Class of 1985



Contact Person: Joanne Niland    


Holy Cross Class of 1985

Welcome to the Class of 1985 Webpage! We hope you will use our site as a way to connect with the class and the College.


Class Contacts

Tom Flynn, Class Co-Chair
tflynn@holycross.edu

Joanne Niland, Class Correspondent
chester@comcast.net

Joe Terranova, Class Co-Chair
terranova.melroselaw@comcast.net

Class Events

Our class reunion is now on Facebook.



Find a Classmate

Looking to reconnect with a classmate? Just register with the Holy Cross Online Community and you will gain instant access to the alumni directory. Click here and follow the steps for registration. While you are there, check out the career center, message boards and yellow pages!


HC Class Liaison

If you would like reach our class liaison at Holy Cross, please call Heather Gelardi at 508-793-2707/2421 or email her at hgelardi@holycross.edu.

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Class Photos


HC Fund To Date

Dear Classmates:
Thank you for your generous support of Holy Cross this year. As a class we supported HC generously and in numbers, with 53% participation, which is tremendous during these delicate times. If you still wish to make a gift to HC, you can call the HC Fund office at 1-877-433-1843 by 4 pm today.
In HC Fund year 2008-09 the College had an overall participation rate of 50.7%, and will likely set a Holy Cross Fund record of $7.9M raised. Overall alumni, parents and friends supported Holy Cross with gifts totaling more than $24M, one of the largest year's ever for the College.
We have our 25th reunion celebration on June 4-6, 2010, and throughout the course of the upcoming 11 months hopefully we will organize some fun gatherings around the country to be back in touch with each other, and to celebrate friendships and our time together at HC.
Heather Gelardi of the Holy Cross Fund staff will be working with us throughout the year as we plan our reunion. If anyone wants to be involved with the planning of the reunion weekend, please raise your hand. The response thus far from classmates expressing interest in helping with the planning already ensures that next June will be a lot of fun.
Best wishes for an enjoyable summer,

Joe and Tom



Class Letters

October 2009

Dear Classmates:

25th Reunion News
Our 25th Reunion will be June 4-6, 2010. Remember to block that weekend off on your 2010 calendar. If you would like to volunteer to help out with the reunion, contact me, Tom or Joe.

Make sure we have your current email address. Since so many of our communications will be sent via email we want to have the most updated email list possible. While a paper form asking alumni to update their home/work/family info was sent out, you can update this information on-line by emailing alumni@holycross.edu or going to www.holycross.edu/alumni/contact/address.html. You can also send a fax to 508-793-2626- Attn: Alumni Office.

We?re on Facebook too! Dave McDowell and LJ Mitchell have set up a "Holy Cross Class of 1985 Reunion" group page so if you are on Facebook please connect with the Holy Cross Class of 1985 Reunion.


Thank you for supporting the Holy Cross Fund
Over the past six months we have heard about how the economy has impacted Holy Cross, just as it has affected each of us. Despite the economic challenges, our class came through for current students at Holy Cross. We want to thank all of you who responded to our calls, e-mails, and letters by making a gift to Holy Cross in FY 2009. Together, 286 classmates contributed, $174,416, including $142,523 to the Holy Cross Fund. Our dollars have a tremendous impact on campus, especially as income from the endowment is down, and requests by families for financial aid is up. Please know that everyone on the Hill thanks you! Enclosed, you will find a list of our generous classmates. View the complete list of donors in the Report of Gifts at: www.holycross.edu/alumni/report


Class News
Corinne Gaffney Catalano writes in that she is the School Psychologist and Program Director for inclusive education for children with autism spectrum disorders at the Montclair State Children's Center. Her husband Tony '83 is currently the Publisher and Chief Sales Officer for the Eating Well Media Group. Their daughter Martel is a junior at Skidmore College majoring in environmental studies with a minor in art. Their son Troy is a senior at Glen Ridge High School who just verbally committed to the University of Delaware to play lacrosse starting in 2010.

I?m not sure if all of you have heard the sad news about Pat McCartan's sudden passing in August. After Holy Cross, Pat received his graduate degree from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, and served as a presidential intern in both the Department of Defense and on the Staff of the United States Senate. At the time of his death, he was a member of the White House Office of Science and Technology. Besides his parents, he leaves his sister, her husband and two nephews. My sympathies to Pat's family on their loss.


June 2009

Dear Classmates:

Holy Cross is winding down its fiscal year which can mean only one thing. The Holy
Cross Fund closes on June 30, 2009. The good news is that if you have not yet donated,
you can still do so.

The Class of 1985 had a strong showing last year, with 59% of us participating. Let?s
stay strong as we head into our 25th Reunion Year and continue our support of the
College and its mission.

With the impact of the economic downturn on both the College and its students, the
Annual Fund becomes that much more important to help Holy Cross fulfill its mission by
continuing to upgrade its math and science facilities, draw and keep outstanding
professors, and support outstanding students who may have difficulty affording a Holy
Cross education.

This year, you may designate your donation to support financial aid or faculty resources.
Either way, your gift will count as one to the Holy Cross Fund. You may send your
donation to the College; donate by telephone by calling toll free at 1-877-433-1843 or
donate online using the link below:

http://holycross.edu/alumni/support/gift.html


Once you are there, follow the instructions to make an online gift.


25TH REUNION UPDATE

Our 25th Reunion (I still cannot believe this) is scheduled for June 4 ? 6 , 2010. We are
looking for anyone who wishes to participate in the planning of what promises to be a
great weekend. If you want to volunteer, please contact me at terranova.melroselaw@comcast.net, Tom Flynn at tflynn@holycross.edu or Joanne
(Sadowski) Niland at chester@comcast.net.

LOOKING FOR NEWS

Joanne had all the news that was fit to print in the last letter so I am looking for some
news. As I have said in the past, if we do not get news, then we start making stuff up,
and that is never a good idea.

On the homefront, Christina (Weiss) Terranova, our son Joe, and I participated in the
Best Buddies Hyannisport Challenge Bike Ride to raise funds and awareness for Best
Buddies, an organization devoted to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual
disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated
employment. I completed the 100 mile ride from the JFK Library in Boston to
Hyannisport (in spite of two flat tires and a nasty fall off the bike) while Christina and
Young Joe completed the 50 mile portion. Friend and classmate Andrea Carlin
volunteered at the finish with her daughters and we celebrated the completion of the ride
with a lobster bake and a concert by the Bangles.

That is about it from here. Remember, participate! Let?s keep the College on mission
and let?s maintain some momentum as we head into our Reunion Year.


Best,

Joe Sal Terranova

May 2009

Holy Cross Class of 1985


Dear Classmates: I have lots of news to report this month, so grab a cup of coffee or tea, find a comfortable chair, and read on!

25th Reunion Update

Can you believe it?s already time to start planning our 25th Reunion? Get out your calendars and save the date, because we?ll be going back to campus on June 4-6, 2010 for our 25th Reunion! The weekend will be filled with activities, including a class golf outing, the Andy Kelly ?17 Memorial Fun Run/Walk, plus many receptions, picnics, class mass, dinners, and dances. If you?d like to help with the Reunion, please email Tom Flynn tflynn@holycross.edu Joe Terranova terranova@melroselaw.com or myself, Joanne Sadowski Niland chester@comcast.net to volunteer.

Holy Cross Fund

Holy Cross recently announced an exciting change to the Holy Cross Fund. For the first time, we will be able to direct our annual gifts to financial aid and/or faculty resources. Why create these new giving options? At this time of economic uncertainty, the College wants to give alumni the opportunity to invest in two of the most important aspects of the student experience. Almost 60 percent of current students receive financial aid, and the College remains committed to meeting the demonstrated need of every student. Additionally, it is important to provide resources for faculty to continue their important work?engaging students in and out of the classroom. Of course, you can always make your gift to the Holy Cross Fund, which supports all of the important programs and initiatives on campus.

To make a gift to one of these new designations, just go online to www.holycross.edu/give where you will find all of the giving options listed there. If you prefer to mail in your gift, use the enclosed envelope, and write Holy Cross Fund or financial aid or faculty resources on the memo line of your check. If you are in the position to do so, I would ask you to consider placing Holy Cross among your top philanthropic priorities this year. Thank you in advance for your support!

You can contribute online at http://holycross.edu/alumni/support/gift.html. Thanks to the 107 of you who have already made your donation as of May 14 to the Holy Cross Fund.

Class News:

We?ve heard from lots of people and I?d like thanking everyone who sent in a greenslip for making this letter so easy to write! Wouldn?t it be great if every one of us sent in an update between now and the Reunion?

Ned Crowley says, ?It?s been a while since I?ve sent any news, so here?s the latest on my end. After 20 years at Leo Burnett advertising in Chicago, I was lured away by the small New York based ad shop, mcgarrybowen, to launch and lead their new Chicago offices. As Chief Creative of Chicago, I oversee and work on a number of great clients and brands including, Chase Bank, JP Morgan, Kraft, Jose Cuervo, and Disney, the last of which followed me when I left Burnett. The change has been a successful one and we?ve been very fortunate to be doing as well as we are in this down economy. My family is doing well ? Karen Oatway Crowley

Ned is also in the movie business. He says ?Finally, last summer I was also proud to see a feature film I wrote finally hit the big screen and make its way on the festival circuit. Parting Words is a dramatic comedy that has been a labor of love for many years. It has done well at many of the festivals but as of now we are still looking for a distribution deal. Anyone interested in seeing the trailer and guessing who?s who from our Holy Cross past can go to www.partingwordsmovie.com. ? (Ned, how about a showing of the movie at our 25th Reunion next June?)

Ned, have you run into (?85) is in her final year of grad school, and my three daughters Shea, Robyn, and Grace are all healthy and happy.?Steve Schildwachter in Chicago? Steve shares more info on the John Rizzo nuptials. Steve had this to say. ?I?d like to add a little to the John Rizzo Report in the most recent class letter. I went to Albany for the wedding and can verify that Riz is married, he and Ann Marie are an awesome couple, and the whole event was fantastic. I do confess to breaking down right before leaving the reception to perpetrate one practical joke, but otherwise everyone behaved. Attention Lehy II buds: Riz is looking for his money after declaring himself the winner of our ?last man standing? agreement of May 1985!

In news from the Boston area, Kathleen Iovene Sullivan is happy to report that she got her Master?s from Northeastern University in August and passed the boards, so she is now officially a Physician Assistant. Kathy says, ?I work in the ER at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, MA and love it. Just in time, too, as my son graduates from Notre Dame in May, and I was anxious to keep one degree ahead of my kids. Unfortunately, my daughter will graduate from Notre Dame NEXT May, but she?s going on to med school, so I may have to go back for an MD/PhD??

Speaking of Boston sports, congratulations to Bill McGovern, the new Boston College Eagles? defensive coordinator. Bill, who was a four year starter as a defensive back at Holy Cross and a Division 1-AA All-American as a senior, just finished his ninth season as linebackers coach.

Joe Terranova reports that four, count them four classmates qualified for, and ran the Boston Marathon this year. Joe McNamara led the '85 Crusader contingent with a 2:55 effort. George Doherty was right behind Joe Mac with a 2:57 finish. Joe matched his best time on the Boston Course (which he posted 9 years ago) with a 3:31. Kevin Stenstrom rounded out the '85 team with a 3:40. Stenny's story is easily the most compelling. Even though he has been battling melanoma for the last few years, Stenny has managed to run a qualifying time and then finish Boston in a respectable time. In addition, Kevin has founded a group called " Team Miles 4 Melanoma" or "Team M4M". Team Miles for Melanoma (TEAM M4M) is a team training program providing runners and want to be runners with personal one-on-one coaching and individual training plans in a team training atmosphere, while raising money for melanoma research and support programs. Sten's effort was clearly the most courageous of all, and Joe Terranova noted that he was honored to toe the line with Kevin and run the first couple of miles with him.

In more football news, Deborah Dunn ran into fellow 85-er, Bill Deehan at the Patriot Championship (HC football game against Colgate) in Hamilton, NY. Deb stayed throughout the blizzard until the final seconds. Bill and his son (looking around for some good lacrosse colleges) disappeared at the half. Deb reports that ?We needed Bill?s ?mojo? and we might have won. The turn out was great and very loyal and supportive.?

Jeffrey Goddard was named a director of institutional trading at Robert W. Baird & Co., a capital markets, private equity, wealth and asset management firm in Stamford, CT. Jeff has a decade of experience as an equity sales trader and previously covered the real estate sector for AG Edwards.

Joan Hogan Gillman is now the executive vice president and president of media sales for Time Warner Cable. After acquiring her Master?s in legislative affairs from George Washington University, Joan worked on Capitol Hill in the office of U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) for 10 years. She was a consultant to the cable company for a year-and-a-half before joining the company as vice president of interactive and TV and advanced advertising.

When Stephen Connolly was still in law school he began thinking about how to make law enforcement personnel toe the line. In his first year of practice, he helped in the investigation of the Los Angeles Police Department?s Rampart scandal. Last fall, he was hired to establish the Orange County?s new Office of Independent Review and take on the very troubled Orange County Sheriff?s Department disciplinary investigations. The goal of the office is to ensure the sheriff?s department conducts internal investigations of alleged deputy misconduct properly and in accordance with clearly established procedures and protocols.

Mark Powers is the president of the Holy Cross General Alumni Association.

Julie Donovan Fouhy married Byron C. Coffin in July of 2004. Julie teaches at the Richard J. Murphy School, a K-8 Boston Public School in Dorchester, MA.

Megan Brown and Jeff Anderson are happy to welcome Brynn Maureen Anderson to their family. Brynn was born on June 4, 2007.

Wow! It?s great to hear from so many of you. Keep the greenslips coming and we?ll keep you updated on the Reunion planning!

Sincerely, Joanne Sadowski Niland




December 2008

I hope that this letter finds you well and joyfully awaiting the arrival of Christmas. The Holy Cross campus is busy with Christmas activities; the Festival of Lessons and Carols, one of my personal favorite traditions at Holy Cross, takes place tonight.

Karen Baldwin has opened a second film office back East in Connecticut where several films will be made this year. Now the writers strike is over, they are back in business. Baldwin Entertainment Group is also working on Luna with Rachel Weisz and Teacherman which is based on Frank McCourt's novel.

After 17 years with Sun Chemical, David Hohman has taken a new position as a Principal at The Keystone Consulting Group in Chicago. The firm specializes in consulting for manufacturing and distribution companies.

John Rizzo met fellow alumni Ann Marie Lizzi '91 two years ago in Albany, NY, and now the two were married this September at the Academy of the Holy Names chapel in Albany, NY. While working with one of the big 10 accounting firms, John earned his MBA at NYU, then left NYC and took a job with United Technologies where he worked for them in Spain, Mexico, and Syracuse, NY. While in Syracuse, John got his masters in education from LeMoyne, became a Spanish teacher and moved to Albany, NY, for a teaching job. John recently earned his SDA/SAS designation and is now in school administration where he returned to his financial roots. He is currently the treasurer of the Berlin Central School District in Berlin, NY. Ann Marie continues her job as a production manager at Time Warner Cable Media Sales in Albany, NY, and is a freelance filmmaker. She recently completed co-producing and editing the feature film The Skeptic which stars Tim Daly (Private Practice and good 'ole Wings) and Tom Arnold. The couple gives a shout out to fellow alum Chris Capot '89 who they ran into in John's hometown of Wallingford, CT, over Thanksgiving; to Neil and Christine Cawley '91, and Tom Vogel '88 who they see whenever they are in NYC; and to Beth Zemaitis '91 who they lured up to Saratoga Springs to take in the horses last summer!

Remember to send in a greenslip. You can even do it online at the Holy Cross website (http://www.holycross.edu/alumni/contact/greenslip.html).

Class News from the May 2008 letter:

Some news from Aimee McHale, whose info actually changed from the paper copy of this class letter. Aimee writes, "I sent in a greenslip a while ago, but my plans have changed so I wanted to send you a revised version. When last I wrote, I was supposed to be doing an internship at Lawyers for Human Rights in Pretoria, South Africa this summer. Great job, but not exactly in keeping with my public health focus. Ultimately, I couldn't get comfortable with the idea of taking my daughter with me to someplace I'd never been (especially one with serious security concerns) ... or leaving her for 3 months ... so I declined.

So, my new greenslip: This summer I'll be working for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, in their Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. Because it's in Geneva, I can take my six year old daughter along for the experience of a lifetime, and I've got a great flat just three blocks from the lake. It really is a dream job for me ... working on health policy issues that impact destitute people in poor countries ... and networking to improve my chances of getting a job doing just that a year from now when I get my MSPH degree from Carolina. My flat is plenty big enough for visitors, so if any '85 Crusaders find their way to Europe this summer, I'd happily welcome visitors."

We?ve also heard from Eileen Brennan, who has joined the law firm of Begos Horgan & Brown LLP as an Of Counsel member. She will work out of the Bronxville office where she will concentrates on wills and estates and real estate matters. Eileen brings 18 years of experience to her position, from private practice in Yonkers, NY and her work in litigation and employment law in firms in New York. Eileen lives in Crestwood, NY with her husband, John M. Conlon, Esq. and six children.

For anyone traveling to Dubai, look for John Stickford, who is moving to Dubai to launch the Middle Eastern office for Textura, a Chicago-based corporation that automates payments in the construction industry.

In March, many of you may have seen a familiar face on the CBS evening news commenting on the Eliot Spitzer case. Nancy Cordes of the CBS Evening News interviewed Dr. Dave McDowell for psychological insight into philandering politicians.

Congratulations to General Alumni Association President-Elect Mark Powers:

And as you know from the last issue of the Holy Cross Magazine, our own Mark Powers is the President-Elect of the Holy Cross General Alumni Association. Congratulations Mark! Mark has been involved with the college since our graduation as a class agent, as president of the Holy Cross Club of Greater Worcester?and has served on various committees of the GAA, including the Finance, Career Networking, and Nominations and Elections committees.

We plan on getting another class letter out soon, so please send in a greenslip, either through the mail or through the link on the Holy Cross website, and let us know what?s new with you.


Class news from the March 2008 letter:

Maureen Waterbury and her husband Jim Lawentman are pleased to announce the arrival of their first child--Benjamin Richard Lawentman-born September 6, 2006 weighing in at 6 lbs 3 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. A long and lean one!! "We are blessed with this bundle of joy and figure that many fellow classmates have children ready to offer babysitting services! Maureen and Jim live in New Jersey and Maureen continues to work for Chubb Insurance Company, a job she has had since leaving the college campus.

Brian Thackaberry is flying the Boeing 777 out of Washington Dulles as a First Officer with United Airlines. Brian says, "Most of my trips take me to Europe and the Far East. Met up with Kelly Wright several times last spring in London."


Class news from the October 2007 letter:

Congratulations to Chris McGlynn and his wife Maria on the birth of their new daughter, Eleni, born on September 10th. Chris and Maria have one son, Demetrios.

Mark Powers and his wife Lisa now are the proud parents of two girls. Marlena Frances was born on June 9th, 2007 at 3:30AM at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston. Young Marlena weighed in at 8 lbs, 3 oz. and is a happy and healthy lass.

Tim Daly and his wife Wendy had their first child, Veronica, earlier this year.

Steve Schildwachter's family is also growing. Steve says, "This summer Charlene and I adopted our fifth child. I have been too busy to even send out an e-mail announcement! His name is Esteban Juan Reyes Schildwachter and his is 15 months old today (10/18/2007). We WERE done after 4 children, but Santiago's birth mother had another baby, someone realized he had a biological bro in the US, and we got the call. Suffice to say we have a joyous and active household. The hard part isn't 5 children, it's 3 of them under 4 years old! And here I thought that we would be pretty close to finishing up on baby announcements..."

Together, 290 class mates gave a total of $137,594 to the Holy Cross Fund. What a tremendous, inspiring feat! These generous classmates helped contribute to the College's overall alumni participation rate of 53 percent, which allowed Holy Cross to secure the Bruttomesso '56 Participation Challenge. We played a role in this fundraising success; we made a difference. As a result of this increased participation and the Bruttomesso Challenge, the Holy Cross Fund raised a grand total of $7.9 million last year. This record-setting gift helped the College to once again meet the financial need of every student. It also helped to support student programs, faculty resources, and other special campus initatives.

Our recent giving proves a point that we knew all along: Holy Cross alumni care about alma mater. We value the education, the experience, and the friendships associated with Holy Cross. We are Crusaders through-and-through; our giving reflects our passion for Holy Cross. Thank you, again, for your support and participation. As demonstrated by this 53 percent participation rate, our collective generosity matters.




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