O N W A R D
T O G E T H E R
John Carroll University
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Around the Quad
10 Inspiring One Unity of Mission
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Stepping Forward
18
2020 Salute
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A Legendary Friendship • Fall2020 ONWARD• Fall 2 ||ONWARD 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
Letter from the President
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Together Apart
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Births + Adoptions
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Weddings
30
Alumni Events + Programs
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Alumni Journal
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In Memoriam
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LETTER FROM the PRESIDENT Dear Friends,
I S S U E 2 | FA L L 2 0 2 0
I hope this edition of Onward finds you and your families healthy and safe during these most extraordinary times. At John Carroll University, we are preparing to welcome our students, faculty, and staff back to campus this fall, while also ensuring that our contingency plans allow us to adapt to the everchanging circumstances of the pandemic. COVID-19 has impacted our daily way of life and accelerated decisions related to our budget and future.
President
Through it all, I’ve been so encouraged by the
Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D.
resilience, patience, and flexibility of our community.
Vice President for University Advancement
On a daily basis, we are assessing important decisions
and Corporate Secretary
and anticipating what the next day might bring. One
Doreen Knapp Riley
thing remains clear: we will not compromise the John Carroll University experience for our students.
Executive Director of Alumni Relations
Fulfilling our Jesuit mission and delivering the
David Vitatoe ’00
outstanding education and experience that our students expect remains our focus.
Contributors
As you’ll read in this issue, our campus leaders have
Eric Eickhoff
approached John Carroll’s response to the pandemic
Maura Jochum ’11, ’14G
with great agility and expertise. Watching our faculty,
Mike Scanlan ’06
staff, and administration come together to find
Pam Zangara
solutions in a rapidly evolving situation has truly reinforced our commitment to cura personalis, or care
Writer
for the whole person.
Jo Steigerwald
You’ll also learn about the incredible work of your
Graphic Designer
fellow alumni serving in essential roles during the
John Young Design, LLC
pandemic. Their critical thinking, ability to adapt, and commitment to service have been on full display in
Photographers
recent months. I think you will agree the world needs
Jacob Chabowski ’18
these Jesuit-educated leaders more than ever.
Lauren Cianciolo ’17
In closing, please know how much we value the
Todd Biss Productions
support of our 44,000 alumni. You are in our prayers
Rob Wetzler Studios
as we continue to build a hope-filled future for the
Onward is produced by University Advancement,
next generation of Blue Streaks.
and printed by DUKE Print & Mail Solutions.
Sincerely,
johncarrollu
johncarrollu
Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D. President, John Carroll University
JCU1886 London Fletcher ’97, College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
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December, 2019. National Football Foundation
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New Dining Service at JCU John Carroll welcomed Parkhurst Dining back to campus as its food service provider this summer. Parkhurst is committed to providing authentic culinary experiences to students and guests dining on campus through fresh, from scratch menu offerings.
JCU WELCOMES TWO NEW DEANS Dr. Bonnie Gunzenhauser officially began her position as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at John Carroll University on June 29, 2020. She joins John Carroll University from Roosevelt University, where she served in the same role for the last seven years and was a catalyst for innovations and enhancements. As Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at John Carroll, Gunzenhauser will provide administrative leadership for its academic programs and will also be responsible for developing and leading the college’s strategic plan, implementing dynamic new programs, and continuing to advance the College as a passionate advocate for the strong outcomes that result from JCU’s Liberal Artsbased Jesuit education. The University community thanks Dr. Peter Kvidera for his service as the Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences through the unique challenges of this past year.
Dr. Rebecca Drenovsky was unanimously recommended by the Graduate Studies Search Committee for the position of Dean of Graduate Studies at John Carroll and she officially began her duties as Dean on June 8, 2020. In addition to her support of JCU’s current graduate programs, she has worked to increase the University’s graduate marketing and enrollment and developed new graduate programs. Under her direction, a new structure for the Graduate Studies Office has been established and the University has seen increased graduate revenues and operating efficiencies because of her work and the work of her colleagues.
Ohio Governor Shows Support for John Carroll. This summer, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine proudly donned a JCU tie as part of his daily press conference during the coronavirus pandemic. Not an alumnus himself, DeWine opened his press conference with remarks about the University, its tradition, and strong reputation.
JCU-Branded Masks Show Solidarity, Support The Carroll Fund This summer, multiple departments on campus collaborated on the design of JCU-branded face coverings that were made available for purchase to the community. Proceeds from each purchase went toward The Carroll Fund, directly supporting JCU’s most critical funding needs. In addition, each incoming member of the freshman class received a mask as part of a care package from the Enrollment Division. You can learn more about these masks by contacting the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@jcu.edu
.
REMEMBERING CHRIS WENZLER ’90 Chris Wenzler, the selfless leader of John Carroll University’s Sports Information Department for more than 30 years, died on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, following a two-and-a-half year battle with multiple myeloma. He is survived by his wife, Melissa (Rettew) Wenzler ’90, and children, Madeline and Oliver. They are joined by the thousands of “Wenzler’s Warriors” who supported Chris throughout his cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Drenovsky has served the JCU community as a member of the faculty and in administrative roles since 2005. For her efforts, she received the 2020 Distinguished Faculty Award, the highest honor that John Carroll University bestows on a member of its faculty.
A car processional through JCU’s campus was held on June 28 to celebrate Wenzler’s life. Over 500 cars driven by alumni and friends came to pay their respects.
Alumni Donations Help Modernize Herb Eisele Blue-Gold Room Thanks to alumni donations, primarily from the 1989 Football Team and the Blue-Gold Club, and previously budgeted dollars, the BlueGold Room in the DeCarlo Varsity Center has undergone a significant transformation that will directly impact student-athlete recruitment in the years ahead. The space will provide a much-needed meeting area for administrators, coaches, prospective and current athletes, and the Blue-Gold Club executive committee. Photo credit: Dale Armbruster
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Center for Service and Social Action (CSSA) Introduces the JCU Food Buggy The truck will operate under two functions: a student-run venture by day and a social enterprise by night. During the day, the truck will serve the full-pay business lunch market and on select evenings and weekends, the proceeds from the daytime business will be used to provide low or no-cost hot meals to customers who are homeless. JCU students will explore the social, political, and economic dimensions of running a food truck business in Cleveland while applying course knowledge and gaining real-world experience. The CSSA has partnered with the Boler College of Business and the Donnelly School for Leadership and Social Innovation, as well as with the Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship for this initiative.
2020 FACULTY AWARDS
D.J. LOMBARDO STUDENT CENTER PHASE II RENOVATIONS CONTINUE
Distinguished Faculty Award Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Ph.D.
This summer, the D.J Lombardo Student Center Phase II Renovation began, building on the 2019 updates to various aspects of the facility, including the Murphy Room and the O’Dea Room. As a continuation of these student-driven projects, Phase II includes:
Lucrezia Culicchia Award for Teaching Excellence Colin Swearingen, Ph.D. Wasmer Outstanding Teaching Award Lindsay Noble Calkins, Ph.D. Curtis W. Miles Faculty Award for Community Service Debra J. Rosenthal, Ph.D. Outstanding Part-time Faculty Member Award Nancy Conrady, Ph.D.
2020 ALUMNI MEDAL RECIPIENTS Umberto Fedeli ’82 Holly Perzy, MD, MMM ’85 Michael Schmidt ’81 Joseph Sullivan ’53
Heinrik Hellwig, Ph.D.
2020 STUDENT AWARDS
Expansion and Renovation of the Corbo Fitness Center: The Corbo Fitness Center will be expanded into the existing Music Room space, and reconfigured with a new entry location and reception area. The renovation will include new fitness and weight lifting equipment, new large screen TV monitors, and new flooring.
Expansion and Renovation of the Music Room: The Music Room will be expanded into the former location of the Student Organization Offices, and reconfigured to create a choral room / music classroom, an instrumental room, a piano lab, and a new studio for the Music Director. The renovation will include new instrument and choral music storage, new TV monitors in the music classroom, and new flooring.
Millor Orator Cory D. Beam ’20 Beaudry Award Brendan Anthony Sieber ’20
James ’65, Jack ’67, and Dennis ’70 Winchester Young Alumni Award Caitlin Huey-Burns ’09 The Rev. William M. Bichl, S.J. Alumni Volunteer Service Award Doug Ennis ’93 Rev. Casey Bukala, S.J. Distinguished Achievement Award Helen Murphy, Ph.D. ’67G
SIEBER ’20
JCU Receives Grant for Entrepreneurship In June 2020, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation awarded John Carroll University a grant of $140,000 for the second year of the LaunchNet program. The program is coordinated through the University’s Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship, and encourages students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and an understanding that entrepreneurial skills are important for any career path in the 21st century. With support from the Foundation, LaunchNet staff works with John Carroll students (both undergraduate and graduate) and alumni to develop their entrepreneurial ideas and provides special events and workshops to encourage entrepreneurial thinking. The program also connects John Carroll to other LaunchNet faculty and facilities at Case Western Reserve University, Lorain Community College, Baldwin Wallace University, and Kent State University to share resources.
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Alumni-Owned Distillery Donates Hand Sanitizer Florida-based Big Storm Brewing & Distilling Co. was taking the Southeastern U.S. by storm prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Owner Leo “LJ” Govoni ’09 quickly made the decision to devote resources to the production of hand sanitizer. Govoni is now providing his product to organizations across the country and generously donated 24 gallons to his alma mater for the 202021 academic year.
JCU Jr. - A Program for Kids This summer, the Office of Alumni Relations launched a new online enrichment program focusing on the youngest members of the Blue Streak family—children of alumni and the greater community. Alumni and faculty experts covered a range of topics from animals to space exploration.
JCU RESPONDS TO EVENTS SURROUNDING RACIAL EQUITY AND JUSTICE A Message from President Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D. on Racism and Violence:
Message from Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D., VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
“As an educational institution, we recognize our moral obligation to educate our students and ourselves about the history and enduring effects of anti-black racism in the United States and in American higher education. As a campus community, we remain deeply committed to furthering our understanding of the structural inequities in our society and acting to eliminate those inequalities. Racism, hate, and all forms of discrimination are not tolerated at John Carroll University.”
“I believe that educating yourself about the history of systemic racism within America—and, indeed, the world—is absolutely essential and our individual responsibility. It is important to expose yourself to different writings and vantage points in order to clearly grasp that the issues are not straightforward, but instead nuanced and complicated by several layers. Yet the value for us, individually, is to attempt to gather empathy first, and then move beyond empathy to engagement. Even if you do not agree with or endorse many of the arguments, it is still necessary to become more fully aware.”
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The unity of mission is a beautiful thing and has never been more evident than it has been through this crisis.
Inspiring OF M ISSION This year, the world changed for all of us, everywhere, as fast as a finger-snap. All facets of our lives transformed immediately, from where we work and go to school, to how we celebrate weddings
Pivotal & Defining
But we are undaunted. This issue of Onward brings you stories of the John Carroll University community that go beyond mere circumstance to pure spirit. Michael Johnson, Ph.D., John Carroll’s President, set this tone and positioned his administrative team to implement his vision. We begin with candid conversations with University thought leaders, those administrators on the front lines of ensuring John Carroll’s Jesuit mission of Cura Personalis continues to thrive, despite world events.
Jim Burke, Chief Information Officer, signed on for a two-year contract at JCU—35 years ago. He attributes his longevity to John Carroll’s mission, lived by students, faculty, and staff. Burke was on the initial response team when the pandemic shut down classes in March. “Agile doesn’t begin to describe the IT staff and campus response. In two weeks, we cross-trained support staff, offered workshops in-person and online to over 300 faculty and staff, adopted Zoom early to continue instruction, and obtained and deployed equipment to enable faculty and students to work remotely, online.” With financial support of the Class of ’57, laptops, mobile hotspots, and webcams were provided to students who needed this extra assistance for online instruction. “I wish I could adequately represent the joy and appreciation expressed by these students. It literally brought tears to our eyes.”
Each section is titled with the one or two words these leaders have chosen to describe this particular moment. While specifics may change based on the latest health guidelines, they share triumphs, uncertainties, and most of all, faith in the future.
After their immediate response to enabling spring semester to continue, Burke and the Information Technology Department turned to planning for fall semester with University leadership. They chose
and funerals. We have been immersed in history.
Like individuals, institutions are now navigating uncharted waters. News changes daily, with wave after wave of scientific discovery, government regulation, and social change pounding established structures and procedures.
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the HyFlex model, in which faculty members develop an ultimately flexible course that can be offered in person, online, or in a combination of both. This was a monumental undertaking with significant University investment. In partnership with the Provost and Deans, the IT Department engaged a group of instructional designers to assist faculty in creating courses that deliver a John Carroll-quality learning experience grounded in Ignatian pedagogy. The instructional designers were former JesuitNet staff members with decades of combined Jesuit experience in online learning production. John Carroll faculty spent over 4,800 hours of professional development preparing courses for this fall, with
Care for the whole person is a hallmark of Jesuit education and that was quite evident...
ongoing workshops and support from the Information Technology Services’ Center for Digital Media to use the learning management system and other tools to create and deliver online courses. In addition, University leadership made a substantial investment in campus technology, so faculty can effectively teach with some students in the physical classroom, while others attend remotely through Zoom. “Care for the whole person is a hallmark of Jesuit education and that was quite evident in the University’s response to this situation,” notes Burke. “Watching our faculty and staff come together to do everything they could to make sure our students received the rigorous education dictated by Ignatian pedagogy, while being sensitive to individual student needs, was a wonderful experience. The unity of mission is a beautiful thing and has never been more evident than it has been through this crisis.”
He credits the work already accomplished by the University earlier this year, describing the move to online instruction as “building the plane while you are flying it.” Herbert believes that the HyFlex model this fall will allow all students to have a strong, engaged, interactive classroom experience, no matter if attending classes in-person or remotely. Continuing John Carroll’s reputation for excellence in teaching is of paramount importance to Herbert, who plans to leverage this legacy while incorporating the new realities of the pandemic: masks, physical distancing, reduced capacity indoors, and heightened cleanliness protocols. “Although there were real concerns and angst about how we would accomplish all that was necessary, no one flinched. We just rolled up our sleeves and got to work, figuring out the solutions to problems as they arose. Our desire is to emerge in a stronger position so as to continue the mission to educate students.”
Challenge & Growth Steve Herbert, Provost and Academic Vice President, ended his first year at John Carroll this past May, saying, “Across all divisions of the University, and especially within the faculty, the overwhelming response of the JCU community to the pandemic was one of, we can do this…let’s get at it!” Herbert views the pandemic as a catalyst and accelerant for change in higher education, rather than the single cause of difficulty. He notes that the pandemic highlights challenges faced by higher education: changes in enrollment demographics and an increase of nontraditional students; increased compliance and reporting; the tension between offering education founded on enduring knowledge and staying relevant to rapidly changing word needs; addressing issues of social justice and race; and specific to Jesuit universities, balancing the care of each person (cura personalis) and the care for the work (cura apostolica).
If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. Mind-Boggling Collaboration For Lauri Strimkovsky, Vice President for Finance and Administration, the pandemic’s impact on every aspect of delivering higher education—from on-campus residence life to classroom experience—demanded quick action, a willingness to pivot, and intense communication. “Higher education tends to think and talk a lot before change occurs. The pandemic didn’t give us that opportunity,” says Strimkovsky.
Instead, administrators responded immediately, assembling a COVID-19 task force concerned with response and readiness, as well as a planning committee to address remote work and learning, and the new, significant financial implications demanded by events. This response stretched across departments and drew deeply from all levels of staff, from the President’s office to teaching faculty to housekeeping and security, and input from the faculty and staff councils. “We need to be ready for anything,” Strimkovsky states, whose office oversees all facilities logistics. “We plan to support the safety of our full complement of people this fall, from students, faculty, and staff, to prospective students and our student athletes. We’re following best practices from health officials, and talking with our peers in higher education.” This intensive planning, informed estimates and predictions, and strong communication among leadership continues, creating an environment of learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom for students. None of which would be possible without the wealth of knowledge, freely shared.
Teamwork Michelle Morgan, Senior Director of Athletics, relies on this African proverb to guide her department’s response to the pandemic: If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. “I am working as a department leader to ensure we take steps for health and safety,” promises Morgan. “Athletics is in the community development business, and any hard time builds our character. We are learning as we navigate this; leaning on resources, having a plan, and allowing there to be nimbleness in order to adapt to what happens as it changes day by day.”
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“I believe in the optimism of St. Ignatius... he would ask us to consider the best possible interpretation of our given circumstance.”
Lisa Brown Cornelius, Senior Director of the Office of Residence Life, concurs. “We are being forced to think creatively, act swiftly, and survive with ambiguity. The pandemic has required nimble responses—which is not a hallmark of higher education—but we have taken this opportunity to re-imagine the student educational experience.”
Morgan draws on national and regional resources through her membership on the NCAA Division III Management Council, as well as adjusting daily operations and adding extra protocols for safety. She uses the term “physical distancing” to describe the six-foot distancing required by public health guidelines, recognizing that humans crave social connection, and “social distancing” connotes isolation.
Community Preparedness
This attention to detail is also evident in her insistence on being proactive, rather than reactive. “Sport is an outlet that brings joy and builds character. We have 750 student athletes in 23 varsity sports; we are working to ensure our students can be their best selves going forward. ”
Alan Miciak, Dean of the Boler College of Business, credits John Carroll’s culture of continuous improvement and a willingness to be nimble for meeting the challenges raised by the pandemic. “At the onset of the lockdown, the goal was to complete the semester in a remote learning setting, without sacrificing the quality and standards expected at JCU. I believe we accomplished this objective, relying on flexibility and tremendous effort from our students and faculty to adapt to the remote learning environment, and heavily supported by our ITS support team.”
Morgan also speaks of the stress felt by students and staff due to not only the pandemic, but social justice actions, and the untimely passing of longtime sports information director Chris Wenzler, a mentor and leader to many in the community. “The world seems fragile and isolated. But we will get through this because we are doing this together. ”
For Miciak, future success means preparing for uncertainty. He points to JCU’s significant shift over the past months to build a fall learning environment that accommodates both in-person and remote learning, which was possible only through intensive redesign. “Our faculty is prepared to teach on the continuum of entirely in the classroom to entirely remote learning, or
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We are working to ensure our students can be their best selves going forward.
a combination,” notes Miciak. “I believe that our response has been based in the Ignatian spirit of community. Our solutions and success largely resulted from our community cooperation. “
Disruptive & Transformative Now more than ever, communitybuilding is critical, according to Mark McCarthy, Vice President for Student Affairs. “We will need to work very hard to build a sense of community on campus when students can’t gather together as they have in the past.”
Since March, McCarthy, Cornelius, and other University leaders redesigned almost every aspect of campus operations, from telecommuting guidelines and campus access and security, to distributing CARES Act funding to meet student needs. They established guidelines for reopening campus for fall semester in line with requirements from the State of Ohio, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, public health experts in Cleveland, and benchmarked practices from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The Office of Residence Life focused on the health and safety in planning for fall semester, with a commitment to create an engaging student experience inside and outside the classroom. Returning students will follow changes based on health guidelines and directives, which may include wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, focusing on personal hygiene, and symptom assessment. There will be more frequent and deeper cleaning throughout residence halls and buildings, fewer people permitted in classroom and public spaces, and different food options, including mobile ordering and take-out options. An investment was made in training student Resident Advisors and staff to meet these new challenges and help resident students to develop community and relationships in safe, healthy ways. Student Affairs reconfigured its fall services to offer both online and inperson counseling, career services, writing center assistance, tutoring and group study through the learning
commons, and student mentoring and coaching. The Student Affairs Department joined with its community partners to offer community service and service learning activities online. “Cura Personalis, or care for the whole student, is a value and a practice that is rooted in our Jesuit Catholic mission,” McCarthy stated. “Although the preferred method of delivering on the promise of caring for each individual is through human interaction and contact, focusing attention on the developmental needs of each student remains at the heart of our work—even if delivered virtually. At this moment in history, our commitment to social justice is also critical to being true to our mission.”
...preparing students to be intellectually curious, able to lead, anxious to serve, and steadfast in character.
Opportunity “I believe in the optimism of St. Ignatius,” states John Scarano, Director of Campus Ministry. “He would ask us to consider the best possible interpretation of our given circumstance.” Scarano notes that the pandemic has given the John Carroll University community the opportunity to examine its work in a new light, discerning how JCU
delivers the college experience. “My hope is that we remain in this state of flux, nimble enough to wade into the waters when they get too turbulent. Change is tough—but in my experience, it’s usually worth it in the long run.” The Campus Ministry Department faced the pandemic with passion, creativity, and commitment. The department offered a Mass for graduates, a retreat for seniors, and a prayer service for the Black Lives Matter movement—all virtually. They created a social media campaign, “God on the Go,” across Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook platforms, to continue providing experiences that move hearts and change minds. “Our mission hasn’t changed,” notes Scarano. “Our focus, perhaps, needs to be on how we are imparting our vision and mission to our students. As long as we don’t lose sight of this, we will still be preparing students to be intellectually curious, able to lead, anxious to serve, and steadfast in character. My prayer is that John Carroll sees this time as an opportunity to ask questions of ourselves, and consider directions that we have not felt able to address before. We have the chance to become new!”
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Stepping
for all staff. Wearing masks, socially distant activities, and handwashing all helped mitigate risk. There was also an amazing outpouring of community support, from cards sent to residents to meals sent in for frontline staff. These kindnesses maintained the morale of staff and residents, both.
The spirit of hope permeates the work done by John Carroll alumni during this incredible time. Onward features the following stories of alumni doing extraordinary work in the fields of medicine, business, and education. They may have different job titles, but all share the impetus to move forward through adversity.
“As a John Carroll alum and having been privileged to be Jesuit trained, I am thankful to have been educated to critically think through obstacles, find solutions and rely on team members to get through difficult challenges, notes Wisniewski. “For us, and certainly in most healthcare institutions, it has truly taken a village to create a new playbook to move forward in these uncertain times, taking each day as it comes.”
Kristina Wragg-Gadomski ’08
MEDICINE John M. Daily ’12 BS, BSN, RN - Clinical Nurse Medical Intensive Care Unit at MetroHealth John Daily attends to some of the most critical patients in the hospital who require complicated care, from inducing therapeutic hypothermia for those in post-cardiac arrest and giving neurologic evaluations every 15 minutes for stroke patients, to preventing sepsis and multiorgan failure from occurring in patients with renal disease.
ventilator settings. COVID-19 patients are very difficult to get off the ventilator and spend weeks to months in the ICU.” Since February, the speed of the pandemic has demanded rapid adjustments for hospitals and staff. “The uncertainty of the pandemic I think initially caused a lot of panic for both physicians and nurses,” recalls Daily. “I think everything Governor DeWine did saved thousands of lives and prevented the health care systems from being overrun.” MetroHealth moved and repurposed different patient care areas to create a fully staffed COVID floor and COVID ICU. Staff found creative ways to sanitize and reuse Personal Protective Equipment. And under this stress, Daily and the ICU team have become closer, more like a family than coworkers. They are now more flexible, stronger, and better suited to rise to future challenges. Daily credits his time at John Carroll to teaching him more than just biology. Most importantly, JCU gave him the ability to see things from various viewpoints and communicate effectively. “At the end of the day, I’ve been fortunate enough to work throughout the pandemic to support my family and care for those in their greatest time of need. Onward on!”
But Daily calls his patients with COVID-19 some of the sickest patients he has seen in his more than seven years as a MICU nurse. “As we are all aware, there is no cure and there is little evidence on effective treatment,” says Daily. “As such, it is more or less supportive care: multiple medications, inducing a pharmacologic coma and paralysis, and very high
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Tara Wisniewski, LMSW ’00 Director of Admissions and Community Relations, Elderwood at Lancaster, New York Throughout her career, Tara Wisniewski has seen tremendous changes in the healthcare industry, but none like what COVID-19 has demanded. “The pandemic
has completely changed our operating plan, how we provide care, and how we keep our residents and patients safe.” says Wisniewski. At Elderwood, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation community in suburban Buffalo, Wisniewski and her team restricted visitors in March, based on guidelines from the CDC. Because the elderly residents thrive on visits from loved ones, her team started FaceTime and Skype visits immediately, to keep residents connected to their families, and instituted “window visits,” in which residents saw their family through facility windows while talking to them on the phone. The risk of COVID is a daily stressor, and can become devastating in a nursing home. Her team reviewed and redesigned the admission process for patients coming from hospitals, to keep their facility safe and as COVIDfree as possible. They implemented a strict screening process for staff at shift changes, and twice weekly COVID testing
RN, Traveling Nurse As Ohio flattened the COVID-19 curve this spring, Kristina Wragg-Gadomski was working fewer hours as an on-call nurse. With her family’s support, she decided to join the fight at the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak: New Jersey. In April, she left her husband and young daughters behind in
MEDICINE Dr. Michael Anderson ’86 President, University of California San Francisco (USCF) Benioff Children’s Hospital, and Senior Vice President of Children’s Services at UCSF You may have seen Dr. Michael Anderson on MSNBC or the Today Show. His expertise reaches far beyond highprofile media appearances to decades of health policy work, from serving as vice chair of the National Commission on Children and Disasters, appointed by President George W. Bush, to his current position as a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Disaster Medical System. It is in this last role that Dr. Anderson has worked without ceasing since early 2020. He graciously spoke with Onward in early July, about his work on the global pandemic.
You have been working on the very front lines of the pandemic. What has it been like for you? It is gratifying to help. There are really good people working full time, with energy and passion, on a national response to this pandemic. This has been an interesting time to step in and help, and it has also been a disconcerting time. While we are seeing fewer children admitted with pulmonary symptoms from COVID-19, there are still so many unknowns. I’m also concerned about the isolation that kids are facing by staying home from school and activities.
What about the pandemic has surprised you? We thought we were prepared, but when something of this magnitude hits, it was apparent that we did not prepare enough. The American healthcare system has been driven by producing efficient outcomes, which is okay, but we have not invested enough in public health to respond to something like this.
Ohio and signed on with the Emergency Department of a Hackensack, New Jersey hospital. Her 8 week contract as a traveling nurse grew to 14 weeks, as the pandemic continued. In a Facebook post from late April, Wragg-Gadomski wrote: “People truly don’t understand how ugly this disease is. We intubate multiple people every shift. Their faces of panic are terrifying. The worst thing I have seen is the fear in people’s eyes when they can’t breathe. It’s something that will haunt me the rest of my life. I have seen people in respiratory distress before, but not like this.” But at the same time, Wragg-Gadomski found deep camaraderie and hope. “Everyone works together and is grateful for all of the travel nurses. My coworkers
We are finally getting to the ability and energy behind testing and contact tracing, but I am shocked at how long it’s taken us to get to this place. The politics of masking is both fascinating and terrifying to me; this isn’t a political issue, this is us taking care of each other. Right now, we have no magic bullet, and a vaccine is months away. Masks and hand-washing are what we have.
What advice should all of us take to heart? Our country must realize that this is a long-term pandemic. Wear a mask, keep social distance, and follow the guidelines of local and federal officials. There are really bright people working in real time to contain this. In my experience, I’ve never seen this kind of rally from the government, health officials, and labs to figure out the best treatment and logistics on something this large. But we need to remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
How did the JCU experience prepare you for this moment? JCU and my Jesuit roots mean more to me than ever!
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in the ER are truly a second family. Living, eating, breathing, laughing, and trusting each other—literally—with ours (and others’) lives. It’s a bond that will never be broken.”
March, with demand on the rise as the pandemic continues. Luminex continues to refine its tests, and Hill continues to work with hospital systems—The Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth among them – to make more tests available to more people.
BUSINESS
Hill credits his experience as a JCU athlete with learning how to quickly adapt to change and see it as a challenge. He was at the top of his game when a serious knee injury ended his athletic career, and says that this unplanned change led him to learn how to maximize his environment for the good.
Michael Hill ’01 Senior Director, Americas Sales MDx, Luminex Corporation The competitive drive and accountability that Michael Hill learned on John Carroll’s basketball courts came in handy this past year, as his work increased exponentially because of COVID-19. Luminex, a biotech company specializing in molecular testing solutions for respiratory illnesses, was perfectly positioned to assist with COVID-19 testing.
This spirit of gratitude infuses his work at Luminex. “What my team has gone through over the past few months—we are blessed to be a part of it, and to experience the success of helping people every day.”
Molly (O’Shea) Davis ’97 Owner, Firehouse Grill & Brewery Blue Ash, Ohio Molly Davis had $14,000 worth of produce on hand at her restaurant for the week of March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day, with 500 seats ready to be filled from lunch through happy hour and dinner. Then the state announced that all restaurants were to close their dining rooms and move to a carryout model.
operating out of a former gas station in Cincinnati. “We drove some of our produce down to her,” recalls Davis. “They were working in a tiny space, with no room for deliveries or social distancing. And we had a closed restaurant and empty commercial kitchen. So we invited them to use our space.” La Soupe and Firehouse worked in concert from mid-March through May, delivering 27,000 meals to Cincinnati Public School sites for people who were food insecure due to the pandemic. Davis’s vendors donated refrigerated trucks to hold the enormous number of food donations from restaurant suppliers and grocery chains. Food that would have been thrown out—like the 18 cubic yards of chicken from Whole Foods —now had preparation, processing, and delivery system logistics to get it to those needing it most. “For me, it was eye-opening,” says Davis. “I had no idea there was this much poverty so close to me. A strong part of the Jesuit education I received at John Carroll was to serve others, and to balance making a profit with caring for others less fortunate. These formative ideas directly impacted my business during this time.”
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Megan Leigh ’07
We lovingly cared for the children of these brave essential employees so that they could care for others. us to discover new ways to foster the social and emotional development of our students.” Sinchak speaks proudly of the creativity of his staff, who went above and beyond to care for students. Many teachers made regular driveway visits to their students, safely connecting with them throughout the remainder of the school year. The school created a 30-minute morning television show that aired daily, featuring interviews with faculty members and students, cooking segments, dance videos, yoga, and science experiments.
Then Hill and his team leveraged their existing relationships with a network of hospitals and sites in the Unites States and Canada to distribute test kits, many of which were able to run a high volume of tests within hours, instead of days. Hill works with these hospitals and test sites to implement, train, and manage COVID-19 testing. His pace hasn’t slacked since
President, Lakewood Catholic Academy Lakewood Catholic Academy, Ohio’s only Catholic elementary school with an International Baccalaureate World School designation, serves 650 “saints” from six weeks old through grade eight on a campus recognized as a National Green Ribbon School for its environmental leadership and stewardship.
Davis, worried about the safety of her employees, decided to shut down and cut her losses. She recalled that a fellow alumna of Ursuline Academy had started a food mission, La Soupe, which was
In mid-March, Brian Sinchak and his staff faced the challenge of abruptly closing the physical school and shifting to distance learning. “It felt like we were creating a school from scratch overnight,” notes Sinchak. “The education of young children is multifaceted, but the heart of our mission is to love our students. The pandemic forced
...to serve others, and to balance making a profit with caring for others less fortunate. These formative ideas directly impacted my business during this time.” 16 | ONWARD • Fall 2020
Megan Leigh teaches freshman and sophomore English at the high school she attended, and is a creative force to be reckoned with. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the way she engaged her students during the pandemic—often working 15-hour days to respond in writing to 450 assignments weekly— as well as creating silly and heartfelt opportunities beyond her classroom. In order to keep her students engaged, Leigh required them to write comments in the PDFs of the books they were reading. What started as a way to check that an assignment was done turned into revealing students’ deep thinking. “I was able to really hear every student,” says Leigh. “As I read every note, I saw their actual thoughts, their misunderstandings, and their questions.” Intensive journal assignments, which Leigh also completed herself, also uncovered the lessons students learned; not only from English class, but also from their lives during the pandemic. On a silly note, Leigh would use Snapchat to share pictures and videos of her dog, Flynn, expressing different idioms, for extra credit points. Leigh’s work also spilled out from the classroom. After her students read the Hemingway story, “The Old Man and the Sea,” they wrote messages of perseverance, based on their own personal experience overcoming an obstacle, on an old, cut up t-shirt. Leigh then tied these canvases –about 100 –on the fence surrounding the UH Parma Medical Center, sharing messages of inspiration with frontline medical workers and garnering media attention.
Brian Sinchak ’01 In early March, the FDA was overwhelmed by the need for COVID-19 tests, and turned to private companies to meet this surging demand. Luminex designed, developed, and fast-tracked their multiple COVID-19 testing discoveries through the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization process, often receiving approval within 48 hours of their initial design submission.
English Teacher, Holy Name High School, Parma Heights
The SaintsTV Morning Show became wildly popular; a fun way to celebrate community during a time when they could not be together. And they didn’t stop there. “One of the many lessons that John Carroll taught me was how to be of service to a world in need,” says Sinchak. “Inspired by this lesson, my team and I made the decision to restructure our early childhood learning center during the closure and seek a license as a pandemic childcare center in order to serve families who were frontline health care workers. We lovingly cared for the children of these brave essential employees so that they could care for others.”
Making connections between student learning and their lives is a craft Leigh learned at John Carroll, inspired by JCU’s model of class discussion. “Genuine thought and discussion— whether in
person or online—has the power to make a difference in the world and inspire action. I hope my students felt connected to a community of learners to make as much sense as they could of their own upended lives, while also continuing to make an impact in the lives of others.” There are, undoubtedly, other John Carroll alumni stepping forward during this challenging time. Please share these stories by connecting with the Alumni webpage or our Instagram and Twitter @JCUAlumni.
...her students read the Hemingway story, “The Old Man and the Sea,” they wrote messages of perseverance, based on their own personal experience overcoming an obstacle...
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Your senior year ended in an unprecedented way. You will be forever changed by the events of 2020, but may your student experience be the bedrock for a life of success, service, and solidarity with one another and John Carroll University. We salute the JCU Class of 2020.
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By Dave Vitatoe ’00
On what must have been a sweltering August day in 1946, on a dusty old field, with his leather helmet tucked under one arm, Len Soeder extended his hand and introduced himself. He may have been two years older than Don Shula when they first met, due to Soeder’s military service, but the two were new classmates, teammates, and became fast friends at John Carroll University. They were also key components to legendary coach Herb Eisele’s recruiting class, arguably one of the best in school history.
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Soeder would eventually join Shula and star running back Carl Taseff as part of a dynamic trio of runners, blockers, and passcatchers during an era in which John Carroll competed against the likes of Syracuse, Texas Western, and Bowling Green. All three would go on to be inducted into the John Carroll Athletic Hall of Fame. The on-field teamwork, chemistry, and success between Soeder and Shula provided a foundation for a lifelong friendship despite their diverging post-graduate paths. Mike Soeder ’76, Len’s son and part of a legacy of family members to attend JCU from 1946-2002, smiles as he reflects on what might have been. “Don Shula would go on to be drafted by the Cleveland Browns out of John Carroll and played several years in the NFL. But that first year with the Browns, he was calling on my dad, trying to convince him to come try out. He remarked that, at the time, the Browns had guys who couldn’t play at Carroll.” Despite the temptation, Soeder would not give in to the encouragement from his friend, as his life was already taking shape: a new wife, new baby, and a burgeoning career outside of the football world. Coincidentally, it was Len’s wife, Fran, who met Shula years before the two men battled on the gridiron together as Blue Streaks. “The friendship seemed almost predestined because, as a teenager, my mom would go out in the summers to the cottages of Madison, near Shula’s hometown,” said Mike. “She vividly remembered him being such a stand-out young man—so polite, respectful, and mannerly. She would always say that, even at a young age, you could point to Shula and know he was going to do something great with his life.” As the oldest son in the Soeder family, Mike grew up hearing all about his father’s football glory days, and the friends Soeder had made at JCU remained present throughout his childhood, including Shula. “I was 12 years old, still a student at Gesu right near JCU’s campus. I loved football and was playing as a young boy. At that time, Shula was in his early 30’s and already the head coach of the Baltimore Colts. I mean, he was an icon, already, and he was standing in our living room.”
I remember it so clearly. He would say ‘This is my friend. This is his family.’ And you have to keep in mind; these were the 70’s Dolphins teams. Coach Shula was telling guys like Mercury Morris and Larry Csonka that WE were his friends.
The star-struck feeling would not last for Mike, as he witnessed firsthand what many came to know and admire most about Shula. “When you sat and talked with Coach Shula, he had a way of disarming you. I realized he was just like most of my dad’s friends from John Carroll. In fact, he was like my dad, which is to say he was a loving husband, father, and friend. And it was obvious the role his Catholic faith played in his life.” Shula’s visits to the Soeders' University Heights home were common. He would often show up when he was in town and make himself at home. He would drive himself, with no grand entrance or special requests, other than a look inside the family’s refrigerator. “He would walk in the house and say, ‘Hey Fran, do you have anything to eat? I’m starving!’ And he would feel welcome to help himself to whatever was in the fridge. I remember him making bologna sandwiches, grabbing a bottle of beer, and sitting with us for hours. And when we weren’t at the house, he would go to Mass with my dad or they would go up to Carroll and play racquetball.” To those who knew him, Shula remained grounded and never forgot his roots or the people he loved from John Carroll. When he took the head coaching job with the Dolphins in Miami, the Soeders had a standing invitation to visit. When Soeder brought the family to town, Shula would walk them around the Dolphins facility and introduce them to his staff, players, and fellow coaches. “I remember it so clearly. He would say ‘This is my friend. This is his family.’ And you have to keep in mind; these were the 70’s Dolphins teams. Coach Shula was telling guys like Mercury Morris and Larry Csonka that WE were his friends.” The Florida hospitality would continue into the 1980s when Mike’s work moved him to the Tampa area. He would make occasional trips to Miami to visit, and the gates would always open for him. Closer to home, it was Shula’s son, Mike, who landed
on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster as a quarterback for one season. “I happened to be at one of the Bucs’ practices and Mike Shula had just seen action in a game and was being interviewed by several television reporters after practice. I was standing with Don’s first wife Dorothy, who later passed away, and she yelled over to Mike, interrupting his interview, ‘Come over here, I want you to meet someone important.’ Again, this was in the middle of a TV interview, but she didn’t care much about that. Family and friendships were so important to them.” This commitment to family and friends would be a theme throughout the lives of Soeder and Shula. They were there for each other’s JCU Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and other milestone events. In the 2000s, Soeder would fall ill to Alzheimer’s disease before passing away in 2010. Shula showed his support for his friend, first checking in on the family, and next making a generous donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in Soeder’s name. Ten years later, Shula would pass away. On the morning of May 4, 2020, the news reached Mike, producing a range of emotions. “I was so sad at first. I felt like the world lost a truly great human being. But then you shift to gratitude. I was thankful to have this unique opportunity to know him. To call him a friend. And I’m thankful for this example he and my dad set for us about loyalty and friendship. It’s why I went to JCU. It’s why I sent my sons there. It’s always been a special place because of people like Coach Shula and my dad.” When asked what that meeting in heaven would have been like between dear friends Soeder and Shula, Mike paused, then began to laugh. “Coach Shula never stopped coaching. So I have to believe he would want to see my dad’s footwork and critique his technique and quickness. And my dad? He probably had that bologna sandwich already made and a cold beer waiting to share with his friend.” John Carroll University Alumni Magazine | 23
THE YEAR 2020 WILL GO DOWN IN INFAMY, BUT IT ALSO PROVIDED A STAGE FOR STEELY RESOLVE AND OVERWHELMING UNITY AMONG THE JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY.
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Several departments on campus shined bright with outreach to alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Below is a sample of the social media footprint of the Office of Alumni Relations and Department of Campus Ministry during the early peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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and ADOPTIONS
1
Allison (Calabro) Kiider ’07 and husband Kyle welcomed Olivia Quinn, born on May 20, 2020.
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Michelle (Catena) Balas ’98 and husband, Tim Balas welcomed son, Michael Edward Balas.
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Kathryn (Stevens) Magill ’07, and husband Steve welcomed Molly Colleen, born on June 29, 2020.
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Ashley (Besong) Thoma ’11 and husband Matt Thoma ’10 welcomed daughter, Madeline Amelia.
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Hannah (Harms) Mickael ’12 and Bishoy Mickael ’11 welcomed Lucas Michael born on February 6, 2020.
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Molly (McBride) Hickey ‘06 and husband Ryan Hickey welcomed son, Luke Charles born in July 2019. He joins adoring big sister, Anna.
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Blake Furgerson ’10 and wife, Rayme Furgerson welcomed their son Rhodes who joins big brother Rourke.
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Ellie Rafoth ’16 and Justin Koss ’16 welcomed their son, Luca.
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Ryan Gross ’12, 13G and wife Ellen Gross welcomed their son, Theo James.
10 Becca (Magyar) Waldo ’13, and husband Rich Waldo, welcome their second baby, Clare, in June of 2020. She joins older brother, Hudson. 11
Cortney (Kilbury) Crockett ’01 and husband Adam Crockett ‘01 welcomed their son, Jaxon John.
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Jessica (Greco) Curry ’03 and husband Michael Curry welcomed their son, Ryan Michael.
13
Jeanne Skiviat ’17G and husband, Nick Skiviat ’12 welcomed twins, Carlo and Nico to the family.
14 Angelique (Lokaj) Moss ’06 and husband, Nathan Moss ’08 welcomed their fifth child, George Anthony, in May 2020. 15
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Sophia (Nobrega) Lovdahl ‘14 and husband Justin Lovdahl ‘14 welcomed daughter, Ava Christine on May 18.
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Dr. Ann Awadalla ’08 and Alexander Null were married on February 22, 2020
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Keti Sulaj ’13 and Daniel Dubow were married on July 20, 2019
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Annelyse (Giovannitti) Payne ’12 and Joe Payne ’11 were married on September 14, 2019
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Colleen (Reilly) Gong ’15 and Michael Gong ’15 were married on March 28, 2020
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Dejan Mladenovic ’06 and Kit O'Shaughnessy ’17 were married on June 6, 2020
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Bridget Keane ’16 and David Laubert ’17 were married on May 20, 2020
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Danielle Cappellino ’14 married Joe Solomon on June 26, 2020
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Carleigh (Rohlke) Walton ’15 and Jack Walton ’14 were married in early July 2020
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Dr. Carrie (Hawk) ’07 and John Carroll ’07 ’10G, were married on November 23, 2019
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The battle and those who fought in it inspired President Abraham Lincoln’s iconic “Gettysburg Address,” a stirring oration that used just 272 words to honor the sacrifices of those who “gave the last full measure of devotion” to preserve our Union. His words have reverberated through history.
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The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War. The Union victory ended General Robert E. Lee’s second and most ambitious invasion of the North and it was largely viewed as the high-water mark of the Confederacy.
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GETTYSBURG, PA | OCT. 15-17, 2021
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Join us as we are guided by George Vourlojianis, Ph.D., ’70, JCU’s resident expert on military history, through one of the most consequential battles in world history, learning about the impact of those three days in Gettysburg in 1863! Guests stay at the Gettysburg Inn, a historic hotel located in the heart of Gettysburg. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 216.397.3061 OR VISIT JCU.EDU/ALUMNI.
A.C.E.S. ONLINE
The Alumni Continuing Education Series (A.C.E.S.) is a free, non-credit granting enrichment program offered to alumni and friends in the spirit of lifelong learning. The series aims to stimulate growth through connections with current and former faculty members as well as alumni experts. All A.C.E.S. programs will be offered on the Zoom platform. For more information or to register, visit jcu.edu/alumni.
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Wednesday, September 23
The Future of Space Exploration
Thursday, October 8
Beer & The Brewing Industry
Thursday, October 15
The Importance of Reinvention & Resilience During Uncertain Times
Wednesday, October 21
How We Honor History: The Role of Monuments in Society
Sunday, November 1
The Beauty of Life and Resurrection in Art
To Be
The 2020 Election: What It Means for America
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HOLIDAY MARKETS CRUISE | DEC. 12-20, 2021
Through our partnership with AHI Travel, we are pleased to offer you, and your friends and family, the opportunity to embrace the joyous Old-World holiday spirit in Switzerland, Germany and France on a seven-night, first-class small ship Rhine River cruise! Explore enchanting, festive markets decked out for the holidays, stroll through medieval towns and personalize your journey with a choice of educational and historic excursions, including wine tastings and culinary tours, all with fellow JCU alumni. This tour is all about the sights, smells, tastes, and the purity of the season!
Interested in traveling by yourself ? There is no upcharge for single occupancy (limited availability). For more info or to reserve your place, call AHI Travel at 800-323-7373 or visit jcarroll.ahitravel.com.
Determined
SAVE $500 PER PERSON WHEN YOU BOOK BY OCT. 27, 2020 USING THE CODE SAVE1027. John Carroll University Alumni AlumniMagazine Magazine || 31 31
the ALUMNI JOURNAL Have news to share? Contact your class columnist with your updates or email journal@jcu.edu.
denotes a reunion year * Also invited for Reunion Weekend 2021.
Stay connected to JCU throughout the year! Visit jcu.edu/alumni and update your email, ensuring that you continue to receive notifications of JCU events near you, campus news, the Onward online newsletter and other class updates.
The Office of Alumni Relations would like to thank our class columnists for joining together in June on a Zoom strategy and planning meeting. The efforts of our class columnists have been instrumental in keeping classmates, and the broader alumni community, connected in 2020.
1942 | Robert Trivison roberttrivison@cox.net
1952 | Dorothy Poland polandmomdot@aol.com
Robert is JCU’s oldest living alumnus and celebrated his 100th birthday in late 2019. His party had over 100 attendees from all over the USA and was held at the Encinitas golf clubhouse. He reported excellent food, drinks, music, and dancing. Robert would like to hear from any graduates who are from his era.
Sadly, we lost Thomas Dannemiller this past March, 2020. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. Tom served in the US Navy and was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thank you for your service, Thomas! Tom was an enthusiastic sports fan and loved talking about the JCU Blue Streaks and his time at Carroll. He was also an avid golfer and won many tournaments at the Silver Lake Country Club where he earned the nickname, “Doc” for the way he helped teach friends the game of golf. Tom previously served on the Board of Directors at JCU. He was the loving father of six children, and four grandchildren. RIP, Tom. 1953 | Jim Myers cealejim@gmail.com
1947 | JCU Journal journal@jcu.edu We received a wonderful update from Robert Reindenbach! Robert wrote to say how much he loved his time at Carroll. After JCU, he joined the military and served our country in the Navy. Thank you for your service, Bob! After leaving the Navy, he had a long career at Timken Steel in Canton, OH. He retired from Timken, moved to Sarasota, FL where he was a singer in a barbershop quartet that won a gold medal in 1988! Bob currently lives in an assisted living facility in Sarasota. Stay well everyone and send your updates to journal@jcu.edu.
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Hello to all in the class of ‘53 and to your family and friends. Since I last talked to Dick Bauhof he has completed the longest cruise of his life, a seventy-five day one which included a stop in Tahiti. He later spent some time in Hawaii and flew home just before everything was shutting down. He has booked his next cruise for January 2021 in hopes it will go. Speaking of cruises, Tom Krause and his wife Delores have completed over 35. Then they became mall-walkers until the quarantine kept them home. Jack Ziegler and I had a long talk reliving our grade school, high school, and JCU days discussing who is gone and who is still here. The Zieglers have had four generations involved in their tire business, which in the past year celebrated its 100th anniversary. Charles Schott lives in a condominium in Perry Township (near Massillon), Ohio. We are very sorry to hear that Chuck lost
his wife in October. COVID-19 has greatly hampered his activity as a member of The Legion of Mary. They bring communion to the homebound, drive parishioners to church, and similar activities. Chuck also recently had surgery on his back. Harry Gauzman remains on our class list as a popular member of the class. He also remains a person with whom no one seems to have personal contact. Ray and Ruth Buganski continue to live in Toledo. They have twelve children, thirty-six grandchildren, and, so far, six great-grandchildren. One of Ray’s accomplishments is he is the oldest bowler in Toledo league play to bowl a 300 game. He did so at age 84. Congratulations Ray! Send in your news for the next issue. My email address is at the top of the column or if you prefer my phone number is 440-942-7831. God’s blessing to you all. 1954 | Peter Mahoney Peter007@wowway.com In the midst of many changes, some still hold true. The class of 1954 remains with the oath of “Omerta.” “Tell nothing to anyone.” But, in the age of pandemic, three members of the class have chosen to tell all. Omerta number one - Ted Sabine Ted, a mathematician, spent his working days at the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). In addition to his regular duties, he was on a committee that names hurricanes. Being a grad of a Jesuit high school, he often suggested Latin names for these storms. The committee refused his suggestions. Their reason being separation of church and state. Ted’s wife Fran is retired from her library job (book police) at a private Catholic boys’ school. Ted recalls a reunion dinner at Jim Sutphin’s house. Party in the
front yard under a tent. Late in the evening Jim produced a large basket of golf balls and some old clubs. We all marched down to the edge of a small lake that was on the property. It was getting dark, but Jim assured us that in the middle of the lake was a small floating dock. There would be a prize for anyone who could hit a ball and hit the dock. There were several plops and then a bonk! Someone hit the floating dock. It was yours truly, and the prize was a $10 gift certificate for the JCU bookstore. Thanks for the memory, Ted. Omerta number two - John Spaniol John was an optician. I remember his store on Lorain Road in North Olmsted. In his note, John mentions the class roster, how many living, how many dead? I do not have that data at this time but will get it for a later issue. On the issue of some names in several issues, some members of our class are prone to sending me a note after a birthday party or attending a wake, hum. John has an interesting sense of humor. On the envelope he sent with his comments the return address was U.S.A. Omerta number three - Dave Nilges Dave is living in Hawaii, dabbling in commercial real estate and running a paddle board and body surfing school. In his last letter he mentions the plight of many young Hawaiians. The cost of housing is prohibitive. At times, three generations are living in the same house. In a recent poll half of those responding said they wish they could move to the mainland. The weather is good, but there are some bumps in the road. You will see in the RIP section of this issue the name of John W. Touhy. Jack was a member of our class and, at one time, President of the Chicago Club. How
symbolic, his father was the Chief of Police for the city of Chicago. That Chicago Club was all law and order. (see photos below) You will be missed, Jack. These are interesting times, keep the faith … Pete 1955* | Ray Rhode *Seeking class columnist We heard from Emmett “Bud” Feely who was planning on attending his 65th class reunion this past June. We hope to see you, Emmett, in June 2021! Emmett shared some great news regarding his niece, Sr. Katherine Feely SND, Ph.D., who is the director of the Center for Service and Social Action at JCU. She recently earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She was also instrumental in the newly acquired JCU Food Buggy. CSSA partnered with the Boler School for Leadership and Innovation and the Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship. You can read more about this amazing project in the “Around the Quad” section in this edition of Onward. We would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude to Ray Rhode. Ray will be stepping down from his class columnist role. Ray has devoted many years to Onward and was the recipient of the Silver Quill award in 2014. Thank you, Ray for time and dedication, it is greatly appreciated! Please continue to send updates to journal@jcu.edu. 1956 | Albert Knute Oberst, JD knuteOICP@webtv.net I am honored to be our Class Columnist for our classy classmates. In addition, to show our Oberst family gratitude to the Jesuits for their educating seven members of our family of which three obtained their Master’s degrees and four ended
up teaching. Further, the Jesuits hired my father, Eugene, as a Football Coach in 1936 during the Depression. He became the Athletic Director and helped keep JCU open during WWII by directing the Navy V-12 Program. “Gene” recruited Don Shula (who is being honored in Onward) for the JCU football team. Don turned out as a major contributor to JCU. I still remember holding the tape which he broke running the 100yard dash at a track meeting at JCU. Please forgive me for not covering more of our classmates since I just started in June and this was due by July 10. I called several of you but, I had old phone numbers. So please contact me to let us know how you are doing. I do want to cover Jack Breen, Bill McNulty, and Don E. Schuele. Dean Donald E. Schuele and his wife, Clare, are apartment dwellers. Don taught Physics at John Carroll while getting his Ph.D. at Case Institute of Technology in 1963. He rose to become the Dean at Case after the merger with Western Reserve. Dean Don continues to do his research at Case and at home after 63 years. His honors include the Albert A. Michelson Professor of Physics Emeritus to Case. For “faithful and brilliant service to Case,” Don received the Meritorious Service award at the 2019 Case Homecoming game. Meanwhile, he and his wife have raised six children, and enjoy the company of thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I remember Jack Breen for driving me down to ROTC summer camp at Fort Eustis, Va. Even then, he was testing his leadership skills. Jack is now resting in peace with God after a brilliant career as CEO of the Sherwin-Williams Company. He and their Board of Directors kept their company in downtown Cleveland. Their legacy will live on by building a new headquarters on Public Square in downtown Cleveland. William T. McNulty is among our class who passed on to their eternal peace with God. Bill died in his home in Florida. Bill was a social worker in a children’s hospital. Bill and I were stationed in Augsburg, Germany as Army ROTC Truck Company officers for the 11th Airborne and the 24th Infantry. The McNulty legacy lives on in Cleveland with his son’s McNulty Bier Market on West 25th in the city of Cleveland. I plan to thank some JCU Athletic Directors for their managing our sports programs for over 100 years. Please remember to pray for our deceased class members. Looking forward to covering more members in the next Onward issue so please contact me with your updates. AMDG!!
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1957 | Sal Felice salvatorerfelice@gmail.com Adjust and adapt should be our present philosophy of life. Language such as COVID-19, coronavirus, social-distancing, pandemic, streamlining, and event cancelled are some terms causing us to meet daily challenges. In March, JCU’s President, Michael Johnson, PhD., following mandates by the Ohio Department of Health and Governor Mike DeWine, moved that all JCU classes be online for the remainder of the academic year and canceling all alumni events through July 2020. As a result, the students were forced to continue their studies online at home. Several dozen students, who did not have access to laptops or computers, were provided the same by the University, thanks in part to the Class of 1957 Fund, who stepped forward to support these students financially. On 2/21/20, Tom Tupa was buried from St. Basil the Great in Brecksville, OH. His death was approximately one month after his best friend, Don Grace had died. Tom played varsity basketball (no.31) at JCU while Don (no.33) was co-captain. Dennis Grapo died 2/21/20 from Parkinson’s disease. He gave freely of his time to a number of charitable organizations. He is survived by his wife Arlene. John Rae died on Sunday 4/05/20 in Ann Arbor, MI of COVID-19 plus other ailments. John was the soloist with the Carroll glee club. As a member of the State Bar of Michigan, he was known as “the lawyer’s lawyer” by his peers. His wife Ann mentioned that Daniel O’Rourke was his roommate at Carroll and Joe Luby was a very close friend. Robert E. Horley was a Probate Officer for 30+ years in the Cleveland Juvenile Court system and also published a book about the history
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of Parma, OH streets. Bob passed away while residing at Mount Alverna Village, Parma, OH on 12/09/17. I recently learned that George Holzheimer had died on 5/12/18 in Courtland, OH. Rosie and I have fond memories with George and Beverly at Cathedral Latin High and JCU along with Jack Szabo, Carl Winger, J. Patrick Browne (deceased), and Bob Abraham (deceased). John Gormley underwent hip surgery on 5/20/20. His wife Nancy, a nurse, did a yeoman’s job keeping John comfortable for several months - now he has two new knees and a new hip. John reported that J. Patrick Keenan died of cancer in August 2018 at Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Pat had been captain of JCU’s golf teams for four years - a feat never to be repeated. Upon his death, Pat was memorialized at Bear Lakes Country Club - now the annual event is known as the J. Patrick Classic Open. Also, for years he had been the PGA Director in New York State. Sadly, we lost Ann Trivisonno this past May, who received her MA from John Carroll in 1957. Her husband, Dr. Joseph Trivisonno was a long time faculty member and Chair of the Physics department at John Carroll. Ann was the first female graduate assistant in John Carroll history. She passed away peacefully on May 12 at her home in Naples, Florida. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Joseph Trivisonno Jr. ’55, four children, ten grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Sadly, we lost Tom Feely, this past February. Tom’s daughter is Sr. Katherine Feely SND, Ph.D. who is the director of the Center for Service and Social Action at JCU. Frank “Crash” Hovorka reports his grandson, 2LT Mark Davis in the Military Police at Ft. Hood, TX, was activated to Austin due to the COVID-19 epidemic on
3/31/20. Frank’s son, Chris PhD., a triathlete, left the University of Pittsburgh, where he designed and built prosthesis and orthodontics (artificial body parts) for a similar position at East Tennessee State. I saw that Joe Nieser is near Palm Springs, CA - he’s feeling good and doing well considering, as are Nancy and John Scanlan in Fredericksburg, VA. Stay alert, stay healthy, and keep your distance - we are the highest risk for everything! God bless, Sal 1958 | Seeking Class Columnist journal@jcu.edu Please send your updates, we want to hear from you! 1959 | Rick Dodson dodson59@verizon.net Please send your updates, we want to hear from you! 1960* | Gerald Schweickert bjschweick@sbcglobal.net What follows is a column which was written for the Alumni Journal and never made it into print. I found it quite by accident while cleaning out my old documents a few months ago. I apologized to Carlo and then learned the issue of the Journal had never been published. A few minor changes have been made for this column to be timely. Once again, I have been “bailed out” by a classmate who responded to one of my pleas for information. I heard from Carlo Coppola and learned (as I usually do) how interesting the lives of my classmates have been. Carlo roomed with Kees
(Case) Koreman at JCU. He holds several advanced academic degrees (including an M.A. in English and a Ph.D., in Comparative Literature from the University of Chicago) as well as a Culinary Arts diploma. He has cooked and catered professionally, worked with chefs in India and Italy and for twenty years taught courses in Food History, Wines and Spirits and foreign language culinary terminology to chefs and chefsin-training. Currently, Carlo teaches in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UCLA (6-8 week courses intended for seniors). A listing of the topics covered in one of his classes Food History in 8 Tasty Bites follows: What Marco Polo Ate; What Christopher Columbus Didn’t Know About New World Foods; Passover/Easter Foods from Around the World; Major Moments in Food History; How Foods Got Their Name; A History of the Cake; Strange, Unusual Foods with Strange, Unusual Names; A Brief History of Wine and How to Read a Wine Label. The last topic sounds like one I would greatly enjoy (not sure I would want to sample any of Marco Polo’s meals). What is most appealing about these short courses according to Carlo “no papers, no exams, lectures only, all with lots of pictures on powerpoint which I supplement with field trips usually to ethnic restaurants or nearby wineries.” In his spare time Carlo recently published his fourth and fifth books and is looking for a publisher for his sixth. He was also the editor for 39 years of the “Journal of South Asian Literature” which he co-founded in 1963. It is possible to access some of Carlo’s work on the JCU website: collected.jcu.edu/carrollquarterly. I have received little input from any other classmates, but have had many phone conversations with old roommate, John Kimler. Other than solving many of the world’s problems, we discussed little that belongs in this column. It is, however, good to visit by phone. I continue to enjoy many emails from Bob Schayer. They are always entertaining and quite humorous. Hopefully, we will be getting back to a routine with the Journal. As many of you, the Schweickerts are “hunkered down” riding out the pandemic. Think of what we have experienced in our lifetimes from WWII to the present crisis. Our lives have certainly not been boring. Now, more than ever, everyone BE WELL! Schweick
1961 | Jack Hearns jhearns@sbcglobal.net Joanne and Tom Gerst recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary. One of their two children graduated from JCU and they now have five grandchildren - two of whom are in college. Tom continues to be very active in Kiwanis and volunteers with Akron Score which counsels professionals in the world of business. Gerry Burns from Florence, SC is President of Contract Partnership - an office furniture representative company. His major manufacturer is National Gen 2 - a Cleveland based company owned by Greg Schneider ‘85. They first met at a JCU reunion. Attorney Gene Kramer writes that the pandemic has caused him to make permanent the move to working from home after having an office in Downtown Cleveland for over fifty years - his wife, JoAnn, has also moved her work for the Eighth District Court of Appeals to their residence. The Kramer’s have a grandson, Cormac Kramer, who will become the third generation to attend JCU this fall. The younger Kramer won the Southwest Conference Cross Country Championship during his senior year. Californians Uta and Jim DeClerck traveled less this past year and have confined trips to the desert house, the Sierra cabin, and the Finger Lakes cottage as well as sailing in Newport. They are rightfully proud of their three grandchildren from Pittsburgh who have achieved success - their parents are both JCU alums. Don Rinehart writes from Washington, D.C. that it is hard to believe our class will be celebrating our 60th reunion in 2021. Quoting Mickey Mantle “If I’d have known I would live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself,” Don reports that he and his wife, Christine are well and without life-threatening issues. Speaking of reunions, there is a sense of nostalgia that sets in when one reviews the names of those that are no longer with us. Ed McGervey’s passing was referred to by Don Rinehart - his freshman year Dolan Hall roommate - their friendship began in the first grade. Ed’s obit was sent to all of his classmates. John Cleary recently wrote of his freshman year roommate, David Hils, who passed away earlier this year. David was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps-he also served as longtime sacristan at neighboring Gesu Church. The passings of both Mary Bacher and Dr. George Jackson were acknowledged in the last issue of this magazine. James
Russ began his career as an elementary school teacher and eventually retired after thirty years of service with Sears Roebuck Co. Dennis “Oke” Okerbloom passed away in April and is survived by Gail, his wife of 57 years, and four children. He was a baseball and basketball player that served his country as a second lieutenant in the United States Army and was a member of both VFW Post 9520 and American Legion Post 523. Dr. Wallace J. “Wally” Kosinski graduated from Hiram College in 1952 and enlisted in the United States Air Force. Fluent in the Polish language, he spent the bulk of his military years in Germany serving in an intelligence unit as a Polish language specialist. In 1961, he received a Master’s Degree at John Carroll University and later a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University before returning to JCU and teaching history for thirty years. He and his wife, Mary, were married for just shy of 50 years and had two children and one grandchild. Throughout his life, he exhibited a real interest in his Polish heritage and was also a professional photographer, and a trained violinist. Dr. Wallace J. “Wally” Kosinski 1929 - 2019 May all the deceased members of our class rest in peace. 1962 | Terry Leiden tleiden@leidenandleiden.com Thanks to all alumni, spouses, and friends who have e-mailed me. Out of the blue, I received an e-mail from Bob Finnessy. Bob retired from Ford Motors after 43 years, the last ten at the World HeadQuarters in Detroit. He lives in Delaware, Ohio on 23 acres, mows the yard, and maintains an acre pond. He also shovels snow, salts the walkways and driveways. In Augusta, GA, it is against the law to possess a snow shovel, in the city limits. On the next page (page 36) is a picture of Bob and his wife Brenda, of 23 years, enjoying a quiet night out. She works as a Federal attorney in Columbus, Ohio. No wonder he enjoys a quiet night out. Also, here is a picture of
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his family, who depends on him to vacation in his pond house. Brenda and Bob are top right. Phil Doran’s wife Mary e-mailed me that Phil is not doing so well. Phil was diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s disease about three years ago. Phil is now retired. He was a prominent personal injury attorney in the Chicago area. He has a great wit and he likes my column which prompted Mary to email me. He enjoys hearing from his JCU buddies. Phil and Mary have been married for 55 years and went to the JCU Military Ball in 1962. They have 10 grandchildren. Mary asks that you e-mail midoran@sbcglobal.net or write 9217 Hamilton Ave, Chicago 60643. Frank Jasko ’62, ’64G gave me a shout. Frank and his partner, Ray, of 34 years, live in the movie colony section of Palm Springs, California. They winter in Palm Springs and summer in the mountains above Palm Springs. They lived in San Francisco from 1983-1995. From 2004-2016 they wintered in Capital Guanajuato, Mexico where they remodeled an 1870 colonial hacienda. Frank and Ray did extensive work at the Special Care (HIV) Center of Desert hospitals from 1995-2002, and Project Hope in San Francisco 1985-1995. I am impressed with their missionary
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medical activities. Chuck Mckeon e-mailed me as I was closing out this issue as well. Bob Luzar and his wife Kathleen are retired and living in Arizona. Not sure whether Tucson or Phoenix. He sent lots of interesting pictures – will hold for the next issue. I conclude with my Grandson Nemesis story: As always it started out innocently. “Grandpa, will you take us to the store?” said the Nemesis. “What about your parents?” said I. “Oh you are more fun” as they climbed in my regular cab pickup, and put some CD’s in the slot. “Why am I more fun?” Well “When you don’t have your hearing aid in, we can play the sound system as loud as we want and you never complain.” P.S. If you want me to release your email addresses please let me know. Otherwise mum's the word. 1963 | Pete Mykytyn, Ph.D. mykytyn@siu.edu As I prepare the column, it is July 2. I hope everyone is continuing to be safe and that the past several months have been ok for you, your families, etc. It has been a challenge, and as of today it does not seem like we will be out of the woods anytime soon. I wish I had a lot to report, but alas I do not. Personally, Kathy and I cancelled several trips in spring and summer. We did manage to get to Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, Jamaica in March and returned to the US on March 16 just as things were beginning to shut down. We traveled to St. Louis through Charlotte like lightning. We must have hit at just the right time as customs/ immigration, etc. were basically empty. We also cancelled our annual European vacation which we have been fortunate to do each year since 2010. For those who may know, we usually include Germany each time, but this year it was to be Spain and Portugal. Except for three days or so in Barcelona several years ago, I had not been to Spain and never to Portugal. Flight and hotel cancellations went off without a hitch – fortunately. We also cancelled a week in Cancun in July. And we also cancelled a road trip to Rochester, NY to see some cousins and had also planned to stop in Canton/North Canton to see Jim Mertes and his wife, Donna. So much for our summer. Some of us went through four years of ROTC with most being commissioned in the Transportation Corps. As I was finishing up this edition of class notes, I received an email from Janet Hendlin who is involved with Cleveland
ROTC. Fred Misischia sometimes sends me and perhaps others information about the ROTC program. Attached to Janet’s email was a newsletter that certainly made me think back. The newsletter pointed out that ROTC at John Carroll is 70 years old. It also highlighted the 2020 JCU grads who received their commissions in May. It was interesting that the new 2nd Lieutenants were from different schools, i.e John Carroll, Case Western, and Cleveland State, and that nine of the newly commissioned officers were from JCU. Thinking back to ’63, none of the new LTs are in the Transportation Corps. That’s all I have for now, guys. Please let me hear from you. I have a current class list with contact information on our ‘63ers. Before giving out any info, I would ask the person trying to be contacted if it is ok to release that information. Just to be sure. Take care and be safe. 1964 | Frank Kelley fkelley@stny.rr.com If life is a desert of shifting dunes, 2020 is the Sahara. We’ve all had our apple cart upset by the Corona inconvenience. First my carefully crafted every-90-day progression of knee injections to keep me upright was ended in March. Then our long awaited Prague to Paris excursion was scrubbed. Inevitably the interruption of knee injections led to a knee replacement in July, the first of two - a harsh substitute for the 200 mph bullet-train ice-cold beer I was anticipating romping into Gay Paree. The phrase c’est la vie was never more appropriate! We’re joined in our recent loss of good friends. Ted Bidigare and Jim Williams were unique individuals and treasured colleagues. In addition, Marty Wenzler’s son Chris, JCU’s Sports Information Director for over 30 years, has been taken too early. Many tributes and remembrances to all three wonderful Blue Streaks have been directed to you in previous memoranda, including my own, and rightly so. Suffice to say that each in his own way brought honor and respect to the Class of ‘64 and John Carroll in their long and distinguished careers. Our prayers are with their families. They are not forgotten. Jim Williams was very active when at JCU and that continued until his death. Jim was personally involved in every one of our 5-year reunions and seldom missed a planning meeting. For our 50th it was Jim’s idea to do an updated class, on-line yearbook which he almost single-handedly put together. Just a few weeks ago while in a nursing home,
Jim joined several other members of our class and did an audio clip for the alumni office on his reflections on the day JFK was assassinated. It was very moving because as Jim was planning to go to Washington, DC to represent JCU at the Kennedy funeral, he found out that his father had just passed away. If you haven’t already listened to it, here is the link: For The Greater Glory of Pod: wjcu.org/media/ audio/shows/greatergloryofpod. RIP James “Jim” L. Williams. Back to the downside of knee surgery: teaching Joanne operation of my beloved John Deere lawn tractor will inevitably lead to her discovery of the therapeutic value of being intellectually isolated, you and nature alone for an hour or so, I may never refill those twin cup holders again. I recently had a conversation with Dave McClenahan to inquire about the mild effect of the virus (at least as of this writing) on a large city such as Pittsburgh when so many other population centers have suffered immensely. He said the answer was reasonable behavior in an eastern community which exhibits a midwestern outlook on life. Steel town folks take a realistic look at the facts as known, adapt temporary measures to mitigate the best way possible, and cooperate with authorities and each other courteously, gracefully, and with good humor. How long would it take you to construct a list of U.S. cities where you’d most like to export that philosophy? McClenahan then related a recent Cleveland visit with Lyn and Gordon Priemer enjoying dinner at an upscale Shaker dinner establishment. Their table received a constant approach of well-wishers as if Gordy was, as I’ve often suggested, the Mayor of the town. Between his successful business incubator and other real estate developments, Gordon certainly has been a tremendous positive influence since the 60’s. However, your writer, always one to balance the scales as best he can, must relate at least one tale of comeuppance. At the 1990 Homecoming weekend, when Dick Koenig was inducted to the Hall of Fame, Gordy and I strolled the campus and I gleefully witnessed a similar queue of fans come forward and pronounce his name four different ways -Primer, Primmer, Premiere, and finally correctly. He was, however, paid back at halftime as Koenig was announced on the 50 yard line as “Kohh”nig, not “Kane”nig. Gordy’s Cheshire smile as he looked up at me suggested absolute vindication. Let’s look at Covid that way - better days ahead -.God bless all Streaks! Frank
1965* | Richard Conoboy riton@comcast.net This column of the Class of ’65 will be titled the “Hunker Games” since all of us by virtue of our at-risk age are hunkering in place to avoid catching “the virus.” Nevertheless, I have been able to extract some news from our classmates who are in various stages of shut-down. Mark Hanket and his wife, Carol, have been out a few times to a restaurant and may go to a wedding in September in Columbus, OH. Good luck with that, Mark! Ed Doherty finally moved to Mt. Vernon, WA about 20 minutes from my place but our governor’s edicts keep us from getting a beer together. Gary Noel and his wife, Gail, are hunkering in Wisconsin, having resided here for almost 44 years. Both are fine as well as their six kids and 24 grandkids. Gary has been retired for more than ten years and loving every minute of it. Jack and Mary Ann Kenesey are fine and “mostly” sheltering in place at home in Palatine, IL. Jim Winchester is living in Atlanta and still working in the family business, QUIKRETE. Jim is currently on the Board at JCU and enjoying the opportunity to experience the University from a Board perspective. He was also too modest to inform me he was selected as a recipient of the 2020 JCU Alumni Medal along with his brothers (Jack and Dennis). Marylin Sophie Hormann relates that she studied at JCU because she was already a beginning teacher in Cleveland, OH. Graduate-level courses in Guidance and Counseling, mostly with Dr. Walter Nosal, opened the way for her as a middle school counselor in the Cleveland Public Schools. Marylin retired with 38 years of service in 1996, moving back home to Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2005. Frank Wright confesses to not having participated in JCU communications very often since we graduated but claims these are strange times. Indeed. Frank practiced law in Manhattan for 44 years and while loving it then, in retirement does not miss it. He plays a lot of golf and stays busy reading all the esoteric books that Father Kimiek talked about in a favorite class the name of which he has forgotten. He and his wife, Susie, live in Westhampton Beach, Long Island. Susie is retiring as the assistant principal at Southampton HS. Tom Ahern ’70 and I exchanged a few emails regarding his relationship with the family of our late classmate, Don Ori. Tom is still an attorney in Arlington Heights, IL. Sadly, we recently lost our classmate, William Gael Reedy, known as “Gael”. Gael was
known for his welcoming smile and sense of humor. For more information, please read this wonderful tribute to Gael at: legacy.com/obituaries/heraldnet/obituary. aspx?n=william-reedy&pid=195631097. In conclusion, this year is the first year my wife, Cecile, and I will not travel. Our
March trip to Shanghai, our three weeks in June in Paris and Budapest, and three weeks on the Riviera in September have been canceled. This is our fourth month in “confinement” because of the COVID-19 response in Washington. Stay safe and wash your hands! 1966 | Guest Columnist: Tom Gibbons Continue to email updates to Larry Henry (airlarr7@gmail.com) Jim Straub went to Notre Dame Law School and met his wife of 52 years, Marie, with whom he enjoys two sons and five grandchildren. In 1969, Jim became an Army lieutenant and spent half of his two active-duty years running a helicopter supply platoon in Vietnam. Still engaged
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in litigation in SW Michigan/NW Indiana, he’s had contact with John Fox and Lou Vitullo. Guy Nerren is a skiing, golfing, peripatetic lawyer who remains on top of his skis, his successful legal career, and his golf game. A regular at ’66 Golf Outings, Guy was distressed when the pandemic forced cancellation, hoping for rescheduling. Charley Bartels began a new career in June, promised to send details, but didn’t. Good luck; people who start new careers at 75 are inspirational. Dan “Senator” Kush retired to the quiet life in Albany NY with partner Laura, focusing on mild exercise, full-contact gardening, and reading. He writes “…one of the pandemic’s most interesting events” was that he grew a full beard and looked like Pres. Benjamin Harrison. Only The Senator would be familiar with Harrison’s appearance. Reporting from Scottsdale, where he lives 150 yards from Dale Christman, Steve Lochen keeps active with golf, editing the Estrella Warbirds Museum newsletter, and relaxing with wife Barbara. One son lives in California with Steve’s two grandchildren, another in Maine and one in Texas. Pensioned-off attorney Jim Walpole writes from Lewes, DE that wife Cathy and he, after a long career (DOJ, Sears, NOAA General Counsel), have settled on the Atlantic coast. His three kids live close-by in the DC area, and he shoots skeet, hunts, and fishes. He did not mention what he hunts and fishes but did have several sardonic comments for your correspondent. Jerry Martin’s been an attorney in Baltimore for a while, six years as a federal prosecutor, 44 in private practice culminating in a 50-lawyer firm with Jerry’s name on the door. He and his wife, Georgia, have four kids – one in Denver, the rest nearby – and five grandchildren. He has just concluded “Likely… my last jury trial,” to concentrate on fishing, boating, and the Ravens. He’s involved with St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, a school for inner-city boys; 90% of grads go to college. He regrets not keeping up with JCU friends – maybe this is a start. Also from Baltimore, Rick Lombardi and wife, Babette, disclosed that Rick is not only related to legendary Coach Vince Lombardi but also that Rick’s great aunt is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s mother, making Rick the Speaker’s cousin. The Lombardi’s have two children; daughter Laurence lives in France with her husband and Rick’s four grandchildren, whom he visits frequently. Their son is in Baltimore.
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1967 | Terry Babic wjcuterry@hotmail.com This has been an interesting spring and summer here with so many changes that everyone is quite aware of. My wife and I still do a weekly radio show on WJCU at the campus during this summer and on Saturdays; we have been the only people on campus except maybe the guards. Everything is closed there and you need a card now to access the student center. The radio station has been broadcasting all along during the pandemic and protesting, however, we have been broadcasting prerecorded for most of the Saturdays. We were on campus on July 4th and noticed that nobody has torn down any statues of anyone there. I received more names of John Carroll graduates that were veterans of the Vietnam conflict after the article that I wrote appeared in the Magazine. I am asking that some space be made available in some coming edition to mention those young men who served during that time. I’ll let you know what happens concerning that later. Thank you for your patience. One note of congratulations to Jack Winchester for being selected to receive the 2020 JCU Alumni Medal along with his brothers (Jim and Dennis). Rudy Rehm, among others, helped organize the welldeserved nomination. This has been a warm, dry summer in Cleveland, but we have been staying in; it seems like there was too much disrespect by some folks for the safe health guidelines set out for our comfort beyond our doors. We missed not having the reunion on campus this summer; that is something we enjoy because the university does a really nice job with that. We understand how that would have been difficult to pull off. See you next time! Send your notes if you care to. Terry Babic 1968 | Jenny and Jeff Hawk jjhawk68@comcast.net We are a John Carroll University Family. John Carroll University is our Family! Thank you, Thank you, Mike Bushi for your great news. Our congratulations to you and your wife, Rita on your 52 years of marriage in August. How wonderful! On December 31, 2019, Mike retired after 28 years in the Pharma-Oncology Bio-Tech arena. It was time; he had a great run and hopefully helped many physicians and patients along the way. They still live in Houston, TX, and are fortunate that their three children, Colleen, Kriss, and Kim and
two granddaughters, Bethany and Brianna, all live close to them. They have a lot to be thankful for and want to give a shout out to all his former FB teammates –who all worked hard, bonded, and had fun. Some sad news, we lost Thomas Brennan. To all, I wish happiness and safety and appreciate the values that were learned while attending JCU! To all current JCU students-enjoy your time! Mike and Rita, congratulations on your 52 years of marriage! CELEBRATE your LOVE!! For You and JCU, Jeff Feel free to contact me at: Phone: 317.640.2122 Address: 11452 Songbird Lane, Fishers, IN 46038 1969 | Edward Christy driheet07@cox.net Ed Christy here, your new/old Class Secretary who is accepting the torch from Gerry Grim. Gerry held this position for many years and ably led us through our 50th Reunion. My wife, Marguerite, and I relocated to sunny Surprise, AZ in 2007. Surprise is located NW of downtown Phoenix. It’s forecasted to reach 117 degrees this weekend but remember, it’s a dry heat. Since none of you knew to get in touch with me, I’m going to update you on some friends that I’ve managed to keep in touch with over the years. Rich Guinta is a retiree from sales at IBM. He and his wife Elaine were our first visitors when we met at our mid-construction home in 2007. They left the Chicago area first resettling in Michigan and then adding Florida where they winter. Rich has become an avid Pickleball player. Each fall, I manage an NFL contest which has kept me in touch with Gerry, Bob Geiss, Jim Price, Tom Moore, Pat Herald, Bill Badke, and Jim Weiser. Bob still has a psychology practice. He and his wife Donna relocated to a Sun City outside of Chicago. There Bob has become a thespian appearing in a number of community productions. Jim Price and his wife Sue left their careers behind in the Rochester NY area and retired in the Pittsburgh area where they grew up. They spend a lot of time golfing and traveling the country visiting their sons and families. After various positions in various places, Tom Moore has retired in the Charlotte NC area. Like many our age, he had back problems and surgery which kept him on the shelf this winter. Retired barrister, Pat Herald, now lives in the
Chicago area. He and his wife Bridget were some of the first victims of COVID, but in a good way, as their vacation in South Carolina had to be extended due to travel restrictions and thankfully not the virus. Bill Badke and I have kept in close touch. Bill, a retired teacher, has taken advantage of our AZ location to visit on a number of occasions to catch up on the Chicago White Sox. Another lawyer, Jim Weiser is practicing in Indiana and is active in Democratic politics. We heard from Ed Andros, who was a previous class columnist for Onward and also one of our class presidents at Carroll! Ed retired from the Army Reserve in 1997 in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He currently lives in Peninsula, OH in the middle of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He is a past President of the Peninsula Library & Historical Society and has published works on the history of Boston Township. His son Mark, and daughter Margaret and my sonin-law Doug Stumpfl are alums. My other son Steven is a graduate of St. Ignatius and The Johns Hopkins University— which just so happens to occupy the former Carroll family property in Maryland. Finally, on a sad note, we lost Ed Crogan, who parlayed his degree and journeyman’s license in plumbing and welding into a career with Foster-Wheeler Corp where he oversaw power plant and refinery projects around the globe. He finally ended up in AZ where he served as the maintenance supervisor at Phoenix-Glendale Airport. Our sympathies to his wife, Victoria, and his family. 1970* | Ted Heutsche eaheutsche@aol.com The Office of Alumni Relations is happy to report that Dennis Winchester, along with his brothers Jim and Jack, was selected to receive the 2020 JCU Alumni Medal. Congratulations to Dennis.
is loving retirement! Frank Brady and his wife, Cindy have been hunkering down at their cottage in western Michigan for three months now and getting to know each other a lot better! They miss their daughter, Carrie who lives in Amsterdam with Mischa and granddaughters Skylar and Sophie. They look forward to their daughter, Julie and son, Michael with Drew and Erin and grandson Trey who will visit soon. Take care everyone and stay safe. God bless us all. 1971 | Rosemary Costello rcostello1949@gmail.com Wow! What a response I received from sending out an email! I heard from at least 20 classmates, some of whom I haven’t heard from for years. So, keep it up. I hope this is a good sign for attendance at our 50th reunion next June. Though only parttime, Mike Shanahan is still running Cadco, his Connecticut Foodservice Manufacturing company. He and his wife Peggy are spending more time in their Hutchinson Island, Florida, condo where Mike still has a golf handicap under 15. Mike sent updates on the following classmates. He reported that Tim Larkin is still living in Loveland, Colorado, and enjoys working part-time for some local municipalities. He stays in shape continuing his love of horseback riding. Lou Dizenzo is also playing golf in Naples, Florida. Dentist Jim Kennedy is working full-time with his wife Liz in Grand Junction. Tom Surwill in Buffalo, NY joked about the fun he had attending our 45th reunion with Mike Danieu, Barry Ferguson, Jocko Cronin, and Terrence Rice. From the photo, they had a great time. Tom’s daughter Emily graduated from JCU in May, 2019, and will be attending grad school there in psychology in September. Phil Thomas writes about being invited to the 50th anniversary of
JCU’s radio station. He was part of the original staff serving as its first sports director and later as program director. As I remember, my husband, Tom, hosted the 7 am program slot for a while. The Department of Communication sponsored the event. Tom Keenan is enjoying his life in Clearwater, Florida, where he has lived with his wife Joan for the past 43 years. They can enjoy their grandchildren often as Tom and Joan’s granddaughters and their families also live in Florida. Seery Chamberlain can now enjoy retirement with his wife Mary as she recently retired also from a 40 year career in nursing. They plan on celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary with a cruise to Hawaii. Al Tegel writes about planning a 50th anniversary trip as well. He and his wife Sue have planned and cancelled several and hope they can actually celebrate in 2021. He sends best wishes for the safety of all of his classmates. Another classmate celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary, Nick Nunes and his wife are living in Aledo, Texas. He retired as a college professor and counselor at Daytona State College in Florida after 23 years. John Flynn has had a career in community involvement. He
We were disappointed to not welcome the Class of ’70 back for its 50th reunion in June but hope to gather together classes ending in 0’s and 5’s as well as 1’s and 6’s in 2021. We heard from our classmate, Jack O’Connell who joined the initial cohort of the Ignatian Legacy Program in September. They meet six times a year and take a close look at the Spiritual Exercises, works of the Society, and how to “proceed” with retirement. He experienced eye opening poverty and hope in Lima, Peru visiting the Jesuit Montoya de Ruiz University. If anyone is interested, google Ignatian Legacy Fellows. James Pierson has retired from his dental practice after 44 years and
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was elected to the Board of Trustees at the University of the South, appointed to the Board of Equalization for Benton County, Arkansas, and reelected to the City Council and as Mayor Pro Tem for Bella Vista, Arkansas. Larry Cullen was voted CASA volunteer of the year for Kentucky. I plan on getting together with him and his wife Deb at Keeneland as soon as racing with spectators resumes. Kevin Walsh and I reminisced about “Dialing for Dollars.” Perhaps you remember those fun times at JCU as well. Paul Pojman is still involved in many volunteer activities in his retirement: Meals on Wheels, the Bedford Historical Society Museum, and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to name a few. Michael Mannion joined the Board of Directors for an organization called Marian Homes, a non-profit 501(c) 3 entity established in 1996. The group purchases, renovates, staffs, and operates single family homes in Northern Virginia which allow men and women with severe intellectual disabilities to live in safe, secure, caring, and well-managed homes as members of a community. They currently operate six such homes and expect to open the 7th Marian Home in July. For more details, please visit MarianHomes.org. A few years ago, Bill Mitchell retired as a senior scientist at the Air Force Research Lab in Dayton. He has been enjoying the activities organized by the local JCU alumni chapter. Sal Sirabella retired for a second time from a life in the Pennsylvania government. He continues to be involved in several boards and with his two granddaughters. Kathy Hespen Forster has offered to help recruit attendees for our reunion. We’re hoping to reach out to our Lamda Chi Rho sorority sisters. We’re hoping that this reunion will be our best attended. More information will be coming out as plans are finalized. Please continue to reach out to me through email. Thank you for all your kind words during the past few weeks. I look forward to hearing from you and visiting with you next June. We celebrate the life of Tom Costello who we lost earlier this year and sincerely appreciate Rosemary for continuing the couple’s work representing the Class of 1971. – Office of Alumni Relations
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1972 | John Marcus JMMarcus72@gmail.com So, I’m in Cleveland recently visiting my daughter at John Carroll. I see a woman who kind of looked familiar. Then it hit me – it was a Carroll classmate with whom I had a MAJOR crush. I casually walk up to her and introduced myself. She didn’t remember me. Regrouping, I tried another tack. “You were in my class at John Carroll.” She smiled that sweet smile and said, “Oh really! Which class did you teach?” The moral: it’s no fun getting old, BUT it will be fun coming back to JCU in ’22 for our 50th! We are putting together a committee to work on setting a record for the number of returning alums, so let me know if you’d like to help! Gregg Gianpetro and Tim Franzinger got together recently (wouldn’t you like to be a fly on that wall) and, talking about the 50th, traded old stories and laughed about how many guys we knew by nicknames only: guys like “Spook”, “Chico”, “Mouse” and others. They suggest I put it to you: what are some other nicknames, and to make it tougher, what are their real names??? Moving on, if you are like me who spends the day sitting on my front porch yelling at the neighbors to “turn that music down,” you might get inspired by Florida Federal District Court Judge Anne Conway as she continues her “Where’s Waldo World Tour.” This time Romania. She spent time in Bucharest, or as it is known “Little Paris”, and hit a couple of restaurants that “… were as good as the best in the US, but far cheaper.” She then traveled into the Carpathian Alps and visited many of Romania’s historic sites: including Vlad the Impaler’s (the inspiration for Count Dracula) Castle, the famous painted monasteries in Moldavia, and even a roadside pickle stand – should’a asked if the pickles were “Vlad-sic Pickles’’ and impaled on skewers? (I’ll ask her at the reunion.) But our dear Anne, not one to check out the sights from an airconditioned tour bus, she walked much of the Romanian countryside. Next up for the intrepid traveler: Finland. Neil Conway (no relation to Judge Anne) trekked to Battle Creek to watch his son Declan play in a minor league hockey game. Neil met up with Joe Pearl and they watched Declan score a three-goal hat trick. (I’m thinking Neil and Joe had a hat trick of beers.) Neil also reported that Mark Mulcahy and wife Nancy stopped by on their way to Toledo for Mark’s rugby reunion. Mark and Nancy retired and built a new house in Georgia. Finally, on a sad note, we lost a giant. Tom Costello ’71 passed away recently. He had a
smile for everyone and was a good friend to all. Prayers for Tom, Rosemary ’71 and family. Take Care… JM 1973 | Bob Larocca rockyhoopple@yahoo.com Our class, along with all the other JCU alumni, are all in this together in making adjustments to our lives in these trying times. So many cancellations and postponements have precluded many stories and updates as we have been relegated to “social distancing” and “quarantining” to protect ourselves and those who are compromised. This was short notice to get info in for the fall column, so I’m doing my best to have something memorable as the submissions from the ‘73 class aren’t pouring in as usual. A favorite memory in light of Don Shula’s passing recently was when he spoke at our graduation. Due to a threat of rain, the ceremony was moved into the old gymnasium. I remember it being an unusually hot and muggy day which made it almost unbearable inside. All the local news cameras and lighting compounded the atmosphere and I vividly recall Don doing his best to deliver an inspiring commencement address, with sweat streaming down his face. It was unforgettable. Always awaiting class info! Bob “Rock” Larocca Rock on!!!! 1974 | Dave Robinson drobby_18@yahoo.com Sheila and Jim Weitzel spent 10 days last October visiting towns in southwest Texas including Marfa (home of the Marfa lights) and toured Big Bend national parks as part of their Texas Bucket List. Their son Drew, stayed in DC for the summer with plans to graduate this fall from George Washington Law School. Daughter Erin lives and works virtually in Boulder, CO. Jim is an avid cyclist. After more than 40 years in the telecom and oil industry, Jim is applying his knowledge of cycling at one of Houston’s prominent bike shops. Thanks in part to Covid, and Jim’s natural people skills, his shop sold over one year’s volume of bicycles in less than three months. Want a suspenseful page turner? Check out Bob Madden’s book “Rogue Ally” on Amazon. The plot involves a rogue military group’s aim to steal proprietary systems by kidnaping and threatening the lives of executives from the US company who developed the technology. Move over
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Tom Clancy. Contact Bob for the movie rights. Kathy and Kevin Smith split time between SO-Cal with their grandkids and their new home in Arizona. Kathy retired from nursing. Kevin has a new gig at his community’s golf club. One of his responsibilities is tutoring golfers on the “$3.00 golf ball rule.” If you shank a golf ball off the course into the dessert, let it lie. Better to forgo a $3.00 ball than risk being bitten by a rattlesnake and incurring the $12,000.00 hospital bill for the antivenom treatment. Phyllis and Frank Sossi have moved to a new house just outside of Franklin TN, 30 minutes south of Nashville. Frank is still working, but on his own now, with many of the same clients he had with his former firm. Mary Lynn Crowley and Gary Laughlin both retired. They downsized their home in Cleveland and added a condo in Hilton Head to be closer to their grandkids in Atlanta. Jeff Hokl became a grandfather for the second time last November. He now has both a grandson and granddaughter. His daughter Carrie is a Nurse Practitioner and has been caring for Covid patients in Chicago. Joe Ursic retired from doing structural dynamics work on the International Space Station for NASA/Glenn in Cleveland. Joe and Joan got back home in March just prior to the Covid lockdown returning from a trip to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. Ronald Grobelny retired after 35 years in Materials Management at various Cleveland manufacturing companies. He and his wife Sheila moved to Sarasota, FL where Ron plays and teaches piano and trumpet while Sheila enjoys playing golf year-round. For insight and reflection on 35 years of teaching in a multicultural setting, read David Hancock’s “The Diary of a Mad Public School Teacher.” available on Amazon. In conclusion, a special thank you to any of our classmates providing care during the Covid crisis, and our prayers to anyone personally affected by the virus. Be safe. Robby
1975* | Mary Kay Malone mkm1159@yahoo.com Hope this finds all our classmates doing well. Little did we know our 45th reunion would not take place. Heard from Bill McGah who is living in Kansas City. He plans on retiring from a 44-year career in the steel business and will be moving to Seattle to be close to two of their four grandchildren. Paul Seaburn has been busy! After one career in the computer
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industry, and a second as a comedy writer for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, and an Emmy winning children’s show, Paul is now the editor and head writer for the paranormal website, Mysteriousuniverse.org and hosts the What in the World podcast on YouTube. Bishop Neal Buckon, who was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army the day we received our diplomas back in ’75 and became a Bishop on February 22, 2011 ( I was fortunate to attend this very moving ceremony). He traveled to The Vatican in Dec. 2019 with the Bishops of Region IV. While there he met with the Holy Father for 2 1⁄2 hours and celebrated Mass at the Vatican’s four basilicas. Joe-Jo Jo- Bertolone is living in Hollywood, Florida with his wife Susie. He coached high school wrestling for 40 plus years and in 2015 moved up to creating and coaching a collegiate team. He was inducted to the Florida Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. He is looking into creating a home-based business, Nonny’s Boy, making handcrafted Italian Breadcrumbs from his mom’s “secret recipe.” Gary Glausser is working in Pittsburgh in venture capital investing in early stage technology companies. Mary Ann Corrigan Davis, after a 25-year career at American Greetings retired July 1st after 14 years as President at Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland. Mary Ann served JCU for many years on the National Board. Meg Zusi Carbary and Tim are both retired and living on the West Coast of Michigan. They welcomed their first grandchild in June. Joan Konewecke Ursic and Joe are enjoying traveling. They have been to over 60 countries, including Fiji, Australia and New Zealand, and have taken 40 cruises.
Tom and I downsized to Mayfield Village where we enjoy “playing” with our 4 grandchildren. Thanks for responding to my request for news. Hope to hear from lots more for the next journal. Stay safe! Onward On. Mary Kay “Hutch” Malone 1976 | Bill Bissmeyer bbair1@aol.com Dear Fellow 1976 JCU Alumni, It can’t be 44 years ago that we were all so young and energetic as JCU graduates. A lifetime has slipped by in those 16,060 days! Who would have ever thought? As the new “class secretary,” I am writing asking for just a bit of news on you and your families so that we can have an active and vibrant class column. I really didn’t give you much to remember about me, but this article will be dedicated to each of you and your memories. Who has the most grandchildren? What distances have you traveled since 1976? What have you learned? Who would you like me to seek out and report on? Please drop me just a quick email. Just a few thoughts or words The Bissmeyer Clan Bill Bissmeyer, 317-418-0568
1977 | Carol Doherty Many thanks to Demaris LeBlanc for keeping us in touch for so many years! A few people emailed to say hi and/or thank Demaris for her hard work: Alan Baldarelli, Joe Haytas, Kurt Ladensack, Nancy Pierce, Tom Swanson, and Valentina Sgro. From Dale McClain: I retired after more than 30 years in the corporate world. As a way of giving back, I spent some years
as CFO of a Methodist Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University and CFO of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Liz (McClain) decided the law was not her cup of tea and is the reference librarian for Glencoe Public Library. I love being a kept man although I have still not figured out what I will do in retirement. Liz and I had three boys who blessed us with three wonderful daughters-in-law and seven incredible granddaughters ranging from three weeks to nine years old. Unfortunately, recent events have interrupted our frequent family gatherings. Since Jan, David South and his wife Michaleen became grandparents, twice. Beau Thomas was born on February 6 and Seneca Rose was born on June 13. Besides COVID, the fact that Beau lives in DC and Seneca in Portland, Oregon will make travel to visit them challenging. From Frank O’Brien: I will be starting my 18th year as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at John Carroll. It’s been a fun ride spending so much time on the campus of our Alma Mater. All told, I have been coaching high school and college basketball for 40 years, including four years as head boys basketball coach at Holy Name High School in Parma Heights. I have also been serving as COO at RoboFit, Inc. in Chagrin Falls for the last 20 years. From Mark McMullen: I am SVP Membership and Marketing for the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, CT. We have a lake house at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Eatonton, GA and have been working from that home for most of the pandemic period. In addition, I am teaching some online undergraduate marketing classes for the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and the University of South Carolina. My wife and I took a big trip-life experience to the Holy Land last October.
We went with a church group from Atlanta. Amazing experience! Nancy Reid Knuff has retired from St. Mary School in Elyria, OH as a kindergarten teacher after 34 years. She and husband Jim ’75 plan to spoil their nine grandchildren. From Carol Dougherty: Last August I flew to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago. Due to some crazy circumstances, after one week my Camino took me to Ireland for the remaining six weeks. Sláinte and Buen Camino! 1978 | Tim Freeman timfreeman78@gmail.com Greetings, here’s the latest! Jim and Mary Egan celebrated son David’s virtual Fordham graduation (now at Villanova law school). Daughter (Duquesne alum) Deirdre lives in Pittsburgh. The Egans live in Westlake, OH where Mary is a Financial Director. Jim Gentile’s four (college grad) kids live in downtown Chicago
while Karla & Jim live in Ft. Meyers, FL. Jim’s freshman roommate, Pete Sheehan, has son Joseph doing graduate work in music after a degree in music and audio engineering at Five Towns College and son Michael a junior at Youngstown State. Bill Peruzzi is the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology in the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. His specialties are Critical Care Medicine and Anesthesiology. Suzan and Richard Adams live in Bonita Springs half the year. Rick was Managing Director of Towers Watson’s Central Division’s Health Care Benefits consulting practice before retiring in 2016. Rick builds homes with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County for lower income families. Rick is a member of the Habitat Board and welcomes connecting with JCU alumni, residing or wintering in the Naples area, to serve Habitat. The Adams summer in Catawba Island boating and golfing. Toni Pristo, Ph.D. is in her 24th year of Pristo Consulting, a
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leadership and organizational development consulting firm. Toni and spouse Dan Conti have been married 38 years with two ‘awesome children’ Michael (Hackett Group Consultant) and Gina (Social Media Obama Foundation). Toni recognizes Professors Helen Murphy, CD Ferraro and Anthony Palermo ‘who infused our lives with not only knowledge but also with an unending sense of their inherent goodness!’ Two more classmates joined the JCU Board: Carol Simon and Christine Moravec. Thank you for your leadership service to our alma mater! Cathy and Jack Schufreider live in suburban Denver. They entertained Mimi ’80 and Bruce Luecke at a Colorado mountain ranch in July. Jack is the Director of Distribution Sales for Panasonic Industrial Sales of America. Jack and Cathy also own a small chain of The UPS Store franchises in Denver as well. Jack helped found The Denver Jesuit Alumni Network in 2019. The group networks, promotes service, Jesuit Colleges and the DenverArrupe Jesuit High School. Mike Falk passed away suddenly in February. John Carey offered a wonderful tribute to Mike on legacy.com. Dana Albert retired in 2015 after 32 years with Frito Lay. Dana’s first two months of the pandemic were spent watching his grandchildren (ages 4 and 1). Dana, Phil Simon, Mike Falk, and Dan Jacobs brought glory to ’78 winning the inaugural Tony DeCarlo ’66G Memorial Golf Outing and DeCarlo Cup trophy last August (see photo). Dana and Phil attended the Alpha Kappa Psi reunion the last five years, hosted by Mike Keresman ’79. Dana also keeps in touch with Tom Keir, Mark McGinley, and Jim Walsh. Dana and spouse Lynda are building a home in Roaming Shores, Ohio. Thanks for writing! 1979 | Nancy Agacinski nagacinski@yahoo.com We received the following update from our ’79 classmate Gina Restifo Dalessandro and her husband, Ray Dalessandro ’78. “We were traveling in AZ when the virus hit home. We are thrilled our daughters and families shopped for us and prepared us for what was to come. But the hardest part was not being able to be close to family, especially our two grandsons, Bradley (6) and Wyatt (5). So glad the summer arrived and we can be outside with them. We are both working from home and will be for a while. Ray is the top performing Rep for a healthcare software company. I have my own business and I was glad to have a few good projects that have been keeping me
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busy. We have been traveling more and we help facilitate trips to Italy and Sicily. They are all custom and our next trip includes Southern Italy. One of the highlights is staying in a castle. We will be in Calabria, Matera and Puglia. Feel free to contact me if you have interest in traveling. I would be glad to answer any questions. Ray and I are currently taking Italian lessons and we are part of Marco’s Club and enjoying those benefits during the pandemic.” Congratulations to Kenneth Callahan who joined Mansour Gavin LPA this past May, as Of Counsel and is a member of the firm’s Civil Litigation and Corporate and Business and Services groups. He possesses over 30 years of legal experience as a public defender, a judge, and attorney, specializing in a wide array of legal matters including complex commercial litigation, receivership, guardianship, and whitecollar criminal defense. His vast experience and perspective are highly regarded and leveraged as an arbitrator serving as a private judge in the state of Ohio. Please continue to send in your updates! 1980* | Matt Holtz mfh2885@sbcglobal.net Greetings Class……shout out to everyone and hope all is well with you. It is worth mentioning as you by now know that our reunion will be held in June 2021. It will feature classes ending in 0’s & 5’s along with classes ending in 1’s & 6’s. It should be an exciting weekend with all the classes on campus as many of us knew folks from class of ’81- just ask John Ettorre. My guess is mask wearing will be with us for a while so why not check out one offered through JCU….it is made in the USA with a washable fabric and available for $10. Proceeds from the sales are benefitting the Carroll Fund. In exploring the JCU web site I came across The Alumni Continuing Education Series (A.C.E.S)- it is a series of personal enrichment programs offered online for free. I saw one program taught by Peggy Finucane, PhD titled, The Role of the Media. Peggy chairs the Tim Russert Department of Communications. She and her husband, Tom Finucane, reside in University Hts with their children. Tina Romano Allen dropped a note giving everyone a shout out and high five. Tina is looking forward to seeing her Murphy Hall suitemates- Wanda Matthews Boudinot, Vicky McCauley, and Mary Baldoni for a mini-reunion. Tina is also a former classmate of mine as we both earned our MBA from Baldwin Wallace University. Also
heard from the class of ’80 Beaudry Award winner, Fr. Mark Summers. Mark writes that he was pastor for seven years at St Peter Roman Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio. Now, he is pastor at St. Agatha Catholic Church in Upper Arlington. Fr Mark joins a staff at St. Agatha that already has three other JCU Alums on it. He is looking to see Tom Cua, Paul Kunzen, Rick Jeric and others (may be Matt Holtz too) visiting the “Tropical City” to stop at his parish. Good to hear from Fr. Mark and reconnect with him. Want to acknowledge the Chicago Tribune Letter regarding the renaming of sports teams that Tom Cua forwarded. It offered some good humor per comments from Rick Chelko and Don McGuire. Thanks for the notes and keep in touch. MFH. 1981 | Bob Hill bob.hill@clickheritage.com The Class of 1981 congratulates Mike Schmidt on being selected to receive the 2020 JCU Alumni Medal. It’s the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of JCU. Please send updates for the spring issue of Onward. 1982 | Mark McDonnell jcumac82@gmail.com A big congratulations to Umberto Fedeli on being selected as a recipient of the prestigious JCU Alumni Medal in 2020. It’s the highest honor given out to a graduate by the University and Alumni Association. We also received an update from our classmate, Margaret Reardon. Margaret is the owner of Margaret Reardon Marketing LLC. Please feel free to visit her website margaretreardonmarketing.com for more information. Finally, check out Season 2 of For The Greater Glory of Pod: A JCU Alumni Podcast. Don MacMillan and I were interviewed for an episode devoted to our dear friend, teammate, and fraternity brother the late Andrew “Dewey” McCarthy ’81. It’s an emotional episode that will make you cry and laugh. The podcast, which explores the history and traditions of JCU, is hosted by the alumni relations team and is available on Apple podcasts or wjcu.org. 1983 | Mark Schroeder briome@auctionbrio.com The unpredictable start to spring started with the cancellation of the 100th Anniversary of JCU Sports Celebrating
Champions & Legends Gala due to the COVID-19 shutdown. I was selected as the auctioneer for the event teaming with Maura Jochum ’11, ’14G, the wonderful daughter of Eric & Patricia (Tainer) Jochum. Maura is JCU’s Events Manager. School was cancelled and commencement went virtual, but in the rough, some diamonds appeared. John & Jeanne (Mann) Gallo’s daughter Sarah got married. Sarah and her husband are attorneys in Chicago. Three Gallo children are working in Chicago. Another is in graduate school at Georgetown. Jeanne & John’s second grandchild Penny was born in April. Michael Samerdyke never stops typing. He has a talent for entertaining storytelling. This spring, Mike self published “Wascally Wabbit” a history of Bug Bunny. In October he will publish “Guess Who?” the history of Woody Woodpecker. This year celebrates 80 years of the cartoon characters producing laughter. Talk about celebrating two fun characters. Once the lock-down was lifted, Deb Solyan and wife Julie Turnley ’90 sprung from sheltering. On Deb’s birthday, June 13th, they started early in Pittsburgh driving through town to the homes of JCU friends. They arrived unannounced at the homes of Chris & Beth Ann (McCombs) Coughlin and Carolyn & Tim Hutchison. Mary Margaret (Pearson) Gleason you were on the list, but they didn’t have the address of your new home. You missed out. They knocked on doors and gave
goodie baskets to spread optimism and laughs. Then, they raced west, down the turnpike to Mary (Power) Patton’s home in University Heights leaving her a basket at her doorstep. They finished before sundown. Jeff Myers has been a busy president of The Village of Marymount in Garfield Heights, Oh. This virus has affected so many assisted living facilities like this one and Jeff is heading the battle to keep seniors protected from the virus. It has been very difficult for seniors and I know Jeff is tirelessly working to keep seniors and their families connected in difficult times. Sadly, Tom Tupa Sr. the father of Mark Tupa and father in law of Sue (Hollis) Tupa passed in February. After 26 months of battling, longtime JCU Sports Information Director Chris Wenzler ’90 could not overcome his cancer. JCU honored Chris by lighting-up Don Shula Stadium on the night of June 24th. I knew Chris for 30-years and his passing is hard for all of us who worked and laughed with Chris. Please keep Chris, his wife Melissa, and children Madeline & Oliver in your prayers. Suzanne (Schlichtman) Greenberg is a force in child advocacy. In February, she was honored and awarded as the Child Advocate of the Year by the Child Abuse & Neglect Council in Saginaw, Michigan. Suzanne was the President & CEO of the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region in Saginaw for 25 years. To her surprise, it was announced the award would now be named the Suzanne Greenberg Child Advocate of the Year Award. She deserves every ounce of her award and this honor. Presently, she is in Lansing, Michigan promoting safety & welfare for abused and neglected children as the Executive Director of Children’s Trust Fund of Michigan. Email me with family news, business updates and like “JCU Class of ’83” on Facebook. Mark Schroeder 216.210.2020 1984| Don D’Amore jcuclassof84@yahoo. com I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! Did you see the super-fun looking
group photo posted in the last issues of the Alumni Magazine showing our great bunch of classmates who attended our 35th reunion last year? If you didn’t, you can find it on the JCU website now as the banner for Alumni Reunion weekends (which sadly had to be cancelled this year). Good to know our Class of 1984 was the ‘chosen one’ to represent what a reunion bunch should look like! Michael D’Amico says he’s now busy promoting low carb food options (under 15 carbs) found at ventitobakery.com. Michael says: “I have to thank my time at JCU reunion where I contributed to the reunion effort as a web designer way back in 1999. I am watching my carbs and living with my wife Meg in Madison, Ohio.” (I remember working with Michael on our 15th Reunion committee. Back then having our own class website for reunion info was quite a cuttingedge accomplishment!). Jack Bedell says: “Our youngest of four graduated this Spring (virtually) from The Ohio State University abandoning Jesuit university tradition set by her parents and three siblings. Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the commencement address from his basement imploring the graduates not to despair and wear the uncommon (COVID) circumstances as a badge of honor. I agree.” My wife Michelle (Sciangula) and I only have a couple of years left before our youngest of four graduates college, so we can relate to the celebration Jack! Our son number three also graduated from The Ohio State University a couple of years ago, but the traffic and crowds of people at the Horseshoe stadium were so huge that day that I wonder if some people might actually have preferred a virtual option if it was available to them. It is impressive how strong some of our connections from our JCU days are. How have you all been doing during these times? Let us know! Stay Safe! ~Don 1985* | Diane Wendel WendelFamily10514@gmail.com SAVE THE DATE for June 11-13, 2021 for our 36th year reunion since COVID-19 paused our 35th celebration. I hope to see everyone there! Congratulations to Joseph and Char Audino as their daughter Jaclyn has just graduated from JCU this past spring. FUN FACT: former JCU baseball player, Steve Healey, is now BC High in Boston’s baseball coach and beloved math teacher. SECOND FUN FACT, Maureen Flaherty Menton’s son, Patrick, is on the team! Woohoo to Patrick Menton who will be a freshman at Boston College this fall. It is with great sorrow to report the loss of Marie Mozzi and Teri
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Johnson Long’s fathers and Dolores Beiswenger Kimberly’s mother this past spring. Classmate Matt Koenig reached out to share the sad news of the loss of our friend Gary Mandalfino and Mike Hayes. I’ve always found comfort during a time of grief with this quote by Kahlil Gibran, “When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” Also, from Jack Hearns’ column for the Class of ’61, we learned that Greg Schneider is CEO at Gen2 Office Furniture, a Cleveland-based manufacturing company. Greg does a lot of business with Gerry Burns ’61, president of an office furniture representative company in Florence, South Carolina. The two first met at a JCU Reunion Weekend and have partnered together ever since. The moral of the story? Come back to JCU (when we’re able) and stay connected with the Alumni Association! Last, but certainly not least, Holly Perzy is chair of the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Department for the MetroHealth System and was selected as a recipient of the 2020 JCU Alumni Medal, the University and Alumni Association’s highest honor bestowed on a graduate. Congratulations Holly! Please send updates! Stay safe. Be well. God bless. Diane 1986 | Dan Dreiling dandreiling.cba@gmail.com Mike Salamon resides in St. Charles, IL and Hilton Head Island, SC with his wife of 32 years, Peggy Hannigan Salamon. They have three children, of which their youngest, Luke was a sophomore at JCU this past year, studying Accounting and Finance at The Boler College of Business. Peggy also shared that Mike was appointed CEO and President of Specialty Steel Works, Incorporated of Hammond, Indiana last year. As a result, Mike becomes a member of the organization’s board. We heard from Steve Raglow. His son Paul is third generation at JCU and finished his first year (last part at home due to Covid). His Grandfather Paul is a 1955 graduate. Send us updates for the next issue and we hope to see you, in person, at a 2021 JCU Reunion! 1987 | Dennis Casey dcasey87@comcast.net We have several great updates this edition. Chris Messina and his wife Amanda of Bay Village have a legacy alumnus in the family with their son • Fall2020 ONWARD• Fall 46 ||ONWARD 2020
Alexander ’15 whose undergraduate degree from the Boler College is in Finance and then went on to graduate Cleveland Marshall Law in 2018, passed the bar, and is now working for a firm in Rocky River. Their daughter Madeline was married in June 2020 and is moving to Iceland. Chris is the President of Rad-Con, Inc. in Lakewood. Lots of graduation news as well: Lorie Sterlini and Rick Gumieny’s son Jacob commitment to continue his education and baseball career at Mott CC after graduating from De LaSalle HS. Lorie and Rick are in St. Clair Shores, MI. Brigid McNeely is in Lakewood, OH and her daughter Maggy graduated from Ohio State. John and Ann Morrissey are in River Forest, IL and their older daughter Aimee will head to the University of Notre Dame in the fall after graduating from John’s alma mater Fenwick HS. Diane Palumbo and Chris Galo’s daughter Julie graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Diane and Chris are in Wheaton, IL. Laurene Cirino and John DiCillo’s daughter Sofia is another current JCU legacy student. You will enjoy hearing Laurene add her JCU archival expertise again on the second season of JCU’s podcasts. ‘For the Greater Glory of Pod’ (I love that title) podcast can be found wherever you get your podcasts. The second season was released in June so tune in for more great stories on JCU. We heard from Stefano Deleidi who is originally from Bergamo Italy, where all of his relatives still live. He worked to send close to 10,000 masks to Bergamo where, at the time, the body count was over 500 casualties. In the following days and weeks, Stefano found a company in Istanbul that mass produces surgical masks and he is working to help set up a facility to produce masks in Ohio. He has even been sending masks from his personal stock to loved ones from the JCU community in the “at risk” category for coronavirus. Thank you, Stefano! John DeHaas is currently in his 5th quarter of study for his Master of Arts in Professional Creative Writing at the University of Denver. Planning to graduate summer 2021, and starting his 21st year as a musician for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and 9th year as music director for West Orange High School in Ocoee, Florida. We extend our class sympathies to Pat Langan on the passing of his Mom, Mary Ann Langan in June. What a wonderful woman she was. Pat and Kelly are in Charlottesville, VA. On another very sad note, JCU lost a giant among our alumni. Chris Wenzler ’90 was
Have news to share? Contact your class columnist with your updates or email journal@jcu.edu.
the Sports Information Director for JCU for a few months after graduating and passed away at home after bravely battling cancer for 26 months. He and his wife Melissa ’91 were of our era. Chris helped advance so many aspects of JCU, its athletics, as well as the careers of hundreds of student workers in his office. The tributes were in the thousands and no space here can do Chris’ impact on JCU justice, but I am proud and grateful to have called Chris a good friend. Follow alumni activities and updates on Twitter and Instagram - @ JCUAlumni. Please send me your updates and follow the class at our own Facebook group – jcuclassof87 Onward, on Class of ’87! Dennis dcasey87@comcast.net Twitter @DennisCasey87 Facebook @jcuclassof87 · LinkedIn 1988 | Sharon Byrnes sharon.byrnes@ey.com Hi everyone! What a difference a few months makes, huh!!? I submitted my last column February 2nd and since then, WOW… life has sure changed. I hope everyone’s doing well in the midst of these crazy times we’re navigating. I’m over the word unprecedented, so crazy is my word of choice to sum it all up. I got four replies to my request for info so four prizes will be sent! Audrey Stuart Cercelle sent an update – thanks, Audrey! She’s still working as a school psychologist (with no retirement in sight) and her husband, Tim is still working as a Director at Deloitte and Touche in their Insurance Compliance practice. Audrey and Tim have two sons, Christopher (23) who’s working at Deloitte and Touche as a 2nd year auditor and Ryan (20) who’s a junior studying Engineering at THE Ohio State University. I also heard from Peggy Liuzzo. In April 2019, (when indoor gatherings of people were in full swing!) she and her husband, Tom attended a JCU alumni function with JCU President Michael Johnson in Washington, DC. It was hosted by Jeff Paravano at the Baker Hostetler
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office in DC where Jeff is Managing Partner. Peggy and Jeff both sent the attached photos of the event. Dave Williams also submitted an update - so great to hear from you, Dave! Dave and his wife, Stephanie will celebrate their 25thwedding anniversary in December 2020. CONGRATS! Dave was recently named a Fellow of the Society for Vascular Ultrasound. The designation of Fellow honors outstanding leadership, contributions and dedication to the profession. Due to Covid19 lockdown, the scheduled bestowing of the honor will wait until June 2021 at the Vascular Annual Meeting in San Diego. What a fabulous honor, Dave – well done! Before I close, I want to acknowledge the sad loss of Chris Wenzler ’90. Many people from our class knew Chris as a student and then as the JCU Sports Information Director for more than 30 years. Chris fought a courageous 2+ year battle with multiple myeloma. He’s survived by his wife, Melissa ’90, children Madeline and Oliver, his parents, a sister and brother and extended family as well as thousands of “Wenzler’s Warriors” who supported Chris throughout his journey. I’ve always known that JCU is a very special place yet witnessing the incredible support and love that Chris, Melissa and their family received from their deep JCU connections has been absolutely amazing. It’s a testament to Chris, to how he engaged with others and how he lived. I’ll leave you with this thought and a challenge. The THOUGHT: during these ‘crazy’ times, authentic and genuine connections with those we love are more meaningful and important than ever. The CHALLENGE:
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reach out to a friend from our class who you have been meaning to catch up with but haven’t made it happen. Now’s the time! All the best and stay well, Sharon
and thanks for the update. Michael ’88 and Michele (Iosue) McGarry checked in from Henrico, VA. They are the parents of three grown children. Mike is currently the Chief Information Officer for Genworth Financial in Richmond, Virginia, in addition to working on a Doctorate in Business Administration at Temple University. Sounds like someone is keeping busy. On a personal note, my 3rd child Dean just graduated from Saint Edward High School and will attend “The Ohio State University” in the fall, best of luck Dean! Finally I was able to enjoy a get together in Naples, FL at the Fox compound in late February right before all this Covid 19 stuff hit. I am sharing a picture of John Fox, Brad Gosser, Dr. Dan Soucie and myself from this trip; great times and great friends! Stay safe and Peace to all. David
1989 | David Gassman dgassmktvp@aol.com
1990* | Ann Margaret Lambo amlambo@att.net
Greetings 89ers! Well we are all dealing with some very challenging times as we try to physically, mentally and socially navigate this coronavirus pandemic. It affects all of us in different ways depending on your age but for my kids I feel the most conflicted as they can no longer enjoy the graduation ceremonies, athletic and scholar events and have to wonder what the upcoming college landscape will look like. With that said, I do have some news from a few of our classmates I want to share. Paul Kantz and his wife Meghan are living in Benbrook, TX and Paul will be teaching elementary special education at a charter school in Fort Worth, TX (starting in August 2020) after spending the past four years as a bilingual (EnglishSpanish) 2nd grade teacher. Meghan is also a certified special education teacher as well. Congrats to the Kantz family
Greetings class of ’90! I hope you are all well and coping as best you can! These last months haven’t been easy, right? I just keep telling myself one day at a time! A couple of notes from classmates….. congratulations to John Heckman who recently accepted a position as Senior Marketing Manager at IIMAK, a global developer and manufacturer of printing and imaging consumables for automatic identification, packaging and graphics. In this new position, John will lead global product management and growth of IIMAK’s thermal transfer ribbon business, and will be responsible for launching channel strategies and sales initiatives, including development of new products, programs and services. I also recently heard from Melissa McGuire, who is living in Grafton, Ohio and working at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Melissa is the chief of the Mission Design and Architecture branch and is the Low Thrust Mission design lead for NASA’s Power and Propulsion Element, the first element of NASA’s Gateway. The Gateway will be launched to and positioned in an orbit near the moon and act as a waypoint to support missions to the Moon and on to Mars. Pretty cool, out-of-this-world stuff, Melissa! It was a treat to hear from David Rastoka, as well. Dave reported that he is well living in Columbus. Dave is the owner/ CEO of several companies geared towards supporting people with developmental disabilities by providing staffing to those in need. He provided a walk down memory
lane as well with facts about the Blue Streak football team. Did you know that the 1989 football team was the first team to win the OAC Championship, the first team to win 9 games in a season, the first team to beat Mount Union and the first team ever to go to the NCAA Playoffs? Dave also noted that from 1987 to 1989 the team broke 45 football records. Impressive! And finally, a shout out for my husband, Jamie Lambo, who recently accepted a position with the Timken Company, as VP of Internal Audit after 13 years with DieboldNixdorf. If you made it to this point in the alumni magazine then you are aware that the Class of ’90 recently lost the heart and soul of our class. Chris Wenzler passed away in June after a two-and-a-half year battle with multiple myeloma. Chris truly embodied all things John Carroll and his death leaves a deep wound in our class and the campus community. Please keep his wife, Melissa Rettew Wenzler and their children Madeline and Oliver in your thoughts and prayers. Memory eternal. Onward On. Until next time ~ A-M 1991 | Mary Szablowski We hope to see members of the Class of 1991 engaged in this, their 30th Reunion Year. 1992 | Seeking Class Columnist journal@jcu.edu We heard from Dave Grendzynski who received Emmy Awards for his work in television news and is now head of the Video Content Department at Kuno Creative, a digital marketing agency in Avon, Ohio. He and his wife Adrianne have
two boys, Tobin and Noah. Thank you, Jennifer White for contacting the alumni office with this update: “I am now retired from a 25 year law enforcement career. I am proud to have served my state and my community in a law enforcement capacity. I know that there is injustice and racism in the world, but I am blessed to have worked alongside some of the most fair-minded and just people I have ever met. I am now working part-time as a medical secretary for the Lake Health Hospital System. Yes, with Covid patients. It seems I will always be a public servant. I am fat, happy, and trying to remain positive and stress-free during these difficult times. Blessings on all of you”– Jennifer. Congratulations on your retirement and thank you for your service! Please continue to send your updates to journal@jcu.edu. Please also contact us if you are interested in becoming the class columnist for 1992.
‘93 Facebook group, be sure to join and see when our next virtual Happy Hour will be. Catch up with classmates and find out about our plans for our Reunion next year in 2021. We also heard from classmate Larissa Kosmos. She is working with students as a writing consultant at Tri C’s Western campus and she continues to do freelance writing in her spare time. (Please see her published work on larissakosmos.com). Larissa and her husband have a 16-yearold daughter, Sofia, and a 13-yearold son, Alex. They live in Broadview Heights, OH. Michele (Cornely) Brearley was invited by the JCU Office of Alumni Relations to host a virtual yoga session through the online A.C.E.S. program this past June. Michele is a Senior R&D Manager at Hyland Software in addition to being a certified yoga instructor at Cultivate Yoga Space, in Avon, OH. She led a virtual yoga session that was well attended by many JCU alumni, faculty and staff. Stacey (Bill) Brubeck works at Cuyahoga Community College in the president’s office and lives in North Royalton with her husband Eric, a landscape architect and owner of Brubeck Design Studio. Their daughter Madeline, is a rising sophomore at Holy Name High School and plays on the HN Varsity volleyball team. Michele (Cornely) Brearley, Lara (Kannenberg) Kenney, Stacey (Bill) Brubeck, Tracy Naso and Katie (Dougherty) Burbick gathered with their families in December to enjoy the beauty and holiday magic at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. (see photo) Please continue to send updates!
Stay healthy and safe, everyone! 1993 | Bonnie (Waewood) Oskowski theoskowskis@cox.net Hi everyone! I will start by congratulating Doug Ennis, the president of the JCU Chicago Alumni Chapter. Doug was selected as the recipient of the 2020 Rev. William Bichl S.J. Alumni Volunteer Service Award for his work in support of the Alumni Association. Congrats, Doug! Congratulations to Joe Stuczynski who was named Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Hospital Pembroke, FL. We received an update from Vinnie Close informing us that the class of ‘93 has been holding periodic virtual Happy Hours during this COVID-19 time. If you’re not already a member of our class of
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1994 | Katie (Gerba) Niehaus gerbafamily@yahoo.com I hope everyone is healthy during this pandemic and that you have been able to find some positives, like spending more time with your families or focusing on time for yourself. Maybe you have had a chance to talk, or better yet “see” through your zoom friends from your JCU days. Remember to pass on any news you may have learned so I can share it here. I want to congratulate Jeremy “Jerry” Sayer for becoming a partner in the Labor & Employment Department at Fox Rothschild LLP in Raleigh. Sayer is a go-to advocate for companies facing federal and state employment matters involving discrimination, retaliation, harassment, breach of contract, wrongful discharge and other work-related tort claims at the trial and appellate levels. Chris “Critter” Spicuzza is an accountant in Cleveland. He has three kids, ages 16, 13, and 10 and is happy to have another driver to help drive to basketball and baseball. Critter was able to accomplish some home renovations during quarantine which made his wife happy. Of course I got all of this info from his wife who I have become friends with through Michelle Moreno Spicuzza ’91. Continuing on with classmates with nicknames (funny how that worked this time) Christina “T” DeNisco is living in Buffalo, NY and is a Spanish teacher at Frontier High School. Besides teaching, T helps coordinate many travel opportunities to Europe. She has organized food and wine tours in Italy. Yum! I hope people can get back to traveling again so maybe T can plan us all some amazing trips. So my son was talking about a kid from school and teenagers usually use last names so he said “Slemenda”. Slemenda is not like Smith,
so I asked if his Dad’s name was Norm and sure enough it was. What a small world! Norm Slemenda lives in Copley and works for Fillmore Capital Group and is a partner at Fillmore Property Group. He is involved in their real estate investment division. He has four children Ellie 25, Jack 17, Kate 15, and Lucy 9. He reports that Bill Averback, Jeff Troutman, John Mack, Jamie Miller, Scott Monroe, Dan Cliffel, Ed Papp, and Rick Semersky are all doing well. My niece graduated from JCU this year. No graduation on the quad, but we did create an outdoor ceremony for her. We made masks for all my family members who have gone to JCU. My oldest is now looking at colleges and I am happy to say John Carroll is on his list. Stay healthy and I hope by the time you are reading this, we are through this pandemic. Take care, Katie 1995* | Annie DePerro anniedep31@gmail.com Our 25 year class reunion weekend came and went without us together as a group. The world grappled with the COVID 19 shutdown, travel restrictions happened and a new normal has emerged. Here are some of our alumni stories…In early March a group of fellow alums were group chatting via text and we decided to go live. Thanks to Michelle Lease for introducing us to Zoom happy hours on Friday nights, which was great since we all needed to learn Zoom anyway in order to start working from home. That first zoom call was hilarious as I personally couldn’t sit still and so I started baking brownies from scratch and it became a live demo. Carole Sullivan missed our first zoom happy hour
but coincidentally she is hosting a national Covid Cook at Home food show for All Recipes called Eating In!...It’s offered to all of their stations across the country (an offshoot of “Today In Nashville”, a lifestyle show she cohosts weekdays on WSMV, the NBC affiliate). Also during COVID-19 she managed to interview Oprah Winfrey. In May Michelle Lease and I independently decided to put our houses on the market (we didn’t even consult our group chat… Michelle and her family live in New Jersey and mine is still here in Northeast Ohio) and both of us moved the same weekend in July. As much as the economy is suffering the housing market is apparently booming. Baseball finally started up for many high school travel teams after our high school teams were disappointingly cancelled. During the months of June and July I had socially distant chats with Kathy Apple Francis and Becky and Mark Adymczyk whose sons played in many of the same tournaments as my son, Ryan. When my daughter graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School in June we took her out to Ken Stewart’s Grill in Bath and I ran into Mark Abood and his wife who were celebrating their anniversary. Katie Powers Vitatoe took her three kids to the Pacific Northwest from their home in Ohio and were eventually met by her parents and brother for the last 5 days of a two-week trip. The silver lining for travel during a pandemic was that all transportation was super clean and social-distanced. Katie said, “our rental car (had) 12 miles on it, so we were the first and only family to use it. Southwest leaves the center seat open and planes are half full. (On the) train we had a sleeper car and only let sleepers eat in the dining area, no regular passengers, so we were usually alone. I think it was actually better because there were so few crowds.” Next year, our 2020 reunion will take place with the 2021’s. More details coming up. Please find me on Linked-in, Facebook and Instagram. ~Annie 1996 | Genesis Brown orionbrown222@hotmail.com Hey Class of 1996! Can you believe it was 24 years ago we were just starting our senior year and grad students were in the final stage of their advanced degree! So much has changed since then and we are better for the experience. I hope everyone is surviving our new normal and enjoying all the web calls with friends and family. After balancing work, life, and trying not to negatively impact my kids’ education, I
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have learned so much and have a profound gratitude for all the teachers. Thank you! JCU has an exciting offering that’s recently gone online for alumni, the Alumni Continuing Education Series (A.C.E.S.). A.C.E.S. is a free, non-credit granting educational opportunity that aims to stimulate intellectual growth and is a great way to expand your mind while staying at home. For more information, check out the JCU website. Plus it is better than watching Tiger King! I am happy to share that Kristina KieltschPackard and her spouse Keith are living in Ohio. Their son, Thomas, graduated from Aurora High School and is heading off to Kent State in the fall to become an intervention specialist focusing on mild to moderate needs. He was supposed to leave for Belgium on August 15th as a Rotary Exchange Student but, you know, COVID-19 happened. We wish him all the best in the next chapter of his life. Don’t forget, we would like to hear about you! Please send me those updates. All the best! G.O. 1997 | Brian Sparks bdsparks@meistermedia.com Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during COVID-19! Here are a few updates from our class. Tricia (Stone) Hovorka moved back to Salem, OH in 2018 and opened a fitness studio called Your Best Self. Matt Young and his family relocated to Lake Forest, IL, from Bentleyville, OH for a job change. Matt took a position at WW Grainger’s headquarters supporting corporate real estate, engineering, and construction teams. He says he looks forward to connecting with alums in the area! Carla LaVigne Wessels is going on two years of working at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, MA. Brandon Miller was named CEO and president of Howard, Wershbale & Co., a certified public accounting and consulting firm in Cleveland. HW&Co. celebrates 30 years in the business in 2020. Brandon started with the firm as an intern in 1996. Please share any news and updates you have! 1998 | Mike Gildea mgildea@braingainllc.com Hello everyone. I hope you and your families are staying healthy and safe in these difficult times. I am thankful for the opportunity to pass along two outstanding updates from our fellow classmates. Congratulations to Michelle (Catena) Balas and her husband Tim as
they welcomed the arrival of their new son, Michael Edward on May 20, 2020. Mother and son are doing great and Michelle is a Primary Care physician at the Wilkes-Barre VA Hospital. Michelle, Tim, their older son Daniel, and baby Michael live in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. Grant Varnum shared that after brainstorming years ago with his dad, and getting the patent issued on their invention of a removable base French press coffee/tea maker, he has partnered with a company in the industry to finally bring this product to the market. It is called OVRLNDR from Planetary Design and started selling in June 2020. It makes using a French press clean and easy, and the only one of its kind. He could not be more excited about this product and potential line extensions in the future utilizing the removable base. You can check out the product at https:// planetarydesign.com/?ref=2785 or if any questions, contact Grant at grantvarnum@ hotmail.com. As I conclude this column, I am mindful that 2020 still has rough waters ahead for us, but find comfort in our lifelong JCU friendships in good and bad times. They are needed now more than ever. Mike
confirming the reason for a lack of updates from classmates: we’re all binging Parks and Recreation, Ozark, and Schitt’s Creek on Netflix while trying to manage kids, work, and maintain our sanity. Send Lisa and Clare updates for the spring issue! Or, “Tweet us on Facebook!” – Johnny Rose 2001 | Maureen (Fariello) DeMers 2001jcu@gmail.com James Burrows graduated from Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs in August 2019, with a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Development. James says, “I am one of only around less than 400 individuals in the 30-year history of the program to earn this degree. It is an accomplishment indeed. Hope to put the degree to use soon and develop a long-term career.”
1999 | Christine Weimer Papesch christinepapesch@yahoo.com Greetings, class of ‘99! I hope you are well! I have not received any updates since the last publication. I’m sure all have been busy adjusting to life as it is currently-whether that includes finding yourself to be an essential worker; days full of working remotely; taking on a more active role in your children’s education. Perhaps you are watching and waiting to discover the fate of jobs, businesses, and lifetimes of work. There is no doubt that this pandemic has affected us all in some way. Please pray for fellow classmates’ health and safety as well as family members who may be recovering from COVID-19. If you have any news to share, please forward it along! As long as there are no updates, I will have to start filling this space with bad (good?) puns. Lord knows I have a lot of them. I hope that someone is willing to keep us all shielded from such punishment. Until next time! Christine Weimer Papesch 2000* | Lisa (Foster) Smith & Clare Taft lisasmith19@hotmail.com / claretaft@hotmail.com Dave Vitatoe checked in with columnists Lisa (Foster) Smith and Clare Taft,
Trena Marks Pacetti graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in May 2020, with a Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies. In the fall, Trena will be teaching Theology at her alma mater, Walsh Jesuit High School, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Trena and her husband Augie ‘00 have three children: Francis (b.2003), James (b.2006), and Maria (b.2009). Dr. Keith Schneider, of Ohio’s Center for Oral, Facial, Implant Surgery, wanted to share that Dr. Jaclyn Tomsic joined the staff in Spring 2020. Jaclyn earned her Doctor in Dental Medicine degree from Boston University and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Jaclyn has served patients of all ages in hospitals and medical centers in Charlotte, North Carolina, Detroit, Michigan, Washington D.C., St Louis,
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Missouri, and now in her hometown of Cleveland. Jaclyn recognizes John Carroll as the foundation to her success. Adam Crockett and Cortney Kilbury Crockett welcomed Jaxon John into the family on June 12, 2020. Cortney says, “this little Blue Streak has a ton of blonde hair, blue eyes and loves to go on walks outside." Be encouraged to share what’s happening in your life. We’d be honored to share your stories. ~ Maureen 2002 | Kristen McVean muoiok@hotmail.com Hi all, what a strange year it’s been so far! I hope that you and your families are doing well and staying healthy. I received one update this time around. Jerry and Gretchen (Grubb) Sabin are living in Miamisburg, Ohio. Gretchen is the IT Director for the School of Business Administration at the University of Dayton and Jerry is a Senior Research Scientist with RNET Technologies. Their home is full of love, chaos and boys, Joshua (13), William (11), and Zachary (10). Please continue to send along your news to share! 2003 | Lori Culliton lori.culliton@gmail.com A warm congratulations are in order for Jessica Greco Curry and her husband Michael on the birth of their son, Ryan Michael. Ryan made his debut into the world on March 7, 2020. Jessica and her family reside in Littleton, Colorado. Judging by his picture, I think we have a future Blue Streak on our hands. Also making her debut into the world is Harper Lynn Vogel, daughter of Jim and Kelly Vogel. Harper was born on January 30, 2020. Jim and Kelly live in Garfield Hts., Ohio. We pray that you are all staying safe and well throughout this time. Lori and Jeff Culliton
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2004 | Paul Clapp paulclapp@gmail.com There is a theme for this update, authors and babies. I’d love to include more updates next issue, so please make sure you are sending in your updates so we can publish them. M. Kate (Webber) Allen wrote from Tempe, AZ. She is happy to connect with other alumni in the Phoenix/ Tempe area where she is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of the Thea Press, most recently having published a dystopian novella, Alt-Ctrl. M. Kate is working on her second novel, Playing Gauche. In her spare time, she has just finished her fourth full year as a Girl Scout volunteer in the Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC) where she serves as a troop leader for her daughters, Anastasia and Miriam, as well as a facilitator of the GSACPC’s Authentic Leadership Community. I just went to Amazon.com and pre ordered James Day’s new book, Saint Michael the Archangel, published by Our Sunday Visitor in August 2020. James manages the EWTN television studio at Christ Cathedral (the former Crystal Cathedral) in Orange County, California, two miles south of Disneyland. He invites anyone visiting the area to stop by and tour the cathedral campus. Huge congrats to James and his wife, Christina, on the birth of their daughter, Isla Rose Day on 04/22/2020. Courtney (Obee) Delaunay sent her update from Bordeaux, France where she is living with her husband, Damien, and new baby boy named Hugo on March 19, 2020. I hope that everyone is staying safe and enjoying their summers as much as you can during this crazy time. Please use this as an opportunity to connect with our fellow classmates by sending in your update. All the Best, Paul - 216.385.0752
2005* | Jennifer Tolhurst Hey there, class of 2005! I wish we had spent this summer celebrating our 15-year (WHAT!) reunion together, instead of quarantining at home, but that’s the way 2020 goes, I guess! I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe, and that we’ll be able to reunite soon. Even in the midst of a pandemic, our class is keeping busy in their work and home lives! Tiffany Meekel wrote in to say she is now serving as a member on the Volunteer Advisory Council of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), at the invitation of its CEO Julie Fleshman. The council consists of 12-15 volunteers nationwide, and their mission is the provide first-hand experience and guidance on the development of the PanCAN Community Engagement Program, by providing advisory services to the national office, spearheading volunteer campaigns and leadership training, among many other responsibilities. This is a cause near and dear to Tiffany, after her mother passed away in September 2018 after a 15-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She has been involved with PanCAN ever since that time, and is excited to take on this new role. I also heard about Greg Deja, who currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Greg recently made a career change, from serving as Principal and CEO of a Catholic high school, to becoming Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation of West Michigan. In addition, our class has some medical movers and shakers, too! Dr. Denise Warrick, a pediatrician in the Cincinnati area, was recently featured in a local podcast, discussing maintaining your emotional health while sheltering in place. (I need to listen to that!) Moreover, my good friend, Dr. Maureen Joyce, just recently completed her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where she also served as chief fellow. She will be moving on to join a private practice, treating children and
adolescents. Congratulations, Maureen! And Jessica Weidel, who is a licensed therapist, hosted a webinar for the JCU alumni office’s A.C.E.S. series on Therapy for Parents: Using Play to Strengthen Your Bond. As always, I love hearing everyone’s news – keep it coming! 2006 | Allison McDonnell Kaufman allisonkkaufman@gmail.com Hello Class of 2006! After 13 years away and moving to five other states, I finally returned to the Cleveland area (Westlake) with my husband and three young sons. I love getting to see so many familiar faces around town and I was thrilled to receive so many of your exciting updates for my first column. I look forward to reconnecting with more of you soon. Congratulations to Jade Berry for recently obtaining her master’s degree in social work from Cleveland State University. She is now a licensed mental health therapist. Mary (Cichanski) Martin is now working as counsel in the real estate group of Thompson Hine. She and her husband Joel ’00 and two young sons, Gabriel and August, live in Strongsville. Fr. Cyril Pinchak, SJ received his graduate degree from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome and has returned to Cleveland to teach at St. Ignatius High School. Tara Bowen is now the assistant Women’s Soccer coach at Baldwin Wallace University. During the pandemic, her team was featured on the news as they wrote letters of encouragement to nursing home residents across the country. Caitlin
(McGrath) Gerber was just named Teacher of the Year! She has been teaching at Roxboro Middle School in Cleveland since 2006. We also have lots of future Blue Streaks! Molly (McBride) Hickey and her husband Ryan welcomed a son, Luke Charles, in July 2019. He joins adoring big sister, Anna. Julie (Klemens) Setser, husband Tom, and proud big brother TJ welcomed Grayson Paul to their family on August 28, 2019. Angielique (Lokaj) Moss and Nathan ’08 welcomed their fifth child, George Anthony, in May 2020. They are living in Virginia Beach for Nathan’s post residency Navy Medicine job. (See photo) Analise (Ondrejech) Neumore and Eric welcomed daughter Adelyn Alise on May 29, 2020. Congratulations to all and thank you for sharing your news with our class! ~Allison 2007 | Brittany Bush & Lisa (Catalano) Iafelice bbush07@jcu.edu / liafelice07@jcu.edu We always look forward to receiving and being able to share our classmates’ updates with you. Dr. Carrie (Hawk) and John Carroll were married November 23rd, 2019 at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton, Ohio. In attendance were fellow 2007 alums Alex and Rhiannon (Lathy) Decker, Deborah (Painter) Fadeley, and Jennifer (Scott) Pitingolo. Carrie and John live in New Philadelphia, Ohio where Carrie is a general dentist and John is a mental health counselor in crisis services. Allison Kiider (Calabro) and husband Kyle welcomed a
baby girl, Olivia Quinn, born on May 20, 2020 at 12:56 pm, weighing 6 lbs 13 oz, 20 inches long. Sending good health to you and your family and encouragement to continue to strive to be men and women for others, Lisa & Brittany. 2008 | Ann Awadalla, D.O., F.A.C.O.I aawadalla08@gmail.com Hello, Class of 2008! I wanted to start off with congratulating Rich Ganim on his marriage to Triah on 11/30/2019 at Music Box Supper Club. There were many JCUers in attendance such as Tom Haren & Carla (Provenzano) Haren. Rich is continuing his strong real estate career with Cleveland Home Specialists. Our JCU family is growing as Jennifer (Pompeani) Goliat and Dan Goliat ’07 welcomed their second daughter on March 25th! Emilia joins big sis Ellie and mom to outnumber their girl dad! On a personal note, I recently got married on 02/22/20 to my husband, Alexander Null. It was a magical day followed by a beautiful reception at the Old Courthouse in downtown Cleveland. Many of our class were there to dance the night away such as Abby Joyce, Andy Costigan, Emily Monteleone, Molly (Scholla) McMahon, Jennifer (Pompeani) Goliat, Suzy Music, John Bugner, Patrick Carpenter, Andrew Omastiak, Mary Baglieri, Eileen Walsh, Rodney Gallaway, Marisa Benich, & Paula (Goncz) Racioppi! I also want to take time to say thank you to all of the wonderful medical personnel in our class with all the work they have done with COVID. One in particular is Kristina (Wragg) Gadomski who is a nurse who traveled to the frontlines in New Jersey - we thank you! Luis Castro, owner of Del Cielo Brewing in the Bay Area, has weathered the storm and despite all the recent challenges, continues to thrive - please go visit if you are in the Bay Area! Please continue to send me great news about our class!
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2009 | Lisa (Ugran) Pacconi lugran09@jcu.edu 2020 quickly proved to be an unusual year for all of us, but it is great to hear from classmates that have continued to make the best of it. Dana Raponi accepted a fantastic opportunity to become the Head Varsity Soccer Coach of the Beachwood Lady Bisons beginning Fall 2020. Sarah Pratt completed a surgical residency at the University of Toledo Medical center in 2019 and graduated in July 2020 from her Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery fellowship at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, NY. Sarah spent several months working in the COVID-19 intensive care units during the height of the pandemic. Sarah is returning to Toledo, Ohio after graduation to work as a Bariatric and General Surgeon at ProMedica Toledo Hospital. Leo Govoni also contributed to COVID-19 relief efforts with the help of his Clearwater, Florida brewery, Big Storm Brewing Co. The brewery began using their three stills to produce more than 200 gallons of liquid hand sanitizer on a daily basis. Leo and his team have worked around the clock to supply health care workers, law enforcement, government agencies, and JCU with their hand sanitizer. Thanks to Dana, Sarah, and Leo for these inspiring updates! We should also note that we read the news coming out from Carroll earlier this year that Caitlin Huey-Burns was selected to receive the 2020 JCU Young Alumni Award for her great work as a reporter for CBS News and her commitment to our alma mater. Congrats, Caitlin! Hopefully, all of you and your families continue to stay safe and healthy. 2010* | Meghan O’Keefe megokeefe10@gmail.com Hi everyone I hope you are all well and staying safe during this time. It has been a difficult few months for many of us, but despite some of the hardships I encourage you to help in recognizing many of the positive accomplishments that our classmates have been celebrating this year. Chelsea (Getts) Bosiljevac and her husband Brian ’09 welcomed their second baby boy, Barrett George Bosiljevec on April 21, 2020 joining his brother Brooks Anthony Bosiljevac. Ashley and Mike Raimondo had their first child Sophia Jean Raimondo on March 12, 2020. Also having their first child, Daniel O’Leary and his wife Morgan had Avery Mae O’Leary on May 11, 2020. Sarah Zimmerman and her husband
54 | ONWARD • Fall 2020
Scott ’08, ’10G moved back to Ohio from Connecticut as Scott, accepted a tenuretrack position at OSU Marion. They had a second baby girl, Lydia Ray, in January. Sarah is currently working as a healthcare analyst for Yale New Haven hospital. Joe Toohey who received the Tim Russert Fellowship announced he will be returning to NE Ohio after leaving FOX5 in New York. Joe and his wife Kirstyn also gave birth to their daughter Hayes Marie recently as well. Joe is also the brother of JCU alumna, Jen Toohey ’97, the popular morning radio host on Star 102. John Carroll inspired us as individuals to excel in learning, leadership, and service. Blake Furgerson and wife, Rayme, welcomed their second boy on April 9th, 2020. Rhodes Everett joins big brother Roarke James, who was born on August 20th, 2018. In February of 2019, Blake and his partners opened a Stifel private client group office in downtown Fort Worth. This is Blake’s 8th year in private wealth management. Blake, Rayme and their boys are looking forward to moving into their new home in Argyle, Texas in November, where they will be raising their boys alongside cousins. I hope you continue to live your lives as servant leaders in your communities to help promote and fight for equality for all. 2011 | Maura Jochum mfjochum@gmail.com Hopefully, you received an email from me in July. If you didn’t, it probably means you haven’t provided John Carroll with an updated email address. Please make sure you do that soon so you don’t miss out on any communication for our 10-year reunion in June 2021. Social media and class column updates can’t compare to the opportunity to catch-up on campus and relive our favorite Carroll memories. Until then, class column updates will have to suffice and I was so excited to receive updates from classmates we haven’t heard from in a while. Let’s start with the wedding bells! Joe and Annelyse (Giovannitti) ’12 Payne were married on September 14, 2019. The couple met at Panini’s on Coventry during Joe’s graduation weekend in 2011. We also have several new additions to report. Sending well wishes to all who welcomed future members of the JCU Class of 2042! Alexandra (White) and Brandon Pauley welcomed their daughter, Vivienne Righter Pauley, on January 12, 2020. Ashley (Besong) and Matt Thoma ’10 celebrated the arrival of their daughter,
2012 | Emily Herfel, D.O. eherfel12@jcu.edu
Madeline Amelia Thoma, on March 23, 2020. Tyler Bond and his wife welcomed their daughter, Francesca, in April 2020. A few months later they moved to the DC Metro area. Tyler and his family aren’t the only ones on the move. Pamela Dimo and Ronald Sturm ’10 decided to return to Ohio in the midst of the pandemic so they can raise their son, and future Blue Streak, near family and friends. Pamela is an associate attorney with The Dickson Firm focusing on nursing home neglect and abuse and medical malpractice. Congratulations to Meghan Brown, M.D. who completed her general surgery residency at the University of Toledo in June 2020 and moved back to the Cleveland-Akron area to begin her plastic surgery fellowship at Summa Health in Akron. After five years in Michigan, Melissa Kawkabany Younes is back in the Cleveland area (specifically Mentor) with her husband and son. Prior to the move, Melissa was working at Madonna University as a transfer admissions advisor. She remarked that her time at JCU allowed her to relate to prospective students and their questions about being part of a Catholic institution. Melissa is now happy to be home and working in HR for Cuyahoga Community College. Kelly (Patch) Kohr is also in Mentor, Ohio, with her family. She has a two-year-old son and a six-year-old golden retriever. Kelly works as an accounting manager at a custom heat applied transfer manufacturer. Kudos to Melissa (Love) Hutchinson who completed her MBA at Queens University in Charlotte in July 2020. Please keep Lieutenant Brendan McCreary, U.S. Navy in your thoughts and prayers as he prepares to deploy to the Middle East in late 2020/early 2021. Brendan is currently stationed in San Diego, CA, and told me that he fully plans on being in attendance at our reunion next year. As always, stay well and keep me posted! With love for JCU, Maura
It is my sincerest wish that you, your family, and friends are well and safe during the rapidly changing world affected by COVID-19. In September 2019, before the pandemic was fathomed, Annelyse Giovannitti and Joseph Pyne ’11 were married. They met at one of the wellknown JCU hangouts, Panini’s on Coventry during Joe’s graduation weekend in 2011. Very serendipitous meeting! Please help congratulate Nick Skiviat and his wife Jeanne ’17G who welcomed twins, Carlo and Nico, to their family in September 2019. Big sister Aubriella is a big help! Hannah Harms Mickael and Bishoy Mickael ’11 also welcomed their son, Lucas Michael Mickael on February 6, 2020! We also received this wonderful update from Ryan Gross regarding the birth of his son, Theo James Gross. Theo has been a blessing during the quarantine. Classmates are calling him the first JCU quarantine baby as he was born on March 15th just as the school closings and stay home orders were taking effect. Ryan and his wife believe that this has made their family bond stronger. Their immediate families as well as the JCU family have been showing their continued support checking in through face-time and stopping by to see the family, mainly Theo, through the front window, as well as generously offering to pick up anything they may need. Ryan feels he owes it to them to write this, as a simple thank you will never do their selfless acts of service justice. In conclusion, I’d like to add that my experience as a physician during this pandemic has most certainly molded my medical decision making and worklife balance. As this pandemic continues to develop, I encourage sharing your experiences. We are in this together!
morning surprise. The couple is planning a May 2021 wedding at Saint Clarence in North Olmsted, OH. Matthew Hoyt proposed to Mary Yep on January 31, 2020. They will be getting married on November 7, 2020 at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Naperville, IL. Matthew started working as an Outside Sales Manager in the Illinois territory for USCCA in August 2019. The couple plans to live in Sugar Grove, IL. Daniel Johnson, and his wife Alejandra, were married in a small ceremony on the island of Maui on August 3, 2019. They currently reside in Minneapolis, MN. Kayla (Naticchioni) Webb was recently named as one of Crain’s 2020 Twenty in their
20s. This yearly list includes the best and brightest examples of leadership and entrepreneurial spirit in the Cleveland area, showcased, even more, this year responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Kayla joined Providence house six years ago and now leads their fundraising and communications efforts as External Relations Manager. Due to the pandemic, she had to rethink the organization’s annual luncheon in April. She was able to make the event virtual and developed alternative ways to promote it. Through it all, the event was still an overwhelming success. Kayla did all this while battling and beating thyroid cancer in March. She is a true example of a “woman for others.” Mecca Madhun finished her Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of Toledo Medical Center in June 2020. She is returning to Cleveland to practice at University Hospitals. Becca (Magyar) Waldo, and her husband Rich, welcomed their second baby, Clare, in June of 2020. She joins older brother, Hudson, and her parents who reside in Farmdale, OH. Brendan Gulick and Alex Melchiorre ’15 were engaged on June 27, 2020, at the Arcade in Cleveland, OH. As well, Brendan was recently named the new publisher, managing editor and beat reporter for the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sports Illustrated. Melissa Kowalski was recently elected as Secretary of the Science Education Council of Ohio for the 2020-2022 term. In June 2020, Lisa (Reichert) Surber started as the Client Service Supervisor for VCA Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park, CA, a 24-hour emergency and specialty hospital. She
Hope all are well, Emily Herfel, DO 2013 | Larry Napoli LNapoli1990@gmail.com Keti Sulaj and Daniel Dubow were married on July 20, 2019 at the Old Courthouse in Cleveland, OH. They celebrated their marriage surrounded by JCU alums, including Jaclyn Scholtz and Emily (Gorndt) Kaiser. On January 11, 2020, Gabrielle Ruchames and Jacob McDormand tied the knot in Phoenix, AZ. Christina Pintenich and Alex Pasini were engaged on Christmas Day 2019. Alex hid the ring in the tree for a Christmas
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is excited about bringing her skills to the new role! Bill Cook, and his wife, recently bought their first house in Palos Heights, IL. They are also expecting their first child in September. In February 2020, Laura Kisthardt organized a small JCU alumni gathering in New Haven, CT. She graduated from Yale Divinity School with a Master of Divinity in May of 2020 and has been called to serve as Associate Pastor at the First Congregational Church of Southington. Laura hopes to be ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ in the fall of 2020. Alex Stultz welcomed her first child, a daughter named Audra Quinn Stultz, on October 26, 2019. Lizzie Trathen and Dan Heidenreich ’14 got engaged at Mitchell’s Ice Cream in Cleveland in September 2019. The couple is still determining a wedding date. Sadly, our classmate DeVaughn Hammett passed away on June 22, 2020. Rest in peace, my friend. Take care, Larry. 2014 | Desiree Tercek dtercek14@jcu.edu I hope you all are staying safe and healthy as we navigate our way through 2020. All of us have been affected in some way by the coronavirus pandemic, and my thoughts and prayers are with all of you during these challenging times. Nevertheless, as we do when faced with challenges and hardships, we will get through this together. Lauren Kelley is a classmate who is making the most of the opportunities in front of her. After getting laid off from her job due to COVID, she decided to start her own business—a small marketing agency that specializes in social media marketing, podcast production, and content creation for mid-size companies. She is enjoying this experience so far and is thankful for all that she learned in her JCU entrepreneurship classes to help her take this step. A special thanks to all of the first responders and healthcare workers during these trying times, especially to one of our own classmates Matt Serna. Matt is currently a resident physician at Cleveland Clinic working in the ICU during the coronavirus pandemic. He is courageous and selfless with his patients and helps keep things running smoothly at the Clinic. Maddie (Zink) and Stephen Lutter have been happily married for three years and currently reside in Buffalo, NY. Maddie works at a private practice mental health clinic as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Stephen works for Horizon Health Services as an Operations Manager.
56 | ONWARD • Fall 2020
Stephen is also continuing his service in the Army Reserves where he serves as a Team Leader for a Civil Affairs unit. Happy One Year wedding anniversary to Katie (Mulholland) and William Corbett. The couple was married on July 19, 2019 at Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton, Ohio. Chet Lauer has returned to work at Carroll as the assistant baseball coach. Chet is a former catcher of the JCU team and is entering his second season as the assistant coach. Wishing you all much health and prosperity for the remainder of 2020! Please continue to send your updates via email, LinkedIn, Facebook, or provide updates through the JCU website to be included in the next edition. AMDG. Desiree 2015* | Bri Lazarchik blazarchik@gmail.com As I sit down to write this column, my fellow Blue Streaks and I are still feeling the pain of the loss of the unmatched, remarkable Chris Wenzler ’90. I had the fortune of leading the 2013 Jamaica immersion trip with Chris as one of my faculty co-leaders, and we had maintained a life-giving friendship in the years since. As I posted on social media the day I learned of his loss, I know my story is just one of thousands in which this incredible man worked with us, believed in us, and inspired us. Chris’s loss is one more surreal
moment in this incomprehensible year, but his legacy will forever thrive. On behalf of the entire Class of 2015…thank you, Chris, for everything you taught us about how to live like a Blue Streak during our time on campus and onward. With all shadows, though, there is also always light, and it’s an honor to share some joyful moments from our class these past several months. Colleen (Reilly) Gong and Michael Gong were married on March 28, 2020 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Colleen’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Additionally, Carleigh (Rohlke) Walton and Jack Walton ’14 were married in early July 2020 surrounded by a small group of loved ones. Not even a pandemic can stop our Carroll couples, as Emily Grazia and Ryan Devin have announced their engagement; they just bought a new house to fix up and will be married December 2020. Courtney Radtkin and Alex Barilec are engaged as well, as of June 2020. The couple live in Utah and Courtney is now a nutritional health and yoga instructor. Brodie Hartsel and Sam Braun were also engaged last May. Congratulations to these beautiful Blue Streak couples! We also congratulate Nicholas Lemanski and his wife Alyssa, who welcomed their son, John “Jack” Howard Lemanski on May 24, 2020. Further congratulations are in order for Danielle Goddard who graduated this May from a dual Master’s program in Mental Health Counseling and Theology & Ministry from Boston College, Manick
Saran who graduated from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in May and recently started his residency, and Megan Boyk, who, in addition to starting her second year of residency training in family practice in South Bend, Indiana, is pursuing a Master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in health services management. Breahna (Phillips) Ramos recently moved to the Cincinnati area because she is now the Director of Victim Services at Wilmington College, and Moira Kelley will be moving to Lake Forest, IL this fall to work at The Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart where she’ll be a Residence Life Coordinator, teaching history, and hopefully helping to start their lacrosse program. Class of 2015, I keep you in my prayers and I thank you for keeping me hopeful. I would like to especially thank all the members of our class who are, in any way, working on the front lines of the pandemic. Your ability to be a woman or man for others is an immeasurable gift to this world! Stay well and keep on glorifying God till we connect again, and I can’t wait to see you all at our 6-year reunion next summer! After all, the best things in life are worth waiting for. Faithfully. Bri. 2016 | Madeline Sweeney madelinegsweeney@gmail.com It brings me so much joy to be able to share with all of you some amazing things happening for the class of 2016, even amidst a global pandemic. It’s with great pleasure I announce the engagements of some dear friends. Love Shack resident, Jillian Blaszszyk, is marrying Joseph Bloomstine on July 10, 2021 and we could not be more excited. Additionally, Sarah Brown (Downtown Sarah Brown aka DTSB) is engaged to Tony Mehle - they’ll be married August 14, 2021. Tony attended Mount Union, so they’re currently choosing between navy/gold and black/purple as their wedding colors. Emily Mordini is also marrying her long-time love, Ben Warren. They’re getting married where they grew up, just outside of Chicago. They both currently reside in Florida where Emily teaches Special Ed and Ben is in Medical School. Nick Boccio is marrying Camille Arth ’15, on August 20, 2020. They adopted a pup last year named Pablo and are doing well. Bridget Keane was married to David Laubert ’17 on May 20, 2020. Due to the pandemic, their 300-guest wedding was made much smaller and planned at Fort Campbell with three days to spare. Ellie Rafoth and Juston Koss have
experienced quite a bit as of late. Juston and Ellie started dating in 2014. They were engaged on October 4, 2019 and are getting married on June 12, 2021. They brought their sweet baby, Luca James, into the world on May 16, 2020 and everyone is healthy, happy, and loving every minute of parenthood. Emily Burt and her husband are also expecting! Baby #2 is due in January. The two recently moved to Fort Worth, Texas and are happy and excited for two under two! Renee Fregeau and Stew Smith-Thomas are officially back in the Land. Stew transferred to Ohio from Buffalo and is now a branch manager for Mariner Finance. Renee gave me chills talking about her chills saying, “Although Buffalo is home, Cleveland is just as much home to me. I can’t wait to be back with family and friends.” Congrats to you both! Additionally, Alyssa Coleman recently bought a house in Shaker Heights with her husband, Cody. They were married last
August and moved back to Cleveland where Alyssa is working at Battelle. Kaley Laforce was accepted into Cleveland-Marshall’s law school! She will continue to work at Jones Day full-time as a research assistant while completing the part-time program. She is hoping to pursue work in civil litigation or public administration and intends to continue to help coach JCUWLax. Congrats, Kaley! Mackenzie Lee graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and matched with Loyola University Medical Center for a general surgery residency. She was also engaged to David Port ’12 in April. Congrats!
Have news to share? Contact your class columnist with your updates or email journal@jcu.edu.
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Our class would also like to extend love and prayers to all those who were close to Chris Wenzler ’90. Many of us got to know Chris at Carroll. We are deeply saddened by his loss, but we will continue to rise in memory of him. Keep doing great things, my friends! Madeline 2017 | Christine Gaab *Seeking new class columnist Congratulations to Patrick Munschauer who has moved from Buffalo, NY to Washington, D.C. this past February to join a small financial team at Targeted Victory, a full-service political fundraising company. Kit O’Shaughnessy married Dejan Mladenovic ’06 on June 6, 2020. She also plans to return to JCU this year as a graduate assistant coach for volleyball. This past December, Annmarie Kirchner and Steven Virost ’18, became engaged (photo below). They met at John Carroll and are excited to spend the rest of their lives together! Please continue to send updates and stay well! -Christine 2018 | Michael Andelbradt & Carly Cundiff mandelbradt18@jcu.edu ccundiff18@jcu.edu
58 | ONWARD • Fall 2020
We received an update from Danny Markino. After spending the 2019 season as a Seasonal Communications Assistant with the Super Bowl LIV Champion Kansas City Chiefs, he has accepted a position with the Los Angeles Chargers as the club’s Coordinator, Football Communications. We also heard from Ai-Chin Chen who, after graduation, dabbled in photography and then retail management. He is very happy with this position which allows him to serve his community and make a difference. Congratulations to Kara Zeszut and Cory Gargas who will be married on August 1, 2020. 2019 | Sean Freeman & John Tucci sfreeman19@jcu.edu jtucci19@jcu.edu “If you were to tell me freshman year to write a book, I’d tell you you’re crazy. I didn’t read for enjoyment until sophomore year...but a lot can happen.” Jess Cook, author of Own It, is one of six members of our class to have written and published a book during the past year. Pioneered by Katie O’Connell (Live Live!), Julia Ruggiero (VulnerABLE), Jacob Schupp (Hope for Health), Calvin Long (Mile Behind The Smile), and Nicole Spindler (Beyond Life’s Moments) each created works
that dove into their interests, experiences, and insights on student athletics, music, vulnerability, healthcare, happiness, and life-altering events. Partnered with New Degree Press, their publisher, our classmates maintain full ownership rights to their book. For both Calvin and Nicole, this opportunity made their dreams come true. Calvin informed, “I’ve wanted to write a book, but never had the opportunity... Now I can finally achieve that goal.” For others, it was something new. “It was an experiment in entrepreneurship,” Katie reflected. “I never wanted to write a book, but the process appealed to me as someone who was curious about the entrepreneurship space.” Throughout our senior year, these individuals spent countless hours writing, editing, and learning about their areas of interest. Among the incredible people these authors spoke with, Jess interviewed Dominque Moceanu, JCU’s gymnast Olympian! It’s a process that commands more than just writing. “I never realized how involved the book process is,” said Nicole. “You need an audience who wants to read it and learn more about you as an author. I never expected to write 5,000 words a week WHILE gaining interest in the book. It’s interesting to balance.” Not only did each author sell over 100 copies of their books, they continued to spread their messages. Through social media hashtags, posts, and support from friends and family, they generated large audiences outside
of the JCU community. Calvin created an organic movement around this book through stickers, bookmarks, photos, and testaments from readers. Similarly, Julia spoke about her book in several schools and saw her social media viewership quintuple. Each author’s success brought achievement in different ways. “My favorite part was getting to learn more about something I am passionate about that isn’t always pigeonholed, recalled Jacob. “Writing a book, you get taken
down so many different paths that up until I submitted my manuscript, the book was changing...it’s not always down a specific, laid out path.” For others, like Julia, it’s motivation to write more. “The coolest thing in the world is four people periodically telling me ‘thank you’ for the inspiration to write their own books. That’s the point of vulnerability. People can do what they want to do.”
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In Memoriam John Carroll University extends condolences to the families and friends of our recently departed community members. We apologize for any omissions. Death notices from through July 2020.
• Fall2020 ONWARD• Fall 60 ||ONWARD 2020
James Smith
1939 6/18/01
Ann Trivisonno
1957 5/12/20
Joseph Molony
Anthony Marra
1941 5/27/20
Robert Smith
1957 1/4/19
Thomas Nicholson 1968 1/21/20
Leonard Marous
1943 1/11/10
John Rae
1957 4/5/20
Carl Ivec
1969 1/6/20
James Phipps
1943 12/6/14
Donald Grace
1957 1/25/20
Lucian LiPera
1969 4/4/20
Peter Babnis
1945 12/17/19
Dennis Grapo
1957 2/21/20
Edward Crogan
1969 2/11/20
Paul Fritzsche
1947 2/17/20
Thomas Tupa
1957 2/17/20
William Rose
1970 12/17/19
John Hruby
1949 5/21/20
Thomas Feely
1957 2/5/20
John Burns
1970 4/19/20
Harry Schwab
1949 4/21/20
Thomas Code
1958 3/5/20
Keith Lavey
1970 1/22/20
1968 8/18/19
Richard Iammarino 1949 1/10/20
Joseph Bordonaro 1958 2/21/20
Robert McClenahan 1970 11/26/17
Margaret McKenney 1950 11/15/18
Marvin Cook
1959 12/4/19
Thomas Houston 1971 5/3/20
Emil Centa
1950 10/9/18
John O’Malley
1959 11/12/19
Thomas Costello 1971 4/15/20
William Finnen
1950 4/26/17
Lawrence Garvin
1959 1/15/20
Timothy McCord
1972 12/5/14
Ernest Centa
1950 11/23/19
J. David Ross
1959 3/31/20
Michael Kane
1972 6/27/15
John Synk
1950 4/10/20
Donald Muno
1960 2/2/20
Robert Walick
1972 4/24/20
Clemence Schilling 1950 3/13/19
Leroy Johnson
1960 2/20/20
Craig Cwick
1973 5/25/20
Carroll Shively
1950 12/12/13
J. Ross Haffey
1960 12/21/19
Michael Bolton
1973 12/24/19
Charles Porter
1951 4/22/20
Donald Salasek
1960 2/17/20
Eileen Teare
1973 3/11/20
Bart Lanchman
1951 4/17/20
Robert McNichol
1960 4/18/20
Dennis Tarnay
1974 3/22/20
Donald Shula
1951 5/4/20
Matthew Hoenig
1960 2/11/56
Michael Sell
1975 1/24/20
Joseph Vishey
1952 5/24/20
Dennis Domark
1963 3/22/20
Kevin Walter
1975 10/7/19
R. Bruce McAuliffe 1952 2/11/20
Thomas Pukelnick 1963 5/25/20
John Fay
1976 3/29/20
Thomas Dannemiller 1952 3/10/20
Michael O’Donohue 1963 1/21/20
Robert Maher
1976 7/9/17
Thomas Bader
1952 3/21/20
Donald Grons
1964 1/9/20
Sally Schneeweis 1976 3/12/20
Robert Kaminski
1953 12/31/19
James Flask
1964 12/2/19
Marcia Jaffe
1977 1/10/20 1977 3/23/20
Allan Abram
1953 2/19/20
Alex Orban
1964 3/21/20
Joseph Neelon
Richard Sullivan
1953 4/14/20
James Williams
1964 6/15/20
Paula Zeisler
1977 2/24/20
Joseph Hubbard
1953 12/25/19
John Menes
1964 5/3/20
Susan Jewett
1978 12/21/19
James DeChant
1953 1/13/20
Richard Reusch
1964 3/1/20
Beverly Cassirer
1978 2/13/20
Robert Vignos
1954 12/24/19
Bernard Masterson 1965 9/29/19
Don Gilbertson
1979 6/11/20
George O’Callaghan 1954 1/18/20
Arthur Hallinan
Patricia Starrett
1981 3/25/20
James Schultheis 1954 4/20/20
Kenneth Kuechle 1965 5/22/20
Julia Davis
1982 3/26/20
Robert Clifford
1965 1/10/07
Robert Skapura
1965 8/22/19
Kevin Holaus
1982 3/27/20
John "Jack" Tuohy 1954 6/22/20
David Woods
1965 4/14/20
David Pecjak
1985 5/27/20
Reno Marcotuli
1955 7/14/19
William Reedy
1965 2/17/20
Gary Mandalfino
1986 3/16/20
Donald Chapello
1955 8/9/19
William Drummond 1966 10/30/19
Christopher Wenzler 1990 6/23/20
Donald Spisak
1955 10/18/19
Robert Bugeda
James Sturznickel 1990 6/22/20
Rudolph Girman
1955 4/15/20
Richard Benedict 1967 2/23/20
Jennifer Selan
1993 10/22/19
Edward Soloski
1955 2/12/20
William Bricker
1967 12/22/15
Debora Schmitt
1994 2/1/20
Joseph Lechlak
1956 4/22/20
David Cusick
1967 3/5/20
Judith Bourne
1996 1/8/20
Julius Chepey
1956 1/20/20
James Pietraszek 1967 2/18/20
Deborah Rutledge 2005 2/22/20
Vincent Punzo
1956 5/6/20
Don Andrews
1968 2/6/20
DeVaughn Hammett 2013 6/22/20
James Schindler
1956 3/26/20
Raymond Grace
1968 3/18/20
Robert Thein
1956 11/25/18
Renee Lipson
1968 5/1/20
Michael Kenney
1957 12/30/19
Thomas M. Brennan 1968 6/16/20
1954 1/6/20
1966 2/21/20
John Carroll University
Alumni Magazine | 61
We’re All JCU Ambassadors
Onward On, John Carroll O N WA R D O N , J O H N C A R R O L L
John Carroll University is accepting applications for fall 2021. If you know of prospective students who might be a great fit for the JCU experience, let us know! Please visit our website to make your referral at go.jcu.edu/alumnireferral
FOR WE CAME TO SEE YOU WIN, GOLD AND BLUE
In consideration of the uncertainty around standardized testing and the limited availability of testing centers due to COVID-19, John Carroll University is pleased to announce we will be test-optional for fall 2021 applicants. John Carroll’s leadership understands the challenges students face during the pandemic, namely, lack of testing dates and locations, the inability to prepare for tests, and the sense of urgency to complete the test in a compressed time frame.
O N WA R D O N , J O H N C A R R O L L
Legacy students compose a large percentage of JCU’s freshman class on an annual basis. Did you know there are scholarships offered to prospective students with a legacy connection? Below are some of JCU’s most notable offerings with alumni affinity criteria.
F O R O U R FA I T H I N Y O U I S B O U N D L E S S A N D T R U E
• Iota Chi Upsilon (IXY) Scholarship • Class of ’64 Scholarship
O N T O G R E AT E R G OA L S A N D V I C T O R I E S N E W.
O N WA R D O N , J O H N C A R R O L L
D E A R A L M A M AT E R , W E’ R E A L L FO R YO U
AND FOR THE GOLD AND BLUE.
• Alumni Association Board Scholarship • John J. Ray Scholarship • Class of ’61 Scholarship • Veteran Scholarship
For more information, visit jcu.edu/admission or apply today at jcu.edu/applynow.
With cancellations and postponements of signature events like Reunion, Homecoming, and awards dinners soon behind us, we look forward to gathering together again in the spirit of community, family, and fellowship.
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Alumni Magazine | 63
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OH PERMIT NO. 2093 JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE 1 JOHN CARROLL BOULEVARD UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OHIO 44118-4520 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
JOHN CARROLL U N I V E R S I T Y
Like most universities, non-profits, and businesses, we have been impacted by the events of 2020. Our most strategic and careful planning simply could not have accounted for these unprecedented times. Please consider supporting The Carroll Fund, addressing JCU’s most urgent financial needs. Thank you.
Visit jcu.edu/give