1940s

40 Class Secretary — Rebecca Smith;
542 Fairview Ave., Glen Ellyn IL 60137; 630-254-4485; rebecca.antas@gmail.com

 

41 Class Secretary — Meg Julian ’03, ’06JD;
804 Jersey Ave., Spring Lake NJ 07762; 646-246-5480; megjulian@gmail.com

 

42 Class Secretary — Ann Schanuel;
annjolene2@aol.com

 

43 Class Secretary — A. Robert Masters ’05;
1906 E. Madison St., South Bend IN 46617; res 574-904-8315; bus 574-234-0121; armasters@nfmlaw.com

 

44 Storytelling
Time passes more quickly than it used to. I feel like it was just recently that John Hickey ’69 reached out to me for a connection to J. Thomas O’Reilly to interview him for a piece on the Class of 1969 blog. Imagine my surprise to discover the Class of 1969 Blog piece entitled “A Saint, a Colonel, a Pope — and Tom O’Reilly — reflections of a centenarian” was published in November 2022! I missed publicizing it here, but am grateful that it was completed before Tom’s passing in the summer of 2023. I hope his family enjoyed reading the piece and I’m grateful to John and Bob Gibbons ’69 for capturing his story. I enjoyed my many conversations with Tom over the years and he will be missed. — Laura (Julian) Fraser ’00; 1021 Royal Bombay Ct., Naperville IL 60563; 773-255-9843; lejfraser@outlook.com

 

45 Class Secretary — Melissa Erkins Rackish ’77;
1224 Campbell St., Williamsport PA 17701; 570-971-2296; mrackish@comcast.net

 

47 Sons of ND
Please keep in touch with your memories, tributes and stories. It’s always good to hear from you. Go Irish! — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; emzander@gmail.com

 

48 Touching Tribute and Report
I am saddened to report the passing of Francis P. “Frank” Thometz on June 27. I heard from his son, Frank, in August concerning the recent death of his father. Frank writes that his father passed away peacefully in Milwaukee at the age of 97. Frank’s economics degree from ND paved the way for a 67-year career with Morgan Stanley where he became senior vice president. He was an enthusiastic alum throughout his life, and even attended his 70-year class reunion, along with his now-deceased ND roommate and lifelong friend, Donald Clark. Frank is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Kathleen; three children; and six grandchildren. He was an avid skier, tennis player, world traveler and patron of the arts, often found enjoying the Milwaukee Symphony’s latest performance. He also served with distinction in leadership roles at various Milwaukee-area civic and charitable organizations. Thank you for this touching tribute to such a loyal family man, community patron and ND fan. I was privileged to correspond with Don Clark back in 2017, when he referenced his dear friend and former ND roommate, Frank Thometz. Their friendship and dedication to ND over many decades is truly inspiring. I also heard from our “100+-year-old reporter” John D. Cahill in Salt Lake City. John wrote to me on the 82nd anniversary of his joining the US Naval Reserve on Sept. 5, 1942. John and his childhood friend, Larry McDonnell, enlisted at the post office in Leadville CO. They had worked in Leadville that summer — thanks to Larry’s older brother — in the Climax Molybdenum mine earning 82 cents per hour. A fortune in those days! John writes: “Well, I was called to active duty on July 1, 1943, in a V-12 program, which trained and educated young squirts such as I to become naval officers. As luck would have it, I was assigned to ND where I was already matriculating. After 12 months in the program, I was transferred to Midshipmen’s School, also at ND. Then following about four months in the Midshipmen’s School, I graduated as an ensign and became an ‘Officer and a Gentleman.’” At this John’s youngest son, Tom, likes to quip, “Well, Dad, you are still an officer!” Thank you for your service, John, as well as your stories and sense of humor. Go Irish! — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; emzander@gmail.com

 

49 Rest in Peace, Edwin
Edwin H. Matthewson died on July 20, less than a month shy of his 98th birthday. Ed came to Notre Dame with the Navy V-12 officer training program in 1944 and left with a mechanical engineering degree in 1949. In between, he was commissioned, served a year on the destroyer USS Macomb, got married and had a son. He and his young family lived on campus in “Vetville” during his senior year and their first house guest was the Vetville chaplain, Father Ted Hesburgh, CSC. Mrs. Matthewson proudly served a hot dinner to the chaplain right out of a can of Franco-American spaghetti. Ed went on to be a very successful manufacturing executive across southern Michigan and his proudest moments were when he was wearing a Notre Dame shirt or cap. — Bill Slavick; whslavick@gmail.com