1990s

90 A Gathering of Crusaders
Jim McCarthy is a single dad living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his 8-year-old daughter, Vivienne, a third-grader at Convent of the Sacred Heart. Miss Vivienne is an Irish football superfan and aspiring ND cheerleader. Jim heads a boutique crisis PR agency called CounterPoint Strategies, advising prominent clients in business, politics and sports. He was featured in a recent interview he gave to the top podcast in the PR field, The Public Relations Podcast. Check him out in their July 16 episode. And check out the profile that New York Magazine did on Jim over the summer at nymag.com. It felt like Father Miceli was smiling down on this Cavanaugh Hall mini-reunion Boise State weekend. Steve Shulkowski, Trent Boneau, Flip Molloy, Rob Gerberry ’91 and Anthony King ’92 gathered Friday on Notre Dame Avenue, where their host laid out Miceli memorabilia — including a football a few of them had signed after the interhall championship game — setting a grateful, nostalgic tone. They ducked into the Huddle for old times’ sake and caught the ND men’s soccer game, followed by drinks and wonderfully exaggerated stories at The Hideaway. Joe Walsh said it well: “Everybody’s so different, we haven’t changed.” Saturday began with the AD breakfast (thanks, Rob!), hearing from women’s basketball players and alumni now serving in the Senate and House. The afternoon rolled into tailgating and a meetup with Todd Tucker before an ND vs. Boise State win that felt like one more wink from Father Miceli. They capped it all with steaks at LaSalle Kitchen & Tavern and an obligatory trip to the ’Backer — stories flowing, spirits high and Father Miceli’s legacy very much alive among them. Plans for a ’Naugh tailgater next season are taking shape. We were very sorry to hear that our classmate Craig Spann recently passed away, and Dan Brennan shared a few memories. “He was my freshman-year roommate, and he had the misfortune of being assigned to a quad with some of the biggest loudmouths in Carroll Hall Vermins’ freshman class — me, Knight Anderson and Gerard Donnelly. He was by far the smartest guy in that four-man quad, and was pretty quiet, yet he never complained or turned us in for anything (and there was plenty to complain about). I remember his well-timed smart-ass comments that got us laughing (especially when aimed at Knight, who was a particularly easy target). What a nice, easygoing guy he was, and I’m sad to say that I didn’t get a chance to run into him since graduation — but I do remember seeing and saying goodbye to him at graduation. I know he was a big ND fan while at ND and imagine that others saw him over the years at football games. Rest in peace, freshman-year roomie Craig Spann!” Please keep track of us on Facebook at Notre Dame Irish Class of 1990 and at 1990.undclass.org. Go Irish! — Marty Falkenberg; 23 Casselton Road, Raymond ME 04071; 847-323-4717; martin.falkenberg@ yahoo.com

90MBA Fall Football Means Reunions at ND
The NC State game on Oct. 11 was a big weekend for some mini class reunions, and we not only had a great win by the Irish but beautiful weather in South Bend. John Kozal writes that he met up with Matt Kistler, Bob Valentine, Dave North, James Zwald and Pete Chojnacki and enjoyed lots of catching up and a golf cart ride to the Linebacker for old times’ sake. John lives in Plymouth MI and is semi-retired, working part-time as a small business consultant for the MI Small Business Development Center. Matt Kistler lives in Eden Prairie MN and is retired from Accenture. Bob Valentine lives in Escanaba MI and is VP of institutional investment at First Bank Upper Michigan. Dave North lives in Richmond VA and is a finance professor at the U of Richmond. James Zwald lives in Denver and is a medical practice administrator for Centennial Valley Pediatrics. Pete Chojnacki lives in Hudson OH and is director of sales and marketing at DIRAK Inc. Mary ’90SMC and Gerry Wilson also held a tailgater before the NC State game filled with family, friends, great food and just a few beverages. Their sons, Gerry ’14 and Sean, and daughters, Maggie and Erin, were there to cheer on the Irish and show off their prodigious beer pong skills to the delight of their parents. Gina and Craig Thompson, and daughter Sarah, who flew in from Georgetown U, also attended along with Beth and Jim Rogers. Being an NC State and Wake Forest grad, Beth had a great time until the second half of the game started — sorry, darling! While Greg Pellegrino and his wife, Cynara, were unable to join the gang for the weekend, there was a sighting of them in August when they visited us at our lake house in the NC mountains for a few days of fun, golf and community. Both are doing very well, enjoying life on Lake Conroe near Houston with Greg still with Phillips 66. Shelley and Ben Ernst live near Savannah in Richmond Hill GA where he is deputy director at the Fort Stewart Army hospital, spending 33 years in health care administration after completing his MHA. Ben retired from active duty in the Navy in 2008, working in the private sector for eight years in his home state of MO before moving back to the “Low Country.” He got a master’s in theology in 2020 and was ordained a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church, performing his son Spencer’s wedding ceremony (very cool). Son Benjamin, 35, born before our MBA graduation, is a producer, COO and CFO in Austin for the D&D online production The Stinky Dragon. Spencer, 33, is a Cobra pilot and major in CA, and father of Ben’s two grandkids, Camila and Luka. Marjorie, 31, a former Marine, is with the VA in health care administration, working on her MHA and applying to law school. Robert “Bert,” 29, is a reserve captain and military police officer in the Marines living in Dallas, married and working on his master’s in kinesiology. He wore Ben’s dress blues when he was sworn into the Marines! Rebecka, 27, recently started her residency at Iowa in ob-gyn. We love to hear your updates about personal and professional news, so please keep on sending those updates about you and our classmates to the email below. — Jim Rogers; 1825 SouthPointe Dr., Morganton NC 28655; 336-413-2569; domer8490@gmail.com

90JD Old Friends and Tailgates
The new season brought some of us together to catch up over a tailgate or two. Many thanks to Christine and Tom Falkenberg who provided the meeting spot (and beverages) on more than one occasion. I tried a new thing this year and asked you all to fill out a survey of which games you planned to attend so that we could meet up. About 25 responses came in, which seems like enough to try it again next year. I’ll aim to circulate it earlier. I heard from Frank Parigi after the Texas A&M game that he had the chance to see Michelle Nakfoor. Frank is still in TX but gets back for a game each year. There was a large contingent at the Purdue game, and Rich Beck sent pictures from his stop at the Law School Homecoming tent. Rick and I made it back for the Boise State game and had a great time with the Falkenbergs, Tom Berens, Jennifer (Hirschfeld) and Bob Ryan, Nancy and Jim Stricker, Laura and John Watkins, Dan Lambrecht, Jennifer and Peter Fruin, Jennifer and Patrick Johnson, and Michael Donovan. As of this writing, we are looking forward to next weekend in Boston. First stop for some is Cape Cod with the Watkinses and then it’s off to a pre-game tailgate at BC hosted by Rich Beck. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the fall, seeing friends and family while cheering on our team. Be well and please stay in touch! — Cathy (Pollock) Gregory; cagregory.home@gmail.com

91 Reunion Time
The registration site for our 35th reunion is now open at reunion.nd.edu. Please spread the word and email Lisa Mruz if you would like to join the planning committee: lmruzdds@gmail.com. We hope to have you join us for an unforgettable weekend back on campus! — Suzi (Criqui) Mueller; suzi@cbglobalsearch.com

91MBA From Turtle Creek to Today
Brian Harrington reports that he is now living full-time on Cape Cod near Woods Hole after seven years in Newton, “trying to see if we like it here. January and February will be the real test.” He’s the CMO for an environmental services company and teaches at Boston College as his side hustle. Brian and his wife have three grown children, two living in MA and one in Denver. He adds, “Life is good and we are grateful for that. I don’t think something like the Turtle Creek Crawl could ever be pulled off again!” Ken VanOverberghe shares that his and Ann’s oldest son got married this May in Napa and now lives in Marina del Rey. Their daughter (ND 2020) got engaged soon after, in June, and lives in Washington DC. Their youngest son still lives in Nashville. Ken accepted a new job in August, and after 26 years in Chicago, he and Ann relocated to Boston in October. They eventually plan to settle in Naples FL. While in Boston, they hope to get to the ND vs. BC football game. Jim Bielefeld recently retired from General Electric after 30 years in leadership positions within the power and water businesses. Jim and his wife, Heidi, live in Saratoga Springs NY, where they raised daughters Amelia, Madeline and Caroline. He travels annually to ND football games with classmates Tom Brown and Rod Berend and spent this past summer golfing and incubating new ideas for his next inspiration. Save the date: Reunion 2026 is June 4 - 7. Visit reunion.nd.edu for more information. For future updates, please email me. — Patty (Spiekermann) Lynch; pattylynch05@gmail.com

91JD Getting Together
Denise Davis saw Mary (Pedulla) and John Lake at the ’88 undergrad class tailgate along with Bill Webb. She also reported that her son, Joseph, recently got engaged. Her daughter, Katherine, is living in Kalamazoo MI using her interior design degree at Symbiote, a lab space design group. Mary and John also celebrated the wedding of their daughter, Maria ’25JD, to Edward Haggerty in September at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Maria was the recipient of the Captain McLean Award. Mary and John also welcomed twin granddaughters over the summer and are proud grandparents to six little ones. Colleen (Browne) Magarian was back for the USC game. She spent time with her cousin, Patti (Kelly) McLaughlin ’90JD, and enjoyed a great game. Thanks for updates and keep them coming. Until next time, act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God. — Martha (Boesen) Trout; 12823 Clark St., Clive IA 50325; marthatrout@gmail.com

92 It’s a Small World
Lots of travel and meet-ups during the fall football season. Kirsten (Brown) Greco sent word she reunited with her PE roommates Melissa Rightley and Cecilia Brown at the Boise State game. Cecilia ran into classmate Jason Scarlett at the Development tent before the game. The Farley girls continued their streak to reunite annually outside of trips to campus. Elizabeth Houser said this year was Louisville KY, where Susan Dognaux lives. Lynn (Mordan) Schoenbauer did not make it this year due to a family commitment, but Barb Campbell and Cathy Evces joined Elizabeth and Susan for some laughs and walks down memory lane. Katie (Smith) Lembas sent word she visits Amy (Krok) Cordero’s grave at Our Lady of Sorrows Mausoleum in Cedar Grove when on campus. It’s been seven years (Dec. 26) since Amy passed. Katie shared that Amy’s son Noah graduated from U of Iowa in May and daughter Natalie is a freshman at UC San Diego. With the double nickels era upon us, more classmates are looking for senior citizen discounts (there are hilarious updates with discounts and deals on the FB page thanks to Caroline Goles’ original comment), and some classmates are closing the books on their corporate jobs. Chad Kerlin retired at the end of August after a 34-year supply chain career at General Mills. His middle daughter, Abby, started medical school on Long Island during the summer. Kathy (Lamprecht) Prue also joined the retirement club in May after working at Merck for 33 years. Michele Steele missed teaching, so she jumped back in as an adjunct professor of law at Purdue Global Law School. Kristi Busack sent scoop that her oldest (Dario) and dormmate Amy Folsom’s youngest (Caolinn Mullaney ’22) had weddings this fall. Dario had a small, family-only ceremony, so Kristi hosted a “Bubbles & Brews Before the I Do’s” party, which the “Six Pack” — Katie McMahon, Veronica Garza, Julie Baron, Amy Folsom and Colleen (Malley) Nugent — all traveled to Pittsburgh to attend. Three weeks later they all gathered in Fredericksburg TX for the nuptials of Amy’s daughter Caolinn to Zach Safford ’22 on Oct. 11. Kristi joined Yolanda Carroll, Andria “Dri” Settles and Michele Steele in Miami for the football season opener and then joined the Six Pack two weeks later for the home opener vs. TAMU. John Gugle sent word he was on campus for the USC game and stayed at a bed and breakfast in Niles MI where he met classmate Jim Maher for the first time. You never know where you might see a classmate! Travel scoop: Dan Hickle went on an amazing safari in South Africa. Kristi Busack and Katie McMahon were in Portugal for two weeks during the summer. Yolanda Carroll might have the most countries visited as she hit No. 86 in Saudi Arabia. Anyone else celebrate 5-5 overseas or somewhere fun? Set a new goal or challenge? Send a scoop! If you have over-55 discounts, our FB page has been sharing fun facts — like the over-55 discount with T-Mobile. Who knew? Check out my.nd.edu to update your contact info. If ever in the Dallas area, please reach out. And please, please, do not forget to share your scoop! I love to share trips, job changes, kiddo congrats and such. — Jill-Beth “JB” Hayes; ndclassof92@gmail.com

92MBA Class Secretary — Julie Pendell;

pendell.julie@gmail.com

92JD Greetings from the Heartland
Special congratulations to John Crowley, who has been named to the Notre Dame Board of Trustees. This is a very well-deserved honor and we are so happy to have him be a representative on this Board. To our fellow classmates, please let me know of any accomplishments or life events going on in your life. We would love to highlight them here. Until next time, Go Irish! — Paul A. Drey; 6701 Westown Parkway, Suite 100, West Des Moines IA 50266; bus 515-271-1765; paul.drey@brickgentrylaw.com

93 Me, Myself and I
Surely someone has a life update to share? There was great class participation in the autumn edition, such that the editors exceeded the magazine’s page allotment. However, when you turned to page 78, excited to read about our classmates, then you’d have seen that I ceded valuable real estate to the other classes as I had nothing to report. Because I didn’t receive any updates for this issue either, we’ll call this update “all about me.” My husband, Jim, and I made the heartbreaking decision in late September to put down our 15-year-old dog, Kosar. We have had him since he was 6 weeks old. Our sweet boy had quite a full life: He flew twice (once, first class!), moved three times with us (AZ-PA-SC-CA), visited Vegas more times than my entire family combined, endured two home remodels, and drove cross-country with us during COVID. For anyone who has said goodbye to their pet, I’ve no doubt that you can relate. The grief is real. On a happier note, Jim and I traveled to Hopkins MN over Labor Day weekend to visit my college roomie, Sonia Miller-Van Oort, and her husband, Mark. We had a great time counting MN’s lakes, even boating on one of the — at last count over 11,000 — lakes, drinking daily Caribou Coffees, touring Prince’s Paisley Park, watching ND lose to Miami (although this part wasn’t so great), and checking out the nightlife. Yes, people our age still do nightlife. Jim and I were fortunate to embark on an 11-night Mediterranean cruise in October. We visited fantastic ports, including four Greek islands; Dubrovnik, Croatia (we did the shame walk, albeit clothed, on the Game of Thrones stairs); and Kotor, Montenegro — an absolute gem of a country the size of CT. We disembarked in Trieste, Italy, a charming walkable city. Now that you’re all caught up on me, please let me hear from you. My submission deadline is Jan. 20. Don’t forget to verify that your profile is current on nd.edu. Also, follow our class Facebook page and website: 1993.undclass.org. We only have 357 followers at last count. You can get notified about important things like our block of tickets each year to a home football game. — Anne Marie (Krauza) Yuhas; 623-606-7000; yuhas93@gmail.com

93MBA Class Secretary — Tricia Hug Schorr;

317-987-5000; thugschorr@yahoo.com

93JD Notre Dame Nuptials
Congratulations to Martin Heli and his wife, Kathie. Their son, Lt. JG Martin D. Heli, US Navy, ’21 married Healy Keenan ’21SMC at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Sept. 27, 2021, with the reception following at Foley’s in the O’Neill Hall of Music (which, for those who have not toured since its construction, is connected to Notre Dame Stadium). On behalf of our entire class, I wish the newlyweds the best as they begin their life together. Professionally, Martin has been a civil service attorney for the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command in San Antonio, where he serves as the chief, international relations law. We also send our best wishes to Mary Yu, who announced that she will retire from her position as a justice on the Washington State Supreme Court at the end of 2025. Thank you for your service, Justice Yu, and we wish you the best in your next venture. Reports from the Law School Homecoming Weekend were sparse, but I have confirmed attendance by Kate Smith and her daughter Quinn, Mary Malone, Jill Farrell, Hank Alford and his wife Heather, Erin Batholomy and David Birks. Here’s hoping you all had a great time on campus, and (in a shameless plug for content) if anyone wants to send a personal status update, I’ll be happy to run it. Charley Hegarty has been busy reconnecting with classmates on non-reunion weekends. In early October, Charley and Maria Vertuno reconnected in Ann Arbor MI, where Maria’s daughter Audrey is a sophomore at the U of Michigan. A few weeks later, Charley reconnected with Dave Eikenmeyer and his wife, Laura ’93SMC, en route to what we all hope will not be the last installment of the Irish’s annual beatdown of USC. While I’d like to say more, this is all I’ve got, so please provide content for the next edition. God bless and Go Irish! — Joe DiRienzo; DiRienzo & DiRienzo, 116 Saint Paul St., Westfield NJ 07090; res 908-812-2765; bus 908-233-6700; jd1@dirienzo-law.com

94 Happy 2026
Mike Babincak III reports that his son, Michael Babincak IV, entered the Notre Dame Gateway program and will be part of the Class of 2029! He’s majoring in global affairs with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. Mike III looks forward to getting back on campus more often as an ND parent and sharing many University traditions with his son. Ryan (Rock) Lake shared these great updates: A group from Pangborn Hall (Alumni) made the trip for the Texas A&M game, and Will Sutton, after a successful career as a market maker at the Chicago Board of Trade, now runs the Sutton Group, a real estate boutique, with his wife near their home in Hinsdale IL. His oldest daughter is a sophomore at Arizona and two younger boys are in high school. He also has been heard as an announcer for some ND lacrosse games. Ben Roese attended with his oldest son, Nicholas. His daughter is at prep school in the Northeast. Ben is a principal at Eisenhower Investment Group, a large real estate development firm in Tampa, where he resides. Tom Zipprich and his oldest, Tommy, were in attendance, also. Tom is a partner at Deloitte and travels the world consulting for large multinationals. Tommy is a recent college grad who is following in his father’s footsteps in Deloitte’s M&A group. His daughter is a freshman on the Colorado soccer team. Tom also runs a barber shop in Evanston IL, where he and his wife reside. Jen (Nigon) and Paul Cifelli hosted the group for a pregame tailgate. Paul is a managing director at Kinderhook, a private equity firm based in NY. In addition, Paul and Jen endow the Cifelli Family Men’s Point Guard Grant-In-Aid. Paul also serves the Notre Dame leadership on several councils and boards. Their oldest daughter, Caitlin ’24, is an investment banking analyst at Lincoln International in NYC. Their son, Michael, is a senior at ND, and their youngest daughter, Lauren, hopes to be a future Domer. Greg Gallagher is CEO of REIC, a Kinderhook portfolio company, and unfortunately could not make the trip. Greg makes it to NY from his home in Denver to watch his beloved St. John’s basketball team a few times a year. Steve Campbell had his family out for the weekend and was busy throwing footballs around campus to his boys. Steve lives in Rye NY and is president of Annaly Capital. Erin (Nicholas) and Nick Trella did not make the trip, but have two college girls at Wisconsin and Tennessee and two high school-age girls. Nick is a senior partner at Segal Marco, a financial consultancy in Chicago that works with large Union pension funds. It was great seeing Brian Baumer, who can still tell a great story and make you laugh; he is married and recently switched careers to be a high school teacher in South Bend. Finally, Ryan shared that he lives in Rye NY; he and his wife sold their marketing and database companies in 2021 and their only child is a freshman at Quinnipiac. Congratulations to Dana (O’Leary) and Greg Pryor, who celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last Sept. 23 at the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas with 25 friends and family. Congratulations are also in order for Tracy Hill, who after 27 years in government service, including tours in Islamabad, Baghdad, Amman, London and Bern, is retiring from the Foreign Service. Thank you for your service, Tracy! Please send future updates to ndclass1994@yahoo.com! — Elizabeth Macor Groupp; elizabethgroupp@gmail.com; Matt Cannizzo; mcannizz@nd.edu

94MBA I Have Been Remiss
It’s been an eventful summer and early fall, and I’m sorry for missing last quarter’s magazine. I have excuses but I won’t use any of them now. Angela (Stavropoulos) Laurite and I have not been to campus for a game yet this fall, but that won’t stop me from commenting on who did make it to some of the games. In particular, Texas A&M saw Daniel J. Pezolt, Katherine (Lafkas) and Mike D. Mulligan, Kathy (Hardiek) and Kevin P. Dougherty, and Julie (Snook) and Christopher B. Ohlmeyer. Oh, and Pierre Nonster Nona. I also believe there was a Dan Piercy sighting. Elizabeth (Ix) and Tom Buccellato were also there, as well as Jonny Langenfeld and Dan Renouard, but they are at every game. Head to the Pole 40 area in the Joyce lot for any home game and you are bound to find them grilling and having a great time. There was also a good MBA turnout for the Purdue game, inclusive of Jenner Davis and Papa, plus Mary and Gary; Elizabeth and Tom; Scott Steiger; J. Matt Carr and his lovely wife and Purdue fan, Kelly; Megan (Lee) and Dave Hilal; and Diana (Stratbucker) and Jeff Cook. David Pasqual also made it to South Bend for the Purdue game, along with many of the aforementioned characters. The rumors about Shannon (Davis) Pezolt visiting South Bend for a game were true. She was there for Boise State, along with Zolt, Nonster, Doc, Mullster, Matt Kavanaugh, and Ohlms. Jenner and Papa also made it out for NC State with the Buccellatos, as well as Dave Hilal, Jonny and Dan Renouard. Mike Rosen also was on campus for the Boise State game. I imagine Tom Reyes has been on campus for a game or two, but I have no confirmed sightings. I’m sure I am missing something or somebody, but this is all I got. Go Irish. Please let Angela and me know how you’re doing. — Rodger Laurite; 678-644-0422; rodgerlaurite@hotmail.com

94JD Updates
Kathleen (Rice) and John Mosier ’88 hosted some pre-game fun in the pouring rain at our unofficial reunion at the USC game with Aldous McCrory, Cathy (Quinlan) and Colm Heaney, and Sheila Castilla. Other game attendees included Frank Pimentel and daughter Regina, Bob Pomper, Stuart Parsell, Ricardo King, Mike Bosnic, Pat Nagle, Jason Baker, Patty McKinnon and Zhidong Wang. Eric Ruona is now the Department of Commerce’s executive director for intelligence and national security. Please send any updates to — Doug Duncan; pdouglasduncanjr@yahoo.com

95 Lots of News
Theresa (Boone) and Hugo Guevara are back from Azerbaijan where Hugo spent two years of his three-year assignment in charge of the US Embassy in Baku. They are living in DC. Their two sons Elias and Xavier are both at Northwestern and their daughter Anna is a high school junior at St. Paul VI in VA. After 30 years in TX, Dan McKenna and wife Theresa (DeGirolamo) ’89 moved from Houston to Geneva IL. The move brings them closer to their sons Kevin ’25, who is in Chicago working in private equity, and Carter ’27, who is a finance major in Mendoza. Dan oversees PR and communications for global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. Sam Spencer is living in Chicago with son Sebastien (14), French husband Jean-Manuel and two cats. After practicing emergency and internal medicine for five years out of residency, she has spent the last 15 years at a nonprofit as a clinical informaticist working in standards and interoperability, primarily in cancer reporting. Last year she transitioned into a CDC contractor position supporting national cancer public health reporting. Andrew Blum and wife Christi Blum ’98JD are still living in Grand Rapids MI 27 years later. They have two children, Tom (13) and Maggie (9). Andrew is a commercial litigation partner with Bodman and on the diocesan school board for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He also serves on the statewide governing board of directors for Samaritas and serves as vice-chair of the Notre Dame Summer Shakespeare Advisory Board on campus. Chris Folk and wife Jody have been married for 11 years and have three daughters, Emmy (8), Julia (6) and Felicity (4), and are all thriving. They have been living in San Diego since ’16, and Chris has been with Dexcom since ’22. Bill Garvey is the president at the Greater Cleveland Film Commission and lives in Rocky River OH with his wife, Carol, and daughter Sara. Thank you for all the wonderful updates. Please continue to share your news. Go Irish! — Molly Donius Boscarino; 745 LeBrun Road, Amherst NY 14226; 412-304-8469; mdboscarino@alumni.nd.edu

95MBA Class Secretary — Renee Werner;

134 Willow Blvd., Willow Springs IL 60480; 773-528-3929; renee.werner@alumni.nd.edu

95JD Career Milestones
Kristin Godfrey wrote about the sixth anniversary of Godfrey Law Group LLC in Denver: “My firm continues to represent community banks and other financial institution clients. In April 2025 I was appointed as the chairwoman of the boards of Bankers’ Bank of the West Bancorp Inc., its primary bank subsidiary, Bankers’ Bank of the West, and its consulting subsidiaries, Bank Strategies LLC and CivITas Bank Solutions LLC. I have served on the board since 2018. Bankers’ Bank of the West has been championing community banking since its inception in 1980. With total assets in excess of $430 million, and approximately $8.5 billion in total assets under management, Bankers’ Bank of the West serves as an extraordinary correspondent banking partner to approximately 250 community bank customers across seven states.” Kristin also supplied updates on some other classmates: “I have recently been in touch with Kelly Smith, who in 2024 relocated from NJ to Ithaca NY and is loving her practice with the public defender’s office there; Maria Andrade, who continues her thriving immigration practice in Boise ID; and Julie Douglas, who, after 14 years, recently ‘retired’ from her long-standing role as one of Notre Dame Law School’s legendary legal research and writing professors.” Mike Collins celebrated 25 years at Gibson Dunn in DC and shared this update on his wife, Hon. Margaret Ryan: Margaret is the new director of enforcement at the SEC. Enjoy football season and stay in touch with your news and updates! — Julia (Schroeder) Meister; meister@taftlaw.com

96 In Remembrance
I am very sorry to report the passing of two of our beloved classmates, Eileen (Joseph) Smith and John Galvin. Eileen passed away, surrounded by her family, after a lengthy battle with cancer on Oct. 16. Eileen was married to Brian Smith for 21 years and was the loving mother of Douglas and Caroline. She was also a vice president at IDC, a proud ND grad, and as her roommate Katy Lawler said, “an all-around amazing human being.” Eileen remained lifelong friends with her Pangborn roommates Katy Lawler, Maureen Browne Schoaf, Allison Martin Thom, and Alison Suarez Segot, and enjoyed many laughs and made new memories on their annual trips. Contributions of sympathy in Eileen’s memory may be made to My Brothers Keeper, PO Box 338, Easton, MA 02356. John passed away suddenly in October. He was married to Dr. Maria Colavincenzo for 17 years and was a devoted father to their children Lydia Jane, Eloise Rose, and Patrick Francis. He was a hematologist-oncologist and medical researcher who dedicated his career to advancing treatment for patients suffering from cancer. Outside of medicine, John dedicated himself to spending time with his family, friends and in the outdoors. He completed over 35 marathons and over 25 Chicago triathlons. Contributions in John’s name can be made to the John Galvin Memorial Fund https://everloved.com/life-of/john-galvin-jr. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers all those who loved Eileen and John. — Kate Crisham; catherine.crisham@usdoj.gov

96MBA Class Secretary — Maureen Maher;

ndmba96news@hotmail.com

96JD Committees, Softball and Reunion
Steve Reams was recently elected to serve on his firm’s five-person executive management committee. Steve is a partner at Smith Currie Oles LLP, which has 85 attorneys in six offices strategically located around the country. Steve and the firm focus on construction and government contract law. He and his wife, Jill, live in Atlanta. They have two college graduate children (Jake and Sarah) who live and work in Atlanta, and one daughter (Abigail) who is a freshman at Auburn U. Chris Spataro warned you! If more Class Notes material did not start rolling in (based on multiple email pleas), you would have to hear about his softball and baseball stories. So here goes. Chris donned a “uniform of some kind” for the 47th consecutive summer. He played softball doubleheaders every Monday evening from April until October. His team played .500 ball against teams of 25- to 35-year-olds … so Chris thinks that the team held its own. Chris batted .536 this year, and led his softball team in RBIs over the summer league. Chris also played “vintage base ball” (baseball with no gloves, 40-ounce bats and rules from 1858) on alternating weekends. The Elkhart County Railroaders struggled for wins this year, notwithstanding Chris’ .571 batting average for the season. Check out the team on Facebook. Now, if you don’t want “ND Law League Fantasy Football” updates in the next column, please send me some legitimate updates of your personal and professional accomplishments. Finally, some of you might have already learned of the date of our 30-Year Reunion Weekend. If you have not, please mark your calendars for June 4 - 7, and visit reunion.nd.edu to register. Details to follow from ND. If you have any personal or professional updates, please be sure to send them to — Christopher J. Spataro; 57027 Wedgefield Court, Elkhart IN 46516; chrisjspataro@gmail.com

97 More Celebrations
Over the USC weekend, my husband, Rob Murray, myself and several friends came together to celebrate in Mass the life of our dear friend JP Fenningham. A huge thank-you to Rev. Nate Wills, CSC, ’99 for making this Mass feel extra special for us and JP’s family. Several of JP’s friends came in for the weekend: Anthony Dragone, Dan Karosen, Mike Hartmann, Mike Mantey, Pat Barthel, Sean Nolan, Bryce Dille, Keri (Fogarty) Dille, Will DeRiso, Bridget (Noonan) DeRiso, James O’Sullivan, Megan (Middendorf) O’Sullivan, Mark Nicholson, Kevin Mitchell, Chris Polina and Benedict Rocchio. Carla (Sawyer) Camp, Joelle (Halac) Kellam, Jen (Rubow) Forcash, Clare Walker, Ellen (Ryan) Vinciguerra, Moira (Donahoe) Schrader, Kathleen (Ridenour) Shafer, Jen (Davignon) Fletcher, Arianne (Westby) Cakarnis, Tricia (Schafnitz) Goymerac and Andrea (Kisscorni) Keeley celebrated turning 50 with a birthday trip to Montreal. Between food tours, rooftop drinks, spa days, hiking, shopping and pedal pubs there wasn’t much sleep — but there was a ton of laughter and gratitude for the gift of 30-plus years of friendship thanks to Siegfried Hall and Notre Dame. Please send all updates to — Kate (Fisher) Murray; 1840 Huntingdon Road, Huntingdon Valley PA 19006; kmurraynd@yahoo.com

97MBA This Is How We Do It
Ram Lakshmanan (“Lakshi”) loves reading our Class Notes column and learning about our classmates every quarter. Lakshi has been active in the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis, participating in their festivals, meetings and other activities that promote communal harmony. During a music program they presented on the theme of “The Role of Devotional Music in Hinduism” at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Lakshi provided the introduction and commentary, and accompanied the singers and keyboard player by playing his mridangam (South Indian percussion instrument) he learned to play in high school. Lakshi and his band have been invited back. Congrats, Lakshi! His consulting work and life are going very well, and he’s grateful for all the blessings. I’m hoping to meet up with Lakshi on one of his trips to NYC soon. Joy Gaffud-Vase reports that her summer trip with friends and family was to Vietnam. The weather was sweltering hot and Joy made the mistake of going for a morning run the day after they completed 36 hours of travel from Cincy to Vietnam. She then enjoyed an authentic Vietnamese breakfast before enjoying a cooking/walking tour. Breakfast from a sidewalk vendor included sticky rice with pork floss topping. Later that day Joy landed in the hospital due to severe dehydration and stayed overnight. Undeterred, Joy and family are planning their winter trip to Japan! Anthony Jowid reached out to me to try to connect with other MBAs going to the Navy game. Tim Coff continues to keep me updated on all his ND game travel adventures, sharing great selfies of himself with so many ND MBAs: Jennifer Fortener, Stu Fortener, MaryBeth Pinard, Heather Drinan, Katie Moll and a mystery MBA whom I’ve yet to identify. Exciting news! Our next Class Notes column will include updates on Bill Asch, Brad Carraway, Julie Visconsi, Rich Jacobs, Kerry McInerney, Vanessa Hobbs, Dan Pastore, Mike Dion, Bob Messana, Grant Greig, Al Taboada and Kellyanne Keeley. Well, assuming these MBAs will send me an update, of course. It would be great to hear from all of you! Here in NY, we’re gearing up for our New Year’s Eve series of performances all across Long Island. We’re also in our third year of offering a new comedy class for aspiring comics. It’s become the top adult ed class at the current venue we’re working with and has been a lot of fun. Turns out that trying stand-up comedy is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. As I tell the aspiring comedians, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Over the course of six weeks, we help each member of the class develop a five-minute stand-up comedy set, which they then perform in front of a live audience as part of the graduation performance. The shows have been hilarious, and we’re now working to scale the class to other venues here on Long Island. On a sad note, I received word that Prof. Bill Nichols passed away Oct. 13. Prof. Nichols was without a doubt my favorite professor during our time at Notre Dame. He was the one professor I visited when back on campus. He will be missed. Sincere thanks to the MBAs that contributed to this column. Please stay in touch. You can find me on LinkedIn as Paul Anthony. Go Irish! — Paul Anthony Mongelluzzo; 646-584-7340; paulanthonymba@gmail.com

97JD Class Secretary — Julie Vales;

973-727-5767; juliemvales@gmail.com; john.vales@dentons.com

98 Season’s Greetings
Liz (Merritt) Bergan and her husband, Mike, are happy to share that their son, Andrew ’29, is a freshman under the Dome and living in Graham Family Hall. Liz and Mike attended the NC State game in October and were able to tailgate with Kim (Rosenkoetter) and Andy Powell as well as Melanie (Schwartz) and Tim Fusco. Kim and Andy have a daughter, Juliet ’29, who is a freshman living in Breen-Phillips. Melanie and Tim have a daughter, Mia ’29, enjoying her freshman year too. Joe Schlesier ’01 reached out with a heavy heart to share that his sister and our classmate, Mary (Schlesier) Altieri, passed away in December of last year. Mary was a third-generation Domer. Her father, Raymond M. Schlesier ’73, lived in Pangborn Hall and her grandfather, Raymond H. Schlesier ’41, lived in Cavanaugh Hall. Mary’s nephew, Michael Schlesier ’28, is a current student living in Keough Hall (Go ’Roos!). Our condolences to her husband, Jim, her children Ella and Henry, her mother Elizabeth Schlesier, and her sister Caitlin Krzewick. I am wishing all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and here’s to a wonderful 2026. Go Irish! — Bob Flannery; rflannery98@gmail.com

98MBA Class Secretary — Mark Holloway;

mholloway@alumni.nd.edu

98JD Class Secretary — Chris Putt;

mobile 574-514-3703; crputt@gmail.com

99 Milestones
We have updates for a couple of our classmates who are both proud parents of gifted children. Last year Jodi Lucena-Ricardo’s son, Xavier, was accepted to Regis, a full-scholarship-only high school in NYC consistently rated the No. 1 Catholic school in the nation. Xavier is now a sophomore. He plays baseball and runs cross country. Her daughter, Emilia, is a seventh-grader and a musical theater enthusiast. Joe Thomas is a proud father of Jayvon Thomas, who plays football for Texas A&M. Joe was at the ND vs. Texas A&M game on Sept. 13. He was there to hang out with former teammates, support Jayvon’s individual success and cheer on the Irish. — Meeghan Mousaw; mkarle@alumni.nd.edu; or Tim Ridder; tkridder@gmail.com

99MBA Family, Football, Friendships
I received a couple of updates to include this quarter! Michael Parker spent five weeks at his home in Avon CO after dropping off his last child at college in August. While there, he enjoyed reconnecting with Jennifer McNamara Steller over coffee in Denver. John Walusis has been busy with his three daughters, Danielle, Renee and Michelle. His youngest daughter, Michelle, is a cheerleader at Saint Mary’s College and will be trying out for the Notre Dame cheerleading squad in the spring (he said prayers are appreciated!). He attended the Texas A&M, NC State and USC games in the fall. Last spring John met Marcus Freeman when he visited the Notre Dame Club of Dayton. Go Irish! — Christy (Hayes) King; christyking@alumni.nd.edu

99JD Class Secretary — Steve Boettinger;

boettinger@alumni.nd.edu