1950s

50 Matriculation Memories
Fall 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the first college semester for many members of the Notre Dame Class of 1950. Part of the Class had served during the recent World War, making them a bit older than the typical college freshmen, while another part had actually begun coursework in the early 1940s but had taken a break for military service. Hoping to gain some insight into the experiences of these men, I recently asked members of the Class for their memories of the fall of 1946. In this installment, I’m including a response from Eugene “Gene” Phillips (his wife, Mary Catharine, provided notes from an interview she did with him). Gene recalled: “I enrolled at ND after being discharged from the Army in March 1946 (I served in Hawaii during the war). We were part of the first wave of GIs to arrive at ND and I was assigned to Sorin Hall, with John ‘Jack’ Bale ’49 and George ‘Jim’ Jansen. My cousin (like me, a former resident of Tiffin OH), Francis ‘Vic’ Smith, would join us in the second semester of the school year. The hall rector was Rev. Pete Forrestal, CSC, 1911, and the hall monitor was the football great John ‘Johnny’ Lujack ’48. His nightly job was to check rooms and call for ‘lights out’ at 11 p.m. Before the war, Sorin was a senior hall and, as GIs, we were allowed senior privileges. This mostly meant longer curfews on weekends! I met some fine friends that first year. One, who became very close, was Robert ‘Bob’ Brzezinski (from Toledo). We would go on to be in each other’s weddings, and it was at his wedding that I met my wife, Mary Catharine. The South Dining Hall was the only food service at the time. The food was not the fine fare it is today! Attire for classes was mostly casual dress or sport shirts and slacks — no blue jeans back then. My major was mechanical engineering. The student body was mostly Catholic and required four years of religion; my class was Religion for Engineers! Even though there were a lot of Holy Cross priests on the faculty, we had all laymen instructors in the College of Engineering. Our social life often included a weekend movie in downtown South Bend (via city bus). As GIs, our age made it legal to stop in a bar. Saint Mary’s College invited ND men to Sunday afternoon ‘Tea Dances.’ Many a romance started there! We also had class proms, which were held in the old Navy Drill Hall. Tuxedos were required! My senior yearbook has many pictures of these events. We also attended basketball games in the old Navy Drill Hall. Boxing was another popular spectator sport, which featured the famous Bengal Bouts every spring. One of my roommates was on the fencing team. During my four years, I attended all the home football games. ND did not lose a game and only tied two of them. Francis ‘Frank’ Leahy ’31 was the coach and Leon Hart was a classmate of mine. Altogether, I have attended 139 Notre Dame football games — last attended a game on campus in 2011 (our daughter, Therese Phillips ’81, went with me). Now at age 101, I look back and realize those ND years were the best of times. And I was lucky to be there!” Thanks to Gene and Mary Catharine for sharing these amazing memories of life during the fall of 1946. Also, I received word that our classmate Joseph Harkins died in February 2025. He loved Notre Dame and taught the fight song to his grandchildren. Find his obituary at kuzoandfoulkfh.com. If you would like to share news about the Class or stories from your time at ND, please let me know. — Jim Coogan ’91; jcooganv@alumni.nd.edu

51 Thank You Jim
Class Notes author Jim Jennings passed away in November of 2025. Jim lived his life with a strong faith, genuine humility, and a quiet wisdom that lifted others. A note he carried in his wallet read, “Life is hard. You are going to die. You are not that important. You are not in control. Your life is not about you.” This simple message reflected the perspective with which he approached each day—grateful, grounded, and focused on what truly mattered. If you would like to volunteer as our new Class Notes author, please contact beth.thomas@nd.edu.

52 Updates Needed
52ers: There are no Class Notes this time as no one has sent along any information. When you have time please send me anything which you believe would interest your classmates.Semper Fidelis, Ductus Exemplo, Go Irish, Go Packers, Go Celtics. — George L. Heidkamp; 9308 Linden Reserve Drive, Prairie Village KS 66207; 913-206-4128; georgeaj@rcn.com

53 Happy Fall
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed their summer. A rather light news cycle this quarter. However, there is some very exciting news to share as Bernie Hester and his wife, Mary Therese, attended the wedding of their granddaughter Amanda and her lucky groom, Jim Jennings ’14, on July 17. It was a beautiful wedding in Chicago and was well attended by friends and family alike, including four of Bernie and Mary Therese’s daughters and all seven of their grandchildren. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer and starts getting geared up for Lambeau Field on Sept. 6. Please continue to stay in touch! Yours in Notre Dame. — John Olson ’15; 630-272-2110; jolson5@alumni.nd.edu

54 Class Secretary — John Mertens; 550 Wilmette Ave., Ormond Beach FL 32174; cell 845-216-7251; land 386-615-3685; jacknd54@gmail.com

55 Beeman and WNDU
Dick Beeman lives in South Bend and I see him quite often at Mass or at Holy Cross Village. Recently, we talked about his days with the “student voice” of Notre Dame, WNDU. Dick said that as the station manager, he stayed in shape by climbing high atop O’Shaughnessy Tower many, many times to direct and keep track of Paul “Splinters” Fullmer and Dave Discher as they produced the documentary Focus, Bill Byrne as the “Vulgar Boatman” and Jim Griffin who, as business manager, could cook the books. And there were John Bendel and John McShane as engineers, Pat McCartan as assistant manager and Jerry Hughes and Larry Buckley as a writing team who were up in the O’Shaughnessy Tower as well. As to news reporting, it was done by Ray Kennedy, Joe Daley and Bob Hutchinson, while Regis Philbin, foreshadowing his TV future, was a disc jockey. And there was also John McCullough who closed out most late nights with his “Respectfully Yours,” featuring the best female singers of the time, and Tom Cassidy who closed out Sunday nights with the sultry voice of “Elaine of Notre Dame.” Over all of this, Dick was assisted by Jim Berquist as program director and John Slavick as promotions manager. WNDU was, in fact, a fine part of our Notre Dame experience. I received an email from Don Yeckel who lived next door to me in the basement of Sorin Hall. He reminded me that class columns are online. That’s good to know … now this deathless prose will live on forever! Don gave me the details of how he fell down the stairs. And I matched him step-by-step. I had 17 of them and a golden retriever who sat by me when my momentum was finished. Don is a Marine and was not hurt a bit. I am a Marine also, but I spent most of the day in the hospital getting patched up. Ed Kelly has finally shut down his Indianapolis law office. He has a home in the city but also spends time at Prairie Tara. That is his farm and that is my label. Don Sileo has gone to be in the care of Our Lady on the Dome. He was a graduate of Georgetown Law School. I received a message from Doug Carhart ’75 telling me that his uncle, George Carhart, had died. George was predeceased by his wife, Kitty, and is survived by four children. He was a vice president of B. Altman. When, as a student, I wanted to learn what the proper attire of a college student looked like, I would go find George. My grandson, Quinn Gallager ’26, graduated from Notre Dame in May. He is the son of Gregg Gallagher ’94 and my daughter, Carrie Gallagher ’95. They live in Denver, but all four of their children have been baptized in the Log Chapel by Father Miscamble. Rev. Robert Austgen, CSC, has died. Father Austgen earned a Ph.D. from the U of Fribourg and taught at Notre Dame and the U of Portland. Our lacrosse team had great success in the NCAA tournament getting to the National Championship game where it lost to Princeton 16-9. We were the national champions in 2023 and 2024. Our player Shawn Lyght won the Tewaaraton Trophy, which is like the Heisman Trophy in college football. Shawn plays defense, is a member of the junior class and is from Scotch Plains NJ. He is a cousin of former Notre Dame All-American cornerback Todd Lyght ’91. Tewaaraton is the Mohawk word for lacrosse. To paraphrase Jerry Muliville ’53: Let us be grateful for the joys our Class of 1955 connections have brought us, and pray for the classmates who have left us. Dominus vobiscum. — John Connaughton; 1516 Marquette Blvd., South Bend IN 46628; 574-289-1445; jcithaca37@yahoo.com

56 Remembering Classmates
Please offer a special prayer for the classmates and loved ones we lost below: Don Costello died June 14. Obituary from Donnellan Funeral Home, Skokie IL. Don was a very successful marketing professional with his own advertising agency, Costello & Co. Clients included Kellogg, GE, Arthur Andersen and many more. He was a true wordsmith. He is survived by two daughters, graduates of Notre Dame. Tom Coonan passed away Feb. 9 in Redondo Beach CA. A “Double Domer” with an engineering degree and a master’s in chemical engineering, Tom worked for Chevron for 38 years and spent 15 years teaching middle school science. He and his wife, Kathleen, celebrated 63 years of marriage and sent all three children to ND. Notice was received of the death of James R. Hilger on Jan. 2. He earned a BA from Notre Dame and an MBA from Indiana U. He worked for several brokerage firms in Denver, became a vice president at Wells Fargo, served two terms as president of the Notre Dame Club of Denver and as president of the Serra Club, and was also a member of the board of the Central City Opera. Obituary available through Ellis Family Services, Littleton CO. James B. Kramer died March 13. A retired US naval captain with a 27-year military career, he became dean of academics at the War College and later served as facilities manager for Northrop Grumman in Virginia Beach. See his obituary from Altmeyer Funeral Home in Virginia Beach. Richard Leo Maher PE, PMP, from Palatine IL passed away on June 23. He was a senior project engineer for the world’s premier water-resources engineering firm Montgomery Watson Harza. His 30 year career included multimillion dollar projects throughout the world. Richard was married to Teresa for 71 years and had four sons graduate from Notre Dame. And finally, Bill Stotzer sent a note regarding the death of Hank Dixon’s wife, Linda Giesen, who was a legal specialist in criminal justice. Classmate updates: I received a special note from Gerry Meisels updating the class on his career. Gerry earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from ND, served as a professor at the U of Houston, published more than 110 papers on mass spectrometry, later became dean of arts and sciences at the U of South Florida, and is now retired in Tampa FL. In May, my wife and I had a delightful lunch in Raleigh NC with Pete Campbell and his wife, Helaine, at their home. Pete retired from a long career with IBM and, not content to sit in his rocking chair, started a business at age 80 importing specialty commercial LED lights from China. He has successfully installed these lights in various buildings at Notre Dame and donates lights to needy schools. His business is JMJ Lighting (“Jesus, Mary, Joseph”). Call with your light order to Pete at 919-696-7384. Reunion: Jack Kealy and Dick Yeager represented the Class of ’56 at the Reunion in May. Jack was disappointed that they were the only two representatives from the Class, but kudos to them for making a class picture. Hard to believe 70 years have gone by so quickly. I’m looking forward to hearing more from classmates. Send me your stories! — Joe Kalbas; 317-679-1550; hjkalbas@yahoo.com

57 Campus as Clubhouse
Classmates, do you realize how many undergraduate clubs we could join back in the Fifties, especially before we turned 21 and could drink at Joer’s and the hotel bars downtown? A partial list of clubs I never heard of till now: the Propeller Club (where were the airplanes?), the Philosophy Club, the Manpower Management Club, the Finance Club, and for indoor athletes the Kampus Keglers. Besides the Chicago, New York, Cleveland and other Where-are-you-from clubs, there were ethnic clubs: the Irish and Italian clubs were to be expected but the Syrian-Lebanese Club? Who knew? I worked on three student publications, including the yearbook freshman year, and I assure you that way more of us claimed membership than actually went to club meetings. And what, now that I think of it, did the Blue Circle do besides usher incoming freshmen around campus? If you read the obits in The New York Times, or read the summer issue of Notre Dame Magazine, you learned of the death of G(eorge) Robert Blakey, who was the principal writer of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), which, beginning in 1970, enabled prosecutors to pursue mob bosses rather than just the foot soldiers. He also served as chief counsel for the House Select Committee on Assassinations, which investigated the murders of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Bob was the major proponent of the theory that besides Lee Harvey Oswald, a second gunman shot President Kennedy from a “grassy knoll” in Dallas’s Dealey Plaza. I remember Bob as a very serious philosophy major, and that reputation for seriousness carried over to the classes he taught for decades at the Notre Dame Law School. I have also to report the death of Roger Van Dreisse, a sweet man to whom I was related by marriage. Roger owned and operated a Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Shawano WI for 60 years. The Alumni Association also notified me of the deaths of eight more classmates: Jack Bedan, Kent Borkovec MD, Joseph Deck, James Kozloski, John Murray, Donald Scheiber, Michael Sophy and Lenny DiGiacomo, who flashed the world’s greatest grin. Folks, survivors gotta contact me with stories if I’m to say more about the deceased. Tom Laboe writes to thank me for doing the column — labor of love, Tom — and to catch us up on his life. Tom entered ND in our class, caught meningitis on a tour with the Glee Club, did three years of military service and returned to finish his degree in 1961. “I still consider myself from the Class of ’57,” he writes, adding, “We have nine children, six with ND degrees and two with degrees from SMC.” Impressive. I wonder who they all cheer for on football Saturdays. Visit reunion.nd.edu to learn more about our 70th Reunion on June 3 - 6, 2027. — Kenneth Woodward; kennethlwoodward@gmail.com; 1155 N. Dearborn St., #1202, Chicago IL 60610

58 Loyal Sons of ND
I am saddened to report the recent deaths of John B. Coon on Feb. 20; David T. Cowdrill and Joseph F. Derrico, both on March 5; Frederick W. Thon on March 20; Alan R. Florin on April 1; James L. Gumnick on April 8; Gilbert N. Cipriano on May 14; and John C. Polking on June 28. I also heard from the Hayes family concerning the death of their father Gerald Weldon Hayes Jr. on April 14 in Dallas. ND ran deep in the Hayes family: Gerald’s father, Gerald Weldon Hayes Sr. ’26, attended ND as did Gerald Jr.’s two daughters, JB Hayes ’92, ’96MBA and Karen Hayes ’95. I heard from Mike Allen ’88 about the death of his father, Martin J. “Marty” Allen Jr., on May 31. Mike writes, “Everyone who knew Marty knew his heart was never far from Notre Dame and the strong bonds he had with both the institution, including as past president and trustee emeritus of the National Monogram Club, and his close friends, especially in the Athletic Department. In recognition of his loyalty, ND honored Marty with various awards including the UND Exemplar Award in 1996, the National Alumni Association Harvey Foster Award in 1997 and the ‘Moose’ Krause Distinguished Service Award in 2013.” Marty will be dearly missed by his beloved wife of over 60 years, Sue, and his children and grandchildren, countless friends and Our Lady’s University. I also heard from S.N. Thomas ’63 concerning the recent passing of his cousin, Edward Sawaya Thomas Jr., on July 1. Ed was a devoted husband to Mary Evalyn, his wife of 54 years, and a dedicated father, grandfather, musician, businessman and community member. Ed’s musical life began at age 11 when he was asked to accompany the choir at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. His love for church music continued throughout his life. Beginning with Gregorian music and Catholic hymns, he expanded his appreciation across Christian music traditions, with a particular love of Gospel music. While at Notre Dame, Ed continued playing music for the theater department. In the summer of 1957, before attending ROTC summer camp, Ed stopped by Sun Recording Studios in Memphis TN, where he met Sam Phillips. There, he asked to perform two songs he had written at Notre Dame, “I’m On My Way Home” and “Mississippi,” both inspired by his homesickness for Mississippi. Clifton (his brother), Barbara Ann (his sister) and Ed performed the songs again for Sam and they recorded “I’m On My Way Home.” After “I’m On My Way Home” was released, they were invited to perform it on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in Philadelphia. That experience marked the beginning of Ed and Clifton’s writing and recording career. Together with their friend Bob McRee, an engineer and songwriter, they opened a recording studio where they recorded the Grammy-nominated “Pickin’ Wild Mountain Berries” and “Lover’s Holiday,” the latter of which was recognized with a Gold Record. Ed, Clifton and Bob continued writing for various artists for many years, and their recording studio in Clinton MS was recognized with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in 2026. Ed leaves behind a lasting legacy of faith, family, music, service and love for his MS home. Lastly, I want to briefly introduce myself to the Class of 1958: My name is Eileen Zander Surprenant ’09, ’15 and I am your new class secretary. Many thanks to previous secretaries Arthur L. Roule Jr. and Mark J. Roule ’98 for their years of service to this class and Our Lady’s University. I graduated from ND in 2009 (BA) and 2015 (MNA) and worked for ND from 2010 to 2019. I was previously class secretary of the Class of 1947 for 16 years and the Class of 1948 for over 10 years. I am honored to be your class secretary and help keep you connected. Please send any updates, stories or memories that you would like to share with your classmates. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing our love for Notre Dame. Go Irish! — Eileen Z. Surprenant ’09, ’15; emzander@gmail.com

59 Where’s Pangborn?
Pangborn Hall is no more! Considered “a palace” when it was constructed with limited University funds, and opened in 1955, it has been replaced on the same site by the beautiful, new Grojean Hall, a residence for women students with a “semi-attached” chapel with stained-glass windows. During our junior year, Pangborn was home to Tom Abowd (237), John Ambre (241), Tony Araneta (206), Ned Baldus (314), Jerry Baugh (27), Jerry Bechamps (214), David Berg (216), Frank Bettendorf (3), Jim Bigham (33), Steve Bolander (126), Bob Borlik (126), Gene Boyle (128), Tom Brady (203), Max Brown (21), John Brunner (33), Tony Bruno (304), Frank Buckley (7), Kevin Burke (119), Bob Burns (30), Mike Byrne (31), Bob Calliero (233), Dennis Carroll (231), John Casey (129), Don Cerini (220), Phil Connors (133), Jack Conroy (305), Dan Conway (223), Phil Coogan (224), Dave Cook (236), Al Cooke (236), Jim Cooney (135), Bob Cox (136), Tim Cremin (136), Tipp Cullen (128), E.J. Cunningham (240), Bill Cushwa (131), Bob Daily (26), Bill Dalton (208), Ralph Danglemaier (32), John DeFellippie (40), Mike Derrane (23), Ron DeLamielleure (23), Warren Delaney (230), Bob Dempsey (141), Mike Derrane (23), Jack Dolan (124), John Donovan (5), Dick Donovan (124), Mike Dugan (331), Ron Durant (209), Phil Eckert (323), Al Ecuyer (119), Tom Feltz (38), Ed Fixari (135), Tom Flaherty (31), John Fogerty (320), Bob Funderlic (137), Tom Gallagher (19), Bill Galligan (328), Denny Garwacki (240), Bob Ghelardi (312), Bob Giarratano (328), Bernie Gillespie (40), Barrett Gleixner (403), Dave Glow (325), Bill Graham (330), Rick Grimler (301), Jerry Halloran (38), John Harron (237), Bob Hassenger (142), Al Haverkamp (318), Mike Haverty (142), Dave Hayden (138), Jim Hayes (219), T.Y. Hayes (204), John Hayward (203), Chet Hobert (212), Mike Hughes (201), Clarence Hutches (133), Dave James (139), Julius Jodlbauer (35), Jay Jones (309), Jim Jordan (25), Milam Joseph (130), Chuck Kappert (202), Dick Katis (127), Jim Keegan (228), Richard Kenville (122), Bill Kerrigan (7), Lee Keyser (216), Lou Kigin (320), Bob Kill (325), Joe King (21), Quince Komyatte (323), Bob Kribel (42), Terry Lamb (26), Neal Lamping (134), Jack Lane (125), Tom Lee (Memphis) (9), Tom Lee (St. Paul MN) (24), John LeMire (326), Roger Leto (227), Dan Lorenz (235), Joe Maier (30), Ed Malone (220), John Maloney (209), Marty Maloney (231), John Maney (301), Karl Mangold (138), John Mannion (25), Victor Maragni (25), Joe Marrone (327), Jim Masterson (227), Bill McAdam (205), Tom McBreen (302), Tim McGarvey (3), Mike McGrath (327), Pat McGreevy (312), Harold McKee (39), Jim McMahon (36), Bill McMahon (325), Bill McNally (243), Jim Merz (239), Fred Miller (243), Bob Miller (308), Mike Monti (37), Frank Moosberger (316), Fred Mowle (139), Frank Mullen (307), Jim Mullen (234), Klaus Muller-Bergh (143), Ed Murphy (141), Ed Murphy (218), Dan Muth (218), Al Myers (242), Frank Nacozy (319), Vito Nigrelli (224), Lou Noto (329), Don O’Brien (17), John O’Brien (309), Pat O’Daniel (37), Norm Odyniec (20), Tofie Owen (117), Tony Pacilio (225), Jim Paulis (134), Wayne Pence (225), Jim Petonic (210), Peter Petrie (226), Mike Phenner (28), Phil “Blackie” Pier (34), Bob Pier (34), Jim Pino (123), Dar Planeaux (41), Tom Plofchan (326), Francis Prock (304), Chuck Puntillo (321), Bob Putnam (206), Jim Rankin (212), Dick Raupp (303), Art Raymond (42), Dennis Readey (241), Don Reay (305), Bill Reilly (24), Rick Remmers (306), Jim Rhadigan (36), John Rizner (233), John Roedel (207), David Roemer (314), John Roy (207), Dick Royer (131), Bill Sackinger (41), John Saiz (316), Jack Saletta (5), Norm Schnurr (306), Phil Schuessler (208), Dick Selcer (321), Tim Sharon (19), Mike Shea (230), Madden Sheedy (29), Pete Sheptak (27), Bill Sherry (130), Mark Shields (20), Jim Short (220), Jack Stewart (330), Connie Suski (307), Bill Thrall (238), Ron Toth (221), Jerry Trautschold (242), John Trainor (140), Mike Tressel (308), John Uebbing (139), Mark Walsh (204), John Weiner (223), Ed Weinheimer (214), Roy Wessel (143), Ed Weyhing (312), Ray Whelahan (324), Tom Whitman (9), John Wholihan (324), Bob Willard (117) and Ernie Wood (35). — Bob Brennan; 855 Clubhouse Drive, Ballwin MO 63011; 314-807-1011; bobbrennan76@gmail.com