1980s
1980s
80 Du Lac Beckons
Our Reunion celebration is right around the corner, from May 29 - June 1. There is still time to register for this unforgettable weekend at reunion.nd.edu. George Quill sends his Reunion regrets with a fabulous excuse: His daughter Candace will be getting married in Croatia that same weekend. Cincinnati native Theresa Rebeck returned to the Queen City to direct her 2023 Broadway play I Need That at the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) from Feb. 8 to March 2. Marcia Banker and Jeff Schloemer, Judy and Tracy Finn, and Barb (Lower) and Tom Maurath served as opening night sponsors. Jeff also acts as chair of the board of ETC. The cavalcade of classmates attending CFP games en route to the championship tilt in Atlanta included Mark Dobbertien, Paul Stauder, Bill Fessler, Martha McLean Whitaker, Mike Mitchell, Bob Lesniewski, Gregg Stefanek, Mike Fletcher, Katie Sullivan, Bob Noll, Dick O’Malley, Jay Ferriero, Mark Lynch, Doug Kriegshauser, Ed Dainko, Lee Smolen, David Welsh, Ed Zier, Ken Kadleck, Michael Segobiano, Carol (Jennings) and Mike Rolfs, Erin (Burns) and Nick Schneeman, and Judy Dean and Tony Fleming. Congratulations to Wendy (Fencl) on her marriage to Thomas Boynton in December. Good times were had by all at the annual Dillon Wassailing hosted by Kathy (Monahan) ’81SMC and Kevin “Beef” Connor and Terry and Tim Koch at a Chicago-area speakeasy. The crooners included Michael “Doc” Cusick, Tom Dormin, Ralph Zitnik, Ray Balcarcel, Jack Brankin, Chris and John Schweisthal, Joe Kent, Nina and Mike Mitchell, Tom Weiler, John Langhenry, Mary and Brian Hanigan, Susan O’Leary and Bryan Mraz, Judy Dean and Tony Fleming. In October, Michele and Tom Walsh busted out the welcome wagon in Atlanta for Georgia Tech weekend, hosting several of Grace’s finest sons, including Mike Cahill, Lou Pagley, Marty Birkel, Matt Dalton, Marty Curran, Bud Hauersperger, Mike Goleski ’81, Bill Graham, Jim Sullivan, Curt Wesseln, Jeff Hannapel, Tom Desiato ’81, John Flood ’82 and Keenan interloper Doug Kriegshauser. We sadly report the passing of classmate Shawn Collins on Dec. 15, surrounded by his family in Naperville IL. Shawn enjoyed a distinguished legal career, championing the rights of victims of environmental harm. He is survived by his wife, Meg (Goerner) ’81, and daughters Cat, Cassidy and Darcy. We also lost Kevin Fisher-Paulson on Sept. 5 after a 15-month battle with kidney cancer. Kevin was a beloved columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. He is survived by his husband, Brian, and sons Zane and Aidan. Our hearts go out to: Tom Westphal, who lost his mother; Francis “Bo” Harrigan, who lost his mother; Richard Thomas, who lost his daughter, Meredith ’12; and Lucy (Maloney) and Bob Jones, on the loss of Lucy’s sister. May all the families find peace and comfort. Mary Ellen Woods’s memorial bench was installed on the Irish Green in January and is situated across from our Class bench. The bench will be blessed at Reunion 45. Until we gather, love thee. — Mike O’Reilly; oreillys708@gmail.com; facebook.com/groups/notredame80/
80MBA All Creatures Great and Small
Last year I wrote about Rick Abordo’s trip to South Africa with his wife, Leonore. Rick sent the following update: “Our trip to South Africa was amazing and eye-opening. We visited three game reserves including Mankwe, Pilanesberg and Kruger. At Mankwe Leonore and I participated in the dehorning of three rhino mothers and their calves. Each pair was tracked by helicopter and the mother and calf were sedated by a sharpshooting wildlife veterinarian. About 30 of us volunteers in three safari vehicles then moved in to stabilize the animals. In addition to the dehorning to discourage poaching, medical wellness exams were done by the veterinarians and measurements were taken. The best part was when each mom and calf came out of their sedation and walked off into the bush with no ill effects whatsoever. We had many close encounters with African wildlife in their natural habitats, including sightings of the Big Five: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and Cape buffalo. In addition, we saw giraffes, many antelope species, crocodiles and hippos, warthogs, ostriches, baboons and on and on. At Mankwe we were treated to a demonstration given by their Anti-Poaching Unit. This team of native South Africans and their Belgian Malinois patrol the reserve perimeter 24-7 to guard against game poachers and look for breeches in the fence line. Digging warthogs are a prime offender. We were invited to accompany two rangers on a daytime foot patrol and a night patrol by Jeep. When my wife posted pictures of the APU on her Facebook dog group, a couple of her dog trainer friends asked why they were using such old, outdated equipment. Hearing that the reason was a limited budget, the group spearheaded a fundraising effort totaling a few thousand dollars. The Mankwe pooches received a belated Christmas present of new leashes, collars and dog toys, along with training gear including bite sleeves and suits.” Rick adds that the Mankwe folks truly appreciated the generosity of strangers. Unfortunately, Rick added that: “I took a bad fall just before we were getting ready to leave for the last part of our trip in Kruger. I ended up rupturing the quadriceps tendon in my left knee, so I spent the last three days of our trip in a knee brace and crutches. I had surgery when I got home to NM and am in my fourth month of physical therapy. Rehab is going well and I’m making good progress toward full range of motion in the knee.” I’m sure we are all grateful for Rick’s recovery, but even the injury doesn’t detract from one of the most inspiring stories from one of our classmates. Maureen (Eyres) Staub says: “It’s been a busy year for her and husband, Michael Staub ’78. Maureen co-chaired the Here Come the Irish Luncheon on July 20 for 433 ND faithful from the four ND Alumni Clubs in NJ. The draw was Marcus Freeman and nine of his players. She had the pleasure of sitting next to Riley Leonard ’25 and said that he is the real deal, and that Coach Freeman was outstanding. She served an Irish-themed menu that included her family recipe for Irish soda bread Maureen and Michael baked for all the tables. Their gift to Coach Freeman was an autographed copy of the special ND edition of the Jon Bon Jovi album Bon Jovi Forever. Maureen is saving the story of how she was able to get that gift on another day.” Other classmates have written describing the thrill of this football season, including the final game, and I totally concur. Go Irish. — Joe Kearney; 475-225-1421; jos.w.kearney@gmail.com
80JD Class Secretary — Sheila O’Brien; sobrien368@aol.com
81 Travelers and Authors
I am writing in the glow of my TV, as ND valiantly fights Ohio State for the National Championship. Congratulations to Coach Freeman, the coaches, the program and the team for a tremendous season. Ted Horan met up with Walter Keating, Tom Jennings, Brian Murphy, Kevin O’Brien, Matt Bresnahan, Torsten “Torch” Marshall and others for a few games, home and away. And so many classmates attended the playoff games. ND football has kept so many of us connected through the years. On the other side of the globe, Bob Stewart visited his ND roommate, Toby Allotey, in Ghana. Toby grew up there, graduated from the U of California at Berkeley after leaving Notre Dame, and spent most of his adult life in London and The Hague, now home in Ghana. After almost 45 years apart, they comfortably fell back into their friendship. Last October, Paul Riehle was honored as Antitrust Lawyer of the Year by the CA Lawyers Association. Beyond his professional impact, he is a founding and current board member of SurfAid — a 20-plus-year-old international nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health, well-being and resilience of remote communities connected to us through surfing. You will recall Paul as student body president our senior year, and author of the ND Student Government Constitution that is still in place to this day. Two of our classmates have recently published books worth a read. Gary Sieber has compiled The Weather Could Be Verse. He has been presenting the weather on WNDU for about 30 years, and always includes an original poem or limerick short enough to fit on the TV screen. Over the years, he has written 4,000! For the book, he selected about 800 and organized them by year, starting with 1994. An example: “There once was a Stanford Band, Whose halftime show got out of hand, They thought it quite stylish, To slander the Irish, And now they’re the Stanford banned.” All proceeds from book sales go to a community theater group based in Mishawaka — Acting Ensemble. Check out Gary’s website: theweathercouldbeverse.com. Tom Rosshirt recently published his book, Chasing Peace: A Story of Breakdowns, Breakthroughs and the Spiritual Power of Neuroscience. The book is about the medical breakthroughs that come when the healing power of reducing fear is validated by neuroscience. It is also about the spiritual breakthroughs that come in abundance as we get better at reducing fear. As Richard Rohr, NYT best-selling author of The Universal Christ, wrote, “Chasing Peace is for those seeking the love, grace, and peace of the second half of life — and who might falsely think they’ve failed after a crisis or a loss. Tom helps us see that loss can be a turning point to find the peace we were born for. I give it my wholehearted blessing!” You can learn more at tomrosshirt.com. Please join me in praying for Meg Goerner Collins whose husband, Shawn Collins ’80, passed away suddenly in November. He was a loving husband, father and legal advocate for those who needed his expertise and care. He was one-of-a-kind. Please email updates before our April 20 deadline — you are loved members of the Class of ’81 and we want to know how you are doing. Thanks to everyone who has already shared updates and those who are now inspired. — Mary Murphy; marymurphy81@alumni.nd.edu
81MBA Spring Update
Greetings ’81 MBA classmates and friends! It is officially 2025! Here’s to a happy, healthy, peaceful New Year to all of you, your families and friends. As I am writing this, the Irish just finished beating the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl as well as Penn State in the Orange Bowl. What fantastic games and victories! We now face Ohio State tonight for the National Championship and I’m hoping and praying for a great victory! It’s been a really great football season for the Irish! While the Sugar Bowl was a great victory for Notre Dame Nation, it pales in comparison to the terrible tragedy that unfolded in New Orleans — I know that all of Notre Dame Nation will keep all those affected by this tragic event in their prayers. I was able to attend the ND-IU game — the first ever Collegiate Playoff Game — and what better venue than Notre Dame Stadium — it was truly a special night! Sheila and I spent the holidays at home with our immediate family — low-key and relaxing. I did manage to play some golf with my “kids” as well as with my three grandsons! Jim Kermott joined the Class Notes with this update — so great to hear from you, Jim; keep the news and stories coming! Thank you for the updated email — that is a huge success for our Class! Jim wrote: “Steve, thank you for your faithfulness in the effort of keeping the Class somewhat connected. I do enjoy reading the notes. Mostly, I just want to give you a better e-mail address: jas@kermott.com. The only news I have is that my wife’s soon-to-be 98-year-old mother lives with us, and I still make the pilgrimage down to Southern CA from ID to visit my 101-year-old father. I call it the relative route, as I visit family on the way there and back. Last June, when I made the trip, I went early to be with our eldest son’s family in time for granddaughter Clare’s Confirmation, but too late for grandson Peter’s graduation from high school. This year, they are both juniors, she in high school and he in college. He finished his first two years of college concurrently with his last two years of high school. Be blessed, Jim Kermott.” Thank you, Jim, for your updates — it is greatly appreciated! Lorne O. Liechty, Esq. sent this update: On Nov. 5, Lorne was elected to be a county commissioner for Rockwall County TX. This is a four-year term, and he looks forward to serving. Rockwall County is just to the east of Dallas County, and one of their primary challenges arise from rapid growth. In 2023, Rockwall County was the second fastest-growing county in the United States. All the best to you, Lorne! Susan Leopold wrote and wishes everyone a happy, healthy New Year. She and her husband, Tim, are planning to attend the National Championship game in Atlanta assuming the Irish beat Penn State to get there. Susan added a new member to her family when she acquired a second horse in July! Susan says he is a beautiful 14-year-old Oldenburg named Sir William. Susan spends many hours of enjoyment with her two horses. Mike Langnecker has this update for all of us: “How about them Irish? That Marcus Freeman dude is the different cat that we’ve been looking for to take us back to the promised land. What a great man and fabulous leader! Big news from the Langneckers — our daughter, Amy ’11, and son-in-law, Eric Hersom, blessed Jan and I with the greatest Christmas present ever. Spencer Michael Hersom arrived at 10:47 a.m. on Christmas morning and he is the most adorable, handsome young man that we’ve ever seen. And in 20 years, we suspect that he will be Marcus Freeman’s quarterback at Notre Dame. Go Irish, Beat Penn State!” If you are reading this column, please send me your current email address — several classmates have retired or simply changed their primary email address. If you are in touch with fellow MBA classmates, please ask them to send me their current email address. Thank you! Go Irish! — Steve Simmerman; 3126 E. Desert Broom Way, Phoenix AZ 85048; cell 602-524-7662; srsimmerman@gmail.com
81JD Little News, Good News, Great News
The Irish had a great run. I couldn’t be prouder of the team, Coach Freeman and his staff. What a blast this season was! Bill Fearnow (Way Out West) reports that he and Betsy were recently in Kenosha WI to visit their son Dawson (5 when he left ND, now 48) and his wife, Maggie, who works in marketing for Jockey International, and grandson Benton. Dawson works (remotely) in restaurant PR. Benton (6’2’, 185 lbs.) starts at right guard for the Libertyville High JV football team and plays both ways. They met up with Vic LaMantia and wife Katie at the home she designed and built in Arlington Heights IL. They visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio/home “Taliesin” in Spring Green WI after having visited “Taliesin West” in Scottsdale AZ many times, which is much closer to their home. They were grateful to be back in a part of the Midwest that reminded them of Mayberry. Joe Holston (Harrisburg PA) reports he retired in 2022 after working in government relations, primarily advising on two things that are inevitable in life — taxes and the regulation of distilled spirits. His daughter, Kathryn, is an economist and his son, Joe, a software engineer. He has been extensively involved in philanthropic activities, including supporting Big Brothers/Big Sisters as area president and board chair, and recently raised over $200,000 in through his unique (and crazy?) solo fundraising efforts — playing six rounds of golf in a day, with three clubs and no putter! Ellen (McLaughlin) and Bob Cimala (Chicagoland) went to the ND-Texas A&M season opener in College Station with Allen Pennington (Fort Worth) and his wife, Patti (an Aggie …). Ellen, who continues her work in labor and employment law as a partner at Seyfarth Shaw, reports that the Aggie fans were among the most hospitable fans they’ve ever met — even after the Aggies lost. Another highlight of the trip was visiting the Pennington farm in East TX which has been in Allen’s family for generations. I was happy to see Adrienne Coffin and Harold Ray (both in West Palm Beach). There were no deep wounds, despite she being a volunteer for Women for Kamala Harris 2024 and me being right, I mean to her right. Harold is the founder and senior pastor at Redemptive Life Global ministries and serves as chair of the board for ACLJ (the American Center for Law & Justice), presided by Jay Sekulov, counsel to President Trump during the first impeachment proceeding. Robert Allen Law is moving its Palm Beach location from the Island to West Palm — we needed some elbow room. Brian Belt (Miami) advised on the lease. I looked for someone from (anyone, anyone, Ferris?) at the Cannes and Monaco Yacht Shows, with an ND cap, but no luck, though we did run into Rafa Nadal on the docks. I moderated the Superyacht Builders Panel at the Marine Money Finance Forum, which our firm sponsored, and my comments on the antitrust claim brought against the yacht brokerage industry were quoted in Boat International. My nephew, Bobby Rodriguez, a graduate of Culver Military Academy (played halfback and once ran 168 yards in one half) is now a partner in our firm. He spoke about the status of seized (guilty by association) Russian yachts. Our firm also sponsored the Superyacht Law Summit, where I spoke on the scintillating subjects of yacht charter deposits and choice of law/venue, etc. — some of these yachts charter for above a million a week, btw! — and the Smart and Sustainable Marina Conference, both held at the Monaco Yacht Club. We are organizing an initiative to support Mercy Ships (mercyships.org) which runs hospital ships off the coasts of East and West Africa. More about that in the future — but start planning to be in Cannes next September 16 - 17. The Allens were at tennis camps in Mallorca and Alicante, Spain, in October with our now 13-year-old son, Ryan. If you don’t want me to keep yapping about yachts and tennis, send news. Love and peace to all. — Bob Allen; ndlaw81@robertallenlaw.com
82 Remembering Ginger
Ginger Cordes Miklausen passed away last August after a long battle with cancer. Ginger married Andy Miklausen and lived in Palm Bay FL before moving to NC. She worked in several accounting-related positions, but what she truly cherished was being a local coordinator for several agencies responsible for placing and supervising foreign exchange students spending a year in the US. She loved organizing experiences and developing friendships with students. She is survived by her husband Andy, son Mikey and daughter Jamie. All will remember her vivacious spirit and sharp wit, and the warm embrace that touched everyone she met. A life well lived. James McNulty Jr. and his wife, Christine, attended their son’s graduation from Marquette U this past May. They connected with fellow classmate Rev. Greg O’Meara, SJ, who celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass. While in Milwaukee, they also reconnected with Doug Bell ’96 and Molly Bell ’97SMC and their children, Owen and Julia. Jim is an attorney in Woburn MA. Hope to see you all this fall at a game. Please don’t forget to write us. — Tess Lewis; 30 Battle Ridge Road, Morris Plains NJ 07950; cell 973-219-4050; tess@lewislegal.com; dave@lewislegal.com
82MBA Class Secretary — Renee (Amirkanian) Sutherland; mobile 630-846-2707; reneemsr@aol.com
82JD Congratulations
Congratulations are in order for two of our classmates. Perry Vieth was elected to the board of trustees of Marquette U in December. Marquette is Perry’s undergrad alma mater. Perry is the founder and CEO of Ceres Partners, an investment management company focused on agriculture, food, water and renewable energy investments. Kym Worthy was awarded an honorary degree from Oakland U in Rochester MI in December. Kym is the elected prosecutor of Wayne County MI. Bruce Baty, Liz (Medina) and Greg Imhoff, John Smith, and Carol and I were on campus the weekend of the Stanford game for the NDLA board meeting. Tim Abeska and John Smith taught a trial ad class at the Law School in October. Tim Nickels and John Smith taught an advanced course on expert witnesses at the Law School in November. (John said his client decided to settle after hearing Tim’s opening statement.) It certainly has been an exciting year for the Fighting Irish football team. Carol and I saw Cele (Glacy) and Bruce Baty and Anita and Tom Veldman in NY for the Shamrock Series game. In addition to the victory over Army, one of the highlights of the weekend was a private performance for ND alumni and friends of the Broadway show Hamilton. Anita and Tom are going to Egypt in the spring for a humanitarian aid trip sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. Carol and I saw Tim Nickels at the first home CFP playoff game vs. Indiana in December, and at the Orange Bowl game in Miami in January. Carol and I were also in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. As I write this column, the Irish are preparing to play Ohio State for the National Championship. Go Irish! — Frank Julian; ndlaw82@gmail.com
83 Happy New Year
Please remember Tom McKelvey and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Tom passed away Nov. 8. Thank you to Brian Murray and Bill McKee for sharing this sad news. Brian has also shared happier news that he was able to meet up with Jack McCabe recently. Brian reports that Jack is semi-retired and living in AZ with his wife, Chris. Congratulations to Diane and Russ Wyborski on the birth of their grandson, Oliver Beckett Wyborski, on Oct. 21. The Wyborski family also made their annual trip for the home football game against Northern Illinois. Russ also shared a letter he sent and the response he received from Coach Freeman on the Class Facebook page. Our Class Facebook page has been full of terrific pictures from numerous football games this year where our classmates have been able to meet and reminisce. Pictures from the games, and of various family members cheering on the Irish from home, have been shared by Paul Ritter, Burt Benrud, Michael Joyce, Tom Ryan, Keith Kriegshauser (joined by Jerry Pruzin, Craig Hale, Jim Bader and Tim Noonan), Bill Bastedo, Jean Collier, Mike O’Brien and Larry Smith. Chris Temple Davis has passed along his thanks to all our classmates that have contributed to the Building Trust Americas nonprofit organization towards building a community center and providing scholarships to adults in Colombia. Chris also reported that he was able to meet up with Liz Crudo and her family and spent time together, including three nights in Yosemite. Chris and Liz first met many years ago as participants in the Notre Dame volunteer program Holy Cross Associates in Colorado Springs. You can also keep up with members of the Class of 1983 by joining our Class Facebook page. Membership on the Facebook page is limited to members of the Class of 1983 only. We currently have 596 members of the Class as members. To join, simply search for “Notre Dame Class of 1983” on Facebook and select the “join” option. If you have any news that you’d like to share with the Class, please send me a note or email and I’ll be happy to include your news in the next Class column. — Louis J. “Chip” Denkovic; 111 Centre Ave., Unit 523, New Rochelle NY 10801; res 917-399-8784; bus 212-537-1781; ldenkovic@gmail.com
83MBA Class Secretary — John Hilbrich; 630-677-2725; john.hilbrich@gmail.com
83JD Refuse to Quit
In case you missed it, the Notre Dame Lawyer magazine had a wonderful article featuring Daria and Dan Absher. They co-founded a nonprofit, Refuse to Quit, that provides food, toiletries, shelter, jobs, transportation and medical supplies to those in need in war-torn Ukraine. Dan and Daria have traveled to Ukraine, Austria, Poland and Romania to personally deliver the needed aid. I’m so proud of them and their work in bringing to life the values of our Law School. Donna Watz’s brother, Craig Watz ’87JD, was also featured in the magazine, which meant I got the chance to reach out to Donna about that article. After 35 years of service as an attorney for the state of MN, most recently as deputy general counsel and chief privacy official of the MN Department of Human Services, Donna retired in August. She plans to spend more time with her 97-year-old father and her two grandchildren. Bill Hittler is still working at Nilan Johnson Lewis, but plans to slow down a bit. Steve Miller, founder of the Miller Law firm, has joined forces with McCarthy Leonard & Kaemmerer LC to operate the new firm of McCarthy Leonard Kaemmerer & Miller. The merger creates a firm with a leading construction practice. I was blessed to be on campus in late September when my university, Saint Mary’s U of Minnesota, bestowed an honorary doctorate on President Emeritus Rev. John Jenkins, CSC, ’76. It was an incredibly rewarding moment for me personally. Please send me an email with an update on you or a fellow classmate for this column. — Ann E. Merchlewitz; cell 507-450-6609; bus 507-457-1587; amerchle@gmail.com
84 Happy 2025
How about that Irish football team?! What a start with that cold home win over Indiana that several brave classmates attended. Maureen (Hesburgh) and Dennis Ryan reported on meeting up with Laurie (Giunti) and the cheerful Dave McKeon, and author/raconteur Dan Coonan, who was with his Indiana U son. The Irish then rallied to beat Georgia, a Sugar Bowl game that Monsignor Chris Nalty said was much more fun than 1981. Then on to the Orange Bowl where Kelly (Frank) and Tom Kehl and daughter Katie ’13 went as a “house divided” since Tom is a Penn State alum (we don’t hold that against him!). Also cheering on the Irish were Chris (Callahan) and Jack McCabe, and Katie and Marty Bredemann. Donna and Dan Coonan celebrated the win with a cake — a long family tradition, while Jamie Kimmel Eifert ate oranges. Heading to Atlanta for the championship game were Julie and George Kolettis, and Annette Wick and Mark Manley. Alison Kamschulte Levey is now running The Loop after Mark Rolfes “retired” from his many years of keeping us united through it. She has added some fun twists, so if you’re not getting it, it’s time to join in. Reach out to onlinehelp@alumni.nd.edu if you haven’t been receiving Class emails and they’ll help you connect. Finally, please keep all of our Southern CA classmates and their families in your prayers as they struggle to come back from the devastating fires. Also pray for the family of Robert “Bob” McNamara; he passed away in December. — Martha (Burns) Avery; mayoravery@comcast.net
84MBA Class Secretary — Dhanraj Bhagat; dbhagat1960@gmail.com
84JD Onward to Victory
Did anyone predict that Notre Dame would win the Sugar and Orange Bowls and play for the National Championship? Since our October reunion, I have enjoyed seeing classmates at Notre Dame football games around the country. Jackie and I have attended the games to watch our daughter Brigid, a senior trumpeter in the marching band. I saw Tom Marek at the overflow alumni Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC ahead of the game against Army at Yankee Stadium. I was thrilled that Brigid was one of the trumpets chosen to play the Alma Mater from the choir loft at the end of Mass. I met up with Judy Murtagh Schulz and her son Peter, an Indiana U graduate and football Monogram winner, on campus at the Indiana game in the opening round of the CFP. The stadium was wildly exciting and boisterous for the entire game and with the win, Notre Dame moved onto the Sugar Bowl, where I talked to Jim Slattery at the Sugar Bowl alumni Mass. Jim asks all classmates to join our class Facebook group “Notre Dame Law School Class of 1984.” The New Orleans Mass was overshadowed by the terrorist attack which occurred just blocks and hours before Mass and while concerns remained that there were bombs planted around the city. With a win over Georgia in a hard-fought game, Notre Dame moved on to the Orange Bowl, where Jackie and I enjoyed seeing Michelle and Ed Ristaino and joining them for the game, a thrilling last-second victory over Penn State which sent Notre Dame to the National Championship game. Jackie, Ed and I talked to Ann and John Firth at the Orange Bowl alumni Mass and enjoyed seeing a picture of their newborn granddaughter! Please send any updates to my attention. — Matthew J. Dunn; 773-294-6851; mdunn19834@gmail.com
85 Discovery
We hope to see you May 29 - June 1 for our 40th Reunion. Visit reunion.nd.edu to register and see the attendee list. Marya (Sakowicz) King works for Brain Chemistry Labs (brainchemistrylabs.org) in WY, a nonprofit organization that seeks to discover new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other serious brain diseases. The group recently developed a new blood diagnostic test for ALS with an accuracy rate of up to 98 percent. This new blood test will permit neurologists to accelerate diagnosis, allowing treatment to begin sooner. The team hopes to make this test widely available to neurologists within 18-24 months by securing a diagnostic company partnership. In September, Robert Marovich, founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Gospel Music, was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in St. Louis. Also this past fall, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in sacred music from the Wayland Baptist Theological Seminary in Wilmington DE. Bob is also the recipient of the Beckman Farmworker Advocate of the Year award from the nonprofit Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) in Chicago. He earned the award for his decade-long work as the group’s independent grant writer. The award is named for the late activist and community leader (and ND alumnus) Vincent H. Beckman III ’66, who helped found the organization in 1999. His son Vincent Beckman IV, FLAP’s vice chair, made the presentation. Bob is also a two-time Grammy nominee for best album notes. I’m looking forward to receiving your emails with updates on your careers, hobbies and achievements! — Kathleen Doyle Yaninek; yanzlaw@comcast.net
85JD Happy Retirement
Judge Barbara Scheper donned her robe for the last time on the last day of 2024, retiring from the Los Angeles Superior Court after an impressive 24-year judicial career. In her role as a trial court judge, Barb heard criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies and a very diverse docket of civil cases. Thank you, Barb, for your commitment to justice, fairness and the rule of law, and congratulations! Speaking of CA, Tom Nessinger visited Pete Hebert and his wife, Collette, last summer. Then, in October, Tom had dinner with Pete and his daughter Lina in Chicago the night before the Stanford game. Pete was in town to run the Chicago Marathon, which he finished in 3:19:18 — wow, that’s impressive! Tom then tailgated with Dennis Bartlett and his wife, Ann, before the Stanford game. Tom has a knack for bringing people together: He introduced Pete and Collette Hebert and worked with Ann Bartlett at WSND when they were undergrads. Dave Scheper helped organize an event at the law school the day before the Stanford game. Michael Fitzgerald, Dave’s former colleague at the US Attorney’s Office and now a federal district court judge for the Central District of CA, was the featured speaker for the LGBT Law Forum. Judge Fitzgerald spoke about his experiences as the first openly LGBT judge on the federal bench in CA, his approach to adjudication and his advice for LGBT law students. Judge Fitzgerald and his husband, Arturo, a Stanford graduate, joined Dave and his sons for the gridiron clash the next day. When Stanford jumped out to a 7 - 0 lead, Arturo taunted the Scheper boys, but 49 unanswered points for the Irish silenced the teasing. A great time was had by all. In other Scheper family news, in October, Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino CA named its new football field the Scheper Family Field in honor of alumni Dave and his brothers Steve and Paul. The home team 50-yard line now bears the brothers’ numbers on the sideline. While the National Championship game may not have produced the results we wanted, Laura Hanson had a great time cheering on the Irish with Atlantan Ted Eichelberger (the ticket master), Maureen Cafferkey and Trish Scanlon. It was a great season for the Fighting Irish! I continue to volunteer with Catholic Charities in Boston, doing pro bono immigration work for families fleeing violence and persecution. “In the foreigner a Christian sees not simply a neighbor, but the face of Christ Himself.” (Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi, 2004 §15). Our (gulp!) 40th Reunion will be May 29 - June 1. Check out reunion.nd.edu to register and view the attendee list. Please be included in the next issue of our Class Notes. Send your news to me. — Kelly Kiernan Largey; kellyjd1985@alumni.nd.edu
86 Lewis Chicks
It’s always fun hearing from the ’86 Lewis Chicks (’86LCs). Kate Bergin says: “’86LCs are going strong with 15 staying in touch. 2024 saw us celebrating big 6-0’s, and getting together online and in person. The news! ’86LCs were represented at ND playoffs: Laura Johnson and Sharon and Tony Rettino braved the cold and attended the game at ND. Kate O’Malley, Jackie Gibbons Byers and Terry Kirchmier met up at Orange Bowl! Kate O’Malley, Terry Kirchmier and Kate Snakard Bergin attended an ’86 mini-reunion! Angela Verdoorn Rodriguez is now a grandmother with August Samuel Rodriguez’s December birth. Beth Loebel Ligenza is in Arlington Heights IL and works for US Foods. Her two sons attend U of Kentucky, but cheer for the Irish! Beth spends a lot of her time in the garden and volunteering. She’s president of a large local nonprofit garden club focused on education and environmental awareness. Terry Kirchmier joined the NDWC board as FL regional director for a three-year term and continues to serve on the Fort Lauderdale Club board. Tony and Jackie Gibbons Byers are proud to report daughter Kathleen married last September. Then Jackie and Tony celebrated their 30th on a Mediterranean cruise. Kate O’Malley celebrates 20 years of K.O. Strategies, a strategic consultancy offering public relations, communications, advocacy and strategic services to nonprofits and companies across the country. Kate’s firm received national awards for public relations impact and mental health advocacy. Tim (USMA ’82) and Kate Snakard Bergin live in Manhattan Beach CA and their children, Connor and Hannah, are out of college. Kate, a certified professional Co-Active Coach, partners with people who want to move to the next level professionally, achieve big goals, leverage transitions or reduce stress. Alison Hilton Genova lives in her PA hometown, teaches honors and AP English and serves as department chair. Her two sons are college graduates who wonder when she’ll stop grading essays, retire and start traveling! Tony and Sharon Guertin Rettino celebrate their 35th this year, live in Winnetka IL and have three children: Nick ’19, Marc and Isabel ’26. Mary Struckhoff Michener offers primary care as a family physician in Winona MN. She and Chris ’85 settled into empty nesting and now anticipate retirement. George and Katy Spalding Cressy, married 36 years, are having a ball with their growing family — five kids, two married, and four (almost five) grandkids keep them on the move! Still living in hometown Mishawaka IN, they enjoy catching up with classmates who visit ND. Jenny Cho lives in Manhattan Beach and was recently appointed managing partner and CEO of FLG Partners, placing interim and fractional CFOs. Judith Iguina and Dr. Miguel Mendivil are married 19 years, recently retired as teachers/administrators from LA Unified School District and live in LA with their niece, her husband and two grand-nephews. Mary (Richardson) and Brian Donley hosted a pre-game party at their apartment in NYC before the ND/Army game at Yankee Stadium. The crowd of 60 Domers included ND friends and family from classes 1986 to 2023. ’86ers included Tricia (Bevelock) O’Reilly and family, Jennie (Wirthman) Wilson and husband, and Donna and Jerry Lally. Jennie is again an ND student and in her second semester of the Inspired Leadership Initiative Program. After four years of living near campus during football season and seeing tons of great classmates every fall, Kathi Deegan retired last December and is loving life! She is awaiting her daughter Erin’s first baby (Kathi’s third grandprincess!). Erin lives not far from Kathi so she’ll be blessed to see this little one more frequently than the other two in MD. Take care and God Bless! — John Spatz; 201-264-2459; john@jjscb.com
86MBA Paying Respects
Jeff Fiocchi hosted a tailgate for the ND-FSU game, where attendees remembered their favorite professor, Kevin Scanlon. The event was attended by Kevin’s children Brooke and Denny, along with our classmates Tom Drouillard, Mike Hyland, Roger Loesch, Dave Sobek and Jerry Weinle. They created a special logo for the tailgate. It was a great time and a very nice tribute to Kevin. Lisa and Dave Greiner hosted Sue Giovanini, Carolyn Anderson and me at their lovely Grand Rapids MI home for the weekend of the Northern Illinois game. Jim Conlin joined us for the game and we had a fantastic time reconnecting, laughing and reminiscing. That’s all I have to report this time, but my column will be a lot longer if you drop me a note with your current location and an update on what’s happening in your life. — Maureen (Mullan) Decker; 21231 Lilac Lane, Clinton Twp. MI 48036; bus 586-741-4305; mobile 586-817-1317; maureen.decker@mclaren.org
86JD Post-Atlanta
I’m just back from Atlanta where I attended the National Championship football game which pitted the Irish versus the OSU Buckeyes — or as one T-shirt I saw had it: Catholics v. Conferences. I don’t need to tell you how the game came out, but we gave the Bucks a game and there is much to be optimistic about. Also attending the game from our Class were Tim Tompkins and Tom Evans (Tom was there with Matt Steinmetz ’87JD). Try as I might, I was not able to meet up with either Tim or Tom, despite multiple text exchanges. I am confident that both enjoyed their brief stays in Atlanta, notwithstanding the outcome of the game. Also purportedly in attendance was former ND footballer Tom Burger. Here’s an interesting tidbit about the football-gifted Burger family. Tom has a couple of nephews, both sons of Tom’s brother, Academic All-American Dr. Bob Burger ’81, who also had a strong interest in the game: Bobby Burger ’11 played tight end for the Irish while his younger brother, Dr. Joe Burger (a 2017 Ohio State grad) played linebacker for the Buckeyes. Nick Simeonidis checked in from Taiwan, where he and his wife, Tara, have been working for several years at the Taipei American School, to report that he will retire from teaching at the end of the academic year. He and Tara will stay for another year in Tapei until Tara finishes her position as deputy head of the school. Then they will return to settle back in the States. Grant Courtney and Mark Bernet both reported the same sad news: Our Double Domer classmate Mike Maguire ’74, ’86JD passed away Oct. 21 at the age of 72. Mike spent his career in private practice in Cape Girardeau MO. Mike is survived by his wife, Sheila, and daughter Annise Maguire. Annise is an attorney in Paris, France. In Mark’s email to me, he wrote: “Mike was my best man at my wedding and a good friend who I was fortunate to meet in law school.” Send news, please.— Brian Bates; bbates@abblaw.com
87 Reconnections
Hello, Class of ’87 and I hope your new year is off to a good start. First, congratulations to Coach Marcus Freeman and the entire Irish football team on an outstanding season! I’m writing this on Jan. 21, and so of course, the loss to Ohio State is still smarting. All in all, though, we had a thrilling football season filled with exciting moments and some great wins. Do we have anyone in the Class with a son on the team? If so, please let me know and I’ll be sure to mention him in an upcoming column. Kris Sanders-Gendreau wrote from MN to let me know that three years ago, she reconnected with Beth Decrick-Lundwall, who’s in MI, over Wordle. Now the two text nearly every day, sharing their scores and updating each other on their daily lives. I particularly liked this update since I’ve rarely missed a Wordle since the game launched. I never pull things from social media to write about in this column, but in this case, I have his permission: John Nicodemus is on the trip of a lifetime, fishing in Patagonia. The scenery is amazing and he’s caught some whoppers. He also returned to South Bend in January for a hockey alumni reunion. PW’s own Eileen Carey Kenah met up with her roommates, Maureen Fitzgerald and Di Romano Matigian, and Di’s son Mateos ’16 at the Orange Bowl. They also ran into Frank Loughlin at halftime. Eileen and her husband, Dan, recently relocated from Downers Grove IL to Phoenix to access better services for their 21-year-old developmentally disabled son, Brian. She’s already connected with Glen Sgambati and his wife, Lisa, in Scottsdale, but would love to connect with other alumni in the area. After a long career in real estate with Keller Williams in IL, she was able to transfer with them to AZ and is now with Keller Williams Integrity First Realty in Gilbert. Dan and Eileen also have two older children, Gerry and Katie, both in Los Angeles and pursuing careers in the film industry. It was terrific to hear from Paula Miranda McKeever, ma bonne amie from intermediate French in the fall of ’83. She and her husband, Dan McKeever ’87, had a family wedding in Chicago in early September and so went out a couple of days early to visit a Lewis friend, Mary Kohn ’88, who lives in South Bend. She and Dan walked around South Quad and admired the hole in the ground that used to be Dan’s home, Pangborn Hall. She also gave a great review to the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus. Finally, this past summer, John Sveda and his wife, Allyson, celebrated the marriage of their son Robby Sveda ’22 to Charlotte Laubacher at the Heinz Chapel on the campus of the U of Pittsburgh. Among the groomsmen were Drew Sveda ’23, Scott Moriarty ’22 and Duncan Donahue ’22. As always, you are in my heart and prayers. Please write and let me know any updates you’d like to share with the Class. As I stated earlier, I never repost things from social media, but I’ve seen a lot of great photos of the playoff season, and I know there are some fun stories out there! — Meg Brennan Hamilton; meghamilton@yahoo.com
87MBA What a Season
Hello everyone! Well … wasn’t that fun?! It was a wonderful and fun ride. The 2024 ND football season is behind us and it was awesome. One of the best things about the past six months and ND football is that it afforded members of the MBA Class of ’87 to meet and reconnect. In fact, I even received texts from Henry Paracchini and Jay Jhaveri during the ND run for the championship. Both Henry and Jay are doing great as well. Many members of our Class visited campus and met during the past season. Often, it was at the Canada Tailgate on game days. Visiting this past year were Ken Kavanagh, Jake Frego, Bob Krohn, Mark Brostowski, Connie O’Brien, Rick Hans and of course, yours truly. All are doing well and healthy. Specifically, Ken and his wife, Mary, joined Sue and me to watch the Irish beat Penn State in the Orange Bowl. It was great to spend time with Ken and Mary and get properly caught up without the festivities of a tailgate! Keep the news coming. Go Irish! As always, I am available at perry@wildlaw.ca. — Perry N. Dellelce; Wildeboer Dellelce LLP, Suite 800, Wildeboer Dellelce Place, 365 Bay St., Toronto, Ontario M5H 2V1; 416-361-5899; fax 416-361-1790; perry@wildlaw.ca
87JD Grandchildren and Mini-Reunions
Tony Bonacci and his wife, Caroline, had an exciting New Year’s Eve, welcoming their third grandchild, Isabella Grace Bonacci. A few days later, Madge Beckmeyer and John Amarante became grandparents for the first time. Their grandson, Dean Patrick Lester, was born on Jan. 6. Jeff Hahn reports that his seventh grandchild — all boys — is due in March. He notes that he’s trying to catch up with Dan Ryan, who is now up to 12 grandchildren. Dan was at the National Championship game where he connected with Lee Cameron. Phil Kalamaros and Tom Cushing also met up at that game and tried to connect with John Magnuson inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the crowd made it exceedingly difficult to move around before the game. Christina Smith caught up with Tony Scordo in a more relaxed atmosphere at the game watch hosted by the ND Club of Northern NJ, of which Christina is the president. Dave Moorman made the trip from Orlando to the Orange Bowl game against Penn State where he met up with Tom Wilmouth. Away from sports, Paul Castiglione attended a fundraiser for Operation Veteran Success in Chicago with co-founder Mary (Ambrose) Gerak and board members Shauna Brennan and Karen Koster. In January, Joanne (Johns) and Paul Matousek hosted a retirement party for Brad Purcell. Classmates Laurie (Giunti) McKeon, Kim (Cafaro) Schlifske, Mike Ross, Jim Carr, Paul Meyer and Ken Clingen were there to toast Brad as he closes one chapter and opens another. Please send news to share. — Mike Gurdak; 202-879-3939; mpgurdak@jonesday.com
88 A Wild Ride
As I type this, I feel such gratitude for the extra-large dose of camaraderie we enjoyed thanks to the extended football season! Fighting Irish fever drove many of us to splurge on CFP game tickets to South Bend, New Orleans, Miami and/or Atlanta. For fear of leaving anyone out, I won’t try to mention every classmate I saw or heard from in Atlanta. Special thanks to Peggy (FitzGerald) and Bill Wood for securing a parking spot and hosting a Class-sponsored tailgater right near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A shout-out goes to Jane Weldon and Kym (Orsetti) Furney for helping with supplies and arrangements. In terms of the snazziest outfit at the tailgater, that unofficial award went to Brian Stark, who was attired in a navy and gold ND-emblazoned suit. Brian met his Irish Catholic lifelong-ND-fan wife Kate on the first day of med school in Philly. After seven years of training — Brian in family medicine, women’s health and international medicine and Kate in pediatrics — they married and moved to Erie PA. There they welcomed five children, Michael (27), Brian (26), Andrew (24), Philip (22) and Adelaide (20). In ’09, Brian fulfilled the lifelong dream of buying his childhood home and moved the ’rents (Dad is Norman ’62JD) into an addition, so they live in a three-generation arrangement on the shore of Lake Erie. He invites any classmate to visit and stay in one of the increasingly available bedrooms. Though he wishes he could get back to campus more frequently, Brian gets his Irish fix through alumni cheerleader and leprechaun reunions and through ND Club of Erie events. Eva (Baerlocher) Christie of Oakland CA shared that she’s semi-retired from her work in supply chain and data management, doing occasional contract work as it arises. She spends much of her time looking after her parents. Last summer, she joined forces with a number of ND swim team alums to tackle the Trans Tahoe Relay, a 10-mile swim across part of the lake. Her team, the Ladies du Lac, was comprised of herself, Barb (Byrne) Denham, Hollianne (Logan) Uebelhor, Beth Genega, Maureen (Fitzgerald) Levy ’87 and Monica (Walker) Fieber ’87. They enjoyed it so much that they’re swimming it again this summer, with Amy (Darlington) Sosnowski taking Beth’s place. There are four other men’s teams from ND, and classmate Ken Barker coordinates it all, arranging for the accompanying boats and throwing a post-relay celebration. Eva’s son, Peter Christie ’23, swam on the ND club swim team. John “Omie” Omernik’s Little English-Spanish School efforts have morphed into the creation of reading houses, which are learning centers with book collections at their core. The latest one, LEER Parras READ, opened in Parras, Mexico, in May ’24. The first center of its kind, LEER Mexico READ, opened its doors in Mexico City in October ’22. This center has already served 29,000 readers! It is John’s hope to sprinkle other such centers across Latin America (in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia, eight more locations in Mexico, etc.) in collaboration with partners from ND. Rob Baer watched the final CFP games from the great TV in the sky. He passed away Jan. 7 after valiantly facing an aggressive form of cancer. Condolences to his wife, Sung, his sons Matt and Mark and his countless family members and friends. His obituary can be found at desmondfuneralhome.com. — Laurine Megna; PO Box 6847, Avon CO 81620; 970-390-9742; classof1988@alumni.nd.edu
88MBA Class Secretary — Ron Linczer; 1251 N. Eddy St., Suite 300, South Bend, IN 46617; mobile 574-302-2832; bus 574-631-3591; rlinczer@nd.edu
88JD Accomplishments to Share
Friends, I have lots of exciting news to report! Tom Antonini’s son, Johnny, produced an independent comedy film called The Lifeguards. It is available on Amazon. Tom says the more you watch it the better it gets! Rumor has it John O’Shea was at the premiere. Tom, you are almost famous now! Jim Ganther reports the marriage of two of his five daughters in calendar year 2024! The ceremonies took place in February and December at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa; after paying for the weddings, the receptions were held at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of FL, Tampa Division (haha). Congrats, Jim! You will be so impressed with Sandra Gresko’s accomplishments since graduation! She completed four Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona HI. This entailed a 2.4-mile swim in the ocean, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run (full marathon). Sandra won her age group in 1998 and 1999. Her fastest time was 10:13.23. She could not have done this without God and prayer. She received a great deal of publicity for being the World Amateur Woman Champion in her age group. Sandra recently ran into John “JC” Culver at her husband’s medical conference. They had a wonderful time catching up. Way to go, Sandra! While Don Snemis was semi-retired for the past couple of years, he is fully retired as of the end of 2024. Don spent most of his career at Ice Miller in Indianapolis. During that stretch, he did three years of public service. He was commissioner of the IN BMV and general counsel/deputy chief of staff at the IN Department of Environmental Management. Don also taught environmental law for about five years at IU McKinney in Indianapolis. He more recently taught a class on the Clean Water Act at Stetson Law School in Gulfport FL. He and his wife, Kim, are living nearby in Treasure Island FL, where they are still recovering from damages caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Don still speaks regularly with Mike Wilkins and usually touches base with Jim Lowery about once a year. Both are doing great. It is so nice to hear from you, Don! Dan Lynch reports that his son, Alex, graduated from Fordham Law School in May, passed the NY bar and will be admitted to practice on Feb. 10. Alex is currently employed at the NYC Law Department representing the city in tort actions. Congrats, Dan! Don’t forget to send me updates! No news is too small! Go Irish! — Lori Merlo Coticchia; lcoticchia@aol.com; lcoticchia@ruffingmontessori.org
89 Ingenuity When It Counts
What an experience in Atlanta for the CFP National Championship on many levels! The packed Mass on Sunday with University President Rev. Bob Dowd, CSC, ’87 presiding kicked off the festivities (pun intended). Holy communicants streamed up the aisles of the massive Hilton ballroom seemingly endlessly, with Father Bob’s homily putting smiles on our faces as he reminded us of Jesus’s first miracle of turning water into wine. It was difficult not to run into old friends, family of friends and hallmates at the Mass as I bumped into Jill and John Coyle, Connie O’Brien ’85, Jean Collier ’83 and several Anhut brothers. Monday was an action-packed — and frigid — day with added irony of our Class’s original meeting place at the local Irish pub, Meehan’s on Peachtree, being closed for a private party! The situation required ingenuity under pressure, and Class President Mike “Napes” Napier did not disappoint. Calling for a 35.5-year class reunion and with a quickly organized text thread including the likes of Tom Tisa and Dan Gerlach, a nearby backdoor beer and barbecue place was secured as our Class meeting spot. Inside were Jim Winkler, Dave Gullot, Brian O’Gara, and Dave Cayce with wife Holly, a Texas A&M grad. Dave and Holly shared stories of their trek to the ND-A&M game earlier in the season and as Atlanta locals hosted a number of the guys and gals this time around. Also joining the backdoor barbecue festivities were Dan Mangan, Gene Pilawski, Joe Jansen, John Gerhart, Mike Carr and wife Margie, Kris Kennedy and wife Jill, and Phil Faccenda and wife Angie, all trying to recreate the magic of the Fiesta Bowl in 1989. Moving over to the official ND tailgate at the Atlanta World Congress Center was brave as the temperatures dropped into the low 20s in the afternoon. Several of us spoke only by text, as I heard before the game from Val Lamanna and walking into the stadium from Erin (Daly) Krestinski. Others unable to make the trek to Atlanta were with us in spirit including Terry Lally, Patrick “Creads” Creadon and Mike “Wader” Wade. Creads reports a new documentary coming out later this year and hitting the film festival circuit this month called The Pantone Guy. It is a fascinating story of a 95-year-old Larry Herbert and his matching system that became the international language of color. Wader reports a long journey out of his run at the NBA, moving to the UFL as senior vice president of communications. Skip Holtz ’87 is one of the league’s coaches, which should be a bright spot for Wader. Please keep the updates coming. Alumni Hall gained momentum as a leader in submitting class updates! Finally, a correction: Our classmate Gary Wong passed away in June. Previously I had written Jay Wong. We offer our deepest prayers and condolences to Gary’s family. God bless. Go Irish. — Kerrie (Wagner) Debbs; kwagsnd89@gmail.com
89MBA Class Secretary — Maggie McJoynt DeVoe; 612-845-9662; maggiedevoe@yahoo.com
89JD Class Secretary — Jenny O’Leary Smith; jennyoleary@comcast.net