Creighton Prep magazine - Summer 2023

Family Legacies

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear Creighton Prep community,

In my two years here at Creighton Prep, I’ve come to relish the emotional contours of our commencement ceremonies.

Some of the joy comes from seeing our participants join a tradition that stretches back to 1878. I smile at the murmurs of our crowd when it’s announced that a graduate is the fourth or fifth generation to graduate from Creighton Prep. I love seeing our 50th anniversary jubilarians blink back unexpected tears as they celebrate the lifelong impact that their classmates and Creighton Prep have made on their lives.

I also celebrate the less obvious (but no less important) joy that comes as other graduates join the Creighton Prep story, making it a part of their own life’s legacy. Some are the first in their family to attend Creighton Prep. Others are the first in their families to graduate from high school or to attend college. Each graduate is a vital part of Creighton Prep’s story. Our own legacy grows richer with every new Man for Others that sets out from Prep into the world.

This year, we celebrate a whole new chapter in the Creighton Prep story. After seven years of studying, learning and growing at Creighton Prep, our first graduating class of Loyola Scholars joins the generations of Prep grads that came before as they set out to use their prodigious gifts and talents in generous service to the world.

This is the Prep legacy. It’s as deep as our roots at 24th Street and the long generations stretching back to our foundation in 1878. It’s as wide as the 145 years of new families, students and colleagues who have been inspired by our mission to form Men for Others who in turn transform the world. It is, in the words of our mission for the year, “an ever greater we.”

Thank you for being a part of that legacy.

In Christ’s mission,

Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ President Creighton Preparatory School

VOLUME 67 NO. 1

SUMMER 2023

PUBLISHED BY Creighton Prep

7400 Western Avenue Omaha, NE 68114-1878 (402) 393-1190 CreightonPrep.org

President Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ MSpotts@CreightonPrep.org

Executive Assistant, President's Office Colleen Kirk CKirk@CreightonPrep.org

Principal Joe Ryberg JRyberg@CreightonPrep.org

Chief Communications Officer Kellie Wostrel, APR KWostrel@CreightonPrep.org

Communications Specialist Pat Neary ‘78 PNeary@CreightonPrep.org

Chief Financial Officer

Alex Zimmerman AZimmerman@CreightonPrep.org

Vice President of Advancement Rick Berger ‘76 RBerger@CreightonPrep.org

Advancement Operations

Elaine Buescher EBuescher@CreightonPrep.org

Director of Alumni Relations Mike Beacom ‘85 MBeacom@CreightonPrep.org

Director of Events

Amy Knight AKnight@CreightonPrep.org

Principal Gift s Officer Brad Burks ‘00 BBurks@CreightonPrep.org

Gift Officer Kevin Van Winkle '02 KVanWinkle@CreightonPrep.org

Advancement Associate Terri Haller THaller@CreightonPrep.org

Donor Relations

Jennifer Jones JJones@CreightonPrep.org

Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ

IN THIS ISSUE

Family Legacies at Prep

Family lines on campus that stretch from today to long ago

Loyola Scholars: From 6th Grade to Class of 2023

The first cohort in the program completes their Prep journey

Meet Bill Gotch ‘91

An interview with our new principal

Alumni in Technology

What they’re working on and where they think technology is going

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

Grandparents Day

The Heider Center at Creighton Prep Register at CreightonPrep.org/Grandparents.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 2023

Creighton Prep Sports Night with Professional Golf Legend Lee Trevino

The Heider Center at Creighton Prep Register at CreightonPrep.org/SportsNight.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Men for Others Golf Tournament

Omaha Country Club

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023

Mother-Son Mass and Breakfast

Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha La Vista Hotel & Conference Center

Word on Fire Bibles

A gift of faith to all at Prep from Bill Drexel ‘74

PrepConnects Connecting alumni all over the world

The AMDG Fund Donate today at CreightonPrep.org/Give

Prep News Highlights from Campus

Table Tennis Scores Big Building a community one serve at a time

Grandparents Day at Prep

This first-ever event packs the Sullivan Center

Regional Gatherings Meeting with alumni from coast to coast

Winter & Spring Athletics

The latest achievements from the basketball court to the trapshooting range

Alumni Updates Here & There

24 25

BASH 2023

The most successful in school history

Junior Jays Go Pro in Soccer

Former Prep stars on the pitch for Union Omaha and Orlando City SC

26

In Memoriam Please Remember

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023

Loyola Dinner of Honor and Distinction

The Sullivan Center at Creighton Prep

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2023

Alumni Memorial Mass

The Sullivan Center at Creighton Prep

NOVEMBER 20 - DECEMBER 5, 2023

Christmas eBASH

CreightonPrep.org/BASH

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2023

Operation Others Delivery Day

Check CreightonPrep.org/OO for warehouse location and details.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2023

Advent Family Mass

The Sullivan Center at Creighton Prep

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2024

8th Grade Scholarship & Entrance Exam Visit CreightonPrep.org/Admissions to learn more.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2024

Father-Son Mass and Breakfast

Embassy Suites by Hilton Omaha La Vista Hotel & Conference Center

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2024

6th and 7th Grade Pre-Entrance Exam Visit CreightonPrep.org/Admissions to learn more.

MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024

Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony

The Sullivan Center at Creighton Prep

LEGACIES AT PREP: MORE THAN A CENTURY OF TRADITION THE BUCKLEYS

Matthew Buckley ‘82 surmised recently that his grandfather James Anthony Buckley† from the class of 1920 was encouraged by his parents to attend Creighton Prep because of its Catholic heritage and the fact that it was already well-established at that time as a center of educational and formative excellence in the Omaha community.

Of course, young James’s parents could not have known then that their decision to send him to Prep would bear fruit with the attendance of three more generations of Buckley men: his son James Allan Buckley ‘49 †; his sons Terry Buckley ’79, James Buckley ‘81, Matthew Buckley ‘82 and Timothy Buckley ‘83; Terry’s sons Patrick Buckley ‘12 and Joe Buckley ‘21; and Matthew’s sons Matthew Buckley ‘18 , Michael Buckley ‘19, Brendan Buckley ‘21 and Conor Buckley ‘21

“We’re very proud of our family’s legacy, and especially grateful for the education and opportunities that Prep has given our family,” said Matthew ‘82 .

Since 1878, Creighton Prep’s mission to form men of faith, scholarship, leadership and service has been passed down through generations of faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends of the school by the examples they have set in their daily lives for others around them and for those who follow in their footsteps.

The following are just a few examples of the Prep families whose lines of alumni at the school stretch back three generations or more from the present to a place near or beyond the century mark.

His son Matthew ‘18 , who graduated from Rockhurst University last spring with a degree in civil engineering, went even further. “A Prep education teaches you more than what’s in the curriculum. It taught me how to think through complex situations and forced me to work harder than I had before. These attributes have prepared me for anything life has thrown at me.”

Michael ‘19 mentioned his “immense'' gratitude for his Prep education that has driven him to “strive for the magis” and find ways to “intersect” his faith life with his “professional endeavors.” He also counted his dad Matthew ‘82 and his grandfather, the former Nebraska District Court Judge Hon. James A llan Buckley ‘49 †, as “incredible inspirations,” who in addition to their work in the legal profession, “kept faith at the center of their lives.”

Today, Michael continues his work as a Man for Others by assisting with his parish’s youth ministry program, attending a weekly Alpha church group and participating in service opportunities at Creighton University, where he recently graduated and is scheduled this fall to begin work on a Master of Finance degree.

Brendan and Conor also mentioned their father, Matthew ‘82 , as a true Man for Others and credited the Prep experience as very important in the development of their family. Brendan remarked on “the values it instills in each person” and Conor noted the service and leadership opportunities that pushed them to “grow in many ways.”

Brendan has gone on from Prep to study and play basketball for Morningside University (the current Great Plains Athletic Conference champions), and Conor attends Creighton University, where he is planning a double major in finance and accounting.

† Denotes Deceased

classes at the school in the fall

Lampert ‘26 , who just completed his freshman year in 2023.

In between those two milestones separated by 116 years was also the attendance at Prep of Thomas ‘11’s sons John Francis “Jack” Dineen ‘38† , Thomas Dineen ‘40 † and Richard Dineen ‘42†; his grandsons Thomas Dineen ‘67 † , Daniel Dineen ‘78 , Edward Dineen ‘81 and Richard Dineen ‘83; his great-grandsons Thomas Dineen ‘90, Michael Prendergast ’98 , Patrick Prendergast ’00, Brian Nelsen ‘05, William Dineen ’10, Cale Dineen ’12 ,

THE DINEENS

Kevin Dineen ‘13 and Stephen Reynolds ‘14 ; and his great-great-grandsons Swartz ‘20 and Paul Lampert ‘22

“While I don’t know the specifics of why my father and grandfather went to Prep, they were a family of strong faith and good athletes,” said Daniel ‘78 my dad was influenced by both, and he went on to be a star athlete in multiple sports at Prep.”

In fact, his dad Thomas Dineen ‘40 † was one of the best athletes in Creighton Prep history, and helped the legendary Prep coach Maurice H. “Skip” Palrang to football and basketball state championships in his final year of coaching at the school. Thomas would go on play brilliantly at halfback for Coach Palrang on the last Creighton University football team then to a career in high school teaching, coaching and insurance work.

Service through teaching and coaching also played a prominent role in the life of his son Thomas ‘67. In addition

In looking back on the impact of Prep on his family, Daniel ‘78 remarked, “I think it reinforced the values we grew up around.” He also said that “friendships and community” were the things that stood out for him in his experience as a Junior Jay.

In more recent years, the Dineen family mark on Prep athletic history has been highlighted by the accomplishments of Cale Dineen ’12 who played baseball at Prep and in college, finishing at Dayton University; Kevin Dineen ‘13, who played basketball and golf at Prep and then went on to play hoops for the Lopers of the University of Nebraska at Kearney; and Paul Lampert 22 , who was a standout pole vaulter on the track & field team and shares the school record in that event.

THE MCCASLINS

It was the early 20th century. Omaha native Elizabeth “Bess”

O’Connor had moved to North Dakota for a teaching position at a small country school. All seemed to be going well except that she was having problems keeping the furnace fire going on cold days. When word spread that she needed help, George McCaslin, who had moved from his native Canada to that area, answered the call.

Today, the fire they lit together in faith and matrimony still burns bright. They had 13 children with nearly all born after a move to Omaha, including eight sons who attended Prep and, of those, five who chose the religious life: Fr. Edward McCaslin ‘33† , William McCaslin ‘35† , Thomas McCaslin ‘36 † , Fr. James McCaslin ‘45† , Fr. John (Jack) McCaslin ‘47 † , Dr. Joseph McCaslin ‘49, Fr. Richard McCaslin, SJ ‘52† and Fr. R. Patrick McCaslin ‘53.

Of their four sisters, Claire became a Sinsinawa Dominican nun.

How did so many of the McCaslin children make the commitment to religious vocations? Elizabeth’s deep faith was a great influence on them as was their experience at Holy Angels school and church in North Omaha. “Church was the center of family life,” said grandson Mart y McCaslin ‘80. “Fr. P. A. Flanagan (Holy Angels parish founder and brother of Boys Town founder Fr. Edward J. Flanagan) was also a giant of a figure in their lives.”

The inspirations were many in that group for Marty and his seven brothers in the Theresa and Dr. Joseph McCaslin ‘49

THE MCGILLS

Ed McGill ‘85, reflected on the long line of men in his family to graduate from Creighton Prep. The McGill family legacy started with his grandfather James Francis McDermott ‘11† . However, he recalls that his grandmother was the great-niece of the Creighton family who started Creighton School in 1878.

All nine brothers attended Prep: Jim McGill ‘84 , Ed McGill ‘85, Pat McGill ‘86 , Tom McGill ‘88 , Jack McGill ‘92 , Dave McGill ‘94 , Dan McGill ‘96 , Art McGill ‘98 , and Ray McGill ‘01. His family extends into brothers-in-law, cousins, uncles and his wife Beth’s side of the family, the Carlisles. His sons are part of that legacy, including Joe McGill ‘18 , Nick McGill ‘20, incoming junior Luke McGill ‘25 and incoming freshman Matt McGill ‘27

“Prep was an outstanding education, which is one of the essentials for success in life,” said Ed. “All of us went on to college, graduated from college and got a good education, and Prep helped make that possible. It certainly prepared us

family who also attended Prep: John McCaslin ‘76 , Patrick McCaslin ‘77, Dr. James McCaslin ‘79, , Thomas , Paul McCaslin ‘91 and Edward McCaslin ‘94 . For the next generation of Prep McCaslins, too: Michael McCaslin ‘98 , Joseph McCaslin ‘15, Timothy McCaslin ‘16 and Matthew McCaslin ‘21

“Honestly, the list is so long that I could provide pages of examples,” answered Marty ‘80 when asked about the Men for Others in his family. “Fr. Jack was a champion of civil rights who marched with Martin Luther King and was a longtime advocate for the vulnerable

and disadvantaged. My father Joe worked as a physician until he was 80, often for those with little means, which led to decades of pro bono medical care. Fr. Pat was a founder of the Omaha diaconate and, like Fr. Jack, an advocate for those on society’s margins. Fr. Jim was a Columban missionary priest whose 50 years in ministry spanned decades in the Philippines then in Hong Kong with Filipino expatriates.”

The depth of the McCaslin and Dineen legacies at Prep is reflected in the fact that there has been either a McCaslin or Dineen family member at the school for the past 90 years. The most recent? Current science teacher Abigail McCaslin, who is married to Timothy McCaslin ‘16

academically, and I think it helped us all on our faith journey through retreats and the things that you get at Prep that you don’t necessarily find at other schools.”

Ed and his brothers graduated from St. Margaret Mary in Omaha, and from there, Prep just seemed like the natural choice. All of his brothers enjoyed their experience, made lifelong friends, got a great education and learned the values of service and faith. He credits Prep for making the men in his family Men for Others.

What really stands out to Ed are the friendships that he made and the connections that Prep graduates have years later. “They call it the Prep brotherhood, and it’s not just people who were my classmates, but people who may have graduated a number of years before or since,” he added. “It truly is a

brotherhood, and that’s what stands out for me now, seeing my classmates or other Prep grads and being involved in the school as a parent.”

For the McGills and Carlisles, the Prep experience goes deeper than education. It’s a family affair. Fr. Timothy Lannon, SJ, former president of Creighton Prep, married Ed and Beth in 1993. In 1996, Beth McGill’s father William Carlisle, D.D.S. ‘51 was inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year that Ed’s mother Ann McGill received the Ancilla Domini Award.

As for his sons, Ed wants them to continue the legacy and have an outstanding experience like he had as a student.

“I want them to continue on, to form friendships and form their faith, and get an excellent education. To be wellgrounded in a life of service. There’s no place else we would consider sending our sons.”

FIRST CLASS OF LOYOLA SCHOLARS GRADUATE FROM CREIGHTON PREP

In 2016, a group of rising sixth grade boys were selected as the first class to participate in Loyola Scholars, the Heider Academic & Leadership Achievement Program. The students were selected based on their proven academic performance and leadership potential. Along with their families’ support, they made the commitment to attend classes on Saturdays during the school year and a month in the summer. After completing the three year program, they were provided a scholarship to attend Creighton Prep.

Those young boys, now alumni, graduated as seniors from Creighton Prep on May 21, 2023.

“I was filled with so much joy at graduation,” said Jeni Martinez, Director of Loyola Scholars. “To be part of such a great moment for these young men and their families was really exciting! Seven years is a long time to work toward something, so it was a true moment of celebration. And to now be able to have this message of hopeful promise to pass on to the classes coming up behind these first graduates is awesome and inspiring.”

When Loyola Scholar students start the program the summer before sixth grade, they attend English L anguage A rts, math and science classes. They also work with technology in the ToMorrow Labs and produce art that gets displayed in a student art show. Prep alumni are incredibly important to the program and provide Loyola Scholars the opportunity to experience firsthand different career fields.

“It’s just a tremendous program,” said David Haller ‘80, who is a pilot and an alumni volunteer. “Being involved with it has shown me that just a casual interaction or communication can mean so much to a student.”

Meeting David inspired graduating senior Manuelli (Manny) Bakou ‘23 to pursue aviation in his academic career. As part of the Loyola Scholars program, Manny attended a field trip to Air Methods. He met David, who showed the students around the planes and answered questions. David later invited Manny and his father to fly with him.

“It is wonderful to see students develop in so many aspects over these seven years,” added Jeni. “I love it most when you see them have their ‘aha’ moments for themselves. When they overcome something, discover something, connect the dots, have a reflection or realization of an experience. To then see their face light up as they share that with you ... that is what it is all about. I am proud to get to be a part of their journey of growth. I am proud to get to walk with these students, to get to look them in the eye and say, ‘You are special, you are one of a kind, you are AMAZING feel that, know that, and gift that back to God in how you live!’"

Scan the QR code to watch a video that celebrates the Loyola Scholars program and its first class of graduating seniors.

Fr. Nathan Wendt,SJ who helped start the program in 2016, and Director of Loyola Scholars Jeni Martinez pose with Diego Olmedo ‘23 at the first Loyola Scholars Senior Dinner.

From left to right: Jeni Martinez, Scott Heider ‘81, Fr. Nathan Wendt, SJ, Cindy Heider and President Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ.

Scholar Manuelli (Manny) Bakou ‘23 with Creighton Prep President Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ at graduation. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Johnson Photography.

GETTING TO KNOW BILL GOTCH ‘91

INCOMING PRINCIPAL OF CREIGHTON PREP

Our Chief Communications Officer Kellie Wostrel sat down with incoming principal Bill Gotch ‘91 to reminisce about the past and talk about the next chapter for Creighton Prep. Mr. Gotch will start his new role as principal of Prep in the fall of 2023.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF. WHO IS BILL GOTCH?

I am one of seven kids that grew up in a Catholic Omaha family. I went to Prep like my older two brothers did. What’s interesting is that my dad did not go to Prep. He and his brothers were first generation college students, and they all went to Tech High. (Technical High School was located in Omaha from 1923-1984.) However, my dad did eventually attend college at Creighton University, and he remembers seeing how academically prepared the Prep students were, and how much he needed to get up to speed just to match their ability to read, think, debate and write. He told himself at the time, “If I have boys, I’m going to make the investment and send them to school at Prep.” So, I think I’m just kind of a reflection of those moments in time. As a young boy, I remember playing basketball in my yard and at the local park with my friends wearing a yellow T-shirt that said “Future Creighton Prepster,” and I wore that shirt with absolute pride. Of course, I was going to Prep, even though we lived closer to Westside.

When I was growing up, I was someone who dreamed of leaving, but not for the wrong reasons. I was just an 80’s kid and watching movies and reading these amazing books in school, and for me, I just wanted to go to a big city and be in city life. I wanted an international feel to my future. I think I just wanted to be challenged by all of those factors, so I left. But I made a point of frequently visiting my hometown, and I always missed everyone. That’s a lot of who I am. Right now, I’m forming the next chapter of my life in real time.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN EDUCATION?

Spring of 1996, I did my student teaching at Riordan High School and Roosevelt Middle School (in San Francisco). I was in my master’s program and credential program at USF (University of San Francisco). I wasn’t immediately working full time in education. I was also a radio producer. I got an internship when I was a senior in college at a local sports station called KNBR, and they covered the Warriors, Giants, 49ers, and Raiders and all of that. And I was a radio producer there for about two and a half years while going to grad school, and I was still deciding if I wanted to be in education or not. I ended up getting a job at St. Elizabeth’s in Oakland, which has since been reconstituted into a Cristo Rey School. I was eventually teaching full time by 1997.

It's the ability to form young men into leaders... There’s a universally exportable rigor attached to Prep.

WHAT ARE YOUR OMAHA TIES? DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE FAMILY HERE?

My parents still live in Omaha. I have four sisters who live in Omaha. And my brother, who was actually out here in Santa Clara for a long time, moved back to Omaha five or six years ago.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF BEING A STUDENT AT CREIGHTON PREP?

For me, it was Freshman Retreat. It sounds like it is still really cool. It brings you to a space of spirituality and conversation and truth. I had great classes, too. Great teachers. Fr. Bill O’Leary, SJ was my World Religions teacher. Great coaches. Dave Stuva ‘74 was my swim coach. I didn’t realize how epic they were, but they were just great teachers … a lot of fun, and really hard working. Being on the swim team, the track team - those were great times. I loved Junior Encounter. I actually led the Junior Encounter my senior year, so that was awesome. I was in CLC with Fr. Terry Brennan, SJ, who has since passed. He was amazing. Just going to Friday night football games, too. I had a lot of friends on the team. Those were great memories. And watching the 1980's come to an end in high school. The Berlin Wall fell when I was in high school. The Jesuits were murdered in El Salvador when I was in high school. There are really historical memories that I have about being in those classrooms and being in those environments and talking about those things. I got my draft card the day we went to war in Kuwait, and I remember processing that in history class at the time at the start of Desert Storm. Prep and Omaha hold those memories for me.

WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT COMING BACK TO CREIGHTON PREP?

Working collaboratively with “salt of the earth” people. I’m excited to come back to people with a common shared heart, shared mind and shared values.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST IN YOUR NEW ROLE?

For the first few months, witnessing where Prep is up amidst the backdrop of all those personal memories - up against that time machine. I really just want to bear witness to where Prep is at in my estimation. And soak it all in. I‘m actually looking forward to that. You don’t get that many opportunities to do that in your career. Maybe never. I want to observe, be supportive and just notice people and see what they are going through. I want to reacquaint myself with the Prep community. So, I’m looking forward to that.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT MOVING BACK TO OMAHA?

The pizza. The pizza here in San Francisco is different. Pizza in Omaha is amazing. I’m also looking forward to spending more time with good friends and family on a day-to-day basis. You know, people I haven’t seen in a long time. Just spending time with them … hopefully while eating pizza.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL MAKES PREP SPECIAL?

It’s history. It's the ability to form young men into leaders. I think that makes it special in the city of Omaha. It kind of dovetails back to the story that I was telling you about my dad. There’s a universally exportable rigor attached to Prep. I sat down with a group of boys at Prep when I was interviewing, and there’s a certain sense of quiet confidence about them. I think that salt of the earth combination along with a really dynamic curriculum and staff, and its history - those ingredients really are special, and I look forward to celebrating all of it.

ALUMNI IN TECHNOLOGY: Remembering Prep and Looking Forward

With technology a huge part of life now and breakthroughs and new products coming at us seemingly all the time, we wanted to ask some of our alumni working in technology today about their part in it.

We asked how they felt prepared by Prep for the work they do, who if anyone at Prep was instrumental in their four-year Prep experience, where they see technology taking us and what they think Prep can do to prepare students even better for higher education, careers and lives as part of a technologybased society. Here are their answers.

“We provide data center colocation and managed services for information technology (IT) systems,” said Dominic. “Critical facility (HVAC, electrical power and physical security) and service uptime to ensure our clients' IT environments are always

online.” He noted that the business is owned by the Suzanne & Walter Scott Foundation and that all profits are used to fund scholarships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Dominic gave high marks to his college preparatory experience at CP, remarking, “The history, expectations, commitment and effort were a whole new level to me, both athletically and academically.”

(Dominic was a member of the

KYLE MCGUIRE ‘01

varsity football and wrestling teams.) He also credited the enthusiasm of former art teacher and wrestling coach Bob Willits as important to his development. “What I learned from Coach Willits didn’t drive me to IT, but it did help me excel and grind through the tough stretches of my IT career.”

From his perspective, we can count on technology to keep accelerating its reach into our daily lives, and he hopes that Prep will help “produce leaders that go further and make technology more ethical,

CRITICAL FACILITY MANAGER AT META

apps, including Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram and Quest.

Kyle’s group maintains the critical electrical power load and space conditions such as temperature and humidity levels for Meta servers in Illinois that house the “basic infrastructure and the backbone” for the company’s

“Prep played an immense role in preparing me for both college and the world around me,” said Kyle, who carried “almost a semester’s worth of credits” with him to studies in chemical engineering at Iowa State. His Prep experience also helped him in his ability to grow his community and be a Man for

Others. He noted, “This assisted me greatly early on in my career in commercial nuclear power, in building those relationships, giving a hand in work and outside of work, and taking each opportunity as it came.”

Among the faculty and staff members who Kyle remembers as influential were Fr. Bill O’Leary, SJ and Fr. Kevin Schneider, SJ, plus Dick Bayer ‘55, Dave Dow and Dave Stuva ‘74 for giving

respectful of privacy and more human.” Programs like those in the ToMorrow Labs give him great hope.

Beyond curriculum for robotics, coding and information technology, he would like to see Prep students educated in the safe and responsible use of social media, the ethical challenges of current and future technologies, and identifying “misinformation and disinformation in digital realms.”

“ PREP PLAYED AN IMMENSE ROLE IN PREPARING ME FOR BOTH COLLEGE AND THE WORLD AROUND ME. ”

him the passion to pursue his chemical engineering degree.

Kyle expects technology to grow in the use of artificial intelligence and in its needs for higher computing power. He also believes the robotics, coding and cybersecurity courses taught at Prep are “extremely important courses for the future” and that maintenance of the related systems will require “strong fluid dynamics and engineering focus classes including physics and chemistry.”

DATA CENTER CAMPUS

DOMINIC ROMEO ‘98

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AT SCOTT DATA CENTER / SCOTT MANAGED SERVICES

Jesse works as a digital product designer, and his background has included projects with companies such as Facebook, Google, eBay, Zendesk, Databricks, Figma, Brex and Calm.

Because he works primarily with technology startups “ranging from early seed-stage

JESSE HARDING ‘10

DIGITAL PRODUCT DESIGNER

all the way up through their later funding rounds,” he has had the opportunity to do a wide range of tasks for them. “Everything from their brand identity to their initial user interface design to their go-to-to market strategy and marketing materials.”

So, while the robotics and coding classes of today’s Prep were not available when he was at 74th & Western Avenue, he points to the art, creative writing and English courses that he took as critical in the

development of his “ability to think creatively and clearly communicate my ideas.”

Jesse also values what he learned in AP Psychology about how the human brain works. “Design requires empathy and the ability to understand how a diverse group of people will interact with technology,” he said. “A little psychology can go a long way towards creating more intuitive, accessible, and userfriendly products.”

He views how artificial intelligence will reshape the world as “the biggest question”

in technology, especially given the speed at which current AI models - ChatGPT-4, Stable Diffusion and DALL-E - are improving. As for preparing Prep students for the future, Jesse would like to see more courses “centered around entrepreneurship.” He explained, “If you are interested in creating new things through technology, it is almost an inevitability that one day you will want (or need) to start a company.”

“

Jacob Hedrick works for KPMG, a professional services firm, in their analytics and artificial intelligence consulting practice. In his role, Jacob helps corporations innovate and figure out how to best use their data - whether it’s a workshop to determine what is available, a project to strategize how to use data or the implementation of various

tools to manipulate, automate and visualize it. Jacob’s work helps KPMG’s clients gain value and insights, and make well-informed decisions, drive growth, manage risk and optimize cost in an evolving digital world.

“As a consultant, it is important to exhibit confidence when working with managementlevel clients,” said Jacob.

“The learning environment at Prep encouraged me to challenge myself, ask questions, and taught me valuable communication skills that I have leveraged

both professionally and personally. Further, Prep’s adoption and use of technology during my time helped me gain experience and interest in using tech in new ways.”

Jacob added that Creighton Prep Varsity Swimming and Diving Coach Tom Beck ‘84 was instrumental in helping to teach him the values of teamwork, dedication and balance as he led the team through a four-year undefeated streak and state champion titles.

PREP’S ADOPTION AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY DURING MY TIME HELPED ME GAIN EXPERIENCE AND INTEREST IN USING TECH IN NEW WAYS. ”

Jacob expects that complex technology will continue to become more available to consumers (think generative AI/ChatGPT).

“It’s important for us all to understand the implications of its use and how we can leverage it,” said Jacob. “Tech adoption is pretty much unavoidable, so we should all aim to be as flexible and open as possible as we see it being integrated into our lives more and more. ”

JACOB HEDRICK ‘15 SENIOR ASSOCIATE, ANALYTICS AND AI AT KPMG

Matthew Martin is on the vulnerability management team at John Deere, where he focuses on using tools to discover, prioritize, assess and report misconfigurations to the appropriate teams within the organization. Matthew uses tools that check every device connected to the John Deere network for a potential cyberattack. He also assists in managing their vulnerability disclosure program where

MATTHEW MARTIN ‘16 INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST, JOHN DEERE

ethical hackers can report vulnerabilities on John Deere’s digital assets through a third party.

“Coding and information security courses laid a major foundation for the career I have today in cybersecurity,” said Matthew. “Coding classes gave me an understanding of how software systems are developed and taught me how to analyze code. Information security classes gave me the fundamental principles and practices within the cybersecurity field. In my role, I have to constantly learn and analyze the new vulnerabilities that come out. "This is where

SPENCER MULLEN ‘16

I credit Prep for challenging its students to think critically and analyze data.”

Matthew added that technology instructor Ms. Nuffer was instrumental in his experience at Prep and inspired him to get into the cybersecurity field.

“She taught all my information security and coding classes, which helped me get the base to where I could succeed in college and in the future. Additionally, she was the lead for the CyberPatriot club at Prep, which participated in the Air Force Association's CyberPatriot program. Partaking in this club is what

“ CODING AND INFORMATION SECURITY COURSES LAID A MAJOR FOUNDATION FOR THE CAREER I HAVE TODAY IN CYBERSECURITY. ”

helped me realize cybersecurity is what I wanted to do for my career.”

Matthew added that technology is going to play a huge role in the future workplace.

“While I believe there are still going to be a ton of jobs that require a human to be involved, I do see a good amount of jobs being reduced due to automation that can be provided from technology."

Spencer works at Capgemini, a technology consulting firm. Companies hire Capgemini to implement business operations technology. One of his current projects includes implementing System Applications and Products (SAP) for a Fortune 100 company. Technology like SAP runs all business operations, whether it’s company sales, inventory or finances.

SENIOR CONSULTANT/IT, CAPGEMINI

Spencer credits Prep for the strong work ethic that he uses in his career today.

“It’s important to be able to juggle multiple tasks, work on various projects at once, and learn how to collaborate with different people and different teams while meeting deadlines,” said Spencer. “Prep taught me how important it is to work hard, and that’s something that I carried with me through college and into my career today.”

Spencer also said that English teacher Mr. Helton made the biggest impact on him.

“Mr Helton is one of those guys that if you were not prepared, he could see right through you. He expected a lot from us,” said Spencer. “When I’m working with clients, if I’m not prepared or don’t know what I’m talking about, they’ll see right through that. Mr Helton did a good job teaching me that early on."

Learning how to work with technology is only going to continue to become more prominent. Spencer added that knowledge of coding can be incredibly beneficial in a consulting role.

“If you can talk to a client and understand how their business

“ PREP TAUGHT ME HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO WORK HARD, AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I CARRIED WITH ME THROUGH COLLEGE AND INTO MY CAREER TODAY. ”

operates, and then be able to write code in software that can support their business, then you’ve acquired an important skill,” said Spencer. “Also, artificial intelligence is developing quickly. Every company wants to be operating on software and using technology that helps make their business more efficient, so learning how to use AI tools now would only help Prep students in the future.”

Spreading the Good News

BILL DREXEL

‘74 AND THE WORD ON FIRE BIBLES AT PREP

In March 2019, Bill Drexel ‘74 was sitting in his local Dallas area church and looking over brochures that described a range of faith-based activities with which he could engage his time, talent and treasure. One of those that sparked his interest was prison ministry.

Bill decided to take a Bible study class in preparation for that work, and he and his classmates were given digital access to the archives of Word on Fire, an organization founded by Bishop Robert Barron that encourages people to discover (or rediscover) the Catholic faith. That introduction to Word on Fire changed Bill’s life.

“I was just astounded at the quality of all the stuff,” said Bill, including the 10-part video series “Catholicism” that was developed by Bishop Barron and ran nationwide on PBS. When he learned that Word on Fire was developing a Catholic Bible, he got an advance copy to review.

“And I was just floored,” he remarked. “It’s got commentary from theologians

across the ages, interlaced within scripture where it’s most relevant, and amazing pictures with commentary from an art historian who provides Catholic insight about the artistic work in it.”

Bill told his wife how he wished that he’d had something like it in high school, and she suggested that he contact Prep to see if they wanted copies. They also contacted their son’s high school, Jesuit Dallas, with the same offer. The couple made their first donations to Prep and Jesuit Dallas students, faculty and staff in the spring of 2021 and haven’t stopped since. In fact, they have now donated the bibles to all the Catholic high schools in Nebraska and begun work in Iowa.

Prep initially gave them to students as part of a retreat, and they are used in theology classrooms today.

Director of Campus Ministry Dave Lawler ‘95 noted, “Scripture is incorporated into all of our theology classes, and the Word on Fire Bible is excellent for studying scripture.”

Senior Adam Ramasute ‘23 called volume one with the Gospels “absolutely amazing” and recounted their use in the Contemplatives in Action class taught by Tom Hoover '81

“The most amazing thing is it’s all the Holy Spirit,” said Bill. “It just keeps expanding.”

(L-R) The Word on Fire Bible: Acts, Letters and Revelation and The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels

Theology students with their Word on Fire Bibles.

Bill Drexel ‘74 (in blue sweatshirt) discussing the Word on Fire Bibles in early April with Director of Campus Ministry Dave Lawler ‘95

PrepConnects

CONNECTING ALUMNI ALL OVER THE WORLD

By: Mike Beacom, Director of Alumni Relations

Calling all Creighton Prep alumni!

If you haven't done so already, join the nearly 1,000 Prep graduates who have created a thriving community of former Junior Jays on PrepConnects.

Brian Carlin ‘ 95 said of his experience with PrepConnects: "PrepConnects has been a great way for me to find and connect with my classmates, with other Prep alumni and to promote my business and network. There is always good information on the PrepConnects home page that keeps me current with what's happening in the school and wider Prep community. I highly recommend all Prep alumni sign up and use PrepConnects."

DIRECTORY

Filters allow you to easily locate alumni by class, location, industry, and more. Moving to a new city? Organizing a global professional networking group? Want to get your class together for a holiday lunch? Enjoy search results in seconds.

MENTORING

We all have the tie that binds us as “Men for Others.” Mentoring features provide alumni the chance to offer a helping hand or find others who can give great career advice.

JOBS

Increase your chances of hiring an alum or finding a career opportunity that results from a common connection. Locate alumni whose aptitude and work ethic align with common values that began at Prep.

PHOTOS

Share good news about what’s going on in your life, at your work, among your class gatherings and more.

GROUPS

Use PrepConnects as a landing spot to create affinity or community groups among other alumni. Enjoy features such as group privacy settings, messaging and feeds to help promote conversation and collaboration.

EVENTS

Many events located on PrepConnects will be those associated with the school, but share your own events that support a local charity or a cause that is dear to you. Let Prep alumni rally around you!

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

The business directory gives you the opportunity to post your business for free — forever. You can even include links to a business website, hiring page, and more.

Since 1878, Prep's mission has been to form men of faith, scholarship, leadership and service in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition. That mission was recently celebrated on May 21 when 244 members of the class of 2023 received their diplomas and began the next chapter in their life journey. Prep's mission is also celebrated every day in the halls of Prep through campus ministry, academics, athletics, student activities and all programs that foster the Prep experience.

The AMDG Fund provides financial aid and resources that make Prep the special place it is. Vitally important, the AMDG fund bridges the gap between the cost of tuition and the actual cost of education, helping make Prep accessible to any deserving student.

Help support Creighton Prep with a donation to the AMDG Annual Fund. Your gift keeps the mission moving forward to form Men for Others who make the world a better place.

FORMING MEN FOR OTHERS THAT MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

HIGHLIGHTS from CAMPUS

JANUARY 27, 2023

Prep Shines in Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

19,000 Diapers Collected in Catholic Schools Week Service Project

Congratulations to the fine arts students on winning an amazing 95 Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, including 16 Gold Keys, 27 Silver Keys and 52 Honorable Mentions. Gold Key recipients moved on to the national competition for awards and scholarships. A highlight for Prep was the Gold Key awarded to Finn Navratil ‘23 for overall Portfolio, the highest achievement for a high school student that also gives him a chance at a $12,500 scholarship.

In March, Prep student Cameron Johnson ‘23 received the prestigious National Silver medal for his photo titled "The Point" (pictured) and fine arts teacher Rita Hermann was selected for the National Scholastic Educator Medal and Award for her role in the development of our students. Both national medals are extraordinary and rare achievements. In this year's competition alone, more than 300,000 entries were submitted, and only about 1 percent of those were recognized with national medals. The ceremony honoring national medal winners took place in New York City at Carnegie Hall on June 8.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Catholic Schools Week service project directed by the Students for Life Club to collect diapers for Catholic Charities. 19,000 diapers were collected, and they will be distributed to families in need at the Juan Diego Center food pantry.

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

All Five Robotics Teams Advance to Super Qualifier

the 2nd Place Inspire Award and Team 20077 “The Indubitables” (pictured) winning the Motivate Award and the overall competition.

The Indubitables later went on to win the FIRST Tech Challenge Colorado state title as part of a three-team alliance that set a world record for most points in a FIRST Tech Challenge competition.

MARCH 3, 2023

Campion Leadership Course Teaches Positive Social Media Use

Congratulations to all five Prep robotics teams that advanced to the super qualifier at Metropolitan Community College. (The freshman team did not compete as they chose to stay for Freshman Retreat.) The results from that tournament helped decide which teams went on to compete for the Iowa state championship on March 3-4.

At the FIRST Tech Challenge Iowa Chemical League championships at Prep prior to the super qualifier, highlights for the Junior Jays included Team 16010 “The Vamp Kings” winning the Inspire Award, Team 17116 “Hazardous Materials” winning

Earlier this year, freshman-throughjunior students took time to grow their leadership skills through the second annual Campion Leadership Course. The focus of the event was learning how to lead through positive social media use. Speakers included: Aurora Driscoll-Barker, Director of Recruitment at Creighton Prep; Sarah Haskell Peterson, Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations at Creighton University; Courtland Olson, Owner of Torva Fit Club; Jeff Slobotski, Business & Ecosystem Development at Paul G Smith Associates.

MARCH 3, 2023

Theology Classes Engage in Lenten Reconciliation

Thanks to all who helped with providing the Sacrament of Reconciliation for all the theology classes at Creighton Prep during the second week of Lent.

Over the course of four days, 14 hour-long services were conducted in the Skinner Chapel, and priests from Prep, Creighton University and the Archdiocese of Omaha were there to hear confessions.

“The services had two goals,” said Theology Teacher and Liturgy Coordinator Kelly Barth. “To give students time and space to rest and reflect on their lives in God’s presence in the chapel and to give them the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”

To help students reflect and connect with God, they had access to reading resources, prayerful music, guiding questions for an examination of conscience and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

MARCH 15, 2023

Science Bowl and Academic Decathlon Teams Excel in Regional and State Competition

Creighton Prep Science Bowl Team 1

consisting of Trevor Gregg ‘23, Cooper Morris ‘24 , Andrew Rogers ‘24 and Peter Sullivan ‘23 was victorious at the Regional Science Bowl for Nebraska in late February. The competition was focused on answering questions in astronomy, biology, chemistry, Earth and space science, physics and math. Team 1 went on to place fifth in their division at nationals in Washington D.C. at the end of April.

The Academic Decathlon team also had a great season. Earlier in February, they finished second at state in the large school division and third overall. Team members included Colin Bolay ‘24 , RJ Carney ‘24 , Ryan Eichele ‘25, Zach Ferro ‘23, Trevor Gregg ‘23, Nathaniel Kramer ‘25, Nathan Smet ‘26 , Peter Sullivan ‘23 and Peter Szalewski ‘23

APRIL 12, 2023

Chamber Choir Members Perform at Carnegie Hall

Prep fine arts students continued to impress with their talent as shown in a number of events over the recent past.

Included among them was a performance by Creighton Prep Chamber Choir members at a March 19 gathering for alumni and friends of Prep in New York City. They also performed the next evening in Carnegie Hall as part of a group that included members of a few other select high school choirs and the University of Nebraska Omaha Concert Choir.

APRIL 14, 2023

Prep Team Wins State Championship in National Economic Challenge

Two teams from Creighton Prep qualified for and competed at the Nebraska Economics Challenge State competition at the Omaha Branch of the Kansas City Federal Reserve. 1000+ Nebraska students took the qualifying exam.

Ivan Jiang ‘23, Samuel Mullin ‘23, Diarmuid Reisbig ‘23 and Colton Schmaderer ‘23 earned the State Champion title in the David Ricardo division.

Trevor Gregg ‘23, Michael Heine ‘23, Zac McCormack ‘23 and Peter Sullivan ‘23 earned the State Runner Up title in the Adam Smith division.

Congratulations to both teams on their outstanding performances at the event.

MAY 12, 2023

First Prep Medalists for N E State Journalism Awards

Congratulations to Nebraska School Activities Association State Journalism Contest winners, Mac Johnson ‘24 and Jack Van Moorleghem ‘25!

Mac placed sixth in News Feature Photography and earned the state championship spot in Sports Action Photography, and Jack placed seventh in the Info Graphic category.

These two young men are the first medalists in Prep history for State Journalism. Well done, gentlemen!

MAY 12, 2023

Athletic Trainer Bill Kleber ‘98 Receives UNO’s

Outstanding Preceptor Award

Congratulations to Bill Kleber ‘98 , ATC, on being recognized by the University of Nebraska Omaha Athletic Training Program for his outstanding effort and dedication to student clinical education. Mr. Kleber is Creighton Prep’s athletic trainer and a member of the Physical Education & Health Department.

MAY 17, 2023

District Music Success for Band and Choir

Congratulations to the Chamber Choir on their Superior Plus at the NSAA District Music Competition on Friday, April 21. They received their third superior rating in a row! In the solo competitions, Nick Ferro ‘25, Tony Garrett ‘23, and Nolan Murray ‘23 earned superiors on their performances. Additionally, Josh Bell ‘23, Caden Kowal ‘23 and Tyler Moffitt ‘23 earned excellent ratings on their solos.

Bravo also to the Creighton Prep Concert Band, which performed at the event on Thursday, April 20 and achieved a Superior (I) rating for their outstanding collaborative efforts.

Creighton Prep’s table tennis team has finished its inaugural year, with much momentum for a bright future ahead. The sport gained in popularity during the pandemic, when students gathered around tables to play ping pong as an activity that they could participate in six feet apart.

Ping Pong is one of more than 60 clubs and activities available to Prep students, and its growth has been driven by Kelly Barth, a liturgy coordinator for Campus Ministry and a Prep theology teacher. Kelly used the game as an opportunity to interact with students. At every available moment, he would jump in line and play ping pong to engage and encourage students to keep playing. “Just like I have a basketball in my locker, I carry a paddle in my bag,”

Under Kelly’s leadership, the Club started hosting Tournament Tuesdays, and the students developed their skills and fundamentals. In the fall of 2021, 37 boys tried out and 20 were chosen for a table

tennis team. It continued as a 10-person team in the spring as some boys played other sports.

“The goal for that first year was to establish some norms,” said Kelly. “We found a place in the building to practice, which was the lunchroom at the time. We purchased the equipment we needed. Two parents donated five tables, which was incredible. We bought paddles and balls and watched videos to learn more about the game. We started practicing and running drills, and we were improving.”

Kelly worked with athletic director Dr. Dan Schinzel, who reached out to area high schools hoping to build competitive interest and form a table tennis tournament. Many high schools were curious but none were able to form teams to compete. So

first ever GRANDPARENTS DAY A HIT

A big thank you to the nearly 400 grandparents of Creighton Prep students who joined us Monday, February 20 from 3:30-5 p.m. for the first Grandparents Day event in school history. Thanks also to the more than 200 grandsons who attended with them and the 18 current parents there to help some of the grandparents to their seats and around the school for tours.

The program started with welcome remarks from Creighton Prep President Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ and superb music from members of the Creighton Prep choir led by Director of Vocal Music Rob Chesire. After that, grandparent and Prep alumnus Jim Bausch ‘62 and grandson Mark Bausch ‘24 took the stage to reflect on their experiences of Prep.

In his speech, Mark said that his grandfather has been “a major role model” to him throughout his life and that his example of “leading a faith-based life” inspired him to lead retreats at Prep

and to get involved with Campus Ministry. He took time to thank the grandparents in attendance, too. “I want to thank you for being there for us our whole lives.” He also included, “For telling us you love us. For holding us when we cried. And for giving us a hug at the end of a very long day. It may not have seemed like a lot to you, but it meant the world to us.”

"It was a joy to watch the students showing off Prep to their grandparents and to see how proud the grandparents were of their grandsons. We've started a new tradition at Prep." said Vice President of Advancement Rick Berger '76

Coach and faculty member Kelly Barth playing in the Winter Tournament held at Creighton Prep.

TABLE TENNIS SCORES BIG WITH CREIGHTON PREP STUDENTS

in the spring of 2022, Prep played a tournament amongst themselves.

“After much consideration, we decided that table tennis would be played in the winter season. We started talking with more area high schools, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the OmahaMetro Table Tennis Club, who were ecstatic about having high school aged students excited about table tennis.”

Prep began to compete against clubs in Omaha, Lincoln and Sergeant Bluff.

“There’s a sense of leadership happening, where older students are taking younger students under their wing,” said Kelly. “It’s not only building community, it’s forming friendships that would never have been made before and supporting

one another in growing in their ability to play a sport and have fun with it.”

The club has volunteers who help coach the team, which has helped form community and partnerships outside Creighton Prep.

“Everyone in the region knows about us,” said Kelly. “Lincoln, Omaha, Des Moines, Sergeant Bluff … they know we are doing this, and they want to support us.” The team plans to test itself this summer by competing in the Cornhusker State Games.

Kelly added that he’d like to have at least a few high schools form table tennis teams and create a league in Nebraska. More competition would raise awareness of the sport.

CREIGHTON PREP REGIONAL GATHERINGS:

COAST TO COAST IN WINTER QUARTER

Creighton Prep President Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ and the Advancement Team visit alumni and friends in Rancho Mirage, New York City, Washington D.C. and Naperville, Ill.

“Ten years from now, wouldn’t it be great to reflect back on the history of this club,” said Kelly.

“Remembering that we started as an activity during the pandemic and grew into a club sport, competing across the state. That would be phenomenal.”

Winter quarter was a busy one for everybody at Prep, including the Prep staff members who took to the skies to visit Prep family members across the country. Food, beverages and Prep-related conversations were the order of the day as were school updates from Fr. Spotts for all those present.

“We can’t thank our hosts enough for sponsoring these gettogethers.” said Vice President of Advancement Rick Berger ‘76. “Dana and Mike Meyer ‘76 got it started with a great reception in mid January at the Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage (Calif.), followed by a wonderful March 19 event in New York City, courtesy of Bernie Pistillo ‘75 and the offices of Morrison Foerster LLP that included a performance from members of the Creighton Prep Chamber Choir who were in town to sing at Carnegie Hall the following evening. Then Joe Warin ‘68 hosted us three days later at an excellent gathering at the Washington, D.C. law offices of Gibson Dunn - which he has graciously done four times now - and we ended the tour a week later in the Chicago suburb of Naperville where Bill Hamik ‘70 was our host for a marvelous party.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. Alumni,

NAPERVILLE, ILL. Dick Veys '72, John Fitzgerald '87 and Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ

Gordon Tang '24 competes in the 2023 Prep Winter Tournament.

WINTER & SPRING ATHLETICS

WINTER AND SPRING SPORTS SEASONS WERE ONCE AGAIN HIGHLIGHTED BY GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM CREIGHTON PREP STUDENT-ATHLETES. These included team state championships in lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving and track & field; individual state champions in powerlifting and wrestling; state finals appearances for hockey and JV lacrosse; and second place at state for the golf team. The baseball, golf, soccer and track & field teams also won district titles. Way to go, guys!

POWERLIFTING

4 TH // STATE

State champions: Patrick Leuck (198 lbs.) and Charlie Neary (165 lbs.)

SWIMMING & DIVING

HOCKEY STATE FINALIST

1ST // METRO CONFERENCE

1ST // STATE (22nd state title since 1996)

State champions - Will Clark (200 IM); Henry Dvorak (100 fly); Will Clark, Dray Beber, Henry Dvorak and TJ Nissen (200 medley relay); Henry Dvorak, Dray Beber, TJ Nissen and John Watson (200 free relay)

School records - Will Clark, Dray Beber, Henry Dvorak and TJ Nissen (200 medley relay); Paul Mathews (diving); John Watson (500 free, also a state record)

BASKETBALL

Photo by Colton Alder '25 for the Jay Journal

RECORD State meetAdonis Bonar (6th at 182 lbs.)

Pierce Johnson (4th at 160 lbs.) Presden Sanchez (state champion at 113 lbs.)

4-4

JV FRESH. B

VARSITY | RECORD 7 TH // STATE (finished in the top 10 for the ninth straight year)

All-Metro ConferenceDillon Claussen

Honorable Mention All-StateDillon Claussen, Carson Jones, PJ Newbill, Joey Rieschl

19-7

20-5

SOPH. 13-6

18-1

FRESH. A 22-2

Photo courtesy of Amy Thomas

WRESTLING

Photo courtesy of Mac Johnson'24

Photo courtesy of Mac Johnson '24

RECORD

2 ND // DISTRICT A-2

Carter Thomas - qualified for state for the second consecutive year. 10-11

School record - 963 for high team total pinfall

Sebastian Cacioppo, Wesley Sikora and Andrew Ternent named to the Blue All-Star team

Season highlights included winning the Skutt JV Invitational for the second consecutive year.

TRAPSHOOTING

PREP BLUE: 3rd at state (out of 360 teams)

PREP BRAVO: top 20 state finish

2 ND // METRO CONFERENCE

1ST // DISTRICT A-2

1ST // STATE Class A and all-class

School recordsState meet point total (97 points); Jack Gillogly (100 meter dash, 200 meter dash - also a state record); Dennis Chapman (800 meter dash); TJ Nissen, Andrew Jones, Myles Jackson, Jack Gillogly (400 meter relay - also a state record); Jack Gillogly, Declan Buss, Andrew Jones, Christian Lanphier (1600 meter relay)

Photo courtesy of Mac Johnson '24

Photo courtesy of Matt Rasgorshek

Photo courtesy of Mac Johnson '24

Photo courtesy of Mac Johnson '24

Photo courtesy of Mac Johnson '24

1940's

George Johnson ’45 was interviewed by KETV for being a huge Creighton men’s basketball fan and about his life growing up in Benson, as an athlete at Prep and being inducted in the Creighton Prep Athletic Hall of Fame the previous week. The story was featured on KETV news on St. Patrick’s Day.

Tom McAndrews ‘49 has been living in Virginia Beach for the past 60 years. He and his wife Kathryn† raised eight sons who are married and also living on the East Coast.

1950’s

Terry Haney ‘51 (seated) continues to organize an annual lunch in Omaha for his classmates. Enjoying their time together recently at Spezia were ( L-R) Bill Carlisle ‘51, Jim Caniglia ‘51, Tom Klammer ‘51, Gene Lilla ‘51, and Tom Walsh ‘51 Cheers to the class of 1951!

1960’s

Art Farha ‘63 joined his grandson Sam Neary ‘23 , son of Bryan Neary ‘91, at the annual Senior Breakfast to celebrate not only the graduating Class of 2023, but to also honor the generational legacy of Prep alumni in the Farha and Neary families.

On Sunday the 21st at graduation, he and classmate Hugh Cowdin ‘73 along with others in their jubilarian class accepted diplomas celebrating the 50th anniversary of their graduation from Prep.

Mike Higgins ‘75 recently retired after 22 years of service to Creighton Prep, During that time, his Honors Physics classes became well-known for their bridge-building and catapult-launching exercises. Mike also coached nine Prep tennis teams to state titles, moderated the Habitat for Humanity chapter for the school and served as a faculty representative on the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Dwaine Peetz, MD ‘68 is a thoracic and vascular physician and surgeon in Omaha and recently joined other alumni professionals that volunteered to speak to Prep sophomores during Career Day. Dr. Peetz shared the valuable story of his education, training and career experience in medicine to those interested in pursuing a medical career.

1970’s

Jim Wees ‘55 and his wife Patricia attended the Prep Alumni Gathering in Naperville, Illinois in March. Jim is retired following a career as a structural engineer.

Fr. John Fitzgibbons, SJ ‘73 is the chancellor at the University of San Francisco and served on the planning committee for the class of 1973’s 50-year reunion weekend, May 19-21.

1980’s

John Leahy ‘81 recently retired with his wife of 34 years, Mary, and they live in Springfield, Virginia. He worked as a civilian civil engineer until 2006 when he transferred from the U.S. Army Reserve to Active Regular Army. John and Mary are considering a move back to Omaha to be closer to their three grandchildren.

Retired Col. Chris Kolenda ‘83 biked 1,700 miles last fall to visit the graves of six Army soldiers he commanded who died in 2007 during the war in Afghanistan. At the conclusion of his ride in Washington, D.C., he was interviewed by Margaret Brennan of CBS for an Eye on America segment that ran in November on the CBS Evening News.

Jeff Huber ‘87 launched Fixture Studio in Grand Junction, Colorado, a firm that provides interior design, construction and vacation rental services in the Grand Valley area.

Jose Jefferson ‘89 works for the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas as director of team operations. He also co-founded and is the executive director of the College Gridiron

†Denotes Deceased

Showcase, an annual event where collegiate all-star senior football players are evaluated by many NFL scouts and others from a variety of professional football organizations.

1990’s

Banking industry veteran Steve Lindsay '91 is now a senior vice president for Bankers Trust, focusing on business development.

Coley Stickels ‘96 is the head professional team coach with the Texas Ford Aquatics club in Frisco, Texas. Among the swimmers he has coached is former Prep and North Carolina State star Jacob Molacek ‘14

David Sykora ‘97 is a wastewater treatment plant manager for the City of Omaha at the Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. He is also a past president of the Nebraska Water Environment Association.

2000’s

Brandon Gries ‘01 lives in the Madison, Wisconsin area, and works for a large firm that is involved in building data centers and other commercial structures. He is the director and producer of “Bare Metal,” a film about what data centers are doing to reduce their climate impact. It was shown during the Omaha Film Festival in March 2023.

Classmates Zak Olsen '01, Mike Otepka '01 and Dan Peters '01 of the band PRHYME will reunite for a 25th anniversary show for all ages at the Slowdown in Omaha on Saturday, October 7.

Dominic Vincentini ‘01 is an associate athletic trainer for the Stanford University men’s basketball and golf teams. He was also featured in a March 28 Twitter post by Stanford Sports Medicine for his work with both teams.

Alumni, Consider the Creighton Prep Volunteer Corps!

To learn more, visit CreightonPrep.org/CPVC and complete and submit the form located there.

Jonathan Witt ‘02 (right) is a partner with the law firm of Ford & Lardner LLP in Detroit, and is pictured here during a November 22 tour of the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection at Marquette University. William Fliss (left), curator, guided Jonathan and his father, English teacher Mike Witt, on the tour. The collection includes letters and a master’s thesis on J.R.R. Tolkien written by Mike.

cybersecurity and mathematics. He was also active in the Black Wolves R.O.T.C. Battalion at Creighton University and recently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He will begin work as a Signal Officer in September.

Akol Arop ’19 spoke about his faith journey with the Discipleship group at Creighton Prep on Wednesday, April 5 in the Lloyd Skinner Student Chapel.

Jeff Kanger ‘04 is the founder of Brother’s Keeper, a nonprofit that helps Christians who live in the Gaza Strip, primarily through connecting them to jobs, scholarships to Catholic schools in the area, and solar energy resources. He is also the president of First State Bank Nebraska.

Jake Moore ‘06 teaches mathematics at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart and was selected in 2023 as one of two Archdiocese of Omaha Secondary Educators of the Year. He and eight other award recipients will be honored at the Archbishop’s Dinner for Education on Thursday, September 21.

2010’s

Rosario Galante ‘14 is a highly accomplished clarinetist and member of the Omaha Symphony. He performed with symphonies in Ohio and New York prior to his 2023 appointment in Omaha.

Professional golder Alex Schaake '16 qualified for the 123rd U.S. Open Championship that was played June 15-18 at The Los Angeles Country Club.

Jordan Lofgren ‘18 graduated magna cum laude from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a degree in computer science and a minor in

PJ Mooney ‘19 was the composer and director of “Requiem for a Poisoned Earth,” an amazing collaboration of outstanding musicians that had its world premiere on March 7 at Margot and Bill Winspear Hall inside the Murchison Performing Arts Center at the University of North Texas. A video of the premiere is now available on YouTube.

2020’s

Creighton University student

Jack Diers ‘20 was announced earlier this year as a recipient of a Goldwater Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding college students with the potential to become great researchers in the fields of engineering, mathematics and natural science.

Isaiah Griffith ‘21 is studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and developing his talents as a filmmaker in the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. His film “The Great Dream Caper” premiered at Aksarben CinemaOmaha in October 2022.

Colin Mahoney ‘21 attends the University of Notre Dame and was one of four students selected to serve as the Leprechaun mascot for the Fighting Irish during the 2022-2023 school year. On St. Patrick’s Day, Colin was interviewed about his mascot work on South Bend area television station WSBT.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for making BASH 2023 the record-setting success we all hoped it would be, especially for those students who could not attend Prep without the help provided by BASH proceeds. For the second consecutive year, total revenues exceeded $1 million. We are very grateful for your participation in this event and for your generous support!

Highlights of the rock-music-themed evening included a great opening song by Andrew Lawler ‘25, a performance by THE RETAKES, a faculty/staff band, and a moving speech by graduating senior Charles Paul 23, who said that he “deeply enjoyed” his Prep experience and was very grateful to the Loyola Scholars program for preparing him for “the rigor of Prep.”

In thanking the crowd for their generosity at BASH, he noted, “By opening pathways for lower-income students to attend Prep, you also create opportunities for social mobility, generational wealth and greater equity.”

A big thanks for the event's success also goes to the volunteers, advertisers, auction donors and underwriters listed in our BASH 2023 Catalog of Supporters, which is accessible via the QR code on this page. If/when you see them or patronize their organizations, please thank them!

THE RETAKES, a band made up of Prep faculty and staff members, keeps the crowd rocking during the post-event party.

BASH 2023 attendees raise their paddles to donate to Prep.

Charles Paul ‘23 discusses his time at Prep with the crowd of supporters.

Creighton Prep President Fr. Matt Spotts, SJ pauses for a photo with Dustin Vaughn ‘96 and Dave Lopez ‘04

JUNIOR JAYS GO PRO IN SOCCER

After

Even when you’re as good at soccer as Eddie Gordon ‘17 and Duncan McGuire ‘19 and work as hard as they do at their craft, there are still lots of things to learn about the game and putting yourself in the best position to succeed.

Eddie was twice the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska when he was at Prep, and his play as midfielder for and academic accomplishments at the University of Nebraska Omaha were recognized with numerous Summit League awards.

Now as a professional with the Union Omaha Owls, the USL League 1 champions just two years ago, he’s still

learning and improving his game. “The jump from high school to college is pretty difficult, because it’s a lot about athleticism and speed,” he said. “And it’s the same thing from college to pro, although it’s a lot more about soccer IQ. You’ve got to be a lot smarter.” As a result, he’s more focused today on proper recovery after practices and matches, eating well and getting plenty of sleep.

Eddie counts every day as a blessing, not only for being part of Union Omaha but getting to assist with coaching the varsity team at Prep. “He’s already an outstanding coach and teacher of the game,” commented Head Coach Tom Hoover ‘81.

Like Eddie, Duncan was twice a first team Nebraska AllState selection from Prep. He went on to play forward at Creighton University, where his time there was highlighted by an outstanding senior season that resulted in him being honored with the 2022 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy as the nation’s best NCAA Division I player in men’s soccer.

“The Creighton experience was insane,” Duncan remarked. For his recent growth as a player, he credited the strength and conditioning program at Creighton and the coaching of Johnny Torres, who won the equivalent of the MAC Hermann Trophy in the late 90’s when it was two separate awards.

Duncan’s first season with Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer has been highlighted by four goals so far and a ton of great learning. Duncan is also concentrating on keeping his body prepared for the rigors of professional soccer. “Definitely nutrition, recovery and hydration are things I’m paying more attention to now,” he noted.

Both Eddie and Duncan have fond memories of their time at Prep, the brotherhood they enjoyed at the school, and the team culture created by the Prep coaches.

“I would give a lot to go back and play one more game at Leahy (Stadium) for Prep,” said Eddie. For Duncan, he remembers the great teammates and coaches, plus the service component of the Prep experience when he helps out around the Orlando SC facility. “They’re like, ‘Dude, you’re such a man for others,’ and they don’t even know that was my high school motto!”

stellar Prep and college careers, Eddie Gordon ‘17 and Duncan McGuire ‘19 are now in the big leagues.

Photo of Duncan McGuire ‘19 courtesy of Creighton Athletics

Photo of Eddie Gordon ‘17 courtesy of University of Nebraska Omaha Athletics

PLEASE REMEMBER

ALUMNI

Dennis J. Arkfeld ‘68

Edward V. Arnone ‘48

father of Andrew ‘80, grandfather of Anthony Bene ‘18

Richard L. Barclift ’57 (07/14/22)

brother of James ‘55†

Bernard L. Berigan ‘48

father of Stephen ‘70, brother of Alfred ‘51†

Paul F. Beveridge ‘66

Bernard M. Bogatz ‘49

father of David ‘70†, grandfather of Sean Healey ‘06, Evan Healey ‘10, Kyle Healey ‘13

James E. Bucknell ’65 (05/31/22)

brother of Arthur ‘60

Samuel C. Buda ‘65

son of Samuel ‘40†

Richard L. Chladek ‘64

father of Brian ‘95, brother of Gary ‘57†

James R. Costello ’53

brother of Stephen ‘54†

Gerald Crawford ‘60

brother of John ‘59

James J. Diesing ‘69

Michael J. DiGiorgio ‘67

Thomas G. Dineen ‘67

father of Thomas ‘90, grandfather of Michael Swartz ‘20, son of Thomas ‘40†, grandson of Thomas Dineen 1911†, brother of Daniel ‘78, Edward ‘81, Richard ‘83

David J. Eglseder ‘82

brother of Michael ‘79, Kevin ‘81, Douglas ‘97

Robert B. Farmer ‘41 (08/18/06)

brother of William ‘40†

William F. Giles ‘75

son of William ‘49†, brother of Thomas ‘82

Leonard P. Gunia ‘67

Bruce F. Haney ‘52

father of Matthew ‘88, Ryan ‘92, grandfather of Seamus ‘25, brother of Terrence ‘51

William E. Hart ‘62

son of John ‘24†

James B. Heafey ‘52

son of John 1910†, brother of John ‘38†, Morgan ‘40†, Thomas ‘47†, Edward ‘49†

Thomas P. Heafey ‘47

son of John 1910†, brother of John ‘38†, Morgan ‘40†, Edward ‘49†, James ‘52†, step-grandfather to Jason Langenfeld ’95, Sean Langenfeld ‘98

Kyle R. Hellyer ‘09

Michael J. Jackson ‘50

brother of John “Jack” ‘54†, Larry ‘59†

John F. Johnson ’62

son of Clifford ‘27†

James W. Knowles ‘49

father of James ‘75, Robert ‘78, grandfather of Matthew ‘00, Benjamin ‘04, Robert ‘06, Anthony Keber ‘04, great-grandfather of Rylan Patterson ‘25

Bernard L. Kratochvil ‘50

father of Jack ’82, Gerald ‘86, brother of Charles ‘38†

Daniel J. Kubat ‘60

Thomas M. Lanning ‘55 father of Michael ‘78

William G. Latka , Jr. ‘49

father of William ‘76, Douglas ‘77, Steven ‘79, Jeffrey ‘81, Michael ‘84, James ‘85, grandfather of William “Chip” ‘06, Adam ’07, Jonathon ‘13, Nathan ‘16, Nicholas ‘26

Stanley G. Macaitis ‘54

father of Stephen ‘83, Michael ‘86, grandfather of Anthony ‘09, Andrew ‘12, Thomas ‘22, Matthew Rosenlof ‘14

Thomas A. Mauro ‘68

son of Fred J. Mauro Jr. ‘41†, brother of Terence ‘64†

William T. McCuen ‘54 (11/03/18)

Thomas J. McFadden ‘96

brother of Michael ‘83, Matthew ‘84, Mark ‘85

R. Dennis McGonigle ’63 (10/20/22)

Thomas F. McGowan ‘54

Denis J. McGuire ’63 (11/30/22)

brother of Edward ’65

James E. McShane ‘61 (09/21/21)

James L. Melies ‘73

Daniel J. Monen III ‘69

son of Daniel Jr. ‘45†

Gary M. Moran ‘79

brother of Michael ‘74, Christopher ‘84

James “Jay” Munnelly ’70

(09/18/22)

Richard S. Nastase ‘65

father of Patrick ‘98, grandfather of Mason ‘25

Gregory F. Peterson ‘95

brother of Adam ‘99

Richard L. Noble ‘54

(03/14/20)

William A. Pokorski ‘69

(09/01/09)

brother of Robert ‘70

Robert F. Preisinger ‘56

James H. Prucha ‘70

brother of Thomas ‘68

William E. Reefe ‘42

brother of John ‘53

Stephen P. Robino ‘60

son of Concetto ‘36†, brother of Richard ‘62, John ‘64, Joseph ‘72

Joseph J. Sautter ‘67

brother of Jay ‘86

James P. Sledge ‘63

father of James ‘90, Joseph ‘91, grandfather of Nicholas ‘23, Matthew ‘25

Thomas A. Steenson '67

Steven D. Thull ‘81

son of Theodore ‘55, brother of Bryce ‘79, Theodore ‘94

Walter P. Tiwald ‘71

brother of John ‘64, Stephen ‘67, William ‘69, Thomas ‘73

Edward R. Trout ‘57

father of Edward ‘78, John ‘80, brother of Omer ‘61, John ‘65

William T. Visty 2026

John W. Wagstaffe ‘67

Robert G. Wolke ‘65

David A. Zahller ’69 brother of Steven ‘68

WIVES

Mary Lou Battaglia

wife of Anthony ‘54, mother of Mark ‘87, grandmother of Zackary Leighton ‘11

Daryl A. Bayer

wife of Richard '55, mother of Martin '83, Robert ‘87, Sean ‘93, Steven ‘96, Andrew ‘97, grandmother of Kaleb '15, Skyler Davis '15, Benjamin '17

Carrie Deane wife of Patrick ‘72

Phyllis I. Haller widow of Patrick ‘48†, mother of Dennis ‘76

Roberta E. Hoskovec wife of Michael ‘65

Helen C. Knight widow of Philip ‘56†

Marjean J. Lynch

widow of Michael ‘60†, mother of Michael ‘82

Sandra Matthews widow of William ‘44†

Veronica Morehouse-Fink wife of Peter Fink ‘06, mother of Jackston Mabbitt ‘26

Patricia A. Paulsen

wife of Robert ’51, mother of Robert ‘77

Sylvia A. Robino

wife of Richard ‘62, mother of Richard ‘85†, Michael ’88

Ann Rosse widow of James ‘49†, grandmother Justin Spittler ‘06, Thomas Spittler ‘10, greatgranddaughter of Phillip McEvoy 1890†

Su Rowen wife of L.P. “Larry” Rowan ‘65

Molly Searl wife of Scott ‘81, mother of Nolan ‘09, Colin ‘11, Jack ‘14, daughter of Dennis Hogan ‘40†

Janet L. Tvrdik wife of Charles ‘50

Frances C. Walter widow of Charles ‘46†

Vonda J. Young widow of John ‘56†

FATHERS

John W. Adair father of Tilman ‘84, grandfather of Rafael ‘23

John B. “Jack” Arkfeld father of Dennis ‘68†

Arcides Cabrera father of Ariel ‘01, grandfather of Liam Diesing ‘17, Tyler Diesing ‘22

Lyle “Nick” Camero father of Mark ‘88, grandfather of Scott ‘23

Luke J. Coniglio father of Mark ‘79

Gerald P. Dillon father of Timothy ‘76

John W. Gallup father of John ‘84

Howard H. Heckenlively father of Howard ‘97

William B. Housh father of Bryan ‘95

Lawrence O. Johnson father of Jeff ‘80, Mark ‘83†

Steve R. Laughlin father of Daniel ‘03, Michael ‘06, Matthew ‘07

Richard L. Leise father of Robert ‘69†, grandfather of Brian Zuger ‘92, Kevin Zuger ‘94, Gregory Zuger ‘97, Jeffrey ‘99, Jerod Frost ‘01

Louis R. Marcuzzo father of Robert ‘83, Christopher ‘84, grandfather of Michael ‘15

Philip Maschka father of Peter ‘78, grandfather of Tanner ’13, Benjamin ‘14

Robert S. Mattini father of Kevan ‘01

Joseph J. Militti father of Anthony ‘65†, Thomas ‘66†, stepgrandfather of Zachary Sherman ‘05

Darren Morris father of Nicholas ‘26

Kenneth H. Nass father of Timothy ‘82

Gerald E. Ries

father of Joseph ‘78†, James ‘79, Gerald ‘80, Paul ‘83

Gene Schimonitz

father of Thomas ‘75, John ‘76, Michael ‘87, David ‘99, grandfather of Nathan ‘16

Frank J. Schmader

father of Frank ‘77, Michael ‘78, Patrick ‘79, Timothy ‘81

Correction:

Robert M. Sledge

father of Robert ‘88, Daniel ‘90, grandfather of Mark Ramsey ‘17, brother of James ‘63†

Edward R. Vaughan

father of Seamus ‘96, Austin ‘97

Donald K. Wilson

father of Mark ‘76, Scott ‘78, Gregory ‘79

Paul Zuger

father of Brian ‘92, Kevin ‘94, Gregory ‘97

MOTHERS

Rose Austria mother of Robert ‘76

Mary Brown

mother of James ‘64, Thomas ‘72, William ‘77, grandmother of Michael ‘05, Kevin ‘17

Mary E. Capadano

mother of Matthew ‘05

Betty A. Cook

mother of Thomas Sena ‘85

Thomas G. Dineen ‘67

Patricia Corcoran Duda

mother of Richard ‘75

Barbara A. “Sally” Dowd

mother of Timothy ‘86, grandmother of Connor Walz '13, Sean '14, Mitchell '18

Theresia V. Fink

mother of Peter ‘78, grandmother of Peter ‘06, step-grandmother of Jackston Mabbitt ‘26

Janet A. Haney

mother of Douglas ‘80, grandmother of Henry Jenkins ‘06, John Jenkins ‘08, Samuel Jenkins ‘14

Shauna M. Hautzinger

mother of Luke ‘11

Rita J. Hermsen

mother of Matthew ‘93, Ryan ‘95

Marlea A. Hobza

mother of Donald ‘81†

Rosemary Horn

mother of Richard ‘64†, Michael ‘74†, Brian ‘75

Salwa H. Jabro

mother of Fabian ‘84, Andrew ‘85, John ‘90

Mary Eileen Johns

mother of Thomas ‘70†, grandmother of Dan Tvrdik ’93, Kevin Tracy ‘03

JoAnne Klosner

mother of Gene ‘78, Joseph ‘80, grandmother of James Wortmann ‘13, Ryan Wortmann ‘17

Karen Kramolisch

mother of Matthew ‘90

Eunice R. Kuhns

mother of Peter ‘86, Donald ‘87

Harriet M. Lindauer mother of Paul ‘80

Carol Montmorency

mother of Michael ‘67, Greg ‘72

Linda E. Murray mother of Brendan Patrick ‘81

Elaine M. Russell

stepmother of Edmund ‘75, Patrick ‘78, Michael ‘87, step-grandmother of Russell Ehlinger ‘05, Sean Toohey ‘17

Joan M. Ryan mother of Thomas ‘78

Loretta A. Ryan mother of David ‘73, Daniel ‘75

Bernice M. Skalak mother of Doran ‘86

Bernice M. Stone mother of Joseph ‘80, Jeffrey ‘89

Joyce A. Thelen

mother of Stephen ‘82, grandmother of Michael ‘09

Anne E. Tucker-Nelson mother of John Nelson ‘87

Kathleen K. Tuttle mother of Thomas ‘78

Ann V. Uhing mother of David ‘79

Tom Dineen ‘67 spent the majority of his adult life within the confines of Creighton Prep, giving back as a math teacher in the classroom, as a wrestling coach on the mat and as a director of the athletic department.

CHILDREN

Judy M. Primeau daughter of Mary and Harry Primeau ‘40†, sister of Lawrence ‘65

Therese Schall-Pritchard daughter of Dorothy and John Schall ‘41†, sister of David ‘69, James ‘78

Samantha A. Thibodeau daughter of Mary Ann and James ‘89

Gary E. Tusa

son of Jean† and Francis Tusa ‘33†, brother of John ‘60†, Edward ‘63, Richard ‘65

Dorothy M. Urwin daughter of Doris and Francis Greise ‘42†

Terrance R. Wear son of Robert ‘42†, brother of Robert ‘67

FACULTY/STAFF

Fr. Frederick E. Brant, SJ

Kurt Guenther

Fr. Thomas D. Stegman, SJ

To notify Creighton Prep of the passing of a Prep community member, contact Terri Haller at THaller@CreightonPrep.org or (402) 548-3845.

In 1992, he took over the reins of athletic director from fellow Creighton Prep Athletic Hall of Fame member Ed Spethman '48† , and oversaw an athletic powerhouse that won an astounding 26 state championships and six all-sports titles in 14 years.

January 12, 1949 - November 15, 2022

‘54

June 22, 1936 - March 27, 2023

After graduating from Prep, Tom earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Creighton University and received his master’s in mathematics from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He was a math instructor at Prep from 1976 until 1998, and led the department as chairman from 1983 to 1992. He also coached Prep wrestlers from 1978 to 1992.

Tom a lso helped raise funds in 2003 to finance the initial construction of what would later become Carmen & Don Leahy Stadium. In addition, he had the vision in 1992 to create the annual Creighton Prep Sports Night. Tom was inducted in the Creighton Prep Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Tom McGowan ‘54 grew up in a family of modest means and participated all four years at Creighton Prep in Sodality and Apostleship of Prayer before moving on to Creighton University and a successful career in the insurance business.

Through it all, he developed a special place in his heart for Jesuit education and the opportunities that it provided him. During his life, he also did a lot to pay those opportunities forward.

Among the highlights of Tom’s philanthropic work was service through many Omaha area nonprofits, including as a director on the boards of the Methodist Hospital Foundation and the Omaha Police Foundation.

His collaboration with Fr. Jim Michalski, SJ also helped make Jesuit Academy a reality for middle-school students and parents in North Omaha, and he was also a great supporter of many Prep initiatives, including scholarships. In 2022, Tom was inducted in the Creighton Prep Hall of Fame.

Thomas F. McGowan

HOW

CreightonPrep.org

CHECK/ENVELOPE

Call Jennifer Jones, Donor Relations, at (402) 548-6228.

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