NeWS - Archbishop Alter High School

s u M M e R 2 0 0 9 

RoundTable 

A publication for alumni, current & past parents, and friends of Alter High School 

In thIs Issue... 

Construction at Alter 

has begun! 

see the vision on pages 2-4. 

Check out the Class of 2009 

see pages 6-7 

Special alumni feature 

stories, pages 14-18 on: 

Joe heritage ’03 

John ’81 and stephen ’83 

Miller 

Anne Kearney ’85 and tom 

sand, Jr. ’85 

howard Watkins ’82 

Winter and Spring Sports 

plus full athletic college 

scholarships for seven Alter 

Knights! 

Upcoming Reunions 

see page 22 

F o u n d e d o n Fa i t h , 

Preserve d w i t h Pr i d e , 

s u s t a i n e d by s p i r i t 

on page 2

V I s I o n & S t r a t e g y 

Alter is 

Answering the Call 

The success of Alter’s first major 

capital campaign is becoming quite 

evident on campus already. With bulldozers 

on nearly every corner of the 

school, pavement ripped up, and science 

labs gutted, the work has begun 

and the vision is being realized. 

The “pacesetter” 

phase of Alter’s campaign 

secured $4.6 

million, enabling all 

that is occurring on 

the campus currently. We are delighted 

with the response thus far as many 

are giving to Alter beyond what they do 

annually while others are finding cause 

to support Alter for the very first time. 

After an energized public launch 

event in March featuring “A Taste of 

Alter,” the invitation for campaign participation 

has broadened beyond the 

initial pacesetter phase. Current and 

past parents, alumni and business owners 

are now being approached as we 

2 t h e R O U N D TA B L E 

seek to build the vision further and sustain 

the momentum for our long term 

campaign vision of $15 million. 

John Kunesh ’85 shared these 

words as a guest speaker at the public 

launch of Alter’s capital campaign: 

“…anything we hold of great value 

takes sacrifice and struggle, whether that 

be a state championship in football, a 

4.0 grade average, or raising a successful 

family. God in his wisdom has put us on 

a path to forge ahead with the most ambitious 

(and I would say most important) 

capital campaign in Alter’s history during 

the worst economic times in Alter’s history. 

It will be a struggle, and it will take 

great sacrifice but I know that is part of 

God’s plans….as is our success.” 

“…I was blessed and had parents who 

paid for all of my education. My father 

however, insisted that it be Catholic - so 

grade school, high school and university 

were all Catholic. I find this interesting 

because neither of my parents attended 

Catholic schools. My father was the 

son of a farmer and the first ever to go 

to college paid by his service in the Korean 

War. He later paid his way through 

medical school. My father had a unique 

understanding of the transformative powers 

that education could bring into a 

person’s life. He wanted to give that gift 

to his children… 

Read all of John’s speech at 

www.alterhighschool.org/giving/ 

answeringthecall 

As part of the public reach for 

Answering the Call, Alter also had a business 

reception at the Dayton Country 

Club in May where site plans were displayed 

and U.D.’s Basketball Coach, 

Brian Gregory, shared his own 

experience with the power of Catholic 

education: “Talent wins games, but 

character wins championships.” Alter is 

a winning school, athletically, academically, 

spiritually and artistically. It is 

by the character and values of our student 

body, one in union with Christ, 

that Alter has become known as a 

champion school. 

These are critical and formative times 

for Alter; times that will truly determine 

its destiny. We are grateful to those who 

are already Answering the Call for Alter 

High School. Your gifts are making all 

the difference in the future of this very 

fine school – thank you.

Be sure to view the many more campaign related 

photos on our website where you can also stay updated to 

the newest developments as well as campus construction: 

www.alterhighschool.org 

A special thank you to the following Alter family owned restaurants for donating their 

time, services and delicious foods for our public launch event. Please be sure to visit 

these establishments and help support their business as they’ve helped support Alter! 

Belmont Bakery, Frank and Deborah Cetone, past parents 

The Breakfast Club, Bryan and Beth Ann Whipp, current parents 

Buffalo Wild Wings, Brad and Anglia Haber, current parents 

DiSalvo’s Deli, Rinaldo and Mindy DiSalvo, current/past parents 

Elsa’s Mexican Restaurant, Todd Barrett ’88 and Jason Hemmert ’88 

Figlio’s Italian Bistro and Bar, Peter Danis ’74 

The Oregon Express, Joe ’75 and Susan Bavaro, past parents 

Rue Dumaine, Anne Kearney ’85 and Tom Sand ’85 

Vinny’s Bar and Grill, Vincent Nyhan ’81 

W.G. Grinders-Baskin Robbins, Jim Powers ’89 

KEY 

Existing buildings 

Future performing arts 

center and the storage 

addition and ticket booth 

for the auxiliary gym 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 3

V I s I o n & S t r a t e g y 


A View from the President, Father James Manning 

The Future of Alter is Now 

After three years of strategic 

planning, how rewarding and 

awesome it is for me to look out the windows 

of my office and actually see the renovation 

of Alter high school finally taking place! As 

mentioned previously, the foundation to our 

Answer the Call Campaign is deep and firm. 

What I see is just a glimpse of the overall 

renovation. From my office I can see the renovation of the parking future, may we always keep in mind of our mission, our very 

lot, the football practice field, the athletic complex, and the addi- purpose for being at Alter. We are not just about renovating 

tion to the Auxiliary Gym. 

buildings; we are here to renovate lives. We are not here to build 

buildings but to build the Kingdom of God. 

the mission of Catholic schools is to serve the overall mission 

of the Church. Catholic schools are one of the best resources 

that the Church has in living its mission. teaching is essential to 

sanctification. 

We are asking our people to contribute to our vision for the 

future in three ways: 1) prayer; 2) time and gifts of kind; and 3) 

financial resources. As we ask people to be faithful and generous 

to their pledge of money, and as we ask people to be faithful 

to their pledge of time, we also ask people to be faithful to their 

pledge of prayer. 

It is so easy to check the box that I will pray for the success 

of the Answer the Call Campaign for Alter high school and its 

future, and to forget to honor this pledge. We beg people not to 

fall victim to this temptation. We need gifts of finance, time, and 

we need your gifts of prayer. As the poet says, “more things are 

there is more to the renovation that can be seen from my 

wrought by prayer than this world knows of.” Prayer keeps us 

office. there is the complete electrical upgrade of our building, focused on our mission. Prayer guides our direction for the future. 

the renovation of the chapel on the second floor, and the com- 

to endow a bright future for Alter high school, we encourplete 

facelift on the first floor with our six science labs. 

age our people to be 

there is more to the renovation than bricks and mortal. there generous in finances, 

is the establishment of endowments in the areas of faculty com- time, and prayer. As 

pensation, tuition assistance, and technology. 

Alter high school was 

there is also more to the renovation than we are doing this 

built on the sacrifices 

summer. the economy is humbly teaching us to think more in the of people in the past, 

long-term than the short-term. hopefully what we are doing this its future depends on 

summer is simply a sampling of changes to come. 

the sacrifices of those 

In the midst of the renovation as we lay out a vision for the 

of us in the present.

Teacher FeaTure 

Technically speaking… 

Linda McCarthy found more 

than a great place to work when she 

started teaching business and marketing 

at Alter in 1977; she also found her 

husband, Jack who was then a new, 

young chemistry teacher and freshman 

football coach. Discovering their own 

chemistry, Linda and Jack married. 

Though Jack went on into medicine, 

Linda continued teaching typing and 

business classes until 1987 when she 

chose to become a full-time mother to 

their three boys. 

As parents, the two always knew 

they’d want their children attending 

Alter and Linda always planned to 

return, so when the call came from Sister 

Fran Flynn, S.C. that there was an 

opening again in 1998, Linda jumped 

at the chance. She’d left Alter on 

typewriters and returned to students 

using computers but wisely, Linda had 

stayed current and qualified by taking 

technology courses during her hiatus. 

Despite the tremendous change in 

coursework, learning approaches and 

tools, Linda stated that the greatest 

difference because of technology in today’s 

school is in the parents, not the 

students. There’s far more parental sup- 

port and involvement now, which brings 

even higher expectations. For example, 

parents want continual updates on their 

student’s progress with grades on line and 

more frequent communication from administration 

and teachers because of email. 

Beverly Wimmers added, “For 

our students at Alter today, we’re still 

teaching the basic skills with the same 

building blocks – it’s just that now there 

are a lot more blocks!” Bev’s been 

teaching accounting and business 

classes at Alter for 15 years. Beverly 

also instructed at an area vocational 

school and Sinclair College for a time, 

stating that Alter’s technology is up to 

scale with what colleges are doing. Our 

computer classes are critical for every 

student’s future success, no matter their 

field or position. No longer is the frequent 

reply “I’ll just have my secretary 

do it.” Executives and directors at every 

level do more and more of their own de- 

tail work and communication, skills that 

are heavily reliant on computer proficiency 

and program knowledge. 

Given the constant growth and 

fast-paced changes occurring in technology, 

both Beverly (serving as the 

Department Chairperson) and Linda 

Our students find every 

creative possibility with 

the latest gadgets, so I’m 

constantly learning from 

them as well. 

~ Beverly Wimmers 

continually attend workshops and 

classes throughout the year. This 

summer, they’re studying the newer 

ipod-touch which, with its multiple 

media uses, is becoming a staple in 

classroom presentations and student 

learning. Surrounded by change, the 

one constant they’ve seen over all their 

years at Alter has been in the value of 

community and prayer. For Beverly, 

seeing a student raise up the name of 

their friend’s ill mother for a special intention 

at the start of class or for Linda, 

being able to correct the spelling of a 

grandmother’s name in one of her 

student’s family tree projects – these are 

what remind them of how special 

Alter is. 

That special atmosphere is also why 

both ladies are proud to have had their 

children attend Alter, having seen 

first-hand the successful results of its 

progressive education and faith development. 

Beverly recalls her daughter, 

Meg, as a freshman in college for engineering 

relaying how all the students 

were “freaking out because it was exam 

time.” When Beverly then asked if 

she was also concerned, Meg said, Oh 

please mom, I went to Alter. I know how 

to study. 

And it’s true - Alter students do 

know how to work because of the work 

of teachers like Linda and Beverly. 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 5

s C h o o l L i f e 

Class of 2009 

College, University and Military Choices 

* Denotes Scholarships Received 

* Ames, samantha the Culinary Institute of America, hyde Park, nY 

Anderson, B. Kayla undecided at time of printing 

* Anderson, scott Wittenberg university, springfield, oh 

* Baele, Caroline loyola university Chicago, Chicago, Il 

Bartel, Jacob ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

Bartley, Christopher university of toledo, toledo, oh 

* Baxter, stephanie university of toledo, toledo, oh 

* Bertrams, teresa university of Kentucky, lexington, KY 

Blankenship, emily Bowling Green state university, Bowling Green, oh 

* Borland, Christopher university of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 

* Boucher, Austin Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Boucher, Collin Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Brown, emily ohio northern university, Ada, oh 

* Brown, nicole ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Bruner, Mary ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Budi, Matthew Butler university, Indianapolis, In 

Buehrle, Kelsey university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Buhrman, Andrew ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

Carter, Jarita northern Kentucky university, highland heights, KY 

Casella, David Columbus state Community College, Columbus, oh 

* Castle, steffen Case Western Reserve university, Cleveland, oh 

Castleman, Patrick Columbus state Community College, Columbus, oh 

* Cata, Michael ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Chicketti, Colton College of Mount st. Joseph, Cincinnati, oh 

* Cochran, taylor ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Collins, Madeleine university of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, oh 

* Combs, elizabeth university of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, oh 

Conway, Megan university of Kentucky, lexington, KY 

* Cooper, Katherine Xavier university, Cincinnati, oh 

* Crippen, Bridget Xavier university, Cincinnati, oh 

* Crisler, Catherine loyola university Chicago, Chicago, Il 

* Davalos, Juan Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Davis, Kaitlyn university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Dinh, tracy Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Duchak, Ashley Xavier university, Cincinnati, oh 

* Dudzinski, Michael Miami university, oxford, oh 

* enouen, Matthew Indiana university, Bloomington, In 

* Febus, Daniel university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Feeser, Austin university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

Fernandez, Guillermo sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 

* Fiehrer, evan university of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, oh 

* Fingers, lauren Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Furrer, elizabeth university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

Fussnecker, Alyse sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 


Top Ten Seniors 

1. ellen smith – Valedictorian 

2. Allysia stover – salutatorian 

3. Abigail Jones 

4. samuel Wright 

5. emily Brown 

6. eric Place 

7. Kathleen Kroger 

8. elizabeth Furrer 

9. tracy Dinh 

10. Andrew Buhrman 

We are so proud of our newest class of Alter alumni who have most certainly left 

their mark on Alter high school. God bless each of you as you pursue your dreams and 

live your life in service to God and others. 

George, Christopher undecided at time of printing 

Gmeiner, Peter ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Greger, samuel university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Griffin, Adria Miami university, oxford, oh 

hagerty, Darbee Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Il 

* hall, Justin Concord university, Athens, WV 

* haller, Caitlin ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

hart, Jessica ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* hausmann, Kyle university of toledo, toledo, oh 

hecht, Julie ohio university, Athens, oh 

heflin, Adrian sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 

* heitz, Arthur Boston College, Chestnut hill, MA 

* heitz, trevor ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* heminger, Austin university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* hess, Molly Wright state university, Dayton, oh 

* holloway, Anastacia university of toledo, toledo, oh 

houser, evan university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* hyland, Jessica ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Ignozzi, lauren high Point university, high Point, nC 

Jackson, Briona northern Kentucky university, highland heights, KY 

* Jasper, Daniel ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Jones, Abigail Xavier university, Cincinnati, oh 

* Joseph, Michael university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Kaylor, emily university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Keefer, Mary Kettering College of Medical Arts, Kettering, oh 

* Keighley, Art Xavier university, Cincinnati, oh 

* Kerns, Joseph College of Charleston, Charleston, sC 

* Knox, Jillian university of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, oh 

* Kowal, Alex Bowling Green state university, Bowling Green, oh 

* Kramer, Ryan Arizona state university, tempe, AZ 

* Kroger, Kathleen university of Kentucky, lexington, KY 

* Krystofik, Joseph university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* lachey, Monica ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* lane, ellie university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* lanman, hilary Purdue university, West lafayette, In 

* lantz, natalie university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Mastandrea, Angela Wright state university, Dayton, oh 

McGraw, Ryan Wright state university, Dayton, oh 

* Metter, James Wright state university, Dayton, oh 

* Miller, Bradley Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Miller, Casey loyola university Chicago, Chicago, Il 

* Miller, Christine loyola university Chicago, Chicago, Il 

Miller, sumpter urbana university, urbana, oh 

Monahan, Marilyn university of Connecticut, storrs, Ct 

Morelock, Blake undecided at time of printing 

* Mueller, emily ohio university, Athens, oh 

* Muir, John university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

Murphy, Kelly Wright state university, Dayton, oh 

* neff, evan Ball state university, Muncie, In 

niekamp, Alexis ohio university, Athens, oh 

nolting, Christopher Miami university, oxford, oh 

o’Brien, Kelly Miami university, oxford, oh 

olinger, Christina university of southern Indiana, evansville, In 

* osowski, Alina Miami university, oxford, oh 

* oswald, eugene Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Patterson, Roddy Bowling Green state university, Bowling Green, oh 

* Payne, timothy ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Pieper, Delaney Benedictine College, Atchison, Ks

Full Academic - Accepting 

Michael Cata – ohio state university 

Annalyse Schmitt – Air Force Academy Prep school 

Appointment 

Christopher Schneble – university of Dayton 

Robert Wildermuth – sinclair Community College 

Full Academic – Not Accepting 

Caitlin Haller – eastern Kentucky university 

Krista Reiling – ohio university 

Matthew Shiverdecker – ohio university 

Allysia Stover – Case Western Reserve university 

ROTC Scholarships 

u.s. Airforce Matthew Pirrello 

Samuel Wright 

u.s. Army Samuel Greger 

$7.6 million dollars 

in scholarships were 

offered to nearly 

75% of Alter seniors, 

averaging $66,000 

each over the four 

years of college. 

* Pirrello, Matthew ohio university, Athens, oh 

* Place, eric ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Plunkett, Max Kent state university, Kent, oh 

* Pratt, Adam ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Ramirez, Dalia Indiana university, Bloomington, In 

* Rasso, Christina university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Reiling, Krista loyola university Chicago, Chicago, Il 

* Rizer, Andrew university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

Robbe, nicholas ohio university, Athens, oh 

* Roberts, Andrew university of north Florida, Jacksonville, Fl 

* Roberts, nicholas Wright state university, Dayton, oh 

* Rodehaver, emily saint Mary’s College, notre Dame, In 

* Rose, elizabeth university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

schmid, Abigail sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 

* schmitt, Annalyse u. s. Air Force Academy Prep school, Colorado springs, Co 

* schneble, Christopher university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* schroeder, Alex ohio northern university, Ada, oh 

* schwieterman, Megan university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

severance, M. Christopher Miami university, oxford, oh 

* shively, Ross sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 

* shiverdecker, Matthew ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

siggins, Ryan DePaul university, Chicago, Il 

smith, Caitlin sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 

* smith, Cameron Washington university in st. louis, st. louis, Mo 

* smith, ellen ohio northern university, Ada, oh 

* sowar, Philip university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* stafford, Bryan Miami university, oxford, oh 

* stoermer, Julie university of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, oh 

* stover, Allysia Cornell university, Ithaca, nY 

striebel, Jake Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Il 

sugrue, Michael ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* sunshein, Kyle ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* timpone, Jeffrey university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

topp, takis u. s. Marine Corps 

* Van oss, Kevin new Jersey Institute of technology, newark, nJ 

* Vanderkaay, Jordan Wittenberg university, springfield, oh 

* Verdaguer, elizabeth Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Villarreal, Cameron university of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 

* Volk, Matthew ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Wagner, sarah Miami university, oxford, oh 

* Wallace, Andrew Miami university, oxford, oh 

Walters, timothy ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

Wehmeyer, Melanie university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Weidner, Anne university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

Wenzke, eric Indiana university, Bloomington, In 

West, Ande university of Kentucky, lexington, KY 

* Weyer, sky university of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, oh 

* White, Jamar’re triton College, River Grove, Il 

* Wildermuth, Robert sinclair Community College, Dayton, oh 

* Woeste, John ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

* Wolff, Kelly university of Dayton, Dayton, oh 

* Wright, samuel university of notre Dame, notre Dame, In 

* Zennie, Ceara loyola university Chicago, Chicago, Il 

Zofkie, Philip ohio state university, Columbus, oh 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 7


The Knight Watch 

the Alter Knights continued their winning ways through the 

winter and spring…way to go athletes and coaches! 

Winter Sports 


Boys’ Basketball – GCl Champions 

Girls’ Basketball – GGCl, District and Regional Champions. state Final Four 

Hockey – league Runners-up 

Boys’ Swim/Diving – 5 state Qualifiers 

Girls’ Swim/Diving – 1 Diver qualified for state and finished in the top 10, 

GGCl Runners-up and 4 state Qualifiers 

Wrestling – GCl Runners-up. 4 District Qualifiers

Spring Sports 

Baseball – GCl Champions 

Boys’ Tennis – GCl Champions. 2 District Qualifiers 

Boys’ Track – 4 X 800 and the 4 X 400 relay teams 

qualified for state track meet. 

Chris Borland was state Runner-up in shot put 

Girls’ Track – District Champions and state 

Champions in the 4 X 800 relay 

Relay members: Ashley Rodgers, Olivia Albers, 

Rebecca Esselstein and Catherine Crisler 

4 X 400 relay team were state qualifiers 

Student Athlete Awards 

Congratulations to the following students on 

their individual honors! 

Rae Burick Women in sports – 

Catherine Crisler - one of five finalists chosen from 

over 50 area high schools 

Penn station Athlete of the Month – 

Ally Stover 

GGCl scholar-Athlete Award Winner – 

Ally Stover 

GCl Joe Quinn scholar-Athlete honoree – 

Sam Wright 

GGCl huismann Award Winner – 

Adrian Heflin 

Gerald Bart Winners – 

Catherine Crisler 

Chris Borland 

Rankin Award Winner – 

Ally Stover 

College Bound Athletes 

Full Athletic Scholarships - Accepting 

Christopher Borland – university of Wisconsin 

(Football) 

Austin Boucher – Miami university (Football) 

Collin Boucher – Miami university (Football) 

Evan Neff – Ball state university (Football) 

Max Plunkett – Kent state university (Football) 

Kevin Van Oss – new Jersey Institute of technology 

(Volleyball) 

Jamar’re White – triton College (Basketball) 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 9


GREASE 

This spring the Alter Castle Players proved, once again, that 

they are deserving of a dedicated performance space. The cast 

of Grease performed for record-breaking numbers all weekend, 

capping with an amazing 700 audience members for Sunday’s 

matinee. 

Theatre Director, Ms. Katie Pees packed the stage with 

high-energy, spirited fun and the students rose to the demands 

of the show. The choreography in particular, led by Michael 

Wadham, was very impressive as were the vocal talents of our 

young thespians, accompanied by a very skilled pit orchestra 

under the baton of Todd Tucker, Alter’s Music Director. 

The theatre program at Alter continues to delight our community 

though it’s working with less than desirable facilities. 

Understanding well the value of the arts to a school, Alter continues 

to work toward its campaign vision of a new Performing 

Arts Center. We are proud of our music, theatre and art pro- 


gram at Alter and look forward to the day that our gifted 

students are rehearsing, learning and performing on a stage befitting 

their talent and commitment. Congratulations cast and 

crew of Grease 2009!

A Leader of Service 

service has long been a cornerstone of an Alter education as 

we strive to inspire young people to always look beyond themselves 

to the needs of others; but sometimes the tables are 

turned and it is a student who inspires us. 

Lauren Ignozzi ’09 came to Alter from Incarnation elementary 

school excited by the numerous opportunities Alter provides 

to become involved in the community. she quickly became one 

of the most active members in Key Club, Alter’s primary service 

group, working throughout the year on as many projects as she 

could. she was especially affected by her work with special olympics 

and We Care Arts, an organization for disabled adults. “The 

more I experienced with these people, the more I saw of what life is 

like for them on a daily basis, the more I wanted to do” said lauren. 

she then carried her service habit and energy into her summer 

breaks by volunteering at the Castle in Centerville, an activity 

center for mentally challenged adults. shortly after this experience, 

lauren said to her parents, lynn and Ken, “You know…I’m 

starting to think this is my thing.” 

Driven by her discovered passion, lauren became Key Club’s 

President her senior year and ran with a new service idea she had. 

Writing her own grant proposal to the Greater Dayton Conference 

on Youth and seeking additional contributions, she received the 

funding she needed 

to host a “senior 

senior Prom” at 

lincoln Manor 

in Kettering, 

providing an 

amazing evening 

of live big 

band music, 

dancing, 

photos, flowers and more. 

lauren’s relentless commitment to community service was 

recognized this year with the Mayor’s Award for service and 

receipt of the Kiwanis Club Roger Fellows College scholarship 

and the John P. Kalaman Memorial scholarship. Additionally, 

lauren received Alter’s William truxel Award, given to a senior 

who exemplifies the ideals of Key Club. Yet these awards tell 

only half the story about lauren. 

In her senior year, lauren discovered that she now faces her 

own disability. Frightened by the fact their daughter was suffering 

continual episodes of instant and unexpected paralysis (unable 

to speak or open her eyes for an hour or more), lauren’s parents 

aggressively sought the answer. In the meantime, lauren’s lifestyle 

was completely disrupted. she could no longer drive, all 

extra curricular activities were dropped and her academic day was 

curtailed to a minimum. After countless trips from Alter by ambulance 

due to collapsing, lauren’s parents only allowed her back at 

school with parental supervision. only recently was lauren correctly 

diagnosed with Periodic Paralysis, explaining why she would 

remain fully aware of her surroundings yet completely immobile. It 

is a rare disorder that lauren will most likely have to contend with 

throughout her life. 

lauren became a finalist in the Anthony Munoz straight A student 

Award, winning a $500 scholarship for her academic, athletic 

and service achievements despite dealing with adversity 

in her life. she also received Alter’s Award of Valor, 

acknowledging her tremendous strength and courage. 

having been accepted into high Point university in north 

Carolina where she plans to major in special education, her 

mother finally asked her one day, “Lauren, when are you going to 

admit that you’re not able to go?” lauren’s immediate response 

was “Why would I ever say that? This is difficult, but it could be 

worse.” 

lauren could not have predicted how God was working in 

her life these past years. the very people to whom she 

reached out and helped have now become 

the motivation to bravely move forward 

with her own life, despite its challenges. 

she is an incredible young 

woman and Alter was blessed 

to have her as its student. 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 11


As work ensues on creating six brand new science labs at 

Alter this summer due to a successful start to the school’s capital 

campaign, one can’t help but think about the awesome learning 

that has always occurred in the science wing of Alter high school. 

From these labs that are now hollowed shells came some of our 

nation’s most esteemed science professionals currently working 

in an array of fields and practices. And even in this most recent 

decade, when the limitations of the antiquated laboratories were 

becoming more and more noticeable, there never came a limitation 

on the achievements born and careers inspired. 

While many of our younger alumni continue to pursue medical 

careers as so many Knights before them, many more today are 

embarking upon fields in research as well. 

Courtney Bakan ’04 studied Microbiology at ohio state and 

is currently working at the James Cancer hospital in the Comprehensive 

Cancer Center doing research on multiple myeloma and 

neuroblastoma, primarily through nK (natural 

Killer) cell biology. Courtney has already 

written four research papers, four journals and 

published two abstracts. 

Josh Shearer ’04 is employed at the non- 

Destructive evaluation Branch of the Air Force 

Research labs at Wright Patterson Air Force 

Base in Dayton. he is currently performing 

research using laser Vibrometry for structural 

health Monitoring which, if successful, could 

serve as a detection method on various aircraft 

structures across both civilian and military air fleets decreasing 

maintenance costs and the time an airplane is out of service. 

Additionally, this past March, Josh presented his research from 

a previous project at the American society for non Destructive 

testing symposium in st. louis. 

Kristin Reeve ’06 was the only undergraduate to present at 

ohio state’s Medical College Research Day this past spring. Currently 

a junior in Biomedical science, Kristin has been studying 

salmonella and typhoid fever and her abstract was one of six 

exemplary topics selected for this annual showcasing. 

one of the newest, growing fields of study is Biomedical 

Research which only a handful of schools in the country offer, 

ohio state university being one. It’s a very competitive program 

into which only twenty students each year are accepted and 


the fall of 2009 will see two Alter Knights among those twenty. 

Monica Lachey and Tim Payne both received osu’s Biomedical 

Award scholarship. 

So what is it about Alter? how, without 

the latest tools and state-of-the-art environment, 

do our graduates, year after year, 

get accepted into some of the most prestigious 

programs and even become stand-outs 

among many of the finest academicians? 

the answers are obviously found in Alter’s 

people rather than its facilities. the faculty 

and students of Alter are truly exceptional. 

Alter’s science teachers are relentless in their efforts to lead 

and inspire generations of scientists. Fall 2008 marked the third 

consecutive year that Alter’s science department has received 

the Ohio Governor’s Award for Excellence in Youth Science Opportunities. 

Also, science teacher Jennifer Butler was honored with 

the hugh hildebrandt Award for outstanding Contribution to 

science education due, in part, to her yearly leadership of the science 

Fair process for our students. 

on the other side of the desk are the Alter students who are 

inquisitive, self-starters, demanding excellence of themselves. 

of the thirty-one Alter students who attended the District science 

Fair this past school year, twenty-one were advanced to the 

state level. seventeen were then able to attend states and they 

brought home numerous awards with 12 superior Ratings and 

five excellent. Jeremiah Shaw was one who received a 40/40 

score and earlier in the year, he was honored at the national level 

by the ohio Academy of science in scientific Research & leadership. 

Jeremiah was one of only eleven outstanding steM 

students in grades 9-12 invited to present their scientific research 

at the annual gathering of the American Association for the 

Advancement of science. 

Indeed it’s the people of Alter who breed success, and one 

can only imagine what they’ll do now with the latest and greatest 

labs in which to flourish.

Retirements 

Farewell to 

Mrs. Bergstresser 

Alter’s Guidance Office Sec- 

retary, Judy Bergstresser, is 

retiring after 17 years with the 

school. Her husband, Bruce 

will also be retiring early in 

2010, and the two look forward 

to the time they’ll then have 

to travel together and just enjoy 

life. 

Judy started as a volunteer 

in the library when her daughter 

was a student at Alter. It 

was at senior registration that 

Judy was informed of the job 

opportunity in guidance. She 

knew already that she liked the 

students at Alter so the chance for more interaction 

with them was very desirable. The 

students at Alter have always been friendly and 

respectful. I knew immediately that this was something 

I wanted to do, and I loved it even more than 

I expected, commented Judy. 

Her 17 years working with students on their 

college plans has been very rewarding for Judy. 

Í just loved helping them find their future – helping 

them get ready to leave Alter and move on with 

their lives. And now it’s time for Mrs. Bergstresser 

to leave Alter and we wish her the very 

best as she enters this next enjoyable stage of 

her life – retirement! 

Through the Eyes of Students 

“It’s time to be a Grandma!” After 22 years 

at Alter teaching Spanish, Phyllis Keller has 

now retired, craving more time with her six 

grandchildren who range in ages from under 

one to ten years old. In her time at Alter, she’s 

been a Department Chair, Spanish Club moderator 

and a faculty leader for the National 

Honor Society for many years as well. While 

certain she will miss the students and many 

of her friends at Alter come this fall, Phyllis 

has already spent a year missing a few of her 

closest department colleagues, two of whom 

retired before she and one who passed away. 

She added, “It’s just time, and I know I’m leaving 

the department in very good hands with this next 

generation of Alter language teachers.” 

Phyllis found her calling to teach by starting 

first on a pre-med track for two years at 

Ohio State having been accepted into the university’s 

Physical Therapy program. When 

working with severely injured patients, she became 

haunted by the emotion in the situation 

- looking into eyes that were filled with despair. 

The experience became a turning point for 

Phyllis who only knew at that time she wanted 

a career where she would look into eyes and 

find a connection to the future, to hope and 

excitement. 

It was then that her college professor of 

Spanish recommended she become a teacher. 

It was obvious to him that Phyllis had an 

incredible gift for languages (he was certain in 

her first semester that she must have studied 

Spanish before, but indeed she had not) and 

teaching is all about connecting with students 

and seeing in them the promise of tomorrow. 

It was a perfect career for Phyllis. 

Phyllis had a part time introduction to Alter 

while also working at Fairmont High School 

in Kettering. 

“The teachers 

at Alter were, 

and still are, the 

hardest working 

I’ve seen in 

my life. They’re 

why I came 

here and they’re 

why I stayed.” 

We’re certainly 

glad she did. 

Vaya con Dios, 

Senora Keller! 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 13

A l u M n I N e W S 

Contributing writer, Sarah L. Kunesh 

When it comes to cooking with love, there is no 

one other than Alter’s own Anne Kearney ’85 

who can epitomize the joy and pleasure of creating 

delicious culinary dishes at Rue Dumaine Restaurant 

in Dayton, owned and operated by Anne and her spouse, Tom 

Sand, Jr. ’85. Anne and tom are another representation of the 

Alter family who excelled in something very unique. Dayton is forpes for his cookbook louisiana: Real and Rustic. 

tunate to have this talented couple return to their hometown and 

In 1995, her mentor John neal died, and with the advice of 

provide the community with a very special dining experience. 

lagasse, Anne became chef-owner of Peristyle. on a trip back to 

It all began with Anne cooking for her family as a teenager, 

Dayton for a family visit, Anne happened to “run into” Alter high 

helping her working mother prepare their family dinners. she ini- school classmate Tom Sand ’85; they began catching up on each 

tially followed her mother’s detailed cooking instructions but soon other’s lives and a romance blossomed. After an expensive Day- 

Anne began creating her own recipes. she subsequently discovton-new orleans courtship which tom characterized as “weekly 

ered her true calling and entered the Greater Cincinnati Culinary airfare,” Anne and tom married in october, 1998. 

Art Academy upon graduation from Alter in 1985. 

upon graduating from Alter, tom attended ohio university 

After culinary school, Anne worked briefly in Cincinnati before and then transferred to the university of Dayton where he gradu- 

moving to new orleans to work under the late chef John neal at 

ated with a B.s. in Business Administration. he began his career 

the acclaimed Bistro at the Maison de Ville Hotel. When Chef neal working in sales, working for companies such as Cellular One and 

“Food of Love ” 


left to open Peristyle, a restaurant in the new orleans French Quarter 

in 1991, he took Anne along as his sous Chef. under his tutelage, 

Anne learned classic French cooking techniques and discovered a 

new world of tastes and flavors. In 1992, she spent three years with 

famed Chef emeril lagasse; the first two years were spent “sweating 

it out” on his restaurant’s cook line. then, she moved behind the 

scenes to research and formulate recipes for lagasse’s television 

program Essence of Emeril. Anne also developed and tested reci

Everybody’s Furniture. When Anne and tom married in 

1998, tom immediately began assisting in the day-to- 

day operations of Peristyle. As tom applied his business 

skills and followed his intuition about the caliber of the 

dining experience he wanted to fashion, Anne was garnering 

numerous national culinary awards. she is one of 

five chefs honored in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 with a 

James Beard Foundation “southeast Regional Best Chef” 

nomination. Chef Kearney was awarded the title of “Best 

Chef southeast” in 2002. Peristyle Restaurant prospered and 

became one of the most famous destination restaurants in new 

orleans and the united states. 

In 2004, with Anne’s father suffering from Alzheimer’s, the 

couple returned to Dayton to be near both of their families. they 

established “two small tomatoes”, an all-natural garden cultivated 

on the Kearney family farm in lebanon. Produce was sold 

at area farmers’ markets, but the ultimate vision was to grow much 

of the fresh produce used in the restaurant Anne and tom were 

planning. their strategy was to control quality as much as possible, 

from seed to serving. 

In addition to helping her mother prepare family meals as a 

teenager, Anne discovered her interest in food through her family. 

her mother always had a garden and cooked what it provided. 

Anne’s grandfather owned a lodge and he would entertain a different 

cabin each night with one of his special meals; Anne watched 

her grandfather and helped where she could while absorbing the 

love and joy of preparing these meals. similarly, tom remembers 

food-related family “rituals” as a young boy. each fall he would 

wait for the gooseberry jam and other treats from the Western 

slope of Colorado his grandmother sand would send. At Christmastime, 

he would eagerly anticipate his grandfather’s gift of a 

wheel of Maytag Bleu cheese. such early influences were part of 

the reason the couple returned to Dayton to create a new casual 

dining experience. 

the new restaurant envisioned by Anne and tom was born 

as Rue Dumaine in 2007, located in the south Dayton suburb of 

Washington township. translated from French as “Dumaine 

street”, the restaurant is named after the new orleans street on 

which Peristyle was located. Rue Dumaine offers an unforgettable 

experience in casual fine dining. the décor reflects a few of 

the subtle French accents from new orleans, but the focal point 

is a beautiful, ornate, hand-made walnut bar. Another beautiful 

feature is the wine room, stocked with wines that tom chooses 

from around the world, created by boutique wineries. With Anne 

as Chef and tom as business manager, their vision for the restaurant 

is to use quality local ingredients to provide an Americanized 

version of a French bistro dining experience with warm hospitality: 

“We consider Rue Dumaine an extension of our dining room at 

home; it affords us the opportunity to entertain many more guests. 

We thoroughly enjoy introducing your palate to a new and wonderful 

flavor combination that you’ve never before experienced; or 

sharing a certain subtle bouquet from a boutique wine that adds 

layers of richness to the type of wine you ‘always order’.” 

Anne and tom both comment about their love for the Dayton 

and Alter communities. they share fond memories of their 

days at Alter, crediting teachers such as Mrs. B.J. Wack, Mrs. Barbara 

Bitticker and Mr. Grierson. Anne vividly remembers the day 

when Mrs. Wack, her cooking class teacher, brought in a spaghetti 

squash for class, thinking that it was “so cool seeing that for the 

first time”. she goes on to say that Mrs. Wack had always been 

supportive, checking up on her progress over the years. teachers 

such as Mrs. Bitticker and Mr. Grierson (reading the Frontiersmen) 

ignited tom’s love of reading. since returning to Dayton, Anne and 

tom have reconnected with many of the Alter community, seeing 

former classmates and forging new friendships. they also have 

committed themselves to giving back to the community; the value 

of service instilled in them by both their families and their Alter 

education. Rue Dumaine has been involved in numerous fundraisers 

for local hospitals, Camp emmanuel, the AIDs Resource Center 

and Alter high school including the “Answering the Call” Capital 

Campaign to name only a few. Chef Anne’s motto, “Food of love” 

is certainly heartfelt as she, tom and Rue Dumaine continue to 

extend that love to the Dayton community and Alter family. 

Anne Kearney’s awards: 

nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising star 

Chef Award, 1997 

Featured with Peristyle Restaurant in Gourmet magazine, 

1998 

on the covers of “Food and Wine” magazine as part of the 

“10 Best new Chefs in America” issue and “Wine spectator” 

magazine as one of the top chefs in America, 1998 

named “top Bistro/Casual Chef in America” by Robert 

Mondavi, 1998 

named “Best Chef/southeast” by the James Beard 

Foundation, 2002 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 15 

TM


Brother Knights 

Protecting our Nation 

God sometimes uses whatever means 

possible to get us where he needs us in 

life. For John ’81 and Stephen ’83 Miller, 

it was the game of basketball. these 

former Alter Knights were discovered on 

the court and both recruited by the u.s. Air 

Force Academy right out of high school; 

today, these brothers are highly regarded 

Air Force Colonels working to perpetuate 

freedom. 

Pat Miller, a former tutor at Alter, is shown with her son, 

Steve, placing rank on the shoulder boards of son, John, 

in the late ’80’s. 

Colonel John Miller jested, “The Air 

Force has continued to see if they can keep 

us on opposite sides of the globe so we 

don’t terrorize some hapless intramural 

basketball league.” John is in Washington 

D.C. as the Deputy Director of the u.s. 

nuclear Risk Reduction Center for the 

Department of Defense. he is responsible 

for the day-to-day leadership of this 

highly dynamic international watch center 

manned by foreign language specialists 

that receive and transmit treaty and international 

agreement notifications. John 

has dedicated communication links to 

the nuclear states of the Russian Federation, 

ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. 

he finds it rather ironic that much of his 


career was spent watching the former 

soviet union and now he deals with several 

of those countries on a daily basis. 

When John graduated in 1986 from the 

Air Force Academy, he attended weapons 

director and AWACs (Airborne Warning 

and Control system) training and was 

later assigned to operational AWACs 

units at Kadena AB, Japan and tinker AFB, 

oklahoma. he has served as Chief of 

operations for the theater 

Air and Missile Defense 

Branch and operations 

officer for the 607th Air 

support operations Group, 

Republic of Korea. Colonel 

Miller is also a Master Air 

Battle Manager with over 

4,000 hours onboard the 

e-3 AWACs, as well as e-8 

JstARs. 

Reflecting on his experience 

at Alter, John stated, 

To this day, I am amazed at 

how some of my teachers, coaches, friends 

and parents saw potential in me that 

helped me reach levels in my faith, family, 

education and career that I would have 

personally thought unattainable way back 

then. For that, I am truly thankful to the 

good Lord. 

John currently lives in Alexandria, VA 

with his wife, teresa and their four children 

ages 7, 5, 3 and a brand new boy just born 

June 12. 

Colonel Stephen Miller is on the other 

side of the world at the u.s. embassy in 

Kuwait City as the Deputy of the office of 

Military Cooperation (oMC-K), a unique 

organization of all four u.s. services 

(Army, navy, Air Force, Marines), civilians, 

Kuwaitis, and other nationalities. With 

over 70 people in oMC-K, they assist and 

An earlier photo of John and Steve dated 

around year 1998. 

advise the Kuwait Military on a daily basis. 

stephen is a 1987 AF Academy graduate 

who then attended the usAF 

Weapons school. he’s been the Director 

of operations for the 755th operations 

support squadron and the Command 

and Control operations Division at the 

usAF Weapons school, as well as Commander, 

23rd training squadron at 

Maxwell AFB, responsible for the initial 

leadership training for new Commissioned 

officers. he has twice commanded the 

43rd expeditionary electronic Combat 

squadron flying in direct support of operation 

IRAQI FReeDoM and is a Master 

navigator (electronic Warfare officer) 

having flown over 4,400 hours, serving 

in support of combat operations in Iraq, 

Afghanistan, Balkans, and haiti. 

steve has been deployed to the Middle 

east over 30 times since 1992 and for the 

first time, his wife stephanie and their 

three sons (ages 4, 7, and 9) will join him. 

the family is moving to Kuwait City this 

July where the boys will attend an American 

or British school. though many 

Kuwaitis know english, the schools teach 

Arabic which steve will be learning right 

along with his boys. 

the weaving of prayer into the daily lives 

for Muslims often reminds steve of the 

great example set by his parents and Alter 

in also combining faith with education. I 

often think how lucky I was to attend Alter. It 

was a terrific foundation of both discipline 

and Catholic faith. When you are surrounded 

by highly motivated students whose parents 

really care about their children’s religious and 

educational futures you can’t help but succeed. 

~ Col stephen Miller ’83

theMusic 

EnginEEr 

To become what God intends, you must be willing to do While at Alter, Howard’s faith in God was naturally strength- 

two things: first, look inside your heart to find your calling and ened, but so was his faith in himself as a musician. Alter’s 

second, have the courage to pursue it relentlessly. Howard Music Director at the time, George Koenig, in particular, en- 

Watkins ’82 has followed his own advice. At the end of his couraged Howard’s tremendous talent and showed him just 

sophomore year as an engineering student at University of how fun music could be. Equally gifted as a tenor sax player, 

Dayton, Howard listened to his heart and switched his major vocalist and bassoonist, Howard was active in every music en- 

to music performance. Since making that decision and worksemble available at Alter but it was piano he chose for a career. 

ing tirelessly at continually improving, Howard has made 

Howard has performed in numerous recitals and con- 

quite a name for himself as a professional pianist, becoming certs throughout the Americas, Europe, Russia, Israel and the 

one of the most highly sought accompanists by world leading Far East. He has appeared in concert and on television with 

musicians, as well as a distinguished conductor and educator. Kathleen Battle, Grace Bumbry, Ben Heppner, Anthony Dean 

Some of Howard’s confidence to pursue a career with less- Griffey and violinist Sarah Chang, to name but a few. He has 

than-great odds of success can be attributed to his family’s given recitals and concerts at such premier venues as the Met- 

foundation of faith. Growing up, I just assumed everyone had ropolitan Museum of Art, Spivey Hall, Kennedy Center, and 

the same grounding that my parents gave me. Now, in my career, most recently at Carnegie Hall for a culmination concert with 

I’ve seen the difference the strength of God makes as one goes the highly esteemed American opera singer, Jessye Norman. 

through the ups and downs. Faith is often all that can sustain you. A New York Times review of the performances at Carnegie 

noted that of the four “fine pianists” featured, Mr. Watkins 

consistently stood out for the color and sensitivity of his playing. 

Howard stated that playing at Carnegie Hall was definitely the 

“wow” moment in his career and he realized by experiencing 

its amazing acoustics, why many consider it the world’s ultimate 

performance space. 

As an educator, Howard is the Opera Program Coordinator 

at the Tanglewood Music Center and has taught at the Aspen 

Music Festival, the Banff Centre, Meadowmount School 

of Music and the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, 

Israel, among others, and he has accompanied the classes of 

such legendary artists as Marilyn Horne, Renata Scotto and 

Regina Resnik. He is an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan 

Opera in New York City where he resides and a faculty 

member of the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, 

Italy. After completing his undergraduate degree at U.D. 

he earned his Masters in Music Education and a Doctorate of 

Musical Arts from the University of Michigan where he has 

since been honored for his outstanding contributions in the 

field of music. 

Howard’s complete professional achievements and musical 

accolades are far too numerous for inclusion in this short 

piece; and undoubtedly, the list will only grow longer as he 

continues to delight music patrons in halls around the world 

for years to come. 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 17


A Man 

with a 

Mission 

A one-month mission trip to Kenya 

after completing college was the eyeopener 

Alter graduate, Joe Heritage ’03, 

needed to realize he would never be 

content with the traditional and conventional 

American life. Consequently, this 

2007 history graduate of Furman university 

in south Carolina now does all he 

can to change history going forward in 

some of the most neglected and impoverished 

places in our world. 

Following his tears of Africa mission 

work in Kenya, Joe spent seven months 

teaching english at a Christian day care in 

thailand. The area was the darkest place 

I’ve ever experienced...I’ve never before felt 


such a void of spirit in a community, commented 

Joe. Motivated all the more to 

“embrace good faith with good words,” 

Joe then attended missionary school for 

two months in Mozambique through Iris 

Ministries. his travels to this point led him 

to realize that his discipleship would have 

to evolve if he were really to reach people 

around the world of different ethnicities 

and religions. he decided that it would 

not be enough to simply preach to them – 

he had to live the gospel. It was then that 

he chose to make his home in Africa. 

Joe is now the 

Programs Coordinator 

in east Africa for 

Global Connections, 

a non-profit group 

formed by a couple 

of his friends from 

college that is committed 

to supporting 

indigenous grassroots 

organizations 

in the developing 

world. Joe’s currently 

working an AIDs 

project at a center 

for 35 children, bringing them medicine, 

food, education, and the power of spirit. 

In addition to his work with these children, 

Joe is helping bring a new school to 

Kibara, an area where one million people 

live in one square mile. It’s like nothing 

you’ve ever seen before, how these people 

have to live and the atrocious conditions in 

which they survive. schools and access to 

education is one vital bridge Joe sees in 

improving lives for these people. Kibara 

currently has over 700,000 children with 

only 300,000 spots for school enrollment, 

so more schools and teachers is 

critical. 

Sometimes it’s very discouraging to 

look at the few I’m trying to help while 

wondering about the millions of others 

still in need. But as Joe tries to focus 

instead on each individual, approaching 

them with total acceptance and love 

rather than with the intention to convert, 

he finds the real power of God. Day by 

day, person by person, Joe heritage is 

making a world of difference in the world 

of those who struggle to find hope. 

Visit www.globalconnectionsonline. 

org to learn more.

Knights In 

Marriage 

Laura Portune ’94 Cordell and her husband, 

Benjamin, were married August 9 at st. Albert’s 

Parish in Kettering, ohio. laura is still a 

successful opera singer and Ben is a financial 

consultant. they live in new York City. 

new little 

Knights 

Amy Bishop ’91 Bensman and her husband, 

Brian, would like to announce the birth of their 

second daughter, Mia elizabeth born June 4, 

2008. Mia joins her sister, olivia Marie (3). In 

addition Brian was promoted to senior Director 

with the Cintas Corporation and they were relocated 

back to Mason, ohio. Amy stays home 

with their two daughters. . .Lori Brush ’92 Phillips 

and her husband, Jeff, welcomed their first 

child, Anna louise, on August 21, 2008. they 

reside in seattle, Washington . . .Ellen Sand ’91 

Miller and her husband, Adam ’91 welcomed 

their daughter, Molly elizabeth, on March 27, 

2009. . .Andrew Popp ’94 and his wife, Danielle, 

proudly announce the arrival of their first 

child, sebastian 

August, 

born on 

February 6, 

2009. Danielle 

has quit 

teaching to 

dedicate 

her time to 

sebastian. 

the family 

now resides 

in louisville, 

Kentucky 

but will be 

moving to Chicago in June where Andrew will 

begin a musculoskeletal imaging fellowship. 

1960’s 

Marti Lamoureux ’66 Hughes has been 

retired for 4 years now and is busy with her 5 

grandchildren (all under the age of 6). After 

4 grandsons, she and her husband, larry, were 

blessed with their first granddaughter in January. 

Jim Thunder ’68 had the pleasure of escorting 

his father who is now 95 to an Iwo Jima veterans 

reunion in Biloxi Mississippi in 2003 where the 

battalion had trained. Jim’s father was an 

officer of the 133rd naval Construction Battalion 

in the February 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima. 

the battalion constructed the airfields for the 

planes that dropped the A-bombs. Jim has 

been living in Washington, D.C. since 1994 and 

has been married 34 years. his three daughters 

are an orthopedic surgeon, a Ph.D. candidate in 

math education and a senior at his college alma 

mater, notre Dame. In addition to practicing 

law, Jim is a columnist for the American spectator 

and spero news. his sister, Maureen ’66 

continues to live in lake Bluff, Illinois. . .James 

Knickle ’69 is a lieutenant with the Kettering 

Police Department. he and his wife, ellen, have 

been married for 25 years and have five children 

(blended family) and six grandchildren. ellen 

is retired from the Berry Company and currently 

runs her own business, From house to home 

Interior Designs. 

1970’s 

David Alexander ’79 and his wife, traci, live 

in northern Kentucky. their oldest child (elizabeth) 

graduated from northern Kentucky 

university with her B.F.A. in theatre and was 

married in 2008. she and her husband live in 

Chicago and are expecting their first child in 

september. Madeline is a sophomore at the 

university of Kentucky, Jake is a freshman at the 

university of Dayton and evan is in first grade at 

Blessed sacrament school. David is still with 

hunt Builders in Cincinnati as a partner and has 

been there for 23 years. . .Steve Rankin ’79 and 

his wife, Darla, live in Mandeville, louisiana with 

their daughter, Carla (4). steve is the Director 

of Finance for the sheraton new orleans hotel. 

1980’s 

Christine Wolf ’82 Wagner was married in 

september 2006 to John Wagner. they are 

living in Richmond, Virginia with their dog, lexie. 

John works for Meadwestvaco and Christine is 

working for Anthem Insurance Company. 

As an almost eight-year breast cancer survivor, Darlene Saaler ’80 Braunschweiger has 

participated in the Walk for Women’s Wellness, benefiting the Kettering Medical Center 

Foundation, for the past six years and raised almost $10,000 total. As recognition for her 

commitment and success, the foundation chose Darlene as its honorary Chair for its 15th 

Anniversary walk this year. Bestowed with the honor, Darlene consequently amassed 

nearly $10,000 this year alone! the walk raises approximately $125,000 annually which 

goes toward paying for women’s mammograms who otherwise could not afford the test. 

Congratulations Darlene and continued good health prayers for you. 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 19


1990’s 

Jill Keyes ’92 is discerning a vocation in the 

Catholic Church. she has made a retreat at 

two convents and will make a third soon. she 

would like to encourage Alter high school 

students to be open to God’s call to religious 

life and the alumni to be supportive of Alter 

students and alumni who are called to religious 

life. she writes, “I think it would be great if 

Alter could create a more faithful environment 

to sow and reap the harvest God has for the 

Knights!”. . .Jody Keyes ’91 Snyder and her 

family are moving to Brussels, Belgium in 

August 2009 for her husband’s work. he is an 

associate with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 

in Washington, D.C. . .Jen Scott ’92 Snyder 

and husband, Kyle, live in Cincinnati with their 

two children, Morgan (4) and Jake (1). Morgan 

will start Kindergarten at st. Mike’s in the fall. 

Jen works for a market research firm. . .Noah 

Armstrong ’98 continues to work as a graphic 

designer for notre Dame university. he and 

his wife, Angela, (Development Director for the 

Genocide Intervention network) have been 

living in Washington D.C., since June 2008. 

Eric Duffy ’98 was awarded a Doctorate of 

Philosophy from Duquesne university in 

December 2008. 

2000’s 

Courtney Bakan ’04 graduated from the ohio 

state university (Microbiology) and is now 

working for ohio state doing cancer research. 

she has just had her second paper accepted 

for publication. . .Ben Anthony ’06 was recently 

elected President of undergraduate student 

Government at the ohio state university. . . 

Lindsay Bakan ’07 is in her second year at the 

university of Cincinnati. she is a DAPP major 

(fashion design) and she is also on an athletic 

scholarship for diving. she was named honorable 

Mention on the Academic All-American 

list for her freshman year, with a 4.0 GPA and 

finished 17th in the Big east in diving. 


Steven McCarthy ’06, Matt Borland ’05, and Dan Bertrams ‘06 recently participated in the 

annual Connor senn Memorial Match at ohio state, a fund raising competition now in its 8th 

year. Dan is a member of the osu Men’s soccer team already and steve and Matt were invited 

to dress for Columbus Crew as guest players. though the Crew outscored the Buckeyes, the 

real win came in the dollars raised for a scholarship fund at osu, named in memory of a freshman 

walk-on defender who worked his way into the starting lineup nearly nine years ago before 

suddenly passing away during a match against Akron from a congenital heart defect. 

Lt Col Steve Hickey, USAF ’86, and his wife, Robyn, welcomed their 

wonderful daughter Catherine (Cate) in 2006 during steve’s previous 

assignment to the Pentagon. he has since returned to flying the F-16 at 

Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea as the 8th Fighter Wing Chief of safety. 

Pictured here is steve with Cate in her junior flight suit during his wife and 

daughter’s visit to Korea last fall.

alumni announcements 

the Alter High School Men’s Soccer Alumni Game 

will be the sunday of labor Day weekend, september 6, 2009 at 

2 p.m. at the athletics field of Alter. Interested alumni may contact 

Dave Brinkman for details at alteralumnisoccer@hotmail. 

com or call Dave at 614.296.2705. 

Get LinkedIn to Alter! If you’re a member of linkedIn, you 

may like to join the group for Archbishop Alter High School Alumni. 

the group exists for networking as well as sharing occasional news 

and highlights related to Alter, and it includes alumni members 

spanning more than 30 years. to join, go to linkedIn, choose the 

“search Groups” option, and search for “Alter high school.” 

the Father Chuck Golf Memorial held last year was very 

successful with 144 golfers participating 

with over $30,000 raised for the Mentrup 

Memorial scholarship Foundation. Incoming 

freshmen at Alter, as well as four other 

area Catholic high schools, are benefiting 

from the generosity and hard work of many. 

thank you. 

AlterFest Family 5K. the 11th annual 

AlterFest weekend race will be held on 

september 5 at 8:15 a.m. the course takes 

runners through the streets south of Alter 

and finishes in front of the school. the race is 

electronically timed, courtesy of Jeff 

Coudron ’88, and speedy Feet. Age group 

winners receive running gear gift certificates 

and everyone is eligible for great door prizes 

including World Famous AlterFest chicken 

dinners. If that isn’t enough, one of the best 

race announcers, Paul Coudron (Jeff’s dad) 

will give you that extra lift as you head to the 

finish line. Join your friends and fellow alumni 

as you start a great holiday weekend by running 

(or walking) the AlterFest Family 5K to 

support the Alter track and Cross Country 

Programs. entry information, including online 

registration is available at www.speedy-feet. 

com or for more information contact the race 

director at alter5k@gmail.com. 

The Knights of Gold Past Captain 

Luncheon is scheduled for August 8, 

2009. nominations are also being accepted 

Don’t Miss 

All the Excitement 

Labor Day Weekend! 

Saturday, September 5, noon – midnight 

Sunday, September 6, noon – midnight 

Monday, September 7, noon – 8 p.m. 

• World Famous Chicken Dinners 

• Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bar 

• Blackjack and Texas Hold’em 

• Mix 107.7 Entertainment 

for best “decade teams” and best “team positions.” Contact 

Ralph Mantica at rmmud@aol.com for more information on the 

luncheon and nomination process. 

Knights Who’ve Gone PRO 

In our last issue we highlighted Alter Knights who went on into 

professional sports, but unfortunately omitted two more deserving 

mentions: 

Dan Kronauge ’88 played professional tennis on the AtP tour 

from 1994-1996 until an elbow injury ended his career early. 

Dan ranked as high as 170 in the world in tennis doubles. 

Randy Leen ’94 has been playing professional golf for a 

number of years. 

Family and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact 

Bill and Colleen Petrello for more information at 937.432.0825. 

Festival Executive Committee of Boosters 

Chairs - Billy Schoen and Tom Frericks 

Past Chairs - Bill and Martha Hausmann 

Vice Chairs - Grace Frericks, Susan Wildermuth, Lisa Pieper 

Secretary - Grace Frericks 

Treasurer - Ginny Boeckman 

2009 

• Great local, live bands each day 

• Delicious and plentiful food vendors 

• Murray Brothers Childrens’ Rides/Games 

• Annual 5K Race 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 21


2009 

R E U N I O N S 


Class of1969 

saturday, september 5 at Kitty hawk Country Club, 6:30 p.m (cocktails) with dinner at 7:30 p.m. - $30 per person 

Contact Information: steve Cochran, southdaytonad@aol.com 

of1974 

Class 

thursday, July 9 at Figlio’s Italian Bar & Bistro (pre-reunion kick-off) from 6-8 p.m. 

Friday, July 10 at Presidential Banquet Center, 6:30-11:30 p.m. - $40 per person 

Contact Information: Judy Walther switzer, judy@judysellsdallas.com and Donna stahl Van Winkle, condocheck@yahoo.com 

of1979 

Class 

Friday, July 10 – Golf at nCR Country Club with check in for Golfers at 4:30 P.M. - Cost - $38 per golfer 

saturday, July 11 at Polen Farm – Mass at 6 p.m. with social from 6:45–midnight - $25 per person 

Contact Information: Patty nauman hawkins, shawkp@aol.com 

of1984 

Class 

saturday, september 5 at nCR Country Club 

Contact Information: Cindy Reinhart Marshall, ckmarshall4566@hotmail.com 

of1989 

Class 

Friday, september 4 at Cubby hole, 7 p.m. 

saturday, september 5 at Moraine Country Club, 6:30 p.m. 

Contact Information: tony Manzo, tmanzo@dsc-consulting.com 

of1994 

Class 

saturday, september 5 at Bar louie patio at the Greene from 7-10 p.m. - $15 per person 

Contact Information: sadie hall everett, sadiehall9@hotmail.com 

of1999 

Class 

sunday, september 6 at the Phone Booth lounge, 6-10 p.m. 

$15 or $20 per couple 

Contact Information: Mark King, markwkingjr@gmail.com 

2004 

Class of 

Friday, september 4, elsa’s Kettering, 5:30 p.m. 

Contact Information: Kelly hochwalt, kelly.hochwalt@nmfn.com and 

Katie Codeluppi, katie.codeluppi@gmail.com 

Hall of 

Fame 2010 

nominations are currently 

being accepted for next year’s 

inductees to the Alumni hall 

of Fame. Please contact John 

Patterson for more information: 

937.428.5312 or jpatterson@ 

alterhighschool.org.

In Memoriam 

We offer families of the deceased our deepest sympathy and prayers. We appreciate those of you who write to 

inform us of deaths within the Alter family. You may provide information by calling the Advancement office at 

(937) 434-2059 or emailing tlammers@alterhighschool.org 

Louise Bohardt (March 2009), mother of 

Debbie Bohardt ’73 Wilker and Mary Bohardt 

’74 Batty 

Kathryn Braner (June 2009), grandmother of 

Danny ’03 and Joe ’06 

William Brownsberger (February 2009), 

father of Judy Brownsberger ’66 Rubin, Becky 

Brownsberger ’74 Weaver, Cindy Brownsberger 

’75 Adams, Robert ’77; grandfather of Bill ’88 

Frank Carone (April 2007) and Grace Carone 

(April 2008), parents of Carmeline Carone ’66 

Klosterman, Rose ’67, Frances ’67, Don ’69, 

Anna ’71 

Diane Alexander ’68 Craig (March 2009), 

sister of Paula Alexander ’72 Ferriell, Mark ’73, 

David ’79 and Bruce ’80 

Robert DiGuardi (June 2009), father of Gino 

’95 and nina DiGuardi ’00 Vasiliu 

Mary Druga (May 2009), mother of lisa Druga 

’79 hill and Pam Druga ’77 Johnson (deceased); 

grandmother of Justine Cetone ’00 

Ada Ferneding (March 2009), mother of nancy 

Ferneding ’67 Campbell, Bill ’69, Kathleen 

Ferneding ’72 tenenbaum, Joan Ferneding ’74 

smith, John ’76, Dan ’80, Anita Ferneding ’82 

Mangin; grandmother of Colin Campbell ’96, 

lauren Campbell ’97, leigh Campbell ’99, John 

Campbell ’01, Margot Campbell ’05, steven 

smith ’06 and Marie Ferneding ’13 

Beverly Gannon (november 2008), mother of 

tim ’73 and Kathy Gannon ’74 Koernke 

Jerry Joseph (April 2009), father of steve ’78, 

Chris ’79, Mike ’81, Jenny Joseph ’83 Roach, Jill 

Joseph ’88 skladany; grandfather of Katie ’03, 

Matt ’06, Bobby ’08, Mike ’09 and Kellie ’10 

Jill Thomas ’79 Longendelpher (March 2009), 

sister of Amy thomas ’83 Bloebaum and Anne 

thomas ’84 Wassum 

G. Kramer (Bud) Loges (December 2008), 

father of linda loges ’66 Vetter, timothy ’69, 

stephen ’70, Brian ’72 and laura ’78 

John Maloney (May 2009), father of timothy 

Maloney ’67 

Marion Miller (March 2009), father of Ann 

’66, Carol Miller ’71 Bond, Margaret Miller ’76 

Bussard, Mary ’77, Patricia Miller ’80 Clark and 

Chris ’85 

Martha Monnin (May 2009), mother of 

Gordon Dadisman ’66 (deceased), Yvonne 

Dadisman ’69 o’hare and elise Dadisman ’75 

laravie 

Gerry Moorman ’75 (April 2009), brother of 

Kathleen Moorman ’71 Moriarty, Christine Moorman 

’72 tanner, Peg Moorman ’73 hoenigman, 

tom ’77 and Mary Moorman ’78 Ashcroft 

John O’Brien (February 2009), brother of Dan 

’79; step-brother of Jane hoyne ’66 hosty, 

Maureen hoyne ’74 Patton and Mary hoyne ’79 

Benfeldt 

Robert O’Bryan (June 2009), grandfather of 

heather ’04, Kevin ’06 and sean ’08 

Phyllis Rinehart (March 2009), mother of 

Charles ’69, Ann Rinehart ’71 timpone; grandmother 

of Rob timpone ’03, lyndsey timpone 

’05 and lori timpone ’08 

Paul Rizzo (February 2008), father of tim ’82 

(deceased) 

Norman Rose (April 2009), father of Catherine 

Rose ’75 Mancz, Bernard ’76, Mike ’77, Anthony 

’79, Karl ’80, louis ’84 and Albert ’86; grandfather 

of Catherine ’07, elizabeth ’09, Christine ’11 

and Blake ’12 

Don Schamel ’75, brother of Cathy schamel 

’73 Crotty 

Anthony Sprauer (november 2008), father of 

Mary Ann sprauer ’75 Abrams and Jim ’79 

Paul Thomas (January 2009), father of Jill 

thomas ’79 longendelpher (deceased), Amy 

thomas ’83 Bloebaum and Anne thomas ’84 

Wassum 

Margaret Traynor (March 2009), mother of 

Maggie traynor ’66 Zimmer; grandmother of 

Megan Zimmer ’91 Deeley, Kathleen Zimmer ’93 

Kloska, P.J. Zimmer ’96 and Maureen Zimmer ’02 

Thomas Zummo (March 2009), brother of 

theresa Zummo ’71 humphrey and Meg Zummo 

’80 Reynolds 

S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 23

Alter Advancement Office 

940 East David Road 

Kettering, Ohio 45429 

Roundtable is a publication of Archbishop Alter High School. 

Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Please contact: 

Kirsten MacDougal, 

Director of Marketing & Communications 

940 E. David Road • Kettering, OH 45429 • (937) 428-5330 

kmacdougal@alterhighschool.org 

Visit www.alterhighschool.org for more news and information 

Non Profit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Permit No. 302 

Dayton, OH 

The NEW 

alterhighschool.org 

thanks to the generosity of the Alter Booster Association, we proudly unveiled our 

all new website in March. the fresh, new design and content has been carefully developed 

to be informative, enjoyable and user-friendly for you, whether you’re a parent, 

current student, or 

graduate. tremendous 

consideration has also 

been given to prospective 

students and their families 

letting them experience a 

better representation of 

Alter online! We hope you 

find the changes as pleasing 

as we do. 

Alumni portal 

log in information 

Alter is building your alumni portion of the website which will be password protected. 

Your log in is your class year followed by a period then your last name. For example, 

1966.smith and your start up password is your record number which we’ve indicated on 

the mailing label of this issue. once you log in, you are able to change your password. 

Please visit the site frequently as we continue to add exciting new features in both the 

near and distant future, such as alumni archives and photo albums, as well as the latest 

Alter news to which you can subscribe for email notification and rss feeds. the potential 

with this site is endless. enjoy!

NeWS - Archbishop Alter High School

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?