October Notes 2014

Notes 1948 Joseph Di Palma is Executive Producer of the feature film Awakened, which had Red Carpet Premieres in Manhattan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and many more cities in the US and Canada. Awakened has an award-winning star cast and was released in select cities in the US and Canada. It was also exhibited at The Cannes International Film Festival. The film is now on VOD everywhere. This is the second successful movie of which Di Palma is Executive Producer. The first was Shannon's Rainbow aka Amazing Racer.

Awakened, which stars Julianne Michelle, two time BEST ACTRESS winner (and Di Palma's daughter), Steven Bauer, Edward Furlong, John Savage, OSCAR-nominee Sally Kirkland, Bryan Dechart, and Sean Stone is a suspense-filled supernatural thriller loved by audiences around the world. Di Palma's wife, Joycelyn Engle, is writer, co-director and co-producer of Awakened.

1964 Henry de Montebello sent in the following note: All is well in Paris. I retired at the end of 2012 and grew a beard. After 33 years at Russell Reynolds Associates, it was time. Retirement permits me to go to our house in Corsica more often and to spend quality time with my 15-month-old grandson, Auguste, with another on the way in October. Still very happily married for almost 34 years. Our four children are well, one living in Los Angeles and one in Mexico, while the other two are here in Paris. I am sure our 50th reunion will be great fun but I'm afraid it is a bit far for me to make the trip. My very best to all my class members and to the Loyola community.

Fred and Dinah Gretsch received the third annual Governor’s Award for the Arts & Humanities on Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Governor Nathan Deal presented them with the award, which recognizes their significant contributions to the arts and the great impact this has on Georgia’s civic and cultural vitality.

1970 Frank Zambetti was honored by his physician peers of the Worcester North District Medical Society as the district’s 2014 Community Clinician of the Year. The award was presented at the district society’s annual meeting on April 2, 2014 at the Fay Club in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The Community Clinician of the Year Award recognizes a physician from each of the Society’s 20 district medical societies who has made significant contributions to his or her patients, and the community, and who stands out as a leading advocate and caregiver.

1977 Mike Purcell runs a mountain bike club, the Hoot Toot & Whistle, in southern Vermont. This bike club is for “kids” of all ages and is enjoying the milder weather. Mike is happy to report that he is still active for “old toad alum”.

1978 Joao Carlos Bueno recently placed third in the Modern Pentathlon Masters World Championship in Berlin. The Pentathlon consists of five sports – running, swimming, shooting, riding, and fencing. He credits Father Prior as his inspiration, frequently wearing a T-shirt of Father Prior at his 80th birthday celebration under his fencing and show jumping uniforms.

Joao Carlos Bueno ‘78

1987 Paula McGrath’s new book, The State of Grace: A Mother’s Plea for Life Balance, is now available on Amazon and at Balboa Press. The book covers the challenges of Dr. Grace Purdy, mother of two and a part-time business professor who searches for work-life balance while getting divorced. The book covers her legal battle and the struggles so many mothers face to manage it all – health, family and career.

Vittorio Rotella started a new job working at Brooklyn VA hospital in December 2013 as an attending vascular surgeon. His son, Alessandro, graduated from Xavier High School on June 12, 2014.

1991 Paul Costiglio started a new position at Catholic Charities as the organization’s Director of Communications.

1994 Karl Peña settled down in Reston, Virginia with his wife, Annie, and their delightful children Astrid (10) and Ástor (7), who enjoy fishing in the nearby lakes from their 4-person kayak. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, Karl has worked in IT for almost 15 years and just accepted a new position. He also recently started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. Karl is reachable on Facebook and welcomes any networking or career mentorship requests from any Loyola alumni interested in working in IT or in the Washington, DC area. Ex Fide Fortis!

1995 Dee Tubridy and Bungalow Bar were honored with an official New York State Assembly Proclamation for being “Small Business of the Month” by Assembly member Phil Goldfeder. The Bungalow Bar received extensive damage during Sandy, but through the help of their extraordinary staff, family and very special guests, they reopened their doors and continue to serve our community.

Dee Tubridy ‘95

2000 Alexander Oleksyn’s paintings were on exhibit at Galerie Gris in Hudson, NY from September 4 – October 13, 2014.

Sean Walsh starred in a two-person play, Chinese Coffee, by Ira Lewis from September 24 – October 3, 2014. His co-star was Austin Pendleton and the play was directed by Louise Lasser.

2003 Vicky Wasik ’03 was featured on the blog serious eat, where she talks about what “a day in the life” is like for her as a visual editor. You can read her piece here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/a-dayin-the-life-vicky-wasik-visual-editor.html.

Maggie Dolan ’03 and Greg Acosta ‘03 are engaged to be married.

2005 Evan Richards is engaged to be married to Jacquelyn Doherty.

2006 Jonathan Suquet is engaged to be married to Abby Zanone. A wedding is planned for April 18, 2015 in Louisiana.

2008 Steven Pastores received a Master’s Degree in Communication Practice at Columbia University in May 2014 and is currently an Account Executive at Conill Advertising Inc., Saatchi & Saatchi's US Hispanic Agency in Miami, Florida.

2010 James Molinaro and Maddy Lee graduated from Boston University in May and made sure to get their "Loyola Pic"! James will be going back to Los Angeles to continue his job at a film production studio and Maddy is moving to Seattle to join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest. They sent “big thanks to Loyola for helping us get to where we are!”

James Molinaro ’10 and Maddy Lee ‘10

Danny Velasco starred in the original play, Year Zero, at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre, outside of Boston, MA. The play, which closed on October 5th, looks at the experiences of Cambodian-Americans after they have immigrated to the United States.

Friends of Loyola Fr. Steve Katsouros, S.J. has been assigned to lead a new initiative in Jesuit higher education at Loyola University Chicago called Arrupe College, a two-year junior college program. Arrupe’s mission will be to serve students from low income backgrounds unable to leave home for college whose ACT scores are between 17 and 22. Arrupe’s costs will be kept to a minimum with the goal that students will complete

their associate’s degrees debt-free. Fr. Katsouros will be the founding dean and executive director of Arrupe College.

Weddings McCarthy Hawkins ‘95 married Marnie Klar on September 13, 2014 in Virginia.

Iris Colon ’02 married Kevin Groen on September 20, 2014.

Valentina Lugo ’03 married Marvin Guerra on September 5, 2014.

Karolina Lempert ’04 married Charles Sekel ’04 on September 6, 2014.

Births 1987 Margaret Gonzalez had a baby girl, Nuala.

1995

Nuala

Nicole Kapit and Doug Murphy (both alumnae/i)’s daughter was baptized

1997 Beth Costiglio Shanley and her husband, Peter, welcomed the birth of their son, Matthew Peter, on March 20, 2014. Matt joins big sister, Lily.

Matthew and Lily

1998 Felice Milani and her husband, Michael, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Olivia Margaret, on July 5, 2013.

1998 Cathy Santora and her husband, Matthew, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Lauren Catherine St. Pierre, in January 2014. Lauren joins big brother, Joseph.

1999 Adele Plumail Salisbury and her husband, Pete, welcomed the birth of their daughter, Simone Violet Salisbury, on August 2, 2014.

Simone

Deaths 1964 Daniel Chapple on May 28, 2014.

1965 George Soltys on September 17, 2013.

1969 Matthew Byrne, son of Edward Byrne, on August 24, 2014.

Richard Fastiggi, brother of Raymond Fastiggi, on May 1, 2014.

1970 Licia Albanese Gimma, mother of Joseph Gimma, on August 15, 2014.

1970, 1971 & 2004 Luigi Racanelli, father of Nicholas Racanelli † ’70 and Luigi Racanelli ’71, and grandfather of Luigi Racanelli ’04, on August 11, 2014.

1983 Marianne McCarty in May 2014.

Irwin Ruttenberg, father of Gary Ruttenberg and his sister, Holly, who briefly attended Loyola, on July 25, 2014.

1999 Paddy Lynch, uncle of Mary Ann Lynch-Minson, on August 16, 2014.

2004 & 2006 Richard Cirbus, father of Mary Cirbus ’04 and Allison Cirbus ’06, on August 12, 2014.

2002, 2005, 2009, and 2017 Angela Vinci, mother of James Vinci (former Board member), and Elizabeth, Catherine, Margaret, and Caroline Vinci on October 4, 2014.