Irish Ayes - Fall 2020

FALL 2020 | VOLUME XLVI | NUMBER 2

Amazing Grace The Unforgettable Class of 2020

FEATURE STORIES Responding to the Pandemic Grace Under Fire: Judy Komisky Orr ’75 Hall of Fame Class of 2020

w w w. f a t h e r r y a n . o r g

The Big Picture

Masks. Social Distancing. Limited attendance.

The requirements placed on the 2020 Baccalaureate and Graduation Ceremonies didn’t mute the impact of the final celebration of the Class of 2020. Taking place outdoors for the first time in Irish history, and on the campus for the first time in decades, Graduation on June 18 was an appropriate, emotional, and memorable salute to an unforgettable class. Go Irish!

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Board of Trustees

Fall 2020 | Volume XLVI | Number 2

Executive Committee

Julie Shaninger Norfleet ’88, Chair Bill Stejskal ’79, Vice Chair Jack Polson, Finance Committee Chair J udy Komisky Orr ’75, Membership Committee Chair

FEATURE

Committee Chairs Carmen Mondelli Lux ’91, Advancement Brett Wesnofske ’88, Facilities

Board Members

Cover Photo: NOAH SY ’20 captured the image and the sound of graduation during the pandemic with his beautiful musical performance at the June ceremony See story on Page 10.

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IN THE NEWS Special report on inclusion.

Responding to the pandemic.

Returning to campus safely.

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GRADUATION The Class of 2020.

Valedictorian and Salutatorian.

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ATHLETICS Next Level Irish.

Hall of Fame inductees.

CAMPUS Renovations to Academic Building.

House System launches.

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SPIRIT OF PHILANTHROPY Dedicated Donors.

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NEW FACES

Ex-Officio Members

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FEATURE STORY: HEROES Judy Komisky Orr ‘75 leads Catholic Charities.

Alumni doctors on the COVID front lines.

Health care heroes.

CLASS NOTES

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE

Tom Bauer Rev. Mark Beckman Tommy Bradley ’81 John Bumpus ’78 Brian Callahan Barbara Esteves-Moore Chris Fay Dr. Shindana Feagins Dave Gallagher ’88 David Glascoe Brittney Testerman Griffith ’03 Warner Hassell Judy Hoover William Krueger Dr. Robert Labadie Philip M. Mattingly, Sr. ’69 Pat Nolan ’69 Matt Pietsch ’97 Thomas Turner

JOIN US FOR THE VIRTUAL CELEBRATION OF THE 42ND LEGACY GALA, SATURDAY, FEB. 27, 2021

Rebecca Hammel James A. McIntyre Bishop J. Mark Spalding

Life Trustees Thomas G. Connor, Sr. ’60 William H. Farmer ’65 Edward B. Gore J. Terry Hunter Vincent T. Phillips William F. Smith Edward A. Stack

Administration James A. McIntyre, President Paul J. Davis ’81, Principal Connie Steinmetz, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Anton, Academic Dean Joe Crumby ’95, Dean of Students Colleen Maxson, Interm Director of Campus Ministry and Student Life Rev. Mark Simpson, Chaplain Marisol Preston, Director of Admissions Brooke Reusch, Director of Advancement Ann Mullins ’03, Director of Athletics

Visit fatherryan.org/gala ©2020 FRHS 25666

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In the News fall 2020

Special Report:

Creating a More Inclusive Campus Environment Along with other citizens across the country, Father Ryan’s leadership and its community watched in horror and disbelief as George Floyd died in Minneapolis in May. The events there and in other cities around the country are reminders of the work that remains for our nation.

For a school that has always emphasized its role in advancing social justice issues, the events of this spring and summer are particularly painful.

While Father Ryan can point to its historic leadership in this area – as the first school in the South, in 1954, to integrate its classrooms, the first to integrate sports, in 1963, and a place where its students and faculty have addressed social justice through programs like the Multi-Cultural Student Union and a special retrospective panel set up in 2010 by HERASANNA RICHARDS ’11 featuring leaders like JOHN SEIGENTHALER ’45 and Father Ryan parent of alumni JUSTICE A.A. BIRCH – these events are reminders that these issues must be faced.

Most important, Father Ryan is committed to fostering an environment where every student is known and loved. The school’s humanity and Catholic social teaching demand that everyone work for the dignity of every human being as a child of God and a part of this world community.

As a result of these events and the discussion on the issue of racial justice that took place on social media, the school’s leadership entered into a thoughtful and prayerful process, grounded in Father Ryan’s Strategic Plan, to determine the ways the school has created an inclusive environment on the campus and how it can be improved.

The goals of this process are • To identify effective and sustainable actions that Father Ryan High School will take to make the school environment more inclusive and with a greater feeling of belonging for Black students and other students of color.

• To identify effective and sustainable actions that Father Ryan High School will take to help prevent racism on the campus.

The Father Ryan community, in collaboration with the Diocese of Nashville and its leadership, is committed to doing the work necessary to make this initiative a reality.

The first step in developing the action plan was to collect relevant insights, perspectives, and ideas from the broader Father Ryan community through an online survey. This was completed in late July.

After reviewing this survey information, Father Ryan engaged members of the community in discussion as the school moves forward in the planning and implementation. The continued participation of this community will enhance the process and strengthen the plan. From this information, the school will develop recommendations for action steps designed to meet Father Ryan’s goals.

To help guide the process, the school has partnered with Derek Young (pictured left), president of YMG Enterprises, LLC, a respected and experienced Nashville-based diversity and inclusivity consultant.

The goal is clear – to develop effective and lasting solutions, ones that emerge from an informed and thoughtful process, ones that will help prevent racism on the Father Ryan campus, and ones that make all of our students feel a sense of belonging.

To learn more about the process and to follow its progress, visit fatherryan.org/inclusion.

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Responding to the Pandemic: Irish Style In January, if you asked anyone in the Father Ryan community what they were looking forward to in 2020, they probably would have answered that thye couldn’t wait for Reunion Weekend, where classes ending in 0s and 5s were due to celebrate their milestone reunions.

Avid Irish golfers would probably have been excited for the Lou Graham ’56 Alumni Golf Tournament, which serves as the kick-off to Reunion Weekend. And surely, members of the Class of 2020, in addition to their family and friends, would have been excited about their graduation and the end-of-year activities that surround the end to a high school career. Prom, senior skip day, and cementing a few lasting memories with friends and teachers alike on the Norwood Drive campus were paramount.

However, 2020 threw a curveball – and that’s putting it mildly.

By early March, it was evident that the contagiousness and seriousness of COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus, was going to have a major impact throughout the globe. Outbreaks that began overseas ultimately made their way to America, and states, cities and communities needed to decide how to respond. Father Ryan, in accordance with the Diocese of Nashville, and Superintendent of Schools Rebecca Hammel, followed the advice of the Centers for Disease Control, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and Nashville Mayor John Cooper and made the difficult decision to shut down the campus on March 12, 2020.

The weeks and months that followed were challenging, scary and, at times, heartbreaking.

The Father Ryan spirit, however, shined brightly amidst the adversity. For all the reasons there were to wallow, the Irish always found a few more ways to celebrate.

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Father Ryan’s Digital Learning Scrapbook The move to Digital Learning may have changed the way Father Ryan faculty and students interacted, but it did not stifle the creativity and inspiration that are hallmarks of the Father Ryan experience. Here are a few highlight moments.

Mrs. Kate McGee kept the community focused on our faith and its impact through her daily Scripture illustrations, shared each morning on the website. Fr. Mark Simpson streamed morning Mass on the website too.

Can’t get the band back together? Who says? Father Ryan’s band directors put together a stunning and uplifting video of the Winter Winds – ranked 2nd in the nation at the time – that kept the music playing. View it at fatherryan.org/arts/band.

Capturing the year when everyone is apart is a challenge for a yearbook staff. However, Mrs. Paula Harris and her writers and editors made the 2020 yearbook a chronicle for the year – and that included ALL of the year.

The Move to Digital Learning When the decision was made to shut down the campus in early March, it had been preceded by weeks of behind-the-scenes planning about what a move to a Digital Learning environment might look like. “By the end of Febuary, our Leadership Team was monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak,” says Father Ryan President JIM MCINTYRE, “and we had discussions with Superintendent Rebecca Hammel about what would need to be done if the responsible and correct decision was to close the campus.”

Singing as a choral group requires practice, preparation, and rehearsal, all difficult to make happen when doing those things is impossible. But that didn’t stop Choral Director Julie Cox. Listen to their performance at fatherryan.org/arts/choir.

Ultimately, in the interest of the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and all Irish families, the right thing to do was to close the campus, and with that came the challenge of converting the rest of the spring semester’s learning online.

Keeping in shape was an important part of the Digital Learning experience. Strength coaches Kyle Feldman and DuJuan Sharp made exercising a part of the Father Ryan community’s daily routine.

“It’s Moina Day!” The presses never stopped. The journalists told the story of the year-end, and the school delivered it via mail.

Moina “Easter Egg” Hunt (pre-quarantine and post-quarantine)!

Check out the Moina Senior Superlatives

Senior Moinapage 9

THEMOINA FRHS Life - page 5

Father Ryan High School Nashville, TN www.fatherryan.org

Senior Moina- page 8

April/May 2020 - Senior Moina

Father Ryan’s Longest Running Institution

Ed. 88 No. 8

Page edited by Helen McCall

CHANGES ARE (STILL) COMING TO THE ACAdEMIC BuILdING

T Saying thank you to the places that make FRHS what it is

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ince our endBy MARY HAMPTON HAYDEN ing didn’t go Copy Editor in the direction that we planned, we will say goodbye to you this way, wishing instead we were all hand in hand. We would like to go back to our favorite places, but until we do, enjoy our goodbye through this virtual way as we thank Father Ryan for its many graces.

Thank you, Father Ryan, for being our home away from home. Standing under the lights of the Jim Carell field dome will always be a welcoming, familiar feeling. It calls us back year after year to reminisce over the home-town healing. Night after night, playing hard upon your field, you let us feel alive trusting that the crest was our shield.

United as one, cheering the Irish on, the class of 2020 will forever reign over the jungle- never fully gone.

Thank you, Father Ryan, for the bridge, so long. Walking upon you, we knew we all beThe chapel is a longed. Where we trekked to class favorite place for morning after morning, holding many students to find our books that we thought were so boring, we didn’t yet realize the sepeace and comfort. crets they contained- secrets full of knowledge and wisdom that would give us a bright future, never restrained.

Thank you, Father Ryan, for the pond that reminded us to continue to explore the beauty that goes beyond us. The gentle sprinkle from your fountain was a reminder that we could endure any mountain. Thank you for the memories that we made around your bank. From labs in biology to fishing with good ole Padre Simpson, there will never be a good enough way to truly thank this good livin’.

Thank you, Father Ryan, for your beautiful library. The house of books that made us feel so merry. The place where we studied our hardest or simply vented our hearts knowing that we were Continued on Page 11

he Father

By MADISON AHERN to this campus in 1991.

Ryan rumor That means the building mill has been in FRHS Life Editor has gone nearly 30 years full-swing about without any major reall the changes that are coming next modeling. year. From alterations to the uniThe discussion of reforms to the implementation of the modeling began with a renovation House System, students have many questions about both the day-to-day and long-term changes to our school.

Perhaps the change that’s going to be the most obvious, at least right away, is going to be the renovation of the academic building. What is going in place of the lockers? Is every wall getting painted? Will everything be carpet next year? Students have probably asked all these questions—and more.

For this Moina exclusive, I was able to sit down with Mr. Crumby in person (yes, this was before we were sent off to The freshman hallway demolition begins. quarantine) and find out the answers to your most pressing committee back in August, made up mostly of senior administrators questions about what’s to come.

I had always thought the (aka, “Senior Staff”) that we all talk about all the changes started know and love; from there, it tranout of the blue; I didn’t understand sitioned into a planning committee, where it came from or why it was where a construction company got necessary. Then I gained some in- involved and the real changes were teresting perspective: the academ- finalized. Throughout the process, ic building is the only building the Diocese also had to approve evon campus that is neither new nor ery part of the plan.

Now for the good stuff: renovated since the school moved

what changes can students expect to see next year? To start with, all metal lockers are going to be removed from the halls. In their place, there will be either benches for students to sit on, counters (like the tall tables in the library), or some combination of the two. Another change concerning holding space is the cubbies in the middle hallway; they often have bats, sticks, gear, and many other items literally spilling out into the hall. One of the goals of the renovation is to make these cubbies more useful for students and athletes while also having more space in the hallway, possibly by adding small gates to the front or making the inside taller to accommodate equipment. Along with these changes to the hallway, there has been talk of adding electrical charging stations (like in the library).

As far as the classrooms, all of them are going to be painted, though the color has not yet been decided. In preparation for this, every single teacher in the academic building had to clear off his/her walls to make them free from any wall hangings or decorations. (For some teachers whose walls were covered with years of accumulated posters and random items—and for students who are used to staring at those walls—this alone is going to be quite a change.) An additional upcoming decision is what will happen with the floors; the tile in all the hallways and classrooms will be re-

Broadway actress Erin Davie ‘95 took time during lockdown to offer advice during an interactive digital session to Mrs. Kelli McClendon’s andHow Mrs. Julie Cox’s Musical Theatre Students Celebrate While Social Distancing students.

Q Continued on Page 10

uarantine has in this uncertain time.

By ASHLEY LONG been a very The most obvious way to spend one’s birthday Staff Writer scary and uncer- in quarantine is to be surrounded by the people we love, tain time for many mostly the same people we’ve spent 24 hours a day with of us. Many of us have hated being in our house for the past two months: our families. Lauren Robble (10) all day and become bored of Netflix and Tik Tok. celebrated with her twin brother Bennett Robble (10) on Another factor that has caused many people to be March 23 by staying inside and playing board games. Elia annoyed is having to Rodriguez (9) also took advantage of the celebrate their birthday by enjoying her family’s company day during quarthe whole day. Hastings Benitone (10) antine. Although it was able to see her grandfather on her can be frustrating special day when her family traveled to to spend your speDestin, Florida to celebrate her 16th birthcial day inside away day (and 14 years of being adopted by her from your friends family). many students have In addition to spending time with fammade the best out of ily, lots of their birthday even Elia Rodriguez (9) with her family. students were Continued on Page 5

“We were in a new place, but one we had prepared for,” said JENNIFER ANTON, Academic Dean. “We had completed professional development in the area of digital learning. We also knew that we had made the investment in technology to ensure learning could happen remotely. When we sent the students and faculty home right before Spring Break, we felt we were ready,” she stated.

With objectives and expectations clearly outlined, teachers began moving their lesson plans online, hosting digital meetings with students, and adjusting to remote instruction.

While some hiccups inevitably bubbled up along the way, the entire Irish community answered the challenge with optimism and flexibility. The end result was a spring semester that looked very different, but was nonetheless educational, rooted in the principles of Faith, Knowledge and Service…and very good internet connectivity.

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Taking Care of Campus

Bringing the Classroom to Irish Homes A natural and obvious challenge with Digital Learning is the distance. Classroom environments thrive on interaction and discussion, and the same connection is oftentimes difficult to emulate between computer screens. It became evident shortly after the pandemic began, however, that the Irish teachers and students were not going to let the physical distance between them impede their ability to learn and collaborate in thoughtful and creative ways.

It would make sense that in a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, a person’s psychological state would be a bit out of sorts. Now add in the Digital Learning environment and even the process of teaching a course on Psychology becomes more challenging.

For Psychology teacher and football and track and field coach MR. SCOTT SHAVER, this challenge was real. Coach Shaver’s overall goal was to maintain the focus on the students continuing to think on a deep level, a challenge since the class is a discussion-oriented model based on an application process. That means that the students learn concepts and then apply them to scenarios, both fictional and factual, for a deeper understanding.

How was he going to continue this type of learning?

“So much of what makes our Psychology course successful is the students,” Coach Shaver said, “and I was worried about my ability to stay connected and engaged with them. But I quickly discovered how amazing these students would be in the process.” Microsoft Teams sessions were offered twice a day to discuss content via PowerPoint and delivered in a manner that would be consistent to being in the classroom. According to Coach Shaver,

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the students embraced the discussion model by creating scenarios for application of concepts. Also they interacted over the digital discussion platform within myFatherRyan. Coach Shaver added, “there have been numerous instances of students interacting with each other in this platform that has reminded me so much of how they would be in Room 239.”

There were many other examples.

Continuing a project that began on campus, MRS. JENNY HERRERA challenged her Biology I students to explain the key cellular concepts of meiosis and mitosis by writing a children’s book about them. JEREME FREY and the band directors produced the Winter Winds performance from the spring as if they were performing it in competition. And the Father Ryan Yearbook, under the guidance of MRS. PAULA HARRIS, hit their deadlines to get a 2019-2020 yearbook into production, with room to tell the story of spring 2020.

Two editors, BELLA VON HOPFFGARTEN ’20 and CORDELIA NEWTON ’20, came to Mrs. Harris at break on what was to be the final day on campus and asked, “What are we going to do if we have to miss school?”

Producing the book is less of the problem since it is designed online and the staff was already using technology in that manner. Mrs. Harris said, “The true challenge has been, and continues to be, telling the story of the year when the ‘story’ has suddenly had an unforeseen plot twist and is being carried out in a new and strange form of connection. We told the staff that this book is one that people will be turning to for years to see just what we were doing and how we lived.”

Father Ryan was virtually devoid of people after the campus closed on March 13. However, a dedicated group of Father Ryan staff made it almost their home since that day, and the campus is all the better for it.

“From the day our faculty, staff and students went home, our outstanding janitorial staff, headed by the irrepressible and permanently smiling VICTOR BUSTILLO (above), cleaned, disinfected and cleaned again. They made sure the campus stayed in shape,” said PRINCIPAL PAUL DAVIS ’81.

When it comes to the overall campus, Facilities Manager JORDAN LOVELACE (left) and his team are the go-to folks for all events, and they prove every day that they are the most responsive and talented facilities group you could ever work with.

Taking care of the campus proved particularly challenging with campus closed this spring and summer because of the pandemic. “We took advantage of this time to take care of some deferred projects and to get a head-start on the fall,” Jordan said. That included the construction of a new bridge to the baseball field and some cedar replacement as well as managing the wide range of normal summer projects. “We worked to make this beautiful place the best welcomeback-to-campus present we could give to this community,” he said.

Our thanks to the entire janitorial and facilities management teams for their dedication to and love for this special place.

Returning to School Safely At the same time as Father Ryan’s faculty were implementing the Digital Learning plan, the school’s administration was hard at work on the plan to return to campus.

Following the reports each morning from Metro Public Health officials and the Centers for Disease Control became as regular as that first cup of coffee as administrators looked for insights and trends regarding the pandemic that would inform the planning.

As the summer progressed, and in consultation with the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Nashville, the planning team, headed by Academic Dean JENNIFER ANTON and Dean of Students JOE CRUMBY ’95, developed the goals for the campus return. Mrs. Anton wanted to return to the familiar environs of In-Person classroom instruction, with any Digital Learning students participating synchronously with the rest of the class. In addition, Mr. Crumby knew that the return to campus plan had to be done safely, so he focused on the issues that would ensure that kind of return.

Returning to Campus Safely JULY 23, 2020 UPDATE

told the community how much it meant to me to stand at the bridge and welcome the students to campus each morning,” he said. “I knew that to do that, those students would have to return to a safe and clean campus, and that their parents would need to feel comfortable sending them back to Father Ryan. That’s been our goal.”

cleaning wipes on their desks before they leave each class. The signage on the floors, in the restrooms, and in the Dining Hall reminds everyone to wash their hands and stay socially distant. Students have become familiar with the Ascension Health digital survey that they take each morning, showing that they can enter campus. Best of all, the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported to Father Ryan from our students and faculty has remained low.

“We respect this virus,” Principal Paul Davis ’81 said, “but we feel that we are prepared to manage it.” He went on to say, “the work that Jennifer, Joe, and the entire planning team did to create this plan was exceptional, and it makes it possible for us to do what we all

“We believe strongly that the In-Person

experience is the best educational experience,” Mrs. Anton said, “and our conversations with our parents indicated that they wanted this school experience for their students. The planning process used that as our guide in preparing our schedule.”

Mr. Crumby’s attention covered everything from sanitizing stations to parking patterns and hallway traffic. “In a video I recorded in May, I

The end product, released in late July, was the Returning to Campus Safely plan, a 19-page document that detailed visitor regulations, mask and social distancing expectations, parking routines, and other protocols for the return.

You can read the specifics at the Coronavirus Update page of the website.

enjoy most – teach and form these students in the Catholic tradition. We are all excited to be doing that on the campus and in person.”

The results have been good. The appearance of the classrooms is different, with students and faculty wearing masks and wielding

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Graduation fall 2020

An Unforgettable Class

All who have experienced it can attest that the ending to one’s high school career is a significant moment in life. High school graduation signals the proverbial end to childhood and the beginning of a new chapter of young adulthood. For many, high school is that last period in life that one will share a home with their parents and immediate family.

From the moment that Father Ryan closed for Spring Break with the knowledge that returning to campus before school year-end was doubtful, the Class of 2020 knew that their final days as Father Ryan students would not look like any other senior class’s in the school’s history.

It wasn’t just the change to Digital Learning. The students prepared for that. It was the routines and rituals of the last months of school that were cast aside in the world of COVID-19. Everything from Graduation practice to Senior Skip Day to Prom to spring sports went by the wayside or took on a different look as a result of the pandemic.

To have this taken away so abruptly, all while dealing with an unprecedented and frightening global pandemic, was certainly difficult. However, from the outset, it was obvious that the Class of 2020 was going to handle this unfortunate turn of events with grace. No matter the changes, no matter the curveballs, the class adapted and stayed positive through a not-to-bebelieved senior spring. And Father Ryan provided opportunity after opportunity for the Class of 2020 to be saluted.

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From a Memorable Senior Parade to “Moina Day” The usual sounds and experiences of May on the Father Ryan campus generally don’t include honking car horns and students sitting on car rooftops. Those sounds became the norm on May 16.

This was the original Graduation Day for the class, and it wasn’t going to happen as planned. But that didn’t stop the celebration. The school invited the class and their parents to a campus car parade. It was scheduled to begin at 10:00am, but by 9:30am there were two rows of cars, decorated and staged, that ran from the entrance to the Senior Lot across the front of campus, down to the Center for the Arts, back to Norwood and out to Franklin Road. As soon as the clock hit 10, the cars started the procession, picking up the senior caps and gowns en route, and passing through the campus to the shouts, cheers, and waves of faculty and staff members lining the entire route. Bishop Mark Spalding and Superintendent of Catholic Schools Rebecca Hammel were on hand as well to congratulate the students.

It was the start of a memorable week, as the cry of “It’s Moina Day” echoed across social media. The seniors received the spring issue of The Moina at the parade, and the underclassmen got their copies later that week. Working hard to keep the routines in place, the school decided to print and mail the final issue of the longstanding Irish newspaper to all students, faculty, and staff. Mr. Matt Puryear and the Moina staff provided an exceptional keepsake to the seniors’ final months as Irish students.

Add these experiences to the yard sign delivery, the class videos, the “Tuesday Night Lights,” and other special moments, and the Class of 2020 had quite the spring.

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A Graduation to Remember Father Ryan had not held an outdoor graduation in anyone’s memory.

The ceremony had not taken place on the campus in decades. But the coronavirus made it a necessity, and the outcome was truly special.

eligible for Tennessee Lottery Scholarships (HOPE or GAMS). This class also provided more than 18,000 service hours in support of partners throughout the community.

The pandemic limited the number of attendees for each graduate to two guests, and social distancing for everyone was the rule. But the administration and the campus maintenance staff staged a beautiful ceremony under a gorgeous sunset that shined a bright light on the class and its accomplishments.

To read more about this accomplished class, including the full list of award winners, and to watch videos from the graduation and the parade, visit fatherryan.org/graduation.

This class, like all Father Ryan graduates, has built a lasting legacy. They are known. They are loved. This class submitted 1,002 applications to 203 unique colleges and universities. Members of the class were admitted to 164 unique institutions. Scholarships received total more than $21 million, averaging more than $99,350 per graduate, with 93% of seniors

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The scoreboard told the story of the Class of 2020. Socially distant that night but forever memorable.

Leading the Way The announcement each year of the Valedictorian and Salutatorian is a moment to marvel at these students’ academic interests, the number of AP courses they have completed, and the sheer breadth of their involvement at Father Ryan. This year, that was in evidence for both of these graduates.

RACHEL KNAPP, VALEDICTORIAN

DANNY FARONE, SALUTATORIAN

While enrolled at Father Ryan, Rachel took 10 AP courses and had a 99.5246 weighted GPA. She was inducted into the National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society, Mu Alpha Theta, La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, Father James A. Black Honor Society, Cardinal Newman Society, and St. Vincent de Paul Service Society. She is attending the University of Notre Dame, where she is studying mathematics.

Danny attends Middle Tennessee University in the Honors College where he was selected to be one of the first majors in the inaugural Data Science Program. While enrolled at Father Ryan, Danny took 10 AP courses and had a 98.8361 weighted GPA. He was inducted into the Father James A. Black Honor Society, La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society, Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, St. Vincent de Paul Service Society, and Cardinal Newman Society.

Rachel was recognized as the Father James A. Black Award of Excellence Winner her freshman year. Her athletic awards include Coach’s Award her junior and sophomore year and Newcomer of the Year award her freshman year. She was recognized for having the highest grade in her subject areas more than five times and was on the Academic Dean’s List.

Rachel held several leadership roles, including President of the National Honor Society, President of Cum Laude Society, and Captain of Cross Country, Swim, and Track Teams. She served as a SEARCH leader and Retreat Leader, and was on the Relay For Life Committee.

Rachel was a member of the Cross Country, Swim, and Track Teams. She was involved in the Irish Service Corps, Student Ambassador, Student Ministry Team, Respect Life Club, and was a minister of Holy Communion.

Outside of Father Ryan, Rachel volunteered at Smithson-Craighead Academy and Vacation Bible School at St. Matthew Catholic Church. At St. Matthew, she served as a Hospitality Minister and was in the Youth Group, where they traveled on a Servio Deo Mission trip to Mississippi.

In addition, she traveled to Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina for the Alternative Spring Break trip sponsored by Father Ryan. Rachel worked as a babysitter, lifeguard, and summer nanny.

Rachel was accepted at Miami University-Oxford where she received the RedHawk Excellence Scholarship and the Federal TEACH Grant.

She was accepted in the University Academic Scholars program at Miami University-Oxford. Saint Louis University awarded her the Vice President Tuition Scholarship and the Catholic High School Award. She was accepted at University of Notre Dame and offered the University Scholarship. University of Tennessee awarded her the UT Volunteer and HOPE Scholarships. In addition, Rachel received the S.T.A.R. Scholarship for the PEO International Sisterhood Organization.

Danny received nine medals in the Regional Science Olympiad, including 1st in Disease Detectives, and won 2nd place in the Science Olympiad State Competition in Herpetology for two years. He received several medals for highest class average in his subject areas and was recognized on the Academic Dean’s and Principal’s List.

Danny received the Troop 538 Clifton Braunwalder Outstanding Scout Award and has achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout. In addition, Danny was a Father James A. Black Award of Excellence Finalist his freshman year.

Danny held several leadership roles, including SEARCH leader, Troop Guide for Boy Scout Troop 538, Science Olympiad Team Captain, Relay For Life Team Captain, Committee Member and Event Co-Chair, Leader for Freshman Night, March for Life, Junior Retreat Leader, and Vice President of the National Honor Society.

At Father Ryan, Danny has also been involved in the Rugby Team, Peer Mentor Program, Quizbusters, Student Ministry Team, and is a minister of Holy Communion.

Outside of Father Ryan, Danny tutored bilingual children with the Hispanic Family Center in Murfreesboro, was an Altar Server at St. Rose of Lima, and has been a member of Boy Scout Troop 538 since 2012. Danny has worked at Kroger as a Courtesy Clerk and in lawncare service.

Danny was accepted to Xavier University and received the Trustee Scholarship, Muskie and Early Filer Grant. Miami University-Oxford awarded him the RedHawk Excellence Scholarship and University Academic Scholar Program. He received the Trustee Scholarship from Middle Tennessee State University and the Volunteer Scholarship from University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Additionally, Daniel was awarded the Ned McWherter Scholarship.

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New Faces fall 2020

Father Ryan Adds Three to Board of Trustees

President Jim McIntyre announced that BRIAN CALLAHAN, BARBARA ESTEVES-MOORE, and DR. SHINDANA FEAGINS have been named to Father Ryan’s Board of Trustees.

Mr. Callahan is the CFO of Copperweld Bi-Metallics in Brentwood. Mrs. Esteves-Moore is the founder and owner of Two Roads Communications in Nashville. Dr. Feagins, a member of the school’s Medical Advisory Committee, is an internist in private practice in Madison and the recently-named chair of the Hospital Authority Board of Nashville General Hospital. The three new members began their positions on July 1.

“I am delighted to welcome these three outstanding leaders to the Board,” Mr. McIntyre said. “Each of them has demonstrated a strong commitment to the school as parents and a deep belief in the importance of Catholic education. In addition, they have been involved professionally and personally in a variety of organizations and initiatives throughout the area. This combination provides enhanced perspective and valuable leadership for the school as we continue to advance our mission,” he continued.

Mr. Callahan’s company, Copperweld Bi-Metallics, is the manufacturer of copper-clad steel and copper-clad aluminum for applications like power, rail, and automotive. They are sold throughout the U.S. and in the U.K. Mr. Callahan graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Accounting in 1983 and earned his M.B.A from the Wharton School of Business in 1989. He and his wife are former Father Ryan parents.

Mrs. Esteves-Moore founded her firm in 2017 and has worked in journalism, communications, and marketing for more than 25 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a minor in print journalism, studying at both Boston University and the University of New Orleans, where she graduated in 1993. She spent 10 years working as a print journalist, writing for newspapers in southeast Louisiana and at The Tennessean, covering education in Williamson County. In 2005, she became director of communications on The Dominican Campus, working at both Overbrook School and St. Cecilia Academy for 12 years. She and her husband are former Father Ryan parents.

Dr. Feagins has been in private practice since 2005. She is the founder of the annual “Walk With Your Doctor” 5K event and weight loss clinic. She is also the owner of Health MD, which provides house calls to disabled and elderly patients, and Comprehensive Correctional Medical Services (CCMS), which provides medical treatment to inmates. Her appointment to the Nashville General Hospital Authority Board makes her the first African-American woman to hold that position in the hospital’s 130-year history. Dr. Feagins is the published author of two children’s books and the co-founder of the non-profits We Have Such In Common – Let’s Talk, and Rezolve Wellness. She and her husband are current Father Ryan parents.

More information about the full board is available at fatherryan.org.

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Teacher of the Year: Mike Mascari ’96 You may have seen him in the dugout or patrolling the 3rd base coach’s box on many a spring afternoon. If so, you saw immediately his love for the game and his commitment to his team and his players.

That same commitment to excellence and achievement on the field has distinguished MIKE MASCARI ’96 in the classroom. His work teaching Physics has helped students achieve at the highest level nationally. His AP Physics students consistantly earn qualifying scores of 3 or higher on the AP exam, and many have attained the top score of 5 on those tests.

For his achievements in the classroom and his dedication to his students and his science, Mr. Mascari was selected as the 2020 recipient of the Bishop Alphonse Smith Teacher of the Year Award.

Mr. Mascari joined the Father Ryan faculty as a Science teacher during the 2003-2004 school year. He was later named Head Coach of the Varsity Baseball team. A native of Tennessee, he graduated from Christian Brothers University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Physics. Mr. Mascari is a member of the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association (TBCA) and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). He also serves as Mentor Group Leader in Elliston House.

Congratulations, Mr. Mascari.

Father Ryan Band Member Selected for Macy’s 2020 Father Ryan’s BEN STROBEL ’20 was selected to be a member of the 2020 Macy’s Great American Marching Band.

Father Ryan Announces Interim Director of Campus Ministry and Student Life COLLEEN MAXSON, who joined the Father Ryan Theology department last year, has been named the school’s Interim Director of Campus Ministry and Student Life, according to President Jim McIntyre.

Mrs. Maxson has been active in the implementation of Campus Ministry programs. She succeeds Elizabeth (Coyle) Elfers ’02, who had served as the Dean of Campus Ministry and Student Life since 2015 and stepped down this year to raise her young children.

Ben was chosen after Macy’s reviewed the performances of high school band musicians from around the nation. Unfortunatley, this year’s parade will not include the band, but Macy’s extended Ben’s invitation to the 2021 parade.

A Christ the King alumnus and parishioner, Ben plays alto saxophone and is a section leader in the Father Ryan Marching Band. He is an accomplished member of the Winds Ensemble and Winter Winds.

Additionally, Ben is an Altar Server, a Peer Mentor, and a member of Science Olympiad and the Spanish Club.

Spotlight Award Nominations for Three Actors

“Our Campus Ministry programs are core aspects of the Father Ryan experience,” Mr. McIntyre said, “and Colleen’s commitment to and involvement in these programs have already made a difference for our students as well as our community service partners. I look forward to her insights and presence in this new role.”

Principal Paul Davis ‘81 commented on Mrs. Maxson’s immediate impact. “Colleen has had a significant impact on our community in her first year,” Mr. Davis said, “with an enthusiasm for this ministry and the ability to connect with the students.

I know she will build on Elizabeth’s exceptional work and enhance further the engagement of our students in serving this community.”

Mrs. Maxson has more than 13 years of teaching experience. She came to Father Ryan from Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she taught Theology to freshmen and sophomores and led retreats and mission trips for those classes. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theology, summa cum laude, from Gannon University in Erie.

Mrs. Maxson expressed her enthusiasm for this new responsibility. “I have seen how vital the Campus Ministry programs are to this school, and I know that will only grow as our new House System began this semester,” she said. “I am humbled by this opportunity, and I look forward to working with all of Father Ryan’s students in continuing to form lives of excellence through this important program.”

You may not have seen the performance but the critics did, and they loved it!

Father Ryan’s spring musical, Bye Bye Birdie, earned Spotlight Award nominations for three Purple Masque Players: WILL CONGER ’21, MAGGIE HOUSE ’20 and CARA ORLICH ’20, all for Outstanding Lead Actor.

Whether on the stage at the Center for the Arts or on the screens of the Spotlight Awards judges, these Irish actors are always stars.

Senior Wins Service Award Congratulations to EMILY PHAN ’21 for winning the prestigious Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Award for 2020 in the Direct Service category.

This is the second straight year that a Father Ryan student has won this award, as Emily follows ELLA DELEVANTE ’20, who received the Direct Service Award last year.

Emily’s commitment to The Little Pantry That Could and her dedication to serving others inspires us all. Read more about her work and view her video on receiving the award at https://www.hon.org/strobel_awards.

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Athletics fall 2020

Eleven Irish Athletes Take it to the Next Level Even with the pandemic wiping out spring sports, Irish athletes distinguished themselves in the sports world this past year, with eleven members of the Class of 2020 signing with college programs.

Father Ryan Announces New Associate A.D., Girls Basketball Coach Accomplished girls basketball coach Tony McLeod is the school’s new Associate Director of Athletics and Girls Basketball Head Coach.

Robert Allen ’20

Kristina Buckley ’20

Tee Connor ’20

Benny Detrude’20

Luke Gdowski ’20

Lawrence Madson ’20

Hannah Morton ’20

Lily Rummo ’20

Ellie Sudderth ’20

Carter Vrabel ’20

Anthony Wright ’20

TEE CONNOR will continue his trumpeting as a member of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Pride of the Southland Marching Band.

ELLIE SUDDERTH will be wearing the uniform this fall for the Mocs as a cheerleader on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Baseball had high hopes for the season that never happened, based in large measure on the play of its two signees: BENNY DETRUDE for the University of Tennessee at Martin and CARTER VRABEL with Wabash Valley College.

LUKE GDOWSKI signed to continue his basketball career at Christian Brothers University after leading the Irish on a late season rush that took them deep into the 2020 State Playoffs.

Football’s dual-threat player ANTHONY WRIGHT signed to continue his gridiron career at Mount Saint Joseph University.

Girls Soccer, which came within a whisker of winning the state title in 2019, produced three Next Level Irish from the Class of 2020: KRISTINA BUCKLEY for Maryville College, HANNAH MORTON for UNC-Greensboro, and LILY RUMMO for Western Kentucky.

Wrestling’s LAWRENCE MADSON announced from his home during the pandemic that he had signed with Wabash College in Indiana to continue his career.

And while gymnastics is not a Father Ryan/TSSAA sport, ROBERT ALLEN earned his appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he will continue his gymnastics training.

Congratulations to all of these student-athletes. Thank you for all you meant to the Irish and best of luck on the fields, courts, mats and classrooms in the years to come. Tradition never graduates.

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Coach McLeod comes to Father Ryan from Grace Christian Academy in Franklin where he served as the Girls Basketball Head Coach since 2017, winning two District titles and earning two District Coach of the Year Awards.

He had a 57-25 record as their coach, making him the school’s leader in career wins. He also served as the Assistant Athletic Director and taught at Grace Christian.

He succeeds JASON LARKIN as coach. Mr. Larkin stepped down this spring after 12 years as the program’s head coach. As Associate Director of Athletics, Coach McLeod succeeds ANN MULLINS ’03, who held the position until being named Director of Athletics in January of this year.

“Tony brings to our program an exceptional record as a coach and leader,” said Coach Mullins. “More importantly, he brings a commitment to his faith and to developing student-athletes that embodies our school’s mission. I look forward to working with him, and I am confident he will enhance the Girls Basketball program and all the athletic programs at Father Ryan.”

In addition to his high school coaching, Coach McLeod works as the Director of Girls Teams, Girls Recruiting Coordinator, and as a Head Coach for the Stars Basketball Club (formerly known as Upward Stars Nashville). His teams won the 2016 USSSA Division I National Championship. In addition, his teams have won the 2018 Battle in the Boro, NCAA Live Event, and the 2018 AAU State Championship. Also, he served as the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Cumberland University. That team reached the NAIA National Tournament each season, including a National Championship appearance in 2007, where the team finished as the National Runner-Up. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Coach McLeod earned his Bachelor of Science in telecommunications from Lee College in 2005 and his Master of Education in 2007 from Cumberland University.

Announcing the 2020 Class of the Athletics Hall of Fame

Father Ryan is proud to announce the 2020 Class of the Athletic Hall of Fame: 18 athletes, two coaches, five teams, and two contributors whose accomplishments showcase the legacy of this historic school’s successful athletic programs in Nashville and the State of Tennessee.

These athletes and leaders represent classes from 1927 to 1999 and were selected from more than 190 nominations submitted by the community. They were formally inducted in a special, virtual celebration on October 14, 2020 ANN MULLINS ’03, Director of Athletics, said that she was pleased with the response from the Father Ryan community. “This is a legendary athletic program with achievements that span ten decades,” she said. “It has been such a moving experience these last two years to learn about all of our nominees, and be reminded not only of what they accomplished athletically but also what they have contributed to this community, city, and country.

I thank the members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee for their outstanding work,” she continued. Here are the 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame members, their graduating class, and their sports.

FRANK HALLIBURTON ’59 Basketball, Football, Track and Field

TEAMS

COACHES

KAY BATEY ’74 Basketball

1927 STATE CHAMPION BASKETBALL TEAM

BOBBY GARMON ’65 Wrestling

JOHN BURNS ’44 Basketball, Football

J.B HATLEY ’37 Baseball, Basketball, Football

1974 STATE CHAMPION WRESTLING TEAM

JOHN GORHAM ’54 Girls Basketball

ELAINE DERRICK BRYAN ’92 Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball

BILLY HUDSON ’58 Baseball, Basketball, Football

1997 STATE CHAMPION FOOTBALL TEAM

CONTRIBUTORS

JIM MILLER ’82 Football

1998 STATE CHAMPION BOYS SOCCER TEAM

JOE MILLER ’62 Football, Track and Field

1999 STATE CHAMPION VOLLEYBALL TEAM

ATHLETES

CARL CRAIN ’75 Basketball PETE CURLEY ’32 Basketball, Football TOM CURLEY ’61 Basketball, Football, Track and Field JIM DERRICK ’62 Baseball, Basketball, Football ANGELA ROHLING GREGORY ’98 Basketball, Track and Field, Volleyball

MURRAY LYNCH ’55 Coach and Administrator JOHN SPORE ’64 Teacher, Counselor

TOM MORALES ’72 Football, Wrestling KELLY COCKERHAM REILLY ’93 Basketball, Volleyball CHRIS DACRI WANTZ ’88 Golf TIM WILSON ’72 Football, Wrestling ERIC WOOD ’72 Football, Wrestling

The addition of these 27 inductees brings the overall membership in the Father Ryan Athletics Hall of Fame to 77. Last year the school inducted its inaugural class, which included 34 athletes, six coaches, seven teams and three contributors.

The full list of inductees and information about nominating candidates are available at fatherryan.org/hof.

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Campus fall 2020

Campus Celebrates 30th Year with Remodeled Academic Building Since moving onto the Norwood campus in the fall of 1991, Father Ryan has welcomed thousands of students into the instructional environment of the Academic Building. Every class – since the Class of 1992 – has found the secrets of science, the beauty of math, the lyricism of literature, the truth of Theology, and more knowledge inside these classrooms.

However, this year’s student body discovered a new look when they returned as the Academic Building began its 30th year with some dramatic changes. Gone are the lockers – who uses them, anyway? – and the old flooring in and out of the classrooms. In their place are wider hallways, new carpet, computer charging counters, and photos and inspirational quotes on the walls. The changes aren’t just on the outside. The school invested in needlepoint bipolar ionization air purification systems for our HVAC units across campus to sanitize and improve indoor air quality. Even the restrooms in the Academic Building now feature automatic flushing toilets.

One of the highlights is a special salute to Father Ryan’s heritage and its future. The central hallway is framed with bricks from the original Elliston Place campus. Embedded in this entrance are limestone plaques with the names of the six new Houses, as well as Father Ryan’s message of Faith, Knowledge, Service, and our promise that every student will be known and loved.

A happy 30th birthday to the Academic Building.

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Six Houses…All Irish!

The House System Begins at Father Ryan “Elliston!” “Emerald!” “Immaculata!” “Norwood!” “Oak!” “Trinity!”

From building to building, from classroom to classroom, from field to field, the cries from the members of the new Father Ryan House System express an enthusiasm and energy for the school’s newest tradition. In fact, these cries are embedded in the campus, as the new Academic Building stairwells bear the names of the Houses, of their saints, and of their Catholic Social Teaching.

Introduced last year and honed and developed in the months that followed, the new House System was unveiled during the midst of the pandemic and launched in the first days of the school year. It began on May 1 when letters of welcome were mailed to every member of the classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023, informing them of their House, introducing their House saint and their social teaching, and announcing their House Mentors. The social media messaging began immediately, and the cry of “we’re the best house” marked every House’s communication. Come July, the signs of the Houses were in yards throughout the area, as Heads of Houses and Mentors traveled the city and surrounding counties to welcome the new members. Finally, the Class of 2024 arrived on campus in August and discovered their Houses, completing the welcome.

For Amy Duke, Director of Houses, the launch of the Father Ryan House System was a moment of excitement. The House System promises significant impacts across the entirety of the campus. “The names, the saints, and the Catholic social teachings are all symbols of the House System and are prevalent on our campus. As exciting as those signs and symbols are, we are excited about our students’ experiences in their Mentor Groups and their House leadership roles,” she said. “These experiences and opportunities will help deepen their Father Ryan experience and will change the lives of these students, both while they are on our campus and long beyond. I am looking forward to seeing the House System in action,” Duke added.

You can learn more about each of the Houses at fatherryan.org/housesystem.

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Feature fall 2020

Grace Under Fire Judy Komisky Orr ’75

When a series of massive tornadoes rip through parts of your city and the surrounding counties with very little warning, claiming dozens of lives and destroying everything in their path, you hope to have the right leaders in place to help the hundreds of displaced families and damaged businesses. When your city is shut down 14 days later due to a global pandemic, you pray for a miracle. Luckily, Nashville’s residents already had just what they needed.

Someone ready with the skills and background needed to tackle these two large-scale crises from the ground up – Father Ryan alum JUDY KOMISKY ORR ’75.

derbilt before deciding on her next move. Thanks to a well-timed tip from the college counselor at Father Ryan, Bertie Strobel, Judy applied to and attended Peabody College and later transferred to Vanderbilt University, eventually earning her degree and graduating in 1982.

Judy is the Executive Director at Catholic Charities of Tennessee, a leading provider of essential social services to more than 12,000 people annually, working in 15 key locations throughout Middle Tennessee. Judy and her team are working overtime to do all they can to help residents affected by Nashville’s dual disasters – not an easy task, but something she has been preparing for her whole career.

“Ingram was an exceptionally well-run company,” Judy remembers. “It was wonderful to work for such a powerful and influential company, and I believe the reason I was able to run Catholic Charities so well the last several months is because of Ingram. Every day, we had to be creative and invent solutions for whatever came our way. They were so good at that, and I learned so much from them,” she stated.

Judy’s story begins as a St. Henry School student who joined the second class of females to attend all four years at Father Ryan. She fondly remembers her time at Father Ryan and the many teachers who influenced her while she was there. “Like many students, I had a strong relationship with Father (William) Fleming. He was a beloved figure for me, and a fabulous teacher. He and Father (Jim) Black were iconic,” recalls Judy.

After graduating from Father Ryan, she spent some time working at the printing office at Van-

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She later joined the Country Music Hall of Fame, where she gained her first experience in the communication business, and then joined Ingram Book Company in 1986 where she worked until 1997. She credits her many mentors and bosses at Ingram for teaching much of what she knows today about running a business.

Although she loved her time at Ingram, she had a family and wanted to work closer to home, so she took a job at her alma mater, Vanderbilt, in their Publications Department as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Creative Services. During her time at Vandy, Judy led the department through several rebranding projects, including new logos for the school and athletic department, and the split between the Medical Center and the University.

In 2001, while she was working at Vanderbilt, her older sister was diagnosed with cancer and spent her final days at Alive Hospice in Nashville. Caring for and watching others help her sister during her illness, Judy had an epiphany.

She enjoyed her communications work, but she wanted to do something else, something that she loved, and most importantly, something to help others.

“My sister’s illness was a transformative experience,” Judy said. “I met so many counselors and other wonderful human beings who took such good care of my sister. I began to think I wanted to do more to help others, and I seriously began to think about the social work profession.”

Back to School To be taken seriously in the social work field, you need to have a Master’s Degree. So, at

Orr’s and Catholic Charities’ community engagement (left) strengthened the response in the tornadoes’ aftermath (above).

the age of 52 and still working full-time at Vanderbilt, Judy buckled down and took the GRE. To her delight, just a few months later, on the same day her youngest son started his undergraduate studies at UT Knoxville, Judy began her studies at the UT School of Social Work (based in Nashville). From day one, she knew she had found her true calling.

“I was absolutely enthralled with the entire program. I loved the teachers, the students, the work. I knew this is what I wanted to do,” she said.

So, for the next few years, Judy stayed busy shepherding rebranding projects, editing publications, and managing more than 25 employees at Vanderbilt during the day and attending classes at night. She studied whenever she found a chance. Then, in 2014, she graduated with her LSMW (adding to an MBA she had already received years earlier) and immediately began looking for a job that used her combined social work background and her communications skills – an opportunity she found in 2017 at Alive Hospice as Vice President for Mission Based Services. She had a job that fit all of her criteria, and Judy planned to stay there for the foreseeable future. But, little did Judy know what lay ahead for her.

Prior to Judy discovering her passion for social work and her new position at Alive Hospice, Judy decided to give back to Father Ryan. In 2004, she received a call from the school about helping to rebrand the high school, then later served on the alumni committee and the committee to hire Jim McIntyre. Later, in 2006, she joined the Board at Father Ryan and was named the first female chairperson of the Board of Trustees, serving from 2013-2017.

Just as she was finishing up her term as chairperson, she began her new venture in social work with Alive Hospice and spent a happy year and a few months there before

she received a message from a former Father Ryan Board colleague about a position as the CEO at Catholic Charities of Tennessee.

“BILL STEJSKAL ’79 sent me a message on LinkedIn asking if I was interested in learning about this opening,” Judy recounted.

“I told him I had an interest in learning more, but that was all. Looking back now, I really feel like the Holy Spirit must have been driving this whole thing, because that night I updated my resume,” she reflected.

Bill and Judy met for coffee, she learned more about the position, and before long Judy interviewed. Soon she was offered the job.

“Many moments during the interview process felt like divine providence. I really felt this was it for me. I am so thankful they hired me. This job uses every single ounce of my background, training, even my entrepreneurial skills. I have liked every one of my jobs up until now, but I never knew I could love my work as much as I do now,” Judy recounted.

And just like that, Judy began a new position, one that uses all of her skills – even her excellent seamstress skills. Catholic Charities offers a tailoring class where Judy teaches students how to sew a jacket for all of the employment-ready classes the organization offers.

Ten months into her new position of CEO at Catholic Charities, on March 3, the deadly string of tornadoes hit North Nashville and its surrounding areas where the organization has a significant presence.

What is Catholic Charities of Tennessee?

Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc. provides human services which enhance and enrich the quality of life for people in need.

As the social service arm of the Diocese of Nashville, Catholic Charities assisted more than 12,000 unique individuals last year through more than 70,000 service occasions via 50+ different programs.

Those programs include a broad spectrum of services, ranging from basic safety net services to enhanced services such as workforce development. Safety net services include feeding programs, such as Loaves and Fishes; homelessness prevention, and cash assistance for emergency needs, including food, rent, and utilities payments. Workforce development programs include Culinary Training Academy, Sewing Training Academy, Bilingual Banker Training, and hospitality/housekeeping training. Other programs include a variety of case management and counseling programs. Many are well known, such as refugee resettlement, immigration services, adoption and foster care support, school counseling, and individual and family counseling.

For information on how to help Catholic Charities with support or to volunteer, visit their website at cctenn.org.

(Continued on next page) Orr planning the response with Bishop Mark Spalding (above); Catholic Charities volunteers lend a hand for community relief (top right).

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Crisis Part I – Tornado The destruction throughout North Nashville was extensive, and many of the clients whom Catholic Charities serves lost homes, lost roofs, had walls collapse or foundations crack, or had debris come through windows, causing significant damage. Many lost work due to businesses being shuttered by damage.

Within a few hours of the tornadoes, Judy and her team opened their McGruder Family Resource Center in North Nashville to other organizations providing immediate relief and began participating in the long-term recovery planning effort led by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). Catholic Charities also set up a tornado relief page on their website; donations quickly poured in and totaled nearly $10,000 within days.

For two weeks Catholic Charities team members and other relief organizations operated out of the McGruder Center and the Catholic Pastoral Center, offering assistance with food, housing, and counseling to more than 3,000 families. Then on March 17, all tornado relief efforts came to a grinding halt because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Crisis Part II – Pandemic All of a sudden, Catholic Charities began receiving calls from hospitality workers who were laid off because of the Stay-at-Home order, and calls from clients in North Nashville whose electricity was out for a week due to the tornado were now out of work due to coronavirus.

“We tried to balance our commitment to our clients with common-sense precautions for clients and staff,” Judy said. “If your roof was blown away or your home destroyed, and you were told that help was no longer available because of a virus outbreak, it would be a sinking feeling to say the least. Where could you turn? Our work is high-touch, face-toface. It is not remote, for the most part. And though it is trite, we have to ask ourselves: What Would Jesus Do?,” she continued.

So, Judy and her emergency assistance managers gathered and asked themselves what they, Catholic Charities, could do to help those who were hurting. The team suggested calling the Mayor’s Office to tell them that they are experts at helping displaced people, and that they had the capacity to help.

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Catholic Charities’ expertise, knowledge and bench strength, on March 19, United Way of Greater Nashville made Catholic Charities one of the first partners to distribute the COVID-19 Response Fund to citizens in need.

“Our intake team grew to 12 within a week and peaked at 20 during the process, with several staff dedicated full-time to the program,” Judy said.

Within the next few days, Judy’s team found a way to continue to serve those affected by both COVID-19 and the tornado. They created an improvised call center for both the COVID and tornado response teams, began contact-less delivery of household supplies, and continued to offer counseling services to all affected by both crises.

In Her Own Words

To date, Catholic Charities has distributed $313,000 in financial assistance for job losses related to COVID-19 and in tornado relief.

That number will continue to grow as losses continue to mount for those affected by the ongoing pandemic.

• Never be afraid to ask for help. People are very eager to help when you are a new leader.

“There are many people in our city who have no healthcare and no insurance who are going to be reeling from these disasters for a long time,” Judy lamented. “Plus, the Nashville area has an overwhelming number of people whose income is reliant on the hospitality and tourism service industry. Many of those jobs will be slow to return – some will be lost altogether – over the next three years, and that will have a ripple effect on families, potentially for generations. The trauma, mental health concerns, stress on families, desperation, and fear will contribute to a snowballing need for social support…It makes my stomach hurt to think about how much need is out there.”

But, according to Judy, with all of the pain, hurt, and need, there is also hope. Judy and her team at Catholic Charities are looking ahead to creating solutions to help those affected by disasters. For the near future, they recently won a grant from the state’s TANF surplus, are strengthening their relationship with the United Way, are working hard to increase private fundraising, and are building relationships with the city and regional governments to make it clear that Catholic Charities is the provider of choice for critical social support and is here for those in need.

Judy Orr’s Tips for Managing During a Crisis

• Seek out the best counsel available. The resources and expertise of Catholic Charities-USA were invaluable to me, as was the real-life experience of my team.

• Offer to help. My call to the Mayor’s Office resulted in us being recognized as experts in emergency financial assistance.

• Be creative and flexible where you can. None of us had experience working a pandemic, but we figured it out together.

• Focus on what your organization does well. Recognize whatever bench strength you’ve got and run the ball when the community needs it.

• View crises as opportunities to grow.

We’ve learned new ways of working together as a team and have developed stronger community partnerships.

• Always keep your faith…and a rosary in your pocket.

Life on the Front Lines

Two Father Ryan Alums, Both ER physicians, Share Their Fight Against COVID-19 DR. BRENDAN HAWTHORN ’95 and DR. HEATHER (CARPENTER) BARNETT ’96 are two of the many Irish in our community who are battling the COVID-19 virus, as emergency room physicians in Athens, Georgia, and Nashville, respectively. Dr. Hawthorn and Dr. Barnett were asked to share their experiences on the frontlines and the lessons they have learned. These are their words of encouragement and hope in this unprecedented time.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AN ER DOC RIGHT NOW? DR. HAWTHORN: The challenge now is the uncertainty. Everything is a moving target. We try to do the best we can with what we are given, but sometimes we don’t have the luxury of time or having the full picture before we get started.

DR. BARNETT: Everything is new, different and scary. We are used to dealing with emergencies and running when someone is trouble. This is a brand new illness, and we are constantly changing how we are handling it. For example, we used to be able to run in rooms – especially if someone is in trouble. Now we have to get ourselves protected before we get in the room.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO OTHER CRISES YOU HAVE DEALT WITH?

DR. BARNETT: This does not compare with anything I have dealt with before. I vaguely remember the HINI virus, but it was nothing to this extent.

DR. HAWTHORN During a crisis, you have to be a manager of information. People will come in with questions, established preconceived ideas, information gleaned from other sources. When you are on the receiving end of this, you want to be as objective as possible, and on a day-to-day basis, you are trying to find the truth of what is happening right now. You want to address people’s concerns in a very data-driven fashion. People get information from so many different sources, you want to reconcile their concerns with what you know at that given time. I do more listening and less talking.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT AT THE HOSPITAL? DR. BARNETT: It has been really tough. My colleagues and I talk about going through the stages of grief when we started dealing with this virus. We started with denial, and then we went through each phase afterwards, and now we have come all the way to acceptance. In this acceptance phase, we just find ways to relieve our stress.

For me, it is coming home to my four kids and husband, or any form of exercise to clear my mind and get a break.

DR. HAWTHORN: Under the current circumstances, this virus makes everything more challenging at work and home. At work, there are the day-to-day logistics of patient care, such as making sure we are taking appropriate precautions and following guidelines to go the extra mile to be safe. Then once you leave work, you want to make sure you don’t bring it home to your family. Plus, you want to make sure you follow general guidelines when interacting with the community and set an example, because people know you are a healthcare provider. There is that added responsibility of being a good steward of infection control and how to operate in day-to-day life.

WHAT ARE THE INSIGHTS YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF OR OTHERS DURING THIS TIME? DR. HAWTHORN: I’ve learned how important it is not to take anything for granted. In times of plenty, it’s easy for me to think I have perspective and have prepared for the worst. This pandemic has really helped me identify the things I need to focus on, both personally and professionally.

DR. BARNETT: Seeing the outpouring of support within our

Dr. Heather (Carpenter) Barnett ’96 (above left) and Dr. Brendan Hawthorn ’95 fight against COVID-19 .

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small communities. The amount of family, friends, our parish community, and hospital administration who have shown us support is staggering. There are so many people who want to help, bring food, bring masks, anything we need. This pandemic has been difficult on everyone, but people still want to help. I have seen so much goodness along with the bad, which is a reminder to me that less negativity and more positivity goes a long way.

HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN PEOPLE CALL DOCTORS AND NURSES HEROES? IS THAT WELCOME APPRECIATION OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE JUST DOING YOUR JOB? DR. BARNETT: Oh, I absolutely appreciate it. It is wonderful to hear and something I don’t take for granted.

During this pandemic and after, we will continue to do what we have always done, which is to take care of our patients.

DR. HAWTHORN: It’s nice to be recognized and it does boost morale, but as doctors, we always get hit with challenges in one form or another and the esprit de corps is always strong. This pandemic seems like another challenge we’ve taken in stride. It’s also important to recognize the people on the front line that are not as visible. We wouldn’t be able to function without our social workers, sanitation personnel, supply chain folks, and others.

There are so many people who play such a vital role in heathcare.

WHEN THIS IS OVER, WHAT ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO BE HAD SO WE AS A COUNTRY CAN HANDLE THIS BETTER? DR. HAWTHORN: Preparedness is key. It’s difficult to convince a community or an organization to invest time and resources into preparing for an event that, statistically speaking, is unlikely to happen. Then when it does happen, the debrief isn’t always constructive. I think we’ve done a great job here institutionally and at the local level. At the national and international level, I hope the analysis of this pandemic, once over, is truly analytical and objective.

DR. BARNETT: In the world of medicine and healthcare, things are constantly changing. Next time, we need to be prepared.

Not all Heroes Wear Capes “What he did for Nashville was amazing. It was truly a game changer. He recognized the importance of this moment, and he stepped up.”

Those are the words of DR. ANGELO CANONICO, parent of three sons who attended Father Ryan, speaking of Father Ryan alum PAUL DAHLHAUSER ’85, co-founder of Genetic Assays.

When thinking about Irish heroes during the time of COVID, the first people who come to mind might be doctors, nurses, social workers, grocery store employees, teachers, postal workers, and other essential workers. But there are others, like Dahlhauser, whose work behind the scenes has made a significant difference in the lives of others.

Paul, his brother ERIC DAHLHAUSER ’80, and another Father Ryan grad from the class of 1985, MIKE MAMMARELLI, started Genetic Assays in 1994 as a clinical laboratory that tests for infectious diseases, such as influenza, STDs, TB, and other respiratory illnesses. For their first 25 years, they operated as a small business that ran 15,000 tests a year and did not compete against other large national laboratories.

Then, in March, when COVID-19 really began to spread in the United States and the federal government issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to begin testing for SARS-Cov2, Paul, Mike, and Genetic Assays thought they would give it a try.

“Initially, we thought let’s give this a shot and start testing a few of the respiratory cells coming in,” said Paul. “We didn't see anything at first. But, then Mike’s son began to feel ill. We ran him through his respiratory panel and nothing came up the first time.

We waited a few days, and ran it again and he lit up the entire panel. After that, he was patient zero – we used him as a positive control for all of the initial tests.”

Soon after they ran those first panels in early March, Paul and Dr. Canonico­– who were already mutual friends through their sons – had a phone call about the high number of patients who were presenting with COVID-19 like symptoms and the long delay they had in getting a positive or negative result.

“We were using major, national laboratories to test all of these patients and were having to wait 7 to 10 days to get the results,” recalls Dr. Canonico, a physician in the pulmonary critical care department at St. Thomas West. “While we were waiting for a result, we would have to put every person who came in into insolation. With the 7-10 day waiting period, we were running through our PPE (personal protective gear) very quickly, and at that time there was a severe shortage, so we were not able to take care of the patients as best as we could,” Dr. Canonico explained.

Genetic Assays stepped up to the plate, and in late March, they began working night and day to turn around these testing results for big-time players like St. Thomas West.

Now with work from everyone at Genetic Assays, plus the help of family members from

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the Dahlhauser and Mammarelli sides – most of whom are Father Ryan grads – the company is churning out COVID-19 tests the same day or at the latest, next day for key constituents, including St. Thomas and other hospitals and many long-term care facilities. Genetic Assays has gone from a laboratory that processed 15,000 tests a year to processing 15,000 tests a month on coronavirus alone while still handling testing for other infectious diseases as well.

More Irish Heroes Father Ryan board members and parents DR. ROB LABADIE, (top left) who’s at Vanderbilt, and BILL KRUEGER, (above left) the retired head of JATCO, a transmission manufacturer, partnered to use manufacturing resources in the area to produce thousands of N95 masks for area healthcare professionals. Bill got help from an employee he had hired who had once been a patient of Dr. Labadie’s.

“What he did was truly a game-changer for us,” declares Dr. Canonico, “and the work Paul and his team did for us changed the dynamics of our work and how we could care for patients.

We were finally able to move people through.

We went from 10 days waiting on results to 16 hours, and in doing so, we learned more about the coronavirus and how to care for our patients.

Receiving a result – positive or negative – that allowed for early intervention and truly saved countless number of lives.”

As true heroes usually are, Paul is humble in receiving praise for the work he has accomplished.

“It is nice to be involved in and be a part of the solution. I’m grateful we can help doctors and patients get a result that helps them make an actionable decision about the best course of treatment.”

Father Ryan Families Helping with COVID Many of the Irish Heroes are the nurses serving the community in hospitals, doctors offices, and clinics throughout our community. A number of those nurses are the spouses of our own faculty and staff. They include SANDY HAGEY, the spouse of IT specialist Jimbo, who has been in the front lines on the COVID floor at Southern Hills this year, and CATHY BONTRAGER, Doug ’81’s wife, who is an RN at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital practice after serving at Midtown and Centennial.

Genetic Assays President and CEO Mike Mammarelli ’85 (above left), his sister and Business Office Manager Cathy (Mammerelli) Watts ’85, and Paul Dahlhauser ’85, Vice President and Director of Laboratory Services, provided timely COVID-19 testing to the community.

There’s the Curran family. BILL CURRAN ’82 and his son BILLY CURRAN ’03 are both members of the Nashville Fire Department. JOHN PAUL CURRAN ’04 is a member of the Air Evac Lifeteam and SARAH CURRAN ’07 is a pediatric oncology nurse at The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial. What an Irish family!

And here’s a salute to two sisters who embody the nursing vocation...MARIE MULLINS BLANCHARD ’08, above left, and MAGGIE MULLINS ’15, above right.

Marie, an RN, is the school nurse at Father Ryan and Maggie is an RN at the ICU at St. Thomas West. Marie and Maggie join our other #IrishHeroes making a difference during this pandemic.

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A Spirit of Philant hropy One of the major goals of the new Father Ryan Strategic Plan is to create a culture of philanthropy and sustainability.

Many members of the Father Ryan community are already helping make that goal a reality. In this issue of Irish Ayes, we focus on alumni whose long standing giving and leadership are having an impact on our students today, and who are inspiring others to be philanthropic themselves. We are proud to showcase their support.

Creating a Culture of Philanthropy – Every Year Every September – except this year – more than 200 donors come to the Father Ryan campus for the annual President’s Dinner, an event which thanks the men and women who make Father Ryan an important part of their philanthropy.

During the evening of fellowship and celebration, there is a moment of invitation, a call to recognize those donors who year after year make a gift to the Annual Fund, and who have done so for at least 25 consecutive years. As these alumni and friends stand, it becomes clear that the Annual Fund has meant so much to so many throughout Ryan Nation; more important, their gifts have meant so much to Father Ryan and its students. That was reinforced by the 2019 President’s Dinner alumni speaker, JEREMY DARVIN ’16, an accomplished student and athlete at Western Kentucky University, who emphasized the impact Father Ryan has had on his life.

While the President’s Dinner did not happen this year, another consequence of the world’s pandemic, the giving of these and more than 1,000 other donors was very real, providing almost $700,000 to the Annual Fund for 2019-2020. That’s a remarkable outcome for any high school this year, but a typical one for the Irish. Even in a pandemic, the generosity of the Father Ryan community never wanes.

The number of Annual Fund donors with consecutive giving of 25 years or more has increased in the past 10 years as the Annual Fund has grown. The longest records of support belong

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Saluting 25-Year Donors

to three couples – LINDA and DAVID ’66 BOHAN, CINDY and JIM ’67 HOFSTETTER, and LUCY and GENE ’45 PENTECOST – who’ve been supporting the Annual Fund for 41 years. The newest members are PEGGY and JUDGE BILL ’50 FAIMON, DOTTY and KEMO ’75 HOWINGTON, CURRIN and RANDY ’76 KOZAK, DIANA and DAVID ’57 KUHLMAN, JOHN LANGDON ’92, NADIA LAHUTSKY and EDWARD MCMAHON II ’65, and THE REV. TIMOTHY STEPHENS S.J. ’75. In between are 36 couples and seven individuals – alumni, faculty members, priests, parents – who embody the spirit of philanthropy and continue to model the culture of philanthropy that makes a difference in our students’ lives.

That difference was on particular display this year during the pandemic.

Annual Fund support made a difference as Father Ryan moved to Remote Learning in March. It provided technology needed to pivot quickly from traditional classroom learning to virtual learning, communications needed during COVID to our students, faculty, staff and parents, and additional office equipment needed for our Business Office to work remotely during COVID-19.

Even before the pandemic, Annual Fund dollars helped make Father Ryan better. Those dollars assisted the school in major facility and equipment upgrades, including •

Wireless infrastructure upgrades

•

Digital signage TV’s and media devices

•

Gym and fitness center floor upgrades and new scoreboards

•

Theater sound system

Year after year, the Annual Fund embodies an important part of the school’s philanthropy, and our donors, year after year, express their support in ways that make the Father Ryan experience possible. Whatever the length of support, the school is thankful for every donor.

For more information about the Annual Fund and to make a gift to the 2020-2021 campaign, visit fatherryan.org/giving.

41 YEARS

31 YEARS

Linda and David ’66 Bohan Cindy and Jim ’67 Hofstetter Lucy and Gene ’45 Pentecost

Anne and Joe ’4 3 Maddux Evelyn and Bill Rodgers Holly and Yogi ’67 Walsh Cathy and Chris ’78 Wilson

40 YEARS Judy and Paul Bontrager Russ Young ’52

39 YEARS Beth and Tommy ’67 Ducklo Peter Masic (formerly Gautsch) ’59 Anne and Tap ’77 Power Penelope and Michael ’65 Shaver John Spore ’64

Joan and John ’64 Coode Judy (Komisky) ’75 and Jay Orr

29 YEARS

38 YEARS

Carol Brewer Christine and Bubba ’69 Donnelly Barbara and Bill ’73 Hobbs Amy (Kruse) ’83 and Jim ’82 Hubbuch Carmen and Rob ’77 Ponder Rhonda and Ken Travis

Phyllis and Steve ’75 Fridrich Rev. Patrick Kibby ’73

28 YEARS

Lynda and John ’50 Dowd

Sarah (Petre) ’77 and Steve ’75 Mullins Christina and Mike ’81 O’Connor tpmbLAW

36 YEARS

27 YEARS

37 YEARS

35 YEARS

Laura and Skip ’68 Beasley Lynn and Bill ’77 Brunner Debbie and Alan Cherrington Marilyn Hartz

Rev. J. Patrick Connor ’53 Sarah and David ’73 Stamps

26 YEARS

Gaethea and Al Fleck Priscilla and Patrick ’69 Watson

34 YEARS Karen and Jimmy ’67 Hailey Nancy and Jim ’54 Langdon Sharon and Gene ’75 Mulloy

33 YEARS Anne and Mike ’70 Clepper Terry and Hank ’65 Connor Barbara and Mike ’75 Johnson

The philanthropy of Father Ryan’s donors is celebrated each year at the President’s Dinner. Supporters are shown here at the 2019 dinner where they heard about the special Father Ryan experience from Jeremy Darvin ’16.

30 YEARS

32 YEARS Sally and Charley ’47 Wehby

Mary Margaret Edwards ’74 Marian and Charles ’66 Pickney Monica Terry

25 YEARS Peggy and Judge Bill ’50 Faimon Dotty and Kemo ’75 Howington Currin and Randy ’76 Kozak Diana and David ’57 Kuhlman John Langdon ’92 Nadia Lahutsky and Edward McMahon II ’65 Rev. Timothy Stephens S.J. ’75

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Class Notes fall 2020

An Irish Pride Moment

The 2020–2021 school year marks the 30th year on the “new” Norwood campus. That was quite a move for the Irish, and it spawned a number of athletic successes in the 90s, including the school’s first Volleyball State Championship in 1992. That team in total and four of its players and coaches are in the Athletics Hall of Fame, all shown above. How many of the players do you remember? Check out the answer on page 32.

1957 CHARLIE REESE was accepted into the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution on February 14, 2020. The society is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and promoting education to future generations.

1968 HARRY HEWITT and his wife, Eileen, are enjoying their three kids and seven grandchildren. Harry has been happily retired since June of 2017.

1972 BOBBY WILSON, a 41-year veteran with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), has been named the Executive Director of that agency. Since joining the TWRA in 1979 as a part-time fisheries technician, he was steadily promoted, gaining the respect of his colleagues as evidenced by the unanimous vote of the 13-member Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to confirm his newest position.

1979 BILL BREEN racked up more big wins on the links this summer.

He won the Tennessee Senior PGA Championship, earning him a spot in the National PGA Championship, and he won the Tennessee Senior Open championship, which qualified him for the U.S. Senior Open.

1984 RUTH DONLON BOWLES, RN is a Quality Safety Advisor for Adult Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Recently, she helped to significantly improve the depression screening and intervention processes and performance in Primary Care. Ruth has also led systemic improvement work in colorectal cancer screening, wellness outreach, and diabetes care.

Her work during COVID-19 also involves expanding Tele-Health for patients, which is critical right now. Ruth says, “It is a sad and scary time, and I want patients to know we are still here to serve and that they have safe options.”

1985 DR. CHARLES BINKLEY has accepted the position of Director of Bioethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. He joins a multidisciplinary team of ethicists whose work is to bring justice, truth, and moral accountability to the world.

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1985 CHRISTIE WILSON was named a 2020 honoree of the 29th annual YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee’s Academy for Women of Achievement (AWA). The AWA was started to acknowledge and celebrate all that women do in the workforce and in the community. The women chosen for this honor are picked for their community service, professional achievement, integrity, leadership, dedication to the lives of others and the quality of life for all. Christie is CEO of The Wilson Group Real Estate Services in Nashville.

1986 PROFESSOR NANCY J. BURKE was recently named as one of the Remarkable Women of University of California Merced. She leads the Health Equity Research (HER) group and is a Professor of Anthropology and Public Health, the founding Chair of Public Health at UC Merced.

Since 2009 Dr. Burke has conducted collaborative research on chronic disease self-management with colleagues at the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas, Facultad Girón in Havana, Cuba. This has resulted in several chronic disease workshops and the development of curriculum and an area of expertise focused on obesity and overweight, the first of its kind on the island.

2000 JENN SIMS and co-author Chinelo Njaka have published a new book Mixed-Race in the US and UK: Comparing the Past, Present, and Future (2020, Emerald Publishing). Earlier this year, Jenn was interviewed about her research for an article in The Washington Post on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry disengaging from the royal family.

2002 BRITTANY (FRANCESCON) MERIWETHER received Christ the King School’s Teacher Award of Excellence last spring. She brings a decade of classroom experience to CKS and teaches 7th and 8th grade English, 7th grade geography, 3–6th grade math resource, and all the enrichment classes.

2004 PAUL BUDSLICK’S business Duke’s General Store was featured recently in Garden & Gun magazine. Paul and his wife, Allison, bought the business from his stepfather in 2013. The store, located within White Bridge Auto Wash, is the perfect spot to get anything from cookbooks to toys to jewelry and more, many from local suppliers. Best of all, you can leave with a clean car after you shop.

2006 SARAH (CLEETON) SHANLEY graduated on November 6, 2019, from Trinity College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland, with a Master of Science in Digital Marketing Strategy. The master’s program is ranked number one globally, and her dissertation concerning consumer segmentation in social media marketing within the craft beer industry was awarded the highest marks in the program. She lives in Dublin with her husband, Seamus Shanley.

2007 VINNY CASHA AND INGA (CERNEI) CASHA ’08 have been married nearly eight years and are proud parents of three boys and a girl. Vinny works as a Product Manager for iHeart Radio, which just launched its second headquarters in Nashville. Inga started her own interior design firm, Studio Grey.

2011 KATE (SHOWERS) BYRD, an associate staff member in MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory’s Advanced Sensors and Techniques Group, was recently named one of Aviation Week Network’s 20 Twenties for 2020. Byrd was nominated for the award by Harvard University, where she studied electrical engineering from 2018 to 2019. The award recognizes the top science, technology, engineering, and math undergraduate and graduate students for academic excellence, research projects, and contributions made to the broader community.

Kate makes it her mission to find and encourage talented young individuals. She is the COO for Girls Who Build, a nonprofit program that teaches high school students engineering concepts through hands-on workshops.

2015 CAROLINE KOLE (formerly Kudelko) continues to perform and write as she grows as a singer-songwriter. In June, she appeared on NBC’s Songland reality show where she competed to have her song recorded by Ben Platt of Pitch Perfect and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist fame.

2015 JED RAYNES recently earned his Certified Public Accountant designation by the State of Ohio and is a Deals Transaction Services Financial Due Diligence Associate at PwC in Washington, DC.

2017 EDUARDO GONZALES, a senior general engineering major at Elon University, pivoted his summer plans into a new business when his internships were cancelled. He started Music City Sanitizing Services with earnings from another business he started last year. Using electrostatic spraying technology, the company cleans other businesses with products that are nontoxic, eco-friendly, and have been EPA-registered. Visit mcsanitizing.com to learn more about Eduardo’s innovative company.

Will Turner ’19

After his graduation from Father Ryan in 2019, most of WILL TURNER’S friends and classmates enjoyed a few weeks of summer before getting ready for their first semester away at college.

Will, on the other hand, was packing his bags for a more unique destination.

The former Irish soccer star decided to take a gap year before joining the Lipscomb Mustangs soccer squad, and that decision produced a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Will, who has been enthusiastic about travel, religion, and foreign cultures his entire life, received a YES Abroad Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. This provided him the opportunity to travel to Senegal, in West Africa, for a year of studying French and cultural immersion. Will was placed in the 11th grade at Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart in English), a private Catholic high school.

Despite its Catholic name, however, about half of the school’s student body is Muslim.

“I am so thankful for this humbling experience,” says Will, who is starting his college career at Lipscomb, “which opened to me a door to explore the Muslim culture. From my hospitable classmates, I was able to learn the aspects of Muslim culture that most Americans would consider peculiar, such as always presenting items or directions with the right hand yet giving rewards or gifts with both hands.”

Will could tell stories for days about his experience, and he left feeling that he really got the most out of his YES Abroad Scholarship.

“The central theme of the program,” he said, “is ‘not good, not better, just different.’ It’s all about understanding those with a different background than you.”

From Mr. Robert Kent ’74’s English classes to playing soccer with his best friends, Will has fond memories of his Irish days. Yet if his first year as an alumnus is any evidence of what the future holds, Will’s memories and experiences will only continue to get more storied with time.

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Weddings fall 2020

Britney Jones ’04 “I have the best job in the world.”

That’s how BRITNEY JONES ’04, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of Clinical Dentistry at Minot Air Force Base describes her work. Keeping a busy schedule, Britney is in charge of active-duty patient care and dental schedules for the North Dakota base, which boasts a population of over 5,000.

Britney’s path to the Air Force was influenced by her older sister, Chief Kaleah (Jones) Belin ‘94, who encouraged her to enlist. “My original plan was to attend nursing school at Aquinas College, but I was ready to spread my wings and not live at home with my parents anymore,” says Britney, with a laugh.

Since enlisting, the Air Force has taken Britney to all corners of the globe, including Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Italy and Hawaii. While she initially planned on becoming a nurse in the USAF, she soon realized that she had a love of not only dentistry, but also leadership and mentorship. “My job allows me to mentor individuals and officers who are both just getting started and much older than me. I love knowing that I am helping someone to understand something and grow personally and professionally. It’s so rewarding,” she reflected.

Patrick and Emily Carr

Marissa and Desmond Fracundus

Hailey and Joseph Petty

ANDREA FERRER '05 and Yoann Buidin were married on October 10, 2019, in his hometown of Armentières, France. Family and friends joined in the joyous celebration from all four corners of the globe. The wedding party included Andrea's sister, Pilar Ferrer '09, her brother, Carmen Ferrer '11 and her best friend, Sarah Arntz '05. Andrea and Yoann have called France home since 2016, with Andrea working in Paris as the Internship Program Coordinator at IES Abroad and Yoann working just south of Paris as a Campus and Guest Experience Manager at ECLA. EMILY (MOSELEY) '14 and Patrick Carr were married on June 6, 2020 at St. Henry Catholic Church in Nashville. The couple lives in Nashville.

MARISSA (MARTUCCI) '12 and Desmond Facundus were married in November 2019. The couple lives in Woodbridge, Virginia.

OLIVIA SCRUGGS '17 and ELLIOTT GILD '17 were married on June 20, 2020 and live in Franklin.

HAILEY STRICKLAND '09 and Joseph Petty were married on September 28, 2019 in Waynesville, NC in the mountains.

While she’s now based in North Dakota, Britney enjoys visits back to her hometown of Nashville, where she always links up with her best friends from Father Ryan, whom she still communicates with daily. “Lena [Derrick ‘04], Allyson [(Agbunag) Lorance ‘04], Pamela [(Galvin) Wegenka ‘04], and I will meet up for Mexican food and margaritas, and we’ll just talk about life and laugh for hours. They love to fill me in on how Nashville is growing and changing,” she said.

When asked about a favorite Father Ryan memory, Britney quickly answers that it was her senior year when she decided to join the Cheerleading Team at the encouragement of friends. “I was always very anxious about doing things that I felt made me the center of attention, so I had put off cheerleading,” she remembered.

“When I finally tried out and made the team, everyone was so nice and asked me why I hadn’t been cheering all four years! It was such a pivotal experience that helped me get out of my shell and become more open in life.”

From running the dental operations at a major U.S. Air Force base to going out with lifelong friends, Britney is living proof that a fulfilling life consists of a rewarding career that you’re passionate about, a positive attitude, and great friends who always have your back.

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Class Notes, Births, Weddings, and In Memoriam news in this issue reflect information received by September 30, 2020.

Do you have news to share with Ryan Nation? Send it along with photos to alumni@fatherryan.org. Be sure to include new contact information, including mailing address, email, and cell phone.

Births fall 2020

In Memoriam fall 2020

WILLIAM “BILL” ANDREWS ’64: Brother of John Andrews ’65, Joan (Andrews) Bell, Susan (Andrews) Brindle, David Andrews, and Miriam (Andrews) Lademan ’77.

JAMES AUGUSTINE ’61: Brother of John Augustine (deceased), Joe Augustine ’76, and Susan (Augustine) Mayes.

Eleanor Joan Alberstadt

Thomas Joseph Brunn

Samuel Brian Nerstad

Mary Louise Ghanem

Carmen Hill Newsom

Imogen May Grubbs

Sterling Wyatt Scruggs

FRANKLIN E. “FRANK” BALLINGER ’50.

HELEN (FLOERSH) BARE ’85: Daughter of Frank Floersh, Sr. ’42 (deceased) and sister of John Floersh ’70 (deceased), Frank Floersh II ’72, Angela (Floersh) Mayo, Monica Floersh, Ann (Floersh) Quarterman ’74, Laura (Floersh) Moore ’77, and Julia (Floersh) Pierce ’80.

ROSE REILLY BARNARD: Wife of Mike Barnard ’56, and mother of Debbie (Barnard) Lewis ’81 and Michelle (Barnard) Ignatz ’91.

JEAN BERRY: Wife of George Berry ’51.

DANIEL BOWE: Brother of Rachel (Bowe) Aholt ’94 and Sarah (Bowe) Hackett ’97.

STEPHEN L. “STEVE” CAMPBELL ’66.

Bo Patrick Sneed

Vivian Lee Whitney

Eleanor Joan to LESLIE and KEITH '91 ALBERSTADT, born on February 11, 2020.

Thomas Joseph to CAROLYN and JOEY '10 BRUNN, born on May 30, 2020.

Mary Louise to ANGELA (GRIFFITH) '06 and DANIEL GHANEM ('05), born on February 10, 2020.

Imogen May to SHAUN and AMY GRUBBS (FACULTY), born on July 28, 2020. She joins big brother Sam. Samuel Brian to SHONA (BURNS) '93 and BRIAN NERSTAD, born January 29, 2019, in Louisville, CO. He joins big sisters, Elyssa, Julianna, and Kinsley.

Carmen Hill to REBECCA (HASSELL) '01 and PATRICK NEWSOM, born on May 30, 2020 in Nashville. She joins big brother Hayes.

Charles Matthew to LESLIE and TOMMY '02 RAGSDALE, born on November 1, 2019.

Sterling Wyatt to JENNIFER (CATIGNANI) '01 and MICHAEL SCRUGGS, born on July 7, 2020. Sterling joins big sister, Sadie Mae. Bo Patrick to DIANA (SHELTON) '06 and BRIAN SNEED, born on February 25, 2020. He joins big sisters, Lucy (5) and Lila (3) and is the fifth grandchild for Karen (Glaser) '81 and John Sneed '81 (Faculty).

Vivian Lee to KRISTEN (VOGT) '06 and JOSEPH WHITNEY, born July 10, 2020. She joins big sister, Olivia.

WILLIAM “BUDDY” CARL ’56.

MATT CLUNAN: Brother of Diane (Clunan) Rector, Richard (deceased), Doug, Bill, John, and Patrick ’90 Clunan (Kristie Quirk ’90).

CHRISTOPHER B. COOPER ’93.

EDGAR DAVIE: Father of Shawn Davie ’83, Dorinda Davie ’84, Michael Davie, Brian Davie, Colleen Davie Janes ’88, Patrick Davie 89, Erin Davie ’95, and Rosetta Smedley.

LARRY DILL: Husband of Shelly (Walker) Dill ’76.

JAMES P. “PAUL” DONNELLY ’83: Father of Dennis ’14 and Anna Donnelly and brother of Kay (Donnelly) Swinehart, and Lolo (Donnelly) Hobbs (both deceased), Bubba ’69, Steve ’72, Mike ’74, Mary Lynn Donnelly, Rita Ann (Donnelly) Holiman, and Denise (Donnelly) Beaty.

BETSY JEAN DORTCH: Wife of Jerry Dortch ’50.

AILEEN ETTER: Father of Christopher, Angela ’74, and Rita ’79 Etter.

PAUL FORSTER: Father of Bob ’75, Paul ’76 (deceased), and Jerry ’79 Forster and Sue (Forster) Craven ’89.

PETE FRANCESCON ’41: Brother of Sam ’49 and Vic ’49 Francescon.

PATRICIA GALBRETH: Mother of Bill ’73, Mike ’74 (deceased), Stevie (deceased), Joe ’79 Galbreth, and Patty (Galbreth) Stephens ’75.

ESTHER GEBHARD: Mother of Mary Hausman (Faculty).

GEORGE GLASGOW ’54: Brother of Clayton ’47 (deceased), John ’50, and Frank ’60 Glasgow.

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In Memoriam fall 2020 through August 31, 2020

JANE GMITTER: Mother of Kirsten (Gmitter) Rollins ’94 (Jeff ’94).

ROBERT GOINS: Husband of Rachael (Howington) Goins ’78 and father of Aaron Goins ’09, Angela (Goins) Higgins, April (Goins) Kidd, and Ashley (Goins) Jones.

CAROLE (GUESS) LINDSEY: Sister of Harry Guess ’68, William Guess ’73 (deceased), Francis Guess (deceased), Ann (Guess) Nga ’77, and Tina Guess ’81.

EMMA GUNN: Mother of Leonard Gunn ’70, Virginia Gunn (deceased), and Jake Daniel Gunn III (deceased).

BRIDGETT HEIL ’91: sister of Marty Heil ’88.

PATSY (KRENSON) HIBBETT: Mother of Tommy ’70, Bobby ’72, Chris ’78, and Scottie ’80 Wison, Mittie (Wilson) Hale ’74, and Kathy (Wilson) Moseley ’83 (deceased), and sister of Bobby Krenson (deceased), Gilbert Krenson ’47, and Mickey (Krenson) Beazley.

MARY ELIZABETH HICKMAN: Sister of Daniel (deceased) and Richard ’56 Hiller.

JOYCE (BAUMAN) HOBBS: Mother of David Hobbs, Jr. ’89, and sister of Frank ’51, Richard, Donald ’54, and Sallie Bauman (all deceased).

ERIC “EJ” JOHNSON: Brother of Lance ’72 (deceased) and Kirk ’76 Johnson, and Jeanne Burton (Tony Herrera ’68).

MICHAEL V. JOHNSON ’67: Brother of Terry ’68 and Ken ’72 Johnson.

PAT KELLEY ’64: Father of Katie (Kelley) Nourse, PK Kelley ’90, and Natalie Kelley ’94 (deceased) and Brandy (Kelley) Jones.

PATRICK KEMP: Brother of Diedra (Kemp) Moore (deceased), Mike Kemp, Mark Kemp, and Jimmy Kemp ’65 (deceased).

FRANK KERRIGAN, JR. ’62: Father of Toni (Kerrigan) Brindley, Tracey (Kerrigan) Johnson, and Mark Kerrigan ’92 and son of Frank Kerrigan, Sr. ’36 (deceased).

VIRGINIA LEPORE: Mother of Michael, Erica, and Fred ’88 LePore.

JOHN “MURRAY” LYNCH, JR. ’55: Son of John Lynch ’27 (deceased); father of John Murray Lynch ’80 (Brenda ’80), Michael Lynch ’90, Thomas Lynch ’94, and Janice (Lynch) McCaddin ’88; and brother of Carol (Lynch) Moss and Nicky Lynch ’56 (deceased).

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CAROL MEIERS FIKE: Daughter of Ed Meiers ’50 (deceased) and sister of Lisa Meiers Smith, Joe ’80, Mark Curran ’84, and Amy ’85 Meiers.

JOANN MILLER: Wife of Steve Miller III ’62, and sister of Dal Caudle, Jr. ’65 and Barbara Caudle.

ALLEN MITCHELL ’69: Son of John Mitchell ’40 (deceased).

DEBBIE (SERFASS) MORALES ’85: Wife of Jeff Morales ’77, and sister of Karen (Serfass) Stamps ’76 (Joe ’78), Donna (Serfass) Wolfe ’78, and Ron Serfass ’80 (deceased).

MIKE NEELEY ’74: Husband of Lynne (Einstman) Neeley ’74; son of Frank Neeley ’51 (deceased); and brother of Patrick Neeley (deceased), Vince Neeley ’73, Pam (Neeley) Gregory ’74, Theresa (Neeley) Lawrence (Tony ’77), Tim Neeley ’81, and Frank Neeley ’85.

GREG NELLEY: Brother of John Nelley, Jr. ’67, Glenn Chasser, Chad Chasser, Lance Chasser (deceased), Cynthia Chaucer, Kathleen Guice, and Noreen Dupree.

ZETIA PATTERSON: Mother of John ’82, Chris ’85, Katie ’90 Patterson and Ann (Patterson) Ritter ’88.

EDMOND “ED” PITT: Husband of Linda (Doctor) Pitt ’ 71 and father of Jennifer ’12, Anna, and Benjamin Pitt.

THOMAS QUINN ’68: Brother of Diane (Quinn) Dickman (deceased), Daniel Quinn ’72, Patricia (Quinn) Halterman, and Kevin Quinn.

POLLY RILEY: Wife of Jospeh Riley ’44 (deceased) and mother of Pat ’66, Bill ’68, Mike ’70 (deceased), Tim ’74, and Karen Riley.

MICHAEL RILEY ’70: Son of Joseph Riley ’44 (deceased) and brother of Pat ’66, Bill ’68, Tim ’74, and Karen Riley.

Patrick ’86, and Beth ’95 (deceased) Shockney.

MARK SOLESBY ’95: Brother of Adam Solesby (Jennifer Morgan ’95).

JEAN STACEY: Mother of Paul Stacey, Jr. ’67 and Lisa (Stacey) Parkes.

BONNIE STURGES: Mother of Tia (Sturges) Fulks ’81, Sonya (Sturges) Cesnik ’83 (Joe ’83), and Ralph “Trey” Sturges III. THOMAS SWINT ’60.

CYNTHEA TAYLOR: Wife of Richard Taylor, Sr. ’49 (deceased) and mother of Rick ’73, Jeff ’75; and Scott ’78 Taylor and Mary Bernasconi.

MARGARET “BITSY” THOMPSON: Wife of Walt Thompson ’43 (deceased); mother of David, Francis, and Bill ’81 Thompson, Peggy (Thompson) Howell, and Patricia (Thompson) Hendrick; and sister of Rev. John Higgins, MM (deceased), Judge Thomas Higgins ’50 (deceased), and Katherine (Higgins) Brogden.

RICHARD VERBOSKY ’68.

SAGE WARREN ’17: Brother of Quinn ’18 and Jude Warren.

TIMI (HUEY) WINTER ’84: Sister of Lynn (Huey) Crowell ’80, Dani (Huey) Willard, and Jeff Huey ’83 (deceased).

ALEX LEE WISE: Son of Lance Wise ’91.

HELEN YATES: Widow of Jerry Glaser ’54 (deceased) and sister of Eleanor Bledsoe (deceased), Rosemary DeGraauw (Jaques ’54 deceased), Cecilia Marchesi, and Daniel Hunley ’69.

ROBERT E. “BOBBY” YOUNG ’50: Brother and Sue Ann (Young) Brown (all deceased).

CAROL ROSE: Mother of Jim Rose ’82 and Mike Rose ’89 (Lori ’89).

JONATHAN SCHEELE: Brother of Christopher Scheele ’89, Jackson Balthrop, and Elizabeth Balthrop.

RONALD SERFASS, SR: Father of Karen (Serfass) Stamps ’76 (Joe ’78), Donna (Serfass) Wolfe ’78, Ronnie Serfass ’80 (deceased), and Debbie (Serfass) Morales ’85 (deceased, Jeff ’77).

WILLIAM L. “BILL” SHEA, JR. ’46.

SHIRLEY SHOCKNEY: Mother of Donnie ’74,

CORRECTION: The previous edition of the Irish Ayes incorrectly stated that Jeannie Wynne is the mother of Joe ’78 and Mike ’80 Wynne. She is the stepmother of Joe and Mike. We regret the error.

A Viking Farewell to an Irish Giant

MURRAY LYNCH ’55 cast a large and imposing shadow on every venue he entered. Whether walking the hallways, teaching in the classroom, patrolling the sidelines, or playing on the fields, Coach Lynch commanded your attention. So it was only appropriate that his family would send him off in an imposing manner.

We all know that when Murray Lynch asked you to do something, you did it. When Murray told his family that he wanted a Viking funeral, one where he might float on a funeral boat across the lake where his family so often gathered, they said yes. Following his passing in April, they gathered at the lake home, crafted as sea-worthy a craft as you’d ever see, placed a few of his ashes on the boat, lit the flame, and cast it to the waves. It was a sight that touched them all.

While his passing may have evoked Viking lore, Murray Lynch was born to wear the Irish purple. His father, John M. Lynch, Sr. ’27, helped establish the Irish reputation and Lynch legacy during the early years of the school’s existence. The Lynch family tree includes Murray’s brother, Nicky ’56 (deceased), his daughter Janice Lynch McCaddin ‘88, his sons John ’80 (Brenda ’80), Michael ’90 (Erin), and Thomas ’94 (Lindsey), and several grandchildren who are graduates, students, or future Irish.

Enrolling at Father Ryan in September of 1951, Coach Lynch, as he was most frequently called, left a strong mark on the campus. An accomplished athlete, he played football, basketball and baseball for the Irish.

He and his classmates began their senior year in September 1954 by making history. When school opened, they welcomed African-American students from Immaculate Mother Academy and other area schools into the classrooms and became the first integrated school in the city and the South. When Murray gathered with classmates – white and Black – in 2014 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of that event, they laughed about competition on the court and the classroom and the lifetime friendships that were formed among that special class.

on me as he did on countless students who looked up to him during his almost four decades at the school. His love for the school was deep, his concern for the students was genuine, and his Irish spirit was on display throughout his life. We have lost another giant in the Father Ryan pantheon. As we pray for his family, we thank him and them for all he provided and all he continues to mean to Father Ryan.”

After graduation from St. Bernard College in Cullman, Alabama, in 1959 and advanced studies at Peabody College, Coach Lynch joined the Father Ryan faculty in 1960, teaching Economics. He assumed the position of Assistant Principal in 1969 with responsibility for school discipline, and many a student made certain that he or she didn’t land in Mr. Lynch’s office. He continued in this position through his retirement from teaching in 1998.

Principal Paul Davis ‘81 added, “I am indebted to his support and the respect he showed me when I moved into his position in the summer of 1998 upon his retirement. He was consistent in checking on me each time he was on campus. For that I am grateful. I will miss him and his stories of old at Father Ryan. His love for our alma mater was unwavering,” he concluded.

Coach Lynch was widely respected for his coaching skills, serving as an assistant football and basketball coach. He assisted Coach Bill Derrick ’48 with a number of memorable basketball teams in the 1960s, including the 1963-64 team that integrated sports in Tennessee and the 1964-65 squad that toppled mighty Pearl High School. He became the head basketball coach in 1968 and led the Irish to the state Final Four in 1974 before stepping down in 1977. He continued coaching football through 1985. For his work on and off the fields, Murray was selected as a member of the Father Ryan Athletics Hall of Fame this year.

Thank you, Coach Lynch. Sail on!

President Jim McIntyre reflected on the legacy in announcing the news.

“Murray Lynch was one of the first persons I met when I arrived in Nashville in 2004,” Mr. McIntyre said, “and he made as strong an impression

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A Look Back: 50 Years of Women at Father Ryan The year 2020 will certainly be one for the history books. While some may remember any number of crises including COVID-19 or the series of tornadoes that hit Nashville in March, this year is also one to celebrate, particularly for women. The year 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote. It is also the 50th anniversary of the first year women joined the student body of the previously all-male Father Ryan High School.

To fully celebrate these courageous women who first joined the ranks of Father Ryan students and to recognize and honor the many women who have contributed to the success of the school in the years since, we plan to honor the history of women at Father Ryan in our next issue­– Spring 2021. However, we could not let this moment in 2020 go by without recognizing the first class to walk the halls of Father Ryan.

Here is a brief look at some of the first women who called Father Ryan home.

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The first Father Ryan woman­­– and first Black student – to be selected as the school’s Homecoming Queen was TERRI (HOWSE) LINDSEY ’72 who was chosen in the fall of 1971 (her senior year).

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In 1974, MARGARET DECKBAR ADAM ’74 earned the honors of Valedictorian and National Merit Finalist, the first female to do so. She went on to a career in journalism and vigorously defended the First Amendment right to a free press.

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KAY BATEY ’74 and KAREN (HARRIS) RUSSELL ’74 were part of the first Lady Irish basketball team, and by their senior year, they had led the team to a Region championship. Both are now in the Father Ryan Hall of Fame.

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ELISABETH GRAY GWINN ’78, the daughter of long-time chemistry teacher Betty Gray, earned her PhD in physics and is nationally recognized for her teaching and mentorship of female scientists.

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The Honorable NANNETTE A. BAKER ’75 serves as Chief Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in St. Louis. She has served as a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals and became the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in 2008.

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JINX COCKERHAM came to Father Ryan as a teacher in 1970 and established the volleyball program, which she led to five state titles. She was head basketball coach for more than 25 years.

Here’s to all the women of Father Ryan. Happy Anniversary!

Answer to the Irish Pride Moment on page 26.

Here are the names of the 1992 Volleyball team members: First row, left to right: Lynn Weaver ’93, Amy Williams ’93, Colleen Sheridan ’93, Kelly Cockerham ’93, Jill Crowell ’93, Kelly Mallett ’93.

Back row: Coach Jinx Cockerham, Ellen Langdon ’95, Katie Wehby ’95, Lindsey Lynch ’95, Mandy Newsom ’95, Lara Bovine ’95, Abby Griffiths ’95, Sybil Smith ’95, Kate Maffei ’94, Tina Sevier ’94, Adrea Mondelli ’94, and Lucy Downton.

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Celebrating some of Father Ryan’s first female students (left to right from top): Elisabeth Gray Gwinn ’78; Nannette Baker ’75; Terri Howse Lindsey ’72; Margaret Deckbar Adam ’74; the 1974 Girls Basketball Team; the 1970-1971 Keyettes Service Club.

Ryan Nation has been showing its

Pu r ple Pr i d e

Our social media feeds are packed full with arts activities, athletic triumphs, and student service projects – each one showing why it is always a great day to be Irish! Follow us on social media to see our Irish community in action.

#Irish4Life Irish Ayes |

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