Odyssey
Class Notes
19 70s John Tucker ’72 shares, “My wife of 35 years, Cindy, passed away from complications related to lung cancer on May 15, 2019. We were not blessed with children but had three dogs in our time together. We also had a great four-year sabbatical on our 36’ sailboat starting in 1998, traveling from Ft. Lauderdale to Grenada and back. We visited all of the islands in the eastern Caribbean and met many lifelong friends, both those from the islands and those also traveling on their boats.” Michael Blanke ’78 likes “the Mile High City. I moved to Colorado to fulfill a dream of working at a Vail ski area. I was a children’s ski instructor for 10 winters.”
19 80s John Goerke ’83 writes, “I am currently working on a multi-year implementation of new administrative software systems for the University of Pennsylvania, replacing systems they have been using since about the time I graduated from De Smet!”
19 90s In May 2020, motivational speaker and best-selling author John O’Leary ’95
published his second book, In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning, and Joy. The book became an instant No. 1 national bestseller on Amazon—with readers commenting that In Awe’s message of hope and joy is exactly what we need during this pandemic. Steven Smith ’95 is an adjunct professor of game development for Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan. He is also part-owner of OverHook Games, where he was a team designer for the retail video games Zenfold and Hills and Hollows. On February 23, 2020, John Hawkey ’96 received the Peggy Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award for his work building the sport of boys volleyball in Missouri. He coached the Spartan volleyball team from 2006– 2015, compiling a 248–72–11 record, a state title in 2009, four conference titles, and eight district championships. Behind the scenes, he organizes tournaments and has helped grow the sport in the Kansas City area. John is shown with his parents, Peggy and Frank Hawkey (former faculty).
Nick Gordon ’98 is the vice president of supply chain for PMC Smart Solutions, Inc. In May, Gregory Etter ’99 was promoted to engineer of record for Sierra Piedmont, an environmental consulting services firm located in Woodstock, Ga. Jacob Plont ’99 lives in Cibolo, Texas, working as a senior sales representative for the Kahlig Auto Group, one of the largest family-owned networks of dealerships in the state of Texas. Jacob’s wife, Kimbie, owns Paw Basics, a pet nutrition business. Their 15-year-old son is part-owner of a custom cake decorating business, Cakes-Rock SA.
20 00s Mike Ambersley ’01 has joined the staff of a Sporting St. Louisan academy affiliate of the MLS (major league soccer) team, Sporting Kansas City. His primary focus is on youth development of players. Mike won back-to-back NCAA Championships at Indiana University in 2003 and 2004. He was drafted in 2006 by FC Dallas of MLS. In 2012, while playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Ambersley won a championship. Mike also was the first member of St. Louis FC before retiring from professional soccer in 2017. Tim Kendrick ’01 shares, “I have four beautiful kids and a great wife [Jessie]. Go Big D!” The Kendrick family lives in Ballwin, Mo.
The Alumni Association celebrated the transition of leadership at their socially-distanced year-end BBQ on July 11. From left to right: Patrick Morris ’06 of the Alumni Office, Treasurer Lucas Nikolaisen ’13, outgoing Alumni Association President Tim Weber ’82, incoming President John Goessling ’71, and incoming Vice President Tom Zink ’74. Thank you to these men for and with others, and all those who serve within the Alumni Association!
14 Odyssey
SUMMER 2020
Kevin Crimmins ’02, director of college counseling at St. Louis University High School, has been honored by the College Board in its Counselor Recognition Program for his exemplary professional work. Congratulations, Kevin! In June 2020, Blake Ahearn ’03 accepted a job as an assistant coach
