1076 Reflection #36 (Only 1060 to go!): Odds-and-Ends

>First, Tuesday (May 1st) was Frank Raispis' 85 birthday. Frank is a humble man, who shies away from “gratuitous” attention, so I wouldn't have mentioned it, but, when I pulled up the Ignatius website, there was the announcement with his picture. For those of you who might not have seen him lately, he does need some help getting around, but he's sharp as a tack. He comes into school twice a week to tutor (Latin, what else). My dad use to refer to ungrateful people as having a "what have you done for me lately?" attitude. In Frank's case, he poses that same question to himself. In his case, it's worded, "What have I done for you lately?"

>Spring seems to be the season of the alumni. On April 21st, the reunions for the classes of '86, '92, '97 and '02 were held. I truly enjoy seeing the alumni, and hearing their stories. Does it sound corny if I say that I am very proud of them/you? If it does, so be it. Even the students who weren't all that they could have been...which, to some extent, may include everyone, including teachers. Any teacher who was totally satisfied with their body of work is probably slightly delusional. Just saying!

>While the occasion for the encounter was not a happy one (a wake for their father), it was good to see that the Kunkel Brothers, Bill ('74), Tom ('77) and Jeff ('79), were all doing and looking well as were their sister and mother. Bill chided me, good-naturedly, to write blogs more often. While that ain't gonna happen, it was a very nice compliment none the less.

>Also on the alumni-front, over the last month and a half, I've enjoyed separate luncheon visits with Don Siliunas ('79)...Dr. Donatas Siliunas to you...and Joe Fisher ('67). Don, besides his work in the medical field and helping his wife raise their four children, has been a force in improving the facilities at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont.

>Joe and I meet to celebrate our common April birthday-month...not the same day...every couple of years. Along with everything else that he does, he still works with the other guys in his class to organize get-togethers for the class of '67. Besides the Ignatius Golf Outing (June 27), their group is going to gather for a Sox game on July 25th. (If anyone else, either from their class or near that class is interested, you are welcome. If you can't get ahold of Joe or Marc Petrone, contact Sean Maccready, the Ignatius Alumni Director, or me.

>In the last blog, I listed several alumni who were listed in Wikipedia as having gained some degree of "celebrity". I also invited anyone who had some other names to add to the list to contact me. Don Wlodarski ('67) gave me a good one...Tom O'Hara('60). For those of you who are too young to remember, Tom was the first Illinoisan to run the four-minute-mile, and he set and held the world record in the in-door mile in the '60's. I seem to recall that he was favored in the '64 Olympics, but was stricken with the flu during those games. He certainly deserves a nod.

> Additionally, how about Marc Davis ('86)? He is an NBA ref who occasionally appears on TV, and is sometimes actually "high-lighted" during the sports segment of the news...as happened a couple of nights ago. (No! It wasn't a scandal!)

>Noel Vivar (class of 2000) has offered to up-date the Wikipedia item if we can come up with other worthwhile "celebrity" names.