1990s

90 When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best
After 10-plus years of authoring the Class Notes, for the first time, I received a handwritten submission! Tony Talarico sent me a nice card with a photo from his trip to the Arkansas game, where he met up with his Grace Hall roommate, Chris Horton. The night before the game they were treated to a happy hour hosted by Julie (Klingele) and Sean Lyden ’89. They had a great weekend with a stellar performance by the Irish in Northwest AR! Chris is retired and living in Chicago. Tony is still with IBM in San Francisco but approaching retirement. Stephen “Stal” Perenich married Julie Milosch ’91SMC and together they have six children: Sam, 30, is a physician assistant in Tampa; Michael ’22, 28, works as a forensic engineer in Denver; Theresa, 26, works as a nurse in Denver; John Paul, 23, is a senior at USF; Stephen, 21, is a sophomore at ND; and their youngest, Blaze, 15, is a sophomore at Tampa Jesuit. Stephen started a nonprofit in 2024 called Camino Apostolic Confraternity with the mission of creating a life-giving culture of connection and interdependence culminating in rites of passage and the renewal of faith communities. Julie works part-time as a nurse and with Stephen in the nonprofit mission. Rob Szczerba ’90, ’93MS, ’96Ph.D. became a triple Domer and spent the first 20 years of his career with Lockheed Martin in upstate NY. In 2018, he moved to Pittsburgh, where he is CEO of a robotics and AI venture studio. Rob has been married to his wife, Ellen, for 24 years. With a young adult son on the autism spectrum, he is actively involved in advocacy and causes supporting individuals with special needs. At the Pitt game this fall, Rob enjoyed a mini-Stanford Hall reunion with Tim Granzeier ’91 and Matt Stevenson ’91 and especially loved watching J. Love shred the Pitt defense. Matt Spatz shared that a small pack of Alumni Dawgs have been gathering for a monthly Bible study — where they can share the Word, discuss faith, process real-life challenges, support each other through losses and celebrate blessings. The group honors longtime Alumni Hall Rector Rev. George Rozum, CSC, ’61, ’80MSA — as both an inspiration and a mascot of sorts. While these same guys love connecting over Irish football (particularly when the echoes are awakening) there is something very special about the bonds of faith. 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 Hosting Students in Tokyo
Takahiro Miwa is doing well in Tokyo and busy with his consulting business, competing in the Masters flag football tournament and coaching flag football for junior high school students. His daughter works in venture capital and his son works at JP Morgan Investment Bank in Tokyo. Taka-san recently hosted 16 junior and senior students from the International Business Council at Notre Dame on their visit to Japan for a global business forum trip. They visited his alma mater, Keio U, where they discussed student-life differences between the two countries with students of the economics department. They then visited the National Diet Building, Japan’s legislature, and listened to a lecture on the Japan-US Security Treaty and trade by House of Representatives member Akihisa Nagashima, a leading expert on Japan-US relations at the LDP. Taka-san was very pleased that the Notre Dame students were interested in Japan and visited Tokyo, and was proud as an ND alum to help provide them with this great experience. After 35 years in various leadership roles at Conoco/Conoco Phillips/Phillips 66, Texas oil tycoon and college football pool master Greg Pellegrino has retired! Greg is excited to trade in his Houston commute for daily fishing excursions on Lake Conroe and spend more time with Cynara, his kids and grandkids. Congratulations, Greg and Cynara! Don’t forget to send your updates to the email below so we can include you in an upcoming Notre Dame Magazine. — Jim Rogers; 1825 SouthPointe Drive, Morganton NC 28655; 336-413-2569; domer8490@gmail.com

90JD Hello from Connecticut
As I write, winter has settled in, and with it comes a slower pace — including class news. Still, I did receive a couple of announcements from the Law School on professional achievements of two of our classmates. Beth Tavitas was selected by her colleagues to serve a three-year term as chief judge of the IN Court of Appeals. Some of you may remember that Beth has been on the bench since 2006, first serving for more than 12 years as judge of the Superior Court of Lake County, following which she was appointed to the Court of Appeals. I had the opportunity to watch Beth’s robing ceremony when she joined the Court of Appeals and was very touched by the speeches, including one given by Patti (Kelly) McLaughlin on Beth’s behalf. In her “spare” time, Beth also generously gives back to Notre Dame as a member of the ND Law Association Board and the Executive Advisory Committee. In other news, I heard that Kevin Fitzharris, a partner at Barrett McNagny LLP, has been elected to a two-year term on the IN State Bar Association Board of Governors. Congratulations to Beth and Kevin! That’s about all I’ve got this time around, but tune back in this summer when I’m sure there will be more news to share. Until then, be well. Please drop me a note and let me know how you’re doing. — Cathy (Pollock) Gregory; cagregory.home@gmail.com

91 35-Year Reunion ... Save the Date
Join us for our big 3-5 this summer! Visit reunion.nd.edu to learn more about our unforgettable 35th Reunion weekend, June 4 - 7. Maria Jukic and Lisa M. Mruz have both kindly offered to chair the festivities. If you are interested in helping, please reach out to me and I will get you in touch with them. On Facebook? Join our Class of 1991 page. We have 730 members. — Suzi (Criqui) Mueller; suzi@cbglobalsearch.com

91MBA There Must Be News
Updates were a little quiet for this issue, so as promised, here’s the Patty and Bill Lynch report. Winter stalled Bill’s golf game, so he channeled that energy into 1,000-piece puzzles and a few home projects. I’ve been logging winter miles with a run club, training for a 10K and a 10-mile race this spring. And what are we binging? The Sopranos. As you can see, we’re terrible bingers and years behind on the shows! Send your updates to — Patty (Spiekermann) Lynch; pattylynch05@gmail.com

91JD Things Done and Places Seen
Since 2023, Ginny Mikita has served as local counsel in MI for a landmark Nonhuman Rights Project case to determine whether chimpanzees have a right to liberty. The case involves seven chimpanzees confined in a roadside zoo in the Upper Peninsula. Dr. Jane Goodall submitted a sworn affidavit in support of the lawsuit. The MI Court of Appeals denied a writ of habeas corpus; however, the MI Supreme Court granted leave to appeal. Ginny also traveled to the end of the world — literally, while trekking through Patagonia (Chile and Argentina) last fall. She stood at the end of the longest road in the world (Pan-American Highway) and cruised through the Beagle Channel where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans connect. Ginny also shared that her daughter, Greta, was recently accepted at Harvard Law School. In January, William “Bill” Kirk was sworn in as the inspector general of the US Small Business Administration following his Senate confirmation in December 2025. Bill will further the SBA’s mission to empower American small businesses and eliminate fraud. Aloysius Hogan traveled with his fiancée, Carmen, to Jordan to meet the family of his new son-in-law. His daughter, Reagan, married a gentleman of Jordanian descent and, in addition to meeting his family, he enjoyed seeing the sights. He also snuck in a visit to Jerusalem. Congratulations to Catherine Connelly Warren and Morrison Warren, whose daughter, Sarah, was named to the US Olympic long track speedskating team and competed in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games. Bernie Lau and his family traveled to Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo over the Christmas holidays. They enjoyed time together and a much-needed break from his wife Singmay’s medical practice, medical school for sons Will and Charles, and Bernie’s patent law practice. I would love to hear from you so send me your news. Until next time, act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God. — Martha (Boesen) Trout; 12823 Clark St., Clive IA 50325; cell 515-249-9235; marthatrout@gmail.com

92 Winter Wonderland
As I write this, it is 10 degrees in Dallas with a coating of ice that closed schools for two days. A good part of the country was affected by the same arctic blast in some form or fashion thanks to winter storm Fern. I took the opportunity to get my calendar in order and wanted to share a heads up — our 35th class reunion is next year! May we see a great football season before we get to June 3 - 6, 2027. Back to the scoop: Steve Hanson shared his double-nickel celebration — Steve turned 55 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Muscat in Oman where he promoted his daughter from second lieutenant to first lieutenant in the US Army. Meg is a ’24 Santa Clara grad in their ROTC program. She is currently in the Transportation Corps of the US Army located in the Emirates. In August, Rev. Stephen McGinnis was named pastor of Saint Peter Parish in Montgomery IN. This was the parish to which Father Sorin was assigned as pastor when he and the other members of the Congregation of Holy Cross came to America. Father Sorin was there until the bishop of Vincennes suggested they move to some land up north to found their college. Father Stephen is the first ND alum to be a successor to Father Sorin at Saint Peter. What cool footsteps to follow! I’m still looking to share some “good news” so let me know if anyone else celebrated 5-5 overseas or somewhere fun! Anyone set a new goal or challenge for 2026? On a funnier note — if you know of any over-55 discounts, our Facebook page has been sharing 55-plus deals. I still need to investigate the T-Mobile discount now that Sprint is T-Mobile. 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 some good news! 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
I am hoping 2026 has started well for all of you. I wanted to invite all of you to please send me updates as to what is happening in your life that you would like to share with your classmates. It is so hard to believe that we are nearing the 35th year following our graduation from law school. I am sure that classmates would look forward to an update. Thanks in advance for sharing. Again 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. Go Irish! — Paul A. Drey; 6701 Westown Parkway, Suite 100, West Des Moines IA 50266; bus 515-271-1765; paul.drey@brickgentrylaw.com

93 Staying Busy in Our Mid-50s
Jennifer (Dean) and Peter Durning have enjoyed reconnecting with Dr. Kristine (DeGange) and Chad Wilber over the past few years. Kristine, who earned her Ph.D. from UIC in 2024, and Jennifer got in touch during the pandemic via a small yet very active (especially during ND sports events!) ’93 Breen-Phillips group chat. The Durnings’ daughter, Julie, and the Wilbers’ daughter, Evelyn, ended up as classmates at Grinnell College! The parents have shared a few meals together when visiting their daughters at Grinnell. Last year Kristine and Jennifer had the chance to enjoy French wine and cheese together one afternoon when they overlapped on visits with Julie and Evelyn, who attended the same study abroad program in Aix-en-Provence. They expect more fun when both daughters graduate from Grinnell this May. Lastly, Pete and Jennifer enjoyed a short trip to Paris in February with classmates Erin Duffey and Ed Broderick. The two families have stayed close since Erin and Jennifer were roommates during their year abroad in Angers, France. Next time you’re on campus, take a moment to appreciate the amazing contributions of Missy DelVecchio! Missy, a partner at Robert AM Stern Architects in NYC, worked on the Stayer Center many years ago and more recently was the lead architect for the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. She also worked on the redesign of the Main Circle that was dedicated last year to 50 years of coeducation. Missy says it has been such an honor to add to campus. She has enjoyed spending so much time there with her projects; it feels like she really never left! Our class boasts two published authors, Steve Boschulte and Chris Parent. Steve’s book, Optimizing High-Performance Teams, was released last October. Organized around the project lifecycle, the book outlines how to optimize high-performance teams from program inception to program closure. For more information, visit ohpteams.com or use ND discount code UND2026 for direct purchases at shop.pinnaclelearninggroup.com. Chris published a book of 18 essays, Fragments of a Decent Man, in the style of David Sedaris and Sloane Crosley. Many of Chris’s stories reflect his experience at Notre Dame. Pick up a copy to see if you recognize yourself in one of Chris’s stories, then call dibs on the royalties, ha. More on Chris’s book can be found at chrisparent.net. When Hopkins MN resident Jason Shaw saw my reference to Hopkins in our last Class Notes, he took it as a sign to share his first update in 33 years. Jason spent the first 14 years post-ND in Chicago, Minneapolis and Toronto. Since 2007 he’s been back in the Twin Cities, where he grew up. He’s worked in various finance roles at Optum/ UnitedHealth for the past 15 years. Jason and his wife of 17 years, Stephanie, have a house divided because she went to BC! Their two daughters, Phoebe and Elsie, keep them busy. Phoebe is a downhill ski racer, so they spend winter weekends traveling to her races around the Upper Midwest and sometimes CO. Elsie’s competitions as an Irish dancer also take them around the Upper Midwest, and last year she competed at the world championships in Dublin and the Great Britain championships in London. Jason says if any other classmates spend their time watching skiing or dancing, please look him up! Congratulations to Sonia Miller-Van Oort, who was recognized Feb. 5 by The Minnesota Lawyer publication as one of the “Attorneys of the Year.” Two individual attorneys and about six legal teams were recognized for 2025, so kudos to Sonia for this honor! — Anne Marie (Krauza) Yuhas; 623-606-7000; yuhas93@gmail.com

93MBA Ready for Spring
Happy spring! I pray you all had a wonderful holiday season. Before I talk about the Christmas cards I received, I want to tell you about a very fun Nov. 8 gameday when the Irish played Navy. Carol (Leong) Kido reached out to me and asked if I was able to meet her. I have not seen her since we graduated. I met Carol and her husband, Ray, in the Hammes Bookstore. She has not aged since 1993! They live in AZ and have a daughter, Cassidee (who married Nishad in December 2024). Carol works for Homestead Capital. We are planning to meet every year at an ND game. I will let you know which one to see if anyone else would like to meet. Now onto the Christmas mail. I received a couple of Christmas card photos and a letter from Matthew Majikes. Todd Moore sent a great family photo of him, his wife and two daughters. Matt Gleason’s family continues to grow each year with his children getting married. Matthew Majikes kept a busy schedule in 2025 with vacations, seeing family, getting to work the president’s inauguration (!!!), getting a new job at Dominion Energy as a development leader (starting in January 2026) and fundraising for Type 1 diabetes through his charity called Do Rights, Inc. As I type this update, we are bracing for almost a foot of snow. I will be excited to be reading this update in the spring when it arrives to our mailboxes. Please let me know if you visit ND. I would love to go to South Bend to say hi! — Tricia Hug Schorr; 317-987-5000; thugschorr@yahoo.com

93JD Slow News Cycle
With the unjust exclusion of the Irish from the CFB playoff, there is less travel to report than last year, but still some news. I was fortunate to reconnect with Jim Zendejas and his beloved, Chana, over Thanksgiving weekend in NYC. Jim and Chana attended the Thanksgiving parade and spent a long weekend traversing the city, while my family and I caught up with them for a show and dinner on Saturday night. We were astounded that James Corden stole the show in a three-man play with Neil Patrick Harris and Bobby Cannavale, and a good time was had by all. If you come to NY, you can have a similar experience, so if you’re in the area, please reach out. Congratulations to Rob Mitchell, who retired from full-time work on Dec. 31, 2025, after serving our nation for nearly 40 years between his time in uniform and his time with the USG’s Civil Service. Rob hopes to do some part-time work as a contractor on the Joint Special Operations U faculty, and is spending his time with his wife, Mary, watching their grandchildren and planning overseas cruises. Please join me in thanking Rob for his service and wishing him the best in retirement. I sadly have no other information to report, so please reach out with your updates, and full columns are good columns. Stay well, 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 Love Thee, Notre Dame
In August 2025, University Senior Photographer Matt Cashore published Love Thee, Notre Dame. Matt’s book captures the beauty, character and heart of the University of Notre Dame. Love Thee, Notre Dame offers a unique glimpse at campus through the lens of an expert who has explored every angle of Our Lady’s University. Alongside the photos, Matt shares his unique perspective as a professional photographer and tells his favorite behind-the-scenes stories from 30 years at Notre Dame documenting campus life, ceremonies, football games and more. Huge congratulations to FTT grad (known as COTH in our day) Andy Kris for winning the 2025 Emmy Award for Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: The Penguin (HBO Max). You can view Andy’s acceptance speech on the Television Academy website. If you didn’t catch it in Notre Dame Magazine’s winter edition, go back and read the wonderful story of how St. Benedict’s Prep shaped Glenn Cassidy and the impact he’s having at his high school some 30 years later. We’re sad to report the loss of classmate Ivan T. Hoffmann IV, who passed away in July and is survived by his two daughters. Please take a moment to read Ivan’s obituary and learn more about his legacy following our time together at Notre Dame. Please send future updates to ndclass1994@yahoo.com. — Elizabeth Macor Groupp; elizabethgroupp@gmail.com; Matt Cannizzo; mcannizz@nd.edu

94MBA Class Secretary — Rodger Laurite; 678-644-0422; rodgerlaurite@hotmail.com

94JD No Reunion News Yet
Happy spring and Easter! At the time of submission, we do not have word on our unofficial reunion football game meet-up, so inquire with Jim Carrig or myself if you have not heard anything by the time you read this. Please send any updates or news to — Doug Duncan; pdouglasduncanjr@yahoo.com

95 Family Milestones and Growing Generations
Thank you for all the wonderful updates — there were so many that they will be shared over the next two issues! Jeff O’Donnell and wife Kathy live outside Baltimore. Jeff is a cybersecurity incident response handler for the US Department of Defense at Fort Meade. Their daughter Nora was married last October, daughter Sara recently moved to Jacksonville FL, and daughter Kayleigh is a sophomore at the U of Connecticut. Son Nicholas serves in the US Army and recently returned from a six-month deployment at the US southern border. Jennifer (de los Reyes) ’96 and Matthew Jachim have two grandchildren. Their son Peter Jachim ’21 and his wife, Therese (Douglass) Jachim ’21, ’23MA, welcomed second daughter Felicity Violet joining big sister Cecilia. They are looking forward to daughter Clare’s wedding at the Basilica this July. Elizabeth (Cillessen) and Ryan Walker live near Denver raising six children and recently welcomed their first grandchild. Ryan is a business manager and Elizabeth is a clinical psychologist. Daniella (Schmidt) and Kevin Kriner celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and are enjoying life with sons Jack, a software engineer and UC Davis graduate, and Will, a student at Santa Clara U. Daniella was a stay-at-home mom who now spends her time volunteering, taking classes and taking long walks with their labradoodle, Clover. Kevin is a managing director at West Monroe Partners and spends his free time playing bass in local bands. Ryan Kerrigan shared that his daughter Catherine “Kiki” is a junior in Johnson Family Hall and son Charlie is a sophomore in St. Ed’s Hall, thriving in Army ROTC. Rev. Andrew Budzinski serves as pastor of St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend and recently began walking 100 kilometers of the Camino Francés in Spain with friends during Advent. Eric Armbrecht is on the faculty at Saint Louis U School of Medicine and serves as senior advisor to the president. He was appointed executive director of the AHEAD Institute and is involved in a new partnership with Notre Dame Australia. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and three children. Last summer, Eric and his college roommate, Mark Muscato, lost a multi-day golf tournament in Decatur IL. Eric takes the blame for the loss with his poor putting. Mark is the lead radiologist at Decatur Memorial Hospital, where he has worked for 20 years. Kathryn Turner shares that 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of her family’s dude ranch, Triangle X Ranch, in Jackson Hole WY, located within Grand Teton National Park and operated by five generations of her family. Linda Raven returned to South Bend and will graduate this May with a Master of Social Work from Indiana U South Bend. After graduation, she is looking forward to taking some time off by camping and hiking in some of our national parks in the West, so get in touch as she will probably be driving through a city near you! Meghan Blake Payne enjoyed reconnecting with classmates at the 30th reunion this past spring, wrapping up the evening at the Backer — just like old times. Marty Boscarino and I had a chance to connect with many classmates during the football season. A highlight was tailgating with Steve Armbuster, his wife, Trish, and their three boys along with our son John at the Texas A&M game. Thanks for all the wonderful updates. Please keep them coming. 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 Warrior Award
Greetings from chilly Ohio. Hon. Joe Rossi checked in from Grand Rapids, where he was honored with a “Warrior Award” by the board of the Sacred Beginnings Treatment Program. Sacred Beginnings is the first survivor-led peer-mentored program in MI for those who have been sexually exploited/trafficked. Joe worked with the program as a partner in his Treatment and Support Court, which he founded in 2017. He was elected in 2016 to the Circuit Court, MI’s general jurisdiction trial court, and presided over a docket of felony criminal and civil cases. Prior to his judicial election, Joe worked as an assistant US attorney and private attorney for 20 years. Marie ’88SMC and Joe added their 10th child, Isabelle, by adoption in 2023 and she is in kindergarten. Another classmate in the judiciary, Jody Hilger Odell, celebrated 10 years as an ALJ for the Social Security Administration. She and Jere Odell ’95MA are finally empty nesters. Their youngest daughter, Noa, got married last summer and started a Ph.D. program in molecular biology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. Please continue to send news to — Julia (Schroeder) Meister; meister@taftlaw.com

96 Join Our 30th Reunion
It’s not too late to register for an unforgettable Reunion weekend June 4 - 7. Visit reunion.nd.edu for more information! Please send me your life updates by April 18. — Kate Crisham; catherine.crisham@usdoj.gov

96MBA Class Secretary — Maureen Maher; ndmba96news@hotmail.com

96JD Retirement Gigs, Trips and Fantasy Football
Bruce Wells was called to the position of pastor of the First Brethren Church in Warsaw IN on Jan. 4. Bruce is retired from the practice of law. Jennifer Hieatt reports that Brendan Reilly and his daughter, Shannon, ended up house-sitting for the Hieatts at their new home in London. Eleni and Luka Misetic and Rachel and Ed Perdue met up in NYC to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. Chris Spataro reports that the ’96JD Fantasy Football League just wrapped up its 31st season. Our season champion this year was Gary Connelly, who defeated Scott Clements in the championship game. Third place went to Luka Misetic over Scott Hardy. Please visit reunion.nd.edu for information about our 30th Reunion, June 4 - 7. Also, if you have any personal or professional updates, please send them to — Christopher J. Spataro; 57027 Wedgefield Ct., Elkhart IN 46516; chrisjspataro@gmail.com

97 Delayed Gratification
My deadline for this winter issue was on the same day as the College Football Playoff national championship game. It was hard to watch all these games and know that this year’s Notre Dame team had what it took to really win it all this year. In the words of Marcus Freeman, this is only delayed gratification. We will be there this year, and I feel sorry for all our opponents in 2026. If you have not watched Here Come the Irish on Peacock, please give yourself the gift of meeting our amazing coaches and the boys that represent Notre Dame on the field. Alexandra (Matthews) and Jim Boyle’s eldest daughter, Áine, is a senior this year at ND (Class of ’26). It has been fun getting back to visit her over the last four years and this season, they made it back to the A&M game and the NC State game. They hosted two great tailgates and got to see several friends from the Class of ’97 including Karla (Arenas) and Dave Valenti, Ryan McQuillan, Pat Kenny, and Steve McGreevy, whose son Brendan is also ND Class of ’26 with Áine. Jim and Alexandra are back in AZ, where Jim is running their family dairy farm in Casa Grande. Alex volunteers with fundraising at their local Catholic high school. Please send all updates to — Kate (Fisher) Murray; 1840 Huntingdon Road, Huntingdon Valley PA 19006; kmurraynd@yahoo.com

97MBA Brand New Information
We received Christmas cards from Elena and Mike Dion and their kids, Lauren and Matthew, and dog Cody. Also, from Jennifer and Stu Fortener. Their son Luke graduated from Notre Dame with an architecture degree, while son Kyle is a junior at IU Bloomington. Their dog Buddy attended the Blessing of Pets at Notre Dame. Tim Coff sent a text to say hello in the new year. The Coffs’ annual Christmas card featured photos of Tim, Katie and children Mary and Charlie, and sent joy. Speaking of joy, Joy Gaffud’s trip to Japan was a dream and she can’t stop thinking about returning. The trip included Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Alvaro “Al” Taboada reconnected with me. Al and family are celebrating 10 years in Starkville MS, where Al is a full professor of finance at Mississippi State U. Congratulations, Prof. Taboada! Al reports that Rishi Sadarangani was a guest speaker (remotely) in one of his classes and has advised several students on finance careers in investments. How great is that?! Wife Kelly and daughters Samantha (12) and Emily (10) have settled into this small Southern town they call home. In addition to teaching and research, Al keeps busy as editor of a couple of academic finance journals. In his free time, he plays soccer and has become a “Dance Dad,” transporting his daughters to dance competitions all around the Southeast. Al hopes to attend the 30-year reunion next year with his family and to reconnect with classmates. Ram “Lakshi” Lakshmanan says life is going well in St. Louis, staying busy with local music associations and professional networking groups and consulting for banks in the retail lending space. He’s planning a six-week trip to India, where he will attend a wedding and several reunions. Anthony Jowid reached out to wish a happy new year. Thank you, Ant-Man! I received a text message from Bill Lerman. He enjoys the Class Notes column and getting updates on our fellow classmates. Bill’s two oldest boys are in NYC with their band, Mr. Mota. Check them out on YouTube. The band is great. Bill is hoping to visit NY soon to catch one of their performances. Tim Gleeson says life is good! He’s celebrating 29 years as SVP with PNC Bank. Congrats, Tim! The Gleesons and three children are in the DC area, with the two older ones in college. Tim reminded me of the joke Prof. Nichols used to tell about how Father Sorin’s mission was to establish a great Catholic university in the Western United States, but that he had to stop in South Bend during winter to wait for the weather to get better. Rich Crandall emailed from UT. He’s hoping to organize a tailgate party at the BYU game in UT in October. Interested? Reach out to Rich for info and suggestions on lodging: 480-268-3930. Rich is chairman of Child Nutrition Resource in Mesa AZ. Thanks, Rich! Kathy and I were in Naples FL in early December 2025 to escape the cold NY weather. Our New Year’s Eve comedy shows scaled to seven performances this year, the most we’ve done to date. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the comedy festival. We had a chance to ski in MA in early January. So much snow and amazing conditions. Text, email or dial me up. Find me on LinkedIn as Paul Anthony. It’s always great to hear from you. Thanks for the positive feedback on the column. It’s a privilege editing the Class Notes and keeping in touch with so many of our classmates. Go Irish! — Paul Anthony Mongelluzzo; 646-584-7340; paulanthonymba@gmail.com

97JD Bring It
I did not receive any updates this quarter but would love to hear from you. Email me your news by April 18. — Julie Vales; cell 973-727-5767; juliemvales@gmail.com; john.vales@dentons.com

98 A Reunion of Farley’s Finest
Some of Farley’s Finest met up for the Purdue game last September. Amanda (Epstein) McHugh, Jackie McAllister, Andrea (Rohrs) Pimentel, Amanda (Enscoe) Auricchio, Kelley (Olson) Clugage and Lori Macias had a great time at their long-overdue mini-reunion. Emily (Miller) and Paul Fleisch are happy to report that their oldest child of three, Rose, was accepted early action to the ND Class of 2030. The extremely proud Fleisch family lives in Milwaukee where Rose will be graduating from Divine Savior Holy Angels High School. Go Irish! — Bob Flannery; rflannery98@gmail.com

98MBA Almost 30 Years
This year will mark 30 years since many of us walked into COBA and started the MBA journey. Paul Staun says it feels more like a million years ago! He happily retired a few years back and yet still feels like there is not enough time to do everything that is possible. He has a third grandchild on the way so that may be the culprit. John Cavanaugh is in Atlanta these days and serves as the CFO of TireHub, LLC — a JV wholesale tire distributor owned by Goodyear and Bridgestone. Before that, he served as CFO of GOJO Industries (maker of Purell soap/hand sanitizer) in Akron OH for five years and 17ish years at Goodyear in Akron. Kevin O’Connor has parlayed his kids’ college choices into visits with classmates: daughter Alexis is a “Smick,” so he gets to stay with Dan Ferry and Chris Corbett while in South Bend, and son Colin is at Pitt, so he visits with Dave Kucyk and family when in town. Son Brian is at West Virginia — are any of our classmates near Morgantown? Kevin recently relocated to Oceanport NJ, so if anyone is interested in fist-pumping on the Jersey Shore, please let him know! Anna and Steve Brunette’s oldest, Ryan, got married last September, with Steve serving as the officiant. Congrats to the Brunettes! — Mark Holloway; mholloway@alumni.nd.edu

98JD Class Secretary — Chris Putt; mobile 574-514-3703; crputt@gmail.com

99 New Literacy Nonprofit
Spring at Notre Dame wasn’t official until someone grabbed a paddle, climbed into a duct-taped masterpiece and attempted to survive the legendary Fisher Regatta. The creativity, the chaos, the occasional capsizing — it was classic ND at its springtime best. Now that Fisher Hall has officially been torn down, we say: RIP Fisher Hall, and thanks for the memories. I’m (Meeghan Karle Mousaw) excited to share that I recently launched a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit: the Reading Patch Literacy Foundation, Inc. Our mission is to provide free reading instruction to children who need it most. The foundation builds on the online reading and handwriting work I do through Sight and Sound Reading and Handwriting Patch. I’m especially grateful for my fellow Class of ’99 board members — Anna VanOverberghe, Sara Burke and Anne Hosinski Watson — who are helping to bring this mission to life with their energy, passion and deep commitment to literacy. In other happy news, my brother-in-law Tim Mousaw got engaged to Katie Zientara! We’re so excited to welcome Katie into the family and celebrate their upcoming wedding. We’d love to hear from you! Send your updates, stories or even old Regatta photos — we promise not to ask if your boat floated. — Meeghan Mousaw; mkarle@alumni.nd.edu; or Tim Ridder; tkridder@gmail.com

99MBA New Ad-ventures
After 30 years in Emerson and Copeland, Ricardo Mejia has launched a new business, Mega Lean & Quality Coaching, to help manufacturing companies become more efficient and provide better quality to their customers. You can find more information at megaleanquality.com. Valerie (Gregory) Woolsey traveled to Tokyo in January and had dinner with Yumiko Yao and her husband, Patrick. Go Irish! — Christy (Hayes) King; christyking@alumni.nd.edu

99JD Class Secretary — Steve Boettinger; boettinger@alumni.nd.edu