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.

Reflection #35 (Only 1041 to go!): Fame, If You Win It...

     My wife and I watch the TV detective show, Mentalist, and when we told our daughter, JoAnn, about it, she noted that the female lead, Robin Tunney, attended Ignatius in the mid-'80's.   She transferred after her sophomore year. Still, it's always fun to find out that a "celebrity" walked our hallowed halls.
     When I brag about St. Ignatius to some of my friends, I will often "drop" a celebrity name.    Since these friends are kind of old, the one name they'll recognize is Bob Newhart (George Robert Newhart in the 1947 class picture). This is usually followed by our recalling famous Newhart monologues. Then we talk about our medications. (Staying focused is a bit of a problem; some of us them are really old.)
     In my last blog, referring to Andre Braugher's character talking about the Jesuits, I "googled" his name to check some facts. From there I did a little "daisy-chaining" from his entry to Saint Ignatius, then to "notable alumni", and I found a list of notable alumni.
     The list is interesting, but somewhat inconsistent...or at least incomplete. Because of the length of the list, I modified it a bit, based on which names I recognized.
          Among the actors and radio and journalism personnel included:
            Bob Newhart (1947) Jack Higgins (1972), Sun-Times editorial cartoonist Vyto Ruginis (1974) Michael Wilbon (1976), sportswriter and television Casey Siemaszko (1979) and personality Nina Siemaszko (1988). Andre Braugher (1980) Sonari Glinton (1992) Reporter NPR

      I don't know if Tony D'Souza ('92) counts as a journalist.    He is a author who has written books about his experiences in the Peace Corp.    Does that count?    Similarly, Chris MacNamara (also '92) has been published in the Tribune, though his "real" job is something else.
     There were a lot of political figures, but when one considers the number of lawyers that Ignatius produces, that's not terribly surprising. Also listed are a few priests who have risen to position of prominence, but I was surprised by the omission of Fr. Bradley Scaeffer, SJ (‘67) who was the President of the Jesuit Conference, a very prestigious position within the order.
     While the list includes John Mulaney ('00), who wrote for Saturday Night Live, missing were playwright James Yoshimura (‘68) and his brother, set designer Leo Yoshimura ('65).    Folks like Richard Driehaus(‘60) and Melody Hobson (‘87) fall into somewhat non-generic categories. While I get a broom to sweep up the names that I dropped, if you’re interested in the complete list, go to the “wikipedia” entry for Saint Ignatius Chicago (not our website), then find "notable alumni".
     Also, if you go to the list and think of a name that was omitted (maybe your own?) and deserve a “shout out“, either email me at james.spalding@ignatius.org or by some other means, and let me know.   I'd love to compile a more complete list.
     In a future “reminiscences”, I’d like to mention some alumni who have significant achievements in areas that do not bring "celebrity" status to them.
      

Reflection #34 (Only 1042 to go!): The Jesuits

     In the mid-90's, during an episode of the highly acclaimed TV police drama, Homicide*, Officer Frank Pembleton (played by Andre Braugher, SICP class of '80) is talking to a nun. In the course of their conversation, Officer Pembleton says that, in his Catholic grammar school, the nuns taught him how to behave and what to think, and he felt perfectly safe. After graduation, he went to Saint Ignatius High School, and the Jesuits taught him to think for himself...and he hasn't felt safe since.
     That was a great line and it touched on what is essential to a Jesuit education. The great Saint Ignatius math teacher, Pat O'Mara attended both St. Ignatius and Loyola U. Those who knew Pat would agree that he could be quite outspoken when he felt an issue needed to be addressed. More than once I heard Pat say he learned that from the Jesuits. The Jesuits had taught him to think for himself, and they also taught him to have the courage to speak out for a just cause.
     St. Ignatius de Loyola formed the Society of Jesus to educate young men to be able to go out into the world to propagate and defend the faith. In doing so, they played a major role in the counter-reformation that stemmed the tide of Protestantism in 16th-century Europe. To me, what characterized a Jesuit education was an emphasis on knowledge and critical thinking. At Loyola U, we were inundated with philosophy courses...24 hours of mostly Saint Thomas...and I was a psych major with a math minor.
     It may be counterintuitive, but life is easier when someone else does our thinking for us. (We see that regularly in politics, but don't get me started.) Thinking for oneself correctly requires intelligence and knowledge and a large dose of humility.  Few things are more difficult for the intelligent person than to recognize and admit to an error.  A favorite saying of mine, from the Jillian Luzzi Compilation of Great Quotes, says, "Your absolute certainty that you are always right absolutely prevents you from knowing when you are wrong."
     When I started teaching at Saint Ignatius, I was often chided by teachers at other Catholic high schools who told me how easy I had it teaching only "smart" kids. (Actually, it wasn’t always that easy.) I'd usually smile, agree and turn away. I didn't argue, and I didn't disagree, but that was, and as far as I know still is, the mission of the Jesuits...to train the brightest students, giving them a strong moral compass so they can be good leaders. When I look at the achievements of so many of our alumni, I feel that we do a pretty good job.

     (*Regarding the Homicide series, not only did Andre Braugher graduate from St. Ignatius, but one of the show's writers, James Yoshimura, was from the Ignatius class of '68. While the drama was set in Baltimore, it seems more than a coincidence that Saint Ignatius and the Jesuits were mentioned.)

Reflection #33 (Only 1043 to go!): Odds-and-Ends

     This past Friday, March 2, I was at the Ignatius Law Luncheon, an event that I always enjoy. Frank Raispis and I represented the old-timers among Ignatius personnel.  According to John Tracy, he's getting pretty close to joining our ranks. (Welcome, John! Ahh, the golden years. You’ll love it. Bring a lot of Advil with you.)
     I was able to chat with so many folks, mostly former students...too many to name, but always up-lifting to hear about their lives.  There were several who were running for “judgeships”. (I hope that’s the right word.) I highly recommend that any Ignatians who are in the law profession come to the Law Luncheon, at least to check it out, and see what the association has to offer.
     Going to these events with Raispis is always fun/interesting.  There were actually people lined up to say, "Hi!" to him.  I'm proud to call him my friend.  At the same time, it gives me the sense of what it must be like to be invisible.  To use an old line, if Frank were standing on the balcony next to the Pope, I'm pretty sure a lot of people would be saying, "Who's that guy standing next to Frank?"
     During Father Caruso's short talk, he encouraged the group to come to "Gloriam 2012", this year's fund-raiser.  Happily, yesterday the notice came out announcing that the event is sold out.
     That brings me to my second point. (or is it my 3rd?)    In my last blog, I pointed out two reunions that centered around the years that these alumni were students.  However, besides the Law Association, there are at least two other groups of Ignatians who are connected professionally.  There is also the Business Society which has their luncheon in November (tentatively November 2^nd this year) and the women’s society which is a professional networking group.
     These subsets of alumni give everyone an opportunity to stay involved with, and even take advantage of, the school community. If anyone is interested in getting more information about any of the groups, or what other groups might be available, contact Sean MacCready, the Alumni Director at Ignatius.

     Finally, my wife prompted me to write the following item...much against my better judgment:
     I trust that you all know that the Pythagorean Theorem says, "In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides."
     In the pre-Columbian days of North America, the native Americans had their own version of that famous theorem. Based on the legend from one of the tribes, three Indian women were about to give birth. It was believed that if a baby was born on the pelt of an animal, the child would grow to possess the good qualities of that animal.
     When the first woman's time had come, her husband went out into the wilds and slew a mountain lion, and, on that skin, a baby boy was born. When the second wife's time had come, her husband slew a mountain tiger, and his wife had a son.
     When the third woman's time came, her husband slew a mountain hippopotamus and brought back its skin. On that skin, twin sons were born.
     The Indians came to understand that “The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides     (Get it?  The square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides.)     That’s all for now folks; I’ll be here all week. Oh, ya! I apologize in advance to all Native Americans for the last item, and for all of the times that I told that story in class. ”.

Reflection #32 (Only 1044 to go!): Reunions

     I don't recall the exact year, but it was around 40 years ago. During the half-time of an Ignatius varsity basketball game, I was walking through what-was-then the commons, and I saw an alumus from a few years earlier standing by himself with a lost look on his face. I said, "You look like you've lost your best friend. What's up?" He said matter of factly, "This isn't my school any more."

     I tried to reassure him that sure it was, but even I thought that sounded pretty lame. As I continued on my route, I felt a little bad and thought about the incident. It's not uncommon for deans, principals or presidents during commencement speeches to assure the graduates that they will always be an important part of the school community and the school will always be their "home". I've been to enough graduations to know whereof I speak.

     As I thought about this fellow, it occurred to me that "his school" consisted, to a large extent, of his classmates. It was the four years of shared experiences, good and bad, that constituted his school more than the bricks-and-mortar.

     That brings me to the real point of this "reminiscence". Three Fridays in a row over the last month, there were gatherings of alumni. Two were "mini-reunions"* with alumni from a couple of different eras, and the third was the induction of four new members into the Athletic Hall-of-Fame. (*By mini-reunions, I mean gatherings of alumni that are not generated by the school, but by one or more of the members of a class or classes.)

     The earlier reunion, on Jan. 27, was organized by members the class of '67, but was not restricted to that class. In fact, there was a member of the class of '61 as well as a couple of men from '68. There may have been others, but those are the classes that I am aware of. The other reunion, prompted by Mark Kosiek ('73), centered on the early to mid-70's, although John Reilly ('63) was there in addition to Cas Baczinskas ('68). In fact, Cas came to both reunions. These reunions consisted of a lot of reminiscing and catching up, along with pizza and pop or beer, after which the fellas went over to the basketball game.

     Frank Raispis and I were at the reunions as "links", if you will, to the days when these men were students at Saint Ignatius College Prep or High School (depending on the years). I'd like to think that we've helped to fulfill the promise made at graduations. He and I really do care about Ignatians, past, present and future and we enjoy our visits. We have tried to stay as involved in the school as our age and energy...not what it once was...permit.

     An important last point is that NO ONE got hit up for contributions. There were just some former classmates with shared experiences renewing there friendships, catching up on each others lives and recreating "their school" for a couple of hours. Oh, ya! A whole lot of laughing.

Reflection #31 (Only 1045 to go!): The Omen

     For more than 40 years, one of my best friends on the Ignatius faculty has been Jim Connelly.  I can almost hear some of you, who knew both of us, say, "You have got to be kidding!" What can I tell you? No accounting for taste...on either of our parts. Where I tended to have a laissez faire (French for "fairly laz...er...ah...laid back") approach to teaching and coaching, Jim is a "by the book" kind of guy. "Be in your seat when the bell rings; don't tell me you have A.D.D. You're either an Ignatius student or you're not." I think a good "model" of what he is like is seen in the movie "Stand and Deliver". If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look.      Pat O'Mara, also one of the "giants" at Ignatius, always had the deepest respect for Jim. No matter how tough Jim seemed to be, the students knew what was expected and he always gave the students, even the weaker ones, a way to succeed.
     Jim tends to be a private person, and I was reluctant to write a "reminiscence" about him because I didn't want to disclose anything too personal.  "You can't un-ring a bell".   Mary Jo and I are close friends with Jim and Sue, and last week we met for dinner.   Sue told us that their daughter Mary ('87) reads my "reminiscences" and enjoys them. (Hey, Mary! How are things goin'?)   Anyway, I take that as an omen, so I throw caution to the wind and write about her dad.
     The basis for our friendship, I think, has been our trust in one another.  With Jim, you know exactly what you'll get.   He does not "broadcast" his private life, but you don't have to know him for very long before you become aware of how he sees the world.   In the interest of full disclosure, I don't always see things in the same way.   He and I don't argue about our respective view points, but we are open with each when the occasion arises.
     Jim's bio isn't all that unique for a teacher.  Jesuit high school in New York City, Notre Dame degree in civil engineering, taught at De La Salle "Institute", before coming to Saint Ignatius in 1967, where he taught math and social studies and coached track and cross country until he retired a couple of years ago.
     Jim and Sue have been married well over 50 years.  (Apologies, Sue, for putting the word "well" in there.)
Things become more interesting when I tell you that they have 15 children, biological and adopted, and have been foster-parents for a slew of other children. Describing Jim Connelly without mentioning his family would be like trying to understand him by looking at his shadow on a wall.
     To add some texture to his image, he is a staunch Catholic, patriot and family man...a good man.  The real proof of the influence that Jim and Sue have had on their children is that 3 of the 15 are officers in the armed forces,  one is married to an FBI agent and one is going into the priesthood.   Through their efforts in providing a loving, caring home for so many children, both Jim and Sue have been awarded the Dei Gloriam Award from St. Ignatius and the Family Exemplar Award from Notre Dame University.
     Each time that I've written a blog about a person, I've tried to find one or more adjectives that help to describe that person. A word, possibly the first word, that comes to mind when I think of Jim is "courage". I have never known him to back down from saying or doing something that he felt was right no matter what the possible consequences. He would never let an injustice or a wrong go unaddressed.
     Over the years, Jim has stirred passion in students, both positive and negative. I've known students who would "run through brick walls" for him and those for whom his style was, perhaps, more rigid than they would have liked.  My kids loved Mr. Connelly; often their friends were...shall we say "anxious".
     For my part, thanks, Jim, for being my friend.

Reflection #30 (Only 1046 to go!): A Lesson in Astronomy

     On Friday, February 3, four men will be inducted into the Saint Ignatius Athletic Hall-of-Fame...Mark Kosiek ('73), Ed Hogan ('66), John Supplitt ('75) and Gerry Brockhouse, the athletic director in the early to mid-’90‘s. The induction will formally occur prior to the boys' basketball game that night.
     Mark has been working on organizing a gathering of alumni from the '60's and '70's for the following Friday night. I have been in contact with him regarding that, so I emailed him a congratulations on his nomination. He thanked me and added that two of the men who were most influential in his life at Ignatius were his varsity coach, Bob Gabric, and Fr. Mark Link, S.J.  Good choices!  Those two men are two of my choices also.
     Mark’s statement caused me to consider how we are influenced by other people and events in our life. Since I am something of a astronomy buff, it struck me that our lives aren't all that dissimilar from the lives of heavenly bodies...at least relating to the paths that they take and how they are affected by other bodies.
     When I was a young man, in my 20's, men like Frank Raispis, Pat O'Mara and Fr. Link were my idols. For the record, there were many others. Metaphorically, these men created the gravitational pull that guided my path much as the Sun "pulls"* the Earth. (*"pulls" is not the correct word, but is useful for our purpose here.)  I can’t think of any one event in which they caused me to change course; it was their constant and total presence. That’s one kind of influence. To wit, my plan was to be like Frank, living my life as a bachelor, dedicated to the education of the young men at Ignatius.
     Another type of influence is the sudden or short-term influence that causes a change in trajectory, much as occurs when a large asteroid hits a planet. Such an event for Ignatius was the Bob Hope concert, "Hope For Saint Ignatius", in 1976.  That not only affected the financial status of the school, but changed how the school was perceived by the community.  Suddenly, we were a viable entity again.  At least that's my take on it.
     These occurrences can be positive or negative.  I’ve probably learned more about living by things that I shouldn’t have done...or things that others shouldn’t have done...than by trying to copy someone else’s good actions.  There are too many “negative” instances for one small essay.
     Back in the summer of 1971, I was talking with a group of friends about a camping trip that I was planning with some of my sophomore basketball players; it’s more enjoyable with company. Among the friends was a lady with 3 young children who had been widowed a couple of years earlier. She off-handedly asked if I needed a “den-mother”...half in jest, all in earnest.  She thought that this might be a safe way for her and her children to break the monotony of just sitting at home all summer. Being the good soul that I am, I said, “Sure.”
     That’s how my life changed immediately and dramatically ... like a meteor hitting me on my path. It completely altered my "trajectory". (For the sake of full disclosure, the boys who were on the trip will verify that the entire trip was extremely innocent)  But the path had changed! Good-bye, Raispis-life model!
     Not only did my life’s plan take an immediate hit, but the gravitational pull of being a husband, father and grandfather has changed the way I view things, and do things...all to the better, I hasten to add. Not only did I inherit 3 great kids, followed by one of my own a year later, but as a result, I have the eight best, most beautiful and intelligent grandchildren in the world I wouldn’t lie about a thing like that!