Dinner Honoree - Mark Wisniewski

2014 Dinner Honoree...

A regular kid from a regular family on the East Side. While in grade school at St. Raymond’s in Detroit, Mark Wisniewski thought he’d follow in his older brothers’ footsteps and attend Austin High School. But Austin announced it was closing.. Thus Mark Wisniewski came to DLS as a Pilot.

And has been a Pilot and bleeding purple ever since… “My uncle, Fr. Robert Wisniewski, was an Augustinian priest. He passed away in 1967 while training to be an Army chaplain. Ten years later, with the help of Fr. Bob’s fellow priests, and a very charitable ‘Augustinian’ discount, my two older brothers, Jim and Brian, attended Austin for their freshmen year in the Fall of 1977. In the Winter of 1978, Austin decided to close. With Austin set to close, where would the Wisniewski brothers attend high school? “A Catholic school was a requirement. My parents talked to some neighbors and co-workers. They visited Bishop Gallagher, Notre Dame, St. Clement, and De La Salle. To them, De La Salle was the obvious choice.” Mark notes that De La Salle opened its arms to the students from Austin and to his family. “It was the De La Salle way back then, and it is still true today.” In the Fall of 1978, Jim and Brian, now sophomores, were joined by a third brother, Chris. Mark says, “In January of 1979, I was accepted to De La Salle. Below average height, below average weight, and to be honest, an average student academically.” At that time, tuition was about $1,000 per year, and in the Fall of 1979, four Wisniewski brothers would be at De La Salle. “Having four boys in the school at the same time would require unique financial skills for a family from the East Side of Detroit.”

Mark tells the story of his father negotiating tuition. “With checkbook in hand, my father made the trip to see Br. Timothy Wentworth, who was then the Principal of De La Salle. One year earlier, it was to discuss the transfer of my brothers and tuition for three sons.” Mark, his wife Mary and son Patrick

Mark never knew the results of his father’s visit to DLS until several years later. By then, Mark was a college and law school graduate, and was serving on the Board of Trustees as President of the De La Salle Alumni Association. Mark says the board was considering tuition, and that Br. Kevin Gilhooly, who had been Principal at De La Salle and was then serving on the Board, said the conversation should always start with the question, “What more can we do as a Lasallian family to make sure that De La Salle is affordable for those who want to attend.”

Mark recounts that Br. Kevin then told this story. ”Before I started my first year as Principal, the outgoing Principal told me about a father who came to him. The Principal recognized the uncertainty in the father’s face, and asked how he could help him. The father responded by thanking the Christian Brothers for all they had done for his first three sons, but told the principal how he was unsure he would be able to pay for his four sons who would attend De La Salle the following year. The principal said, well, as you know your first son was full price, your second son was 25% off, and your third son was 50% off. There is nothing in the handbook about a fourth son. So my reading of the handbook is your fourth son is free.“

Mark Wisniewski

Mercy (UDM) School of Law. At UDM, Mark was a member of Law Review, the International Moot Court Team, and Vice-President of the Student Bar Association.

Mark has continued his affiliation with UDM, currently serving as the Alumni President for the UDM School of Law, and as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Practice.

He joined the 100-member law firm of Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook in 1990, and in 2012 was selected as Firm Manager Elect. He heads the Mass Tort Litigation Department, and has served as first chair in several multi-million property damage lawsuits, with a particular emphasis on cases involving asbestos. Mark is also experienced in medical malpractice, products liability, and premises liability defense.

Friends from the Class of 1983 - Bob MacKool, Greg Shea, Dave Kirck, Mark Wisniewski, Mike Rosingana, Paul Jozefczyk Notably, Mark has been elected as a Michigan Super Lawyer every year since 2008; only five percent of the attorneys in the state are named “I don’t know how much poetic license Br. Kevin used in Super Lawyers. telling that story, but it really doesn’t matter,” says Mark. Mark’s post high-school involvement with De La Salle “That single gesture by Br. Tim 35 years ago changed the began with an invitation from his fellow Class of 1983 classlives of my family.” mate, Paul Jozefczyk. “Paul was the first one to invite me to Mark says the same question What more can we do as a an alumni meeting after I graduated from law school, and Lasallian Family? still applies today. “That is why I have the first person who invited me to the Christian Brothers’ been involved with De La Salle for so long. We are all Dinner.” Paul’s sons are currently juniors at De La Salle, Lasallian ambassadors. We need to spread the news that and Paul is an active member of the DLS Dads’ Club. Catholic education is alive and well in the Metro Detroit “I truly enjoyed my four years at De La Salle where I met area, and that it is alive and well at De La Salle.” some of my greatest friends and was taught by some of the During high school, following in his brother’s footsteps, best teachers. These are people I gladly still call my best Mark worked at Pyramid Art Supply, on Gratiot, doing friends. But my love of De La Salle was actually strengthstock and cleaning up for owner Mrs. Rita Szatkowski, ened when I became involved with the Alumni Association mother of Mike Szatkowski, ‘73, DLS alumnus and facand later the Board of Trustees. These experiences alulty member. Mark says his interest in law was piqued by lowed me the opportunity to meet so many people who overhearing a woman who was taking an art class talk about truly love the school and care about Catholic and LaSallian some of her cases. “I was intrigued.” education.” Following graduation from De La Salle, Mark attended the Mark also notes that two of his other classmates are also University of Michigan, and then the University of Detroitinvolved with the Collegiate. Greg Shea is a member of the Board of Trustees, and Dave Kirck, Mark’s Michigan room-

Mark Wisniewski, Continued

The Wisniewski Brothers – Chris (’82), Mark (’83), Brian (’81), and Jim (’81) - along with their mother Betty Lou Wisniewski.

mate, is a longtime member of the DLS English Department. “The real success story of De La Salle lies with its teachers. Br. Carl Malacalza was my homeroom teacher and freshmen math teacher at De La Salle. He was the first Christian Brother I remember meeting. He was one of the kindest men I have ever met. Br. Carl was the perfect balance of education and religion. Mike Szatkowski was my freshman European history teacher. Mike isn’t a Christian Brother, but he is Lasallian to the core. When people talk about Mike as a teacher, they talk about his passion for teaching. Mike has a gift. I thank him for sharing his gift with me. I remember reading Grapes of Wrath with Vicki Granger in Senior A.P. English. She challenged us to be thinkers and to be passionate about what we read and what we wrote.”

Mark has high praise for Br. Tom. “I can find no better tribute than to dedicate this award to Br. Tom. A Christian Brother forever, a teacher in word and example, and a friend to us all.” In introducing Mark at an event for immediate family and close friends, Br. Tom praised Mark’s commitment and generosity. “Mark likes to talk a lot. Okay, that’s really an understatement. But when I asked Mark to be the Honoree at this year’s dinner, his jaw dropped, and remained that way. Thank you, Mark for all you do for De La Salle.” Mark says, “I am truly humbled by this recognition. I have had the privilege of knowing many of the past honorees. To have my name placed alongside of these men is truly an honor. When you look at that list of men, you immediately see why De La Salle Collegiate is so successful not only as an educational and religious institution, but as a Builder of Boys anda Maker of Men in our community.” Mark is married to Mary Wisniewski, and they have a five-year old son, Patrick, who attends Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Northville. Mark says, “With my wife Mary, we will pass the torch on to our son and teach him to remember that he is in ‘the holy presence of God’.”