Class Notes 1972

In Memory of
Timothy J. Russert
1950-2008
Our President, Our Beaudry Man … Our Friend

I hear from a lot of you ... “when I get the alumni magazine the first thing I do is open to our column.” Well this time, you’ve got work to do. There’s nothing. No news. Natta. Closest thing that came to news from you guys was me and my son driving past Bergy’s place in Michigan City, Ind., on my way to a Notre Dame college trip. So here’s the e-mail: jmarcus887@aol.com. I’m not going to whine: unless the last graph counts as whining. Instead I’m going to “prod.” Joe Duffy - never heard from him. Same for Les Svoboda. My Boston buddies John Collins and Dennis Quilty - too busy with the Bruins, Celts and Sox? Drop me a line. Vic Sossi? - last I heard was selling Healthy Choice for a food company. What about the other DATers? Gurgol, Jirousek, Novacek, Tremp, Loos? Where are you guys? I never get to report on Cleveland guys – what are you guys doing? What about the ladies of the class – Anne Conway is a judge in Florida – how about the others? Linda Heiss, Irene Wander, Linda Hurley, Maureen Thornton, and Patty Farrell, who carries that huge burden being married to that guy from Fenwick HS. Speaking of Fenwick, what about Mullen? The U Club? I know Chris Schuba ’74 – 35 years later – still hates IChis but come on – drop me a note. We always talk about Bergy and Maggio and that guy with the TV show. But what about Fr. Bob, Jimmy Peters, Jim Hughes, Big Frank, and Kevin Byrne? Then how about Big Bob Sidow and Leon Miernicki and Marv Tryon and Roto and Roger. What about the little Schmidt-fella, and Gianpetro and Chico? Cisek and Narducci are lost at sea and I never hear from my old friend Dave O’Brien, who like most of us, married way above our station. Anyone heard from Lindstrom? I once was in Santa Monica, stopped at an intersection and Marty was sitting on a park bench talking to drivers as they stopped at a red light. ... Visited U of Chicago on the college search and thought of Joe Pearl whose son played football in the stadium where – I think it was Spook and Mouse – invented the Atom Bomb. Jack Scheid, Bob Longo, Danny Pierce, what’s the excuse? Kristoff is now on the East Coast. Think he’d come down from Philly and buy me dinner? Nope. What about the best backfield in the PAC: Zinger, and Danny Carroll, and Mulkeen, and Boland, and Johnny Pollard, and Slingin’ Sam? Your knees are killing you from old football injuries and you can’t pick up a pen? Eddie Egnatios where are you? And Jeff Rogo – best yearbook picture – what are you doing? Come on guys. Help me out. Take this to your computer right now and spend five minutes telling me what you are up to, how great your dog is – anything – and better yet, send sordid tales that we can twist into unrecognizable gossip on someone else. Facts aren’t important here. Write ... JM

I think this comes out in the spring ... can’t remember ... suffering from early onset annheusers ... but I thought a golf story might be a good way to start the spring column. Had lunch with Ed Harrington here in D.C. That’s ED Harrington, not BOB Harrington, the Chicago uber-lawyer assisted ably by our own Ken Sophie and other younger JCU lawyers. Ed, the once captain of the JCU golf team and former club pro in Florida - wanted me to know that he shot a hole-in-one at Congressional Country Club - his fourth. At one time he had 30 years betweens aces. I’ve had thirty years between one-putt green. Ed is a senior VP at Old Line Bank in Maryland and has a daughter, a Fordham grad, who’s working in D.C. ... Got an e-mail from Bill Reidy, who took great exception to the comment I made that he and Maggio (both like 5’7”, both bald, both with goatees) when speaking together resembled Lenin and Trotsky. Reidy tells me he and Maggio - a long time ago - “figured that God only made a few perfect heads: and on the rest they put hair.” Good spin! Bill tells me his daughter, Sheila, was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, at Loyola of Chicago and she is in the Institute of Pastoral Studies ... good to know the genes get stronger with passing generations. He also mentions that he has lived 20 miles from Bergy, and the restauranteur has never invited him to play golf at his club. Which begs the question: would you want to play golf at a club that would accept Bergy? So he put the question to young Martin at the Reunion. Bergy stood fast and refused to invite him for a friendly round. So Hogan overheard this, and struck by what Bill called “Catholic guilt,” invited Bill to play at HIS club. Which begs the question: why would anyone want to play at a club that accepted Hogan? So, the story continues. Billy goes to Hogan’s club – and who’s there? Bergy. And some “sandbagger pro from Dover.” Of course Bergy and the pro clean Reidy and Hogan’s clock and Reidy “makes a contribution into Bergy’s retirement fund.” Bill paid in dollars. Should’a paid in rubles. ... That’s it. 360 words. Not my fault. I know it’s hard to send in stuff about yourself. So I’ve come up with a new feature... it’s called – send me the link to your corporate/ company/ school/ neighborhood/ NBC web site so we can see what others say about you. Then my editorial board will twist the truth into a more recognizable form so it relates to all your old “so called friends.” So send me your web link – or better yet, send me the link to one of our classmates – and we’ll have some fun twisting THAT around. To make it worth your while: the third place winner plays a round of golf at Bergy’s club. The second place winner gets dinner for one at Bergy’s restaurant in Michigan City (appropriately named “Bergy Restaurant in Michigan City.” The first place winner doesn’t have to see Bergy at all. Send the links to marcus@mmhdc.com. Take care, JM

News flash: Palamara Quits Finance Business. Markets Drop. I’m no finance major like Pacelli and Roach and Kristoff and Petrovic but I know when one and one equals three. There was a big drop in the markets -- they say it was the war or oil or the housing slump -- but the news that our own Sir Francis Palamara left Cantor Fitzgerald in “The City” after 34 years ... then the markets drop? You figure it out. He wrote me, “34 years ... what a ride I’ve had!” Indeed. But now what will our Frankie do? “I will use the time fly fishing for trout on the River Test and enjoying the Hampshire countryside.” See why I love this guy! Sure, Russert might have Martha’s Vineyard to escape to, and Pacelli and Bergie and those others run off to Michigan City, IN; and Jack Bertges, packs up for Napa Valley; and Judge Anne Conway, off to the Florida Keys ... but the “Hampshire countryside?!” My man Frankie knows how to do it right. Anyway, e-mail the man - fpalamara@BTinternet.com. ... Heard of – not from – another legend, Frank R. Gerbig III -- or the man described in Russert’s (first) book – as Nitti. Frank of course was the gentle giant who sat at the stool next to Sir Francis at Nighttown and who on a whim came out for rugby his senior year. In the game against Notre Dame, we kicked off and Nitti was the first one down the field. He CRUSHED that Domer and a roar went up ... I’ll never forget it. Anyway Frank is living in Lakeport, MI, and is president of MRP Group. And like me Frank has a 10 year-old daughter, Cali Lynne, to keep him young. ... Also heard from Mike “Hilly” Hill (I can guess where “Chico” came from, and “Spook” – but how did we ever come up with “Hilly”?). Hilly runs Hill and Kunselman Funeral Home in Beaver Falls, PA ... and believe me, you DON’T want to go to his house. Not yet anyway. Which is the perfect segue to the next item. My wife and I had dinner with Craig Roach and his lovely wife Joanne (I picked up the tab). And Craig told me about a book he read – “Younger Next Year.” Buy the book!!! (Or for all those old SDS members, steal this book). At your age you need to read it. To vastly oversimplify the idea presented in the book: “Your body and brain have evolved so that behaviors that helped our ancestors survive -- robust daily physical activity and close links to members of a tribe or clan -- send positive signals to our most fundamental biological systems that say life is good: grow, heal, thrive. Being sedentary and isolated tells those deep wiring and plumbing operations to shut down, decay, die.” The co-author Henry Lodge, a faculty member at Columbia, draws on current work in evolutionary biology and human neurochemistry to make the case.” The book explains that muscle and bone loss, joint atrophy, and other things “that turns us into little old guys, all bent over and stupid-looking” can be reversed. Again, from the book: “ ...moderate weight lifting every couple of days basically stops the bone loss ... stops (or offsets) the muscle loss ... stops the weakening of tendons, restores the goopy pads and gets rid of the pain. They recommend two days of lifting – not heavy lifting but low weights, high reps ... and regular aerobic activity. It’s a great read and I’ve been doing it for seven weeks now and feel like I’m going to make it to our 40th and dodge undertaker Hill for at least a few more years. ... One final note. I bid adieu to Jerry Pockar who is leaving John Carroll after 14 years as the university editor and editor of this magazine. He has done a great job building this magazine into one of the best alumni magazines in the country. And despite being a hard core radical liberal Democrat ... I like him very much and will miss him. Take care, JM

“The best hidden secret in Michigan City, Indiana” is no longer a hidden secret. The word is out – Bergy’s Center Street Bar and Grill is open for business and causing quite a stir in the Midwest. It all started when Paris Hilton and Hillary Duff were spotted there. Paris, of course, was sent to prison for carrying on, and Hillary soon after, returned to “treatment.” Shortly after, the food critic from the New York Times stopped by on advice from NBC newsman Tim Russert (wonder if he’s related to that big red-headed guy from Buffalo in our class?) and wrote a glowing review in the Times (headline: “Bergy’s Center Street - We Need One in NYC.”) According to Bon Appetite, the place is packed every night. BUT – since you are loyal readers – just mention this column and our Martin Bergerson will get you a table. The private reservation line is 219.878.0688. And mention Marcus sent you and I will make sure Paul “Mouse” Magnotto covers your tab! Bergy was honing his restaurateur skills at the reunion – he hosted a ’72 get-together at Moxie’s restaurant and welcomed a list that included: Craig Roach, Paul Lehman, Neil Conway, Bill Reidy, Jim Hughes, Mike “Hilly” Hill, Doug Webber, John Hudec, A.J. Cianflocco, Mouse, Bob Bensur, Jack Bertges, Mark Pacelli, Pat Hogan, Tom Ryan, Ray Connaughton, Donna Brown, Don Fisher, John Ropar, Frank Maggio, John Collins, Bill Doyle, Tim Franzinger, Joe Pearl, Cliff Radie and hundreds more wives and friends. It was a great time. Doyle flew in from Chicago, where he is a very well-known attorney at Winston & Strawn. He was dapper as usual – white suit with taupe pin-stripes, Rolex watch, gold cuff links and silk tie and matching kerchief. Mouse sees him and says, “Bill – I had a suit like that in ’68. Wore it in Guys and Dolls”. The “Governor” only smiled that smile. Across the room Reidy and Maggio were in a heavy discussion – saw them profiled, face-to-face. Both are short. Both are bald. And both have graying goatees. From a distance they looked like Lenin and Trotsky (and I’m sure if it were a political discussion that’s not far off.) Someone else at the table thought they looked like those guys on the box of Smith Brothers cough drops. Jimmy Hughes made it back for the first time. I mentioned that it was a coincidence, because Russert missed for the first time. You connect the dots. Roach is living in D.C. and still running Boston Pacific and helping kids with scholarships. Bensur retired after flying P-3s in the Navy and now lives in Lancaster, PA, and drives a horse-pulled buggy with a big caution sign on the back. Ryan has two more daughters getting married and his last daughter finished at U of Michigan. (Note to the Financial Office – Ryan’s done paying for college. Hit him hard.) Bertges MC’d the class dinner and gave a case of wine to the earliest respondent to Reunion Weekend – Ralph Meachum – who is still in Pittsburgh and is making people rich as a financial planner. Kudos to Cliff Radie who set up a great golf outing at Bob Quart’s home club – Silver Lakes Surf and Country Club. They had a lot of prizes after the golf, but Bergy’s son (a two handicap) won them all. I was placed in the 9% body fat foursome – it was Ropar (who just ran a 35 mile Ultra-marathon, Quart, who my daughter describes a Ken (as in Ken and Barbie) and Radie, who STILL wrestles against the high-schoolers he coaches. Pacelli handed out great JCU ’72 baseball hats. Mark was humbled that the university officially changed the name of “Pacelli Hall” to “Mark Pacelli Hall,” after Mark promised to fund a 30 story addition onto that dorm. Franzinger is still coaching at Rhodes and St. Ignatius and his son graduated from OSU where he played on the Buckeye’s national football championship teams. Joe Pearl has two sporting goods shops in Battle Creek, and he still eats cereal every morning - as he said, “just doing my job to support the local economy.” His son Jonathan has been posted two blocks from my house at Bethesda Naval Hospital as a surgeon. Neil Conway has a second child playing hockey in Canada. Son Neil, like his sister Seanna, is a goalie and is playing in Owen Sound, Ontario. I believe Neil’s kids have chosen hockey as their sport of choice as a direct result of Neil’s gene-altering multiple concussions on the rugby pitch. Fisher is still a librarian in Fort Wayne. Not to be outdone in gift-giving to his alma mater by Pacelli, Don is donating 31 stories to Graselli Library. Connaughton is still fixing pipes in Cincinnati and Marty Schreiber, I’m told by A.J. and Hudec, is still fixing pipes at the Cleveland Clinic. Others sighted during the weekend: Judge Anne Conway, Thomas Czech, Elizabeth Dabrowski, Louis Drotos, Andrea Wasdovich, Mark Fildes, Steve Horvat, Thomas McGarril, Robert Patterson, William Petrovic, Frank and Michele Rambaldo, Beverly Reese, Joyce Salisbury, Irene Wander, Eileen Burger White, Becky Bode, and Joan Balzarini Crockett. And to those of you who missed the reunion ... you were missed. Note that Bertges is getting a buzz started about a 60th birthday party for our class in SF. The good news: he’s going to fly us all out on his dime. The bad news: our pilot and co-pilot will be Danny Carroll and Bernie Gesenhues. Take care. JM

Got a nice phone call from Doug Webber. Didn’t understand a word he said -- so I nonchalantly said, “Douggy – my memory is going SO fast would you mind jotting down a few notes so I could include this stuff in the column.” The note came, so I can pass on his news. Now you all remember Doug – he’s the guy from Jasper, IN, who had a very distinguished accent from ... Jasper, IN. No one could understand him. He was a star student for Joe Miller in Public Address and Austin Freeley in Argumentation and Debate – he was the golden boy of the Speech Department. But nobody could understand a word he said. But he spoke with such homegrown resolve, energy and conviction that everyone thought – “he MUST be smart.” Doug was a big shot in the Student Union where his speeches were so passionate ... but nobody could understand. He pledged the I Chis – they didn’t understand him, but he seemed so smart when he spoke, that they couldn’t cut him. (Instead they cut Don Farrell, Billy Doyle, Gregg Gianpetro, Timmy Manning, Ron Smith (who deserved to be cut) and yours truly. So now where is this modern day speech dyslexic Forest Gump? You got it – he’s a big shot! He’s deputy attorney general of Indiana. Seems they’re the only ones who could understand the Jasper accent -- and they found out he reallyis smart. We knew it though, because he wrote our class column for ten years, before me (and after Dan Pierce). We also know he’s smart because his daughter is smart. His middle daughter, Kate, just got her doctorate in pathology from Case Western Reserve University, after tearing up the science department at Carroll. Doug and wife Margaret have two other daughters, ages 28 and 24. Doug, I’m sure will make it back to our 35th Reunion. If you see him, say “hi!” -- then just nod and smile and listen on autopilot. ... Also heard from Billy Petrovic – he too will be back to Reunion. But the question is – have you heard from Petrovic. Bill and a gang that includes Jimmy Peters, Mark Pacelli, Tom Czech, Linda Hurley, Elizabeth Brannigan Rock, and Vic Sossi have taken it upon themselves to call members of the class to get support for our class gift. If you can’t make it back to the Reunion please try to help out with the class gift. ... Finally, I heard from Duff, Andrea Wasdovich’s husband and PR agent. Duff reports that Andrea has finished her third year as chief nursing officer at the Cleveland Clinic. Duff and Andi have been traveling lately: to Ireland, San Francisco, and down South. Andrea is just one of the stars of our class who have made great careers at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic – I know A.J. Cianflocco and Marty Schreiber have distinguished themselves and I know of Carroll grads from other classes who have done good work there, as well. As I look back on how we have done in 35 years it’s quite an accomplishment – starting with our Beaudry man Tim Russert and going through our class to people like Andrea, the lawyers, the priests (Fr. Sandy Ytsen), teachers and coaches and advisors and counselors, business people, proud mothers and fathers, and of course Doug Webber – who knows I tease. A better man, you can’t find. By the time you get this column it will be, like three days, before the Reunion. If you decided to come – I look forward to seeing you. If you decided not to – do something you haven’t done in a while – be spontaneous and pack up your car and head over to University Heights and surprise us. We’ll be the class in the Big Tent smiling, snapping photos, telling stories of past glory ... and smoking Frankie P’s Cubans. Hope to see you in June. JM

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