendees included Bob Lee (Denver), Denny Lanigan (Dallas), Steve Dermondy (Council Bluffs IA), Kevin O’Brien (Denver), Joe Mason (Anchorage AK) and Steve Tiso (Southern CA). The POG golf group will have attended Reunion, and no doubt you’ll hear about the antics that were enjoyed at the Class golf classic. The KY senate passed a special resolution last March honoring our very own Patrick McGrath MD, professor emeritus of surgical oncology, on the senate floor in celebration of Pat’s 38 years of dedicated care to the people of the commonwealth at UK HealthCare. He received a well-deserved standing ovation. Wow, most impressive and so well deserved. Please continue to write. I do my best to get your information in; however, you must put in the subject line: ND Column News — otherwise my firewalls toss you out of my computer and keep all the spam instead! Write to — Dede Lohle Simon; 300 2nd Ave., Unit 2139, Needham Heights MA 02494; dedersimon@gmail.com

 

74MBA A Classmate’s Passing and Old Friends

I begin this article with some sad news. Fellow classmate Joe Cassini passed away in January. As some of you may know, Joe was a rare “Triple Domer,” having received three degrees from ND — a BA, an MBA and a JD. One of my fondest memories of our times at ND was our weekly handball match, Randy Marks and I versus Joe and Sam Lanzafame. Those were special times of relaxation and fun during our MBA years. Joe lived in West Orange NJ and is survived by wife Margaret. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Cassini family. Joe will be missed. In other news, Helen and I just returned from a mid-February vacation in the Sunshine State. We spent 10 days in Cape Coral FL. The weather was a little cool, but the skies were clear and the sun was shining every day. While we were there, we met up with Randy Marks and his wife, Sandy, in Punta Gorda. We had a great lunch overlooking the local marina. What a great setting! Randy and Sandy looked great and are enjoying their 12th year as residents of Sarasota. It was great to spend some time with old friends just sharing conversation and enjoying the scenery. I also talked with Charlie Lanktree on the telephone since my last article. Charlie and his wife, Donna, are keeping busy with grandchildren and splitting time between their residences in Morris Plains NJ and Hammock Bay FL. Charlie mentioned that he and Donna plan to attend both the Navy game in NJ and the Army game in Yankee Stadium this fall. Helen and I are off to GA in early April to attend the Masters Golf Tournament. This will be our fifth time attending. For those of you thinking about attending a Masters Tournament, I would strongly encourage it. It is certainly one of our country’s best sporting events. The tournament hosts go out of their way to ensure that everyone has a great experience. The golf course and the surrounding scenery are truly beautiful in early spring. No news from any other former classmates. I hope this note finds all of you and your families in good health. Drop me a line and let me know if you come into contact with any former classmates and want to share some of those stories with us in this article. As always, we welcome any news about our former colleagues. — Jack Burnett; 19248 Glen Eagles Drive, Livonia MI 48152; 734-464-3458; jburnet1@sbcglobal.net

 

74JD Reunion 50 Kudos

I am writing this six weeks prior to our 50th Class Reunion held May 30 through June 2. I hope everyone who was able to attend had a great time. It was a wonderful chance to reconnect with classmates. Roberta Halladay, Noel Augustyn and Patty O’Hara took the lead in organizing our reunion and led the efforts to give as many of us as possible the opportunity to attend. Noel was the first to raise the call to initiate the planning process. Some of our classmates attended a fall game and nominated Roberta, in absentia, to get things moving. It was an inspired choice. Roberta’s energy and tireless efforts merit a Reunion Heisman. Patty coordinated things with Tammye Raster ’92JD, the law alumni program manager. Tammye’s help has been invaluable. We were very blessed to have our classmate Rev. Jerry Bednar with us. Father Jerry celebrated our Class Mass on Saturday in the Law School Chapel. Please join me in thanking each of these folks for making our reunion very special. Take care. — Joe O’Reilly; cell 502-649-6955; joe.oreilly34@icloud.com

 

75 Get Ready for 2025 Reunion

Save the date now for Reunion 2025, our 50th Class gathering at ND, May 29 to June 1 next year. We are planning great activities to mark this milestone. Join the Planning Committee! Contact Jeanne Murphy at jmmnd75@gmail.com. In other recent news, Jeanne became president of the Alumni Club of Greater Sarasota in March. She added, “Just when everyone in our Class is no doubt resigning from these local responsibilities, I walked into the fire!” She’s also enjoying golf — consistently breaking 100 on the golf course now and hoping to break 90 in time for the Class tourney at Reunion 2025. Craig Brenton writes from WA state that he has written a self-help book to be published by Captivate Press in September. He says his book, 21 Weeks to (Real) Prosperity, cites principles drawn from Scripture to enhance our health, family life, career, money and relationship with God. Craig recently retired from careers as a stockbroker, trial attorney and FBI agent. Married to Cindy for 43 years, he has six children, including one in high school. Noony and Jack Malone have left Columbus OH and set up housekeeping in Northfield IL, north of Chicago, as of March. They are close to two alumna daughters, Maggie Soracoe ’06 and Mary Kate Martin ’08, and a lapful of grandchildren. Smooth move! Never a dull moment in AZ for Dan Hesse, who hosted classmates Clete Graham and Fred Heydrich as they all attended an April 27 concert by their favorite performer, Neil Young. Please remember classmates who have passed away recently, including Paul Lakner of Ossining NY, who is survived by wife Dorothy. Please continue to send me your news. Thanks! — Norm Bower; 3946 Fernwood Ave., Davenport IA 52807; 563-349-0469; normbower53@gmail.com

 

75MBA Class Secretary — Jim Ouimet;

215-862-3080; jimouimet@comcast.net

 

75JD Summer Notes

At his passing, Edward J. Murphy had taught more Notre Dame law students than any professor in the history of the University, meaning every law student from 1957 to 1994. Next year, at the time of our 50th Reunion, he will have been gone nearly three decades. Think back over your formative years from kindergarten through law school, and if he was not your all-time favorite instructor, I will bet he was at least in your final four. I got to thinking about him the other day as I cranked out a voluminous and equally boring manufacturing agreement for a client. Once the parties achieve a meeting of the minds and garner the required consideration (remember the peppercorn?), the attorneys can capture the understanding in a document. Ed Murphy imparted the legal rules that serve as the scaffolding, and the situational terms and conditions comprise the remainder of the structure. Putting together an agreement with his foundation is a joyous undertaking, especially with the whiz-bang computer technology which was unheard of back in the 1970s. Writing about his colleague sometime later, Charles E. Rice recounted that he initially came across Ed Murphy during the Goldwater presidential campaign in 1964. “As you know, we narrowly lost that Goldwater campaign,” Charlie added dryly. Here is more: “And it was not until five years later when I came to Notre Dame that I had the pleasure of actually meeting Ed Murphy. One of the first things he said to me was, ‘You’re too liberal.’ It was a first.” You can picture the eyeroll, right? In his tribute, David Link ’58, ’61JD reminded me of something I had long since forgotten: “Every [classroom] discussion was perfectly timed and ended with Professor Murphy making the precise point he wanted to ingrain in every student’s memory.” In yet another tribute, Douglas W. Kmiec, a former US ambassador and once-upon-a-time member of the NDLS faculty, added this: “His spirit and faith in God were never dimmed, and his peaceful death after a Rosary and mid-day meal with his wife, Mary Ann, gives simple, living elegance to the words of the poet Tennyson: ‘God’s finger touched him, and he slept.’” And yes, forget not Charlie. He passed in 2015, and Nell Jessup Newton, then the dean, recalled that they started off on the wrong foot when she foolishly asked at their first meeting, “You were in the Navy, right?” She noted “the scowl and growled ‘Marines’ almost knocked me off my feet.” Even today, all those decades later, I remember the same pride — quiet, yet fierce — in our own veterans. So here is a well-deserved shout-out to our Class’s heroes, some here and some gone: Phil Morse, John Lynch, Paul Fortino, Chuck Garbett, Joe Noack, Peter Shirk, Francis Schachtele, Ben Cittadino, David Permar, James Porro, Phil Lauro, Aaron Ochi, Paul Murphy, Chauncey Veatch, Willie Lipscomb, Dennis Owens, Jack Garbo, John Moe, Tim Westman and anyone I missed. In our Law School years, it was not uncommon to see the children of classmates running about at social functions. James Campbell “Camp” Owens and Scot Silbaugh immediately come to mind, but there were other mischievous rug rats as well. You might also recall children of our professors and administrative staff hanging around at times. Not quite in their teens, that would have included two boys who became lifelong friends. Patrick D. Murphy ’85 and Charles P. Rice ’85, ’88JD subsequently built a local practice (Murphy Rice) which is very well respected in the South Bend-Mishawaka community. And so, life goes on, eventually without us. — Frederick Giel; fggiel@gmail.com

 

76 Gracefully Approaching 70

As we grow older, time becomes more valuable. That’s why our Oct. 11-13 mini-reunion is such a special opportunity to visit with our classmates. For more information, please visit 1976.undclass.org. At ND’s Leadership Conference, Maryanne Ries Rogers was recognized for her four years of hard work and fun-loving spirit on the Senior Alumni Board. As we reminisce about days gone by, some of us ponder our fleeting youth while others celebrate it. Tom Paulius played on the winning team in Florida Lacrosse Classic’s inaugural 70+ Zen Masters Division, and Pete Bialek completed his 25th American Birkebeiner 50K cross-country ski race in Hayward WI! John Lonsberg sends greetings from Riyadh, where he serves as chief counsel for Saudi Arabian Military Industries at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. He and his wife, Dominika, along with their three children (all 10 or younger!), are building a new residence in Mauritius, an island nation off the coast of Africa. Tom Young, Augie Grace, Paul Shay and Rick Supik seek warm climates each February to relive and embellish past adventures. Last year it was Palm Springs and a supplemental trip to Ireland! Mark Augustine and his wife moved from TX to Owensboro KY in October to be close to family. He has three grandchildren in KY and three in AK. Betsy Short was in CO for the birth of her first grandchild, Elizabeth Marion “Bizzy” Drescher. Mark Storer proudly celebrated the numerous Golden Globes and Emmys for The Bear, the brainchild of his son Christopher Storer. Terry O’Reilly was elected to another term as chair of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is president and CEO of Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corp. and has won multiple Emmy Awards himself. Greg Marino splits his time between WY and AK, combining roles as deacon and oncologist in the native community. A December Washington Post story featured E.A. “Betty” Raven and her quiet acts of kindness while her health declined before her passing. Cathy Raven ’92 reported her sister’s death in South Bend. Betty earned her BS and MS in electrical engineering, working for Bendix (Honeywell) from graduation until retirement in 2018. Betty generously supported organizations that protected the environment, fed the hungry and supported immigrants in her community. In death as in life, she was a trailblazer; her “green” burial was the first of its kind at Cedar Grove Cemetery on campus. Peter McElroy passed away in December after a distinguished law career in MA. He loved his family, reading, travel and sunrises. Stephen Simpson lost an extended battle with leukemia complicated by COVID-19. He became a full-time resident of Naples FL in 2019 following his retirement as an orthodontist in OH. Kevin O’Connor called Dec. 26 to let me know his father, Chuck O’Connor, had sadly passed away on Christmas. Chuck was an ND baseball player and proud alumnus. James Landis worked for IBM in the US and Italy, and several tech companies in Ireland, Italy and Belgium. He retired in 2022 and moved to Sicily, where he was struck and killed by a car in December. Mike Lombard shared that his Flanner roommate Jim Ghiglieri passed away. Jim was a pitcher on ND’s baseball team and followed his father’s and grandfather’s legacy in community banking, eventually becoming president of Citizens National Bank in Toluca IL. Tom Hurley, an avid hiker and outdoorsman who traversed many epic trails across the US, died in Issaquah WA. Our condolences to Nancy Brenner Sinnott, who recently lost her brother Paul Brenner. We celebrate these distinguished lives and offer our prayers to their loved ones. — Shelley Muller Simon; 5972 Dune Harbor Dr., Portage IN 46368; 573-268-3690; ssimon823@gmail.com

 

76MBA The PA Appalachian Trail

Ole Tommy Ritter hiked a section of the PA Appalachian Trail in February, with his daughter and her husband. They told him the trail was rated “moderate” and was configured as a loop around the Chimney Rocks scenic overlook. Well … moderate for 36/37 years old is “super strenuous” for 73 years old. He writes, “The elevation gain was over 800 feet during an estimated 4.0-mile trail hike. Except my ‘guides’ rely on their phones and don’t know how to read maps!! So we kept zigging when we should have been zagging, got lost, and had to climb down through steep rock formations, and our trail hike was over 5.5 miles. Yes, I finished, but my knees have not fully recovered after six weeks. Next hike … TR is the trail master.” Tom mentioned the popular movie The Boys in the Boat. It has been viewed and appreciated by Dan Potts and Drew Hill, both of whom rowed for St. Joe’s College in Philadelphia, on the mighty Schuylkill River, along the famous Boathouse Row. The contact number for Tom Ritter is 717-398-9353. Marc Brammer checked in from The Bend. Marc is 72 (his Medicare age) and his wife, Linda, who attended Saint Mary’s College, reside in South Bend. They are not leaving … not downsizing. They are looking forward to the June 8 wedding of their youngest, baby Natalie, in South Bend. They have five girls and three sons. Natalie and her husband will return to West Palm Beach FL after the wedding to live their first years of marriage near Marc’s brother, Michael, sister Beth, and son Conrad, all who live within miles of each other. He writes, “While most all our classmates live elsewhere, it has been a joy to raise eight children here in The Bend with Linda. The sale of our software products group to the Moody’s Corporation in 2000 set me up for 20 years of global travel making NYC money while Linda raised the children in South Bend.” Three of their eight children and 14 of their 16 grandchildren reside in the area. Marc enjoys watching the grandchildren play sports and participate in musicals and plays at Mishawaka Catholic grade school and St. Joe High School, events he often missed with his own children when traveling during his career. Marc states that no matter what the day or time, if any classmate plans to come visit the “old sod,” please reach out to him at marcbrammer@gmail.com or 574-532-5362. Our family is still well protected by Our Lady. In wintertime we can see Her golden statue directly north knowing She is close by. Blessings to everyone and their families. Thank you for sending news. God Bless. — Mike Norris; text 248-330-5366; norris1021@comcast.net

 

76JD Class Secretary — Virgil L. Roth;

625 Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 255, South Pasadena CA 91030; 626-441-1178; fax 626-441-1166; vroth@vlrlaw.com

 

77 Honors and Reunions

In February, President Rev. John Jenkins, CSC, and Notre Dame leadership, including Cindy Buescher Parseghian and John Veihmeyer, incoming Chairman of the Board of Trustees, met with Pope Francis in Rome. Paul Bohn was named the inaugural director of the new Bioengineering and Life Sciences (BELS) Initiative between the College of Science and the College of Engineering. Roxanne O’Brien Martino, a co-founder of OceanM19, a director of Ventas Inc. and on the board of Lurie’s Children’s Hospital, among others, was honored at the Fenwick High School Blackfriars’ Gala in Chicago. Mitchell “Mick” Thomas shared that ’77 classmates gathering for his daughter Kelsey’s wedding to Chris George on Dec. 29 in San Antonio TX included Kathy Boron Zuzolo and Jerry Zuzolo, Carla and Mick Thomas, Paula and Kevin Butler, and Martha and Jorge Lopez. “As a good friend likes to say, we are part of the ND Class of 1977 from the Outlaw State of Zahm Hall. The Zahm Hall Class of 1977 remains a tight-knit Band of Brothers that has been there for one another through good times and tough times for more than 50 years!” Mark Janko had lunch with Mike Fitzgerald. “Mike and I lived in Grace Hall. Last time I saw Mike was at our graduation. Mike was in ROTC, a career soldier. He retired to Tampa. I was visiting an ill friend and I called him. We had lots of laughs, and it was almost like we were back at ND.” Bob Blanck shared a “Howard Hall mini reunion with Jane and Dan McCarty and my wife Elizabeth and me at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach. The McCartys [are] wintering in the Sunshine State from MI.” Stephen Spretnjak shared that his grandfather August Spretnjak ’30 said that students during his undergrad days started a tradition of tossing goldfish in the lake. “He was an engineer, and they claimed the golden fish scales vividly accentuated the gold reflection angling off the Dome.” Bridget “Brydie” Ragan “bought a house in an intentional, co-housing community in PA, an ecovillage, with its own Living Machine.” Brydie’s first visitor was her “forever friend” Lisa Moore, who lives in ME. Rick Feauto and Geoff MacKenzie, roommates in Cavanaugh Hall who hadn’t seen each other since 1977, got together on the 16th hole at the Phoenix Waste Management Golf Tournament, after 46 years. Paul McDonnell and Chris Schweitzer shared a three-hour-long, no-intermission dance recital of Chris’ 7-year-old granddaughter. Chris said, “Even Paul, who’s not usually given to superlatives, guaranteed me that it was a once in a lifetime experience!” Dave Wallace taught six classes, storytelling workshops, and met with students to discuss their career objectives and offer thoughts on how they could better present themselves in job, internship or grad school interviews on campus in February. Timothy Bourret has written a book, 88 and 1, about UCLA’s 88-game winning streak and the game that ended it when we were freshmen in 1974, available on Amazon. Michael Greaney composed a hymn to St. Philomena and has received positive feedback from the Living Rosary Association, the Legion of Mary, Vatican officials and others. Marianne Morgan Harris welcomed grandson Christian Nicholas on Jan. 18; Patricia Klepper celebrated her first grandchild, Blakely Ruth Saul, born Jan. 24. Sharon and Jeff Vitter celebrated the wedding of their daughter, Audrey, and new son-in-law, Ryan, at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, with the happy couple leading a joyful wedding party procession through the French Quarter. Deepest condolences go out to Bonita Bradshaw on the loss of her daughter Andrea Gray; to Molly Sample, who lost her brother, Timothy McGuire; and to the family of Kenneth Van Deventer who passed away in November. A Celebration of Life will be held at Ken and Kim’s Chadwick Beach NJ home this summer. Correction: Jim Dragna’s last name was misspelled in the spring issue. — Virginia McGowan Bishop; res 847-291-7510; classof1977@alumni.nd.edu

 

77MBA Class Secretary — Alan J. Fisher;

ajfisher7577@gmail.com

 

77JD Buller Travels for Total Eclipse

As previously reported, Randy Petrides has transitioned from work as a trial lawyer and administrator in the Genesee County MI prosecutor’s office into Catholic theology and writing. Sales are going well for How the Saints Shaped History, Randy’s concise narrative on the saints and the history of the Catholic Church. Randy’s well-researched historical and chronological perspective makes the account of the lives of the saints much richer. Randy, who is a passionate Catholic with a Master of Theology degree, has found his second career as an author fulfilling. In addition to planning a trip with Elizabeth to ND and to wineries in southwest MI, Randy is working on another book. I followed up with Susan Buller about her travels to San Antonio to experience full totality during the recent solar eclipse. Unfortunately, and unexpectedly, the weather did not cooperate and clouds covered the peak of the eclipse. Despite the weather, Susan had a great reunion with six of her siblings. John Ready was at a church meeting when I called, but Pat reports that they are doing well and that John spends a lot of time riding around on his bicycle to keep in shape. Pat also reports that Pamela and her brother Bob Connolly are having a great time cruising around the world. I hope to have more news for the next edition as I continue to reach out to classmates who haven’t provided news in a while. I am closing up my practice and will be fully retired very shortly, so please note my home email. — Janey Bennett; 50850 Tarrington Way, Granger IN 46530; 574-298-9251; bus 574-243-4100; jane1977nd@outlook.com

 

78 Class Secretary — Jim “Souls” Coyne;

1801 Butler Pike, Apt. 20, Conshohocken PA 19428; 267-847-8808; jcoyne@cohs.com

 

78MBA Class Secretary — Mamie Anthoine Ney;

41 Applewood Lane, Falmouth, ME 04105; res 207-229-0989; bus 207-333-6640 ex 2020; irishwasherwoman@alumni.nd.edu

 

78JD A Look into History

Judge James Varga’s author website is up and running: jamesmvarga.com. There is a great picture of Jim standing beside an intriguingly similar portrait. He returned to NDLS to judge a student jury trial in February. “Good students, good time.” Jim also presided over a recent jury verdict of $14 million for a severely brain-damaged child who died four and one-half years after birth. The third, junior member representing the plaintiff’s family was a graduate of the NDLS Intensive Trial Advocacy course. On another front, Doug Weimer spent the winter in Palm Beach FL. He serves on the advisory committee of the Palm Beach Friends of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens (Washington DC). He recently completed nine years of service as a board member and as chairman of the Collections and Program Committee at the museum. Doug also serves on the museum’s International Council. He saw our classmate Carl Gamble while in FL. In a recent email to me, Doug turned to this topic: “I had lunch with a good friend yesterday who is involved with her 50th class reunion at Yale. They have submitted a list of very thought-provoking questions to their classmates — some were really good. E.g., did our generation do a better job than our parents’ generation? The responses will be published as a class memoir.” Doug concluded, “I think that something like this would be a great opener for our reunion and could bring some folks together. It could be published (electronically or in print) and provide a legacy of our class and time. Any thoughts?” At this writing, I am spending six weeks as a Fulbright Scholar in Astana, Kazakhstan, teaching a course titled The Rule of Law, Corruption, and International Law. It’s an ambitious venture which rambles throughout the last 800 years of legal development, ranging from King John and the Magna Carta to Watergate and the insurrection. The course seeks to understand the demands of the rule of law and the tools for fighting corruption. When I struggle with a course like this, I often think of Professor Bob Rodes’ Jurisprudence course, which many of us took, and his book The Legal Enterprise, not to mention his English history course, which I have found useful over the years. This is my fourth Fulbright award, having previously served in China (1998), Romania (2005) and Burma (2017-18). Send news, stories, ideas (perhaps about a law school reunion) and memories to me. — Vincent R. Johnson; 210-410-3562; vjohnson@stmarytx.edu

 

79 We’re Still Active

Al Cowger and Tony Wesley live in greater Cleveland with their daughter Catie, who starts at Syracuse U in the fall. Al and Tony celebrated their 38th anniversary. Tony is a fractional CFO contracting with smaller companies that do not need a full-time CFO. His community activities include serving on the vestry at Trinity Cathedral, volunteering with Americans Making Immigrants Safe Cleveland, and serving as the treasurer for Dance Cleveland, East-Side Interfaith Ministries and the parents association for his daughter’s school. William Tully is a Dauphin County criminal trial judge in Harrisburg PA. He earned his JD at Dickinson. Before serving as a judge, he worked as the first assistant DA for Dauphin County and as a law firm partner. He served on the PA Commission on Sentencing. He and his wife, Lori, have three daughters, Erin ’16, Allison and Christine. He is active in his church, the Knights of Columbus, the Cursillo Movement, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Catholic Worker House and the Central PA Figure Skating Club. Joe Carey’s second full-length poetry book, Black Forest Dreams, which was inspired by a family trip to Germany, has won several awards. Joe and his wife, Renata, celebrated their 30th anniversary with a trip to Egypt and Jordan. Their oldest son, Joey, is a mechanical engineer and their youngest son, Nicholas, is studying to be a commercial pilot. Joe organizes golf outings with classmates in the Midwest, including fellow Innsbruck alum Andy Teske, Greg Oberland from Milwaukee and Bob Huguelet from greater Chicago. Bob’s son invented a lightweight, portable golf bag. Olga and Mark Ronsini live in Kennesaw GA with their teenage daughter. Mark, who has an MBA, is a wealth manager with his own company, Strategic Planning & Finance Services. Manny Grace was associate general counsel with The Walt Disney Company in CA. After 31 years with Disney’s legal department, Manny retired in June. Tim McQuiston is editor of Vermont Biz in South Burlington. Tim missed Reunion because his son Conor was married that weekend. The VT legislature honored Mike Reilly with an Unsung Hero Award for Mental Health Advocacy. The award was made in recognition of and appreciation for his outstanding leadership, advocacy, service and dedication to support and inspire the well-being of Vermonters. Mike, who lives in Essex, has spent his career with nonprofits, most recently as development coordinator for Champlain Community Services. He is in his second year of living with Parkinson’s disease. He is active in Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson’s and appreciates “every good day as never before.” Rita Martin-Crowley is a retired lawyer living in NY. Her daughter Colleen, a second-grade teacher in Santa Monica, is in ND’s Mary Ann Remick Program, a 25-month graduate program to develop education leadership skills. The program includes three summers on campus and two remote academic years. Cindy and Jim Edwards are in Denver, where he is a lawyer with his own practice and Cindy administers a preschool child care program for low-income families. They have three children and one grandchild. Jim keeps in touch with Will Carroll, a lawyer in San Francisco, and Chris Poinsatte, Dallas airport’s CFO. He also has volunteered with the ND Club of Denver, of which Brian Bates is a past president. Remember Paul Macellari who died in February. Paul earned a Ph.D. in clinical neuropsychology from Northwestern, where he met his wife, Karen. He was director of the Michiana Rehabilitation Institute in South Bend working with patients recovering from traumatic brain injuries. Also, he had his own practice, was on staff at Memorial Hospital and was an adjunct professor at ND and Andrews U. He found delight in his four children and 10 grandchildren. In addition to being a caring clinician and nurturing parent and grandparent, he was a chef, musician, joke collector and aquarist. Also remember Jim Lincer who died in February after a long fight with cancer. After medical school at the U of Illinois, Jim and his wife, Debra, moved to Milwaukee, where Jim opened Midwest Rehabilitation Associates to provide care to people living with chronic pain and disability. He served as president of the American Board of Pain Medicine. He had three daughters and two granddaughters, one of whom preceded him in death. In addition to compassionately serving patients and enjoying his family, Jim fished, traveled, read and cooked, creating his own recipes. — Barbara A. Langhenry; res 216-651-8962; cell 216-509-8962; breclw@aol.com

 

79MBA Class Secretary — Patty Kennedy Kerr;

7750 Leonard St. NE, Ada MI 49301; 616-682-1223; kerrtaxcpa@gmail.com

 

79JD Class Secretary — Daniel F. McNeil;

1001 NW Lovejoy, Unit 205, Portland OR 97209; 503-539-9188; mcneil.daniel12@gmail.com