Class Notes for 1997

Earlier this year I was fortunate to attend the wedding reception for Ernie Petti and Aidess Domagas. The couple were married in California in August (our own John Shea performed a wedding blessing right along the shore!), and celebrated with receptions on the West Coast and back in Cleveland. You can rest assured that Ernie and Aidess make a great couple. There were a few of us in attendance, including myself, my wife Annmarie Tirpak, Matt Ericsson, Andy Tulenko, Brian & Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka, and Steve Potashnik. … Liz (Black) Ryan lives in Chicago with her husband, Ned, and son, Jack. ... Elizabeth (Makarowski) Hokaj sent me an update: “After graduating, I earned my Master’s in Special Education and am certified in Behavior Therapy. I met my husband, Terry, in graduate school. We were married in August of 2001 and have two beautiful children: Luca (4) and Tara Elizabeth (7 weeks). We live in the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ, (Goodyear) to be exact. I was a full-time teacher for 5 years, this year I am taking off to raise my children. My husband is a certified financial planner and musician among other things. My son attends preschool, and we have him playing hockey ... yes there are a lot of hockey fans out here and we do have ice! He is also like his father, very musically talented. I am excited to see what my daughter will be involved in. Now that I am not a full-time teacher, I have become very involved in a lot of volunteer work at my son’s school. I am still involved in Special Olympics which will always hold a special place in my heart. ... Derek Krajc had been living in Florida for 6 years before moving back to Pittsburgh, where he now works as a retail manager for Sodexho. He has a son, John Michael Krajc, born March 16 (yes, he’s John 3:16!). He says all is well and living in PA is wonderful again; he can’t wait to feel that good old lake effect snow that he’s been “missing” the past few years. ... Laura (Seide) Davidson recently moved from Scotland to Florida. If you know any JCU alumni looking to hire another JCU alum, let her know. ... Richard Pluhar has been living in Atlanta since 2001. He is now working for COXnet, a division of Cox Communications that provides technological support of all Cox newspaper web sites. He is currently in charge of the online classifieds for 17 daily papers across the United States, as well as new advertising and other revenue based projects. He is single and living in Alpharetta, GA, about 25 miles north of Atlanta. He’d love to hear from any old friends, especially if you are in town! ... David Frattare is a special agent with the Pennsylvania office of the Attorney General in Pittsburgh. He has two children, Spencer (5), and Carly (3). ... Doralice (Tavolario) Ricchiuti is an attorney with Manchester, Bennett, Powers, and Ullman in Youngstown. ... Zandra D. Franco-Dragish is a practice manager with Associates in Cardiothoracic Surgery in Youngstown. ... Laith Alsayegh recently completed a Vascular Medicine Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic and moved to Milwaukee in July 2006 to join the Vascular Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. ... Sarah Roche dropped me a line: “After I finished a master’s of education, I went to Thailand for three years to teach English at a university there. Then, I went to Haiti and taught at a school as a volunteer. I was doing everything from teacher training, to teaching and community development. I was living on the countryside where I had no light or electricity so we cooked over three stones in a pot on the ground, and washed our laundry by hand with water that came up the mountain on a donkey from the spring 45 minutes away on foot. I learned a great deal about living in a community and my spirituality and am still on the board of directors at the school. I am currently living in the Dominican Republic teaching at a grammar school and one of the universities here. I go back to Haiti to check on the school and my friends. I will probably be back in Chicago in the next year or so, but who knows which way the wind will blow. ... Keep sending me news! Brian

My job with Meister Media Worldwide in Willoughby, OH, is as busy as ever. But the big news for me is about my wife Annmarie Tirpak. She’s working for the Veterans’ Administration in downtown Cleveland as a veteran services representative. When a veteran submits a claim for any type of benefit, she makes sure that they receive the proper respect, coverage, and benefits needed for that claim. She’s with an elite group called the Tiger Team, of which there is only one in the entire United States, with only 50 people being hand picked for this team, and it deals specifically with World War II veterans and very elite claims. As she tells me, it feels good to be doing something good for people that need and deserve it. ... I bet you never thought our old pal Ernie Petti would be settling down, but it’s finally happening. He’s getting married to a girl he met in California named Aidess Domagas. I’ll be sure to pass along an update from their reception in the next column. ... I heard from long-time dorm mate Matt Kremser, who also went to the same wedding classes as Annmarie and I. Matt and his wife, Aimee, just had their second son, Zachary, on June 29, and mom and baby are doing great. Luke, the big brother, is 21 months and very excited for Zack to play, but, it’s still a little ways off. As for Matt, he’s a dentist, with a practice in Streetsboro, OH. They live in Hudson, OH, and it’s about a ten minute drive to work. Matt wants to know how the rest of the Miller/Campion crew is doing, so let me know. ... Bill Sindelar’s making a name for himself out in California. He’s been working on American Idol, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, and a kid’s show called Hannah Montana (“I am the audience warm-up guy.”) He still travels and performs with Wayne Brady and shot a video that will be in Best Buy all around the country starting in September pitching HDTV. He lives in Studio City and will see the Browns on the West Coast twice this year in Oakland and San Diego. If you want to keep up with Bill’s activities, go to www.billsindelar.com. ... Erin (Beirne) Lenos is living in Fairview Park, OH, and has two children, Alexa (5), and Christopher (3). ... Kara (Barauskas) Maida, who threw a great wedding last year when she married Bob Maida, just finished her MBA at the University of Maryland in May. ... Theresa (Marino) Ferenac is a programmer analyst with Progressive Insurance and lives in Highland Heights, OH. ... Brady Brosnahan is an area manager-Central U.S. with Akibia and lives in Plainfield, IL. Brady and his wife Emily Kostic have a daughter, Francesca. ... Abbe Carrol is an executive recruiter with Ohio Savings Bank in Cleveland. ... Elizabeth (Makarowski) Hokaj sent me a very nice update and would love to hear from any old friends she lost touch with. After graduating, she earned her master’s in special education and is certified in Behavior Therapy. She met her husband, Terry in graduate school. They were married in August of 2001 and have two beautiful children: Luca (4) and Tara Elizabeth who was born in June. She lives in the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ (Goodyear to be exact). She was a full time teacher for five years, but this year she is taking off to raise her children. Her husband is a certified financial planner and musician among other things. Her son attends preschool and is playing hockey: “yes there are a lot of hockey fans out here and we do have ice!” He is also like his father, very musically talented. Now that she is not a full time teacher, she has become very involved in a lot of volunteer work at her son’s school. She is still involved in Special Olympics which will always hold a special place in her heart. ... Finally, I know many of you and your families have been touched by this war with family members being asked to serve their country. I would like to ask that we all keep in our prayers our brave service men and women who are protecting our freedom, including my brother who is currently serving in Iraq. May God bring them all home safely and soon ... Brian

Erin (McNabb) Howe got married March 4 in Chicago to Bill Howe. Erin is in nursing school and will graduate in December 2006. “As much as we want out of Chicago, we’re stuck here until at least 2008.” Carroll folks who came to the wedding were Lorena (Laurie) Urraro, who is working on her Ph.D. at The Ohio State University, and Genevieve Volpe, one of the readers. and is living and working in Cleveland Heights. Melissa (Winberry) Gleeson and Irina (Maritzia) Jacobs were both invited, but due to children weren’t there. Irina is living back in Madrid with her husband, who is a chiropractor, and her four children. Erin and Bill are planning a honeymoon for later in the summer to Spain and Mallorca. ... Collyn Rybarczyk is living in Charleston, SC, selling real estate for Prudential Carolina - crybarczyk@prucar.com. She loves it and loves the city of Charleston. If anyone is planning a visit to Charleston, feel free to contact her. ... Joy Malek Oldfield became a principal member of Hill/Company LLC, a law firm started by one of the partners at her old law firm in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. She works on plaintiff’s civil and business litigation. ... After almost two years of mobilization in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, John Hotek decided to return to active duty with the U.S. Army. He traded in his General Electric corporate gray for U.S. Army camouflage. He’s currently in school at Fort Lee, VA, but upon completion, he will be assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC. ... Lauren (O’Neil) Rakvic moved from California to Annapolis in August 2005. Her husband is a professor at the Naval Academy, and she is a third grade teacher. ... John Samol is a physician in the Seven Hills Women’s Health Centers in Cincinnati. ... Gina Girardot has joined the law firm of Tucker Ellis & West LLP in Cleveland as an associate. ... Patricia Tripar is vice president of ABN AMRO Bank in Chicago. ... Louise Aquila, Ph.D. (’97G) is a manager of training and curriculum at SynCardia Systems in Tucson, AZ. ... Peter Munson is currently studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. He completed a master’s program in National Security Affairs (Middle East/North Africa region) at the Naval Postgraduate School in 2005. ... Keep the news coming! Brian

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. There’s quite a bit of news from our class this time, so I’ll get right into it. Jeff Zukauckas is the promotions director for WTAM 1100, 96.5 Kiss FM, and 100.7 WWMS in Cleveland. He was recently nominated for a national Radio Music Award for Promotion/Marketing Director of the Year. If you live in Cleveland and listen to WTAM on the weekends, you can also hear Jeff on the air as one of the “Prize Guys,” along with fellow alum Pat Butler ’01, on the Contest Show. Jeff says he’ll catch up with former WJCU vets on occasion. ... Jamie (Bateman) Putinski lives in Mentor with her husband, Steve. She is teaching third grade at Center Elementary in Mayfield and had a baby girl, Alexa, last June. ... Gary Love returned November 4, 2005 from his second tour in Iraq, this time as a company commander out of Fort Bragg. He was able to bring all his soldiers home alive, despite operating throughout northern Iraq. Next, Gary will be in Columbus, where he’ll spend about two years working in the recruiting battalion. ... Tricia Hovorka and her husband recently had their first child, Logan, on August 13. She lives in Roswell, GA, and is doing a lot of volunteer work. ... Jen Sezon Brugger and her husband Garett ’95 had twins, Graydon and Ellie, on September 16. They live in Erie, PA. … Robin (Spilka) Neorr moved to Columbus in May 2004 and married Patrick Neorr on August 27, 2005. Patrick does marketing and promotions in Ohio for Jack Daniels (Robin, I think you and Patrick just made several new friends). Those in the wedding from ’97 were Jamie Barbour, Brian Eble, and Chad Fine, along with Christine (Krane) Balasko, ’96, and Nicole Bourrillion, ’94. Robin is fulfilling her dream of feeling like she’s in college radio forever. She’s an account manager/marketing coordinator for CD101, an independently owned alternative station --robin@cd101.com. ... Our old pal Ernie Petti has been through some big changes since leaving JCU eight years ago. For one thing, he’s now a liberal, goateed mountain climber who lives in California and works for Disney. You can even find his name in the credits for movies such as Reign of Fire, which came out a couple of years ago. Now we find out he’s engaged! He’ll be getting married to a girl named Aidess Domagas, who’s from Los Angeles. ... Jeff Scoby lives in Newport Beach, CA, and is a sales manager for Sherwin-Williams. ... Bridget (Maloney) Chamberas -- bmchamberas@hotmail.com -- and her husband, Anthony, welcomed their first child, Thomas Francis, over the summer. ... Keep the news coming, and don’t forget you can also send pictures if you’d like ... Brian

Annmarie Tirpak and I attended Kara (Barauskas) Maida’s wedding outside of Pittsburgh in May. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time at both the wedding and the reception. Kara and Bob Maida make a great pair, and we wish them all the love in the world. ... My efforts at tracking down random classmates have paid off! I received an e-mail from Ilche Nonevski. He’s back in Cleveland after a five-year stint down in Cincinnati, where he finished up a joint MD/MBA at the University of Cincinnati. He’s heading over to the Cleveland Clinic in July to start a fellowship in Gastroenterology. He got married in September 2003 to Sarah Merkel of Chicago, IL, and they live in University Heights, just down the road from JCU. ... Matthew Milewski is working as an account executive for the advertising agency Chemistri-Martin. He recently transferred to the Chicago area and is wondering if there are any Class of 1997 JCU grads out there. You can drop him an e-mail at matthew.milewski@chemistri.com. ... Roy Warren (MBA) is now the interim principal at Beachwood High School. ... Annie Klekamp Mulvany is the assistant intramurals director at the University of Colorado. ... With the summer coming to an end, I’m sure many of you have stories to tell of vacations, weddings, and more (Annmarie and I sure do!). Drop me an e-mail at sparkyb29@hotmail.com, and I’ll spread the word ... Brian

I received quite a bit of news for this update, so let’s get right to it. Matt and Kelly Ericsson welcomed their new baby, Cole, into the world on January 20. Baby Cole is doing just fine. … In another month, my wife, Annmarie Tirpak, and I will be heading to Pittsburgh for Kara Barauskas’ wedding. Kara, who moved back from Washington, D.C., to the Pittsburgh area a couple years ago, is marrying Bob Maida on May 21, and they’ll be vacationing in Hawaii! Kara’s working at the law firm of Reed Smith in Pittsburgh as a business development specialist in the marketing department. I’m sure I’ll have some interesting stories from the wedding for the next column. ... Kevin Kinross has had a very busy year! He got married last June and is currently in his second year at Duquesne University School of Law’s evening program. During the day he is chief of staff for Alleghany County (PA) Chief Executive Dan Onorato. ... Emily Daube Parlin let me know that she, along with her husband Eric, welcomed their new son Ryan Patrick into the world on February 17. ... Lisa (Giannetti) Anghilante and husband John ’96 are expecting their first baby in May. They know the baby will be a girl and are planning on naming her Sophia. Lisa recently got a new job as the marketing services manager for Magnificat High School in Rocky River, OH. … Brian Polian has accepted the position of special teams/assistant defensive backs coach at the University of Notre Dame. ... Brent Miller is working as a real estate broker with Flanagan LaMee Real Estate in Englewood, CO. ... Emmanuel Teitelbaum is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Government at Cornell University. He recently accepted a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he will begin teaching in the fall. Manny’s wife, Lauren, is a student at the University of Chicago Law School, and they just had a daughter, Olivia Reese, on January 14. ... Shannon (O’Malley) Corrigan has been living in Ireland for the past five years. She has worked in various parts of the country with children in residential homes, while she pursues her training in psychotherapy. She got married in October 2003. ... Eric Embacher is working as a residential director at the University of San Diego. He wants to share his e-mail address: ericembacher@sandiego.edu. ... Jessica Schjeldahl and Scott Paprzycki got married in Calistoga, CA, in November. Amy Williams, Emily Steince, Lucas Koffler, Jason Goldberg, and Matt Young attended the wedding. Jessica works as a consultant for Cap Gemini/Ernst and Young, and Scott works for Sherwin-Williams. Amy Williams is teaching fifth grade in Twinsburg, and Emily Steince is a freelance accountant and lives in Cleveland. ... Lama Alloush Zerhusen, who sent me the info on Jessica and Scott’s wedding, lives in Connecticut with her husband Bryan. She finished her master’s in management in December from Alberts Magnus College, and works for GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals. ... Hope everyone has a great summer! Annmarie and I are house-hunting, so hopefully by the time you read this, we’ll have a new place. Also, as a reminder, if you have any pictures of recent gatherings with fellow classmates, send them to me, and we’ll try to get them into the Alumni Journal. ... Brian

Warm greetings to the class of 1997. The Cleveland area is about to get hammered by a cold wave, so I’ll enjoy this 60 degree day while I can. Not very much news coming in recently, but I’m sure all of you have stories to share about holiday get-togethers with classmates so send them to me at sparkyb29@hotmail.com. ... A few of us had our own gathering just after Christmas, at the California Pizza Kitchen in Legacy Village, a unique new shopping plaza on Cedar, just down the road from JCU. In attendance were myself, Annmarie Tirpak, John Shea, Ernie Petti, Andy Tulenko, Matt Ericsson, Brian Trepka, and Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka. ... Sherry (Lucchetti) Watts sent me a message — Sherry and her husband Matt Watts welcomed a baby girl, Ashley Morgan, into their family in August (Sherry and Matt also have a two-year old son, Andrew). Matt is teaching middle school at Fort Middle School in Berea, OH, and Sherry handles the marketing and communications for Impullitti Landscaping in Chagrin Falls and the retail garden center in Burton. They get together often with Kelly (Dick) Close and Andy Close. … Jill (Muldoon) Rendek lives in West Melbourne, FL, and along with her husband, Louis ’95, are expecting their first baby in May. … Daria Dreboty-Cerimele recently moved back to the Cleveland area after completing her residency in Indianapolis. She lives in Chardon and loves being closer to home (Youngstown). Daria and her husband, Michael, have a one-year-old daughter, Isabella. Daria is currently a physician with University Primary Care Physicians. She would love to hear from any former classmates; her e-mail is dmdcmd@yahoo.com. ... Something new to the Alumni Journal section of the magazine — if you have any pictures of recent gatherings you’ve had with fellow 1997 grads, send them to me, and I’ll see if we can get them into the issue. I can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best. Take care everyone! Brian

I hope everyone had a great summer, but unless you’ve escaped Cleveland for a warmer climate, you’re probably in the middle of a cold winter right about now. There hasn’t been a whole lot of news coming in lately, so if you want to give me and everyone else in the Class of 1997 a heads-up on what’s happening with you, shoot me an e-mail at sparkyb29@hotmail.com. ... Gary Love dropped me a line to let me know he has returned to Fort Bragg, NC from an assignment to South Korea in March of 03 and was deployed with the 82nd Airborne to Operation Iraqi Freedom that August. He spent 8 months in theatre with the 1-505th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) where they were directly responsible for the volatile city of Fallujah. A couple months after they returned, he left the 82nd and is now taking a company command in the 525th Military Intelligence Brigade. Unfortunately they are slated to deploy to Iraq just after the new year. “A year in Korea, 6 months back (1 with Amy ’96 & kids), 8 months in Iraq, 9 months back, and upcoming 12 months in Iraq. Quite a pace, huh!?” Gary’s wife Amy ’96 and daughter, Jessica, and son, Mark, will remain in Fayetteville, NC, while he spends roughly 12 months in Iraq. Amy and 3 other military spouses have started a small business doing interior design. ... Lauren (O’Neil) Rakvic, a fellow floor mate on 3rd floor Sutowski our freshman year, also sent me a letter. “Since graduating, I taught in Euclid for 5 years and got my master’s at John Carroll. In 2002 I moved out to Palo Alto, CA (near San Francisco) with my boyfriend, Ryan Rakvic (Ryan works at Intel). I am a teacher out here as well. Ryan and I got married on July 24, 2004. From our graduating class, Denise Haynik and Alison (Chill) Dietsch were two of my bridesmaids. (They both say hi, by the way!). ... John Shea recently spent time down in Peru as part of his Jesuit studies. Here is just a sampling of his always-fascinating experiences: Besides running high schools and colleges, Peruvian Jesuits help organize the Fey Alegria (faith and happiness) grade schools. They cooperate with the government who fund the schools and with lay and religious (usually nuns) who staff the schools. They are also involved in parish work – especially in the pueblo jovens (young villages) that surround the major cities of Peru. Escaping poverty and violence (Peru experienced two decades of civil unrest because of the terrorist activities of Shining Path), millions of people moved from the country to the cities. Many of the young villages they formed lack electricity, water or paved roads. To see such poverty and realize that most of the world lives like that was a powerful experience for all of us. The people are uneducated and many speak Quechua, the native language. By establishing community leaders (most often women) in each parish, the Jesuits have empowered the people to assert their rights for basic needs such as water, food and education. Getting to know the Jesuits in Peru helped me appreciate the international character of the Society – this was especially true when some of us received a “behind-the-scenes” tour of a Jesuit church.” ... Megan Nicholson is an assistant general manager with American Campus Communities in Cleveland. ... Nikki (Nicholas) Custy is a technical writer for SupportSoft in Broadview Heights, OH. Along with her husband Patrick, she plays in two Irish bands in the Cleveland area: Brace Yourself Bridget and Pitch the Peat. You can find out more about the bands at www.braceyourselfbridget.com. Nikki also recently attended the wedding of Susan (Okuley) Paz in La Jolla, CA. ... Mike Mapel is an auditor with McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff in Cleveland. ... Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka received the “Excellence in Education” award for Metro Catholic in the spring. Brian Trepka is e-commerce analyst for Summit Racing Equipment in Tallmadge. ... Andrea Tracy is the program director at the Lake/Geauga County Educational Assistance Agency -- her two cats have learned to meow the “Star Spangled Banner.” Nothing new on her plans for taking over the world, so she’s safe to talk to for now. ... That’s all for this month. Take care everyone, and keep the news coming! Brian

Hello again everyone. I hope you all had a great summer. ... Lisa Jelinski is working at JP Morgan Chase as a staffing officer. ... Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka is currently a 7th grade teacher at Metro Catholic Parish School in Cleveland. Shannon and Brian Trepka were married on June 28, 2003. Several of us from the class of ’97 attended the wedding, including myself, Annmarie Tirpak, Matt Ericsson, Andy Tulenko, Bill and Agnes Previts, Sarah Lundeen, Susan Braat, Heidi Krebs, and many more. ... Karen Thompson has been named executive director for academic programs and planning in the dean’s office at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. ... Elizabeth Black married Edwin Ryan on July 31, 2004. They just moved back to Chicago. JCU alumni in attendance were: Stacy Bongini, Amy Happ ’98, Kate Perrone McGrath, and Maggie O’Gara ’98. ... Vincent Shemo is working as a financial analyst with a company called Timken in Canton, OH. Vincent and his wife, Sarah, welcomed their second child into the world in May, a daughter named Meredith. ... Carla (LaVigne) Wessels and her husband recently bought their first house in Ware, MA. ... Megan Carney is working as a meeting and event planner in Pittsburgh. Her company does programs all over the world and is currently in high gear for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, where they’ll be managing ticketing, transportation, hotels and special events for several clients. Megan married Jim Gilson ’96 in June in Pittsburgh, where they will be living. ... Kristen Liberati is getting married in August 2004 in Pittsburgh. ... Janice (Minarich) Spicuzza is currently living in Willowick, OH. ... Michelle (Straub) Fisher does marketing for Community Services Group in Mountville, PA. ... Caroline (Gillespie) Morse ’97 is married to Joseph Morse and is a training and events manager for ERC. ... Heather Barbus is an associate attorney for the law office of Susan Fortino-Brown in Chicago. ... Jolia (Georges) Sandine is a pharmaceutical representative with Glaxo Smith Kline in Triangle Park, NC. ... Aileen Masterson is an asylum officer with the Citizenship and Immigration Service in Arlington, VA. ... Julie (Mahoney) Barr got married on October 11, 2003. She is working with a financial planning firm in New York. ... Michael Horan also got married in October 2003. He just completed his Ph.D. in Oral and Craniofacial Biology at Ohio State and is currently working on his D.D.S. ... Chris Anderson is managing the new branch of American Equity Mortgage in Nashville, TN. ... Annmarie and I ran into Jen Toohey recently at a Wing Fest in downtown Cleveland. Her radio career is taking off: Jen is the midday DJ (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at Q104 in Cleveland. Looks like those years at WUJC paid off! In fact, Jen hosted the wing-eating competition that yours truly was in (I came in second). Jen also sends out a weekly Q104 newsletter. ... I never heard back from Tim Hanchin, or any news on him, from the last column, so I’ll throw out another random name I’d like to hear from. So, former hall mate Ilche Nonevski, what are you up to? ... Talk to you all again soon, Brian

Back again for another edition of news from the Class of 1997. Keep all your news coming -- it’s nice to find out what fellow classmates are up to. I recently returned from a trip to Italy, where I spent a week touring apple orchards and packing facilities. Despite missed flights and lost luggage, it was a great trip, and I was able to meet people from all over the world. ... A few items I’ve received lately: John Moore is a partner with Hilty Moore & Associates in Chagrin Falls. ... Here is the full down low on Kristi Vadino, now known as Ms. Vadino: “I just signed my contract for a third year of teaching mathematics at Kingswood Regional High School in New Hampshire. I am on my third year of a 3-year graduate program. By the end of the summer I should have a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire. It is called a master’s of science for teachers. On weekends and a few weeknights, I am a snowboard instructor. I snowboard as much as I can and as often as I can! I love it. I stay in touch with Natalie Sabo and Andrea Kirks. In fact, last year they came up to visit me for a few days of fun in the snow at Attitash Bear Peak. Let’s just say, I felt like I was in college again. I miss it. We should do it more often! ... Andrea Kirks works at University Hospitals in Cleveland and is in the Air Force Reserves. ... Natalie Sabo is still working for Accenture. She just recently returned to Cleveland (after being on the road for nearly five years) to work on an in-town assignment. ... Cathy (Herr) Kaminski has been teaching French and Spanish at a middle school in Denver, CO for the past 7 years and has been the foreign language department chairperson for 5 years. She earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado in 2002. Upon completion of her master’s, she earned her Principal’s License. Her intention is to eventually move into an administrative role at the district level. After several years of dating other people and “finding ourselves,” Cathy married her high school sweetheart, Keith, in June 2003. They had a beautiful wedding in their hometown of Buffalo, NY. Erika (Hood) Anderson was her matron of honor and her husband, Mike Anderson ’98, was an usher. ... John Charles McLaughlin married Melissa Marie Fortener of Kettering March 12. The couple resides in Blue Ash, OH. … Carla LaVigne is a supplier engineer and program coordinator with Maxtor Corp. in Massachusetts. … Tom Frazier defended his dissertation recently and is now officially Dr. Thomas Frazier. He will graduate with his Ph.D. from Case Western University on May 16. He will be back in Cleveland in August to do his post-doctorate work at the Cleveland Clinic in neuropsychology. He and his wife, Allison, just had their first baby boy, Sean Thomas, on January 15, 2004. ... To close this column, I’m going to steal an idea from Marty Fox class of 1999 columnist (Marty, Matt Ericsson, and I were co-hosts of “Get Bent” at WJCU), and pick one classmate per month and ask “Where Are They Now?” This month’s target is Tim Hanchin. Tim, what are you up to right now? Take care everyone! ... Brian

Hello once again to everyone from the Class of 1997. I apologize for the long delay between updates, so let’s get right to the news ... Michael “Miguel” Davis no doubt has his hands full right now. He’s working in the Department of Homeland Security as a principal legal adviser. ... I picked up a lot of news from Eric Embacher ... He’s busy with a freelance writing career and is living in Cuyahoga Falls. When he’s not writing, he has been singing and playing the guitar at local coffee shops. Check out his recently published pre-teen biography about Will Smith on amazon.com. ... Lynn Rutledge is pursuing a second degree in computer science at The Ohio State University. She would like to use her studies to develop adaptive technology for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. ... Meghan Sweeney received her Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo in the spring of 2003 and is teaching as an assistant professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. ... Karen Thompson was promoted to director of corporate and foundation relations at Case Western School of Medicine in Cleveland. ... Monica Dragoman is now a second year at the OB/GYN residency program at UT Southwestern in Dallas. She has already delivered hundreds of babies. ... Nikki (Nicolas) Custy is enjoying life with her husband, Pat, and is working as a technical writer at First Energy in Akron. They’re part of an 8-piece Irish band called “Brace Yourself Bridget” that plays all over Ohio. ... Erika Bauer is continuing her doctoral studies in behavioral psychology at the University of Michigan. This summer, she traveled to a sanctuary in Zambia to study chimpanzees. ... Susan Okuley is having fun living in San Diego and just got married this past summer in La Jolla. She and her husband both do research at biotech companies. ... Kara Barauskas recently moved back to the Pittsburgh area, and his planning her upcoming wedding! ... John Shea has entered the seminary to become a Jesuit. He’s based in the Detroit area. At this moment, he’s taking part in a silent retreat. … Annmarie Tirpak is now working for the Cleveland Opera planning all of their special events and fundraisers. She is having a wonderful time and meeting very exciting people like Anton Coppola, the uncle of Nicholas Cage. ... When you have a chance, drop me a line and let me know how things are going, where you’re living and working, etc. Take care! Brian

A happy spring to everyone in the class of 1997. With work keeping me busy, I haven’t had as much time to keep track of what is happening with everyone. But I do have a few notes to pass along ... Gretchen (Dramis) Hull is a teacher and coach in the Jackson Local School district in Massillon, OH. ... Bridget (Maloney) Chamberas earned her master’s degree in religious education from Boston College in 2001. She stayed in the Boston area and on October 12, 2002, she married Anthony Chamberas. She recently started a new job at Our Lady’s Parish in Newton, MA, which she says is interesting given the status of the church in Boston. ... Theresa (Koncal) Laheta married Beck fan, Jeff Laheta ’98 on October 19, 2002. ... Maria Zaczyk is a consultant for New York Times Television in New York City. ... Matt Fadel works in the Euclid City School district as an elementary school educator. He is in his first year of a two year exchange teaching opportunity in Japan. Anyone who wants to catch up with Matt (he spent most of his senior year on crutches from rugby injuries) can e-mail him at eatapch4pc@yahoo.com. ... Joce (Vergeldedios) Bien married Arthur Bien in October (seems like October is a hot month for weddings). She is a manager for Progressive Insurance in Mayfield Heights. ... Annie Klekamp received her MBA from the University of North Alabama while working as the assistant women’s soccer coach. She now lives in Denver and works for the Littleton Soccer Club as the college coordinator and club coach. She sees Annie Collopy about every three weeks. Annie is currently teaching and living in Colorado Springs. In December they went to Regina Lecznar’s wedding. ... Amy (Giordano) Shealy married Allen Shealy (from South Carolina) on August 31, 2002. Nicki (Hewald) Brainard, Danielle (Bosela) Bailey, and Lesley Brown were all involved in the wedding. Amy is still working at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation as a genetic counselor. She and Allen are living in Lakewood. ... Wade Cole lives in Mason, OH, and works as an investigator for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission in Cincinnati. ... Carla (LaVigne) Wessels moved to Auburn, MA, and works for Maxtor Corporation as the ASL curator in the Supplier Quality Engineering Department. She was married May 25, 2002 then had a formal wedding with her husband Randy in Niagara Falls. Aryn Micaletti was one of the bridesmaids. ... Finally, those of you who passed by the Public Affairs office while they were at John Carroll undoubtedly remember the smiling face of Public Relations Director Roberta “Bobbi” Bokman Rodgers. Sadly, Bobbi Bokman Rodgers passed away on January 12 after a long fight with a major illness. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. ... Brian

Happy holidays to all of you. I hope everyone has had a great year. Not a lot of news to report this time. After spending a few years on the West Coast, Andrea Tracy moved back to “sunny” northeast Ohio. She is now the assistant director of student financial services at Mount Union College. Just after Andrea came back into town, a few of us spent an evening in Coventry catching up on old times. Annmarie Tirpak and I were there, along with Andrea and Julie (Jackimiec) Netzky, who lives in Chicago but was in town for a couple of days. … Andy Tulenko just returned from a long trip to Thailand. He says he enjoyed himself, even if he didn’t like the food. … Lisa Jelinski lives in Dayton and is a senior recruiter for INRANGE Global Consulting. … Denise Haynik graduated from the Ohio University School of Osteopathic Medicine this past summer, and started her residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. … Brian Polian is the special teams coordinator/running backs coach at the University of Buffalo, which competes in the Mid-American Conference. He recently finished his master’s of science in education at Baylor University. He is also engaged to Laura Maggiotto, with a wedding date of June 7, 2003. Congratulations Brian! … Jeff Zukauckas and Carrie Sorna got married on Sept. 1, 2001 and honeymooned in Hawaii. Jeff is the promotion director at WTAM 1100 and 96.5 KISS FM in Cleveland, carrying on the tradition from his days at WUJC. … London Fletcher, who won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams, is trying to do the same thing in Buffalo, where he signed as a free agent. He’s looked pretty good so far this year, and it’s nice that whenever a TV announcer mentions his name, they almost always bring up “tiny” John Carroll University. … I recently wrote an alumni column for JCU’s Web site, and it has information on Reunion 2002, along with some updates on other classmates. You can check it out at www.jcu.edu/alumni/johncarrollmagazine/class_notes_1997.htm. That’s it for now. Both Annmarie and I are doing well and working hard. If you have any updates on yourself or others from the Class of ’97, please send them along to me. Take care! Brian

Class Notes 1997

	Brian Sparks 5011 Oakes Road Brecksville, OH 44141 440.746.0309 bdsparks@meistermedia.com


spring 2008	I received a note from Rachel (Luchini) Sielski. She writes: “I am married to my high school sweetheart, Ted Sielski, and living in Bay Village, Ohio. We recently adopted a five-year-old boy who is the absolute light of our lives. I am the executive director of a non-profit agency in Bay Village called Family Haven which provides support to adults with developmental disabilities both at home and in the community. I would love to hear from anyone in the Cleveland area who is interested in becoming involved in fundraising or volunteering. Our group loves to have people come over to teach our clients a special recipe, help them create a project (i.e. jewelry design), or even just read to them. It’s a wonderfully fulfilling way to spend time. Contact me - rsielski@familyhaven.org - if you are interested. ... Natalie Sabo left Accenture after almost 10 years in the consulting force to work locally at MTD Products as manager of business intelligence. She’s been there since Feb. ’07. Natalie has also kept in touch with Kristi Vadino, who is now teaching in Nairobi Kenya, Africa. She is really enjoying all the safari adventures. ... Jim Grant and his wife, Allison, recently welcomed their first child, James Harned Grant III on October 24, 2007. ... Brian Pekarcik, a Murrysville, Pa., native, returned Oct. 1 after four years in San Diego to take over as executive chef at the Steelhead Brasserie and Wine Bar, the flagship restaurant of the Marriott Pittsburgh City Center Downtown. “My wife and I recently had a second child, and Pittsburgh was calling. It’s much more comfortable and affordable to live here than San Diego.” ... Please take a moment when you can to send me your most recent news. Every time someone sends me a note, they mention how much they enjoy hearing about their fellow classmates. See you next time! Brian


fall 2007	Sandy Lucas wrote me a brief note: “I've been an attorney at Schneider, Smeltz, Ranney & LaFond, P.L.L. in Cleveland since 2000, practicing in the areas of estate planning and trust and estate administration. I became a partner at the firm in January 2007. Recently, I joined the Board of Directors of the Catholic Charities Corporation." … Agnes and Bill Previts had triplets- identical boys and a girl- who were born in Feb. … Erin Howe tells me that she and her husband Bill had their first child, Anna Kathleen, on Jan. 24. They are living in the Loop in Chicago. She saw Liz (Makarowski) Hokaj in Arizona over Memorial Day. … Beth Weist dropped me a note as well: “I got married this July and I currently live in Columbus. I work in Springfield, Ohio as a Campus Coordinator of a Catholic School. My married name is Beth Allman. (Maiden name: Weist). We plan on visiting Shannon (O'Malley) Corrigan '97 this summer in Ireland, where she lives." … Aryn Micaletti pointed out a correction that needs to be made from the last column: Aryn is a real-time captioner with VITAC Corporation in Southpointe (which is located in Canonsburg, PA), instead of real-time captioner with Southpointe. … As you can tell, these past few months have been slow for news. Please pass along any updates, and I will be sure to include them in the next column. Thanks! Brian


summer 2007	Shannon (O’Malley) Corrigan wrote me from an island off the West coast of Ireland. She’s been living in Ireland for seven years now and moved from Dublin to Achill Island where her husband, Declan, about three years ago. She has packed in her job in social work and psychotherapy and is now a small business owner running a post office on the island. Shannon and Declan have also become new parents. Shannon gave birth to a baby girl, Amelia, in April. ... Susan (Okuley) Paz sent me an update about herself and a few other ’97 grads: Susan and her husband are living in Indianapolis for the summer with their new baby boy, Alex, born in February. ... Erika Bauer, Ph.D., has been selected for the prestigious Smithsonian’s National Zoo curatorial resident program in animal care. Erika will spend the next two years in Washington, D.C., working and conducting research at the National Zoo. ... Monica Dragoman, MD, finished her residency training in Dallas in ob/gyn and is now living in New York City completing a family planning fellowship at Columbia University. ... Meghan Sweeney, Ph.D., and her life partner, Nicolas Laudadio, are assistant professors of English at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. They’re currently enjoying a great road trip of the Midwest and East coast for the summer. ... Karen Thompson-Shaheen is now working as a consultant at the Cobalt Group, a community development/strategic planning firm in Cleveland. She loves the change of her new position. ... Nikki (Nicholas) Custy, her husband, and son Sean welcomed new baby Patrick to the family in March. Even with their two kids, Nikki and her husband still find time to play gigs with their Irish band, Pitch the Peat. … Lynn Rutledge graduated with a master’s in occupational therapy from The Ohio State University in 2006. She is currently an occupational therapist with the Heinzerling Foundation, a non profit organization for children and adults with severe/profound MR/DD. Lynn and her new dog, Buster, are living in Columbus. ... Aryn Micaletti lives in Seven Fields, PA, and is a real-time captioner with Southpointe. ... Janelle Riley is a wealth management-RA with KeyBank in Cleveland and has three kids: Warren (9), Serena (6), and Jenine (6). ... Nicole (Radu) Wilkens is living in Raleigh, NC, and has two children: Jordan Alyssa (3), and Jacob Thomas (8 mos.) ... Alexander B. Clarke lives in Bath, OH, and is president of Brechbuhler Mack in Canton. Alexander and his wife, Kelly, have two children, Anna (3) and Grace (1). ... Joseph and Amy (Campbell) Szyperski live in Toledo and have three children: Sam (6), Eleanor (3), and Theodore (2 mos.). ... Heather (Slesinger) O’Donnell ’96 is living in Concord Township, OH. She and her husband, John, have two children: Lucille, and Abigail, both 2 years old. ... Steven G. Voinovich is in commercial real estate with CB Richard Ellis. Steve and his wife, Gina ’98,welcomed the birth of their first child, Steven George Voinovich Jr., on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2006. Steve is also getting inducted into the John Carroll Athletic Hall of Fame in September 2007. ... Elaine (Cirino) Perdion sent me a correction from the last column I wrote: her daughter, Ella is one years old. ... Sheri Kilarsky sent me a note: “I am currently living in Westlake, OH, with my fiancé Rick Terens. We are getting married on August 16, 2008. We just moved back from a nine-month hiatus in Guam. Rick is a pilot for Continental and was based there for 18 months. We traveled to Australia, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Bali, Palau and many other places. I moved back in February and started working at Meaden & Moore as a senior manager in their Cleveland office.” ... Hope you made it to anniversary weekend. Annmarie Tirpak and I spent some time at JCU that weekend, and Annmarie was honored to read the list of our deceased classmates at the Reunion Mass and Moment of Remembrance. We ran into Tim and Nikki (Hewald) Brainard among a few other folks. It was great getting back to campus. Drop me a note with news (and pictures, if you have them)! ... Brian


spring 2007	The big news coming up for us is Reunion Weekend taking place June 22-24. You’ll probably be receiving this right before the event takes place. Hopefully you can make it. We’ll have plenty of stories to share! ... I heard from Maureen (Shaughnessy) Mackar. She works in marketing and community relations for Barnes and Noble in Cleveland, and recently planned area events for the final Harry Potter book coming out this July. Sadly, she couldn’t spill the beans on how the series ends. ... Arthur Soroka is living in Mayfield and is a senior manager with Accenture. ... Laura (Seide) Davidson lives in Holiday, FL, and has a son named William (2). ... Russell Kunic was recently named manager of VPEC, the anesthesia pre-operative evaluation clinic at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. ... Elaine (Cirino) Perdion lives in Brecksville, OH, (my neck of the woods!) and has a daughter named Ella (8). ... Maureen (Sweeney) Calkins lives in Hamburg, NY, and has a son named Gavin (3). ... J.J. Huszczo lives in Concord, OH, and is a sales executive with IntraLinks. ... Bridget (Smith) Wendt just moved back to the Philadelphia area after living in Germany for three years. She is working for Siemens Medical Solutions and has a daughter named Louisa (1). ... John C. McLaughlin is a traffic supervisor with John Morrell & Co. in Cincinnati. ... Anthony Mahfood is a wealth management advisor with BB&T Wealth Management in Greenville, SC. ... I heard from Angel Kornuc ’98, who shared the stage with me in a number of JCU theatre productions (actually, she was usually at the front of the stage, while I stayed in the back with the other chorus members) “I spent the last ten years as an entertainer: first doing a cruise ship, then cabarets and singing telegrams. I also worked for five years with grades K-12 in performance shows and workshops. Currently, I am the full-time musical theatre director for Estero High School, in Estero, FL. I am getting married to Michael McNeeley (he went to Carroll, too) in December, in Ohio.” ... My wife Annmarie Tirpak and I ran into Amy Everetts following a Billy Joel concert here in Cleveland. Amy’s working for the American Red Cross. ... As for me, I headed Down Under earlier this year for a work-related meeting in Tasmania and New Zealand. You can read a bit about my trip (hopefully the fruit growing information doesn’t bore you to tears), and see a few photos, by going to www.americanfruitgrower.com/ifta. ... Talk to you soon! Brian

winter 2007	Several of our classmates sent in news for this edition of the class of 1997 column, so I’ll get right into it. Stacy Bongini Sepelak married Tim Sepelak on July 1, 2006. JCU grads that were in attendance were Tim’s dad, Richard Sepelak ’67, Katy (Perrone) McGrath, Liz (Black) Ryan, Bridget (Jordan) Connolly, Amy (Happ) Choe ’98, Amy Bakos ’99, Christy Krauss ’01, and Andrew ’96 and Anne-Marie (Wolanin ’93) Connors. ... Anthony Mahfood lives in Greenville, SC, and is an investment manager for BB&T. He is getting married to Tracy Evans in July 2007. ... Fellow Rush fan Sarah Lundeen is a program supervisor with Cleveland Christian Home. ... Bridget (Smith) Wendt lives in Fairport, NY, and has a daughter named Louisa. ... Joy Malek Oldfield is a principal attorney with Hill/Company, LLC in Akron. ... Lynn E. (Giovenco) Rochon is a marketing manager with Salix Pharmaceuticals in Morrisville, NC. ... Bridget (Maloney) Chamberas is a lecturer at Boston College’s IREPM. ... Christina (LeMay) Greig is a registered nurse with University Hospitals in Cleveland. ... Annie (Klekamp) Mulvany is an intramural director with the University of Colorado-Boulder. … Paul A. Keating is a senior tax accountant with Swenson Advisors, LLP in Temecula, CA. ... Stacy Dyrlund Gilbert lives in Lakewood, OH, and has a daughter named Elizabeth Grace. ... Denise Haynik recently finished her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where she served as chief resident. Currently she is living in Pittsburgh where she is doing a two-year fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center specializing in breast and gynecologic pathology. ... Theresa (Koncal) Laheta lives in Brunswick, OH, with her husband, Beck fan, Jeff ’98. ... Pamela (Coyne) Neckar is director of finance and human resources with Collins Gordon Bostwick Architects in Cleveland. Pamela and her husband Richard Neckar have two children: Kyle (4) and Derek (1). ... Susan (Okuley) Paz is living in Durham, NC. ... Colleen (Kermode) Kiernan is living in Clio, MI. ... Kelly (Carroll) Zurawski teaching science at McDowell High School in Erie, PA, but is taking the rest of this year off for maternity leave. Her son Alex was born on October 18. Her husband, Bryan ’96, is the head golf professional at Lake Shore Country Club. He still plays competitively quite a bit and qualified (and played) in the Nationwide Tour event at Peak-N-Peek this summer. ... Suzanne Lynch Head is a three-six grade literacy teacher in the Cleveland Municipal School District. She has a daughter, Celia (2 ½), with another on the way. ... Kimberly (Ross) Renz has a daughter named Madilyn (2). ... Lori Mankowski Gettle has enrolled in the Penn State College of Medicine. ... Amy Hill Armbruster and her husband, Ed, welcomed their third daughter, Lauren Nicole on November 24. Lauren joins sisters Marie Noelle (4) and Natalie Ann (2). Amy is employed by Wood and Lamping in downtown Cincinnati. ... Don’t forget that this summer is our 10-year Reunion! Reunion 2007 takes place June 22-24. You can keep up to date on the weekend’s festivities by going to http://www.jcu.edu/alumni/reunion07/index.htm. Hope to see you there! Brian

fall 2006	Earlier this year I was fortunate to attend the wedding reception for Ernie Petti and Aidess Domagas. The couple were married in California in August (our own John Shea performed a wedding blessing right along the shore!), and celebrated with receptions on the West Coast and back in Cleveland. You can rest assured that Ernie and Aidess make a great couple. There were a few of us in attendance, including myself, my wife Annmarie Tirpak, Matt Ericsson, Andy Tulenko, Brian & Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka, and Steve Potashnik. … Liz (Black) Ryan lives in Chicago with her husband, Ned, and son, Jack. ... Elizabeth (Makarowski) Hokaj sent me an update: “After graduating, I earned my Master’s in Special Education and am certified in Behavior Therapy. I met my husband, Terry, in graduate school. We were married in August of 2001 and have two beautiful children: Luca (4) and Tara Elizabeth (7 weeks). We live in the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ, (Goodyear) to be exact. I was a full-time teacher for 5 years, this year I am taking off to raise my children. My husband is a certified financial planner and musician among other things. My son attends preschool, and we have him playing hockey ... yes there are a lot of hockey fans out here and we do have ice! He is also like his father, very musically talented. I am excited to see what my daughter will be involved in. Now that I am not a full-time teacher, I have become very involved in a lot of volunteer work at my son’s school. I am still involved in Special Olympics which will always hold a special place in my heart. ... Derek Krajc had been living in Florida for 6 years before moving back to Pittsburgh, where he now works as a retail manager for Sodexho. He has a son, John Michael Krajc, born March 16 (yes, he’s John 3:16!). He says all is well and living in PA is wonderful again; he can’t wait to feel that good old lake effect snow that he’s been “missing” the past few years. ... Laura (Seide) Davidson recently moved from Scotland to Florida. If you know any JCU alumni looking to hire another JCU alum, let her know. ... Richard Pluhar has been living in Atlanta since 2001. He is now working for COXnet, a division of Cox Communications that provides technological support of all Cox newspaper web sites. He is currently in charge of the online classifieds for 17 daily papers across the United States, as well as new advertising and other revenue based projects. He is single and living in Alpharetta, GA, about 25 miles north of Atlanta. He’d love to hear from any old friends, especially if you are in town! ... David Frattare is a special agent with the Pennsylvania office of the Attorney General in Pittsburgh. He has two children, Spencer (5), and Carly (3). ... Doralice (Tavolario) Ricchiuti is an attorney with Manchester, Bennett, Powers, and Ullman in Youngstown. ... Zandra D. Franco-Dragish is a practice manager with Associates in Cardiothoracic Surgery in Youngstown. ... Laith Alsayegh recently completed a Vascular Medicine Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic and moved to Milwaukee in July 2006 to join the Vascular Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI. ... Sarah Roche dropped me a line: “After I finished a master’s of education, I went to Thailand for three years to teach English at a university there. Then, I went to Haiti and taught at a school as a volunteer. I was doing everything from teacher training, to teaching and community development. I was living on the countryside where I had no light or electricity so we cooked over three stones in a pot on the ground, and washed our laundry by hand with water that came up the mountain on a donkey from the spring 45 minutes away on foot. I learned a great deal about living in a community and my spirituality and am still on the board of directors at the school. I am currently living in the Dominican Republic teaching at a grammar school and one of the universities here. I go back to Haiti to check on the school and my friends. I will probably be back in Chicago in the next year or so, but who knows which way the wind will blow. ... Keep sending me news! Brian

summer 2006	My job with Meister Media Worldwide in Willoughby, OH, is as busy as ever. But the big news for me is about my wife Annmarie Tirpak. She’s working for the Veterans’ Administration in downtown Cleveland as a veteran services representative. When a veteran submits a claim for any type of benefit, she makes sure that they receive the proper respect, coverage, and benefits needed for that claim. She’s with an elite group called the Tiger Team, of which there is only one in the entire United States, with only 50 people being hand picked for this team, and it deals specifically with World War II veterans and very elite claims. As she tells me, it feels good to be doing something good for people that need and deserve it. ... I bet you never thought our old pal Ernie Petti would be settling down, but it’s finally happening. He’s getting married to a girl he met in California named Aidess Domagas. I’ll be sure to pass along an update from their reception in the next column. ... I heard from long-time dorm mate Matt Kremser, who also went to the same wedding classes as Annmarie and I. Matt and his wife, Aimee, just had their second son, Zachary, on June 29, and mom and baby are doing great. Luke, the big brother, is 21 months and very excited for Zack to play, but, it’s still a little ways off. As for Matt, he’s a dentist, with a practice in Streetsboro, OH. They live in Hudson, OH, and it’s about a ten minute drive to work. Matt wants to know how the rest of the Miller/Campion crew is doing, so let me know. ... Bill Sindelar’s making a name for himself out in California. He’s been working on American Idol, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, and a kid’s show called Hannah Montana (“I am the audience warm-up guy.”) He still travels and performs with Wayne Brady and shot a video that will be in Best Buy all around the country starting in September pitching HDTV. He lives in Studio City and will see the Browns on the West Coast twice this year in Oakland and San Diego. If you want to keep up with Bill’s activities, go to www.billsindelar.com. ... Erin (Beirne) Lenos is living in Fairview Park, OH, and has two children, Alexa (5), and Christopher (3). ... Kara (Barauskas) Maida, who threw a great wedding last year when she married Bob Maida, just finished her MBA at the University of Maryland in May. ... Theresa (Marino) Ferenac is a programmer analyst with Progressive Insurance and lives in Highland Heights, OH. ... Brady Brosnahan is an area manager-Central U.S. with Akibia and lives in Plainfield, IL. Brady and his wife Emily Kostic have a daughter, Francesca. ... Abbe Carrol is an executive recruiter with Ohio Savings Bank in Cleveland. ... Elizabeth (Makarowski) Hokaj sent me a very nice update and would love to hear from any old friends she lost touch with. After graduating, she earned her master’s in special education and is certified in Behavior Therapy. She met her husband, Terry in graduate school. They were married in August of 2001 and have two beautiful children: Luca (4) and Tara Elizabeth who was born in June. She lives in the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ (Goodyear to be exact). She was a full time teacher for five years, but this year she is taking off to raise her children. Her husband is a certified financial planner and musician among other things. Her son attends preschool and is playing hockey: “yes there are a lot of hockey fans out here and we do have ice!” He is also like his father, very musically talented. Now that she is not a full time teacher, she has become very involved in a lot of volunteer work at her son’s school. She is still involved in Special Olympics which will always hold a special place in her heart. ... Finally, I know many of you and your families have been touched by this war with family members being asked to serve their country. I would like to ask that we all keep in our prayers our brave service men and women who are protecting our freedom, including my brother who is currently serving in Iraq. May God bring them all home safely and soon ... Brian

spring 2006	Erin (McNabb) Howe got married March 4 in Chicago to Bill Howe. Erin is in nursing school and will graduate in December 2006. “As much as we want out of Chicago, we’re stuck here until at least 2008.” Carroll folks who came to the wedding were Lorena (Laurie) Urraro, who is working on her Ph.D. at The Ohio State University, and Genevieve Volpe, one of the readers. and is living and working in Cleveland Heights. Melissa (Winberry) Gleeson and Irina (Maritzia) Jacobs were both invited, but due to children weren’t there. Irina is living back in Madrid with her husband, who is a chiropractor, and her four children. Erin and Bill are planning a honeymoon for later in the summer to Spain and Mallorca. ... Collyn Rybarczyk is living in Charleston, SC, selling real estate for Prudential Carolina - crybarczyk@prucar.com. She loves it and loves the city of Charleston. If anyone is planning a visit to Charleston, feel free to contact her. ... Joy Malek Oldfield became a principal member of Hill/Company LLC, a law firm started by one of the partners at her old law firm in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. She works on plaintiff’s civil and business litigation. ... After almost two years of mobilization in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, John Hotek decided to return to active duty with the U.S. Army. He traded in his General Electric corporate gray for U.S. Army camouflage. He’s currently in school at Fort Lee, VA, but upon completion, he will be assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, NC. ... Lauren (O’Neil) Rakvic moved from California to Annapolis in August 2005. Her husband is a professor at the Naval Academy, and she is a third grade teacher. ... John Samol is a physician in the Seven Hills Women’s Health Centers in Cincinnati. ... Gina Girardot has joined the law firm of Tucker Ellis & West LLP in Cleveland as an associate. ... Patricia Tripar is vice president of ABN AMRO Bank in Chicago. ... Louise Aquila, Ph.D. (’97G) is a manager of training and curriculum at SynCardia Systems in Tucson, AZ. ... Peter Munson is currently studying Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. He completed a master’s program in National Security Affairs (Middle East/North Africa region) at the Naval Postgraduate School in 2005. ... Keep the news coming! Brian

winter 2006	Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. There’s quite a bit of news from our class this time, so I’ll get right into it. Jeff Zukauckas is the promotions director for WTAM 1100, 96.5 Kiss FM, and 100.7 WWMS in Cleveland. He was recently nominated for a national Radio Music Award for Promotion/Marketing Director of the Year. If you live in Cleveland and listen to WTAM on the weekends, you can also hear Jeff on the air as one of the “Prize Guys,” along with fellow alum Pat Butler ’01, on the Contest Show. Jeff says he’ll catch up with former WJCU vets on occasion. ... Jamie (Bateman) Putinski lives in Mentor with her husband, Steve. She is teaching third grade at Center Elementary in Mayfield and had a baby girl, Alexa, last June. ... Gary Love returned November 4, 2005 from his second tour in Iraq, this time as a company commander out of Fort Bragg. He was able to bring all his soldiers home alive, despite operating throughout northern Iraq. Next, Gary will be in Columbus, where he’ll spend about two years working in the recruiting battalion. ... Tricia Hovorka and her husband recently had their first child, Logan, on August 13. She lives in Roswell, GA, and is doing a lot of volunteer work. ... Jen Sezon Brugger and her husband Garett ’95 had twins, Graydon and Ellie, on September 16. They live in Erie, PA. … Robin (Spilka) Neorr moved to Columbus in May 2004 and married Patrick Neorr on August 27, 2005. Patrick does marketing and promotions in Ohio for Jack Daniels (Robin, I think you and Patrick just made several new friends). Those in the wedding from ’97 were Jamie Barbour, Brian Eble, and Chad Fine, along with Christine (Krane) Balasko, ’96, and Nicole Bourrillion, ’94. Robin is fulfilling her dream of feeling like she’s in college radio forever. She’s an account manager/marketing coordinator for CD101, an independently owned alternative station --robin@cd101.com. ... Our old pal Ernie Petti has been through some big changes since leaving JCU eight years ago. For one thing, he’s now a liberal, goateed mountain climber who lives in California and works for Disney. You can even find his name in the credits for movies such as Reign of Fire, which came out a couple of years ago. Now we find out he’s engaged! He’ll be getting married to a girl named Aidess Domagas, who’s from Los Angeles. ... Jeff Scoby lives in Newport Beach, CA, and is a sales manager for Sherwin-Williams. ... Bridget (Maloney) Chamberas -- bmchamberas@hotmail.com -- and her husband, Anthony, welcomed their first child, Thomas Francis, over the summer. ... Keep the news coming, and don’t forget you can also send pictures if you’d like ... Brian

fall 2005	Patricia Nowak is the owner of Charlotte Braun Dance Studio in Parma Heights, OH. ... Dan Tartabini works in sales with KB Home in Phoenix, AZ. ... Brian Polian is living out his dream as the special teams and assistant defensive backs coach at the University of Notre Dame. ... Brian Tommasone works with Park View Federal Savings Bank in Solon, OH. He and his wife, Valerie, have a two-year old daughter named Kassandra. ... Linda Iekel Murray lives in her hometown of Rochester, NY. She’s been happily married for four years and just had her second child, Elena, in April. (Joseph is their son who’s only 14 months older!) In terms of career, “I’m raising these kids. And, after four years as a parent educator with a local non-profit agency I’m starting a consulting business to teach parenting skills and support local parents. I couldn’t ask for anything more. We are truly blessed.” ... Beth Weist is a teacher at Catholic Central Elementary in Urbana, OH. ... Please keep the news coming. I frequently get notes from classmates who enjoy reading about friends they’ve lost touch with over the years. And don’t forget that it’s possible to include recent pictures of you and your classmates in the Alumni Journal. Just drop me an e-mail. Thanks! ... Brian

summer 2005	Annmarie Tirpak and I attended Kara (Barauskas) Maida’s wedding outside of Pittsburgh in May. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time at both the wedding and the reception. Kara and Bob Maida make a great pair, and we wish them all the love in the world. ... My efforts at tracking down random classmates have paid off! I received an e-mail from Ilche Nonevski. He’s back in Cleveland after a five-year stint down in Cincinnati, where he finished up a joint MD/MBA at the University of Cincinnati. He’s heading over to the Cleveland Clinic in July to start a fellowship in Gastroenterology. He got married in September 2003 to Sarah Merkel of Chicago, IL, and they live in University Heights, just down the road from JCU. ... Matthew Milewski is working as an account executive for the advertising agency Chemistri-Martin. He recently transferred to the Chicago area and is wondering if there are any Class of 1997 JCU grads out there. You can drop him an e-mail at matthew.milewski@chemistri.com. ... Roy Warren (MBA) is now the interim principal at Beachwood High School. ... Annie Klekamp Mulvany is the assistant intramurals director at the University of Colorado. ... With the summer coming to an end, I’m sure many of you have stories to tell of vacations, weddings, and more (Annmarie and I sure do!). Drop me an e-mail at sparkyb29@hotmail.com, and I’ll spread the word ... Brian

spring 2005	I received quite a bit of news for this update, so let’s get right to it. Matt and Kelly Ericsson welcomed their new baby, Cole, into the world on January 20. Baby Cole is doing just fine. … In another month, my wife, Annmarie Tirpak, and I will be heading to Pittsburgh for Kara Barauskas’ wedding. Kara, who moved back from Washington, D.C., to the Pittsburgh area a couple years ago, is marrying Bob Maida on May 21, and they’ll be vacationing in Hawaii! Kara’s working at the law firm of Reed Smith in Pittsburgh as a business development specialist in the marketing department. I’m sure I’ll have some interesting stories from the wedding for the next column. ... Kevin Kinross has had a very busy year! He got married last June and is currently in his second year at Duquesne University School of Law’s evening program. During the day he is chief of staff for Alleghany County (PA) Chief Executive Dan Onorato. ... Emily Daube Parlin let me know that she, along with her husband Eric, welcomed their new son Ryan Patrick into the world on February 17. ... Lisa (Giannetti) Anghilante and husband John ’96 are expecting their first baby in May. They know the baby will be a girl and are planning on naming her Sophia. Lisa recently got a new job as the marketing services manager for Magnificat High School in Rocky River, OH. … Brian Polian has accepted the position of special teams/assistant defensive backs coach at the University of Notre Dame. ... Brent Miller is working as a real estate broker with Flanagan LaMee Real Estate in Englewood, CO. ... Emmanuel Teitelbaum is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Government at Cornell University. He recently accepted a tenure-track position as assistant professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he will begin teaching in the fall. Manny’s wife, Lauren, is a student at the University of Chicago Law School, and they just had a daughter, Olivia Reese, on January 14. ... Shannon (O’Malley) Corrigan has been living in Ireland for the past five years. She has worked in various parts of the country with children in residential homes, while she pursues her training in psychotherapy. She got married in October 2003. ... Eric Embacher is working as a residential director at the University of San Diego. He wants to share his e-mail address: ericembacher@sandiego.edu. ... Jessica Schjeldahl and Scott Paprzycki got married in Calistoga, CA, in November. Amy Williams, Emily Steince, Lucas Koffler, Jason Goldberg, and Matt Young attended the wedding. Jessica works as a consultant for Cap Gemini/Ernst and Young, and Scott works for Sherwin-Williams. Amy Williams is teaching fifth grade in Twinsburg, and Emily Steince is a freelance accountant and lives in Cleveland. ... Lama Alloush Zerhusen, who sent me the info on Jessica and Scott’s wedding, lives in Connecticut with her husband Bryan. She finished her master’s in management in December from Alberts Magnus College, and works for GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals. ... Hope everyone has a great summer! Annmarie and I are house-hunting, so hopefully by the time you read this, we’ll have a new place. Also, as a reminder, if you have any pictures of recent gatherings with fellow classmates, send them to me, and we’ll try to get them into the Alumni Journal. ... Brian

winter 2005	Warm greetings to the class of 1997. The Cleveland area is about to get hammered by a cold wave, so I’ll enjoy this 60 degree day while I can. Not very much news coming in recently, but I’m sure all of you have stories to share about holiday get-togethers with classmates so send them to me at sparkyb29@hotmail.com. ... A few of us had our own gathering just after Christmas, at the California Pizza Kitchen in Legacy Village, a unique new shopping plaza on Cedar, just down the road from JCU. In attendance were myself, Annmarie Tirpak, John Shea, Ernie Petti, Andy Tulenko, Matt Ericsson, Brian Trepka, and Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka. ... Sherry (Lucchetti) Watts sent me a message — Sherry and her husband Matt Watts welcomed a baby girl, Ashley Morgan, into their family in August (Sherry and Matt also have a two-year old son, Andrew). Matt is teaching middle school at Fort Middle School in Berea, OH, and Sherry handles the marketing and communications for Impullitti Landscaping in Chagrin Falls and the retail garden center in Burton. They get together often with Kelly (Dick) Close and Andy Close. … Jill (Muldoon) Rendek lives in West Melbourne, FL, and along with her husband, Louis ’95, are expecting their first baby in May. … Daria Dreboty-Cerimele recently moved back to the Cleveland area after completing her residency in Indianapolis. She lives in Chardon and loves being closer to home (Youngstown). Daria and her husband, Michael, have a one-year-old daughter, Isabella. Daria is currently a physician with University Primary Care Physicians. She would love to hear from any former classmates; her e-mail is dmdcmd@yahoo.com. ... Something new to the Alumni Journal section of the magazine — if you have any pictures of recent gatherings you’ve had with fellow 1997 grads, send them to me, and I’ll see if we can get them into the issue. I can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best. Take care everyone! Brian

fall 2004	I hope everyone had a great summer, but unless you’ve escaped Cleveland for a warmer climate, you’re probably in the middle of a cold winter right about now. There hasn’t been a whole lot of news coming in lately, so if you want to give me and everyone else in the Class of 1997 a heads-up on what’s happening with you, shoot me an e-mail at sparkyb29@hotmail.com. ... Gary Love dropped me a line to let me know he has returned to Fort Bragg, NC from an assignment to South Korea in March of 03 and was deployed with the 82nd Airborne to Operation Iraqi Freedom that August. He spent 8 months in theatre with the 1-505th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) where they were directly responsible for the volatile city of Fallujah. A couple months after they returned, he left the 82nd and is now taking a company command in the 525th Military Intelligence Brigade. Unfortunately they are slated to deploy to Iraq just after the new year. “A year in Korea, 6 months back (1 with Amy ’96 & kids), 8 months in Iraq, 9 months back, and upcoming 12 months in Iraq. Quite a pace, huh!?” Gary’s wife Amy ’96 and daughter, Jessica, and son, Mark, will remain in Fayetteville, NC, while he spends roughly 12 months in Iraq. Amy and 3 other military spouses have started a small business doing interior design. ... Lauren (O’Neil) Rakvic, a fellow floor mate on 3rd floor Sutowski our freshman year, also sent me a letter. “Since graduating, I taught in Euclid for 5 years and got my master’s at John Carroll. In 2002 I moved out to Palo Alto, CA (near San Francisco) with my boyfriend, Ryan Rakvic (Ryan works at Intel). I am a teacher out here as well. Ryan and I got married on July 24, 2004. From our graduating class, Denise Haynik and Alison (Chill) Dietsch were two of my bridesmaids. (They both say hi, by the way!). ... John Shea recently spent time down in Peru as part of his Jesuit studies. Here is just a sampling of his always-fascinating experiences: Besides running high schools and colleges, Peruvian Jesuits help organize the Fey Alegria (faith and happiness) grade schools. They cooperate with the government who fund the schools and with lay and religious (usually nuns) who staff the schools. They are also involved in parish work – especially in the pueblo jovens (young villages) that surround the major cities of Peru. Escaping poverty and violence (Peru experienced two decades of civil unrest because of the terrorist activities of Shining Path), millions of people moved from the country to the cities. Many of the young villages they formed lack electricity, water or paved roads. To see such poverty and realize that most of the world lives like that was a powerful experience for all of us. The people are uneducated and many speak Quechua, the native language. By establishing community leaders (most often women) in each parish, the Jesuits have empowered the people to assert their rights for basic needs such as water, food and education. Getting to know the Jesuits in Peru helped me appreciate the international character of the Society – this was especially true when some of us received a “behind-the-scenes” tour of a Jesuit church.” ... Megan Nicholson is an assistant general manager with American Campus Communities in Cleveland. ... Nikki (Nicholas) Custy is a technical writer for SupportSoft in Broadview Heights, OH. Along with her husband Patrick, she plays in two Irish bands in the Cleveland area: Brace Yourself Bridget and Pitch the Peat. You can find out more about the bands at www.braceyourselfbridget.com. Nikki also recently attended the wedding of Susan (Okuley) Paz in La Jolla, CA. ... Mike Mapel is an auditor with McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff in Cleveland. ... Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka received the “Excellence in Education” award for Metro Catholic in the spring. Brian Trepka is e-commerce analyst for Summit Racing Equipment in Tallmadge. ... Andrea Tracy is the program director at the Lake/Geauga County Educational Assistance Agency -- her two cats have learned to meow the “Star Spangled Banner.” Nothing new on her plans for taking over the world, so she’s safe to talk to for now. ... That’s all for this month. Take care everyone, and keep the news coming! Brian

summer 2004	Hello again everyone. I hope you all had a great summer. ... Lisa Jelinski is working at JP Morgan Chase as a staffing officer. ... Shannon (Kuhlenschmidt) Trepka is currently a 7th grade teacher at Metro Catholic Parish School in Cleveland. Shannon and Brian Trepka were married on June 28, 2003. Several of us from the class of ’97 attended the wedding, including myself, Annmarie Tirpak, Matt Ericsson, Andy Tulenko, Bill and Agnes Previts, Sarah Lundeen, Susan Braat, Heidi Krebs, and many more. ... Karen Thompson has been named executive director for academic programs and planning in the dean’s office at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. ... Elizabeth Black married Edwin Ryan on July 31, 2004. They just moved back to Chicago. JCU alumni in attendance were: Stacy Bongini, Amy Happ ’98, Kate Perrone McGrath, and Maggie O’Gara ’98. ... Vincent Shemo is working as a financial analyst with a company called Timken in Canton, OH. Vincent and his wife, Sarah, welcomed their second child into the world in May, a daughter named Meredith. ... Carla (LaVigne) Wessels and her husband recently bought their first house in Ware, MA. ... Megan Carney is working as a meeting and event planner in Pittsburgh. Her company does programs all over the world and is currently in high gear for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, where they’ll be managing ticketing, transportation, hotels and special events for several clients. Megan married Jim Gilson ’96 in June in Pittsburgh, where they will be living. ... Kristen Liberati is getting married in August 2004 in Pittsburgh. ... Janice (Minarich) Spicuzza is currently living in Willowick, OH. ... Michelle (Straub) Fisher does marketing for Community Services Group in Mountville, PA. ... Caroline (Gillespie) Morse ’97 is married to Joseph Morse and is a training and events manager for ERC. ... Heather Barbus is an associate attorney for the law office of Susan Fortino-Brown in Chicago. ... Jolia (Georges) Sandine is a pharmaceutical representative with Glaxo Smith Kline in Triangle Park, NC. ... Aileen Masterson is an asylum officer with the Citizenship and Immigration Service in Arlington, VA. ... Julie (Mahoney) Barr got married on October 11, 2003. She is working with a financial planning firm in New York. ... Michael Horan also got married in October 2003. He just completed his Ph.D. in Oral and Craniofacial Biology at Ohio State and is currently working on his D.D.S. ... Chris Anderson is managing the new branch of American Equity Mortgage in Nashville, TN. ... Annmarie and I ran into Jen Toohey recently at a Wing Fest in downtown Cleveland. Her radio career is taking off: Jen is the midday DJ (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at Q104 in Cleveland. Looks like those years at WUJC paid off! In fact, Jen hosted the wing-eating competition that yours truly was in (I came in second). Jen also sends out a weekly Q104 newsletter. ... I never heard back from Tim Hanchin, or any news on him, from the last column, so I’ll throw out another random name I’d like to hear from. So, former hall mate Ilche Nonevski, what are you up to? ... Talk to you all again soon, Brian

spring 2004	Back again for another edition of news from the Class of 1997. Keep all your news coming -- it’s nice to find out what fellow classmates are up to. I recently returned from a trip to Italy, where I spent a week touring apple orchards and packing facilities. Despite missed flights and lost luggage, it was a great trip, and I was able to meet people from all over the world. ... A few items I’ve received lately: John Moore is a partner with Hilty Moore & Associates in Chagrin Falls. ... Here is the full down low on Kristi Vadino, now known as Ms. Vadino: “I just signed my contract for a third year of teaching mathematics at Kingswood Regional High School in New Hampshire. I am on my third year of a 3-year graduate program. By the end of the summer I should have a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire. It is called a master’s of science for teachers. On weekends and a few weeknights, I am a snowboard instructor. I snowboard as much as I can and as often as I can! I love it. I stay in touch with Natalie Sabo and Andrea Kirks. In fact, last year they came up to visit me for a few days of fun in the snow at Attitash Bear Peak. Let’s just say, I felt like I was in college again. I miss it. We should do it more often! ... Andrea Kirks works at University Hospitals in Cleveland and is in the Air Force Reserves. ... Natalie Sabo is still working for Accenture. She just recently returned to Cleveland (after being on the road for nearly five years) to work on an in-town assignment. ... Cathy (Herr) Kaminski has been teaching French and Spanish at a middle school in Denver, CO for the past 7 years and has been the foreign language department chairperson for 5 years. She earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado in 2002. Upon completion of her master’s, she earned her Principal’s License. Her intention is to eventually move into an administrative role at the district level. After several years of dating other people and “finding ourselves,” Cathy married her high school sweetheart, Keith, in June 2003. They had a beautiful wedding in their hometown of Buffalo, NY. Erika (Hood) Anderson was her matron of honor and her husband, Mike Anderson ’98, was an usher. ... John Charles McLaughlin married Melissa Marie Fortener of Kettering March 12. The couple resides in Blue Ash, OH. … Carla LaVigne is a supplier engineer and program coordinator with Maxtor Corp. in Massachusetts. … Tom Frazier defended his dissertation recently and is now officially Dr. Thomas Frazier. He will graduate with his Ph.D. from Case Western University on May 16. He will be back in Cleveland in August to do his post-doctorate work at the Cleveland Clinic in neuropsychology. He and his wife, Allison, just had their first baby boy, Sean Thomas, on January 15, 2004. ... To close this column, I’m going to steal an idea from Marty Fox class of 1999 columnist (Marty, Matt Ericsson, and I were co-hosts of “Get Bent” at WJCU), and pick one classmate per month and ask “Where Are They Now?” This month’s target is Tim Hanchin. Tim, what are you up to right now? Take care everyone! ... Brian

winter 2004	Hello once again to everyone from the Class of 1997. I apologize for the long delay between updates, so let’s get right to the news ... Michael “Miguel” Davis no doubt has his hands full right now. He’s working in the Department of Homeland Security as a principal legal adviser. ... I picked up a lot of news from Eric Embacher ... He’s busy with a freelance writing career and is living in Cuyahoga Falls. When he’s not writing, he has been singing and playing the guitar at local coffee shops. Check out his recently published pre-teen biography about Will Smith on amazon.com. ... Lynn Rutledge is pursuing a second degree in computer science at The Ohio State University. She would like to use her studies to develop adaptive technology for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. ... Meghan Sweeney received her Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo in the spring of 2003 and is teaching as an assistant professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. ... Karen Thompson was promoted to director of corporate and foundation relations at Case Western School of Medicine in Cleveland. ... Monica Dragoman is now a second year at the OB/GYN residency program at UT Southwestern in Dallas. She has already delivered hundreds of babies. ... Nikki (Nicolas) Custy is enjoying life with her husband, Pat, and is working as a technical writer at First Energy in Akron. They’re part of an 8-piece Irish band called “Brace Yourself Bridget” that plays all over Ohio. ... Erika Bauer is continuing her doctoral studies in behavioral psychology at the University of Michigan. This summer, she traveled to a sanctuary in Zambia to study chimpanzees. ... Susan Okuley is having fun living in San Diego and just got married this past summer in La Jolla. She and her husband both do research at biotech companies. ... Kara Barauskas recently moved back to the Pittsburgh area, and his planning her upcoming wedding! ... John Shea has entered the seminary to become a Jesuit. He’s based in the Detroit area. At this moment, he’s taking part in a silent retreat. … Annmarie Tirpak is now working for the Cleveland Opera planning all of their special events and fundraisers. She is having a wonderful time and meeting very exciting people like Anton Coppola, the uncle of Nicholas Cage. ... When you have a chance, drop me a line and let me know how things are going, where you’re living and working, etc. Take care! Brian

spring 2003	A happy spring to everyone in the class of 1997. With work keeping me busy, I haven’t had as much time to keep track of what is happening with everyone. But I do have a few notes to pass along ... Gretchen (Dramis) Hull is a teacher and coach in the Jackson Local School district in Massillon, OH. ... Bridget (Maloney) Chamberas earned her master’s degree in religious education from Boston College in 2001. She stayed in the Boston area and on October 12, 2002, she married Anthony Chamberas. She recently started a new job at Our Lady’s Parish in Newton, MA, which she says is interesting given the status of the church in Boston. ... Theresa (Koncal) Laheta married Beck fan, Jeff Laheta ’98 on October 19, 2002. ... Maria Zaczyk is a consultant for New York Times Television in New York City. ... Matt Fadel works in the Euclid City School district as an elementary school educator. He is in his first year of a two year exchange teaching opportunity in Japan. Anyone who wants to catch up with Matt (he spent most of his senior year on crutches from rugby injuries) can e-mail him at eatapch4pc@yahoo.com. ... Joce (Vergeldedios) Bien married Arthur Bien in October (seems like October is a hot month for weddings). She is a manager for Progressive Insurance in Mayfield Heights. ... Annie Klekamp received her MBA from the University of North Alabama while working as the assistant women’s soccer coach. She now lives in Denver and works for the Littleton Soccer Club as the college coordinator and club coach. She sees Annie Collopy about every three weeks. Annie is currently teaching and living in Colorado Springs. In December they went to Regina Lecznar’s wedding. ... Amy (Giordano) Shealy married Allen Shealy (from South Carolina) on August 31, 2002. Nicki (Hewald) Brainard, Danielle (Bosela) Bailey, and Lesley Brown were all involved in the wedding. Amy is still working at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation as a genetic counselor. She and Allen are living in Lakewood. ... Wade Cole lives in Mason, OH, and works as an investigator for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission in Cincinnati. ... Carla (LaVigne) Wessels moved to Auburn, MA, and works for Maxtor Corporation as the ASL curator in the Supplier Quality Engineering Department. She was married May 25, 2002 then had a formal wedding with her husband Randy in Niagara Falls. Aryn Micaletti was one of the bridesmaids. ... Finally, those of you who passed by the Public Affairs office while they were at John Carroll undoubtedly remember the smiling face of Public Relations Director Roberta “Bobbi” Bokman Rodgers. Sadly, Bobbi Bokman Rodgers passed away on January 12 after a long fight with a major illness. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. ... Brian

winter 2003	Happy holidays to all of you. I hope everyone has had a great year. Not a lot of news to report this time. After spending a few years on the West Coast, Andrea Tracy moved back to “sunny” northeast Ohio. She is now the assistant director of student financial services at Mount Union College. Just after Andrea came back into town, a few of us spent an evening in Coventry catching up on old times. Annmarie Tirpak and I were there, along with Andrea and Julie (Jackimiec) Netzky, who lives in Chicago but was in town for a couple of days. … Andy Tulenko just returned from a long trip to Thailand. He says he enjoyed himself, even if he didn’t like the food. … Lisa Jelinski lives in Dayton and is a senior recruiter for INRANGE Global Consulting. … Denise Haynik graduated from the Ohio University School of Osteopathic Medicine this past summer, and started her residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. … Brian Polian is the special teams coordinator/running backs coach at the University of Buffalo, which competes in the Mid-American Conference. He recently finished his master’s of science in education at Baylor University. He is also engaged to Laura Maggiotto, with a wedding date of June 7, 2003. Congratulations Brian! … Jeff Zukauckas and Carrie Sorna got married on Sept. 1, 2001 and honeymooned in Hawaii. Jeff is the promotion director at WTAM 1100 and 96.5 KISS FM in Cleveland, carrying on the tradition from his days at WUJC. … London Fletcher, who won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams, is trying to do the same thing in Buffalo, where he signed as a free agent. He’s looked pretty good so far this year, and it’s nice that whenever a TV announcer mentions his name, they almost always bring up “tiny” John Carroll University. … I recently wrote an alumni column for JCU’s Web site, and it has information on Reunion 2002, along with some updates on other classmates. You can check it out at www.jcu.edu/alumni/johncarrollmagazine/class_notes_1997.htm. That’s it for now. Both Annmarie and I are doing well and working hard. If you have any updates on yourself or others from the Class of ’97, please send them along to me. Take care! Brian

summer 2002	Hello to everyone in the Class of ’97. I hope all of you are having a great summer. I’ll get right to it with all the updates and news I’ve received over the last couple of months. ... Jim Cullen lives in Lafayette, CO and is a regional sales manager for CCX Corporation. ... Erin (Beirne) Lenos is a health services coordinator with MBNA Marketing Systems in Beachwood. Her daughter, Alexa Grace, turned a year old on July 8. ... Carla (LaVigne) Wessels married Randy Wessels on May 25. They live in Auburn, MA, and will have a formal wedding ceremony in Niagara Falls on September 1. Carla is working as an ASL curator at Maxtor Corp. ... Gina Girardot graduated from Case Western School of Law in May and just moved to Miami, FL, where she will be working as a prosecutor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. ... Gary Love has been reassigned to Camp Humphreys in Korea in the 6th Cavalry Brigade. He should be there until May 2003. ... Hopefully a few of you had a chance to make it up to Reunion Weekend in June. For anyone who has not been back to campus since graduation, you really need to check it out. Just walk around the AD Building and the Atrium and check out all the changes. We also saw the construction of the new Dolan Science Center, which looks to be huge and should even have an underground-parking garage! Annmarie Tirpak and I made it up to JCU for part of the weekend and had a great time. We took a tour of campus and ran into Chris Moscati, who is living back in Buffalo and working for the family business. After the Alumni Mass, we met up with a few other classmates: Matt Ericsson and his wife, Kelly; Bill and Agnes Previts, Brian Trepka, Shannon Kuhlenschmidt, John Shea, and Jackie Kulbago ’96. We had dinner at Pizzazz (in case you don’t know, all of Fairmount Circle is now owned by John Carroll). Afterwards, we ran over to the Class of ’97 tent to see who was there. Robin Spilka, who was involved in much of the reunion planning, said she’s having a busy life with school and work. On our way out, we met up with Amy (Everetts) Budd and Maria Midea. Amy works for Altman Hospital in Canton. ... As of this writing, John Shea is in Paraguay visiting his sister in the Peace Corps. ... Bill Previts received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Case Western Reserve University in May. ... Unfortunately, not all of the news passed along from alumni is good news. In May, Ronald Tirpak (Annmarie Tirpak’s father and my father-in-law) passed away after a long bout with cancer. Then a couple of weeks ago we attended the funeral for Andy Tulenko’s father, Joseph, who had also suffered from a long illness. I’ll use the end of this column as a dedication to these two men, as well as to everyone from the Class of 1997 and their families who have lost their closest loved ones. ... Till next time, take care, and God bless, Brian

spring 2002	Hello to everyone in the class of 1997. I hope things are going well for all of you, and you’re having fun this summer. I’ll use part of this column to share some details on the wedding of Annmarie Tirpak and myself. But before that, I’ll pass along some updates I’ve received on the rest of you. ... Kara Newmeyer ’98 passed along the news that Debbie Janchar married Pat Fitzmaurice ’95 in September. They bought a house in Lyndhurst. ... Jason Brady, a fellow resident of 3rd floor Sutowski during freshman year, dropped me a line. He’s living in Santa Barbara, CA, and working for a retirement planning firm called PlanMember Services. He should be starting up at UCLA soon to work on his MBA, and is trying to enjoy the sun and body surfing of Southern California during his spare time. Jason also wanted me to pass along his e-mail address: jbrady@planmember.com. ... After 7 years of dating, Brian Graf and Mary Beth Sullivan ’98 got married on December 1 in Cincinnati, and honeymooned in Hawaii. They’re living in Mayfield Heights. Brian also wanted to pass along his e-mail: brian.graf@cle.philips.com. ... Natalie Sabo got engaged the week before Thanksgiving -- with the wedding set for this September. She also told me that Andrea Kirks went through boot camp and training for the Air Force and is now in the reserves. ... Eryn Ace is an attorney with Hahn Loeser and Parks LLP in Summit County. She graduated from the University of Akron Law School in 2000 and specializes in patent law and trademark and copyright law. ... Pete Munson was promoted to Marine Corps Captain in the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 in Cherry Point, NC. ... Joy Malek got engaged to Charlie Oldfield, whom she met at law school. They’re getting married on August 31, and classmates Erin Norton and Lisa (Adams) Sukenik will be in the wedding. ... Adrian Del Busso, who married Andrea Dunbar, is president of a company called Aptira in Hudson, OH. ... Kevin Potoczak is an account representative at the Canvas Exchange in Cleveland. ... Kristi Vadino has been traveling for the past couple of years, conducting adventure camping tours. Now she’s settled down in Stowe, VT, where she teaches high school math. ... Samer Hilal is an associate vice president with Morgan Stanley in Chagrin Falls. ... Maggie (Suter) Viertlbeck married Matt Viertlbeck in October, and they live in Toledo. Bridesmaids from our class included Melissa (Zielinski) Jankowski, Kara (Hayes) Trant, Katy Winchell, and Rachel Luchini. Gary Jankowski (Melissa’s husband) was an usher. Maggie’s working as an admissions director at her high school alma mater, St. Ursula. Hey Maggie, say hi to Matt for me. We went to high school together at St. Francis. ... Melissa (Parenti) Glynn and husband, Tom, had their second baby boy, Reggie, on October 13. They also have a three-year-old son, Archer, and are building a new home outside of Chicago. Here’s their e-mail: babydayliner@hotmail.com. ... Dmitry Fokin returned to Russia after graduation and was working at PriceWaterhouse as an auditor and Alfa Group as a financial analyst. Now he’s working at Indigo Telecommunications, where he supervises regional cellular providers. … Mark Andros (who works for the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service outside of Washington, DC) visited him recently, and said Dmitry is hoping to make a trip back to the US this year. ... Coley Daigler was on the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics. ... Michael Rowan is a Ph.D. student at Ohio State and teaches in OSU’s Introductory Biology Program. ... Megan Nicholson is a residence life coordinator at the University of Akron. ... Kristen (Thimons) Schmidt is an emergency medicine resident at the Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center. ... Shannon (McCabe) Hotek and John Hotek welcomed their second child, Emily Christine, into the world on January 21. ... Emily Daube Parlin received a master’s of arts degree in special education from the University of Akron in May 2001. She lives in Uniontown, OH, with her husband, Eric Parlin. Emily teaches fourth grade at Clearmount Elementary School in North Canton. ... Now, as promised, here’s the scoop on our wedding day on September 8, 2001. We got married at St. Joseph’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Brecksville, with the reception at the Crystal Chalet in Cleveland. Julie (Jackimiec) Netzky was a bridesmaid, and there were quite a few from the Class of 1997 who attended: John Shea, Andrew Tulenko, Kara Barauskas, Matt Ericsson, Bill and Agnes Previts, Brian Trepka, Shannon Kuhlenschmidt, and Andy Fedoriw, who came all the way from eastern Pennsylvania. We all had a great time. A couple of people who wanted to come but could not make the trip in from California were Ernie Petti and Andrea Tracy (who is still working on her world domination plan). Matt Kremser was in our Pre-Cana class, and he got married last summer. Annmarie and I honeymooned in Aruba, and believe me, there is not a more beautiful place on earth. We were actually there during the 9/11 tragedy, but if you’re going to be stranded, what better place to be? Thanks to everyone who came out for the wedding, and to everyone who has offered their best wishes to us. I’m still hard at work at Meister Publishing, and Annmarie just completed a job as a consultant for the Ohio Federation of Teachers. ... That’s all for now. Here’s one more reminder about the upcoming Reunion Weekend -- it’s June 14-16. Plan to attend or get involved in the planning by contacting reunion coordinator, Rosalie Massey at 216-397-3014. ... Take care everyone, and have a great summer! Brian

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Class Notes 1997