ALUMNI
NOTEWORTHY Discover what your fellow alumni are up to below, then explore more class notes at sluh.org/alumni.
Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie ’66 went Missing in Action on May 11, 1972. For 14 years, his remains rested in the Vietnam War Tomb of the Unknown. In a special remembrance ceremony last summer, Governor Mike Parson officially proclaimed May 11 as Lt. Michael Blassie Day. Ken Rekowski ’74 retired in June after 48 years with McDonald’s. Rekowski was the National Director of Drive Thru Operations across 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. His team was honored with the Circle of Excellence Award for contributing to the U.S. Business Velocity Growth Plan. Ken Kwapis ’75 zoomed into SLUH in October to discuss film, TV and his experiences directing The Office with current students. His new book, But What I Really Want To Do Is Direct, is available now.
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5 Jr. Bills, 110 Miles Together, Tom Finan ’85, Tom Finan ’24, John Winkelman ’24, Sean Madden ’24 and Jack Perryman ’16 completed a 110-mile hike over just two weeks of an expeditious Philmont trek.
Jason Purnell, Ph.D. ’95, was named one of the medical industry’s “Top 25 Diversity Leaders in Healthcare.” As a leader at BJC Healthcare, Purnell directs the St. Louis COVID-19 Regional Response Team, a group of organizations that have centralized responses to meet the needs of those most adversely impacted by the pandemic. James Sanders ’97, co-founder and owner of Rockwell Beer Co., opened Rockwell Beer Garden in Francis Park (St. Louis Hills) this October. Rockwell is the first local brewery to open a satellite facility in a St. Louis public park. "It’s important that our customers see and feel the park as it is,” says
Sanders, who lives in the neighborhood. “These parks are gems, and this is an important one.” Brooks Goedeker ’98 is now the Executive Director of the Saint Louis Midtown Development Corporation, working with Saint Louis University and SSM to manage their 400-acre development project – an area pitched to the Board of Alderman as “a natural eastward extension” of the growth spurred by the Cortex Innovation District.
Fr. Matthew Stewart, SJ ’98, who celebrated his first ordained Mass at St. Louis U. High in 2020, returned to SLUH as its full-time Director of Campus Ministry this June. Fr. Matt has served as parochial vicar for College Church at Saint Louis University and assisted at Loyola Academy of Saint Louis. He holds multiple degrees in Music, Theology, Philosophy and Choral Conducting, and maintains a great passion for the St. Louis Blues. Go Blues!
Last summer, former international soccer player Taylor Twellman ’98 provided commentary for the UEFA European Football Championship, while award-winning broadcaster Steve Schlanger ’89 called play-by-play for the Tokyo Olympics – his fourth Olympic broadcast with NBC Sports Group. Fr. Louie Hotop, SJ ’09 was ordained to the Society of Jesus in June. For his first mission, he was sent to the diocese of Brownsville, TX, to work in the Rio Grande Valley along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Together with Fr. Brian Stassburger, SJ, he co-hosts The Jesuit Border Podcast, sharing stories of migrant communities. Henry Matus '18 turned his attention full-time to Bark n Sniff, LLC, the pet nutritional supplement company he developed after facing a brain tumor at SLUH. Matus recently received the 2021 Outstanding Senior in Entrepreneurship award from the Chaifetz School at Saint Louis University.
