Spring 2012 U. HIGHlights

U.HIGHlights

ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HIGH The Alumni Newsletter | Spring 2012

Of Greatness and Gratitude Dan Flynn ’73 at the Father/Son Banquet, March 11, 2012

Four hundred-fifty fathers and sons convened in the Si Commons on March 11 for the annual Father/Son Banquet. They enjoyed good food, conversation, musical entertainment and inspiring remarks from Dan Flynn ’73, the featured guest speaker who is the CEO and Secretary General of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Flynn helped guide the Jr. Billikens to a soccer State Championship in 1973. During his career at Saint Louis University, he led the Billikens to an NCAA title.

As U.S. Soccer’s chief executive since 2000, Flynn has taken his lessons learned from the playing field and applied them administratively at the sport’s highest level. He has helped spur the U.S. Soccer Federation’s growth into one of the most respected national governing bodies in the world.

Visit www.sluh.org/gallery/1/photos/ parents/135 to view photos from the event.

Visit www.sluh.org/news/article/1790 to view all of Flynn’s remarks at the event.

Through his tireless efforts, Flynn has been responsible for instilling the groundwork for U.S. Soccer’s success in the new millennium. He has overhauled U.S. Soccer’s business framework, leading to the development and construction of U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, among other accomplishments.

Given his impressive career – both athletically and professionally – Flynn focused his remarks at the Father/Son Banquet on his high school experience and the gratitude for his teachers. He attended SLUH as a junior and senior after [ Flynn Continues on Page 2 ]

Divine Notes Fr. John J. Divine, S.J. founded the Alumni Association’s Board in 1947. Alumni thank and recognize the impact the Jesuits have had on us in our living.

John Mundwiller ‘65 | Alumni Board President I am pleased to introduce our first publication of U.HIGHlights! This is a special publication focused specifically on highlighting you, our alumni. It is an extension of the former SLUH News publication and a complement to the 1818 Insider, the electronic publication that highlights the Jr. Bills of today.

SLUH invites your input for future issues.

If you learn about a notable alumni accomplishment or have an interesting alumni-related story and/or photo to share, the School would appreciate hearing about it.

Simply send your submissions to alumni@sluh.org.

U.HIGHlights will be sent to all alumni on a bi-monthly basis. Half of the issues will be sent via “snail mail” and the other half electronically. If SLUH does not have your email address, please send it with your name and class year to alumni@sluh.org to ensure that you receive the electronic issues. I hope you find U.HIGHlights as a helpful way to stay connected with your fellow alumni and the St. Louis U. High community.

“While some see SLUH through the lense of a local St. Louis institution, I see it as a high school with a much broader footprint…a footprint that resonates throughout a variety of campuses and communities across the country…a footprint that extends beyond just academic standards…a footprint that does in fact rest on the shoulders of each individual student…each graduating class…each generation.”

- Dan Flynn ‘73

Flynn [continued] transferring from McBride High School when it closed in 1971.

Flynn said Fr. Bailey, who was Backer Memorial’s President at the time, allowed him to attend free of charge during a difficult time for his family.

“His compassion and understanding made a difference in my life, and he lived up to the Jesuit tradition – to make a difference for others, and not just do well, but more importantly, do good.”

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Dan Flynn ‘73

1972 Soccer Team: Dan Flynn ‘73 highlighted in top row at center.

Coach Ebbie Dunn is in top row on far right.

Flynn also talked glowingly about his soccer coach, Ebbie Dunn.

“His presence was unmatched.

You always wanted to succeed for Ebbie. As our leader, he was not just the head coach of our team, but its heart. And when you played on a team coached by Ebbie Dunn, you played for the name on the front of the jersey first. But he also taught us to take responsibility for the name on the back of jersey – on and off the field.”

Flynn spoke with fondness about a recent SLUH alumni event in Chicago, where he now lives, and concluded his remarks by addressing the Jr. Billikens in attendance.

“The ability to stay connected is such a wonderful asset for the School, but it also speaks to the privilege that it is to attend St. Louis U. High,” he said. “Embrace that privilege, honor it, accept the higher standard that comes with it…it will serve you well now and in the future.”

SLUH Scribes

Greg Burke ‘78, reporter for

Fox News covering Rome, the Vatican and the Middle East, formerly a correspondent for Time magazine in Rome and the Middle East

From left: Steve Missey ‘88, English teacher and Prep News moderator; Jim Santel ‘08, former Prep News Editor; Tom Santel ‘76, Jim’s father and former Prep News Editor; and Jim Raterman, English teacher and former Prep News moderator. In 2011, the family of Tom Santel ’76 created the Jim Raterman Scholarship to assist the affordable education for students at SLUH.

Veteran English teacher Rich Moran ‘66

“I had great English teachers at the U. High. They created in me an interest in writing and journalism that propelled me into the Columbia University School of Journalism. I had great teachers like Chmelir, Conley and Raterman and I was well prepared when I arrived at Columbia.”

Dan Coughlin ’81, author of six books

Learning the Write Way

and more than 150 articles

Teaching students to write well has been a goal of Jesuit education for centuries, and St. Louis University High has long been known for its success in this discipline. The English Department, made up entirely of lay men and women, is proud to carry on that distinctly Jesuit tradition.

“The main lesson I learned at SLUH was that good writing comes from trial and error…lots of trials and lots of errors. I was never a very good writer in high school, but I learned that you just have to keep coming back to the effort over and over. I had Dr. Conley in my freshman and senior years. He brought enthusiasm to every class and inspired me to keep trying in spite of my shortcomings. The Jesuit influence of reflection and thinking before acting has impacted every book and every speech I’ve ever given.”

modern works, in each of their first three years. Freshmen begin their studies with a reading of Homer’s Odyssey – a complete unabridged translation of the original, as opposed to an abbreviated version.

Seniors have the freedom to choose from an array of English electives. In The transition from Jesuit to lay addition to traditional courses such teachers was a deliberate effort of Fr. as poetry, Shakespeare, satire and Ray Windle, S.J. As chairman of the fiction writing, seniors may choose English Department, he hired a cadre more specialized courses with titles of new teachers in the early 1970s like African-American Voices, The – including Jim Raterman, Dr. Pat Alienated Hero, Literature of Men Conley ’66, Tom Chmelir ’58 and, and Women, and Irish Literature. a few years later, Rich Moran ’66 The strength of the English – and empowered them to create Department is evident in the number a new curriculum. These teachers of alumni who have distinguished largely created the SLUH English themselves in writing-oriented Department as it currently exists. careers. Alumni are leading Today, the U. High’s English journalists, authors and academics curriculum maintains its rigorous and throughout the world. A few of them traditional characteristics. Students are profiled here. study Shakespearean plays and classic novels, along with more

The school’s Robinson Library maintains a list of books published by SLUH alumni. The list is available at www.sluh.org/alumni/notable. Updates and additions are welcome and may be submitted to alumni@sluh.org.

Tim O’Neil ’70, long-time reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“SLUH had a profound influence in the formation of my writing. Looking back, I am amazed by how many books, poems, short stories and essays we read, discussed and wrote about. My high school preparation was so extensive, my college teachers in journalism school didn’t hit me with a work or an author I hadn’t dealt with as a Jr. Bill until my junior year at Mizzou.”

Greg Stohr ’85, journalist who covers the

Supreme Court for the Bloomberg News Service “I trained as a lawyer, but the strong foundation in writing I received at SLUH led me to a different career. Mr. Jim Raterman was both my English teacher and the moderator of the newspaper. He was a tremendous influence on me, and I think the world of him. Mr. Rich Moran gave me a love of literature, and Mr. Raterman gave me a love of writing.”

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Class Notes Thanks to retired SLUH Librarian Marguerite Shewman for her work as our volunteer “clipping service.” Ms. Shewman scans publications for names of SLUH alumni and sends the articles along to us here at U.HIGHlights. If you would like to submit an item for Class Notes, please send it via e-mail to alumni@sluh.org.

1970s Living out the SLUH mission of “Men For Others” within his profession, Dr. Joe Shea, DDS ‘74 was recently named the “Volunteer Dentist of the Year” in St. Louis.

Shea gives countless volunteer hours to MO-DDS (Missouri Donated Dental Services) which provides dental service to the poor, handicapped and the elderly. Dr. Shea was honored at a recent banquet and awards ceremony of the Greater St. Louis Dental Society.

was the first recipient to earn this honor at the Kline Awards ceremony on April 2nd at the Loretto-Hilton Center in St. Louis.

One of the top box office movies of February was the family film Big Miracle, based on 1965 the massive international effort to free a pair of whales trapped by arctic ice. The movie Artist Bill Christman was profiled in a major starred Drew Barrymore and John Krasiniski, feature in the Arts section of the January 15, 1954 and was directed by Ken Kwapis ’75.

2012 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Joe Schulte (pictured above), longtime SLUH Christman has a gallery and workshop in 1980s the Central West End, and a “quasi-private theater teacher and veteran resident stage manager at the Muny, was honored for lifetime eclectic music club” which is open one night Pianist Chris Walters ‘80 performed at New each week for music and conversation. achievement by the Kevin Kline Awards. He York’s Lincoln Center in January, as part of [4]

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Familar SLUH Alumni Faces 1. St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom ‘85 (center) with State Runner-Up HockeyBills 2. From left: Bob Weiss, S.J. ‘42, Tim Drone ‘68 and Tom Cummings, S.J. ‘56 at Cashbah 3. Josh Randall ‘91 at his 20th Reunion 4. John Wunderlich ‘66 (left) and Patrick Zarrick ‘77 at Cashbah 5. Steve Vierling ‘93 on his summit of Denali (in background) 6. Steve Schrage ‘94, project manager for the Si Commons 7. David Giuntoli ‘98, star of the NBC Series Grimm 8. Dan McAuliffe ‘53 (left) and his son Michael McAuliffe ‘84 at Cashbah 9. Class of ‘66 at their 45th Reunion 10. From left: Errol Patterson, John Mitchell, Joe Castellano and Bob Thibaut at their 40th Reunion 11. From left: Terek Hawkins ‘12, Henry Jones ‘86 and Jamil IrvinMuhammad ‘12 putting the “U” in U. High 12 From left: Tom Bannister, John Hogan and John Sullivan at their 60th Reunion

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Northwestern Univesity inducted Steve Schnur ‘92 into their Hall of Fame in February. Schnur was quarterback of the Wildcats in 1995 and 1996 and led the team to two Big Ten titles. He is currently a Senior Vice President in the Chicago office of Duke Realty.

Dr. Brian Wamhoff ‘92, an Associate the center’s “American Songbook” concert series. The concert starred JD Souther, and featured Walters on piano. Walters is based in Nashville, and his latest album “Yah! Everybody, Yah!” was released in February.

Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, and a Relationship Manager and Senior Consultant with Kaspick & Company, a nationwide manager of planned giving programs and endowments.

Matt Witte ‘83 is doing theological studies

The St. Louis law firm of Armstrong Teasdale added Michael Downey ‘88 as a partner in their litigation practice group.

and is in formation to become a Permanent Deacon in the Archdioces of St. Louis. He is scheduled to be ordained to the deaconate on June 2nd, 2012.

Timothy J. Prosser Esq. ‘83 served as Chair of the 2011 National Conference on Philanthropic Planning, held in San Antonio last October. Tim is a board member of the

1990s

Professor at the University of Virginia in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical Engineering and Cardiovascular Research Center, recently received the Rhodes College’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Glass-blowing artist Doug Auer ‘95 was profiled in the February 19, 2012 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Auer is the founder and co-owner of the Third Degree Glass Factory in North St. Louis. The facility is a former car dealership that has been converted into a glass blowing studio, gallery and event space. See www.thirddegreeglassfactory.com for more details.

In May, Kurt Moellering ‘91 completes his Doctor of Philosophy in the field of English at Northeastern University in Boston. He resides in Boston with his wife, Mica, and son, Carson. Paul Pagano ‘96 is on the staff at SLUH

[ Class Notes Continues on Next Page ] [5]

Class Notes [continued] teaching theater and fine arts. He was recently as a Platoon Leader in the 101st Airborn Division of the United States Army. During his elected to board of directors at STAGES, the popular community theater group in St. Louis. deployment, he was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic and meritorious service. Lt. Henry is Dave Giuntoli ‘98 is fighting supernatural stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. forces as the lead actor in Grimm, the NBC Tommy Meyer ‘08, a stand-out soccer drama series that debuted last fall. player at the University of Indiana, was selected in the first round of the MLS draft 2000s by the Los Angeles Galaxy. He joins a starFirst Lieutenant Danny Henry ‘05 returned in studded roster that includes Landon Donovan, the fall of 2011 from deployment in Afghanistan David Beckham and Robbie Keane. [ Class Notes Continues on Next Page ] Kyle McCollom '07 (left) with employee printers William Williams (middle) and Tim Ezell.

MEN FOR OTHERS Kyle McCollom ’07 | Weaving the Fabric of Hope Kyle McCollom ’07, recipient of the Archbishop May Service Award while at SLUH, has long been motivated by the desire to serve others. When he was a student at Vanderbilt University, McCollom moved into the Dismas House – a halfway house in Nashville – to learn from the residents and to help them.

“I needed to gain their trust, and the best way to do that was to move into the house,” McCollom says.

During conversations at dinner and on the front porch, the residents expressed a deep-set ambition to earn a second chance and find their place in society. Thus, in September 2010, McCollom launched a business, known as Triple Thread, out of an empty warehouse to reconcile former offenders to society through employment and job training.

Triple Thread (www.triplethreadapparel.com), which was started with the aid the Clinton Global Initiative [6]

Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J. ‘96

is on a four-month assignment in Punta Gorda, Belize. He is ministering to rural villages in the area near the Guatemalan border. Classmates and friends are invited to read updates on his missionary work on his Facebook page.

Visit www.sluh.org/campus/vocations for information regarding vocations.

University (CGIU), a team of Vanderbilt students and Dismas House staff, prints quality custom apparel. Since its founding, Triple Thread has built a comprehensive suite of screen-printing services for its customers.

As the company grows, so does its capacity to train and employ Dismas House residents. More than 30 residents have already printed 16,000 shirts for customers, from the Mayor of Nashville to top country artists.

“As their lives are transformed, recidivism rates fall, lessening the tax burden of our nation’s massive prison system,” says McCollom.

McCollom received the Outstanding Commitment Award from CGIU in recognition of his business and was invited to speak at the CGIU Annual Meeting in 2011.

In humble fashion, he attributes much of his success to William Williams, who joined the team as the first printer.

Williams has grown with the company to become the lead printer in charge of all screen-printing and employee training.

“I realize the t-shirts we make aren’t the only works of art,” says Williams. “I’ve become a masterpiece myself.

I see a new man compared to who I used to be.”

Class Notes [continued] Michael Baumer ‘08, an aspiring physicist at UChicago, is among the 40 American recipients of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship this year. He will use this scholarship to pursue an MPhil in physics at Cambridge next year.

Chris Brennan ‘09 studied four years of Michael Bartlett ‘96 with his wife and three sons.

Scholarships Put SLUH Within Reach Michael Bartlett ’96 was one of four Bartlett boys to attend U. High.

When he was in 7th grade, his father died suddenly of a heart attack. In addition to their emotional loss, the death affected the Bartlett Family financially.

Principal Paul Owens made financial arrangements with Mrs. Bartlett, who was a full-time mother of five children and a part-time substitute teacher, to ensure her sons were welcome at the School.

“As a scholarship student, I was so grateful,” says Bartlett. “Being at SLUH meant everything to me. I immersed myself in school life.”

“When I was a student writing an annual thank-you letter to my scholarship donor, I vowed that I would give back,” recalls Bartlett.

“In addition to making an annual donation, I still hope to one day fund my own full scholarship, and my

Dan Hermsmeier ‘10, a sophomore on the rifle team at the University of Memphis, was named a First Team All American in small bore rifle shooting, and also to the All Academic Team. Dan will be competing in Europe this summer at shooting competitions in Germany and the Czech Republic, accompanied by the U.S. Olympic coach.

Michael Meyer ‘10 is studying microbiology and Russian language at Saint Louis University.

He will put both areas of study to good use this summer, as he has been accepted as a team member on a summer research project studying organisms in Lake Baikal in Russia.

Baikal is the world’s largest freshwater lake, located in a remote area in eastern Russia.

“Teach us to give and not to count the cost.”

After the U. High, Bartlett attended Lake Forest College in suburban Chicago, and later received his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business. Today he lives in Hudson, Ohio with his wife Jessica and their three sons William, James and Henry. He continues to work in the finance industry.

“To whatever extent I have been successful, I credit a large part of it

to my St. Louis U. High experience,” says Bartlett. “I learned so much, both in and out of the classroom.

Even after almost sixteen years, I still say SLUH taught me how to think. For my high school education and the foundation that it provided me, I am indebted to the donors who funded my scholarship.”

Russian at SLUH and then matriculated to Columbia University in New York. He recently landed an internship in Moscow to write for the Moscow Times and study at the prestigious Moscow State University.

— St. Ignatius of Loyola wife and I have since incorporated St. Louis U. High into our estate planning.

“I always find myself either wanting to give more or wanting to give more often. I wrote seven years ago that I plan to pay it all back…plus interest.

Today, I hope to nudge others to give something (anything) back, too.”

Show your support to SLUH and make a gift today. www.sluh.org/giving [7]

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U.HIGHlights

Upcoming Events & Activities

In This Issue

Visit the www.sluh.org/alumni for further details on the following events.

r Remarks from Dan Flynn ’73, CEO and Secretary General of the U.S. Soccer Federation

Alumni Day of Service

Alumni Happy Hour

Saturday, May 19

Thursday, June 7

r Kyle McCollom ’07 weaves the fabric of hope

Roll up your sleeves for a fun day of fellowship and service! The annual Alumni Day of Service kicks off with Mass in the SLUH Chapel at 7:30 a.m., followed by service work off-campus at select sites until noon.

On the first Thursday of each month, SLUH alumni gather at a local alumnus-owned establishment to reconnect, network for business purposes, and enjoy time with fellow alumni.

Instructional Baseball Program May 18-June 29

Fr. Hagan Memorial Alumni Golf Tournament

r A ‘“nudge” from Michael Bartlett ’96

SAVE THE DATE! Reunion Weekend

Friday, July 6

Fri.-Sat., September 28-29

For alumni and friends with young kids, SLUH baseball coach Steve Nicollerat is offering a new and fun way to introduce 5-6 year-olds (boys and girls) to baseball.

This annual event features lunch, on-course drinks, four-man scramble, and an awards reception following tournament play. Tee off the weekend the ideal way – with your SLUH pals!

(Classes of ‘52, ‘57, ‘67, ‘72, ‘77, ‘82, ‘87, ‘92 and ‘97)

Class of ’62 Reunion

Festival of Miles

Feast of St. Ignatius Mass

Classes of ’42 and ’47 Reunion Luncheons

Thursday, May 31 SLUH hosts a premier track meet featuring American Olympic hopefuls and sub 4-minute [mile 8 ] runs.

October 5-7

Tuesday, July 31

October 19

Join your fellow alumni for a “spiritual homecoming” at SLUH to celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus.

Classes of ’02 and ’07 Reunion November 23