60 Input from Great Classmates
We very much appreciate all the recent notes and calls from you all. It sure makes writing this article easier. We have made some efforts lately to check with the 34 classmates who have an email in the system but receive no emails from the Alumni Association. If you are one of those, please call or email me and we will get you back on the Class email distribution list. Comment from Ollie Flor on some of the football teammates: “I’m glad you mentioned Bob Nicolazzi. A smart, good, tough guy. We are fortunate and blessed to all still be here. I hope Coach Freeman’s staff and team have a good year.” From our class chaplain, Rev. Jim Radde, SJ: “Very pleasant here in St. Paul. Temps around 70. We are getting ready for Universal Notre Dame night. Rev. Monk Malloy, CSC, ’63 will join us. He and I will concelebrate. Monk will give the homily, then dinner and awards. I’m in a decluttering phase. I hope it lasts. I have accumulated many ‘treasures’ and may need help from an archeologist. I plan to attend Reunion 2025. If invited, I’ll be happy to celebrate Mass. These days I’m watching for monarch butterfly eggs. I like to raise them. I have one who is at the caterpillar stage. Enjoy the summer.” From Len Hanlock: “Joe, thanks for all of your hard work to keep us informed! It has to take a good amount of your available time. I was surprised to hear that there are still about 615 mates still fighting the good fight. Nearly 50% of us are still alive. I hope and pray that our fellow ND alum will hang in there until it is time to move on to Heaven. Have a good summer, my friend.” From David Otte: “Very many thanks for your class statistics compilation. It’s a great effort you made and I appreciate it.” From Tom Grojean: “I have always been related and delighted to do our Class or ND activities. I’m always amazed at how many graduates are not relating to our great University! This place was a great upgrade from the south side of Chicago and I appreciated it.” From Ted Dudley: “I knew Len Muller and considered him to be a good friend. I’ll surely keep him and his family in my prayers.” From Jerry DeLay about Bob Scholtz: “Bob told me that he was glad football season was over so that he could study! He was in electrical engineering. Great years as a Detroit Lions too.” Good news from Joe Drago: “We just had a small family party last night. Our granddaughter who got married last October is making us great-grandparents! Exciting. Only seven grandkids and all college grads. All in four years or less! My three kids all graduated in four years but no ND grads!” From David Jones: “Thanks for the update, Joe. I am amazed that half of us are still alive at 85-86. Must be that good clean living.” From Greg Lucas in Vancouver WA: “As one of the ones who reads every Class article, I just want to thank you again for all your years of service to us. Frankly, I don’t think we pay you enough! After 35 medical procedures requiring anesthesia, 10 hip operations, three types of cancers, one heart stent, plus multiple foreign objects somewhere inside, 75 countries and six continents visited, living on a golf course with my own cart, walking upright without a cane or crutch, still good looking, with four healthy kids who each out earns me, four super-educated grandkids, two great-grandkids, and getting updates on my fellow classmates from Joe Jansen on a regular basis, what more could one ask for? P.S. Sorry to advise, they took the trapeze out of our bedroom!” Drop me an email or two with some short stories! Thanks. — Joseph F. Jansen; 9190 Southmont Cove #103, Fort Myers FL 33908; 317-514-4478; jfjansen@aol.com
61 Generations Galore
The front is on the pumpkin, and that can only mean one thing — pigskins are filling the air from coast to coast. From Louisville KY comes the heartwarming narrative of Robert Chou, who arrived on campus following a lengthy, arduous 30-day sea journey from Kolkata, India to Notre Dame. Bob could not have imagined that he would be laying the groundwork for six direct descendants to follow in his footsteps. What began as some sage advice from a family friend, Sister Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, to consider attending Notre Dame for his pursuit of an electrical engineering degree, gave life to a 67-year love affair with his alma mater, which he has passed on to his children and grandchildren! He migrated from China to India to avoid Communist repression. The nun who influenced his decision to attend Notre Dame is known the world over as St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The family alumni are: Bob ’61, ’63, Jeffrey ’86, Rodney ’88, Tina ’89, Brandon ’23, Michael ’24 and Matthew ’26. My sincere thanks to John Hoey and Joe Libby who forwarded congratulatory messages to this writer on my new assignment. Joe recently relocated to a continuing care community, and he keeps in touch regularly with Roger McMahon. Bob Fisher checked in with a surprise lengthy phone call from his office in Kansas City. The “Fish” graduated first in his class at Georgetown U School of Law. Mose Glynn penned me twice, regaling me with anecdotes of his lifelong association and friendship with Dick Fox. John Cooney wrote that he and John Naughton recently attended the memorial service for Paul Nissi. John tees up the little white dimpled ball three times a week, sandwiched around quail hunting. He recently headed a consortium of local residents who raised sufficient funds to construct a 44,000-square-foot STEM high school in Hilton Head SC. Michael O’Neil of Troy MI died March 17. Mike is from a five-generation Notre Dame family which spans more than a century. It includes his grandfather, William ’06; father, Dennis ’26; brother, Dennis ’52; Mike ’61; and sons Michael ’92 and Timothy ’02. Amazing! From the Valley of the Sun comes a lengthy missive from Dan O’Halloran. Following a lifelong career at Motorola, Dan co-authored a book titled Integrity Matters. Dan and his wife, Toni, have traveled to 49 of the 50 states, missing only VT. They saved the best for last; they’re in for a treat. Dan paid loving tribute to our classmate, and my roommate, Dr. George O’Connell, whom he referred to as a living saint. Indeed! For the eighth consecutive year, John Keegan, Nick Palihnich and yours truly gathered for our annual June mini-reunion and roast at John’s office in Newark, where we resolved all of the world’s problems within three hours. Hyperbole aside, it was a rousing success. The following baker’s dozen Class of ’61 Domers are respectfully requested to text me at the number at the end of this column. Kindly update me on your whereabouts and latest activities. Thank you in advance to: Danny Fusco, Pat Kearney, Dick Lochner, Bob Cooney, Jim Ehrman, George Easley, Gilberto Marxauch, Ron Shubert, Vince Naso, Ed Stephan, Nick Ferlazzo, Jack Gentempo and Dick Eisgruber. One last note: Go Irish! — Arnold Leporati Jr.; 463 Tarrasa Drive, Jacksonville FL 32225; 904-703-4366;arnielep@yahoo.com
61JD Class Secretary— John N. Moreland;
jnmnd1958@aol.com
62 A National Champion
Skip Padburg retired as a residential real estate agent in the Los Angeles area after 39½ years with Re/Max. Dennis Keating’s 5-year-old son, Kayden, is an author of a children’s book — Kayden Likes Penguins. It is aimed at 3- to 5-year-olds. If you want a copy for a grandchild (or great-grandchild) you can contact Dennis, who is the suspected collaborator, at keatinghawaii@gmail.com. During the time we were at the University, most of us did not know we had a national champion in our midst. Bill Cashore, who was the subject of a recent WSJ article, won the National Spelling Bee in 1954. The year before, Bill was eliminated from a local qualifying competition because he misspelled the word “gherkin”. To prep for the next year, his mother drilled him on spelling and his father coached him on roots, prefixes and suffixes. His winning word was “transept”. After he won, Bill met then-Vice President Richard Nixon and went on The Ed Sullivan Show. He said, “Once in a blue moon I will tell somebody I was a spelling champion. I was always very proud of it, but there’s no need to brag about it.” Bill, a pre-med major known for his copious chemistry notes, has retired from his practice as a neonatologist and lives in RI. John Pugliese has been traveling the country for part of the year. While in the Sacramento area, he and his wife, Mary Lou, hosted breakfast for Barbara and Jim Mikacich. “Among the many tales exchanged was Jim’s story of Terry Brennan coming into the locker room after the California High School All-Star game saying he had six scholarships for anyone who wanted one.” Jim, as we know, accepted. After graduation, he went into the Army for two years, went home for law school and then had a very successful law practice. In June, John attended an Army Special Forces graduation at Fort Bragg where his oldest grandchild, a West Point grad and Airborne Ranger, was presented with his Green Beret. During the trip, John was able to put together a last-minute lunch with George Lensing in Chapel Hill, who has retired after 40 years as an English professor at UNC. George, along with John Beall and Tony Marra, will stay with John the weekend of the Stanford game. Carmen Belefonte was given the Pennsylvania Association of Justice’s Lifetime Achievement Award this past summer. It was just the third time it had been given in the association’s 56-year history. Our class lost a stalwart when Jim Krauser passed away June 3. He had been battling a debilitating heart condition for the last five years. Jim lived in Naples FL and was the prime mover in organizing the SW FL golf outing and mini-reunion dinner held each March for the past 20 years. This year, Jim got out of the hospital the day before the outing. He was very proud of the recognition he received in April when he was inducted into the St. John Neumann Catholic High School (Naples) Hall of Fame, for his tenure as the school’s tennis coach. Dave Hemmy, who practiced as a neurosurgeon in the Milwaukee area, passed away April 14. George Murphy, who went on to get a Ph.D., died April 18. Hank Burns passed away July 1 in Buffalo NY where he was involved in many community activities. — Raymond Raedy; 5310 Rileys Ridge Road, Hillsborough NC 27278; 919-967-8816; nd62secy@medicinemanremedies.com
62JD Reminiscing
Marianne and Tom Kelly send best wishes to all the classmates and their families and remind all of you of the open invitation to stay with them at their home in the Chicago area. They are enjoying the summer months between the Burr Ridge home and the WI Northwoods home, which includes spending lots of quality time with kids and grandkids, boating and enjoying the outdoors. They also enjoyed a very nice visit with Jim Gould and friend Stacy Hunter at the beautiful old Knickerbocker Hotel in downtown Chicago, as well as getting together with Christine Stucko, doing some reminiscing over lunch at a historical Naperville IL restaurant. Norm Stark shares a “war story” about an event long ago. “Marie and I had a home on Emerson Avenue in South Bend. We would often have classmates for dinner, sometimes in exchange for caring for our children while we went shopping or to a movie. In order to reciprocate, Stan Pecora invited us to dinner before leaving for Christmas vacation in 1961. He had a house near St. Joseph’s Hospital that he shared with Felix Maciszewski and Ray Brown. When we arrived with our infants, Stephanie (20 months) and Norman (6 months), we found the living room floor covered with clean sheets. Our hosts knew the children were walking and crawling and they wanted to make sure they were doing so in a clean space. The dinner was a standing rib that Stan prepared, by the way. That was pretty ‘classy’ for third-year students.” — Christine Stucko; christinestucko@gmail.com
63 Zoom Connections
Frank A. Piro MD retired as a radiologist in 2000. He received his medical degree in 1968 from Temple U and served his residency in radiology at Einstein Northern. He practiced in northeastern PA and served in the Army in Vietnam. He has two grown sons and moved to an over-55 development in Phoenixville PA two years ago to be near grandkids. He says, “As ND gods would divine, the pastor 10 minutes away is classmate Fr. Charlie O’Hara.” John Pastore MD and his wife of 60 years, Marilyn, are proud of their three sons, Greg ’92JD, Dan ’97MBA and Chris, an interventional cardiologist in Tampa and nine grandchildren. John graduated from Yale Medical School in 1967 and trained in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, with two years in the middle as a USPHS officer with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in Hiroshima. John served a cardiology fellowship at MA General and practiced cardiology full-time in Boston until 2016. He still covers inpatient cardiology at New England Baptist Hospital and is a professor of medicine at Tuffs. John served as executive secretary of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War when it was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Dave Swire writes, “My best girl Paula and I recently had the pleasure of visiting with our classmate Rev. Monk Malloy, CSC, ’63 at a Mass and book signing event hosted by the ND Club of Chicago. He told many interesting stories of some of the things he encountered while president of the University.” After 56 years of learning and teaching at Vassar College in the heart of the Hudson Valley, Barbara and Michael McCarthy have moved to a senior living community in Londonderry NH. The move coincided with their 58th anniversary and the publication of Michael’s eighth book, Liberal Education and Democratic Citizenship. “Still connected closely to ND through weekly Zoom discussions with fellow members of the Class of 1963, the singular value of a liberal education has never seemed clearer.” Jack Ahern says he has been mainly “chillin’ out” in Chicago since 1963. He spent most of his career in housing/finance beginning with First National Bank’s inner-city loan division, later specializing in housing finance, providing interim financing for inner-city projects. Jack served as the deputy director of the state Housing Authority and as a drafter on the state HFA side of Section 8. He was also involved in mortgage banking/syndications, and developed historic buildings, suburban housing and commercial properties until he retired. Jack married Mary (Anderson) in 1985, and between them they have five children and five grandchildren. Jack is also a member of a weekly Zoom group with 14 classmates that started in April 2020. Jack spends summer weekends in Lakeside MI, generally just walking the beagle, Evie. Carrie and Bob Martin celebrated 61 years of marriage along with their four children and nine grandchildren, including their oldest, Connie Martin ’86, her husband Dave Brennan ’86 and their son Patrick ’17. After two years as an officer in the US Army, Bob joined Abbott Labs and seven years later moved to Motorola Inc., from which he retired after 35 years of service. About 10 years ago, they moved into Covenant Living of Northbrook, where Bob serves on the board of directors. Terry Elberson died May 1 in Bonita Springs FL, survived by his wife of 61 years, Bonnie SMC, children Christine, Marc and David ’90, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Following graduation, Terry joined the family business, Dinner Bell Foods, in Defiance OH, where he worked for 30 years. He then became a financial adviser then retired at 75 and relocated to Bonita Springs. The Alumni Association has advised of the passing of the following classmates: John E. Cash, died May 10 in Kansas City MO, survived by his wife, Marylyn; John P. Mackie, died March 22 in Johnston RI, survived by his wife, Diane, and one son; Joseph A. Kelly died Jan. 23 in Washington DC, survived by his wife, Patricia; and Dr. Dennis T. Brennan died March 7 in Cleveland, survived by his wife, Mary. — John F. Dougherty Jr.; 915 Exeter Crest, Villanova PA 19085; 215-510-0844; johndoc969@gmail.com
63JD Class Secretary — Bob Saxe;
15725 Ranchero Drive, Morgan Hill CA 95037; bsaxe5@aol.com
64 And a Good Time . . .
Was had by all who attended Reunion 2024. Special thanks to Paul Basbagill, who coordinated the Reunion from start to finish with the Alumni Association staff. Bob Casey did a wonderful job in organizing the Friday dinner at Parisi’s. Bob resides most of the year just a block from campus so he was well positioned to handle details. Bob taught for 37 years at a high school outside of Chicago, served in the Navy Reserve JAG Corps for 20 years, dabbled in real estate and law, became a farmer and retired exhausted. Another leader, Pat Callahan, was both creative and generous in commissioning a distinctive sport coat/blazer shield to commemorate this very special occasion. These were presented at the Saturday dinner. All who have communicated with me were effusive in their praise for the job done by the University to support our Senior Alumni crew. Even the food was singled out as first rate. High points included the Vietnam commemoration ceremony on Saturday morning (with Rev. Bob Dowd, CSC, ’87 providing memorable comments) and the Rededication ceremony of the “God, Country, Notre Dame” door at the Basilica. Not surprisingly, fellowship was front and center throughout the weekend. Tom Gerlacher was on hand, having caught all but one of the reunions over the last 10 years. Jane and John Hargrove enjoyed the company of Barbara and Frank Fee, Ann and Ken Stinson and Rich Russell at their table at Parisi’s. Judy and Maj. Gen. John Scully shared stories with Herb Black and his wife over dinner. Jim Harrington has dealt with some health issues in recent years but was especially pleased to reconnect with Jim Sak. The two “Jims” were in the same high school class and roomed together as ND sophomores. Mary and John Sieger of Houston were in the neighborhood on a family visit and stopped by Reunion to catch up with Delores and Jack Gedge. John has a fascinating background: Georgetown Law, then litigator for the Labor Department, a 20-year stint in the energy business (including early implementation of the Civil Rights Acts in Southern refineries and factories), then solo practice until he was invited to become general counsel of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Married 58 years with five kids. Bravo! I am suffering from an embarrassment of riches in that I have too much Reunion material. That means the class will have to wait until the next issue for the distinctive Reunion perspective of Gene DeAgostino, John Lalli, David Garner and others. In the new news category, Dorothy and Tom Hoobler’s latest book, Are You Prepared for the Storm of Lovemaking?, is a collection of love letters from the White House that has received favorable press reviews. I also had lunch recently with my former Navy colleague Jonathan Dull who has released his ninth book, The Path to the American Revolution: British-American Relations in Peace and War, 1721-1783. I heard from Tony Rodriguez, who writes from PR that he is spending lots of time in the Boston area attending graduations of grandchildren. I learned from John Sieger that Bill Pfeiffer, a distinguished Notre Dame football player and great guy, passed away last October. A graduate of Northwestern Law, Bill was a real estate attorney in CA before moving to Bend OR. I understand that Bill was a real outdoorsman who spent a great deal of time riding horses and living the Western/cowboy lifestyle. Tom Reiser of Springfield IL died in March. He worked in the family grain elevator business before embarking on a somewhat different career with the Diocese of Springfield. Michael Hartford also passed in March. He worked for the County of Arlington VA and excelled in amateur theater. Wife Linda survives. Tom Sessi of Paris PA died in April. Wife Darlene and four children survive Tom, who was distinguished by his commitments to the family business and his community. Col. Robert Short of Shoshone ID passed in June. An electrical engineer at Notre Dame, Robert spent 26 years in the Army reserves, while simultaneously enjoying a successful career at Dupont and retiring as a cattle rancher. Wife Maxine and four sons/stepsons survive.— Paul R. Charron; 44 Contentment Island Road, Darien CT 06820; 917-860-5385;paul.richard.charron@gmail.com
64JD Class Secretary — Richard Balfe Wagner;
1204 Erskine Manor Hill, South Bend IN 46614; 574-299-9888; 760-567-1270
65 Future Plans
We are still finalizing plans for a reunion in 2025. Bob Lee, Don Zone and I will include these plans in our Notre Dame Magazine Class column in January. Carl Giombetti will organize the golf tournament. Brian Barbour, professor emeritus of English at Providence College in Providence RI, has published a book, Reaching into Silence: Literary Scholarship in the Tradition of Catholic Humanism (Cluny 2023), which features an essay honoring ND professors Joe Evans and Frank O’Malley. June and Brian live in Smithfield RI and have seven grandchildren. His retirement consists of golf, reading and writing. Last spring, Steve Hook was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had a Whipple procedure. He remains optimistic and still lives in Etna OH with his wife, Rebecca. Both are Vietnam vets. Steve was in Army ROTC and Rebecca was an Army nurse. Carl Giombetti, Pat McDonnell and Tom Moran were part of a group of former lacrosse players and spouses who returned to campus in April to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the start of lacrosse at ND, which was founded by Jack Tate ’64. Tom scored the first goal in the first game in ND’s conquest over Colorado State U. Jim Dwyer and his wife, Burmaa, live in Pompano Beach FL and spend their summers in Mongolia, where they are building a country house. Jim continues as an independent board member of several publicly owned Mongolian companies and a Canadian entity. While in FL he has periodic lunches with Lyons Hall classmates including John Schneider, whose granddaughter, Olivia, graduated from ND this year. She is the daughter of his son, Barry ’90. Last year his granddaughter, Mary Kate Temple ’23, daughter of his daughter Victoria Schneider Temple ’92, also graduated. John was present at both events. Judy and Pat Zilvitis attended the ND graduation this year of their granddaughter. In February Jim Jennings and Bill Tucker traveled to the LA area to help celebrate their mutual birthdays with John Huarte. Eileen and John’s grandson graduated from West Point this year. Ed Armento wrote that Rev. Paul Doyle, CSC, officiated at the interment service for Knute Rockne ’14, his wife, son and grandson when they were moved to Cedar Grove Cemetery on ND’s campus. Al Byrne wrote that William “Bill” Maguire has completed 50 years as professor at Florida International U. His field is art and photography and his work has been nationally recognized. Recently, Al’s book, For Country and Cannabis, was published and is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is a memoir relating his learning about the therapeutic uses of cannabis and convincing the AMA/ANA to hold his accredited cannabis conferences beginning in 2000. The book relates how cannabis was viewed by the DOD (Al retired after 24 years of service) and eventually how the VHA has recognized it as a medicine. Ted Valenti has been retired from ADP for 12 years. He served as their VP and GM. Ted and his wife, Linda Mae, have four children including David ’97, and seven grandchildren. He is active with the ND Club of Lake County IL and his parish Men’s Club in Kildeer IL. In June, Ed Carens died from Alzheimer’s disease. He leaves two daughters, a son and six grandchildren. After the Army ROTC, he served at Fort Knox, then in South Korea. Ed was a successful wealth management/stockbroker in Armonk NY. Paul Basbagill wrote that Cy Kennedy ’65 died in May after a several years’ illness. Cy was active in theater at ND and met his wife, Mary Jo Pastorino ’65SMC, while performing in the production of My Fair Lady at Washington Hall. — James P. Harnisch MD; 6759 West Mercer Way; Mercer Island WA 98040; jphnd65@hotmail.com
65JD Send News
To my ’65JD classmates: In the words of Short Circuit’s Johnny 5, “I need input!” Please send me information. — John Donald O’Shea; irishplaywright1@gmail.com
66 How’s by You?
I received word from Tim Streb, off to his Paris apartment for the Olympics. He is still recovering from Caren’s passing from Alzheimer’s. Tim was to make the Louisville game on campus to reune with Anne and Jamie Toohey, Kathy and Gus Rini, Tom Begley, and hopefully Kathy and Tom Belden and Bill Wentworth. Tim’s in touch with Patty and Paul Fieberg in Bend OR, who are good, and Dave “George” Rentschler, who skis and bikes like a kid, thanks to wife Rosemary. Tim’s senior year roomie, Mike Donahue, still plies his investment business in Pacific Palisades CA. Tim heard from Nancy and Jim “Jiggs” McAuliff, who are well, happy and active in Bellows Falls VT and heading for a fall European jaunt. Tim shared the sad news of Jay Rini’s demise from melanoma in the DC area. Tim spoke with Jay in early July. He had been given a few months to live, but departed suddenly. Jay spent his career with the State Department and the Organization of American States, and he and Kathy had some nice postings. Tim also hears from Johanna, Pat Cashill’s widow, doing well in Reno. Jim “Starman” Starshak aloha’ed from HI where he resides and has practiced law for eons. Star reported that the ND Niles High School crew of ’66 mates was to gather on campus for the NIU game. Included were to be Jack Gerken, John “Kahuna” Ganahl and Ray Neihengen, and they were planning to connect with stalwart ’66 prez Cap Gagnon while in town. Star noted his role in organizing the 55th reunion for his ND Law Class on campus the following weekend. These mates were slated to make the June 50-Year Club Reunion on campus: Minch Lewis, Joe Marino, Pat Madden, Pat McRedmond, Jim Murray and Mike Malloy. Andy Dincolo from Milford MI, where he’s been a CPA, was contemplating attending. Two more mates were interred at Cedar Grove Cemetery in the shadow of the Dome. Dave Worland, who had previously passed, had his ashes laid to rest by family and friends in July. On hand were South Bend locals Cap G. and Mike Rush. Dave’s bud Barry Barth planned to join, but his flight was canceled by the July cyber glitch, and pals Jim Ireton and Dean Planeaux sent regrets. MR recounted Dave’s key role in the Army ROTC intramural B-ball team’s two-year undefeated run, along with Jim Kearns and Pat Ryan and departed mates Mike Mooney and Bob Plank. Former Irish gridder Arunas Vasys was also buried at Cedar Grove in mid-July following his summer passing in Naples FL. On hand were longtime pal and ND teammate Tom Talaga, former roomie Joe Guiltinan, Doug Ford and Rush. Arunas enjoyed a successful career with athletic shoe company New Balance. Drew Kershen, professor emeritus of law at the U of Oklahoma, was honored with the US Department of the Interior’s Citizen’s Award for Exceptional Service for his groundbreaking work in water management strategies and rights. Belated news of another passing: Hugh McGowan departed last November in Indy, where he and Jeanmarie had been a couple for 55 years, with three kids and five grandkids. Tony Andrea set word that fellow Nitelighter star Bob Basche, who coined the phrase “Breakfast at Wimbledon” for NBC, is fearlessly fighting health problems and hanging tough. Go Bob! Here on Cape Cod, I see John Holmgren and Mike Keefe regularly. Join the Class website: 1966.undclass.org. Stay in front of the train and send news. — Tom Sullivan; 1090 Shore Road, Unit 14, Pocasset MA 02559; cell 773-454-4343; t66sullynd@gmail.com
66JD No Escape
Following the last column, Tom Kenney and I had a nice conversation in which he pointed out that I ask for news from classmates, but never provide anything about myself. He suggested that there should be no escape from that obligation. Well, here goes. Before moving to Naples FL, we lived in Bluffton SC (just off Hilton Head Island) in Berkeley Hall, a golf course community with two courses and many extremely nice people. Etta and I were avid golfers, but a variety of medical issues ended our careers as two of the worst golfers known to mankind. At that time two of our three sons were living in Naples. When our daughter’s family also moved there, we followed our grandchildren to Naples. It was the right decision, because we have a local support group, all living within 20 minutes of us. Being involved in the grandkids’ activities has been great for us. We reside in a senior living community and have met several ND alumni here. Etta and I have gotten involved in a couple of ministries at our local church, and her motto has come to pass … the last kid left home, the dog is gone and the kitchen has closed. I received a very nice email from Madge Starmann Burton advising that our classmate Ray Starmann passed away at home in Lake Forest IL from a sudden heart attack at age 56. Ray and Madge have two children and Madge now lives in Rancho Mirage CA. Over the years, they stayed in touch with Ben Aspero and Pat and Dick Steinbronn. Unfortunately, Ben and Dick have also passed away. OK, that’s my news. It’s your turn now. — Scott Maxwell; 2781 Siena Lakes Circle, Unit 2444, Naples FL 34109; cell 215-920-0616; ndscotty@gmail.com
67 Madigan Moves
Dan Madigan informs us he has moved into a retirement community in Milwaukee. The motivating forces behind the move were that Dan determined how many widowers were residing in the community and they met every evening at 5 for cocktails, then took private transportation out to dinner. That sealed the deal. Dan informed us that Paul Tobin has also moved into a senior center in the Chicagoland area. Lee Niessan ’68 notified us that Glenn Woo and Bill Veno were part of a group of 82 former lacrosse players and spouses who came together on campus April 19 and 20 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the start of the sport at Notre Dame. Angelo Schiralli sent us the unfortunate news that Kevin Hardy passed away May 6 in Northern CA. As most will remember, Kevin was a three-sport Monogram winner in football, baseball and basketball. Kevin was a starting defensive tackle in 1964 (the first year he was eligible to play, since freshmen did not play until 1972), a two-time All-America player by the time he graduated and a first-round draft pick in the NFL where he played for the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers. While starting three years on the Irish football team, he also led the baseball team with a .398 batting average while playing right field. He also was a key contributor to the basketball team that advanced to the NCAA tournament. Kevin is survived by his son, Danny, and daughter, Shannon, and sisters Mary and Barbara. Kevin McNevins of Dallas wrote a remorseful note about Kevin Hardy’s passing saying he was best athlete he has ever seen. Rick Kalamaya writes from Longmont CO letting us know he has been traveling to distant places for 10 years since his retirement from trial law. His wife, Nanci, nudged him to places like Patagonia and New Zealand, among other locales. Unfortunately Nanci had heart surgery many years ago and, after many years of blood thinners, she was left with vascular dementia and severe physical decline. Nanci is now in residence at a memory care facility. Rick stays in touch with Dick Kiekbusch and Ray Foery, and the three hope to meet in NYC for the Army game in Yankee Stadium. Please write.— Bert R. Bondi; 1891 Curtis St., Unit 1502, Denver CO 80202; bertrbondi@gmail.com
67JD Trips and Non-Vacations
Arriving too late for inclusion in our last column, Ken Lazarus has offered us a prayer for our Class: “May God bless the simple bonds of friendship, love and community of our little brotherhood. Amen.” Thank you, Ken. John Hargrove did not give a review of his recent trip to Venice and Greece, but he and Jane are planning a trip to Ireland in August. Sean Keenan’s daughter Megan ’96 and family are headed to New Zealand in August to visit her husband Alex’s family. Sean is also anticipating a visit from his Seattle-based grandchild. Other than that, Sean is sitting tight, enjoying his little patio and “wondering if the world is going crazy.” BTW, have you had a chance to see the recent interview videos with new ND President Rev. Robert Dowd, CSC, ’87 and new Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua ’93? Both are very impressive and it appears our University is in good hands. Interestingly, with all the discussion of the path our football program should take, the AD seemed to think that, with the realignment and concentration of the football elite schools in only a few conferences, the problem facing independent ND may be that the elites may not want to schedule a strong ND team as well as the strong opposition in their conferences. Bobby Barkley takes issue with me asking about vacations that you are taking or planning. I suppose he’s correct; after all, since we’re retired, our daily activities look a lot like what we called vacations before we retired. Only the venues change. Bobby goes fishing; he takes his annual trip to Islamorada in the Keys and a trip in July to TN for fly fishing. In October he has a family reunion in AL and another in November. Next week he’ll fly with some of his teenage grandsons to Chicago to visit relatives and, of course, the annual trip with his road-tripping daughter, probably to Yellowstone National Park. In June and July there were “meat hauls” to several different cities in LA, but he offers no details on these trips. The “leaves and lobster” trip with his wife is scheduled for the fall. Most of these trips are planned by the other participants, not Bobby. However, Bobby does do all of the planning and scheduling of trips to the bathroom and his mailbox, but no vacations. — Jim Heinhold; 1200 Carmel Lane, New Bern NC 28562; res 252-638-5913; im4irish@aol.com
68 There’s Life in the Old Boys
During the heyday when Marty Barry had the responsibility for 1968 Notes, there were promotions from lieutenant to captain, marriages, firstborns along with inspiring quips from Class President Dennis Emanuel and Bryan Dunigan. As years passed, the quips came from new President Tom Weyer, with reports of second children, Pete Farrell track team victories, late-in-life (almost age 40) marriages, football reunions, senior rugby play, reunions of Chicago classmates who met in kindergarten and live in the same ZIP codes, and grandchildren. News was lively and took care of itself. Now, the news still comes, too often with funeral notices. With three deaths to report this cycle — Paul Guilbault, Willard C. Morrey Jr. and Richard Gibney — I indulged in a search for the living by choosing 18 names. Four “in remembrance” notices showed in the directory. I found life: Bill Matturro, hale and hearty in Bradenton FL with his wife, Claire, earned a law degree after Vietnam service and used the knowledge on behalf of handicapped children, the FL Department of the Environment and community legal services. He remembers his roommate Mike Jordan, who entered the priesthood, and also remembers Joe Lee, another roommate, calling when Father Mike died in an automobile accident. Bill stays in touch with Joe, a physician in his native KY, and sometimes with Bill Reichman, who lives in Medford OR. Aeronautical engineer Richard Greff, after living in Singapore for eight years and traveling the world as an employee of offshore drilling companies, now lives in the countryside of Groesbeck TX with his wife, Carolyn. Brian McManus will wonder at one bit of news: the retirement property borders a lake teeming with crappie and catfish. Richard has no interest in fishing for them. He does think of getting to Notre Dame to visit one granddaughter studying there and another at Purdue. A third studies at Syracuse. When he can make a plan with Fred Morrison, Richard would like to visit in FL. Tom Chema came to Notre Dame from Liverpool OH, the hometown of Lou Holtz. Successful in practice with a Cleveland law firm, Tom left the firm for an interim position as president of Hiram College. The interim spanned 11 years and included participation in a flag raising at a Notre Dame game with other alumni serving as college and university presidents. Remembering years in Sorin Hall, Tom mentions Garrett Olney, Rocky Bleier and the late Don Roberts. Like Bill Bingle, Tom glories in the 1967 football championship of their Sorin team. Jay Schwartz hosted a multi-day gathering of Emily and Pat Collins, Anne and Tom Condon, Muff and Mike Baroody, Elise Stephens and Dennis Reeder and Nancy and Tom Figel at the Schwartz home in MD. Pat Collins, not much for reading assigned texts at Notre Dame, proved he knows his cookbooks by serving up a shrimp boil called Frogmore Stew. Dennis Gallagher visited on the right day. With a song in his heart, John Kamp hopes to attend a Glee Club reunion at Notre Dame in October. If you are missing Detroit lawyer Ed Kickham this mid-July, look for him in Israel, where he will visit for a week. Jeff Keyes and Bob Brady will keep their day jobs following a June golf tournament. Mary and Bill Kelly write from La Jolla CA that they plan a summer 2025 stay in Chicago. News of Paul Guilbault’s April 18 death came from Phil Feola, who forwarded the note of Mike Edwards. Typical of the atypical people who make up the Great ’68, New Orleans native Paul brought glory on all of us through his children and grandchildren, his career with Shell, and all the friends he entertained with his wife, Lynn, at their golf clubs. Willard “Bill” C. Morrey Jr., another engineer, put a lot of roar in Pratt & Whitney engines through his patents and his Ph.D. learning. When his wife Marcia died after Bill’s retirement, he and Jayne (Blessing) Riley became re-acquainted, married and took up residence in South Bend the final four years of Bill’s life. Fred Ferlic caused a Fred stir when he went to Denver to see Richard Gibney in his last days. Fred’s pranks made Richard laugh and Richard’s wife, Edie, blanch, no doubt, and certainly must have made hospital staff wonder about the madman from South Bend. Dr. Gibney’s career as a nephrologist in TX equaled his importance as a husband, participant in his parish life, father and grandfather. A forgiving Edie invited Fred to prepare Richard’s eulogy and Fred redeemed himself with a testament to all Great ’68 friendship. On the distaff side, remember in your prayers Mary Bramlage Minton, who died July 6. Sally Davis Rhodes ’69SMC and her family are coping in CA with the illness of Sally’s husband, Greg. Please watch for emailed Class news and help by sending notes and photos to me. — Tom Figel; 570 Sheridan Square, Apt. 3, Evanston IL 60202; 312-241-7917; tfigel@reputecture.com
68JD Celebrating 55 Years
The summary of our 55th Reunion was not published in Notre Dame Magazine. ND agreed to publish this summary in the current edition. Tom Curtin’s desire of having a 55-year Reunion came to fruition on a weekend gathering at the Morris Inn the last weekend of September 2023. Jim Seckinger and Tim Woods took the lead in organizing dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as a luncheon on Saturday where we shared moments from our years together between 1965 and 1968. The success of the gathering occurred due to the assistance of spouses Sheila Block and Janice Woods. As to the weekend gathering, 42% of the living members of the Class attended including Ernie Abate, Dennis Collins, Jim Cooling, Tom Curtin, Pete King, Lew Laderer, Patrick Pacella, John Scripp, Bud Seall, Jim Seckinger, Charlie Weiss plus Tim Woods, as well as spouses and significant others. J.C. Coyle and Tom Ward joined the Class for telephone conferences that evening. Tom Curtin shared with us that Charlie Weiss was recognized by the American College of Trial Lawyers as a Distinguished Pro Bono Fellow for his many accomplishments in the pro bono area. Jim Seckinger added one of Dean O’Mara’s recruiting strategies. Jim was awarded a scholarship and was then informed by the illustrious dean that Notre Dame had in the past accepted graduate students, but added in the event that Jim graduated that he would be the first graduate student to earn a law degree. As time marches on, we recently lost two members of the Class. Jack Rowe’s wife, Jeanne, shared that Jack died May 21, 2023, after an eight-year struggle with mild cognitive impairment and then Alzheimer’s. She added it was painful to watch his difficulties with language, when he had such a command of it, including contributing an article to The Scholastic many years ago. She concluded there was one blessing in that Jack knew his entire family, even during his final weeks in hospice. In addition, John Pusey shared in his closing argument at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Peoria IL that his father had died of a heart attack at the age of 43, when John was 12, his brother was 10, his sister was 6 and his mother was 40. John noted in his written remarks the following: “I have been fortunate. I have attended the births of my children, seen them grow up into good citizens, graduate from high school, go on to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees, marry good people and among them parent our seven grandchildren. Best of all, I have been able to do these things with a woman who has been a wonderful wife, a great mother and a superb grandmother. I have enjoyed the love of both family and great friends. I have been very aware of my blessings. I have no regrets. I leave this earth knowing I have been loved by God, my family and many friends.” Some great words from John. The most recent Notre Dame Magazine contained a quote by Maya Angelou: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Our prayers are extended to the families of Jack and John. We will add Jeanne Rowe and Pat Pusey to our email list. Thanks to everyone for making the 55th a great event. We indeed had a great Class and have embraced friendships which have lasted a lifetime. Jim Seckinger and Tim Woods hosted a reunion at Notre Dame on Labor Day weekend at the Morris Inn (details had been previously published). Finally, I am sad to report my wife, Suzanne, passed away March 19 due to a lung condition for which there is no known cause. The disease has affected others in her family. She was my “best friend” and will be missed. She never complained once during her lengthy battle with this condition. Our last trip was a family cruise in June of 2023 including our four grandchildren (9, 8, 6 and 5), which was on her bucket list. It was magical and all enjoyed. Please let me hear from you with regard to any information you wish to share with the Class. — Dennis G. Collins; 2203 Derby Way, St. Louis MO 63131; bus 314-516-2648;dgc@greensfelder.com
69 Our 55th Reunion Was a Success
Officially and unofficially, about 144 classmates and guests attended our 55th Reunion: Albert Alter, Susan Barnes (Rich Horowitz’s widow), Tom Altmeyer (Kate), Kerry Baruth, Mike Begley, Bob Belden, Jim Bennett (Elizabeth Beard), Tom Benson (Joan), Jim Blakely (Mary), Jim Bodary (Lesley), Tom Breen, Bob Burke, Pat Callan, Joe Carroll, Ray Caston, George Cavanaugh, Dick Cimino, Jack Coath, Dan Cox (Mary Beth Yakoubian), Pat Cronin, Bob DePierre (Merrie), Pat Dowd, Tom Duda, Al Elia (Mary Ellen), Denny Fenn (Maggie), Terry Fiorina (Karen), Mike Fogarty, Tim Ford, Bob Franken, Paul Fries (Joanne), Virginia Fry (Joe Fry’s widow) and daughter Babs Pinette ’99, Rev. Patrick Gaffney, CSC, Bob Gibbons (Jeanne), Jim Gleason (Karen), Jim Groves, Jerry Haddock, Bill Hennig (Judy), Dave Heskin, John Hickey (Kathleen), Greg Hipskind (Marji), John Hodel (Hana), John Holsinger (Lorraine), PJ Hosty (Kathy), Mike Karwoski, Mike Keane (Pat Scully), John Kenefick, Tom Ladky (Sally), Dick Lajoie (Mary Alice), Dick Lavely, Jack Lefevour, Bob Lusardi (Midge), Albert Lutz, Kelley Macke, Gary Materna (Diana), Mike McCauley, Mike McDermott (Margaret), Pat McDermott (Karen), Dan Merritt (Cindy), Dick Merritt, Tim Meskill, Jack Moran (Gerry), Matt Naegle, Chuck Nelson (Sharon), John Nesbitt, Chuck Neumann, Tom Nichol, Jim Panehal (Emily Strauss), Tom Phillips, Tom Poulton (Sue), Kevin Reardon (Judy), Jim Rogers (Peg), Tom Ryan, Sandy Sanders (Ingrid), Greg Schatz, Brian Schmidlin, Chuck Schmidt (Joyce), Bill Schweitzer, Charlie Shalvoy (Linda Graebner), Dave Sim, Rev. John Sheehan, SJ, Jim Slattery (Jeral Rembusch — Rick Rembush’s widow), John Sennott (daughter Riley), Hal Smith, Ron Sobchik (Chris), Joe Stein (Karen), John Sturm, Dennis Sullivan (Torre), Jim Thomson (Barb), Bill Wade (Naomi Lovinger), Tom Wahl (Sherry), Mark Walsh, Eric Ward, Ed Weinlein (Sharon), Matt White, Ralph Williams, Bob Wuller (Jan). Tom Ryan emceed the Friday Class dinner in McKenna Hall. Greg Hipskind, Mike McCauley, Tom Poulton, Brian Schmidlin and Bill Schweitzer read the names of our 265 known deceased brothers. Tom Breen and Ed Weinlein delighted us with their after-dinner talks. On Saturday, many attended the Vietnam veterans’ recognition event followed by a blessing from Rev. Bob Dowd, CSC, ’87 (on the first day of his presidency) of the WWI Memorial Door at the Basilica’s east entrance, which my grandfather’s construction company built 100 years ago. The Class photo was taken on the Main Building steps, then Fr. Sheehan blessed a new bench near Gate 14 in honor of Joe Fry (d. 2023) with his widow, Virginia, their daughter Barbara Fry Pinette ’99 and many classmates attending. While classmates enjoyed lunch in the Dahnke Ballroom overlooking the stadium, I was at O’Rourke’s with 30 family members, including Colleen Hickey ’78, ’81 JD, Joe Hickey ’79, Kate Sarb Elkins ’78, Andy Kostielney ’89, Pat Sarb ’76, ’78MS, Tom Sarb ’72, Ryan Sarb ’08, Siobhan Lezynski Sarb ’08, Bill Dennis ’63 and Joe Woodka ’71, who had come from around the country for the WWI War Memorial’s centenary blessing, and then to attend my “Fr. Ted Said” presentation in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The Saturday night Class dinner, emceed by yours truly, was in McKenna Hall. Fr. Patrick Gaffney gave the invocation and briefly discussed his work at Notre Dame U of Bangladesh in Dakar. Bill Wade talked about his 1969 Pornography and Censorship Conference adventures and interviewed Bob Gibbons and Gary Materna about their Hollywood adventures. In other Class news — April: On an eastern odyssey from his CA home, Joe Carroll visited John Gillespie in Buffalo, Gene Hammond and Hub Miller in Saratoga Springs NY, and Jim Conway and Errol Flynn in Bonita Springs FL. Mike Ryan won his age group in the Milwaukee Mother’s Day 5K. May: Mike Cerre interviewed Rev. Peter Rocca, CSC, ’70 and me for the Notre Dame Senior Alumni 2024 Memorial Day program celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ND WWI Memorial Door. May: Fr. Patrick Gaffney celebrated his 50 years of priesthood in a Golden Jubilee celebration at Notre Dame. June: The ND Club of Detroit presented Mike Karwoski with the club’s 2024 Award of the Year for his service since 2012. While visiting family in Hilton Head SC, Jackie and Mike Brennan dined with Sharon and Ed Weinlein. July: Ron Vero became the Notre Dame Senior Alumni director of the Northeast Region, covering New England (except CT), northern NY and Toronto/Central Ontario. In memoriam: Antoni Czekanski, September 2016; Dr. John Slack, May 2, 2020, Vail CO; Michael Marchetto, March 16, Worthington OH; Dan Klein, March 19, San Diego; Charlie Hof, May 16, St. Louis. Requiescant in pace. — John Hickey; jphjr47@hotmail.com; notredameclassof1969blog.blogspot.com
69MBA Smart Grandchildren and Our Upcoming Mini-Reunion
Nick Walz is most proud of three grandchildren. Daughter Buffy’s younger daughter graduated from Elon this spring. She will be a substitute teacher as well as a ski instructor in Deer Valley UT, while her older sister graduated from UVA Law School and is studying for the bar in San Francisco. Grandson T.J. will be a junior this fall, living in Alumni Hall, where Nick spent his junior and senior years. Linda and Joe Cavato are planning to attend our mini-reunion in September along with son Joe and grandson, who will be joining us for the weekend. Their daughter graduated from the U of Kentucky and will be attending Saint Louis U’s School of Medicine. Grandson Ryan graduated from Saint Louis U High School. Jim Halas won a Joe Montana-autographed ND jersey at a silent auction held at his health club. Rita Knittel has had some health issues, mainly shoulder and feet/walking issues. The prolific Knittel family has given Rita another great-grandson, and three more grandchildren will be in college come September. Rita sincerely hates to miss our get-togethers and is wishing everyone good health and fond wishes. Our 55th mini-reunion is the weekend of the ND-Miami (Ohio). There are about 12 classmates planning to attend. Please send me news items. As we mature, I find it becomes more endearing to return to campus whenever possible. Looking forward to seeing you in September and Go Irish! — Ken Samara; 3030 McKinney Ave., Apt. 601, Dallas TX 75204; 214-532-2187; kensamara@sbcglobal.net
69JD Rockne on the Move
Tom McCusker sent me an email about moving the house of Knute Rockne closer to campus. The site is across the street from the house Tom grew up in at the corner of Foster and St. Vincente. The site is the former home of Joe Boland ’27, who played for Rockne and was one of the Seven Mules. Joe was a main radio broadcaster for ND football games. After Joe and his wife died, his daughter lived in the house, and Tom lived there his second and third years of law school. As I write this column, I am looking forward to our reunion Sept. 13 and 14. Tom is a maybe for the Reunion, but Joe Kennedy, Joe Frantin, Dave Prior, Tony Siemer, Joe McNeil and others will be there.— Jim Starshak; 889 Kaohe Place, Honolulu HI 96825; res 808-395-0443; cell 808-778-4033; starman@hawaii.rr.com
