Class Notes 1967 |
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| Peter French 27955 Forestwood Parkway North Olmsted, Ohio 44070 440.734.5553 peter2play@yahoo.com |
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| fall 2008 | Well, it is that time again -- class notes. Hope all are well. With that, I want to thank all classmates who wrote me notes and cards to inquiry about my recent event in February this year. I appreciate it! How is this for an incident. I had to go to the Westlake Library a few weeks ago for a meeting. During a break, I noticed a book on a shelf -- it was blue. Upon closer inspection, the title of the book was “A history of John Carroll University” by Donald Gavin, from 1985. It was a signed copy. Mr. Gavin actually signed he book to Bill Dugan “in appreciation for your years of service as a member of the Carroll Board of Trustees.” I signed it out, it was an interesting book. Before I returned it, I went to the alumni office and picked up several copies of the recent John Carroll magazine and returned the book and the magazines to the library. I returned in a couple of days and the Carroll magazines were gone -- the book was still there. You never know! ... At our recent monthly meeting, fellow alumni were present: Chris Rodeno, John Forhan, Tom Ashdown; John Gibbons, Sam Colacarro and yours truly. John Forhan was making his annual visit from Santa Barbara, CA, to visit family and friends. John had some great stories about living in California. He continues to work part time and watch his grandchildren. Reach John at jpfinsb@cox.net. ... John Gibbons reported that his son, Tim, recently got married to Mary Sokolowski, whose parents own the University Inn in Cleveland. This is the restaurant that every politician who runs for higher office must stop at, including, presidential candidates. The restaurant is a very popular spot for lunch. Given that, John stated that he will remain the head coach at Bedford High School -- at least for the near future. John has been busy this summer as he participated in several football camps, including one at The Ohio State University. He just concluded one at Bedford High School that was attended by over 300 area football players. He also stated that he and his lovely wife, Pat, will soon have 18 grandchildren. John will soon be the head coach of his own football team. ... Speaking of weddings -- Tom Ashdown reports that two of his daughters will be married this summer. ... Recently heard from Lou Shainker who recently returned to Cleveland from a trip with a hiking club Elderhostel to Yellowstone National Park. Lou reported that it was a fantastic adventure. His group did a lot of hiking and saw all kinds of wildlife. Lou can be reached shainker@apk.net. Lou also helps out on our class reunions. Speaking of reunions, I visited the JCU campus in June to attend Reunion ’08. I was scouting ideas for our 45th Reunion. I know, it is too far ahead, but we can still plan. ... In my current position as the community resource specialist for the Department of Justice, I get to travel to several area cities such as Toledo, Youngstown; Canton, Warren and Akron. ... Have great summer and don’t forget the fall activities at Carroll. I predict this year JCU will defeat Mount Union! ... I am taking a trip to Chicago in the fall, if class alumni receive a call from yours truly, I will be requesting updates from you. Or, you can contact me at Peter2play@yohoo.com. Nice talking to you hope to see you around. Keep the cards and notes coming. Peter |
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| summer 2008 | Hello class of ’67. Spring has finally sprung and I hope all are well and that you can enjoy the weather. First off a note about Jerry Pockar’s retirement from John Carroll. You all know him as the university editor. We watched as under his stewardship the John Carroll magazine has experienced tremendous growth. He was of great assistance to all class columnists and always offered the best advice to make us better writers. On behalf of the class of ’67, I want to thank Jerry for all of his efforts in producing such a quality product. At the same time, I want to wish the new University Editor, Ken Kesegich, congratulations on his selection. I hope to meet with Ken in the near future. ... For several years a group of alumni have been meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Mavis Winkle’s Irish Pub in Independence on Rockside Road. Bob Spicer ’66 started this tradition and it has been in existence for four years and grows each year. The common bond is that we all graduated form either Cathedral Latin or St. Ignatius High Schools and also from JCU. I will not mention the age range but it is sufficient to state that none of us needs an interpreter yet. It is a lively crowd and all are invited. OK, OK, we all graduated between 1965-1970. ... I have to admit that I recently have not been in contact with our alumni. There is a good reason -- On Feb. 14, 2008, I was conducting a meeting at Federal Court in the office of U.S. Marshal, Pete Elliott, when in mid sentence, I froze. I was talking about how excited I was about the Weed and Seed Program that I oversee. We were working on the marshal’s “Operation Second Chance” for the youth in Cleveland. It targets kids wanted on truancy charges and clearing up their warrants. I drew a blank and stared at the wall as I began to fall to the floor. In attendance were Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Marilyn Cassidy and Ellen Fishman, the executive director of the Learning Disabilities Association in Cuyahoga County. They guided me to the floor as I passed out. Pete Elliott noticed that my eyes rolled up, I stopped breathing in his office. Apparently I was gone. Judge Cassidy, a registered nurse who has maintained her license, resuscitated me with mouth to mouth until a medical crew arrived and transported me to a hospital. The bottom line was that I had a stroke -- I was in the right place at the right time with the right people. A potentially bad incident turned out to be OK. Now I am known as the man who received the best kiss ever on Valentine’s Day! All is well. ... As I recovered, I began to think of our classmates who may be suffering from an illness. If anyone knows of such a class member, please advise me and I will be sure to send that person a card on behalf of our class. JCU alumni have several outings scheduled this spring and summer, so don’t forget to read your e-mails from Carroll. This summer, it’s an Indians baseball game. Well, that’s it for now. Don’t be shy, let me hear from you. This is the time of the year when JCU really looks great. Take a drive and check it out. See you later, Peter |
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| spring 2008 | Hope all had a great holiday season and are enjoying the New Year. This year the JCU Alumni Office is offering some great opportunities for alumni to get together. For example JCU played basketball at Cleveland State University and lost by only 10 points. Recently, the Alumni Office offered a package to attend a local game at the Gund Arena in Cleveland. I’m sure that baseball is in the near future. Continue to check out the e-News sent by Alumni Relations, it’s a great source of information. If you aren’t receiving it, send your e-mail address to journal@jcu.edu to get on the list. Speaking about alumni events, at one of them, I had occasion to speak with Mary Lavin ’87, the new director of Alumni Relations. What an asset she will be for the JCU family. She is very enthusiastic over her involvement with all the alumni. It was nice to spend some time with her. ... Let’s get to it! Classmate Pete Bernardo director of planned giving at JCU was elected to the University Heights City Council. He won in a landslide vote as all the JCU alumni who reside in University Heights voted for Pete. OK-OK, Pete ran as an independent and had no opposition. It is still a good achievement. I told Pete that he may become the next Tim Russert ’72, but on a local level. I’m sure that Pete would like hearing from his many friends from the JCU community - 216.397.4217. ... Recently heard from John Forhan who updated me on the large fires that struck the California area last year. John resides in Los Pinas which is in the Santa Barbara, Calif. area. Although the fires hit to the north of him, he did not experience a direct hit. John stated that it was certainly a tense week or so in his residential area. He feels very lucky that his home did not receive any damage. ... Chris Rodeno and his wife, Marilyn, recently celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary. It was of interest to me as I was in the wedding party along with several other ’67 classmates. Has it been that long? They have three grown sons and spend a lot of time with their grandchildren. Chris continues to work in the securities, stocks, and bond business. His office is located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. ... Thomas Flynn writes that he recently retired as the director of admissions ITT Technical Colleges. Tom was also the head baseball coach at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney High School. Tom related that he really enjoyed his years at JCU and he would like to hear from fellow class members. Tom resides in Boardman, Ohio, and he can be reached at 330.758.3684. Tom, we wish you a happy retirement. ... Last but not least, Mike Mullin called to state that he retired from the Society for The Blind. As soon as he retired, he received a call from the State of Ohio and they offered him a position at Northcoast Behavior Healthcare which is located next to Metro General Hospital in Cleveland. After years in various administrative capacities, Mike decided to return to counseling and now works as a counselor and is part of a clinical evaluation team at Northcoast Behavior. Mike stated that he had a good rest as his retirement lasted two weeks. Mike has been in social service for over 35 years. Congratulations Mike. ... Well that’s it for now. Hope that I didn’t miss anyone this time. Now this is under the topic of valuable data: as of June 2008, our 45th Class Reunion is four years away. It is never too early to think about the future or of reunion ideas and suggestions. I believe in planning ahead! Hope to see you at the various JCU alumni functions in ’08. Send those updates to - peter2play@yahoo.com or journal@jcu.edu or just call me at 440.734.5553. ... Looking forward to hearing from ’67 classmates, Peter |
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| fall 2007 | Hello – hope all of you are enjoying the fantastic fall weather. Cleveland has been very lucky this season. Some local events worth mentioning: Homecoming was held at Carroll -- a great day and an unforgettable football game. JCU won in overtime and the score was 20-17 -- a last second field goal won it for Carroll over B-W. President Robert L. Niehoff, SJ, recently celebrated his 25th anniversary of being a Jesuit priest. A Mass was held at Gesu and it was a wonderful event. It just affirms that we were part of a wonderful experience at JCU. ... For all of our out-of-town alumni friends that still follow local sports, the Cleveland Indians are playing for the right to be the American Division champs to play in the World Series. We are hopeful that by the time you read this, we will be the world champs. If any of you have a story about the playoffs, write/call me to tell me about it. ... Want to advise the class of ’67 that the JCU Career Center has a new on-line program called Carroll Contacts. It helps to spread important news and information to our classmates. The program helps to connect current JCU students to alumni who can offer students an insight into our careers and offer advice. Very good program! ... Recently heard from -- Gary McKillips - gmckill@hotmail.com - is the Public Relations director for Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business. Gary is also a free-lance sportscaster and had a recent role in the new ESPN original production, Ruffian. Gary also reported that he has been a vice president in the telephone industry and was the VP of corporate and sports PR with Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta. Gary began his career as a public information officer in the U.S. Army after graduating from Carroll. He served with the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. ... Donald T. Rocen reports that he joined the law firm of Miller and Chevalier in Washington, D.C., and is in their tax development division. He was previously employed as deputy chief counsel for operations in the Chief Counsel’s Office where he supervised 1000 attorneys. Congratulations to Donald. ... Bill Ryan in New Orleans sends greetings. Bill was recently featured in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Bill, through his company, Ryan Companies, recently developed a former historic New Orleans funeral home into a new Borders bookstore. The new store is set to open in November of 2008. It will be the first national bookstore in Orleans Parish since 2003. Bill reports that this retail project will help revitalize a deteriorating section of New Orleans. Congratulations to Bill. Sounds like a great project. The word is that the new book store will have a “spooky” section. ... I have a quick story to relate. There was a recent column in our local paper that stated that the BC in London, England was in the process of preparing a documentary on the life of Bob Hope with a focus of his life in Cleveland before he became an international star. They were looking for individuals who knew Bob Hope and were familiar with his life in Cleveland. Since I had met him on several occasions over the years, I contacted them and volunteered to participate in the project. To make a long story short, I was called by the BBC as I was selected! I was interviewed over a period of several days in Cleveland and gave my observations. I actual met Bob Hope during one of his USO shows in Korea. (I was in the Army as I was drafted after I graduated from JCU.) While I was stationed in Korea as a military policeman, I was selected to be a guard during his travels in Korea and had the opportunity to talk to him. When he found out that I was from Cleveland, we spent the better part of an hour discussing his old hometown. He really enjoyed talking about Cleveland. I also advised him that I had previously met him at old Cain Park in the early ’60s. Our classmate, John Gibbons’ father was a childhood friend of Bob Hope. Great stories. It was a great experience and one that I never forgot. The show will be aired in London in early 2008. I asked if I was going to be air lifted to London for the premier and they said no. Oh well, I’ll have the memories. ... Well take care; please continue to send your news to me. I have enjoyed sharing these moments with the class of ’67. Peter |
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| summer 2007 | Oh, what a day, or should I say ... a couple of days as that is what our 40th reunion was all about. We had perfect weather and a perfect weekend for the reunion. First, thanks to my fellow committee members for all of their time and assistance: Pete Bernardo, Robert Boharic; Mark DeLong, Bob McFarland, Thomas Murphy, William Ryan; Gerald Uranker. The committee spent about six months in the planning of the reunion. Several of the above were present via conference calls. Their commitment was well appreciated and we had fun at the planning meetings at JCU. ... Those who attended reunion all agreed that it is great to see our classmates once again and to reminisce about the past. What a past it was. Remember ’67 when hippies were all over the place -- even in Cleveland -- it was a year when America was transformed. Oh, the memories we shared. We had over 30 alumni in attendance and we raised a total of $162,172 for JCU. That is a tremendous accomplishment and it represents 25% of our class. Thank you to all who participated with your donations. During the dinner on Saturday, President Niehoff stopped by to personally thank us! ... Bill Ryan from New Orleans called the week of the reunion to advise that he was unable to attend due to business concerns at his company. Bill donated his reunion money as his class gift. He really looked forward to seeing all of his friends. He conveyed his best to all. ... John Forhan also called to state that he could not attend due to his new semester beginning. He teaches a class in sports law and is able to combine his two loves -- the law and sports at Antioch University in Santa Barbara, CA. ... John Gibbons likewise was unable to attend due to his football schedule at Bedford High School. We missed all of the above and we shared a few stories about them -- all positive. ... I would like to extend a personal thanks to Pete Bernardo, who is our special connection to JCU. He coordinated our class tree planting ceremony on Saturday afternoon of the reunion. We gathered behind Dolan Science Center and said a few prayers for our deceased alumni -- 57 have passed away. There is a class of ’67 plaque under the tree so next time you’re on campus look for it. Bob Boharic read the names of class members we have lost since the last reunion at the Mass and Moment of Remembrance held at Gesu. ... Lou Shainker reported to me at the reunion that he has been the president of the Holy Name Society at Holy Name Church for three years. ... It was great to catch up with Tim David. He resides in Denver and is in management. Tim stated that although he loves Denver, he will return to Carroll for the next reunion. This was Tim’s first time back to the campus. Several other alumni also revealed that it was their first time to a JCU reunion. Michael Kowalski attended from Washington, D.C. where he practices law. Mike Grady also returned to the campus from Charlotte, N.C. where he is in marketing. Mike attends every reunion and provided entertainment for us all with his stories. We all enjoyed once again the wit and humor of Charlie McCarthy from Chicago – lots of stories about his boat he keeps in Chicago. All alumni are invited for a ride whenever they are in Chicago! We were able to spend time with Jack Winchester and Mark DeLong. Jack came in from Atlanta. He is in management with the QUIKRETE Companies which he owns with his brothers. Jack related that he was actually married at Gesu Church. Thanks for coming Jack. Jim Hughes had some great stories. He manages two museums in Waterloo, NY. Tim Mertz and his wife, Diane, attended from Munster, IN. We were all part of the group at the wine tasting on campus. Rudy Rehm and his wife attended from San Diego, CA. Great to see Rudy again. ... I know I missed some alumni. In my next column, I will get caught up with other alumni news that I have received. I want to also thank the wonderful staff at JCU for all of their assistance; Michele McFarland; Patricia Callahan, and Theresa Spada ’04 Carroll’s alumni & special events coordinator. Thanks and we love ya. ... Remember, June of 2012 for the next reunion -- never to early. Keep in touch, Peter |
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| spring 2007 | Hello class of ’67. Spring is finally here at the home of JCU! For alumni who reside in the Cleveland, OH, area, you know of what I speak. Speaking of the spring, my wife, Jan, and I recently went to Chicago to visit our daughter, Jennifer ’99. As we were driving by Lake Michigan, we were struck at the number of people along the shores of lake Michigan. The beach was crowded. On our stay there, I left several copies of the last two John Carroll magazines in the lobby area of the Drake Hotel where we were staying. It took 24 hours, but comments on the magazines were very favorable. Some people were there to attend various meetings. You never know! I called our friend, Charlie McCarthy, but he was not home. I left a message about our Reunion at Carroll in June. Charlie is an attorney in Oak Brook, near Chicago. ... Recently I heard from -- Frank Tricomi from Chesterland, MO, writes that he is a VP of Operations & Business Division at Conley & Associates Inc. While at JCU, Frank was a member of the Pershing Rifles and the Scabbard & Blade. Frank and his wife, Barbara, are well. ... Daniel Harrington writes that he and his wife, Kathleen, reside in South Euclid, OH, (my old home town). Daniel is the CFO at Saint Luke’s Foundation. He sends his greetings to all. ... Heard from Robert Sledz. He and his wife, Ingrid, reside in Rocky River, OH. Robert reports that he retired from Garfield Heights High School after 35 years of teaching. He is the current president of the Cleveland Astronomical Society since 2003. ... Joseph Mosinski advises that he resides in Hinckley, OH, and is the president of the Mosinski Funeral Home, Inc., in the Cleveland area. ... A note for our sports-minded alumni, John Gibbons recently became the new head football coach at Bedford High School. John has a career coaching record of 204-74 since he began his career at his alma mater, Cathedral Latin School. John has won two Division III state football titles. Congratulations and good luck John. ... Looking forward to the class of ’67 Reunion Weekend on June 22-24 on campus in University Heights. It’s been 40 years! Can this be? As you know, our goal is to reach $100,000 class gift. To date, we have reached over $67,000 and are almost there – we can reached it with the class of ’67s help. Any Reunion Weekend questions, please contact Theresa Spada - tspada@jcu.edu. ... Keep the cards and notes coming. As always, Peter |
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| winter 2007 | Hello class of ’67. Hope all is well as the New Year begins. Winter has arrived on the North Coast in Cleveland. But we can begin to turn our thoughts to June and our 40th Class Reunion. How is that for a lead in? Your reunion committee has been hard at work to provide the best reunion experience for our class. We are working on the events for Saturday the June 23 and have some great events planned. We have discussed the following: having a memorial service for our deceased classmates (Bob Carey, Vietnam vets, etc.); speakers for a class lecture on investing/retirement and VA benefits; a location on campus to gather and display our class memorabilia (year books, pictures, signs, etc.); Saturday class lunch on the campus. ... Bob Boharic has summed it up this way: “my wife and I have really enjoyed the past reunions and we are looking forward the 40th in June.” We have decided to divide the class into geographic regions and by clubs/sports. The following committee members were identified to contact classmates: Chicago & Pre Med: Bob Boharic - bobboaric@hotmail.com, I-CHIs: Mark DeLong markd10416@aol.com and Bill Ryan - wfr@ryco.nocoxmail.com, ROTC: Pete Bernardo - pbernardo@jcu.edu, Bill Ryan, JerryUranker - uranker@admworld.com; Football: Bill Ryan, Band/PHI THETO MU: Jerry Uranker; Sociology: Peter French - peter2play@yahoo.com; Cleveland alumni: Mark DeLong, Peter French, Pete Bernardo, Bob McFarland - bmcfarland@summitracing.com, Louis Shainker - shainker@apk.net. Please feel free to contact any of the above classmates to confirm your attendance or to give additional suggestions -- we can always use! You can also contact Theresa Spada ’04, alumni coordinator at JCU. We are also asking that members of our class contact their friends and make plans to attend reunion. Personal telephone calls are still the best way to get participation! By the time you receive John Carroll magazine, you will have received a letter advising of the Reunion and getting our class pumped to attend. Our class theme for the reunion is THE CLASS OF ‘67 WILL ROCK IN ‘07! --100 alumni of the class of ‘67 to attend -- 100 alumni members to contribute -- $100,000 is the class gift goal (OK, OK -- we’ll take $50,000) ... I have recently heard from Rudolph Rehm, who reports that he elected to take an early retirement from KPMG in 1994. He has been enjoying his second career in the world of venture ever since. He and his wife, Carla, are also enjoying their five grandchildren. Rudolph resides La Jolla, CA, and they’ll attend the 40th Reunion. ... Talking about California, John Forhan recently contacted me to state he will also attend the Reunion from Santa Barbara. ... Richard Byrne from Garfield Heights, OH., continues to work at Penske Logistics. ... Dr. Leonard Janchar reports that he and his wife, Dorothy, reside in Marion, OH, where he is a pediatrician. ... Kevin O’Connor writes from Naperville, IL, where he resides with his wife, Mary Jo. More alumni news coming in the next column. ... Hope to see all of you at our 40th Reunion. ... Take care and keep the telephone calls, e-mails and notes directed to me. Peter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| fall 2006 |
For our column this time, I would like to focus on Reunion Weekend, June 22-24, 2007. Additional information will be directed to alumni through this column and from Theresa Spada ’04 - tspada@jcu.edu - the new reunion and special events coordinator at Carroll. Reunion June ’07 will be our 40th -- which is hard to believe! We have started to form our reunion committee to plan the weekend and have the following members: Mark DeLong; Bill Ryan; Bob McFarland; Pete Bernardo; John Forhan -- our West Coast representative; Tom Ashdown -- he is a great planner; and yours truly, Peter French. We have set an attendance goal of 100 Class of ’67 alumni. Our class has approximately 600 alumni -- 54 deceased and 93 address unknown. That gives us 453 alumni to convince that Reunion Weekend is a great time! All ’67 alumni are encouraged to volunteer and become involved in the reunion process. We meet at JCU -- which is centrally located or area alumns and we can conference call the meeting. So e-mail Theresa or me to volunteer to serve on the planning committee. ... How about this: being rated in USA Today as one of the top 10 high school football teams in the country; being rated the no.1 high school football team in the Midwest by USA Today; and being rated the top high school football team in the Cleveland area by Cleveland’s THE PLAIN DEALER. Congratulations to John Gibbons, head coach at St. Edward High School! FYI, since there are numerous alumni around from St. Ignatius and St. Edward, the famous game was recently held and St. Edward prevailed for the second year in a row with a score of 21-13. ... I attended the JCU Homecoming festivities, which was well attended and it is always great being back on campus. ... Recently spent time with Mark Delong and we discussed the reunion and shared some ideas. Mark and his wife, Susan, continue to reside in Huron, OH. ... Bill Ryan, in New Orleans, is anxious to return to Cleveland for the reunion. ... Don’t forget to call; write; or e-mail with your ideas and suggestions for reunion ’07. I look forward to hearing ideas from all alumni! Have a great holiday season. Yours, Peter
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summer 2006 |
| Hello again class of ’67. As of this writing the Cleveland area is experiencing a heat spell as you are probably also in your area. Time for more golf and tennis. Hope all are well ... on with the news. Recently heard from Marc Gluchov who reside in Doral, FL, with is wife, Sherry, with their three children. He’s established his Diamond Trading Company, for the buying, selling and appraising of precious stones and antique/estate jewelry in the Miami, FL, area. Marc can be reached at 9805 N.W. 52nd Street, #520, Doral, Florida 33178 - DiaTrader@yahoo.com. Great to hear from Marc. ... Recently went to hear Tim Russert ’72 in downtown Cleveland when he appeared for a fundraiser for John Carroll scholarships. Great talk. He discussed a follow up book to his successful book, “Me and Big Russ” and spoke very highly of Carroll. ... Also attended reunion on campus -- mentioned only because our next reunion is scheduled for June of ’07. If anyone is interested in joining a reunion committee, please contact the alumni office @ 216-397-4322. ... Recently, Tom Ashdown had the idea to have a mini reunion for Cleveland area alumni and began calling in May to plan it. Tom found out that John Forhan was going to be in town, visiting family. John resides in Santa Barbara, CA, and doesn’t get back to Cleveland very much. Tom was successful in getting John Gibbons, Sam Colacarro, Ben Litra, Mark DeLong, Peter French, Tom and John to attend at a local restaurant. Peter, John Gibbons, Tom and Ben attend grade school, high school and Carroll together. How about that for togetherness? We also used this occasion to invite several other members of our Cathedral Latin High School class to attend. In all, we had almost 25 attend and a great time was had by all! Ben Litra informed me that he is in business with his son, Brian. Member Auto Lease (new car and lease) is located at 4509 Renaissance Parkway, Warrensville Heights, OH, 330.284.1468. Ben has been in business for over 25 years. ... In closing, please contact me 440.734.5553 or the alumni office to begin the process for our reunion. Hope to see you all in June of 2007 for our 40th! ... If you’d like to read more historical articles about JCU in future editions of John Carroll magazine, let Jerry Pockar, our editor, know - 1-800-736-2586. Also, I’m in the process of changing my e-mail address so send ’67 information and notes to journal@jcu.edu with a class of ’67 subject line. Thanks and keep those notes and information coming. As always, Peter
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spring 2006 |
| Hello class of ’67. Spring is finally here! We can get out the golf clubs and take life seriously. ... I was recently in Chicago and placed issues of the last magazine in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel. It was not 10 minutes later when an alumnus began reading the magazine. His daughter graduated from JCU and he was visiting her. I was also there visiting my daughter, Jennifer, who graduated in the class of 1999. Yes, we were there for St. Patrick’s Day. We saw the green put in the Chicago River. The parade never actually goes down Michigan Avenue but there was a lot of activity. We went to a gathering and there were a lot of JCU grads around. Now the parade in Chicago is a week before St. Pat’s so we were also able to attend the Cleveland event. Cleveland had 375,000 in attendance. Chicago had a bit more! ... Heard from Anthony Baltakis. Anthony resides in Eunice, LA, with his wife, Donna, and two children. Anthony reports that he received his Ph.D. from the University of Akron. He was just promoted to a full professor of history at Louisiana State U at Eunice. He was also selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach in the Czech Republic at the University of W. Bohemia in Plezn. Congratulations to Anthony - abaltaki@lsue.edu. ... Spoke to Mark DeLong recently and his lovely wife, Susan. He became an extension of the French family when his daughter married my nephew, Michael French. They are expecting their second child soon. Mark and his wife love being grandparents and spend as much time with their grandchildren as possible. Mark resides in Huron, OH. At family functions, Mark and I talk about our days at JCU. ... Spoke to several other alumni: Carl Glotz continues to enjoy his retirement. ... Tom Ashdown keeps very busy. ... I recently spoke with Mike Mullin. He continues to work at the Society of The Blind in Cleveland and enjoys his work. Mike recently stopped by my office and we went over some old times. In fact, Mike and I returned to the Cleveland area at the same time in 1980. ... John Forhan called from Santa Barbara to say all is well in sunny CA. John continues to enjoy retirement. He and his wife, Carol, also enjoy their time with their grandchildren. ... John Gibbons called to state that he and his wife, Pat, recently returned from a trip to Naples, FL. They had a great time and ran into some JCU alumni. ... If you have the time, call Jerry Pockar at his JCU office about his great efforts for the John Carroll magazine. I know that we all look forward to receiving it. Don’t forget to call if you want to attend an Indians game. We could even work through the alumni office. ... Take care. Keep the notes and calls and e-mails directed my way. Say hi if you see me on the street! Peter
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winter 2006 |
| I’ll start by wishing everyone a happy New Year -- wasn’t 2005 a great year for JCU! John Carroll’s 24th president, Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, SJ, was installed on October 11, 2005 and to end the year, JCU’s basketball team played Cleveland State for the first time in almost 20 years. Cleveland area alumni were e-mailed an invitation to meet downtown before the game. My brother, Richard ’69, and I attended. Tony DeCarlo ’66G did a great job making the arrangements -- a good time was had by all. Although JCU lost, it was a great opportunity to meet alums from other classes and discuss old times! ... Talk about meeting -- baseball season is almost upon us. During April and May, the Cleveland Indians offer a 50% discount on tickets in the bleacher section. This might be an opportunity for us to meet as a group. May is probably a better month due to weather in our spring season. Contact -- journal@jcu.edu -- and I’ll get the message that you are interested. ... Our classmate, John Gibbons recently received notice that he was to receive the Dr. Lee and Eloise Tressel Memorial Coach’s Award. The award was given in February by the Cleveland Touchdown Club at the IX Center. John is the coach of St. Edward High School. His team went a record 11-0, only to loose in the State semifinals -- a school record for wins. Congratulations John from the class of ’67. ... I recently had contact with William Ryan who we last saw at our Reunion Weekend in 2002. Bill resides in New Orleans and I wanted to see how he and his family were doing after Katrina. This is what Bill had to say: It has been very difficult here in New Orleans. 60% of the city is still uninhabitable and will be so for years to come. The future will be very challenging but many very exciting and unique opportunities will present themselves. To be involved in a city that has lost 75% of its citizens will create unparalleled opportunities. My three children Neal (wife, Mimi), Meghan, Andrew and my wife, Pam, are all in New Orleans and committed to rebuilding New Orleans. Many of the stories about our stay during the storm are now history and our focus is the present and our future. Best wishes in 2006 – Bill Ryan. We thank Bill for sharing his thoughts with us. Bill can be reached at 504-840-9700 -- wfr@ryco.mocoxmail.com. Bill, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. ... Well, time to sign off. Don’t forget to le me know about the baseball game. See you later, Peter
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fall 2005 |
| Hello class! Hope all is well as we enter into the winter phase of our local weather cycle. Our autumn weather has been great for football. How about that for a segue to JCU football. Their current season has been going great. As of this writing, they have only lost one game. You got it! We lost to Mt. Union. Needless to say we were off our game that day. Since then we have not lost one game. The Homecoming game was especially great. JCU has a chance to this year to be a major player in the OAC. A major attraction at the games is to see our own Pete Bernardo run the sidelines as a lineman for all of JCU home games. He does a great job and Pete says that it keeps him in shape. Alumni should not forget that Pete is the director of planned giving at JCU. The Magis Society was created over 12 years ago. Call him at 216-397-4217 to get more information. As a side concerning the Mt. Union game, the outside linebacker is a young man by the name of Mike Gibbons. He is their leading return tackier. Mike was recruited by JCU but Mt. Union was a better fit. If the name sounds familiar, his father is John Gibbons former head coach at Lake Catholic High School and the head coach of St. Edward High School. Mike also wants to get into coaching after college. ... This has been a busy time at JCU. Although I’m sure in this edition of John Carroll magazine you will read about the recent inaugural events of JCU’s 24th president, Reverend Robert L. Niehoff, SJ, I thought I would give you my perspective of the day’s events as I was in attendance. The inauguration was held on campus and took up the entire day of October 11. The day included Mass, lunch, parade to the ceremony, and a reception. It was a wonderful and moving experience for all in attendance. Bishop Anthony Pilla ’61 and G’67 presided over the Mass. There were numerous presidents from other Jesuit institutions in attendance, presidents from other universities, students, faculty, and staff from JCU also participated. At the conclusion of the Mass, a standing ovation was given. Rev. Niehoff spoke of his theme for the inauguration, “Engaging The World.” At the end of the day, we certainly knew that phrase. I had a chance to speak with out-going president, Fr. Glynn. Who after 7 years as president was looking forward to future challenges. I have really enjoyed my conversations with Fr. Glynn over his term as president. The most rewarding experience of the inauguration was that as class scribe, I was asked to be part of the alumni who marched across campus as part of the procession. I had the chance to talk to other reps and get their view of the days’ activities and all were extremely positive. I especially enjoyed talking to class scribe Fran Nunney ’66 at lunch. It was a festive atmosphere. Our editor, Jerry Pockar was there -- great job Jerry. ... Yours truly recently attended a reception with mayor Jane L. Campbell for my work on the Reentry Committee. We deal with the return of individuals from prison and the challenges they face and the impact for all of us from families and neighborhoods to government and businesses. I continue to be part of the City of Cleveland Reentry Initiative. Great program. ... Hope to hear from all soon. My e-mail - peterfrench@orianahouse.org - or 216-881-7882. Have a great fall and go JCU! Peter
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| summer 2005 |
| Hello -- summer of ’05 is going by really fast. Too fast for all of us golf and tennis addicts. Hope all experienced a great season. PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS: Date to remember: December of ’05. JCU basketball team will play CSU at Cleveland State. Talk about a good game. This could be a very interesting event. We will hear more about this game as the season approaches. If classmates are interested in attending the game, let me know and we can plan something. Can e-mail me at: peterfrench@orianhouse.org. Along the same line of thinking, looking forward to the next football season at JCU. That also means that Homecoming is not far away. ... Sorry to report that Sam Colacarro’s wife, Marianne, passed away. Our condolences to Sam and his family. Sam continues to be the AD at Lake Catholic High School. He can be reached at: 216-951-0077. ... Recently spoke to Mike Mullin. Mike continues to work at the Cleveland Society for The Blind. We always have a lot to talk about concerning our time at JCU. ... Spent an afternoon with Mark DeLong and his wife, Susan, at a baptism for a family member – we had a good time reminiscing about our JCU days and some mutual friends. Mark is a grandfather and is enjoying his new role. Although Mark is retried from his former job, he is a consultant. Mark and his wife continue to reside to Huron, OH, close to Lake Erie which he enjoys. ... Recently attended a retirement party for a former co-worker, Jim Kadlubak ’70, from the U.S. Court House. At the party was classmate Carl Glotz who is also retired from the U.S. Court House. Carl teaches part-time at Kent State University and really enjoys the challenge. Carl has a passion for the Civil War and reads and studies the conflicts of the war. FYI: At one time when we were all working at the U.S. Court House, there were nine former JCU graduates working at the U.S. Probation Office. We used to have mini reunions every day – had to be there. ... I received a call at my office not to long ago from John Forhan. He was in Cleveland visiting family and wanted to get together -- we did and had a great afternoon. John resides in Santa Barbara, CA, with his wife Carol. Hadn’t seen John for about five years so we had a lot to talk about. John is a retired lawyer but works part-time at a local law school. He spends a lot of time with his grandchildren. John wanted me to say “hello” to all of his former classmates. He will try to time his visit to Cleveland for our next class reunion. John, being Irish, is a great storyteller! ... Now get this. I called several people to meet with John – one being Tom Ashdown. He was happy to meet with us for the afternoon and related that he is also retired. Notice the theme here-retirement! He worked at Glidden and had a long career there. Tom and his wife, Maureen, had recent surgery and they are both recovering. Tom and I go way back as we went to grade school, high school, and JCU together. ... Well that’s it. Certainly was nice to talk to old classmates as it always brings back fond memories of our JCU days. Have a great summer and fall. Don’t forget to call, write, or e-mail me directly or through the JCU office. Take care, Peter
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spring 2005 |
| Hello class of ’67. When you read this, the alumni of Cleveland will have experienced a winter to remember. On April 5th we officially had the most snow in our recorded history, including the years spent at JCU. Now, I realize that other alumni around the country also have bad winters but on the 5th of April we clocked in at over 100 inches of snow for the season. Did someone say “golf.” ... SPORTS TIME: I mentioned the Blue Streaks before but this year’s basketball team under the leadership of coach Mike Moran won the OAC division. JCU also reached the final 16 in Division III. JCU did not reach the Final Four but they provided fans with a great ride. I attended several of their games at JCU and a playoff game and it was exciting to be a part of these several sold out games. The game against host Wittenburg went to a double overtime and JCU prevailed 75-68. Wittenburg was stunned -- a great upset for JCU. Congratulations to the team for a wonderful season. ... One of the greats of JCU sports, Carl Taseff ’51, recently passed away. He was a part of JCU football history when he and Don Shula ’51 were seniors on the Blue Streak team of 1950. They played Syracuse in the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium and won the game. He eventually joined Don Shula in Miami with the Dolphins where he stayed for 24 seasons. During that time he was part of two Super Bowls. ... St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland was a great success. It was a beautiful day with the temperature reaching 58. Due to the weather, about 300,000 people participated in the parade. I saw and talked to several JCU grads at the parade. As you know, JCU undergrads always participate in the parade. Mark your calendars as next year St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday. It will be a grand day. ... On March 18, I went to JCU to hear Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, a political party of the Irish Republican Army. He spoke about the peace process in Northern Ireland and presented a very interesting talk. One day there were over 300,000 people in Cleveland for the parade and the next day the Irish descended on JCU. ... I’m sure that we will hear more in the months to come, but the trustees of JCU recently selected a new president, the Rev. Robert Niehoff, SJ from the University of San Francisco where he was a vice-president and an associate provost. Rev. Ed Glynn, SJ is retiring this year. ... Congratulations are in order for Jerry Pockar, editor of the John Carroll magazine. Jerry has been the editor for 10 years. He has really enhanced the quality of John Carroll and made it into something all alumni can be proud of. Congratulations again to Jerry! ... That’s it for now. Please contact me at peterffrench@orianahouse.org. Hope to hear from all of you soon. Don’t forget that Reunion Weekend is June 17-19. All are still welcome Friday and Saturday nights after 9 p.m. -- I go to see old friends. Take care, Peter
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winter 2005 |
| Hello class. By the time you read this I hope the worst part of the winter season has left us. I know other parts of the ’67 alumni landscape have experienced adverse weather conditions but the Cleveland area seems to have reached its limit. OK enough of the climate. Time for news ... In keeping with the weather theme, the JCU Blue Streaks have another great basketball team this year. As of this writing, they are 12-0 and are ranked #3 in the OAC. Talk about an entertainment value! A lot of their games are on Saturday 3:30 p.m. come cheer them on! Speaking of sports, John Gibbons recently completed his football season. Several of the young men that he coached received post-season honors: one was named to the First Team Offense and one was named to the First Team Defense. One player, Alex Boone, was the Cuyahoga County Player of the Year. ... Peter R. Bernardo is the director of Planned Giving at John Carroll. If any alumni desire to become a member of the Magis Society, it is very easy: anyone who leaves a gift to JCU in their estate automatically becomes a member. Pete can be reached at pbernardo@jcu.edu. ... Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I went to Chicago to visit my daughter, Jennifer French ’99. Jennifer works at Ralph Loren on Michigan Avenue. I took several copies of John Carroll magazine and placed them in the reception area of the store. Of course there are a “few” JCU alumni in the Chicago area. Jennifer advised me that there were numerous comments about the alumni journal for two weeks. If you are visiting Chicago in the near future, stop in and ask for Jennifer or call her at 312.280.1655. ... In the FYI department, I recently hired a JCU grad, Raven Lugo ’92 to work at Oriana House, Inc. I believe in hiring JCU alums as they are very well prepared for the workforce. ... Well that’s it -- oh you can reach me at peterffrench@orianahouse.org (I have entered the techno age!) or at the numbers listed above. ... Hope to hear from all soon and to see you at the John Carroll basketball games. Peter
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fall 2004 |
| Since last we met, your columnist had a special experience. During the summer, Cleveland was the host for the International Children’s games 2004. JCU was one of the sponsors and they had an information booth in Cleveland for the duration of the event. I was asked to be a volunteer at the booth by Jerry Pockar, our editor. It was a fabulous experience as I got the opportunity to talk about JCU to numerous world participants at the games. During my volunteer efforts, several members of the Chinese group walked by the booth and gestured at me by putting their heads in their hands and said “JCU ... sleep.” They stayed at the JCU dorms during the games. They certainly took back the memory of JCU when they returned home. This was a very rewarding experience for me. During the fall, JCU hosted a dinner for all of the volunteers during the games. At the dinner I had the opportunity to meet, for the first time, Timothy T. Shannon, SJ, the new vice president for the development and alumni relations. I also spoke to the new alumni relations director, Richard Ryan Daly ’99. Ryan was in the same graduating JCU class as my daughter, Jennifer. Small world! ... The JCU Homecoming football game was held on October 23rd. It was great to see familiar faces at the game. Speaking of football, two JCU alumni have had tremendous football seasons at their schools. Bob Spicer ’66 at Gilmore Academy and John Gibbons ’67 at St. Edward High School. Both coaches had to overcome adversity and they experienced a season that was full of promise. Years ago -- I believe we were seniors at JCU both John and Bob were 9th grade coaches at a local high school (I will not name the high school out of the embarrassment factor). At the time, I was into photography and they asked me to photograph the football games. I would place myself at the top of the stands and film away! Pretty soon it became time to view the games for analysis. Due to a camera malfunction, most of the footage was dark and indescribable-that means the film was no good. Needless to say, I was fired. That was the first reality show. We have remained friends. ... If other alumni of the class of ’67 have any special moments or incidents they would like to share from our JCU days, send them to me. They could make for some interesting reading. ... Congratulations are in order for my nephew Matthew Nocella and Ann Marie Latiak who both attend JCU. They were married on September 25th. ... Take care and do not forget to contact me as I welcome calls with information about our great class of ’67. As always, Peter
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summer 2004 |
| Hello to all classmates of the class of ’67. Hope all are having a great summer and by the time you receive the next edition of John Carroll magazine -- happy fall. How is that for an energetic beginning! Kudos to Jerry Pockar and his staff. The last editions of the magazine have been excellent! If you have any time, call Jerry at JCU and say “hi.” His number is 216-397-1687. What a great publication. Check this out -- I recently went to Hilton Head, SC. As I was waiting in the lobby to go to a function, I was reading a copy of John Carroll magazine. Several people came up to me and stated that they went there. One person from Chicago stated that his daughter is a junior at JCU. I was so impressed that I asked the hotel manager, Daniel Freeland, if I could leave a copy in the lobby. It was there when I left. ... Speaking about publications, I have just finished reading the current book by Tim Russert ’72, “Big Russ & Me.” His book is a very good memoir of his growing up in Buffalo and his relationship with his father. Tim attributes his fundamental values to his father and to the Jesuit education he received at JCU. He speaks very warmly of JCU. He referred to JCU as an idyllic place where he received a good education. It makes for a good summer read. ... Spring in Cleveland is synonymous with the alumni reunion weekend. I know ... I know, ours was a couple of years ago but all alumni can go to any of the reunions. I live fairly close so I drove Friday night to campus to see what was going on. The tent was located in the green space next the Dolan Science Center. Every one continues to be impressed by this new addition to the campus of JCU. My daughter, Jennifer ’99, traveled from Chicago with her friends to attend. It was great to spend time with them -- they had a great time. Of course, I left before they did but I still saw numerous old friends. But that is the best part of going to the reunion -- even in an off year. You never know who you might see. ... Finally, I have heard from several alumni. Robert Desch writes from Charlotte, NC where he and his wife, Sharyn, recently relocated. Robert can be reached deschr@bellsouth.net. Robert is employed at Bell South Company. ... Marc Gluchov advises that he and his wife, Sherry reside in Sarasota, FL. They have three children: Louis, Jessica, & Andrew. Marc is employed at the Diamond Trading Company in Sarasota. When he was at JCU, Marc was a member of the IXYs on campus. ... Closer to home, class of ’67 alumni, Bob McFarland, writes that he and his wife, Michele, have recently moved to Twinsburg after 27 years in the same house. Bob was instrumental in the planning of our class of ’67 last reunion. Michele works in the Public Affairs Office at JCU. Note to Bob -- our next reunion is in three more years! ... In closing, I would remind all of the local alumni of the fall football season, JCU now plays their home games in the new Shula Stadium. What a great venue for football. Fall also brings the Homecoming weekend at JCU. I hope to see ’67 alumni at the JCU games and at the battle of the Westside: St. Edward vs. St. Ignatius. I believe the game is scheduled for November. I’ll be the person in a JCU sweatshirt. ... Take care and don’t forget to contact me with news! Peter
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spring 2004 |
| Spring is here, well not really in N.E. Ohio. As I prepare to pen my notes for this edition of our class notes, it is snowing outside. But by the time you receive your John Carroll magazine and read these notes, it should be spring. ... Remember in a previous column when I mentioned that the Blue Streaks will have a good year. Well they recently completed the best-ever season in the history of JCU! To recap: JCU won the OAC title; won their sectional championship game; and they advanced for the first time in 80 years of JCU basketball to the men’s Division III Final Four. They finished third in the tournament – great season. We are already looking forward to the next season. ... I recently heard from Bob Sledz. Bob just retired from the Garfield Heights City school system where he taught biology, physics, and astronomy for 35 years. Bob revealed that one of his most enjoyable accomplishments was the adaptation of his astronomy course to an Interactive Distance Learning Network which was shown with other school systems. Bob and his wife love to volunteer -- Bob volunteers every year for the Real Men Cook. This year is the 16th edition of the project. Also volunteering for the Real Men Cook is Len Haas, M.D. If classmates want to volunteer or participate -- contact Bob at 440.333.7827; FAX at 440.331.7118, or e-mail: isledz@cox.net. Bob and his wife reside at 22283 Sunny Hill Drive, Rocky River, Ohio, 44116-3774. ... John Zigmond recently called me saying he was visiting friends and family in the area. John is a teacher and while he was at JCU, he was in the MAT program. John and his wife, Theresa, reside in Chicago. He works at Benedictine College in the Chicago area and can be reached at jzigmond@aol.com. ... Samuel J. Gengo recently contacted me from Hartland, WI. Samuel was the president of Tel-Excel Endoscopy, Ltd. Samuel recalled fond memories of his JCU days where he was a member of Beta Tau Sigma. Samuel and his wife, Carol, have three children: Justin, Jill, and Jocelyn and they reside at: W. 307 N. Anderson Road, Hartland, WI., 53029 -- 262-367-5601 or by FAX 262.397.6963. ... Sure has been great to hear from classmates for this column. Keep those items coming. Since summer is almost here and the Cleveland Indians have started their new season, I checked the schedule and there are some great dates available in June and July -- July has 15 home games scheduled. Let me know if any local members of our class would like to attend a game as a group this summer. We could schedule a weekday game – meet for dinner and attend the game. Let me know! We can get Pete Bernardo to attend with us and he can bring us all up to date on the status of JCU. Call or fax me. Anxious to hear from all the alumni of ’67. ... I would like to extend a special thanks to Bob McFarland’s wife, Michele McFarland, in the Department of Public Affairs for all of her able help with my alumni column. ... I hope you all have a great summer! Peter
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winter 2004 |
| Hello! It seems like forever, but here we go again, the next edition of Class Notes for ’67. This is considered the winter edition. Hopefully by the time you read the Class Notes, warmer weather will have prevailed. We hope to publish four regular issues of the magazine with Class Notes for the year. Now this is a lot of writing for yours truly. I need your help! Send me your comments/observations, etc. in care of John Carroll magazine or you can e-mail me at peterffrench@orianahouse.org. ... This has been a very busy year at JCU. The Blue Streaks football team ended on a positive note this year with a 7-3 record. Although they missed the OAC playoffs, they had another very successful year. Homecoming this year was in September and resulted in a victory over Ohio Northern. I mention this because at the halftime celebration the new Don Shula Stadium at Wasmer Field was dedicated. This is a wonderful new venue to watch football. The local ’67 alumni should plan to attend a game in the fall. If you have not been to the new stadium, you will be surprised. ... Also during September, the new Dolan Center for Science and Technology was opened on campus. It was truly an extravaganza -- tours were available for all to enjoy the new structure. This is a building that has to be seen. The building is packed with state-of-the-art labs and computer-equipped classrooms. There are several two-story lighted courts that act as a gathering place for students. There is also a majestic two-story sky lighted atrium that is at the center of the new structure. ... As of this writing, the Blue Streaks basketball team is 10-2, 5-1 in the OAC. They recently won with two seconds remaining on a 3-point play. They have been playing some great basketball this year. There is still time to see the team play and then take a tour of the campus. Some of their games are played on Saturday afternoons. ... November brought the annual Alumni Mass and Breakfast at St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Cleveland. This is a great opportunity to see classmates and other alumni. This wonderful and rich tradition continues every year that local alumni really enjoy. ... The recently completed local high school football season provided some exciting football for alumni to watch. John C. Gibbons coached the St. Edward Eagles to the Ohio State Division I championship game in November. They lost the game but number two in the state is not bad -- the ride was worth it. This was their only loss all year. St. Ed’s beat three state-rated teams before the playoffs began, including a victory over eventual state Division III champion, Benedictine High School. John is very optimistic for the fall ’04 season. He continues to maintain a consistent level of excellence at the local level. ... Another great football story is Bob Spicer ’66. Both John Gibbons and Bob Spicer played on the JCU football team during the ’60s. Bob has been the head football coach at Gilmour Academy for two years. He has not only put Gilmour Academy’s football program back to winning, but he was recently chosen as the 2003 Coach of the Year by the Greater Cleveland Coaches Association. In his second year, Bob directed his team to a 10-0 regular season record, a MAC 8 Championship and his second play-off appearance. ... I would be remiss if I did not mention that my daughter, Jennifer H. French ’99 recently relocated to Chicago. She is employed at Ralph Lauren on Michigan Avenue as an event planner and sales associate. She can be reached at 312-280-1655. When in Chicago stop in and say “hi.” ... On a sad note, another JCU column has been silenced. You probably all know Mike A. Dwyer ’37 who recently died. He was a humorist, a consummate Irishman and a proud graduate of JCU. Men such as Mike Dwyer, Pete French ’34 and John Toner ’37 were one of a kind. I was proud to have called these fine men my friends. They had a firm and loyal commitment to JCU and I will treasure their memories. ... Remember send your cards and letter to me or fill up my e-mail. Take care. Yours truly, Pete ... P.S. JCU Facts: JCU was founded in 1896 and currently sits on 60 acres.
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summer 2003 |
| Hello class mates. We are into the spring season in the Cleveland area -- 60s and climbing. Our harsh winter weather is behind us. We are all looking forward to warmer weather. Speaking of a warm climate, I was recently in Hilton Head, SC. I always wear a JCU t-shirt and/or a JCU hat. As I was walking the beach over the Easter holiday, I was approached several times and asked about JCU. Either the people attended JCU or a family member attended. All comments were positive. I talked to a couple who resides two blocks from JCU. I even gave one person the address of JCU as they wanted their son to attend. You never know! In April I attended a meeting of the Akron, Ohio Roundtable at the Tangier restaurant. Mayor Jane Campbell of Cleveland discussed the need for improvement of education, public safety and for economic development in this region. There were several JCU alumni present. I misplaced my notes with the names of the JCU grads. We are just everywhere! ... I have heard from several classmates who have recently retired. Barry Attenson called to reveal that he and his wife, Linnea, will soon relocate to Chino Valley, AZ. They have sold their home in Hiram and will move by August. They are very excited about their new adventure. Barry is interested in history and was a social studies teacher for 35 years with the Kingston, OH school system. We spent almost one hour reminiscing over JCU days. The most popular places that we both inhabited were Nagles and The Library, which was located in Murray Hill. I have not heard those names in years. Now let’s make this clear, we only went to these bars on the weekends! We both had fond memories of Professor John Carpenter as we were sociology majors at JCU. Barry and Linnea can be reached at 2201 W Road, 3N, Chino Valley, Arizona, 86323 or ATNSN@aol.com. Good luck Barry and Linnea. Enjoy the 12% humidity. ... I also received a note from William L. Simonic. Yes, Bill also recently retired. He and his wife recently moved to Brimfied, MA where they built a home and opened it up as a Bed & Breakfast. So I suppose you could say that he is semi-retired. Brimfield is where the popular Antique Fair is held 3 times each summer season (May, July and September). There are 5,000 dealers in the area. Their normal population of 2,200 swells to half a million people. Bill advised there is a lot to do and they love the area. Bill can be researched at 106 Five Bridgee Road, Brimfield, MA 01010, 413-245-0030. He can also be reached at his Web site -- yankeecricket.com. Now, there is a retirement that sounds like fun. Good luck, Bill! ... Just a quick announcement, the new Dolan Center for Science and Technology will be open this fall. I’m sure that there will be tours available for all alumni. Look for the announcement. The new football field will be ready for the fall football season. There was a recent picture in our local newspaper and it looks great. The new stadium will really create a great new venue for sports activities. Local alums should now have a great new place to go and support the JCU football team. Look forward to seeing you at the games! ... Recently spoke to Bill Ryan. He has survived the terrible storms in Louisiana and is looking forward to a warm summer season. ... John Gibbons also advised that he is looking forward to the fall football season at St. Edwards High School. ... Class of ’67, do not forget the Kresge Challenge. It is to keep JCU as an elite college in this part of the Midwest. Info was sent out to all alumni so let’s all help. ... Have a great summer and let me hear from the class of ’67. Yours, Peter
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spring 2003 |
| To all of our classmates in warm climates -- enjoy, to all of our classmates sharing our frigid climate -- take heart as spring will soon be upon us. November brought the annual Alumni Mass in Cleveland. Following the Mass, there was an informal continental breakfast at the Galleria. Several of our classmates were present including Dave Richards and his wife. The continental breakfast was a new concept and it worked very well. It is always a great event to attend. … JCU Blue Streaks had another fantastic football season. JCU had an overall record of 9-1 and were second in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The only game they lost was to Mt. Union. JCU made the NCAA Division III playoffs to extend their season. They went on to win three additional games against quality teams such as Hobart College; Muhlenberg College; and Brockport State. They eventually lost to Mt. Union who won the championship. What a season 12-2! Congratulations to coach Regis Scafe and the entire team. … Speaking of sports, classmate Thomas J. Murphy, mayor of Pittsburgh and Jane Campbell, mayor of Cleveland had a friendly wager on the Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh football game. Cleveland lost. OK-OK. As a result, Mayor Murphy was treated to several Ohio ethnic treats. Next year will be Cleveland’s turn. Alumni from Pittsburgh are put on notice! … Recently I spent some time with Michael E. Mullin. He is the director of community and social services at the Cleveland Sight Center. We exchanged JCU stories. Classmate Jospeh Souhrada contacted me. He resides in Apple Valley, CA. He is an instructor at McDonnell Douglas. Joe was a member of Delta Alpha Theta while at JCU. I was attending a social function in Cleveland and saw Tom Ashdown. Tom and his wife, Maureen, continue to reside in Solon. Nice to spend some time with Tom. … Special congratulations to classmate Carl Glotz. He recently retired from U.S. District Court where he worked for 30 years. He worked in the Court’s Akron office. Carl and his wife, Gloria, reside in Independence. Carl informs that he is “pondering his future.” Good luck to Carl. NOTE: If there are other classmates that are retired, let me know so I can mention it in future editions of the Journal. … Several classmates and other JCU grads have been meeting for lunch -- among them are Bob Spicer ’66, John Gibbons, and Dale Masino ’66. In fact, Dale also advised that he and his wife are relocating to North Carolina as he retired from Shamrock Supply Company. Dale also wants to get warm! … JCU NEWS FLASH: The new Shula Stadium is nearing completion. It will be a great addition to the campus starting in fall of ’03. Check future editions of the magazine for the date of the JCU homecoming for ’03. Maybe the class of ’67 can occupy a section of the home stands for the game! The Dolan Center for Science and Technology, JCU’s largest project to date, is also set to open in the fall. The varsity gymnasium was rededicated for athletics director, Tony DeCarlo, in February as the DeCarlo Varsity Center. Congratulations Tony! … Alumni, as you can read, the JCU campus is in great shape -- visit whenever you are in the area and you will be surprised! The campus provides a great student/family environment. Continue to check out the JCU Web page for current updates -- www.jcu.edu. Keep the mail, calls, and the e-mails coming. Alumni can also call the JCU Public Relations Office-I’ll get the messages. Don’t forget to send in the John Carroll magazine Readership Survey that was in the last issue. Have a great spring! Hope we all get to improve our golf swings soon. … As always, Peter
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winter 2003 |
| Reunion 2002 Weekend is over. What a weekend it was. Except for Sunday afternoon when Cleveland experienced its last summer rain, the weather cooperated. The JCU campus presented a beautiful backdrop for the Saturday evening festivities that culminated in the party in the main tent on the campus lawn. Approximately 1,500 alumni attended the Reunion 2002 weekend. Of that number, 25 members of the class of '67 participated. John Gibbons and his wife, Pat, were at the Friday night President's Reception. John had to attend a football related meeting the next day. I received several calls from classmates that were unable to come. John Forhan from Santa Barbara, California was unable to attend but asked us to pass on "hellos to all." Special thanks also go to '67 alumni who gave contributions and could not attend the reunion. Our class donated $95,769. Our '67 reunion committee did a great job. We met as a group every month for six months. We enjoyed the telephone calls with our committee members in Washington and New Orleans. We could not have completed our objectives without the able assistance of Pete Bernardo and Rosalie Massey, director of alumni reunions. They were our mentors throughout the process. A highlight of the reunion weekend was the Cleveland tour and lunch on Saturday. I was the tour guide. Everyone from out of town loved the city and all of the changes. We saw the Science Center and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The main dinner on Saturday provided everyone the opportunity for alumni to reminisce over old times. Bill Ryan, who traveled from New Orleans, kept his table entertained with nostalgia. He is an excellent storyteller. After the reunion, Bill was to go to Hawaii to run in a marathon with his son. The word is he completed 10 miles of the race as the reunion festivities in Cleveland wore him out. … This is the centennial year of the OAC. The Blue Streaks are an excellent football team this year. They are guided by all-OAC quarterback Tom Arth. Catch a game if you can. Speaking of football, John Gibbons has a national ranked team with the St. Edward Eagles football team. As of this date, they are 5-0. Good luck this year John. Well it's time to close. Check the JCU web page for additional data: www.JCU.edu. Look forward to hearing from the class of '67 in the near future. It's never too late to send, call, or leave information with the JCU Alumni Office -I will get the messages. Have a great Fall/Winter. See you in the next column. Peter
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spring 2002 |
When you receive this edition of the John Carroll magazine, spring will be upon us. Although for those of us who reside in NorthEast Ohio, we have not experienced our usual Lake Erie winter. This column will focus on the up-coming Reunion for 2002! As readers of this column know, this event represents a very important part of our Carroll association -- 35 years ago we all graduated from this great institution -- JCU! This special and exciting event will take place from Friday, June 14 through brunch on Sunday, June 16. Your class representatives have been meeting once per month to plan for the reunion. The JCU class of ’67 reunion committee consists of Pete Bernardo, Joe Csaszar, John Daly, Michael Kowalski, Walter Martens, William Ryan, Louis Shainker, Frank Tricomi, and Gerald Uranker. Our chairman is David Richards and the Web master is Bob McFarland. Your class columnist, Pete French, is also on the committee. We remain excited over the prospect of trying to get at least 100 of our classmates to attend the reunion. There are wonderful events planned for on campus and off campus. Please mark the time now. More information will be mailed out in the near future concerning this fabulous weekend. ... People and Places and Events -- JCU football team wound up the season with a 7-3 record. The final game against Baldwin-Wallace was a classic shoot out. JCU won by a score of 31-14. JCU's great quarterback, Tom Arth ’03, provided the sparks -- he will be back next season. ... Speaking of football, former JCU Blue Streak, John Gibbons, head coach at St. Edward High School, had a great season. His team made it to the semi-finals. On a personal note, John was selected the Division I Coach of the year. His son-in-law, Tom Lombardo of Lake Catholic High School, earned a share of the coaching honors in Division III and his team won the Division III state football championship. John's son, Mike, was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year in Division III. Sam Colacarro, athletic director, was very pleased over his football bounty. He's already looking forward to next season. ... Yours truly represented the class of ’67 at the JCU Alumni Mass. I also participated by presenting the first reading at the Mass. ... Welcome back Mark DeLong to the Cleveland area. He and his wife, Susan, reside in Huron. As a side, his daughter, Hallie, is engaged to be married to Michael French, my nephew. Small world! Congratulations Mike and Hallie. ... I recently heard from Mark S. Papen. Mark resides in Tucson, Arizona and his e-mail address is markspapen@aol.com. Mark informs that his two oldest sons also are alumni of JCU - Robert ’92 and Scott ’95. Hope to see Mark at the 2002 reunion in June. ... We have also heard from Wayne Daum who resides in Westlake, OH and is a physician at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. ... James T. Hughes writes that he’s been appointed the director of two museums, Terwilliger and Memorial Day Museums, in Waterloo, NY. They are historical museums and right up his alley! ... In closing, I would like to say "good bye" to a fellow columnist, my father, Ralph "Pete" French. He wrote with great pride for the classes of ’15 to ’35 - the Golden Years. He took great pride in his love for all things John Carroll and he will be missed. He instilled in his family a deep respect for a Jesuit education. "Pa, there is not a day that goes by that you are not in our thoughts. Smile gently down at us." ... See all at the 2002 Reunion. As always, Pete |
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