Notre Dame Alumni E-Newsletter
June 2015
 
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Dear , 

Greetings from the Notre Dame Alumni Office. Last month, our alumni association welcomed 180 new members from the Notre Dame Preparatory School Class of 2015. We congratulate the class on their achievements and offer best wishes as they begin a new and exciting chapter of their lives.

 

As the school year winds down, we focus our attention to the association's plans for next year. We welcome your suggestions and feedback as we lay the groundwork for another exciting year. New this year, for example, we will be hosting a pregame tailgate at the Fr. Colin House prior to the Homecoming football game. Look for more information coming soon!  

 

Please continue to update us on the many wonderful things happening in your life. We love hearing from you!

 

Beth Campbell

Director of Alumni Relations

[email protected] 

UPCOMING EVENTS 
Save the Date! Homecoming 2015  

Friday, October 9- Homecoming Game 

5:30 p.m. Pre-game tailgate at the Fr. Colin House
6:30 p.m. Alumni tent opens at the football field
7:30p.m.Homecoming game 

Saturday, October 10- 5k Fun Run

9 a.m.  Runner registration
10 a.m. 5K Fun Run
ALUMNI NEWS

Notre Dame Alum Earns Recognition  from Financial Publication


Frank Migliazzo, a 1969 graduate of Notre Dame High School who leads a Merril Lynch private banking and investment group in Troy, Mich., was recognized recently on the 2015 Financial Times "Top 400 Financial Advisors" list. 

 

The "Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors" is an independent listing of U.S. advisors produced by the U.K.-based Financial Times. The FT 400 is based on data gathered from firms and verified by broker-dealer home offices, regulatory disclosures, and the FT's research. The listing reflects each advisor's performance in six primary areas, including assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, experience, credentials and accessibility.

 

Migliazzo began his Merrill Lynch career in 1977. As the leader of The Migliazzo Group, he provides strategic direction and investment policy for the team. Migliazzo is one of approximately eighty advisors nationally who are designated as Global Institutional Consultants at Merrill Lynch. He has served as chair of two prestigious leadership bodies within the firm: the National Advisory Council to Management at Merrill Lynch, and the Private Banking and Investment Group Advisory Council to Management. Barron's Magazine named Migliazzo one of the Top 1,000 Advisors in America from the inception of the accolade in 2009 through 2013 inclusively.

 

To read more of Frank's story, click here.

A Notre Dame Star Rises in Hollywood

 

Frank Meli has been chasing his Hollywood dream since his high school years at Notre Dame Prep. He graduated from NDP in 2001 and while it isn't that long ago, it's quite a long period of time measured in Hollywood minutes. But whether you're talking about Hollywood or Pontiac, Mich., minutes, by any measure, Meli's success so far in film and television can be considered pretty extraordinary.


Meli has had significant experience in a variety of positions in Hollywood, including casting director, producer, actor, writer, editor and director. His resume features more than 25 different film or television projects since the mid-2000s, including "Million Dollar Listing," "Something Borrowed, Something New," "The Biggest Loser," "Misconceptions" and "Without a Trace." But what he really wants to concentrate on is film."I've always had a passion for film," he said. "When I moved to the Los Angeles area with a dream and a penny, I took any and every opportunity that was thrown at me. And yes, being in the entertainment industry is always the one thing I dreamed about, even while in school at Notre Dame Prep."


 

To read more of Frank's story, click here.

Alum to Play Special July 4 Concert for U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador


Notre Dame alum Walt Szymanski, a 1972 graduate of Notre Dame and a world-renowned jazz composer and musician, has been invited to play a special concert for the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador, Adam E. Namm. The July 4 concert will feature Szymanski and his band, the Zulu Kings Brass Band.

 

Currently a full-time resident of Ecuador, Szymanski says he's "living and enjoying life on the center of the planet where it is 72-80� every day and 55-60� at night, all year long."

He has served as a professor of jazz studies at the University de San Francisco de Quito/IMC in Quito, Ecuador, and has a number of private music students. He also is writing and composing music for a varied clientele worldwide.

"But my main musical project at the moment is the Zulu Kings band, an authentic, New Orleans style second-line group of my Ecuadorian fellows," he says.

Last December, Szymanski was in Detroit to play a special New Year's Eve concert with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Notre Dame alum Walt Szymanski, center, sporting the old English D, is in Ecuador with his band, the Zulu Kings Brass Band.

Notre Dame Alum Gets Rare Honor And Responsibility at MSU

 

Notre Dame Prep graduate ('14) and Michigan State University freshman Caroline Kelly was chosen as a Tower Guard at the university for the 2015-16 term. Kelly was chosen as one of 77 members of the 7,800 students in the freshman class. They learned of their honor at an early morning April 17 ceremony in front of the John W. Beaumont Memorial Tower, located on the north campus of MSU.

 

Only the top five percent of MSU freshmen, or about 400 students, are asked to apply to be a member of the organization that focuses on assisting MSU students and employees who are visually impaired or have another reading-related impairment. In order to be chosen for Tower Guard, members must exemplify leadership, scholarship, outstanding character and commitment to service.  

 

To read more of Caroline's story, click here.

Alum Says His High School Debate Experience Helped Inform Career Choices

 

Charlie Langton graduated from Notre Dame in 1979. Since then, he has taken quite a few twists and turns that have led him today to be one of metro Detroit broadcasting's most ubiquitous on-air personalities. (Yet he doesn't forget Notre Dame High School.) Langton's a lawyer and a talk-show host. He's a news reporter and a college trustee. He's also won four Emmy awards. Detroiters hear him regularly on WWJ-AM radio and see and hear him on FOX 2 Detroit TV. Truly a man about town who's tough to easily describe. So we'll just let him do the talking - after all, he's a pro at it! (from Langton's bio page on myfoxdetroit.com)

 

"My road to FOX 2 just didn't happen overnight. It's actually taken quite a long time with lots of twists and turns, hard work and a little bit of luck. My real job is an attorney. I have been practicing law for nearly 25 years, have my own law firm, and have tried many cases in multiple areas of law. Some people might call me an ambulance chaser, as I handle a lot of car accidents, workers' compensation cases, slips and falls and dog bites. Basically when somebody gets injured, that's when they call me. I have also represented many criminal cases and actually find the criminal cases to be more interesting than the civil cases. Criminals just have so many more stories to tell.

 

To read more of Charlie's story, click here.

Notre Dame Alum Gets Two Coach of the Year Honors

 

Notre Dame High School alumnus Ed Maloney ('64), who heads the men's lacrosse program at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich., was named coach of the year by the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference and the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association.

The award is Maloney's first WHAC Coach of the Year honor. He guided the Saints to a 6-0 record against fellow WHAC schools.

 

It also is his first CCLA Coach of the Year honor. Maloney led Siena Heights to their first CCLA division championship and first CCLA tournament home game, which they won over Lourdes (Ohio), 12-10.

Maloney is in his seventh year as head coach of the Siena Heights men's lacrosse program. He joined the Saints in the spring of 2008 when he was hired as the team's first coach. He has a highly extensive background in both lacrosse as well as athletics in general.

 

To read more about Coach Maloney, click here.

NDPMA NEWS
Notre Dame's Class of 2015 Shatters School Scholarship Record

When the 180 seniors from Notre Dame walked across the stage on Sunday, May 17, to receive their diplomas, few if any in the audience knew what an astounding statistic about their class was percolating down the hallway.


According to figures released today by Notre Dame Prep's counseling department, this year's class of graduating seniors earned an amazing total of $20,381,540 to date in academic scholarships from colleges and universities. That record total amount of dollars works out to a more than $113,000 average for each member of the class, which shatters by far the mark set the last two years of $88,000, itself a record for any year in the history of the school.

 

In addition, the Class of 2015 averaged 27.2 on the ACT, breaking the record of 27.0, which was the average of the last three graduating classes. Also, the counseling department said this year's graduates included 52 who scored a 30 or above on the ACT.

 

To see a list of the colleges and Universities to which our grads were accepted, click here.

Date Announced for St. Peter Chanel Society  Dinner


Notre Dame is very pleased to announce the date and venue for the 2015 St. Peter Chanel Society Dinner. Hosted with the support of 1975 NDHS alum Joe Vicari, the event will take place at Vicari's Andiamo Italia in Warren on Wednesday, October October 21, 2015.

Named for one of two Marist saints, the St. Peter Chanel Society (SPCS) is made up of donors who have provided annual gifts to The Notre Dame Fund ranging from $1,000 to more than $35,000. All SPCS members are considered part of the school's donor leadership society.

 

St. Peter Chanel Society members come together for dinner each fall to celebrate the year's success and hear an address from a Notre Dame student and from NDPMA's presidents about the "state of the school."


 

"The SPCS dinner not only serves as a small token of our gratitude, it is also a powerful reminder of the donor's role in our mission and the impact the donations make on the lives of young people," said Gregory Simon, director of The Notre Dame Fund.


For more information about the St. Peter Chanel Society or The Notre Dame Fund, contact Gregory Simon at [email protected] or 248-373-2171. Visit the fund page at ndpma.org/ndfund.

New Field Turf Included in Capital Projects Approved by the Notre Dame Board



 

At the April 2015 meeting of Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy's Board of Trustees, a number of capital projects totaling more than $750,000 were approved to move forward throughout this summer. 
 
One of the biggest projects will be the installation of new synthetic turf on the William Kozyra Alumni Field. According to school officials, 50% of the cost of the new field has been donated by current trustee William Kozyra, with the rest of the cost coming out of an appropriation from the school's maintenance fund. The new turf will feature greater concussion prevention versus the current field surface, an alternating-shade-of-green design and colorful renditions of the school's athletic logos.
 
The vendor selected for the field is Pittsburgh, Pa.-based ProGrass Synthetic Turf Systems, which was the manufacturer and installer of Notre Dame's current 13-year-old field surface. The company has installed hundreds of field surfaces across the country at schools ranging from UCLA, Seton Hall University and MSU to Grand Valley State University and Barrow High School in Alaska.  

 

To read about more campus improvements, click here.

Notre Dame's Shilling Named State Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year


 
Notre Dame's Luke Shilling, who just graduated as part of the school's Class of 2015, was named the Michigan Gatorade State Baseball Player of the Year.

 

The Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year were selected based on athletic production and impact in the 2014-15 season. Each winner also demonstrated high academic achievement and exemplary personal character, including volunteerism, sportsmanship and community leadership.

 

To read more about Luke, click here.

For more Notre Dame news,  click here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Support for John McCabe
Long-time Notre Dame coach, supporter and current alumni board member, John McCabe '63 (NDHS), is currently hospitalized with complications from a very serious infection. John was traveling overseas for his granddaughter's wedding when he became ill. He has been hospitalized in London for more than a month. The family, with assistance from Dave Bonior '63 (NDHS), is in the process of arranging for his transfer back to the U.S. 

To help with the sudden and unexpected expenses, Jim Mandl, Jr. '90 (NDHS) has established an online fundraising effort. Please keep John in your prayers and, if you are able, help his family by donating here.
Notre Dame Alumni Association on Facebook, Twitter

 

"Like" the Notre Dame Alumni Association Facebook page to receive news and updates. Follow us on Twitter too! 

 

All alumni are encouraged to join the conversation and post your own memorable photos and videos from your time at Notre Dame or one of the predecessor schools. Or you can post recent status updates and photos to let other alumni know what you're up to!  

Don't forget to utilize the alumni business directory

 

Be sure to check out our alumni business directory. If you would like to add your business to our list please contact Beth Campbell at [email protected].

CLASS REUNIONS NEWS
For a list of upcoming class reunions   

Considering planning a reunion for your class? The alumni office can help you get started. Call (248) 373-2171, ext. 3, or email [email protected] for details. 

PRAYERS FOR ALUMNI
We pray for those who have died:


 

Nancy"Barbara Ann" Fodell - Grandmother of Stephanie, '12 (NDP) and Patrick '04 (NDP) 6-2-15

Danielle DeFauw - Mother of Richard '89 (NDHS) 5-30-15

Richard Zaccardelli - Father of David '82 (NDHS) and Steven '84 (NDHS) 5-29-15

Constance Karschnia - Mother of Ron Hundzinski '77 (NDHS) 5-25-15

Dominic Muglia - Father of Louis '77 (NDHS) and John '80 (NDHS) 5-20-15

Juliett Francis - Grandmother of Justin '00 (NDP), Doug '06 (NDP) and Evelyn '09 (NDP) 5-16-15

Josephine Albu - Mother of Jerome '74 (NDHS) 5-16-15

Aloysius E. "Al" Schneider - '45 (SM) Twin brother of William '45 (SM), Vincent '44 (SM), Rita '47 (SM), Regis '49 (SM) and Catherine '55 (SM) 5-16-15

Clarine Lang - Mother of Randolph '71 (NDHS), Christopher '70 (NDHS), Kenneth '74 (NDHS) and Richard '67 (NDHS) 5-6-15

Edward Brodzik- Father of Michael '79 (PC), grandfather of Michael '10 (NDP) and Alexandrea '12 (NDP) 5-4-15

Josephine "Josie" Wujcikowski - Grandmother of Kristen '08 (NDP) 4-29-15

Ann-Marie Hergott - Mother of Ross Broadwell '94 (NDHS), sister of Dave Hergott '72 (NDHS), mother-in-law of Marc Gunn '91 (NDHS) 4-21-15

Charlotte Dueweke - Mother of Joseph '69 (NDHS) and Stephen '76 (NDHS) 4-16-15

Frances (Couture) Agar - '49 (SF) 4-14-15

George Kurajian - Grandfather to Lisa '05 (NDP) and Phillip '07 (NDP) 4-13-15

Onofrio "Frank" Camarda - Father of Vincenzo '88 (NDHS) 4-11-15

James Stier - Father of Richard '69 (NDHS) 4-10-15

Gary George - '71 (NDHS), Brother of Richard '70 (NDHS) and Uncle of Chris '10 (NDP) 4-10-15

Thomas Matlas - '59 (NDHS) 4-5-15

Rev. Paul LaForge, SVD - '48 (SF) 3-27-15

Prayer List: click here

 

Email your prayers and petitions to [email protected].

NDP = Notre Dame Prep; NDHS = Notre Dame High School; OC = Oakland Catholic; PC = Pontiac Catholic; SM = St. Michael; SF = St. Frederick.