class notes Blizzard Nemo. A graduate of Holyoke Catholic High School, he left BC armed with a degree in accounting. He worked for nearly 30 years as a data analyst and computer programmer for the Hartford Insurance Group. He loved animals, sports, cooking, and music, playing piano, accordion, and guitar. He was, aptly, an official weather spotter! He is survived by his wife, Renee Cadran Kolbusz; a sister, Sandra; a niece; and a nephew. • Clem Taylor coproduced a 60 Minutes piece titled “Joy in the Congo,” which tells the story of the only all-black symphony orchestra in the world, the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Last March, it received a Peabody Award. Congratulations, Clem! • Here’s wishing all a wonderful summer! Take five to drop a line, and God bless!
Your participation matters.
1977
Correspondent: Nicholas Kydes nicholaskydes@yahoo.com
Your participation matters.
1978
Correspondent: Julie Butler Evans juliebutlerevans@gmail.com “Oh, What a Night” sang the Four Seasons along with a ballroom full of our classmates celebrating our 35th anniversary on Saturday evening, June 1. And what a terrific night it was. There were lots of squeals and hugs and handshaking as we all reconnected and, in some cases, connected for the first time since our days at the Heights. Here is some of the information your intrepid class reporter was able to uncover. • Tom Tweedy is in his second term as mayor of the village of Floral Park, NY. Tom is married to Maryann (Apicella) ’77, and their daughter Caitlin graduated from BC in 2009. Pat McGrath, Julie (Crisafulli) Brown, and Elaine Bianco told me a bit about a pre-reunion party they attended, hosted by Marty ’77 and Nancy (Stevens) Galligan. • In a previous column, I mentioned that while driving through my town of New Canaan, CT, I was behind a car bearing New York license plates that read “BC 78.” Well, the mystery owner of the plates came forward at the reunion: Jan Pasquale of South Salem, NY, who told me he is “never giving them up.” While catching up with Rich O’Meara and talking about my favorite place on earth, Jackson Hole, he said that every year a large group of guys gets together for a ski trip, usually hosted and coordinated by Bill McKiernan. The ski-trip buddies include Rick Scheller, Kevin McLaughlin, Paul Murphy, Jay Pingeton, Peter Van Camp, Jerry Mahoney, Tad Waldbauer, Ed Logue, and John Theiss. The gang has been in Park City, Aspen, Vail, Deer Valley, and of course the best ski resort of all, Jackson Hole. • I also spent some time talking with roommates John Discenza and Rick O’Neil from Mod 10A. John said that five out of the six Mod-mates were getting together later in June, and he would fill me in on their shenanigans for the next issue of Boston College Magazine. • I received an email prior to the reunion from Robert “Scoop” Okell,
who lives in New Jersey. After graduation, Scoop spent two years in the Peace Corps and did some graduate work in Vermont; he then began working for the U.S. Department of Labor, which he is still doing. Very sadly, his wife of 28 years died last August, leaving him a single parent of an 18-year-old son with Asperger’s. He nevertheless sounded upbeat and says “hello” to all. • Lastly, Joyce Gallagher Sullivan, one of my 8A Mod-mates, is proud to announce not only the marriage of her daughter Courtney on June 22, but also the publication of Courtney’s third novel, The Engagements. Courtney’s pen name is J. Courtney Sullivan, and she is also the author of Commencement and Maine. And, not fer nuthin’, but the “J” is for “Julie” (insert happy face icon). • Now, keep those emails coming!
Your participation matters.
1979 reunion year
Correspondent: Peter J. Bagley peter@peterbagley.com I hope you all are doing well. • Michael Herlihy has just published his first novel, The Shelf Life of Joy. • Ken Pierce lives in Cape Elizabeth, ME, with his wife, Kathleen O’Connor Pierce ’80, and sons Matty, Class of 2016, and Will. Ken is a past president of the Alumni Association (2006–2008). He is practicing law in Portland at Monaghan Leahy, and Kathleen sells real estate with Coldwell Banker in Cape Elizabeth. • On a personal note, my son Danny ’07 married Shaelyn Dolan ’09 at Boston College on September 14. Dan is an IT manager for Sovereign Bank New England, and Shaelyn is a manager at a publishing firm in Boston. The couple reside in South Boston. • Please join our Class of 1979 Facebook page! • Have a great summer, and please send me some news!
Your participation matters.
1980
Correspondent: Michele Nadeem michele.nadeem@gmail.com April was a busy month for Mike Bower: On April 9, he was elected to the Board of Selectmen in Framingham after serving five years on the Framingham School Committee, and at his first meeting, was elected clerk of the board. Less than a week later, he was among more than 28,000 runners participating in the 2013 Boston Marathon. Mike writes: “Unfortunately, my race was stopped with .7 miles to go by the bombing at the finish line on Boylston Street. The Boston Athletic Association has since awarded me an official finish time of 4:34. I look forward to running in the 2014 marathon in memory of those who died this year!” • I received a kind note from Chris Simmons, remembering Billy Mahoney, who passed away on April 30 of pancreatic cancer. Chris writes: “Billy was truly a special person—a great entrepreneur, a charitable soul, a loving husband and father, and a classmate and friend we will never forget. The last time I saw him was at Dick Jennings’s funeral, ‘on his way’ to Australia to visit his daughter.” • Maripat Cupper Hensel now lives in Portland, OR. She says she rarely gets back to Boston but appreciates 62 class notes
connecting via email. • Mike Murphy and his wife, Julia Hagan (Santa Clara ’79), continue to enjoy biking on the West Coast. Last summer included an epic trip down the length of the Oregon Coast. They also enjoy the more leisurely pedaled Cape Cod Rail Trails every summer. • Steve Daley reports that after 30 years in the computer industry, he moved to Cape Cod permanently 12 years ago and, in 2006, started a new business venture, Cape Cod Retractable Awnings Screens-N-Shutters, covering the South Shore, the Cape, and the islands. Last year, they installed a retractable motorized screen at the beautiful new Scituate home of classmate Rob Griffin. Steve and his wife, Sarah LaGambina Daley ’81, are the proud parents of three grown children: Michael, Caitlin, and Tim, who will be graduating from college in 2014. “And then the college bills will end,” writes Steve. He’d love to hear from 1980 classmates if you’re on the Cape or in Mashpee.
Your participation matters.
1981
Correspondent: Alison Mitchell McKee amckee81@aol.com Congratulations to Meg McGrory Kelleher on receiving the John J. Griffin Sr. ’35, H’72, Alumni Association Award presented to an outstanding volunteer who has shown exceptional leadership and dedication to the mission of Boston College! Meg is a member of the Council for Women of Boston College and a mentor for the BC Connections program. She also served on our 30th Reunion Committee. Meg was recognized at the Distinguished Volunteer Tribute Dinner in June. • Ron Rescigno recently surfaced in Basking Ridge, NJ. Ron is a physician at New Jersey Medical School, where he specializes in ophthalmology, specifically uveitis (he is only one of two such specialists in the state) and ocular trauma. He has trained over 100 residents in ophthalmology. His son is a junior at BC, and Ron is often at the Heights for football and hockey games. • Daryl Madden is the author of On a Bench of Wood: Reflections of God’s Grace (Liguori, 2012), a collection of poetic prayers and brief reflections on topics ranging from surrender and brokenness to love and hope. Daryl serves as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at his parish of St. Thomas à Becket in Reston, VA. The father of three grown children, he resides with his wife in Leesburg. • The Animal Cuppers were at it again in May, this time at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. The hard-core contingent of Jim Gorga, ringleader Greg Clower, Brett Kellam, and Phil Murray participated in “Animal Cup 7.5” (not an officially sanctioned cup since there were only four participants!). It was “real man golf”—90 holes in three days, including a round on the venerable Pinehurst No. 2 course, the site of the 2014 U.S. Open. There was plenty of wagering, with most money being won by Gorga and lost by Clower! As always, the cup event was replete with tradition and friendship. Jim writes: “Though our fellow BC brethren who were unable to attend were sorely missed, it was a wonderfully unique opportunity to spend time with close friends over a long weekend, catch up, and reminisce about old