ALUMNI ASSOCIATION RECONSTITUTES RECOGNITION PROCESS

Beginning in mid-2022 and spanning the course of several months, dedicated members of the Rockhurst High School National Alumni Association and the Alumni Recognition Committee took a critical look at the approach to recognizing the remarkable achievements of Rockhurst graduates.

This effort was spearheaded by Spencer Hardwick ’07, Alumni Association Secretary and Chair of the Alumni Recognition Committee, along with members Larry Egan ’81, Ivan Nugent ’99, and Seth Sinovic ’05

Their work led to a well-rounded pool of candidates for the 2022 Alumnus of the Year Award, and an enthusiastic crowd at the annual Fr. Mario Puricelli, SJ, Alumni Spaghetti Dinner in November, during which Pete Browne ’85 was honored with the award.

Following the celebration, Hardwick and his committee continued to search for ways to increase alumni participation, and proposed to the Alumni Board a reconstituted alumni recognition process by both strengthening the nomination process with more alumni input and unveiling a new recognition.

“We understand the power of our alumni network lies not only in its breadth but also in its depth. With such a diverse pool of talented and impactful alumni, we realized the importance of developing fresh ways to recognize the spectrum of contributions our graduates make in the greater community,” commented Hardwick. “Moreover, we were driven by the desire to create new opportunities for recent graduates to be recognized for their remarkable accomplishments and boundless aspirations.”

In an email to the Rockhurst alumni community on March 2, 2023, Hardwick announced these updates:

The Emerging Hawklet Award is a new award that celebrates the outstanding achievements of a young graduate who has created a meaningful impact through exceptional leadership, service to others, or a commitment to excellence. This award is designed to recognize those who have demonstrated strong adherence to St. Ignatius’ guiding principle, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”. To be eligible for the Emerging Hawklet Award, nominees must be under 31 years of age at the time of nomination.

“The enthusiasm with which alumni have embraced this initiative in providing nominations for the inaugural Emerging Hawklet Award has been truly inspiring. We hope to build on this momentum, making this award a cherished tradition in the years to come,” said Hardwick.

In addition to the Emerging Hawklet Award, Rockhurst will continue to recognize an Alumnus of the Year, a tradition since 2002, an individual who honors the spirit, mission, and vision of the Society of Jesus through his dedication to being a man for others and by making significant contributions of time, talent, and treasure to Rockhurst High School and the community.

The Alumni Recognition Committee, ensuring that the nomination process for both awards is accessible to all members of the alumni community, opened the nomination window from March 1 through May 1, 2023, with honorees scheduled to be announced in the summer.

At the conclusion of the nomination period, the committee had received two dozen submissions and rationales for each.

The winners of each award will be celebrated at the Fr. Puricelli, SJ, Alumni Spaghetti Dinner on November 2, 2023.

Following the Rockhurst Alumni Association fall events that included the annual Alumni Reunion Weekend that welcomed home more than 400 graduates spanning more than 60 years, and the Fr. Mario Puricelli, SJ, Spaghetti Dinner, which had 150 attendees, Rockhurst continued offering events for alumni to re-engage with their school and classmates.

Dr. Tiffany Rinne, Rockhurst’s new Director of Library Sciences, and Meredith Suarez, Director of Alumni Engagement, organized the Alumni Speaker Series beginning in October 2022. These opportunities invited alums back to Rockhurst to speak with current students interested in their career or passions. To kick off the series in October, Ivan Nugent ’99, Sean McLaughlin ’01, and Henry Thomas ’06 spoke about their professions in law.

November featured Ben Ismert ’94, Andrew Wade ’15, and Blaise Gassman ’16 talking engineering. In December, Dr. Jed Ervin ’66 and Dr. Kevin Campbell ’05 offered their experiences in the medical field. In February, Jim Cosgrove ’83 and Brad Porter ’91 spoke about media, journalism, and writing. To round out the year in April, Ray Evans ’78 and John Carlos Walton-Nuñez ’15 gave insight on careers in business and finance.

Recent graduates were invited back to campus on December 20 for the annual Young Alumni Pizza Party. More than 50 alumni from the Classes of 2015-2022 reunited for dinner in the Dining Commons then attended the varsity basketball game against Lee’s Summit West. The event was organized by Jamie Maggard ’04, Blaise Gassman ’16, and David Sandvig III ’16

Rockhurst kicked off its 2023 alumni events with a special 10-year reunion and celebration of the 2013 State Championship Basketball Team Head Coach Mark Nusbaum and eight players from his championship team returned for the January 20 varsity basketball game against Lafayette (Wildwood) and were recognized at halftime. This special group went 26-5 en route to the State Title, winning each of the six playoff games by an average of 16 points.

David Laughlin, President, and Fr. Tom Pesci, SJ, President Emeritus, traveled for alumni gatherings in Arizona and Florida. Brooke & Kevin Kopp ’93 hosted a Rockhurst alumni event in January in Phoenix for 16 local Hawklets. In March, they met a small group of local Hawklets in Naples hosted by Martha & Steve Butler ’65. Laughlin and Fr. Pesci plan to host an event in Chicago next October.

After several months of planning led by alumni, Rockhurst hosted its kick-off event for RockConnect on April 26, 2023. More than 50 alumni representing five decades joined together at Angles Law Firm (Chris Angles ’89) as RockConnect committee members explained the goals of the initiative, which include professional connections and career guidance. RockConnect is chaired by Todd Schieffer ’90 and Blaise Gassman ’16, and aided by committee members Bob Rodriguez ’80, Kevin Farrell ’92 , Anthony Tarantino ’96, Mitch Kelly ’01, Cornell Ellis ’08, Chris Miller ’11, and Andrew Miller ’16

On May 13, 2023, in honor of Mother’s Day, Amy and Vince Hodes ’90 and members of the Hodes family gathered for a dedication of the Grotto of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as the “Marian Grotto” in honor of Ann and Bill Hodes ’51

All alumni, regardless of their current location, are encouraged to join the Rockhurst High School Alumni Association on LinkedIn for updates on RockConnect and professional growth opportunities. Join the Group at: www. linkedin.com/groups/111928

Please also save the date for the 2023 Alumni Reunion Weekend over September 6-9, 2023, celebrating graduation years ending in 3s and 8s.