Alumni Class Notes

ND alumni were abroad in Ireland this past fall. Pictured here are Virginia Walsh ’62 Clawson, Frank Smith ’63, Carol Spehar ’72 Clark, Mary Suozzi ’67 Smith, Barbara Petitto ’67 Hice, Tim Doherty ’67, Joan Paslawsky ’67 Burkholtz, Marion Wilson ’67 Doherty, Joan Coley ’68 DeGregory, Dick Tuliszewski ’67, Joe Notta ’67, Dick Graja ’61 and Kelly Clark ’87 Keifer.

Stanley Wirpsza ’63 retired from the Federal Aviation Administration and is enjoying spending his winters in Merritt Island, FL and summers in Ocean City, NJ with his wife, Joyce.

Jay Halsey ’64 and Carol Krause recently welcomed their 18th grandchild into their family.

Ray Gross ’67 lives in Wake Forest, NC where he is Managing Director at OBX Advisory Group. His background is in telecommunications, electronic security, facility services, software and life science. Some Notre Dame alumni were spotted be-bopping around in Wildwood for the Fabulous ‘50s and Beyond weekend. Pictured here are Frank Smith ’63, Mary Suozzi ’67 Smith, Barbara Petitto ’67 Hice, Joan Paslawsky ’67 Burkholtz, Chuck Simone ’67, Dick Tuliszewski ’67 and Joe Notta ’67.

1990’s

Michael Pellegrino ’92, an agent with the Mercer County Prosecuter’s Office and a Master Resiliency Trainer, created Resilient Minds on the Frontlines, a collaborative initiative of the Attorney General’s Office, Division of Criminal Justice, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, and numerous partners. It was conceived by Michael and his wife, Diana, who saw a need to support all workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, including police officers, firefighters, first responders, nurses, doctors, grocery store employees, factory workers, warehouse workers, military members, truck drivers, teachers, chaplains, and their family members. There are a series of webcasts where guests and experts discuss, teach and encourage mindfulness, wellness, and resiliency for frontline workers and others. You can view the webcasts online at http://onthefrontlines.us/. Former ND Ice Hockey teammates Oscar Watson ’93 and Matt Govan ’91 and their sons Hayden ’20 (l) and Jack ’20 (r) celebrated an Irish victory on the ice. Oscar and Matt were linemates back when they wore the ND jersey.

Bonnie Clawson ’96 Milecki delivered 111 pounds of food to the Mercer Street Friends food bank last Thanksgiving. When she shared on social media that she was collecting food, an overwhelming number of her former Notre Dame students and fellow alumni wanted in on the service. Thank you to all of the alumni who joined Bonnie in this thoughtful gesture for our community.

Imbue Creative recently announced Erin Higgins ’00 Klebaur as President. In addition to business development, Erin works directly with the company’s broad, multi-disciplinary clients to advance their long-term marketing and strategic goals. Residents of Raritan Township, Erin and her husband Peter are the proud parents of twin sons. Joe Gigliotti ’03, Senior Associate at Grant Thornton LLP helps healthcare institutions with their cyber-security. Joe recently used some down time to help the Cyber Threat Coalition (CTC), a volunteer organization focused on countering the cyber-security threats that were generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was able to use the writing skills he learned at Notre Dame, thanks to Ms. Gavin and Ms. Liptak, to author and edit best practices, how-to guides, and weekly threat advisories used by a variety of healthcare providers to prevent cyber criminals from compromising their systems. Former Notre Dame football star, Rich Gunnell ’05, was named interim head coach of the Boston College football team until the appointment of Jeff Hafley. Gunnell, was previously the wide receivers coach and played at BC from 2006 to 2009 when the Eagles reached the ACC title game in back to back years. Rich has been retained by the BC football team as

running backs coach. Joe Parmegiani ’05, Manager at PKF O'Connor Davies, visited with our Accounting students to speak about his college experience, his career path and the accounting scholarship available through New Jersey CPA.

Former Notre Dame and NFL star, Tiquan Underwood ’05 has left his position as offensive quality control coach with the Miami Dolphins to serve as wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Rutgers University. Sister Anna Dela Paz ’06 recently professed her first vows to the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia. She is currently the Program Coordinator for the Center for Student Success at the University of San Diego where she works to support and collaborate with USD mentor programs who assist students in transitioning to college.

Jason Oszvart ’07 (far left) is Assistant Strength Coach for the Buffalo Bills. He credits his career success to the guidance, advice and mentorship of ND Strength and Conditioning Coach John McKenna, with whom he had been working out in the ND weight room since the 7th grade. Jason recently got married. He and his wife, Jessica live in Orchard Park, NY.

Michael Niederer ’08 welcomed the Fitzpatrick family to the Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA where he starred as Peter in the amazing musical production of “Jesus”. Michael also played the leading role in “Samson” and appeared as the Angel Gabriel

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES continued from page 51 in the theatre’s Christmas Show.

From left to right, Rose Fitzpatrick ’75

Stevenson, Michael Fitzpatrick ’08, former ND President, Mary Liz

Fitzpatrick ’72 Ivins, Rita Fitzpatrick ’74

Cavalli and Jim Fitzpatrick ’79 with children and grandchildren.

William Anari, Jr. ’09 was recently promoted to Fragrance Development Manager at Firmenich after a five-month work assignment in Shanghai, China.

Caroline Perry ’09 was married to Matthew Barry ’09 in a June 2019 wedding. Guests at their nuptials included: Julian Zangrilli ’09, William Anari ’09, Shane McKenna ’08, Peter Casey ’09, John Iacovelli ’00, Alanna Barry ’12, Julia Barry ’07 Muni, Jonathan Moyer ’09, Justin Muni ’07, Drew Fitzgerald ’09, Christian Reed ’09, Nicole Iacovelli ’04 Meyers, Ryan McKenna ’09, Joanna Iacovelli ’01, Greg Nugent ’09, Meghan Moore ’09, Samantha Kuczinski ’09 Reed, Krista Marrocco ’09, and Cristine Perry ’06 Taylor. In lieu of wedding favors, the couple made a generous donation to The Erin Christian ’09 Tuition Assistance Scholarship. Several Notre Dame alumni were in attendance at the wedding of Stephanie Heucke ’10 and JT Murray ’09. Pictured from left to right are Babbi Felli ’09, Abigail Murray ’11, Laurel Murray ’13, David Santamaria ’09, Julia Hart ‘10 Zilke, Stefano DeSantis ’09, Stephanie Heucke ’10 Murray, JT Murray ’09, Phillip Heucke ’13, Jacqueline Eberhard ’16, and Ryan Fitzgerald ’09.

2010’s

Dr. Robert Duffy ’10 spoke virtually to Mrs. Bauch’s AP Biology and AP Environmental Science classes. He presented a case study on Bullous Disease and led an open discussion on social and medical reform. Dr. Duffy is an internal medicine resident who will begin a rotation in dermatology at Cooper University Hospital this summer.

Nick Maruca ’10 was recognized as State Strength Coach of the Year by the National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA). Nick had served as Strength and Conditioning Coach at Hunterdon Central High School and is currently a graduate assistant in the athletics department at St. Francis University in Loretto, PA. Nick was accompanied by his parents Mary Joan Olszewski ’72 Maruca and Joe Maruca ’70 at the awards ceremony this summer in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Abigail Gruspe ’11 graduated cum laude from the University of Florida College of Dentistry with a DMD degree this past May. She is currently attending a General Practice Residency at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, NC.

Meghan Shea, MPH ’12 visited virtually with Mrs. Eileen Marx's World Religions classes on May 12. Meghan is an epidemiologist with the Columbus, Ohio Public Health Department and shared her experiences helping to prevent illness and promote wellness. She also discussed her role performing contact tracing on COVID-19 patients and some of the ethical implications of the disease. We are grateful for her time and all that she is doing to ensure our health and safety.

Alex Vietti ’15 recently graduated cum laude from Saint Joseph’s University with a double major in Accounting and Finance. He is working in the Philadelphia Office of Ernst & Young LLP as a member of their FSO Assurance Staff.

Elizabeth Gillooly ’16 graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from West Chester University this month. She was the recipient of the Psychology Service Award, which highlights seniors that have been actively involved in service to the psychology department. She was also recognized with an Academic Achievement Award that acknowledges seniors in the psychology department who have an overall GPA of above a 3.75. Elizabeth worked in a research lab at West Chester where she studied the relationships between trauma, drug use, and mindfulness in college-aged students. She also obtained a volunteer position at A.I. duPont Hospital/Nemours for six months analyzing data in their Neuropsychology Department. Elizabeth plans to apply for programs to earn an advanced degree in Clinical Psychology.

Albright College graduate, Miranda Holliday ’16, earned a Miranda Family Fellowship — awarded to passionate college juniors and seniors from underrepresented backgrounds who are studying music, theatre or dance. Miranda, who majored in theatre and political science at Albright, received the news directly from Luis A. Miranda Jr., father of Broadway's Lin-Manuel Miranda. The fellowship offers generous financial support as well as guidance from Lin Manuel Miranda's professional development network. Additionally, she is one of only nine graduating seniors honored for leadership work at Albright. She earned their Gold “A” Award for outstanding leadership in campus activities outside of athletics, and for contributions to the intellectual, literary, musical, artistic and/or social life of the college. These students are celebrated for having enriched the cultural life of the college and promoting a congenial atmosphere. Miranda will be continuing her education at NYU Tisch School of Arts in the Musical Theatre Writing graduate program.

John Jones ’16 made his professional acting debut in Boy at the Keegan Theatre in DC. He graduated from The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Drama and will be staying at Catholic for another year to earn his Masters degree in Architecture. Xavier Lezynski ’16 graduated from The University of Notre Dame with a degree in Sociology and a minor in Business Economics. He walked-on to the football team as a tight end during his sophomore year and will return to the University for one more semester to complete a minor in Theology and to play a final season of football.

Raven Linton ’16 was named First Team All-American by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. Raven was a senior defender for the University of New Haven. A two-time All-Conference and two-time All-Region honoree, Raven led the Chargers and was tied for seventh in the conference with 36 caused turnovers, which is sixth-most in a single season in program history. She also led the team and was tied for fifth in the conference with 43 ground balls. Raven studied chemical engineering at New Haven and graduated in 2020.

Julia Panko ’16 of the Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team was named a First Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. Julia became the program's first three-time All-American. Julia is enrolled in a five-year cooperative education program and will graduate in May 2021. Through this program, she works as a chemical engineer for two 8-month terms at BP on their Research and Innovation team, conducting research for Castrol motor oil.

Former ND Valedictorian, Matt DeLorenzo ’17, fast-tracked his college experience, graduating a year early from Rider University with a degree in Finance and Economics. He recently accepted a position at Johnson & Johnson as a Financial Analyst in their Corporate Internal Audit area. Two former ND swimmers competed recently at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Swimming Championship. Matt Lequanq ’19, a freshman at Rider University, won the 200 and 500 freestyle event, was named Rookie of the Year and his team earned their 9th straight title. Maria Nitti ’17 helped the Fairfield Women’s Swim Team retain their title as conference champs for the third year in a row. She successfully defended her own title in the 50 freestyle, won both the 100 and 200 yard freestyle events and was named Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer.

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Makenna Stergion ’18, a junior at James Madison University’s School of Music, competed against three of her schoolmates and 26 other students from 12 university programs in The American Pops Orchestra’s 3rd Annual “NextGen: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow” competition that was held virtually last weekend. The NextGen competition provides university undergraduate students majoring in voice and music with the opportunity to audition and compete for cash prizes, and a chance to perform with The American Pops during the 2020–2021 season.

Hayley Horvath ’18 finished second in the pole vault at the U20 Pan American Games in Costa Rica. Haley is a junior nursing major at Towson University where she holds the indoor and outdoor school record in the pole vault (4.1 meters/13-5.25).