When President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden prepared for their beers with a Cambridge police officer and a Harvard professor at the end of July, the officials turned once again to pros for instruction in the etiquette.  On behalf of all of us, President Tom Weyer supplied hours of archived police video recorded at the Senior Bar, Corby’s, tailgate parties, and the Linebacker. He also arranged for training led by Jim Hutchinson, Mick Hyland, Bill Clark and Jimmy Powers so that the U.S. leaders would have a composure befitting men knowledgeable about the intricacies of the social beer, ready for anything from the certainty that Republicans do not always add marshmallows to their malt, all the way to the proper moment for “Danny Boy.” They also learned how to charge drinks to Mike Browning’s University Club account, a skill Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may have overused with some stimulus expenses, especially after he was able to “friend” the accounts of Bob Smith and Jasjit Singh.  Many on the White House staff availed themselves of an extra-credit class taught by Bob Santaloci on besotted completion of important documents such as chem lab reports and trade agreements.  Brien Murphy pressed for a convivial gator but the Surgeon General nixed that.   There was only one slip up, this in the aftermath of some extra instruction from one of the Rogers twins, Neil or Rich, when the Vice-President was approached by some journalists interested in his views on Russia.  Adhering to his training, the Vice-President also volunteered some opinions of St. Mary’s women but the discreet journalists, realizing that he, like our class, had little direct experience with the subject, courteously ignored those remarks altogether. 

            As the training progressed in D.C., many of the rest of us kept our skills fresh at gatherings.  Bryan Dunigan’s choice of the Chicago southside’s Harborside course for his annual June golf outing made a good, mostly dry day for Roger Guerin, Tom Weyer, Tom Gibbs, Dennie Toolan, Paul Eide, Sandy Carrigan, Tom Cuggino, Terry Quinn, Bob Ptak, Rick McPartlin, John Walsh, Skip Strzelecki and Fran Mentone. On August 21, a similar group with similar intentions of fun will get together in South Bend for an evening Silver Hawks baseball game and, for some, an afternoon of golf.  Joe Kernan, Dick Liccini, Chris Murphy and Carmi, Fred Ferlic (setting aside his Chicago Marathon training), Jim O’Rourke and Gene Cavanaugh, as well as retired professors Ed Goerner and Don Sniegowski, will give the day a home town flavor.  Jim Davis, recovering quickly from some health problems brought on by his active bachelor life, keeps in touch about the plans but may have to miss this time.  Now living in Charleston, SC, Jim sent photos taken for the class blog during the visit of New Yorker Rich Sweeney and his wife Pat.

            The University’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies has a new director of policy studies, our classmate David Cortright. Dave is an Army veteran and a longtime scholar, teacher and advocate of nonviolence. Author or editor of 15 books, he is an expert on nuclear weapons policy, prevention of conflict through economic sanctions and counter-terrorism.

            Matt Walsh wrote after he and Joyce ran into John O’Brien and Karen in Lake Geneva, WI, the weekend that John would be installed as head of the Illinois State Bar Association.  “I was pretty impressed.  John and Karen have always been a wonderful couple and great  parents.    They mentioned that one of their sons is now teaching law at the law school at ND.   Also pretty cool.” 

            Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s feud with former coach Don Nelson has kept Nelson’s lawyer John O’Connor busy and given Dallas visitor Ken Howard something to read while in town.  Ken circulated a newspaper article with some of John’s comments in it.  In Mississippi, Tom Durkin, representing Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby DeLaughter, reached a settlement in the much-followed trial at the end of July. 

            Californian Mike Burgener and his family, always in search of things heavy enough for a worthwhile lift, traveled to Ireland and Scotland where Mike caused less trouble than expected while having a good time. “My no. 2 son Beau Jackson Burgener will on 7 August pin on the Navy trident (symbol of Seal status) and become a member of the elite Seal team 5!!  Very proud of my son!!  (In Europe), I along with son Casey and his wife Natalie 2008 Olympians both of them….and daughter Sage, we did Olympic weightlifting certifications for Crossfit.  Www.crossfit.com.  I encourage all my classmates to check out Crossfit and keep healthy.”

            Keep Tom Condon and his family in your prayers.  Tom’s youngest brother David, a recently married lawyer who made myriad contributions as an elected member of the New London, CT school board and city commissions, died of cancer on June 29th.  David’s funeral was well-attended and David’s memories so extraordinary that a niece overheard one of the ministers saying that he had never laughed so hard at a funeral before. 

            Please remember to check the photos and other notes on the class blog at http://www.ndclass1968.com.  Have information about yourself and others? Send notes to Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tfigel@lake-effect.com.