The End of An Er a

T H E END OF AN ERA

By Kendr a Neumann

It's the end of an er a at Mater Dei as three teaching giants retire after a combined 128 year s of dedication to our school. Mr s. Brenda Donofr io began her career nearly 30 year s ago at Mater Dei. Mr s. Donofr io was an English Teacher but she was also the hear t and soul of the speech progr am. She lead the team to win the fir st State Championship in Mater Dei High School's histor y, ultimately shaping the Speech Progr am into what it is today. Steve Schaefer '98, Deputy Mayor, City of Evansville said, "It?s difficult to put into words the positive impact that Mr s. Donofr io had on my time at Mater Dei. Without a doubt, the communication skills and public speaking style lear ned from Mr s. Donofr io?s coaching was ver y helpful to the success in my professional career. However, her smile and open ar ms to ever y student walking through her classroom door s was tr uly special.? She tr uly cared about Mater Dei and its students and prepar ing them for the future. While we will miss her greatly, we are so happy for her to enjoy her retirement!

Carl Voegel star ted his teaching career at Mater Dei in the fall of 1977. The impact Mr. Voegel had on his students is extr aordinar y. A lar ge number of students have pur sued degrees in the science and medical fields as a result of his influence. Dr. Jeremy Her r mann '98, Congenital Cardiac Sur geon at Riley Children?s Health, said, "Mr. Voegel had an incredible passion for teaching throughout his career. He maintained high expectations and sought to enr ich the education of all MD students by enhancing the Science Depar tment. His r igorous standards helped prepare me for college (as a biology major), medical school, and residency/fellowship tr aining. Even to this day, I have flashbacks from my advanced biology class mapping creeks, studying anatomy, and so much more. Many people probably do not know how hard he has worked to provide students with exposure to the healthcare field such as through the Health Sciences Institute. His impacts on the Mater Dei and greater community are immeasur able, and I will always be gr ateful to have had the oppor tunity to

lear n from him." Mr. Voegel will be missed but we know he will be around, especially under those Fr iday night lights! Mr. Voegel plans to spend his retirement enjoying time with his gr andkids.

When Mr. Rick Keith announced he would be retir ing, it was a sur real moment for many. Mr. Keith has been teaching at Mater Dei since the fall of 1968 and has left an impression on thousands of students over the year s, in some instances teaching three gener ations of family member s. One of those families is the Boots family. Ger ard Boots '72 stated, "Mr. Keith, as we all lovingly call him, is one of those special people who touches your life in so many ways.

(Wife) Ter r y ?72 and I were students in sever al of Mr. Keith?s math classes 50 year s ago. His skills, car ing per sonality, and teaching abilities coupled with his unique sense of humor made the Man. No one completed a cour se with Mr. Keith without improving their math skills and obtaining a huge respect for the Man."

One of the many qualities ever yone remember s and loves about Mr. Keith were his backhanded compliments. Boots said, "Mr. Keith would encour age you to lear n while administer ing his guidance utilizing many for ms of psychology with one of his favor ites being backhanded compliments. He never missed an oppor tunity to infor m you and your fr iends why your actions fell shor t of most socially accepted tar gets."

As Boots continued to reflect on the impact Keith had on him and his family, he stated, "Mr. Keith has engr aved his name and per sonality into the histor y of Mater Dei. Only a few in the long histor y of the school have affected so many students in such a positive manner. We all share in the celebr ation of the Man and wish him the best in his future endeavor s. He will be forever missed but never for gotten."

After the Honor s Day progr am this past May, when the time came to honor Mr. Keith, all faculty, staff, and students that he had in class were invited to stand to recognize him? it was nearly standing room only for just a small por tion of all those he has impacted. As Mr. Keith embarks on his retirement, we wish him the best. He plans to attend as many Br aves games as possible

CONGRAT UL AT I ONS ON YOUR RET I REM ENT !

For t he l ast 34 year s, M ol l y Weber has ser ved as t he At hl et i c Of f i ce Secr et ar y under t he di r ect i on of John Rei ni t z, Joe Di ppel , and Joe Her r m ann. We t hank her for her dedi cat i on t o M at er Dei and w i sh her al l t he best i n her r et i r em ent !