Class of 1959

Harry Plotke's 1950s video of Saint Mary's

2008-11-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

These clips are from Harry Plotke's video that he made from home movies he took in the 1950s. The videos feature views of the campus and campus life while he attended Saint Mary's.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

2008-10-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Class of 1959 at Homecoming 2004

You're Invited to Homecoming 2009!

2008-10-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

On June 19-21, 2009 the Class of 1959 will celebrate its 50th anniversary! This weekend will be an opportunity for you to see old friends, visit former stomping grounds, reminisce about your days at Saint Mary’s and catch up on what’s new with your fellow classmates. There will be opportunities to golf, enjoy walks/rides in the bluffs, take a campus tour, meet our new president, partake in special class gatherings and celebrations and explore new additions to campus and the beauty of the Winona area.

So, make plans now to be in Winona for your anniversary celebration on June 19-21. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the weekend, please feel free to contact your class representative, Harry Plotke at haplotke@comcast.net or the alumni office at alumni@smumn.edu

Finally, let your fellow classmates know that you are planning to attend this celebration by posting a note on this blog!

We hope to see you on Terrace Heights in June.

Class of 1959 Newsletter: August 2008

2008-08-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

From the Class of 1959 Newsletter: August 2008

Greetings to all in the Class of 1959!

Our Homecoming – 2009 is now only ten months away. It is scheduled for June 19-21st. So make a note and plan to attend our Golden Anniversary Reunion.

In my last Class of 1959 Newsletter I mentioned that festivities are already being planned to make our 50th a truly memorable event.
Read more...Some of the planning includes:

Distinctive “On Campus” Room Accommodations
Attendees from the Class of 1959 will be housed together in a residence hall, which has a comfortable lounge for us to gather in an informal setting to reconnect and amplify our memories of fifty years ago. We will have many things to catch up on with those we haven’t seen for a good part of our lives. Of course, there are many off campus inns available in the Winona area too.

Special Dinner Honoring our Class of 1959
On Friday of Homecoming Weekend we will be invited to a private 50th anniversary dinner put on by the university and held on campus. This will give us a great opportunity to launch our reunion. It will begin with a social at 5:30pm, followed by a greeting presentation by our university president, and a nice dinner. I am sure that we will all enjoy this special event, which will only be the start of our weekend together.

Other Events and Gatherings (still being planned)
- Memorial service for your deceased classmates
- Tours of old dorms/buildings
- Golf outing at Bridges Golf Club (formerly Winona Country Club)
- Bluff Tours
- Family Picnic with music on Max Molock Field
- Class Pictures
- Homecoming Dinner
- Dancing after dinner and a Piano Sing Along
- Alumni Mass

Remember, this is your reunion! If you have other activities or events/gatherings that you might want to include during our Homecoming weekend during our return to St. Mary’s, please join in and get it organized. For example, a short presentation after our dinner on Friday night would be encouraged. We have a “once in a lifetime” experience ahead of us.

I took the time to go through our 1959 Redman Year Book, (yes, I still have my copy) and listed all of those pictured on a spreadsheet. It was easy to identify the Scholastics, which are listed by their Brother names; however, I had to guess at some of the seminarians. Then I merged my spreadsheet list of classmates pictured in our Year Book with an address list I got from St. Mary’s, which included additional members from our class. There probably is some duplication here because I am not able to match current names of x-Brothers with their Scholastic names. Also, I am aware that the combined list does not include everyone from our class (some of the classmates I remember are not included) but it is the best I could come up with.

There were forty-two Brothers pictured in our Class Year Book. This list identifies eight who are still Brothers (Bold Br. in title column) and twenty-one who are x-Brothers. The names of these x-Brothers and current Brothers are most likely also listed as Brothers from our Year Book and these entries should be eliminated from the list and the Brother names shown in the notes column after their current name. I need some help from someone knowledgeable to assist me in making these corrections. Also, I would appreciate any other corrections to improve the list. (I hope I got the deceased accurately)

I have a similar problem when identifying seminarians from our Class Of 1959. Some I remember from our competition in the handball courts or across the chess board during Olympic Days; however, I cannot be sure I have identified all the seminarians correctly just from their name and picture in the Year Book. Please help me here too.

Why am I going through this effort? Well I feel it would be fantastic to witness a huge Homecoming next June on the St. Mary’s campus. We were all there in the late 1950’s. It was our home and we developed friendships and lasting memories. Yes, some are no longer physically with us and our numbers are sure to diminish as we age. So I appeal to each of you, call your classmates; encourage them to make plans to attend our 50th.

Please continue to send me items to include in subsequent Class of 1959 Newsletters. Other classmates are interested in you and want to hear about you. As identified in the above Class List I have included forty-seven classmates in previous Newsletters. Many of you have yet to submit a short paragraph to me. Let me hear from you. Also, if you have some ideas about making this Newsletter better I would appreciate your suggestions.

Harry Plotke (new email address) HAPLOTKE@comcast.net

CLASS NEWS

Terry Hebig – Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Terry is still working and not sure when he will retire. He says he may make that decision in 2009. Part of his job is to go to the various work related golf outings, so why retire. In March, he stayed with Jerry Orth and Sarah for a weekend in Sun City Palm Desert and had a round of golf with Jerry. He also had dinner with Ken Ortman, Harry Bock and their wives.

He definitely has plans to attend Homecoming in 2009.

Class of 1959 Newsletter: April 2008

2008-04-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

From the Class of 1959 Newsletter: April 2008

Greetings to all in the Class of 1959!
This includes those of you who graduated from St. Mary’s, those who have not, Student Brothers, and Seminarians from the Class of 1959. These Newsletters have been developed to rekindle the friendships and the spirit that we cultivated while attending St. Mary’s College (now Saint Mary’s University) during the years of 1955-1959. I have enjoyed hearing from many of you, by letters, emails and telephone. Also, since I have volunteered as one of the participants to contact classmates as part of our 50th Anniversary Class Gift, organized by Ken Ortman, this activity has also put me in touch with many classmates and I take pleasure in sharing your great memories.
Read more...

We have been attempting to improve our address and telephone lists; so if you are aware of a classmate who has not been receiving this Newsletter, let me know and I will see to it that he is included correctly on our mailing list.

During the month of April we had a gathering of Colorado St. Mary’s alumni right here in Castle Rock, Colorado, at the home of Don ’53 and Eileen Gass (CST ’53). It was an informative and enjoyable event attended by members of the development and alumni relations staff. We were shown plans to upgrade the Hoffman Science Building and development of a new outdoor athletic field. They also showed my film, “Saint Mary’s College – 1950’s”.

Homecoming – 2009
Our 50th Anniversary Celebration will be held during Homecoming Weekend in June 2009, which is a little more than one year from now. We are encouraging all of our classmates to plan now to be at this “special” gathering for our golden anniversary. We look forward to a “once in a lifetime experience”, seeing many of our teammates, roommates, and classmates for the first time in fifty years. Festivities are already being planned to make this a truly memorable event. So block out your calendar for early June in 2009 and plan to attend. You will have a great experience!

To make the most of this truly golden opportunity we need to get the message out to every one of our classmates. I’m certain that there are former Student Brothers and Seminarians who can do a much better job of encouraging and relating to your fellow classmates to join us in this celebration than I can possibly do. So “step up and get organized.” I am looking for “Representatives” from these two groups. Contact me and I will help you organize your reunion plans to successfully “connect” and have a great gathering with fellow St. Mary’s classmates.

Harry Plotke

CLASS NEWS

Keith Hanzel – Ely, Minnesota
Forty years of work: Cretin High School teacher as a History instructor, hockey coach at St. Mary’s College, insurance adjuster, St. Paul City Prosecuting Attorney, private law practice, pro hockey player agent, Ramsey County Public Defender.
Married 1961 to 1991. Four kids, (one a St. Mary’s grad) all making me proud.
Retired in 1998, living year round in the wilderness five miles from the Canadian Border and 25 miles from Ely, the nearest town. Spend my time reading, fishing, and hunting. Also, cooking, splitting wood, traveling, sports, and enjoying life immensely.
Come visit!!!

Dr. William Blass – Knoxville, Tennessee
Bill continued his education after SMC receiving a Ph.D. He taught at St. Mary’s ‘63-‘67. He taught Physics and Astronomy at the University of Tennessee. During his tenure at Tennessee, he was President of the Faculty Senate and served on the Board of Trustees for one year. For 18 summers Bill has served as Visiting Faculty member or NASA Fellow at the Goddard Space Center. Bill indicated he will consider contributing to the class gift and may attend the 50th.

Dr. Robert LaPata – Glenview, Illinois
Bob ran into Bob Slomka while celebrating a High School reunion and promised him that he would be at our 2009 Homecoming. He was astounded by the many changes in our campus when he last visited SMU.

Dr. Richard Rock – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dick plans to return for the 50th and plans to make a contribution to the class gift. Also he has been discussing making contacts to other graduate doctors with Ken. Dick is a semi retired orthopedic surgeon and continues to teach. He is a top-notch trombonist and banjo player who performs with Dixieland bands.

Ed O’Connell – Dallas, Texas
Ed attended SMC for one year and graduated from Notre Dame. He has returned to visit with many of us as he did for our 45th anniversary. Ed plans to return for our 50th and will consider contributing to the class gift.

Fred Andrus – San Diego, California
Fred and his wife Alice just got back from a three-week vacation to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. They got to feed wild wallabies, sample Aussie tucker, went hot air ballooning (not Alice) and tries boomeranging. They attended our 45th Homecoming Reunion and will possibly be on campus for our 50th.

Fred Dalleska – New Brighton, Minnesota
Fred plans to attend the 50th and will consider contributing to the class gift.

Bill Harwood – New Bern, North Carolina
After eight years of teaching and coaching in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area Bill spent his last forty years in sales with the quiet company - Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He had several management positions including recruiting, training and sales and is now a semi-retired senior salesman. He golf’s three or four times a week, and he and his wife Barbara, enjoy visiting with children and grandchildren. They travel or cruise four or five times a year! They now live in Trent Woods, North Carolina, and God willing, he intends to join his classmates at the 2009 reunion.

Class of 1959 Newsletter: November 2007

2007-11-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

From the Class of 1959 Newsletter: November 2007

Dear Classmates,

Greetings! I have been in contact with many of our classmates and have received notes from the many involved volunteers. To quote Dave Thies, “Our classmates are pleased to hear from us and it is making a difference. I find that each person I call is even more receptive this year. We are tying the class together better.”

It is encouraging to hear from not only the lay students in our class but also Seminarians and student Brothers from the Class of 1959. I remember many of the student Brothers from the classrooms and I played handball with many of those “very competitive” seminarians during Olympic Days. It will be good to see each other again and catch up on what has happened in the last fifty years since our years together “On The Terrace Heights Bluff”. Homecoming in June 2009 will be a great 50th reunion for all of us.
Read more...

From the feedback I have received the “Class of 1959 Notes” part of the Newsletter has been very well received. I keep looking for ways to make this communication link to you better, so if you have suggestions please send them to me.

Keep in mind that our contributions to the 50th Reunion Gift to Saint Mary’s will be the accumulation of donations we make from 2006-2009 into one gift amount. So remember to participate each year and be as generous as you can.

Harry Plotke

CLASS NEWS

Art Indelicato (Brother Landrick Arthur) - Art received his PhD in Secondary Administration and Mathematics from the University of Minnesota. He left the Christian Brothers in 1971 and from that time forward was involved in administration at all levels in the Minneapolis School System until he retired in 1999. He and his wife Mary have two sons and one grandchild. They reside in St. Louis Park, MN. His interests include travel and photography. Both he and his wife are starting to volunteer teaching Mathematics. He is unclear at this time if they will make the 2009 reunion.
(We hope Art and his wife will be there with us. Yes, the Brothers were very separate from the rest of our class in 1959; but hopefully, many Brothers will be in attendance and enjoy a great reunion.)

Mike Hanafin - Mike lives in Sun City, AZ and Minneapolis. He is active volunteering in Arizona at a local hospital and does work with a group that makes reading available to the blind. His son and family live in Arizona. Mike attended our 45th reunion and will probably be at the 50th.

Bill Berg – Bill was with WGN radio in Chicago for years. He then moved to sports announcing as the voice of the Milwaukee Bucks. He declined an offer to move to the West Coast preferring to stay in Illinois to be near kids. He has five children (3 are lawyers), 22 grandchildren. Bill lives in Addison, IL.

Mike Waters - After graduating from St. Mary's, Mike went on to get his law degree from the University of Missouri. Most of his career has been spent as a lobbyist and State legislator in Illinois. Mike has served on the Lewis University Board and as its Chairman for 20 years. He currently is a Trustee Emeritus and was given the LaSallian Award from Lewis University. Mike has two daughters and two grandchildren, and resides in Lake Forest, Illinois. He is definitely planning on attending our 50th.

Conrad Brombach – Conrad received his doctorate in psychology and teaches psychology at the Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee and is Chairman of the Department.

Ron Rietz – Ron, originally from Winona, now lives in Sioux City, Iowa with his wife Dorothy. They have 6 children and 13 grandchildren. He is retired from Cargill and is active in the Food Kitchen and Meals On Wheels in the Sioux City area.

Pat O’Rourke – Pat farmed in southern Minnesota for 25 years. Since 1986 he has been the County Agent in Wells, MN and sells crop insurance to farmers. He and his wife Mary Ann have three daughters. Pat loves to fish and spends a week at Nestor Falls, Ontario, each year honing his fishing skills.

Bob and Judy Slomka plan to attend our 50th. Dick Diaz has stated he will also attend in 2009.

Dr. Jerome Wray – He received his M.S. from the University of Wisconsin and his doctorate from Loyola University (Chicago) and retired from school administration. He then spent twelve years at the Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul working with parishes on adult activities and programs. He and his wife Mary Ann have two children and two grandchildren. They like to travel primarily to Mexico.

Wally Wisniewski - Wally retired from law and now lives in Naperville, Illinois. He did volunteer work for Little Friends and mentioned that he sees Tom Rezek on occasion. Wally has a son at Eastern Illinois University and will try to make the 50th.

Class of 1959 Newsletter: February 2007

2007-02-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

From the Class of 1959 Newsletter: February 2007

Dear Classmates,

Greetings! This is our second Class of 1959 Newsletter. Our intention is to develop and send out a Newsletter quarterly to keep you up to date on activities leading up to our 50th class reunion at Homecoming in June of 2009. Also, it will give you the opportunity to catch up on news of old classmates as they share what has been going on in their lives.

We look forward to seeing you along with all our fellow classmates joined together once again at our Homecoming Picnic on Frontenac Field. I know 2009 seems like a long way off right now, but as we get older, (and I know you are about my age) time has a way of passing quickly. So we are starting now - to plant the seed – so that we can build momentum and have a fantastic 50th on Terrace Heights.
Read more...

I have been in contact with many classmates; however, to make “The Class of ’59 will shine at Homecoming 2009” more than just a slogan we need your help:

1) I need your input. Your classmates are interested in you – and what you have been doing since your days “On the Bluff.” I have agreed to write this Newsletter but in order to make it interesting I am depending on you to feed me a blurb about yourself, your family, and activities, and other information, to be included in subsequent Newsletters.

2) Plan now to attend our Homecoming in 2009. Make a mental note to yourself that you will attend. For those of you who have not been back on campus for a while - you are in for a big treat. The physical facility has developed into a wonderful University that continues to increase the quality of education offered to each individual student. And I am certain that the staff at Saint Mary’s will make sure that our Homecoming Weekend will be a fantastic experience for all of us.

3) As a lasting statement of our gratitude for the important influence Saint Mary’s provided us during our young lives in the 50’s, we developed a Class Gift program. Ken Ortman, (you remember him as the last team member to make it down court during our basketball games in the old gym) has been very active in organizing a campaign including visits and calls to classmates to achieve a gift representative of our outstanding class. Ken has arranged with Saint Mary’s to allow our gifts to be accumulated from 2006-2009 into one gift amount, the total sum contributed to be our 50th Reunion Gift amount. So please be generous in your participation.

t has been suggested that a spring Golf Outing in the Chicago area could be developed if there is interest. Contact Ken Ortman at: KJOrtman@comcast.net or (847) 304-0949 if you would like to participate.

One recommendation I received for future Newsletters was to include current pictures of classmates. We could display your current picture (that you must supply) and have a contest for classmates to match pictures of "Then & Now". Meg Richtman from the Saint Mary's Alumni Office has agreed to resurrect the "then" pictures. So send a current picture of yourself to Meg Richtman, Director of Alumni Relations, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, 700 Terrace Heights #21, Winona, MN 55987 or mrichtma@smumn.edu.

Also, Harry Bock has been unable to contact Steve Kral. The number he has is no longer valid. He needs help. (Of course, we all knew that.)

If you have any ideas about making this Newsletter better I would appreciate your suggestions. Following are some Class of 1959 Notes about your classmates accumulated during contacts made during the months of November and December.

Harry Plotke

CLASS NEWS

Art Fedro – Darien, Illinois
Art remarried a lovely woman named Wanda with three children, seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. That was quite an addition to his family of one daughter (Lisa) and a four year old grandson. Before Wanda, Art was single for 23 years (living the good life?). He retired from Argonne National Laboratory in 1994 and from Northern Illinois University in 1999. He likes to play golf and travel, usually spending the months of January and February following the PGA Tour in California and Arizona. If things go as planned, Art and Wanda intend to attend Homecoming in 2009.

Len Plein – Sun City, Arizona
Len and Pat, his wife for 43 years, love living in Arizona where they have lived for the last 26 years. He spent five years in the Navy and 20 years in the Naval Reserves, retiring as a Captain in 1987. Before moving to Arizona he lived and worked throughout California, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and the San Francisco area. Len retired from Industrial Indemnity Insurance as an Audit Manager in 1992. He contributes regularly to Saint Mary’s and has made his pledge to our Class Gift for our 50th Anniversary.

Thad (aka Thaddeus) Trenn – Colborne, Ontario - Canada
Thad relates that there is something really significant in the number 50 for all of us. He is retired but still teaching at the University of Toronto. He states that “We were together for only 4 years in Winona, and since have been “elsewhere” for nearly 5 decades. We know what we did but who knows what anyone else did? He suggested forming a website or blog for anyone to update everyone else on what they have been doing. Then let’s get together for our 50th to go eyeball to eyeball in Winona.” Thad sent a generous 2006 check to the Class of'59 Gift Fund. He pledged to duplicate his gift in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Also, God willing, he plans to be in attendance for our 50th Homecoming reunion. He included a Christmas poem and an article titled “Science and the Mystery of the Human Person” that he wrote for “Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith.”

Mike Morrison – Aiken, South Carolina
After reading in the last Newsletter of me and my wife Jane square dancing, Mike notes that he and Mary have been square dancing for 33 years. When he stopped to think about that amount of time, it seemed like a huge amount of time spent without beer!!! Since the 2007 National Square Dance Convention is being hosted by both North and South Carolina in Charlotte – June 27-30, he is encouraging everyone to attend. He prefers to be a “casual dress” dancer, not getting into square dance clothes. Besides, the square dance shops don’t carry his size. Mike and Mary are located on the Savannah River just across from Augusta, Georgia

Tom O’Brien – Lakeville, Minnesota
Tom has visited Saint Mary’s since he attended in the 50’s but it was quite a while ago. He worked in sales but is now retired. He has four children, two boys and two girls. Tom enjoy’s a good Saint Mary’s memory of Pete Duszynski cooking frog legs in the room. (Electric hot-plates weren’t allowed in the dorm, were they?) He would like to see some of his “Vet” buddies in attendance at our 50th reunion.

Dr. Dale Kaiser – Fort Collins, Colorado
Dale retired five years ago from the Orthopedic Center of the Rockies, where he spent the last 35 years in general orthopedics. He still does some surgical assisting and consulting with the firm. He and his wife Carole have five children. He last visited the Saint Mary’s campus about 20 years ago when he attended his son Greg’s ’86 graduation. Dale is an avid crossword puzzle guy, and likes golf and travel. Volunteer work includes Parish Council and at the Children’s Charity Clinic. He will make every effort to be at our 50th and he has made his pledge to our Class Gift for our 50th Anniversary.

Tom Weidenkopf – New Brighton, Minnesota
Tom retired from his first profession of computer engineering at Unisys in St. Paul, Minnesota. He and his wife Ginny of 39 years are snowbirds spending some of the winter near St. Petersburg, Florida where he practices his hobby of “home improvement” by building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Visitors are welcome in FL and MN.

Jim Struble – Dallas, Texas
Jim is hoping to attend the 50th and contribute to the Gift Fund. He has not been back to campus and was shocked to hear about the changes since 1959. Much of his time after graduation has been spent in the Office Equipment business in Arizona, New York, and Texas.

William O'Connor – Coral Springs, Florida
Bill attended our 25th anniversary at SMC and hopes to return for the 50th. He is interested in and will consider the IRA donation opportunity and believes it's an excellent way to contribute. Following graduation Bill received his Engineering degree from the University of Illinois. Bill stays in touch with Jim Charles and Tom Weidenkopf. He saw Jim Charles in London where Jim was a civilian math teacher for the U.S. Air Force.

Dick Pavilon – Duvall, Washington
Dick resides in Duvall with his wife Charma, his two step children, and to be close to 4 grandchildren. Dick spent his whole career in teaching. He taught for 21 years at Willibrord Catholic in Chicago. He then moved to Vallejo, CA where he spent 17 years at St. Patrick/St. Vincent School. He last visited Saint Mary's in 1979 to attend a cousin's graduation, one of four cousins who graduated from Saint Mary's. His plan is to make the reunion in 2009, and he recently sent his class gift in to the school.

Class of 1959 Class Gift Q & A

2006-10-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

From the 1959 Class gift Q&A

Q. What are the qualifying criteria for the tomorrow’s leader scholarship?

A. The criteria are as follows: the student must be a person of good character, maintain a “B” average, and neither use drugs nor abuse alcohol.

Q. What portion of a student’s tuition, room and board is paid by an endowed scholarship?

A. The minimum endowment level is $50,000. A full tuition scholarship would be endowed at approximately $400,000. The annual scholarship is paid from the earnings of the endowment, with the principal remaining intact. In recent years the amount paid out annually has been equal to 5% of the principal (at the beginning of the fiscal year). Today at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, annual tuition, room, board, and fees total approximately $26,600.

Q. How would one go about establishing another scholarship endowment as part of the class gift?

A. An individual, or group of people, would earmark their gift(s) for a scholarship endowment in the name of the person or persons being honored. The funding should be completed prior to Homecoming 2009. Typically such endowments are established to honor family members, teachers, or deceased classmates. We highly recommend this form of gift.

Q. Will I have the opportunity to designate that my gift be used for a purpose other than those mentioned in the letter?

A. The answer is yes. The donor always has the option of restricting or designating the gift. Any restriction, however, should be noted on your contribution.

Q. How were the suggested gift categories selected?

A. The university selected scholarships (particularly endowed scholarships) and the campus entrance as its highest current gifting priorities.

Q. Who will determine whether unspecified gifts go toward leadership scholarships or the campus entrance project?

A. Prior to Homecoming 2009 those contributing unspecified funds will be polled for their preferences.

Q. Will all gifts between now and Homecoming 2009 count toward our 50th anniversary class gift?

A. The answer is yes. For administrative purposes, please note all gifts and pledges: “class of ’59 class gift.” Accumulating class gifts over multiple years is a huge opportunity, not utilized by previous classes. We still have almost 3 years to accumulate a class gift, and donors can take advantage of charitable tax deductions over the 4 year period, 2006 through 2009.

Q. If I choose to make a donation in the form of stock, bonds, life insurance or other assets will the University accommodate my preference?

A. The answer is absolutely and enthusiastically “YES!” concerning stocks, bonds and life insurance. Stock can be a particularly tax-wise way to give. The answer concerning other assets such as real estate, art, IRAs, and so on depends on many factors. Please contact Anne Morgan, director of gift planning at the university, at 800-635-5987, ext. 1791 for further information.

Q. I understand that, in certain instances, IRA distributions can be made directly to charitable institutions with favorable tax consequences. Is the University prepared to handle such transactions?

A. The answer is again, “YES.” However, the benefits to the donor can vary, so you are again encouraged to contact Anne Morgan, director of gift planning at the university, at 800-635-5987, ext. 1791 for further information.

Q. How was the $1 million goal established?

A. First of all, the goal was established by members of the Class of 1959, not by Saint Mary’s. There were many factors considered such as: we have multiple years to accumulate the gift, class pride, attachment to the university, the consideration that if we do not make the effort now when will we, and very importantly this will be the last time most of us will get together as a group. In a sense this is our swan song. It would be nice to make an exceptionally positive statement to the university from the Class of ‘59.

Q. What is my fair share?

A. There is no answer to this question. We ask everyone to give according to their means. Obviously the goal is very high. It will only be reached with greater levels of participation and generosity than experienced in the past. The question each individual needs to ask himself is “If not now, when?”

Q. Can I spread my gift out over time?

A. Absolutely. We welcome pledges spread over the time period between now and Homecoming 2009. Let’s take full advantage of the four years of charitable deductions between 2006 and 2009.

Q. I have retired this year and have some fairly large non-recurring income. Is it generally tax effective to concentrate gifting in such a year as opposed spreading it out over several years?

A. That depends on each person’s situation. Charitable donations can be an effective way to reduce tax liability. Consult your tax advisor with regard to your particular situation. For more information on tax-wise ways to give, contact Anne Morgan, director of gift planning at 800-635-5987 c1791 or go to www.smumn.edu/plannedgiving.

Class of 1959 Newsletter: October 2006

2006-10-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

From the Class of 1959 Newsletter: October 2006

Dear Classmates,

When I was a student at Saint Mary’s Ernie Banks was playing for the Chicago Cubs. He had a knack for coming up with a rhyming slogan each year to inspire both team and fans. “The Class of ’59 will shine at Homecoming 2009” is the best I can come up with. I hope it motivates members of our class better than Ernie was able to do with the Cubs.

Yes, 2009 Homecoming will be our Big One, marking 50 years for our outstanding class. It will be our opportunity to reconnect with other members of the Class of 1959 for a weekend together again on the Saint Mary’s campus.

Many activities are already in progress to make our 50th reunion the best ever. You may think that at this stage of life the Class of 1959 has gone from inactive to inert. Well nothing could be further from the truth.

Class of 1959 Newsletter – This first Class of 1959 Newsletter has been developed to maximize enthusiasm for a large turnout for our 50th reunion in 2009. It will be used to improve communications and inform classmates of activities of interest. I have agreed to accept input from each of you and develop a Newsletter that will be sent out on a regular basis. The frequency will depend on the submissions I receive. So send me your input. It can be just a few sentences about what you are up to these days or it can be lengthier. (I’m sure you have some stories to share.)

Improvement of Class List – Although we know that 152 alumni live in 25 states and 3 foreign countries, 65 alumni still need to be located. Also, we know of 24 who are deceased. Tim Burchill, Louis Guillou, and Meg Richtman from Saint Mary’s have been helpful in improving our class list. However, we still need additional effort to identify seminarians, student brothers, and lay students from our class to assure that we are able to contact as many of our classmates as possible. A list of “unknown” classmates is included later in the newsletter.

Class Gift - As a lasting statement of our gratitude for the important influence Saint Mary’s provided us during our young lives, we are developing a Class Gift program. Ken Ortman has been organizing a campaign that will include visits and calls to classmates to achieve a gift that will not only be impressive but will truly identify our Class of 1959 as outstanding

Maximize 2009 Homecoming Turnout - Some of you have been back on campus a number of times and have seen the growth of our Alma Mater, while others have not been back since the fifties. The amount of change on campus is truly amazing. We have included a few comparisons later in the newsletter which, we hope, will encourage that return trip.

To make our reunion in June of 2009 “special” we need you to attend. Please plan to join us for this once in a lifetime occasion. Let’s enjoy the weekend together “on the bluff” in Winona.

At our 45th reunion we had 21 from our class in attendance from 11 different states, and 14 brought their wives. We had a GREAT TIME, in a GREAT PLACE, with a bunch of GREAT PEOPLE. For those who couldn't be with us, it would have been better if you had been there.

If you have any ideas to help make 50th reunion a special and memorable occasion let me hear from you.

Harry Plotke

CLASS NEWS

Jack Schultz D.D.S. is busier than ever. He continues to operate his dental practice while also teaching dentistry at Marquette University. By the way, in his spare time he also helps his wife raise horses. You can e-mail Jack at swampangel@lgwis.com.

Harry Plotke, and his wife Jane, are frequent travelers with elder hostel groups throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada, and continue to be avid square dance enthusiasts. You can e-mail Harry at haplotke@in2L.com.

Dick Diaz is teaching in Chicago’s public school system, while also pursuing a doctorate degree. Kudos to Dick for his continuing pursuit of knowledge. You can e-mail Dick at field7019@aol.com.

Gerry Orth M.D., Dave Theis, Harry Bock, Ken Ortman and wives met early this year in Palm Springs for golf and dinner and had a great time. Looks like this could become an annual affair. Anyone interested in joining the group in Feb/March of 2007 can e-mail Harry at Montanav@comcast.net.

Henry Irace has relocated from Lincolnshire, IL. and is settling into his new home in Alpharetta, GA. It is always great to be near the grandchildren. You can e-mail Henry at hirace@aol.com.

Tom Daly, Dennis O’Malley, Harry Bock, Ken Ortman and wives meet occasionally for dinner in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. The old school stories keep getting better every time they are re-told. Anyone wishing to join the group can e-mail Dennis at dmo3454@sbcglobal.net.

Tom Daly is now in his third year of trying to “legalize” his Lake Geneva dock. He facetiously estimates that legal research time and court time invested will soon qualify him for a law degree in the state of Wisconsin. Since Tom is recently retired, he just might continue to invest time until he has a judgeship firmly in hand. You can e-mail Tom at TOM@DALY.TV.

Anthony (Tony) Adducci, KGCHS, KM, died peacefully surrounded by his loving family on September 19, 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sandy (Gordon); children Michael '87 (Deb), Brian '90 (Allison Thorne '91), and Alicia. Tony was Co-Founder of Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. (Guidant), President of Technology Enterprises, Director of North American Banking Company, Director of Capsule Design, founder of the Adducci Family Foundation, Trustee Emeritus and longtime benefactor of Saint Mary's University.