Supersonic Trajectories

Brian Muskus, by way of Jim O’Rourke, brought attention to the recognition Paul Bevilaqua has received for invention of something that resulted in a military aircraft capable of supersonic speeds after take-off from a short airfield.   What Jim advises in his note – a look at http://wn.com/Paul_Bevilaqua – is true. Low-key as Paul is in the interview, the video is about something sensational.  Paul recounts the inspiration that came to him in 1986 as he and his group at Lockheed Skunk Works neared the end of a nine-month engagement, one focused on increasing the thrust of a jet engine so that the craft could take off vertically and then attain supersonic speed.  Design News named Paul 2004 Engineer of the Year.  The current aircraft, the F-35 fighter, caught Brian’s attention at http://www.aircraftowner.com/videos/view/f-35b—taking-stovl-to-a-new-level_1126.html.

Paul’s solution, the ability to ascend vertically and then leave a small space at supersonic speed, could have had some application to various class social events over the years.  One can imagine Jim Davis, for example, or Dick Farina or Al Berryman glancing past a date’s shoulder and seeing a fuming ex-girlfriend approaching from the other side of the Rathskellar or the senior bar.

There was no leaving the last Friday of January, however, when Rick McPartlin got a Chicago group together for a Rush Street evening.  President Tom Weyer was away on business that night, but Rick’s invitation brought out Mike Tyrrell, Ted Nebel, Dave Kabat, Bryan Dunigan, Bob Ptak, Tom Gibbs and Tom’s daughter Caroline, and Mick Hyland for some banter that included Bryan’s plans for a Superbowl celebration.  Serious talk concerned Dick Carrigan and the health problems that are plaguing Dick and his wife Mary.  Talk also concerned the sadness of a baby’s death in January: The death of Mikey Heaton at five weeks affected two Notre Dame households in the northern suburbs of Chicago: Mikey’s grandparents are Mike Heaton and Barb, Eb Moran and Judy.

Dan Harshman, whose long tenure at the head of Logan Community Resources in South Bend saw the organization become a solid provider of services needed by the disabled and their families, is going to retire at the end of 2011.  Dan made Logan his career and South Bend his home; both have had the benefit of Dan’s talent and kindness.

Brother John Paige is now applying his talent to the leadership of South Bend’s Holy Cross College, where he became president at the beginning of the year.  John had been vicar general of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Rome.

When the New York Times spoke with members of Congress about enhanced security, Representative Dan Lungren’s photo graced the article.  Dan, who represents a southern California district, is head of the House committee that oversees security.

We have reached that time in life, as Tom Scherer pointed out in his sad January note about the death of Mike Farr, and the death in 2009 of Tom’s former roommate Steve Bernard.  Steve, says Tom, founded Cape Cod Potato Chips, which he had sold to Auggie Busch at one time, and was last running a healthy organic snack food company, Late July, with his daughter.  In her own note about Mike’s death, Sandra Farr remembered the life that began with their meeting at an ND mixer at the Rathskellar Mike’s sophomore year.  They married in the log chapel in 1967.  While creating and running JIST Publishing in Indianapolis, they became parents to Jonn and Lisa.  Sandra’s note, along with a remembrance by their friend Bob Snider, appears in the class blog, http://ndclass-1968.lake-effect.com.

Eugene “Zenka” Siedlecki, the father of Helena Daly (SMC 69) died in December at the age of 91.  Zenka was a POW in Poland before flying for the RAF in Britain.  Clever and hardworking, he settled and raised his family in Woodstock, IL at the end of the war.  Connie McGrath, the mother of Tom Condon’s wife Anne, died in November, 2011 in Connecticut.

Please remember these classmates and friends in your prayers.

Send your news to: Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tel. 312-881-7391, tfigel@lake-effect.com.

Winning Over All

                         No
matter how the team fares in the end, the Class of 1968 tailgate program made
the season a success.  Those of us who
enjoy the generously provisioned visiting area before and after a game may not appreciate
enough the work a half dozen classmates put into the arrangements.  Dressed for the three or four South Bend climates he may
experience during his shift, Gene
Cavanaugh arrives in the early dawn and quickly secures half a dozen
parking spots on a line between the Legends restaurant pub and Gate C.  The Great Class of 1968 flag goes up, a
beacon for our class and a warning to those who would encroach on our
area.  Within the next few hours, others
arrive, many escorted by the exceptional women found at all class events: Fred Ferlic, Roger Guerin, Tom Gibbs,
Class President Tom Weyer.  The noise level increases and the cluster of
cars begin to mark a compound.  As the
hour of the game approaches, visitors stream to the area: veterans such as Rich Rogers, Mike Ryan and Jim Hutchinson, townies Jim O’Rourke, Chris Murphy and Joe Kernan, travelers such as Mike Helmer from San Francisco, Dana Hart from Gloucester, MA, Bryan Schanning and Susan from
Marblehead, MA, Tom Condon from West
Hartford, CT. 

                        As
she set up her family’s area in the dim morning light on the day of the Western Michigan game, Mary Weyer kept noticing a
stranger keeping his distance at the edge of the compound.  He gave off a whiff of the sea, this quiet
man.  A Red Sox fan? Mary wondered.  An engineering major?  Finally, she set the platter of meatloaf in
plain view.  Instantly, Dick Kelly came forward and fairly lunged
with Figel quickness at the plate Mary offered. 
Dick, now winding down his legal practice in Portland,
ME, spent the rest of the day with Tom Condon, Larry Forness, Nancy Carlin
Figel and me before coming into Chicago
for a couple more days of stories and laughs. 

                        The
week before, Bryan Dunigan and Matt Walsh had arranged for Dick Carrigan’s feted attendance at the
tailgate, arrangements that included viewing of the Pittsburgh game from the press box.  Tom
Chema from Atlanta
was among the classmates who saw Dick on a day that confirmed universal regard
for Dick and his family as they struggle with terrible health issues.  In a note to Bryan the next week, Dick wrote that the best
part of the day was “’feeling the love’ from all of our friends and classmates.” 

                        Jay Schwartz, largely unrecognized as
the former president of the Hall President’s Council in 1966-67, made the Pittsburgh game a
gathering for daughters Megan, Molly and their families.  Perhaps inspired by his time with Jay, Tom “Madison” McKenna attended the
Restore Sanity rally held on the Washington D.C. Mall in October.  Larry
“Monk” Forness, a Granger resident as of recent years, has been hosting
friends throughout the year.  So polished
is Larry’s hospitality that when Tom
Condon, Nancy and I arrived for our own stay, Monk had a press release
ready.  It appears in full on the blog at
http://www.ndclass1968.com.  Here is a taste: “After a career in
telecommunications, Jim Smithberger
and his wife Deb retired to Dade City,
FL, where they have what is
modestly called a ‘ranch.’  Monk at first
refused to admit Jim to his house, because Jim looks like he’s about 30 years
old.” 

                        John Walsh, who was a participant in
the class golf outing Bryan Dunigan
organizes each summer, sent a report that appears in full on the blog.  John begins, “Only mad dogs and ’68
classmates go out in 95-degree sunshine with 95 percent humidity. . .”  During the summer, John attended a wedding
near Sleeping Bear Dunes in northern Michigan,
where he met classmate Tom Bloom.  Class small talk turned up this tidbit: Fred Ferlic once operated on Tom’s
knee. 

                        Bob Brady and Margaret came to Chicago from Connecticut
for a fall business meeting that allowed time for an evening visit.  Margaret is back in good health after a rough
time with cancer last year. 

                        As
we enjoy our company, please remember in your prayers and your attention the
sorrows that have come to some of our classmates.  Donna deManbey Boynton SMC'68 wrote from Connecticut of George Boynton’s death from cancer on
March 11^th; Donna’s letter appears in the blog.  John
White’s death occurred May 7^th in NJ.  John, who was our business school
valedictorian, was living with his family in Branchburg.  Terry
Quinn, who had been living in Evanston,
IL, died during August.  Tom
Condon’s mother Carolyn, who added all the Figels to her own large family,
died on July 21^st in New
London, CT.  On the blog, you can see the obituary written
by Tom’s brother Garrett.  Mike Tyrrell sent a note about Thomas Leigh Nelson’s death in Houston, TX
on April 3^rd.   Betty Doerr let friends know in August about
the death of Kathy Cecil, her SMC 69 classmate. 
Don Hynes remembered Kathy in
a poem found on the blog, http://www.ndclass1968.com.

                        Please
send news to: Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tel. 312-881-7391, tfigel@lake-effect.com.

 Changes and Memories

                        During our student days, dorm conversation that touched on South Bend was often dismissive, our intelligence on the area drawn from a little world marked by Notre Dame Avenue, a few watering holes, restaurants, the often-relocating Senior Bar, and a few venues for dances.  Things are changing.  Of course, some of the watering holes are gone, along with the manufacture of Studebakers.  But at the edge of the campus, as well as in the neighborhoods and cities beyond, there is a stirring of cooperative plans for the formation of new companies that can take advantage of academic research along with attractive housing costs and other features of the area. Classmates who return and visit South Bend as well as the campus seem pleased.

                        One who returns regularly is Tom McCloskey, whose venture capital firm underwrites the annual business plans competition put on by the business school’s Gigot Center each April.  Some of the sharpest questions and most meaningful suggestions put to the entrepreneurs at this year’s event came from Tom’s wife Bonnie, who is a partner in the firm.  Three of the McCloskeys’ four children live in San Francisco, which is where Tom and Bonnie now live part of the year.  While Chris Murphy and Carmie were tied up with a dinner in honor of a South Bend CEO, Gene Cavanaugh was one of the Irish Angels investors who attended a Thursday night reception as well as other events of the Gigot program.  The crowd included undergrads and MBA students who are active in clubs that never existed in our time, clubs that give sophomores chances to invent businesses and bond over things like growth capital.

                        The business plans event rolled into the Blue-Gold game weekend, which Granger, IN resident Monk Forness celebrated with returning friends, some of them on hand solely for the chance to honor the late Father Bernard H.B. Lange, C.S.C.  Monk wrote: “Though not a member of our class, Big Mike McCoy stayed with me for 11 days. He has a ministry and travels the country speaking to Catholic schools and prisons (is there a difference?) to inmates and students (like I said, is there a difference?) on SAD — sex, alcohol and drugs. You have no idea how effective he is.  He is one guy who TRULY can keep kids out of trouble/get them back on the right path. I'm not saying Mike eats a lot, but I'm sure I had a three-car garage that's no longer there.  The Saturday activities and dinner and everything were spot on, except for the old-timers flag football game. It got canceled because the field was a little wet due to some rain, and the coaches didn't want the field torn up by the old farts. Steve Quinn was really geared up to play in it, as he did last year.  Coach Kelly spoke at the dinner Saturday night and he can wow an audience.  Ara had an impromptu lunch at the Morris Inn on Friday. The guy is 87, if you can believe that, but his memory is so sharp it's unbelievable. He was talking about certain games, certain plays, down and distance, etc.  He said that Cheeseburger Charlie's buyout is $53,000 a month, for more than 23+ years!!! ($18 million, total). Ara, to his credit, said he never would have taken the money.   Can't remember all the names of all the guys — and some are not of the class of '68 — but off the top of my head was Coach Parseghian, “Little Jack” Butler (manager), Mike McCoy, Tom O'Leary (retired from Ford Motor Co., living back in his home town of Columbus, Ohio, still married to his high school sweetheart, and taking some courses at Ohio State for the pure pleasure of learning), Mike Burgener, Steve Quinn, John Lium, Dave Casper, Tom Longo, Ron Jeziorski, Pat Steenberg, and the usual gang of Fr. Lange's boys, (me, Mad Dog Burgener, Clint Garber, Tom Kelly, Dan Saracino, Mike Murphy, Paul Gill, Fast Eddie Fitzpatrick, Kent Durso, Mark Vogel, and even Professor Bill Leahy (who is STILL teaching Econ and is completing his 58th consecutive year at ND, from a student, to law student, to doctoral student, to Econ faculty and Dept. Chair).”

                        Jed Ervin sent Monk this interesting note, something we never read carved on a desk in a lecture hall: A patient of Jed’s, a graduate now in his 70s, has been a lifelong lifter.  The two began talking about the Blue-Gold weekend and Father Lange.  The grad remembered that “Paul Hornung went to Lange's once and Fr. Lange physically picked him up and carried him out and told him to never return.” 

                        Pat Hermann was swimming at the University of Alabama recently when he noticed someone with an “Irish” cap in the next lane.  Did she swim for Notre Dame? Pat asked her.  No, but her father went there: Ron Kurtz.  Ron Kurtz!  Pat remembers Ron as a standup guy who urged him to get out to the track and train.  “I just couldn't seem to stick with laps at the Fieldhouse, and gave up after a short time, a lifelong regret (always the things we didn't do, aren't they?)  Ended up teaching and writing about medieval lit at UA for 31 years, and coaching cross-country and track here for 11.  My son is in the Corps of Engineers at Ft. Bragg, my daughters live in New Orleans and Atlanta.”

                        Joe Kernan, who serves with President Tom Weyer and Jim O’Rourke as a class officer, had the class’ attention when he and Maggie visited Vietnam for the first time since Joe’s release from imprisonment.  According to a newspaper report of the February trip, the Kernans’ experience included a surprise connection with a Vietnamese woman who, as a 15-year old, saw her father and mother save Joe’s life by standing up to angry villagers until military personnel could take Joe into custody.  A couple of months later, another event reminded us of that period.  Tom Moore and John Walsh were part of a group of family and friends, about 100, who attended a San Diego ceremony commemorating Mike McCormick, killed when his plane was shot down. 

                      Bill Holahan called out of the blue, which led to a good visit over lunch at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.  Bill has made Milwaukee his home for 37 years, and is now head of the Economics Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  He came for a short-term gig after earning his doctorate from Brown University. 

            The December, 2009 issue of Leading Lawyers Network magazine has a lengthy and impressive article about the work Chicago lawyer Tom Durkin has taken on as a defender of people such as Guantanamo Bay prisoners. 

                        Jim Hutchinson found a new feature in this year’s coverage of the NCAA tournament: an on-air shoutout to Fred Ferlic from Digger Phelps. 

                        You can post comments, see photos, and read additional details at http://www.ndclass1968.com, our class blog.  – Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tel. 312-881-7391, tfigel@lake-effect.com.

It’s Boys’ Night Out, and Bryan Dunigan Celebrates                                  
 
 
                        Consistent with his habits, Bryan Dunigan spurned Rick McPartlin’s Boys’ Night Out invitation in favor of a Friday night date.  The annual gathering of Rick’s Chicago classmates for conversation and fellowship was quietly underway that January evening at a pub on the city’s north side when Bob Ptak, Mick Hyland or another member of the group began showing off a snazzy new cell phone with an ap that buzzes each time Notre Dame solicits money from Ed Broderick.  Over the din of the alarm, class President Tom Weyer remarked about another ap, one named DuniganWatch.  Soon Bryan, dressed in a full bookstore wardrobe, moist with Brut, and armed with facts about his influence over Notre Dame football, was in view on the monitors set about the establishment.  Tom Gibbs arrived to join John Walsh, Roger Guerin, Ted Nugent, Dave Kabat, Ron Zaba and the others just as Bryan and his date were heading to the Linebacker from the Grotto. 
                        We will leave Bryan for the moment and turn to correspondence that came from Dave McGovern, Phil Stallions, Forrest Hainline, John Schmelzer,and Neil Rogers.
                        Dave McGovern and Dorothy, who married in 1967, now live in Williamsburg, VA.  They are the parents of Dan (’90), Dave (’93) and Molly and have two grandchildren living in Chicago.  Dave’s daughter-in-law is a partner in Rick McPartlin’s medical practice.  After completing Naval service and working for radio stations in Fort Wayne, Seattle and other cities, Dave began his IBM career in Portland, OR in 1977. 
                        Forrest Hainline and John O’Connor, both lawyers residing in San Francisco, meet for squash contests.  One of the two, I don’t remember which one, said that he beats the other like a drum, same as in court. 
                        After studying the house beer list, Bryan orders two drafts and settles into a discourse about his management of the Beach Boy concert appearances.  Then he explains who the Beach Boys were.
                        Phil Stallions has grown kids and a Bowling Green, KY life of semi-retirement.  Phil plays the organ and is minister of music at St. Luke’s Anglican.  He also works with the Foster Grandparents program, which mentors and tutors exceptional needs children.  Phil’s wife passed away several years ago. 
                        Neil Rogers, one of the friends who gathered for a Tom Weems memorial celebration in October, sent photographs that appear on the class blog, http://www.ndclass1968.com.  Pat Furey hosted Neil, Dana Hart, Bob Santaloci, Dave Graves, Pat Demare, Rich Rogers, and Mike Carroll at Pat’s farm in St. Leonards, Maryland. 
                        Bryan’s date now appears drowsy as he begins explaining how he counseled Joe Montana before the Southern Cal game. 
                        John Schmelzer, another resident of the D.C.-VA-MD snowbelt, lives in Falls Church City, VA.  Notre Dame Magazine’s recent article about a courageous 2009 graduate in Uganda caught John’s attention.  In the nearby Baltimore area, Jay Schwartz and Maureen McAtee are celebrating a new granddaughter, Pearl.  Sharing the same happiness are John Walsh and Dia, who also gained ground on Mike Baroody and Muff with the arrival of Lucia Elizabeth.    
                        Tom McKenna, the Madison, IN native now living in Carmel, IN is campaigning hard for the Democratic Party’s nomination as Secretary of State.  The primary election takes place in May, 2010.  Tom’s campaign site, laced with references to Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and other political thinkers as well as Tom’s 64^th birthday January 30, is www.mckennaforsecretary.com.
                        Joe Kernan and Maggie will make a visit to Vietnam, where Joe was a POW 38 years ago.  The news appeared in the South Bend Tribune on February 19, 2010: see http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100218/News01/100219368/1130
                  The football season had big turnouts of classmates.  Glendale Height, IL’s Paul Eide left his car unwatched long enough for signing in on the USC game sheet along with Pat Carr from Mt. Laurel, NJ, Jack Riess from Fort Wayne, IN, and Tom Connoly from New Carlisle, IN.  At the Boston game were Joseph Petro from Garden City, NY, and Michael Berkowick from OK.  Jack Burkhardt came from Brentwood, TN for the Connecticut game. 
                        In Granger, IN, Monk Forness is getting ready for the annual Blue-Gold game start to the new season.  Monk, Paul Gill, Kent Durso, Dan Saracino, Mike Murphy, Jan Denebenetto and other well-muscled beneficiaries of Father Bernard Lange, C.S.C.’s gym will honor Father Lange during the weekend.  Monk is in good shape again after a hip replacement.
                        Tom Moore is alerting classmates about a San Diego ceremony commemorating Mike McCormick, a casualty of the Vietnam era.  John Walsh is one of the friends who will join Tom at the April 23rd event.  Tom's note appears in “This just in. . .” on our blog.
                        Please keep in your prayers three classmates who died in 2009.  Thomas Bernard was living in State College, PA, where he was a professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.  Tom’s obituary, found on the class blog, attests to a life of great accomplishment as a father, husband, author, and community volunteer.  Despite a prediction of death within the year when Hodgkins Disease became evident in 1969, Tom lived ferociously and happily.  Our classmate Thaddeus Samulski was living in Chapel Hill, NC, where he is survived by his wife Ricka and his daughter Erica, ’95.  Bob Nenoff, who died during June, 2009 in Greensburg, PA, has a name enshrined in Tom Weyer’s memory of Keenan Hall athletic achievement.  Bob, who was broad and powerful but not tall, held the football for a successful 35-yard field goal in an interhall game.  But that accomplishment was not enough: Bob went on to success as a member of the Notre Dame fencing team, perhaps, as Tom suggests, slashing his opponents across the shins and ankles.  Joe Blake and his family are mourning the death of his sister, who passed away at the age of 80 on February 11. 
                        The class blog has these notes and prior ones, along with photographs and correspondence: http://www.ndclass1968.com.   Please let me know your news: Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tel. 312-881-7391, tfigel@lake-effect.com.

November, 2009 Notes, Class of 1968            Contact: Thomas Figel, 312-223-9536 x301 (office)

                                                                        Tfigel@lake-effect.com

ALL ABOUT TOM . . . AND DAVE KABAT

                        With their fresh good looks, intelligence, and warmth, the Toms made the sunny afternoon of the Navy game memorable for the quality of the party.  Class President Tom Weyer arrived early and was soon joined by other Tom notables: Tom McKenna (of Carmel, IN), who is likely to run for Secretary of State on the Democratic ticket; Thomas A. Durkin, Thomas S. Moore, Tom Gibbs, Tom Misch,  and Tom Cuggino.  There were some other people there, too, but they were not Toms, even though, like the rest of us, they spoke of cousin Tom McKenna in Chicago, Tom Condon in West Hartford, CT, Tom Fitzharris, the artist and television producer in New York, musician Tom Wishing, Tom Chema, Tom McCann of Oak Park, the quarterbacking of Tom Clements and so on.

                        Toms are the dragons’ teeth of the class of 1968: more than 90 of us plus the toe-in-the water variety who have T. , probably for “Thomas”, as a middle initial: John T. Fowler of Louisville; George T. Horn, who came from Columbia, PA; Richard T. Kelly of Chicago; Peter T. King of Jamaica, NY; John T. Kries of Dallas; Michael T. McGarry of Schenectady, NY; John T. Slankas of Lawrenceburg, TN; and Thomas P. Kingston, Jr. of Staten Island, NY.  Then there is T. David McGovern of Barrington, IL.  Imagine all the Toms – Tom Goodenow, Tom Gubanich, Tom Krull, Tom McDermott, Tom O’Reilly, Tom Spinrad and, of course, Tom Umphrey – all vying on the limited phone lines for the chance to talk with Mary Ellen, Mary Margaret, and Mary Clare each Friday at St. Mary’s. 

                        Though they share many good attributes, the Toms are far from homogeneous.  Some are named for Thomas the Apostle, while others are named for Thomas Aquinas, Sir Thomas More, Thomas Jefferson, and maybe Tommy the Iceman.  Some you can stack like cordword: witness Tom Weyer, Tom Condon and Tom Gibbs in the melee of a 40th reunion alligator pile; others with the same name keep their sensible distance. 

                        The name is so popular in the records of our class that those not named Tom are probably the younger sibling of an older brother who had already taken the prize.  The majority of the Toms in our class share another quality: they don’t send news for these records, though Tom Ferratt, it is true, signed his name on the attendance list at the Michigan State game.  In that way, the Toms are like the Mikes, Johns, Steves, Joes and Kevins in our ranks.

                        For the record, and witnessed by many of the Toms, Dave Kabat was at the tailgate before and after the game.  Also enjoying the company of the Toms were Jay Schwartz and Laura along with son-in-law Randy Cornett, Megan, and their son Owen, all visiting from Baltimore.  In the Schwartz group was Jim O’Donnell, another son-in-law, who came from Seattle for a get-together with his Carroll Hall friends. Nearby were Brian Schanning and Susan from Marblehead, MA when they are not on the open sea.  John Mulligan, who used to be under the sea with Brian during their Navy submarine days, came from Cleveland. South Bend dignitaries Chris Murphy, Gene Cavanaugh, Jim O’Rourke and Joe Kernan made the tailgate an afternoon stop. Bob Ptak, Roger Guerin, Bryan Dunigan, and Brian McManus were four who came from the Chicago area.  Jim Hutchinson brought his big (pre-game) smile from Rochester, NY. 

                        Mike Baroody and Muff are awaiting the birth of their twenty-first grandchild.  Other grandfathers who will soon announce repeat business are John Walsh and Jay Schwartz.

                        Joe Blake, Mike Baroody, Bill Brennan, Monk Forness, Ed Kickham and I had fun discussing the draft and the U.S. Military forces on November 11th.  If you want to see the email, let me know.  Now that we have solved that problem, we will turn to new challenges: healthcare reform, economic stimulus, and the understanding of women.  Join in.

                        The class blog has these notes and prior ones, along with photographs and correspondence: http://www.ndclass1968.com.   Please let me know your news: Tom Figel, 1054 West North Shore, Apt. 3-E, Chicago, IL 60626, tel. 312-881-7391, tfigel@lake-effect.com.

            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.

On the Road

            On occasion, word comes that some members of our class notice an excess of attention to the Chicago area and insufficient attention to the parts of the country where the Chicago crowd plays golf, changes planes, and attends away games.  With so many ambassadors currently on the road, this seems an opportune time to balance the scales.  Our President Tom Weyer and Mary, for example, spent a weekend in New Orleans at the end of January.  As they livened up Bourbon Street each evening, the Weyers took note of the economic stimulus the city experiences once crowds of Texans are overserved. Bob Ptak and Roger Guerin, two other presidential advisors, made similar studies from vantage points overlooking the Gulf Coast of southwest Florida. There they marveled at the events of the local real estate market, which has seen a decline since the heady days when two Edina, MN investors, Jeff Keyes and Meg, led an investment pool in the purchase of a Naples condo well-located near an early bird dining establishment.  Chris Murphy and Carmie marked their 40th wedding anniversary with a January stay in Key West.  In Truro on outer Cape Cod, Jim Bisceglia joined a September  reunion with Charlie Gareau, Gary DiMasi, and Bryan Fitz, the 215 So. Taylor foursome. “Also attending,” said Jim, “were de facto co-tenant Bob Santaloci and spiritual mentor Paul Joubert (‘66).  Highlights included lunch on the beach with 200 seals sunning themselves nearby on a sandbar, watching Michigan State drub ND on Charlie’s large HD flatscreen; and general bonhomie.  Gary won the long distance (Omaha) attendance prize.” Since that trip, Jim Bisceglia, his wife Nancy, Charlie Gareau and his wife Christine returned to the road, this time for a trip to the Turks and Caicos. While they were away, Jim learned of the death of his uncle Pasquale (Patsy) Bisceglia: Patsy was a first time AP All American on the 1955 ND team and a teammate of Paul Hornung. Patsy played a few years for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.  John Schmelzer phoned from Fall Church City, VA and said that Jim Biggs has retired (again, says John) in New Mexico.  John has also been talking with Coley O’Brien, who lives nearby and is a member of Congressman Dan Lungren’s staff. Tom Durkin has been visiting Guantanamo on behalf of some clients.

            Circling back toward the homeboys, we find Larry Forness recovering at his Granger, IN home from late December surgery and the excitement of each week’s football game postmortem.  Larry is in steady email communication with Mike Burgener, Jan Debenedetto, Leo Collins, Paul Gill, Russ Bellamy, Kent Durso, Mike Murphy, and Tom Condon regarding a reunion of Father Lange’s Boys, or the Lead Heads, during the weekend of the Blue-Gold game.

            A whisper at the Bryan Dunigan Christmas party in Oak Park, IL was the worry about the failing health of Dennie Toolan’s wife Gerri.  Not many days later came the news that Gerri’s cancer had proven fatal.  She died in early January, mourned by her four children and friends who assembled from all directions.  At the annual Chicago classmates get-together Rick McPartlin organizes for the financial well-being of some Division Street pubs, Dennie told us on January 30th about the events and decisions he and his family confronted as Gerri’s health declined.  Please remember the family in your prayers.

            We take you now to Chicago where, alerted by San Diego resident John Burke (‘69), we await the May 1st Mt Carmel High School dinner when Tom Gibbs will be honored as the school’s Man of the Year.  Also being honored, John said, “areCraig Robinson, Michele Obama's brother, and Dean Reynolds of CBS News.  The big award goes to Gibbs!!!”

            See?  The energy and friendship of our class is already surmounting the difficulties of late 2008.  May 2009 be a great year for all of us. 

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