Class Notes for 1996

Class Notes 1996

Amy Spisich Kogovsek

ASKamy@aol.com

fall 2008

I hope this column is finding you all healthy and well. On behalf of the class of ’96, I’d like to take a moment to extend our sympathies to the Russert family. Many people’s lives were forever changed for the better because they knew Tim. The JCU community will always feel his absence but remember his spirit. His life was a wonderful example of “Magis,” doing more than the ordinary. ... And as we aspire to that ideal ourselves, we look inward to our classmates and find that James Auricchio has been appointed assistant United States attorney in the Western District of New York. Our congratulations go out to James with best wishes for a successful career. ... I’d also like to take a minute to invite you all back to Carroll for Homecoming this September 27. Come cheer the Blue Streaks on to victory against Heidelberg at their first home game of the season on Saturday at 2 p.m. A comedian, alumni volunteer training workshop, pep rally, and street fair are just a few of the many events planned for this year’s celebration. ... And please take a minute to send in a note on what you are all up to. I know everyone is very busy but your classmates enjoy hearing all of the wonderful things going on in your lives. Until then, the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

spring 2008

Tim Gallagher and his wife, Jill, welcomed a daughter, Reese Emily, on 9/20/07. Little Reese joins big brother Timmy Jr. (26 mos.). Tim completed his MBA in 2006 and is working for Stryker Orthopaedics. The Gallagher family is residing in Strongsville, Ohio. ... Vanessa (Lindeman) Downey e-mailed that she and her husband welcomed their first child, Savannah, in June of 2005. The Downey family relocated to Southern, Ill., outside the St. Louis area for Vanessa’s job as VP of sales and marketing for a small company that does export business. Vanessa writes that her position has provided her the opportunity to travel to places like China, Dubai, Egypt, Thailand, and Mexico among other places. She also sent an update on Amy Diorio-Shamblen who had a baby boy (Matthew) in October. The Shamblens are living in Broadview Hts. and Amy is working at Sherwin-Williams. ... Eric Clark was elected to partnership at Thompson Hine LLP effective 1/1/08. Eric is a member of the firm’s labor and employment practice group in the Cincinnati office. ... Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you,Amy

fall 2007

Jonathan Kase completed his MD from Medical College of Ohio in 2001. He is currently living in Wooster with his wife Melissa and (1) y/o Kennedy… Megan Clifford Papponetti graduated with a MSW from SUNY Buffalo in 2000. She is working for the University of Rochester as a Crisis Therapist and also living in the Rochester area with husband John… Leigh Calabrese Eck is living in Gloucester, MA… Dave Kelly and his family relocated to the Charlotte area after Dave accepted a new position with WestWayne Advertising. They write, “We are adjusting very well to living in the Southeast. Ironically we ended up purchasing a home from a fellow JCU alum. We didn’t find out until after we moved in. Both Emilia (4 y/o in September) and Liam (2 in June) love living here, and Emma (Dave’s wife) has adjusted well and loves the area! We also bumped into fellow 1996 alum Monika Gonczi while house hunting.” Dave notes that if any fellow JCU alums are in the Charlotte area, you can contact him at david.kelly@juno.com.... Stephanie May Potter is living in Chicago and working for PricewaterhouseCoopers… Jacqueline Lynch Parks completed her J.D. at CWRU School of Law in 1999 and is a practicing Attorney with Best, Best & Krieger LLP in San Diego, CA. She and her husband Daniel are also busy raising children Blaise (8), Joey (6), Aidan (6) and Eileen (2)… Monika Gonczi Dragich and her family, husband Joe ’94 and children Joseph (2) and Emma (under 1 year) are living in Tega Cay, SC… Robin Dutko Grabowski completed a MBA at Kent State in 2002 and is living in Warren, OH, with spouse John and working as a Production Control Manager at Alcoa… Matthew Fico lives in Rochester, NY and works as a Neuroscience Sales Specialist for Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Matthew was recently married on 1/13/07 to Pamela Schickler. The ceremony and reception were celebrated in Rochester with a number of JCU alums present including Best Man, Dr. Tim Abbamonte, Alison Abbamonte (Ford), Groomsman David Loverdi, Megan Spencer (Turon), Suzanne Heckroth (Butch), Kelly Cunningham, Dr. Patricia Orlino, Tara Blahut (Reddy), and Dr. Christina McCardle (Zotis). Matthew writes, “We kept it old school with some “Tootsie Roll” and many frothy beverages.” Thanks to all who e-mailed with updates. Looking forward to many more, and don’t forget that you can send pictures! Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

summer 2007

I hope this column finds you all well. I’ll get right to the news ... Arthur P. Ward Jr. is currently living in Walton Hills with his wife, Dawn, and their children Trey (4) and Ava (2). He earned a MTax at Akron in 2006 and is a senior tax manager at Barnes Wendling CPAs, Inc. in Cleveland. ... Dan Bansley and his wife, Colleen, are living in Chicago. ... Kathleen O’Hara is living and working in Cincinnati, OH. She earned a master’s degree from Xavier in 1999 and is owner/writer at Sage North, LLC. She is married to Mike Adams and they have a son Laine (1). ... Karen Peters is working for The Sherwin-Williams Company here in Cleveland. ... Amy Diorio-Shamblen and her husband, John Shamblen, reside in Broadview Heights. ... James Conway completed a Ph.D. at CWRU in 2006 and recently moved to New Jersey after accepting a position with Merck Research Laboratories. ... That’s all this time. Keep in mind that you can send pictures with your updates from get-togethers, weddings, whatever! Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

fall 2006

Toni Sever Uzl is living in Cleveland with her husband Dan and children Brandon and Kaitlin. She completed an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in 2003 and is currently working as an accounting manager for Keithley Instruments Inc. in Solon. ... Tina Filippelli Beskid is currently living in Mississippi with her husband Scott and their children Nathan and John. Tina works in Jackson as a cost accounting manager for Eaton Corporation. ... J.V. Kocian received a JD from Cleveland-Marshall in 2002 and now works as an assistant county prosecutor for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office. ... Martin D. Rodriguez resides in University Heights with his wife Marlene. He completed an MBA from JCU in ’99 and is vice president at National City Bank in Beachwood, OH. ... Kristen Gajowski Kaleal is founder and president of Fusion Image Group and over this past year was named ClevelandWomen.Com’s Style and Image Expert. Kristen presents seminars and programs to financial institutions, major corporations, universities and women’s organizations on topics of professional image and style. You can read more about Kristen at ClevelandWomen.Com. ... Michelle Kazar Blank is living in Delaware, OH, with her husband, Andrew, and their son Andrew (AJ). She earned a JD from CWRU in ’99 and now works as an attorney for Franklin County in Columbus, OH. ... Erol Gurel - fegurel@yahoo.com - is working for JP Morgan Chase in their Commercial Banking/Middle Market division in suburban Chicago and lives in downtown Chicago. ... Terese Adomaites Fennell is living in Aurora with her husband, Donald. She completed a JD at CSU in ’99 and is currently a senior associate attorney at Reid, Marshall & Wargo in Cleveland. ... Tom Monagan earned an M.S. from Eastern Illinois University and is an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway AR. ... It is with a heavy heart that I write of the passing of our classmate Marci Kornblut Gorospe ... beloved mother of Alison Reyes and Caitlyn Isabella, a devoted daughter, sister and friend and a treasured teacher who imparted the gift of knowledge and gained the respect of many teachers and students. An educational fund has been set up to address the specials needs of her daughters. Donations can be made at any National City Bank branch in the name of the Gorospe children, c/o Alison Gorospe. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marci’s family at this difficult time. May the Lord bless her and keep her. ... Amy

spring 2006

Ryan Martin graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in ’03 and is living in Denver, CO. He finished a year of volunteer work with the Colorado Vincentian Volunteers in July 2005. During that year he lived with 11 other volunteers, all working with the poor in different fields. Ryan worked at the Catholic Worker with the homeless. After that year he continues volunteer work by working at an overnight shelter for the homeless. He is assistant director of the St. Francis Center but still manages to get some snowboarding in. ... Carie Michael Bloom is an MD working at Cary Pediatric Center in Cary, NC. She and her husband, Josh, have two children, Payton (3) and Taylor (1). ... Tom Monagan is assistant athletic trainer at St. Bonaventure University in NY and earned his MS from Eastern Illinois University. ... Thomas J. Bertsch is living in Rocky River and is assistant vice president of McCormack Advisors International. He is working for IMG. ... Matt Becker earned his M.Ed. from Xavier in ’02 and works as manager, Learning and Performance at CareSource Management Group. He and his wife, Amanda, have a four-week old son named Noah John. ... Rebecca Carter Miller earned an MS from the University of Pittsburgh in ’99 and works as a clinical supervisor at Mercy Behavioral Health in Pittsburgh where she lives with husband Chris. ... Matthew Fico works in Rochester, NY, where he is a pharmaceutical representative for Takeda Pharmaceuticals. ... Christopher Flynn and wife, Molly, live in Los Angeles where Christopher is an agent trainee in Beverly Hills. ... Derek Garden and his wife, Melissa, live in the Westerville, OH, area with their daughter Delaney Grace (2). Derek is currently enrolled full-time in the MBA program at OSU. ... Scott Ziska is living in Sagamore Hills and is a partner with RollingBrook Financial Advisors in Solon. ... Suzanne (Butch) Heckroth is living in the Baltimore area with her husband, Mark. She resigned this past summer as laboratory resource manager at In Vitro Technologies to stay home with daughter Katie (2) and Ryan (3 months). While at In Vitro, Suzanne worked with classmate Jennifer Bugel Mertz who earned her master’s in clinical psychology from Loyola College in MD. Jen now lives in Cary, NC, with her husband, Kevin, and runs the payroll and benefits dept at Sony Ericsson. ... Also living in the Baltimore area are Steve Blahut and Tara Reddy-Blauhut. They have two sons, Donovan (2½) and Vincent who was born in November. Tara received her master’s in clinical counseling psychology from Towson State University and Steve earned a master’s from Towson State University and then a doctorate in statistics from the University of MD. He is a statistician for Olitzky Whittle, a marketing firm that works with pharmaceutical companies. ... Christina Zotis McArdle and her husband, John, are living in the Pittsburgh area. They have three children: Samantha (6), Donny (4) and Mary (3). Christina graduated from The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and she is currently practicing podiatry part-time in Greentree, PA. ... Eileen Chambers O’Malley, her husband, Brendan, and daughter, Grace (2), have recently moved back to Cleveland after living in Detroit, MI, for almost two years. Eileen received her master’s in educational administration from CSU and teaches lower elementary school. Eileen’s brother Billy married classmate Mollie Kraven Chambers and they have one son, Owen (3). ... Kelly Cunningham received an MBA and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Cornell University. She is now living in Chicago and is working for Delphi Automotive Systems as a sales/account manager. ... Patty Orlino graduated from The College of Medicine at OSU in 2000 and completed a five-year residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in diagnostic radiology. She served as chief resident for a year and is currently working as a board certified general radiologist at Metro. ... Megan Turon Spencer, her husband, Wes, and children Cade (3.5) and Kolbi (1) are living in the Rochester area. Megan received her master’s in school psychology from Duquesne University and is now a school psychologist at Penfield High School. ... Also in Rochester are Tim and Allie (Ford) Abbamonte. Tim graduated from University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and currently has a dental practice with his father. Allie graduated from Illinois College of Optometry and is working part-time with Chili Vision Group. They have one son, Benjamin (1). ... Ryan Tyson is VP of Reinhardt’s Agency Inc. (insurance - real estate). Ryan lives in Sharon, PA, with his wife, Nicole Allan. ... John McGinty graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 2000 where he did a residency in internal medicine. He is currently at Marshall University doing a Cardiology Fellowship until June 2007. John married Jill Boggs this past summer and they are living in Proctorville, OH. John’s groomsmen were Jeff Sesplankis, Andy Henton ’97 and John Samol ’97 -- Tom Bertsch and Joey Bigler ’97 were ushers. Ryan and John report that Jeff is married to Jill Culcasi ’98 and is working for Ernst & Young. Andy married Beth Williams ’95 and started his own firm called Henton and Associates. ... I received more news but couldn’t fit it all in, so you’ll see more next time. Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

winter 2006

Reunion time is fast approaching ... mark your calendars for June! There’s a lot of news so let’s get right to it ... Karen Thompson Pascoe is living in Denver, CO, with her husband, Gary, who she married this past summer. She is currently finishing up her doctorate in psychology and working as a mental health and substance abuse therapist. The photo from Karen’s wedding shows front row: Andy Titus and his wife Tara, Gary and Karen, Julia Kearney, Erik Chiprich and Jo Anna Maiorano Crago. In the back row is Dan Gindi ’95, and Brian Crago (Jo Anna’s husband). Karen writes that Julia Kearney MD is living in Manhattan and finishing her residency at Mt. Sinai. She recently took her pediatric boards and is now interviewing for jobs. She has a boyfriend she met while she was in Sri Lanka helping children recover from trauma after the tsunami. ... Erik Chiprich also lives in Manhattan. He is working at Harris Nesbitt as a senior equity analyst. Andy Titus and his wife, Tara, live outside San Francisco. Andy is keeping himself busy working two jobs, one on the East Coast and one on the West. They are expecting their first child in June. ... Melissa Winberry Gleeson married Mat Gleeson in ’99 and they have two children, Henry (2) and Pheobe (5mos). Melissa is a social worker and lives in Chagrin Falls. ... Tracy Potts Winterich married Danny Winterich in ’99 and they live in Toledo. Tracy is a physical therapist and Danny is a CSI. They are expecting their first child this spring. ... Jo Anna Maiorano Crago married Brian Crago in ’02 and they are living in Mt. Lebanon, PA. Jo Anna is the director of recruiting at Resources Global Professionals. ... John Bartels married Kristen Savage Bartels ’97 and they live in Cleveland Heights. They had their first child this past summer, Charles “Charlie” Christopher. John is expanding his business, Independent Advisors, Inc., into Naples, FL, and Kristen is enjoying being a mom and doing Fitness Training at home. ... Tara Clark Czamara is living in Amherst, NY, with her husband, Scott, and their two daughters -- Kaitlin (3½) and Molly (1½). Tara is working as a special education teacher in Buffalo. ... Chrissy Miller Bushnell lives in Fairport, NY, with her husband, Rob, and their two sons -- Andrew (3½) and Jack (5mos). Chrissy is working as a teacher. ... Stephanie May Potter and her husband, John, live in Chicago where both work for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Their son Will was born this past April. ... Debbie Roth Hawrylko and her husband, Greg, got married this past summer. They live in Washington, D.C., where Debbie works as an event planner at a private club. ... Bill Ridler is a sales manager with Castle Metals (a steel distributor he has been with for nine years). Earlier this year he and his wife, Melissa, relocated from Lyndhurst to the Cincinnati area. Together, they own a quaint dye able shoe shop that specializes in bridal shoes and custom dyed footwear, check them out -- www.colourfulsoles.com. ... Tiffany Madar-Connelly and her husband welcomed their second child, Patrick Michael (6 lbs. 3oz., 18¼ inches) on July 5, 2005. He joins big sister Taitum who will be two in February. ... David Kelly and his wife welcomed their second child, Liam David, on June 8, 2005. Big sister, Emilia, turned two in September. The Kelly family has moved back to the Chicago area, living in the Naperville/Aurora area. David works for BBDO on the Dodge account. ... I received a lot more news but couldn’t squeeze it all in, so look for more news next time! Amy

fall 05

I hope this issue of the Journal finds you all healthy and well. Please remember that this year will be a reunion year for our class – if you’re interested in being involved with planning please contact Rosalie Massey - rmassey@jcu.edu. ... and onto the news! Roslyn Valentino Ellerbusch has been living in Dallas for over five years and just recently celebrated her nine year anniversary with Ashland Inc. She was recently promoted to territory manager in the Environmental Services Division and has responsibility for the Dallas, East Texas, Northern Louisiana and Southern Arkansas region. Roslyn writes that one of the most exciting challenges she has been given is to coordinate waste disposal for the DEA and various police and government agencies for residential drug seizures and clean-up for the western U.S. ... Jamie Wheeler was recently engaged to Jaime Ellison in Central Park, NYC. They currently live in Tremont and Jamie works for Bristol-Myers-Squibb as a cardiovascular risk specialist. She also attends CWRU as a part-time MBA student. ... Edward Cabrera is currently working as CEO of Cabrera Enterprises, Ltd. and living in Miami, FL, after obtaining an MBA from CSU in 2004. He married Kristina Petkov on September 17 in Sanibel, FL. ... Vanessa Lindeman Downey was married February 10, 2004 on the beach in Maui, HI, to John Downey (Miami University grad). Vanessa writes that Laurie Birko was able to attend the wedding. The newlyweds are currently living in NJ and Vanessa is working in sales. The couple also welcomed their first child – baby girl Savannah Michele Downey June 21, 2005. Vanessa also writes that Laurie Birko now works at MTD Products as a marketing manager, Amy Diorio is working at Sherwin-Williams in marketing and Colleen Bender got married and is expecting her first child this November. ... I recently heard from Megan Gill Kopp who is now living in San Diego and works as a chef for a catering company in town. She recently entered a contest sponsored by Gourmet Magazine and www.epicurious.com. Her recipe for “Mexican Turtle Chocolate Mink” was selected as one of three finalist entries. Megan was vying for the opportunity to attend events at the Gourmet Institute in NYC for a weekend. Voting went until October 17 so Megan will have to let us know how she did. ... John Bardwell is living in Brunswick, OH, with his wife, Giselle, and their four children – Nathan (8), Danielle (5), Emily (3) and Abigail (1). John works as director, online sales and marketing for Clear Channel Radio in Independence. He writes that he plans to attend the reunion this year along with his JCU roommate, Benwa… Ryan Lex (a fellow classmate who went on to graduate from Miami University) wrote to say hello to all of his former JCU classmates – praying that everyone is well. Ryan currently lives in Cincinnati, OH, with his wife, Stefanie, and children Ethan (2) and Kate (6 mos). Ryan works for The Hartford as a sales manager. ... Leslie McAndrew Logan and her husband, Sean ’98, delivered a (10 lbs. 5 oz.) baby boy, Liam, on August 22. They currently reside in Richmond Heights, OH. ... James Auricchio has been appointed as assistant district attorney in Erie County, NY, where he will specialize in white collar crime prosecution. He and his wife, Robin, welcomed their first child, Katherine Marie (Kate) on April 1. ... Jacqueline Skotzke is living in Chardon, OH, with her husband Rich ’95 and their son, Luke Anthony born July 6. Jacqueline earned her M.Ed. from JCU in ’97 and is an elementary school teacher in the Kenston School District. ... Nathaniel Schoen is currently living in Toledo OH and is the president of Bridgewater Consulting, Inc. ... Laura Gleason and her daughter Abby Kay Schultz (3) just moved into a new house in PA and are excited about making it feel like home. Laura was recently promoted to adoption service coordinator and is excited to be using her training and skills to help special needs children and loving families find each other. ... Christopher Flynn and wife Molly are living in Los Angeles where Christopher works as an agent trainee for William Morris. ... Remember – photos are welcome if you have a snapshot from a classmate’s wedding or special event. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

summer 05

I hope this column finds you all well and rested from a long-awaited summer ... and speaking of summer, what a nice segue into news I received from Catherine Carnago Badalamente ’95. Catherine and her husband live on Harsens Island (a real island she tells us) on the St. Clair River. The St. Clair River connects Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron. Catherine and Michael just recently bought Riverside Grocery, a store on the island that is over 80 years old. It is a Marathon Marine gas dock and “country store” on the water. Being a seasonal business, they are finding themselves very busy in the summer. If anyone is out boating on the Great Lakes, they ask that you please stop by and visit! ... Mary Spranze Warren was married June 5, 2004 in Chicago to John Warren and they are living in Austin, TX. Mary completed an M.Ed. at Loyola University in Chicago and is a 4th grade teacher at Cathedral School in Austin. ... Stephanie Stephan Porter was married June 19, 2004 in Youngstown to Mark Porter. They are living in Youngstown and Stephanie is working as a physical therapist at Ohio Sports & Spine Institute, Ltd. ... Becky Carter married Chris Miller in July of this year and Becky is working as a clinical supervisor in a children’s psychiatric program at Mercy Behavioral Health in Pittsburgh. ... Carie Michael Bloom is a pediatrician and married to Josh Bloom who is also a physician. Carie and her husband have a two year-old boy, Payton, and a six month old girl, Taylor. They are living in Cary, NC. ... Nicole Masielli Sambuchino is married to Kevin Sambuchino and she is working part-time as a school psychologist. Nicole and her husband have two boys, Drew and Jake, and they reside in Erie, PA. ... I also talked to Megan Mooney Gossling who is living in Redondo Beach, CA, with her husband Eddie. They are busy doing some writing and stand-up comedy. Megan says if anyone is interested in their work schedule or credits they can take a look at either of the following Web sites: www.meganmooney.com or comeddie.com. ... Mike Sekerak and his wife Maryann are proud to announce the birth of their fifth child! Thomas Ryan was born on April 23, 2005 and joins siblings Jacob, Justin, Nicholas and Natalie. The Sekeraks have moved to Avon Lake, OH. ... Erol Gurel received an MBA in 2005 from Loyola University, Chicago. ... Alan Boose married Gabrielle Royle (a CWRU grad) on October 30, 2004 at Fowler’s Mill Christian Church in Chardon, OH. Serving as best man was Alan’s brother Eric Boose ’95 and as groomsman, Paul Palumbo. Other JCU grads in attendance included Kelly Alexander, Chris Migneault, John and Laura (Skerl) ’98 Roberts, Mike Evrard and wife Amy Hrusovsky Evrard ’97. Alan and Gabrielle are residing in South Euclid and both work for GE Lighting. ... Well, that’s all the news this time. Remember, that if anyone has a picture from a get-together or wedding – any event involving our classmates, you can e-mail that in with your news and it can be included in a future column. Just a reminder! Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

winter 2005

I hope this column finds you all well and the New Year is bringing many good things your way. On to news from our classmates ... Denise Bartlett e-mailed with news of completing her J.D. degree in 2003 at CSU. She took the February 2004 Bar Examination and passed on the first try. (Way to go Denise!) Since then, she has been practicing with Rauser & Associates doing personal bankruptcy. ... Emma Yates is living in Rocky River and working as a Therapist at Children’s Aid Society. ... David LoVerdi is living in NYC with his new bride, J’Aimee Cronin. David and J’Aimee were married on October 23, 2004 at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Manhattan. Fr. Frederick Betti S.J. presided. Also present at the celebration were Matthew Fico, Drs. Tim and Allie Abbamonte, Megan Turon-Spencer, Martin Campbell, and Christopher Migneault. ... Jozsi Jalics completed a Ph.D. at OSU in June of 2002 and is working at Boston University. Jozsi and wife Julie are living in Newton, MA. ... Megan Gill Kopp completed an MA degree at CSU in 2000 and together with her husband Franz, is living in San Diego CA. ... Amy

summer 2004

Exciting birth news to report! Travis Lattimore and his wife, Gretchen (Peer) ’98, were recently blessed with the birth of their first child – a baby girl. Olivia Grace was born May 20, 2004 at 12:43 pm and weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and was 22 inches long. Congratulations and best wishes to the Lattimore family! ... Jennifer (Wheeler) Parker is living in Willowick with her husband Keith, son Alexander (2) and their new bundle of joy – Katrina Marie Parker, born on Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004. Besides being a busy mom, Jennifer is working in customer service at 12th Street Florist. Congratulations to the Parkers! ... Meera Juneja is currently residing in Mentor with her husband Scott Meyer and their children, Shelby (7) and Nolan (4). Meera works as a corporate administrator for Imalux Corporation. ... After working as a criminal prosecutor for 3 years, James Auricchio has joined the law firm of Thorn, Gershon, Tymann and Bonanni as an associate. As an assistant district attorney, he worked in the felony trial division prosecuting offenses from white collar crime to violent felonies. He will work in the area of civil litigation with the firm’s Buffalo office and will handle some criminal defense matters as well. Good luck James! ... Michael Sekerak and his wife Maryann are living in Willoughby with their children Jacob (4), Justin (3), Nicholas (2) and Natalie – born March 16, 2004. Michael is working as a sales rep for Adelphia Media Services. ... That’s all the news this time – please keep those e-mails coming and let us know what you’re up to! Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

spring 2004

Greetings everyone – time for more news and updates ... Toni Sever Uzl wrote in with the exciting news that she and her husband Dan had a baby boy, Brandon Richard on January 2. Toni is working at Keithley Instruments in Solon as a Cell leader, implementing lean manufacturing in production. ... Tiffany Madar-Connelly married Michael Patrick Connelly in Skreen, Ireland on August 7, 2002. Tiffany and Michael welcomed their new bundle of joy, Taitum Madar-Connelly, on February 25, 2004. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and was 18¾ inches long. The Connellys bought a house in Rocky River and Tiffany is teaching third grade in Lakewood. ... Kevin Susman is living in Highland Hts. and is scheduled to obtain his JD from the University of Akron in May 2005. ... Christopher Flynn is living in Los Angeles with his wife, Molly, and working for Abrams Artists Agency as assistant, Commercials. ... Shanon Tringhese-Kneidel and her husband, Alan, are living in Avon Lake and are the proud parents of Nicholas (8), Isabella (5), and Gina (3). Shanon received her M.Ed. in 2004. ... Katie Ortlieb Tiffey married Robert Tiffey in July. Bridget Maloney Chamberas ’97 was matron of honor. Katie received her master’s degree in Physical Therapy and is working with students with disabilities in a Maryland school district. ... That’s all the news this time around – keep in touch and keep those updates and e-mails coming! Until next time – the Lord bless you and keep you, Amy

winter 2004

Greetings to all – I pray that the New Year finds you all healthy and doing well. And on to the news ... Julie Herceg wrote in to let us know she is living in Fairview Park and working as a manager, broadcast advertising for the Sherwin-Williams Company. I also heard from Paula (Lutz) Leiching who wrote in to let us know that in the summer of 2002 in one month’s time, Tara (Bossola) Apuzzo, Jill (Bick) Randal, Becky (Marinelli) Worst and Paula herself all had beautiful baby boys. They had their own little reunion in Cleveland at Lizzy Sauter’s house so the boys could play with each other. Paula also writes that Lizzy Sauter and Brian Unk got married in August of 2003 and Tim Niemic is engaged. Thanks Paula! Exciting news also comes from Brian Love who began a national tour of “The Lion King” in June of 2003. He was featured in a local magazine that highlighted his ability as a swing performer (knowing the parts of nine ensemble roles and two lead characters). Brian is currently dividing his time between New York and Los Angeles and learning African languages for the multilingual score of the “The Lion King.” Other classmates who have kept in touch include: Michelle Kazar Blank who is living in Delaware, OH with her husband, Andrew, and working as an attorney in Columbus. Michelle received her JD from CWRU. Daniel Winterich is living in Sylvania, OH with wife, Tracy (Potts) Winterich, and he is working as a special agent with the Ohio Bureau of Investigation in Bowling Green. Dan received his JD from CSU. Aaron Loveland is living in Richmond, VA. Gary Niederpruem II wrote in to let us know that Kevin Kelly married Alyssa on August 30th. Scott Varholak married Katie Dawson on September 6 in Maine and Gary was Scott’s best man. Scott moved to Denver at the end of September where he and his wife practice law. Brian Mocny married Michelle on September 13th. Joe Haverstick and his wife, Rebecca, are expecting a son in January 2004. Gary wrote in that he and his wife, Mollie, are very busy with their own twin sons – Kevin and Thomas. He quipped, “They have outsmarted us already and we are constantly challenged by the duo!” Thanks Gary! Jozsi Jalics is living in Newton, MA and obtained a Ph.D. from OSU in June of 2002. ... That’s all for now, Amy

spring 2003

Mike Sekerak wrote to update on baby news! Jim and Michele Nemeth welcomed their first child, Katelyn Marie, in October 2002. Mike and Maryann Sekerak welcomed their third boy in August 2002. Nicholas James joins big brothers Jacob and Justin. Thanks Mike! … Jason Schultz and Laura Gleason Schultz welcomed their first daughter, Abby Kay, on May 5. She weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 4.1 oz. Laura also started a new job in October. She works as an after school educator with a delinquency prevention program. She is developing and implementing several elements to the program, including an art curriculum for the students (grades 3-5) and a college exposure program for the middle and high school aged tutors. She writes that she is always pushing JCU! … Roslyn Valentino is still residing in Dallas, TX working for Ashland Environmental Services as a territory manager. Her job keeps her traveling throughout Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. She is also working on her master’s of liberal arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Her degree concentration will be English/Literature and she plans to graduate by December 2003. Roslyn is excited to announce that she is engaged to be married June 28th and the wedding will take place in her hometown of Canton, OH. She writes that her fiancé, “an unfortunate soul (ha ha)” is not a graduate of JCU. I guess Roslyn found a way to overlook that little detail! Congratulations and much happiness to you both! Roslyn also let us know that Anna Spangler is doing well, living in Kansas City and working for Sprint as a logistics manager. Julia Ann Gerdeman received her M.Ed. degree from The Ohio State University and is living and working in Columbus as a math and business teacher at Bishop Hartley High School. … Sean Connolly graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in May 2002 and passed the bar exam for Illinois in July of 2002. He was hired by the Cook County State Attorney’s Office in Chicago as a prosecutor and is also a captain in the Army Reserve. He took a leave of absence from the State Attorney’s Office in September to attend the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) School in Charlottesville, VA. On December 19, 2002 Sean graduated from JAG School and returned to his civilian job. On January 2, his reserve unit was mobilized and is deploying to the Middle East to support Operation Enduring Freedom. … Jen Cannell wrote to update us on her promotion to media relations manager at ITXC Corp. in Princeton, NJ - a global telecom carrier that routes phone calls over the Internet. She also let us know that Leslie McAndrew is getting married to Sean Logan ’98 in September. Kelly (Pritchard) Mialky and her husband, Eric, live in Northern, VA and had a baby girl, Anna Catherine, March 19. Liza Doty is living in Denver, CO and is a high school geography and history teacher as well as a soccer coach. Laura Csizmar received her MS in Exercise Physiology and is a group exercise manager at Akron General LifeStyles. Kirsten Benson works for I Mortgage Services in Pittsburgh, PA and recently received her realtor’s license. Margaret Znidarsic is living in the Cleveland area and working for Parker Hannifin. Margaret recently purchased a home of her own. Greg Preisel filled us in on his recent move. He and wife, Patty, moved to Cologne, Germany in October 2001. Greg accepted a two-year assignment with PricewaterhouseCoopers where he has been working since graduation. He is currently a manager in the firm’s Assurance and Business Advisory Services group. … That’s all this time. Thanks to all who e-mailed. … Keep sending those great updates! Until next time, the Lord bless you and keep you in His care, Amy

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