Vol.

14, Issue 1 • SPRING 2010

Profiles in Excellence
– Our Accounting Powerhouse

JCU Alum in Haiti │ Living Simply

 Vol. 14, Issue 1 SPRING 2010

John CarRoll University

President
Robert L. Niehoff, S.J.
Vice President for
University Advancement
Doreen Knapp Riley
Assistant Vice President of Integrated
Marketing and Communications
John A. Carfagno
Director, Marketing Services-Writing
and Interim Editor
Marcia Meermans Aghajanian
Alumni Journal and Campus
Photography Coordinator
Cheri Slattery
Advisory Board
John A. Carfagno
Sherri Crahen
Kimyette Finley ’95
Jack Hearns ’61
Mary Lavin ’87
John Marcus ’72 (ex officio)
Paul V. Murphy
Doreen Knapp Riley
Thomas Schubeck, S.J.
Barbara Schubert ’62
Karen Schuele
Brian Williams

John Carroll Magazine is published quarterly by

John Carroll University, 20700 North Park Blvd.,
University Heights, OH 44118
journal@jcu.edu / 216-397-3050
Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH 44118,
and additional mailing offices.
ISSN 1542-0418
www.jcu.edu/magazine
The flowering crabapple, which blooms in late April
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
or early May in Northeast Ohio, is just one of many John Carroll Magazine
signs of spring on John Carroll’s beautiful, 60-acre Integrated Marketing and Communications
20700 North Park Blvd.
campus — that, and the return of flip-flops, shorts, University Heights, OH 44118
and Frisbees on the Quad.
Photograph by Daniel Milner

Mission: 
As a Jesuit Catholic university,
John Carroll inspires individuals to excel
in learning, leadership, and service in
the region and in the world.

10
14
22
On the cover: This issue’s “Profiles in Excellence” article
on p. 14 features a cross section of students, faculty, and
alumni, as well as the Department of Accountancy,
represented by Tom Schaberl ’11, Sara Culhane ’10,
Jon Hill ’12, Joe DiFranco ’10, Julia Britten ’11, and
Accountancy Chair Jerry Weinstein, Ph.D.
2 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
FEATURES
10 Haiti: Day One
Alumnus Mike Henry ’00 arrived in Haiti on business just
hours before the January 12 earthquake rocked the island.
Mike is an international project officer for Cross International,
a Christian relief and development organization. He agreed
to share excerpts from his post-earthquake blog, to keep
awareness levels high.
14 Profiles in Excellence
COVER STORY:
Our cover story profiles exceptional members of the John
Carroll family: a nationally known forensic scientist; an
Honors Program student who is passionate about education
for others; and students, alumni, and faculty from the highly
regarded Department of Accountancy … each represents
the University’s mission to inspire excellence in learning,
leadership, and service.
22 Live and Let Live – Simply
Welcome to the Living Simply community, where eight socially
aware students live together in two University-owned duplexes
and share their passion for social justice, environmental
sustainability, and most of all, a sense of community.
DEPARTMENTS
3 President’s Message
4 On Campus
8 Enrollment Quarterly
26 AlumNews
28 Alumni Journal / Class Notes
46 In Memoriam
Inside back cover: Carroll People
Contributors:
Susan Curphey, Julie Evans ’87, Mike Henry ’00, Dan Milner, Michele
Stapleton, Tonya Strong Charles, Robert Wetzler, Brian Williams
Design: Villa Beach Communications, Inc.
Printed by Lane Press
A “G” in the class year following an alum’s name
indicates a Carroll graduate degree.
It is the mission of the magazine to ­provide an ­engaging and accurate
reflection of the University and its ­extended community for its alumni
and the other members of the John Carroll family.

Profiles in Excellence
T
his is an especially inspiring time of year
for me. Graduation is just around the corner,
and you can feel the pace quicken on campus
– particularly as our seniors wrap up their finals
These stories and prepare to step into the spotlight to receive
their diplomas on May 23. Whether it’s a first job,
personify our Jesuit continuing formal education in graduate school,
Catholic mission as performing a year of volunteer service, or any other
opportunity, I am confident that our graduates are
noteworthy examples
well-prepared and their Carroll education will serve
of how our academic them for a lifetime.
Our cover story in this issue of John Carroll
rigor, with a focus on
magazine, “Profiles in Excellence,” features exceptional
character and ethics, John Carroll students, alumni, and indeed an entire
department. Each is an outstanding representative  a prestigious grant from the Woodrow Wilson
has made a positive
of the University and I am proud to introduce them to
difference to society. you. Alumna Cindy Homer ’00 is a forensic scientist in
Maine and part of an elite 12-member team from
across North America who serves with the FBI
specializing in shoe print and tire tread evidence.
Honors Program student Ariel Johnson ’11 has a dual
major in English and Philosophy, is deeply involved in
numerous campus activities, and is an intern at
Sherwin-Williams. Looking ahead, Ariel plans to
become an attorney and wants to shape education
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
reform in an effort to serve less-privileged children.
Our Department of Accountancy is truly a powerhouse
and rounds out our “Profiles in Excellence” with
students, alumni, and faculty of distinction. One
alumnus, Phil Ryan ’02, works for KPMG and attributes
the longtime success of John Carroll accounting
graduates to the professors here who “instill in students
that it’s still important to do things the right way – with
honesty and integrity.” These stories personify our Jesuit
Catholic mission as noteworthy examples of how our
academic rigor, with a focus on character and ethics, has
made a positive difference to society.
I am also pleased to call your attention to several
significant news stories in this issue, including
Foundation; the recent election of accountancy
alumnus Richard Kramer ’86 as CEO and president
of The Goodyear Tire &  Rubber Company; recent
NFL accolades for our renowned football alumni Don
Shula ’51 and London Fletcher ’97; two generous
philanthropic gifts to the University totaling $5.45
million from grateful alumni; and the announcement
of our commencement speaker, legendary broadcast
journalist, Tom Brokaw, who was a close friend and
colleague of the late Tim Russert from John Carroll’s
Class of 1972. All of these events help raise the
awareness and enhance the reputation of your alma
mater, and I extend my thanks to everyone in the
Carroll family for their dedication and hard work that
has brought us this tremendous momentum in 2010.
As our beautiful campus bursts into bloom, I am
reminded that this is my fifth spring at John Carroll.
I hope you are able to visit us soon and enjoy campus
in all its glory. Come support our Blue Streaks teams
as they wrap up their seasons, please come home to
Carroll for Reunion in June, and plan now to also join
us next year when we combine Commencement and
Reunion May 20-22, 2011, as part of the University’s
125th anniversary.
Blessings to you as we celebrate this season of
rebirth, renewal, and new beginnings.
Robert L. Niehoff, S.J.
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 3
ON CAMPUS

Tom Brokaw, Legendary

Broadcast Journalist, Will Be
2010 Commencement Speaker

T
om Brokaw, one of the most trusted and respected figures in broadcast
journalism, will be John Carroll University’s 2010 keynote commencement
speaker and recipient of an honorary degree. The graduation ceremony will
be held on campus Sunday, May 23, at noon on the Rodman Hall Terrace.
“Mr. Brokaw’s name is synonymous with the best in journalism,” said Robert L.
Niehoff, S.J., president of John Carroll University. “His experiences and insights
from nearly half a century of reporting have touched our lives and will undoubtedly
provide a fascinating perspective for our graduates and our University community.”
Brokaw is currently a special correspondent for NBC News. In this role, he
reports and produces long-form documentaries and provides expertise during election
coverage and breaking news events for NBC News. From June 2008 until December
2008, Brokaw served as interim moderator of NBC’s top-rated Sunday morning
public affairs program, Meet the Press, after the untimely death of moderator and

Photograph courtesy of NBC

esteemed John Carroll alumnus Tim Russert ’72.
“Tim was a close friend of Mr. Brokaw and the John Carroll University
community,” added Fr. Niehoff. “Having Mr. Brokaw serve as our 2010 commencement
speaker will be especially meaningful to all of us since, in Tim’s honor last year, we
named the Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts.”

Jeanne Colleran Named New Mailbox

Arts and Sciences Dean
John Carroll magazine welcomes letters
from readers. Letters, which may be edited
for length and clarity, reflect the views of the
Jeanne Colleran, Ph.D., is John Carroll’s new
writer and not necessarily official positions
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She will
of the University. E-mail journal@jcu.edu; fax
assume her new duties August 1.
to 216-397-3085; or send via U.S. mail to
Prof. Colleran is an alumna of John Carroll’s
John Carroll Magazine,
Class of 1976 and member of the University’s English
Integrated Marketing and Communications,
department since 1987. She is a professor of English
John Carroll University,
with research and teaching interests in modern and
20700 North Park Boulevard,
contemporary British and Irish literature, peace and
University Heights, OH 44118.
conflict studies, African and South African literature,
and modern and contemporary drama. She has
served the University in many roles, including English
department chair and most recently as co-chair of
the Academic Planning Task Force. 
In 2008, Prof. Colleran received the Curtis W. Miles Award for Community Service.
She won the 2004 Distinguished Faculty Award, as well as the Northeast Ohio Council of
Higher Education Award for Teaching Excellence. She also received the 1995 Culicchia
Award for Teaching Excellence, College of Arts and Sciences.

4 John Carroll university SPRING 2010

Chicagoans Make $1 Million University Receives
Gift to John Carroll Anonymous $4.45 Million
Gift Commitment
An anonymous donor has bequeathed
John Carroll University alumnus Jim McDonough
$4.45 million to John Carroll University to
and his wife, Jacque, have made a $1 million gift
to John Carroll University. The gift will be used help deserving students in need of financial
for The President’s Opportunity Fund, created assistance pursue their dream of a college
in 2006 to enable JCU President Robert L. education. This is the largest anonymous gift
Niehoff, S.J., to strategically allocate resources commitment by an individual in the Univer-
to capital improvements. sity’s 124-year history.
“We are delighted to make this gift to “This is an extraordinary gift that will make
the University because of its commitment to a John Carroll University education accessible
educational excellence in the Jesuit Catholic to outstanding young men and women who
tradition,” said Mr. McDonough, a 1955 John seek a promising future,” said Rev. Robert
Carroll graduate. “John Carroll University was a
L. Niehoff, S.J., president of John Carroll
formative experience in my own life, and Jacque
University. “We are profoundly grateful for this
and I are especially pleased that our daughter,
generosity that will create a permanent schol-
Maureen, is a 1985 graduate of the University.”
arship legacy and fulfill the dream of a college
Fr. Niehoff praised the Chicago, Illinois,
couple for their support. “We are very thankful education for many deserving students.”
for their generous investment in our future,” he
said. “Jim and Jacque epitomize our mission of
developing individuals of intellect and character Photograph courtesy of Jim McDonough
More Than 20 Years of Giving
who lead and serve in their own communities
and around the world.” 226 alumni have consistently made annual
Mr. and Mrs. McDonough are among John Carroll’s most loyal and generous benefactors. gifts for more than 20 years to John Carroll.
Mr. McDonough is president and chairman of McDonough Associates, Inc., a full-service Gerri (Palmeri)
engineering architectural consulting firm with a worldwide client base. In 1990, Mr. McDonough Slavkovsky ’85 is
received the University’s Alumni Medal, the highest honor given by the JCU Alumni Association. among them. She
has contributed
to the University

Alumnus Richard Kramer Elected (almost exclusively

to the Carroll Fund)

Goodyear CEO and President every year since she

graduated.
In February, the Board of Directors of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber As a KeyCorp employee in Cleveland,
Company announced that Richard J. Kramer was elected chief Ms. Slavkovsky doubled the value of her gifts
executive officer and president effective April 13, 2010, replacing by utilizing her company’s matching
Robert J. Keegan, who will remain as executive chairman of the gift program.
board. Mr. Kramer was also elected a member of the company’s board “The outstanding education I received
of directors. at John Carroll, combined with the solid
“One of the keys to Bob Keegan’s success was his ability to attract
foundation of values learned at home and
and develop an impressive leadership team,” said James C. Boland,
reinforced at JCU, prepared me well for my
Goodyear’s lead director and member of John Carroll’s Class of 1962. 
25-year career in banking,” Ms. Slavkovsky says.
“Through Bob’s mentoring of Rich Kramer over the past nine years,
Help John Carroll boost alumni
the close partnership that developed as they jointly created the
company’s strategy, and with Rich’s successful performance in several critical leadership roles, this participation by making a gift to JCU before
decision is the logical and anticipated culmination of a well thought out succession plan.” the May 31 fiscal year-end. Simply visit www.
Mr. Kramer received his bachelor’s degree in accounting at John Carroll University in 1986. jcu.edu and click on the “Give to JCU” button
He is married to JCU alumna Chris O’Brien Kramer ’86 and they have four children. for details.

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 5

 ON CAMPUS

JCU receives prestigious Woodrow Wilson Foundation funding

John Carroll has been selected by the Ohio
Board of Regents and the Woodrow Wilson
National Fellowship Foundation as one of
only four sites in Ohio – and the only private
school – for the distinguished Teaching
Fellows Program.
“The Woodrow Wilson Foundation
funding will help us to prepare future
teachers with the goal of making a
meaningful difference in Ohio communities
where there is the greatest need,” said
President Robert L. Niehoff, S.J. “It is a great
honor to be selected for this prestigious
grant, and it is especially meaningful to our
mission as a Jesuit university. I am sure it
will have a significant, positive impact on
our graduate programs in Education and
Allied Studies.”
The grant will support $30,000
stipends for 20 graduate students as
Teaching Fellows whose course work will
focus on science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) disciplines. The
prospective teachers will spend a year in
exemplary teacher education programs, and
teach for three years in low income rural
and urban secondary schools across Ohio.

John Carroll Appoints Three

Adam Green ’13 competes in New Board Members

international ice cross competition Three new members have joined the
University’s Board of Directors: Michael
Hardy, Robert E. Heltzel Jr., and L. Thomas
in and won the national
Marchlen.
Red Bull Crashed Ice
Mr. Hardy, a 1969 John Carroll
tryouts in Ann Arbor,
graduate, served as the partner-in-charge
Michigan.
of the Thompson Hine LLP Cleveland
“Munich was a great
office from 2003 to 2009, and now
experience,” Adam says.
practices in the Environmental, Life
“I had never been to
Sciences, and Product Liability practice
Germany before and it
groups. Mr. Hardy serves as lead counsel
was really cool to be in a
for scientific and medical experts in life
different culture.”
sciences and product liability litigation
Photograph courtesy of Red Bull

He does not play club

Adam Green (left) competes in front of 50,000 fans at
Munich’s Olympic Park.
John Carroll freshman Adam Green got a
taste of Olympic-style competition in January
when he was one of three American skaters
to represent the United States in the Munich
2010, Red Bull Crashed Ice Championships.
The event showcases a relatively new sport
called ice cross downhill—a combination of
hockey, downhill skiing, and boardercross skills.
Athletes competed on a manmade ice track in
front of 50,000 fans at Munich’s Olympic Park.
After two qualifying rounds in Munich,
Adam finished 27th out of 128. He finished 26th summer 2009 to compete in the Junior World
out of another 100 skaters in the finals. Not
too shabby, considering he first tried the sport
just two months earlier, when he participated
6 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
for a pharmaceutical and a consumer
hockey at John Carroll,
products manufacturer. He is a member of
but he still works at a local
the John Carroll University Entrepreneurs
rink, ice skates nearly
Association Advisory Board.
every weekend, and plays
Mr. Heltzel Jr. is a 1970 graduate
in a roller hockey league
of John Carroll and the recently retired
in Mentor, Ohio, and on a
president of Kenilworth Steel Company.
tournament roller hockey
He currently serves on the board of Boys
team in Pittsburgh.
Hope Girls Hope Cleveland. Mr. Heltzel
“I chose John Carroll because of its
is president of the Values and Visions
business program,” Adam says. “The Boler
Foundation of Trumbull County Parochial
School of Business is awesome. I’m thinking
Schools. He is the recipient of the PRO
of a finance major with an econ minor. The
ECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE honor from Pope
University also has a beautiful campus and is
John Paul II (2000).
close to home.
Mr. Marchlen is senior tax attorney for
“When we were looking at schools, I heard
Alcoa Inc. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr.
nothing but good things about John Carroll. In
Marchlen is a Certified Public Accountant
fact, two of my coaches, whom I really respect,
in Pennsylvania and is qualified to
are Carroll alumni.”
practice law before the Supreme Courts
On related note, Adam traveled to Italy in
of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and
the United States. He served as a U.S.
Inline Roller Hockey Championships. The
Army armor intelligence specialist in the
U.S. team brought home a bronze medal in
Republic of Vietnam under the command
that competition.
of Colonel George S. Patton III.
New NFL award, statue honor Don Shula ’51
The Miami Dolphins recently celebrated
Don Shula, “winningest coach in NFL history”
and member of John Carroll Class of 1951,
with a statue at Sun Life Stadium and award in
his honor.
The 10-foot tall statue, called “Perfect
Moment in Time,” depicts Mr. Shula riding on
the shoulders of Hall-of-Fame linebacker Nick
Buoniconti and reserve guard Al Jenkins after
winning Super Bowl VII to complete the Perfect
Season. It was unveiled in front of the team’s
new corporate headquarters at the newly named
347 Shula Drive. The ceremony was held in
conjunction with the ribbon cutting officially
designating the return of Miami Dolphins
corporate headquarters to Miami-Dade County.
At the same event, NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell announced the establishment coaches that live with integrity and have the Coach Shula and his

Photographs courtesy of the Miami Dolphins

of a new “Coach Shula Award” that will
annually honor a football coach that displays
the integrity, achievement, and positive impact
on others exemplified by Shula. Nominees
can be NFL coaches or coaches at any level –
youth, high school, or college.
“I am honored that Commissioner Goodell
has created this award to honor football
right impact on other people,” Mr. Shula said. wife, Mary Anne, at the
Miami Dolphins new
“I always relished the teaching and mentoring corporate headquarters
aspect of being a coach as being the most
important thing we did. I look forward to
working with Commissioner Goodell and his
team to recognize that positive impact that our
game can have on our society.”
– Story courtesy of Miami Dolphins

London Fletcher ’97

celebrated on and
off the field
John Carroll salutes alumnus London Fletcher,
Class of 1997, who was selected to play in the
2010 Pro Bowl and also was honored earlier this
year as a nominee for the 2009 Walter Payton
Photograph courtesy of The Washington Redskins

NFL Man of the Year award—the only NFL honor

that recognizes excellence on and off the field. Mr.
Fletcher was nominated for his London’s Bridge
Foundation, which provides opportunities for
underprivileged and underrepresented children.

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 7

 Quarterly
Enrollment

JOHN CARROLL’S enrollment update and guide to the college admission process

Tools for Success FAFSA: Federal aid forms have become

a new place to compare schools. After
you complete your FAFSA and receive your
Student Aid Report, there is now space on
the results page where students and parents
will see the graduation, retention, and
transfer rates of all the schools they list to
receive their FAFSA results. These three data
points are important:
Photograph by Robert Wetzler

There’s still time for a campus visit before the May 1 national candidates’ reply date!
Here, students and parents check in at the Admitted Student Open House for the Class of 2013.
Graduation rate is the percentage
When I recently saw a college ranking site score on the U.S. News & World Report of a school’s new first-year students who
come up with the best “A+ Schools for B Rankings and Methodology is derived from a complete their program within six years of the
Students” I knew that the ranking business “Peer Assessment” survey mailed to college published time for the program. I am proud of
has started to make the process incredibly presidents and other college administrators. where JCU falls in comparison to other schools
overwhelming for families. There are truly One-fourth of the ranking therefore is based across the country (see chart, page 9).
millions of websites and, at last check, on the perception and not the actual teaching,
Amazon.com listed 21,759 books related learning, and data. Retention rate refers to the
to college guides/self-help. The challenge Working in higher education for 18 years, percentage of a school’s new first-year
inherent with any guide or ranking that lists a I have never seen the research that families students who return to that school the next
school as “the best” or ranks the top schools do be so detailed or focused. New tools are year. Nationally, this number is 69.6% for
numerically, is that the data (or opinion) emerging that can help students and families 4-year private colleges and universities and
that make up the formula may not be what research schools beyond a ranking and a 68% for 4-year public schools. John Carroll is
matters to students in their own decision formula. Now they can compare schools on consistently between 85 and 90% placing us
process. As one example: 25% of a school’s data points they feel are important. among top schools in the country.

8 John Carroll university SPRING 2010


Transfer rate is the percentage of
a school’s new first-year undergraduate
students who transfer to another college
before graduation.
College Navigator: The data
from FAFSA also provides a link to a more
comprehensive federal website called the
College Navigator. This tool is ideal for
comparing the schools you are considering
on various criteria such as loan borrowing,
retention and graduation rates, diversity, the
age of its students, campus safety and crime
rates, and much more.  Check out this tool
at http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ so
you can be more informed in your college
selection. This is a great tool for families that
are narrowing down college choices and want
to compare several schools side-by-side.
4-Year Graduation Rates
75%
50%
25%
4-yr Public 4-yr Public
Ohio USA
For other useful tools and to see how John Carroll defines student success,
visit www.jcu.edu/success
U.S. News & World Report
One of the best-known college-ranking
guides is U.S. News and World Report. To
view John Carroll’s latest ranking,
visit http://bit.ly/jcurank
Rankings play an important role in helping
students become aware of John Carroll early
in their college search, but our staff always
advises students not to choose a school just
because of a ranking. The final decision is
one that comes from serious consideration
of the information, the “fit,” and many factors
that come from good research, campus visits,
and seeing firsthand the great things that are
happening here in and out of the classroom.
Brian G. Williams
Vice President for Enrollment
John Carroll
Measures of Success
•   Leadership:  500 companies in
Northeast Ohio are owned or operated
by John Carroll alumni
•   Service:  34,000+ service hours
contributed by students last year, earned
John Carroll recognition on the Higher
Education Community Service Honor Roll
from the President of the United States
for the third consecutive year
•  #3 – Best Undergraduate Teaching –
Midwest in U.S. News & World Report
•  #4 – Great Schools, Great Prices –
Midwest in U.S. News & World Report
•  #7 – Best Master’s Universities –
Midwest in U.S. News & World Report 
•  “Best Buy” recognition from Barron’s
•  One of America’s Leading
Universities, according to Forbes
Although rankings are important, we
judge our performance more by the
character and success of our graduates
– that is the recognition we truly
celebrate. We are proud of our students
and alumni, and the contributions they
make to society. To learn more about our
alumni and their impact, visit the alumni
website www.jcu.edu/alumni
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 9
Haiti:
A first-hand account
FLORDIA

CUBA
Day One
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

HAITI
from John Carroll grad
Port-au-Prince

JAMAICA PUERTO RICO

★

in Port-au-Prince
HONDURAS

ARUBA
Caribbean Sea
10 NICARAGUA
John Carroll university SPRING 2010

COLOMBIA
 John Carroll alumnus Mike Henry ’00

arrived in Haiti just hours before the

devastating January 12 earthquake

struck. Mike is an international project

officer for Cross International, a Christian relief and

development organization. Although he works primarily

at Cross’s Pompano Beach, Florida, headquarters,

Mike spends about 30 percent of his time in Haiti and

has agreed to share excerpts from his post-earthquake

blog to keep awareness levels high.

All photographs courtesy of Mike Henry

I arrived in Haiti on Tuesday, January 12,
with the purpose of working on an HIV/
AIDS grant. After checking into the Hotel
Villa Creole at around 11:30 a.m., I headed
straight to our office. The afternoon flew by
as I kept busy with e-mail exchanges, phone
calls, a couple of brief meetings, and the
coordination of program activities. While all
of our local staff left the building between
4:30 and 4:45, I had intentions of staying
a bit late to get through some extra work.
Never did it cross my mind that two and a
half days later I might still be at the office.
At approximately 5 p.m., the building
began shaking. It took me a couple of
seconds to realize what was going on, but
as it slowly got stronger, I jumped out of my
chair and held on to the wall for suppport
as I made my way to the doorway. The
earthquake stopped for a second and then
began shaking even more violently (we are
actually getting some slight aftershocks as I
type – every hour or so). I had never been
through anything like this before, but knew
immediately that we had been through a
very serious earthquake.
Everything in the office had fallen over
and whatever had been on a desk or a table
was now on the floor … computers, file
cabinets, the water cooler, wall decorations,
etc. I noticed water flowing across the floor
and quickly realized that the toilets had
fallen, broken, and were leaking down the
stairwell. After shutting off the water, I
walked into our conference room to take a
look out the window at what had previously
been a nice view of the city of Port-au-
Prince. What I saw below was a huge cloud
of dust rising slowly from the ground over
the entire city.
The sounds were terrible - screaming and
crying from every direction. When I looked
out the other window I noticed that our
neighbors’ homes had fallen down the hill
20 to 30 feet below. I ran back to my office
to check the communications and see if I
could contact our HQ office and alert them.
The phones were all out, but I was lucky to
find the Internet still connected and was
able to get through on Skype for short calls
to both our office and my wife. Moments
after I quickly explained to them what had
happened, the Internet signal was gone and
all communication was lost.
I met up with some Save the Children
management staff in the driveway, including
… their senior emergency advisor, who just
happened to be in Haiti. We began discussing
the implications that this earthquake would
have on the country and what the highest

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 11

Haiti: Day One
I sat still and listened to the sounds coming from the city for some
time. The crying continued, but I was amazed to hear pockets of
people singing together, praising God in this time of crisis.
priorities would be in emergency response
planning. The screaming and wailing around
us continued, and suddenly it was dark.
F F F F
Lee and I decided to do a quick assessment of
our building. Amazingly, the structure suffered
very little damage. We later discussed the
possibility of going out into the dark to help
the people of the community, but determined
that it would not be a good idea for reasons of
security, safety, and our lack of ability to really
help anyone. We didn’t have the medical
expertise needed to treat the wounded, nor
did we have the equipment needed to free
people from the debris.
I sat still and listened to the sounds coming
from the city for some time. The crying
continued, but I was amazed to hear
pockets of people singing together, praising
God in this time of crisis. The people of
Haiti are truly an amazing people. Most
of them having seen so much difficulty in
their lifetimes, but somehow the majority of
them hold their faith in God above all else.
They are truly some of the happiest, most
loving people that I have ever met and it
kills me to witness them suffering like this.
12 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
I began thinking about some friends and
former colleagues of mine who work for
Supply Chain Management Systems
(SCMS), an organization located just
a couple hundred yards up the road. At
around 7:30, I decided to walk up there
to see how they were doing and if they
needed any help. What I saw by the light
of my headlamp when I walked out the
gate was totally shocking. All houses had
major damage and about 50% of them
were completely destroyed. I had to watch
my step as the rubble and debris stretched
across the road. I realized that getting
anywhere by vehicle anytime soon was
out of the question. The street was full of
people walking in both directions, some
of them searching for lost loved ones and
others carrying their belongings in search
(of) new shelter. As I walked, I came upon
groups of hundreds of people that were all
making camp in open areas. Many of the
groups were singing worship songs.
As I approached the SCMS office, I noticed
that there was a large group of people
on the street in front of their office. The
medical staff from SCMS was treating
their wounded neighbors, including several
American and European citizens. A man
and his wife were both in critical condition,
one with a collapsed lung, and both of them
with head and other wounds. A gentleman
named John, who survived after being on
the 5th floor of the nearby Hotel Montana
when it fell, was also able to walk over and
get medical attention. When I arrived, folks
were discussing the best approach to getting
the wounded evacuated for treatment. A
U.S. embassy worker was on site with a
radio and in contact with embassy staff,
who were trying to get vehicles to the area.
Eventually, a team of five local U.S.
embassy staff members arrived to help with
the medical evacuation. Unfortunately,
they had parked far away and walked up
because of the blocked roads … There was
some question as to how bad the road going
toward the Hotel Montana was, and we
decided that a small group should scout out
conditions before making a final decision. I
decided to go with two embassy workers to
try and figure out the best option.
We did not get more than 100 yards up the
road when a woman ran up to us crying
and yelling, “My baby, my baby, you have
to help me! Please! She is right over here.
Please don’t leave us!” It turns out that one
of the guys walking with me was carrying
a sledge hammer, so she thought we might
be able to help. This woman was totally
beside herself and there was no way that we
could have walked away from her without
at least taking a look. I decided that one of
the embassy workers (James) and I would
go with her to see if we could help and sent
the other guy to finish the road exploration
and to report back to SCMS camp.

The next hour would be the most difficult

time of my life. As the woman (Darline) led
us up a side road toward what was her home,
I found the entire section of housing was
totally wrecked. James and I hadn’t really
known what we were getting ourselves into
– the woman lived approximately 150 yards
away from where we were. As we walked up
the road several groups of people ran up to
us yelling things like, “Come help us first!
My sisters are right here – it will only take
a second! We only need to use the hammer
to break them out!” Others said, “There are
people trapped over here! Please just stop
here quickly before you go on!” I felt entirely
hopeless. As the people argued, I felt inside
that I likely wasn’t going to be able to help
any of them right away. We checked about
10 houses or so during the next hour, in some
cases climbing over what used to be the roofs
of people’s homes to get to those who were
stuck. In some cases, people were only stuck
by their legs or feet, in other cases I could only
see arms or legs sticking out of the debris, and
in other cases I saw nothing at all but could
hear children and women talking or crying.
One woman was pregnant and stuck from the
The next hour would be the most difficult time of my life.
waist down. I couldn’t get near some of those
who were trapped as it would have been too
dangerous to climb over destroyed homes and
under parts of other partially standing homes.
We were only able to help one woman escape
as her husband refused to wait any longer. He
broke the cement covering her legs with the
hammer and while she came away with some
injuries, she was freed.
F F F F
We did a quick search through our office
space that night to try and locate food. We
found enough bread and peanut butter to
get a little something in everyone’s belly.
It was a long night as we tried to help the
wounded get comfortable and find a place
in the yard to sleep. Sleeping in the office
would not be an option as we were afraid
at what damage the aftershocks might have
on the building. Some therefore piled into
cars, while others lay in the driveway. I
had been up since 5 a.m. and was entirely
exhausted. After sitting up for a few more
hours discussing response strategies, I
decided it was time to close my eyes, even
if just for a few hours. Tomorrow would be
another long day.
To view Mike Henry’s entire blog online,
visit http://haitimike.blogspot.com/

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 13

 Profiles in Excell

14 JohnCarroll
John Carrolluniversity
university SPRING
SPRING 2010
2010
lence
Academic excellence prepares
John Carroll students and alumni for
exceptional experiences and careers
By Susan Curphey

J
ohn Carroll University’s commitment to academic excellence begins
at its core: a Jesuit liberal arts education. The rigorous approach to
scholarship provides the foundation for critical thinking, skilled
expression, and an understanding of different disciplines, preparing
students for a wide range of endeavors.
The following pages feature profiles in excellence within the John
Carroll family: a nationally known forensic scientist, an Honors Program
student who is passionate about education for others, and the highly
regarded Department of Accountancy…each representing the University’s
mission to inspire excellence in learning, leadership, and service.

Photography by Dan Milner

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 15

Career Excellence
Cindy Homer is a forensic scientist for
the Maine State Police Crime Lab.
I
n typical fashion, Cindy Homer ’00
carefully researched what she needed
to do to become a forensic scientist and
found just the place to help her do it. In 1996,
at 28, Cindy was working in the forensic
engineering department at Nupro Company
in Willoughby, Ohio, and taking engineering
courses at Cleveland State University when
she felt called to serve the public by becoming
a forensic scientist. Upon learning that she
needed a background in communications and
criminology, as well as a science degree, she
chose to come to John Carroll.
“John Carroll was the only university I
could find that offered me the flexibility to
design my own program,” Ms. Homer says.
16 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
From JCU to renowned
forensic
expert
She credits her advisors, Michael Nichols,
Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, and Ernest
De Zolt, Ph.D., Department of Sociology and
Criminology, who helped her select courses to
best prepare her. She graduated magna cum
laude with a major in chemistry and minor in
sociology and criminology, then received her
master’s degree in forensic science from the
University of Illinois at Chicago.
As a forensic scientist with the Maine
State Police Crime Lab, Ms. Homer is a latent
(invisible) print examiner, which involves
gathering, processing, and evaluating finger,
shoe, and tire prints. Known throughout the
United States and Canada as an expert in
her field, Ms. Homer gained renown from her
casework and testimony in a criminal trial involving a bank robbery in
2004. By analyzing the perpetrator’s movements, she was able to collect
key evidence from his footprints on the counter, thereby linking him to
the crime scene and proving his guilt.
“I love the process of discovery,” she says. “The joy of my work
comes in the minutia—the tiny details that are so vitally important—
and staying very true to the science. Every problem requires the
application of the scientific method in order to make sure you’re solving
it in an unbiased, objective way.”
Ms. Homer is a highly sought expert in print identification and is
often called upon to share her expertise with various organizations. She
is part of a 12-member team from across North America who serves
on the FBI’s Scientific Working Group on Shoe Print and Tire Tread
Evidence (SWGTREAD). The group, which meets twice yearly in
Quantico, Virginia, helps establish standards and guidelines in print
and tread identification, as well as to promote education and research.
SWGTREAD recently developed a resource kit for forensic scientists to
assist them in preparation for trial if called upon to testify in court.
“It’s important to be involved in the greater science community,”
says Ms. Homer, who teaches an introductory course on forensic science
at the University of Maine at Augusta, as well as several different classes
on the collection and analysis of prints at the Maine Criminal Justice
Academy, police departments, and the Bureau of Identification.
When asked if her work resembles the television series CSI, she joked,
“Well, I’m not wearing high heels and a black miniskirt to a crime scene!”
She says the premise of the show is somewhat realistic, but the depiction of
she analyzed data for actual cases.
“There was absolutely no doubt in my mind from the first time I
met Cindy and listened to her career aspirations, that she would achieve
her goal,” says Prof. De Zolt.
The University will soon be even better positioned to prepare
students for work in forensics with a proposal for a new minor in
forensics behavioral science, an interdisciplinary program to include
sociology and psychology. If approved, the minor could be available
to undergraduates as early as next fall or possibly 2011, according to
Lauren Bowen, associate academic vice president, Academic Programs
and Faculty Diversity. The proposed minor is part of a broader “New
Academic Program Initiative” designed to stimulate and support faculty
innovation and development of interdisciplinary studies, she says.
Since the initiative was launched last spring, 21 proposals have been
submitted, 11 of which have received funding, including the minor in
forensics behavioral science.

Photographs by Michele Stapleton

endless resources available to the TV “scientists” is not.

Taught to think!
Ms. Homer says her education at John Carroll helped develop her
problem-solving skills, which are crucial in her work. “My professors
taught me critical thinking and to think outside the box. My classes
forced me to think for myself and see something others don’t see. I use
those skills every single day in my job. I constantly ask, ‘What are the
variables?’ I have to problem solve with every piece of evidence.”
As her advisor and one of her instructors, Prof. De Zolt says
he was amazed at her organization and vision of what she wanted to
accomplish. He was also very impressed that she was offered a rare
student internship with the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office, where

She is one of 12 members from across

North America who serves on the FBI’s
Scientific Working Group on Shoe Print
and Tire Tread Evidence (SWGTREAD).

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 17

Academic Excellence

So others may learn

Photography by Robert Wetzler

18 John Carroll university SPRING 2010

A
riel Johnson ’11 is on a mission and
her experiences at John Carroll are
helping pave the way.
When she was just 7, Ariel already knew
she wanted to be a lawyer someday. She admits
to watching as much court TV as her parents
would allow. Ultimately, Ariel says she hopes
to use her legal expertise to shape public
policy, namely education reform, in order to
help less-privileged children.
“My goal is to work in bettering
education,” says Ariel, who attended Saint
Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. “I want to
find different ways to fund education to make
sure each student gets the opportunities I’ve
had, regardless of where they come from.”
If her days at Carroll are any indication,
Ariel is a tireless worker. She is an Honors
Program student, and has declared majors in
both English and philosophy and a minor in
Spanish.
“For the same reasons I like English,
philosophy forces you to use logical reasoning
to prove your point and teaches you to debate
in an intelligent, concrete way. Logic skills
are especially important for me since I want to
study law,” she says.
Ariel has always had a love for writing and
literature, which she attributes to her parents.
She speaks enthusiastically about her English
classes, particularly a series of classes with
Debra Rosenthal, Ph.D., on the influences of
feminism, alcohol, and poverty on literature.
“Dr. Rosenthal has caused me to think
about the world in a different way. I would not
have thought of these ideas together, but I’ve
learned how poverty can lead to alcohol use
and how that affected women in history and
their choices and their inspiration to get into
the workforce to be independent. She brings
ideas to class that make me think about myself
and my future.”
Peter Kvidera, Ph.D., English professor and
Ariel’s academic advisor, describes her passion
for learning, which he first witnessed in his
course, Major American Writers. “She has a
great curiosity about literature. Her comments
about the texts we studied often pushed her
fellow students – and me – to think about the
literature in new ways. It was clear to me then
and even clearer to me now, that she simply
loves what she studies – and that allows her to
put forward her greatest effort in learning as
much as she can,” says Prof. Kvidera.
Here, there, and everywhere
Ariel’s experiences at John Carroll are
far-reaching. She is a resident advisor (RA),
a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, the
Student Alumni Association, and tour guide
for prospective students. She serves on the
executive boards of the Panhellenic Council
and the Gospel Choir. In addition to her
numerous student activities, she works as a
part-time intern for Sherwin-Williams in the
Human Resources Department. Her work
there involves writing and developing support
materials for the training and employee
development group, according to Caron Pece,
training manager.
“She’s one of those kids who takes on
everything – and – she takes on leadership
roles, too. I’m amazed,” says Ms. Pece. “As
an employer, we’re looking for someone with
leadership skills who, like Ariel, can work with
minimal supervision, who understands what
you’re asking them to do, and who can bring
their own perspective to things, as well.”
Of all her activities at Carroll, Ariel
says her sorority and her role as RA are most
important to her. She said her RA helped her
when she was a freshman to get involved and
made her feel at home at a time when she was
missing friends and family in Chicago. “I want
to do that for other students,” Ariel says. “I
want to build a community where they can feel
like this is their home … a place where they can
walk around in their socks and come talk to me
and know they have someone to support them.”
After graduation and before law school,
Ariel says she hopes to teach inner-city children
through the Teach for America program. “I
don’t want to use my education just for myself,
but to engage others in the world.”
“I want to find different ways
to fund education to make
sure each student gets
the opportunities I’ve had,
regardless of where they
come from.”
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 19
Departmental Excellence

Photograph by Robert Wetzler

Phil Ryan ’02; Anne Todd Welki ’87; Jerry Weinstein,
Accountancy department Chair, and Joe DiFranco ’10

numbers
By the

20 John Carroll university SPRING 2010

S “The professors at John Carroll instill in students
tatistics are one of the many factors
that demonstrate the strength of the
Department of Accountancy.
Students from the John M. and Mary Jo
Boler School of Business ranked 10th nationally
on passing the Audit section of the CPA
exam for first-time candidates with advanced
degrees and first in Ohio on both the Financial
Accounting and Reporting and Regulation
sections. The findings are based on the 2009
report by the National Association of State
Boards of Accountancy.
“We have at least one national ranking
almost every year, and place first or second in
Ohio in one or more categories,” says Gerald
Weinstein, Ph.D., chair of the Department of
Accountancy, who has taught at John Carroll
since 1979 and was named 2009 Outstanding
Ohio Accounting Educator by the Ohio Region
of the American Accounting Association
and Ohio Society of CPAs. Prof. Weinstein
was recently selected for national recognition
as a nominee for the American Institute of
CPAs 2010 Distinguished Achievement in
Accounting Education Award.
Job placement also posts impressive
numbers. “We’ve always placed 100 percent of
our students until last year and even then we
placed about 90 percent,” says Prof. Weinstein.
He attributes the success of the CPA exam
results and career placement to the excellent
preparation of John Carroll students – not only
in the accountancy department, which often
includes working internships, but also from the
coursework in liberal arts.
“We hear from recruiters that they like to
hire students who can talk about things other
than accounting,” he adds.
Deloitte Services LP campus recruiter
Emily Jett says, “Students leave John Carroll
with a strong knowledge of accounting, but
it’s also about balance. It’s not just the GPA
that we look for, it’s the well-rounded student.
They have the opportunity at John Carroll
to get involved in activities and service in
that it’s important to do things the right way –
with honesty and integrity.”
order to demonstrate the skills we’re looking
for – time management, communications and
leadership.” The fact that Carroll hires have
performed well at the firm also makes it a
preferred recruiting site, according to Ms. Jett.
Senior Joe DiFranco, who was recruited
his junior year by Cohen and Company and
has worked as an intern since last spring, will
join the firm full-time in fall 2010. As soon as
he graduates in May, Joe will start in the MBA
program at John Carroll’s Boler School of
Business and begin to prepare for the CPA exam.
Joe says the faculty has prepared him and
his classmates well for the exam. “I’m not too
afraid of the content because our professors
have talked about it on a regular basis and are
open to questions about it,” he says. “They are
right there with us to help us get ready, which
calms our nerves a little bit.”
Looking back
Phil Ryan ’02, senior manager in the Audit
Department at KPMG, recalls learning how to
work hard during his time at John Carroll. “The
professors teach at a level where you have to
really study, starting with the first accounting
class, in order to get through the program,” he
says. “When you take the CPA exam, you need
that type of work ethic in order to pass. The
teachers, who are almost all CPAs themselves,
understand the intensity it takes.
“The professors at John Carroll instill
in students that it’s important to do things
the right way – with honesty and integrity,”
Mr. Ryan says. “One of the keys to public
accounting – and in business in general – is
having integrity. That goes a long way and
explains why so many graduates have had
successful careers.”
History supports this, according to Prof.
Weinstein. Since the late 1940s, there have been
many graduates who entered public accounting,
some of whom reached the highest career
levels in their profession, he said, citing Jim
Boland ’62, Ernst & Young; George Goodrich
’64, Arthur Anderson; and Allyn Adams ’64,
Deloitte & Touche. In February, accounting
alumnus Richard Kramer ’86 was named CEO
and president of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Company (see related story on page 5).
“The success of people who came before
has just continued to build over the years,” says
Prof. Weinstein.
Many graduates, he adds, support the
accountancy department by contributing to its
scholarship fund. Scholarships are awarded to
about 40 accounting majors each year, ranging
from $1,000 to $3,000. Currently, there are
about 110 accounting majors, 45 of whom will
graduate this year.
A vital and unique aspect of the
education at John Carroll is the Jesuit mission
to develop men and women for others, Prof.
Weinstein notes. “We take this seriously.”
Alumna Anne Todd Welki ’87 certainly
does. In 2007, after 20 years in public and
corporate accounting, Ms. Welki said it was this
mission to serve others that called her to join
the nonprofit sector as chief financial officer of
The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland,
which provides free medical services to the
uninsured. “It’s a very rewarding way for me
to use my accounting skills,” says Ms. Welki,
who also teaches accounting in John Carroll’s
Nonprofit Administration Program.
“My education at John Carroll consisted of
two parts. One was the wonderful preparation for
my accounting career. The second was the Jesuit
education and its influence to serve others.”
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 21
 Live and Let Live –

22 John Carroll university SPRING 2010

Simply
By Julie Evans ’87

Two days a week, eight students with chaotic

college lives drop everything to keep a standing

date for lunch in a University Heights, Ohio,

duplex. Shedding coats, boots, and backpacks,

these John Carroll University undergrads find

seats around a simple plastic table and clasp

hands as they say blessings over the meal.

All photographs by Robert Wetzler

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 23


Members of the Living Simply community gather for their semi-weekly lunch.
They break bread together as today’s
host and cook, Andy Trares ’10, ladles
homemade vegetarian soup into bowls. The
students talk about their day and catch up
on campus life. It’s an oasis of calm, tucked
into a day packed with classes, meetings,
homework, and part-time jobs.
Welcome to the Living Simply
community, where socially aware students
choose to live together in one of two
university-owned duplexes and share their
passion for social justice, environmental
sustainability, and most of all, a sense of
community. Living simply, to this mix of
sophomores, juniors, and seniors, means
spending less time on cell phones and
Facebook and more time connecting with
other students through honest-to-goodness
conversation and fellowship.
It also means living deliberately. Every
day, members of the Living Simply community
challenge themselves to consider how the
choices they make—from the purchase of fair
trade coffee and organic bananas to turning
off light switches and recycling—affect other
people and the environment.
“What separates us from other
Living Simply housemates purchase fair-trade
products whenever possible.
24 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
students is that we’re really intentional
about the time we spend together and the
things we do,” says Andy. “We’re all here for
a purpose. We’re trying to live more simply.”
Countercultural Comes
to Campus
The idea for the Living Simply
community began with Andy and his travels
abroad. As a sophomore, he studied in
El Salvador for a semester, living in close
quarters with 23 other American students.
“We were living together and sharing
meals in a developing country that we had
never experienced before,” he says. The
students set aside two nights a week, one
for spirituality and another for community,
which brought the students closer and
exposed them to new ideas and faiths.
When Andy returned to the John Carroll
campus in fall 2008, he visited John Scarano,
director of campus ministry, and presented an
unusual proposal: Why not form a community
of students at John Carroll who would live
simply and share a passion for social justice,
hospitality, and concern for environmental
sustainability? The Living Simply community,
as it came to be known, would provide
an alternative lifestyle to the tech-savvy
Generation Y – one that acknowledged the
need for laptops, cell phones, and other
technology, yet downplayed their importance
outside the classroom.
Mr. Scarano loved the idea and worked
with Andy and Natalie Terry ’10, Maggie
Antonelli ’10, and Theresa Prabucki ’10 to
craft a framework for the community.
“I believe the whole concept of ‘living
simply’ is countercultural, and in some ways,
“They’re reinventing what
was once taken for
granted -- this kind of
calm peace and reflec-
tive sharing. It’s what so
many of us live an entire
life and never find.”
John Scarano,
director, John Carroll
Campus Ministry
Maggie Antonelli, a Living Simply founder
revolutionary, for our students,” says Mr.
Scarano. “They’re reinventing what was once
taken for granted -- this kind of calm peace
and reflective sharing. It’s what so many of
us live an entire life and never find, especially
this generation of students who don’t have
the fond memories of eating around the table
and discussing events of the day.”
Mr. Scarano searched other universities
for similar models of the community Andy
proposed, but came up empty-handed. The
students would have to start from scratch
and develop something truly unique.
By spring 2009, Mr. Scarano was ready
to accept applications for the first group of
students to “live simply” in Carroll-owned,
off-campus housing. Six young women and
two young men, including the founding four
seniors, were selected.
Together, the students came up with
five core values – hospitality, community,
conscientiousness, sustainability, and
spirituality – that would reinforce the
University’s Jesuit Catholic mission and
provide students with the lifestyle they sought.
I don’t want my MTV
When Ann Marie Carl ’12 first heard
of the University’s plan to start a Living
Simply community, she wanted no part
of it. “I was misled by the name,” she
admits. “It sounded like it would be a place
where there were no radios, no laptops, no
technology allowed. I wrote it off completely
because it didn’t match my lifestyle as
a student who stayed up until 3 in the
morning writing papers on my laptop.”
But as Ann Marie learned more about
the community, she became intrigued. Not
only were laptops permitted, but the group
shared her budding passion for social justice,
composting, and other ideas she wanted to
pursue. In 2009, Ann Marie became one
of the final four students to agree to “live
simply,” joining SaraJane Kukawka ’12, Liam
Powers ’11, and Megan Kaliszewski ’11.
The eight students are divided between
two duplexes along busy Warrensville
Center Road. Each house has two, two-
bedroom apartments with a shared
basement and plenty of parking. Not
that they need parking. As part of the
Living Simply agreement, driving is kept
to a minimum out of respect for the
environment. Students walk the short
distance to campus.
They’re subject to the same rules and
regulations as students living in dorms.
But the Living Simply community has a few
guidelines of its own that strengthen the
core values of the community.
Environmental sustainability is one of
those core values. The students recycle and
compost, buy organic and fair trade products,
keep the heat low, conserve electricity, and
Liam Powers provides acoustic entertainment.
walk instead of drive whenever possible.
Community service is another core
value. These young men and women devote
a great deal of time to various organizations.
For the last four years, Andy and Theresa
have been involved with a Catholic
drop-in center, where they’ve developed
relationships with the people who come for
dinner. Ann Marie and SaraJane volunteer
at the Fatima Family Center for lower-income
Clevelanders.  Liam helps 8th graders
prepare for Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT).
Megan teaches PSR classes. Natalie, Andy,
and Maggie are deeply involved in the Fair
Trade movement on campus. And, SaraJane
is passionate about the Labre Project, which
offers friendship and food to Cleveland’s
homeless community.
“Relationships like these [through Labre]
motivate me throughout the week to keep
my thermostat down and to be intentional
about the resources I use,” says SaraJane.
To strengthen the core value of
“community,” students enjoy two lunches
together every week. On remaining days,
lunch is hit or miss, with students coming
and going to and from class, work, and
extracurriculars.
Sunday evenings are set aside for
Community Night, which begins with
sharing. “We go around the circle and
everyone talks about what’s going on,” says
Ann Marie. “If there’s a problem or we’d
like some feedback, then we talk it over. It’s
nice to know you won’t be judged.”
The group might discuss current events
or one of many environmental or social
justice projects such as fair trade or the
Labre Project. But it’s not all serious talk.
The evenings wind down with a movie,
music, or games.
Incubator for Ideas
The energy and enthusiasm of the
Living Simply residents can be downright
contagious. It also gets things accomplished.
“What separates us from other students is that we’re really
intentional about the time we spend together and the things
we do. We’re all here … to live more simply.”
Andy Trares ’10, founder, Living Simply community
It’s Andy Trares turn to prepare lunch.
The students’ passion for recycling, for
example, helped jump-start a composting
program for the University’s dining hall.
Next up: water conservation. Working
with the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes,
the Living Simply community plans to install
rain barrels in time for a summer garden.
The social outreach that defines this
group of students also threatens to derail
their quest for a simpler life, says Mr.
Scarano. They’ll need to find a balance
between the two goals.
“They’re among the absolute busiest
students at John Carroll,” he adds. “My
hope is that a simpler lifestyle will lead to
a more reflective lifestyle, with students
asking big questions such as, ‘What are my
hopes?’ and ‘How can I better discern what
I’m called to be?’
“To constantly be conscious of how
you’re living is kind of exhausting,” admits
Andy. “That’s one of the more difficult
aspects of living here. But that’s where the
community aspect comes in, because we’re
here to support each other and help each
other,” he says.
Natalie echoes that thought. “When you
live with others who share your beliefs, then
you have a constant support system, which
makes it easier to challenge yourself to live
more simply.”
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 25
ALUMNI JOURNAL

alumNews Alumni Medal and

Alumni Survey a Success Campion Shield
Recipients Named
The John Carroll University Alumni did not have a current e-mail address; more than
Association includes more than 39,000 500 new addresses were collected.  The following honorees were
graduates.  Last fall, for the first time in more Survey results were received in mid-January and announced as John Carroll
than 10 years, alumni had the opportunity continue to be reviewed, discussed, and will inform magazine went to press. Look for
to share their opinions, ideas, memories, and future outreach and engagement programs. Almost detailed coverage in the
concerns about their experience as students and 700 alumni expressed a willingness to participate magazine’s summer issue.
as alumni. Nearly 20 percent of about 14,000 in future focus groups and in discussions about
alumni responded to the survey, which was initiatives to better serve the interests of all alumni. 2010 Alumni Medal
sponsored by the Alumni Association. Look for additional coverage of survey results • Suzanne (Schlichtman)
Before the survey was distributed, a postcard in the summer edition of John Carroll magazine Greenberg ‘83
was mailed to alumni for whom the University and on www.jcu.edu. • Carter F. Ham ‘76
• James E. Kline ‘63
• Gerald F. O’Connell ‘61
• Rev. Wesley Toles ’59

2010 Campion Shield

• James H. Powers ‘60†
• William F. Ryan ‘67

Future Blue Streaks

We want to welcome the newest addition to your family in style. Share
your baby announcement with the Office of Alumni Relations and you
will receive a “Future Blue Streak” baby certificate and legacy bib! FREE!

To request a bib, e-mail alumni@jcu.edu or call 800-736-ALUM (2586),

x4336. Include your baby’s name and date of birth, along with your
name, grad year, spouse’s name, and mailing address. By the way,
the beautiful, future Blue Streaks (from left) are Sophia Marie Lavin,
daughter of Sean ‘98 and Angela Lavin; Ella Catherine Daly, daughter
of Molly ‘02 and Ryan Daly ‘99; and Connor Patrick McKay, son of
Jessica (Franck) McKay ‘04 and Erik McKay ‘04.

26 John Carroll university SPRING 2010


Student Alumni Association
Named Organization of the Year
Among their many activities, Student Alumni Association members help campus trick-or-treaters from
the neighborhood decorate cookies during an annual residence hall Trick-or-Treat event.
Each year, the Student Union’s Student
Organization Review Board recognizes various
organizations for their contributions to the
campus. On Jan. 21, 2010, the Student Alumni
Association (SAA) received the award for the
Programming/Social Organization of the year in
their category.  opportunity for students interested in a particular
First recognized as a student organization in
January 2009, the SAA was created to strengthen
the bond between current students and alumni
through social, networking, spiritual, and
philanthropic events, while enriching the quality
ALUMNI JOURNAL
Calendar of events
(Some dates subject to change. For latest
information, visit www.jcu.edu/alumni)
Saturday, April 10
Accepted Student Celebration and
Legacy Breakfast (Cleveland, OH)
Friday, April 16
Denver Alumni Reception
Regis University
Saturday, April 17
Baltimore Day of Service
Our Daily Bread
Saturday, April 24
Washington, D.C. Day of Service
So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.)
Saturday, April 24
of John Carroll by stimulating pride, loyalty, and JCU Relay For Life
support in our tradition and history.  Cleveland, OH
The SAA sponsors monthly coffeehouses on
the second Wednesday of every month.  A new Thursday, April 29
initiative this year, the monthly gatherings for Cleveland Alumni Networking Event
students and alumni guests, serve as a networking Great Lakes Brewing Company
topic or profession, as well as an easy and Saturday, May 1
informal engagement opportunity. The SAA has Cultivating Community Day
also participated in Relay for Life and the annual Cleveland, OH
Trick-or-Treat event sponsored by the Residence
Hall Association. Friday, May 21
Alumni Awards Dinner
Monday, June 21, 2010 Sunday, May 23
Alumni Golf Classic Commencement
Fowler’s Mill Golf Course Friday, June 11 – Sunday, June 13
Visit www.jcu.edu/alumni to register Reunion Weekend
Save the Date
Homecoming 2010 – September 24-26
Homecoming will be a weekend to
remember, celebrating 40 years of
women in athletics, 60 years of ROTC,
another reunion of Pershing Rifles,
the oldest fraternity on campus, and
Cindy May (wife of James May ’01), Jeremy
hosting the 3rd Annual Ride for Miles
Sobeck ’01, Laurel Maurer ’01, and Callen Cox in memory of biology professor Miles
(Laurel’s fiance), enjoy a day on the links at the Coburn, Ph.D., ’75G.
2009 JCU Alumni Golf Classic.
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 27
ALUMNI JOURNAL
to our Readers
For further columnist contact information, please call us at 216-397-3050 or 800-736-ALUM (2586).
Note that we publish additional class notes and archived columns online.
Visit www.jcu.edu/alumni/publications/classnotes.htm to read unabridged copy as well as
previous columns.
The Golden Years
UP TO
’39 ’43
Larry Kelley ’36
216-941-1795
journal@jcu.edu
Maybe I should walk away from trying to write this
column – I have no news to report. I would like to
at least hang on until June, which will make it 30
years, so send me some news. I’m still waiting to
hear from Bill Nardi’s ’35 daughter, Nadine, with a
summary of Bill’s accomplishments after he
graduated from John Carroll. When I get it, I will
try to get the new editor of the magazine to
publish the picture of all the Cleveland Nardis that
was taken last year. ... The only class member I
ever hear from is Bill Muth. He’s having a little
trouble getting around. ... I’m thankful for the
group from the ’50s that invite me to their monthly
luncheon or I would have been gone as the
columnist of “The Golden Years.” Keep praying –
just Larry
‘40
Carl Giblin
727-518-7961
GIBBI612@aol.com
REUNION YEAR
Looking at the back cover of the winter 2009
issue of John Carroll magazine, I’d like to have the
franchise for bicycle helmets at JCU! Our Ohio
editor, John Sweeney, reports that there are 10
members of our class still able to answer roll call.
According to Ruth, Dick Breiner is having a rough
time. He has our prayers. ... The Cleveland area
members of the lunch bunch are meeting the third
Thursday of each month. Every other month, they
meet in the dining room of Breckenridge Village,
John Sweeney’s home. They may not be able to
remember, but they can still count. Lunch at the
village is about half the price as that at Pizzazz –
and no tipping. ... Ralph Pelegrin ’37, who also
lives at Breckenridge, is joining the lunch bunch
from now on. ... I haven’t heard from James O’C
Morgan, John Kenny, or Jim Fleming; which
proves they are still alert and lucid. ... Things here,
at Bellair South – a retirement hotel, move along
smoothly. I have a one bedroom apartment, and
they furnish all meals, maid service, everything
except phone and blood transfusions. At 91 years
of age, I am probably typical of the age group. I
have given up running a few miles every morning
and now hitchhike. I am allowed to entertain the
community each Friday night at the cocktail hour,
with my keyboard. I can tell when the volume is
just right, I can see the residents taking out their
hearing aids! I don’t charge for this, and it is worth
every cent! Take care of each other! Carl
28 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
Bruce E. Thompson
216-382-4408
journal@jcu.edu
After a long recovery from poor health, Mary Ruth
and I will be moving to an assisted living facil-
ity in the Richmond Heights, Ohio, area. Please
continue to send your column notes and updates
to journal@jcu.edu My hope is to continue as the
class columnist for the class of 1943.
’44
Don McDonald
216-991-9140
journal@jcu.edu
Sadly we have to report the unexpected death of
our classmate, Marty Franey. Marty Franey Jr. sent
us a letter in late January indicating that his dad had
moved to assisted living at Grand Village in
Twinsburg, OH. Marty’s funeral was March 1, 2010
at Gesu Church. The family would appreciate any
contributions be sent to St. Ignatius High School
1911 W. 30th Street Cleveland, OH 44113. Marty
was a gentleman of the first order and lived the
Jesuit teaching to be a man for others. We will miss
seeing him at future John Carroll functions.Have
not heard from any other classmates, hopefully
some news will come in well before Reunion
Weekend, June 11-13, 2010. Save at least the date
of Saturday for Mass and dinner. Contact Carla Gall
’05 - 216.397.1592 or cgall@jcu.edu - to make
advance reservations. If you are looking for
someone in particular to come with, let me know
and maybe I can help. ... Remember Bob Colopy,
Bob Mannion, and Tony Palermo, all of whom
have health problems, in your prayers. ... The first
day our class met on the steps of the
Administration Building in early September of 1940
seems like yesterday. I was reconnected with old
grade school friends like Cliff Duffner ’47, Leo
Frantz ’43, Tom O’Brien, Bob Dickey as well as
new friends from Harnell, NY, Tom Nolan ’50 and
Roger Sheehan. Don
‘47
Ed Cunneen
216-561-1122
edcunneen@ameritech.net
‘48
Julius Sukys
440-449-8768
journal@jcu.edu
Although news from our class is slim, here are
several items. I attended a surprise birthday party
for Charlie Eder. A rather large group was in
attendance to celebrate his 89th year. The
gentleman looks good! ... It’s sad to report that the
Saturday lunch group, The Mystic Knights of the
Sea, has all but disbanded. The group was made
up of John Carroll grads of the classes of 1948 and
1950. Time takes its toll. ... Adios, Julius
‘49
Tom Harrison
440-331-4343
taharrison2001@sbcglobal.net
Vic Stewart regrets having missed our Reunion;
he now sits in the sun in Fort Myers, FL, making
plans to invite his family there for Christmas,
because he has decided it’s too cold to come up
North. ... Everyone remembers Ed (Buddy)
Murray, he played great music and had a
successful band while at Carroll. After graduation,
he entered medical school, and upon completion of
residency, established an ENT and Facial Plastic
Surgery practice in Flint, MI. Dr. Ed retired about 10
years ago, established a winter home in Florida,
but over the years, he found more comfort staying
home in Grand Blanc, where he and wife Marie are
frequently visited by five of their eight children who
still reside in Michigan. Ed asked about Jim
Pojman, the leader of the barbershop quartet,
which performed frequently while we were in
school. I reported that I’d spoken with Jim recently
and that Jim had mentioned casually his continuing
tennis competition and commented, modestly, that
he recently completed “The 1,000 Mile Bicycle
Challenge.” I was inspired to take a vitamin pill! ...
Al Zippert, after retiring from his medical practice,
became more active in alumni functions. We were
saddened to hear of his death on Oct. 24. Al left a
fine reputation as an outstanding physician and
surgeon and the head of a loving family consisting
of his wife and seven children. ... Bob Moeller
married Lucille while a sophomore at John Carroll
and maintained serious concentration. Upon
graduation, he transferred from JCU to IRS where
he built a career. Bob retired as a branch chief at
Des Moines, IA. Bob then became a farmer in
Hixton, WI. When farming lost its charm, Bob
established residence in Sheboygan, WI, where
most of their 13 children, and 45 grandchildren,
and 39 great-grandchildren reside. All were
saddened when Bob died on Nov. 3, 2009, at age
86. ... Bob Logsdon joined U.S. Steel after graduation,
and his effective efforts assured his advance in the
management of this large organization. When
retirement age occurred, Bob moved from Birmingham,
AL, to Sarasota, FL, with his wife, Mary Jean. When
the charm of winter golf faded, they decided to move
closer to home – Louisville, KY, was their choice, closer
to, but warmer than, Cleveland, OH. Once settled, Bob
got some news; his first grandchild was expected, and
his health was failing. Bob died quietly on Thanksgiving
Day. His granddaughter was born Dec. 14. … Send
news! Good news preferred! All reported with
reasonable accuracy. Tom
‘50
Jack Reilly
216-291-5762
tatlerjack25@sbcglobal.net
REUNION YEAR
By now you should have enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day,
hope you had a good time. The reunion committee
is hard at work making phone calls and also
sending letters to all the widows of deceased
classmates to invite them back. Don’t forget our
Reunion is free of charge, compliments of John
Carroll, as a thank you for 60 years of loyal service
and support. All on-campus accommodations are
free. If there is any way you can make it, try to. We
expect to have an enjoyable evening and a few

surprises. Distance and illness will make it
impossible for many to make it; we will think about
them and always keep them in our prayers. The
reunion committee has been unable to locate Bill
Mack, Jim Jacoby, Tom Roehm, Ed McCormack,
Joe Walton, Len Fronzak, Jack Mahle, Martin
Joyce, and Dominic Petrofes. Please contact me,
at the phone number above, or the University if
you know how to reach them so we keep them
informed of Class of ’50 happenings. ... On a
brighter side, my phone call to Bob Gunderman
brought news that he has two granddaughters
presently at John Carroll. And Bob Lyons’
granddaughter, Kerry, also attends Carroll. ... Dr.
Joseph Kastelic retired from Akron Children’s
Hospital, where he was in pediatric hematology
and oncology. He did his medical training at St.
Louis University medical school and interned at St.
Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, OH. He also
had a fellowship at the University of Michigan and
was in residence at Children’s Hospital Los
Angeles. He now reaches people as a Eucharistic
Minister at St. Sebastian in Akron, OH. He hopes
to attend our Reunion. ... I am sorry to report the
passing of Tom Mahon, John McDonnell, Bill
Muller, Len Vavra, and John Moavero. Please
keep them and all our deceased classmates in your
prayers. ... Thanks to the committee members and
the Alumni Office who have worked so hard to
make our 60th Reunion the best. Until next time,
God bless and all the best. Jack
‘51
Donald A. Ungar
330-723-5234
donyal@aol.com
I asked for your thoughts and what is going on in
your life – Lee Cirillo sent a note about his
grandchildren that live in England – seems they are
English in speech. ... Lillian and Bill Switaj spent
the Christmas holidays with their children and
grandchildren in Chicago. ... Got a letter from Bill
Riski and enclosed was the Sunday, Jan. 3,
newspaper story about Don Shula. Great picture
of Don and his many memories of his Dolphin
years. Many of you don’t remember a commercial
Don Shula made for Carroll ... you saw the raw
footage in the video I sent out for our 55th
Reunion. Jim Breslin ’40 and I, Don Ungar, put
these commercials on TV5 WEWS for college
week promoting John Carroll back in 1977. The
day we took this film, Don Shula was approached
for autographs and yes, Don did talk with these
people. Visit www.jcu.edu/alumni and click on the
News Listing tab for the Shula story. If you didn’t
see the DVD video that was sent to your home, I
still have a couple DVDs I can send you if you
want one. ... Do you have a minute to send me a
Don Shula signs autographs on campus in 1977.
thought? With e-mail, you don’t need a stamp.
Love to hear from you. Share a story with us.
How’s your family? How many of our class
members have grandchildren currently at John
Carroll? The Gray Streaks Luncheons are back, you
will really want to join us and learn more about
Carroll. I am looking forward to joining: Donald
Carroll, Dick Joliat, Frank Nugent, Bob Revello,
and Bill Switaj for the next luncheon. Spend a
couple of minutes to tell us about your life, e-mail
me - donyal@aol.com. Don
‘52
Dorothy Poland
PolandMomdot@aol.com
Greetings one and all – Well my friends, you
brought it on yourselves. I warned you that if I did
not receive news from you that you would have to
read about my recent trips. I have heard from
Larry Casey, Bill Kenealy, and Don Terrell, but
I’ve already printed their news. ... Last June, I flew
to San Diego, CA, for the graduation of a grandson
from the eighth grade. Talk about impressive,
WOW. They were mentors for the kindergarteners
and walked into First Friday Mass wearing blue
robes and holding the little kids’ hands. Of course
this was a Catholic school and it did the heart good
to see these young people dressed so
appropriately and being so aware of their
surroundings. Next, off to Oregon to visit my
oldest son, then to Washington state to the
youngest child and her husband (with a heated
pool and umbrella drinks). I missed Reunion
Weekend – a family reunion in July at Maumee
Bay Resort in Ohio was held at the same time. I
had a granddaughter’s wedding in Wisconsin in
August, and I worked all summer and fall for
middle son Kevin’s bid to be elected a Portage
County Municipal Judge (mayor of Ravenna, OH,
at the time). It was a nasty campaign (not on his
part) but he did win. Mid-December back to
Washington for Christmas but home in time to see
Kevin sworn in and help him don his father’s
judicial robe on December 31. That was my
exciting year now please tell me about yours! ...
God Bless and stay safe in these troublesome
times. Dorothy
‘53
Jim Myers
440-358-0197
cealejim@gmail.com
Hello Class of ’53. Ray Buganski, medical school
St. Louis University, retired from his pediatric
practice in 1995 and continues to live in Toledo,
OH. He and spouse Ruth have 12 children, 32
grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Ray
continues to enjoy bowling twice a week. He has
10 300 games to his credit, four of which are
sanctioned. His most recent 300 game was Jan.
23, 2007. He also has had an 800 series. Those of
you who follow Cleveland St. Ignatius basketball
will recognize Ray’s son-in-law, Sean O’Toole ’91
who is the head coach. ... Don Busic, who left for
the military shortly before graduation, has lived in
Parma, OH, since 1957. Don, a Cathedral Latin
graduate, never married. ... Tony Lupica, medical
school St. Louis University, retired from his family
practice about 20 years ago. He and wife Lucia
own 17 apartment dwellings in Tiffin, OH, and live
in one of the units. The Lupicas have four children
and eight grandchildren. … Chuck O’Malley is still
working, although now part time. He is vice
president of sales at the company where he’s
been for over 35 years. The O’Malleys have three
children and four grandchildren. Chuck says he
ALUMNI JOURNAL
often sees Jim Dillhoefer who lives just down the
street. Yes, Jim is still puffing on his pipe. Chuck
also often sees Jim Porter. ... John Robson is
enjoying the climate in Raleigh, NC, where he
moved after retiring in 1997 from his public
relations firm. The Robsons have six children, nine
grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. ... Sara
and Carl Tighe live in the Phoenix area, as do four
of their five children. The Tighes have 15
grandchildren. Carl told a good story about
grandchildren Jillian and Ben who are sister and
brother. Jillian was the homecoming queen at the
University of Arizona in Tucson this year – quite an
honor. However within a couple of weeks of that,
her brother Ben appeared on national TV during
the Larry King Show picking a cockroach out of
Larry King’s clothing. Which receives more
attention? Ben attends an animal handling school
in Los Angeles and happened to be on the show
with four cockroaches, one of which dropped onto
Larry King’s pants. Ben had the chore of retrieving
it. Carl and Sara hope to attend a grandson’s
graduation from Notre Dame this May. ... After
over 25 years since I last talked with Walt
Shimoda, I called recently. He and wife Nancy still
reside on Maui. They have five children and 10
grandchildren. He was an avid golfer but after
having a stroke 20 years ago he was forced to give
up the game and has retired from practicing law.
Do those of you who attended our 25th Reunion
remember how Walt brought orchids for each of
our ladies who were attending? Walt says he and
Nancy have visited Japan with his five sisters and
their husbands and two nieces. ... Send in your
news. God’s blessings to you all, jim
‘54
Peter Mahoney
440-933-2503
peter007@oh.rr.com
At a luncheon gathering of Jesuit city west 1950
grads, Bill Adler commented that so much of the
column is about out-of-towners, “why don’t you
write more about the people who are here in
town”? After I explained that it was a matter of
fact and imagination, he told me of life after
Carroll. When inducted into the U.S. Army (ROTC),
Bill was slated to be a tank commander – Bill was
about six feet six inches, 220 pounds, and size 14
shoes – at that time there were no tanks large
enough for Bill and a crew. So, with a forte of
math they moved him to the engineers. His first
assignment was Germany. After successfully
engineering bridges and beer halls, he returned to
the U.S. and went to work at Dravo Wellman
Engineering. For the next umpteen years, Bill
traveled the U.S. working on engineering projects.
He is a happy man and never regrets that there
was not a tank big enough for him. Seated next to
Bill was the always smiling and affable Dick Zunt
’55. He left this world just a few weeks after the
luncheon. Dick always said the wine was better
that year but most of his friends and West Side
travelers were from ’54. The Cleveland Plain
Dealer ran many articles about Dick, always
emphasizing his willingness to compliment
coaches and players as well as train new sports
reporters. Sounds like a man for others. ... Bob
Small Esq. has resigned his position with the
Cleveland Port Authority – too many scandals and
not enough authority. ... I visited Norb Bunsey ’53
at St. John West Shore Hospital, where he was
getting a new back. Norb graduated from Jesuit
city west, matriculated to a “peace action” in
North Korea, then to JCU. He insists that new
back will put him on Dancing with the Stars. ...
Austie Groden and Ukrainian wife, Joanne, did
the Big Apple at Christmas time. Austie says he
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 29
ALUMNI JOURNAL
wants to get back on the Senior Golf Tour and is
shopping for a new driver, this after heart
problems, two hip replacements, and a staph
infection. See what happens when you are fluent
in Latin and Greek. ... The new Wall Street best
seller, To Big to Fail, mentions classmate Jake
Blake in the Notes and Sources section. ... Rocky
Mountain commercial realtor Dave Nilges
publishes a newsletter and has labeled 2010 as
the New Year of “Pretend and Extend.” You don’t
have to be a realtor to understand and enjoy his
analysis of finance and real estate. ... Gene Flynn
has sharpened his No. 2 pencils and is as ready as
any tax man can be when the IRS comes a calling.
... Spoke to Tom Moore recently, he has been in
the landlord business since leaving Carroll and has
apartment buildings in the Shaker Heights, OH,
area. He is always busy – always something to fix.
... Prayers please for Joanne Groden, Fred
Blodgett, Sandra Nilges, and Gail LaRiche. ... NB
the new e-mail address – keep the faith, Pete
‘55
Ray Rhode
216-381-1996
rrrhode@aol.com
REUNION YEAR
As we age, many of us begin to think seriously
about our eternal reward and do what we can to
improve our chances. Bud Feely told me of his plan
– he meets regularly with John Carroll classmates
who have taken religious vows. He meets with Leo
Cachat, S.J., and Dick Twohig, S.J., on a regular
basis as well as Pat McDunn who was a Jesuit for
23 years and Fr. Peter Dean, a friend from his
University of Detroit Jesuit High School days. He
has also played golf with former Jesuit Ed TePas,
who visited him from California. They don’t pray a
lot but sure have fun. Bud has volunteered to see
that we have a strong Jesuit presence at our
Reunion in June. He has named the reunion “the
55th for ’55.” ... Jerry Donatucci talked with Mike
Torrelli ’56, a friend of his from Erie Cathedral Prep.
Mike should have been in our class but didn’t get
enough credits when he transferred from Notre
Dame his freshman year. A fullback on the great
JCU teams of the mid ’50s, he scored the winning
touchdown and extra point in the game against
Dayton our senior year. Mike was inducted into the
Erie Cathedral Prep Athletic Hall of Fame a short
time ago. He is looking forward to visiting with his
many friends in the class of ’55 at our reunion
dinner. Jerry and his wife, Nancy, have planned
another mini class reunion (their 12th) with Jane and
Bud Feely, Rita and Jack Kinney, and hopefully
John Barranco in the Florida Panhandle in
February. ... John (Buck) Byrne is asking us to
swear off Budweiser beer. He can’t forgive Bud for
leaving this country for the Netherlands. He writes
that at JCU he learned to drink Millers High Life
beer, one keg at a time, and plans to continue. The
Bud American Lager advertising is hypocritical, he
writes. ... Mary Lou and Tony Stavole welcomed
the arrival of two great-grandchildren, born in
Minneapolis, this past year. Tony was planning to
retire as the Parma Heights law director on
December 31, 2009, but was asked to stay on for
several months to ensure an orderly transition. He
has served under three mayors, beginning with the
Honorable Paul W. Cassidy ’39. ... Remember,
classmates, our 55th Reunion June 11-13, 2010. The
response has been great so far. Our 50th was great,
let’s do it again. Sadly, for many of us, this may be
the last time we can get together. ... And remember
to pray for our classmates who are suffering and in
great pain. See you all in June. Ray
30 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
‘56
Leo Duffy to be honored in November with a lifetime
630-355-2199 achievement award. He is survived by his wife,
630-337-0788 (c) Jeannie, and four children. Jim Vickers, a graduate
January-May: 941-505-8394 of Cathedral Latin High and avid golfer, is survived
leoduffy57@hotmail.com by his wife, Lois, and two sons. Our condolences
to both families for their deep loss. … Spring and
Fellow classmates, I received minimal summer are coming – they always do – have
contributions until I sought them via the old patience! See you at the JCU Gray Streaks
fashioned way – telephone. I’m not into texting. ... Luncheons. God bless, Sal
John Daley reminded me that it is not too early to
‘58
start thinking of our 55th Reunion in June of 2011. John E. Clifford
... Bernie Rauckhorst is keeping himself very
210-497-4045
busy at St. Matthew Parish in Akron, OH. He runs
JohnEClifford@prodigy.net
a program shipping boxes of food to our troops
overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, well over 100
boxes in 2009. He also will be running a pari- Today is January 24. Just over two weeks ago, I
mutuel horse racing betting operation for the woke up and looked at the thermometer on my
charities supported by the Holy Name Society this window – it said 17.1. That was the coldest I have
weekend. ... Paul Prasse is still recovering from a seen it since we moved to Texas 35 years ago. I
broken wrist that he suffered in a fall in his home lost my favorite apple tree and many other tropical
last October. ... Ed Daugherty and his wife went plants. I attribute all that to global warming. ...
on a river cruise that was supposed to travel to Speaking of global, Rick Graff and Carol spent
three weeks in the Southern Hemisphere –
Prague but was landlocked because of low water
levels so they traveled by bus returning to the boat Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, etc. They flew
each day. A tough way to cruise! ... My personal to Sydney, and then took a ship for several weeks
to see scenery “almost beyond description, from
wish to all of you is a healthy year and to ask all of
you to let me know of some of your happenstances. the coast with its little towns and small cities, to
God bless, Leo the splendor of the Southern Alps. A great time
enjoyed.” In addition, here is a bit of information
for the category “I’ll Bet You Didn’t Know.”
‘57
Salvatore R. Felice Christchurch, New Zealand, is the jump off point
440-842-1553 for U. S. explorations to Antarctica. Rick reports,
srfelice@cox.net “At the Antarctica Center there, I noted a
reference to Birkenhauer Island in Antarctica. Yes,
the island was named for Father Birkenhauer.” ...
Volunteerism is a wonderful attribute and certainly
Speaking of travel, Larry Dietz is now out of the
an opportunity to pay back, in a small way, for
country. He should return in a week and I will
those blessings we receive throughout life. This is
especially true when helping others who are less
fortunate. Our class is honored to have two class
members who have been quite active in the
Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC). Jim Finnegan and
Dennis Grapo give of their time to help those in
need. Both are caring and compassionate
individuals and as Dennis ably states, “Jim
outworks everyone at the IVC. Most of us have
one volunteer project, whereas Jim has three or
four – a truly dedicated Christian gentleman.” …
Frank “Crash” Hovorka spent Thanksgiving in
Atlanta, GA, with his son, while the rest of his
children went skiing and snow boarding at Red
River, NM. Frank extends his best regards to all for
a great New Year. … Bart Merella writes that his
daughter, Monica ’93, and husband Ted ’93, are
the proud parents of their third child, Lauren
Teresa, the ninth grandchild of Bart and Eileen. …
Bill Doran ’58 photo taken in 1968 in Vietnam.
Maureen and Dick Huberty are proud to announce
that their son, Dan, is running as State
report on his travels next issue. ... Again speaking
Representative, District 127, in the Texas primary
of travel, my wife and I will be visiting Fatima in
election on March 2. Dan, age 41, is president of
March as part of our 50th wedding anniversary joint
the Humble, TX, Independent School Board and is
gift. Speaking of 50th wedding, Chuck Jacobson
vice president for Clean Energy, the largest
and Margee celebrated their 50th in 2009, along
provider of natural gas for transportation in North
with the weddings of their first and third
America. Dan and wife Janet have three children
grandchildren. “We now have two grandchildren-
– 6, 8, and 10 and reside in Walden on Lake
in-law along with our 21 grandchildren.” Speaking
Houston, TX. The Huberty’s daughter, Lisa, resides
of global warming, Chuck reports from Minnesota,
with husband Tom, a logistics specialist, in
“This winter is the coldest we’ve had in many
Louisville, KY. … Jim Clark, along with several
years. It snowed heavily the week before
others, was welcomed to the John Carroll National
Christmas and it’s still on the ground. I thank my
Alumni Board of Directors in early December. …
one son who lives in town for having a snow
Carol and George Billings have moved back to
blower that he’s willing to use on my sidewalk and
Cleveland from Florida to spend more time with
driveway.” ... Finally, I had several nice e-mails
daughter Kim Diehl ’90 and her family. They do,
from Don Fitzgerald ’57 Ohio University. Don was
however, plan to spend some time in Florida
searching the Internet for information about some
during the winters. For exercise, they both enjoy
former U.S. Army Vietnam comrades with whom
playing golf. … Ending on a sad note, our class lost
he served. He searched for Col. William K. Doran
two good men – Hank Hentemann (Oct. 19) and
and came across the JCU Class of 1958 Web page
Jim Vickers (Nov. 22). Hank wrote the
where he found mention of our classmate Bill
Hentemann Handbook for Trial Attorneys. He was

Doran. Bill, you will recall, died two years ago.
Don sent a few pictures of Bill in Vietnam along
with some very nice reminiscences. Because of
space requirements here, I have included Don’s
remembrances and pictures on the web site
edition of this column - www.jcu.edu/alumni/
publications/classnotes.htm#50s. If you remember
Bill, you will appreciate Don’s memorable
comments. ... Got to go listen to Broadway Is My
Beat, The Joey Condon Murder Case, Jan. 24,
1957. Peace, JEC
‘59
Richard E. Dodson
804-748-8432
dodson59@comcast.net
Happy New Year! Our own Thomas J. Scanlon
has been recognized for his dedication to the
community and support of his Irish heritage. Tom
LLP Senior Partner Thomas J. Scanlon has recently
been recognized for his dedication to the community
and support of his Irish heritage. Scanlon has been
honored with the Pillar Award from Smart Business
News and was also included in the 2009 Irish Legal
100 by Irish America Magazine.
has been honored with the Pillar Award from
Smart Business Network and was also included in
the 2009 Irish Legal 100 by Irish America
Magazine - www.irishcentral.com. Check out Tom
- http://www.collins-scanlon.com/ - he hasn’t
changed much. ... Dave Ross enjoys keeping in
touch, especially since nothing exciting happens in
Columbus, OH. So for Christmas, they went to Las
Vegas to see their grandson and family at Nellis
AFB. Haven’t any feedback yet on whether he
found evidence to confirm his suspicions that
some of our classmates came from Area 51. ...
Marty Dempsey reports a wonderful, annual,
pre-holiday gathering at Walton Pond in Chapin,
SC, with hosts Kathy and F.X. Walton. The
Breznais, Marks, Burkes, and McGanns were
also on board reliving old times and aggrandizing
old stories. Marty wants to stay in touch with new
Google products. See the Carroll website for
specific information and URLs. ... Paul Moon, at
age 72, says “I finally have at least one child out of
school and employed”! Daughter Laura (Denison
grad and Fulbright scholar) received her MA from
Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in May
and has taken a position with the World Bank in
Quito, Ecuador. Daughter Elisabeth ’07 is working
on a master’s in communications at San Diego
State. It all tends to keep me young (and working,
although formally retired). ... Mike Campo from
his Naples, FL, abode reports that the annual
gathering in early March, for anyone in Florida who
ever attended Saint Ignatius College Prep,
Chicago, will be held at either the Naples Country
Club or (more recently) the Kensington Country
Club. About 200 people usually show up. Care to
crash the party? Contact Mike - playwright3@
comcast.net - for details. ... Don Gould, Tom
Barrowman, and yours truly decided at Reunion
that Key West in March would be a good place to
have a great meal, watch a “killer” sunset, and get
reacquainted. Since I’ll be in Florida in March, you
snowbirds and local classmates may get an
unexpected visit and be featured in the 2010
summer edition. ... For additional, unabridged
copy, access: www.jcu.edu/alumni/publications/
classnotes.htm#50s, then select 50s, then 1950.
You’ll find biographies there also. ... Hope you are
well, God bless you. Rick
‘60 ‘61
Jerry Schweickert
216-381-0357
bjschweick@sbcglobal.net
REUNION YEAR
Time sure flies when you’re having fun! Here we
are, 50 years removed from our last semester at
John Carroll. On the weekend of June 11-13,
2010, we have the opportunity to return to
campus as guests of the University to celebrate
our 50th Reunion. By the time you read this, I hope
you have heard from at least one of your
classmates concerning the event. A reunion
committee has been formed and work on our
Reunion has been ongoing. The most important
job is getting as many classmates as possible to
show up. ... On a trip to Chicago last November,
Jim Mason and I got together with Larry
Beaudin, Ken Roznowski, Pat Wagner, Jim
Horn, Bob Schayer, Paul Cronin, John Kimler,
Joe Morrissey, Don Kucera, Bob Kilbourne,
Mario Ambrosino, Sam Vitale, and Fred Schaal.
We were all guests of Peter Conboy for a
luncheon at Riverside Golf Club. Everyone
committed to attending our Reunion in June. Dave
Marr, Bill Buescher, and Terry Pokuta couldn’t
make it to Chicago, but have also committed to
being at Carroll in June. As an offshoot of the trip
to Chicago, I was able to get in touch with Jack
Murray who is alive and well and living in
Colombia, South America. He arrived there in 1985
on the night of the attack on the Supreme Court
building by the FARC guerrillas – riding from the
airport in a car amidst flying bullets and having no
problem understanding the instruction to “stay
down low in the car.” Jack says he looks forward
to seeing his senior year roommates, John
McBride, Dan VanBelleghem, and Ron Sekerak
at Reunion. If Jack can come from South America,
the rest of us should be able to make the effort to
get back. … As of January, as I write this, I know
that Dave Nichting, Jim Gauntner, Bob
Fitzgerald, Frank Dempsey, Pete Pucher, Bob
Barkett, Greg Fisher, Tom Collins, John
Magnotto, Jerry Malizia, Denny McGrath, Bill
Retterer, Jerry Rachfal, Steve Schuda, Jim
(Dick) Vogel, Jim Patterson and Jim Shannon
are also coming. ... The committee has discovered
that there are 101 of our classmates living within a
one hour drive of the University. We encourage all
of you who are among this group to make an
effort to join those who will travel much farther in
order to renew old friendships. Even if you are
able to come for only part of the weekend you will
find it to be a great time reliving memories with
guys you haven’t seen in years (remember A. P.
Hill, Chuck Schilling?). ... By now you should have
received information concerning the weekend and
are planning to join us for all, or at least part, of our
ALUMNI JOURNAL
50 Reunion. If you have not been back to JCU in
th
a while, you will be amazed at the changes that
have taken place since we left. Having never really
left and living across the street, I have had a
chance to bump into classmates on campus from
time to time and I can assure you, no one has
changed (other than physically). It is always
enjoyable to reminisce on these occasions. ... On
behalf of the reunion committee, I encourage
everyone (especially those who have never been
back) to make the effort to get together one more
time, celebrate our friendships and reminisce. As
one of the songs from our era says “...we will
have these moments to remember...” and
memories should be shared with those who
helped make them. Hope you had a happy Easter.
See you in June! Be well, Schweick
Jack T. Hearns
216-291-2319
jhearns@sbcglobal.net
Eddie George, Tom Gerst, and Jack Durkin
attended a meeting at the Fairlawn Country Club in
Akron sponsored by John Carroll’s University
Advancement which featured President Robert L.
Niehoff, S.J., who issued the State of the
University. ... Jim DeClerck reports from
Huntington Beach, CA, that he recently purchased
a few “antique” rifles including a nice Winchester
Model 52C that is quite similar to the weapon he
formerly used as captain of Carroll’s rifle team. ...
Mary Kay and John Blake live in Middletown, OH.
John retired from Fifth Third Bank and is now very
active in the Cursillo Movement and the St.
Vincent de Paul Society as well as being involved
with two car clubs. Through the years, he has
attended many car meetings and conventions
around the country and most recently sold his
1952 Packard. ... Joe Esser, from New
Providence, NJ, retired last month as an editor on
the Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook for ProQuest
LLC. Joe was a radio operator during his days in
the U.S. Army. His hobbies, not surprisingly,
include shortwave radio, in which he developed an
interest from as far back as elementary school.
Joe also is an avid fan of jazz and tennis – he is a
life member of the United States Tennis
Association. ... This past November, a majority of
voters in every township, village, and city voted in
favor of Issue 6 to change the way Cuyahoga
County government is run. The county will now be
led by an elected executive and an 11-member
council – much like the governments at every level
in the country. The author of Issue 6 was attorney
Gene Kramer who also wrote the reform charter
for Summit County. As a result of his efforts, an
article in Inside Business referred to Gene as a
“superhero.” He is also involved in community
affairs as a board member at The Beck Center for
the Arts in Lakewood, OH, and Regina Health
Center in Richfield, OH. Gene and his wife, JoAnn,
reside in Lakewood, OH. ... Never too early to
make plans. Our 50th Reunion will take place next
academic year. The University is planning on
combining commencement and reunion into a
grand weekend, May 20-22, 2011, in celebration of
the 125th anniversary of John Carroll University.
Further info to follow. ... Request for info from the
Class of ’61: I have been sending updated
information via e-mail regarding Carroll and/or the
Class of ’61 between issues of this magazine. If
you have not received the e-mails, it is because I
am lacking your address. Please send a note via
e-mail and I will add you to the mailing list. Keep
us informed, Jack
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 31
ALUMNI JOURNAL
‘62
Bob Andolsen
440-327-1925
rrandolsen@aol.com
Wishing those of you who have already celebrated
their 70th birthday this year, and those of you who
will become 70 this year, a healthy and prosperous
year of celebration and joy. Even though our 50th
Reunion is two years away, now is the time to
begin planning your attendance at this significant
event in 2012. This will be the time to see friends
and classmates while we still have the opportunity
to travel and visit. ... Marking a milestone in age and
wisdom, this month I was pleasantly surprised with
a 70th birthday surprise party of friends, neighbors,
and relatives. Included among the guests were
Donna and Fred (Bud) Meyers, and their son Matt,
visiting from Satellite Beach, FL. ... While enjoying
the warm weather in Florida this winter, John
Doyle, Paul Kantz ’63, John Kovach ’64, and Bob
Andolsen had the pleasure of getting together for
lunch at Bonefish Willy’s in Melbourne, FL, for a
pre-holiday JCU mini-reunion. Meanwhile, the West
Coast contingent of Paul Dwyer, John Smith, Ron
Reuss, and Paul Napoli are attempting to arrange
the same. There are even efforts to combine the
East with the West for a joint luncheon. ... Jerry
Johnson reports that he and his wife, Marge,
recently returned from a week’s vacation staying at
the Disney Treehouse Villas in Florida with their
daughter’s family (from Houston). The grandchildren
had a wonderful time, but the grandparents needed
a rest after multiple days at the various theme
parks! ... An award luncheon was held at the
Hudson Country Club on Dec. 8, 2009, by the
Hudson, OH Chamber of Commerce, announcing
that it had selected Tom Vince for its Citizen of the
Year Award. As a long-time resident of the
community, Tom Vince was honored for his many
contributions to promoting the history of Hudson,
and for his volunteer work for many organizations.
He has been a past president of the Rotary Club of
Hudson, the Hudson Heritage Association, and the
Cuyahoga Valley Civil War Round Table. He has
edited the newsletters for these groups, and
produced an award-winning history of the Hudson
Rotary Club. He has served on numerous city
boards and committees over the years including the
Hudson Bicentennial Commission, The Hudson
Bandstand Commission, Hudson Cable TV, and the
Cemetery Board. Still working, Vince is in his 14th
year as archivist and historian at the Western
Reserve Academy in Hudson. ... As this column
reaches you, we hope that your winter has been
short, and that we find you all in good health.
Please stay in contact so that we can share with
one another what is happening. Bob
‘63
Pete Mykytyn
618-549-1946
mykytyn@cba.siu.edu
Happy springtime to all ’63ers. I hope your past
holiday season and the beginning of 2010 were
very good for you and that the rest of 2010 is good
as well. My mailbox is basically empty again, but
that seems to go with the territory. There are but a
couple of items to pass on at this time. Jim
Mertes - dm_jm4@yahoo.com - sent a Christmas
photo of what I presume is the entire Mertes
family. I think I counted correctly – 19 in all in the
picture. Great picture of Donna, Jim, and a
beautiful family. It really doesn’t seem that long
ago that I made the trek to Canton, OH, to attend
your wedding. My, how time flies when you are
having fun! ... I also received a very interesting
e-mail from Frank Grace - frank.grace@teamgoc.
32 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
Frank Grace’s sculpture (see Carroll People,
inside back cover).
com - all the way from Tuscany, Italy. Those of you
who attended the 45th Reunion in June 2008 will
recall the great wine Frank had shipped over from
his winery that we enjoyed at our Reunion dinner.
Anyway, Frank wanted to give his wife, Judy, a
special 45th anniversary present. Based on several
hits in Google, the traditional gift for the 45th
anniversary is sapphire jewelry. Well, Frank
certainly did not want to simply follow tradition.
So, he had a 27 foot tall sculpture of San
Francesco della Vigna commissioned and built.
Frank said it was a surprise to Judy and took some
doing to find the right spot to place the sculpture
on the winery so that it could be seen from both
the winery and their residence, Villa Castagnoli.
What a beautiful sculpture, Frank. ... I’m well
below my word count for this column, which is
what happens when I don’t receive much. I know!
I know! You read this plea each issue. So, come
on and help me out. A new grandchild. A new
retirement home somewhere. A fabulous trip. Your
lowest golf score ever recorded. Whatever it
might be, we would be interested. So, let me hear
from you. Until next time. Pete
‘64
Frank Kelley
607-648-5947
fkelley@stny.rr.com
Ahh, spring arrives and weary Northern denizens’
thoughts turn to mowing lawns, landscaping, and
blessed golf. We begin with Ginny and Russ
Centanni; the eternal vagabonds are at it again, this
time Thailand and Cambodia. They helped prepare
for the trip by reading Loung Ung’s critically
acclaimed Cambodian memoir First They Killed My
Father. This past summer, 45th Reunion attendees
will recall Loung’s superb presentation on
Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, and her
human rights campaign for a landmine free world at
our class luncheon. Loung, Gordy Priemer’s
daughter-in-law, spoke of both the extraordinary
beauty of the Cambodian people and the horror of
the number of missing limbs in Southeast Asia from
land mines. The Centannis remarked on both.
Recalling the author’s startling culinary assertions,
our globetrotters didn’t shy from the local delicacies
and now confirm that crickets ARE as good as
popcorn and tarantulas DO taste like Tater Tots –
crunchy on the outside and soft in the center; Ginny
pronounces bamboo caterpillar her personal
favorite. They highly recommend the memoir (my
wife, Joanne, read it and concurs). ... Colonel Mike
Naylon recently discovered the final Carroll News
printed our senior year and was kind enough to
forward it. It includes some real treasures like the
feature “Onions and Harrys.” Onion of the year:
Disbanding the hockey team; Harry of the Year:
Remodeling of Bernet; Event of the Year: Mock
Convention.” O&H also declared “spirit” word of
the year, Dave Betz the Campus Wit, and branded
the Brothers Lavin “Tweedelee Dee and Tweedelee
Dum.” There’s a terrific (and irreverent) full page
Class History crafted by Hugh De Santis and Matt
MacFadden, reminiscent of, but different than the
Stream of Consciousness account in the year book.
“The Ball Game of Life” mentions Tad Walters’
lovelies, Dave McClenahan riding the tennis pine
for being overweight, Bill Waldner’s “guest
appearance,” Bob Arber trapped in his plaster life
mask, Betz “handling” the broom at Stunt Night a
little too enthusiastically, Mike McGannon and Jim
Renz hypodermically lacing a crate of oranges for
Homecoming, Tom Moore’s Wapitoolas, Mike
Herald’s Stunt Night honors, MacFadden’s slightly
tipsy debut as Union prez, and Wally Mueller’s
Gaza Strip adventures. The accompanying birds-eye
view photo shows 80+ combatants as Team ’64
soundly thrashed the seniors in the legendary
Bernet snowball fight; a classic use of ROTC
inspired firepower and maneuver. Finally the Ohio
Northern game is declared football season high
point and names one Frank Kelley as cheering
section general manager with the cryptic phrase
“get on the grape train”! What can it mean? Our
thanks to Colonel Mike for excavating these
extraordinary memories. ... Send me your thoughts.
Until next time, God bless all Streaks. Frank
‘65
Dick Conoboy
riton@comcast.net
REUNION YEAR
This is our 45th Reunion year, still not the big 5-0 but
significant, nonetheless. There is still time to make
arrangements for the June 11-13 events. For
additional information, contact Carla Gall ’05- cgall@
jcu.edu or 216.397.1592. ... Ron Foth reports that
the company he started in his home in 1975 is
celebrating 35 years in business this year. Ron is
still working, but his two sons, Ron Jr. and Mike,
who have been in the company for about 20 years
each, are playing key roles in running the
advertising agency. Even with a slow economy, Ron
is enjoying much success, due to a roster of great
clients and a staff of close to 50. His clients include
the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism, the
Columbus Zoo (working with Jack Hanna, the TV
wildlife expert), Safelite Auto Glass, and Wendy’s.
Ron invites you to check out - www.ronfoth.com -
where you can find news, photos, and samples of
his work. ... Dr. Paul Ohm (and ’68G) retired after a
44-year career as an educator in August 2009. Paul
and his wife of 42 years, Sharon Lenkey Ohm ’72G,
have five adult sons and four grandchildren. Paul
began teaching in the Cleveland Public Schools in
1965 and moved on to work and teach at the
college level where eventually he spent 30 years as
president of three different colleges. Paul and
Sharon will spend time between their home in
Battle Creek, MI, and a condo on the ocean in North
Carolina. They invite you to write to them -
ohm49017@aol.com. ... Marilyn Sophie Hormann
wrote that she was an August ’65G graduate from

the master’s in guidance and counseling program;
which gave her the foundation to build a 38-year life
of service as a middle school counselor in the
Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Marilyn
reminded me that undergraduate JCU was still all
male at the time she attended but the graduate
program was in its coed beginnings. She is now a
community volunteer, “back home again in
Indiana,” living in Fort Wayne. ... Joe Whelan and
the late Nick Orlando will be named merit award
recipients at the Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s 59th
annual Communion Breakfast. Joe will receive the
award on April 25, 2010, when there will be a
Mass at St. John’s Cathedral followed by a
breakfast at the Crown Plaza Hotel in downtown
Cleveland, OH. Joe has his own consulting firm,
Whelan International, that he invites you to visit
- www.whelaninternational.com. ... Bill Otter has
informed me that he has nothing significant to
report but wanted me to know that he was still
kicking. ... Fellow Pershing Riflemen Ron
Nemeth, Dave Broerman, Charles Prochaska,
and I have reconnected via Facebook.
Consequently, I was able to track Ron’s recent
travels through Kentucky, Florida, and Louisiana. ...
As for your columnist, travel was again the high
point for the end of 2009. I spent part of October
in Washington, D.C., visiting old friends and
colleagues. December found my wife and I in
Tunisia where she attended a conference. We
were able to visit Tunis, Carthage, and the nearby
scenic town of Sidi Bou Said. A week later we
were in Zermatt, Switzerland, where Cecile skied
and I sipped tea at the local cafes. The
temperature was -20F on the slopes. We then
travelled to Marseille, France, on the
Mediterranean to spend a pleasant and much
warmer Christmas with my wife’s family before
braving the gauntlet of increased and, at times,
more nonsensical airport security to return to the
USA. Where have you been travelling? Let me
know. Dick
‘66
Dave Griffin
727-944-5229
David.Griffin@MDIAchieve.com
Hello all. As I write, we are into winter so I hope all
our classmates above the Mason-Dixon Line are
enjoying their winter sports ... shoveling snow,
scraping windshields, sliding on icy sidewalks, etc.
I had a call from Mike Murray. He is still in
Sandusky, OH, with his practice. I mentioned
Reunion in my last column, he was checking on
the extent of my dementia since it was not our
reunion year. For Dan Raleigh’s information, Mike
has four kids in high school through college so he
has no plans to retire soon. One of Mike’s
resolutions this year is to reach out to some old
classmates. I will look forward to sharing some of
those stories Mike. ... Fran Nunney wrote that
their youngest daughter, Sara, will graduate from
Carroll in May. She was a member of the 2009
Homecoming Court (see page 1 of the winter
issue). Fran continues to teach speech two days a
week at JCU. He is also helping to coach football
and basketball at Cuyahoga Heights High School.
... Dan Ruminski e-mailed about his new project
to promote Cleveland by examining its wonderful
history, 1875-1929 when the city had half of all
millionaires in the world. He will examine this
history and make decisions as to what Cleveland
must do to become great again. He is looking for
any in the Carroll community who are willing to
commit to paper why they think Cleveland, even
today, is a great place to live and raise a family.
These stories will be put on his website. With
history and positive stories, he hopes to overcome
negative stereotypes about Cleveland and create a
more positive attitude nationally. He believes this
is the start to building greatness again. Contact
Dan at dan@floormat.com or info@floormat.com.
... I continue to work at my software sales
position. Jane is retired so she is free to come
along with me when I do travel. ... I am still very
curious about our retired classmates and have not
heard from anyone since it was mentioned in our
last column. Where do you live? What do you do
now that you have six Saturdays in every week?
Inquiring minds want to know, so call or e-mail and
tell me how great it is. Take care everyone! Dave
‘67
Peter French
440-734-5553
peter2play@yahoo.com
Hello class, hope everyone is well. Those alumni
of ’67 spending time in Florida let me know where
and when, we could have a gathering. ... Heard
from John Forhan who sends a hello to all his
friends and reports he is surviving another season
in Santa Barbara, CA, some rain, high winds, and
fire. He is looking forward to his annual trip back to
Cleveland, OH, in June. ... Tom Ashdown reports
that he and his family had a mini-reunion with his
five daughters in January. All gathered at his home
in Cleveland. ... John Gibbons said he was unable
to attend our annual MLK gathering of St. Ignatius,
Cathedral Latin, and JCU alumni as he has a
fractured foot. He was getting used to being
chauffeured around. He was able to work on his
offense and defense for the upcoming football
season. ... Bill Ryan says all are excited in New
Orleans over playing in the Super Bowl for the first
time – he might attend the game in Florida. Bill
also reported that he is keeping very busy as he
recently acquired a construction company in order
to participate in more rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.
Bill will be working with the Making it Right People
on some green projects, which is Brad Pitt’s group
in New Orleans. Bill is also kept busy with his two
new grandchildren, James (16 mos.) and Bear (6
mos.). Congratulations. ... OK time for our monthly
profile: Sam Colacarro reports that “life is good.”
He is in his 39th year at Lake Catholic High School
in Mentor, OH, and his 43rd year in education. He
does not teach anymore as he is the athletic
director, which takes up most of his time. Sam
actually began his career at Cathedral Latin High
School in ’67. Sam has been remarried for three
years to Tammy, his first wife, Marianne, passed
away in 2004. Sam’s daughter, Dana, attends
Walsh College in Canton, OH, and his son, Tom,
attends Ohio University, Athens, OH, where he
majors in sports administration. His step-son,
Benjamin, is a senior at Lake Catholic, where he
plays soccer and runs track. Sam mentioned that
he will continue his life’s work at Lake Catholic as
he “loves it.” As a side, Sam is an excellent golfer
and can’t wait to play more! Good luck, Sam. ...
Well, that’s it. I am sending out postcards so when
you receive yours, contact me with your news.
Looking for the next profile. Take care all and see
you at various Carroll events. Peter
ALUMNI JOURNAL
‘68
Jeff Hawk
317-845-4199
jjhawk68@sbcglobal.net
We welcome our new Alumni Journal coordinator for
John Carroll magazine, Cheri Slattery. Cheri is not
new to John Carroll as she has worked alongside
Michele McFarland for over 16 years. ... Michael E.
McKenna CPA, PMP, owner of his international
consulting firm specializing in U.S. Government
contracts and program management issues, Cook,
Haney & McKenna, Inc, is a dear friend from Carroll
days. I have the most pleasant memories of Mike
joining me and my roommate, Marty Susi, for great
3 a.m. sessions on world events and a 4 a.m. trip to
the local restaurant for a much needed food break.
It’s no surprise that Mike earned his CPA, and then
earned certification as a project management
professional (PMP). He and his wife, Wynne, have
two children and four grandchildren. ... For you and
John Carroll University, Jeff
‘69
Gerry Grim
grimg@hoban.org
‘70
Ted Heutsche
517-669-4005
tedh@midwestairfil.com
REUNION YEAR
The Alumni Office forwarded an obituary for Michael
R. DiSanto, 60, of Hudson who died May 25, 2009.
Michael was an independent industry trainer, and
most recently was the customer education director
for Essilor of America. Previous to that he had been
the technical lens representative for Bell Optical
Laboratory of Dayton, OH. He was the past
president of the Opticians Association of Ohio, a
Master Certified Optician. He was an adjunct
instructor in the Ophthalmic Dispensing Program at
Cuyahoga Community College and Owens Technical
College. He has worked on a number of special
projects for the National Academy of Opticianry. A
recipient of the Beverly Meyers Achievement Award,
his articles have been published in many trade
publications. He devoted 30 years to the optical
industry and was an ABO Certified speaker for more
than 20 years. He was active on the national lecture
circuit. His book, the TOPS Dispensing Manual, has
been adopted into many optician school programs.
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer R. (nee Lawder)
DiSanto; son, Michael Nicholas; daughters, Misty
(Robert) Anderson and Lindsay (Joseph) Yanock; and
grandchildren, Carson and Kennedy Anderson.
Michael lived for his family and brought a smile to
the face of everyone. ... I was also forwarded a news
release about classmate James White receiving the
Rev. Gerald B. Garvey, S.J., Award on Feb. 18 from
the Saint Ignatius-Loyola Alumni Association in
Cleveland. White is vice president for finance and
administration at Tiffin University, OH. The Garvey
Award is the highest award given by the alumni
association to one of its members. Each year, a
recipient is recognized for outstanding service to
the school through the alumni association. The
award is named for Fr. Gerald B. Garvey, S.J., who
served at Saint Ignatius as assistant principal,
principal, and president from 1936 to 1945. “I am
very humbled to receive this year’s Garvey Award
and grateful to the previous recipients who
measured my contributions to Saint Ignatius and
felt them worthy to be considered,” White said.
“There are so many alumni who give so much of
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 33
ALUMNI JOURNAL
their time and talent to Saint Ignatius; just to have
been considered for this honor was
overwhelming.” In addition to graduating with our
class, James also earned his MBA in 1984 from
Carroll. He completed the Leadership Lake County
(Ohio) program in 2000. He is treasurer and a
member of the board of trustees for St. Francis
Home in Tiffin. He also remains involved with his
alma mater St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland
as a member of the editorial board and
contributing editor for St. Ignatius Magazine – a
writing assignment he had for 26 years to the
“Years in Passing” pages. James and his wife,
Bonnie, have two daughters, Tera and Colleen. ...
Frank Brady, Sue Eagan, Pat (Hutchinson)
Evans, Bob Faught, Jim Hogue, Gerri Hura, Carl
Locke, Bob Lynch, Fran Ulrich, and I are the
“preliminary” committee members for our 40th
Reunion June 11-13, 2010. Our attendance goal is
40 classmates for 40 years, but I think that is too
conservative of a goal. You should have received a
mailing about Reunion. If you want to join us in
planning our 40th, please e-mail either me or Carla
Gall ’05 - cgall@jcu.edu. Plan to join us in June! Ted
down. People thought the kid was dead!” Mulkeen
also feels that Sixy, given the chance, would have
been a 1,000 yard+ running back for the Streaks.
Sixy and Betty ’76 are empty-nesters in Chicago.
Mike also sees his insurance agent, Tom
Cavanagh. Mike complains that all Cavy wants to
talk about is his future, but Mike says, “I still don’t
know what I want to be when I grow up.” ... Anne
Conway was honored with the 2009 JCU Alumni
Medal. Anne is a U.S. District judge in the Middle
District of Florida. Congrats Anne, and remember
that “get out of jail” card in case one of your dear
classmates may need one. ... Bobby “Yo Man, My
Name Is Kahuna” Quart wrote to say he and
Connie Carpenter Quart are grandparents to baby
Quinn. Somehow I can’t see these two – who may
have been the most attractive couple to ever grace
the campus – as grandparents. (Maybe I got carried
away there. Gregg Gianpetro certainly was up
there for “best looking”) ... Tony Adinolfi recently
retired after serving over 33 years as chief of police
with the City of Lyndhurst, OH Police Department.
Tony has two daughters, an Akron attorney and a
Colette Gibbons, Class of 1973.
U.S. Army vet now working for Weyerhaeuser. ...
Got word that Richard Ebner won Crain’s Business
CFO of the Year Award for his work at Beachwood’s new endeavor. ... In my last few tidbits of news

‘71
Tom and Rosemary Costello Liberty Bank, NA. ... And Bill Petrovic is getting
217-344-2076 “Younger Next Year” after a tough health battle. He
tcostello@cumtd.com and wife Kathy are hiking the mountains, biking,
working out, and practicing Yoga. Keep up the good
work Bill. ... And if you are doing road-work, check
out my old friend Mike Gotfredson’s ’74 -
– Colette Gibbons, partner-in-charge of Schotten-
stein Zox & Dunn Co., LPA Cleveland office, who
is also co-leader of the firm’s Business Restruc-
turing and Creditors Rights Practice Group, has
been invited to become a Fellow of the American
College of Bankruptcy, an honorary association of

‘72
John M. Marcus roadrunnersports.com - and ask for the “Carroll bankruptcy and insolvency professionals (I know
202-296-0901 discount.” Tell him Marcus sent you! Take care, JM there’s a joke here somewhere, but I choose to
jmarcus887@aol.com take the high road). She will be inducted in March
at the Supreme Court of the United States in

‘73
Gerry O. Patno
How valuable was our Carroll education? Mike 216-228-4291
Mulkeen recently reminded me of the days patno@att.net
following graduation when Jim Clingan ’71, Bob
Sidow, Mulkeen, and I worked for a company
cleaning houses in Shaker Heights – you know, like NEW Columnist
the teams of three little ladies that clean your house Bob Larocca
now. Mulkeen recalls, “I’ll never forget cleaning 216-321-5547/216-233-7651
those mansions on Fairmount and finding plates rockyjcumag@yahoo.com
covered with food stuffed into drawers.” Mulkeen
sees his old “target,” Ken Sophie, frequently. Soph
THRILL of the QUILL!
is tied down by the sports schedules of his
Seems like just yesterday that I gathered in a
14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son and by a
room at John Carroll with people like, well, Bill
demanding, leave-no-time-for-the-family boss, Bob
Peoples ’37, Linda Meglin ’74, Mike Dwyer ’37,
Harrington, in Harrington’s Chicago law practice.
and Gerry Grim ’69 to start something new in
Mulkeen also sees Bill Sixsmith and says Billy
the Carroll Alumni Journal. A section devoted to
looks no different. Mulkeen and Sixy played Little
current events of individuals who’ve graduated
League ball together in Pittsburgh. “Sixy had an 80
from JCU, grouped by class, to give everyone a
mph fastball when he was 11 ... one time he hit a
capsule update of their former classmates. That
batter and the kid spun three times before crashing
was during the summer of 1979. 10 years after
graduation from Winter Park High School, FL; six
years outta’ Carroll; five years into my business
press writing/editing career; three years since the
blizzard of ’76, which forever branded me among
friends and associates as a person of extraordinary
Washington, D.C. Congratulations, Colette! ... And
Timothy A. Kral, professor of biological sciences
in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sci-
ences, Fayetteville, AR, was named winner of the
Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award
for 2009, the latest in a long list of honors, this one
being the university’s most prestigious teaching
award. After his Blue Streak days, Tim became a
Gator, earning his doctorate in microbiology at the
University of Florida, and did post-doctoral work as
an Owl at Temple University’s School of Medicine.
Congratulations, Tim! ... Well, sports fans, that’s
it. I leave completely unfulfilled in the arena of
Cleveland championship teams (none – a particu-
larly unpleasant fact when in the company of our
beloved Blue Streak friends from Pittsburgh), but
extremely satisfied from the many kind words of
encouragement and positive feedback I received
from many of you throughout the years, which
truly made this job a labor of love. – gop
We thank Gerry for his many years of dedicated
service to the Class of 1973 serving as class
columnist. We wish him luck in the future.

dependability (if not down-right stupidity) for going
to work that day; two years into my marriage; and
a mere year into my Lakewood home ownership.
Now, 30 years, scores of columns, hundreds of
classmates, thousands of words, two college-
graduate kids, and one major award later – I think
it’s time to pass the torch to someone else. How
appropriate that during this Winter Olympics year,
that torch will be proudly passed to a most worthy
successor, a natural fit; a guy who also is depend-
able (and defiantly not stupid); a guy who loves to
socialize and keeps a long list of JCU-connected
friends. That guy is none other than “The Rock
of Carroll.” Yes, Robert “Bob/Rock” Larocca
has agreed to take that torch and keep the light
shining brightly on his former classmates. But, as
with me, he will continue to need your help. So
please do all that you can to help the Rock in his
Rich Ebner, Class of 1972.
34 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
‘74
Dave Robinson
248-642-9615
DRobby_18@Yahoo.com
It was an honor to join many of my fraternity
brothers as Iota Chi Upsilon was recognized during
halftime of the Homecoming football game for the
establishment of the IXY Endowed Scholarship
which has raised over $600,000. That morning 20
I-Chis volunteered clearing an urban lot in Cleveland
to be converted into an urban farm. Kathy and
Kevin Smith hosted dinner at their home Saturday
night. Guests included, Terry Dwyer, Bob and
Mary Madden, Connie and Rick Shina, Ken ’75
and Cheryl Rudzki, Tim Franzinger ’72, Cliff ’72 and
Catherine (Soper) Radie, and Charlie Beringer ’75.
The evening was spent recalling stories and sifting
through 500 photos from the ’70s. ... Roger Hull is

I-Chi Homecoming party held at Kevin and Kathy Smith’s home. Left to right: Rick Shina ’74, Terry Dwyer ’74,
Ken Rudzki ’75, Kevin Smith ’74, Bob Madden ’74, Tim Franzinger ’72, Charlie Beringer ’75, and Cliff Radie ’72.
the manager of major donors for WRCJ-FM,
Detroit’s classic and jazz radio station. ... Marie and
Larry Meathe’s oldest daughter, Libby, announced
her engagement to be married in Milwaukee. ...
Dan Summers lives in St. Augustine, TX, and is a
partner with United Equity Ventures, developing
real estate in South Florida. ... In January 2009,
Marlana Pugh Hamer retired from the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District after over 30 years as a
secondary English and reading teacher. In June
2009, she moved to the Phoenix, AZ, metro area
where she bought her first home. ... From Bernie
Conway ’75, in Chicago, we hear his oldest son,
Bernard, is a Marine corporal and has been
deployed to Afghanistan. His unit is stationed in the
province of Helmand. The troops can’t get enough
clean wipes and small brushes; they can also use
personal size toiletries, BLACK duct tape, hand and
foot warmers, and calling cards. A $5 calling card is
the difference between soldiers calling home or not
– no cell phones allowed. This is a partial list of
what the Marines can use and if you’d like to learn
more, contact Bernie - bjcireland@gmail.com. His
youngest son, John, also a Marine, was deployed in
February. Keep all of our combatant troops in your
prayers. ... In December, Van Conway, president of
Conway MacKenzie & Dunleavy, Inc. in
Birmingham, MI, was elected to the Walsh College
Board of Trustees. ... Our prayers and condolences
go to the family of Ronald Wolfe who passed away
in December after a fall. Ron was very popular at
Hebrew Academy of Cleveland. “Ron Wolfe was an
educator par excellence,” said Rabbi Simcha
Dessler, director for Hebrew Academy. “His
passing was both a tragedy and a loss. I know he
will forever be remembered by the faculty and
students.” He is survived by his wife Katherine
’91G of 44 years, three daughters, and seven
grandchildren. ... Have a great spring. Robby
‘75
Rick Rea
314-769-9051
col.rickrea@charter.net
REUNION YEAR
Hello classmates! It’s hard to believe that 35 years
ago my AKY brothers Rick (Rip) Rudnicki, Ed
Donnelly, Vic (Doc) Cook, Mike (Toes) Riley and I
were planning our senior spring break trip to Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. I’m looking forward to having a
few cold ones with them in the Rat Bar during
Reunion. Oops, senior moment! The answer to
the trivia question from my last column is CKLW.
Jim Knuff e-mailed the correct answer but, alas,
no personal news. Kevin Kane and John DiNallo
answered correctly and both are looking forward
to Reunion Weekend in June. Bryan Fritz
answered correctly and remembers the frequency
of CKLW - AM 800. Bryan’s been working on the
JCU football stats crew for 29 years and is starting
his 30th year in the Prosecutor’s Office for the City
of Cleveland putting away bad guys (and gals.) Bill
Charske responded to Bill McNamara’s question
about CKLW and gave an explanation to Ed
Jindra’s comments from a few columns back
regarding “Chef’s World.” To summarize “Chef’s
World” was a live Food Network style television
show produced in the JCU communications
department our senior year. Charske explains that
the show ended up like a live Three Stooges short
with Ed (the chef) accidentally scalding himself
with a cup of boiling water during a live cooking
demonstration throwing the entire cast and crew
into convulsive laughter. Frank Magliochetti
e-mailed CKLW and some news. Daughter Katie
graduated from Millersville University of
Pennsylvania last December with a BA in
communications. She’s now with the Garrett
Williamson Foundation in Newtown Square, PA.
Wife, Bonnie, is a dental assisting/dental hygiene
instructor at Harcum College. Oldest daughter,
Sarah, is a suite sales representative for the
Philadelphia Phillies. Frank’s the Northeast regional
business manager for Jennie-O Turkey Store. ... I
received a nice e-mail from Dan Bonder with
some personal and family news. Dan still stays in
touch with JCU pals John Krizansky ’74, Tom
Cecconi ’73, Paul Cipar ’78, and Jeff Miller ’79.
Dan has been a financial planner for 12 years. He
and five partners established a comprehensive
financial planning firm, Beacon Financial Partners,
in Beachwood, OH, three years ago. Dan met wife
Joanne at Carroll and she is a teacher of the
hearing impaired at Millridge Center in the
Mayfield City Schools. Two sons are in medical
school Bryan (Toledo University, Medical College
of Ohio) and Adam (Rosalind Franklin University,
Chicago Medical School.) Third son, Eric, is an
Eagle Scout and is enrolling in the vet tech
program at CCC. Dan would like to hear from all of
his Beta Tau Sigma frat brothers - danbonder@
beaconplanners.com. ... Your reunion committee is
ALUMNI JOURNAL
planning a great weekend on campus June 11-13,
2010. Let’s set a record for attendance and Class
Gift at our 35th Reunion, okay? ... Here’s my trivia
question – What lunar event occurred this past
New Year’s Eve that will not occur again for 18
years? ... Lastly, I received an e-mail from Fr. Neal
Buckon. Neal is serving God and his fellow U.S.
Army soldiers as chaplain in Seoul, South Korea.
Pray for Neal and pray for peace. C U at JCU in
June. Hey, Sam! RR
‘76
Diane Coolican Gaggin
cools@twcny.rr.com
Happy spring everyone! Fergus Fest First – Terry
sent a “six-pack of kids” update. Nathan is
finishing pediatric residency and due to be married
in April; Meredith, an attorney in Cleveland, OH, is
the mother of Terry and Mary’s two grandsons;
Caitie’s in grad school at BU studying scenic set
designing (at least one had to do something in
theater); Kristen graduated from University of
Denver in hotel and restaurant management; Jon’s
a junior at Ohio State studying pre-med; and Jill’s a
freshman at JCU studying theater and journalism.
Congratulations, Terry, thanks for the update! ...
Elaine Yeip chimed in with reminiscences of a
Welsh/Benacci/Rainsberger Christmas carol
serenade in the Student Union offices. Tom
Welsh sends word that the 26th “Big Chill” fall
weekend came together at Tim Cannon’s ’77 in
Naples, FL. Attendees included: Denny Saunier,
Ken Mulcrone, and Ken Capson, who unseen for
over 25 years, is doing fine and looks just the
same. Tom added that Bill Rainsberger is now in
Tokyo, Michele joined him in January. ... Jackie
Lanser Zilinskas is swapping more grandmother
stories with Debbie Utlak Cook about her newest
grandchild. Daughter Lauren Zilinskas Owcarz and
husband Michael, both ’03, welcomed Graham
Michael in October. ... Vincent Casaregola,
professor of English at St. Louis University,
published Theatres of War: America’s Perceptions
of World War II, just in time for the
commemoration of the 68th anniversary of the
attack on Pearl Harbor. Congratulations, Vince! ...
The 2009 Davis Young Award for exceptional
mentoring was given to Nora Jacobs ’76G
executive vice president and Cleveland office
manager of Edward Howard. We salute you, Nora!
... Harry Rosenfeld ’77 - rabbirosenfeld@tbz.org -
finally cleared up his and wife Michelle’s
September 2000 trek from Anchorage to Buffalo in
one phrase, “feeling the need to warm up!” He’s
senior rabbi at Temple Beth Zion, while Michelle
works with the Department of Homeland Security.
Harry is on Facebook reconnecting with many old
friends from Carroll. He wants everyone to know
that anyone who finds him on Facebook or is
coming through Buffalo should give him a shout!
Great to be back in touch, Harry. ... Mike McCarthy
’77 says he ran into former DAT housemate
Dennis Casey in Chicago. Case works for Harris in
money management, weighs the same as he did
in college, and spends a lot of time at his condo in
Florida. Hey Dennis, get in touch and fill in the gray
areas. ... See how much fun it was to read all this?
Now it’s your turn to add to the scroll. Enjoy the
spring! Cools
‘77
Dennis J. Lane
dlane@ryancom.com
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 35
ALUMNI JOURNAL
‘78
Tim Freeman
708-579-9075
tim@jesuits-chi.org
Here’s the latest ... Jack Schufreider and spouse
Cathy have been married for four years and reside
in Littleton, CO. Jack is division manager for
Oscilloquartz, a Swiss maker of special telecom
equipment. Schuf says he is getting good at
Spanish, with a territory covering Panama to
Alaska. They have four children: Katie (23) lives in
Chicago, Maggie (17), Daniel (15), and Emmy (13).
Jack is also assistant boys’ varsity basketball
coach at Mullen High School in Denver, winning
the Colorado state championship a couple of years
ago. Schuf ran into former JCU coach Ed Janka,
who works for Nike, at a coaches’ clinic in Las
Vegas last year. Jack keeps connected with Mimi
’80 and Bruce Luecke, Chris Kelly, and Kathy
(O’Brien) Caplice; he’d love to find out where
Saul Cyvas is hiding. ... Jan Szorady Hash and
her husband, Mark, celebrated 25 years of
marriage last year. Daughter Caitlin (19) is a
student at the University of Dayton and son Alex
(16) attends Dublin Coffman High School. Jan is
employed as an organizational liaison for Dublin
Methodist Hospital-Ohio Health, which is part of
the Pebble Project. The hospital has been built
around evidence based research that links healing
environments with patient recovery time. They
keep in touch with classmates Sandra Anderson
Polgar and Gloria Brinda Schuster. Jan and Mark
look forward to traveling again during life after
college tuition. ... Rob (Marz) Marczynski is the
director of administration and stewardship and the
co-director of religious education at St. Ann
Catholic Church in Bartlett, TN, (a suburb of
Memphis). Marz and spouse Beth have been
married for 23 years and have three children:
Sarah and Kate attend U of Tennessee at
Chattanooga; Charlie is a sophomore at St.
Benedict High School. Marz recently caught up
with John Kostyo and John Deitrick via LinkedIn
and sends greetings to Rob Herald. ... In Chicago,
Terry O’Brien ran an inspired campaign but fell
short in his quest to become the Democratic
nominee to serve as president of the Cook County
Board. Terry finished a strong second in a four
person race on the February 2 primary. ... Kathy
Hiney began a new job at Akron Children’s
Hospital as the quality initiative specialist. ...
Congratulations to Rich Bongorno for being
honored to receive the Rev. Gerald B. Garvey, S.J.,
Award for his outstanding service to his alma
mater, St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. Rich’s
service to Ignatius ranges from organizing an
alumni golf outing for financial aid, co-chairing
Arrupe Neighborhood Tax Day, president of the
Alumni Executive Council, member of the board of
regents, and more. Rich and spouse Marylou have
three children: Rick, Bill, and Karen. Congratulations,
Rich. ... Thanks for writing. Tim
‘79
Nancy Agacinski
216-932-2824
nagacinski@yahoo.com
Hi, happy spring everyone! Loretta Cipkus
Dubray celebrated her first successful year of
running her consulting and project management
firm, Global Clinical Connections. Her firm
specializes in clinical supplies coordination for
Phase I-IV clinical trials - www.
globalclinicalconnections.com. Also, Loretta was
awarded the 2009 YWCA Woman of Achievement
Award. This is given to three women who have
36 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
contributed to their community with volunteer
work, professional achievements, and leadership
roles. Nice job Loretta, congratulations! ... Heard
from fellow Grand Rapidian Jim McDonald. He
wasn’t able to attend our 30th Reunion last summer
as his company was in the middle of a major
acquisition. They have since closed the deal and
his company, Intelligrated, is now the market
leader in the material handling industry after just
eight years. Jim reported that the company began
only five days before 9/11. Jim and his wife, Mary
Keith, live in Columbus, OH. He has new
responsibilities for running a newly acquired
businesses in Maryland, so he now commutes
between the Baltimore area from either Columbus,
OH, or Naples, FL, where he and his wife spend
the winter and spring. Jim has been in contact with
Collette Gibbons Beringer ’80 and her husband,
Dave ’81, who also have a home in the Naples
area. ... I ran into Tommy Hartnett ’81 and he said
there was an IXY reunion in Vegas recently.
Sounded like a great time – someone send me
some details! ... In November 2009, the
Providence Business News reported that Michael
Sutila was named to the board of trustees for St.
Elizabeth Community. St. Elizabeth’s is a non-profit
organization with four Rhode Island locations that
provide various levels of services from independent
apartments to skilled nursing care for seniors and
the needy. Mike is a controller for Chase Machine
& Engineering Inc. For the past two years, he has
been the co-chair of Rose Bids, St. Elizabeth
Community’s annual fundraiser. He co-chaired the
2008 Rose Bids event, raising $100,000 for the St.
Elizabeth Community. Nice work, Mike! ... Now
that we’re in the age of all types of communication
– Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, e-mail, texting, cell
phones, land lines, fax machines, Skype, and snail
mail, you really don’t have an excuse to not send
me updates and news. So come on everyone,
send me some information! I look forward to
hearing from you soon. Fondly, Nancy
‘80
Matt Holtz
440-331-1759
mfh2885@sbcglobal.net
REUNION YEAR
June 11-13, 2010, marks our 30-year Reunion.
Time flies. It does not seem that long, but the
calendar does not lie. Mark your calendar and plan
American Airlines has named Jim Moses ’80 as
its managing director – passenger services at its
Miami hub (MIA).
on attending. Communications detailing all the
events will be mailed to you. You can contact
alumni@jcu.edu for information or call 1-800-736-
2586. ... Tom Armagno writes that he is looking
forward to the Reunion and has been in the health
care industry since graduating from Carroll. He is a
president of a health care company that owns and
operates several skilled nursing facilities along
with a home health agency. Tom’s spouse, Lorie
Coviello Armagno ’82, teaches at a local
Montessori school. Tom has two boys at John
Carroll; Tommy is in his last semester as an
English major and Rob is a junior accounting major.
Third son, Danny, is a senior at Gilmour Academy
and looking to be an architect. The youngest son,
Joey, is in 8th grade at Gilmour Middle School. ...
Pat Divito sends greetings to all! Pat has started
his 30th year with Reynolds American Inc. In
addition, he and his wife will be celebrating their
30th wedding anniversary this year. Their oldest
child, Tim, was married in September and their
daughter, Leah Divito ’07, is in her third year of
dental school at The Ohio State University. Their
youngest will be a senior at Greensboro College,
NC. ... Kate FitzGerald throws out a wild and
wonderful hello from West Virginia! Kate has been
working at Charleston Catholic High School for the
last 10 years. She will not be able to attend
Reunion since her son will be graduating from
Carleton College that weekend. ... Watch your
mailbox for Reunion information and feel free to
drop a line anytime. MFH
‘81
Bob Hill
414-254-9880
Soar1@aol.com
‘82
Paul Hulseman
847-867-9322 (c)
PJHulseman@aol.com
Greetings from Chicago! Baby, it’s cold outside!
Fortunately the winter sports are swimming and
basketball in the Hulseman household – both are
held in climate controlled areas. Is there any better
smell than chlorine? The sun left Chicago in early
December – I am told it may return by the time
this magazine hits your mailbox, but I will believe it
when I see it. ... Author, Author! Our very own
Beaudry Award winner, Mary Kay Merk-Kusner,
has written her first book. Upside-Down and
Backwards...A Mother’s Story is a beautiful story
about the birth and growth of her daughter, Anna.
Anna was born with a missing chromosome, but
has taught the Kusner family so much along the
way. This book will make you smile, laugh, cry,
pray, and appreciate others in so many ways. I
cannot recommend this book more highly. Check it
out at www.amazon.com or www.marykaykusner.
com. ... The news about Mike Minnaugh got
Stacey Sanner to send an e-mail. Those two went
to grade school together in Erie, PA. Stacey left
New York, NY, to follow her “long-time beau” to
Seattle where he is president of Nintendo of
America, Inc., and Stacey runs her own PR
business. Stacey and Reggie are getting married in
2010 (she did not give me an exact date – I’ll wait
for the invitation in the mail!). My kids would think
Reggie is the coolest. I bring home plastic cups
from work and he brings home new or
experimental Wii games! ... Do you Facebook! My
kids were horrified when I started. Some have
“friended” me. A few “friended” then quietly
“unfriended” me. I have a growing list of
classmates on my list: Katie Carpenter Rose,
Char Murawa Donelan, Dave Holtz, Debbi

Klein, Dorothea Polster, Francine Gagliano, Joe
Kovach, Mary Kay Merk Kusner, Mike Minnaugh,
Mike Hermann, Paul Colavincenzo, Bobby
Gentile, Nick Conyngham, Marianne Kirk
Merren, Tim O’Callahan, and Tom Biltz. ...
Onward On! Paul
‘83
Mark Schroeder
216-210-2020
briome@auctionbrio.com
The snow has gone but not the glimmer of gold for
Ed Devney, what a fun life he lives. Ed helped
provide the world television broadcast coverage of
the Winter Olympics from Vancouver serving as
deputy venue manager for the aerials, moguls,
snowboarding, and ski cross. Ed’s been keeping
busy in production with working the New York
Marathon as a field producer and did a great job line
producing Get Schooled for Viacom featuring
Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star LeBron James
and President Barack Obama. ... I finally had the
chance to work with Mary (Power) Patton. While I
conducted the auction, Mary’s company, Patton PR
provided all the promotional organization for a
fundraiser for The Miracle Fund for University
Hospitals. ... If health care is the topic then expert in
the field is Shannon (Fogarty) Jerse. Shannon
moves from the Cleveland Clinic to Saint Vincent
Charity Hospital in Cleveland, OH, as their deputy
general counsel for the health system. ... Deb
Solyan and I got together for some catch-up time
and lunch with Ann Moore at her home in
Willowick, OH. Deb just returned from smoking the
craps tables in Vegas – Ann and I enjoyed the
stories of the rolls of the dice. It was great to
reunite with Ann, who I have not seen in about
seven years. ... It wasn’t easy to hunt down Mary
Dwyer, but I finally found her with her husband
Mark Dilts, daughter Catherine (15), and son Ryan
(12) near Cincinnati, OH. Mary says they are boring
and incredibly happy. Mary, boring? Never! Happy?
You bet! Always with a radiant smile, Mary sent me
a photo of her, Kevin Cusack, Kevin McNulty, Sue
Daly Grover, and John May ’84. For the last seven
years, they have come together for a Labor Day
reunion. Mary keeps in touch with Maureen (Kelly)
West, Sissy (Callahan) Dailey, Suzanne
(Schlichtman) Greenberg and Kitty (Bridgman)
Sturgeon, Laura (Brail) Lose, and Eileen (Byrne)
Hickerson. ... I’m not sure that Victoria Ashley is
ready for chicken and waffles after her relocation,
but Victoria loves her move from Cleveland to
Alexandria, VA. Though she has children attending
Ohio State and DePaul University, she adores
southern living with her youngest daughter. Victoria
told me she is working for the State Department in
D.C. and resides in Old Town Alexandria. ... Contact
me and tell me something good because
classmates want to know what you are up to. Mark
‘84
Don D’Amore
440-235-1323
jcuclassof84@yahoo.com
As we discovered at our Reunion about so many
classmates, Brigit Hurley writes that she and her
husband are also raising four children outside her
hometown of Rochester, NY. Brigit works part-time
at Catholic Charities and home schools their kids.
Their oldest is applying to colleges now. ... Mary
Lavin ’87, Carroll’s director of Alumni Relations tells
the tale of a good deed done by a classmate. While
in southern Ohio this fall, Mary’s car broke down
and was towed. Because it was a weekend, the
dealership couldn’t fix it and local rental car
agencies were closed. But Blue Streak luck came
through! The general manager for Bob Boyd Auto
Family in Lancaster was classmate Bobby Dawes.
After sharing several JCU stories, Bobby contacted
a rental staff person who in turn came in to rent
Mary a car so she could return to Cleveland that
night. What could have been a sad tale was a happy
JCU connection. Mary returned a few days later to
pick up the car, and brought some JCU items for
Bobby to spread the Blue and Gold spirit. ...
Dariush (Dar) Saghafi MD was sorry he missed
Reunion, but he, Paty, and family were vacationing
in Mexico. Dar heads the Headache Clinic at the VA
Hospital in Cleveland, OH, is on the neurology staff,
maintains his private practice at his Parma office,
and does home visitations (which Dar enjoys
because he often gets fed – stopping at Carroll daily
lets him work it off). He rolls with the wrestling
team as an assistant coach and he wrestles
competitively. He mashed his hand a bit at a CSU
tournament, but still played his violin at a Christmas
concert that same night. Dar has a six-year running
radio show called The Ohio Physicians Educational
Network airing every third Saturday at 5 p.m. on
1420AM in Cleveland. They recently moved to
Pepper Pike, minutes from campus. He is hopeful
children Shahram (16), Feeroozeh (15), Moneer (14),
and Farideh (11) will take the second generation of
the Saghafi name through JCU. The kids are into
driving, volleyball, art/drama, and all play violin and
compose music, and want to be doctors like dad. ...
Debra and John Herber and kids Michael (22),
Kristen (17), and Patrick (12) all had dinner with
Tom “T” Dannemiller on December 30 in Miami,
while the family vacationed in South Florida. It was
a great time catching up and swapping Dolan Hall
stories. T told the Herber children some stories
about their father “Johnny Mixer” that they will, no
doubt, carry through generations. ... Meet up with
an alum – send notes. Don
‘85
Diane (Nerem) Wendel
914-238-2227
DWendel@Optonline.net
REUNION YEAR
It is time to make those reservations for our big
J-C-U 2-5 Reunion Weekend, June 11-13! I promise
you will be glad you made the effort to join us for
some just plain laughing from the belly F-U-N!
Check out www.jcu.edu/alumni for more
information and to see who is coming. ... Corky
O’Sullivan has begun his 25th year as a youth
hockey coach at Winterhurst Ice Rink in Lakewood,
OH. He spent 12 of those years coaching his own
sons. Corky, Paula, and their four sons still live in
Lakewood. He is usually at the rink, so stop in and
say hello. ... Vivian Brown Schodowski dropped
me a line and said, “I am still married to Dan
Schodowski ’84 – 23 years! We have two kids,
Kaitlyn a senior and Tanner a freshman, both at
Walsh Jesuit High School. We live in Twinsburg and
I am working as a consultant for a company called
Mediform, Inc. Dan is the president of two
manufacturing companies: JTM Products, Inc. in
Solon and ChemMasters in Madison, OH.” ...
Congratulations to Matthew Koenig on the arrival
of Lucy Catharine on Sept. 18, 2008. He was able
to connect with Paul DiCapri and Kevin Fogarty,
who is currently an editor specializing in science,
medicine, technology, and business. His house on
Martha’s Vineyard is still for rent or sale, too! ...
Novelist classmate, Elizabeth Becka Lansky’s
– pen name, Lisa Black – fourth crime novel
Evidence of Murder the sequel to Takeover is
climbing the booklist fast. ... Congratulations to Jodi
and John Marsh on the birth of Christopher
Andrew on Oct. 15, 2009. We extend condolences
ALUMNI JOURNAL
to the entire Marsh family on the passing of their
beloved mother, Patricia Marie Marsh, this past
December. I also wish to extend sincere
condolences to Martha Friday Cusick and family
on the loss of her great father, Dr. Gilbert Friday, of
Pittsburgh, PA. ... I hope to see you all in June! Until
then – ciao, Diane
‘86
Gigi Togliatti-Rice
419-529-5530
gigimrice@gmail.com
Beth (Bonanno) Hausoul
ehausoul@mac.com
‘87
Sue Farinacci Grazia
440-256-0338
jsgrazia@adelphia.net
‘88
Jamie Jamison
330-702-1965
jjamison@zoominternet.net
Kathy Reali Matthews
440-871-7283
bk3matthews@yahoo.com
Hello to all in 2010! We have a few things to report
about classmates, but we hope to stay better
connected this year. For all those Facebook fans,
our class has a Facebook group – JCU Class of
1988. Please join and send us your updates so we
can stay in touch. ... Good news for some fellow
classmates. Dave DiCillo merged his financial
services company with Zinner and Co., managed by
another JCU alum, Robin Baum ’87. Dave will now
become a partner in the Zinner and Co. firm.
Congratulations Dave! ... Two classmates
welcomed new additions to their family (both are
Jamie’s freshman roommates) – Staci Blagovich
Dunbar, welcomed Graydon Cooper Dunbar on
May 22. Staci and her husband, Morgan, were in
Japan and returned to the States last spring. ...
Nancy Shalala welcomed Sophie last year as well.
Congratulations to both your families. We look
forward to meeting your children at the next
reunion. ... Looking forward to your updates.
Cheers, Jamie and Kathy
‘89
David Gassman
440-934-0366
dgassmktvp@aol.com
Greetings ’89ers and welcome to the new year of
2010. Wow, it seems like just yesterday we were
all freaking out about Y2K and the coming of the
year 2000. My how time truly does fly, whether
you are having fun or not. Not a lot of news, very
little as a matter of fact, other than what I hear
from the Cleveland faithful. I did have the pleasure
of attending a fellow JCU graduate’s Christmas
party, John ’86 and Karen ’91 Reilly, and spent
some quality time with Mike Murphy. We
enjoyed rehashing stories about Dolan Hall and
who did what and how funny it was. Mike is an
attorney, and is married to wife Jeanene. They
have two daughters, Caitlin and Megan. Thanks
for the laughs Mike and the little sips of Jameson.
... Congratulations go out to Rick Costello who
was recently named chief operating officer of
Spectrum Surgical Instruments Corp. Previously,
Rick was president of an international materials
handling company and earned his MBA from Case
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 37
ALUMNI JOURNAL
Carroll Images of
Can you identify anyone
in these photos?
We’d like to know!
Please e-mail us at journal@jcu.edu.
22 JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY WINTER 2009
Who Are They?
Thanks to the readers that were able to help
identify the people in the winter 2009 issue
Images of Carroll page.
Kathleen N. Michael, ‘77, MaryBob
(Hogenkamp) Straub, ‘76, Carol Dougherty,
‘77, Mary Ann Gardner Conway ‘76 and Tom
Englehart, ‘77 all wrote to say that the man riding
the bicycle on the right side of the page is Bob
Anderson from the Class of 1977. Mr. Englehart
remembers living across the hall from Anderson
in Pacelli Hall during their freshman year. Ms.
Conway says his picture from that bygone era
brought a smile.
Jessica Talbott, Class of 2004, was identified
by classmates Sarah (Keating) Albanese and Kate
Weber, as being the caroler in the red coat on
the middle of the page. Beth Monhemius, ’01
recognized the men on both sides of Talbott.
Marty Wingate ’03, is to the right of Talbott and
Jim Wetzel ’01, is to the left.
Kathy (Hespen) Forster, Class of 1971
informed us that she is the woman holding the
candle in the bottom left corner with husband,
Ron Forster ‘71. She said that she still has the
earrings that she wore on that special Christmas
Carroll Evening. Classmate, Carol Kuhner, let
us know that Hespen has been serving on the
Alumni Board since graduation and that Kathy
and Ron reside in Grosse Pointe Shores, MI.
Franz Forster, Class of 1960, also wrote in to
identify her brother and sister-in-law.
The front two students walking on campus
on the bottom right corner were recognized by
George and Terri (Kluesener) Lewandowski, from
the Class of 1978. Their son, Chris Lewandowski,
is pictured with Carolyn Pici. Ms. Lewandowski
was also identified by Margaret Kluesener.
38 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
Western Reserve. Rick is married with five kids. I
have not talked to Rick since our days on the JCU
soccer field; Rick drop me a line so I can learn
more about what you have been up to and how
things are going. Again congrats on your newly
appointed position. ... To those Blue Streaks who
frequent the West or Southwest side, stop into
the new Fat Little Buddies Tavern in Olmstead
Township at the corner of Cook and Fitch Roads.
Dan Weaver and Joe O’Malley ’88 are the proud
new owners and welcome you to stop in for a
beer, some food, and guaranteed laughs. ...
Unfortunately I have to pass on some unhappy
news at times – I do want to mention the passing
of John Fox’s mother, Doris, in early January. She
fought a hard battle with Alzheimer’s for many
years and was a very strong and great woman;
she will be missed, John. ... I also heard of the
sudden passing of Terry Nagle’s sister and have
almost no details. Terry
2009our thoughts
A NN and prayers
UA L R E PORT
are with you as well. ... By the time you read this,
Quality, Value, Impact
we should be back to warm temperatures, the
Colts will have hopefully won UNI
JOHN CARROLL theV ERS
Super
IT Y Bowl, and
I will have heard from many more of you quiet
Carroll Blue Streaks from the class of 1989.
Peace, David WINTER 2009 JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY
‘90
Melissa Wenzler
440-725-0753
WenzJCU90@aol.com
REUNION YEAR
Hi all, hope everyone is getting ready for spring,
but more importantly, hope you are getting excited
for our upcoming Reunion this June! Be sure to
mark your calendar for the weekend of June
11-13, 2010 – it’s going to be a great weekend, the
Alumni Office always does a wonderful job
planning the event. If you are interested in helping
plan our 20th Reunion, please contact Carla Gall ’05
- cgall@jcu.edu – or 216.397.1592. You don’t have
to be in Cleveland to help plan – much of the work
is done via phone or e-mail – so don’t let distance
be your excuse. Looking forward to seeing many
of you to celebrate our 20th Reunion and getting all
the news for the fall column. Until then, start
dusting off those old photo albums, yearbooks,
and (gasp) the freshman record (I still have mine).
See you in June. Melissa
‘91
Molly Coughlin Fanta
440-716-1749
mfanta4714@wowway.com
‘92
Jim Sislo
440-269-1245
James@Sislo.net
‘93
Julie (Roddy) Reardon
440-877-0939
dereardon@roadrunner.com
‘94
Maureen “Moe” McGuinness
moe@unt.edu
‘95
Annie (Hummer) DePerro
330-966-8845
anniedeperro@sssnet.com
REUNION YEAR
You may not know this about me, but cheese is
my favorite food ever. Cheddar, Gouda, Provolone,
Havarti, Feta you name it, I’m there. So when I
caught up with Derek Diaz recently, my ears and
taste buds instantly perked up when he mentioned
his recent cheese-related rendezvous. Melt Bar &
Grilled in Lakewood, OH, was the venue for a
Labor Day weekend mini reunion of five ’95 grads
and their families: Derek, Dennis Percy, Mike and
Nadine (Rusnack) Wallman, and Tony Jannette.
This is the second time in two months that I’ve
heard about Melt so I did what any other curious
food lover who is not local enough to go there
herself would do – I Googled it. So impressed was
I by its seemingly authentic feel and intrigued by
the Snarky Saveur’s review, I almost jumped in my
car immediately and headed up to Lakewood – and
then saw that they are opening up a Melt just in
time for Reunion Weekend on the corner of Taylor
23 and Cedar Roads (where Peabody’s Down Under
used to be). Memories of Ekoostik Hookah and
other fake IDs came flooding back as if it was
yesterday. If I was having doubts about whether or
not to attend our 15-year reunion, Melt is giving
me yet another reason to return to University
Heights. I’ll be there and hope you will be too. So
back to Derek Diaz – besides reconnecting with
friends over cheese, Derek was also promoted to
partner at his law firm, Hahn Loeser & Parks, LLP
in 2009 and named a “Rising Star” in the 2010
edition of Ohio Super Lawyers. Congratulations!
Derek and his family live in Avon, OH,
coincidentally, 10 houses away from another ’95er,
Jen Wagner. ... Scott M. Slaby has joined the
Cleveland office of McDonald Hopkins LLC as an
associate in the firm’s Intellectual Property
Practice. In particular, he assists clients in
domestic and foreign patent preparation and
procurement in the chemical, biochemical, and
mechanical arts. Scott received his J.D., summa
cum laude, from Cleveland-Marshall College of
Law in 2003. ... Buffalo Spine and Sports Institute,
a non-surgical medical practice specializing in
comprehensive patient care for those with spine,
sports, and occupational injuries, appointed
business major Gerald R. Nannen executive
director. ... Melissa (Seifried) Rus and her
husband, Michael, of Kirtland, OH, welcomed their
third son, Matthew David, on Oct. 26, 2009.
Melissa is the R&D manager at The Garland
Company, Inc. ... My roommate from freshman
year, Julie Birmingham Hoeper had a New Year’s
Eve baby, Jack, who joins two older siblings and
dad Eric in Chicago. ... David Powell and wife
Melissa ’01 welcomed their first child, Alison
Bethany, on Oct. 30, 2009. They currently live in
Atlanta, GA. ... Finally, Ines Bafaro Lascu wrote
that she and her husband of seven years, Michael
’92, have two children, Gabriella (4) and Michael
(2). They live in Broadview Heights, OH. Ines is a
full-time mom but keeps in touch with Patty (la
Furia) Shaughnessy and Lorena (Tomassetti)
Beltrano. Patty has three kids and lives in Erie,
PA, and Lorena has two. The trio recently met up
in Lorena’s hometown of Chicago which was the
first time the three of them were together since
Ines’ wedding. Hopefully they will be back
together in June for Reunion Weekend. ... I’ll see
you there! Annie
 ALUMNI JOURNAL

‘96
Amy Spisich Kogovsek Year Award and was a Mahoning Valley “Top 40
ASKamy@aol.com Under 40” Honoree. Beckie practices at Howland
Eye Center in Warren, OH, and Modern Optical in
Austintown, OH. In addition to her regular patient
load, she provides charitable eye care for babies
and the working poor through programs called

‘97
Brian Sparks InfantSEE and Vision USA. Beckie is on the board
440-746-0309 of directors for the YWCA of Salem, OH, and a
bdsparks@meistermedia.com member of the Salem Preservation Society,
Kiwanis Club, and St. Paul’s Home and School
Association. Beckie resides in Salem with her
husband, Craig, and their son, Aaron. ... And that’s

‘98
Cherie (Skoczen) Kurlychek it for this first class column of 2010. Let others
216-741-1823 know about the good things happening in your life.
cherieskoczen@ameritech.net It couldn’t be easier! Just send an e-mail, and I’ll
be sure to include you in our next class notes.
Until then, take care. Cherie
Hello Class of ’98! Here’s what’s new – Stephen
Corbett is petty officer first class in the U.S. Navy

‘99
and is now stationed in Monterey, CA, where he is Meg Galligan
teaching Russian to military students of all galliganm22@hotmail.com
branches, ages, and ranks assigned to the Russian
program. He is liaison between the school and the Gabriella and Siena Grace Andolino, daughters of
Naval Command. “I learned Russian at the same Michelle (Nigon) ’00 and Peter ’98.
Happy spring everyone! Here are some quick
place (Defense Language Institute in Monterey,
updates from our classmates ... Mark and Christie
CA), so it’s a little wild going back as an
(Hejduk) Annichine welcomed their new son,
instructor,” Stephen said. Before transferring to possible. Visit www.jcu.edu/alumni for more
Patrick Kenneth, in January 2009. He joins his
the West Coast, Stephen had been stationed in information – and make sure you save the date. In
older brother Zach in kicking up fun in the
Maryland for six years, where he was assigned to the meantime, here are the updates of your
Annichine household. ... Eileen Sellers and Kevin
the National Security Agency. He says he uses the classmates, and remember, keep ’em coming!
Clugston were married Aug. 1, 2009, at St. Joseph
education and experiences he gained at Carroll Mary (Lembach) Morrone and her husband, Tony,
Church in Canton, OH, by Monsignor Frank
practically every day. ... J.J. Mitchell and his welcomed their daughter, Ava Theresa, on Nov.
Carfagna and Deacon Edward Laubacher.
family moved from Southern California back home 27. Ava joins big brother Marco. ... A month later,
Bridesmaids included fellow class of ’99 grads,
to New Mexico in November, when he took a new Ann (Dolgan) Potter and her husband, Brian,
Joann Class and Lindsay Nist. Eileen is now
job with Novartis Vaccines; he is now an executive celebrated the birth of their second child, William
employed by St. Joseph School and the groom by
vaccines solutions specialist. J.J. and his wife, Brian, on Dec. 27. William joins his sister, Kate (17
YRC Worldwide. ... Lou and Gina (Rennpage)
Elizabeth, are expecting a second child in July. mos.) ... Michelle (Nigon) Andolino, her husband,
Gabel were blessed with the addition of their
“We are really excited to be back around family, Peter ’98, and their daughter, Gabriella, welcomed
newest daughter, Alice Harper, on Aug. 27, 2009.
and it is a lot of fun for our daughter, Isabella (2) to Siena Grace, into their family on Oct. 23. Peter is a
Her older sister, Lucy (Lucia Page) is 2. ...
always get to be around all the nanas, granddads, dentist and Michelle works part time in
Catherine (Jedrey) Stein and her husband Dale
aunts, uncles, and even great-grandparents,” J.J. pharmaceutical sales for Eli Lilly and Company.
welcomed son Andrew Mark Stein on May 19,
said. In his free time, he remains very active in They live in Philadelphia, PA. ... Michael and Angie
2009. ... Casey Yandek lives in Rocky River with
cycling. He made the Albuquerque CrossFit (Turner) Monateri announce the birth of their first
his wife, Michelle. They have a daughter Elizabeth
Games team, and is busy training for a regional child, Dominic Vincent, on Sept. 23. The family is
Margaret (1). Casey is the associate principal/
competition in late May – hoping for a spot in the currently living in Parma, OH. ... Our first baby
director of student life and activities at St. Edward
International CrossFit games in July. ... Dan and news of 2010 comes from Jennifer (Capuano)
High School in Lakewood, OH. Previously, he was
Dawn (Harvey) Klinefelter welcomed their Puffer and her husband, Brett. Jennifer gave birth
a teacher and administrator at Archbishop Hoban
second daughter, Sarah Morgan, in November. She to their first child, Robert Joseph, on Jan. 20. ... In
High School in Akron, OH. He also functions as the
joins big sister, Kaitlyn “Katie” (5). The Klinefelters other news and updates, Benjamin Danisek and
director of the annual Holy Cross Conference for
live in Pittsburgh, PA, where Dawn does marketing his girlfriend, Debra Milberg, got engaged this past
Student Leaders held every year at Holy Cross
and event planning for Corazon, Inc. ... Christmas Eve. They are planning a wedding Oct.
College in Notre Dame, IN. ... And finally, Amy
Congratulations to Beckie (Williamson) Brown 2 of this year in Columbus, OH, where they met
McKinnis and John O’Donoghue report that they
who was named the 2009 Ohio Young Optometrist while in law school. ... Courtney Kaezyk moved
have nothing new to report for the column. I don’t
of the Year; and in 2008, she received the Ohio home to Pittsburgh in June and is in graduate
believe it for a minute, but wanted to let everyone
Optometric Association Key Optometrist of the school pursuing her master’s in public policy and
know that they are still keepin’ it real. Have a great
spring. Meg management at the University of Pittsburgh. ...
Mike and Kelley (Gaughan) Biscaro live in Berea,

‘00
Lisa (Foster) Smith
440-339-6572
lisasmith19@hotmail.com
Clare Taft
claretaft@hotmail.com

REUNION YEAR
It’s hard to believe that we are coming up on our
10-year Reunion. In the past 10 years as your class
columnists, we have had the privilege of hearing
about your accomplishments, new jobs, marriages,
babies, and other exciting experiences. To all of
you who keep us up-to-date, we are so thankful –
and to those who are waiting for the right time to
send in your updates – the time is now! It’s been
10 years and we want to know what you’ve been
up to. The weekend of June 11-13 brings our
official 10-year Reunion celebration. We hope to Dominic Vincent, born Sep. 23, son of Michael and
Dr. Rebecca Williamson Brown ’98 is the 2009
see as many Class of 2000 graduates there as Angie (Turner) ’00 Monateri.
Ohio Young Optometrist of the Year.
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 39
ALUMNI JOURNAL
OH. Mike is a psychologist and the director of the
Recovery Resource Center at the Louis Stokes
Cleveland VA Medical Center. Kelley occasionally
writes for an online publication and enjoys her
time at home with their three sons, Dominic (3),
Leo (2), and Gabriel (1). ... We have enjoyed
bringing you the news of your classmates for the
past 10 years and are sincerely looking forward to
the next decade. Have fun and keep us informed,
Clare and Lisa
‘01
Maureen DeMers Fariello
jcualumni2001@yahoo.com
Neil and Christine (Brickman) Bhutta were mar-
ried on Aug. 16, 2008, in Saint Francis Chapel with
Fr. Dan Reim presiding. Christine is finishing her
Ph.D. in religious studies at The Catholic University
of America. ... Marla (Marino) married Ben Mellino
on Aug. 8, 2009. Alumni guests included Traci
Sybelnik, Julie (Zone) Andolina, Nichole Gian-
nios, Jillian (Valerius) Shute, Erica Taylor, Elssy
(Lawrence) Klug, Jacquie (Chalovich) Moye,
Kristen (Kerrick) O’Connor, Brian Cavalier, Rita
Shaia, and Mike Mystic ’02. Marla is finishing
her last year at Fordham Law School. ... Marisa
(Pocci) married Patrick Carney on Sept. 19, 2009.
The nuptial mass took place at St. Bartholomew
Catholic Church and the wedding reception was
held at The City Club of Cleveland.  JCU alumni in
attendance at the wedding included among others
Monica Weber ‘01, Traci Sybelnik ‘02, Julie (Zone)
Andolina ‘01 and Adam Andolina ‘01, Justin Kerr
‘99, Darla (Kimak) Kiko ‘02, Chad Kleibscheidel,
Dana (Carney) Springer ‘02, Stephanie (Birn-
baum) Kidd ‘02, and Haddi Qasem.  Marisa and
her husband currently reside in Las Vegas, where
Marisa has been employed as an attorney with
the law firm of Cooksey, Toolen, Gage, Duffy &
Woog since shortly after their move to Nevada in
2006.” ... Melissa (Kunka) married Jody Blevins
on Oct. 4, 2009. ... Alison Desmond is planning
a wedding for October 2010. ... Melissa Mersch
is in Chicago working in HR and on a master’s
degree at DePaul University. Melissa will become
a bride on Nov. 27, after being a bridesmaid in
Megan Duncan’s wedding on July 3. ... Andrea
Schaller is a life scientist with the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency in Chicago. ... Dominick
Clayton was awarded the 2009 Outstanding
Assistant Principal Achievement Award for Lake
County School District, FL. ... Aimee Ursic is in
Marisa Pocci Carney ‘01 married Patrick Carney in
Cleveland on Sept. 19, 2009.  had Ryan Jr., May 2009. Mark ’00 and Tricia (St-
40 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
Chistine (Brickman) ’01 and Neil Bhutta in
Saint Francis Chapel.
her ninth year teaching at Cleveland’s Horizon Sci-
ence Academy. Aimee will marry Matthew Grabski
in July 2011. ... Robert Pavlik ’01G is VP at Bank
of America in Hudson, OH. He’s been married 24
years, has three kids, and volunteers with Jared
Box Project and Make a Child Smile. ... Ron Frey
was named a 2010 Rising Star by Ohio Super
Cortney Kilbury ’01 was chosen as one of 25 artists
to create a guitar for the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. The guitars were auctioned off for charity.
Lawyers magazine. He is a third year teacher of
Criminal Law and Procedure at Ursuline College.
... Cortney Kilbury is one of 25 artists chosen to
create a guitar for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
+ Museum. The guitars were auctioned off for
charity in December 2009. Cortney is the head
of marketing at Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing
Authority, providing housing for low-income fami-
lies. ... Ileen (Jacobson) Linden is completing a
Ph.D. in Cultural Foundations of Education at Kent
State. She teaches humanities at Lakeland Com-
munity College. ... Benjamin Sovacool writes, “I
received my Ph.D. from Virginia Tech where I won
the best dissertation award. I live in Singapore, am
an assistant professor working on energy policy, I
manage $2 million in research projects, and I have
written four books.” ... Congratulations to the new
parents – Ryan and Kristen (Kerrick) O’Connor
reck) Boleky had Gabriella Marie, October 2009.
Julie (Zone) and Adam Andolina had Joseph Zone,
Oct. 3, 2009. David ’95 and Melissa (Bechtel)
Powell welcomed Alison Bethany, Oct. 30, 2009.
Will Parr and Julie welcomed Camilla Ainsley,
November 2009. Jeremy and Megan (Andrea)
Moon had Anna (Annabelle) Louise, Nov. 5, 2009.
Nick ’00 and Kim (Klish) Ridge welcomed Bryce
Edward, Nov. 28, 2009. Elssy (Lawrence) and
Steve Klug welcomed Stephen Henry, Dec. 10,
2009. ... Enjoy today. Maureen
‘02
Kristen (Muoio) McVean
585-259-3955
jcuclassof2002@gmail.com
Here’s the latest – Angela Flowers was
recognized as the guest speaker and 2009
Educator of the Year at the Sundt Memorial
Foundation’s annual gala on Oct. 17, 2009, in San
Diego, CA. The Sundt Memorial Foundation is a
non-profit organization dedicated to providing
anti-drug prevention programming to youths ages
11-18. ... Tina Marchiano is working at Icw Group
in San Diego, CA. ... Nicole Marie Cicconetti and
Stephen Stewart Smith were married May 9,
2009, at Church of the Saviour in Cleveland
Heights, OH, with a reception at LaMalfa Centre in
Mentor. The couple resides in Lyndhurst and
Stephen is a third grade teacher in Shaker Heights.
... Michael Cavell is engaged to Stacey Steadman
with a wedding scheduled for May 10, 2010.
Michael is a computer programmer at Progressive
Insurance in Mayfield Village, OH. ... Amy
Marcelis and Ryan Carroll got engaged July 2009;
a July 2010 wedding in Philadelphia is planned.
The couple met and lives in Chicago. ... William
and Shana Craig Yardas were married on August
8, 2009. Shana earned a master’s degree in school
counseling from Westminster College, New
Wilmington, PA, and teaches at Boardman
Schools. ... Dan and Sarah Ernstberger had their
first child on April 17, 2009, a girl named Rylan
Elizabeth. ... Kevin Hatgas received his MBA from
Carroll in January and is in his seventh year
working at JCU; he is coordinator of online
strategy and communication in the Enrollment
Division. ... Pat Mancuso is starting his ninth year
with the Cintas Corporation and was recently
promoted to general manager. He moved to the
Virginia Highland part of Atlanta. ... Amy Gualtieri
Madigan teaches seventh grade at Pittsburgh
Public Schools, Arlington Accelerated Learning
Academy. She married James Madigan on Nov.
Angela Flowers ’02 at the Sundt Memorial
Foundation’s Annual Gala on Oct. 17th 2009,
in San Diego, CA.

17, 2007. Susan Ruane McKenna ’01, Laura Noga
Morgan ’01, Kristina Ambrosia-Conn, and Julia
Kennedy Grady were bridesmaids. ... This past
autumn, Ryan Anderson married Jackie Knepley,
BGSU ’04. The couple lives in Ohio City near GLB.
Ryan and his business partner, Eric Biro ’03,
founded Anderson|Biro LLC, a retained executive
search firm, in April 2007 - www.andersonbiro.
com. Their offices are in downtown Cleveland.
They encourage colleagues near and far to
consider relocating their offices to Cleveland as it’s
a great place to live and work. ... Greg Schetter
lives in Middleburg Heights, OH, and works at
University Hospitals in the radiology department as
a PACS-network-modality administrator (kind of
like a system administrator). He takes care of the
radiology department’s network and PACS system,
which handles all the images from X-rays, MRIs,
ultrasounds, CTs, etc. ... Brad ’03 and Jennifer
(Kelley) Piroli are expecting their first child, a boy,
in April. ... Melissa (Ludwig) ’01 and Andrew
Galbraith were blessed with two children in the
past year, Jackson and Alexa. Andrew is currently
working as a business intelligence consultant in
Pittsburgh, PA, while Melissa is a stay-at-home
mom. ... Anthony Wylie works for Geisinger
Health System as a family physician in Scranton,
PA, and is engaged to be married June 12, 2010.
... Kristen
‘03 St. Noel’s in Willoughby, OH. Surrounded by their
Theresa (Jurak) Polachek
jcu2003@hotmail.com
Hello all – Happy New Year! My apologies for
missing the last two columns, my New Year’s
resolution for 2010 is to be more organized. I’ve
managed to accomplish the feat at work (pretty
much) and now it’s time for my personal life.
Anyway, here’s the news since summer: Nicholas
Colla married Adrienne Zaza this summer at Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Church. The couple lives in
Orlando, FL. ... Katie (Kelley) Upton and her
husband, Wes, welcomed a baby girl, Cecilia Rose,
on Nov. 30. Katie writes that she has a JCU hoodie
Bottom row L to R:  Leigh Ann McHenry ’02, Theresa (Jurak) Polachek ’03, (groom) Matt Frakes, (bride)
Melissa (Hoppert) Frakes ’03, ’06G. Middle row L to R:  John Neff ’01, Steve Polachek ’02, Melanie (Hoppert)
Kish ’06, Bruce Feher ’70, Kimberly (Kleisley) Codispoti ’02. Back Row L to R:  Dave Hoppert ’77, Michael
Marotta ’02, Erin (Zuercher) Marotta ’02, Dennis Hoppert ’79, Marie Hoppert.
ready to go! ... Paul Spooner wrote to say that he
popped the question to Kali Woodside, and is
hoping to tie the knot soon. ... Rita (Mayekar) Van
Boening is still living in St. Louis, MO, where she
and her husband welcomed their first baby,
Dominick Emil, in June 2009. Aside from being a
new mom, Rita is working as a project manager in
the corporate communications/brand management
department of Express Scripts, Inc. … Erin
(DeBruin) Skibinski and her husband, Brian,
welcomed their second boy, George Brendan, on
April 4, 2009. Erin writes that having two boys
under 2 keeps her quite busy. She has also decided
to head back to school to begin work on a master’s
degree in education with a middle school
endorsement beginning in January 2010. ... Ashley
(Peters) Haskins wrote to announce that she and
her husband, Tom Haskins ’02, welcomed Liam
Robert Haskins at 8 lbs. 9 oz, 21 inches on Sep. 21,
2009. … Jen Gardner has moved back to
Cleveland and is an attorney at Kelley & Ferraro LLP.
... John Manuszak tied the knot in October 2008
with Kelly Stingel at Champion Presbyterian Church
in Warren, OH. The couple moved to Fort Collins,
CO, in July and loves it out there. John is the asst.
director of media relations at Colorado State and
Kelly is a speech therapist at Poudre Valley Hospital
in Fort Collins. John wrote that Joe Aulisio was
one of the groomsmen in their wedding. … Melissa
(Hoppert) Frakes was married to Matt Frakes in
September 2009; Fr. Chris Fronk, S.J., officiated at
families and close friends, John Carroll was well
represented at the festivities! … If I’ve missed
anything, please let me know. Take care, Theresa
‘04
Paul Clapp
440-796-4947
pclapp04@jcu.edu
Hello everyone, time keeps flying by and our space
for the class column keeps shrinking, so I won’t
delay. This time around we have a lot of marriage,
engagement, and birth announcements. Joe
Calabria and Jennifer Zirke were married on Oct.
ALUMNI JOURNAL
Groom Joe Calabria ’04, and bride Jennifer
(Zirke) Calabria ’04, with John Carroll and other
friends, Tricia Roddy ’04, Becky (Story) Gunter
’04, Liz (Eppich) Jerin ’04, Meghan Lambert ’06,
Tiffany Brick ’05, Ryan Corabi ’04, John Lis, Steve
Paroda, Jim Poppenberg ’04, Matt Krupa ’04,
Brian Romanini ’05, Matt Podkul ’04, Lisa (Nau)
White ’04, Martha (Lashomb) Makar ’05, Colleen
(Horschler) Ryan ’03, Phil Ryan ’02, Matt Lower
’03, and Adam Duale ’04.
2 with a good showing of our fellow JCU grads. All
had a great time. ... Robert Rosen and Melissa
Peters were married Oct. 17 at St. Basil the Great
Church. They enjoyed their honeymoon in Montego
Bay, Jamaica. Melissa teaches at The Goddard
School in Twinsburg. ... Josh Bernot proposed to
Kim Smith, O.D., who he met while earning his
Doctor of Optometry in 2009 from the Illinois
College of Optometry in Chicago. He is working as
an optometrist in Kelowna, British Columbia,
Canada, where they live. The wedding is scheduled
for May 22, 2010, at St. Bede the Venerable Church
in Mentor, OH. ... Jennifer Fiorenzo and Michael
Rupinsky are engaged and plan to be married Oct.
9, 2010, at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church.
Jennifer is a patient advocate at Inova Fairfax
Hospital in Falls Church, VA. Michael, after earning
his master’s degree from The Ohio State University
in 2006, is a mechanical engineer with Northrop
Grumman Corp. The two got engaged at the finish
line of the Richmond Half Marathon on Nov. 14,
2009. ... Erin (Gregory) Eiser and her husband,
Adam, had their first baby boy, Eli Gregory, on Dec.
29, 2009. What a great present for the New Year! ...
Ben and Maria (Sellers) Papay welcomed their
Ben and Maria (Sellers) Papay ’04 welcomed the
birth of their daughter, Lila Papay, on April 13, 2009.
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 41
ALUMNI JOURNAL
daughter, Lila Papay, on April 13, 2009. ... Audra
(Welch) Van Winkle and her husband, Brian,
recently had baby girl Layla Cathryn. ... Paul and
Katy (Sullivan) Murphy are enjoying parenthood
with their new baby boy, Patrick Joseph. ... Lastly,
Celeste Cappotto joined Seton Catholic School of
Hudson as the new director of development where
she will be responsible for the organization,
planning, and operation of Seton Catholic School’s
fundraising program. Celeste is also a member of
the board of trustees for the Geauga Humane
Society’s Rescue Village, serving as chair of the
marketing committee. ... I encourage all of you to
join our Class of ’04 class column update group on
Facebook. This allows me to the get word out for
the upcoming deadlines so you can send in your
updates! Until next time, Clapp
‘05
Jennifer Tolhurst
jtolhurst04@jcu.edu
REUNION YEAR
The Ohio-based law firm of Weston Hurd LLP is
pleased to announce that Melanie R. Shaerban ‘05
has joined the Cleveland office as an associate.
Hey guys – I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of
you at Reunion, June 11-13, 2010. Can’t wait to
hear what you’ve all been up to these last five
years. As for these people, I already know what
they’ve been doing – Sarah Wagner and Ryan
Dieter ’04 were married Sept. 26 at Saint Francis
Chapel. Molly Bircher served as maid of honor;
David Gilbert ’04 and Matt Krupa ’04 were also in
Christopher and Jaclyn ’05 Thaxton.
42 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
‘06
Christine Bohn
440-668-8210
Cbohn06@jcu.edu
Roberta Muoio
937-627-5257
rmuoio06@jcu.edu
We have lots of updates to share. Several of our
classmates were in attendance at Homecoming
2009, including: Jessica Kerns, Nicole Burgund,
Meghan Betz, Brian Savolskis, Eric Endress,
Christopher Shaffer, and Adam Schueler. ...
Julie Beran and Brice Westhoven were married
on July 11, 2009, at Saint Francis Chapel. Julie is a
seventh grade math teacher at Ridgeland Middle
School in South Carolina. Brice is a Captain in the
U.S. Army and is stationed at Hunter Army Airfield
in Savannah, GA. ... Meghan Betz just accepted a
new position at the College of St. Elizabeth in New
Jersey as the new technical and events planner. ...
Rachel Teron and Dino DeGirolamo ’05. Mary Herout is currently working as a strategic
improvement analyst with STERIS Corporation, a
healthcare company. ... Melanie Hoppert Kish is
Sarah Wagner ’05 and Ryan Dieter ’04.
the wedding party. Ryan and Sarah live in
Columbus, OH, where Ryan is a branch manager
with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Sarah received her Julie Beran ’06 and Brice Westhoven ’06 were
Doctorate in Optometry from Ohio State. During married at Saint Francis Chapel.
that time, Sarah also participated in optometry
service trips to Ecuador and Nicaragua. She is
currently completing a residency at Columbus/
Chillicothe VA Medical Center. ... Jaclyn Smith
married Christopher Thaxton on June 13 at St.
Angela’s in Fairview Park, OH. Their reception was
at the 100th Bomb Group. JCU alums in attendance
included her sister and husband Michael ’96 and
Lisa Smith Olsen ’98, her brother Jason Smith ’01
and wife Clare Taft ’01, Amber Repp ’07, Kelly Stein
’07, Mary Missig, Maureen Joyce, Natalie Scala,
Sarah Denney ’06, Corey Dolak ’06, Jessica Wolff
’06, Margaret Hickey, Maggie Mickunas. Sounds
like quite the party! Jaclyn is currently pursuing a
nursing degree and just started clinicals in January.
... Stacy Yanek recently married Scot Gill at St.
Bernard Catholic Church in Akron, OH. Stacy is
currently a nurse in the surgical intensive care unit
at the Cleveland Clinic and is pursuing a master’s in
the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Kent State
University. ... Last but not least, Melanie Shaerban
has joined Weston Hurd LLP in Cleveland, OH, as
an associate. Melanie’s practice is focused on
commercial and business litigation, and insurance.
Melanie also volunteers for the Legal Aid Society. ...
I’ll catch up with the rest of you at Reunion Shannon Thompson ’06, and Zachary Coleman ’06
Weekend – keep sending me your updates. Jennifer were married in September.
 ALUMNI JOURNAL

JCU grads at the Malacki-Looman reception, from L to R: John Farrell ’06, Mike Wade ’06, Sean McCabe ’06, Guests at the Lokaj-Moss wedding, Top: Nicole
Tim Madigan ’06, Leslie Zumerling ’06, Jordan Petrella ’06, Sean Cassleman ’06, Ryan Looman ’07, (Conway) Mosback ’05, Nathan ’08 and Angielique
Elizabeth (Malacki) Looman ’06, Jim Novak ’06, Don Gibson ’06, Brad Gillette ’02, Erik Gorman ’06, (Lokaj) Moss ’06, Kaitlin O’Brien ’06, Angela Yingling
Yasmeen Shousher ’06, Dan Brown ’06, Greg Gavlak ’06, Aslynn Reisinger ’06, Gina Spitalieri ’06, ’06, Anita (Brahm) Mallott ’06. Bottom: Mary
Heather White, Jennifer Ina ’06, Kristen Reichard ’06, Maeghan Gorman ’06. Cichanski ’06, Marla Ciccone ’06, Amy Gory ’05.

living at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX, with her husband
Nathan. She recently wrote a children’s book and
became a host on Army Wife Talk Radio. ... Alex
Kern has moved from Atlanta to Kalamazoo, MI,
and is working at Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and
Stone as a paralegal. ... Jessica Kerns and Eric
Endress got engaged at Homecoming Weekend in
Saint Francis Chapel; their wedding will be next
fall. Eric works at CBIZ as an investment analyst
and Jessica is an account manager at Optiem, an
interactive marketing firm. ... Cliff Liguori is
working for American Transport Inc. in Glendale,
AZ, where he remains in the transportation
industry. He specializes in flatbed equipment and
over dimensional shipments and manages a list of
drivers and routes customer freights all across the
country. ... Angielique Lokaj and Nathan Moss
’08 were married in Buffalo, NY, on May 30, 2009.
Angielique is currently teaching eighth grade
science for the Toledo Public Schools. Nathan is in
his second year of med school at the University of
Toledo College of Medicine. The couple purchased
From L to R: Jessica Kerns ’06, Nicole Burgund 06, Meghan Betz ’06, Brian Savolskis ’06, Eric Endress ’06,
Christopher Shaffer ’06, and Adam Schueler ’06.
their first home in the Toledo area. ... Brigid Long
and Jessica Zimmerer are in their second year at
The Ohio State University, on their way to earning
their PharmD. ... On Dec. 19, 2009, Elizabeth
Malacki and Ryan Looman ’07 were married in
Pittsburgh, PA. ... Alex Popovich ’06G is the
athletic director and assistant principal of
Twinsburg High School. Alex has worked as an
English teacher for six years and the last four
years he has been the assistant athletic director in
Twinsburg, OH. ... Shannon Thompson and
Zachary Coleman were married on Sept. 26,
2009, in Kenmore, NY. They currently live in
Brunswick, OH. Shannon’s mother and Zach’s
father are also Carroll grads – Robin (Konkel)
Thompson ’76 and Francis Sherwood S. Coleman
’72. Zach is working at Sherwin-Williams and
Shannon works for McMaster-Carr Supply, an
industrial supplies distributor in Aurora, OH. Both
are currently pursuing their MBAs part-time. ...
Thanks for sharing all your new news and keep the
updates coming! Christine and Roberta
‘07
Lisa Iafelice
liafelice07@jcu.edu
Brittany Bush
bbush07@jcu.edu
As we promised in the last issue, here are some
of the details of the Brianna McKeown and Cole
Clougherty wedding! The couple was married at
the Church of St. Dominic in Shaker Heights, OH,
on July 18, 2009. Tim Ryan served as best man,
with Mark Razzante and Michael McKeown ’05
as groomsmen. The reception was at the
Renaissance Cleveland Hotel and was attended by
the following JCU grads: Danielle Kensinger,
Chrissy Pratt, Leanne D’Apolito, Tom Miller,
Stacey Resavage, Betsy Measer, Colleen
Schwab, Nicki (Garofoli) and Eric Abate, Julie
Waring, Nicole Jurich, Kate Casey, Mike
Sciandra, Tristan Tripodi, John Taddeo, Meghan
Betz ’06, Steph Engel ’06, Jenna Saraniti ’06,
Steve McIntosh ’06, Kate Seavers ’06, Rebecca
Taft ’06, Justin Ragor ’06, Scott Wiles ’05, and Eric
Domin ’05. The couple then traveled to Coronado,
CA, for their honeymoon before returning to their
home in North Royalton, OH. ... Another newly
married JCU couple is Christina Saluan and Pete
Moran ’08. Christina and Pete were wed on Aug.
1, 2009, at Immaculate Conception Church in
Willoughby, OH. They later celebrated at the
American Croatian Lodge in Eastlake, OH. ... Katie
Conlisk became engaged to Cliff Moore, a
graduate of Miami University, this past August,
and is excited to be planning a September 2011
wedding. ... Krystina McGiffin and Christopher
Thomas exchanged vows at Holy Family Church
on July 11. The reception took place at Mr.
Anthony’s Banquet Centre in Boardman, OH, and
the couple honeymooned at St. Thomas before
returning to their home in Middleburg Heights,
OH. Krystina’s bridesmaids included Christina
Phillis and Jeannine Stiglitz. ... Tom Miller and
Leanne D’Apolito were married on January 15,
2010, in a candlelight ceremony at St. Luke Church
in Youngstown, OH. The wedding was attended by
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 43
ALUMNI JOURNAL
St. Monica’s in Garfield Heights, OH. ... Lucia
Biasiotta has a new position as an account
executive at a small technology company in
Cleveland, OH, and is training to get her yoga
certification to instruct. She is also looking forward
to an exciting trip to Spain this summer. ...
Congratulations to everyone on their wonderful
news, and best wishes to all of the recently
engaged and newly married couples! We look
forward to hearing more news. Lisa and Brittany

‘08
MJ LaPerch
mjlaperch@gmail.com

‘09
Lisa Ugran
lugran09@jcu.edu

There seems to be a common theme in this

season’s column and I do not think it will take you
Alumni celebrated the wedding of 2007 graduates Brianna (McKeown) Clougherty and Coleman much effort to figure it out for yourselves. On
Clougherty. First row, from left, are Michael McKeown ’05, Coleman Clougherty ’07, Brianna McKeown October 10, Melissa Calabrese and Jon Douglas
’07 Clougherty, Meghan Betz ’06. Second row, from left, are Scott Wiles ’05, Colleen Schwab ’07, Jenna were married in Buffalo, NY. Andrea De Roia,
Saraniti ’06, Kate Seavers ’06, Steph Engel ’06, Kate Casey ’07, Eric Domin ’05, Tristan Tripodi ’07. Chelsea Schippel, Adam Milanovich, Kendall
Third row, from left, are Tom Miller, Stacey Resavage ’07, Leanne D’Apolito Miller ’07, Betsy Measer ’07, Horwatt, Allison Sullivan, Nick Tormento,
John Taddeo ’07, Nicki (Garofoli) Abate ’07, Mike Sciandra ’07. Fourth row, from left, are Julie Waring ’07, and George Lyras were all in attendance to help
Chrissy Pratt ’07, Mark Razzante ’07, Eric Abate ’07, Danielle Kensinger ’07, Tim Ryan ’07. celebrate the big day, with Shannon Craig serving
as a bridesmaid. Melissa and Jon honeymooned
in St. Lucia and are now living in Rocky River, OH.
Jon works as a financial planner at Northwestern
Mutual Financial Network while Melissa is enrolled
in an accelerated nursing program at Cleveland
State. Upon her May 2011 graduation with a
BSN, she will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-
RN exam. ... Loriann Ace and her high school
sweetheart, Stephen Mercer, are engaged. The
proposal occurred around New Year’s and the two
are planning to marry in July 2011. Stephen is a
graduate of Grove City College and works as an
electrical engineer. Lori is taking graduate courses
at John Carroll, concentrating on professional
teaching with an initial licensure in early childhood
education. ... Diana Orabovic is currently living
in Chicago. She is engaged to Ryan Mekota ’07.
They are eagerly preparing for their September
wedding, which will take place in the Cleveland
area. ... On a related note, I have some exciting
engagement news of my own. Andy Pacconi
and I got engaged in November. The happy
moment occurred one evening after he insisted
we drive up to good old University Heights and
take a walk on the Carroll campus. He then got
down on one knee and, to my delight, proposed
at a spot overlooking the quad. ... If you have any
Melissa Calabrese ’09 and Jon Douglas ’09 were married in Buffalo, NY. Andrea De Roia ’09, Chelsea Schippel, information that you would like to share about
Adam Milanovich ’09, Kendall Horwatt ’09, Allison Sullivan ’09, Nick Tormento ’09, and George Lyras ’09 were where you are and what you are doing, please feel
all in attendance to help celebrate the big day, with Shannon Craig ’09 serving as a bridesmaid. free to send it in! Lisa

the following JCU alums and students: Betsy
Measer, Colleen Schwab, Stacey Resavage,
Megan Handel, Brianna McKeown Clougherty,
Coleman Clougherty, Larry Sammartino ’08, Tim
Reigrut, Dave Sypert, Jessica Gibbons, Nicki
(Garofoli) and Eric Abate, Adrienne Petrella ’10,
and Jordan Petrella ’06. ... Lauren Fraser has
returned to Carroll as a resident minister for the
first-year women in Pacelli Hall. She says that she
is very happy to be back on campus. ... This past
summer, Margo Kern completed an accelerated
second degree nursing program at Saint Mary’s
College in South Bend, IN. She is currently
working at a family practice office in Kalamazoo,
MI. Margo was also recently engaged to Jon
Andrews, Western Michigan University ’06, and is
planning a wedding for September 2010. ... Gina
Benisek started teaching fourth grade this year at

44 John Carroll university SPRING 2010

 ALUMNI JOURNAL

S ave the D a t e
Looking a year ahead

Commencement
Reunion2011
John Carroll University will celebrate its
125th anniversary in 2011. A year-long
May 20-22
schedule of celebrations is being planned
and will begin in January 2011.

One of the signature events of the year will take place

May 20, 21, and 22, 2011 and for only the second time in the
history of the institution, Commencement and Reunion
will be combined. The first time the two events were
combined was in 1986, in celebration of John Carroll’s
100th anniversary.

Alumni events will take place throughout the weekend and

Commencement will be on Sunday, May 22. 

For graduating seniors and alumni, it will be an opportunity

to celebrate the lives and accomplishments in which John
Carroll will always play a part, and the history and tradition
that makes the University a revered institution to so many,
past and present.

Stay tuned for a full schedule of events and activities. 

In the meantime, be sure to save the date!
SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 45
ALUMNI JOURNAL

IN MEMORIAM
T. Patrick Lahey ’41 10/18/2009
Alfred I. Johns ’42 2/3/2010
Bernard L. Brysh ’43 9/12/2009
Raymond F. Conroy ’44G 1/19/2010
Martin F. Franey ’44 2/26/2010
Frederick R. Schnell ’44 11/1/2009
George E. Elliott ’47 9/4/2005
Robert C. McConville ’47 2/28/2009
Rev. Joseph W. Skrha ’48 10/15/2009
Robert J. Moeller ’49 11/3/2009
Albert M. Zippert ’49 10/24/2009
Frank X. Burns ’50 11/9/2009
William E. Burroway ’50 3/18/2004
Michael T. Mahon ’50 11/9/2009
Walter M. Malanowski ’50 11/20/2009
John R. McDonnell ’50+ 10/26/2009
John J. Moavero ’50 12/9/2009
William L. Muller ’50 12/29/2009
Leonard J. Vavra ’50 6/29/2009
James T. Bowker ’51 11/7/2009
George R. Calams ’51 5/25/2009
Paul S. Curran ’51 1/19/2010
Paul J. Eisenman ’51 10/23/1998
Ray C. Miller Jr. ’51 12/19/2009
William E. Herman ’52 1/31/2010
Kevin T. Lehane ’52 10/13/2009
Lawrence S. Snitzky ’52 2/11/2010
Dean M. Kwasny ’53 6/2/2008
Patricia A. LaFlamme ’53G 11/10/2009
Leo P. Longville ’53 1/6/2010
Robert F. Roda ESQ ’53 10/14/2009
Leonard S. Cech ’54 10/19/2009
David J. Schuler ’54 2/12/2010
Edward J. Tracy ’54 9/27/2009
Charles P. Butchko ’55 11/13/2009
Traugott F. Keller III ’55 1/20/2010
Joseph J. Kollar ’55 1/23/2010
Raymond J. Markiewicz ’55 12/7/2009
Phillip L. Psomas ’55 8/24/2005
John F. Ryan ’55 8/26/2009
Richard J. Zunt ’55 1/2/2010
John A. English ’56 10/11/2009
Joseph D. Murray ’57 11/10/2009
James M. Vickers ’57 11/22/2009
Richard J. Conklin ’58 12/11/2009
Henry S. Croft ’59 12/06/2002
Alan D. Gressel ’59 11/9/2009
George W. Lutjen ’59 1/30/2010
Ellen D. Cromie ’60 11/24/2009
Alex M. Toth ’60 5/12/2006
John Bertelkamp ’61 2/07/2010
Michael E. Braun ’61 10/31/2009
Paul J. Spangler ’62 11/6/2009
Eugene D. Dukes ’63G 11/14/2009
Robert E. Leahy ’63 11/29/2009
Robert J. Munz ’63 2/09/2010
William P. Wilkinson ’64 1/20/2010
William L. Smith PhD ’65 12/19/2009
Andrew A. Yolch ’65 2/21/1994
John M. Bronish ’66 4/25/2009
John T. Miller ’68 1/14/2009
William J. Baroni ’69 1/28/2010
Joseph A. DeBartolo ’69 12/28/2009
The Most Rev. Donald E. Pelotte SSS ’69 1/7/2010
Paul J. Tomcho ’69 1/4/2010
Eugene J. Speziale ’70 12/27/2009
Jane H. Turnock ’70G 11/23/2009
Alfred G. Brickel ’72 1/27/2010
Beatrice M. Gordon ’72 10/28/2009
Ronald A. Wolfe ’74G 12/25/2009
Gary Raymond Maresh ’75 11/28/2009
Phyllis M. O’Linn ’75 2/14/2010
Frank M. Previt ’79 11/22/2009
Ms. Patricia J. Linder ’82 4/11/2005
Deborah A. Mitchell ’82 5/31/2009
Patrick N. Williams ’85 1/1/2008
Melisa Davila ’90 9/20/2009
Keith A. Huber ’93 12/7/2009
Joel F. Beeby ’95G 12/20/2008
Hasani Keita ’97G 1/1/2010
Russell X. Sysack ’99 11/29/2009
Meghan E. Kearns ’08 12/17/2009
Marvin Z Slesh ’08 1/11/2010
Betty Jean Belin retired staff 1/5/2010

This is the deceased list as we know it. We apologize for omissions and ask that you please report any to Joan Brosius at 216-397-4332.

Bishop Donald Pelotte ’69

Bishop Donald Pelotte, 64, died Jan. 7, 2010, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bishop Pelotte was the first-
known Native American bishop and the second youngest Catholic bishop in the United States. He
received his bachelor’s degree from John Carroll in 1969 and his doctorate from Fordham University.
After he was ordained as a priest of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Bishop Pelotte served
for 10 years at St. Paschal Baylon Church in Highland Heights and became the order’s provincial superior
in 1978. He often advocated for the issues of American Indians within the church and society while he
encouraged American Indians to include Catholicism into their culture. Bishop Pelotte served the Gallup
Diocese from 1986 to 2008, when he had to resign for health issues. He is survived by two brothers.

46 John Carroll university SPRING 2010

Rev. Paul H. Besanceney, S.J.
Rev. Paul H. Besanceney, S.J., 85, died Oct. 28, 2009. Fr. Besanceney was born in Toledo, Ohio, on
February 10, 1924, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1943. He was ordained in 1956 at West Baden
College in Indiana and then taught at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland and Loyola Academy in
Wilmette, Illinois. After furthering his education at West Baden College in 1957 and Michigan State
University in 1963, he came to John Carroll to teach sociology. During the 1970s, Fr. Besanceney
was appointed provincial of the Detroit Province and worked at the Center for Applied Research in
the Apostolate in D.C. In 1980, Fr. Besanceney, went to Africa, where he served for the next 25 years
at St. Paul’s National Major Seminary and at Loyola House in Nairobi, Kenya, and was appointed
provincial of the Eastern Africa Province. Remembered as a very caring man, he is survived by
many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Rev. Ernest Spittler, S. J.

Rev. Ernest Spittler, S.J., John Carroll chemistry professor from 1965 through 1993, died after a
long illness on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, at age 81. Fr. Spittler graduated from St. Ignatius High School
before attending the Jesuit Novitiate at Milford, Ohio. He studied philosophy and theology at West
Baden College in Indiana and chemistry at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Fr. Spittler
was ordained a priest at Colombiere College in Clarkston, Michigan, in 1962. During his later years
at John Carroll, he became involved in Marriage Encounter with the Diocese of Cleveland. He retired
to Jennings Center for Older Adults in Garfield Heights in 2003. Fr. Spittler is survived by many
brothers and sisters, as well as 98 nephews and nieces.

Col. John (Jack)  Nathan Bertelkamp ’61

Col. John (Jack)  Nathan Bertelkamp, U.S. Army, Retired, 71, died suddenly Feb. 7, 2010, at home
in Nellysford, Virginia. A member of John Carroll’s Class of 1961, Col. Bertelkamp was a dedicated
soldier with 26 years of service, which included three tours of duty in Vietnam. He served two tours as
a Green Beret with the 5th Special Forces Group and one tour as a helicopter gunship pilot. During his
military career, he received the Legion of Merit Award, the Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, Meritorious
Service Medal, Senior Army Aviation Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge and Ranger Tab. He also was
a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College. After
his military retirement, he went on to retire as the director of operations for Sikorsky Aircraft in St.
Louis, Missouri, and Huntsville, Alabama. Col. Bertelkamp was preceded in death by his father and a
daughter, Dorothy. He is survived by his mother, Catherine; his wife, Helen; a son, Michael; a daughter,
Joanna Bagby and her husband, James; two grandchildren, and a sister.

Richard “Dick” Zunt ’55

Richard “Dick” Zunt, retired sports reporter for The Plain Dealer, died of cancer on Jan. 2, 2010. Mr.
Zunt began his educational career at John Carroll after graduating from St. Ignatius High School in
1950. A member of the John Carroll class of 1955, he spent most of his time working on the Carroll
News where he discovered a love of writing. After graduation, Mr. Zunt served in the Navy from 1955
to 1959. When he returned, he began working full time as an insurance adjuster, while working part
time in The Plain Dealer sports department. Four years later, he was asked to join the newspaper full
time to work on the high school beat where he would stay another 37 years until he retired in 2001.
Mr. Zunt is survived by his children Mary “Cal,” Monica Klein, Sarah Morancy, and Richard J. Jr.

Frank J. Heintz, Jr., Ph.D.

Frank J. Heintz, Jr., Ph.D., 84, retired John Carroll professor, died peacefully on Dec. 2, 2009.
Heintz was born on Dec. 3, 1924, in Jacksonville, Florida. He received his doctorate at The Catholic
University of America in Washington D.C. Between 1956 and 1990, Heintz was a Political Science
professor at John Carroll. Dedicated to his family and students, Heintz will be remembered as a kind
and caring gentleman. He is survived by his sister, Alva Stone, and his children, Frank, Catherine
Plichta, Lisa, David, Suzanne Burke, Ralph, and Dan, as well as nine grandchildren.

SPRING 2010 John Carroll university 47

 Carroll Images of
Photograph by Robert Wetzler

Can you identify anyone in these

photos? We’d like to know!
Please e-mail us at journal@jcu.edu
48 John Carroll university SPRING 2010
CARROLL PEOPLE

San Francesco Della Vigne

John Carroll alumnus Frank Grace ’63
wanted a truly extraordinary anniversary
gift for his bride of 45 years, so he
commissioned a statue – a 27-foot, 8-ton
statue for their winery in Tuscany, Italy.
It is named San Francesco Della Vigne,
which means Saint Francis of the Vineyard.
“Ten years ago, I commissioned two
large sculptures by Tuscan sculptor Sandro
Granucci, which I strategically positioned
at vantage points in the vineyard. Thus,
when I decided to give Judy a special
anniversary present, I thought the idea
(which I had for years), of “San Francesco
Della Vigne” was a good choice,” Mr.
Grace says.
“The concept I envisaged was to
create a complimentary piece of sculpture
to encompass the view over all of the
vineyards from its highest point. However,
the sculptor created something far beyond
that which both he and I ever imagined.
The piece has a kind of unanticipated and
awesome spirituality about it and is now,
following some Tuscan press coverage,
being visited by local people who are
showing unique reverence.
“I think this piece may become a
Tuscan landmark,” Mr. Grace adds. “And,
by the way, Judy was totally surprised and
amazed that I could keep a secret for
14 months.”

Photograph courtesy of Frank Grace

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address, please notify us
at journal@jcu.edu or 216-397-4332.

Reunion
June 11-13, 2010
A John
Carroll
Tradition
All Cleveland-area
alumni are welcome to
join reunion classes
on Friday night.

• Reunion 2010 for classes • Friday is Tropical Paradise Night!

ending in 0 or 5 and the
Class of 2008
• Register by May 24 for
early-bird pricing
• Reunion Weekend service project
• For more information,
visit www.jcu.edu/reunion

216.397.1592  |  800.736.ALUM  |  www.jcu.edu/reunion