Class Notes 1983 |
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| Marc Schroeder 3451 Granton Ave. |
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| fall 2008 | It wasn’t exactly like sneaking out of Murphy 25 years ago but leaving Campion dorm at 4 a.m. Saturday morning and hearing the birds chirping seemed like old times. What a Reunion! Those who came to be seen; the ladies by familiar name: Sheila Bigane, Sandra Ryan, Madelon Plunkett, Maureen Kelly, Deb Solyan, Mary Power, Julie Pucher, Steph Sivak, Beth Ann McCombs, Susan Horning, Jane Cunin, Terese Buehrle, Megan Raleigh, Marie Lynch, Amy Thompson, Nitsa Karas, Carolyn Cahill, Maureen Garvey, Rosemary Gibbons, Lisa Brunenmeister, Sue Hollis, Susan Stokes, and Aggie Nagy. The guys: Chris Coughlin, Rick Cenar, Rich Glass, Phil Rini, Jim Kisthardt, Tom Fox, Mark Tupa, Mike McGinty, Tim Shea, Matt Conway, Dave Swanson, Kevin Cusack, Rob Morrow, Dennis Chevalier. I know there were many more. It was great to talk with many and for those who I missed or those unable to attend, likely your names were mentioned by friends who freely told hilarious stories regarding our years at JCU. Funny, no one mentioned classes or grades, just things they got away with on campus. Other than the last names of some of the ladies, have we really changed? Not from what I observed. Deb Solyan collected money to make beer runs for everyone to enjoy a great time on the 3rd floor of Campion Hall in the Hospitality Suite. For all to view, Deb brought her yellowed photos of dances, romances, vacations and even the Carroll News photos and article of the New Dorm fire in Nancy Zahara’s room. What a great memory for me. As everyone evacuated, my roommate Dave Saviski ’82 decided to hide in the closet while the fire raged in the room above ours! Ladies organized a golf outing on Thursday at beautiful Mayfield Country Club while I watched guys talking, eating, and looking to give Deb more money for beer runs to Cedar Road. ... Many wrote me prior to the reunion and I owe them print. Suzanne (Schlichtman) Greenberg, the CEO of Child Abuse and Neglect Council (CAN Council) in Saginaw County, MI, shares her dynamic smile and personality as a national speaker for the CAN Council. The organization for child abuse has a goal to raise and exceed $120,000 this year. You can check out Suzanne's efforts - sgreenberg@cancouncil.org. ... Congrats money man Dan Frate, promoted to vice chairman of National City Bank’s retail banking. ... Bill Urban once threw a no-hitter for JCU. I wonder if he could keep son Billy from reaching base. Billy is a star baseball and football player at Gilmour Academy. Wife Carolyn takes care of Billy, Megan, and Danny while dad racks-up miles with business to China. Bill is the COO of Litzler Co. ... Gregg Graff, wife Lori (Ridgeway), and son Gregory should have moved to Columbus by now, their seventh relocation. Gregg is the SVP of field operations for Insight Communications in the cable TV biz. Gregg says Bob Forrest and Chris Petrie should have attended the Reunion but no reported sightings. ... I caught Rick Cenar on Chicago TV prosecuting two Chicago Bears for bad behavior. Rick is assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County in Chicago. He and wife Kara parent Samantha (17), Tom (16), and Ricky (11). Rick aspires to be a judge. Maybe an on-the-field work program for my bad boy Bears? ... I had a blast talking with Tim Shea at the reunion. After working for “the man,” he is now his own man, a managing partner with Construction Business Media LLC the company he founded six years ago. They own three architectural magazines, a couple of websites and conference businesses. Always fun, Tim has four “terrific, well-adjusted” kids: Maggie, Colin, Nora and Annie. He lives in Evergreen Park, IL, with wife Colleen ’85, who is “the best.” ... Monica (Michalke) and Jim Garvey are Chicagoans too. My money is safe with Jim as managing director of LaSalle Investment Management. With two teenagers, Monica is a special events coordinator for a Windy City charity. Do auctions? I know a guy. ... A quick prayer for Dr. Robert Yackshaw who passed on July 7. Doc was our assistant baseball coach. No player will ever forget when it rained during a game, Doc would smoke his pipe turned upside-down in the first base coaches box. God bless ya Doc! ... When was the last time an invitation was delivered from the government of China requesting your teaching skills? Debbie Wolter got one! She is a premiere dance teacher in the USA. As chief executive dance teacher at Dance World Academy in Clifton, NJ, her students starred on Broadway, movies, and more! In 2006, they performed in Russia, this fall a performance tour by invitation from the Chinese Government! Bravo! ... Hey, let me hear from you! Mark |
| summer 2008 | My thanks to Deb Solyan and Mary Patton who after 25 years, believe I am good for this job and thanks to Tony Pallotta for the last five years of great class updates! Those who know me, start writing. Those who don’t, start writing, time to be a star! After leaving WJW-TV as sports anchor, I earned my real estate license and auctioneer’s license. I am a fulltime professional auctioneer licensed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and soon, Illinois. I am one of the first 90 auctioneers to earn a Benefit Auctioneer Specialist certification from the National Auctioneers Association. There are only 120 certified in North America. I own my auction business, Auction brio LLC - www.auctionbrio.com - serving corporations and non profits. ... Maureen Garvey-McDonnell and husband Mark ’82 are reunion bound from Winfield, Ill. Son Patrick will be a junior at JCU, Connor will attend Loyola Chicago and Kelan is at Marmion Academy in Aurora, IL. ... Living in a van down by the river is Rich Glass. That’s what he wrote me. My guess, Rich does not live by wife Carolyn’s (Cahill) rules in Clearwater, FL. Rich is the SE Zone Manager-Cardiology for GE Healthcare. ... The best broadcasting voice I have ever heard belongs to Steve Passwaiter. No longer in broadcasting, Steve and wife Valerie live in the DC area. He uses the silky voice as a consultant for media companies with BIA Financial Network Inc. ... Tom Wancho tells “The Story of Texas” in Austin. Tom does exhibit planning for the museum. He would like me to auction his 34-year collection of Sports Illustrated magazines. I’d rather listen to his expertise of the Bluebonnet Bowl, its worth more! ... Trading quakes of California for the swamps of Jersey is Dave Campisano and wife Kathleen. Dave works for Verizon Wireless. Wonder if son Kramer and daughter Olivia enjoyed their first East Coast winter. ... Rich Merkel is doing well in Birmingham, AL, as regional director of US LEC PAETEC. ... John Russell is a business reporter for the Indianapolis Star. He has a great sense of humor and would like to reconnect with classmates following a prison stint. He’s kidding! Check out John’s column at Indystar.com he’s good! ... Mike Forbush is amazing! Ph.D. in High Energy Physics at Texas A&M, post doc at Cal Davis, spent two years in Germany, owns several patents in biotech industry. He is director of operations for EDC BioSystems living in Hollister, CA, with wife Colleen, four children and two cats. ... What can’t Nitsa Karas McClatchey do? Met hubby Jay, moved to Pennsylvania, founded a human resources consulting business, board of director of Meals on Wheels, chairperson for Clara Barton Forum, coordinator of Reading is Fundamental, vice president of Band Parents Association in Indian Lake, PA. Gave birth to daughter Maria who ... take a guess ... plays trumpet, piano and bassoon while mastering water-skiing and earning her black belt in tae-kwon-do. ... Clevelander Joe Keller is a Navy Commander selling real estate for 11 years for Real Living Realty One. ... See you at Reunion #25! Mark From John Carroll magazine, farewell to Tony Pallotta and thanks for your work as class columnist. And, to Mark Schroeder, thank you and all best wishes for your new career in class notes. |
| spring 2008 | This is Tony Pallotta's final column. Hi everyone, It’s countdown time ... our 25th REUNION is right around the corner! Tony Pallotta was kind enough to let Deb Solyan and me, your faithful co-chairs, step in with the reunion update. Hope you’re planning to attend because we’re busy working to make our reunion the best one yet! Susan Stokes Mullaney is working hard as our Class Gift chair. As part of the weekend, we’re having a golf outing, trivia bowl and much more. We’re also planning a class of ’83 slide show. If you have any old JCU photos you’d like to submit, please e-mail them to me - pattonpr@sbcglobal.net. Here’s the list of those who will be there so far (as of press time): Cathy Babcock, Bill Battistone, Mark Biche, Jack Carey, Karen Castelli, Jane Cunin, Bill Donnelly, Fr. Tom Fanta, Maryanna Fezer, Brian Flannery, Jeanne Mann Gallo, Nicholas Garritano, Monica Garvey, Maureen Garvey-McDonnell, Susan Grover, Pauline Haugen, Tom Joly, Nitsa Karas McClatchey, Joseph Keller, Mary Kilbane, Jane Broeren Lambesis, Janet Lefler, Bill Nemetz, Diane O’Brien, Lou Onders, Tony Pallotta, Mary Power Patton, Julie Pucher Quattro, Madelon Plunkett Queenan, Lisa Amato Reid, Bill Runzo, Sandra Ryan, Mark Schroeder, Deborah Solyan, Lisa Brunenmeister Sullivan, Maureen Kelly West, Debra Wolter. ... A number of our classmates have sons and daughters at JCU, including Susan and Ryan ’82 Mullaney, Denise and Jack Carey and Eric and Patty Tainer Jochum. Anyone else? Looking forward to this fall, Danny and Kristine Reynolds’ son, John, has been officially accepted and plans to go to JCU, along with his cousin, Brendan Carey, Jack’s son, who will be joining sister Trisha. Chris Coughlin reports ... actually got an e-mail from Bill Battistone. Sounds like they are planning on attending the reunion. Kevin Savage writes the following: “I am alive and well and bumped into Pup Flannery at a Lakewood St. Ed’s vs. Toledo St. John’s Jesuit basketball game in Toledo. (Pup is doing well selling steel and in his spare time coaches the JVs at St. Ed’s. My oldest son starts at St. John’s next year.) Barry Broome ’84 was recently in town speaking on the subject of business growth in Phoenix. In an obvious “greater fool theory moment,” people were seen paying to hear Barry speak. ... Nobody else ever visits Toledo (or they just don’t call me...) so I haven’t really seen any other JCU classmates lately. I think most people fear visiting Toledo -- falling in love with the city – and then cannot bring themselves to leave. My profession as a baseball card and sports memorabilia dealer is going well and it keeps me from venturing out “into the real job world.” (More jobs for everybody else!) My wife, Joann ’85 and three kids live happily in the cozy Toledo suburb of Sylvania where we are doing our part to combat the new world order and are seriously contemplating purchasing a pet or Guitar Hero 3.” ... Tony received the following update from Eileen Byrne Hickerson: “After the death of my Mom in 2005 (Alzheimer’s), I decided I needed to do something with my life other than caring for her. I renewed my teaching certificate and went back to teaching. The ironic thing is that I ended up back at my old school, Langston Middle School in Oberlin, Ohio! I am in my second year of teaching sixth grade Mathematics. I am now the proud mom of a college graduate, Caitlin -- Kent State – honors -- who is now a fashion designer in NYC! She is with the design firm Madison/Marcus. They sell to high end department stores and small boutiques. She has had about 15 of her designs go to production. My son, Cliff, is a junior at Olmsted Falls High School and a varsity wrestler ... we are looking forward to the season. My big news is that my husband Bob’s dad, Gene Hickerson, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was an incredible honor, and due to Gene’s Alzheimer’s disease, Bob accepted for him, gave the speech, etc. It was an unforgettable weekend. In the history of the NFL, there have been over 18,000 players. Only 241 of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gene went in as #236. He played with the Browns from 1958-1973. The Browns never had a losing season when he played. He blocked for three HOF running backs – Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Bobby Mitchell – all of whom pushed him out on stage in his wheelchair after Bob gave his speech. It was awesome!” ... Deb reports that Eileen McDonough started a greeting card company in Portugal called Mandamor (it means “send love”). Eileen’s cards were just picked up by a large grocery chain in Portugal, so congratulations are in order! ... After years of searching for her, Deb finally located Thelma Petas in Hollywood, Fla. She’s doing well and marked down the dates of the reunion. She said she missed all of her friends from Action Hallway in what was then known as the New Dorm, but now Sutowski. Thelma wrote the following to Deb and Eileen: “This is wild, for crying out loud Deb Solyan rides again, thank God you never give up, girl. Actually I am very happy to connect with everyone again. It amazes me how much I recite invented vocabulary from 20 years ago, in everyday life, expecting people to respond to me. What a great impact our times together made. When things we did flash into my mind, I get the biggest smile across my face.” Deb adds:“I attended a Christmas party hosted by Carolyn and Tim Hutchison back in December. I think the funniest part of the night was when Chris Coughlin and Tim were harassing Jim Brown about becoming a Browns fan as Tony wrote about in his last column. Of course, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Jim and Tim were planning on going to the Steelers game the next day and Jim still has season tickets to our beloved Black and Gold! BethAnn McCombs Coughlin and Mary Margaret Pearson Gleason were also in attendance.” ... Mark Schroeder lives in Cleveland and has launched a new career as a licensed auctioneer in the state of Ohio. Check out his web site at: www.auctionbrio.com. Mark is also keeping busy entering the real estate business and working on our reunion committee. ... As Tony says, “I’ll see you at Camp Carroll in June!” Mary Power Patton |
| fall 2007 | Here’s a few handy, dandy, items about your classmates. Hopefully, by the time you read these words, we’ll be basking in the glow of an Indians world series championship! Colleen Mary O’Toole checked in to report that she is in her third year as Judge for the 11th District Court of Appeals. She resides in Concord, OH, with husband David Cardillo, an investment advisor with Ryan Beck & Co, and children Nicholas (21), Michael (16), and Fallyn (13). ... Had a nice exchange of e-mails with fellow former Blue Streak girder, Kirk Ludwig ’84. Kirk married fellow classmate Beth Obermeyer and, like me, is surrounded by estrogen. Daughters Allison, a sophomore at University of Wisconsin, Meridith, an 11th grader, and Jillian, 5th grade, aren’t much for hunting and fishing but luckily, all the women in Kirk’s life are football fans! Kirk is an MD and assistant professor of Surgery and Chief of Gastrointestinal and Colorectal Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. ... Sandra Ryan reported on a JCU mini-reunion hosted by Colleen Hyland-Robertson at her lake house in Long Beach, IN. Also attending were Sheila Nelson, Marie Lynch-Julius, Jane Broerem Lambesis, Lisa Amato Reid and husband, John, Mary Power Patton, Deb Solyan, Dan Reynolds, Charles Wagner, Tim Shea, Kevin (Kato) Murphy ’84 and Jack Carey. Dan cooked shrimp on the beach but Colleen took home the gold medal by winning the pumpkin tossing contest! ... In other athletic events, Jane and Sheila Bigane Bauschelt both competed in the Big Shoulders 2.5k Open Lake Swim in September. They obviously benefited from their Lady Blue Streak swimming careers because they both posted personal best times! Any other former swimmers looking to challenge them next year??? Sheila says she’d love some comp... (company, not competition!). Sheila’s been married to Michael for 17 years and they have two boys: Andrew a 10th grader at St. Ignatius in Chicago, and Jack at 7th grader at St. Barnabas. She is with Warner Petroleum Corp. after Warner purchased the Bigane Vessel Fueling Company in 2003. She and Deb also got together in Chicago this summer to participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Great cause! With all this swimming and walking and pumpkin tossing, who’s got time to go to work? Jim Brown, Jim Kisthardt, and Mark Biche got together at Jim K’s and Missy’s home in Hudson. Jim B. and Paula have moved to Canfield, OH, (close to my hometown) so Jim can be closer to his new favorite NFL team, the Cleveland Browns. Word is that Jim’s giving up his Heinz Field tickets to be a Browns season ticket holder! Excellent choice, Jim, who needs all those Lombardi Trophies on the mantel! ... Deb Solyan prepared for our upcoming 25-year Reunion by attending her North Hills High School Marching Band reunion. They had over 250 band members marching from the classes of 1946-2007! ... Lastly, please remember Keith Hadley in your prayers. Keith’s dad passed away in August. ... OK, classmates, I can provide you lots of info about a very small number of your peers. If you want info about anyone not names Keith Hadley or Steve Bunecke or John Mockler, you must attend our 25th Reunion scheduled for June 20-22, 2008. If you’ve never been to one, now’s the time. If you plan on coming to only two reunions, come to the 25th and we can compare how wonderful our kids are. Then plan on the 50th, when we can compare our replacement hips and other joints! Drop me a line or I’ll be forced to make things up, see you in June! Tony |
| summer 2007 | Our 24th Reunion -- be there! June 20-22, 2008 |
| spring 2007 | Greetings Blue Steaks! As I write this column, the Indians are in first place in their division and the Yankees are in the cellar in their’s. I know the only standings that matter are at the end of September, not April, but it’s still fun to see. A huge thank you to Deb Solyan for filling in as guest columnist for the past two issues. I don’t know how you all survived without an update on the Bunecke/Czekaj/Mockler/Pallotta/Hadley animal. As Deb mentioned, I did make an employment change. Two of my colleagues and I broke away from our old firm and formed GPS Financial Group, LLC ... “Navigating your Financial World.” Pretty catchy, eh? Good thing I partnered with guys named Gallagher and Smola. Otherwise, it would’ve been hard to capture the GPS thing! ... Janice Marin Arouh was featured in a recent JCU e-news. She lives in Los Angeles with husband, Albert, daughter Mackenzie (13) and son Alec (5). Janice is senior VP of Network Distribution & Service for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. She’s won many Cable TV and Marketing Assoc. (CTAM) awards and was named one of the 50 most powerful women in cable and one of the top 100 leaders by Cable World magazine for 2006. Congratulations, Janice. ... Robert Forrest checked in from Naples, FL. His oldest daughter, Jenna, will have graduated from The Ohio State University by the time you read this. Rounding out the rest of the Forrest family are son Bobby (19) and daughter Ally (15). ... Congratulations to Andy Majeske for obtaining his Ph.D. in English literature from the University of California-Davis. He moved with wife Andrea Ross and son Owen (4) to Philadelphia in 2005 where he has been employed at the Law School Admission Council helping to write the LSAT. He’s also been teaching at Temple University Beasley School of Law and at the Drexel University Pennoni Honors College. He will be an associate professor in the English department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY in the fall of 2007. His book, Equity in English Renaissance Literature: Thomas More and Edmund Spenser, was published by Routledge Press in November 2006. His most prestigious accomplishment, though, was surviving freshman year as John Mockler’s roommate! (Just kidding! I spent two years as John’s roommate and we got along great and are still friends 25 years later.) ... Speaking of 25 years, it’s not too early to mark your calendar for the weekend of June 20-22, 2008 for our 25-year Reunion! Circle the weekend in red so it doesn’t sneak up on you. ... OK, more news after that brief commercial announcement: James Lindsay checked in from Maumee, OH, where he is VP-legal counsel for Louisville Title Agency for NW Ohio. James and his wife, the former Julie Mylander, have four children, Erin (20), Molly (18), Connor (14), and Madison (11). ... Alan McDonough checked in from Hudson, OH. He and wife Holly have 1 child, Randy (14). ... Lastly, David Wiemels reported in from London where he is information programs officer at the U.S. Embassy. ... All right, Blue Streaks, as you begin your summer vacations and stop on your way to somewhere else to visit with classmates, please drop me a note so the rest of us can listen in our your conversations! Stay safe this summer, see you in June! Tony |
| winter 2007 | Greetings Classmates, I’m writing one more column for Tony while he concentrates his energies on his new company. So, the first bit of news comes from Tony: Thanks to all of you who were praying for Connie and Joe Czekaj as Connie battled cancer. Connie lost her battle in October. Instead of praying for her recovery, please instead pray for Joe, Jenny (18), Joey (16), and Jimmy (13) to carry on without her. I’ve been a pallbearer before and I’ve been an usher at a wedding before. But until now, I’ve never been a pallbearer for someone who I was an usher for. Steve Bunecke, Keith Hadley and John Mockler were all similarly honored. It makes you think! So, on your to do list today, make sure that one or two of them deal with keeping in touch with some one you love. Life’s too short; here’s to a healthy 2007! Another bit of sad news to pass along was the death of Danny Reynolds’ Mom in early January. Today, I got an unexpected call from Marie Lynch and it was great chatting with her. She said that Mrs. Reynolds’ funeral was very sad, but she did enjoy seeing some old JCU friends. I’m sure the list of JCUers stopping to pay their respects could fill this column. I also talked with Sandra Ryan before the memorial Mass. She was instrumental in keeping us all informed of the visiting hours, etc. ... Speaking of Sandra, I came to Chicago the day after Thanksgiving this past year to take part in Jane Lambesis’ after-Thanksgiving bash. Sandra picked me up from the airport and we proceeded to Lincoln Square to visit with Sheila Nelson, along with another out-of-town visitor, Carrie Nelson. What fun that was! At the party, I got to visit with Kristine and Danny Reynolds, Joe and Marie Lynch-Julius, Billy Donnelly and Sue Divane Donnelly ’84, Colleen Hyland-Robertson, Mike and Sheila Bauschelt, Eileen Meyer ’82, and many more. I stayed with Sheila and had fun dancing and doing knee slides at the Lambesis house into the wee hours of the morning. They had a great sound system set up and Peter was quite the DJ. ... I ran into Mark Schroeder who now lives on my street and he wanted me to pass along that he is a licensed auctioneer raising millions for non-profit organizations; in addition to other auctions he’s done at his new business. His web site is coming soon, but contact him now - auction_it_now@hotmail.com. Mark also said he received a surprise phone call from Chris Coughlin and they reflected on their football days at Loyola Academy and the semi-final game they played at Soldier Field in 1978. ... Thanks to all of you who sent along Christmas cards this past season. Joyce McChesney-Kaye sent along a letter to let me know what was happening in her life. She too, experienced a couple losses with the death of her father-in-law in November and her mother, the year before. On a bright note, she just celebrated her 21st wedding anniversary and her kids and husband are doing well. ... Michael and Mary Margaret Gleason had a wonderful Christmas party in Pittsburgh this past December and I had fun laughing with Carolyn and Tim Hutchison, Paula and Jim Brown, and Beth Ann and Chris Coughlin, among others. ... And with that, I bid all of you a happy spring and warm wishes for a fabulous 2007. Thanks for letting me fill in for a couple columns Tony, and hope to see you all soon! Deb |
| fall 2006 | Greetings classmates! I’m filling in for Tony Palotta while he gets a new business venture underway. We wish you well in your endeavor Tony. ... I heard from Ann Moore and she asked some people for info to get this column rolling. First, Ann is in the midst of a home renovation project. Ann is battling MS and it has become necessary to widen doorways and move walls to accommodate her illness. Once Ann gets settled back into her “new” home, she hopes to do some project work for businesses via her home office. If anyone has any options or ideas for Ann, please contact her or the alumni office at JCU. Ann wants us all to know that the 2007 MS Walk will take place in Cleveland on April 28. Hope you can join her as they try to find a cure for this nasty disease. ... Ann spoke with Michael Campbell, and he and his wife, Michelle (Tomaro) ’84 are living in Maryland. Their two sons, Ryan (17) and Evan (16), are involved in many school activities and are preparing for college. Michelle is the executive director for a real estate brokerage firm and Mike is busy with the Marine Corps in Indian Head, MD. Mike commands a unit of 500 marines and sailors who respond to terrorist attacks. They are the CBIRF or the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force. They were one of the units that responded to the anthrax attack in D.C. in 2002. ... Ann next mentioned Lidia Saluan Richani. She is the senior director of leasing at Zaremba Group in Lakewood. Lidia and her husband, Naji, own a commercial bakery in Northfield, OH, called Sweetheart USA. Their primary business is wholesaling desserts to local restaurants, although word-of-mouth has created quite a retail business! Lidia and Naji enjoyed a wonderful vacation in Spain this past summer and they are busy with their kids, Christopher (15), Nicole (12), and Alex (8). ... Lastly, Ann talked with Betty Moore Childers. She and husband Kevin live in Northern Virginia where they recently moved into a new home. After 22 years in the secular world, Betty now works for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington as director of major gifts. Earlier this year, she traveled to the Dominican Republic with Bishop Loverde in an envoy to dedicate a new high school for the diocesan mission parish of St. Francis of Assisi. She is also secretary of the Fairfax Curia for the Legion of Mary; the largest Catholic lay apostolic organization in the world. Kevin is in private practice as a personal injury attorney and the two of them enjoy travel and golf in their leisure time. ... From the alumni office, I heard that Dave Campisano wrote in from Danville, CA, to say that his son, Kramer, is a 1st degree Black Belt and his daughter Olivia is a 1st degree Brown Belt. The kids and wife Kathleen are all doing well. Tim Killeen lives in Grove City, OH, and works for the Ohio Department of Transportation as an environmental specialist II. ... Marie Lynch Julius wrote in to say that her life was one big carpool. She did mention that Billy Donnelly’s son is now a freshman at JCU. Like all of the other people that wrote in from Chicago, Marie told me that Sheila Nelson has moved back from Minneapolis and lives in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago. Everyone is thrilled to get their friend back home to the windy city. Danny Reynolds is the talk of the town. He manages a new French restaurant called KODA and it’s located at 10352 S. Western Avenue. Sandra Ryan wrote to say that the reviews have been very good and the food is excellent. ... Sandra continued her report by telling me about the Big Shoulders swim that Sheila Bigane Bauschelt and Jane Broeren Lambesis completed on September 9. It was rough waters that morning, but they both finished and congratulations are in order. As a side note, I was supposed to join my fellow Blue Streak swimmers and promise I’ll get in a pool to train this coming year! ... I was out on a recent girls’ night out with Jane Cunin, Mary Power, Patton, Aggie Nagy ’84, and Ann Joyce ’84 Durkin. We went to the new Lola restaurant in downtown Cleveland and enjoyed each other’s company as we talked about our lives. Aggie is happily married and enjoying her job, Mary Patton said that her husband, John, had just taken on a new job, Ann Durkin’s oldest, Patrick, is looking at colleges, and Jane was getting ready to journey down to Tennessee to visit with her brother and his family. Jane also told me she would try and contact Terese Buerhle Booth to get some news, but came up empty. She did mention that Terese and her husband, Ric, have three children; Todd, Rachel and Molly and they relocated from Houston to Cincinnati. ... I got a pleasant surprise when I opened up an e-mail from Mark Biche. He wrote to say that Bill Donnelly, Brian Flannery, Tom Burke, Jim Brown, Jim Kisthardt and he met at Bill and Sue Divane ’84 at Donnelly’s vacation home in Hilton Head at the end of September for golf, sailing, and solving the world’s problems. None of the crew was attacked by alligators, so a great time was had by all! ... I also heard from Kevin Savage. Feeling rather creative, Kevin wrote me all kinds of nonsense, but it was nice to hear from him just the same. He still has his sports card business and is doing quite well! ... I have some sad news to report at this time too. Eileen McDonough’s father passed away in August. I attended the funeral and it was one of the most memorable and touching events I’ve ever witnessed. Eileen, Amy McDonough ’85, Marybeth McDonough ’82, and Michael McDonough ’78 all spoke at the Mass or luncheon following the ceremony and it was beautiful. I rode to the funeral with Carolyn Mueller Hutchison, and then sat with BethAnn McCombs Coughlin at the luncheon afterwards. When I went to drop her off, I got to see Chris Coughlin and he looks young and fit as ever! Sadly, the Coughlin family endured a loss too, as their sister-in-law, Judy McCombs, passed away in September. Our latest sympathies go to Susan Benz Callahan who dealt with the loss of her brother. ... As for me, I’m happily working on building my www.iambicchick.com business and hope that you’ll all find time to check out my web site when you’re looking for a personalized greeting card in the form of a poem! Tim Hutchison photographed the one card front of shamrocks while on a trip to Ireland. At our annual summer party this year, I was so excited to see Mary Margaret Pearson Gleason, Eileen McDonough, BethAnn McCombs Coughlin, and Carolyn Hutchison all make the journey from Pittsburgh. They had a great time conversing with Mark Schroeder and the weather cooperated too. Julie Turnley ’90 and I recently took a wonderful trip to Austin, TX. We went to our first-ever Bar Mitzvah and it was a great time. We were treated like queens all weekend and met a wonderful new friend. She’s an actress that is looking for venues to perform her one-woman show based on the life of Mother McAuley. If any of you has information on where she could perform, please write! ... Mary Patton passed along a press release about Tom Fanta, The West Side Catholic Center (WSCC) will host its 10th annual “Warm Hearts, Winter Nights” benefit at the Terrace Club at Jacobs Field in Downtown Cleveland on Friday, November 10, 2006. The West Side Catholic Center Honors Rev. Thomas G. Fanta '79. Fr. Fanta: Has volunteered at the WSCC ever since childhood -- Gives from his right hand without his left hand knowing / Lives the gospel by taking care of the least of God’s children / Hosts numerous fundraisers to support the work done at the WSCC / Serves as an ambassador telling thousands about the WSCC and its mission / Is steadfastly devoted to providing food, clothing, shelter and advocacy to those in need / Organized the Fisherman who orchestrated the 1999-2002 Renovation and renovation and endowment campaign. ... Madelon Plunkett Queenan has started her own interior design business in Chicago’s northern suburbs. One of her first projects was for Maureen (Kelly) and Wally West. With Madelon’s great decorating flair, her business is off to a great start! Madelon also chaired a successful sock hop fundraiser at her kids’ school. Next; Mary’s words not mine, but the last line is true!! Deb Solyan has been a media darling around Cleveland lately! Deb was interviewed by TV3’s Del Donahoo and featured on the morning news talking about her online business, IambicChick.com. Then on Valentine’s Day, she was on the air with Brian and Joe on 106.5 FM writing and reciting Valentine’s Day greetings for people who called in to request a poem for their loved one. Deb’s next goal is the OPRAH show! Someone’s gotta have an “in” with her so let me know! ... Well, guess that’s it for now. I miss you all and can’t wait until we can be together again. Our 25-year reunion is right around the corner; only two years away, so start laying the groundwork to get back to our Alma Mater! Onward on John Carroll!!! Deb Solyan - deb.solyan@qwest.com
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| spring 2006 | Greetings from the north coast of America. As I write this column, the Indians are in 1st place in the AL Central. Let’s see where they are when we all read this! ... Debra Wolter reports from Basking Ridge, NJ, that she will marry Kevin Lavery on May 28. Deb is a chief executive dance teacher at Dance World Academy. ... Mary Tuason Bunker ’87 just started a new job as treasury business analyst with Motorola in Schaumburg, IL. Mary lives in Chicago with husband, William, and children Elena (6), Timothy (4) and Nora (1). ... Congrats to Daniel Frate who has been appointed executive VP at National City Corp. in Cleveland. He will oversee NCB’s seven-state retail network. He received his master’s degree in finance from Purdue University. ... Our sympathies to Eileen Byrne Hickerson who lost her mother last summer after years of taking care of her in her home. Eileen did have happy news to report as well, her daughter, Caitlin, is studying in Florence, Italy, for a semester and when she returns, will spend a semester in NYC. She’ll graduate with a major in fashion design from Kent State. Eileen’s 9th grade son, Cliff, is developing into quite the athlete at Olmsted Falls High School. ... Sympathies also to Colleen Hyland-Robertson and Sandra Ryan as both their mothers passed away and to Tim Hutchison who lost his dad in January. ... To all my classmates who are dealing with the death of a parent, I have a comforting thought. I’ve got a head start on adjusting to life without parents and what I know for a fact is this: The same memories that make you misty now will make a big smile come to your face in the future. I’m not sure how long it will take for each of you but it does happen. ... Deb Solyan responded to my SOS for alumni info with news of a wedding, bout time for some happy news, don’t ya think!! Congratulations to Aggie Nagy ’85 and new husband Tim (sorry, Tim, Deb didn’t pass along your last name.) The September blast at the Mayfield Country Club had a prestigious guest list including: Ann ’84 and Kevin Durkin, Nancy Grimes Couto’84, Bill and Kathy (O’Neil) Battistone, Liz Nau Montgomery ’84, Carol Brennan Joseph ’85 and Maureen McDonough Curley ’85. ... Lastly, please keep Joe and Connie Czekaj in your prayers. Connie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, we thought we had it beat but it’s back. Connie’s a fighter but she could use a spiritual lift for her and Joe and their kids Jennifer (17), Joey (15), and Jimmy (12). ... OK, take care of yourselves and when something happy happens in your lives, pass the news to me so I can share some of it with your friends. Tony
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| fall 2005 | Received several congratulatory e-mails after the last issue of the alumni mag went out without a class of ‘83 column, not even a hopeful plea for more information. . . Thanks for noticing, Joe Boyle ’84. Let’s see if we can’t improve on that. ... Congratulations to Mary Power Patton. For those who don’t read anything other than the class notes, you may not have known that Mary was awarded the Alumni Medal, JCU’s highest honor. ... Got word of another girls’ weekend, this one in Columbus, with Karen Castelli, Diane (Winter) O’Brien, Mary Kay (Sweeney) Friend, Jane Mackall, Peg (Morgan) Bollinger and Kathleen (Murphy) Emeterio. Di, is it true that the fire department really comes when the smoke detectors go off? Apparently, Mary Kay is an expert with her digital camera and printer and Karen has mastered the blender, resulting in wonderful Italian lemonades! ... John Purdy checked in from Kings Park, NY, where he resides with his wife, Nancy. John earned an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace in 1995 and is director of planning and development at E-Z-EM, Inc. ... Deb Solyan checked in with a new venture. Check out www.IambicChick.com. Deb can create a personalized greeting card for you that rhymes. Pretty cool. (Now would be the perfect time for me to slip into verse, but I’m going to leave that to the experts.) ... Lisa Amato Reid, an attorney with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur in Cleveland, has been named a trustee of the Italian American Cultural Foundation. The foundation promotes the Italian culture through education, language and the arts. She also makes awesome meatballs. (OK, so I made up that last part. I’m allowed, I’ve got a vowel at the end of my name too!) ... Lastly, Steve Bunecke married Jennifer Johnson in May. Steve pretends not to care if I mention him in this column, but I know, deep down, he really likes to be famous. Poor Jen, she’s going to have to pronounce and spell her name for the rest of her life, “That’s B-u-n-e-c-k-e, just like it sounds!” Joe Czekaj, John Mockler, Keith Hadley, and I were all there to witness the event in Greenville, SC. We couldn’t remember the last time all 5 of us were together. We’ve have 4 of 5 on several occasions but the wedding was a special treat! ... OK, tell me what’s going on with you all or I’ll be forced to report on the trials and triumphs of my daughter’s 6th grade CYO volleyball team. I’m an assistant coach so I now know what bumping and setting are and I’m prepared to describe them in detail! ... Tony
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| spring 2005 | Here’s a column that had the same deadline as the IRS, April 15. I put my tax return in the mail and with a reprieve from the governor, submit these words, slightly post-deadline. ... Mary Schomisch Shafer took pity on me after the last issue appeared. She let me know she’s a school psychologist at a Catholic school in Cleveland. Stepahnie (14), Andrew (13), Nicholas (10), and Jeremy (5) keep her busy with scouts, swim team, and other school activities. Mary had a book published in 2000 and is currently working on book #2. (I’m working on parking both cars in my garage!) Mary keeps in touch with Cindy Dorsey who is a doctor in Mansfield and Janet Duszynski Miller who recently moved back to St. Louis with her husband, Dick, and five children. ... Deb Solyan, God bless her, took pity on me to a monumental level and provided much material for this column. In fact, let’s just call Deb guest columnist, the remainder of this column is the result of her e-mail updates. Congratulations on the new job w/MCI, client acquisition executive Solyan (that’s a nice title). After working at home for two years, I’ll bet you’re happy to be back in an office and see people every day. Deb reported Jim and Missy ’85 Kisthardt were doing well. Jim reported that he had recently spoken with both Rick Cenar and Kevin Savage and everything’s OK with them, too. ... Jack Carey recently had an angioplasty but is fine after the procedure. Jack and his wife Denise have five children, the oldest of which is considering JCU. ... Deb missed but reported on a fun girls’ weekend in Chicago. Sheila Nelson flew in from Minneapolis and joined Jane Broeren Lambesis, Sandra Ryan, Marie Lynch-Julius, Sheila Bigane Bauschelt, Therese O’Neill-Schmidt, and Colleen Hyland-Robertson and some others. The women of the village stayed downtown and took in the Jackie O exhibit. The men, no doubt, hunted and gathered. ... Deb visited with Jane Lambesis at Federated Investors annual sales meeting in Pittsburgh in Jan. ... Deb was also able to visit with Eileen McDonough over the holidays. They met at Eileen’s parents’ condo in Pittsburgh while Eileen was in town from Lisbon, Portugal, and then headed to the Cheesecake Factory. A group of high school and college friends enjoying the cheesecake and other items were: Michael and Mary Margaret Pearson Gleason, Carolyn and Tim Hutchison, and Chris and BethAnn McCombs Coughlin. Deb, thanks again for all the news. ... If anyone would like to relay info to me via Debbie, I’m sure that could be arranged. Enjoy your summer, hit your golf balls straight and not so often! Tony
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| winter 2005 | As I write in early January, everyone’s New Year’s resolutions are probably still intact. That’s good. Make sure one of them is to check in with your class rep in 2005. ... Caught up with fellow Phi Beta Phi alumn Mike Anderson over the holidays. Mike returned home to St. Mary’s, OH, after graduation where he is an attorney. Being single, Mike’s able to spend chunks of time on his boat in the summer and sneak down to the Keys for long weekends in the winter. ... The pride of East Liverpool, OH, Ralph Mitchell ’81, reported from Huntsville, AL. The ROTC grad is planning to retire from the Army in May after going back and forth to Iraq and Kuwait. Ralph’s married to Virginia and has a stepson, Ryan (16). ... Another who serves his country in uniform is LTC Kenneth Gantt. Ken works at the Pentagon, the Army’s home office. He also sports a MA degree from prestigious Princeton University. ... David Wiemels also works in Washington, DC. David is a career development officer for the Department of State. ... John Dowd checked in from Lima, OH, where he is married to the former Elizabeth Brown and is a project manager for Frontier Systems Integrators. ... Jeff Savarise ’82, checked in from Louisville, KY, where he is an attorney. His two hobbies are cooking and golf. I imagine the refrigerator is full since the temperature is headed into the single digits at night! ... That’s all the news now. Keep counting your carbs and doing your sit-ups. Please send me an update on what’s new with you and yes, I’m still looking for Chris Petrie!! Tony
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| fall 2004 | No news from 1983 ... people, call / fax / e-mail me. I'm lonely. Tony |
| summer 2004 | As I write this, your Cleveland Indians are on the west coast, battling the Oakland As. As you read this, we’ll be starting to wonder how those Browns are gonna do this year! … Got a surprise phone call from my old roommate and fellow Phi Beta Phi alum, Chris Klamet. He married Kathy, has 2 kids, now 11 and 14 (if I remember correctly) and had climbed the corporate ladder as far as he could with a Swiss dental company. He’s now looking for new opportunities. Condolences to you, Chris on the loss of your mom. Graduating college and getting a “real job” are important milestones. Marriage, mortgages, even parenthood, put you through a range of emotions. Nothing says you’re grown up, though, like losing a parent. … It was good, however, to see that my appeal for information from Chris, aka the Amazing Jeashe, generated some results. At the risk of ruining my perfect record, Chris Petrie, come on down! Let’s hear what’s up with you! … Fellow Mahoning county native, Arlene Fedorchak reports from Columbus, OH that she has retired after 14 years of practicing internal medicine. No word on what she plans to do to fill her days but I’m guessing that husband Niles Overly, and children Kristen (7) and Lauren (5) will keep her busy. … Tom Mahoney checked in from Orlando, FL, where he is self employed in sales and marketing. (I know a bit about being self employed. Every day is like Christmas but you have to pay twice the normal rate of FICA tax, eh Tom?) Tom is married to the former Judy Barret and has 2 children, Caitlin (14) and Dan (12). … Spent a great day at Joe Czekaj’s home in Hinckley recently. Joe’s wife, Connie, recently got a clean bill of health from her doctors after battling cancer since last fall. Naturally we had to have a party. Keith Hadley, John Mockler, Ron ’84 and Marlene Patt ’84 Rydzewski were all part of the festivities! We didn’t even miss Steve Bunecke that much! … Quick thought: Does JCU have any alumni from the class of ’83 in the Chicago area? Haven’t heard much from that area of the country recently. … OK, that’s all for now. I’ve got to get back outside and work on my tan! Tony |
| spring 2004 | Greetings from the western suburbs of Cleveland. If you bump around in the class notes section of www.jcu.edu, you will find the uncut version of my debut column that included info on fellow classmate Todd Teter who attends St. Raphael church in Bay Village, and lives in Avon Lake with his wife, Carla, and 3 daughters ... Pat Divito ’80, and several other notables. ... The only note I received from a class of ’83 member was a lovely get re-acquainted e-mail from Eileen Byrne Hickerson who now lives in Olmsted Falls. ... You will all be encouraged, however, to note that ex-JCU gridders do know how to read as I heard from Dave Styka ’85, who now lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife, Rhonda, and 2 sons, Will (11), and Ben (10). Dave reports that Craig Eldridge ’85, who is an attorney, is finishing up Med School at OSU. Craig is married with 2 daughters. ... Also heard from Brad Cantwell ’85 who lives in the Philadelphia area, works with Dole in charge of their import program. Brad has a 2½-year old daughter and an 8 week old son. ... Ran into Mike Carswell at a JCU Entrepreneur’s Association meeting. Congratulations, Mike, on your recent induction into the Hall of Fame for your good work on the basketball court. Mike has recently launched a new company that records family histories on video and DVD. Go to mystoryproductions.com to find out more. (Mike, no charge for that shameless plug!). ... As you look at this column and find so much space devoted to non-classmates, you’re right. I’m looking forward to hearing from my fellow ’83ers. As you gather this summer for picnics and reunions with your old roommates, use your Blackberry handhelds to zap me a quick e-mail. I’ll relay all the news that’s fit to print! ... Go Streaks! How many days till the Mount Union game?? Tony |
| winter 2004 | Welcome back to Camp Carroll. I’m looking forward to distributing valuable information to all of you as I serve as class rep. 20 years? That seems about right. It took almost 20 years to get out of high school. The 20 years since then seemed to have taken about 15 minutes ... A brief re-introduction: Tony Pallotta, attended JCU from Youngstown, practiced with the football team for 4 years (actually played in a few games, too!), Phi Beta Phi fraternity, accounting major. Remember me?? I returned to Y-town after graduating and then moved back to Cleveland in 1987. Married Wendy in 1990 after she answered the request line of a Y-town radio station. Just think, if I would’ve called an hour later, I’d be married to Keith Cunningham, the afternoon drive guy. Daughter #1, Caroline, arrived in 1994, Allison in 1996. I’ve been a self-employed financial planner since 1991 after working for a CPA firm and two different real estate developers as an accountant/controller. ... I should be full of reunion news but unfortunately, I’m not. My daughter’s season opener of little league softball was that Saturday morning so I had an abbreviated stay on campus on Friday afternoon and early evening ... I did renew some Phi Beta Phi acquaintances though, spoke w/Joe Keller while making reunion plans. He’s a realtor with Realty One in Broadview Hts. after a stint as a naval officer ... Mike Anderson is an attorney back in St Mary’s, OH. Spends his weekends on his boat. Not a bad life! ... Paul DeLuca is alive and well and living in Broadview Hts. He’s with KeyCorp. ... Drew Huff experienced a geographic path similar to mine, a Mahoning Valley native, he’s now a west side Clevelander, living in Strongsville. He and Donna have 2 boys but while I still remember getting rid of the training wheels for my daughter last year, Drew’s been dealing with driving lessons! Bill Runzo also has a house full of testosterone! He was considering a reunion trip to coincide with a trip back home to the Pittsburg area. ... The JCU folks I see most regularly are Joe Czekaj who’s with a company called Hadrian in Mentor. They make lockers and partition walls for restrooms. The next time you’re in a public restroom, take a look at the walls. If they say Hadrian, thank Joe for your privacy! Joe’s mostly a hockey dad and a band dad now. Jennifer (15), Joey (12), and my godson, Jimmy (10) keep them busy. Please keep Joe and his family in your prayers. Connie was diagnosed with breast cancer this fall and is currently undergoing treatment. ... Keith Hadley went past fatherhood and directly to grandpa. His wife’s, Cathy, daughter gave them a grandson 2 years ago. Keith is now in Baltimore so I guess he has an alibi for being both a Ravens fan and a supporter of Art Modell. His first trip back to campus was for the reunion but I guess it agreed with him because he came back to join me for the Blue Gold Club golf outing at Stonewater in August! ... All the women who told me, “Your roommate is sooo cute!” be aware, Steve Bunecke is still an eligible bachelor. Steve, with his CPA designation and prestigious Pitt MBA, runs a manufacturing plant in Greenville SC. Instead of coaching little league, Steve scuba dives in the Bahamas! I haven’t seen him in about a year but the last time I did, his hairline had receded a lot more than mine! ... John Mockler lives in Berea now with his wife, Anne, and munchkins John (11) and Elizabeth (9). John has a grueling commute every day from Berea into Middleburg Hts. where he works in the finance department for the city of Middleburg Hts. ... ... Jennifer Caulfield Van Petten reports that she and her husband, Thomas, have recently moved from Washington, DC to Norfolk, VA. Thomas was recently selected to the rank of Navy Captain. ... Dave Campisano also zapped in with an e-mail. He’s with Cingular in California. We were able to compare real estate values in northeastern Ohio to California. You can reach Dave at David.Campisano@Cingular.com. He barely recalled the night he almost killed me by serving homemade hot peppers. I vividly recall my water fountain-to-water fountain trip from Pacelli back to the 1st floor of Dolan. ... Ron and Marlene (Patt) Rydzewski ’84, are fellow west-siders in Fairview Park. Ron has been with Sherwin-Williams since graduation. Marlene turned in her S-W painting gear after Danny, who’s a freshman this fall at St. Ed’s, Benny, (another godson) 6th grade, and Lynn, 5th grade, arrived. ... Pat Divito ’80 has done the geographic opposite of me. A native Clevelander, Pat and Gisele now live in Boardman. Their son, Tim, is a junior at Heidelberg this fall, Leah is a freshman at JCU, Erika now rules Boardman High! ... Virginia (Venchi) Hess ’82 has a daughter, Michelle, at Padua HS in Parma. Her son, Marty, Jr. isn’t quite there yet but he can pick up Mom and carry her around the house. How is it that my daughters are still in Girl Scouts and my classmates are paying college tuition bills and teenage car insurance???? I guess I got a late start. ... Sunday Mass at St. Raphael in Bay Village has a JCU flavor. Jack Bedell ’84 and his troop file in regularly. For a few weeks, I kept looking at one guy and saying to myself, “This guy looks like a slimmed down version of Todd Teter.” Yep, it was him. We got to catch up over ice cream at the father-daughter dance. Todd and his wife, Carla, live in Avon Lake with their 3 daughters. If you paid attention to the Plain Dealer business section a few months back, you would’ve seen his smiling face after being promoted at Moen. His biggest challenge, though, will be his service as commissioner of Bay Village, OH St. Raphael’s CYO Volleyball program for fall of ’04. ... Fellow Phi Beta Phi alum, Tim O’Neil ’84 reports in his Christmas card that he has a new employer, Loud Technologies, where he serves as CFO. The new job requires lots of traveling, mostly to Italy. Tim, Mary Pat, and munchkins Maggie (8) and Jack (5½) celebrated their 5th anniversary of living in Seattle. ... Tim’s roommate, Joe Boyle ’84, also checked in. He and Linda recently celebrated their 12th anniversary. They have Claire (9) Joey (7) and Genevieve (4). Joe’s with Ingersoll-Rand’s Industrial Solutions sector. If you’d like to catch up with Joe directly, try boyle841@aol.com. ... Let me know what’s new with you or I’ll be forced to compare my hairline with Mr. Bunecke’s every issue. Chris Klamet, where are you????? ... Tony |
| fall 2003 | Welcome back to Camp Carroll. I’m looking forward to distributing valuable information to all of you as I serve as class rep. 20 years? That seems about right. It took almost 20 years to get out of high school. The 20 years since then seemed to have taken about 15 minutes. ... A brief re-introduction: Tony Pallotta, attended JCU from Youngstown, practiced with the football team for 4 years (actually played in a few games, too!), Phi Beta Phi fraternity, accounting major. Remember me? I returned to Y-town after graduating and then moved back to Cleveland in 1987. Married Wendy in 1990 after she answered the request line of a Y-town radio station. Just think, if I would’ve called an hour later, I’d be married to Keith Cunningham, the afternoon drive guy. Daughter #1, Caroline, arrived in 1994, Allison in 1996. I’ve been a self-employed financial planner since 1991 after working for a CPA firm and 2 different real estate developers as an accountant/controller. ... I should be full of reunion news but unfortunately, I’m not. My daughter’s season opener of little league softball was that Saturday morning so I had an abbreviated stay on campus on Friday afternoon and early evening ... I did renew some Phi Beta Phi acquaintances though, spoke w/Joe Keller while making reunion plans. He’s a realtor with Realty One in Broadview Heights after a stint as a naval officer. ... Mike Anderson is an attorney back in St Mary’s, OH. Spends his weekends on his boat. Not a bad life! ... Paul DeLuca is alive and well and living in Broadview Heights. He’s with KeyCorp. ... Drew Huff experienced a geographic path similar to mine, a Mahoning valley native, he’s now a west side Clevelander, living in Strongsville. He and Donna have 2 boys but while I still remember getting rid of the training wheels for my daughter last year, Drew’s been dealing with driving lessons! Bill Runzo also has a house full of testosterone! He was considering a reunion trip to coincide with a trip back home to the Pittsburg area. ... The JCU folks I see most regularly are Joe Czekaj who’s with a company called Hadrian in Mentor. They make lockers and partition walls for restrooms. The next time you’re in a public restroom, take a look at the walls. If they say Hadrian, thank Joe for your privacy! Joe’s mostly a hockey dad and a band dad now. Jennifer (15), Joey (12), and my godson, Jimmy (10) keep him and Connie busy. ... Keith Hadley went past fatherhood and directly to grandpa. His wife Cathy’s daughter gave them a grandson 2 years ago. Keith is now in Baltimore so I guess he has an alibi for being both a Ravens fan and a supporter of Art Modell. His first trip back to campus was for the reunion but I guess it agreed with him because he came back to join me for the Blue Gold Club golf outing at Stonewater in August! ... All the women who told me, “Your roommate is sooo cute!” be aware, Steve Bunecke is still an eligible bachelor. Steve, with his CPA designation and prestigious Pitt MBA, runs a manufacturing plant in Greenville, SC. Instead of coaching little league, Steve scuba dives in the Bahamas! I haven’t seen him in about a year but the last time I did, his hairline had receded a lot more than mine! ... John Mockler lives in Berea now with his wife, Anne, and munchkins John (11), and Elizabeth (9). John has a grueling commute every day from Berea into Middleburg Heights where he works in the finance department for the city of Middleburg Heights. ... Ron & Marlene (Patt) Rydzewski both ’84 are fellow west-siders in Fairview Park. Ron has been with Sherwin-Williams since graduation. Marlene turned in her S-W painting gear after Danny, who’s a freshman this fall at St. Ed’s, Benny, (another godson) 6th grade, and Lynn, 5th grade, arrived. Pat Divito ’80 has done the geographic opposite of me. A native Clevelander, Pat and Gisele now live in Boardman. Their son, Tim, is a junior at Heidelburg this fall, Leah is a freshman at JCU, Erika now rules Boardman High! ... Virginia (Venchi) Hess ’82 has a daughter, Michelle, at Padua HS in Parma. Her son, Marty, Jr., isn’t quite there yet but he can pick up Mom and carry her around the house. How is it that my daughters are still in Girl Scouts and my classmates are paying college tuition bills and teenage car insurance? I guess I got a late start. ... Sunday Mass at St. Raphael in Bay Village has a JCU flavor. Jack Bedell ’84 and his troop file in regularly. ... For a few weeks, I kept looking at one guy and saying to myself, “This guy looks like a slimmed down version of Todd Teter.” Yep, it was him. We got to catch up over ice cream at the father-daughter dance. Todd and his family live in Avon Lake. If you paid attention to The Plain Dealer business section a few months back, you would’ve seen his smiling face after being promoted at Moen. ... Thanks for taking the time to read this debut column. Now, tell me what’s going on in your lives or I’ll be forced to compare my hairline with Mr. Bunecke’s every issue. Tony |
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