In Memoriam

1940 Bill Maskill, ‘41. November 12, 2019 More on page 37. John Morey, ‘45. January 29, 2019. Leonard Zontek, ‘46. December 5, 2019. 1950 George Buyse, SJ ‘54. October 11, 2019. William Fox, ‘50. February 6, 2020. More on page 35. Eugene Golab, ‘52. May 23, 2019. Jim Handloser, ‘50. May 7, 2019. Dale Hearth, SJ ‘52, August 11, 2019. Harry Josefiak, ‘51. September 28, 2019. Richard Jungwirth, ‘52. December 27, 2019. Loyal supporter of De La Salle. Former Board Member. Christian Brothers Dinner Honoree in 2009. Father of Richard Jungwirth, ‘86. Brother of Raymond Jungwirth ‘50, and Robert (Abe) Jungwirth, ‘54. John Singelyn, SJ ‘57. December 4, 2019. Brother of Mike Singelyn SJ ‘62. Uncle of Jim Singelyn ‘90, DLS teacher and swim coach. Charles Wagner, Sr., ‘50. October 13, 2019. Brother of Joseph Wagner ‘49 and Thomas Wagner ‘48. 1960 Robert Binkowski, ‘65. January 3, 2020. Father of Robert Binkowski ‘94. Joe Kaptur, SJ ‘60. January 1, 2020.

Extended family Kenneth “King Sparty” Bacinski. October 19, 2019. Brother of retired faculty member Tom Bacinski.

Brother Gabriel Fagan FSC. December 9, 2019. More on page 36

Kenneth Hinton. October 19, 2019. Stepfather of faculty member Aarran Meier.

William Passalacqua. January 5, 2020. Bill was the father of Sal, SJ ‘63

Bernice Rigby. November 14, 2019. Grandmother of Josh Rigby ‘16 and Justin Rigby ‘17. Mother-inlaw of Laura Rigby, DLS teacher.

John Schmid. January 24, 2020. More on page 37

Antoinette Skowronski. December 30, 2019. Mother of Dr. Raymond Skowronski, ‘74, and grandmother of Raymond Skowronski III, ‘15.

This list represents notifications received thru February 6, 2020. If you know of an alumnus or extended family member who has passed, please notify Dennis Koch in the Alumni Office at 586-541-6212 or dkoch@delasallehs.com.

Bill Fox ‘50

Bill Fox ‘50, the alumnus who He bought his first dealership made history at De La Salle in Rochester Hills in 1967. A Collegiate nine years ago by year later he added a body shop giving the school its largestand expanded the used vehicle ever donation, died Feb. 6, operation. A significant change 2020 following a long illness. came again in 1983 when Fox Fox was 87. was awarded a Jeep-Eagle fran The $5 million donation chise. By 1984, a new facility from Fox is the largest in was completed for Chevrolet the school’s history and and Jeep-Eagle settled in at the completed its 2004 capital Bill Fox and Brother Bob Carnaghi in July, 2015 existing location. In 1991, a new campaign. The philanthropic collision center and used vehicle gift was used to help with the showroom were completed. construction of a chapel, academic wing, science labs, A consistent benefactor, Fox has actively supported De music room, and extensive technological upgrades. La Salle’s goal of making a Lasallian Catholic education The reason for the generous gift, Fox said during a affordable for all students. Fox and his 1950 classmate, check presentation, was the impact the school had on Tony Mattar, were honorees at the school’s 24th annual his own life. Christian Brothers Dinner in 2005. “Bill’s gift to the school in the early 2000s was a Then Fox reflected on his education at De La Salle. transformative donation, impacting the lives of future “It seems just yesterday I was a student here, getting an generations of Pilots,” De La Salle President John M. education that was priceless,” he said. “One of our teachers, Knight said. “Bill loved the Christian Brothers and Br. Brendan Patrick, used to say at least once a day, ‘Be a their lay partners. Please pray for the repose of Bill’s tree. And if you can’t be a tree, be a bush. And if you can’t soul and the consolation of his family.” be a bush, be a blade of grass. But be the best at whatever Today, the Fox name is prominently displayed through you do.’ ” out De La Salle, most notably in the school lobby, the Fox was a devoted outdoorsman, he was an avid hunter Bill Fox Gymnasium and the Bill Fox Academic Wing. and fly fisherman, sailor, and pilot. He was a charter The academic wing is home to the science labs as well member of Great Oaks Country Club and a snow skier. as the art and engineering departments. He turned countless friends and family on to these Fox was also a major donor to Rochester College, PBS, sports, especially at the family homes he created in Vail Beaumont (Crittenton Hospital), The Capuchin Soup and Snowmass, Colorado. Fox’s Clam Lake home was Kitchen, the Rochester Rotary Club, and Leader Dogs his homage to his own father’s horse farm in Northern for the Blind. Michigan. A vast and beautiful retreat where extended Fox was one of Michigan’s most successful automotive dealers, with Chevrolet, Volkswagen, and Toyota Fox is survived by his wife, Shirlee, six children, 17 dealerships in Rochester, and a Ford dealership in grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Battle Creek. family and friends could play, swim, fish, and hunt.

Brother Gabe Fagan FSC

Brother Gabriel Fagan, FSC, who had two teaching assignments at De La Salle Collegiate, passed away on Dec. 9 in New Jersey. He was 81. During 1961-70, his first classroom assignment was at the Detroit location as a religion, Latin, and English teacher. He returned to De La Salle in 2011, after several years as a college profes sor at Philadelphia’s La Salle University as a semi-retiree, teaching Latin until 2013. Brother Gabe had been in poor health the last few years, and moved to De La Salle Hall in Lincroft, N.J., in 2015. Brother Ken Kalinowski described Brother Gabe as a mudd monk, a term the brothers use to describe a brother who will go anywhere and do anything he is asked. “It means a brother who will die with his boots on, who is still out there doing,” Brother Ken said. “Gabe was every thing from a teacher and administrator to vocation director and college professor. “Gabe could have retired anywhere. He was from New York, but his parents and brother had died, and he chose to return to De La Salle Collegiate because of the many friendships he had with alumni. He considered Detroit his home. And here he was teaching, well into his 70s, because he was a mudd monk.”. Born in New York City on June 5, 1938, he entered the Barrytown New York Novitiate on June 1957. He received the religious habit and name Brother Alben Gabriel in Sept. 1957, and pronounced his perpetual vows in Barrytown in 1963. He attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned a bachelor’s degree, and later, during the mid 70s, earned a doctorate at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to his time at De La Salle Collegiate, Brother Gabe also taught at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, New York, and St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota. “He was a very smart man, and was a hard and demanding teacher.” said Mark Wojcik ’69, who got to know Brother Gabe as the moderator of the basketball team. Wojcik recalled visiting Brother Gabe while he was at LaSalle University, and staying at the Christian Brothers’ house and attended the Army-Navy football game. The two stayed in touch until Brother Gabe left for Lincroft in 2015. Jeff Sadowski ’70, spoke with Brother Gabe as recently as two weeks ago. Although he was in failing health the last several years, and had some dementia, the two had conversations every 2-3 weeks. Like Wojcik, Sadowski also played basketball, and during his college years at Michigan he visited Brother Gabe at Notre Dame, along with other Pilots classmates, and enjoyed a football game and dinner out. Sadowski invited Brother Gabe to be his best man at his wedding, as well as godfather to his second son. “Brother Gabe had at least seven godsons,” Sadowski said, “and many lived near him in New Jersey, and visited him regularly.”

There is a Brother Gabe Fagan Memorial Scholarship Fund on the De La Salle website, if you would like to donate in his memory and honor. https://www.delasallehs.com/alumni/support-de-la-salle/ scholarships.

John Schmid

John Schmid, a longtime business teacher at De La Salle Collegiate, died on Jan. 24. He was 72. For the past few years, Schmid battled Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The former educator taught accounting, him. I appreciate all he did for us and for

business law, and economics from 1975 worked as the company’s comptroller.

to 2005 at De La Salle, where his wife, Debbie, was also a business teacher in the 90s. Schmid grew up in the Mount Clemens like that stick with you.”

area and attended St. Louis the King High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Detroit. Alumni were quick to praise Schmid and and Michael (‘08), daughters Rebecca and Monica, and

his influence on their lives. “He is the teacher that piqued my interest in business, and ‘94, De La Salle’s director of alumni relations. “I majored in business at Michigan State University, and joined the De La Salle staff in 2005 as a business teacher. That was John’s last year at De La Salle, and he was my department head. He was my mentor, and helped me grow in my teach ing skills, particularly classroom management. He used to give daily quizzes, which kept students on their toes.”

Matt Chabot, an alumnus from 1988, add ed: “I did not fully appreciate how well he taught us until my first accounting class at MSU. He taught us college-level account ing, and I aced my first class because of the school.” In later years, Schmid went to part time, teaching an early-morning class before heading to John’s Lumber, where he “Every time I pass John’s Lumber on Gratiot, I think of him,” said Gary Hrydziuszko, ‘91. “Funny how little things Schmid is survived by his wife Debra, sons Aaron (‘93) also made me want to go into teaching,” said Dennis Koch,

several grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes to the ALS Association, P.O. Box 37022, Boone, Iowa 50037, or Michigan Brain Bank, 400 North Ingalls Street, Room G179, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109. If you would like to share your sympathies with the Schmid family, notes may be sent via De La Salle Collegiate, 14600 Common Rd., Warren, MI 48088.

Michigan coaching legend Bill Maskill‘41, passed away on November 12. Once the winningest football coach in Michigan high school history, Maskill won four state championships, and amassed 274 wins before retiring in 1991. The majority of his coaching career was at Galesburg-Augusta. During his career he led teams to five undefeated seasons. Maskill was a member of the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame and the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame. As recently as this year, Maskill continued to hold an annual party at his home for former players and coaches. His son, Bill Maskill, Jr., head coach at Midwestern State University (Texas), said his father had walked a mile the day before his passing. “We all thought he would live forever.”

Save the Date For the opportunity to celebrate Mass with your son at De La Salle Collegiate. Friday, April 3, 2020 Father/Son Mass Friday, May 1, 2020 Mother/Son Mass Contact Joe Girardi at jgirardi@delasallehs.com to RSVP.