calendar of events - Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

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CRUSADE C R 

CHRONICLE 

RUSADER CHRONICLE 

A PASSION 

FOR JUSTICE 

VOLUME 34, NUMBER 2

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CALENDAR CALENDAR OF EVENTS EVENTS 

SPRING SPRING FLING FLING 

March 10 

12:00–6:00 12:00–6:00 p.m. 

Strake Jesuit Campus 

ALUMNI ALUMNI NETWORKING NETWORKING BREAKFAST BREAKFAST 

March 12 

7:00–8:30 7:00–8:30 a.m. 

Williams Williams Tower 

MOTHERS’DAY MOTHERS’DAY OF RECOLLECTION 

RECOLLECTION 

March 23 

10:00 a.m.–3:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. 

Moody Library, Strake Jesuit Campus 

ALUMNI ALUMNI MASS MASS & EASTER EASTER EGG HUNT HUNT 

March 24 

10:00 a.m. 

Student Center 

ALUMNI ALUMNI BASEBALL BASEBALL GAME GAME 

April 13 

1:00 p.m. 

Strake Jesuit Baseball Baseball Field 

FANTASY FANTASY AUCTION AUCTION 

April 13 

6:00 p.m. 

Westin Oaks 

ORCHESTRA ORCHESTRA CONCERT CONCERT 

April 20 

7:30 p.m. 


SPRING SPRING PLAY 

April 24–26 

7:00 p.m. 

Lowman Lowman Theater, Strake Jesuit Campus 

BAND BAND CONCERT CONCERT 

April 27 

7:30 p.m. 


MOTHER’S MOTHER’S DAY MASS MASS 

May 12 

10:00 a.m 


STRAKE STRAKE SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE GOLF GOLF TOURNAMENT 

TOURNAMENT 

May 13 

12:00 p.m 

Sugar Creek Country Club 

ALUMNI ALUMNI NETWORKING NETWORKING BREAKFAST BREAKFAST 

May 14 

7:00–8:30 7:00–8:30 a.m. 

Williams Williams Tower 

STRAKE JESUIT COLLEGE 

PREPARATORY, INC. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Mr. Ron Girotto, Chairman 

Mr. Alan D. Bergeron ‘77 

Mr. Robert M. Chiste 

Sr. Marie Bernarde Clancy, CCVI 

Dr. Harold A. Condara ‘76 

Mr. Michael J.Cordúa 

Mr. Michael P. Doyle ‘83 

Mr. John E. Hagale 

Mr. Thomas B. Hensley ‘72 

Mr. William B. Houston 

Fr. Douglas J. Hypolite, S.J. 

Msgr. James A. Jamail 

Ms. Donna P. Josey 

Mr. Greg J. Jungeblut 

Fr. Daniel K. Lahart, S.J. 

Dr. Philip L. Leggett ‘71 

Fr. Michael J. Marco, S.J. 

Dr. Joseph McFadden 

Mr. Patrick J. Moran ‘66 

Mr. Richard C. Nevle 

Mr. John J. Norkus, Jr. 

Mr. Robert S. Parsley ‘72 

Mr. John E. Phillips 

Mr. Richard Sheehy 

Mr. Thomas R. Standish ‘67 

STRAKE JESUIT 

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

EXECUTIVE BOARD 

President 

Mr. Michael P. Doyle ‘83 

President Elect 

Mr. Ronald M. Mucci ‘75 

Treasurer 

Mr. Todd Lorenz ‘88 

CLASS 

REPRESENTATIVES 

Mr. James J. Spring ‘65 

Mr. Larry A. Mason ‘66 

Mr. James M. Booth ‘67 

Mr. Robert E. Zimmerman ‘68 

Mr. Scott M. Fleming ‘69 

Mr. John W. Elford ‘70 

Mr. Michael J. McAfee ‘71 

Mr. Raymond P. Albrecht ‘72 

Mr. Randal P. Arbuckle ‘73 

Mr. Steve A. Kamel ‘74 

Mr. Michael J. Koch ‘75 

Mr. Ted Reed ‘76 

Mr. Phillip R. Livingston ‘77 

Mr. Michael Studdert ‘78 

Mr. Sean Hanratty ‘81 

Mr. Stephen Schneidau ‘82 

Mr. Henry Drewinko ‘83 

Mr. Michael J. Riccetti ‘84 

Mr. Eric Hathorn ‘85 

Mr. Tom Stallings ‘86 

Mr. Todd Lorenz ‘88 

Mr. Richard Fletcher ‘89 

Mr. Steve E. Patterson ‘90 

Mr. Christopher P. McConn ‘91 

Mr. Travis Twardowski ‘92 

Mr. Richard A. Zientek ‘95 

Mr. Ryan Eberle ‘96

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

From my office window I watch vans of students 

fill up and head out. Golf team, swimming, debate. 

Classes may be over, but the school day is far from it. I 

decide it’s time to escape. 

It’s about 4:00 p.m., time for my daily stroll around 

the campus. Often I have been locked up in the office 

too much of the day with meetings, or I have been off 

campus visiting friends of the School. So I am more 

than ready to see what is really going on around the 

place. You might imagine that by 4:00 the campus is 

strangely quiet, classes over and students and faculty 

gone. Not true at all. 

As I begin my stroll, I find students working with 

Mr. Jim Gilbert on the Prep Bowl competition. The 27 th 

annual Prep Bowl, that is. Other students work away 

after hours in the 200 and 300 buildings in newspaper 

and yearbook offices, telling our story and recording our 

history. I duck into the theater, filled with students 

working with Mr. Mike Sullivan ‘87, learning lines and 

blocking for the upcoming show. 

I pass by the new classroom building and look in a 

window to spot Fr. Mark Thibodeaux, S.J., our school 

chaplain, leading a discussion on the lectionary and next 

Sunday’s readings with a group of faculty members. 

The Gessner field is filled with freshman soccer 

players, some parents on the sidelines patiently waiting 

to drive carpool home after practice. I cut through the 

gym and catch a few minutes of one of our five 

basketball teams playing against a local rival. 

The parking lot is still strewn with cars as I wander 

over to the Field House. Dozens of our underclassmen 

hanging out in front, tossing and kicking balls. Waiting 

for mom. “What’s taking her so long?” they seem to 

wonder. (No school can completely overcome the 

egocentric world of an adolescent boy.) 

Up the stairs to watch the wrestlers grappling with 

one another in what was formerly the music room. 

Down the back stairs, out the door to see the weight 

room overflowing with students, mostly off-season 

athletes, developing strong bodies after a day of 

developing their minds. 

Lacrosse, our newest sport, is practicing behind the 

visitors’ bleachers, showing amazing adeptness for a 

group only in its second year…The track is under the 

careful gaze of Coaches Webster and Kerley. Sprints, 

distance, hurdles. I get tired just looking at 

them…Soccer on the main field and the 

backfields…baseball already in tryouts on the 

diamond…students working as trainers… 

My intended 20-minute stroll often extends to an 

hour. As I finally get back to the office, emails and 

phone messages waiting, I smile. Students, faculty, 

coaches, parents. Everywhere you look, the campus is 

filled with life, filled with the Creator’s creative 

process. As the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins 

wrote, 

For Christ plays in ten thousand places, 

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his 

To the Father through the features of men’s faces. 

This is grace. Recognizing God at work in different 

places throughout our 44 acres. I am a very blessed 

man. It’s hard for me to imagine having a better job 

than the one I now have. I am glad that we—you and 

I—join in this work together. Building Men for Others. 


Crusader Chronicle a 1

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Jack O’Brien ‘90 

New Director of 

Institutional 

Advancement 

pg. 3 

Alumni Justices Rule! 

pgs. 8-9 

2 a Spring 2002 

F EATURE S D EPARTMENT S 

SJCP Boasts 

All- American 

Soccer Star 

pg. 5 

Reunion 2002 Preview 

pg. 11 

President’s Message 

p. 1 

Around Campus 

p. 4-6 

Principal’s Perspective 

p. 7 

National Merit Scholar Finalists 

p. 7 

Alumni Association Update 

p. 10 

Class Notes 

pgs. 12-16 

Births 

p. 13 

In Memoriam 

p. 16 

Cross Ties 

Inside Back Cover 

Crusader Chronicle 

Volume 34, Number 2 

The Crusader Chronicle is published three 

times a year by 

Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. 

a 

President 


Principal 

Mr. Richard Nevle 

Director of Institutional Advancement 

Mr. Jack A. O’Brien ‘90 

Alumni Director 

Ms. Mary Linda Portner 

Alumni Chaplain 

Fr. Chris Billac, S.J. 

Alumni Assistant 

Mrs. Ellen Thompson 

Contributing Writers 

Mr. Jerry Crist 

Mr. Bill McDonald 

Mr. Larry Mason ‘66 

Mr. Sean Mullen 

Mr. Robert Peri 

Deadlines for articles, photos, and news 

releases for the summer issue is May 1. 

Please mail enclosures to: 

Strake Jesuit College Preparatory 

Alumni Office 

8900 Bellaire Blvd. 

Houston, TX 77036

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JACK A. O’BRIEN ‘90 RETURNS TO JESUIT AS DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT 

Jack A. O’Brien ‘90 joined the administrative team at 

Strake Jesuit in December, 2001, as Director of Institutional 

Advancement. A graduate of Texas A & M with a degree in 

Political Science, Mr. O’Brien’s previous work history 

includes posts with the University of Houston (as the Transfer 

Admissions Counselor) and with United Way of the Texas 

Gulf Coast as Manager of Fund Development. In that 

capacity, he oversaw fund-raising campaigns in healthcare 

and handled new business development, as well as the major 

and middle market arenas. As he begins a new career at 

Jesuit, we discussed with him the reasons for his return and 

his vision for the Office of Institutional Advancement. 

Crusader Chronicle (CC): What do you find most 

attractive about this opportunity? 

Mr. O’Brien: While I truly enjoyed my position with United 

Way, I never lost my taste to work within an educational 

setting after leaving U of H. A strong education, as I 

witnessed through my work in the city at United Way, can 

cure so many of the social ills within our communities. My 

true interests, both professionally and through volunteer 

efforts, lie in education. 

When you combine that passion with the experience I 

have had in the world of fund-raising, this opportunity felt 

just right. But, while my background and interests would 

make this job seem to fit on paper, there is something that 

would not show up on a resumé that makes this opportunity 

attractive. My love for Strake Jesuit and the work that 

everyone in this community does for the young men that 

come through here were the factors that truly encouraged me 

to change careers. And, as a graduate who received financial 

aid here, I am particularly excited about raising money so 

others will have a chance at the opportunities the school 

afforded me. 

CC: How do you view the potential of this office? 

Mr. O’Brien: The Office of Institutional Advancement has 

tremendous potential. I have been blessed to have the charge 

of directing an office with dedicated team members who 

understand the mission of our School. That is going to be the 

key to our success because they put their heart into what they 

do. Also key is the vision and support from Fr. Lahart, our 

president. He understands that our office can provide many 

resources for the future success of our School. He has great 

vision for Strake Jesuit and, with his experience and ideas, 

will help tremendously in reaching our goals. 

CC: What do you see as the greatest opportunities? 

Challenges? 

Mr. O’Brien: In our new office, with a somewhat expanded 

structure and focus, the greatest opportunity will be for us to 

all work together as a 

team to meet our 

individual goals in an 

effort to meet the overall 

needs of Strake Jesuit. 

Our office will have an 

effect on many areas of 

the school since it 

encompasses so much. 

Major gift fund-raising, 

parent and past parent 

outreach and fundraising, 

all alumni functions, 

financial aid and 

work grants, Spring 

Fling, the Fantasy Auction, 

booster clubs, and 

all public relations and 

outreach for the school fall in this office. We can really make 

a difference in the success of the School with resources we 

will provide to students now, and to our alumni in the future. 

Our greatest challenge will be keeping focused on our goals 

with so many activities coming out of one office. With our 

great team, I know we will succeed. 

CC: Why Advancement, not Development? 

Mr. O’Brien: I have been asked this question quite a few 

times in my two months in this new position. With our 

expanded role that includes all of the areas above and their 

staffs, we felt that development did not accurately describe 

the charge we had ahead of us. The goal of all of the above 

functions is to advance the opportunities and mission of the 

school. Many schools across the nation have taken the same 

approach. I like it; I think it is very forward thinking. 

CC: What was your biggest surprise in coming back to 

Strake Jesuit? 

Mr. O’Brien: Probably calling all of my former teachers by 

their first name! Can you imagine? Calling my good friend 

Mr. Nevle, Richard? Coach Finke, Larry? But seriously, this 

leads into the things that I am most happy to see upon my 

return. There are so many people here that have worked here 

for many years. It is truly a testament to this school and the 

community it creates. This school is a success because of the 

people that have dedicated their lives to carrying out our 

mission of Building Men for Others. While there have been 

many changes in terms of administration and new facilities 

on campus, that mission will never change. That is a great 

comfort to us all. 


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AROUND CAMPUS a 


FOOTBALL 

Varsity football set the tone for another outstanding year 

of athletics at Strake Jesuit with a first-ever 10 - 0 season. 

The team rolled through the schedule earning victories to the 

final game, the “Jesuit Bowl” at Dallas Jesuit. There, as 

Jesuit had done earlier in the season at St. Thomas, the 

Crusaders came from behind late in the game to seal the win. 

Quarterbacks Colin Matheny and Mike Bandy were the 

keys to a changing offense. The left-handed Matheny put the 

ball in the air against St. Pius X, and Bishop Lynch. His 

connection with Chris Ogbonnaya in the first quarter on the 

St. Pius X game went for a 99 yard touchdown. Matheny ran 

for 103 yards in that game. Bandy also did a great job 

handling the attack, and was able to run for a few scores. 

Justin Sandy fueled Jesuit’s running game, until an 

injury slowed him. Justin ran for 250 yards in the team’s first 

two games. His broken forearm healed just in time to seal the 

win over Dallas Jesuit with a 75 yard touchdown run up the 

middle. 

Justin Bates ran for 89 yards in the win against St. 

Thomas, including a 15 yard TD. He also kept the final drive 

alive so sophomore Luke Juist could kick a 20 yard field goal 

with :34 seconds to play. 

Jesuit defense limited three teams to just a touchdown all 

game. Steven Dildine and Steven Hogan were the catalysts, 

as Dildine pulled down 7 interceptions at the safety position, 

and Hogan was a run stopper at defensive end. 

Jesuit played ITESM, a high school team from 

Monterrey, Mexico, on November 2 nd . This game was added 

to the schedule after the Montgomery game was cancelled 

due to weather. The players were intrigued by the cultural 

differences leading up to the game. But once the whistle 

blew, the hitting began. It was an exciting contest, and the 

Crusaders prevailed, 36 - 29. 

The victory in the “Jesuit Bowl” was the second in a row 

for SJ. The team graduates a number of key players from this 

year’s varsity but should have enough talent coming back to 

have another successful season. 

BASKETBALL 

The Crusaders varsity basketball team has a 30 - 5 record 

as of this writing. The team has recorded big wins over rivals 

Dallas Jesuit, Westbury Christian, and St. Thomas. Seniors 

Ugo Ezekwe, David Hunt, and Craig Gilson have led Jesuit 

all season long. Junior Steven Hogan collects an average of 

11 rebounds a game. Jesuit traveled to the “Knights of 

Columbus” tournament in Dallas in December. The team 

beat a Russian National team (under 19 yrs. old), but lost to 

ATHLETICS 

Mesquite, then beat Bishop Lynch for third place. Also in 

December, they played in the Houston Private School 

tournament and lost in the Championship to Westbury 

Christian. Next they went to the Las Vegas “Holiday Prep 

Classic.” After losing by 3 to Cimmarron - Memorial, Jesuit 

beat three teams from three different states, winning the 

consolation championship. The team’s final game is against 

Dallas Jesuit on February 15, 2002. 

WATER POLO 

Varsity Water Polo had one of their best seasons ever, 

placing third at the TISCA state championships. Jon Roschke 

and T.J. Edwards led the team to the regional championship. 

Eric Wooldridge played terrific in goal, limiting 13 opponents 

to 5 goals or fewer. He recorded one shutout and even added 

to the attack as he scored 4 goals from long distance. The 

teams final record was 17 - 6. 

SWIMMING 

The Jesuit swim team rounds out the final portion of their 

season as they travel to Philadelphia, PA, for the “Easterns” 

invitational swim meet hosted by Germantown Academy. 

The team is led by David Strickland, John Roschke, Taylor 

Luksetich, Steven Conway, Michael Raia, and T.J. Edwards.

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WRESTLING 

Strake Jesuit hosted the Texas Prep Wrestling State 

Championships on February 8 th & 9 th . In only it’s third year 

as an organized sport, the Strake Jesuit Wrestling team (under 

the guidance of Coaches John Banas and Shane Epping) 

placed fourth at the Texas State Championships recently. The 

Crusaders were paced by junior Hubert Vuong, who in 

amazing fashion pinned all but one of his opponents on his 

way to a State Championship at 119 lbs. He was named Most 

Outstanding Wrestler. Senior Owen Broom capped his Jesuit 

wrestling career with a State Championship also, and two 

other Crusaders, junior Nick Padon and senior Michael 

Thesing, earned silver medals for second place. 

ATHLETICS 

ALL-AMERICAN SOCCER STAR 

AROUND CAMPUS 

SOCCER 

Jesuit soccer has its second All - American! Senior Mark 

Futrell, who has signed a letter on intent to attend St. John’s 

University in New York, was selected to the National Soccer 

Coaches Association of America “All - American” team. 

Mark has led the varsity soccer team for four years, making 

the top team as a freshmen. He has scored over forty goals in 

his career at Jesuit. 

This season the Crusaders carried a 22-4-2 record. Jesuit 

went to the “Puma Invitational” in Tampa, FL, in December. 

The tournament was hosted by Jesuit High School of Tampa. 

Strake breezed through first round, quarterfinal, and semifinal 

games. Futrell and senior Ryan Goepfert ignited the 

team. Jesuit finally lost to Bellarmine, another Jesuit high 

school from San Jose, CA. Bellarmine is the No. 1 ranked 

team in the national winter rankings listed on the web site: 

www.studentsports.com. Strake Jesuit broke into the 

rankings with this result, listed as one of the “Fab 50.” Futrell 

was named to the All Tournament Team, and Goepfert was 

honored as the Tournament Defensive MVP. The Crusaders 

have beaten St. Thomas twice, and recently hammered 

Dallas Jesuit 4 - 1. 

Mark Futrell ‘02 loves soccer. Growing up in Houston, he started playing at the 

age of 4. This midfielder ran up and down countless fields in the city working on 

his game. He also participated in basketball, golf, and baseball but as a freshman he 

went with what he knew best…soccer. 

Mark came to Strake Jesuit with more than soccer on his mind though. “I 

thought there was a very good atmosphere all around. I thought this was a place 

where I could succeed in athletics while gaining time management skills for my 

studies. Plus, I heard this was a place where you build really good friendships with 

the people you go to school with.” 

Mark has found that to be true. “I can walk into church, a grocery store, or a 

restaurant, see someone from my class and say hi. Our class has a good relationship 

with everyone.” 

Mark also found the academics side to be challenging yet rewarding. He 

mentioned Dr. Palasota, his sophomore Chemistry teacher as someone, “who related the subject well so we could understand it.” 

Athletically, Mark has had success with his team and individually. The team had a record of 22-4-2 with two of those losses 

coming against two of the Top 5 teams in the country. Individually, Mark was named by the National Soccer Coaches Association 

of America (NSCAA) as a High School All-American. He was one of two players from the state of Texas to receive such recognition. 

Looking ahead, Mark has made big plans for next year. He has accepted an athletic/academic scholarship to St. John’s 

University in Queens, New York. St. John’s won the NCAA Division I National Championship in 1996 and lost in double overtime 

in the NCAA Final Four this year. St. John’s is also breaking ground on a new soccer facility that will be completed by the time 

Mark arrives. 

Mark will take his foundation from Jesuit to the Big Apple, and one can be sure the sky is the limit. 


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AROUND CAMPUS a 


MUSIC 

Seventeen Strake Jesuit/Saint Agnes band members and 

nine orchestra members were selected to the 2001-2002 

Texas Private School Music Educators Association’s All- 

State Band and Orchestra. Under the direction of Mr. Robert 

Peri, the Crusader band placed 17 of 94 students into the All- 

State Band, including first chair honors by Natalie Wren 

(SAA, oboe), Andre Mouton (alto sax) and Eric Friedlander 

(french horn). Mr. Guillermo Hernandez-Ching placed 9 out 

of 55 into the All-State Orchestra including first chair honors 

by sophomore Michael Aguhar (bass). 

The students were featured in a performance at the 

TPSMEA All-State Concert in Laurie Auditorium on the 

campus of Trinity University, San Antonio. In addition to the 

honor of having these students selected to their respective 

honor ensembles, it should be noted that Mr. Peri is the state 

Band Division Chairman and Mr. Hernandez the state 

Orchestra Division Chairman. 

Be sure to listen to these and other fine musicians this 

spring at the Orchestra Spring Concert (April 20) and the 

Band Spring Concert (April 27). 

BAND PICTURED 

(L to R front - middle - back) 

Katie Strausser, Jaclyn Moynihan, Sarah Evans, Natalie Wren, Beth Bange 

Brandon Wingate, Andre Mouton, Eric Friedlander, Jeremy Crawley, Chris 

Gornet, J Edward Bates 

Keegan Tooley, Matt Kuhn, Robby Meara, Bobby Huebel, Jeff Wegenka, 

Peter Blais 

ORCHESTRA PICTURED 

(L to R front to back) 

Theresa Nguyen, Analyn Uy, Michelle Perrin, Lauren O’Neil 

Mr. Hernandez, Robert DenBleyker, Andy Schell, Michael Aguhar, Thomas 

Schiano, Robbie Roach 

DEBATE 

The SJ debate team has had a successful season thus far 

in 2001-2002. With over half of the season completed, SJ 

team members have won numerous competitions throughout 

the state. Additionally, SJ has six qualifications for the Texas 

Forensics Association tournament to be held in Lubbock on 

February 28 th – March 2 nd . 

Particularly impressive has been the performance of this 

year’s freshman team members. After losing so many 

talented and dedicated members to graduation last year, it has 

been a pleasant surprise to have them replaced by a new hard 

working group. Top tournaments for new team members 

include the Bishop High School Invitational where SJ closed 

out the tournament taking the top eight places in Novice 

Lincoln Douglas (NLD) Debate; Harlingen South High 

School where SJ took seven of the top eight places in NLD; 

Bellaire High School, eight of the top ten in NLD; Clear 

Brook High School, nine of the top ten in NLD; and Humble 

High School, four of the top six in NLD. With such a 

talented group of young debaters, SJ looks to be a power in 

the Houston area for many years to come. 

DEBATE TEAM MEMBERS AFTER THE 

BISHOP HIGH SCHOOL INVITATIONAL 

Pictured left to right are: 

Carlos Ramirez, Matthew Strausser, Ernest Ezena, Justin Anglin, Jay 

Chang, Paolo Puccini, Brian Hogue, Vincent Yu, Michael Foster, Steven 

Duque, Chas Griffin, Alvaro Orantes, Stephen McClendon, Alan Liu, 

Kevin Dragoset, and Nick Lovell

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a 

Principal’s 

Perspective 

My first encounter with Strake Jesuit, its students and its 

faculty, was through its Debate Team. I had begun my 

teaching career in another school and along with numerous 

other assignments there was the job of Debate Coach. Early 

in the season my teams began to meet Jesuit Debaters and 

always came back knowing they had been in a good fight. A 

good part of being a debate coach is sitting in auditoriums in 

the early hours of a Saturday afternoon waiting for results. It 

was in such an auditorium waiting for results that I met 

Misters John Payne, S.J. and Dan O’Shea, S.J. Dan and John 

had inherited the job of running the Jesuit forensics group 

from Father Jacques Weber, S.J., and for the next two years 

we spent our Saturday afternoons comparing notes and 

talking. As a result of these conversations I ended up 

teaching at Jesuit. 

Father Weber was already a legend in my book. When 

Strake Jesuit’s athletic teams were too young to field a 

varsity, Father Weber’s debaters and orators were coming 

home from tournaments around the state with trophies, 

plaques and bragging rights. One of Father Weber’s orators 

went to National Forensic League Nationals as a junior. 

We are still sending teams out every weekend-sometimes 

by the bus load-and they are still bringing home the trophies 

and the points. There are 36 kids involved and five faculty 

coaches. Mr. Jerry Crist heads up the coaching staff. Before 

coming to Strake Jesuit two years ago, Mr. Crist earned a law 

degree at Gonzaga University in Spokane and practiced law 

for several years. Now he teaches government and world 

history and spends most of his weekends at tournaments, 

AROUND CAMPUS 

along with Mr. Murvin Auzenne and Mr. Nick Arguello. 

Many of you know Mr. Auzenne as your former government 

or world history teacher. (He was an orator on the first 

forensics team I ever coached.) While Mr. Arguello is a 

debate coach and theology graduate student by night, he 

chairs our theology department and teaches junior theology 

by day. Mr. Mike Sullivan, who moderates the Southwell 

Players, teaches theater and English, and directs our theatrical 

program, helps our forensics group with duet acting and other 

individual events. Some of you may remember Mike as a 

fellow member of the Class of ‘87. Mrs. Diane Hollingsworth 

also worked with our theater program for a number of 

years; she now teaches English and also helps out with 

individual events. 

When our team is not on the road, prepping briefs or 

practicing, they are running debate camps for incoming 

Freshmen. This year we have 20 freshmen in the program. 

They are as enthusiastic and as wily as those in my first years 

at the school. Father Chris Billac and I became great friends 

watching their machinations and attempting to control them. 

My best memories of my own years as a debate coach are not 

the awards ceremonies or even a few of the really great 

debates that I watched our teams win, but the long rides 

home. Debaters never quit; if they are not going over their 

last “round” word by word they are excoriating the judges 

they had or the feeble attempts of their opponents. Many of 

those tireless young men are still using the skills they 

developed in research, speaking and organization as judges, 

lawyers, physicians and a host of other professions and 

occupations. One of great joys now is seeing them again; so 

many of our conversations begin-“Remember the ride back 

from......” 

24 STRAKE JESUIT SENIORS SELECTED AS NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLAR FINALISTS 

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLAR FINALISTS 

First Row (L to R) 

Jonathan Kwan, Justin Wang, Omar Gafur, Chris Glaser, Juan 

Rivera, Joseph Vengalil, Colby Fan, Ryan Reddy, Matt 

Stoner, Armando Huaringa, Jonathan Murphy, Matthew 

Kuhn, Paul Albrecht, Peter Blais and Andre Mouton 

Top Row (L to R) 

Ryan Caldwell, Michael Raia, Samuel Williams and Steven 

Lanier 

Not Pictured: 

Cameron Cope, T.J. Edwards, Eric Heller, Bryan Nettels and 

Andy Seré 


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Respect. Fairness. Service. 

Justice. The words used to describe 

their missions are the same; 

the voices are different. 

Although they all began at 

much the same place–as 

students at Strake 

Jesuit–their career paths 

were often varied. Yet 

today they have again 

reached a similar place: as 

judges in the District and 

Municipal Courts of Texas. 

“Strake Jesuit has 

more alumni currently on 

the bench in Texas than any 

other high school in the 

state,” asserts Judge Mark 

Davidson ‘71, the most 

senior of the alumni judges. 

The third most senior judge 

in Harris County, Judge Davidson 

presides over the 11 th District Court 

(the oldest court in Texas). John 

Coselli ‘70 is the judge of the 125 th 

District, and Judge Pat Mizell ‘82 

presides over the 129 th District 

Court. In the Family Court, Frank 

Rynd ‘70 is judge of the 309 th 

District 

Court (please see accompanying 

box), and up the road, Alexis (Tripp) 

Walter III ‘76 is judge of the City of 

College Station Municipal Court. 

They all have different, often 

tongue in cheek, reasons for why they 

decided to enter the judiciary–watching 

Bro. Casey administer 

Saturday PH’s, successfully 

defending themselves in traffic court 

as juveniles, a “C” in Mr. Smelko’s 

Bones and Muscles class that kept 

one out of med school–but at basis, 

Strake Jesuit formed the foundation 

of where they are now. 

“What is attractive to me is not 

just being a judge but having the 


COMMITTED TO JUSTICE 

Alumni Judges Bring Ignatian Ideals to Texas Courts 

Pat Mizell ‘82 

Judge since 1995. 

Undergraduate: SMU 

Law School: 

University of Houston 

Wife: Shannon Mizell 

Children: Two Girls & Two Boys 

(ages 3 - 9) 

Interests: Golf & Politics 

opportunity to help people,” remarks 

Judge Walter. “That has been a goal 

throughout my career, 

beginning with my career 

as an attorney. Helping 

people and trying to make 

the world a better place 

are traceable back to what 

we learned at Strake 

Jesuit.” 

Judge Mizell 

credits SJCP with 

developing a love for his 

fellow man, respect for 

others, and the notion that 

scholarship is important. 

In a similar vein, Judge 

Coselli notes, “Our job is 

heavily weighted toward 

respect, honesty, fairness, 

justice, even education. 

We are in school every day.” 

The Ignatian ideal of service to 

others particularly influenced 

Judge Davidson. 

“I always try to remember 

that I am a public servant. 

It is easy to get “black robe 

disease”–to believe that as a 

judge you are above 

everyone else. The grounding 

that I received at Strake 

Jesuit reminds me that I am 

a public servant and am to 

serve the public, not rule 

over them.” 

Fr. Chris Billac, S.J., 

and Richard Nevle are also 

cited as individuals of 

strong influence in these 

men’s development at 

Jesuit. “My belief that we 

should try to live up to a 

certain moral code came 

from almost every teacher I 

had there,” remembers 

Mark Davidson ‘71 


Recently elected to a two year 

term as administrative judge 

of Harris County. 

Undergraduate: 

University of Texas at Austin: 

Law School: 


(also attended UT) 

Wife: Sarah Duckers 

Children: Two Sons 

Interests: Cycling (MS 150 & 

Borders, Surf & Citrus 100) & 

Cooking (anything French) 

Judge Davidson. “Since morality is 

the basis of law, a lot of my love of 

the law came from the education I 

received at the school.” 

In his work in the Municipal 

Court, Judge Walter has found a 

special role for the values he learned 

at Jesuit. “One of my goals for the 

Court is to treat everybody with 

dignity and respect, judging fairly, 

especially with juveniles and their 

families. There is a need to show 

compassion. I try to get my hands 

around everything in a case–to go 

beyond what has brought them here 

and see other issues behind the 

current problem. And to see how to 

design a punishment that addresses 

all these things. I try to develop the 

potential in all these juveniles, which 

is very much in the tradition of Strake 

Jesuit. Our teachers were counselors 

in all areas, not just academics.” 

All these men 

believe passionately in 

the justice system and 

their ability to help make 

the world a more just 

place. And this passion is 

evident as they speak of 

what is most rewarding in 

their work. “You’d like 

to think you’ve administered 

justice in such a 

way that it has bettered 

people’s lives,” Judge 

Coselli reflects. “But 

ultimately when people 

make decisions for 

themselves, it is exponentially 

better. So, one 

of the most important 

aspects in effectively 

administering justice is 

how you make the 

decision. The reason I am

s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 11 

John Coselli ‘70 



Loyola of New Orleans 

Law School: 


Wife: Carolyn Coselli 

Children: Four Sons (ages 8-13) 

Interests: Family, sons’ sports & 

Establishing Peer Mediation 

Programs in Houston area 

schools 

here is that I am trying to make 

a difference in the lives of the 

people I come in contact with. 

So that everyone who has 

contact with the Court can see 

their lives changed in a positive 

way.” 

“Having the contact with 

people, hoping you make a 

difference,” echoes Judge 

Walter on the motivation in his 

work. “It is difficult sometimes, 

because you don’t see the 

results, but you must be 

confident that you are doing the 

right thing. Nobody wants to be 

here (in Municipal Court); these 

people have been charged with 

offenses–traffic, alcohol-related, 

or criminal. This may be the 

first contact many people have 

with the Court and the system. 

It is important that I project a 

positive image of the Court and 

the system. It’s a great 

opportunity to positively impact 

people.” 

Judge Mizell concurs. 

“You get to have a positive 

impact on people’s lives. It is 

rewarding to work hard to 

achieve a right result.” 

And they all agree on one 

of the lighter benefits of being a 

Judge: those cool judge license 

plates. 

Tripp Walter ‘76 




Law School: 

Texas Tech University 

Wife: Kim Walter 

Children: One Son, Thomas 

Interests: I used to play a little 

softball, but now I have a two 

year old son! 

Judge Frank Rynd ‘70 Seeks Justice for Children 

“It takes a special kind of person to be involved in family court,” remarks Judge 

Tripp Walter. “Those cases are so different from the ones heard by civil or municipal 

courts.” 

For the uninitiated, here is a distinction among those courts in a nutshell: Civil 

District Courts hear matters involving money or property, as well as suits to compel or 

prohibit wrongful action (injunctions). Municipal Courts judge people who have been 

charged with offenses–traffic violations, alcohol-related, or criminal. Family Courts hear 

matters involving paternity and divorce, including child support, property division and 

child custody. They also hear matters relating to child support and custody, even if it is not 

part of a divorce. 

If there seemed a perfect fit for a man and a career, it would be Frank Rynd ‘70 in 

his current position as Judge of the 309 th District Court of Texas (Family Court). Both in 

his professional and personal life, Judge Rynd has been a tireless advocate for children. 

Judge Rynd’s interest in children’s causes stems from his years in Dallas when he 

became involved in adoption work with the Buckner Baptist Benevolences; he later served 

as an ad liten, representing children in litigation. Upon his return to Houston, he became 

a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston. After many years of service, he 

is now an honorary board member. It was also during this time that Judge Rynd 

volunteered on a project with the Salvation Army to provide shelter for the homeless. “It 

was a tremendous personal experience. I really came to realize the enormous needs not being met,” he recalls. 

In 1999 he received the Shirlee Tracy Anderson award for long and distinguished service to BBBS of Houston, and in 2000 

he chaired the kick off breakfast for the Interfaith Ministries Children’s Campaign. 

Judge Rynd served as general legal counsel for the Houston Astros for seventeen years before beginning his career as an 

associate judge (in 1999). Reflecting on his decision to enter public service, he echos the sentiments of his fellow alumni judges 

in the civil and municipal courts. “Anyone practicing before a judge has some desire to do this and to know how it works. I 

believe I have a sense of fairness and a sense of public service. This (the judiciary) allows me to give back to the community.” 

And like many of his fellows, he credits Fr. Chris Billac’s influence on his life–“You can live a life for others.” 

A graduate of the University of Texas and the UT Law School, Judge Rynd is a devoted uncle to two nieces and two 

nephews, one great-nephew, and mentor to eight god-children. An avid historian and advocate of historical preservation, he is 

also active in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. But after all is said, his greatest interest is in people, as evidenced by his 

innumerable friends. And it is reflected in his comments on the best part of his job: “It’s about making a positive difference in 

people’s lives.” 

Judge Rynd’s name appears on the ballot on March 12, as he faces an election challenge in the Republican primary. 


s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 12 

SJAA ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT 


During the Annual Meeting of the Strake Jesuit Alumni Association, alumni present 

approved the nomination of officers for the years 2002-2003. Mike Doyle ‘83, who 

served as President- Elect during the 2000-01 term, replaced out-going President Hugh 

Vrsalovic ‘84. Ron Mucci ‘75 and Todd Lorenz ‘88 were elected President-Elect and 

Secretary/Treasurer, respectively. 

Just being an “alumnus” gives us two directions to consider—-the past experiences and 

bonds that we shared while students at Strake Jesuit, and our future together as a continuing 

community in support of the school and each other. Part of the fun of remaining an active 

participant in the Strake Jesuit community is spending time with good friends since high 

school, but getting to know alumni of different years and newer members of the community 

has been a great learning experience, too. 

Working with Hugh Vrsalovic ’84 for the last two years has been one of those great new 

experiences. Along with Mary Linda Portner and Fr. Chris Billac, Hugh has put enormous 

effort and thought into remaking our Alumni Association into an active, important part of 

the Strake Jesuit community. We can now look to CrusaderFest, the Family Mass and 

Easter Egg Hunt, the Alumni Retreat, the Networking Breakfasts, and the St. Thomas Game 

Tailgate Party and see ways to share good times and good experiences with our fellow 

alumni. We can also look to Alumni for the Future and Career View (the alumni mentoring 

Mr. Mike Doyle ‘83 programs), as well as the Annual Drive as meaningful ways that we as alumni contribute to 

the continuing Ignatian task of building new “Men for Others.” Thanks to Hugh and the 

many alumni and friends that have worked with him to build these programs and activities, there 

are more ways than ever to develop our shared bonds and capabilities as Strake Jesuit graduates. 

In the time ahead we hope to open more opportunities for every alumnus to share in our 

continuing community. This means that you may be called upon not just to give money during 

the Annual Drive, but also your time and talents. We can expect more events (particularly events 

aimed at keeping our newest alumni active participants in the community), along with more 

chances to be of service to the school and its students. We can all look to an Alumni Association 

growing into its potential for its members and the larger Strake Jesuit community. 

ALUMNI PLAN CAREER VIEW 

FOR JUNE 2002 

The Strake Jesuit Alumni Association, in conjunction 

with the Counseling Office, have begun co-ordinating Career 

View, the alumni program which gives sophomores and 

juniors the opportunity to see first-hand various aspects of a 

variety of careers. Now in its third year, the program is 

scheduled for the week of June 3. Should demand warrant, a 

second week will be offered on June 17. 

With concentrations in business, engineering, law and 

medicine, Career View brings interested students in contact 

with SJ alumni at work in each of those fields. Last year’s 

participants in engineering, for example, visited a 

construction site, met with engineering firms to see the design 

process first-hand, and enjoyed a private tour of NASA. 

Students interested in business learned about (among other 

things) mergers and acquisitions, city government, and 

commercial real estate, while future med students witnessed 

surgery and office visits first-hand. Law school hopefuls 

visited courtrooms, attorney’s offices and met face-to-face 

with law enforcement officials. This year’s program 

promises more of the same. 

Parents of sophomores and juniors will receive 

information on the program in early March. Alumni coordinators 

will be available at the Alumni Booth at Spring 

Fling to discuss the program with interested parents. 

Students will receive invitations to participate by mail after 

Spring Break. Interested students should submit their 

applications to the Counseling Office by April 5. 

Alumni are also encouraged to participate as hosts in 

Career View. As student participation in the program has 

grown over the years, the need for additional alumni support 

has also grown. Any alum in the Houston area working in 

business, engineering, law or medicine who would be 

interested in assisting with Career View should contact one of 

the following: 

Business: 

Jim Murphy ‘76: murphy@westchase.dst.tx.us 

Engineering: 

Ron Mucci ‘75: ron.m.mucci@williams.com 

Law: 

Ray Albrecht ‘72: ray.albrecht@oceanenergy.com 

Medicine: 

Phil Leggett ‘71: pleggett@drleggett.com 

a

s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 13 

a 

CLASS OF 1972 

August 23 & 24 

REUNION CHAIRS 

Ray Albrecht: ray.albrecht@oceanenergy.com 

Charlie Atchison: csaexp@ev1.net 

Greg Guarino: gregory.guarino@wellsfargo.com 

LOST ALUMNI* 

Mr. William J. Delmore 

Dr. Thomas B. Fletcher 

Mr. John C. Fontana, Jr. 

Mr. Terry A. O’Leary 

Mr. Michael J. Smith 

Mr. Timothy J. Toomey 

CLASS OF 1982 

September 13 & 14 


Stephen Schneidau: sschneid@cushwake.com 

Tony Kegg: tony@yieldhunter.net 

Robert Smith: rbsmith@fcinc.cc 

LOST ALUMNI* 

Mr. Eddy Coleman 

Mr. Luis Gonzales 

Mr. Andrew Jackson 

Mr. Scott Lucas 

Mr. Jim Manning 

Mr. R. R. Martin, Jr. 

Mr. Jorge Martinez 

Mr. Luen Wei 

p 

Indicates a reunion class on the following 

Class Notes pages. 

REUNION 2002 

CLASS OF 1992 

August 16 & 17 


Travis Twardowski: TTwardowski@rohmhaas.com 

Mike Boudreaux: mike@boudreaux.net 

Eddy Evans: edilyevans@hotmail.com 

LOST ALUMNI* 

Mr. C. S. Blevins 

Mr. Jason E. Broussard 

Mr. Stephane X. Buemi 

Mr. Edwin H. Dossman, Jr. 

Mr. Justin A. Factor 

Mr. John E. Foote 

Mr. Raymond W. Funke 

Mr. Peter K. Han 

Mr. P. M. Janicke 

Mr. Alan M. Kane 

Mr. Kyle W. Kornegay 

Mr. Alvin Low-Thue 

Mr. Albert G. Luna 

Mr. Zvonimir L. Milas 

Mr. Christopher R. Milnar 

Mr. Jean D. Morency 

Mr. Gregory V. Nelson 

Mr. Kevin W. Smith 

Mr. Gregory A. Todd 

*For one reason or another, these alumni have 

disappeared from our database. If you know 

their whereabouts, please call the Alumni office 

at 713.774.7651 x130 

or email us at 

alumni@strakejesuit.org. 


s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 14 

CLASS NOTES a 

CLASS OF 1967 

Gray Miller is still a partner at 

Fulbright & Jaworski. Gray and his 

wife, Joanne, celebrated their 33 rd 

wedding anniversary with a two 

week cruise in South America. 

Cruising Cape Horn was a longtime 

dream of Gray’s. 

CLASS OF 1968 

Jerry Colca and his wife, Melba, are 

living in Kalamazoo, Michigan, 

where he works for Pharmacia. Their 

daughter, Janice, is married and the 

couple also resides in Kalamazoo. 

Jerry and Melba’s son Stephen is 

attending Western Michigan 

University. 

CLASS OF 1973 

Peter Hoyt is currently working at 

The University of Tennessee for the 

Graduate Program in Genome 

Sciences and Technology. His wife 

Mary has been teaching speech and 

language at a public elementary 

school in their area. Their oldest 

daughter Lisa, is a freshman at the 

University of Tennessee. Their other 

daughter, Amy, is in seventh grade. 

Steve Lea is very busy living, 

working and doing volunteer work in 

Boerne, TX, where he lives with his 

wife Patricia. He is on the Board of 

Directors for the Greater Boerne 

Chamber of Commerce and Winston 

School of San Antonio, TX. He 

founded the Hill Country Cycling 

Foundation that established a cycling 

program at Boerne High School, the 

only accredited PE course in cycling 

in the state of Texas. The competitive 

team is sponsored by Earl Campbell 

and his sausage company. Steve 

along with four other riders rode the 

MS 150 Bike to the Beach (San 

Antonio to Corpus Christi) and were 

the third highest fund-raising team, 

despite having only 5 riders 

compared to the two top ranked 

teams that had over 50 members 

each. 

Bob Price is currently the Assistant 

Principal at Memorial Middle School 

in Houston, TX. His two children, 

Megan and Will, both attend 

Stratford High School in Spring 


Branch ISD. He and his wife Cindy 

have been married for 25 years. 

Walker C. Taylor has moved to the 

San Francisco, CA, area for a new job 

as Assistant Secretary of Chevron 

Texaco Corporation. 

Stephen Tower, II, has been a Broker 

Associate with Coldwell Banker 

United Realtors since 1995. His 

wife, Debra, is a Director of Financial 

Reporting at Continental Airlines. 

They live in Houston, TX with their 

four year old preschooler, Stephen 

Tower, III. 

CLASS OF 1976 

Luis Delclos is on assignment in 

Spain, with his wife Maria, and their 

two sons, Luis (13) and Xavier (10). 

He is practicing Architecture and 

Interiorism. 

Reid McTaggart and his wife Terry 

celebrated their 1 st wedding anniversary 

on December 16, 2001. He is 

in the Business Consulting division 

of Andersen Consulting, working in 

Merger Integration. His stepson, 

Bowen, is a freshman at the new West 

Side High School in Houston. 

CLASS OF 1977 

David Almaguer is a Captain and 

Paramedic with the Houston Fire 

Department. He is currently assigned 

to the Emergency Medical Services 

Command. David has been married 

to Jill for 17 years. Jill is the District 

Telecommunications Sales Manager 

for Agilent Technologies. David’s 

brothers Mike ‘75 and Randy ‘76 

both still live in Houston, but the 

three men frequent their mother’s 

longhorn cattle and Spanish mustang 

ranch in Gonzales, TX, “whenever 

Mom says the fence needs fixin’”. 

David would like to thank the Jesuit 

community and Alumni who called 

and prayed for the fellow firefighters 

that were lost both here in Houston 

and in New York. 

Tom Burton is Vice-President at 

Mascoma Bank, a commercial lender. 

He lives in New Hampshire with his 

wife of almost 20 years, Alison. 

Their oldest daughter started at the 

University of New Hampshire this 

year, their middle daughter is 

currently applying to colleges, and 

their son is into karate and computers. 

Tom enjoys doing lots of volunteer 

work and has lots of grey hair. 

John Bradley was appointed by 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve as 

District Attorney of Williamson 

County, Texas. His appointment is 

effective until the general election in 

November 2002. 

John Bradley ‘77 at Hurricane 

Ridge in Washington State. 

Buddy Francese and his wife Patti 

live in Austin with their two children, 

Blake (5) and Nicole (2). While 

Buddy is busy in the commercial real 

estate world, Patti is busy chasing the 

two children around the house. 

CLASS OF 1978 

Clifford D. Haehl, III is Director of 

Marketing for Span Maxwell Company, 

a general contractor with 

offices in Houston and Austin. 

CLASS OF 1979 

Dan Boeckelmann and his wife, 

Krista, manage a hotel, The Island 

Inn, on Mohegen Island off the coast 

of Maine. It is only opened during 

the summer. In the winter the couple 

spends time at their house in Tuscon, 

AZ, where Dan works as a picture 

framer for his winter profession. 

CLASS OF 1980 

After ten years with Farmers 

Insurance Group of Companies, John

s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 15 

a 

Berardi, is now representing 

American National Insurance Company. 

The John Berardi Insurance 

Agency is located in Clear Lake, 

outside of Houston. John and his 

wife, Barbara, recently bought a 

house just outside of Alvin, TX, in 

Brazoria County. They have three 

sons, Ross (7), Scott (4) and Brian 

(19 months). 

CLASS OF 1982 p 

Paul P. Brice owns a graphics and 

new media company in Houston, TX, 

called The Graphics Factory. His 

wife, Bonnie is an R.N. at M.D. 

Anderson Hospital. 

Robert Honeywell is currently a 

playwright, director, actor and 

attorney in New York City. He wrote, 

directed and produced World War III 

Shall be a Lovely Daydream, which 

appeared October 4-21, 2001, at the 

Lea Tea Theater in New York City. 

Robert was also appointed Of 

Counsel to the New York office of 

Greenberg, Traurie, LLP, a national 

law firm based in Miami. 

CLASS OF 1983 

Michael P. Doyle recently announced 

the opening of The Doyle Law Firm 

with offices in Houston and 

Galveston, TX. The firm will 

practice prosecution of maritime, 

medical negligence, insurance bad 

faith, product liability and complex 

civil litigation matters. 

Brian McCue was transferred to 

Austin, TX, in January of 2001. His 

oldest son Ben is a sophomore in high 

school and participates in soccer, 

cross country & track. Conrad is in 

sixth grade and loves soccer, 

basketball and sports. Brian and his 

wife, Moira, will soon be celebrating 

16 years of marriage. They spend 

most of their time traveling to the 

boys sporting events. 

David O’Brien was married on 

September 29, 2001, to Bridget Riley 

Gatz at Sacred Heart Catholic Church 

in Norfolk, NE. They will live in 

Norfolk where David continues to 

work for Arnold Engineering. 

BIRTHS 

Harrison Bothe born on April 6, 2001. 

Bo ‘88 & Heather Bothe 

Hadlea 

Chelsea Marie Brice born on October 3, 2001. 

Paul ‘82 & Bonnie Brice 

Brittany 

Natalie Elizabeth Gorman born on October 30, 2001 

John ‘87 & Ann Marie Gorman 

Drew, Matt & Angie 

Audrey Ellen Harris born September 4, 2001. 

Benchmark ‘91 & Deborah Harris 

Tyler Huff born on August 12, 2001 

Christopher ‘86 & Kelly Huff 

Meg Lynch was born on September 23, 2001. 

Randall ‘84 & Kay Lynch 

Ryan & Reagan 

John Edward McCabe born on September 22, 2001 

Robert ‘81 & Elizabeth Gorman 

Matthew 

Nicholas Alexander Mattioli born on June 9, 2001. 

Fred ‘83 & Victoria (SAA ‘83) Mattioli 

Christian, Frederick & Caroline 

Samuel Patrick Poché born December 24, 2001. 

Steve ‘84 & Erin Poché 

Trip Edward Twardowski born February 10, 2002. 

Travis ‘92 & Kelley Twardowski 

Emily Traynor born on June 19, 2001. 

Francis ‘87 & Kathryn Traynor 

Sarah 

CLASS NOTES 

Evan Hart & Andrew Cole von Eschenbach born December 22, 2001. 

Drew ‘86 & Dawn von Eschenbach 

Kyle Edward Walsh born on November 15, 2001 

Shane ‘91 & Elena (SAA ‘91) Walsh 

Adam Max Whitty born July 16, 2001. 

Pat ‘78 & Leigh Ann Whitty 

Daniel, Benjamin & Jacob 

Johnathon Alexander White born on September 7, 2001 

John ‘85 & Trish White 


s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 16 

CLASS NOTES a 

CLASS OF 1984 

Mark Aitala married Sara Beechner 

on November 10, 2001, in Austin, 

TX. Other Jesuit Alumni in attendance 

were, John Harris ‘84, Tom 

Lopez ‘84, Mark Moze ‘84 and 

George Rizzo ‘84. Mark has lived in 

Austin since graduation and has 

worked for Apple Computer’s 

Internet Publishing team for nine 

years. 

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Aitala 

Sean P. Carnahan married Shalon 

Janese Bennett on October 20, 2001, 

at Saint Margaret Catholic Church in 

Lake Charles, LA. 

Dale Fischer moved to Los Angeles, 

CA, in November of 2000. He is 

currently working for SoCal as Vice 

President of Technical Operations. 

Randall Lynch and his wife, Kay, 

along with their two sons, Ryan (5) 

and Reagan (4), were transferred to 

Conneticut in July 2000. They made 

the move as part of SBC’s national 

expansion plans. Randall was responsible 

for the overall deployment 

of switches and network capability in 

nine Northeast cities from Boston to 

Washington D.C. In June of 2001, 

Randall received another transfer and 

relocated with his family to the East 

Bay area in California. His new 

position is with SBC’s Long Distance 

Subsidiary. 

Mike Riccetti has recently authored 

and published a book for local 

consumption entitled, Houston 

Dining on the Cheap - A Guide to the 


Best Inexpensive Restaurants in 

Houston. It has received favorable 

recent media coverage and is 

available at Houston area bookstores, 

Central Market and on-line at 

Amazon.com. 

CLASS OF 1985 

Robert Guerrero and his wife, 

Ivickza, live in Austin. Robert works 

as “Webmaster” at Dell Computer’s 

Latin America Online division. He 

has been a World Music DJ on 

FM/Internet since 1990 for his hobby. 

He is currently the webmaster, 

producer, and host of the World 

Music show, Global Groovin’ on 

www.Radio1Austin.com. 

Rob Nash recently premiered his 

latest play, Rob Nash does Romeo 

and Juliet, in Austin, TX, at the 

VORTEX. The play combined the 

classic Shakespearean tragedy 

Romeo and Juliet with the backstage 

drama and shenanigans of a modern 

day acting company. 

CLASS OF 1986 

Christopher Hawkins first novel, 

The Water’s End was recently 

published by Trafford. Bruce Jenkins 

of the San Francisco Chronicle, calls 

it a “wonderful, compelling thing.” It 

is available online through Amazon, 

Barnes and Noble and directly 

through the publisher at 

www.thewatersend.com. 

CLASS OF 1987 

Lt. Thomas Sissener, DVM, MS, 

finished his internship in Small 

Animal Surgery and Internal 

Medicine in June of 2001. He was 

then called in to a year of service with 

the Royal Norwegian Armed Forces. 

He is currently serving as a 

Lieutenant at the Army Medical 

School outside Oslo, Norway, where 

his duties include teaching providing 

care for the security dogs, food and 

water inspection and some work with 

biological and chemical weapons 

defense. His tour of duty ends in the 

summer of 2002. 

Derrick Weingartner, S.J. took his 

vows as a Jesuit on August 15, 2001 

at Grand Coteau, LA. In attendance 

were Tony Merkel ‘87 and Kenneth 

Merkel ‘90. He is currently studying 

philosophy and theology at Loyola 

University in Chicago. His email 

address is dweingartner@juno.com. 

CLASS OF 1988 

Bo Bothe and his family live in the 

Spring Valley area in Houston, TX. 

His wife, Heather, is the Technologist 

at Askew Elementary. Bo was recently 

named a partner at Savage 

Design Group. 

Captain Philip Clinton flys for the 

USAF out of MacDill, AF Base. He 

has two daughters, Caitlyn Rose (3) 

and Victoria Hope (1) who love living 

so close to Disney World in Orlando. 

LCDR Keith Harrison, USN is back 

at sea as the Training Officer of 

Fighter Squadron 154 (V154 Black 

Knights) from the USS Kitty Hawk. 

He and his wife, Robyn, are 

expecting their third child sometime 

in April/May 2002. 

Patrick O’Connell was married in 

January of 2001 to wife Kristi at St. 

Michael’s Church. They honeymooned 

in Italy (where they spent 

Easter Sunday in Vatican City) and 

Greece. He is a SAP Software 

Consultant working in Houston for 

ExxonMobil. 

CLASS OF 1989 

Jeffrey Abel has recently founded 

Abel Design Group, an interior architecture 

company. He specializes in 

tenant buildouts, restaurants and 

hospitality design. Offices are located 

in One Greenway Plaza in 

Houston, TX. 

Claytie Davis, III married Yolanda 

Fang on September 29, 2001 at Grace 

Cathedral in San Francisco, CA. The 

wedding party included Corey B. 

Davis ‘90, Jeffrey S. Abel ‘89 and 

David J. Andre ‘89. The couple spent 

their honeymoon in Italy and live in 

Oakland, CA. 

Greg Heerdt married Jennifer Garcia 

on November 11, 2000, in Denver, 

CO, at the Church of the Holy Ghost. 

Greg is employed as a clerk in the 

Federal Appellate Court in Denver,

s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 17 

a CLASS NOTES 

while Jennifer works in investment 

services for Wells Fargo. 

CLASS OF 1990 

Stephen Cronin has completed his 

studies at the University of California 

at San Diego and has been awarded 

the degree of PH.D. in Biology. 

CLASS OF 1991 

Ben Harris recently became a 

licensed Professional Enginner. He 

and his family have lived in Denton, 

TX, for about five years. 

Eric Hopkins will complete his 

Pediatrics Residency at Cook County 

Hospital in June of 2002. He will be 

working for Cook Children’s 

Physicians Network in the 

Dallas/Fort Worth area starting in 

August of 2002. 

Gus Hrncir married Janice 

Naglehout in Denver, CO, on August 

18, 2001. Gus currently works for 

GEOIT as Proposal Manager and 

Janice works for ETHICON. They 

are living in Highlands Ranch, CO. 

CLASS OF 1993 

TERRY CRANE FOUNDATION 

ESTABLISHED 

In the aftermath of the tragic death of Terry Crane ‘90, in November 2001, 

many of his friends and family members sought to memorialize his life. The result 

of these efforts is the Terrence J. “Terry” Crane Foundation. 

Organized with the purpose of providing scholarship assistance to qualified 

students requiring financial aid (in addition to contributing to other approved 

charitable causes), the Terry Crane Foundation has chosen as its first goal the 

endowment of a scholarship at Strake Jesuit. Memorial gifts have already 

provided the basis for a named scholarship, and Foundation members are working 

to raise the $150,000 necessary to complete the endowment. 

Plans are underway to kick off fund-raising efforts with a cocktail reception 

on Saturday, May 11, at Strake Jesuit. Highlights of the evening will include 

music by the Texas High Rollers and a video remembrance of Terry. Organizers 

believe this to be a great opportunity for Terry’s many friends from the Classes of 

1988–1992, as well as other friends and family members, to reunite. A golf 

tournament is tentatively scheduled at Pine Forest Country Club on November 4. 

Members of the Strake Jesuit Classes of 1988–1992 will receive more 

information on these two events, as well as the Foundation in coming weeks. A 

web site is being constructed by Guillermo “Gumby” Narvacan ‘89; please visit 

www.terrycranefoundation.com in the near future for more information on the 

Foundation and updates. 

John Peissel married Estrella 

Cánepar of Peru on January 5, 2002. 

His brother, Eric Eyberg ‘98, was his 

best man. John is currently attending 

law school at the University of 

Houston. 

CLASS OF 1994 

Mark Kruzel has gone back to school 

after doing genetic research for three 

years. He is currently a first year 

student at The University of Texas - 

Houston Medical School. 

David Merkel graduated from UT 

Austin with a Masters in Accounting 

and a Bachelors in Business 

Administration. He spent two years 

as an auditor for Arthur Andersen in 

Houston and earned his CPA. David 

now works for Calpine in Houston as 

a Power Commodity Accountant. He 

married Lauren Titus on September 1, 

2001. They met at UT. Lauren is a 

Primate Zookeeper at The Houston 

Zoo. 

Alex Ostrowski married Jessica 

Bozeman on October 5, 2001 in 

Jacksonville, FL. 

CLASS OF 1995 

Brian Eoff will marry Andrea 

Michelle Smith on March 9, 2002. 

Eric Williams married Susan Scott on 

September 1, 2001, at St. Mary’s 

Catholic Church in Park City, UT. 

Cameron Wynne married Dorothy 

Evans on September 15, 2001, at St. 

Paul’s United Methodist Church in 

Houston, TX. John Hall ‘95 was one 

of Cameron’s groomsmen. 

CLASS OF 1996 

Andrew Koska graduated in 

December of 2000 with a Bachelor’s 

Degree in Mathematics from the 

University of Texas. He is currently 

studying for a Masters in Architecture 

at the University of New Mexico in 

Albuquerque. 

Jason A. Willock graduated with a 

Bachelor of Arts degree from 

Stanford University in 2000. He 

returned to Stanford and recieved a 

Masters degree in June 2001. He is 

now working as an analyst with the 

Investment Banking firm, Goldman 

Sachs, in New York City. 

CLASS OF 1997 

Matt Cannon graduated Summa Cum 

Laude with a perfect 4.0 GPA from 

Texas A&M on August 10, 2001. He 

had the highest GPA in his class. He 

is currently studying at the University 

of California, Davis School of 

Veterinary Medicine. 

Chris Dewhurst married Annamarie 

Burt on July 14, 2001. The couple 

now resides in New York City. 

Thomas S. Gleditsch graduated 

Magna Cum Laude in May 2001 from 

St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO. 

He is currently in his first year of law 

school at St. Louis University. 

George Porter graduated from UT 

Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in 

Computer Science. This past fall he 

moved to California and is currently 

pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer 

Networking at U.C. Berkeley. He 

hopes to work in San Francisco this 

summer and travel a bit. 

Shawn P. Sharkey is enrolled fulltime 

at the University of Houston 

seeking a degree in Civil 

Engineering. 

Nicholas Welch graduated from 

Texas A&M University in December 

with a degree in finance. He accepted 


s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 18 

IN MEMORIAM 

Mr. Melvin Bergeron 

Father of Alan Bergeron ‘77 

Mrs. Doris Coselli 

Mother of John ‘70, Joseph ‘70, Peter ‘72, 

& Michael ‘73 Coselli 

Mr. Terrence Crane ‘90 

Col. James A . Crehan, USAF (Ret.) 

Member of Strake Jesuit Community 1962-2001 

Mrs. Jean Farge 

Mother of William Farge ‘65 

Mrs. Jane Graham 

Mother of John ‘71 & Kenneth ‘74 Graham 

Mother-in-law of Michael Klein ‘79 

Grandmother of Joe Messina ‘02 

Mr. Stefan M. Halaszyn 

Father of Sean ‘92 & Patrick ‘93 Halaszyn 

Mr. Charles W. Klecka 

Father of Martin Klecka ‘68 

Mr. Hugo Klein 

Father of Dan ‘78 & Michael Klein ‘79 

Mr. Jeffrey Thomas Chin Liu ‘89 

Mr. Richard C. Mathews 

Father of Richard J. Mathews ‘72 

Mr. Frank J. Padula 

Father of Jason Padula ‘89 

Mr. James Permetti ‘75 

Brother of Joseph ‘69, Thomas ‘76 

& Michael ‘79 Permetti 

Mr. John F. Pinedo ‘76 

Brother of James ‘76 & Chris ‘79 Pinedo 

Judge Carl Reesby 

Father of Michael ‘68 & Patrick ‘70 Reesby 

Mrs. Dorothy Saur 

Mother of John Saur ‘75 

Mrs. Edith Schmidt 

Mother of Karl Schmidt ‘86 

Mrs. Pietrina Schmitt 

Mother of Joe ‘86, John ‘90 & Paul ‘91 Schmitt 

Mrs. Jennifer Ann DeVautour Walker SAA ‘82 

Sister of Robert A. DeVautour ‘80 

Mr. James B. Ward ‘71 

Brother of Gregory Ward ‘73 

a 

the position of analyst with Sterling 

Bank in Houston. 

CLASS OF 1998 

Ben Morrison is attending Southwest 

Texas State University in San 

Marcos, TX. He is majoring in 

Accounting. 

Steve Rowe married Monica Marie 

Sell on December 28, 2001 at St. 

Patrick’s Cathedral in Ft. Worth, TX. 

The couple visited San Diego on their 

honeymoon. Steve is playing his last 

year of baseball for Texas Tech. He 

pitched for the Red Raiders at the 

Astros College Classic in February at 

Enron Field. 

CLASS OF 1999 

Adam J. Burger is a Petroleum 

Engineering major at Texas A&M 

University in College Station, TX. 

Bryan P. Hoeller attended St. 

Joseph’s University for a year and 

made the Dean’s List. He then 

transferred to UT Austin Business 

School. He is currently enrolled in 

the PPA Masters program at UT 

Austin. 

CLASS OF 2000 

Luis G. Canlas, Jr. is now in his 

second year at the University St. 

Thomas in Houston, TX. He is 

studying Finance and Economics. He 

plans to receive his degree in 2003. 

Justin LaPree is a U.S. Marine 

stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. 

He is enjoying the California weather 

and learning to surf. 

CLASS OF 2001 

Christopher Coffman is a cadet at 

the United States Air Force Academy. 

He plays soccer for the Academy and 

predicts that within four years they 

will be the NCAA Champs. 

Aaron C. Sokolik is a freshman at 

Georgetown University in Washington 

D.C. He is studying international 

business. 

Ryan Walsh is attending Rice 

University where he is concentrating 

on economics and managerial studies 

and is a decathalete. 


s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:01 AM Page 19 

Sadly, THIS OLDE CRUSADER must report the passing 

of our Col. James Crehan, USAF Retired. Mr. Crehan came 

to Strake Jesuit in 1962 and was a respected member of this 

community for 40 years. 

If asked how I shall remember Mr. Crehan, I must 

respond that I shall always remember him as the true 

gentleman that he was. For James Crehan the word 

“gentleman” was truly emblematic for a way of life. 

He was a soft-spoken Christian man, mild mannered but 

with an abiding inner strength and a determined will. He was 

a quiet but steadfast achiever. He was fiercely independent 

and self sufficient. He had that certain military presence and 

conducted himself accordingly. He was always neatly attired. 

His traditional jacket, crisply starched white shirt and neatly 

knotted regimental stripe were his trademark. 

Over the years, he served Strake Jesuit as a teacher, 

administrator and as our representative to the community at 

large. For James Crehan, the business of Strake Jesuit and 

tending to its welfare was more than just a job. It was his 

mission and one of the joys of his life. For everyone that met 

him or worked with him, it was Mr. Crehan that was the joy. 

Even to this day, THIS OLDE CRUSADER knows of no one 

that ever heard him utter an unkind or negative word. Simply 

stated, he was the essence of a positive attitude. 

He was keenly interested in others and took sincere pride 

and pleasure in the accomplishments of those around him; 

friends, faculty, staff and student body. 

The man never sought the limelight or the praise of 

others. However, this is one OLDE CRUSADER that will 

forever herald his virtue: 

Thank you James Crehan, 

TEACHER, ADMINISTRATOR, ROLE MODEL. 

From you we learned so much. 

Your guidance has served us all so well. 

You have set the standard 

that we shall always struggle to emulate. 

To your memory, I pledge my shield and my sword. 

George 

Col. James Crehan USAF Retired

s494_r1.qxd 3/8/2002 5:02 AM Page 20 

Strake Jesuit College Preparatory 

8900 Bellaire Boulevard 

Houston, TX 77036 

Nonprofit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Houston, TX 

Permit No. 11441

calendar of events - Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

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