Class Notes

‘02 Alum Fr. Brian Meldrum Earns Doctorate from Catholic University.

Congratulations to Father Brian Meldrum, DLS Class of 2002, who was awarded his doctorate from Catholic University in Washington, DC, in ceremonies during the weekend of May 13-14.

Father Meldrum will be teaching full-time at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, beginning with the fall semester later this year. His appointment is effective July 1, 2023.

From mid-June through late August, Fr. Meldrum will reside and serve primarily at St. Francis Cabrini Parish in Allen Park. He is also assigned to full-time priest support at Our Lady of the Angels, St. Constance, and St. Alfred in Taylor; Saints Andrew and Benedict (Detroit); St. Andre Bessette (Ecorse); and St. Mary Magdalen (Melvindale).

As of September 1, in addition to his teaching responsibilities at the Seminary, Fr. Meldrum will be assisting at parishes in the SERF Vicariate, including Our Lady Star of the Sea (Grosse Pointe Woods), St. Basil and St. Veronica (Eastpointe), and St. Joan of Arc and St. Lucy (St. Clair Shores).

‘80 Alum Chris Mehall Runs 2023 Boston Marathon

Congratulations to Dr. Chris Mehall, DLS Class of 1980, who ran in the 2023 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 17, 2023, with a time of 3:45. The time qualified him for the 2024 Marathon.

He qualified for the 2023 Boston event, after competing in the January 2022 Houston Marathon with a 3:40 time.

Mehall has now run marathons in 14 states (twice in Detroit and in Chicago), and aims to run marathons in all 50 states.

He still maintains his private medical practice in Marquette, MI, but he and his wife, Linda, are regularly on the move to marathons and to visit their sons.

After the Boston run, they headed to Baton Rouge, LA, where their son, John, DLS ‘11, got married on April 22, 2023. Eddie, ‘15, married in July 2022, and lives in Wheaton, IL.

‘54 Alum Bill Giovan Named John Conti Letterman of Distinction by UDM

Congratulations to DLS alumnus William “Bill” Giovan, Class of 1954, named the John Conti Letterman of Distinction by the University of Detroit Mercy.

Giovan, an All-American fencer at the university, was presented the award, with members of the Conti family in attendance, during halftime at a UDM basketball game on February 5, 2023.

Conti captained the 1949 University of Detroit football team that won the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. At 6-foot-1 and 300 pounds, Conti was an Honorable Mention All-American and the biggest man in college football.

When Conti was inducted into the Titan Hall of Fame in 1984, his long-time employer, Anheuser-Busch, created the award in tribute to Conti’s spirit and charitable enthusiasm. The John Conti Letterman of Distinction Award is presented to former Titan varsity athletes who go above and beyond at work and in the community.

Giovan is a retired Chief Judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court, and continues to be a visiting judge, mediator, arbitrator, and special master.

Alumni at Lakeshore Optimists Club Respect for Law Day

Five De La Salle Collegiate alumni were recently guests at the Lakeshore Optimists Club Respect for Law Day on May 3, 2023, at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

Judge William “Bill” Giovan, ‘54, served as the “keynote speaker,” as he and his barbershop quartet group entertained guests.

He served on the Circuit Court from 1976 through 2008, with prior service for both the Detroit Common Pleas Court and Recorder’s Court of Detroit. Giovan has lectured extensively on evidence and civil procedure for a variety of judicial groups.

He earned All-American status in 1958, when the Titans finished 10th in the NCAA Championships.

Giovan regularly appears on stage with the Grosse Pointe Theatre; a member since the 1950s, Bill’s membership spans eight decades.

He also sings with a men’s “barbershop” type group, “The Forum Shoppers,” with three other legal professionals. The group usually sings the National Anthem at a DLS home basketball game each season.

The event recognizes extraordinary efforts by public safety officers, as well as citizens, as recommended by the various Grosse Pointe departments, as well as the precincts on the East Side of Detroit.

The alumni in attendance, representing their respective public safety departments and city governments, included

• Mike Narduzzi, ‘86, a retired public safety officer from Grosse Pointe Park, now a detective in the city of Grosse Pointe

• Ted Kedzierski, ‘71, Mayor of Grosse Pointe Shores

• John Kosanke, ‘84, Director of Public Safety in Grosse Pointe Woods

• Jim Bostock, ‘89, Deputy Director of Public Safety in Grosse Pointe Park