ND Class of 1968           Contact: Tom Figel, office: 312-223-9536 ext. 301

Happy Meals and Great People

Soon after the season-ending bowl game, Rick McPartlin gathered Chicago-area classmates for a Boys’ Night Out with this game post-mortem: “It was bad enough that the quarterback is bigger than Alan Page, but when the offensive tackle was bigger at birth than any of our linebackers, now that is a problem.”  Rick's encouragement, with the support of Dave Kabat, short-hitter Bryan Dunigan and other correspondents produced a good turnout at a Rush Street favorite, including Rick's son Brian, Matt Walsh's sons, Roger Guerin's son Brian, and Rick's lifelong friend, Harvard grad Paul McCarthy.  Tom Weyer said that Rocky Bleier, a hit at one of the pep rallies, has agreed to think about helping Tom put some life into the president's remarks at the next reunion.  Tom also said that the recent Indiana gubernatorial election turned on Joe Kernan's reluctance to curry favor from the state’s southern voters with a personal doling out of capital punishment on the lawn of the governor's residence.  In a quiet conference, Bob Ptak, Roger Guerin, and Matt Walsh made plans for Saturday Mass attendance while their wives were away for the weekend.  If Tom Gibbs arrived home reeking of beer, it was only because a clumsy waiter splashed a drink all over him.  Bryan Dunigan's early departure from the gathering prompted some muttering: Mary was in town and, following the inclination so few of us were able to act upon years ago, Brian had a date on a Friday night – no time these days for the boys' night out. 

At Bryan’s Christmas party the month before, Tom Cuggino had good news: a son recovered from cancer and happy with new twin Cuggino granddaughters.  The Cugginos’ daughter Jenny gave birth to another granddaughter during the Christmas season.

Music has many classmates feeling upbeat.  In Pennsylvania, Mike Hampsey’s music was the subject of a newspaper feature.  The second pressing of Mike’s Celtic Christmas CD is available for $20 from Mike at P.O. Box 1433, Warren, PA 16365.  Mike’s son Matt is on the roster for the second weekend of Jazzfest in New Orleans as lead guitar player for Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, John Walsh reports.  John and Dia will answer Eddie Kurtz’s cryptic call to “Maybe c u dare. K”.  Meanwhile, in the halls of Congress and in the Jan. 7, 2007 New York Times feature noted by Jim O’Rourke, “Mr. Hall Goes to Congress,” John Hall is adding his musical and political talent.  – and Larry was coming from the Marines.

Other classmates in print recently include Forrest Hainline, who refers us to San Francisco Attorney’s “The Power of the Poet” and mention in the Los Angeles Daily Journal report of 2006 defense verdicts.  Tom Durkin wrote a Feb. 8, 2007 Chicago Tribune essay titled “Terrorism in the Courts,” his reflection on the way prosecutors tried to gain a conviction of two Muslims accused of terrorist activities.

Mark Lies reported that at the Michigan and North Carolina games he had a “mini-reunion with Bob Raaf who is retired and in from Cleveland and Kenny Lefoldt who is going strong with his own accounting firm who came in from Jackson, Miss. We were reminiscing on our time working together in the South Dining Hall as part of the food service crew and some of the bizarre things that other students did when they were going through the food line, as well as some of the mini-food fights. . .”  You can see the full correspondence – and add to it – at our class blog http://ndclass-1968.figelpr.com. 

The nonsense in the last column about Moscow surveillance of the Manion family produced great notes from Chris Manion as well as referral to his writings posted at http://www.lewrockwell.com/manion/manion-arch.html.  The nonsense also necessitated an apology to a classmate who wants a low profile and was confused and irritated by the mention of his own name in the middle of it. 

Jim Hoffman, who practices law in Eugene, OR and funds lots of college expense with the earnings, wrote that he will be at Notre Dame May 12, 2007 for the wedding of his middle daughter Heather and Dan Campion.  Heather’s sisters Holly and Heidi also graduated from Notre Dame.  Celebrating his last college payment on February 1^st, Jim and Carla celebrated with a McDonald’s Happy Meal. 

Tom Thurber’s daughter Tiana notified friends of her father’s death Jan. 13, 2007.  Emailed remembrances began.  They included this testament from John McKenzie: “You were an enigma, a hyperbole, a paramount, a huge tribute to life itself of which you were bigger than, a gentle Man with tattooed hands, a motorcycle rider who wrote beautiful songs in the key of life, which was usually limited to one, or, at most, two chords, in the fashion of Lou Reed and Neil Young. You married a beautiful woman and have a beautiful daughter.”

            You will find photographs and other notes at our class blog http://ndclass-1968.figelpr.com.  Respond there or send items to: Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tel. 312-881-7391, tfigel@figelpr.com.