Currents
The Alumni Magazine of Carmel Catholic High School
Winter 2008
Corsairs in
Corsairs’
in Love!
Love!
Engagement
FIRST
Memories
DATE
Fiance
Relationships
Date
LOVE
Heart
Family
HAPPINESS
Forever
First
Alumni
Marriage
Corsair
Legacy
Happiness
Carmel
Boyfriend
Heart
Memories
Alumni
Girlfriend
First Date
Forever
Happiness
Fiance
Engagement
Family
Children
Forever
LOVE
We are Family
President
Judith Mucheck, Ph.D.
Office of Institutional
Advancement Staff
Currents
Winter 2008
Dear Alumni and Friends of Carmel Catholic,
I
Publications Coordinator
Audra Schlaupitz
Gift Planning Director
Michael C. Looby ‘75
Alumni Relations Director
Erin (Byrne) McElroy ‘97
Data Services Coordinator
Judy Hall
Administrative Assistant
Jane Maciolek
Currents magazine is published three
times a year by the Office of
Institutional Advancement.
Please send address changes to:
Carmel Catholic High School
Office of Institutional Advancement
One Carmel Parkway
Mundelein, Illinois 60060
(847) 388-3361
For verification purposes, please include
the 9-digit ID number found in the
magazine address area.
Send letters about the magazine
and story ideas to:
Carmel Catholic High School
Erin (Byrne) McElroy ‘97,
Alumni Relations Director
One Carmel Parkway
Mundelein, Illinois 60060
847-388-3382
E-mail: emcelroy@carmelhs.org
www.carmelhs.org
| Currents
L E TT E R
The Alumni Magazine of Carmel Catholic High School
Director of Institutional Advancement
George B. Rattin, CFRE
Special Events and
Volunteer Coordinator
Laurie Wienke
President’s
Table
of
Contents
Features
Corsairs in Love!..................................................................................................4
We are Family! .....................................................................................................10
In Every Issue
President's Letter.................................................................................................3
Advancement News............................................................................................13
Alumni News........................................................................................................15
Class Notes...........................................................................................................18
Engagements, Marriages....................................................................................20
Births/Adoptions..................................................................................................22
In Memoriam.......................................................................................................23
n my family there are four children – all girls. My sisters and I enjoyed a reasonably positive relationship
while we were growing up. That being said, we had the usual squabbles about who-did-what-when-why,
who had rights to a particular article of clothing and, it sure was your turn to fill the car up with gas after
you had been out with your friends. My mom was patient and reminded us that, “you can pick your friends
but you can’t pick your family.” She also told us that there would come a time in our lives when we would have
a deeper appreciation for one another. As most moms are, she was right. Now that the youngest of us has
crossed the threshold of 40, I find that our conversation and time together is indeed very rich. Family is one of
those things which is hard to describe but you know it when you have it.
Not too long ago, marketing experts suggested that schools move away from using the idea of “family” in their literature and
tag lines. The reason, they explained, was because the notion of family had taken on a different meaning from a prior era. The
“Leave it to Beaver Cleavers” were gone and families were complicated configurations of individuals drawn together by a variety
of experiences and relationships. These relationships could be messy and confusing. They could be both difficult and loving.
They could be long-distance and include Match.com. While I understood the rationale behind this advice, it seemed to me that
even the Cleavers dealt with hardship and problems (the one real difference was that they solved them in the space of 30 minutes!). I don’t know of one relationship that doesn’t include occasional misunderstanding and work.
We refer to the Carmel Catholic “family”. We are drawn together for the purpose of education but there is a depth to our
communal living which revolves around the expression of our spirituality. Much like our families of origin, this Carmel family
takes great joy and pride in our collective accomplishments. We mourn together, we struggle, we pray, and we reconcile, and we
call forth the best in each other. In a very tangible way, we are family in every sense of the word. What a blessing!
This issue of Carmel Currents tells the story of Carmel families who found their start here at school. They have forged lives
together with their Carmel experience as a common link which adds to their bond. We hope you enjoy reading about them as
much as we did becoming reacquainted with them!
Merry Christmas and best wishes in the new year of grace, 2009!
Sincerely,
Judith Mucheck, Ph.D.
PRESIDENT
Calendar of Events............................................................................ Back Cover
Do you know
someone who
Stands Apart
from the rest?
Awards
INTRODUCING THE
Alumni
Association
celebrating the accomplishments of our classmates, faculty, parents and friends!
The Carmel Catholic Alumni Association is pleased to present three inaugural awards:
BVM/Carmelite Award
for exemplary service to Carmel
(open to alumni, parents,
and friends of Carmel)
Lamp of Knowledge Award Alumni of the Year Award
for excellent mentorship and teaching
(open to alumni, parents, faculty,
and friends of Carmel)
for outstanding leadership and service
to Carmel and the wider community
Please submit your nominations at http://www.corsairalumni.org/alumniaward by February 28, 2009. Awardees will be announced
in the spring of 2009. (Your alumni first-time login password/constituent id # for corsairalumni.org is located above your address on the back of this
magazine). Questions? Contact Jean Sands ’95, CCHSAA Secretary, at jean.sands@yahoo.com.
Winter 2008 |
Corsairs in Love!
O v e r
1 3 , 0 0 0
people have graduated from Carmel
Catholic High School. Of
those alums, approximately 600 have married
another Carmel graduate.
Not only do alums marry each other, but about 130 married
alums have sent their children to Carmel! For every Corsair gal and
Corsair guy who have met and married, there is a love story of how
their first date ended in "happily ever after". We asked alums
‘in love’ to share their favorite love stories with Carmel.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Cupid’s
arrows hit some of these alums many years
ago, while for others love is new. As you
bundle up to bare the cold weather
of winter, we hope these
Corsair love stories
warm your heart
and soul.
Pizza with a Best Friend
Nicole Nozicka ’02 and Kevin Gas ’01 Engaged to be married on July, 4, 2009 at St. Francis in Lake Zurich.
W
e first met in the crossroads in 1998 when I was a sophomore, and Nicole was a freshman. I was selling Corsair
Frisbees for my Econ class. We shared a mutual
friend, Christina Sapienza ’01. Christina invited
Nicole and I to go to Great America for Fright
Fest in the fall of 1998 with some other friends,
and we remained friends ever since that day.
We were close friends all through high school,
and always joked that our siblings would be
friends too. Bobby Gas and Laura Nozicka were
classmates (‘08), and Catherine Gas and Michael
Nozicka are still classmates (‘09). So there was always
a lot of Gas/Nozicka talk around our families. We left
Carmel and I went to Loyola and Nicole to Iowa. But we
never dated at Carmel or while at college.
Our first “grown up” date was a pizza dinner in Lake Zurich
on April 19, 2006. I was living downtown and took the Metra back
up to my parents for the night. We started emailing one another
throughout the day after our first date, and even joked that if we
did start to seriously date there were only two possible endings:
getting married or never speaking again. How incredibly ner-
| Currents
vous I was the day I was going to propose. My family knew, and
her entire family knew that I was going to do it. So I came home
from work and was trying to play it cool. We made
dinner and then before dessert I got down on one
knee and asked. Nicole immediately called her
parents and wanted to call her friends. But I told
her that I’d promised our two friends Colleen and
Carly that they would be the first to see the ring.
So we walked over to our favorite bar in Chicago,
and Colleen and I had invited all of our friends to
be there for a surprise engagement party that night.
We got engaged on August 1st of this year.
There are so many things I took away from going to
Carmel, and meeting Nicole is definitely number one!
I would love for our kids to go to Carmel and be able to
experience everything that we did. Our wedding party is 12
people total, and NINE are Carmel alums: Bobby (‘08) and Catherine (‘09) Gas, Laura (‘08), Michael (‘09)and Peter (‘05) Nozicka,
John Poletto (‘02), Mark Bielski (‘01), KJ Olson (‘01), and Lindsay
Kulla (‘02). We’re expecting around 20-30 Carmel alums at the
reception!
A Love that Started at Carmel and has Lasted a Lifetime
Dennis Lambert and Debbie (Retzke) Lambert ‘79
W
e owe our happiness and, in many
regards, our lives, to Carmel for
without the school we would have never
met and the joy in life, family, and faith
which we have found would have never
occurred…but it did, and this is how…
It was early March in 1977, our
junior years, when one of my very best
friends, Cindy Thompson, started talking up this girl to me. She asked me if I
knew Debbie and what I thought of her.
I actually did know who she was as my
eyes had followed her on many occasions when she walked back and forth to
the snack bar. Yes, I knew who she was,
physically stunning, but I did not know
her personally. During this time Cindy
was playing the other side of the fence
asking Debbie if she knew who I was,
etc. Unlike me, she had no clue who I
was, but Cindy, for some reason, talked
me up. Burning it at both ends, Cindy
was in fact playing matchmaker telling
each of us that there was a mutual interest in meeting each other. After all, the
Turnabout Dance was coming up! So
through Cindy we agreed to meet at a
dance at the school on May 10th in what
could best be described
as a single sided blind
date. I at least knew
who she was, again,
she had no idea who
I was! I recall walking down the lounge
in my bright yellow
ski jacket from the
boys side of the school
and seeing her, in her
bright red ski jacket, with
her friends at the very end
of the hall near the girls side.
To my horror, when she spotted
me coming, she turned and ran
into the girl’s bathroom! Her friend
Cheryl Kraucunas went in after her.
After several minutes Debbie reappeared and a life of utter happiness
and love began. We hit it off quickly
and ended up going to party at a mutual
friend’s house. I recall we got a ride to
and from the party from my best friend
Joe Von Bruchenhein in his 1961 Ford
Galaxy 500 with the REO Speedwagon
logo painted on the hood of his car. But
it wasn’t the logo so much that I remember most about that night, but rather
that first kiss we shared in the back seat
as that REO Speedwagon drove Debbie
and I home and to our ultimate futures
that night.
It took off from there and the intensity of our love has done nothing but
grow expediently since. We went to the
movies a few days later, “The Goodbye
Girl”, and yes, we did go to Turnabout
that year as well. Those of you who knew
us then know that since March 10th, 1977
we were literally inseparable. Immediately following our college graduation,
our partnership was more permanently
bound on January 29, 1983 as we were
married in Mundelein’s own Santa Maria
del Popolo church by Fr.
Tom Drolet, who had
been a huge religious
mentor to me at
Carmel. We settled
in Lake County for
many, many years.
Our family began
with the birth of our
son Kyran on June 12,
1985 followed by our
daughter Sarah on Nov.
17, 1988. Our kids went
to the same Catholic Grade
School that I did, St. Joe’s in
Round Lake and our son Kyran
went to Carmel his Freshman year
before we
relocated to Phoenix where we have
been for almost 10 years.
In many ways our life has been storybook. Sure, life has thrown us curve
balls, but the one constant has been that
we honestly and truly not only remain
each others best friend, but that our
love and friendship grows everyday.
This January we will be celebrating 26
years of marriage, and, if my maths correct, in March we will be celebrating 31
years of being inseparable. In addition
to just really liking being around each
other and our family, we have shared
a common hobby of music. While in
Chicago we led a band called “Third
Degree” and now in Phoenix with “Lil’
Debbie & Blue Plate Special” (check us
out at lildebbieandbps.com). We have a
ball playing together and are blessed to
be surrounded by not only other great
musicians, but really great people.
We feel we truly have lived a storybook romance which would not have
taken place had it not been for Carmel
High School and Cindy Thompson. Carmel brought us not only together, but
also helped to plant that initial seed of
faith in us that has continued to grow
and grow. Thank you Carmel, thank you
Cindy, we look forward to revisiting you
both at next years reunion! If any of our
old friends want to get in touch with us,
please e-mail us at; dennis.a.lambert@
pfizer.com.
Winter 2008 |
Chemistry 101
Practice Makes Perfect!
15 Years of Friendship
Brad Salata ’96 and Jody (Hyderdall) Salata ‘97
Sarah (Worklan) Yeager ’96 and Nick Yeager ‘96
Monica Rohleder and Tim Duffy Engaged to be
married on September 19, 2009.
B
rad graduated from Carmel High School
in 1996 and I followed one year later as a
graduate of the class of 1997! I believe the
first time we met was my sophomore year,
his junior year, in Gene Sharp’s Chemistry
class. Maybe that was a sign for what was
in store for our future!!
We did not have “chemistry” at first
though. I later found out that Brad thought
I was not a nice girl to put it in better words.
I never knew that until we were dating for a
while! I do admit I was a sarcastic young lady
at that time and spoke my mind maybe a bit too
much! At any rate, Brad had a girlfriend, so the
chemistry between us was merely a crush on my
part. He finally came around to “like” me as a friend
because I would make him brownies. We also would
bring in marshmallows on lab day for the Bunsen burners
just like we were roasting on an open fire! So, Brad and I continued being friends for the next couple of years.
We lost touch after he graduated until February of 1997. I
believe he came to watch a Carmel basketball game and I just
so happened to being doing stats for the team. We decided to
go out on a date and we went to The Lonestar Restaurant and
watched “Passenger 57” back at his house. The night ended in a
kiss, but did not go any where from there. Fast forward to June
of that year. I had graduated and was at a Carmel baseball game
watching Josh Ward ’97 pitch. During the game, Brad came
walking down the hill, and I can remember what he was wearing and eating! He had on a red fleece hoodie, jeans and a hat.
He was eating Pizza Hut pizza and I was so excited that he was
there. I of course called
him over and we talked the
whole game rather than watch
Josh and the rest of the team play. I suppose I have to give credit to Brad’s dad,
my father-in-law, because Brad probably
would not have gone to the game if he
was not doing stats for the baseball team!
I invited Brad over that evening for
a swim and he came with his friend Steve
Golebiowski ‘96. It ended up being too chilly
to swim so we all hung out and talked. The rest
is really all history from there! I knew within a
couple of weeks that I was going to marry him.
Funny how you just know. There was not just one
specific memory that made me fall in love with him;
there were many! We had so much fun together
while we were dating, movies, vacations, hanging out,
taking walks, going to Chicago, etc.
Finally, on August 5, 2001, Brad asked me to marry him. We
went on a picnic that he packed. After we ate, he brought out a
very large fortune cookie with the message reading ,“Miss Jodi
Daybreak Hyderdall WILL YOU MARRY ME?”Of course I said
yes…the ring was and still is beautiful!
We married on July 19, 2003 four days after my parents
celebrated their 25th anniversary! It has been 5 ½ years since
our wedding day and we have brought 3 beautiful children into
this world! Braydon Jason (5-7-04), Laila Daybreak (3-6-06) and
Ambria Violet (2-14-08).
THANK YOU Carmel and Chemistry class with Gene Sharp
for helping me find the love of my life!!
Hey How Come We Aren’t Going Out?
W
e met in Homeroom 806 our
freshman year.
Our
lockers were right next
to each other. That was
in 1992, but our first
date wasn’t until October of 2000. We were
both coaching at Carmel. Nick was a football
coach and I coached Volleyball. One of my favorite
memories was after practices
we would meet up and go to a
park in Libertyville and just hang
out and talk and watch the little
kids have soccer practice.
We have been best friends since
we were 16 years old. Being friends
has allowed us to completely be ourselves with one
another. Friendship has always been the foundation of our
relationship.
We were engaged on Friday, May 10th 2002 and married
on Friday, June 20th, 2003 at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in
LakeVilla.
We currently reside in Antioch, Illinois and have 3 children.
Grace is 4 years old, Ava is 3 years old and Nathan is 16 months
old.
Nick spent several years as a teacher and coach at Carmel.
Currently he is an English teacher at Barrington High School
and no longer coaches football. Instead, he is pursuing a
2nd master’s degree in Counseling and attends Northeastern
University.
T
im and I first met in 1988 during our freshmen year,
although we really became friends during our senior year!
Tim and I were just friends while at Carmel but we continued
our friendship for the next 15 years into our twenties. Many
people hinted that we should date but we were not quite at
that point of our lives, but several times a year we would get
together in Los Angeles where Tim lived.
In November of 2006, I was on a business trip to Los Angeles and spent a few days with Tim while I was in town. Something must have been in the air because I went back to Chicago
smitten. We were both 33. We met up again in Vegas a few
weeks later and have been together ever since. I moved to LA
in February of 2007 to be with Tim. Tim is an amazing person
with the best heart. We always joke that his wine cellar and
beachfront condo sealed the deal, but in actuality, Tim and I
just clicked and he truly is my best friend. The best part about
our relationships is that we were friends first! We still chuckle
when we realize that we are together and getting married!
We got engaged in June of 2008 on a trip to St. Tropez,
France. Tim proposed while we were swimming in the Mediterranean at Club 55. It was a big
surprise and it is a memory
we will have forever. We are
getting married at Old St.
Pat’s in Chicago on September 19, 2009. I think the best
part of our story is that you
just never know who might
be the right one for you, even
the friend in High School who
you never even thought of dating.
Anything is possible and the biggest surprise can be the best thing
that has ever happened to you!
Warren Corrado ’80 and Susan (Shanahan) Corrado
W
e met Sophomore year, “Boys Side”
entrance; waiting for the bus after
school; she thought I was a geek, and I thought
she was stuck-up! We didn’t start dating until our
senior year. Our first date was on April 11th to be
exact. How do I remember that date? We still celebrate it! We use to celebrate April 11th with roses and
wine and dinner, but now it’s evolved to a simple acknowledgement of the day, a kiss, and a bright-eyed “Happy Anniversary!” She was my best friend for over 2 years before we dated. I believe
this strong foundation is a key to our relationship. When we
| Currents
became close friends, all the guys on
the “Boys’ side” would ask me “are you
guys going out?” I would respond with “no,
just friends.” The girls on the “Girls’ side” would ask the same of
her and get the same response. Months later, when everyone
stopped asking, we asked each other “Hey, how come we’re not
going out?” We were engaged in 1986, we were on a camping
trip at Devil’s Lake, WI; we went for a walk and she stopped to
sit on on big rock; I got down on one knee and told her that I
wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We married a year
later on May 30, 1987, seven years after graduating from Carmel. Birthday Surprise!
Becky (Klees) Majewski ’95 and Joe Majewski ‘94
A
ttending Carmel Catholic High School was one of the best
decisions of my life! Not only did I meet amazing friends
and teachers, it’s where I met my husband.
I started at Carmel in 1992. During my freshman year, I met
Joe Majewski, the first and only male cheerleader at the time.
He certainly stood out! When I joined the Pom Pon Squad as
a sophomore, Joe and I became acquaintances. For the turnabout dance that year, I decided to ask one of my friends and
Joe came to mind. I think I asked him to the dance through a
note! Well, he politely declined. Not a big deal though. I found
Winter 2008 |
| Currents
For more Corsair love stories visit www.corsairalumni.org/lovestories. Are you engaged or married to an alum and didn’t
submit your story? Tell us about it on the alumni message boards at www.corsairalumni.org/messageboards/love.
A week later an email from Sean appeared in my inbox asking me to go to dinner. I asked my mom, “Do you think this is a
date or an alumni visit for Carmel?” I didn’t know, but I agreed to
go. Our first date was a day after my 27th birthday. We went to a
Thai restaurant and almost immediately we had chemistry and I
knew we were on a date and not a Carmel visit. We realized that
from 2001-2003 we both lived in Seattle, and at one point only
lived 10 blocks from each other. We were certain we had been
at the same bars and restaurants, but didn’t meet until we both
moved back to Lake County. We spent 10 years apart, but once
we met it was love at first sight!
Later, Sean shared with me that he told his friends he was
going to get a girls number at the reunion. Well, he got more
than just a number of a former classmate, he found his wife!
Sean and I went to Brussels and Paris to visit my friend Suzy
(Brooks) Blanton ’97. She was kind of surprised I’d bring a boyfriend of only two months, but it was like Sean and I had known
each other much longer.
After seven months of dating, Sean proposed in Chicago
over Memorial Day. We were married this past Labor Day on
If you haven’t visited in awhile,
check us out! Upload a new
profile photo, leave a class note,
or search for old friends using the
Online Directory!
Birth Announcements:
Post a birth
announcement
with a photo
and receive
‘A Corsair in
Training” T-shirt
for your future
Corsair!
elebrations!
in Traini
air
rs
C
Carmel Catholi
ig
cH
h
Sc
Please submit your feedback by
February 28th at www.corsairalumni.
org/programevaluation.
’69, ’ 7 4, ’ 79, ’84, ’89,
’94, ’99 & ‘04
Each class celebrates individual reunions starting in June
through September. Register
NOW for the following classes:
January
24: Class of '73
June
20: Class of '84
Class of '99
27: Class of '89
Your password/constituent id #
for corsairalumni.org is located
above your address on the
back of this magazine).
Have a say on what you want
out of your alumni programs
and communications!
C
2009
Alumni Reunion
ol
Have you logged on
recently?
ng
Sean McElroy ’96 and Erin (Byrne) McElroy ‘97
n June of 2005, I started my job at Carmel as the new Alumni
Relations Director. I was excited to return to Carmel to work.
I expected to enjoy my job, but I never expected I’d meet my
future husband at work!
Every year, eight classes celebrate reunions. On September
16, 2006, I went to Mickey Finn’s to work the Class of 1991 and
1996 reunions. Both classes had great turnouts and I ended up
working the registration table well past 10pm. It was like many
of the reunions I work, alums reconnecting with old friends,
people laughing and having a great time. I was getting ready to
settle the bill for the night, when Sean came up to talk to me. I
remember meeting him earlier that spring with 100 other alums
at the 1st Alumni event in Chicago at Casey Moran’s. I recalled
that he said he had lived in Seattle,
and so had I. Although Sean was
only a year older than me at Carmel, we didn’t know each other.
Our conversation at his reunion was
short because I had to pay the bill. I
settled the check and left for the night.
Erin Byrne ‘97 and Sean McElroy ‘96 were married
on Sunday, August 31, 2008. Fr. Bob Carroll, O.Carm,
Ph.D presided over the wedding at St. Mary’s of Vernon and the reception followed at Boulder Ridge
Country Club in Lake in the Hills, IL. The bride and
groom celebrated their ‘big’ day with many Carmel
alums including: Marcy Beaudion ‘96, Suzy (Brooks)
Blanton ‘97, Peter Bradio ‘96, Jennifer (Tulley) Braido
‘96, Scott Brooks ‘99, Mike Burens ‘96, Patrick Byrne
‘01, Brian Carey ‘96, Brock Hendricks ‘96, Kelly McElroy ‘98, Brandon Muzik ‘01 and Michael Videtich ‘97.
If you are new to the Alumni
Online Community, your password/constituent ID# is located
above your address on the back
cover of this issue of Currents.
Not Just Another Night at Work!
I
August 31st at St. Mary’s of Vernon. Our
wedding was the best day of our lives. I
believe in fate and that I was meant to
come back to Carmel not only for a great
job, but to meet the love of my life!
ho
forest preserve, the location of our very first date.
He pulled over in a secluded area and asked me to
get out of the truck with him. When I stepped out
of the truck and turned around, he was down on
one knee. It was the best birthday present ever!
Joe and I got married on June 19, 1999, exactly
one month after my college graduation! Needless to say, it was a pretty stressful year for us. Our
wedding was at St. Patrick’s in Wadsworth, which is
where I went to elementary school. Our reception
was at Midlane Country Club. Coach Kuykendall and
Coach Bitto were in attendance. It was an amazing day
for the both of us!
Currently, we reside in Peoria, Arizona. We have two children, Barrett James (7 years old) and Jenna Lauren (4 years old).
Unfortunately, they won’t be attending Carmel since we live
out of state now, but we’re looking forward to bringing them
back for many visits and a few Bears games! I have several family members who have attended Carmel, my mom, aunt, uncle,
sister-in-law, cousin—and another cousin, Nikki Ward, who
currently attends.
Next year, Joe and I will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary, 16 years if you start back from the very beginning!
Co
another date! It wasn’t until my junior year that
things changed for the both of us.
Fast forward to the book sale right before
the new school year. I remember spotting Joe
walking down the hallway near the cafeteria.
I said hello to him, and he turned around and
finally took notice!
When school began, we started to talk in
the hallways a little more. Before I knew it, it was
time for the homecoming dance. Joe claims that
I was instantly attracted to him, but I claim to have
just needed a date to the dance! I remember talking to
Coach Kuykendall before English class one day. He was
one of Joe’s wrestling coaches and one of my favorite teachers!
I asked him if he could hint to Joe that I didn’t have a date. Later
on I found out that when Coach approached Joe, his response
was, “Coach, I already have it covered!” Joe was the first guy
to surprise me with flowers when asking me to a dance. We
started dating soon after that dance. Even when Joe went off
to Bradley University, we were able to make it work. After high
school, I attended Illinois State University, and I think it helped
that I was only 40 minutes away from Joe’s school.
In 1997 Joe was in his senior year at college, and I was in
my junior year. For my 21st birthday in November, Joe and I
drove home together to celebrate with my family. Well, just as
we were passing through Mundelein, Joe made a detour to the
August
8: Class of '04
Give us your feedback!
Next year the Alumni Relations program turns 5! Take our short survey
on reunions, alumni communications and alumni programs. Help us
evaluate the existing programs and
services and help us shape the next
five years!
Save the Date!
Street Scenes Hosts Game Shows!
Feb. 13-14!
Stop by the Alumni Association
booth in the Lounge. Meet Association members, volunteer, submit
Alumni Award Nomination forms
and much more.
Winter 2008 |
We are Family!
Friends and Family for Life!
Jim Daluga ’75 and Nancy (Miller) Daluga ‘75
The 1979 Sister Sledge song says it best,
“Everyone can see we’re together as we walk on by and we fly just like birds of a feather
I won’t tell no lie. All of the people around us they say can they be that close? Just let
me state for the record. We’re giving love in a family dose. We are family…”
For some Carmel students, not only do they have siblings and cousins who attend Carmel, but both of their parents
are also alums. Of the 130 alumni who are also current parents at Carmel, here are a few of their stories.
22
and Counting!
J
Joe White ’75 and Elizabeth (May) White ‘77
A
s Joe remembers it, we met at the
volleyball referee rules meeting
while we were at NIU in 1980. Joe asked
if I would be interested in playing Co-rec
football. We ended up winning the championship but didn’t start dating while we
were at college together. Our first date
was at JP Hannigan’s in Dekalb for lunch
in 1982. This was a year after Joe graduated from NIU and five years after I graduated from Carmel. Joe had returned to
Northern for the homecoming game and
we ran into each other and he asked me
to lunch. After a couple of Irish BLT’s we
were thinking about our next date.
The most memorable story of our
relationship is the date that never happened. We grew up about seven houses
down from each other in Waukegan.
10
| Currents
During Joe’s senior year at Carmel, he did
not have a date for the 1974 Homecoming dance. His mom suggested that the
papergirl who delivered the Trib was very
nice and that she might be a good person
to ask. I was that papergirl, and in typical
teenage fashion Joe dismissed his mom’s
suggestion and eventually asked a very
nice girl named Mary Ellen. We didn’t
meet for another five years!
Joe says that I captured his heart
by catching every pass he threw me.
Joe threw me a lot of passes! We got
engaged just before Christmas in 1983 at
the Columbia Bay restaurant in Lake Villa.
We were married at St. Anastasia Church
in Waukegan on July 14, 1984. We had 8
Carmel alums in our party as ushers, gift
bearers, bridesmaids and attendants.
Truth be told, they were all family mem-
bers: Jennifer (White) Lee ’77, Joe May
’78, Cathy (May) Fenger ’79, Tony May ’80,
Ellen (May) Ley ’81, Mike May ’83, John
May ’85, Charlie May ’87 and Steven May
’88.
Our best memory as Carmel parents is seeing our children graduate from
Carmel and being recognized as alums
ourselves at the ceremony. It was a real
feeling of being connected and a very
proud moment. We’ve done it twice so
far with Kate ’06 and Garrett ’07 and we
get to do it one more time with Billy in
2010! Every year grandma Margaret May
attends Grandparents day. She is usually surrounded by several grandkids. To
date Margaret has watched 9 children
and 9 grandchildren graduate from Carmel, and there are still four current students attending Carmel and many more
grandkids on the way!
im and I first met at a picnic in the summer before
our junior year with friends
Lora (Hoffeller) Dolan ’75,
Mark Rohling ’75 and Mike
Callaghan ‘75. I still remember how Jim asked me to our
Senior Homecoming Dance.
He called and said, “Will you
go to the dance with me?” I
replied, “Yes!”, and he then
said, “I just put my sisters bike
together.” And that was that!
It wasn’t the most romantic conversation but that
is when we started dating.
We went to the rest of the
dances together and dated
for the next seven years. A
big part of our relationship
while at Carmel was when
I would stay after school to
watch Jim’s basketball practices. I lived in Barrington
and he lived in Waukegan. I
remember telling my parents
that I stayed to take the late
bus home because of student council activities, but I
was really watching Jim!
I went to college at Saint
Mary’s of Notre Dame and
Jim stayed at home. Jim says
he knew after the Homecoming Dance that we would
get married, and I remember knowing while I was in
college.
We got engaged in February of 1981 and married in
October of 1981. Once we
started a family, we knew that
if we lived near Carmel they
would go to Carmel. We
were well prepared for college and even more important we were familiar with
the school and felt we had
made friends for life while
at Carmel. We were married
by Fr. Simon Kenny, O’Carm.,
whom we had stayed in contact with from our days at
Carmel until his recent death
in 2005. It was never really
a question that our children
would go anywhere else. Jim
remembers driving into Carmel on the day of the open
house. He slowed down
near the path and entrance
to Carmel at 176 and told his
son James that Bob Watson
would yell D-A-L-U-G-A at
him, to get off the path and
come into school. As they
parked and walked into the
old boy’s entrance, they were
greeted by Watson’s unforgettable call of D-A-L-U-GA! James graduated in 2003;
Molly in 2006 and Marion will
graduate in 2010.
We have so many memorable moments from being
Alumni Current Parents. We
have spent countless hours
at theater productions with
Molly, taking our entire family to U of I to cheer on the
Corsairs when they won
the State Football title, and
many more. One moment I
remember is when Jim made
the golf team his sophomore year. James was quiet
and I picked him up near
the Salvi Arena, he picked
up his clubs and said, “What
could be better mom? I just
played golf with the Dean
of Students and he bought
me a coke and called me
Jimmy!” I was really grateful
to Coach Nolan for making a
connection and putting joy
on my sons face. These are
the memories and moments
we hold dear as parents. We
still have great friends from
Carmel. A few years ago we
had a party with the Class
of 1975 for us all turning 50.
People flew in from across
the country to celebrate this
great milestone. We now see
our children having the same
great friends from their time
at Carmel.
Jim Daluga Jr. ’03 recalled
what it was like being a legacy student at Carmel, “It was
something I always wanted
when I was young. Most
of the kids from my grade
school did not go to Carmel,
but my parents made me
feel like I was going some
place special. It turns out
they were right. One of my
favorite things to do as a kid
was go to Carmel basketball
games with my dad. When
we would watch games in
the old gym I would love to
hear his stories about when
he was on the Carmel basketball team.”
Molly Daluga recalls
some confusion at times,
“My mom told me she would
pick me up from school on
the “girl’s side.” I quickly got
used to this and learned that
that meant the south side
near the auditorium.”
Winter 2008 |
11
Three and Counting…
Frank Swindell ’81 and
Cindy (Amato) Swindell ‘82
W
e first met at a Carmel Turnabout
dance that we were attending
with other dates but we caught one
another’s eyes! Although Frank insists
he said “Hello” to me! Our first date was
on September 26, 1980; we went apple
picking at Wauconda Orchard.
It
was pretty much
love at first sight
for both of us. It
was my eyes and
smile that did it
for Frank, and I fell in love with Frank’s
shy and gentle spirit. We have many
great memories of sharing high school
moments together, but one of our favorites was traveling down to University of
Illinois when Frank competed at State
in wrestling. We were engaged our Jr/Sr
year in college and got married on September 6, 1986. We have already sent
3 of our 7 children to Carmel, because
we couldn’t imagine sending them anywhere else. A favorite moment of being
a Carmel Alum was attending our oldest
daughter’s graduation ceremony, a very
proud moment for us! Our children
are Jacqueline ‘08, Frankie ‘10, Megan
‘11, Rachel ‘13, Anthony ‘15, Kelly ‘18 and
Vincent ‘20. When the youngest Swindell graduates from Carmel in 2020 it will
mark 40 years since Frank Sr. graduated
from Carmel. One family, with many
Carmel memories, some in the past, others in the making and even more in the
future!
We were Our
Daughter’s Age when
we Met…
Jan (Fredricksen) Budris ’86 and
Christopher Budris ‘86
W
e first met at a football game,
which is where we really talked for
the first time. At the time freshmen were
not allowed to attend the homecoming dance, so we went to a friend’s party
instead. I remember hanging out before
homeroom in the freshmen hall (on the
girls side) and quick goodbyes when the
bell rang. I remember sending notes,
probably hundreds of them, through
friends when we didn’t have the same
lunch period. On weekends, we would
often take the train to see each other
since I lived all the way in Spring Grove. I
remember paying large phone bills from
talking to him for hours. I remember all
the dances we went to and how his mom
always made sure I had the prettiest flowers. I remember watching him play baseball and football. I always loved waiting
for him outside the locker room. We got
engaged before our senior year of college in 1989 and were married in August
1990. We have 3 kids. Our oldest is a Carmel freshman this year. It’s odd thinking
that we were her age when we met!
The Sister Sledge’s song ends,
“…Living life is fun and
we’ve just begun. To get
our share of the world’s
delights high hopes we have
for the future and our
goals in sight. No we don’t
get depressed. Here’s what
we call our golden rule,
have faith in you and the
things you do. You won’t
go wrong, this is our family
Jewel.”
Many students and alums alike refer to
Carmel as ‘home’. For these legacy families the songs title lyrics, “We are Family” ring true in more ways then one!
12
| Currents
Corsair Legacy Families
• Mark ‘83 & Dawn (Benjamin ‘84) Abernathy,
Akaysha ‘12
• William ‘79 & Kathleen (Myers ‘79) Anastos,
Claire ‘09, Timothy ‘07
• George ‘76 & Karen (Gleeson ‘77) Behr,
Christopher ‘10, Anne Marie ‘03, Laura ‘01,
Mary Kate ‘98
• Christopher ‘86 & Jan (Fredricksen ‘86)
Budris, Elaina ‘12
• John ‘79 & Kathleen (Kenny ‘80) Butler,
Jack ‘11, Brendan ‘08
• James ‘75 & Nancy (Miller ‘75) Daluga,
Marion ‘10, Molly (Mary) ‘06, James ‘03
• William ‘79 & Kelley (Forman ‘79) Gries,
Robert ‘11, Alyssa ‘09, Jessica ‘07
• Kevin ‘70 & Patricia (Bockwinkel ‘74) Happ,
Elizabeth ‘12, Jonathan ‘05, Catherine ‘02
• James ‘76 & Nancy (Kelly ‘76) Herchenbach,
Rosemary ‘11, Nellie ‘03
• Thomas ‘80 & Therese (Archer ‘81)
Herchenbach, Laura ‘11
• Michael ‘88 & Jill (O’Sullivan ‘88) Maciag,
Sullivan ‘10
• Bradley ‘78 & Susan (Kiraly ‘79) May,
Ryan ‘11, Katie ‘07
• Robert ‘77 & Pamela (Howland ‘80) Mellor,
Lauren ‘12, Jeffrey ‘07, Matthew ‘05
• Christopher ‘87 & Maria (Zupec ‘86)
Monroe, Joseph ‘10
• Anthony ‘72 & Andrea (Smith ‘72) Moree,
Francesca ‘10, Alexandra ‘07, Christian ‘04
• Lawrence ‘77 & Janet (Todey ‘78) Petrie,
Lauren ‘11, Daniel ‘10
• Perry ‘79 & Julia (Lorang ‘80) Plescia,
Michael ‘10, Jennifer ‘06, Mariko ‘03,
Peter ‘01, John ‘00
• Thaddeus ‘82 & Sharon (Spicuzza ‘83)
Popielewski, Mary ‘12
• Kevin ‘79 & Beverly (Underberg ‘80) Quinn,
Kevin ‘09, Kelley ‘07
• Patrick ‘84 & Margaret (Bowes ‘84) Quinn,
Erin ‘11
• Michael ‘82 & Kerry (Roycroft ‘83) Quist,
Nicole ‘10
• Martin ‘81 & Mary (Atchison ‘82) Reading,
Patricia ‘10, Catherine ‘08
• James ‘73 & Claudia (Goetz ‘73) Ronayne,
Sean ‘09, Bridget ‘06, Brian ‘03
• Al ‘78 & Kathleen (Keller ‘77) Salvi,
Joseph ‘12, Mary ‘11, Kathleen ‘08
• Gerard ‘79 & Elizabeth (Kamhout ‘80)
Shannon, Erin ‘12
• Christopher ‘75 & Linda (Novak ‘79)
Stoyanoff, Katie ‘10
• Franklin ‘81 & Cynthia (Amato ‘82) Swindell,
Megan ‘11, Franklin ‘10, Jacqueline ‘08
• Joseph ‘75 & Elizabeth (May ‘77) White,
William ‘10, Garrett ‘07, Kathleen ‘06
• James ‘83 & Julie Ann (Bierman ‘83) Zizzo,
Michael ‘12, Peter ‘10, James ‘09, Peggy ‘06
• Kevin ‘76 & Suzanne (Campanella ‘83)
Zupec, Austin ‘12, Alexandra ‘09
Are you a current parent who is also alum?
Upload your Corsair family memories at
corsairalumni.org/messageboards/legacy
Advancement
N E W S
Director’s Note
|
Planned G iving
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Collecting Golden Moments for our Golden Anniversary
I
n 2012 Carmel Catholic High School will celebrate its “Golden”
50 year Anniversary. It will be a celebration without peer that
will involve the entire community. We will look back at our successes and will also look forward to our next 50 years! As we
begin preparations for this special time, the Carmel Catholic High
School’s Office of Institutional Advancement (OIA) is launching a
new alumni initiative-- Golden Moments. Beginning in January of
2009, CCHS will launch the Golden Moments program designed
to reconnect with as many graduates as possible. Members of
our Institutional Advancement Staff will be calling on alumni to
arrange for a short meeting. At this meeting, we want to hear
your Carmel “Golden Moments” you’ve had as a student or an
alum. We will share the current news from campus and talk to
you about opportunities to attend events at Carmel or volunteer.
Our goal is to reconnect with as many graduates of Carmel Cath-
Carmel House
‘72
begun
more
‘90No
blazers for
girls
tags
‘02 Name
introduced
olic High School as possible. So we ask you to be open to calls
or letters from our OIA staff and volunteers. We will come to
visit you where you are or host your visit back on campus. Either
way we look forward to compiling your stories that we will share
during our Golden Anniversary Celebration in 2012. We look
forward to speaking
Golden Moments Interview Team
with you soon! If
you have any quesMichael C. Looby ’75
tions or would like
Gift Planning Director
to arrange a visit to
Erin (Byrne) McElroy ’97
campus, contact the
Alumni Relations Director
Office of Institutional
George B. Rattin, CFRE
Advancement at (847)
Director, Institutional Advancement
388-3361.
Save the Date!
Carmel Turns 50 in 2012!
To celebrate we need your help
for the Legacy Project!
Take a look at our 50 years of history
at www.corsairalumni.org/timeline.
Every Picture Tells a Story
Do you remember how you first became acquainted with Carmel? Were you a student?
A faculty or staff member? A parent?
The Legacy committee is working on a 50th Anniversary publication.
We are recruiting volunteers for the Decade Sub-committees.
Volunteer responsibilities include:
• Gathering photo’s from the decade you represent
• Documenting milestones for our timeline (i.e. dates of significant events during our
history. (For example, 2003 CCHS won its first State Football Championship).
The deadline to volunteer is February 16th!
If you are interested in becoming a part of this project, please contact Erin Byrne McElroy ’97,
Alumni Relations Director at alumni@carmelhs.org or at 847-388-3382.
MEMORIES WANTED
Do you have a significant
memory to share that is
not represented on the
timeline? Tell us about it at
www.corsairalumniorg/
milestone
Email high resolution photos
to: alumni@carmelhs.org
Mail a copy to:
Alumni Relations
One Carmel Parkway
Mundelein, IL 60060
*Photos will not be returned
*Please include a caption
Winter 2008 |
13
Advancement
N E W S
PLAN N E D G I V I N G
Alumni
N E W S
ALUMI PROFILES | ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS | CLASS NOTES | ENGAGEMENTS | MARRIAGES |
BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS | IN MEMORIAM
Vigilance is Important for Effective Financial Stewardship
ALUMNI PROFILE
W
OW! It’s tough out there! I, like everyone else, have watched my retirement savings plunge, and
plunge some more. For most of us, we have had no control over this frightful rollercoaster ride. Yet for
me, there is a lesson to be learned concerning a friend’s GM stock. Many, many years ago, his grandmother
gifted him 10 shares of GM stock. Over the years, the stock split once. He watched the value rise to more
than $95 per share and received a $2.00 per share dividend. At today’s (Dec. 2, 2008) value, it has plummeted
to $4.83 per share and produces no dividend. Who knows if GM will even be in existence by the time you
read this column! He acknowledged he should have sold it years ago, but … it was a present from grandma!
Now it seems the only legacy of his grandmother’s gift will be the valueless GM stock certificate that sits in
Michael C. Looby ‘75,
his file drawer.
Gift Planning Director
I find at least one lesson to be learned: active stewardship of finances is very important, no matter how
small or large the investment. His grandmother would have been unhappy to hear that he didn’t sell the stock earlier. After all, she
didn’t give him the stock to watch it waste away. She wanted him to benefit from it.
Active stewardship of your finances to achieve personal, family and philanthropic goals is an important part of living a full and
complete life. Even actively managing small investments, 10 shares here and 100 shares there, can collectively make a big difference. Passively watching your investments, similar to how one might watch a gold fish in a bowl, is not responsible.
You might now be asking what does this have to do with planned giving? An objective of investment efforts is to maximize
their potential and retain control to distribute assets for their greatest good. A charitable donation is a viable way to achieve that
objective. Out of the many planned giving options available, I can describe two that present great stewardship options:
• Consider transferring securities to a Charitable Remainder Trust. Small numbers of shares (like the GM stock) of individual
companies collectively transferred to a Charitable Reminder Trust can actually add up to be a great benefit to the donor and
the charity. If you were to sell appreciated assets in the open market you would be assessed capital gains taxes, diminishing
the value of the security. However, a Charitable Remainder Trust is a planned giving vehicle that allows a donor to make a
future charitable gift and at the same time receive income and tax deduction benefits. Securities transferred to the Charitable Remainder trust are not subject to capital gains taxes.
• Another option is to donate your IRA account through your estate. Often an IRA owned at the time of your death is taxed
twice: as part of your taxable estate and as income to your beneficiary/heir. If donated to a charity, the IRA becomes a tax
deduction for the estate and the heir does not have the burden of claiming additional income on their personal taxes. The
donation dedication may also allow other parts of the estate to flow to the heir tax-free or at greatly reduced rates.
Taking time to plan with your financial and legal advisors is responsible stewardship. If you wish to learn more, visit the Carmel
Catholic website at www.carmelhs.org. In the Parable of the Talents, Mathew 25:14-30, Jesus talks about using what God gives us
effectively for the good of others and ourselves. We should be diligent to be more like the two servants who multiplied what was
given to them and not the one who hid his talents to the benefit of no one. My friend had choices to make about the GM stock but
he waited too long and lost its value. Vigilance is a form of stewardship that should never be forgotten.
14
| Currents
Giving Back: Carmel Alums Make a Difference!
Christie George ‘07
T
he summer 2008 Currents featured an article about alumni
leaders in non-profit leadership. At the time of the magazines publication Christie George ’07 was preparing to participate in the United Nations Hero Youth Ambassador Program
in Africa.
Christie was in Africa from June 28th through August 8th.
HERO, defined by the United Nations, “Is an awareness building and fundraising initiative dedicated to providing comprehensive, school-based support to orphans and vulnerable
children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa.”
Christie explained, “HERO works with vulnerable children and
their families in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, and Ethiopia,
in HIV/AIDS-affected communities, striving to improve basic
needs like education, health care, feeding, housing, etc.”
During the course of her trip she volunteered with twenty-
one others in South Africa and Namibia. Her first experience
was in Namibia where they built 20 houses for the San community, a severely marginalized group of people who was living
in huts of garbage. They built the houses from the ground up
and worked side by side with members of the community. The
youth ambassadors played with the children on breaks from
working. In South Africa she worked in two separate schools
to finish new classrooms, feed the children at meal times, and
build playgrounds for the schoolyard. “Our interaction with
the kids was constant, and often very distracting, and absolutely unforgettable”, Christie recalls of her memories in South
Africa.
The closing ceremony in Namibia was in honor of the 20
houses they built. Her group was joined by the San community, as well as many locals, and the Ambassador of Namibia,
Winter 2008 |
15
representatives from USAID, UNESCO, the founder of HERO,
and several high ranking members from the Namibian government. A fellow Youth Ambassador and Christie were chosen to
give a speech in front of the honored guests, recounting their
work over the past few weeks. Their speech recalled memories of their work alongside members of the San and Eenhana,
Namibia communities, as well as thanking the charitable foreman for all his work on the project.
Christie’s experiences in Africa greatly influenced her life.
She reflected, “The most lasting memories were the people I
met. During those six weeks I met some of the most fascinating, caring, and enjoyable people I have ever met, both from the
States and from Africa. I met a 6-year-old African girl, Ayanda,
in whom I saw myself reflected, and we became inseparable. I
saw some of the most beautiful scenery, and the most destitute
poverty side by side. But primarily, the people I encountered
will stick with me forever.”
Christie is currently a sophomore at Marquette University
majoring in Political Science. She plans to continue volunteering as much as her schedule and budget will allow. She is hoping to return to Africa with the HERO program in the future,
and in the meantime is looking into volunteer opportunities
with other relief and development programs. I am currently
working with HERO on a new fundraiser to implement feeding
programs in 9 different schools across South Africa. For more
information on the HERO program, visit www.heroaction.org.
ALUM N I P RO F I L E
Stepping Around the Globe: From Asia and Back!
Kevin Horton ’02
T
Riverdance
Journal
UPDATED!
he Riverdance Tour of Asia was more than I expected it to be. I made some great friends with my cast members and saw some
amazing sites and landmarks that I never thought I would get the chance to see. One of the best memories I have from this
tour is when the show played in Beijing for two weeks. We sold out to a very enthusiastic crowd and were touted as a pre-cursor
to the Olympic Games and brought Ireland to China. It was a great feeling to be a part of such a huge honor. While in Beijing, we
had a few days off, so myself and a few of my cast members took a two-day camping trip along a 7km unrestored section of the
Great Wall of China.
We started in an isolated village where a Chinese family showed us how to make traditional food, then hiked our
way through treacherous unrestored sections of the wall. We
watched the sunset while sitting atop a crumbling tower, and
then woke early to watch the sunrise. This part of the wall is
closed to tourists, so we were able to take in the natural beauty
and wonder of the wall without being surrounded by many
people. It was an experience that I will never forget.
Right before I left for this tour, I graduated from Arizona
State with a degree in Media Production Journalism and a
minor in Communications, so when I returned from Asia the
plan was to get a job. Although I have had some great prospects
for employment, I was offered to continue touring on the North
American tour, which begins January 2009 for 6 months. I have decided to put full-time
employment on the backburner and to continue touring. Being on tour is such a great
experience and I am glad to have had the opportunity to partake in it, and to now continue performing and traveling. I am living in Phoenix and teaching dance lessons for an
Irish Dance school just until the tour kicks off January in Orlando. There will be a stop in
Chicago at the Rosemont Theater March 17-22, 2009, so I hope you can make it to see me in
action! If you want to see where else my tour will be stopping, there is a list of cities on
www.riverdance.com.
To all of my past classmates, I hope you are doing well and I wish you good luck in
all of your future endeavors.
16
| Currents
Alumni
N E W S
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS
The Alumni Association is pleased to announce the creation of five great committees!
Communications, Social, Spiritual, Service, & Alumni Awards. Volunteers are needed!
Here is a spotlight on three of the five Committee Chairwomen:
Charmaine (Smith) Wright ‘95
Nicole Mayer-Covganka ‘01
Kathryn (Reyes) Hamrlik ‘96
Communications Committee Chairwoman
Social Committee Chairwoman
Spiritual Committee Chairwoman
What do you hope to
accomplish as the Communications Chair?
I hope to assist the
new Alumni Association to communicate
affectively between the Executive board,
committees and to the greater alumni
community. The committee will use
word of mouth advertising through the
volunteers and other marketing avenues
such as eBlasts, Carmel Currents Ads
and Articles, and communication on
Corsairalumni.org and Facebook. I hope
to involve those alums who might not
make it back to Carmel as often as they
would hope, especially those who are
outside of the Midwest such as myself.
Carmel has done a wonderful job keeping in contact with us virtually and by
mail. It really makes alums feel connected and committed despite being
miles away.
What do you hope to
accomplish as a Committee Chair?
As a committee Chair I
hope to get alum participation up and that
means having great events, different
events, starting traditions, and really
thinking outside the box. I think it is the
alums that will help make and shape the
Alumni Association!
What do you hope
to accomplish as the
Spiritual Chair?
To encourage alumni
to continue cultivating their spirituality and religious values that may have
begun at Carmel.
What are some of the ideas you have for
your committee?
Check out our first ad for the Alumni
Association Awards on page 1.
Nominate someone today at
www.corsairalumni.org/alumniaward!
Alumni
Association
Are you interested in
being on one of these
committees? Contact:
What are some of the ideas you have for
your committee?
I would love to get alums involved and
really connected to Carmel. Being part
of the social committee I think continuing fun events like the Cubs game outing
and adding some more unique events
throughout Chicago would be fun!
Why did you volunteer to be a member of
the Alumni Association?
I wanted to reengage myself in the Carmel Community. I really enjoyed my 4
years at Carmel and I really want to give
back. I also wanted to get to know some
alumni and think it will be great networking to meet other fellow Carmel
Graduates.
Communications Committee:
E-mail: charmaine_smith@post.harvard.edu
Phone: 847-912-8508,
or befriend me on facebook!
What are some of the ideas you have for
your committee?
Work with the other committees to
develop masses, retreats and speaker
programs.
Why did you volunteer to be a member of
the Alumni Association?
I’m so immersed in academic theology,
I wanted to do something that would
give me a sense of community, and since
Carmel was instrumental to where I am
now, this seemed like a great opportunity to get involved.
Are you interested in volunteering for
the Service or Alumni Award Committees? Contact Jean Sands, Alumni
Association Secretary at
jean.sands@yahoo.com or fill out
the online volunteer form at
www.corsairalumni.org/getinvolved!
Spiritual Committee:
E-mail: Kathryn.hamrlik@gmail.com
Spiritual Committee:
E-mail: nmayer@comcast.net
Phone: 847-668-9772
Winter 2008 |
17
Alumni
N E W S
CLAS S N OT E S
1969
40th Reunion
Judi A. (Kelroy) Long has been
living in Arizona for 20 years
and works for the Mayo
Clinic in Phoenix. She has
four grown children, ages
24, 26, 27 and 29. Judi has
been married to Richard for
30 years. He recently retired.
She is looking forward to
the 40th reunion and meeting with all the old friends. If
anyone from the class of ’69
would like to keep in contact
with her before the reunion
her email is jamkl4@aol.com.
Daniel Schuh was ordained
a priest in May 2003 after
becoming a widower in 1992.
He is a father of two and
grandfather of six and is now
the pastor of St. Susanna Parish in Mason, OH. He is still
“living life to the fullest” and
“performing all of his callings” even after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in April 2007 and is now
wheelchair bound.
1970
Rudolph Palenik ran a 5K
up-hill leg of the Akron
Marathon with a time of 25
minutes 10 seconds on September 27, 2008.
1971
Patrick Salvi ’71 was a guest
lecturer at the Northwestern
University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management
in July of 2008. Pat will teach
Personal Injury Litigation at
the Notre Dame Law School
in the 2009 Spring semester
1973
35th Reunion January 24th
Valerie (Grelecki) Duffy was
awarded “Coach of the Year”
at the 23rd annual Veteran
Affairs (VA) Golden Age
Games in Indianapolis, IN.
The Idaho delgation to the
Games, known as the “Spudinators”, brought home
an unprecedented 23 medals! Valerie has been a Blind
Rehabilitation
Specialist
at the VA for 25 years. She
resides in Boise, Idaho with
her husband, Greg. Valerie
and Greg have been married
for 26 years and have three
daughters.
1974
35th Reunion
1979
30th Reunion
1984
25th Reunion June 20th
18
| Currents
Ted Bond has been living in
Libertyville for the past 12
years with his wife, Julie and
their daughters, Jessie and
Abbey. Jessie is a sophomore
at Carmel and a member of
Treble Choir, Carmelaires,
Drama Club and the Scholastic Bowl team. Abbey will
begin at Carmel in 2011 and
will undoubtedly be playing
soccer. Ted has been running his own general civil
practice law firm in Waukegan since 1996. For the past
few years, he has had the
privilege of serving on Carmel’s Planned Giving Advisory
Group and on the Office of
Institutional Advancement
Committee. In their spare
time, they travel in their RV,
golf and attend White Sox
and Chicago Wolves games.
Mary McKenna has been living in Chicago for 6 years.
She has a beautiful 2 year old
daughter, Isabella. For the
past 10 years she has been
the Vice-President for Sharmac Capital Management,
Inc, a trading firm in Chicago.
In her spare time she serves
as a Trustee for The Union
League Boys and Girls Club.
1987
Anne Brophy was deployed
to Kuwait and Iraq for her
second tour there. She is a
JAG Officer with the 416th
Theater Engineer Command
and soon with the 143rd
Expeditionary Sustainment
Command.
1989
20th Reunion June 27th
1990
Anthony Franklin resides in
Easley, SC with his wife, Jennifer. He earned a B.S. from
SIU and a M.S. from ISU. He
is the Director of Campus Life
Facilities at Clemson University. Anythony was accepted
into the Clemson University
Educational Leadership Ph.D.
program and has completed
12 hours toward this degree.
This Doctoral program has a
highly competitive admission
process and it is an honor for
him to be selected for this
prestigious program.
1994
15th Reunion
Susan Brophy obtained her
Ph.D. from the U of I in Biochemistry and is working at
Abbott.
Mike Laidley has been living
in Chicago since graduation
from Marquette University in
1998. For the past 10 years he
has been in residential and
commercial real estate bro-
kerage, and just started his
own brokerage company for
buyers and sellers called the
Solonus Group. He is active
in the new CCHS Alumni
Association and is looking forward to his 15 year
reunion this year.
1998
Juliet Brophy is working on
her Ph.D. at Texas A&M.
Lana Hollenberg was married
to Eric Hungerford on August
11, 2006 on the beach in Riviera Maya, Mexico accompanied by family and friends.
They met in Orlando, FL while
working at Disney World
driving the Safari at the Animal Kingdom. While scuba
diving under the ocean, they
became engaged in 2005.
They now live in McHenry.
1999
10th Reunion June 20th
In March, Scott Brooks ‘99
accepted a position as
a Sr. Business Analyst at
SpringCM Inc., the leader
in on-demand document
management and workflow.
Most recently he was honored as the employee of the
month for September.
Eileen Looby hosted the TV
program “Inside Lake Forest” showcasing Lake Forest
businesses and local shopping secrets. The program is
produced by the City of Lake
Forest and airs everyday at
6:17pm on LFTV Channel 17.
Maggie Pultorak
married
Thomas Richey on July 19,
2008. The couple met at Illinois State University. Maggie works as a school social
worker in Huntley School
District 158 and Thomas
works as an insurance underwriter for AIG. They currently
reside in Palatine.
2000
John Foley graduated in 2004
from Saint Louis University
with a B.A. in
English.
This
spring, he will
graduate from
the University
of Illinois at
Chicago with
a B.S. D.D.S. in
Dentistry. Recently, he was
accepted as the first-year
Orthodontic Resident at the
Mayo Clinic.
Sarah Klatt is currently working as an Account Manager
at BehindTheChair.com, the
largest online community for
the Salon professional.
Kelli Ann Richter participated
and finished the Ironman in
the 2008 Madison, WI.
2001
Brandon Huxhold married
Kathryn Lammers in July
2007. They met freshman
year of college at St. Mary’s
University and started dating
their junior year.
2004
5th Reunion August 8th
Dan Cesar was in his first professional play at the Notre
Dame University Shakespeare Festival last August
in “Macbeth”.Dan graduated
from Ball State University last
May. Following the production of “Macbeth”, he plans
on pursuing an acting career
in Los Anggeles.
Brienne Lee graduated cum
laude from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI
from the College of Health
Services. She was accepted
into the Doctor of Audiology
program at Northwestern
University in Evanston.
Michael Richter was part of
the Ela U23
mens soccer
team
that
won
the
2008
National
Championship title in
Seattle, WA. He was a 2008
graduate of Loras College in
Dubuque, IA with a Business
major. He played on the varsity soccer team all four years
at Loras. During his senior
year, the Loras Duhawk soccer team went where no
other team sport in Loras
College history had gone
– making a record breaking
season that concluded at the
Final Four in Orlando, FL with
a 23-0-2 record.
2005
Doug Fitzgerald competed in
the 1st Red
Bull Street
Style Soccer World
Finals in Sao
Paulo, Brazil
in NovemPhoto reprinted
ber of 2008.
with permission by
Doug is the
Steve Lundy at the
Daily Herald
U.S.
titleholder in
Street Style Soccer, beating
out 299 other contenders in
the U.S. championship sponsored by Red Bull. Street Style
soccer is a series of tricks and
aerial maneuvers designed to
keep the soccer ball bouncing
or balanced. Doug is a Senior
at Carthage College.
Lauren Hock, a student in
the School of Education and
Social Policy at Northwestern
University has been named
to the dean’s list for the spring
quarter of the 2007-2008 academic year.
Danielle La Penta was the
recipient of the 2008 Graphic
Arts Recognition Award from
Eastern Illinios University.
She also received the 20082009 Talented Student Award
Scholarship. She is majoring in Art with a speciality in
Graphic Design and minoring
in Art History.
Correction from last Currents:
Edwin Adamski ’05 has been
named to the dean’s list for
the fall 2007 semester at
Northern Illinois University
not Western Illinois University as previously stated.
Winter 2008 |
19
Alumni
N E W S
CLAS S N OT E S , c o n t .
2006
Peter Bartels is number 4 on the list of
the 2008 MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference) Men’s and Women’s Tennis
All-Academic Teams.
Sara Lehman has been named to the
Dean’s list in the College of Education
at Drake University in Des Moines. She
is currently a junior and also working in
a second grade classroom as part of her
ENGAG E M E N T S
Timothy Hughes ’86 to Sandra Elfering
studies. She plays intramural volleyball
and her team just won first place in the
division. Sara is also employed outside
of school.
Pamela Stanton was named to the first
semester, 2007-2008, dean’s list at St.
Mary’s University of MN. She was also
elected by her teammates and coach
to be the girls’ volleyball captain for the
2007-2008 varsity season and named to
the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference All-MIAC Sportsmanship
team for Volleyball.
2007
Katie Herdmann is now a sophmore at St.
Joseph University in Philadelphia and a
member of the crew team. Last year, as
a member of the freshman rowing team,
they finished in first place in the Atlantic
10 division.
Sean McElroy ’96 to Erin Byrne ‘97
Kaytlin Ruzicka completed her freshman
year at the University of Wisconsin –
Superior in December 2008. In addition
to her Criminal Justice studies, much
of her time is spent with the women’s
hockey team. She tried out and made
the team that participates in the NCAA
DIII bracket and is currently ranked 6th
in the country.
Maggie Pultorak ’99 to Thomas Richey
Matt Roth ’99 to Jennifer Lee
Kenna Trahan ’99 to Don Arganbright
Monica Rohleder ‘91 and Tim Duffy ‘91
Nikki Young ’98 to John Scully ‘98
Stephanie Sprovieri ’99 to Ernie Levas
Sarah Klatt ’00 to Michael Tschannen
Adrienne Schumaker ’00 to
Randy Koester
Nick Burke ’98 to Laura Van Fleet
Amy Hanson ’00 to Ross Klawitter
Kevin Gas ’01 to Nicole Nozicka ‘02
Kirsten Schmitz was selected to greet
Barack Obama’s plane when he arrived at
the University
of Missouri
in the end
of October.
Kiki is a Journalism major.
STAY IN TOUCH
Do you have a new job or an addition to the family you would like to tell us about? Are you a newlywed or want to reconnect with former classmates and other alumni? Carmel Currents welcomes news of accomplishments or changes in your
professional or personal life for inclusion in Class Notes. Please include your graduate name and class year, your present name and daytime phone number when you submit a class note. We publish high-resolution photos (300 dpi) as
space allows. Please submit color photos via email to alumni@carmelhs.org. If available, include a photo caption listing
the names of the people and where it was taken. Submissions to Class Notes are edited for space and clarity to adhere
to the style and tone of the magazine.
Submit news and photos to:
Class Notes Editor, Carmel Currents Magazine
One Carmel Parkway, Mundelein, IL 60060
Fax: 847-388-3497, Email: alumni@carmelhs.org
Online at: www.corsairalumni.org/classnote
Obituaries:
CCHS relies on family members to inform us of
the deaths of alumni and friends. If a newspaper
obituary is available, we would appreciate a copy.
Send notices to the address on the left.
Deadlines for Submissions:
Carmel Currents Magazine is published in the summer, winter and spring. Class notes will be printed as space allows
and when possible, in the order they are received. If you submit an item for the fall issue, for example, and it doesn’t
appear, it most likely will be in the following issue. We encourage all alums to submit class notes online, where they are
always available for alumni to view.
Elizabeth Koenig ’01 to Jeffery Hein
Ashley Elizabeth Poletto ’05 to
Adam Burkhardt
Submit items for…
Spring: February 23, 2009 | Summer: June 6, 2009 | Winter: November 9, 2009
Liz Friedman ’99 to Chris Gaulin ‘99
Peter McConville ’98 to Mary Nemeth
| Currents
2008
M A R R IAGES
Crystal Bettini ’90 to Lee Reidhead
20
Alexandra Lehman has been named to the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars
at Illinois State University for her Scholarship, Leadership and Service. She is
currently a sophmore and majoring in
Accounting in the College of Business
and has also participated in intramural
sports and flag football.
Julie Franklin ’02 to Tristan Fanning ‘02
Winter 2008 |
21
Alumni
IN MEMORIAM
N E W S
Alumni
Richard Drinkwine ‘67
BIRTH S / A D O P T I O N S
Conor Edward born
to Lois and Timothy
Sheahen ‘86
Taylor born to
Shannon and Jim
Brophy ‘91
Lydia Brynn born to
Sean and Charmaine
(Smith) Wright ‘95
Andrew & Abigail
born to Christy
(Tekampe ‘97) &
Kevin Vider
Isabella Marie born
to Cory (Bocik) ’00
and Dan Cameron
‘00
Joseph Alexander to
Heather and Jason
Chorazy ‘93
Alyssa Dee born to
Tammy and Brad
Kalk ‘93
Jordan Arianna born
to Jeff and Michelle
(Cline ’87) Leifel
Josephine Marie
born to Natalie and
Christopher Mikrut ‘89
Charles Drennen
born to Rob and
Shelli (Flanders ’93)
Law
Mary Elizabeth
born to Richard and
Magen (Haiduke ’93)
Robinson
Connor Lenhart
born to Phillip and
Karin (Brophy)
Lenhart ‘94
Patterson Feys
adopted by Seth
Groff and Stacee
Manske ‘90
22
| Currents
Former Faculty
Deacon Dennis Dunn,
Math teacher 1967 - 1969
Barret Knox born
to Molly and Otis
Carter ‘96
Son of
Jocelyn Rose born to
Michael and Ashley
(Schuler) Esposito ‘98
Pilar Ann born to
Michael and Katie
(Olesak) Phillips ‘99
Emma-Lea Grace
born to John and
Bonnie (Hoffman)
Barrington ’97
Avery Maren born
to Chuck and Kim
(Froelich ’97) Nowak
Correction to the 2007-08 Annual Report
Carmel Catholic High School makes every
effort to recognize its donors accurately. On
occasion, errors or omissions are made. We
apologize to the donor and volunteer who
was omitted and listed incorrectly.
Annual Fund Consecutive Donor
15 + years
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Niemi (these donors
were inadvertently omitted from the list)
Braydon born to
Tim and Venessa
(Gerstenbrand ’97)
Medved
Daniel Jordan, infant son of
Dave and Jeannie (Scully ’88)
Jordan
Grandmother of
Antoinette Denofrio,
grandmother of Lauren ’99
and Phillip ‘06
Catherine Greene,
grandmother of Erin Byrne
McElroy ‘97 and Patrick
Byrne ‘01
Tyler Matthew born
to John and Colleen
(Wiech) Hoffman ‘96
Margaret Kathleen
and James Isiah born
to Jeff and Colleen
(Halverson ’94)
Nickles
Brice Daniel born to
William and Michelle
(Sobeck) Hehn ‘95
John Rygiel, Jr. ’67, brother of
Mary Ellen (Rygiel) August ’78
and Anthony ’82 and uncle
of Amanda ’03, Kathryn’07
and Rachel ’08 August and
William ’01 and Jason ’03
Rygiel
Rose Juskulski, grandmother
of Rich ’84, Mark ’83 and
Steve ’81 Carani, Chris
(Carani) Dabizljevic ’90, and
Kim (Carani) Neisen ‘92
Lorraine Slade, grandmother
of Royden ’00, Sarah ’04,
Jacob ’06, Zachary ’07 and
Sierra ‘11
Eleanor Sullivan, grandmother
of Elizabeth (Sullivan)
Gallimore ’85, Edwin Jr. ’87,
Kerri-Anne ’95, Daniel ’91 and
Joseph ’94 Gramm
Kenneth Winterick,
grandfather of Jeffery
Gibson ‘89
Robert Brandt, father of
Catherine (Brandt) Herbrand
’78, Robert ’79, Tim ’81, Jane
(Brandt) Anderson ’85 and
Amy ’95
Mother of
Ralph Buchanan, Jr., father of
Linda (Buchanan) Salkoff ‘79
John ’94 and Kevin ’01 Walsh
Adeline Anastos, mother of
George ’66, Gregory ’69,
David ’73, Maryann (Anastos)
Kramer ’77 and William ’79;
grandmother of Timothy ’07
and Claire ‘09
John Chrystal, father of Ann
(Chrystal) Tomlin ’89 and
grandfather of Margaret
Carlson ‘02
Dorothy D’Alton, mother of
Robert ’66, Pamela ’70
J. Michael ‘71and Mary ‘80
Lucien Cypher, father of
Kimberly (Cypher) Dubsky
’68, Timothy ’70 and
Gregory ’71
Fran Di Tusa, mother of
Senneca ‘03
John Gecewicz, father of Rose
Ann (Gecewicz) Welton ‘80
Helen Dunn, mother of
Suzanne (Dunn) Baranowski
’71, Yvonne (Dunn) Wiech
’72, and grandmother of
William Dunn ‘90
Richard Gray, father of
Michael ‘93
Luella B. Hertel, the mother
of Donald ‘66, grandmother
of Katherine Hertel ‘03,
Margaret Hertel ‘05, John Paul
Hertel ‘06, Samantha Hertel
‘08, Mark Hertel ‘10, Joseph
Hertel ‘90, Kristan Hertel
Gaines ‘92, Kacie Liederbach
‘06, Kent Liederbach ‘08, Erik
Liederbach, aunt of Charles
Weidner ‘82 and Rosemary
Collard, faculty and great
aunt of Emily Collard ‘04
Sonya Stevanovich, the
mother of Steven ‘81 and
Michael ‘82
Sophie Straczek, mother of
Joseph ‘88
Carmel Catholic Golf Classic
Alumni Beat the Pro Hole Guest Pro
Mr. Jim Rafferty ’83 (was misidentified as his
brother Kevin ’84)
Grandfather of
Father of
William Rychlik, grandfather
of Shannon ‘03
We thank the aforementioned donors and
volunteer and apologize for our error.
Daniel Sagel, grandfather of
Christopher ’88, Steven ’90,
Ronald Ahlgrim, the father of
John ‘83 and father-in-law of
Elizabeth (former faculty)
Zenon Gromko, father of
Tom ‘09
Gerry Howland, the father
of Pam Mellor ‘80, Donna
Lobaito ‘81, Greg ‘84, Mike
‘88 and the late Patrick ‘85;
father-in-law of Robert
Mellor ‘77; grandfather of
Mike ‘05 and Megan ‘09
Lobaito and Matthew ‘05, Jeff
‘07 and Lauren ‘12 Mellor
Peter Jensen, father of
Peter ‘81
Terrence ’75, Joni (Schaefer)
Lubrich ’78 and Kurt ‘79
David Stolarick, the father
of Donald ‘90, Meredith
Stolarick Saum ‘92, Keith ‘94
and the late Matthew ‘95
Merle Walton, father of Cathy
Smolka, Dean of Students
Herbert P. Willems Jr., the
father of Peter ‘74, Herbert
‘76, David ‘78 and Catherine
Willems Caracciolo ‘84;
grandfather of Anthony
Caracciolo ‘12
Husband of
Lenny Nusser, Jr., the husband
of Cynthia (Keller) Nusser
‘78, brother -in - law of Kathy
(Keller) Salvi ‘77, Nicholas
Keller ‘80, Laureen (Keller)
Meckert ‘81, Brian Keller ‘82,
Kaureen (Keller) McKendry
‘85, Joseph Keller ‘92, Michael
Keller ‘94 and uncle of
Kathleen Salvi ‘08, Nicholas
Keller ‘10, Quinn Keller ‘11,
Mary Salvi ‘11 and Joseph
Salvi ‘12
David Bugge, Sr., husband of
Mary Lou (Ochoa) Bugge ‘69
Dale Landa, the father of Kim
(Landa) Thomas ‘88 and Tara
Landa ‘92
William McLaughlin, father of
James ’88 and Maureen ‘89
William Qualey, father of
Mark ‘70, Ellen (Qualey) Paul
‘71, Janet (Qualey) Camasta
‘75, grandfather of Kristin
(Camasta) Malek ‘99 and
Kayla Camasta ‘02
John Schaefer, father of
Noreen (Schaefer) Rankin ’71,
“I am the resurrection
and the life. He who
believes in me, though
he may die, he shall
live. And whoever lives
and believes in me shall
never die.” John 11:25-26
Winter 2008 |
23
BEST OF CARMEL
Give us your opinion at
www.corsairalumni.
org/bestofcarmel
We are
unveiling a
Is your favorite spot on campus
the Brandsma Chapel?
Please complete the
“Best of” Survey by
Feb. 16th.
T O P
25
b
e
s
t
We welcome submissions
from alumni, current
students, parents, and
friends of CCHS.
Or the statue of Jesus
in the north crossroads?
o
f
CARMEL
list in our Spring
Carmel Currents
2009
Carmel Catholic
JANUARY
APRIL
10
24
26 - 30
12
Entrance Exam
Class of ‘73 35th Reunion
Catholic Schools Week
FEBRUARY
13 & 14
16
28
Street Scenes
Best of Carmel Survey Due
Alumni Survey Due
Alumni Awards Nom. Due
MARCH
30 - 4/3 Spring Break
One Carmel Parkway | Mundelein, IL 60060
Help us
decide!
Maybe the senior section at the
home football or basketball games?
Magazine.
Easter
MAY
1
29
31 Walkathon
Baccalaureate Liturgy
Graduation
JUNE
20
27
Class of '84 25th Reunion
Class of '99 10th Reunion
Class of '89 20th Reunion
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS
C
2009
Alumni Reunion
elebrations!
Register NOW
for the following classes
’ 7 3, ’84, ’89, ’94, ’99 & ‘04
at www.corsairalumni.org
Non-Profit
Organization
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PAID
Permit #54
Mundelein, IL