St. Thomas Eagles' Nest Spring 2021

eagles’

nest spring 2021

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EAGLES’ NEST MAGAZINE

Eagles’ Nest Printed February 2021 The Eagles’ Nest is published two times annually by St. Thomas High School 4500 Memorial Drive Houston, Texas 77007 713.864.6348

eagles’

nest spring 2021

St. Thomas High School Community Magazine

Rev. James Murphy, CSB President Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96 Principal Mary Criaco Assistant Principal Mark deTranaltes ’83 Vice President for Advancement Rodney Takacs Dean of Students Steve Cummings ’08 Director of Alumni Relations Keith Calkins Director of Communications

DEPARTMENTS 43

Eagle Flight

Eagle students inspired by pandemic seize the power of proactivity while champion scholars Grant McCoy ’20 and Grayson Drinkard ’20 head 2020 commencement weekend.

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Eagle Pride

Alumni Association awards scholarships to Eagle scholars and Eagles’ Nest publication again earns national acclaim.

Johnny Misleh ’00 Major Gift Officer

KH Studio Layout + Design Nathan Lindstrom Cover Photography

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Eagle Fight

Eagle scholar-athletes extend their careers to the collegiate level while Karnell James becomes new leader of Eagle Basketball.

Like us, follow us, keep up with us! @sthcatholic

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#mySTH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features TAKING THE LEAD

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JOPLIN CAMPUS DEDICATION

COMMITMENT TO CHANGE, SERVE, SUCCEED

A FALL SEMESTER AT ST. THOMAS LIKE NO OTHER

The Joplin Campus is dedicated and celebrates the extraordinary philanthropy of Jane and Bill Joplin ’54.

Pandemic demands uncharted decisions nurturing scholars through a multidisciplinary curriculum while serving in a Basilian fellowship.

COMING HOME

THE SHOW GOES ON(LINE)

LIFETIME LODGE MEMBERS

The first on campus athletic home event of the COVID-19 era.

St. Thomas adjusts the annual Auction & Gala as the community unites in a confident commonality in a tumultuous time.

John W. (J.W.) Lodge IV ’04 draws on Basilian education in assuming leadership in family business.

16th Hall of Honor Induction recognizes five transformative leaders who have embraced the St. Thomas spirit at its best.

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A WORTHY NAMESAKE Colin ’83 and Harry Hageney V ’22 continue rich St. Thomas family legacy.

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THE

TAKING

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LEAD

Features For 121 years, notable St. Thomas graduates have personified the Basilian credo Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge. The most acclaimed former scholars with exceptional contributions to their professions and communities are saluted with the school’s highest alumni distinction.

On January 23, the Eagle Family elevated five transformative leaders who have embraced the St. Thomas spirit at its best. The 16th Hall of Honor event took place as a socially distanced, invitation only celebration in Cemo Auditorium.

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RAYMOND BOURGEOIS ’70 The first Black president of the St. Thomas Alumni Association has invested countless hours and priceless contributions over four decades living out the Basilian mission in his daily life. He matched a supple approach with intent action and intense engagement to facilitate progress and changes in ways often subtle yet significant, including nearly 50 years mentoring generations of participants in the Christian Youth Organization (CYO).

Ray Bourgeois is a certified G.I.A jeweler and buyer for Wolf’s Department Store in the historic Third Ward for a half-century where he has worked since he was 12 years old.

The mainstay on Dowling St. sits among a series of state historical markers, a testament to a distant past as well as a still-relevant future as an important center of African American -owned businesses and a hub for Black culture. The owner/ president of Bushwar Enterprises Real Estate Management has remained a vital community activist serving on the boards of the Houston Urban League, the Houston Business and Development, Inc; the Third Ward Redevelopment Council, and Texas Southern University Athletics.

Consistent with such intense loyalty to heritage, Bourgeois was an influential and amplified voice in numerous 2020 get-out-the-vote initiatives. His passion project was a grassroots civic engagement to inspire African Americans to register and cast a ballot in November.

The 1975 graduate from Xavier University in New Orleans later earned his Master’s in chemistry and was an enthusiastic participant in the University’s 2011 commemoration of the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The celebration brought a landmark visit from President Barack Obama, the first-ever appearance to the then 86-year-old campus by a sitting U.S. president.

Bourgeois shares distinction with Langston Hughes, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King Sr., Walter E. Massey, and Charles Bolden as lifetime members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Bourgeois later served Xavier’s Alumni Association, and his leadership roles extend to the Knights of Columbus, Council 803; and the Knights of Peter Claver, Founding Council 238.

Bourgeois has dedicated his life to giving back both to the city of Houston and the alma mater that he respects and cherishes. His exemplary service to both was a dedication to enhancing the presence and experiences of diversity across the St. Thomas family: students, faculty, administration, and alumni. Such selflessness helped create an understanding for inclusion that recognizes the dignity of every member, welcomes each one fully, treasures their gifts as a reflection of God, supports them, and shares their ideals.

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ALBERT WILLIAM CLAY ’61 The founder of Clay Development & Construction pioneered with his son Robert the profound re-emergence of Houston’s commercial real estate development. Their services include designing, engineering, architectural, and site planning.

As recently as 2019, the company’s aggressive industrial speculation accounted for 10 percent of the projects going up in the greater Houston region. The most recent threshold for the new development has ignited the northwest market and stretches to Port Houston and Port Freeport. The continued spiking success engulfing the company has been described as “expertise and dedication with a willingness to take risk” mixed with “careful attention to detail while enhancing relationships.” In short, “educated talent combined with hard work and an amazing ability to look into the future.”

Al Clay personified these same absolute qualities to help navigate St. Thomas through the most ambitious fundraising initiative in the institution’s storied annals which he completed with a resounding individual stroke of profound groundbreaking philanthropy.

A lasting gift that extends beyond a lifetime.

Throughout his acclaimed professional success, Clay has emphatically advocated for Catholic education and the growing needs of St. Thomas to further its objectives.

In 2015, he and his wife Dona assured legacy distinction with the largest leadership gift in the school’s chronicle, donating $10 million to the 4500Forever capital campaign.

Dona and Al’s remarkable generosity resulted in the naming of Clay-Storey Hall on the St. Thomas main campus.

The honor united the Clays with former St. Thomas President Fr. Kevin Storey, CSB, the current Superior General of the Congregation of St. Basil.

Rare is that opportunity when individuals are positioned to carve a select slice of history. Al and Dona seized such a moment. Not for singular acclaim and appeal to vanity but to transform the St. Thomas campus environment and fortify the school’s college preparatory future. Clay’s “dream became a reality” - St. Thomas expanding its physical footprint to remain an urban educational beacon in the Basilian tradition, and continuing to meet the needs of diverse students and families well into the school’s second century.

In 2018, Dona and Al were saluted during the annual Auction & Gala for their steadfast support of St. Thomas and embodying the genuine spirit of Clay’s beloved alma mater. Their unmitigated optimism and relentless commitment redefined what was possible, proving there is nothing that can be denied. The galvanizing efforts promise to have a profound influence for generations on student life, faculty and academic performance, and life-affirming opportunities.

“When you’re in the trenches, you’re fighting for your life, another kind of life, with a fixed focus,” Clay says.

“It was about reaching the goal, not taking ‘no’ for an answer, keep pushing and shoving. I always believed that making that bid (to acquire the HISD property) and raising those millions of dollars was the right thing to do because it happened. If God didn’t want that to happen, there would have been an obstacle we couldn’t have cleared.”

Clay repeatedly echoed his personal mantra throughout the 4500Forever adventure, including the night his $10 million donation was revealed to the St. Thomas family. The words have served as the guiding compass throughout a beloved life that led to his Hall of Honor acclaim.

“To whom much is given, much is expected.”

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COLONEL TIMOTHY DEWAYNE GATLIN ’95 As a United States Army Colonel, Tim Gatlin embodies selfless duty and determination with a lifelong commitment to mission. A career soldier among those who share a brotherhood and a bond unbreakable, bravery unbridled, an honor unmistaken. He left St. Thomas having given his all to the Eagles, then the same to his unit, forever for his God and country.

For more than two decades, Colonel Gatlin has been one of those American citizens curiously allergic to the comforts of conventional living, on a constant quest to prove himself, to search for meaning, to change the world, always with a hope to help those in need that pushed him to take big swings.

Gatlin has steadily risen through the ranks of command since receiving his Bachelor of Science in Economics from West Point in 1999 while lettering three years in the Black Knights football program. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Gatlin also received his Masters in Social Organizational Psychology and Leadership from Columbia University in 2010 as an Eisenhower Leader Development Fellow.

The commander of 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment was named to the 2016-17 White House Fellows, one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. The position is reserved for select individuals who typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials.

Colonel Gatlin owns more than two decades of experience in the integration and synchronization of combat arms operations. He has presented and published on topics including leadership, state-sponsored development programs in Iraq, and regionally aligned forces. Gatlin co-founded the Excel Scholars Initiative, an enrichment program dedicated to diversifying the West Point cadet leadership and faculty pools by launching minority cadets into leadership roles and contention for prestigious postgraduate programs.

Colonel Gatlin preceded his brothers Greg ’98 and Kevin ’02 at St. Thomas, the threesome choosing decidedly different paths living the principles of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.

Greg transitioned from Eagle Football state champion to daredevil defensive back at Rice University to the world of corporate real estate to a 2010 deep dive into the barbecue business with his parents Mary and Henry.

In quicksilver fashion, he vaulted into one of the state’s most respected pitmasters. Kevin has joined and fortified the family’s enterprise after graduating from the University of Houston and a distinguished tenure teaching and coaching at St. Pius X High School.

St. Thomas owns a long, rich history with military service and clear respect for the military academies. The affinity may be a sense of shared values, as both institutions emphasize honor, ethics, teamwork, and dedication to achieve a greater good in bringing out the best qualities in young people.

Some of the stories are woven into Eagle lore, a revered part of its tradition, such as the Honorable George Cire ’40, U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Texas, and recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart while fighting in World War II; and David McNerney ’49 who received the Medal of Honor for his outstanding courage when his unit was ambushed in an isolated village in Vietnam during his fourth tour of duty.

Colonel Gatlin now joins both in the exclusive Hall of Honor, triumphantly continuing St. Thomas’ legacy with the armed forces. Throughout his restless duty, he matched the chaos and uncertainty with uncommon courage.

Even if relatively anonymous, his is a name among those immortal without exception. Never Captain America with wanderlust. But indomitable. Capable of any challenge he dreamed.

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WILLIAM FERDINAND JOPLIN ’54 Outside the insular world of Texas oil and energy, penetrating professional achievement and anonymity are not mutually exclusive.

For years Bill Joplin was a prominent presence in Houston’s defining industry and champion philanthropist while keeping a relatively low public profile. He began his exploits partnering with his family’s Oil & Gas Supply Company. He and brother John ’42 then founded, operated, and sold a series of highly profitable entities Oil & Gas Manufacturing Co., Bush Manufacturing Co., Turbines Hispano Ogasco, Inc., and Sound Optics Systems, Inc. In 1974, their confidence bursting, the brothers acquired Hutchison-Hayes International, Inc., later Hutchison-Hayes Separation, which was brokered and moved in 2008.

In November 2014, Joplin’s identity would be a mystery no more within the St. Thomas campus community.

He emerged from the shadows to provide a raging wave of momentum in the final stages of the 4500Forever capital campaign. The staggering $6 million matching donation from Joplin and his wife Jane triggered a seismic shift in contributions. During 11 weeks, commitments worth more than $14 million empowered St. Thomas to close on a property acquisition that would advance future academic programs, vibrant campus life, scholarship, and creative work of consequence to the city, the state, and beyond.

At a time when St. Thomas was working to accelerate its purposeful impact in the world, Joplin thought that “very seldom in life do you have the opportunity to make a real difference. And the campaign needed someone to step up in a big way. And I said to myself, ‘I can do it.’”

Former St. Thomas President Fr. Kevin Storey, CSB, now the current Superior General of the Congregation of St. Basil, recognized that 4500Forever required a thunder-bolt jolt to catapult the campaign to completion.

“Bill was an answer to our prayers, no doubt about it.

He guaranteed the success of the campaign.”

Joplin had been a consistent St. Thomas financial contributor for decades but never approached a commitment of such multi-million dollar proportion. He offered not a gift from generational wealth but rather a contribution inspired through self-examination, the generosity from an every man out of gratitude rather than extravagance.

The Basilian Fathers and the St. Thomas Board of Directors acknowledged the Joplin’s far-reaching benevolence by naming the expanded footprint for the two bold and daring Eagle supporters.

In November 2020, St. Thomas was extremely proud to officially dedicate the Jane and Bill Joplin ’54 Campus expansion. The latest priority project will promote the success of Eagle scholar-athletes in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. The Joplin Campus contains four vital components, all different in their use, but all four supplying a superior training and preparation facility.

The extensive renovation includes more than 20,000-square feet devoted to enhanced practice amenities and locker rooms for Eagle Basketball and Eagle Wrestling, plus a complex for strength and conditioning, and sports medicine.

Joplin owns a deep passion and distinguished history of service to St. Thomas. His son Richard ‘84 continued the family legacy, one that carries a stirring and emotional recollection.

Joplin describes how during his high school years his family once faced financial stress. His father, unable to meet the next tuition payments, arrived on campus fully prepared to remove his older brother from the enrollment. The Basilians would have none of it, instructing the father to leave John in class and simply pay when the dollars became available.

The loyalty and compassion left an indelible mark embossed within Joplin to this day. And as the Hall of Honor inductee tells it, “that was one of the best investments St. Thomas ever made.”

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MOST REVEREND GEORGE ARTHUR SHELTZ ’63 His sacred life began and soared entirely within the confines of his home city. He heard God’s call to religious life and bravely accepted the journey through the process of discernment to his final vows. He continued a family legacy of vocations that would include his father, brother, and uncle. He committed to a Roman Catholic apostolic of common table, common prayer, and a common mission dedicating his life to Him. He humbly stands as the Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston.

But the namesakes and position titles are not the clues to his identity. Not how he dresses, where he works, or where he lives. Rather, it’s his commitment to sacramental life, a spirit of hospitality, and self-emptying through service. A lifetime passion to exude goodness, discipline, and knowledge.

Bishop George Sheltz was born and raised in Houston with deep connections in the Catholic Church. His father George Sheltz Sr. ’37 was in the first class of deacons ordained for the diocese. Uncle Monsignor Anton Frank ’26 was the first native Houstonian ordained for the diocese.

His late brother Anton Sheltz ’68 was ordained for Galveston-Houston in 1976.

The path for Sheltz first took root at Annunciation Catholic School. He was inspired and encouraged to pursue the priesthood by the St. Thomas Basilian Fathers.

Sheltz entered St. Mary’s Seminary, graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, and earned a Master’s from the seminary in theology.

In May 1971, he was ordained for the then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston.

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Bishop Sheltz then spent nearly four distinguished decades serving with concentrated excellence as the spiritual shepherd for six parishes - Assumption Church, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, St. Vincent de Paul Church, Christ the Redeemer Church, Prince of Peace Church, and St. Anthony of Padua Church.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II named Bishop Sheltz a prelate of honor with the title of monsignor. He proved to be an integral part of the Church’s chancery in a depth of important roles while making a significant and lasting impact for the largest Roman Catholic diocese in Texas and the 5th largest in the United States - secretariat director for clergy formation, chaplaincy services, vicar general, chancellor, and moderator of the curia. In February 2012, he was appointed to auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston

by Pope Benedict XVI, filling a position that has been vacant for two years and assisting Cardinal Daniel DiNardo in an archdiocese with more than one million Roman Catholics in a 10-county region.

Bishop Sheltz left St. Thomas as a student armed with a superb education, a vibrant and robust appetite for intellectual life, and a serious, undeterred faith.

He returns to his Eagle home to enter the school’s precious Hall of Honor having achieved a sublime level of devotion. His dedication has brought inspiration to so many of those around him, a genuine model for the divine life. One that is joyful, intentional, and fulfilled - a galvanizing presence for Houston’s Catholic community.

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COMMITMENT

TO CHANGE,

SERVE, SUCCEED Joplin Campus Dedication St. Thomas was emphatically proud to officially dedicate the Jane and Bill Joplin ’54 Campus expansion, the latest priority project to support the school’s immediate strategic plan, and promote the success of Eagle student-athletes in competition, in the classroom, and in the community.

The Joplin Campus, named to recognize the extraordinary philanthropy of Jane and Bill during the 4500Forever and 4500Forever Finish Strong capital campaigns, contains four vital components. All four are different in their use but supply Eagle student-athletes with a superior physical training and preparation facility.

“Our commitment, as one of the preeminent college preparatory institutions in Texas and the region, has never been stronger,” President Fr. James Murphy, CSB says.

“The Joplin Campus is another chapter in advancing Eagle Athletics and more broadly the St. Thomas footprint.

Our athletic program has allowed us to open the doors of this institution to our city and beyond our state in unique ways. We’re blessed to upgrade the day-to-day accommodations and resources for our student-athletes.

We truly thank the donors and contributors who stepped forward to make this happen and propel St. Thomas to take this very important next step.”

The Joplins were center stage for the rousing ribbon cutting on November 18. The stirring salute united a legion of galvanizing St. Thomas and 4500Forever

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leaders including fellow champion donor Al Clay ’61, Principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96, Suzanne and Danny Grant ’78, Kurt Hanson ’83, Andy McStay ’69, John Rathmell ’75, John Rynd ’75, Annette and George Strake Jr. ’53, and Fr. Ronald Schwenzer, CSB, the first president in school history (2006-2012) and the 23rd St. Thomas principal.

Also attending were representatives of the Hillenbrand Foundation and the Charity Guild of Catholic Women.

“We are profoundly grateful to the many members of the St. Thomas family for their remarkable generosity,” says Vice President for Advancement Mark deTranaltes ’83, who played an integral role during the most ambitious capital campaign in the institution’s chronicle. "St. Thomas is an esteemed academic institution with a prestigious athletic brand, and we understand the responsibility to uphold those high standards for excellence. Giving across all areas of the school is vital to the success of our pursuits.

Whatever we achieve, we will always strive to achieve more.”

Director of Operations Troy Froboese and Chief Engineer Duane Fuchser coordinated an all-encompassing effort and delivered a more cohesive and appealing athletic core, partnering with Vaughn Construction, Architectural Floors, Bauer Sport Floors, BSN Sports, and FTO Installations.

The extensive renovation includes more than 20,000-square feet devoted to enhanced practice amenities and locker rooms for Eagle Basketball and Eagle Wrestling, plus a complex for strength and conditioning, and sports medicine to be utilized by all Eagle student-athletes.

Features

The jaw-dropping 3,760-square foot weight room offers state-of-the-art, custom equipment and one of the most comprehensive free-weight and exercise machine facilities in Houston while ensuring a safe environment.

The technologically advanced 3,000-square foot sports medicine center emphasizes specialized diagnostic stations for therapy to promote rapid recovery. The area provides ease of use and access to service all 12 varsity sports plus significant operational and office space for the distinguished training staff headed by Chris Valdez, L.A.T. in association with Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“We’re competing in the ever-changing landscape of college preparatory. The Joplin Campus is designed to inspire, fortify, and celebrate our accomplished student-athletes,” Athletic Director Mike Netzel says. “The wide-spread impact allows their daily routines to be much more efficient and will allow them to realize their full potential both on the field and in the classroom.”

Strength and cardiovascular training are the foundation of any aspiring athletic program - honing muscle and motivation to perform at optimal levels for sustained periods.

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We’re competing in the ever-changing landscape of college preparatory.

The Joplin Campus is designed to inspire, fortify, and celebrate our accomplished student-athletes.

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The Basilian Fathers and the St. Thomas Board of Directors honored Jane and Bill Joplin by dedicating the expanded St. Thomas footprint in their name following their legacy leadership gift.

“Our basketball and wrestling efforts are gaining measurable momentum. We are determined to capitalize on that,” Netzel says. “The Joplin Campus closely represents the great tradition of excellence of Eagle Athletics and the high caliber of St. Thomas as a whole.”

In April, Karnell James was promoted as the next leader of Eagle Basketball after serving as an assistant for the previous two years. His debut season coincides with the opening of the Joplin Campus, the perfect complement to Reckling Gymnasium which will continue hosting high-quality, game-day experiences for St. Thomas students and supporters, as well as a tribute to the school’s history and its Athletic Hall of Fame.

"Reckling is one of the most heavily used facilities for our athletic department and campus community.

At times it is honestly overtaxed,” Netzel says. “The Joplin Campus will give us options for practices, coaching, and individual training without scheduling conflicts throughout the academic year and during off-seasons. That dynamic elevates the already positive experiences of all of our student-athletes.”

The challenge demands maintaining proper habits and rest patterns within consistent year-round workout routines.

The Joplin Campus expanse furnishes a functionality that allows clustered groups to simultaneously maximize their training.

"This will serve as the hub for Eagle Athletics and will play a huge role in our continued quest to be the very best,” Netzel says. “The coaches and performance staff now have additional flexibility and space to better prepare our student-athletes to strive for championships.

Athletics is one way St. Thomas can create a recognizable identity. Achievement on the fields and courts presents opportunities to showcase our institution.”

The transformation directly supports the championship standards of two select sports and validates their reputations among the premier private programs in Texas.

Eagle Basketball has advanced to consecutive TAPPS 6A regional finals following back-to-back state semifinals in 2016 and ’17. Eagle Wrestling earned third place at the 2020 TAPPS state championships after finishing as the 2019 state runner-up in both TAPPS and Texas Prep State, the program’s best results since the 2011-13 state title three-peat.

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In December 2015, the Basilian Fathers and the St. Thomas Board of Directors honored Jane and Bill Joplin by dedicating the expanded St. Thomas footprint in their name following their legacy leadership gift. Their lead donation with additional pledges reflected a depth of engagement by alumni, parents, students, and friends who contributed at all financial levels to ensure the future of the school and its Basilian mission.

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A FALL SEMESTER AT ST. THOMAS

LIKE NO OTHER

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The onset of the coronavirus pandemic seemed like a distant menace when the alarm sounded in late February.

No one in academia, not to mention restaurants and retail, athletics and entertainment, Main Street to Wall Street, had any idea that by the Ides of March and into mid-May the United States would be in the sort of footing that anyone under the age of 75 understood only from their parents and the writings of icons like Roosevelt and Churchill.

The colliding climate in every corner and crevice of the country, covering every reaction, counter adjustment, and decision was a seemingly en garde referendum on behaviors, choices, responsibility. On America and how its response to COVID-19 remained the most divisive question in the most divisive of times. In the summer’s combustible unrest, the focus of President Fr. James Murphy, CSB and Principal Dr. Aaron Domingeuz ’96 was on restarting the St. Thomas educational efforts.

The 2020-21 academic year advanced into a sort of COVID-caused suspended animation. Confusion at the core with young people wondering - How to make sense in a time of crisis? How to find authenticity and meaning out of upheaval? What now? A quandary so many others have felt before, a Hemingway-esque crossfire that Jake Barnes would fully understand.

St. Thomas launched the fall semester on August 17 with an advanced version of the remote learning delivery system that concluded the previous cycle. And the campus remained essentially closed. In-person classes resumed September 14 with the transition to the Eagle Hybrid Learning model that had students returning for the first time since the mid-March suspension.

The decision was guided by principles that arise from core Basilian goals. First, striving to protect the health and well being of all citizens. Second, to offer an education of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit - with the belief that personal interactions with faculty members and among students are critical to such an enterprise.

Finally, to advance human understanding through scholarship and creative expression.

St. Thomas stakeholders and academic executives worked around the clock to incorporate public health guidance and appropriate protocols. All administrators, faculty, students, and staff, as well as visitors, were required to successfully complete the Luminare Quickscreen survey before coming onto the property. Face coverings were mandatory. Six feet of distancing was stressed and enforced to ensure space.

Safety measures across campus included creating a contact tracing team.

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The spring is routinely a welcomed embrace from the winter doldrums, earmarked by fast-paced activity, if not unabashed optimism. Instead, 2020 delivered startling isolation, supreme uncertainty, and unsettling quiet on the St. Thomas campus.

These were uncharted decisions for a college preparatory institution into its 121st year nurturing scholars through a multidisciplinary curriculum while serving in a Basilian fellowship. Yet, no matter the stringency, Fr. Murphy and Dominguez understood that no one was immune from the complications of COVID-19.

“The movement to online classes was paramount to protect our students and their families,” Dominguez says.

“We continued to provide a St. Thomas education.

While the transitions were not without challenges, they demonstrated how our campus community stepped up in times of duress. I continue to be inspired by the devotion of our faculty and staff, and the perseverance of our students. I am awed by the selfless efforts of everyone to keep St. Thomas moving forward.”

And eventually, once the coronavirus abates, once the world returns to normal, or whatever passes for normal, that will be the upshot of the current academic year.

Throughout the fall, St. Thomas Admissions boldly and confidently conducted a series of Open House events - Live and In Person - along with a virtual presentation in December. The response from prospective families was overwhelmingly positive as they discovered in healthy, productive, and fulfilling encounters the distinct benefits of a premier college preparatory experience and the passion of St. Thomas educators.

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I CONTINUE TO BE INSPIRED

BY THE DEVOTION OF OUR FACULTY AND STAFF, AND THE PERSEVERANCE OF OUR STUDENTS. I AM AWED

BY THE SELFLESS EFFORTS OF EVERYONE TO KEEP ST. THOMAS MOVING FORWARD.

Consistent throughout the extreme pandemic trial has been the St. Thomas union that extends through generations and beyond zip codes. An unmatched brotherhood remained relentlessly aligned while generously helping those in the greatest need.

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THE EAGLE FAMILY ANSWERS THE CALL. NONE OF US HAS ENDURED A SITUATION LIKE THE PANDEMIC IN OUR LIFETIME, AND HURRICANE HARVEY WAS ONLY THREE YEARS AGO. IT GIVES ME IMMENSE PRIDE TO SEE HOW OUR GRADUATES HAVE AGAIN ANSWERED WITH SUCH COMPASSION AND SACRIFICE. THOUGH IT’S REMARKABLE, I AM NOT SURPRISED AT ALL; THAT’S OUR IDENTITY. IT’S IN OUR DNA.

“The Eagle Family answers the call,” Vice President for Advancement Mark deTranaltes ’83 says. “None of us has endured a situation like the pandemic in our lifetime, and Hurricane Harvey was only three years ago. It gives me immense pride to see how our graduates have again answered with such compassion and sacrifice. Though it’s remarkable, I am not surprised at all; that’s our identity. It’s in our DNA.”

As the crisis continued to evolve, St. Thomas maintained a togetherness amid division. deTranaltes and the advancement team were committed to supporting and showcasing exemplary Eagle alumni business owners who continued to adjust their daily operations, adapting as Gov. Greg Abbott implemented a series of reopening plans. The empowered network kept the St. Thomas community resilient in the pursuit of the robust. Every effort counted.

The endless 2020 anxiety created disruption and disorder, but the chaos also provided countless opportunities to reflect on and appreciate how uniquely blessed and positioned is the St. Thomas community. Eagle scholars were driven to develop and improve, to relate, to take a stand. The institution found innovative strategies to advance in the face of the unimaginable, to pursue wisdom in academic ventures, and to unite in building a stronger institution where all may thrive and succeed.

“We have greatly achieved throughout this calendar year while remaining rooted in our Catholic Basilian values,” Fr. Murphy says.

“We’ve had to revise our academics and traditions at a moment’s notice while staying connected as our campus became a virtual one. At many times in recent months, many of our constituents have been alone in their homes, cut off from physical contact with many of their families and friends. But I firmly believe that by our shared association, we will never be forced to be truly on our own.

“For more than a century, the St. Thomas’ allegiance has always compelled us to rise to the occasion. We find ways to remain unified in goodness, discipline, and knowledge.”

One year from pandemic ground zero, St. Thomas now moves into another spring, the season where hope is eternal, and the soundtrack comes courtesy of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam. The questions linger overhead No matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead I'm thumbing my way back to heaven

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HEALING DURING UPHEAVAL For generations, St. Thomas and its scholars have connected throughout the Houston community and beyond borders to promote partnerships that enrich lives.

And in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, two-sport student-athlete Adam Desroches ’21 and Cole Nakadate ’22 were inspired by the pandemic to seize the power of proactivity.

During the summer of 2020, Desroches raised $6,000 to create 100 antimicrobial kits for St. Thomas faculty and staff to facilitate a healthy return to campus in response to COVID-19. He then secured $40,000 in pledges to partner with Comp-U-Dopt to place technology and computers in the homes of underserved students in the Spring Branch School District to promote virtual learning.

Nakadate crafted and executed a similar philanthropy project that provided personal protective equipment for faculty and students. He raised more than $1,000 and furnished 770 breathable, high-efficiency KN95 face masks.

“I wanted to help build as much confidence as possible in returning to campus,” Nakadate says. “A spike in confirmed cases would be an obvious setback if we are to continue in a classroom setting. A lot of time and effort in resuming would be wasted.”

St. Thomas launched the 2020-21 academic year with Virtual Eagle August 17 and the transition to on-campus hybrid instruction in September. Like his Eagle brother, Desroches recognized a chance to promote health, safety, and wellbeing when the campus community resumed in-person classes for the first time since March 2020.

“I wanted to give our teachers and staff confidence in coming back,” Desroches says. “We created and packaged 100 boxes with sprays, face coverings with St. Thomas logos, disinfecting wipes, and protectants.”

Desroches procured the funding for his initiatives by researching potential corporate sponsors and donors, then cold-calling to gauge their financial interests.

Many passed on the opportunity, but he was relentless in his pursuit to achieve his goals.

“I discussed the possibilities with owners or executives through email or on the phone,” Desroches says. “I did my best to present the options, learned to accept the responses, and move to the next candidate.

When I contacted (Comp-U-Dopt executive director) Colin Dempsey, he was thrilled with the potential.

We coordinated every two weeks to confirm the dollars coming in and determine how to move forward.

There’s great satisfaction knowing you’re helping others.

Giving back is what these projects are all about.”

Nakadate drew on his entrepreneurial Round Up experience to plot an effective strategic plan.

The involvement in one of the nation’s most successful student-driven fundraising initiatives proved invaluable in organizing and prospecting a potential pool of supporters.

“I started with an existing network of contacts and then followed with referrals. The initial response was positive and we gradually gathered momentum.”

As Nakadate arranged financing, he brokered with product dealers and suppliers for availability and the optimal financial deal, then partnered with Mike Bissell, Vice President of Global Sales with Mobile Outfitters for distribution and shipping.

“Mr. Bissell’s excitement was obvious from the very beginning,” Nakadate says.

“We struck an immediate chord, both trying to help in whatever ways and areas that we could.”

Nakadate understood that successfully uniting the Eagle academic community was contingent on the actions of every student and faculty member, meaning wearing masks and social distancing was crucial.

“Cole has demonstrated one of the core principles of what we all need during this challenge, and that is everyone collaborating to recognize our shared responsibility in keeping our campus safe,” Principal Aaron Dominguez ’96 says. “He represents the collective call of perseverance, innovation, and commitment in the coming months as we adapt to the new normal brought on

by COVID-19.”

Like millions of students throughout the United States, Nakadate’s world has turned virtual during the pandemic. A wide array of summer enrichment opportunities were canceled, including internships with a Houston law firm and the Honors College at the University of Houston with Dean William Monroe. Nakadate did participate online in a summer forensic education program through the University of Texas but his significant achievement was the charity given to his St. Thomas campus community.

“When you see an obvious need, you can’t always rely on others to fill the void,” Nakadate says. “There are times when you have to step up and take action.”

Desroches is an exploratory college preparatory student with an ACT score of 31. He’s dual dynamo inside Eagle Athletics, a maven for malice in the defensive trenches for Eagle Football, plus a power-packing first baseman and pitcher for Eagle Baseball. Desroches has designs on extending his career in one sport at the collegiate level. He also earned his Eagle Scout rank through Troop 825 chartered by Holy Spirit Episcopal Church.

But most revealing to his character is his growth as a global citizen, his demonstrative efforts in fulfilling the St. Thomas Catholic Basilian mission of nurturing concern for the common good.

“One of the realities during the coronavirus for our students is how they continue to respond to restrictions and invest in available time,” President Fr. James Murphy, CSB says. “Adam chose to turn outward and help those in need. He crafted an opportunity, extended outside his comfort zone, engaged businessmen in a professional setting, and delivered results.

At the root was pure compassion for those who are vulnerable. It’s a tangible example of God at work at that moment.”

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REMEMBERANCE AND REFLECTION St. Thomas annually honors the spiritual bond that unites Eagle scholars and their fathers with the traditional Father/Son Mass, a morning liturgy and affirmation of faith which speaks to the very fabric of the school’s Basilian identity.

Continuing its vigilant response to the COVID-19 crisis, St. Thomas rebooted the 2020 celebration into two socially distanced events in Granger Stadium - one each for the Aquinas and Basil student groups on November 4 and 5.

President Fr. James Murphy, CSB served as the principal celebrant and authored an inspiring homily for a devout gathering that included many second-generation Eagles as well as supportive grandfathers and mentor fathers in attendance.

“We have been entrusted with a Basilian legacy to pass on to those who come after us because that tradition is not ours to own. I would suggest that our current student body will pass on a greater resilience (after enduring Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19) that future Eagles will receive ... a greater understanding of authentic brotherhood that perhaps has not always been perfect in the past ... but we work toward a higher ideal in how we care for each other, how we stand for each other, and how we speak of and for and with each other. We are a blessed and holy community made more blessed and more perfect each and every day by how we love each other.”

President Fr. Murphy believes prayer has been “a powerful weapon as the St. Thomas campus effectively copes with the pandemic. We will continue to grow in our faith and to strengthen our prayerful resolve. I encourage our constituents to join our regular Masses and worship opportunities, praying for St. Thomas and for all our needs.”

St. Thomas Campus Ministry seeks to foster the individual and communal faith of students, faculty, and staff in ways that position the community first and assure individual respect and safety. Masses are available through Facebook Live Mondays and Fridays at 7:20 a.m. and Sundays at 9:00 a.m.

Additionally, devotions to the rosary, Tuesday’s with Thomas, and Liturgy of the Hours are valuable spiritual engagements that often ignite personal reflection.

The Mother/Son Mass is reset for the spring semester, most likely in April.

President Fr. Murphy encouraged Eagle scholars to embrace conversations with previous St. Thomas generations and “then think for yourself what values and what hopes do I want to pass on to my children because those values are not yours to own but to nurture and be allowed to flourish.

Let that be our prayer today as we honor the members of our community who have passed by living our faith the best we can.”

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THINK FOR YOURSELF WHAT VALUES AND WHAT HOPES DO I WANT TO PASS ON TO MY CHILDREN BECAUSE THOSE VALUES ARE NOT YOURS TO OWN BUT TO NURTURE AND BE ALLOWED TO FLOURISH. LET THAT BE OUR PRAYER TODAY AS WE HONOR THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO HAVE PASSED BY LIVING OUR FAITH THE BEST WE CAN.

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SEEDS OF CHANGE Rooted at the core of the St. Thomas Basilian educational model is the commitment to transforming the minds and hearts of the Eagle campus community through advocacy and social justice education.

The unsheltered population is drawn daily to Loaves & Fishes desiring basic needs or a fast lunch. Eagle volunteers worked four-hour shifts to prepare and distribute 300 individually boxed meals.

Theology faculty member Danny Hernandez ’08 is continuing that legacy of service, engaging his senior scholars through activism, volunteerism, and community-based learning.

“Life goes on through COVID-19 and so does poverty,” Hernandez says. “In many ways it becomes more pronounced which is why this kind of effort is so important and must continue. The students accepted the involvement with no judgement. The mission was to feed the hungry, no questions asked. You come. We will feed you regardless of the circumstances.”

During the fall semester, Hernandez organized and executed a series of student-led participations at Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen, a program run by Magnificat Houses, a Christian assistance ministry. He was searching for a service component to support discussion topics relating to poverty, homelessness, and human trafficking.

Hernandez’s multi-tier goals relating to the dialogue were to raise awareness through education, show solidarity with those who are in particular need, and take immediate actions. Affecting short-term relief may fuel long-term solutions that address systemic causes.

“Students can be presented with a high volume of facts and textbook examples of poverty but what they experience first hand is much more powerful,” Hernandez says. “I wanted that practical component outside the classroom which is increasingly difficult given the pandemic restrictions.”

Hernandez developed a strategy incorporating social distancing with the current health and safety protocols in response to COVID-19.

Students quickly discovered that in the shadows of Minute Maid Park, within extensive urban redevelopment and a burgeoning number of high-rise residences, is a view on the streets telling a different story.

Giving without seeking reward.

Embracing a personal obligation and right of each individual, based on talents and gifts, to make a contribution to the common good.

And at the same time, promoting a culture of social justice that can flourish when society removes barriers so that each person can contribute fully to the betterment of that society.

“The feedback from the students was phenomenal,” Hernandez says. “Their words were ‘rewarding’ and ‘eye-opening.’ My intent is that the impact will carry forward and encourage the students to continue this kind of work.”

The Social Justice senior curriculum is built around the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching - Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, Solidarity, and Care of God’s Creation.

Hernandez hopes the October outreach will provide a renewed relationship between Campus Ministry and Loaves & Fishes, a connection he first made his sophomore year as a St. Thomas student. Since that introduction, Hernandez has seized the responsibility that institutions of higher education have to better the human condition of all people. In recent years he has collaborated with Eagle fathers Rafael Garcia and Ed Cordes as the driving forces in leading St. Thomas students representing diverse religious backgrounds to aid the under-served in Honduras.

“For me, service is such an important element in building young men of good character,” Hernandez says. “This is proactive goodness in (the Basilian credo) Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge. Applying that context outside the classroom is essential. At the end of the day, these students are seeking opportunities to give back, to do good in their communities. The best I can do as a teacher is help provide that chance.”

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THE GIVING HABIT To support public health efforts in response to the pandemic, Eagle scholars spent the fall semester learning in part at home instead of in the classroom. St. Thomas educators designed a high volume of college preparatory curriculum to be delivered online.

Student clubs and spirit groups reimagined activities. Social events traded the usual warm embraces and handshakes for receptions on computer screens.

Through it all, St. Thomas rallied together with a spirit of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge in their collective souls.

The campus community moved forward to fortify a stronger Houston and also reach the marginalized beyond borders.

During December, St. Thomas Campus Ministry organized relief efforts for Honduras in response to the devastating impact of Hurricane Eta, re-committing a relationship with the Central American country that began during the 2018 and 2019 academic years.

Eagle scholars devoted consecutive spring breaks to assist the under-served, delivering an authentic connection with children and citizens in need. St. Thomas again collaborated with Eagle father Rafael Garcia through Dean of Theology Andrew Quittenton and theology faculty member Danny Hernandez ’08 to deliver substantial emergency aid to assist those impacted.

Most striking to Hernandez was the decisive display of social justice and compassion that has served as the institution’s divine compass for more than a century.

“What I cherish about these efforts is the outpouring of our Catholic Basilian identity,” Hernandez says. “Every day during the academic year I focus on knowledge and discipline. There are also spontaneous life lessons that emerge but goodness is never as clearly defined. I see that quality in our students and that’s incredibly rewarding.”

While rallying to comfort Honduras, the Eagle campus community also continued its long-standing association with DePelchin Children's Center. The partnership includes a variety of volunteer objectives throughout the year to support their invaluable mission of strengthening the lives of children. Sharing holiday joy with Houston’s oldest and distinctively Texan charity through an annual Christmas Toy Drive is profound and gratifying for St. Thomas while raising awareness for DePelchin’s renown heritage.

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Features

COMING HOME

Football coaches, by their very nature, are linear problem solvers - identify an issue, determine several possible solutions, and then select the optimal option.

But no previous experience in his extensive sideline background prepared Rich McGuire for maintaining and managing St. Thomas’ proper football focus while coping with a global coronavirus outbreak.

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TAPPS ANNOUNCED IN MARCH 2020 IT WAS SUSPENDING ALL INTERSCHOLASTIC COMPETITION BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. THE GOVERNING BODY FOR 225 PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN TEXAS DID NOT IMMEDIATELY DETERMINE A RETURN TO PLAY DATE. The tumult rocked high school athletics through the spring and summer. With so many administrators and coaches flying blind until further notice, St. Thomas was forced to rely on a culture it spent the past decade building. The progression through the lockdowns had to be slow and steady until a stationary target was established.

The TAPPS decision for football games to start September 25 rather than earlier in the month had more to do with giving schools time to adjust to the return of students - and the potential spikes in COVID-19 cases - than with getting three weeks to research best practices when trying to stage athletics during an unprecedented health crisis.

St. Thomas began the fall academic semester with a virtual learning model. The transition to on-campus hybrid instruction and in-person classes advanced in September, but even then the campus vibe was dramatically different.

The long-awaited launch of the 2020 St. Thomas season was about four hours away. The first home athletic event of the COVID-19 era featured the Eagles hosting El Campo.

And the campus was eerily quiet and nearly empty.

Football attendance to start the season did not exceed 25% capacity of Granger Stadium. Admission was exclusive to families of scholar-athletes with limited student access.

Masks were required.

About 90 minutes before kickoff, there was no grill smoke because there were no tailgaters. Not allowed. Traffic wasn’t gridlocked. Even in the immediate urban vicinity around Granger Stadium, Memorial Drive was wide open.

A black Chevy Suburban stopped in the campus parking lot a short walk from the stadium.

The passenger side doors opened, and several Red & White partisans with an arsenal of Eagle gear toppled out while the driver remained seated. That could have happened any year.

But when the group reached the gate, hands dove into pockets to produce facial coverings. Gaiters were lifted to hide the nose and mouth. Suddenly, it was 2020 again.

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No hugging or high-fiving. But there was football.

Supporters were positioned in assigned bleacher areas to assure space between their groups. The St. Thomas band was stationed on the surrounding track to play the school fight song and the Star-Spangled Banner.

President Father James Murphy, CSB delivered the pregame prayer. The quarter-full stadium fell silent for a few seconds. Then for roughly three hours, it was the most normal anyone had felt since February.

Prepared but not yet polished.

2020 Elite 11 quarterback Maddox Kopp ’21 and receiver extraordinaire Cameron Bonner ’21 emphatically demonstrated the power of two. The duo torched El Campo defenders with scintillating career-best nights as if the coverage units were under social distancing mandates. The pyrotechnics weren’t enough, however, to negate a series of opening night Eagle breakdowns. The 48-37 defeat officially registered as a loss but quibbling about the scoreboard verdict amid the severe challenges presented by the coronavirus seemed frivolous. The visit from an explosive UIL 4A outfit projected for deep playoff contention never represented a one-game referendum on the season. Particularly, this season.

“We’ll look back one day and this will be one of the great nights any of us have been a part of because of what we had to go through to get it,” Athletic Director Mike Netzel says. “Unless you were part of the inside, you’ll never understand the trials and tribulations to get here. And I give all the credit to the behavior of our team.”

After no spring practice because of the outbreak and a limited offseason program, McGuire felt a little like the Will Smith character in the film I Am Legend. The football boss opened training camp in August. The Eagles hadn’t shed blocks and tackled since the 2019 Division I state semifinals against Dallas Episcopal the previous Thanksgiving weekend.

Beginning with the summer volunteer workouts, St. Thomas implemented rigorous policies and procedures aimed at ensuring the safest possible return to athletic participation.

Team practices resumed under strict training, aggressive hygiene, and careful monitoring. Education and safety management proved beneficial in this new environment.

The plans for continued measures were critical as Eagle Athletics moved forward.

The truncated 2020 football scheduling model offered a delayed debut and eight regular-season games. The reboot included six district contests and two additional match-ups with no open dates. The full playoff slate concluded with crowning a state champion December 12.

“Our August decision was made after thoughtful planning by numerous individuals and presented a path, if public health guidance allowed, to move forward with the season,” President Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96 says. “Our number one priority will always be our students. Their safety is paramount.

The leadership team worked tirelessly to put procedures

and protocols in place, and also prepare them for all of the best practices to avoid the spread of the virus.”

As the season-opening Friday approached, St. Thomas agreed to a corporate partnership with HomeTown Ticketing to implement a contactless and cashless solution for fans attending events at Granger Stadium. The goal was to instill confidence among supporters during the demands resulting from the pandemic.

Both the Eagles and their gridworld guests survived the emotional rollercoaster rides of the previous few months and stayed free of COVID-19 heading into the contest.

The more physically gifted team playing its fourth game performed like it and won by double digits.

After months of living in a world that felt alien, this competition felt familiar. For a little while, the pandemic melted away.

The far more serious real-life questions would resurface soon enough, but for a few hours, the most pressing query seemed to be The Eagles have enough game-breakers on offense to go all the way, don’t they?

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As the pandemic roiled the country more than nine months after it landed on these shores, the St. Thomas community remained united in a confident commonality in a tumultuous time.

Graduates believe they owe to St. Thomas the best of what they’ve become, and also owe to the school the best of what they are passing on to their sons and daughters.

They were imparted with the value of philanthropy, even (or especially) during the slow and scattershot reopening of the country.

The collective strategies that are sustaining St. Thomas in response to COVID-19 challenges also required adjusting the elegant Auction & Gala. The highly-anticipated event that annually fortifies the St. Thomas bonds and financially benefits the school’s General Fund went virtual to assure the safety of all involved due to the pandemic concerns and mandates.

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Features

President Fr. James Murphy, CSB was joined by Principal Aaron Dominguez ’96 and Vice President for Advancement Mark deTranaltes ’83 as the live presenters on the school’s STHCatholic YouTube channel. On November 7, no matter where Eagle supporters were residing, in Houston or outside the city, state, or region, they could join an uplifting evening filled with fine food and Basilian fellowship. Whether interacting alone or sharing in a watch party with friends or family, The 20’s Roar Again brought together alumni, donors, and underwriters to support the remarkable legacy of St. Thomas.

“Health and well-being were paramount, and while we couldn’t gather in typical fashion, we were thrilled to connect in the true values of goodness, discipline, and knowledge,” deTranaltes says. “To make the kind of impact that duplicates an in-person fundraiser, it was important for us to provide our audience with a real-time experience. The excitement and sense of community that captivates donors to participate thrived in our online bidding and giveaways. We were blessed with an overwhelming response.”

St. Thomas proudly partnered again with Damian’s for gourmet catering as patrons indulged with a feast for the eyes and palate, all while celebrating with heart. They were wowed and tempted by specialty silent auction items. Bidders seized the most exclusive experiences during the evening’s live auction and helped raise life-altering funds. The biggest and best night of the St. Thomas year would not be curtailed.

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Esteemed graduate John Rathmell ’75 was acclaimed for his lifetime success and contributions to the community and institution he cherishes with equal depth and measure.

He is the president of Lockton Marine & Energy at Lockton Companies, part of a global professional services firm that has grown to become the world's largest privately held, independent insurance broker. Rathmell played an integral role in the 4500Forever capital campaign, the most ambitious in St. Thomas history raising more than $60 million for property acquisition to expand the campus’s north boundary. He has also continued on the school’s Board of Directors following his emphatic tenure as president from 2014-17.

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Rathmell reveled during the festivities with his wife Peggy, Carol and John Rynd ’75, Rosanne and Dr. Chris Patronella ’75, and Vicki and Dana Grams ’75.

“It is humbling and gratifying to be recognized in such a way,'' Rathmell says. “When I looked at my life several years ago, I recognized that St. Thomas clearly had a great influence on who I became as a person. I had to give back.

It was important for me to become more involved with the community, establish new relationships with the Basilians.

And now through the property purchase and fundraising, my long-lasting friendships are even stronger and more powerful ... wonderful and deeply rewarding. I tell people I’m from St. Thomas. I wear it like a badge.”

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“ WHEN I LOOKED AT MY LIFE SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I RECOGNIZED THAT ST. THOMAS CLEARLY HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE ON WHO I BECAME AS A PERSON. I HAD TO GIVE BACK.”

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Director of Special Events & Volunteer Coordinator Catherine Chandler teamed with co-chairs Christine and Keith Cummins; Julie and Jack Perry; and Catherine and John Rentz. Their passionate collaboration ignited action for an unmatched college preparatory experience where scholars grow in their faith and learn a devotion in service to others.

“That personal connection to St. Thomas was an inspiration to our volunteers and sponsors,” deTranaltes says.

“Their efforts energized our shared goals to ensure our continued success and to safeguard an accessible St. Thomas for future generations.”

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For generations, a litany of Eagle graduates has reached out to lift the institution - selfless loyalty that proves consequential in promoting Catholic Basilian ideals.

For the past decade, Angie and Posie Clinton ’91 have been vibrant St. Thomas ambassadors giving in a variety of roles.

This year that commitment extended to hosting their usual Auction & Gala cast - Jennifer and Thomas Brandino ’91, Jennifer and Brian Cronin ’91, Rachel and David Hanse ’91, Stella and Stephen Smith ’91, and Emily and Trey Burke ’94.

“We couldn’t think of not being involved with St. Thomas in a meaningful way,” Clinton says. “Tradition matters, whether it’s on campus or here at home.

When you see all the turbulence throughout 2020 ... public health, lockdowns, economic crisis, social unrest ... you center on the most important elements in your life.

And for our group, St. Thomas qualifies among the most important.”

excellence, respect for each other - to navigate daily demands,” Fr. Murphy says. “It is so affirming to see us move forward together during this disruptive time. Our auction night was yet another example of why we absolutely believe we will emerge as a stronger community.”

As the institution continues to adjust to a COVID-impacted academic year, hope springs eternal that the pandemic will soon be corralled. But even in the face of hardships unprecedented in modern times, affirmations of the power and resilience of the St. Thomas’ spirit have emerged.

Eagles had once again looked at each other in the eye with calm, courage, and conviction, even if socially distanced.

And they had chosen to focus on the ever-expanding horizon.

“This extraordinary situation with the coronavirus requires applying everything we are as Eagles - leadership, integrity, SPRING SPRING2020 2021

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30TH ANNUAL

ST. THOMAS GOLF TOURNAMENT

May 10 at Wildcat Country Club, one of Houston’s premier public golf courses.

Texas Hill Country topography meats Eagle hospitality uniting a brotherhood unlike any other while benefiting St. Thomas tuition assistance and Eagle Athletics.

Contact: Alumni Director Steve Cummings ’07 • steve.cummings@sths.org • 713.864.6348, ex. 150

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Soaring Scholars 19 Exemplary Students Earn Acclaim in 66th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program

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Resilience, Recovery, Rising to Greater Heights 2020 Commencement Exercises

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A Pair Without Parallel 2020 Champion Scholars Valedictorian Grant McCoy and Salutatorian Grayson Drinkard

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SOARING SCHOLARS Zachary Bryant ’21, Dylan Michaels ’21, Noah Mims ’21, and Zachary Voltz ’21 have earned semifinal acclaim in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

The four exemplary scholars represented among the top one percent of scores taken from the PSAT and joined 33 previous St. Thomas students since 2010 who reached at least that phase in the nation’s most prestigious and long-standing academic competition.

“The success of our students in this year’s National Merit program is remarkable,” principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96 says.

“Whether it be in college-level coursework, university entrance exams, math and science, career competitions, or liberal arts, St. Thomas relishes the chance to discover where our students have a path to excellence wherever their passions drive them.

We take extreme pride in this distinction, knowing the driven due diligence and dedication of both our students and our committed faculty members."

Bryant, Michaels, Mims, and Voltz will now compete with 7,600 students from across the nation for scholarships worth approximately $30 million which will be awarded in the upcoming spring.

Eight additional St. Thomas scholars were selected as National Merit Commended Students, recognized for “the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry.”

The St. Thomas’ total in this esteemed category grows to 33 since 2017 and now includes Augustus Boettcher ’21, Travis Cummins ’21, Adam Gensheimer ’21, Jacob Hulvey ’21, Raphael Mamaradlo ’21, Roman Ochoa ’21, Creighton Ward ’21, and Jonah Webster ’21.

Gensheimer and Ochoa are also among nine distinguished Eagles earning status from the College Board’s Class of 2021 National Hispanic Scholars Program. Invitation for the honor was extended to students who scored in the top 2.5 percent among Hispanic and Latino PSAT/NMSQT test-takers in the region.

The latest group bringing the St. Thomas’ total to 20 in the previous four years includes Andrew Ballance ’21, Benito Moreno-Garza ’21, Vincent Lee ’21, Diego Garcia Nunez ’21, Michael Requenes ’21, Thomas Valdes ’21, and Bishop Yokubaitis ’21.

These 2020 results confirm St. Thomas as a leading college preparatory experience in Texas and a top-10 Catholic institution in the region.

Given that students take the qualifying PSAT exam during their junior year, much of their readiness stems from learning opportunities as freshmen and sophomores. St. Thomas builds on those experiences to provide students with a robust application and pedagogy for the SAT, a critical component in becoming a Finalist.

“These scholars represent a cross-section of our school, also actively involved in community service, and various extracurricular activities,” Dr. Dominguez says. “We applaud our esteemed faculty for providing a culture of achievement and are blessed to have an enrollment representing a wide variety of talents. Our community is richer for that diversity.”

Sponsored by the not-for-profit National Merit Scholarship Corp, the program requires applicants to submit an extensive application that includes recommendations and an essay along with their academic record and subsequent SAT scores, school and community involvement, jobs, demonstrations of leadership, and honors and awards.

According to the NMSC, approximately 1.5 million entrants from more than 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

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RESILIENCE, RECOVERY, RISING TO GREATER HEIGHTS The lives of St. Thomas graduates are uniquely fortified by their four years of Basilian college preparatory.

But rarely in the century-plus history of the institution had a graduating group been challenged in the unanticipated ways as the Class of 2020 - those who rallied with the resilience, determination, and adaptability throughout the continuing threat of the novel coronavirus.

In March 2020, the campus community began taking socialdistancing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

All instructions became virtual. Traditional commencement exercises were postponed to June 12 and proceeded with various health and safety restrictions.

Through separation, the spirit of St. Thomas never proved stronger. Collective optimism, inspiration, and innovation impelled the campus community to soar to greater heights.

President Fr. James Murphy, CSB, Principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96, Assistant Principal Mary Criaco, and Board of Directors member Hector Herrera ’79 welcomed a limited but exuberant audience of family, faculty, and supporters assembled in Granger Stadium. The celebration saluted the exceptional achievements of 130 graduates who overcame unprecedented trials to be awarded more than $13 million in merit-based scholarships to renowned colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Student body president Nicholas Chandler asked for a moment of silence to recognize weeks of massive social unrest across the country, as many thousands raised their voices in outrage at the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

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Dr. William P. Sage ’61 delivered the keynote address, offering personal insights reserved primarily for the Class of 2020, those who rose to embody the value of a formative college preparatory experience rooted in the Basilian ideal of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.

Sage was a two-sport team captain and prestigious scholar-athlete who earned a track and field scholarship to Rice University where he contributed to the Owls 1965 Southwest Conference team championship.

He graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1969 and followed with a three-year commitment with the United States Navy.

Sage then established a thriving private otolaryngologist practice for nearly four decades in Victoria, Texas, performing more than 15,000 procedures.

He’s a member of the St. Thomas Sports Hall of Fame and an ongoing contributor to the St. Thomas Board of Directors.

The 77-year-old was chosen because of his “love and loyalty of St. Thomas ... and my family tradition (that) is deeply embedded in this institution. As of tonight, when my grandson Mac receives his diploma, eight of us have graduated over the last 61 years ... with a few more to come.”

Sage attributed much of his significant personal and professional success to “the formation of faith and ethics I learned at St. Thomas, the lessons of goodness, discipline, and knowledge resulting in choices that led to a substantial life.”

Sage referenced the writings of Aristotle, St. Augustine, and the influence of his beloved mother, all relating to “the value of lasting, loving relationships ... and the value of friendship leading to the pursuit of happiness.

A person must be able to love and be loved ... kindness begets kindness, honesty begets honesty, trust begets trust ... virtuous behavior leads to relationships which lead to fulfillment. I would advise you seniors to take proper care of your friendships. Stay in touch with those here today. ...

What has led to (my) richer and more satisfying life were loving relationships maintained with family and friends.”

Sage concluded that “St. Thomas sends men of character into the world ... Eagle grads who have made lasting contributions to their communities. I’m sure you will uphold this heritage of excellence because you are St. Thomas men. Remember, you are Eagles. Fly high, gentlemen, fly high. Eagle Fight Never Dies! God bless you.

And God bless St. Thomas High School.”

Valedictorian Grant McCoy was accepted into the Heider College of Business at Creighton University where he received the Magis Award based solely on academic achievement. He was a National Merit Finalist and president of the St. Thomas Chapter of the National Honor Society.

He also received the Rev. Albert R. Gaelens, CSB Goodness, Discipline & Knowledge Award, given to the senior student who best embodies the school motto of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.

McCoy encouraged the Class of 2020 to seize the challenges of this moment with “an eye to the future. It is good to be informed … to know the possibilities that may lie ahead, but it isn’t healthy to let that consume you ... in fear and anxiety. St. Thomas has provided us with a foundation to navigate our way through the uncertainty that lies ahead. We are a part of a community that loves and cares for us … and while graduation certainly feels like we

are exiting … we are just getting started. ... We will never stop being Eagle brothers. We will always have each other and will always be a part of this very special senior class.”

McCoy and salutatorian Grayson Drinkyard were the highest-ranked members of their class based on the calculation of their four-year grade point averages.

Drinkard, a National Merit Commended Student and National Honor Society member, enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering. He is “forever grateful for everything that St. Thomas and the community have done for me. Seeing the past four years coming together, I realize how real the brotherhood is. When I look out (today), I know every face and have memorable moments with every single person ... (and) realize that struggles all shaped our time at St. Thomas.”

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Drinkard and McCoy were previously among 14 members of the Class of 2020 gaining permanent membership into the prestigious St. Thomas Club - elite students with a minimum 4.0 grade point average for seven consecutive semesters.

The exclusive group included Douglas Beirne, Adam Dunn, Will Gardner, Daniel Jones, Zach Kroencke, Ryan Moore, Kyle Rzasnicki, Anthony Schlak, Edward Sprigg, William Sterner, Wade Swan, and Charles White.

Harrison Held was a National Merit Semifinalist now studying computer science at Texas A&M University.

He was among 19 Eagle graduates accepted into the A&M system, including 14 at the flagship College Station campus.

Drinkard is among six Eagle scholars attending the University of Texas with nine more in the UT system.

Thirteen graduates each advanced to Texas Tech University and the University of Houston.

Dunn, Swann, and Nathan Lee were recognized as National Merit Commended Scholars while Mason Ritchie was named as a National Hispanic Scholar, the four among 31 senior members in the National Honor Society.

Eagle scholars are also attending Baylor University, Columbia University, Georgetown University, Southwestern University, Swarthmore College, St. Mary’s University, Texas Christian University, Trinity University,

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The Catholic University of America, Auburn University, Clemson University, University of Colorado, Louisiana State University, University of Louisville, University of Minnesota, University of Mississippi, University of Missouri, and the University of Oklahoma among many other prestigious institutions.

Collectively the Class of 2020 provided superior leadership to fuel yet another remarkable Round Up fundraising effort which produced more than $525,000 in raffle ticket sales.

The resounding total meant Eagle scholars crashed the half-million dollar mark for the fourth consecutive year, raising the recent seven-year mark to $3 million.

All monies are annually and always devoted to St. Thomas tuition assistance, a Basilian practice which dates for nearly a century.

The latest St. Thomas graduates had their lives and academic work upended as the ground was seemingly shifting beneath them. They nonetheless advanced their journeys just as generations before them, living in curiosity and wonder, fortified by the shared qualities that bond the Eagle brotherhood - faith, perseverance, and integrity in equal measures of humility, empathy, and compassion.

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A PAIR WITHOUT PARALLEL First, they were friends in kindergarten. Then classmates at Roosevelt Alexander Elementary School in Katy.

And Beckendorff Junior High.

When choosing his high school destination, Grant McCoy ’20 exercised a bold decision to not follow his sister’s path to a macro public experience. He opted for the rich heritage of Basilian education at St. Thomas. The move sparked a curiosity in Grayson Drinkard ’20, and he and his parents soon decided to pursue the same holistic curriculum.

Four years later, the once upon a time youth basketball tag-teamers emerged as the most acclaimed students in their graduating class. They became sterling examples of champion scholars who think critically and succeed while serving others.

McCoy presented the valedictory address during the 120th Commencement Ceremony. Drinkard spoke as the salutatorian to the assembled faculty, family, and friends celebrating distinguished Eagle contributors to scholarship and community. Together, the two were the highest-ranked members of their class based on the calculation of their four-year grade point averages.

“What means the most is knowing how much work over four years went into that honor,” McCoy says. “All the hours past midnight and 1:00 a.m. finishing assignments and projects.

The goal of my freshman and sophomore years was to do the best I could but then the specific objective of being tops in my class gradually kicked in. I realized it was a definite possibility if I stayed on track and applied myself.”

Drinkard relates directly to the same due diligence meeting exhausting demands. As a multi-year, multi-sport scholar-athlete, he would routinely move from the track and field workouts to the rugby or soccer practice fields, not returning home until 8:00 p.m. The doubling down would extend deep into the night before the next day’s 5:30 a.m. alarm signaled another rousing round of results.

Drinkard’s crowning salutatorian distinction ignited a flashback to those early days as a freshman when the transition to rigorous college preparatory wasn’t without a dose of self-doubt.

“I wasn’t completely convinced after classes started that St. Thomas was the right choice for me but my parents insisted I give it at least one semester, then it was my option if I wanted to leave,” Drinkard says. “That fall I knew almost no one but I kept my head down and went to work.

In December, my parents asked me if I wanted to move to Seven Lakes (High School) and I said, ‘No way.’ I became comfortable with the smaller classes, the teachers, the brotherhood. It all made for a great fit. I never looked back.”

The array of superlative scholastic achievement for Drinkard and McCoy was as broad and deep as their rapport.

The two were among the 14 latest permanent members of the St. Thomas Club, elite senior scholars with a minimum 4.0 grade point average for seven consecutive semesters.

McCoy was a National Merit Finalist and the recipient of the Rev. Albert R. Gaelens, CSB Goodness, Discipline & Knowledge Award, given to the senior student who best embodies the school motto of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge. Seniors are nominated by their peers for this distinction and the faculty then votes on those receiving the most nominations. McCoy was also the 2020 president of the St. Thomas Chapter of the National Honor Society.

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Drinkard was a National Merit Commended Student and AP Scholar with Distinction, including exclusive recognition in Spanish I, Spanish II, and Spanish III. The National Honor Society member is now studying at the University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering which is ranked 8th best nationally by U.S. News and World Report and No. 10 in the Electrical / Electronic / Communications Engineering specialty.

Drinkard earned the Southern Methodist University Mustang Scholar Award, the Clemson University Merit Scholarship (one of only 40 offered to out of state students), a prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship, and the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award from the University of Rochester.

McCoy was also an AP Scholar with Distinction and received St. Thomas Academic Department Awards awarded to one student for outstanding performance in the course - AP Government/Advanced Economics, AP Calculus AB, AP English Language, AP U.S. History, AP Physics 1, Advanced Pre-Calculus, Advanced Chemistry, Advanced English 1, and Theology 1.

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His prestige extended with silver recognition within the National Spanish Exam for Spanish IV and Spanish III and bronze in Spanish II.

There was some good-natured talk back and forth but it never got nasty. We probably brought out the best in each other and that’s only a good thing.”

McCoy is attending Creighton University where he received the Magis Award based solely on academic achievement.

He entered Heider College, among the top 2 percent of business schools worldwide to be accredited in both business and accounting by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, and ranked among the top 100 business programs in the United States by the U.S. News and World Report. McCoy plans to concentrate his undergraduate studies in business then pursue a Juris Doctorate to propel a passage in politics.

The St. Thomas Basilian mission is designed to not only prepare scholars for academic accomplishment but also have them assume roles in leadership, responsibility, and service to society.

“I locked into Creighton after a visit during spring break my junior year,” McCoy says. “My mother (Sarah) had already gathered some information before I started looking at schools so that destination was always on my radar.

The business school is very impressive and the internship programs within and outside the city are promising.

The campus is a two-minute walk to downtown Omaha.

I’m excited for all the opportunities Creighton represents.”

McCoy also received the Loyola University Chicago Presidential Scholarship, the Butler University Academic Scholarship, the University of Tulsa Academic Scholarship, the Southern Methodist University Provost Scholarship and Distinguished BBA Scholarship, and the University of Oklahoma National Merit Finalist Scholarship and Presidential Community Scholar. He balanced twinned endeavors as a four-year golf letterman. The two-time team captain was the 2018 Eagle Spirit Award winner, the 2017 Newcomer of the Year, and closed with the 2020 Jackie Burke ’40 Award for his accomplishments and contributions.

“I was looking for a different experience from a 4,000 student public school,” McCoy says. “During the decision process and the touring, I felt a belonging, that teachers and staff cared about me as a person. Community. Brotherhood.

That’s what pulled me into St. Thomas. The most unexpected bonus was the all-boys environment, a much different learning model. I think it was a real benefit.”

Drinkard built early momentum for his academic ascent, earning a second-place result as a freshman at the 13th annual University of St. Thomas / Archdiocesan Essay Contest. He became a three-year competitor at the TAPPS Academic Championships. Staking claim for the grand honors among the Class of 2020 morphed into a mano-a-mano intellectual match with McCoy.

Drinkard was a four-year Eagle Ambassador and member of St. Thomas Student Council. He devoted more than 200 hours to volunteer organizations, including Special Olympics, the Houston Food Bank, Katy Christian Ministries, The Brookwood Community, as well as academic tutoring and mentoring through the Katy Neighborhood Kidz Club.

Off-campus, McCoy was extensively involved within the Katy chapter of Young Men Service League which was chartered by his mother and two associates in December 2015. He was a member of the inaugural class as a rising eighth-grader and spent five years with Sarah as volunteers devoted to philanthropy while nurturing commanding life skills.

For generations, Eagles are united by strong values and tradition and have proven fearless in their pursuit to make a difference in the world, no matter where they are.

McCoy and Drinkard are linked forever beyond that compelling St. Thomas legacy and their collective college prep acclaim. They are part of the Class of 2020 that became the class of COVID-19, born into a world without Facebook, exiting St. Thomas amid online remote learning mandated by a global pandemic, their final months upended in ways tiny and profound, academic and economic, social and emotional. Theirs was a sendoff of sheltering in place, rushed goodbyes, and an enduring sense of camaraderie shared with every corner of America.

“I think seniors all over the country had this great anticipation for the end of their high school careers and then it was shifted away in a moment’s notice,” McCoy says. “We all missed the finality of that last day on campus, that closure to a four-year journey. As it turned out, I left St. Thomas on a Thursday afternoon in March for a golf tournament.

And that was it.

“The lasting impact (of the coronavirus) might be understanding that you can have a plan but there’s only so much certainty in that plan. Seniors everywhere had to rely on resilience. We had to fight through the unknown and unpredictable, and find that burst of energy to close out the right way.”

“It was a friendly rivalry,” Drinkard says. “Our junior year we saw a printout of the GPAs ... would calculate how the other was performing ... could see how it was playing out.

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Features

J.W. LODGE ’04 Legacy Business Leader with Basilian Values at Bedrock

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The picture that emerges is of a typical patriarch and successor. Once, and then again.

Lodge Lumber, 3.0.

Succession but without all the HBO antics and back-stabbing.

What John W. (Jack) Lodge Jr. launched from ground zero to good ... was passed to John W. III who catapulted the family business to grand ... and is now guided by John W. (J.W.) IV ’04 into the third generation of success approaching gargantuan.

“There is no ceiling to what this company can accomplish,” says the reigning agent of change.

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Lodge Lumber Company is approaching its 100th anniversary.

What has morphed from the most modest of beginnings is a forestry product provider for a wide array of industrial and commercial industries. They serve chemical storage and distribution, manufacturing and shipping, equipment and fleet management, pile driving and heavy construction.

“We don’t do home building,” Lodge says with well-rehearsed humor.

The gregarious scion has piloted the company’s day to day operations as vice president since 2018 with a decided reverence to the past and a flexed confidence to meet whatever the future mandates. And in the daily grind to face aggressive business targets and respond to competitive threats, Lodge consistently relies on the Basilian bedrock embedded during his years at St. Thomas to calibrate his corporate - and moral - compass.

“There’s no question that my time in high school impacts the way I work and how I interact with my team and customers,” says Lodge. “There was such diversity within that St. Thomas experience. I was surrounded by students across socioeconomic and cultural tiers with a variety of interests and perspectives. We were all challenged to discover ourselves outside our comfort zones. I would move from an English class to a science lab to an art project to a golf tournament and there were no barriers, just an appreciation for how people may be different but ultimately the same. It’s a lesson that I apply every single day within our business. And in my life.”

Historically, in a family-run operation, there would be two partners. One is the inside guy and one is the outside guy. The outside guy is the face of the business.

The inside guy crunches numbers, does the books, and worries about getting product out the door. The two partners work as a unit, collaboratively and without hierarchy, each one indispensable to the other.

But for three generations of Lodges, that dual identity was held primarily by a single individual occupying seemingly incongruous (if not stereotypical) roles. And in an era where the pace of change in all aspects of execution is accelerating rapidly, the core purpose within Lodge Lumber remains constant and non-negotiable - service to the customer.

Jack Lodge returned to Houston from World War II and founded Lodge Lumber Company from a single 8x10 building. He was armed with one forklift, a truck, and a pole trailer. The city’s postwar economy was booming and its residential neighborhoods developing, exploding.

Lodge Lumber slowly became the foremost supplier to utility contractors for hardwood timbers.

His son John III started working for the company when he was fourteen years old. He drove industrial vehicles, helped pull orders, and assisted anywhere he was needed.

John soon came on board full time and the transfer of responsibility was eventually underway.

During the second generation of management, he introduced a series of shrewd yet bold decisions and investments as president and CEO that provided Lodge Lumber with seismic expansion and vertical integration.

“My dad was the catalyst behind the company’s growth,” says Lodge. “It was after the oil bust, the mid-1980s into the 1990s. He had a vision and developed corporate relationships that continue to thrive nearly a half-century later.

And he instilled in our staff that at the end of the day, the most important quality is to take care of our customers.

That’s it. That’s all we have to do. Just make it right.”

Just as his father before him, J.W. flashed an early eagerness and interest in the family business. His father patiently nurtured and positioned him to learn from the ground up.

“It started when I was five, six, seven years old, and I would spend school holidays and Saturdays here with my dad,” says Lodge. “There was so much activity. Each occasion seemed larger than life. Then during the summers all through high school and college, I worked maintenance, mowed property, and painted buildings. I operated saws, loaded trucks, managed inventory. What I knew was an inch thick and a mile wide. This has been in my blood for a long time.

It’s what I always knew I wanted to do with my life.”

”

This has been in my blood for a long time.

It’s what I always knew I wanted to do with my life.

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After playing golf and earning his degree in business administration in 2008 at St. Edward’s University, the plan was in place that J.W. would eventually assume the baton and leadership within Lodge Lumber. He began to sharpen his skills. As his performance, prominence, and stature grew steadily, so did his extensive knowledge of the company and interaction with the management team. Astute and ambitious without the sterile insistence of being the boss,

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Lodge proved to be a formidable addition. He demonstrated mounting conviction over the years and the same discipline, earnestness, and attention to detail that he gathered at his father’s knee. For the most part, the two are a virtual mind meld with only subtle differing proclivities and strengths.

To this day they work in adjacent offices, frequently calling out to each other for counsel.

“What drew me to this industry is the dynamic base of clients, and that’s what still excites me,” says Lodge, fully animated by the unpredictable nature of the enterprise.

“We do physical work. Vendors are shipping and delivering here every day. Our trucks transport refined inventory.

Oil field equipment is headed outside the country.

It’s robust movement that is an integral part of the supply chain. No day is the same.”

Lodge is blessed with not only his father’s passion and professional acumen but also his mother’s generous spirit.

Janet Lodge was a tireless volunteer for decades for a myriad of causes associated with St. Thomas, St. Michael Catholic Church, The Regis School of the Sacred Heart, and as a member of the Charity Guild of Catholic Women before passing away with cancer in 2016.

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“My mother instilled in me that you always give back, especially to those who helped get you where you are,” says Lodge. “She was involved in so many important ways but often behind the scenes. She was part of Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Her example was selflessness and strength.”

Qualities that Lodge embraces as an engaged and devoted parent with his wife Alice. Their son Will represents the first legacy student at Regis.

“It’s years away but I see him attending St. Thomas,” says Lodge. “The school has played such an essential role in my formation. There’s a desire to keep that connection.”

Navigating within the lumber sector is a uniquely rugged, cyclical proposition. Pricing and supply are often volatile.

In addition to creating innovative strategies and products to meet their requirements, Lodge Lumber is mindful that best practices and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Cognizant of the environment, they are stewards of natural resources and committed to green initiatives that minimize waste and pollution. The company also understands the power of philanthropy and actively supports a host of Houston-based charities and nonprofits, including Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Navy Seal Foundation, the Houston Food Bank, and the Astros Golf Foundation.

Eventually, Lodge will lead without his father by his side.

What he will continue to bring is exactly what Lodge Lumber’s anchoring ideology demands - fundamentals, resiliency, sound economics, and tactical enterprise-building.

But there is more in play than a clear corporate vision, a North Star to guide all aspects of the evolving operational and management priorities. Lodge projects the promise to inspire loyalty and admiration among close associates.

His is the gift to feel a connection beyond a paycheck.

“This company has an incredible foundation and we can continue to grow this business significantly,” says Lodge.

“I’m not sure I understood that full potential five years ago.

Regardless of our ongoing direction, we’ll never abandon our family roots, what our business, our family, our name represent. The culture was instilled by my grandfather work hard and celebrate the blessings each and every day.”

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A WORTHY NAMESAKE Colin ’83 and Harry Hageney ’22 house St. Thomas in their souls.

Kirk and Michael Douglas had their films ... George and George W. Bush their presidential politics ... Rupert and James Murdoch their mega-media millions ... Woody and Arlo Guthrie their guitars ... Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning their spirals. And Colin and Harry V have their precious 4500 Memorial Drive.

For the father and son duo, the shared passion for St. Thomas is a true family affair that originated with Harry III ’45. Homer obviously never saw the Hageneys coming, the epic Greek poet observing that “rarely are sons similar to their fathers.”

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The father’s wisdom was always welcomed but his voice of reason was cut short all too soon, the value of his advice suddenly shut silent. Harry III passed when Hageney was only 10 years old. Yet, bondlines to St. Thomas were already embedded if not destined.

“My Father/Son Masses as a student were always awkward,” Hageney says. “There was a void for me. When I sat with Harry during his freshman year, I had to take a deep breath.

It was an emotional moment. St. Thomas has taken on such a connection that we share. If Harry were attending another school, we obviously wouldn’t have that.”

It’s not always like this between a dad and his boy. They may find themselves walled off by the elder’s rigidity, by the youth’s rebelliousness, by hardheadedness all around.

Colin and Harry discovered common ground rooted in the Basilian credo Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.

IT’S HUMBLING TO SEE HARRY WALK THE SAME HALLWAYS AND OCCUPY MANY OF THE SAME CLASSROOMS AS I DID.

Features

“It’s humbling to see Harry walk the same hallways and occupy many of the same classrooms as I did, and to share that legacy with my dad,” Hageney says. “The Basilian value system is no different regardless of the generation.

I remember my father talking about that. He attended during the first years after the school relocated to Memorial Drive (from downtown) and went to school with two future bishops. Bishop (Brendan) Cahill (Diocese of Victoria) was one of my classmates.”

We’ve all had to make the adjustments but they don’t have any idea of the real day-to-day St. Thomas. They only know the last few months. The upper classes have drawn from their previous years.”

Hageney’s overt intentions weren’t to remain entwined with St. Thomas throughout his adult life. He graduated from the University of Houston’s famed Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, then in 1994 made a defining career move to technology marketing.

He consulted for St. Thomas in a communications role “that originally was a contract for 90 days. I stayed for four years.”

Hageney is gratified to see how far St. Thomas has advanced in the previous 40 years - academically, culturally, and physically - while remaining true to its moral foundation.

Yet, the choice to continue the family heritage was Harry’s to determine, with the caveat that whatever that decision, always make the best of that option to your ability.

“I grew up knowing St. Thomas and that my family had this long association for a reason. The academics are definitely rigorous,” Harry says. “But for me, there’s more.

During one recent theology discussion on baptism, the question was Where were you baptized? And I answered, Right here on campus in the chapel. And everyone was sort of shocked. That’s our family and this school. I’ll probably name my son Harry and send him to St. Thomas, too.”

Unforeseen in Harry’s academic career was a full-frontal collision with the coronavirus pandemic. He and his fellow Eagle scholars have been forced to face COVID-19 and the uncertainties, interruptions, and stresses that have accompanied Zoom school, hybrid learning, and limited social interaction. But in times of turmoil, Harry, as well as many of his St. Thomas brothers, have turned to their religious traditions and the campus community, relying on the importance of cultivating a rich inner life.

“This COVID year has revealed just how prepared St. Thomas is for any situation,” Harry says. “The teachers have been so supportive, not only with the academic demands but also helping students stay connected with each other. I feel bad for the freshmen.

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ST. THOMAS PROVIDED A GREAT FOUNDATION FOR MY SUCCESS. NOT JUST THE ACADEMIC EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGE BUT DEVELOPING AS A PERSON. IT IS WHERE I LEARNED HOW TO HAVE INTEGRITY IN BUSINESS, COMPASSION FOR OTHERS, AND A ZEST FOR LIFE. The relationship resulted in Hageney ushering the school into the digital age with its first professional website, influencing various capital campaigns, and rebranding the St. Thomas crest and monogram, both of which will be embossed on the junior ring that Harry will receive in the spring of 2021.

Hageney launched his entrepreneurial dream in 1997 and in 2000 the full thrust of that reality began to take definitive shape. As founder, president, and chief marketing officer of Bullpen Marketing, he is the primary strategist for an agency that is fiercely dedicated to uniting clients and the community, driven by a common vision with collaborators to build a future they all believe in.

What started as a “job evolved into a mission” to empower Catholic education, charities, and non-profit initiatives with pointed, poignant creatives. He incrementally leveraged his reputation to develop his client base throughout Greater Houston and outside the region. Bullpen’s inventory has expanded to nearly 100 private schools, crafting their websites, direct-mail programs, advertising, and other forms of strategic action. The agency’s acclaimed and award-winning custom services stretch from the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston to Basilian St. Anne Catholic School in River Oaks to the St. Patrick School in Chatham, New Jersey, the state’s oldest Catholic school, founded in 1872.

Bullpen Marketing was named in 2014 to the inaugural University of Houston’s Cougar 100, the world’s fastest-growing UH alumni-owned and alumni-led businesses.

Whether it’s the annual Steps For Students fundraiser benefiting 59 Catholic primary schools or the 100th-anniversary celebration of the Charity Guild of Catholic Women, the manifesto is clean and concise - to care. And with every decision leading to the greatest possible impact.

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“Bullpen started with just me. And then a salesperson.

And another salesperson. Now it’s a staff of more than a dozen ... creative directors, digital designers, and account managers,” Hageney says. “Last year was our best year. 2020 will not be our best year because of the pandemic. Our goals are to do good and energize our clients to do the same. That will always be our purpose. It’s not, Let’s make a lot of money.

But, rather, Let’s do a lot of good.”

Hageney serves on a wide-ranging series of boards including Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese, Incarnate Word Academy, and the Marketing Communications Committee of the University of St. Thomas. He’s been a volunteer with the American Marketing Association (AMA) since 1996 and has served on the Professional Chapters Council for six years, including a year as president. In 2010, he was awarded AMA’s International Volunteer of the Year.

“St. Thomas provided a great foundation for my success,” Hageney says. “Not just the academic educational advantage but developing as a person. It is where I learned how to have integrity in business, compassion for others, and a zest for life.

“I remember my teachers in grade school as good.

But at St. Thomas, they were inspiring. My lasting example - I was encouraged to join the band, to play the trombone.

I wasn’t very good at the beginning but I quickly and dramatically improved my skills and confidence. I could have majored in music in college and pursued that path for the rest of my life. I never imagined that for myself.”

Hageney traveled the country with the careening Cougars, guaranteed a choice, shock-and-awe seat for the up-close, oh so personal dazzling dizzy dunk shows. The swoop raids on the rim took him through the NCAA tournament to Seattle’s since-demolished Kingdome for UH’s third consecutive Final Four and back to back national title tilts.

Only Brent Musburger and Billy Packer enjoyed more prime vantage points to eyewitness the righteous tomahawk repertoire.

Fast break to the present and the campus routine is simply Colin and Harry, father and son. Each the other’s greatest admirer, both with fingerprints on the authentic Eagle experience, even if those stamps are separated by nearly four decades. And next year the soon-to-be grad and dad will be joined by a third - Colin Jr. - as a member of the Class of 2025. All subtle threads in the tapestry that covers St. Thomas history and includes the Hageney patriarch.

“You don’t really appreciate St. Thomas until you leave St. Thomas,” Hageney says. “It’s impossible to understand the true measure and meaning of this education while you’re a high school student. I’ve told Harry that only when he matures and reflects will he realize that this is truly a special place. There will be a cluster of memories and tenants he will hold for the rest of his life. When I come back to this campus, it’s as if I’m coming home.”

Nor did Hageney anticipate that his slide and mellifluous sounds would take him on one of the most envious campus thrill rides of a lifetime. As a member of the UH Marching Band, he had the opportunity to also perform with the Cougar Brass Pep Band during basketball games, thereby punching a ticket for an era of aerial hoop wizardry never before seen, courtesy the outrageous Phi Slama Jama crew featuring Clyde (The Glide) Drexler, Michael Young, the then-Akeem (The Dream) Olajuwon, Larry (Mr. Mean) Micheaux, and the mercurial Benny Anders.

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PLAn NOW. GIVE LATER.

Remember St. Thomas in your will or living trust.

So many of our students could not have the St. Thomas experience without the faithful giving of others. If St. Thomas opened doors for you, consider how you can now open doors for others.

Join the 1900 Society by including St. Thomas in your will or estate plans and help provide affordable tuition, exemplary instruction and spiritual growth for generations of students to come.

If you remember all the goodness, discipline and knowledge that St. Thomas gave you, then please: Remember St. Thomas.

Remembering St. Thomas in your will or estate plans costs nothing during your lifetime, but will transform the lives of STH men down the road.

Contact Mr. Johnny Misleh ’00 johnny.misleh@sths.org • 713-864-6348, ext. 305

remember.sths.org

Like us, follow us, keep up with us!

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@sthcatholic #mySTH

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Deacon Leonard Paul Lockett (1953-2020)

Supreme Salute Fr. Mitch Dowalgo, CSB Enters Retirement

The Most Revered Vincent M. Rizzotto (1931-2021)

National Tributes for Eagles’ Nest - Partnering with Design Firm KH Studio for Recognition by Prestigious National School Public Relations Association

William (Willie) James Madden Jr. (1964-2021)

Pay It Forward Alumni Association Awards Thousands of Dollars in Scholarships to Select Scholars

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DEACON LEONARD PAUL LOCKETT(1953-2020) It was with great sadness that the St. Thomas campus community mourned the loss of Deacon Leonard Paul Lockett, a valued faculty member and contributor to St. Thomas Campus Ministry. He passed away in April 2020 after a long illness.

A beloved supporter of the St. Thomas family, Lockett left a legacy that will have a lasting influence on Eagle scholars and stakeholders for generations to come.

“Deacon Lockett’s influence was powerful on so many fronts,” President Fr. James Murphy, CSB says. “His wisdom and compassion were profound, his intellect highly respected. His dedication to and love for faith and teaching were always evident during his life. St. Thomas was privileged to have him impact our students, faculty, and staff. He is missed immensely by the St. Thomas Basilians, his faculty colleagues, and by everyone in our extended community.”

Lockett served with distinction as the Vicar for Catholics of African Descent for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, providing the African, African American, and Caribbean Catholic communities with spiritual, cultural, educational, and social development.

Lockett was profiled on CW39 in 2017 during Black History Month. “I love teaching African American Ministries, especially the history of the African American in the Catholic Church."

His was a provocative yet reasoned voice in the civil rights movement beginning as the vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People youth council at his high school.

In referencing a 2018 Mass of Remembrance for activist and minister Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lockett said that “the purpose of the celebration is an opportunity for the local Catholic Church to call to mind a man of God who was a prophet in the true sense of the word.

(King) made this nation aware of her shortcomings in the areas of equality not just for the Negro, but all her citizens caught in the deadly grip of poverty, homelessness, and the lack of a quality education.

“I believe if Dr. King were with us at this moment his message would be the same, ‘Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.

Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.’ We have to remove ourselves from the concept that MLK Day is not just the third Monday in January but that every day of the year we should be out striving to keep Dr. King’s dream and vision alive.”

After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Pastoral Theology from the University of St. Thomas, Lockett went on to become a Theology professor for the University, and Theology faculty member at St. Thomas, and the institution’s assistant director of campus ministry.

A virtual memorial Mass was held in Lockett’s honor April 28. The prayers of the St. Thomas’ extended community and its deepest sympathies remain with his wife Ava and son Adam ’17.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

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THE MOST REVERED VINCENT M. RIZZOTTO (1931-2021)

The same fateful January Sunday brought the passing of two devoted and beloved graduates who exemplified Basilian ideals in their signature manner.

Vincent Michael Rizzotto, widely respected and admired as a spiritual director, mentor, and preacher, died at the age of 89 in his 65th year of religious life.

“We mourn a great man and faithful priest who touched the lives of many,” President Fr. James Murphy, CSB says.

“With his leadership, charisma, and vision, he nurtured and developed the Catholic faith through Houston for decades.

He was a steadfast champion for human rights, the cause of peace, and the care for the poor. But his greatest influence was perhaps through the lives of parish families whom he counseled and befriended for generations.”

During his St. Thomas student experience, Rizzotto was said to be inspired by forever Eagle icon Fr. James Wilson, CSB “to write these words down and ask yourself every day Dear God, what do you want me to do for you today?”

Even though he was only 15 years old, Rizzotto began an introspection that led him to enroll at St. Mary’s Seminary in La Porte following his graduation from St. Thomas. And he would strike what would become a near lifetime association with future Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza.

Bishop Rizzotto was ordained a diocesan priest in May 1956 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Galveston. He began a long series of successful assignments at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Port Arthur from 1956-1961. After securing a Licentiate of Canon Law from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1963, Rizzotto moved to All Saints Catholic Church in The Heights from 1964-67, to the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral from 1967-72, then to St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church from 1972-82. His longest tenure was a two-decade relationship as pastor of St. Cecilia Catholic Church where he ignited dramatic expansion and a vibrant congregation, delivering both tangible and inspirational impact that is measurable to this day.

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Bishop Rizzotto was named a Monsignor in September 1978

by Pope John Paul I. In July 2001, at age 70, he was appointed

by Pope John Paul II an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and Titular Bishop of Lamasba where he performed multiple roles with significant distinction Vicar General; Chair of the Priests Personnel Board; Vicar for African American Catholics; and Secretariat Director for Chaplaincy Services and Clergy Formation.

Essential to Bishop Rizzotto’s ministry was the ethos to show God in the world by respecting and embracing people of all origins and stations. Perhaps his most profound encounters took place during the tumultuous civil rights unrest of the 1960s. Bishop Rizzotto became involved in social issues at the invitation of then-Fr. John McCarthy ’49 (later Most Reverend and Bishop Emeritus of Austin, and St. Thomas Hall of Honor inductee). The two accompanied Fr. Fiorenza and joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the landmark Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama to passionately give witness to their beliefs.

WILLIAM (WILLIE) JAMES MADDEN JR. (1964-2021)

January 17 also brought the sudden passing of longtime Houston restaurateur Willie Madden who died of natural causes in his home.

A dynamic presence with the skills to forge strong bonds with parties on all levels, Madden developed loyalty and engagement in a wide array of business and personal relationships. He was an authentic Eagle ambassador above and beyond, long before and after serving as alumni director from August 2011-July 2014.

Madden’s interest was attentive, his laugh was contagious, his caring genuine.

“The Houston community, and in particular the St. Thomas community has suffered a great loss,” says Vice-President for Advancement Mark deTranaltes ’83. “I’m overwhelmed at the outpouring of love displayed during the days and weeks following his passing. Willie embraced everyone like family, loved his classmates and his school, and was deeply dedicated to the mission of the Basilian Fathers.

He is deeply missed.”

Madden was the current owner of iconic Houston barbecue joint Pizzitola’s on Shepherd Drive which he had purchased in 2019 from another famed St. Thomas identity, Sports Hall of Fame member Jerry Pizzitola ’60.

Madden had previously built his sterling professional reputation during a near two-decade stretch as the owner and managing partner of Texadelphia, operating five locations of the hugely popular cheesesteak shop.

He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 with a degree in economics and was later the director of alumni relations & capital campaign for the UT Kappa Sigma Educational Foundation.

Madden lives on through his son Marshall ’18 and Josh ’19, his sister Coleen, and his brothers Pat ’88 and Shawn.

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SUPREME SALUTE St. Thomas is proud to celebrate the countless contributions of Fr. Mitch Dowalgo, CSB, who is entering retirement after a fulfilling professional adult life totally committed to the Basilian order.

Fr. Dowalgo has been an active and beloved member of the St. Thomas campus community since 2016. His talents, spirit, and humor touched the hearts and minds of many of those around him, impacting the institution by serving in a variety of significant roles.

St. Thomas was blessed to have Fr. Dowalgo as a language specialist and Director of Adult Faith, ministering the lives of our faculty, staff, and students. His goodness injected joy, his discipline delivered inspiration, his knowledge brought wisdom.

St. Thomas is grateful beyond measure for Fr. Dowalgo and his tireless allegiance to the school. We wish him the very best in this next phase. Although he is retiring from the school, Fr. Dowalgo will always be a cherished and invaluable member of the Eagle community.

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Flybys

EAGLES FLYING HIGH Leo Wilson ’21 became the first four-year All-State choir performer in St. Thomas history as a record 10 Eagle scholar-singers earned premiere acclaim from the Texas Private School Music Educators Association.

James Dickinson ’23, Raphael Mamaradlo ’21, and Leonardo Morales ’21 were each selected for a second time.

Among the select TPSMEA All-State members under the direction of Josh Wilson were his son in Bass 2; Tenor 1 Raphael Mamaradlo ’21 and Benito Moreno-Garza ’21; Tenor 2 Leonardo Morales ’21, Aidan Nanquil ’23, and James Dickinson ’23; Bass 1 Noah Mims ’21, Bishop Yokubaitis ’21, Jorge Villalobos ’21, and Damian Wilson ’23.

Students selected for this honor were considered within the top 25 singers in their section from all participating private schools in Texas.

Josh Wilson reached his own rarefied air in January 2019 as a member of the Houston Chamber Choir. The group won the Grammy Award in its first-ever nomination, cashing the industry’s most coveted distinction with Best Choral Performance for Duruflé: Complete Choral Works. Bravo!

Supporters of Eagle Golf graciously donated $32,500 from the first of what will be an annual fundraising event.

Tournament co-chairmen Weldon Granger and Dick Hite partnered with J.W. Lodge ’04 to stage the benefit at Brad Tucker’s exclusive 9-hole Sand Hill Farm Golf Club in Waller.

Granger has been a dedicated and vibrant advocate for St. Thomas for decades and long-time champion of Catholic education in Houston. He delivered the address at the school’s 2017 commencement celebration.

Hite’s grandson J.D. Perez ’21 and Jack Carter ’21 are co-captains for the 2021 season, the fifth campaign with head coach Paul Hamm.

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NATIONAL TRIBUTES FOR EAGLES’ NEST St. Thomas is proud to partner with designer KH Studio for recognition by the prestigious National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) for the Eagles’ Nest Fall 2019 publication - the only individual school among six honorees to receive Merit distinction and one of only three private institutions nationally to earn acclaim in the Magazine category.

St. Thomas also claimed one of only four Merit awards in the Excellence in Writing category for the Eagles’ Nest Winter 2019 cover story featuring Arturo Chavez ’85. Grand Designs Inspired by Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge showcased Chavez and the impact of the St. Thomas experience on his personal and professional formation. He is the youngest managing principal in the prestigious 100-plus year history of architectural power Page Southerland Page.

The award-winning publication praised

by NSPRA - Uncompromising Academics.

Uncommon Brotherhood. - celebrated a wide-range of vivid testaments to the St. Thomas Basilian mission.

eagles’

nest winter 2019

In 2018, St. Thomas accepted Honorable Mention honors from NSPRA in the Magazine category, the first such esteemed acknowledgement in school history.

Rescue Recover Rebuild Rejoice - Eagle Strong In The Year Of Hurricane Harvey recounted the compelling personal trials and accounts from the St. Thomas community during the shattering developments and aftermath of the most severe rainfall event in recorded United States history.

The NSPRA program routinely considers hundreds of entries annually and St. Thomas was selected among those recipients judged for elite national status in 2018 and again in 2020. This latest commendation from NSPRA comes during a recent six-year media surge where St. Thomas has witnessed significant advances in its digital content and publications. These efforts have led to an exponential growth in the school’s social media that includes extraordinary results in reach, impressions, and engagement on multiple channels including sths.org, Facebook, and Twitter.

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GRAND DESIGNS

PAY IT FORWARD As Houston and the rest of the nation grappled with the ongoing consequences of COVID-19, the St. Thomas community rallied in ways consistent since the institution’s Basilian birth in 1900.

The Alumni Association awarded thousands of scholarship dollars in scholarship dollars to select students from the 2020 junior, sophomore, and freshman classes. The annual Scholarship Contest honored Zach Wilson ’21, Diego Ramos ’22, and Caleb Davis ’23, representatives who responded to specific topics with wisdom that has been stirred into flames by their Eagle experience.

“I was coming from a public school where there were some social issues and those who were not concerned with my overall best interests,” Wilson says. “St. Thomas is a much better fit. I was surrounded by more serious students, and more involved faculty and staff. I’m definitely comfortable inside the community with a variety of organizations, student council, and the Eagle Ambassador program.”

Juniors were asked to describe how the St. Thomas brotherhood, spirituality, and Basilian motto Teach me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge transformed them during their three years, and how they planned to put these attributes into practice moving forward as Men of St. Thomas.

Chris Malloy ’86 is concluding this first year as alumni president.

He can readily relate to Wilson’s thriving transition Malloy transferred to St. Thomas following his freshman year at HISD Westbury. He advanced from college prep to earn his Bachelor of Science in Business/Finance at Hampton University and his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is now Director of Operations at Crag Energy Services LLC.

Wilson had no intention of attending St. Thomas. He was on a path to follow his older brother through public school in Kingwood until the onslaught that was Hurricane Harvey forced his parents to relocate their residence to the Rice Military neighborhood off Memorial Drive.

Wilson enrolled a month into the 2017 fall semester.

It felt like everyone had already made friends and I was just going through my day talking to no one ... and feeling almost entirely alone. One day (I was asked) to sit with (a classmate at lunch) ... and they invited me into their friend group. I was no longer depressed ... I can truthfully say that the Eagle brotherhood truly saved my life and has changed me for the better. Now when I see one of my classmates down, I help him to get back up. I plan to practice these actions of helping others for the rest of my life.

Now I hardly recognize the person I was in middle school.

(St. Thomas) has helped me grow into a better person.

I plan to use this experience ... to help others become better.

I am now thankful for the tragedy that brought me to St. Thomas as it made me a better person with a desire to help others.

Wilson wrote that his unintended route to St. Thomas began after “the lowest point in my life ... many dark thoughts, actions, and nights where I cried myself to sleep.” He was convinced to stay after a series of life-affirming experiences.

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“My academic and personal development at St. Thomas is what I still find most relevant,” Malloy says. “I value those relationships from high school and have had Zoom calls with many of my classmates during the shutdown. It’s exciting to see how St. Thomas continues to impact young lives, from curriculum to our expanding STEM program to our award-winning fine arts and athletics. I’m proud to bridge these current Eagle scholars to more than 8,000 alumni that call St. Thomas home.”

Sophomores were asked to identify growth during their first two St. Thomas years, sharing challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, and describing how to place Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge into action.

Ramos: I had always been a good student, but I had yet to become a great one. I was, and still am, a student on the All-Advanced track, maxing out as many advanced courses I can take in a year. After very rigorous long-nights, book annotations, and trips to the LEC, I ended my Freshman year with a 4.62 GPA.

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I continued through the end of my sophomore year ... establishing my own Be a Friend Project, a private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization through the State of Texas (to address) senior-isolation in assisted living homes, and try to scientifically track the impacts of the isolation and what happened after prolonged visits with the groups of St. Thomas students. This, coupled with the fact that I was, and still am, learning how to be a better person in Theology classes, gave me great morale and drive to be good.

If I could tell my freshman self anything, it would be this. You are going to undergo many trials. You are going to feel like you are not where you are supposed to be. But you know you have inside of you what it takes to be the best version of yourself - to give yourself a fighting chance. Never victimize yourself. You are a fighter, and it is only up from where you are standing. ... Continue to work hard. This is your home. You are the Eagle Fight.

Freshmen described how their freshman experience was impacted by COVID-19.

Davis: The St. Thomas community is one that encourages friendships and camaraderie. ... Academically, I have been challenged more than ever before. However, my most valuable experience has been the strengthening of my Catholic faith. Daily Mass, confession, and rosary opportunities have helped me to keep God present in my daily life. ... because of COVID-19, my daily interactions with friends and teachers, as well as athletics, have severely diminished.

Thankfully, St. Thomas was prepared for this situation, which allowed for a smooth transition into online learning. ... My teachers have been just as available as ever ... frequently stay after class if students need help, or even volunteer their time on the weekends if necessary. Athletically, both the football and baseball coaches have invested their time into creating workouts ... even meeting with us on Zoom to check-in and to go over film. Their encouragement helps me to stay motivated and feel connected. All in all, the teachers’ and coaches’ actions throughout this unfortunate time have helped me to stay focused on keeping my grades up and motivated me to finish this year strong.

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OUR PRESENCE IN THE CITY Since 1900, St. Thomas has impacted the rise of Houston as a global force. Our Catholic intellectual tradition has created a diverse community of scholars, united and dedicated to the highest academic standards, rooted in the Basilian values of goodness, discipline, and knowledge.

The dialogue between faith and reason continues to drive the pursuit of wisdom. St. Thomas is committed to nurturing graduates to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. In Houston, in Texas, and beyond.

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Much More Than Score Eagle Football Responds with Playoff Season in Wake of Pandemic

Game Changer Karnell James Next Leader of Eagle Basketball

Onward And Upward Terrific Trio of Scintillating Scholar-Athletes Celebrate First National Signing Day for the Class of 2021

Runner’s High Nathan Labus Guides Eagle Cross Country to Another Championship Contending Season

Patience Pays Will Rizzo ‘21 and Max Chung ‘21 Extend Baseball Careers to Collegiate Level

Burning Energy While Sheltering - Two-Time Emmy Award-Winning Choreographer Kathryn Burns Reaches Out to Eagle Cheer

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MORE THAN THE SCORE The unprecedented had become the precedent, chaos the expectation, and the surreal a weekly reality.

So it was no surprise that bizarre results and stupefying finishes would indelibly imprint the COVID-19 football cycle, much like empty stadiums and coaches wearing masks.

St. Thomas entered the delayed, truncated regular season as the No. 1 ranked private school in Greater Houston by the Houston Chronicle and VYPE Houston, then rode the No. 2 position for the final five weeks. The Eagles launched with competitive defeats against El Campo and Pasadena Dobie in the school’s first on-campus, socially distanced athletic events of the pandemic era. They then responded to rack six straight rip rollicking wins and roll to a third consecutive undefeated district title.

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After a first-round bye in the Division I tournament, the assignment in the regional final was Midland Christian, a Division II program as recently as 2017.

The Eagles were welcomed by cold, wet conditions in Fredericksburg. They started slowly and couldn’t finish without incident against an outfit that opted out of its final two regular-season games because 30-plus student-athletes were placed in coronavirus quarantine.

An ominous tone was set when Eagle Football surrendered a pair of explosive touchdowns on its first two defensive series, a 41-yard third-down scoring throw on Midland Christian’s first completion, and a 43-yard sideline romp after two missed tackles in the Mustangs’ backfield.

The Eagles were forced to fight uphill from those opening minutes. Twice they were on the brink of tying touchdowns in the second half but somehow failed to discover the equalizer.

Down 14-7 on the opening series of the third quarter, 2020 Elite 11 quarterback Maddox Kopp ’21 (University of Houston) delivered a fourth-down dart to receiver Drake Martinez ’21 (Colorado St.) for 18 yards to help St. Thomas establish first-and-goal at the seven-yard line.

But the prime opportunity vaporized with a fumble.

Kopp proved lethal through the campaign when he applied his rocket arm with swift mobility to allow receivers time to get open late and also pick up gains on the ground. In less than nine full games, he threw for 3,134 yards with only four interceptions while running for another 292, peaking a two-year starting career that secured him a place among the all-time quarterbacks in school history.

As predicted, the Eagles’ receivers represented the team’s strongest position group, as Martinez, Cameron Bonner ’21 (Baylor University), and newcomer Cameron Price ’22 emerged as the most explosive and productive trio in TAPPS. The group totaled 128 grabs for 2,201 yards and 22 trips to the end zone.

But in the heart-attack moments of a survival match, the Eagles couldn’t capitalize on their signature quick crossing patterns or unleash their vertical threats in one-on-one coverages and open space and have them do the rest.

St. Thomas appeared armed with all the requirements for genuine title contention: a difference-making talent at the mission-critical position, skilled playmakers, veteran leadership, invaluable experience, and an ethos that nobody would outwork them.

In the final 8:00, defensive terror Mark Pownall ’21 stoned Midland Christian on a crucial fourth-and-four stop from the St. Thomas 24-yard line. The sudden shift in mojo lifted the Eagles and fueled a charge to first-and-goal, one tantalizing yard away from fearlessly knotting the night.

A tense game roared into its waning minutes. But the end game Eagle execution was lacking - two penalties, a negative run, and an incompletion led to a fourth-down sack worth 16 yards. Two snaps later, a 68-yard Mustang touchdown bolt cemented not only the 21-7 verdict but also the bizarre pandemic-tainted season that once sizzled with state championship promise, only to freeze up in the mid-50s November chill.

The Eagle crowd turned silent as a vault. Success snapped, medal hopes dashed, disappointment complete, cycle still in spin, dreams of a first St. Thomas’ state crown since 1996 vanished like a gambler’s lucky streak.

The customary sluggish Eagle beginning included three punts and a fumble on its first four possessions.

With 2:10 remaining in the half, Kopp rifled his 30th (and final) touchdown strike of the season, a 33-yard laser to Martinez running to the post. His first scoring reception since Week 4 against San Antonio Central Catholic proved to be the lone St. Thomas tally.

Lost in the numb and stun was a sledgehammer performance from uber-active linebacker Kevin Silva ’21 who was in on 21 bone-rattling tackles and led a marauding defensive effort through the second and third quarters.

During the six-pack of on-the-field outcomes (plus a forfeit courtesy St. John XXIII), the Eagles performed to their feared reputation. They had figured out how to play to their strengths while stepping back from their weaknesses instead of trying to constantly correct them. St. Thomas was far from a perfect team heading into the postseason but the Eagles knew themselves better than ever.

It simply wasn’t enough. And Eagle Football was denied its fourth state semifinal berth in seven years.

“We’re not interested in just winning football games; we’re interested in being a championship football program,” Head Coach Rich McGuire says. “Just playing to win games is not good enough anymore. We need to get our group to understand and embrace that objective. And we need to elevate our level to compete in all three phases, to play at an elite level.”

Yet, most importantly given the coronavirus crisis, McGuire and Athletic Director Mike Netzel, collaborating with President Fr. James Murphy, CSB and Principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96 marveled at what Eagle Football had endured through a seemingly endless series of emotional whiplash to reach its playoff point. The leadership team had guided vigilant Eagle scholar-athletes through flawless off-the-field achievement in response to the supreme challenges stemming from the pandemic. There was great solace in once again confirming that at St. Thomas, teammates become brothers, boys develop into young men, and Eagle scholars become living examples of goodness, discipline, and knowledge.

Now, more than ever.

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SA CENTRAL CATHOLIC 14 EAGLE FOOTBALL 31 In hosting its third consecutive socially distanced football game, quarterback Maddox Kopp ’21 dialed in receiver Drake Martinez ’21 for 64 and 46 yards to finish consecutive touchdown possessions in the first half.

St. Thomas scored on three straight series to bolt to a 21-7 advantage at halftime.

Eagle Football continued its attacking posture with Kopp and receiver Cameron Price ’22 connecting to cap a 9-play, 75-yard drive to begin the second half. Their second two-touchdown game of the season built a commanding 28-7 lead.

The St. Thomas’ defense was in full search and destroy with Kevin Silva ’21 (13 tackles) and Vincent Ori ’21 the strongest rock steady since Aretha. Central Catholic was stoned on four consecutive three-and-out series, not allowing a second-half first down until the final four minutes, and surrendering a consolation score with less than two minutes remaining.

EAGLE FOOTBALL 65 SAN ANTONIO CHRISTIAN 14 Kopp shattered school records with 533 passing yards and eight touchdown passes as Eagle Football roared to 37 unanswered points in the first half.

Cameron Bonner ’21 and Martinez became the first pair of Eagle receivers in St. Thomas history with 150 yards each in a game.

Throughout the second quarter, the Eagles were as comfortable as chicken fried steak on biscuits with cream gravy. Fries on the side. They needed only a lucky 13 plays to rack the 35-point explosion.

The Eagles’ defensive thrust proved stronger than rent. Smash mouth linebacker Ori (nine tackles) and heat-seeking defensive back Peter Corbett ’21 (seven tackles) produced enough heavy hits to fill a Billboard Hot 100.

In a match with the Christian Lions that more resembled the Lions and the Christians, the 65 points were the Eagles’ largest output since a 63-point spree against Kinkaid Week 3 in 2018.

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SA ANTONIAN COLLEGE PREP 28 EAGLE FOOTBALL 35 Kopp lasered a nine-yard touchdown throw to Price in overtime and defensive back Aidan O’Hare ’21 sealed the decision with an end zone interception as Eagle Football escaped doom with a determined effort, some great adversity overcome.

With attendance increasing to 50% of Granger Stadium for the first time, the Eagles built seemingly comfortable advantages of 14-0, 21-7, and 28-14.

Midway through the second period, Bonner (7-134 yards) broke free and Kopp delivered a touch ball in stride for 54 yards for their eighth tag-team touchdown in five games. The two later converted a fourth-down pitch-and-catch at midfield to extend the opening series of the second half that resulted in a touchdown. On the next scoring possession, Bonner turned acrobatic wonder, going up and over inferior defenders to secure another deep ball worth 47 yards.

The raucous late-game Red & White rush was more fun than a $9.95 rib plate at Gatlin’s. The opponent was left as empty as Braes Bayou during a hot August drought.

ST. PIUS X 21 EAGLE FOOTBALL 49 Running back John Fontenot ’21 rammed, jammed, bruised, and bolted to four touchdowns while an Eagle defense turned tenacious during the meaningful moments for a commanding Senior Night pasting.

The verdict gave Eagle Football its third consecutive district title and seventh in nine seasons. Eagle Football continues to dominate the series with three wins in a row and seven since 2012.

Fontenot took advantage of spaces wide enough for Chevy Silverado tracks. After bulldozing for short range touchdown runs in the first half, Fontenot took a short toss from Kopp late in the second quarter. Fontenot cut back not once, not twice, but thrice against outclassed SPX defenders to reach the right sideline before turning up to the pylon for a 31-yard score. His third touchdown of the half broke the 14-14 tie.

An athletic interception from Corbett immediately gave St. Thomas possession near midfield. Three plays later, Kopp connected with Price on the right sideline for a 56-yard jolt to the end zone and a quick flash 28-14 advantage. The roughly 60 second game-changing stretch capped 28 unanswered points in the second period and all but decided the outcome.

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EAGLE FOOTBALL 40 BEAUMONT KELLY CATHOLIC 28 Running back Johann Cardenas ‘24 enjoyed a mind numbing breakout with five touchdowns and 331 total yards as St. Thomas rallied for a businesslike beat down in Beaumont.

Kopp provided a pair of scoring throws in a string of 26 straight second-half points. But Cardenas was the unexpected main event, proving hotter than the beef links at Patillo’s Bar-B-Q (served with jambalaya, beans, and coleslaw). He romped 45 yards in the second quarter for his longest run of the season and the only St. Thomas points of the first half.

The Eagles soon exposed Kelly at the point of attack with the precocious Cardenas reaching the second level with speed.

On the second snap of the second half he slashed 29 yards with a short toss from Kopp and then finished from short range to pull Eagle Football within 14-13. Later he raced 37 yards with a Kopp fling to push the count to 26-14.

Seconds into the fourth stanza, the Eagles’ sudden sensation continued pouring sauce all over an overmatched defense that proved as reliable as presidential polling. A 40-yard burst to the brink of the end zone set up his fifth of Friday night bright lights and an insurmountable 33-14 advantage.

EAGLE FOOTBALL 48 CONCORDIA LUTHERAN 17 Kopp rifled three touchdown passes and manic running marvel Cardenas ran for three more scores in a runaway over Tomball Concordia Lutheran as St. Thomas finished the regular season with a furious flourish.

Kopp expanded his season touchdown passing total to 29 after payoffs to receivers Alec Schneider ’21, Joe Rick Madden ’22, and Price.

For the second straight week, the unheralded Cardenas imbued a natural kinetic state that creates the rage of always moving forward. He racked run totals like overripe fruit spinning in the window of a slot machine.

The freshman turned phenom converted a pair of short-range scoring bursts before bolting 25 yards in the third quarter for a more than comfortable 42-10 cushion.

Fittingly, the Eagles unleashed a Friday the 13th defense behind leading tacklers Ori and Silva, stalking and menacing with Jason-like mean intentions, minus the machete. All in all, a fulfilling evening every bit as tasty as the pork belly and pork ribs with cornbread casserole at Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue.

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ONWARD AND UPWARD St. Thomas emphatically closed the most difficult season in the history of Texas high school football with a night of raucous Red & White revelry that included celebrating the first National Signing Day for the Class of 2021.

A terrific trio of scintillating talents sat center stage in Reckling Gymnasium for a final rousing roar as teammates, flanked by family members snapping pictures and swapping hugs.

Receiver Cameron Bonner ’21, 2020 Elite 11 quarterback Maddox Kopp ’21, and tight end Drake Martinez ’21 - all ranked among the Houston Chronicle Top 100 - had soaked up memorable on-the-field moments that fueled a third consecutive undefeated district championship for Eagle Football and extended the district winning streak to 15 straight games. Their early signing encores served as a launch to the four years ahead and a salute for the four that preceded.

Kopp and Martinez cemented verbal commitments to the University of Houston and Colorado St. that had been on the public books for months. Bonner exercised the recruiting process into December. After collecting and carefully evaluating more than two dozen Power 5 offers, he opted for Baylor University only 48 hours before completing the National Letter of Intent.

“Happiness ... excitement ... a new beginning” were among the sensations swirling during Bonner’s triumphant night.

He joins the first recruiting class of head coach Dave Aranda with 15 of the 18 players coming from the state of Texas.

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“Baylor wants me to play receiver. To have that chance in the Big 12 has always been my dream,” Bonner says. “And the goal was to have a home where I could be throughout college.

So many student-athletes are on the move, transferring from school to school. I knew Baylor was the right fit for me.”

Martinez was one of the few prospects who made an actual on-campus visit before Zoom calls and virtual tours became the mandated norm during the pandemic. He was extended the opportunity from Colorado St. in March and stayed true to his May verbal pledge to second-year head coach Steve Addazio.

“It was almost magical once I stepped on campus,” Martinez says. “I built great relationships with the coaches, especially (tight ends) coach (Cody) Booth. The first impression was so strong that I was comfortable and never second-guessed the decision. I’m confident that they’ll put me in the best position to be successful.”

Unstoppable receivers can make life so much easier for a quarterback, even one as seasoned and skilled as Kopp.

Over time, with enough pressure, a defense and its secondary are going to bust. Bonner broke for eight touchdowns in his abbreviated seven-game senior send-off and racked 20 did-you-see-that scoring receptions over two seasons while averaging a jaw-dropping 24 yards per catch.

Martinez increased his senior production to 693 yards to finish with 1,240 and 11 touchdowns as an Eagle.

Kopp proved to be his same unflappable self throughout 2020, providing the resiliency and toughness that were among his career hallmarks - along with more than 6,000 passing yards and 57 touchdowns with only 17 interceptions.

“Signing night was so emotional for me, everything I felt for my family and the St. Thomas coaches to make this chance possible,” Kopp says. “There was joy and at the same time relief in making it official. I’m so appreciative of everyone in the Cougar family for welcoming me and I look forward to what’s next.”

Kopp quarterbacks with a commanding calm in the tsunami storm of defensive duress. And given his lineage and background, he was seemingly born and groomed to play football, blessed by his family’s roots and shaped by many demonstrative choices, large and small. He follows three brothers who extended their scholar-athlete careers to the Division I level.

Anderson ’19 was the leading force and scorer for Eagle Basketball in 2019 while pushing St. Thomas to the TAPPS 6A regional finals. He’s made an immediate impact at Lamar University where he was named 2020 Male Freshman of the Year. That same season Miller was the leading scorer as a sophomore for Northwestern basketball. Braden played tight end at Vanderbilt where he was a three-time All-SEC Academic Honor Roll member.

But the formidable bloodlines don’t fully account for the due diligence and gut-burn-to-be-great moxy that Maddox embraced to develop his longing into a reality.

“My brothers were great motivators,” Kopp says. “They made me look in the mirror and recognize how I needed to continually get better. My ethic and drive started with them and ignited my passion. But I had to put the work in myself. I couldn’t rely simply on their successes to pave the way.”

Trying to hold back this Eagle threesome, as opponents discovered on a weekly basis, was like trying to hold back water with your hands. Bonner, Kopp, and Martinez were each nominated for offensive player of the year by the Touchdown Club of Houston. They were recognized January 27 at the 9th Annual Private High School Awards Dinner along with Rich McGuire who was in the mix for coach of the year.

Their legacy will not be limited to a final season result that didn’t meet the St. Thomas’ standard of constant improvement.

Theirs was a team that may, in fact, be remembered as one of the school’s greatest, playing through COVID-19 and clearing the unimagined hurdles in its way. Eagle Football under the leadership of Principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96, Athletic Director Mike Netzel, and McGuire persevered during months of coronavirus protocols, hybrid academic learning, and heightened uncertainty. The week-in, week-out trials through nine games were met without a single St. Thomas cancellation.

Five games were hosted at Hotze Field inside Granger Stadium, all with at least some families and fans present. The last four with families and fans present. And all without moderate or serious health issues from any scholar-athletes, coaches, or staff.

If there’s an asterisk to a truncated season, circumstances should magnify the achievements, not diminish them.

Bonner, Kopp, and Martinez served not only as the pillars for a seven-win campaign into the TAPPS Division I regional finals, but a Champions For Life credo that carries profound significance beyond hashtag status. The just rewards were basking in a grand finale night with justified confidence that the best is yet to come.

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THE LAUNCH PAD From an unprecedented lockdown to a promising liftoff.

Maddox Kopp ’21 gained valuable momentum in the 2020 recruiting cycle significantly restricted by the pandemic.

The first St. Thomas scholar-athlete to receive a coveted invitation to the Elite 11 Finals seized the opportunity to enhance his profile by favorably competing among 20 top-rated high school performers in the nation’s premier quarterback camp.

“It was a dream come true,” Kopp says of the three-day showcase in Nashville. “As a little kid I would watch all the videos on ESPN and wanted to be a part of it when I grew older. It was a great honor but I wanted to prove that I belonged. I challenged the best in the country and showed that I could execute and also think the game on and off the field.”

The athletic 6-5 200-pound Kopp immediately broke from the pack when he out-dueled a series of renowned five-star phenoms to earn individual honors on the first night of the camp. By the end of the event, he quickly received his first Power 5 offer from Ole Miss. Less than two weeks later, Kopp added Colorado to the list of suitors that included Houston, Tulane, Wyoming, and Texas State, among others.

By August, Kopp was one of the nation’s top undeclared talents gripping the game's most exacting position. On September 1, he capped his rapid rise with a verbal commitment to the Houston Cougars in front of family, teammates, and supporters on the St. Thomas campus.

He then sealed his UH deal in December during the first National Signing Day for the Class of 2021.

Kopp emerged from an original Elite 11 prospect list of roughly 100 candidates. He sealed his inclusion through an application and scripted video workout after the regional qualifying camps were shuttered and shattered under the hammer of the coronavirus. Kopp then confirmed at the camp a clean, consistent, and repeatable throwing motion, delivering catchable throws in every setting, plus an approach to the position that signals significant potential.

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“It was a great opportunity for Maddox to compete at a level that honestly few people expected him to reach,” Head Coach Rich McGuire says. “He told me that when he was in the eighth grade that he put an Elite 11 poster on his wall, hoping he would have a chance to make it. There he was after three years of intense work.”

In his first starting season, Kopp orchestrated Eagle Football to a resurgent 9-4 record and the 2019 TAPPS Division I state semifinals. He was named second-team all-state after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns, sharing much of that production with dynamic receivers Cameron Bonner ’21 (Baylor University) and Drake Martinez ’21 (Colorado St.).

Kopp arrived at Elite 11 with far less hype than the more celebrated quarterbacks in attendance, most of whom had cashed haughty individual rankings and rich reputations into a wide variety of verbal commitments to the most storied and valuable programs from coast to coast.

Kopp was a two-sport scholar-athlete who hasn’t taken the typical Generation Z route to acclaim. His previous springs and summers were often dedicated to AAU hoop circuits rather than the Quarterback Industrial Complex featuring personal instruction, daily dealings of two-deep coverage on YouTube, and high-level 7-on-7 leagues. His force on the recruiting circuit was stifled through the COVIDsphere and all the White House briefings and the Dr. Fauci updates.

McGuire believes the Elite 11 exposure revealed Kopp’s superior ability to control the team, read the defense, know the play, and what option maximizes the play.

“Maddox has the arm strength, the frame, the footwork.

He attacked the playbook and had it down as fast as anyone there because that’s who he is. He’s a natural leader. He galvanized the huddle, built a bond with his teammates, and they pushed each other to be the best every day.”

Offensive assistant Matt Hudson owns four seasons with Eagle Football and has seen Kopp mature mightily since his initial days on campus. “The Elite 11 invitation didn’t surprise me at all. He absolutely belonged.

He’s got all the physical tools. I told him and will continue to reinforce, don’t play the comparison game. You saw some guys who were better than you in some ways.

And you were better in some other aspects. Just stay true to who you are.

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And for Maddox, that’s a smart, even keel operator, always in command. He knows plenty of football and is hungry to learn so much more.”

Hudson relates to the prestige and allure of Friday Night Lights.

He led Jackson Christian in Jackson, Tennessee to the 2006 Class A state championship as a junior, the only title in the city’s history, and then signed with Central Arkansas.

Much of Hudson’s tutorial with Kopp was rooted in the experience developing alongside his father. Doug Hudson was the career passing leader at Nicholls State University for more than thirty years with 7,670 yards until the mark was broken in 2018. He was selected in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

When college football power brokers quizzed Matt on Maddox, the reply was swift and relevant. “They weren’t interested if he didn’t have all the measurables so that was a given.

I told coaches that Maddox brings the absolute highest character who will represent your program well, regardless of how the playing time shakes out. Second, he’s a fast learner and makes everyone around him better. The epitome of the position is not how good is the player, it’s how far he can propel those around him. Maddox has that contagious quality that breeds team success.”

Kopp joined a deep Elite 11 legacy that counts alumni such as Houston natives Andrew Luck and Vince Young plus Texan supreme Deshaun Watson. Twelve of the previous 13 quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy and 15 of the top 20 NFL passers in 2019 attended the Elite 11 Finals or an Elite 11 Regional.

Kopp advanced to again earn TAPPS second-team All-State distinction following Eagle Footall’s third consecutive undefeated district championship. In two starting seasons after replacing record-smashing Payton Matocha ’19, Kopp was the backbone of a program’s steady excellence, flinging for more than 6,000 yards and 57 touchdowns with only four interceptions his senior season.

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BRIGHT RECRUITING LIGHTS BURN HOT Once coronavirus infections were confirmed the first week in March, the nation’s commerce and capital roared to a halt, the economy locked down to help arrest the spread of COVID-19.

Less than a month later, campuses throughout academia were forced to cope and retreat. At the society’s highest levels, there was panic. As much as elected officials engaged with infectious-disease experts, they could not know the unknowable.

The world of American sports was soon put on pause and then stopped. But college football recruiting never does.

Even through a pandemic.

Three-star receiving whiz Cameron Bonner ’21 saw his reputation roar nationally from power programs near and far. In six months more than two dozen offers rolled in. From Texas A&M and Houston. From the states of Washington and Wisconsin to Arizona and Illinois to Indiana. From Baylor to down on the bayou.

Bonner navigated a path to college football’s highest levels paved with more difficult obstacles than it should have.

The usual recruiting checkpoints were wiped out by the wave of COVID-19. The process was altered significantly by the prolonged dead period instituted by the NCAA. The up-close and personal spring evaluations, team practices, and summer 7-on-7 tournaments were canceled.

No college camps. No on-campus visits. Nothing in person.

Yet, the same belief that simmered within Bonner and fueled his breakout junior campaign suddenly surfaced and seized the fickle college recruiting gridworld.

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“I had a certain confidence but you never know for certain if the college coaches are thinking of you the same way,” Bonner says. “The recruiting attention confirmed that I was moving in the right direction, becoming the player I want to be. It was all a blessing.”

Bonner’s sky-rocketing profile was a testament to his mammoth Eagle Football debut when he generated immediate notice while earning first team TAPPS All-State.

Bonner emerged smoothly as the go-to threat in a lethal aerial assault featuring 2020 Elite 11 quarterback Maddox Kopp ’21 (Houston), second team all-state running back John Fontenot ’21, and honorable mention all-state Drake Martinez ’21 (Colorado State).

In 12 scintillating games, Bonner glue-gripped 45 receptions for more than 1,200 yards - a jaw-dropping 27 yards per catch - and 12 touchdowns. He put production on video to match the smooth acceleration and cutting ability he flashed during workouts.

The pulsating exclamation point was applied in the 21-7 regional playoff knockout of Dallas Bishop Lynch. Bonner left the flatlining Friar secondary torched and smoldering after electrifying 94 and 79-yard touchdown jolts.

For sufficient measure, he added a critical fourth-quarter interception as Eagle Football sealed a state semifinals date for the first time since 2014 and ’15.

The least surprised witness that Saturday night in Rusk was Cedric Bonner, the Bishop Lynch wide receiver coach.

Yes, Cameron’s father. “We’ve laughed about it,” Cameron says.

“My dad kept telling (the sideline staff) they needed to double cover and make it harder for me to get over the top of the defense.

I guess I proved him right.”

At 6-foot and 175 pounds, Bonner possesses the requisite athleticism, straight away speed, and shuttle times that make for a dynamic quarterback-friendly target.

He’s harnessed the skill to separate from defenders and make sharp, collected cuts in full stride, all of which translates to impact at the next level.

But trending status within therecruiting circuit didn’t squelch Bonner’s gut-burn to be great.

“I was determined to stay hungry and not become satisfied with success,” Bonner says. “I want to become a more disciplined route runner and develop a variety of releases off the line of scrimmage, not strictly relying on burst. I critique every play, every game, try to pick up the subtle differences in how teams apply coverage.”

And Bonner dedicated himself to becoming an even more valuable all-around contributor to one of the top private programs in the state that harbored genuine aspirations for a state championship. He and a host of Eagle teammates adopted the O Athletik training facility in the Heights as their maven haven during the pandemic lockdown. A culture of authentic camaraderie developed in a deep love for practicing and perfecting, brothers in arms exhaustively working as if they were constantly fighting for their starting positions.

Stellar senior send-offs were the proof that played out during an abbreviated eight-game regular season leading into the usual TAPPS playoff grid. “That was the hardest I’ve ever worked,” Bonner says. “I felt stronger in my upper body to get off the (defensive back’s) jam and I became more explosive out of the breaks. I think there is still another speed gear I can reach. But more than anything else, we built great chemistry within the group. The motivation was getting that championship ring. That’s what the opportunity to play this fall was all about.”

In December, Bonner settled his ultimate decision on the first National Signing Day for the Class of 2021 by choosing Baylor and a promising career in the Big 12.

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PATIENCE PAYS EVEN THE CHAOS CONCOCTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS COLLIDING WITH THE CIRCUS-LIKE AFTERMATH OF A SURREAL PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT COUNT COULD NOT SLOW TRIED AND TRUE AMERICANA - NOVEMBER NATIONAL SIGNING DAY. The month’s first Wednesday routinely caps the latest coast-to-coast carnival of frenzied recruiting, COVID be damned.

Will Rizzo ’21 and Max Chung ’21 paired for their individual salutes months after the pandemic shut their junior seasons down and out, and then extremely limited the 2020 summer circuit evaluations. Rizzo will pack his high-rising power pitching prowess and continue a deep family legacy by attending Texas A&M University. Chung and his Swiss Army Knife array of skills are headed to Division III University of Texas at Dallas.

Rizzo reveled with his parents Kristine and Daniel in the Hall of Honor along with St. Thomas Athletic Director Mike Netzel, and Eagle teammates and coaches. “I just think of all the hard work I’ve put in. So many people have supported me to get to this point.

For them to be here today to be a part of the celebration means the most to me. My dad went to A&M, my brother, my sister, lots of aunts and uncles. It’s great to be an Aggie.”

Chung was joined in the festivities with his mother Jane and father John, cementing a June verbal commitment to UTD with the confidence that comes with “a great fit.” Head coach Shane Shewmake founded the program in 2002 and has reached the Division III national tournament as recently as 2018.

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“The drive comes from my big dreams and, ultimately, in my faith in Jesus Christ,” Rizzo says. “I’m determined to play for his glory. That’s the fuel. I know I have to put in the work every day if I want to accomplish my goals.”

Rizzo’s maniacal workout warrior routine had a spillover effect on the rest of the Red & White roster. Chung in particular took notice during his sophomore year and adopted the same due diligence and discipline dictated by Rizzo, the foreman of the St. Thomas muscle factory.

“I have great respect for the coaches and the success they’ve built,” Chung says. “And UTD’s academic programs are everything I would want.”

Eagle Baseball head coach Adam Massiatte appreciates the thrill of athletic careers extending to the collegiate level.

He propelled from a high school state champion catcher to Blinn College and then the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2004 and ’05.

“I fed off his example to be better in everything I did,” Chung said. “As I got physically stronger, I also discovered a mental toughness to compete harder. I’m still not the biggest guy on the field by any measure, but I am determined.

Baseball is a game of failure. You have to respond to it, get up for the next at-bat or the next pitch, and keep pushing.

“Coming into St. Thomas as a freshman, I didn’t know that many students ... wasn’t sure what was in store for me.

But baseball was a way for me to find my talents and aspirations.

It’s helped me become the person I am today.”

“I’m overwhelmed with pride for Max and Will,” Massiatte says.

“I know how much they’ve invested to reach this point.

Our program is predicated on development and success with our student-athletes excelling in college, on the field and in the classroom, if that chance is available. One of the missions of St. Thomas is to be a vehicle to help others reach their dreams. This is a great moment for the Chung’s and the Rizzo’s.”

Rizzo owns the athletic build and performance measurables that project for a significant impact inside the talent stacked Southeastern Conference. He pounds the strike zone with a high energy delivery and is adding increased velocity and movement plus a deceptive changeup to his lethal weapon repertoire. In addition to Rizzo’s exhilarating exhibitions of pitching and purpose, are the nerve and verve that separate in high stakes game-deciding situations.

Chung salvaged a solid summer performing with Marucci Elite Texas after the 2020 TAPPS campaign was canceled. Rizzo had to clear another unexpected obstacle that could have derailed his express route to College Station after his verbal nod in June 2019.

Elbow surgery put him on the shelf until rehabilitation returned him to a throwing program and a projected 100% return for 2021. Throughout the temporary setback, Rizzo maintained a positive dialogue with A&M head coach Rob Childress and assistant Justin Sealy.

The strong-bodied right-hander joins an Aggie program aiming to pivot within the most hotly competitive SEC. Childress has led A&M to a school-record 13 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, six Regional titles, two conference regular-season crowns, four league tournament titles, and College World Series appearances in 2011 and 2017.

“I contacted them as soon as the surgery was scheduled,” Rizzo says. “They were nothing but supportive ... knew my work ethic would be there to get back even stronger and better than before. They assured me that the offer would remain. I’m so thankful for A&M’s faith in me.”

“I cannot wait to see what the future has in store,” Rizzo says.

“I’m so excited. I started thinking about playing college baseball in the eighth grade. Coming to St. Thomas was a big move to make that happen. I knew they had a phenomenal program. I made some starts at shortstop my freshmen year. I kept working, building for the best.

I’m grateful and blessed to have the opportunity.”

Even before the recent rehab, Rizzo never backed down from a training challenge, whether gaining size or speed, strength or flexibility, fast-twitch explosion or complete-game endurance. He’ll leave St. Thomas a robust 6-foot-2, 225 pounds thanks to punishing weight room rituals that became legendary within the Eagle ranks.

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GAME CHANGER AN UNMISTAKABLE ST. THOMAS SPIRIT RESONATES DEEPLY REGARDLESS OF ITS ORIGIN. Karnell James was once a basketball scoring machine at Division III University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Now his singular drive is focused on coaching the Red & White to prominence within the state’s private ranks.

James was promoted in April 2020 as the next leader of Eagle Basketball after serving as an assistant for the previous two years. In his first season, he has delivered on his reputation as a focused strategist and competitor.

He has immediately developed great rapport with scholarathletes and their families, establishing the trust that routinely leads to long-standing relationships that last beyond the college preparatory experience.

“Our goal was to find a leader who would add value to the rich tradition of Eagle Athletics,” Athletic Director Mike Netzel says. “It was imperative to provide our scholar-athletes with a clear vision for the future. Karnell emerged from a very talented group of candidates as the right choice for the position. He’s a tireless worker and someone who fits St. Thomas. Karnell is rooted in the game and recognizes our unique opportunities for success.”

At the bedrock of James’ valuable sideline experience is a positive on-court approach instilling a championshipcaliber culture. Before this two-year coaching stint with Gary Hall, James was an Eagle assistant for three seasons including the 2008 campaign that produced the program’s first state title since 1990.

“My family and I are extremely excited to continue with the St. Thomas brotherhood,” James says. “I see the vision.

There’s a standard of excellence on this campus and within this program. Those high expectations excite me. I look forward to mentoring the young men who will represent St. Thomas proudly on the court, in the classroom, and in our community. It’s such an honor to be the head basketball coach at St. Thomas.”

Principal Dr. Aaron Dominguez ’96 respects James’ “core values and ideals which are aligned with our mission to support our scholar-athletes for the pursuit of excellence and the growth of the whole person. We’re thrilled to embrace Karnell and his family into our St. Thomas community, and we're excited to see his leadership propel us to even greater success.”

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James is confident Eagle Basketball will reflect “an aggressive identity of accountability both on and off the court, and represent this institution with integrity. One of the coaches I admire most is Tony Dungy. He enjoyed championship success in the NFL as a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won a Super Bowl coaching the Indianapolis Colts (in 2006). He demanded nothing but total dedication from everyone in the program but was also very much a man of great conviction and faith. That’s the approach that our program will reflect.”

James is an emphatic example of the power of Catholic education. He was a standout collegiate scholar-athlete and inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

James stands as UST’s third all-time leading scorer with more than 1,800 points from 1994-97 and broke the Tommies’ 26-year-old scoring record for points in a single game (47). He was a two-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year including as a sophomore in 1995 during a 27-1 season. James led the program to two MIAC championships and a mark of 81-28 during his stellar career while earning his Bachelor of Arts.

James is also a 1993 graduate and state champion at St. Augustine High School, an all-male Catholic institution in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans known as Gentilly.

He teamed with 1992 Louisiana's Mr. Basketball Kerry Kittles during a 66-win stretch in 71 games that included the 1992 state title. Kittles later became a two-time All-American at Villanova University, the 1995 Big East Player of the Year, and the eighth overall selection of the 1996 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets.

“This position with St. Thomas brings me back to my Catholic roots and the traditions I’m instilling in my daughter and son,” James says. “This is so natural and particularly significant to my parents. To this day my mother will ask, ‘Did you go to Mass? Are you taking the kids to Mass?’

St. Augustine reinforced what my parents taught me.

And in many ways, taking a more active role within St. Thomas is a testament and appreciation for the commitment of my parents throughout my life.”

James is a Senior IT Auditor and Analyst at Invesco Ltd. He and his wife Melinda, 11-year-old son Greedy, and eight-year-old daughter Nia are active members of St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church and School.

I SEE THE VISION. THERE’S A STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE ON THIS CAMPUS AND WITHIN THIS PROGRAM. SPRING 2021

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RUNNER’S HIGH

Benjamin Lauzon ’24 blazed to a top-10 result while Brett Koehn ’22, Patrick Bourg ’23, and Emilio Castaneda ’21 packed a trio of sizzling times to pace Eagle Cross Country to a third consecutive second-place standing at the TAPPS 6A State Championships.

The Eagles totaled 59 points to decisively separate from San Antonio Central Catholic, El Paso Cathedral, San Antonio Christian, and Fort Worth Nolan for the runner-up position and push three-time state champion San Antonio Antonian College Prep.

The precocious Lauzon clocked the 5,000 meter layout at the Midway ISD course outside of Waco in 17:00.7 to seize eighth place. He was the only freshman runner among the top 22 performers. Koehn (17:06.2), Bourg (17:10.2), and Castaneda (17:11,5) closed collectively to capture 10th, 11th, and 12th overall. Richard Gerlach ’21 (17:31.0) crossed in 18th to complete the impressive St. Thomas team total.

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The latest state results concluded a richly rewarding season in the 16th campaign for Nathan Labus who has been associated with the program for a quarter century.

High school distance runners traditionally have no offseasons and grueling training programs in the chase for excellence.

But in the age of COVID-19, all athletic routines were rattled in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The intrinsic motivations and necessary resolve to selflessly dedicate to a season no one could guarantee would finish reflects the superior championship culture instilled by Labus and embraced by his scholar-athletes.

“I’m so proud of how the team stepped up and competed,” Labus says. “They ran with heart, passion, and for one another.

We have such a great group of guys this year. I would also like to recognize our assistant coaches … Danny Hernandez (Class of 2008), Holden Hollingsworth, and Michael Erickson.

We would not have accomplished what we did if it were not for them.”

BURNING ENERGY WHILE SHELTERING The spring to summer to fall continuum was a self-described “crazy COVID time” for Kathryn Burns, the two-time Emmy Award-winning choreographer for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

In the Before, back before the coronavirus pandemic shut down life as we have known it, making social distancing and self-isolation the ruling principles of everyday life, Burns would be a whirling dervish of dance and expression.

The marriage of musical mood and movement.

Instead, like millions of Americans, she often found herself during the outbreak traveling down roads that weren’t always listed on maps. An unexpected getaway to Houston in September to visit family offered an opportunity to share her wealth of artistic expertise with the Eagle Cheer squad and her niece Victoria Johnston.

“It’s simply surreal, working with cheerleaders with masks on,” Burns says. “But I’m glad this group was focused on remaining healthy with the chance to bond and stay together during this divided period. I was excited to give back in some ways to a community that has meant so much to my family.”

The Burns’ connections to St. Thomas are deeply rooted, extending from Kathryn’s father Jeff Burns ’63 to cousins Eric ’91 and David Burns ’96, to Victoria and her brother Joey Johnston ’20, to brother-in-law Alan Johnston ’89.

The weekend crash course orchestrated by Burns at Reckling Gymnasium with St. Thomas coaches offered a combination of intricate techniques and rhythm patterns, offbeat and aggressive.

“I introduced some jazzy high-energy styles and formations,” Burns says. “I wanted to challenge them outside their comfort zone, not present typical routines that are clean and even. More dance and sass, pushing their brains to think about different levels and dynamics.”

of the nationally acclaimed Highland Belles drill team.

Burns graduated from the University of Missouri where she concentrated her studies in film and communications while creating a distinctive profile performing with the Mizzou Golden Girls, the university’s highly competitive dance team.

“My high school experiences, in particular, are some of my absolute favorite times,” Burns says in a moment marinating in nostalgia. “We performed at an All-American level, great precision within a group of 50 or more. And great friendships that are vivid to this day.”

Burns’ celebrated professional career is punctuated by more than 150 television episodes including Key & Peele, The Late, Late Show with James Corden, Bill Nye Saves The World, Two Broke Girls, and Wet Hot American Wax. She choreographed and cast the Grammy-winning video for Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and the WEBBY award-winning short “The Wire: The Musical” with Funny or Die. Burns also directed and performed with the cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Live at Radio City Music Hall, choreographed Rachel Bloom for her Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy performances, and the 2019 opening number of Hollywood Week for Dancing With The Stars.

Other artist work for Burns includes Weird Al Yankovic, Lil Dicky, Logic, Carly Rae Jepsen, Taboo (Black Eyed Peas), Paulo Nutini, Bonnie McKee, and Dead Man’s Bones.

All of which occurred in the Before.

“I had five movie or TV jobs in Los Angeles that have been on hold since the spring (of 2020),” Burns says. “The restart keeps getting pushed forward. I might be choreographing an animated musical when I return, something I’ve never done.

That would be cool and fun. But like so many in our country right now, I’ll just have to wait and see what develops.

But it was such a positive experience to spend some time here in Houston with Victoria and her squad.”

Burns was born in Kingwood, grew up in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, then bolted to Dallas as a teenager. At Highland Park High School, Class of ’98, she was a dynamic member SPRING 2021

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in memoriam

Dewey J. Gonsoulin ’47, November 3, 2020.

Brother of Robert F. Gonsoulin ’44, uncle of David B. Gonsoulin ’78 and Gregory P. Gonsoulin ’81.

Frank W. Stowell ’47, September 28, 2020.

John J. Cash ’48, October 9, 2020.

Father of John L. Cash ’75 and brother of Luke Cash ’42.

Robert M. Behrens ’49, January 3, 2021.

Brother of Cornelius F. Behrens Jr. ’43.

Joseph S. Galle ’49, July 22, 2020.

Ciro S. Lampasas ’51, March 5, 2020.

Joseph F. Messina ’51, September 8, 2020.

Father of Frank J. Messina ’77 and Greg S. Messina ’80, brother-in-law of Sammy J. Alfano ’58.

John C. O’Leary ’51, June 24, 2020.

Brother of George O’Leary ’49; uncle of David O’Leary ’79, Patrick O’Leary ’83, and Mark O’Leary ’85.

Richard V. Adkins ’53, November 18, 2020.

Brother of James C. Adkins ’56.

Col. John B. Ferrata Jr. ’53, July 18, 2020.

Louis Baumann ’53 August 15, 2020.

William W. Hausinger ’53, June 6, 2020.

Bob Christian ’54 May 22, 2020.

Nephew of Hugh Christian ’35, brother of William L. Christian ’64, brother-in-law of John N. Pawloski ’57, and cousin of Christian B. Bossley ’04.

Dr. Ronald V. Glauser ’54, November 18, 2020.

Pioneer family in St. Thomas history; 2000 Hall of Honor Class of 2000 and board member 1987-2000; father Harry Glauser 1908; nephew of William Gluaser 1906; father of Ronald V. Glauser Jr. ’84 and William Glauser ’90; brother of Harry J. Glauser ’35, Jack Glauser ’40, and George Glauser ’47; uncle of John Gluaser ’66; grandfather of Harrison Ayala ’11.

Fr. Raymond Paramo ’55, CSB, January 27, 2020.

Served the majority of his more than 50-year ordained career at Basilian Detroit Catholic Central in Detroit, Michigan.

Jim L. Pokluda Jr. ’55, July 17, 2020.

Brother of Ronald Pokluda ’61.

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Fr. Laurence Connelly ’50, September 19, 2020.

The founding pastor of St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land entered St. Mary’s Seminary in 1954, and in May 1959 was ordained to the priesthood for Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Fr. Connelly attended Basilian St. Anne Catholic School. After one year at Portsmouth Priory School, a Catholic Benedictine boarding school in Rhode Island, he studied at the University of Texas for three years where he was a member of Kappa Sigma. His postings as an assistant were at St. James Parish in Port Arthur, Church of the Resurrection, St. Cecilia, St. Michael, and St. Paul the Apostle.

He served as pastor at All Saints, Sacred Heart in Conroe, St. Vincent de Paul, and concluded his distinguished career at St. Michael. In 1998, Fr. Lawrence relocated to the Hills of Lakeway and continued active ministry at Emmaus Church in Austin.

Karl L. Kilian ’61, December 9, 2020.

Ground-breaking art enthusiast who measurably impacted the Houston literary scene.

Among countless notable achievements, Kilian owned and operated the iconic Brazos Bookstore for more than three decades. He created the Houston chapter of the international writers’ organization PEN (Poets, Essayists, Novelists), co-founded the Inprint literary nonprofit, and inspired the University of Houston’s efforts that launched the first graduate creative writing program in the Southwest.

Later in life, Kilian was program director for the Menil Collection, bringing musical performances by Yo-Yo Ma and Philip Glass to the city. He also organized various programs, lectures, and conversations connected to the 2014 exhibition Experiments With Truth: Gandhi and Images of Nonviolence.

Vincent A. Mandola ’61, July 19, 2020.

Brother of Damian C. Mandola ’71; brother-in-law of Johnny C. Carrabba ’55; uncle of Johnny C. Carrabba ’77, Anthony T. Mandola ’99, Damian C. Mandola ’02, and Dominic R. Mandola ’02; grandfather of Peter Corbett ’21, the son of daughter Dana Corbett; his wife of nearly 60 years Mary; father of Vinceanne Mandola-Green; among a rich heritage and deep connections that extend throughout the St. Thomas community.

Famed Houston restaurateur and entrepreneurial force within one of Houston’s first families of food. His impact on the city’s dining scene began emphatically in 1977 when he purchased an early 20th century grocery and drygoods store and created the authentic Italian dining, Nino's. Mandola later added Vincent’s in 1984 and the trattoria Grappino di Nino in 1996 to form a trio of acclaimed favorites on West Dallas St. The Mandola expansion later included La Gelateria and a pair of Pronto Cucinino locations.

Long known for his gregarious and infectious personality, Mandola was a mentor, teacher, friend, and inspiration to those who gathered in his presence.

He changed lives. He changed hearts. He lived daily the Basilian motto of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.

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Paul T. Cravey ’57 November 27, 2020.

Charles P. Turano ’57, February 23, 2020.

Father of Charlie P. Turano ’80, brother of Joseph A. Turano ’50, uncle of Joseph A. Turano ’69 and Chris J. Pomilla ’93.

Richard Nowak ’58 July 30, 2020.

Brother-in-law of David Buckner ’52 and Ronnie Willenborg ’57.

William Roland White Jr. ’58, August 21, 2020.

Brother of Justin White ’59.

Frank J. Descant ’60 November 26, 2020.

Brother of Mike Descant ’63; cousin of Doug Descant ’61, Patrick McElgunn ’61, Bernard Licarione ’69, William Licarione ’75, Michael Licarione ’78, and Doug Descant Jr. ’96.

G. Wyndham Smith ’60, August 28, 2020.

Father of G. Wyndham Smith Jr. ’88, Geoff Smith ’91, and Greg Smith ’94.

Bolton Anthony ’62, April 18, 2020.

Jack Pinkerton ’62, December 4, 2020.

Father of Patrick Pinkerton ’12, brother of Harry Pinkerton ’62 and Bill Pinkerton ’65.

Robert C. Ryan ’62, April 13, 2020.

Grandson of D. Robert Kelley 1903, uncle of Michael W. Ryan ’07, cousin of Shane A. Ryan ’11.

Roger T. Yokubaitis ’63, November 13, 2019.

Brother of Ronald B. Yokubaitis ’61, Alex C. Yokubaitis ’65, Dan R. Yokubaitis ’68, Mark A. Yokubaitis ’70, and Jon A. Yokubaitis ’79; father of Fred A. Yokubaitis ’84, Curtis M. Yokubaitis ’88, and Nathaniel T. Yokubaitis ’89; grandfather of Edgar M. Yokubaitis ’14 and Bishop Yokubaitis ’21; cousin of Brian J. Barron ’74.

William T. Snuffer ’64, November 2, 2020.

Brother of P. D. Snuffer ’65, cousin of Thomas Long ’71 and John Long ’76.

David W. Beust ’65, August 5, 2020.

John E. Cruickshank Jr. ’65, December 6, 2020.

Father of John E. Cruickshank III ’97.

Fred R. Russell ’65, October 1, 2020.

Brother of Thomas F. Russell ’66.

Robert P. Strickland ’66, April 23, 2020.

Brother of John Strickland ’53 and George Strickland ’63.

Timothy Tlucek ’66, September 1, 2020.

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EAGLES’ NEST MAGAZINE

James Molina ’67, July 19, 2020.

Steven M. Cox ’73, June 28, 2020.

Steve Jennings ’74, August 9, 2020.

Dr. John M. Garza ’75, April 30. 2020.

Brother of David A. Garza ’81 and George D. Garza ’82, uncle of George C. Garza ’12 and Cullen H. Squires ’16.

Wade A. Pierre ’80, March 31, 2020.

Patrick Krus ’84, October 21, 2020.

Matthew Hueben ’00, October 17, 2020.

Zach M. Giordan ’04, November 14, 2020.

Brother of Gabe Giordano ’00.

Jose R. Mendieta ’05, November 15, 2020.

Brother of Luis M. Mendieta ’09.

William A. Gregory Sr. - July 22, 2020.

Father of William A. Gregory Jr. ’85 and Douglas A. Gregory ’87; father-in-law of Marty Hajovsky ’83; grandfather of Jeremy Gregory ’15, Barrett Gregory ’18, and Griffin Gregory ’21.

Donna Murray Dewan, September 20, 2020.

Mother of David Dewan ’66, Michael Dewan ’67, and Stephen Dewan ’72.

Edgar C. Sharp, Jr. September 28, 2020.

Father of Edgar C. Sharp III ’79; brother-in-law of Bernard Johnson ’33, Edward Johnson ’34, and Joseph Johnson ’37.

Pauline Schwarzbach, November 18, 2020.

Wife of John Schwarzbach ’56; mother of Michael E. Schwarzbach ’79, Stephen T. Schwarzbach ’81, and David C. Schwarzbach ’83; grandmother of Steve Schwarzbach Jr., ’02 and Brian W. Schwarzbach ’12; sister-in-law of Larry Schwarzbach ’49, Theodore J. Schwarzbach ’50, and Jim Schwarzbach ’55.

Mary E. Michalek, December 6, 2020.

Wife of Jim Michalek ’56, mother of Jim Michalek Jr. ’77 and Johnny Michalek ’80.

SPRING 2021

105

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