Class Notes

dysseyOClass 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.”

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 80s

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.

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.

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!

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!

20 00s

In June 2020, Blake Ahearn ’03 accepted a job as an assistant coach

ALL DECADE SPORTS HONOREES

St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Decade Teams

This spring, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shared the St. Louis High School Sports “All Decade” series, based on high school performances between the 2010–2011 and 2019–2020 school years. Congratulations to the following Spartan alumni. CROSS COUNTRY Austin Del Rosso ’14 (Third Team) FOOTBALL Durron Neal ’12 (First Team, Offense) Andy Bauer ’14 (First Team, Offense) LACROSSE Noah Iverson ’15 (First Team) Luke Wetzel ’19 (First Team) Tommy Emms ’19 (First Team) Dylan Radke ’19 (Second Team) Dan Kinzel ’19 (Third Team) Craig Koester ’15 (Third Team) SOCCER Brian Hail ’13 (First Team) Louis Berra ’12 (Third Team) WATER POLO Andrew Diemer ’12 (First Team) Zach Holtgrew ’14 (Third Team) Thomas Larson ’18 (Third Team) WRESTLING Cory Peterson ’19 (Third Team)

with the Memphis Grizzlies. Previously, he was head coach of the San Antonio Spurs’ G-League affiliate in Austin, Scott Hoener ’12 married Antonia Franco on April 24, 2020. Scott’s good friend and former De Smet Jesuit teacher, Fr. Ronny O’Dwyer, S.J., said the Mass at St. Francis Xavier College Church on the campus of Saint Louis University. Though 250 guests were invited, the church was empty because of the pandemic. Scott’s brother, Kevin ’10, served as best man. Family and friends watched the ceremony via livestream. Scott graduated from SLU’s medical school in May and began his naval medical residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in June.

Shawn Mehrhoff ’12 is a senior analyst for Mastercard. He is a co-inventor of “Systems Architecture for Controlling Onsite and Offsite Energy Sources.” Its patent number, 10, 641, 803, was issued on May 5, 2020.

Texas. He was with the Spurs for three seasons, winning the G-League title in 2018. Congratulations, Coach Ahearn!

Joe Madigan ’03 and his wife, Amanda, welcomed their fifth child, Peter Louis, on January 30, 2020 — Fr. Pierre De Smet’s birthday! Joe shares, “He is named in honor of Fr. De Smet and St. Louis, King of France. We live on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, where I am a staff accountant at a small accounting firm. I am working on becoming an E.A. (Enrolled Agent), which will allow me to sign tax returns and represent clients in front of the IRS.”

Scott Hessel ’09 writes, “This year, Barb and I bought our first house in February from another De Smet grad (Dusty Weber ’07). We also welcomed the birth of our first child — Charles ‘Charlie’ Alexander Hessel — on May 7! ” Scott is a member of the faculty at St. Louis Priory.

20 10s

FATHERS AND SONS CLASS OF 2020 ALUMNI LEGACIES

We are proud to continue the tradition of celebrating our alumni legacies during graduation. The Class of 2020 includes 23 sons of alumni.

KABANCE PHOTO SERVICES

(Front row, from left) Thomas Bourke ’20 and Thomas Bourke ’86; Tyler Fahland ’20 and Kurt Fahland ’90; Geno Erker ’20 and Eugene Erker ’85; Joseph Wichlenski ’20 and John Wichlenski ’86; (second row, from left) Kyle Burke ’20 and Michael Burke ’86; Brendan Scheff ’20 and Theodore Scheff ’90; Bob Gillespie ’20 and Larry Gillespie ’75; Kern Toczylowksi ’20 and Thomas Toczylowski ’77; (third row, from left) Tim Chiapel ’20 and John Chiapel ’85; Sam Dwyer ’20 and Matthew Dwyer ’86; Nick Grewe ’20 and Michael Grewe ’86; Alexander Stratmann ’20 and Joseph Stratmann ’85; (back row, from left) Harrison Evers ’20 and Kevin Evers ’84; Jack Lane ’20 and Con Lane ’84; Alexander Davis ’20 and David Davis ’84; Connor Mulvaney ’20 and Patrick Mulvaney ’86; Michael Skoff ’20 and Brian Skoff ’88; Grant Ahlheim ’20 and Stephen Ahlheim ’86; James Otto ’20 and Greg Otto ’84; Cameron Osdieck ’20 and John Osdieck ’89 Not pictured: William Ryan ’20 and Michael Ryan ’84; Dominic Tocco ’20 and Joseph Tocco ’89; and Matthew Wunderlich ’20 and Jacob Wunderlich ’99