r - Archives - University of Notre Dame

At our 15th anniversar>' reunion June 11-13, I
was requested by those in attendance to handle
information for this column. Any correspondence
you have can be sent to me at the above address.
We had a wonderful class reunion w^th FRANK
KELLY accepting and doing a fine job as local
chairman (you have seen Frank's correspondence
as the Assistant Director of Deferred Gi\"ing).
FATHER DAN CLARKE, editor of the Des
Moines Messenger, was our Class Mass Celebrant.
Our favorite president of the Notre Dame Alumni
Association, LANK SAflTH '50, participated in
our Friday night Class Dinner, and together with
FR. THEODORE HESBURGH, was a main speaker
at the Notre Dame Alumni Banquet Saturday
night. We take great pride in the work of Lank
Smith and the Alumni Association.
As a sidelight. Lank mentioned that we need
renewed moral leadership on the campuses throughout
the country*, and that the high school and college
athlete of yore, who used to furnish leadership,
should reassert that image on the campus today.
In an analogous vein, it struck mc while listening
to Lank that our Class of 1950 should do likewise
in the Notre Dame Alumni Association in its endeavors.
The revered Class of 1925 justifiably maintains
the limelight and gives much leadership and
inspiration. Our Class of 1950 is distinguished in
many ways, not the least of which was enjoying
four years of imdefcated football. It seems appropriate
that our class, both those in and out of
athletics, should take a place of leadership in the
Notre Dame Alumni Association in all fields and
be a source of inspiration for those who liave come
after us.
I will attempt in the near future to forMi*ard to
each of you a questionnaire which I ask you to immediately
fill out and return bringing us up to date
on your current status.
Many of our classmates who attended the reunion
arc planning to attend the Miami-Notrc
Dame game in Miami, Florida, November 27, a
Saturday, in the Orange Bowl stadium at 8 p.m.
So that we will have a place for all of us to get
together that weekend and visit, if you arc in town
for that game, you are invited to a cocktail-buffct,
4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, November 27, at my home,
4400 Monserrate Street, Coral Gables, Florida. So
bring your wives and friends.
Getting back to the reunion, my sides are still
splitting from all of the "nationality" jokes with
which we were all entertained by DICK CORDAS-
CO, GERRY RAMSBERGER, GENE BIITTNER
and JIM SLATTERY. DICK CORDASCO u-as still
laughing about them in the shower Sunday morning.
ASDY LECHNER and ART ARQUILLA represented
our class well in winning golf prizes.
Other classmates beside m>'scl{ who arc practicing
law were: GUS CIFELLI, JOE SHANNON,
JIM MCLAUGHLIN, FRED FRIEND, JIM
SWEENEY, TOM FARLEY, DON MAHONEY,
JOE BECKER and JERRY FRAZEL. JOHN
BONESSI and BUD IMBUS are practicing medidnc.
BOB LALLY, CHUCK PERRIN and ED
SEXTON tied for first place in having eleven children.
ED FOLEY is reduced to second place vnih
CLASS OF 1950
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nine children. RAY DUNNE and BOB SLOCUM
are yet unmarried and look fine. (For the wives of
those who attended the reunion, I report that
everyone was on his best behaWor, wore the clean
shirts that you packed, and had the opportunity to
show the pictures in his wallet. JIM SLATTERY
and DICK SOISSON tied for the fastest draw to
the wallet to show pictures of their loved ones.)
I attended a reception at the Notre Dame Law
School by Dean O'Meara prior to the Friday night
Class Dinner and who was there but TOM
FLYNN '35, whom all of my NROTC classmates
will remember for giving Father Hesburgh and
ourselves Hawaiian hospitality at its finest on our
summer cruises in 1948 and 1949. Tom sends his
best to all of you.
Fr. Hesburgh and FR. TOM BRENNAN SR. aUo
send you their best regards. Father Brcnnan looks
as good and youthful right at the present as he did
when he used to drop-kick a book to the back of
the room in our Logic class in 1946.
After the Saturday night Alumni Banquet LEON
HART, BILL WIGHTKIN, ROD JOHNSON,
BUD ROMANO, GUS CIFELLI, TOM McILVLE,
BOB LALLY, MOOSE KRAUSE, DICK KLEE
and myself had a spirited con^-crsalion with Coach
Ara Parseghian and Father Hesburgh. Coach
Parseghian looked at the "giants" present and
MAJ. VICTOR A. DeFIORI *5t LLB
'52 lets daughter Cecilia, 2, get a good look
at the Commendation Meda] just awarded
him for outstanding service as chief of the
military justice branch, Judge Advocate Division,
U.S. Army Communications Zone,
Europe. Vic is moving to Ft. Leavenworth,
Kan. for staff college from his base in
Orleans, France with his ^vife, Dorothy, and
their seven children.
(U.S. Army photo.)
stated, "No wonder you never lost a game.** He
is a wonderful person and he and his staff have set
a high example on the campus. LEON HART'S
oldest son is one inch taller than Leon. JIM
FRITCH*5 furniture company did a beautiful job
in furnishing the new library. BILL CCONNELL
JR. of Rochester and DICK KLEE of Buffalo are
among the leaders in science. JOHN FERRY and
JOHN RYAN are as fine as ever. JIM HOLWAY
sent a telegram of congratulations from Rio de
Janeiro stating he could not attend due to the
5,000 miles, (and probably because he is unmarried
and there are senoritas in Brazil). I am
alu-a>-s happy to meet Jim at the Miami airport
and have a drink with him when he flies through
here from Washington to Rio. BOB HOCKMAN
is a General Motois metallurgist in Atlanta. JOE
HICKEY continues as a distinguished Notre Dame
builder. HARVEY NADE.\U comes to my neck
of the woods for international sail racing. BILL
SIL\NAHAN is still the twinkling Irish fbgpole
climber you remember. JOHN McSHANE brought
BOB KANE and the Indianapolis crew in his
"Shamrock bus" -— with police escort, no less.
ROLAND KELLY is with WSBT (South Bend).
VERNE KELLEY and HUGH MULLIGAN are
fine Chicago businessmen. RUSS 5KALL, my UBdeigrad
roommate (my law school roommates were
from St. Mary*s —• Mary Pat Feely Thornton, and
children John, Jane and Deborah) flew in in his
Cessna 172, took umpteen photos wnth three sets
of cameras, and we hope to reproduce some here
later. Other ex-Campion men seen were JERRY
SWEENEY, now a CPA, and FR. TOM McNALLY
CSC editor of the Catholic Boy; the now FR-
BERNIE GRAY, now in Louisville, looks wonderful.
In fact I must admit everyone looked fine.
Classmates whose wives concurrently attended the
SMC I3th Year Reunion, besides myself, were:
TOM O'GRADY, JIM McLAUGHLIN, CARL
LECHNER. DICK KLEE, MOE FERRITER and
DAN OSBERGER. I have not given all of the reunion
dope by a long shot, so what I have omitted
— just write me and tell me. If you are down my
way — \Tsit me; if you do not want to visit me
when here, call; if you cannot call me, call MACK
SCHAEFER or MIKE O'NEILL or LARRY
COUTRE (F.B.I.) in Miami and they will give
me the latest information; and if you cannot do
any of that, smile as you fly by.
The ears of cverj-one not at the zcuulon ihouid
have been buzzing June ! 1-13. We asked about
every one of you, what you were doing, your family
your business, your waistline — all proof positive
that everyone is interested in you. The foUowing
is a list of those not previously mentioned who
attended the reunion. I lost a page of my notes and
it is not complete. All of the fellovrs who attended
the reunion say "Hello'* and **Best regards*' to all
of you who did not: NICHOLAS ANGELOTTI,
BILL ARZBAECHER. GERRY BEGLEV, PAT
BUTLER, JIM CARBERRY, JIM CONWAY, ART
CURRAN, ED DENNING, BILL DONOVAN,
JIM FISHER. JERRY FRAZEL, JERRY FREE­
MAN, PETE FRIDAY, ALLEN FANDALT,
JOHN HE-ALY, JOE HERRINGTON. BERNIE
Notre Dame Alumnus, September-October, 1965 53