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VOLUME 23 • CHAPTER 2 • April 2023


Easter Card


Memoirs

The first Campionette, the student newsletter, was published 106 years ago, on November 11, 1917. The first editor of the Campionette was Tom O'Connor, class of 1920. The last official issue was the one announcing the closing of the school in May 1975. Over the years, various classes have published special editions for their class reunions, some of which have been pretty extravagant.

The Campion Forever Newsletter was first published by Aaron Huguenard, class of 1947, in 2000 as a means for alumni and faculty to keep in touch and share life experiences.

We've been trying to get memoirs from retired and not-so-retired Campion Jebbies for our newsletter for quite some time. We don't care if the memoirs are about when they went to Campion, taught at Campion, or just what they've done since leaving Campion. We just want to hear something from our mentors in the first person; perhaps words of wisdom learned while IHS; typically, we only get third-person accounts post mortem. Not to lay all the blame on the Jebbies, but why can't we get memoirs from more alumni, or what they've done since leaving Campion? Where are all those other authors and editors of the old 'ette"?

While it has been a task getting people to submit articles, there are a few dedicated alumni and Jebbies who do regularly provide ideas for articles. This is a good thing; otherwise, I would have to conjure the 'Ghost of Joe Campion' for ideas more than I care to.

Tom Olson '72


From James Radde, S.J.

Hi Tom,

Thank you for another issue. Keep up the good work.

I've been doing pottery for almost nine years. I'll attach a photo of a plate I made. I did the bottom on the wheel and the top with other tools.

James Radde, SJ

God bless you.

Jim


Jubilee Pilgramage to Rome
James M. Radde, S.J.

This being my fiftieth year of ordination, I requested permission to make a jubilee pilgrimage to Rome. I wanted to see Pope Francis and present him with a cross I had made for him. Permission granted.

Next, I wrote Pope Francis, in Spanish, asking to see him and present him with my cross. I reminded him we had been theology students in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1968-69. I emailed my letter. Thirteen hours later I received his hand-written, emailed response. He began (in Spanish), "Dear Brother." The key sentence was, "Be sure to let me know in advance, when you will be in Rome, so we can see each other." He signed it, "Fraternally, Francis."

I planned my time in Rome to give him recovery time from his travels to Congo and South Sudan. On receiving my Rome dates, he responded immediately, inviting me to see him at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican guest house where he lives, on Monday, February 13, at 3:00 PM.

On arriving at Casa Santa Marta, a gentleman in suit and tie showed me to a sitting room. It had a small table surrounded by six chairs. Soon, Pope Francis walked in - no wheelchair in sight.

I spoke to him of my love and admiration for him and that of a multitude of friends - Catholics, Protestants and others. I presented him with my cross - porcelain, eight inches long and colored blue and gold, similar to his coat of arms.

We spoke of ministry to the GLBTI+ community. I put in a plug for the Discerning Deacons movement (restoring the Diaconate for women as in the early Church). We also chatted about restorative justice. As we left the room Pope Francis beckoned to a Swiss Guard to take our pictures. Mission accomplished.


While in Rome I stayed at the Canisio, an international community of Jesuits, just two blocks from the Vatican. I had never lived with such a variety of Jesuits. Many worked at the Vatican Radio. They were most gracious in their hospitality.

Staying in that community occasioned meeting three of my Jesuit heros. One was Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., who served as director of the Vatican Press Office under three Popes. Another was Fr. Francisco José De Roux, S.J., from Colombia and Chair of the Colombian Truth Commission. The third I had met in 1971, in Canada, where we worked on a retreat team together. Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., from Canada, is Prefect of the Dicastery of Integral Human Development ( a dicastery is the equivalent of a government ministry ).

I returned to St. Paul deeply grateful for my brother Jesuits, especially Pope Francis.



From John Dorman '57

Thanks Tom.

Always enjoy the newsletter. Here's a story for you. The Campion class of '57 had a reunion in Milwaukee this past September. Thanks to Bob Bell and Kevin Buttler it was well planned and enjoyed by all. The highlight of the trip was seeing and visiting with Fr. Joe Eagan. He turned 100 in October. He was our senior English teacher and a monitor at Marquette Hall. He recognized me after 65 years. My fellow classmates said that meant I was a very good student or a very bad one! At the end of the reunion, several classmates went back to PdC and visited the former campus from a distance.

I too have a story to tell about triple bypass surgery. My wife and I had gone to Mass and were at home having a cup of coffee. We were waiting to go to our daughters house for my wife's 80th birthday. She looked at me and said you don't look very good. I said I didn't feel good.

We went to the hospital where the doctor said I was about to have a heart attack. He sent me up to have an angiogram. I knew the doctor from the golf course. He preferred his patients to be awake so we had a conversation about golf as he continued with the procedure.

Suddenly, he said, Oh, that's a problem, and then, Oh, that's an even bigger problem. He couldn't put in stents and said he would need to call a surgeon.

The surgeon came in Monday morning and explained the whole procedure. He was great. Because I was on plavex he wanted to wait until Thursday morning. Later that day he came back and said you will not make it to Thursday. I will go in tomorrow morning and just deal with the bleeding. The surgery and recovery went well and now I see both doctors on the golf course.

One spring at Campion the DQ had a sale where you bought one sundae and got the second one for a penny. I convinced my roommate we should get into the chapel and put on cassocks so we would look like Jebbies. We got our sundae and snuck back into campus through the hedge. We took off the cassocks and hid them in the hedge and proceeded to eat the sundae. We then noticed Fr. Scott walking towards us along the hedge. We hid the sundae. He came up and asked what we were doing. I told him we were looking at the stars and the constellations he had talked about in class. He pointed out a few and then went on his way. We finished the sundae, put the cassocks back and went to the dorm. We felt smug about our big adventure and not getting caught.

Now you have some of my stories.

John



From Anthony Kalb '68

Article from Dubuque Telegraph Herald honoring Hall of Famer Paul Scherrman.



From John Most '72

Hi Tom-

Hope you are well. I just read the newsletter and its always a great read. Thanks for continuing to do this.

Though not a graduate, I thought I'd send this. I put it together for my 50th reunion at the school I graduated from in Tulsa Oklahoma-Cascia Hall, run by the Augustinians.

"So what have I been doing for the last 50 years since you were at Campion?"

  • Attended Campion Jesuit High School 1968-70.
  • Transferred to Cascia Hall Prep in 1970-71 - graduated in 1972
  • Went to school at Bradley University in '72
  • Met my future bride
  • Had jobs parking cars, coaching girls' basketball and working at an IHOP
  • Got married at age 21 to Debby
  • We had two kids - Jennie and Andrew
  • Today Jennie is a doctor in Liverpool and engaged
  • Andrew has 3 kids - Mary Jane, Damian, and Atreyu
  • Damian graduates from high school on May 28th and I'll be their having just attended my 50th Graduation Celebration
  • We moved to Connecticut where I finished my education at the University of Bridgeport
  • The Rev Sun Yung Moon bought it 10 years after I graduated.
  • I trained as a Chef
  • Got my first job in New York at an Advertising agency: Amtrak, General Mills
  • I transferred to San Francisco in the Ad business worked on A.1. Steak Sauce, Grey Poupon, Ortega among other brands
  • Two years later I moved back to New York and ran the Coca-Cola USA business (Sprite, Minute Maid and some other brands.)
  • I ran the United Way of America Account, (pro bono) and was recognized by the American Advertising Association for my efforts
  • I won an Emmy Award for my part in developing a United Way's Advertising Campaign
  • At age 28, I was named Senior Vice President - the youngest in the history of my company
  • My NY agency sent me to Orange County California where I was promoted to Managing Director of their West Coast Office on The Prudential Real Estate Business
  • In 1992, Debby is diagnosed with MS and the world changed for us.
  • We begin a long volunteer relationship with the MS Society - over 30 years for me
  • Debby was named MS Mother of the Year in 2001
  • I was named MS Society Volunteer of the Year in 2004
  • I changed agencies when the West Coast Office closes
  • In 2003 Debby passes away from the complications of Multiple Sclerosis at age 49.
  • The world changes again.
  • I attend my 35th and 40th class reunions with Cascia Hall
  • In 2004 I open my own Advertising Agency in Orange County.
  • Inc Magazine names my agency, MOST, to their Fastest Growing Private Companies for three consecutive years -we real #108 in our final year and I'm featured in the magazine and the from page of the OC Register Business section
  • After four lonely and long years, I meet Jodi and we are married in 2008. I'm a "dad" again to Jenna who is 6 years old.
  • I have spinal fusion back surgery with the addition of two 11" rods and 11 screws holding me together
  • My agency grows to over $55 million in ad placements. We are named Agency of the year by the American Business Awards along with Best Places to Work for Three Consecutive years, and Fastest Growing Small Business in Orange County.
  • We are recognized as the Outstanding Small Business on National Philanthropy Day for our work with the Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • My client decided that after a 20+ year working relationship, they want to try a new direction. We close my agency.
  • That agency that replaced us is fired a year later.
  • People congratulate me on being retired when I was 62-years-old...I reply, "I'm not retired..I'm unemployed".
  • I am hired by Chapman University as a Professor. I teach Advertising and Digital marketing to the next generation of Mad Men and Mad Women.
  • I coach/advise Chapman's National Student Advertising Competition to District 11 wins over UCLA, USC, UC San Diego, and other larger and better funded schools. We win district for three consecutive years.
  • I decide to retire from teaching and to replace a few body parts in 2018.
  • In 2019, I have a hip replacement and the COVID Hits
  • 6 months later, the local Hospital reopens for surgery, and I have a knee replacement.
  • After 16 years as Chair of the MS Bike Planning Committee, I pass the torch having help the Pacific South Coast Chapter raise over $40 million during that time.
  • I will ride in my 25 MS Bike event in October and am approaching the $2.0 million mark personally.
  • I am a Volunteer Coach for First Tee working with 7-9 year-olds who are learning to play golf
  • I attend my 50th Graduation Celebration at Cascia Hall in Tulsa with my Class of 1972
  • I was the 2022 Hope Award Honoree as the MS Dinner of Champions in November of this year.



From the Desk Of John Duskey '63

Right now, there is a lot of attention paid to the NCAA basketball tournament, and for us, having been educated, in large part, by the Jesuits, some things are noteworthy. There has been, through many of the past years, a significant presence of Jesuit Universities in the tournament. Marquette, Xavier, Gonzaga, and Creighton were participants in this year's tournament. Over the past fifty or sixty years, several other Jesuit Universities have played a significant part. Loyola-Chicago won the tournament in 1963, and Marquette won the tournament in 1977.

The tournament provides a unique kind of excitement around the presence of a university, particularly when the game is nationally televised. Marquette fans of that era will never forget their victory in the finals in 1977. For schools that participate in the tournament, it is important to put on a good show of support for their team. Part of this is the presence and the enthusiasm of the University Band.

One story that was at the sidelines of this year's tournament was the victory of #16 Farleigh Dickinson University over #1 Purdue in the first round. FDU is a relatively small school and did not have a band, so a group of band volunteers from Dayton got together, learned the FDU fight song, and made the trip to Columbus to support FDU in their second round game. Unfortunately FDU lost to Florida Atlantic, but this special effort showed significant and well-deserved support for the team.

I can remember that, during my time with the Marquette Band in the med-1960s, I went to the office of the Dean of Students and proposed that the band should accompany the basketball team on a road trip. I was told that bands did not usually do this. But we did make the trip and eventually this trend grew, much to the benefit of college basketball in general. I can recall that coach Al McGuire was a big supporter of the Band, even to the point of finding a donor to give us new band uniforms.

At that time Marquette University was not particularly supportive of its Band. It was considered an extracurricular activity under the Office of Student Affairs, and, after football was dropped in 1960, had only a part-time director. Music, in general, was one of the weakest parts of Marquette's curriculum; much greater support was needed. We proposed that the University should have full time personnel in three positions: band director, chorus director, and jazz ensemble director. (During those days, we also started a Jazz Ensemble.) Together with this, there would be some courses that would lead to a minor in music. This did not sit well with the Liberal Arts College, but, some fifty years later, we can find this kind of program in Marquette's College of Communications. I believe this has improved the overall quality of the University.

In 1968. I moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at UCLA. I have to admit that I was more interested in the UCLA experience than I was in my engineering program. I went to all the home games and followed the basketball team on tournament trips, and I even had a conversation with John Wooden at our hotel during the 1970 tournament. The 1969 tournament was a real highlight. I sat behind the UCLA Band, and when Sports Illustrated took a picture of Ferdinand Alcindor (father of one of the players). I am the guy in the yellow sweater standing behind him. I had the chance to speak with UCLA band director Kelly James and when I told him who I was in the Marquette Band, he invited me to the post-game band party. I had driven to Louisville and had a car, which made me popular with band members who had flown in from LA. We took a side trip to Bloomington, Indiana on the day between the games, and at one of our stops, they were amazed to see all the stars in the sky!

On the other hand, I had some quiet parts of my "basketball in LA" experience. As a Marquette grad, I was interested in seeing fellow Marquette grad Brian Brunkhorst, as he was on the roster of the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA. Brian made it into 3 games in November 1968 and I went to two of them. The games were at the LA Sports Arena, adjacent to the Coliseum, and one could attend a game in almost complete privacy, as less than 100 fans were present in the arena. Brunkhorst's career ended in mid-November 1968 and that gives us something to think about: People go through different stages of life. Some time is spent in the public eye, and then there are times when life is lived in obscurity. A lot of people handle that very well. In fact, some are happy to do without all kinds of attention from the media. But then there are others who need to find some other way to earn a living, once the glory days are over. Many of them successfully find new careers. This happens to actors and musicians as well as athletes. There are millions of stories here, and only a few of them have ever been told. .



From Ghost of Joe Campion

Reminder: Jebbie's throwing an all-class reunion (AKA fund raiser) in Chicago on June 9-11, 2023.

All Campion Jesuit High School alumni, partners, and Jesuits affiliated with the school are invited. Please spread the word to classmates for whom they do not have contact information.

Hugie might have thrown in a CowChip.

BUT, let us not forget the ALL CLASS REUNION/Golf Tournament (a tradition for over 28 years) in Prairie du Chien (our spawning grounds) on June 11, 2023, with social studies the day before. Something the previously mentioned reunion organizers failed to remember. Some alumni believe someone is due a boo-coo JUG, known as a 6-4-2.


RIPObituaries:

nameclass_ofdeceaseddatecity_grad
C. Patrick Wagner19562024-01-12Chicago
Theodore R. Glaser19642024-01-14Chicago
G. Jeffrey George19652024-01-22Dyersville
John M. McGinnis19642024-01-24Chicago
Fr. James J. King, S.J.19472024-01-30Akron
William A. Brown19672024-02-02New York
Michael B. Frain19572024-02-20Chicago
Francis Balcaen19702024-02-21Coal Valley
Robert T. McNamara19702024-03-05Toledo
James Peter Helldorfer19702024-03-19Dayton
John G. Riley19672024-03-29Munster
Bill P. Small19722024-03-31Prairie du Chien
James B. Morrow19572024-04-00Highland Park
George L. West19762024-04-21Darlington
Stephen F. Graver19692024-04-27Chicago
Paul E. Pazdan19632024-05-19Oak Park
Stephen C. Miller19682024-05-27Rock Island
Keith M. Oakes19652024-05-30Des Plaines
Frederick E. Gellerup19502024-06-05Milwaukee
Joseph A. Metzger19562024-06-15Shelby
Thomas J. Hamilton19602024-07-17Dodgeville
Thomas J. Willenborg19602024-07-24Dyersville
Thomas O'Brien19722024-08-01McHenry
John C. Hynes19592024-08-06Coggen
Edward Francis Gorman19452024-08-12Blue Earth
Michael J. Burke19642024-08-29Casper
Roger J. Jerrick19702024-09-21Berwyn
Alumni who have passed in...
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, All known by class.

Faculty who have passed:
  • Fr. Laurence Kerrigan, S.J., 2024-08-14, Teacher of Theology 1969-71.
  • Rev. Thomas Schloemer, S.J., 2024-06-18, Teacher of Latin 1962-65.
  • Mr. Theodore Kalamaja, S.J, 2024-05-08, Teacher of Latin 1963-64.
  • Mr. Cyril (AKA Zeke) Des Rocher 2024-02-27, Baseball and Swimming Coarch, Drivers Ed 1970-74.
  • Mr. Michael C. Drake, 2023-11-24, Teacher of French 1968-75.
  • Clem J. Steele, 2023-06-09, Teacher of Math, Asst. Coach Basketball, JV Football Coach 1968-1973.
  • Rev. Joseph F. Eagan, S.J., 2022-12-20, Teacher of English, Religion 1955-1962.
  • Lawrence R. Reuter, 2022-10-23, Scholastic, Teacher of Latin, Speech, 1952-1955
  • Coach Clem Massey 2022-08-07. Teacher of History and Social Studies. Basketball and Wrestling Coach. 1966-69
  • Fr. Patrick L. Murphy, S.J., 2022-05-24, Scholastic: Teacher of English and Social Studies 1966 and 1972-74.
  • Fr. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J., 2021-09-30, Scholastic: Teacher of Latin, Sodality 1959-61; Priest: Principal 1969-70, President 1970-75, Rector 1973-75.
  • Lieselotte "Lu" Patnode, 2021-09-09.
    She married Donald Kenneth Patnode in Manheim, Germany on April 11, 1947. She followed Don to Prairie du Chien for his position at Campion Jesuit High School as the head of the ROTC program. Together they raised their family in the Prairie du Chien...
  • Fr. Philip Dreckman, S.J., 2021-03-25, Teacher of History 1966-1975
  • Doris M. Buening, 2021-02-10, Secretary 19??-19??
  • Fr. Eugene Dutkiewicz, S.J., 2021-01-24, Scholastic: Teacher of Chemistry 1957-58; Priest: Teacher of Math 1963-69, Asst. Principal 1965-69