1980s

80 Diego’s Encore

I wish I could regale everyone with a Reunion 45 postscript, but we go to press for the summer issue of Notre Dame Magazine six weeks prior to our gathering on campus. Nonetheless, a highlight of the reunion was the blessing of Mary Ellen Woods’ memorial bench located on the Irish Green. Reunion attendees may still be wondering where in the world was Diego Pena. Rest assured, he had a good excuse for his absence; Pia and Diego were in Seattle for his admission into the National Academy of Arbitrators, an honorary professional organization of 600 labor and employment arbitrators located in the US and Canada. More importantly, Diego informs us he will be a campus fixture this academic year as he participates in the Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI) program, following the path paved by Mary Ellen Woods. ILI represents Notre Dame’s first venture into “encore education.” Diego will be auditing classes, attending lectures and engaging in student projects on campus. No word yet on whether he will be marching with the band. Lucy (Maloney) Jones ran into Rodney Beard at the Greensboro Coliseum, where they cheered the Irish women’s basketball team through the semifinals of the ACC tournament. It was the first time their paths crossed since 1980. Lucy also reports on the retirement of her husband, Prof. Bob Jones, from the Notre Dame Law School after 23 years of meritorious service. Since 2012, Bob served as associate dean for experiential programs. A busy travel schedule awaits them. We can only hope the Joneses run into Jim Bowers, Kevin “Beef” Connor, Mike Allare, John Langhenry, Bryan Mraz, Brian Hanigan, Jim Woods and Tom “Coyote” Weiler if they head to Mexico next winter. For more than 40 years, this esteemed crew has been gathering every winter for a week of fun and sun, reliving the glory of the senior class trip to Acapulco. Tom Weiler provided the write-up for this year’s sojourn to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, which included a fabulous group photo taken at a Michael Jackson tribute show. The photo can be found on our Class of ’80 FB page. On the good news front, proud Manorite Ed Zier reports his daughter, Kerriann (Zier) Solomon ’13, gave birth to her first child, Mia Jessica. In May 2024, Dr. Patty (Curtin) White celebrated the marriage of her daughter, Dr. Mary Bridget Curtin White ’17, to Dr. Ben Chipkin in Philadelphia in a beautiful wedding Mass, complete with a bagpiper and ND alumni from several classes. Patty continues to support a school in Leogane, Haiti, making sure the students have supplies, books, computers, food and clean water. We sadly report the passing of classmate Dr. Jim Reif on Feb. 8. In 2004, Jim was diagnosed with Waldenstrom’s lymphoma. He received a life-saving stem cell transplant from his sister, and his treatment journey resulted in two new advancements in the care of other patients with Waldenstrom’s. Jim is survived by his wife, Mary, and daughters Lauren and Michelle, and three cherished grandchildren. Our hearts go out to Patty (Curtin) White on the loss of her sister, Eileen; Dr. Rick Gobbie on the loss of his mother, Jane Gobbie; Kevin Manion on the loss of his father, John F. Manion ’56; and Janine (Wagner) Rosenthal and Greg Rosenthal on the loss of Janine’s mother. Until we gather, love thee. — Mike O’Reilly; oreillys708@gmail.com; facebook.com/groups/notredame80/

 

80MBA Semper Paratus

Lauren and Vic Yeandel drove from their home in Englewood FL and participated in the 39th Annual Run for the Turtles on Siesta Key Beach. This fun run and walk helps support the conservation of marine turtles through the collection of fundamental biological data about the nesting and hatching of the area’s loggerhead and green sea turtles. It’s even money as to whether the turtles or Vic are faster on land, but at our age I would bet on the turtles. “Stop the presses” was the opening line of an email I received from Rich Walker claiming exciting news from his home in Commerce TX. His news was that he recently cleaned his apartment. Nevertheless, since I only received two items for this quarter’s column I couldn’t be choosy. The Purdue game in September should bring back a few of our classmates and those from the year before us for our mostly annual reunion and tailgate. As always, if you plan on attending, please send a text and I will text back our location since it changes every year. By the time this column is published, our youngest son, Torin, will have graduated with a BS in cyber systems from the US Coast Guard Academy and will start his career at sea as an ensign. He will be stationed in Boston as a deck watch officer on the USCGC Maurice Jester, patrolling the eastern United States. This Sentinel-class fast response cutter is the new Coast Guard deep water patrol boat designed for multiple missions, including drug and migrant interdiction; ports, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. The cutter is named after Lieutenant Commander Maurice Jester who started his career as an enlisted surfman before achieving various promotions to LCDR. He was the first Coast Guard recipient of the Navy Cross as skipper of the USCGC Icarus that sunk the German submarine U-352 and then rescued most of its crew off the coast of NC during WWII, making them the first captured Germans brought to American soil. I hope everyone has a great summer in this, our 45th year after graduation. Go Irish. — Joe Kearney; 475-225-1421; jos.w.kearney@gmail.com

 

80JD Planning for 50th Reunion

Spring is here and so are plans for Reunion 2025! By the time you read this, Reunion will have been celebrated. Thank you, Jane Farrell and Tammye Raster at the Law School, for leading the charge. And, thanks to Jamee Decio for your efforts for the Friday night dinner. Planning to attend (so far) are Sheryl Anderson, Diane Wolf Bender, Andy Bury, Darlene Palma Connelly, John Connors, Jamee Decio, Judy McMorrow, Darlene Mason O’Brien, Wendall Walsh, Lynn Shubert, Joe Dunn, John Hendrickson, Nick DiGiovanni, Molly Murphy and John Selent. I know that a good time will be had by all! John Hendrickson is now the US lead for SHP Legal Services, founded by John and his partners. It is a consulting firm for law firm efficiency and performance. Congrats, John! Nick DiGiovanni is now a partner at Troutman, Pepper & Locke after a law firm merger. Tina Walsh retired from her plaintiff’s trial practice. I had a fun lunch with Wendell Walsh a few months ago and he is enjoying retirement and grandchildren. Sue Zwick is all over the country helping with her grandchildren as well. Danny Buckley and Dick Waris have new grandchildren and weddings in the works for other children. And, many thanks to Fred Kopko for his generosity to the Law School in honor of his late wife, Mary Beth. Mary Beth was committed to public service throughout her life, with the Legal Assistance Foundation in Chicago and the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. Mary Beth served the poor and needy, and Fred’s generosity will allow ND students to do the same. Thank you so much, Fred. I hope everyone can make the Reunion and start planning for our 50th Reunion in 2030. Can you believe it? Please send your news — you are important! Love to all. — Sheila O’Brien; sobrien368@aol.com

 

81 Reunions This Fall and Next June

We had a myriad of reasons for choosing Notre Dame for our college years. A particular major. Catholic faith. Family legacy. Love of college sports. Scholarship. Proximity to, or distance from, home. Year-long foreign studies programs. Maybe even a dart thrown at a dartboard with the names of other schools having an equal chance? Many of us did not know when we arrived that the greatest value of our time at Notre Dame might be the friendships we started on campus, and have enjoyed since. To celebrate, the Class of ’81 is having a mini-reunion at the Oct. 4 Boise State game — join your friends at a catered tailgate and sit together at the game. Please register and join us to cheer on the Irish: my.nd.edu/networks/events/124608. I recently caught up with one of my freshman roommates, Maureen McKenna Anderson MD. Jim Veraldi has convinced her to get as many Lyons women as possible to our 45th Reunion, June 4-7, 2026. And I am sure other dorms will have similar reunion captains. Our Class will be assigned an air-conditioned hall for those who want to stay on campus, and hotels will be available for those inclined to even more comfort. Please reach out to a classmate or two and get the reunion momentum going. We will be communicating more on this in the months ahead. Now back to Maureen … she has had a distinguished career in medicine, most recently heading up the integrated medicine team for her local health system. The discipline combines conventional and alternative approaches to address the biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of health and illness. Maureen and her team focus on healing the whole person, with the goal of improving quality of life for patients, their families and others close to them. Beyond work, Maureen is enjoying her family and grandchildren nearby. Ginny Morrison Gaedel reached out from MN with a quick hello, busy with grandchildren nearby. Nancy Haegel reports that she is working at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in CO, where she moved after 25 years as a professor in physics and materials science. She is also loving being a grandmother of two. And in recent years she has had the pleasure of seeing Kathy Corcoran, Mary Barbara Heffernan Miller, John Lydon and Kathy Merra. Rose Lawrence Tenney reports that she is caring for her 95-year-old mom. Rose has four children and four grandchildren. Her daughter and her husband moved back to live near Rose since their children are all 5 years old and under. And Rose celebrated her youngest child’s graduation from SMC last May. Mary Anne Vine Gill’s father, Bob, let Rose know that Mary Anne’s mom passed away recently. Bob lives near Mary Anne and her husband, Christopher Gill ’82, in Kalispell MT. Mary Anne has four children and eight grandchildren. Jane Andersen passed away in Berkeley CA last December, and our prayers are with her family and all who loved her. A clarinetist, Jane was in a jazz band at Notre Dame, graduated in civil engineering, and moved on to a master’s in structural engineering at UC Berkeley. On her first evening in Berkeley, Jane met Michael Timpane and they enjoyed 37-plus years of marriage, with three children — Veronica, Marcus and Peter. Please email updates before our July 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 Headed Toward Summer

Greetings, ’81 MBA classmates and friends! I hope you are all doing well! I was fortunate to attend the ND Blue-Gold Game a few weeks ago and it was a glorious day on campus — blue skies, flowers and trees coming to life, a big crowd and great chance to see the Fighting Irish up close! I didn’t get much news for this edition of Notre Dame Magazine, but I trust you are all busy with family, friends and living life to its fullest! It’s hard to believe that our Commencement was 44 years ago. David Weitman wrote to me and included a link to the YouTube video of President Ronald Reagan presenting his Commencement speech to our Class in 1981 (but the link was too long to include). David is in Dallas where he practices law. Thank you for sending that along, David. It’s been a busy spring for Sheila and I and our extended family. We spend a lot of time with our three grandsons who live two miles away from us. Now we are in the midst of Little League and spending a lot of time watching baseball — it’s reminiscent of when our kids were young, and we love every minute of watching our grandsons play. We took them on a trip to Disneyland during their spring break. With the oldest just turning 10 and the twins now 8.5 years old, it was the perfect age for them to take in the magic of Disney. It was fun “being in the moment” and watching them have such a great time. In July, Sheila and I will be at Higgins Lake in Roscommon MI, where our daughter, son-in-law and the three grandsons will spend the entire summer enjoying “Pure Michigan.” There will be plenty of time for running around in the woods, time on the lake, fishing, golf and great family time. I’m still working and really enjoy my job, and as long as it is fun and challenging, I’ll continue along. I’m hopeful that this edition of Class Notes will spur you on to report your news, summer stories and other announcements for the fall edition. 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 Anniversaries and Astrophotography

“John Fitzpatrick, sir, United States Military Academy, sir” (Sarasota/Bradenton) is enjoying “retirement” working only 1,000 hours a year. He advises he is still weaning himself from his addiction to defending asbestos cases and that “next year will be ‘it.’” Surprisingly (not), he absolutely loves living in FL. He and Barb walked the Camino de Santiago in the summer of 2023 and are planning to walk through the Vatican Door for the Jubilee Year this October. With six children and 12 grandchildren, he feels “truly blessed.” As are all of us who have known him at one stage or another in his life. Congratulate Betsy and Bill Fearnow (somewhere near Phoenix) on their 50th wedding anniversary April 19. Recalling his attendance at the celebration of a couple’s 50th when just out of ND, he writes, “One of us asked the couple the secret to a long marriage, to which the wizened, wise man replied, ‘Never get divorced,’ without missing a beat.” Lorne O. Liechty (Heath TX, near Dallas), having served as mayor of Heath, is now a county commissioner in Rockwall County, known as both the smallest and wealthiest county in TX. His law firm’s website still lists him as working there, but his press note suggested otherwise. “Lorne practiced law in Dallas for 43 years … until assuming this new role. So far, he is enjoying his new career immensely.” Tom McCabe (DC) reports that he and Kelly have been married 39 years and have eight children and 14 grandchildren “so far,” and that he is the COO and GC of Istari Digital, an AI software company backed by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google. Honoring his Bengal Bouts roots, he shared that he is still boxing in his local club in his spare time. Brian McDonough (Miami) relates that the Give Kids a Chance charity his family started to provide college scholarships to low-income students (gkac.org) celebrated its 20th year having raised over $3 million and given over 500 scholarships. His daughter Madison is a ballerina in her fifth year with the Miami City Ballet. Greg Sergesketter (Houston) found his true calling after law in photography. His astrophotography offers awe-inspiring evidence of the magnificence of God’s creation. Check out his website: www.sergesketter.photography. He is truly a gifted observer. He and Mary ’80SMC are celebrating their 45th anniversary. Ellen (McGlaughlin) and Bob Cimala (Chicagoland) write about their regular world travel from the Galapagos to Japan. I’m not sure if Bob is still building houses, but Ellen remains a partner in labor and employment at Seyfarth Shaw. Heidi Masano (Wyomissing PA), still running her law firm, confessed she enjoys my “yacht news” and promised to surprise me at the Monaco Yacht Show before long. I hope so! Speaking of getting together, we are (only) seven years away from our 50th graduation anniversary. In a couple of years, if I’m still kicking, and the Morris Inn accepts reservations that far out, we will need to at least send out a “save the date.” As for me and my family, due to a long undiagnosed bout with Lyme disease, my son had to stop playing tennis, but thanks to a doctor in Coeur d’Alene ID, he’s been treated and recovered. If any of you have ailments that seem to defy logic, I encourage you to consider exploring beyond the constraints of traditional medicine — lymestop.com. On the superyacht front, I was invited to give the opening remarks at the 2025 Palm Beach Superyacht Law Summit and to speak on a panel titled “Trump 2.0” at the 2025 London Superyacht Investor Conference. My assignment was to “translate Trump” for the benefit of a European audience. As you might imagine — tariffs and all that — fireworks ensued! Send news to ndlaw81@robertallenlaw.com. Thanks to all who contribute. I’m hoping you had a blessed Easter! — Bob Allen; ndlaw81@robertallenlaw.com

 

82 Leaving an Impact

Timothy Scallen was selected to Minnesota Lawyer’s 2025 Power 30 Mergers and Acquisitions list. The Power 30 highlights those “whose mere presence on a case signifies the stakes, who have influenced the direction of the law, whose leadership in the community is pervasive and whose respect within the bar is undeniable.” Tim, co-chair of Fox Rothschild Mergers & Acquisitions group, has noticed that the level of diligence by buyers in transactions has increased significantly. Congrats, Tim, on this great acknowledgement. Richard “Tippy” Martinez has changed his practice to concierge medicine after 40 years of practicing traditional family medicine. Despite suffering an MI seven years ago and undergoing quadruple-bypass surgery, he has not slowed down. Tippy ran three 5K’s last year and bikes 10 miles routinely without difficulty. Last summer he met up with former track and cross-country teammate Chuck Aragon ’81 in Eugene OR for the Track and Field Olympic trials to watch his daughters Christina and Dani Aragon compete. Richard, we sincerely hope these heart conditions are behind you, and we wish you the best on your new practice in Redding CA. George McAleer passed away in Roanoke VA on Feb. 14 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. George was married to the love of his life, Rhonda, for 41 years with three beautiful children and eight grandchildren. He had an incredibly strong faith in God and was an active member in his church community. Our deepest condolences to the family. John “JC” Collins, an electrical engineering graduate, left ND to work as a pipeline engineer with Texaco. He met his wife, Missy, in Loveland CO, and the two were married for over 40 years, where JC enjoyed a very successful career with Platte River Power Authority in Fort Collins while raising their daughters near family and friends. JC left us on Feb. 17 surrounded by his family. His death was a result of a very courageous battle with two types of dementia. Our deepest sympathy to Missy and daughters, Joey, Molly and Darby. Francis Joseph “Frank” Oelerich III passed away this past December at his home in Chicago. He is survived by Mary, his high school sweetheart, and daughters Molly (Andrew) Kidd, Margo (Nate) Johnson, Madeline (Ryan) Shea, Megan and Mamie. Frank began his career in NYC with Morgan Stanley where he worked for 25 years. He received a master’s degree from Harvard and became a managing director for Morgan Stanley in 1995, where he would lead its mergers and acquisitions activity, until he was recruited to run Deutsche Bank’s M&A business from 2008 to 2017. In 2018, he joined XMS Partners as managing director. He left an indelible impact on many clients, colleagues and mentees during his 42 years in the industry. However, nothing was more important to him than his family. He loved playing golf with Mary. He was a man of incredible faith. His seven grandkids adored their “Papa.” This one is very hard for me. Frank was a mentor and role model. He will always have a special place in my heart. I 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, Ralph

In January, President Trump appointed Ralph Linden as the principal deputy general counsel for the US Department of Agriculture. Ralph will serve as the acting general counsel for the department until the general counsel is nominated and confirmed. Ralph served in the Department of Agriculture in various capacities from 1982 until his “retirement” in 2021. Carol and I saw Greg Kruzel and his son, Mark; Tim Nickels and two of his children, Ted ’15 and Grace ’17, ’20JD; and Anita and Tom Veldman in Atlanta for the CFP national championship. While the Ohio State game did not turn out as we had hoped, it was nonetheless a great season for the Irish. Greg Kruzel announced that he is planning to retire this spring from his firm of Braun, Cathie and Kruzel in Phoenix. Tim Abeska shared the news that the ALS Association has named an award in honor of his late wife, Mary Ann, who died from ALS in 2019. The Mary Ann Abeska Spirit Award will recognize someone who embodies authenticity, strength and a positive outlook in dealing with this horrible disease. Tim Abeska, Tim Nickels and John Smith taught a trial ad class at the Law School in March, something that they have done virtually every semester since we graduated. I received an update from Paul Mattaini. Paul is still working at the Barley Snyder firm in Lancaster PA. Paul’s daughter, Katie, is a professor at Tufts U in Boston, his son Michael works in the geographic information system field in the Lancaster area, and his son Tommy owns a golf store in Lancaster. Paul and his wife, Pam, spend their spare time spoiling their three grandchildren. I saw Liz (Medina) Imhoff and Tim Nickels at the NDLA board meeting on campus in March. Carol and I saw Sheila and Perry Vieth in London in April for the Law School Advisory Council meeting. We met some of the outstanding faculty members teaching in the Law School’s London Program, and learned about the many ways in which Dean Marcus Cole and Program Director Michael Addo have elevated the London Program to provide our students with incredible international learning experiences. — Frank Julian; ndlaw82@gmail.com

 

83 Memories

Please keep Allen W. Flath Jr. and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Al passed away on Jan. 28. Al is survived by his wife, Mary Cat; his son, Allen III; daughter-in-law, Emily; and other family members. In happier news, Ann Butler has written a memoir about her experiences as a wife, mother of five and a CIA spy. Her book is titled Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days. Mary (Rauth) and Tom O’Brien have gone to Guatemala with Faith In Practice on their fifth medical mission. Mary led the Pediatric Clinic and Tom returned to the Mobility Clinic assembling wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Faith In Practice will provide health care to about 17,000 Guatemalans that would otherwise not receive medical care through 2,500 volunteers in 2025. A Pangborn Hall mini-reunion took place on campus in February. Those present attended the hockey game against Ohio State on Friday, the men’s basketball game against Virginia Tech on Saturday and the women’s basketball game against Cal on Sunday. Those taking part were Steve Karrafa, John Educato, Kathy ’83SMC and Matthew Mullen, Corrie and Steve Carberry, Joan and Michael Honerlaw with their son John, and Cathy and Mike Murphy and their daughter Kelsey ’13. Chris Needles (and probably quite a few others) attended the College Football Championship game in Atlanta in January. Chris summed up the results succinctly and correctly: “Super proud of my Fighting Irish — even though they fell short, it was a terrific playoff run!” We can now start to focus on cheering on the Irish in the 2025 football season, which will be here before we know it! 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 over 600 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 News and Sad News

Marianne Lafferty Vorhees wins the award for the best contributor for this column. Marianne wrote in January that she had heard from Wendy Relation at Christmas. Wendy continues her work as a music minister. Joe Relation is retiring from his in-house counsel position this year. Marianne and Monica LaBeck visited Jan Sloan at her home in Burr Ridge IL in March. Monica continues to work as a child support prosecutor in the State of WA. Jan is mostly retired but is an avid gardener and hiker. Marianne continues her work as a senior judge in IN and keeps busy with tennis and working out as well. Alan Rosenfield sent an email inspired by the recent ND Lawyer article about Daria and Dan Absher. He write that 27-plus years ago two friends from his town, Upton MA, decided to start a nonprofit to raise funds for college scholarships, financial needs of the town/community, helping to feed the elderly once monthly in the town’s community center and do the town Easter hunt and Christmas events (Alan has been the Easter Bunny and Santa). The club also provides the July 4 celebration where people participate in games and food options until an amazing fireworks show lights the sky every year. The nonprofit is called the Upton Men’s Club Inc. Alan was the club’s first president. Like Alan, I wonder what others in our Class have done or are doing to live the values of our Law School. How about sharing? Jack Griener has been hosting a podcast for the last year called We Love Our Team. It is dedicated to fans of the Cincinnati Reds. He has talked to such varied guests as Kirk Herbstreit and Gov. Mike DeWine. On a sad note, Bob Casey shared that our classmate Mike Ziegler passed away March 25. Bob is of counsel at Eisenhower Carlson in Tacoma WA. He primarily advises clients on commercial real estate matters. Mike stepped away from his law practice at some point and opened a restaurant in Cincinnati’s Northside. Mike is survived by his children, David Bigler and Lisa Dooley. His family invites those who knew Mike to honor his memory, not only in mourning but in celebrating a life lived fully. We will miss him. 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 Commencement Speaker

Big news! Admiral Christopher Grady is the 2025 Commencement Speaker! He is the Vice Chairman and current Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Adm. Grady is highly decorated and received the “Old Salt” award in 2021, which recognizes his extensive knowledge and expertise as the longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty. How about our “retired” classmates still keeping active?! John Clements announces that he has retired after 38 years with Jackson & Ryan Architects, and that the first open call for artists of his new venture, Arroscia Residency in Italy, where he is living, was on March 1: arrosciaresidency.org. And Dr. Christopher Stanley also couldn’t stay retired and is now the medical director of the TN Department of Health. Martin Reigel lives in Auckland, New Zealand, and welcomes visitors! Please keep the family of Paul Kulesa in your prayers. Paul passed away after a battle with cancer. Also pray for the family of Anthony Caterine, who passed away in January. — Martha (Burns) Avery; mayoravery@comcast.net

 

84MBA Class Secretary — Dhanraj Bhagat; dbhagat1960@gmail.com

 

84JD RIP Jack McCormick

Jim Slattery provided the below heartfelt tribute for his dear friend, Jack. “It is with great sadness that I report the passing of our beloved classmate, Jack McCormick, on Feb. 28 after an almost two-year battle with bile duct cancer. Jack leaves behind his wife Teri ’85JD, their daughter Kait and son Mike. Jack’s funeral and reception were held March 8 on Cape Cod. In attendance were classmates Tom Brilbeck, Don Hubbard, Nandia Black, Ann Vanderlaan and me. The reception was held at the Margaritaville Resort in Hyannis MA. The resort included a water park and loads of screaming teenagers, which I’m sure would have made Jack, a lifelong Jimmy Buffett fan, happy. Stories were told of Jack’s many adventures, including an appearance on The Wheel of Fortune while in law school. Jack’s Boston Irish charisma, charm and larger-than-life persona brought a smile and joy to everyone he ever encountered. The world is a little less fun today and the sun shines a little less brightly. I thought I heard an angel cry. I thought I saw a teardrop falling from his eye.” Please send any updates to my attention. — Matthew J. Dunn; 773-294-6851; mdunn19834@gmail.com

 

85 Sad News

Margaret Hirl, mother of our classmate Joseph Patrick Hirl, wrote to let me know of his passing in January after a courageous and faith-filled battle with cancer. Joe attended Notre Dame on a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship and as a Notre Dame scholar. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and was commissioned as an ensign. He studied nuclear power generation and served as a nuclear power officer aboard the USS Virginia until 1988. After leaving the Navy, Joe worked as a nuclear power consultant before pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School, graduating in 1994. He worked first with Enron, where he played a pivotal role in establishing international business ventures in Norway, Australia and Japan. In 2004, Joe founded Agilis Energy, where he developed several patents and provided cutting-edge energy consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, helping reduce energy consumption in major commercial buildings. In 2018, Agilis Energy was acquired by Trane, where Joe became a senior vice president (energy solutions). Later, he joined Honeywell as a senior vice president responsible for new product development. He retired in 2023. Joe, who lived in Raleigh NC, was devoted to Jennifer, his wife of 34 years, and to their children, Caroline and Jay. He is also survived by his parents, Joseph and Margaret, and by his brother, Patrick. I also received sad news from Liisa Anselmi. She wrote to let me know that our classmate Joyce Motosko Johnson died in November 2024. Joyce lived in the Youngstown OH area. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, Scott Johnson; her son Cooper; her daughter Anastasia; her sister Linda Motosko; and her brothers Charles and Stephen Motosko. Please pray for the repose of the souls of these classmates. And please pray for strength and consolation for their families. — Kathleen Doyle Yaninek; yanzlaw@comcast.net

 

85JD Happy Retirement

I am sorry to share the sad news that Paul Buhl passed away suddenly Nov. 12, 2024, at his home in Middletown CT. Prior to his retirement, Paul practiced law at his own firm and served as a probate judge in East Haddam CT. Paul is survived by his two sons. Dave Creagh remembers Paul as a supportive and steadfast friend during our years in law school. Please remember Paul and his family in your prayers. Dave is a partner with Hinshaw & Culbertson, where he has practiced for 40 years. Dave and his wife, Wendy, are also celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary and are blessed with four children, two amazing daughters-in-law (with a third amazing daughter-in-law-to-be who will join the family in December) and five grandchildren, so far. Congratulations, Paul and Wendy! Please be included in the next issue of our Class Notes. Send your news to me. — Kelly Kiernan Largey; kellyjd1985@alumni.nd.edu

 

86 Save the Date: 40th Reunion

We have been emailing about the incredible Purdue weekend Sept 19 - 21. Most folks have the details and are locked and loaded. If you would like to receive Class emails on events and updates, email me to be added. Forty is a big number for minis and they would not be possible without all of you wanting to get together … so on behalf of Pam, Lori and Chris, we thank you! And, this one will help get us pumped for the Giant 40th reunion June 4 - 7, 2026. Ok, here’s what you need to know for this mini: Like last year, we’ll be starting Friday evening at Tina and Bill Mitchell’s place. Pretty epic way to kick it off! Walking distance from campus, totally casual, come and go as you please, and of course an awesome food truck, beverages and great music. All are welcome! We need a proper count, so if you are coming please email me. On the group football tickets there’s about 200 sitting together. Tickets were sold out, but we usually get a few cancellations and have a waiting list. Let me know if you would like to be added. For the Class tailgate celebration we have about 250 tickets purchased. Tailgate ticket sales have to be locked down in advance as you all know, but we’ll be asking GameDay/Mission BBQ this summer if they have extra capacity so we can sell more tickets. If you missed the deadline or can now attend, please email me and I’ll add you to the waitlist. To end a perfect weekend, Rev. Dan Groody, CSC, will be celebrating our Class Mass. Some cool updates from the ’86 ND crew: Mark Toner continues to ably serve his country as US ambassador to Liberia. Carolyn (Hagan) Stubbs, Rick Stubbs, Cathy (Nemsick) Rehill and Conrad Rehill joined Mike Brogioli for his birthday dinner near DC. Mike leads the TASH disability advocacy organization. The Rehills can be seen riding their tandem bike throughout NoVA. Rick and Carolyn also enjoyed generous championship weekend hospitality in ATL from Steve Breaux and his wife, Mary. Steve served up his famous jambalaya to Carl Gebo, Tim Buckley, Gretchen and Scott Harders, Mark Huber, Missy ’85 and Kevin O’Rear, and Carol ’85 and Mike Smith. When they’re not lawyering, Carl coaches the famous Grady HS mock trial team, Tim’s been making 20 years of Mustard Seed mission trips to Jamaica, and Scott enjoys the boating life. Mark’s followed his retirement from the US Navy and government by teaching at St. Petersburg Catholic HS. He’s also become a prolific scholarship fundraiser, with an assist from his Howard Hall friends. Mike Falso had a great time in CO last winter for his annual “Epic” ski trip with Jeff Kulmayer. I had mentioned running booze across state lines and Smokey and the Bandit in one of the Class emails. Well, I learned that when Falso was in high school in Boca, he owned a Burt Reynolds-style Trans Am, and regularly cruised the Fort Lauderdale strip of spring break fame. Pictures please! Lots of wonderful news as Katie and Rich Cramer welcomed their second grandchild last June and celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary. Their daughter also just got married this June, and they are hoping for more grandkids! The Cramers hosted Denise (Kleinrichert) Gordon and her husband for the FSU game, enjoyed seeing everyone at the Class tailgate last year and are looking forward to the same Purdue weekend. Please continue to keep Kathleen Burke in your prayers as she battles her illness. Take care and God Bless — John Spatz; 201-264-2459; john@jjscb.com

 

86MBA Nothing to Report

No recent updates have been received over the past couple of months. I’m hoping that the next column will have some news to share. The deadline is July 20. — Maureen (Mullan) Decker; 21231 Lilac Lane, Clinton Twp. MI 48036; bus 586-741-4305; mobile 586-817-1317; maureen.decker@mclaren.org

 

86JD Mini-Reunion

For you hockey nerds out there, this year marks the first year since NHL expansion that all four American teams from the “original 6” missed the Stanley Cup playoffs — but having a mediocre season this year didn’t stop the Detroit stalwarts from our Class from attending their annual Red Wings game reunion. Mike Shields reported that on March 27 he, Rob Kurnick, Tim Riordan, Anna (Moore) Carulas, Scott Bilse, Denny Barnes and Steve Powell, along with several of their spouses and a boatload of kids, met up in a luxury box to watch the home team lose another one. I know that the game is just the excuse to get together for what is a great annual tradition. Mike tells me that they will continue doing this every year, and he encourages any of us that wish to join in to let him know by February before they pick the March Wings’ game. There were two notable passings to mention. On March 17, Tom Burger’s father, Robert Burger, passed away at 92. The senior Mr. Burger’s Notre Dame-Saint Mary’s legacy is pretty amazing: In addition to Double Domer Tom, grads include sons Bob Burger ’81 and Paul Burger ’85, daughters Mary Grace (Burger) Stoll ’86SMC and Cathy (Burger) Grey ’88SMC, and grandchildren Bobby Burger ’10, Mark Burger ’21 and Anna Burger ’22. On April 2, Tim Tompkin’s father, George N. Tompkins Jr. ’56JD, passed away. Tim’s dad was an editor of the Notre Dame Law Review and had a legal career of more than five decades representing US and international airline companies in high-profile cases in both the state and federal courts around the country and had twice argued aviation law cases before the US Supreme Court. Condolences to Tom’s and Tim’s families. Tara and Nick Simeonidis anticipate the arrival of their first grandchild in September. Send news, please. — Brian Bates; bbates@abblaw.com

 

87 Paying it Forward

Hello Class of ’87! I hope you’re enjoying a pleasant summer. Jackie Rusek Zofkie wrote with wonderful news. She’s celebrating 10-plus years of being cancer free after being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2014. At that time, she hung up her accounting pencils and became a certified integrative nutrition coach and a holistic cancer coach, and she’s now qualifying to become a cancer exercise trainer. Way to pay it forward, Jackie! She was an emcee and speaker at the Beljanski Integrative Cancer conference in Austin TX. In addition, Jackie has taken up boxing and strength training. Due to her schedule, she’s disappointed to be missing Tax Professor Milani’s retirement party, but would like to give a friendly wave to his son Adam Milani, also one of our classmates. Finally, Jackie invites anyone with children attending school in the southern OH area to contact her. Sounds like she enjoys hosting them for a free meal or two, and has been happy to meet Kris Sanders Gendreau’s son, Andrew Souder’s daughter and Mary Kate Donnelly’s son. Mary Reynolds is on a great adventure — she’s taken a year away from her life in CO to work and travel in New Zealand with her daughter Delaney. Mary is a physician, and after a few surprises with the New Zealand medical system, she’s settling in well and enjoying her new co-workers. Delaney is enjoying the freedom and flexibility of a new school that doesn’t give grades, and she’s making plenty of new friends. I also had a touching, although sad, email from Beth Lundwall. Our classmate Lori Lubawy O’Donnell passed away on Feb. 7. Beth wrote, “I was by her side as was her immediate family. We made sure we played the fight song and the alma mater and many favorite tunes from our days as roommates in BP. She had a big heart and was a loyal friend, and loved her kids and grands and her dog. I miss her like crazy.” May we all have the courage to support and love our friends like this in their deaths, and may we all have this love and support when our own times come. I’ve started a new adventure of my own this year — I’ve opened a private practice as a Jungian analyst-in-training in Montreux, Switzerland. I’m still working under supervision, but I have remarkable mentors in Zurich, where I attended school, and I absolutely love the work. My husband, Jeff, remains with Nestle, entering his 35th year of employment there … clearly, he likes it! Our older son, Mark, is living and working in Toronto, and our younger son, Jake, is doing the same in Washington DC. I’m ever hopeful of getting to a football game, and I hope to see you in South Bend this fall. Be well, and share your news with us! — Meg Brennan Hamilton; meghamilton@yahoo.com

 

87MBA A Fun Note

Hello everyone! The 2025 ND football season is coming up fast! Our Canadian Tailgates will continue (across from Legends) — just look for the Canadian flag! I received a very unique note from Susan Collier. Susan dropped by our Sept. 21, 2024, tailgate but we were unable to connect, so she wrote her note on one of our paper plates! Thank you, Susan! Susan lives and works in CT with her husband and they have two children attending UConn. Thanks again for the very fun note, Susan. Robert Walsh (rwalsh@udallas.edu) and I met during the Notre Dame Presidential Inauguration of Rev. Bob Dowd, CSC, ’87 in September 2024. Robert is the associate professor of accounting and the delegate at the Inauguration from the U of Dallas. Chris Murphy visited Toronto in April and we enjoyed dinner together. Chris continues to work for the Development Department at Notre Dame. Chris and his wife, Cathy, continue to live in Chicago. Cathy recently retired from Abbott Laboratories. Cathy and Chris have two daughters working in Chicago and one daughter working for the investment office at Notre Dame. I have heard from Bernardo Norena. Bernardo and his wife, Anna-Marie, are doing well in Bogotá, Colombia. Bernardo continues to work in the investment banking business. Keep the news coming. — 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 More Retirements

After 35 years in public service, almost 34 of which were with the Montgomery County (OH) Prosecutor’s Office, John Amarante has retired. For the past 24 years, John represented Child Protective Services in cases involving abused, neglected and dependent children. Every day now feels like the weekend for John. Corenn Wright has also retired from private practice and is now living north of Atlanta with her husband, Gene, and their chocolate Lab, Chip. Corenn checked in from Budapest as she and Gene were finishing a river cruise on the Danube River from Germany to Hungary where they made bread in the Austrian countryside, took in a concert in Vienna and saw the Blue Church in Slovakia. Congratulations to Paul Matousek, who celebrated the 20th anniversary of Walker Wilcox Matousek LLP, currently with 50 attorneys in Chicago and Houston. Linda Weaver bought a home in Marietta GA to be close to her three grandsons there that are into every sport imaginable. Her 9-year-old grandson is a state champion in wrestling for his weight category. Linda’s daughter-in-law Anne Johnston ’13MBA and 6-year-old granddaughter Emma still live in Chicago, so Linda will be splitting time between both locations. Linda notes that July 15 will sadly mark six years since the plane crash that took the lives of her husband and both adult sons. Finally, on another sad note, Kent Mitchell passed unexpectedly in February. Please keep Kent and his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers, as well as our other classmates whom Kent has joined: Pat Connors, Luis Flores, Kim Fanning, Tom Dahlberg, Marv Hamilton, Jeff Jankowski, Joe House, John Coutilish and Kitt Cooper. Please send me news to share here or in our Class email loop. — Mike Gurdak; 202-879-3939; mpgurdak@jonesday.com

 

88 Representin’

Numerous classmates attended this April’s NDAA Leadership Conference on behalf of the regional clubs they serve. Upstate NY was well represented! First off, Kate (Mather) Herrmann participated in her roles as the treasurer and a service partner coordinator for the Rochester Club. A study in longevity, Kate has held these roles for 10 years, has lived in Rochester since graduation and has been married to husband Mike for 33 years. Professionally, Kate is a senior program manager for Causewave Community Partners. Causewave operates as a nonprofit for nonprofits, with a mission of helping organizations achieve their missions. Son Alex ’15 is a director of YouTube programming for Red Bull Media House and lives in Thousand Oaks with wife Avonlea. Daughter Liv ’19 calls Chicago home with boyfriend Eric Lee ’19 and works as a regional manager for McMaster Carr. Second of all, Rich Whalen took part in the conference as the new president of the Mid-Hudson Valley Club. He continues to run his dental practice, Dental Design Studio, in his hometown of Poughkeepsie NY, specializing in advanced, cosmetic and implant dentistry. He regularly hangs out with Zahmbie Chris Campilii, a PT with multiple practices in the Poughkeepsie area. Chris is also the PT for all things Marist U and Vassar College, with Rich addressing the dental end of things for these schools. In revolving door fashion, Rich’s son, Luke, graduated from Coastal Carolina this May, as his daughter, Zoe, prepares to attend the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern this fall. From the Kansas City Club, Mike Trimm joined the conference in his capacity as the club president. He and his wife of 34 years, Kristen, lived in San Diego until January ’23, when they moved to KC to be closer to family and friends, including Dan Carrigan of Overland Park. Along with juggling club responsibilities, he works as an insurance broker for Compass Health Consultants. If you’ve seen Wicked on Broadway lately, you’ve witnessed Mike’s oldest, Allie, flying above the Broadway stage in a bubble as Glinda! His son, Jack ’26, lives in Nashville, and his youngest, Avery ’24, lives in NYC like her big sister. In June, he joined together with Dillon roommates Dr. Tom “Zitch” Richardson, Dan Carrigan and Dr. Phil “Mickey” McGuire in Nashville to celebrate the wedding of Mickey’s daughter, Katie ’20. From Los Angeles, Lisa Boykin reached out to share that she was elected to the board of trustees at NYU School of Law. A member of the NYU Law Class of ’95, she attended her 30th reunion this spring. Lisa is a business and legal affairs attorney for the film team at Netflix, and, in this role, she negotiates the talent deals for the actors, writers, directors and producers of Netflix’s films. Prior to joining Netflix, she held this negotiating role at Paramount Pictures, the Walt Disney Company, Annapurna Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers. Congratulations to Jennifer Hughes, who just retired after almost 30 years of putting her engineering degree to use in the public works field. After joining the Lincolnshire IL public works department in ’97, she rose to the position of director, the first female to ever hold that role. In ’14, she moved to Oswego IL, where she served as public works director and village engineer until this April. During her career, along with being a highly respected role model and mentor, she was instrumental in developing master plans and in orchestrating innumerable road projects and community improvements. — 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 Catching Up with Brad and Tony

Happy spring! I was so happy to hear from Brad Benson! After 35 years in private practice, Brad accepted the general counsel position with his longtime client, Zephyr Wind Services. He and his wife, Kia, recently celebrated 25 years of marriage! Brad connected with (and was graciously hosted by) Jim Ciapciak in Boston last January around his trip to see his youngest son play club hockey for West Point against Northeastern and Bentley. It was great to hear from you, Brad! Tony Tavitas checked in! After leaving Hinshaw & Culbertson in Chicago as a partner, Tony started his own firm (which is coming up on 25 years ago as a trial attorney defending personal injury lawsuits). Tony has tried over 100 jury trials, which he really still enjoys very much. Tony has a daughter, Christiann ’16, who graduated from Notre Dame and Georgetown Law School. Christiann is now a criminal defense attorney in CA. Tony’s other daughter, Catherine, graduated from NYU and is a retail merchandiser for Prada in New York City and will be getting married this summer in Agoura Hills CA. Tony’s son Nathan and his wife have blessed him with three beautiful grandchildren. Tony lives with his wife and his stepdaughter, Karys, in Valparaiso IN surrounded by horses, cattle and even a rooster. He frequently makes it into South Bend, which is only an hour away, for football and basketball games. So great to hear from you, Tony! Don’t forget to send me updates! No news is too small! Go Irish! — Lori Merlo Coticchia; lcoticchia@aol.com; lcoticchia@ruffingmontessori.org

 

89 Friendly Competition for News

Alumni Hall has moved up in the rankings for Class of ’89 news submittals thanks to Jim Winkler embracing his friendly competitive spirit versus neighboring Dillon Hall. Farley Hall is a contender as well. Jim passed along that for the national championship game in Atlanta, a group of our classmates gathered, hosted by lifelong Atlanta resident David Cayce and his wife, Holly. Also attending were Alumni Hall residents Mike “Napes” Napier, Phil Faccenda, Kris Kennedy and Jim Winkler plus Grace Hall guys Brian O’Gara and David Gullott. While there, the group also spent time with Karen (Lynch) Conway (Farley Hall) and her husband, John ’87. While the final score of the game was not what Irish fans desired, all had a blast hanging out, including re-watching Wake up the Echoes as well as the 1989 Fiesta Bowl from senior year. In addition, Jim and Kerstin (White) Winkler (Farley Hall) have been spending time in South Bend, where they now have a condo. During a trip in February, they took in Notre Dame hockey and basketball games, and toured the new Raclin Murphy art museum. While in South Bend, they got to spend time with some of the CFP national championship game goers, Angie and Phil Faccenda, Karen and John Conway, and another of Farley Hall’s finest, Kathleen (Hannon) and Dave Gullott ’90. The Winklers’ main home is Monroe CT, where they have lived since graduation. It seems like the road trip to Atlanta was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends. On the very sad side, our classmate John Albertini MD passed away in January. John was blessed with intelligence, a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful family including his wife, Laurie, and three children. May John’s soul rest in the peace of Christ. Please keep the news coming — and if anyone would like to share Class Notes duties, it would be most welcome help! Please send me an email. God bless. Go Irish. — Kerrie (Wagner) Debbs; kwagsnd89@gmail.com

 

89MBA Prayers Needed

Requesting the power of MBA Class of ‘89 to pray for our classmate Hal Gorenz. Hal was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. He has lost virtually all memory and his ability to communicate. He has been in hospice for a year hoping for a peaceful transition. Please keep him in your prayers this summer. — Maggie McJoynt DeVoe; 612-845-9662; maggiedevoe@yahoo.com

 

89JD Law Prayers and Well-Wishes

It was great to see different classmates during such a fun football season last fall, both in South Bend and in Atlanta for the national championship game. In addition to the “usual suspects” who I frequently mention in this space, I ran into Paul Carvelli on campus on two separate occasions. In addition to continuing to practice commercial litigation at Anselmi & Carvelli (where he is a partner and co-founder) in Morristown NJ, Paul serves on the Alumni Board of Directors for the Law School. Ed Gibbons has decided to call it a career and retired effective January 2025. Ed and his wife, Monica (Harder) ’90JD, are relocating to the Indianapolis area and plan to enjoy some lake time in MI in retirement. Congrats and good luck to Ed and Monica. In the spring, I had a very enjoyable evening catching up with Jeannine Cordero and Joan Mannix. Both Jeannine and Joan live in the Chicagoland area with their families. Joan has operated her own law practice for more than 15 years, where she specializes in general civil litigation and appellate work. Jeannine works for Accertify Inc. as director and chief commercial counsel. Her company provides a digital fraud detection platform for merchants. Thank you, Joan and Jeannine, for a lovely evening! On a more serious note, our friend and classmate Kathleen Burke needs our prayers. She has been battling some serious health issues for much of 2025. She is living with her sister, Nancy ’84, ’87JD, who has expressed great appreciation for prayers of healing and comfort for Kathleen. Please contact me for information on how to reach out to Kathleen. I know she would appreciate cards and letters, in addition to prayers. Please send any updates on your lives to me. — Jenny O’Leary Smith; 312-504-2298; jennyoleary@comcast.net