SLUH News

Winter 2008A Jesuit College Preparatory School • Founded 1818

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Just over a year ago I phoned a young man named Chris Zandstra. Chris, a sophomore, was at home dying of cancer. He lived a short but inspiring life filled with a positive witness of joy and faith in the midst of terrible health. In that conversation I did not feel capable of ministry in the face of his suffering. No, usually, it was Chris ministering to me. I asked him if there was anything I could do. He asked me if I could bring his textbooks home to him. To the surprise of no one who knows Chris, he said “I want to be ready for class.” He knew his situation. He died only a few days later. In the very face of death, he had a hope that the world does not understand. His classmates will tell you that the spirit of hope given by Chris lives in them today.

I sometimes wonder what it must be like to be a student at SLUH today, when our media is filled with messages of despair and gloom about the world in which they will become men. The news is so ominous, and I wonder what our students must be thinking.

As they move towards their future, I believe they have the ability to see that not all is despair. Sin, negativity and struggle are certainly present and are not new. But we are called to observe the beauty and goodness in a world filled with these challenges. Here at SLUH, we try to give them a message of hope and show them that they can help create a better world. And time after time, I watch our boys respond with positive, life-affirming actions in the face of the world’s negativity. The spirituality of St. Ignatius leads an Ignatian community to a deep sense

Greetings from the Backer Memorial!

St. Louis University High School4970 Oakland AvenueSt. Louis, MO 63110Telephone: (314) 531-0330Facsimile: (314) 531-8446www.sluh.org

Mr. David J. LaughlinPresident

Dr. John J. MoranPrincipal

Mr. Thomas BecvarAssistant Principal – Administrative and Technology Services

Mr. Brock Kesterson Assistant Principal – Student Affairs

Ms. Robyn L. PilliodAssoc. Vice President for Advancement

Mr. D. Michael Leary Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer

Mr. R. Mark Michalski ‘84Assistant Principal – Academics, Curriculum and Instruction

SLUH NEWSis a publication for alumni, family and friends of St. Louis University High.

Questions and comments should be addressed to:

Joe Patke, Director of Data and Communications St. Louis University High E-mail: [email protected]

Some photos were taken by Ravetta Photography. Others are by Mr. Matt Sciuto ‘70 and the SLUH Photography Club.

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of gratitude for the many gifts we are given to use. It is a spirituality of optimism which observes, as Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ noted, a world “charged with the grandeur of God.”

In this season of Advent, we need look no further than the journey of Mary and Joseph to find an example of hopefulness. Desperate to find shelter in which to give birth, their world seemed grim. Yet in the midst of squalor, the Savior of the world was born. Even at a moment of apparent despair, we were given the ultimate gift of salvation. In the face of uncertainty, Mary and Joseph had a hope that the world did not understand.

The life of Jesus can sometimes seem contrary to the message of hope he preached. After all, the end result of His earthly life was a painful execution. But there again, in that moment of despair, we find grace. We find a hope that the world did not understand.

That is the mystery of our faith. We do not always understand it, but in moments of grace, the Spirit speaks to us with great clarity. This might especially be true when those moments of grace occur during times of great despair.

The mystery of our faith is that the seemingly endless barrage of negative news we are witnessing might help us see with greater clarity those things that are of greatest value - our relationships, our intellect, the gift of the sacraments. Although none of us would wish for the recent negative circumstances, maybe

the problems of the world help us to focus on our most important values.

I believe that is why St. Louis University High is a place of such hopefulness. Our most important values of faith, friendship, service, leadership and intellectual development are clearly our consistent priority.

In these uncertain times, I walk our hallways and know that we can depend on our young men to lead us into a faith-filled future. Their promise, their response to these uncertain times, their optimism for the future, their enthusiasm…sometimes it does not make sense in the midst of the bad news that fills our media. But I am grateful to be around them, and to witness a hopefulness which the world does not always understand. Daily, they remind me that we are indeed a leadership school.

In this Advent season, as we prepare for Christmas, I want to say “thank you” to the entire SLUH family for your support of our faith, mission and values.

Christ’s peace,

David J. LaughlinPresident

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Cashbah 2009“A Silver Screen Salute to Cashbah”

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ASilver ScreenS A L U T E

C A S H B A H 2 0 0 9

President’s Club Raffle$100 per Ticket (Only 400 Tickets Sold)First Prize: $7,000Second Prize: $2,000Third Prize: $1,000

Number of Tickets _______ x $100 = $ __________Enclosed

MC, Visa, AMEX & Discover are accepted (3 or 4 digit code found on back of card)

Mail this form to : CASHBAH St. Louis U. High 4970 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110(If paying by check, please include check, payable to SLUH, with this form).

Name Daytime Phone Number Class Year

Street City State Zip

Credit Card Number Expiration Date Verification Code

Walk the red carpet with all the SLUH stars!

Enjoy an evening of glitz and glamour as SLUH hosts its 40th annual CASHBAH dinner and auction, “A Silver Screen Salute to Cashbah. ”

This gala event will take place on Saturday, April 4, 2009.All that makes up a classic Hollywood party, as well as a stunning collection of auction items, will be on hand to make this truly an evening not to be missed.

This year’s CASHBAH is being chaired by Nancy Guilfoy and Kate Nolan Hagan as well as Parent Chair Dan Barrett and Alumni Chair Mike Brand ’73. Nancy, Kate, Dan and Mike, with all the other stars of CASHBAH, have been busy assembling a glittering array of items which will be up for bid that night. CASHBAH is known for its unique items and this year the tradition continues. In addition to beautiful furniture, there will be many one-of-a-kind trips, parties and event tickets available, as well as sports memorabilia, precious puppies and jewelry to tempt even the most discerning eye.

While many great items have already been donated, more are still needed. Here are some items that bring the top bids, and provide the most benefit to SLUH:

• Use of a vacation home for a week or weekend. Do you have a place on the beach? In the mountains? At the lake? Consider donating it to CASHBAH. You can specify the dates, or make it “mutually agreeable.”

• Tickets to sporting events, plays and concerts are always top sellers. Access to private suites, club seating or other amenities bring even higher bids.

• Parties and dinners, especially in unique venues, are always popular. Can you host an event that will give bidders a fun and unusual outing?

• Sports memoribilia, collectibles and jewelry are also great items.

So come share the spotlight! Call the CASHBAH office today at (314) 531-0330 Extension 158 or 219.

If you can’t join us for “A Silver Screen Salute to Cashbah” on April 4th, 2009 consider supporting SLUH by becoming a corporate sponsor, buying an advertisement, contributing an auction item, making a cash donation or buying a raffle ticket. See our clip-out coupon for the raffles below.

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Construction UpdateConstruction is proceeding on schedule for the Danis Field House. This new facility, featuring both competi-tion and practice/recreational gym space, is currently scheduled to open in the Fall of 2009. It is located immediately south of the main building.

Attention Former SLUH Basketball Players

Mark the date Tuesday, February 17, 2009

on your calendar and make plans to be on

campus for the last basketball game in the

Backer Gymnasium. A special reception

and ceremony honoring former Jr. Billiken

coaches and players is being planned to mark

the occasion.

The Backer Gymnasium has been the home

of Jr. Billiken basketball for 54 years. It

opened during the ’55 - ’56 season and has

been in continual use since that time. In the

fall of 2009, SLUH will open the Danis Field

House, and a new era of Jr. Billiken Basketball

will begin.

Invitations with complete details will be

mailed to all former varsity basketball

coaches and players early in 2009. Until then,

mark your calendar and plan to attend.

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When: Saturday, December 26, 2008 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Where: Vetta Sports – Concord 12320 Old Tesson Ferry Road

Cost: Free! Thanks to our friends at Vetta Sports.

Bring your racquet and eyeguards.

For further information, contact Dr. Joe Koestner at (314) 531-0330 ext. 161 or by e-mail at [email protected].

22nd Annual Alumni Racquetball OutingOpen to all SLUH Alumni

Come join alumni of all ages and skill levels for an afternoon of racquetball

hosted by SLUH’s own racquetball coach, Dr. Joe Koestner.

If you have seriously considered a vocation to the priesthood, you are not alone. According to a 2007 Young Adult Catholics Study conducted by the research firm Hoge & Jewell, 48 percent of young Catholic men have “seriously considered” the priesthood. Last year during the church’s World Youth Day celebration in Sydney, Australia, a “Vocations Expo” exhibit drew over 2,500 visitors.

Vocations to the priesthood have been on the rise during the past several years, and SLUH continues to be a leader in this area. Presently, SLUH is the number one feeder school for both the Archdiocesan seminary and the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

The Jesuits recently launched a new national website to provide information for young men discerning a vocation as a Jesuit priest or brother. The site (www.thinkjesuit.org) includes information on upcoming retreats for those considering the Jesuit way of life, inspirational stories about Jesuit priests and answers common questions young men have about becoming a Jesuit.

The SLUH website contains an informational page for students and alumni who believe they are being called to the priesthood. It is filled with resources to help young men who may be thinking of the religious life. Simply go to the SLUH website (www.sluh.org) and click on the “Vocations” button on the right side of the page for further information.

Jesuits Launch Vocations Website

Corrections to the 2007-2008 President’s ReportIn October, SLUH published the President’s Report for the 2007-2008 school year. This included the honor roll of donors for the year. The following are corrections to the donor listings:

Alumni Donors:Class of ’49Mr. and Mrs. Victor R. Witte * (19)

Parent Donors:Parents of the Class of 2009Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan D. Berger ** (11)

G i f t C l u b s* Junior Billiken $100-$249** Men For Others $250-$499*** AMDG Society $500-$999**** Founder’s Society $1,000-$2,499***** Founder’s Society $2,500-$4,999 Gold Member****** Founder’s Society $5,000 or more Diamond Member

(#) indicates the number of consecutive years giving. This report includes all gifts from 7/1/07 - 6/30/08

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Don’t Miss It!!!

The 11th Annual SLUH Sports Trivia Challenge

will be held onSaturday, February 28, 2009

Where:Backer Gymnasium at SLUH

When:6:00 p.m.-Doors Open and Dinner Served

7:00-10:00 p.m.-Trivia Contest

Maximum of 6 Players Per TeamPrice: $180 per team

Price Includes:Simple Buffet Supper (Sub Sandwiches, Chips, etc.)

Soft Drinks and Draft Beer(Feel free to bring your own snacks!)

Raffles, Door Prizes and Contest Prizes

All proceeds from this event will benefit The Ebbie Dunn and Dom Calacci Scholarship Funds.

Use the entry form below, or enter on-line at www.sluh.org/alumni

Please complete this registration form, and return it to the address below with a check payable to SLUH for the entry fee ($180.00/team). Registrations are due by Friday, February 20, 2009.

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E N T RY F O R M

Mail To: SLUH Sports Trivia • 4970 Oakland Avenue • St. Louis, MO 63110-1402

Team Captain:_____________________________ Phone:______________ E-Mail:_____________________

Address:____________________________ City:__________________ State:_______ Zip: ______________

Additional Players on Team: _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

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Fall Sports Round-UpCross Country Takes Second In StateHead Coach: Jim LinharesAssistant Coachs: Tom Flanagan, Joe Porter, Brian Gilmore, Paul Enke, Andrew Linhares Overall Record: 93-1 (overall number of wins/losses in total overall head-to-head competition.) MCC Record: MCC Champions State Overall Finish: 2nd Place Highlights from the season: Champions of 1st Capitol Invitational, Forest Park XC Festival, Rim Rock Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas, Ladue Invitational, District champions, Sectional champions, undefeated in regular season Varsity competition, achieved a top 25 national ranking. This was SLUH’s best team performance by point total at the State Championship since the team title of ‘61 and our fastest group of 5k performances as a team in the history of the program.

Swimming and Diving Finish Fifth in State Head Coach: Fritz Long Diving Coach: Brenndan LeBrun ‘94 Asst. Coaches: Jim Knapp, SJ ‘69, John Penilla ‘99 State Finish: 5th Dual/Tri-Meet Record: 8-3 MCC Record: 3-1 Highlights: Senior diver & captain Mick Dell’Orco shattered the school’s 6-dive record with a 299.95 point performance against Lafayette (see page 15 for details). The record had stood since 1991. The team also won the Marquette Relays for the 7th consecutive year, regained the JV MCC crown, and kept the Varsity MCC title for an unprecedented 7th consecutive year. At the state meet, the Jr. Bills placed 5th. Dell’Orco set a new school 11-dive record (466.80) and senior Will Derdeyn set school records in the 50 meter freestyle (21.17) and the 100 meter butterfly (51.88).

Left to right are Matt Hohenberger, Michael O’Neil, Will Derdeyn and Trent Going.

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Fall Sports Round-Up

Football Wins District… Wingo Shatters Record Book

Head Coach: Gary Kornfeld Assistant Coachs: Rob Chura, John Diffley, Mark Kornfeld, Mark Tychonievich Overall record: 7- 4 MCC Record: 2-2 tie for 2nd place State Finish: District Champs. Lost in double overtime to Fox in Sectional game.Season Highlights: Ronnie Wingo shattered the record book at SLUH, breaking 12 individual records. Some notable records included: Points Scored (single game): 44 vs. Vianney (7 touchdowns, one extra-point run)Touchdowns Scored (single game): 7 vs. VianneyRushing Yards Per Carry (Avg): 6.9 yards/carry over 11 game season (1,542 yards in 224 attempts)Rushing Touchdowns (career): 41 Most 100-Yard Rushing Games (career): 22

Soccer Compiles 25-3 Record, Top Area Ranking

Head Coach: Charlie MartelAssistant coaches: Charlie Clark, Ted Hellman Overall Record: 25-3 MCC Record: MCC Champions with a conference record of 4-0 Season Highlights: Ranked 5th in the nation by ESPN/Rise Magazine before heartbreaking loss in penalty kicks to Chaminade in the District Title match. Finished the regular season ranked #1 in the Post Dispatch Poll. The team went on an incredible 21 game winning streak before the districts. Champions of the CYC Tournament, the Junior Billiken Classic and the MCC Conference.

Note: The SLUH NEWS Sports Wrap-Ups include only overall results of the Varsity teams competing in MSHSAA-sanctioned sports each season. For more complete coverage of club sports, and teams at all levels, see the Prep News at http://student.sluh.org/prepnews/

10In 2006, Congress passed a law that permits those over 70½ years old to make charitable contributions directly from their IRAs. The contributions would NOT increase the donor’s taxable income, and would count towards the donors minimum required distributions. Although the law was initially intended to be a temporary stimulus to charitable giving in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it has been extended and is still in effect for tax year 2008.

SLUH alumni and friends over 70½ years old with traditional or Roth IRAs can make a gift to SLUH (or any charity) directly from their IRA. This essentially gives you the benefit of a charitable deduction WITHOUT increasing your taxable income. As an added benefit, your contribution counts as part of your minimum required distribution from the IRA and the donation is not subject to the usual percent of donor income limitations. The IRA distributions can come from multiple IRAs but they are limited to an aggregate of $100,000 per donor. “For many alumni over 70, this is a fantastic opportunity to maximize the effects of your charitable gifts,” said tax attorney Mike Barron ’53.

Even donors who do not itemize their Federal income tax returns may make qualified IRA gifts and exclude such gifts from their reportable income. The following limitations apply to IRA contributions:

Qualified charitable distributions may not exceed $100,000 in the aggregate in any taxable year. Qualified distributions must be made directly to the charity by the IRA trustee. Contact your IRA trustee for information on how to initiate a transfer. Qualified charitable distributions may be excluded from gross income for Federal Income tax purposes. Certain states may not exclude gift amounts withdrawn from an IRA for state income tax purposes. Contributions may be counted toward the Minimum Required Distribution (MRD) for a donor’s IRA accounts.

Who is most likely to benefit?

* Individuals who take mandatory minimum withdrawals, but don’t need additional income.

* Individuals who wish to give more than the deductibility ceiling (50% of AGI).

* Individuals who are subject to the 2% rule that reduces their itemized deductions.

* Individuals whose major assets reside in their IRAs and who wish to make a charitable gift during their lifetime.

* Individuals who intend to leave the balance of their IRA to charity at death anyway.

If you have questions, please contact Mr. Tom Auffenberg at SLUH at (314) 531-0330 x112. The financial institution which manages your IRA may also have helpful information.

Congress Extends Direct IRA Donations Law

Fr. Heumann S.J. ‘77 celebrates the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

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Last summer, SLUH President David Laughlin announced the appointment of Mr. Tom Auffenberg to the role of Director of Major Gifts. Auffenberg’s role is to work with Laughlin and the staff of the Advancement Office to secure funding to ensure the financial future of SLUH.

Auffenberg is certainly not a newcomer to the SLUH family. He is the father of three SLUH alumni: Ryan ’99, Greg ’01, and David ’07. During his 10 years as a SLUH parent, he was very active in the Fathers’ Club, and served as Fathers’ Club President in 2000-2001. In 2005, he was elected to a three-year term on the SLUH Board of Trustees.

Auffenberg is the owner of Mid Town Printing, a small company he purchased in 1991 and grew into a very successful operation, with a large printing plant on The Hill. Prior to purchasing Mid Town, he was an attorney specializing in finance,

insurance and estate planning. In addition to his work with SLUH, Auffenberg and his wife, Dale, are volunteers for the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, an apostolate of the Jesuits. He is also on the Board of Trustees for Loyola Academy, a Jesuit-sponsored middle school for at-risk boys.

“I am thrilled to join the SLUH advancement staff,” said Auffenberg. “I’ve been involved with Jesuit apostolates for nearly all of my adult life, starting as a college student at Santa Clara University. The chance to merge my volunteer interests and my career was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.” Auffenberg said that future fundraising will focus on the issue of affordability. “In my new role, I want to focus on building our endowment and financial aid funds. Keeping SLUH affordable has to be our number one goal for the future.”

Tom Auffenberg Joins Advancement Office Staff

Rev. J. J. Killoren, S.J. ’32Edward J. Walter, Ph.D. ’33Albert J. Gnade, M.D. ’34Mr. J. R. James, Jr. ’34The Hon. John R. Rickhoff ’34Mr. Henri E. Renard ’36Mr. Ernest E. Schluter ’37Mr. John F. Volland ’37Mr. Joseph H. Jacobsmeyer ’38Br. Raphael Prendergast ’38Mr. James H. Pulliam ’39Mr. Raymond H. Deck ’40Mr. Daniel P. Finney, Sr. ’40Mr. John F. Imbs ’41Mr. Robert E. O’Brien ’41Mr. William A. Denny ’42Mr. Edward J. Piel, Jr. ’42Mr. John H. Schweitzer ’42Mr. Joseph C. Elder, Jr. ’43Mr. Thomas Fucoloro ’43Mr. Warren J. Meifert ’43Mr. John W. Murphy ’43Mr. Anthony Power ’43Mr. Lawrence A. Berger ’44Rev. Thomas Farrelly ’44Mr. James R. Grady ’44Mr. Joseph N. Kilburg, Jr. ’44Mr. Nicholas J. Mueller ’44Mr. George H. Wrape ’44Mr. Robert M. Heil ’45Mr. Cornelius J. Regan ’45Mr. Robert J. Travers ’45Mr. J. R. Vien ’45Mr. Robert W. Freese ’46Mr. Robert J. McGroarty ’46Mr. Val A. Prevallet ’46James W. Walsh, M.D. ’46Rev. John C. Ruoff, S.J. ’47Mr. Robert S. Berra ’48Mr. Thomas J. Klutho ’49Mr. Ralph A. Meyer ’49Mr. Arthur F. Street ’49Mr. James B. Tunny, Jr. ’49Mr. Albert G. Eschrich, Jr. ’50Mr. John J. Fitzgibbon ’50Mr. Dewey S. Godfrey ’50Mr. C. B. McLaughlin ’50Mr. William R. Murphy, Jr. ’50Mr. Donn C. Riley ’50Mr. John L. Bauer, Jr. ’51Mr. Philip J. Disher ’51

Mr. Don L. Holt ’51Mr. William J. Monahan, Jr. ’51Mr. Edward J. Reilly, Jr. ’51Rev. Carl F. Starkloff, S.J. ’51Mr. Richard H. Valenta ’51Mr. Paul J. Wetstein ’51Mr. Michael K. Brennan, Sr. ’52Mr. John T. McLaughlin ’52Mr. George V. Meisel ’52Mr. John E. Wolff ’53John J. Phillips, M.D. ’54Mr. Stanley Jones ’55Mr. Joseph T. Kehret ’55Mr. Arthur H. Vogel, Jr. ’55Mr. Robert J. Betlach ’56Mr. Donald R. Reeves, Sr. ’56Mr. David O. Coughlin ’57Mr. Richard C. Elder ’57Mr. Michael D. FitzWilliam ’57Mr. Steve R. Richtarsic ’58Mr. James E. Roach ’58Mr. Donald J. Weyerich ’59John V. King, Jr., M.D. ’60William K. Sullivan, M.D. ’62Mr. John W. Morgester, IV ’63Capt. Edwin J. Yoch ’63Mr. John F. Mahon ’64Mr. Stephen K. Crocker ’67Mr. Theodore J. Steiling, Sr. ’68Mr. Daniel V. Eberle ’70Mr. Kurt S. Kestermeier ’73Mr. Robert E. Pietz, Jr. ’73Mr. Vincent H. Venker, II ’75Mr. David G. McFall ’78Mr. Kelty C. O’Brien ’81Mr. Donnie Harris ’86Mr. Steven M. Aufdenspring ’95

In MemoriamBetween November of 2007 and November of 2008, SLUH has learned of the deaths of the following alumni:

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C l a s s

1953Dr. Curtis Schmidt, Ph.D., published a new book last summer entitled Seven Deadly Threats to America. Published by Outskirt Press, the book is available at amazon.com

1954For the past four years, Dr. Tom Meirink has been a regular volun-teer at Resurrection House in Sara-sota, Florida. Resurrection House provides support for the homeless, and received 36,000 visits last year.

1955Dr. Jerry McElroy’s book Sacred Traces was nominated by the Con-ference on Christianity and Litera-ture for its Book of the Year Award. This book of poetry is published by Finishing Line Press and is available at major on-line booksellers.

1964The staff at the giant architectural firm of HOK Group, Inc. lost a valued colleague and friend this fall with the death of John Mahon. Mahon was a Senior Vice President with the firm. His co-workers wanted to remember him in some significant way, and so they estab-lished a scholarship in Mahon’s memory at his alma mater. His colleagues jointly contributed over $30,000 to the John F. Mahon, Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund. Family, friends and classmates have further added to the fund.

1968St. Louis Police Chaplain John Fava, S.J. gave the invocation and bene-diction at the Candlelight Vigil and Memorial Service in Jefferson City honoring those police officers in Missouri who have died in the line of duty. On July 4th, Fava joined several police officers and firefight-ers who carried a huge American flag onto the field for the pre-game ceremonies for the Cubs vs. Cardi-nals game at Busch Stadium.

Walter Theiss, General Attorney and Associate General Counsel for AT&T, was recently appointed General Counsel-Europe and Middle East, AT&T Global Network Services. His area of responsibil-ity now encompasses legal issues throughout Europe and the Middle East. Theiss will live in Brussels, Belgium.

1970Tim O’Neil’s recently published book Mobs, Mayhem and Murder was the November selection of the KMOX/Fontbonne University Book-of-the-Month Club. The book is a collection of stories from Tim’s time on the St. Louis Police beat for the Post-Dispatch.

1974Kids Chance, Inc. and the Bar As-sociation of Metropolitan St. Louis gave their 2008 Workers’ Compen-sation Distinguished Lawyer Award to John J. Larsen, Jr. John is a part-ner in the firm of Larsen, Feist and Hess.

1975Ty Keough was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of fame at their annual banquet in September. Keough played for legendary coach Ebbie Dunn at SLUH and later at St. Louis University where he was a two-time first team All-American. He played professionally until 1986 and earned seven caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

1977For the second summer in a row, Nerinx Hall English teacher John Magee spent five weeks teaching and helping at a school in Gulu, Uganda. You can read about John’s experiences on his blog at http://mageeinuganda.blogspot.com/

1978Greg Lukeman, the Executive Di-rector of the charity Food Out-reach, issued a challenge to his friends and colleagues to eat for a week on $25.38. That is the amount of food stamps a disabled Missouri resident typically receives. His idea was to bring awareness to the challenges that the poor and disabled face each day. Lukeman pursuaded two state legislators, and a local chef and magazine editor to join him in the week-long challenge. Their experience was documented in a feature article in the Sunday, October 8, 2008 edition of the Post-Dispatch.

NotesNotes

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Continued on Page 22

1979Ralph Warnock is recovering at home in Falmouth, Maine, from surgeries and cancer treatments. He spent several weeks at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and now reports that “even though there is a long road ahead, I know I will have the strength, courage and stamina to take what comes and eventually make a full recovery.” Classmates and friends can check his progress and show their sup-port at www.livestrong.lotsahelp-inghands.com/c/605862/login/

1982Christopher Morrison, AIA, LEED-AP, is a principal with the firm of Cunningham+Quill Architects in Washington, D.C. Chris’ projects have won numerous AIA awards and he was project architect for the first LEED certified “green” building to be constructed in the District of Columbia. He is cur-rently serving as President of the Potomac Valley chapter of the AIA and is regularly a guest speaker and critic for the architecture pro-grams at both Catholic University and the University of Maryland.

Chris Koster was elected in No-vember to be Missouri’s next At-torney General.

1983Loyola Academy, the Jesuit middle school for boys located in mid-town St. Louis, named Eric Clark as the new Principal for the 2008-09 school year. For the past 16 years,

Clark has been on staff at SLUH, spending the last 13 as the Dean of Students.

1985The Knights of Columbus at St. Clement Church in St. Louis County have elected Bill Meirink as their 2008 President.

1986Nick Porter is working as an Ac-count Manager in charge of New Business Development for Color-Art Integrated Interiors.

1988Edward Del Rosario is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. In the past two years, he has had solo exhibits in galleries from Milan, Italy to Santa Monica, Cali-fornia and received commissions to create public art for the New York Transit Authority. His art-work was used extensively in the June 29, 2008 edition of the New York Times Sunday Magazine to il-lustrate a feature on the declining birthrate in Europe.

Jack Geist spent much of last year in China working on a film project. Along with his wife, Jackie, and two children ages 4 and 7, Jack spent several months in Bejing as the Visual Effects Producer on a Chinese historical epic based on The Three Kingdoms, entitled Battle of Red Cliff, with Director John Woo. The entire movie was shot in China primarily as a promotion to the Summer Olympics. Jack is a visual effects producer whose credits include Stargate, Long Kiss Goodnight, Lolita, Last of the Dogmen, Cutthroat Island, and later movies, Deep Blue Sea, Sphere, Red Planet, and Scooby Doo – Part 2. His more recent work has been with docu-mentaries for National Geographic. The St. Louis Science Center has screened both of his recent 3D documentaries, Magnificent Desola-tion – Walking on the Moon with Tom Hanks as narrator, and the 2007 documentary, Sea Monsters – A Prehistoric Adventure.

1990Rob Fischer is hosting an afternoon drive-time sports-talk radio show in Memphis, Tennessee. He is also the sideline television reporter for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, reporting for the Fox Sports South network.

NotesNotes

The cover of the June 29, 2008, edition of the New York Times Sunday Magazine featured this painting by Edward Del Rosario

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St. Louis University High School senior Ronnie Wingo has been selected to play in the nationally acclaimed 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was presented with a U.S. Army All-American Bowl jersey on October 29th in a special presentation in the school’s Joseph F. Schulte Theater.

Wingo, a talented running back who is being recruited by top colleges across the nation, is one of only three student-athletes in the metropolitan area and 90 in the nation selected to play in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Featuring a powerful combination of speed and agility, Wingo has already broken several school football records. In his most notable game this season (against Vianney on October 3), he scored seven touchdowns and rushed for more than 400 yards.

Several representatives from the U.S. Army attended the jersey presentation, along with friends and family of Wingo, coaches, teammates, students and administrators.

As the premier high school football game in the country, the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be televised live on NBC from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, January 3, 2009 at noon (CST). Since its inception in 2001, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which features the most elite high school football talent in the nation, has helped launch the careers of Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Adrian Peterson, Tim Tebow and many other college and NFL stars.

Around the Halls

National Merit Scholars NamedForty students from St. Louis University High School have been recognized for their outstanding academic promise as National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars.

To become a semifinalist and eligible for scholarships from the National Merit program and its sponsors, semifinalists must maintain a high academic record, achieve a PSAT score among the top in the state, and complete an application and essay. Sixteen students from SLUH have been distinguished with this recognition.

Names:

Dan BaxterShawn BlytheChris BrennanNick EshelmanMike FordNate FoxTrent GoingKevin KisselMatt KocisakDavid Kuciejczyk-KernanPeter MackowiakDavid MartinStephen MurphyMatt NahlikJamie PerkinsMark Waterman

Wingo Selected to U.S. Army

All-American Bowl

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SLUH AP Scholars

AnnouncedThe College Board has announced that 133 St. Louis University High School students have been recognized as AP Scholars this year, based on their AP scores through May 2008. Two of the 133 received the most elite honor of AP National Scholar.

The following is a summary of those students who have been recognized as AP Scholars:

AP Scholars: 63 students Granted to students who receive grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

AP Scholars with Honor: 32 students Granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

AP Scholars with Distinction: 36 students Granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

National AP Scholars: 2 studentsMichael Baumer ‘08Stephen Schumacher ‘08Granted to students in the United States who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

New SLUH Diving RecordHistory was made in November at the SLUH/Lafayette swim meet. After weeks of coming up a handful of points short, senior diver Mick Dell’Orco shattered the school’s diving record (6 dives) with a fantastic 299.95 point performance. The previous record was 284.75 and was set by Tom Tretter in 1991. Mick’s scores on his most difficult dive -- a reverse 2½ somersaults -- aided him in finally reaching (and exceed-ing) the record. Mick now turns his attention to the 11 dive record, also set by Tretter in 1991. At the same meet, fellow senior diver Ryan Berger had a personal best of 230. It was a great day for SLUH div-ers.

Senior Daniel Miller is one of just 38 athletes nationwide chosen to represent the United States on the National Junior Swim Team for 2009. With his selection, Daniel will be representing the USA at the Pan Pacific Junior Championships to be held in Vancouver next May.

Daniel was selected based on his performance at the Junior National Championships swimming meet held last August at the University of Minnesota. He currently ranks 5th in the nation for high school boys in the 200 meter freestyle, 10th nationwide in the 400 meter freestyle and 10th in the 200 meter butterfly.

In addition to his athletic achievements, Daniel is a top scholar at SLUH. As a result, he is being recruited by some of the nation’s top universities, and will be making visits to Harvard, Cal-Berkely, Princeton, Yale and Stanford during the school year.

David McCrary is the head coach at the CSP Tideriders Swimming Club where Daniel competes and trains. Coach McCrary had high praise, saying “Daniel embodies what being a student athlete is all about. He is committed to both school and athletics, and has excelled in each. I am honored to be working with him.”

Senior Swimmer named to national Junior

team

16

Chinese Language Studies Flourish at SLUHChinese Language Studies Flourish at SLUH

17


In the early 1960s, the currIculum at sluh underwent some radIcal changes. PrIor to 1960, sluh’s currIculum was heavy wIth the classIcs…the study of Latin and Greek, the reading of literature, the study of western civilization and so forth. But in the “post-Sputnik” era, there was a call for a broader curriculum, with more emphasis on math, science and foreign languages that would help students compete in a world of technology and globalization.

It was in 1964 that Fr. Gerry Sheahan, S.J., then-Principal of SLUH, expanded the foreign language department to include the study of Mandarin Chinese. “Fr. Sheahan was truly a visionary,” said Dr. Bob Bannister ’54, a former administrator at SLUH and at Ladue Horton Watkins High School. “It was rare for American high schools to offer any non-European languages at that time,” said Bannister. “It is still uncommon. SLUH is one of only 2 high schools in the area to offer a full 4-year course of study in Chinese.”

The program launched in 1964 under the direction of Mr. Andrew Chang. In 1967, Mr. August Wang arrived at SLUH, and he would be the Chinese instructor for the next 18 years. Mr. Wang left the school in 1985 to pursue business interests, eventually settling in Taiwan.

In 1987, SLUH hired Dr. Ching-Ling Tai who was teaching part time at Washington University. Dr. Tai brought a high level of academic rigor to the study of Chinese, and over the past 21 years the program has flourished under her guidance. Enrollment in Chinese has increased, and this year a second teacher has been hired to handle the growing demand.

18

Around the Halls Continued from Page 15

100th anniverSary of theBilliken – viSitorS from Japan

Editor’s Note: The following piece is based on an article written by Senior Kevin Casey for the October 31, 2008 edition of the Prep News. You can view Kevin’s article on-line at http://student.sluh.org/prepnews/pdfs/73/vol73-9.pdf

On October 30, 2008, SLUH received some unusual visitors. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Billiken, officials from Osaka, Japan, brought their much-revered wooden Billiken statue to SLUH for a visit. The wooden statue, or Billiken-sann as many Japanese affectionately refer to it, was accompanied by Tsutenkaku Tower Vice President Takai Ryuko and reporter Kei Iguchi of the Yomiuri Shimbun (the Daily Yomiuri), one of Japan’s most widely read newspapers. The two journeyed to the U.S. to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Billiken, which was created in 1908 by an American art teacher.

The Billiken toy craze swept the nation for a few years, eventually making its way to Japan. In the first half of the 20th century, it was the mascot for a theme park in Osaka modeled after Coney Island in New York City. The Billiken fad eventually faded in both countries. In the United States, only the athletic programs of SLUH and SLU kept the memory of the Billiken alive. In Japan, the Billiken was revived in the form of a wooden statue at the Tsutenkaku Tower in the 1980’s. Within several years the statue began to be treated affectionately as a good luck charm by people of Osaka.

Iguchi and Ryuko visited both SLUH and SLU, gathering stories and photos about the Billiken for their readers in Japan, speaking through Japanese transla tor Noriko Shinkai. They later attended the SLUH football game against Lindbergh, to see our Billiken mascot in action.

According to Ryuko, who spoke through Shinkai, “Since this creature was born 100 hundred years ago ... this statue itself is look ing for its own roots, so that’s why he tried to get back to the original spot.” In Japan it is referred to as a sapogaeri,

which translated means “return to the birthplace” or “looking for roots.”

It is partly for this reason that Iguchi, who usually covers police-related topics, wanted to be involved with the story, which Shinkai described as “very warm-hearted.”

“I never ever imagined that this very favorable statue related to St. Louis, Mis souri,” said Iguchi.

Osaka’s Billiken usually sits upon a throne 91 meters high, overlooking Japan’s second largest city, in Tsutenkaku Tower. The original Tsutenkaku Tower, which literally means “tower reaching heaven,” was the highest in the East in 1912, the year it was built. It was later dismantled in 1943 for use of its steel in World War II, only to be rebuilt in 1956.

According to Ryuko, about one million people visit the Billiken each year, sometimes waiting two to

Japanese reporter Kei Iguchi poses with the Billiken in a SLUH classroom.

Junior winS Entrepreneurship

CONTeSTJunior Chad Carson shared the first prize in a business ideas competition as part of the Summer Entrepreneurship Academy held at the John Cook School of Business at St. Louis University. The Academy is an intensive, one-week program which brings together talented students from across the area to study business management with some of the area’s top entreprenuers. The week culminated with a “Business Ideas Competition” in which 10 teams vied to create the best business plans. Chad and his teammate, Ryan Dykhouse of the Westminster Christian Academy, took first prize with their plans for Keystone Musical Services, a teaching and merchandising business for music lessons.

19


three hours on weekends just to put their hand on the little creature. The deep indents in the statue’s feet were caused by being rubbed so much. “People pray him to pass school exams, find mates, etc. It is believed that if you rub the soles of his feet, your wish will be fulfilled.”

Prior to the trip to St. Louis, the Osaka Billiken had only left his perch on one occasion, when he took a limousine to Tokyo. Before leaving for America, Tsutenkaku Tower threw Billiken a 100th birthday party, complete with a birthday cake and mascot. “Around 50 people surrounded this statue,” said Ryuko. “Then everybody sang a song for a happy birthday, and treated him like family.”

As a sign of their gratitude, Iguchi and Ryuko gave SLUH a gift: the school now has its very own golden replica figurine of the Billiken, “the god of things as they ought to be.”

On November 14, 2008, two SLUH athletes signed National Letters of Intent and accepted athletic collegiate scholarships. Seniors Rudy Brynac (left) signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Lewis College and Mike Bucchino signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Arkansas.

Around the Halls

20

Editors Note: This piece is based on articles written by senior Chris Brennan and junior Matt Bettonville for the October 31, 2008 edition of the Prep News. See issue on-line at http://student.sluh.org/prepnews/pdfs/73/vol73-9.pdf

St. Louis University High School hosted its third Issues Day on October 24th in conjunction with the national elections in November. The event, which has been held in presidential election years since 2000, featured 44 guest speakers who provided students the opportunity to learn more about key issues, such as civil liberties, respect for life, healthcare reform and tax policy.

The day kicked off with a keynote presentation by Saint Louis University economic professor Fr. Doug Marcouiller, S.J., and three Jesuit scholastics regarding the purpose of Issues Day.

Students then separated into group discussions on topics of their choosing. All of these discussions were focused on specific issues themselves, as opposed to individual political candidates. Some notable speakers included: Pam Fichter, President of Missouri Right to Life; State Representative Bob Onder ’80, who discussed immigration; Wall Street Journal columnist Peter Ferrara ’97, who talked about tax policy; and U.S. Army Major Julie Caruso-Haines and former Navy Seal Eric

Greitens, who both spoke about the War on Terror.

Following the discussions, students assembled in their respective homerooms to debate among themselves key issues and reflect on the speakers. They also participated in a mock election to decide the next President of the United States, as well as the Governor for the State of Missouri. The mock elections used an “electoral college” system,

with homerooms representing states. The winner of the popular vote in each homeroom was alloted the electoral votes for that homeroom. The student body chose by both popular and electoral vote Republicans John McCain for President and Kenny Hulshof for Governor.

Issues Day culminated with a debate between Executive Director of the Democratic Party Michael Kelly and Patrick Werner, the Chief of Staff to Congressman Todd Akin. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions of both Kelly and Hancock.

“It was good to see students showing such a desire to be actively involved in the civic process,” said junior Jack Newsham.

S L U HhoStSiSSueS Day

Continued from Page 19

Issues Day concluded with a debate between Mike Kelly (left), the former head of the Missouri Democratic Party, and Patrick Werner (right), Chief of Staff for Congressman Todd Akin, a Republican representing Missouri’s second congressional district.

Fr. Jim Goeke, S.J. ‘76, Chaplain for St. Louis University Hospital, speaks about healthcare reform.

21

“I thought the day went well,” said Social Studies teacher Paul Michaelson, Ph.D. “I was glad the students had an opportunity to engage actively with the issues in a manner which is a change of pace from a routine day in the classroom.”

In the all-school assembly that concluded the day, SLUH President David Laughlin reinforced the context around the day’s activities. He emphasized the importance for Catholics to use the values of their faith to shape their participation in the political process. Specifically, he referred to a document from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and the moral priorities outlined in its teaching. This document helps Catholics form their consciences so they can make sound moral judgments about public choices.


SluH FAmilies spreAd

HolidaySpiritSt. Louis University High School reached out to the poor in the metropolitan area on November 23rd through the distribution of Thanksgiving baskets to 46 needy families. This annual event, which was supported by 130 SLUH families, provided food, paper goods, and other essential household items to area underprivileged. Kathryn Snodgrass, a SLUH alumni mom, initiates this process by meeting with the staff at the St. Margaret of Scotland Outreach Center. A list of needy families is created, then each name is matched to one or more SLUH families interested in sponsoring this effort. Essentially, SLUH “adopted” and is supporting 46 different families.

“The amount of food and other items collected was overwhelming,” said Sophomore Michael Patke, who helped to deliver the packages to the collection point. “It was great to see how many SLUH families participated.”

The SLUH Mothers’ Club, together with the President’s Office, donate gift cards for the purchase of a turkey. This event is just one of many service projects undertaken by the SLUH community to promote the school mission of the Ignation tradition, “Men for Others.”

SLUH students help organize the food collection at the St. Margaret Center.Sophomore Patrick Smith poses a question to the debators during the assembly on Issues Day.

221992David Bischof and wife, Christine, announced the birth of their third child, Kaitlyn Nicole, on May 18. Kaitlyn joins two brothers, Nathan, 6 and Carter, 5.

1995Matt Leuken was awarded the G. Ellsworth Huggins Scholarship through the University of Missouri last year and is pursuing a Ph.D. After spending several years teaching English in Japan as part of the pub-lic school system there, he developed an interest in studying and comparing the educational policies of dif-ferent nations. He hopes to conduct research and ed-ucation policy analysis while teaching at the university.

Groeten uit Amsterdam! Tim Bantle ‘95 was recently in Amsterdam as part of his role as Product Line Manager of the Alpine Division at Patagonia. He met up one Sunday with classmate Jonathan Shaw who has lived in Amsterdam for 7 years and is now working on the separation of ABN AMRO Bank.

1996Patrick Connolly won the Best Chef of the Northeast award at the 2008 James Beard Foundation Awards in New York City. Patrick is the Executive Chef at Bobo’s in Manhattan.

Kevin Baker was recently promoted to the position of Systems Technology Manager at the St. Louis brewery of Anheuser-Busch. Kevin has been an engineer in the Brewing Operations Technology department at A-B for the past nine years.

1999Ryan Auffenberg’s original song “Dizzy Spells” from his latest CD, “Marigolds,” was featured on an episode of ABC’s hit show “Private Practice” in September. Ryan is a singer-songwriter currently living in San Francisco.

After graduating last May from the University of Geor-gia with a Ph.D. in Genetics, Dan Ruzicka and his wife Kristin moved back to St. Louis to begin a Post-doc-toral research position at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

2000We wish to report a correction to the listing in the Class Notes section of the last edition of the SLUH NEWS. Matt Birke, D.D.S., was married to Christine Sharamitaro (a Viz grad from the class of 2000). We mistakenly reported her last name as “Grant.” Our apologies to Dr. and Mrs. Birke.

2002After earning his masters degree in music from Yale University, Zach Hemenway has accepted the pres-tigious position of Music Director of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the Chestnut Hill section of Phila-delphia. St. Paul’s is a parish renowned for its musical excellence, and has a large choir and a superb pipe organ. Hemenway has won nationwide acclaim as an organist.

2004At the convocation ceremony for the graduting class at Colorado College last May, the school conferred it’s Henry “Skip” Meis Outstanding Student of the Year Award to Dan Foldes. Dan, a music major, was a student leader in his years at Colorado College. He chaired the student-run concert production company

Class Notes Continued from Page 13

23LiveSounds, and began a program of independent music recording. He worked over the summer for Alchemy Concert Systems in Basalt, Colorado.

The Boston College chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honors fraternity inducted Sean Kelly to member-ship in the Spring of 2008.

2005Matt Dirnbeck participated in the Boston Mara-thon in April of 2008. He finished with a time of 2:58:49, and came in 1,061 out of 21,963 runners. He was the 6th fastest runner from the State of Missouri.

2006 Thomas Taro Shimizu is completing a semester-long paid internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. He will return to his studies at Washington University in January.

2008Alex Effinger has earned a spot as goaltender on the Junior A professional hockey club Hartford Wolfpack. His brother, Eddie ‘06, is a winger on the Amherst College hockey team.


Casey Aandahl ’99 Receives Air Medal

Navy Lieutenant Casey Aandahl ’99 has received the Air Medal for conducting air operations over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Aandahl is a Naval Flight Officer assigned to E-2C Hawkeye squadron VAW 116 “Sun Kings” based in Point Mugu, California.

The E-2C Hawkeye watches over Navy vessels, warning them of threats, and also coordinates air-to-ground attacks in hot spots around the world. A recent Smithsonian Air & Space magazine article (July 2008 issue) published a feature article on VAW 116 and the E-2C Hawkeye, and Aandahl was included in one of the photos in the article.

The Air Medal, established in 1942, is awarded to Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine aviators who distinguish themselves through meritorious achievement while flying.

24

Class Notes Continued from Page 23

Major Daniel Isom, a 1985 St. Louis University High School graduate, has been appointed as the new Chief of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. A member of the department since 1988, Isom is the city’s 33rd Chief of Police.The St. Louis Police Board selected Isom after a six-week search process that narrowed the applicants to eight finalists including three lieutenants and five majors. Isom, who holds a doctorate in criminal administration and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, will be the third African-American to lead the department.

On October 10, 2008, Isom was officially sworn in to his new position by a fellow SLUH alumnus, Chris Goodson ’87 who is the President of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.

SLUH WeddingWhen Chris Cerny ’99 was married last Spring, 9 out of the 10 men in the wedding party were Junior Bills, so they decided to stop on the SLUH campus for a photo. Left to right: Peter Nguyen ‘99, Nick Fisher ‘99, Brendan O’Neal ‘99, Dan Snodgrass ‘99, Pat Hook ‘99, Chris Cerny ‘99 (the Groom), Matt Cerny ‘96, Joe Rebman ‘97, John Rebman ‘00 and Kevin Crump, a ‘95 graduate of DeSmet (who was reportedly a good sport about the stop at SLUH).

Dan Isom ‘85 being introduced as the new Chief of Police for the city of St. Louis. Introducing Chief Isom is the President of the Board of Police Commissioners, Chris Goodson ‘87 (on the right). In the back of the photo is another SLUH alumnus on the Board of Police Commissioners, Vince Bommarito ‘49 (left).

Isom ’85 New Chief of Police

25

Pictured are two generations of the Prep News. Tom Santel ’76 was the Chief Editor of the paper in his senior year at SLUH, and English teacher Jim Raterman was the moderator. Together, they took on the task of making the Prep News a weekly publication. To this day, it is the only weekly high school newspaper in St. Louis. Tom’s son Jim Santel ’08 followed in his father’s footsteps and was named the Chief Editor of the Prep News last year. English teacher Steve Missey ’88 is the current moderator of the Prep News, having taken over the position from Raterman in 2002. Pictured left to right are: Steve Missey ’88, Jim Santel ’08, Tom Santel ’76 and Jim Raterman.

Professor Dan Schlafly ’57 Visits SLUH Russian Classes

Professor Dan Schlafly ’57 is a scholar of Russian History at St. Louis University. Each year, he gives a guest lecture to the junior and senior Russian language classes at SLUH. “He brings an incredible depth of knowledge,” says SLUH’s Russian teacher Rob Chura. “He speaks about current events in Russia, relating them to the country’s history and culture…it’s a great experience for our boys.”

Two Generations of the Prep News

26Teaching Mandarin Chinese to American students presents special challenges. “The hardest thing for the students is learning to write the characters,” said Dr. Tai. “The characters are not phonetic markers as they are in the alphabets of European languages. Rather, the characters are pictographs. They represent ideas and images rather than sounds. That is a difficult transition for Western students to make.”

Although SLUH has computer programs that create Chinese characters, Dr. Tai does not allow students to use them very often. “If they type the characters, it becomes phonetic. They must learn to draw them to fully understand them.”

This challenge is the source of much frustration among Dr. Tai’s students. In fact, 60% to 70% of her Freshman students will continue the course of study for

the full four years. “Recently my Freshman class has increased from approximately 20 to more than 25,” said Dr. Tai.

But those who study the full four years find that their knowledge of Chinese creates many opportunities for them.

While at SLUH, juniors and seniors who have a grade of B+ or higher are eligible to take part in an exchange program that Dr. Tai has arranged with the Nanjing Foreign Language School. St. Louis established a “sister-city” relationship with Nanjing in 1978…the first U.S. city to have a sister-city in China. Dr. Tai has helped to foster the sister-city relationship by leading several tours of civic leaders from St. Louis to Nanjing, and likewise hosting and translating when parties of dignitaries from Nanjing arrive in St. Louis.

For the student exchange, Dr. Tai selects four students who spend two weeks of the spring semester living with host families in Nanjing and attending classes at the Nanjing Foreign Language School. This year marks the twelfth year of the partnership with Nanjing Foreign Language School.

Dr. Tai felt so strongly about the program that she has endowed a scholarship to offset the cost for two of the four students. “I found it frustrating that sometimes my best students were unable to take part in the exchange because of

Continued from Page 17Chinese Language Studies Flourish at SLUH

Dr. Tai (R) with Rueih-Wei Chien. Ms. Chien has joined Dr. Tai on the SLUH staff as a Chinese teacher.

27

the cost. I wanted to remove that barrier, and make it possible for my most talented, diligent students to benefit from this exchange.” Dr. Tai made a substantial donation to an endowment at SLUH. The interest on this endowment pays about half the cost for two students to make the journey to Nanjing each year.

In the reciprocal part of the exchange, four students from Nanjing Foreign Language School, who have excelled in their study of English, spend four months living with host families in St. Louis and attending classes at SLUH.

“The exchange program takes the study of another language way beyond the classroom and textbooks,” said Dr. Tai. “It is a people-to-people cultural exchange. It fosters understanding and friendships that transcend nationality.”

Many of Dr. Tai’s former students have gone on to further Chinese studies in college, and have taken advantage of the career opportunities that fluency in the language creates.

Dave Willard ‘01After taking four years of Chinese at SLUH, David Willard graduated in 2001 and attended Princeton University. “I went to Princeton with the intention of being Pre-Med,” said David. “But I took a class in Chinese and became involved in the program. The interest in Chinese that Dr. Tai had sparked in me grew, and I eventually changed from Pre-

Med and majored in East Asian Studies.” David studied in China twice during his college career. He completed a two-month Chinese immersion program after his freshman year. “Then, after my junior year, I left Princeton and studied in China at Qing Hua University, studying Chinese foreign policy and economics.” It was during this year that David interned at the Delegation of the European Commission to China. “This is basically a conglomerate of the European embassies. I interned as a translator and interpreter.” After earning his degree, David went into the finance field. Initially based in London, he analyzed Chinese investments for a hedge fund. Currently, he is based in San Francisco, and plans to continue expanding his knowledge of Chinese for future career opportunities.


(Above) Dr. Tai with the SLUH Chorus at a celebration of National Day of the Republic of China.

(Left) During her visit to Bejing last spring, Dr. Tai had dinner with two former students.

28Eric Gass ‘06While many of Dr. Tai’s students have done university studies in China, the path that Eric Gass ’06 took was unique. Most students enroll in an American university, and after two or three years of study, travel to China through a “study abroad” program sponsored by their American university. But Eric took a more direct route. He enrolled at the University of Bejing directly out of St. Louis University High. He is not part of a “study abroad” program, but rather he is a full-time student seeking a degree at the University of Bejing. He reports to Dr. Tai that it has been a challenge doing this on his own, without the support of a U.S.-based university, but it has been a challenge he has enjoyed.

“More and more of my former students are living and doing business in China,” reports Dr. Tai. “Last spring, when I went to China for our annual exchange program, I met with three of my students in Bejing.”

Jason Tower ’97 Jason Tower ’97 was majoring in Chinese at Washington University when he received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of Education to spend a year studying in China. “After my scholarship ended, I just stayed,” said Jason. “I spent two years working for a law firm with offices in Bejing, doing translations and analysis.” Jason returned to the U.S. to complete his studies, eventually earning a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He is now back in China

and keeps in touch with Dr. Tai via e-mail. Dr. Tai proudly notes that Jason sends his e-mails to her entirely in Chinese. He married a Chinese woman, and together they run a small inn in China, and Jason also runs a translation service. They are expecting their first child soon.

Joshua Collins ’92 Joshua Collins ’92 currently lives in Shanghai, working for Anheuser-Busch as an executive with the Harbin Brewing Group, an A-B subsidary. “I travel extensively in Northeastern China…that is actually where I’m spending most of my time these days,” reports Joshua.

“I recall selecting classes for my freshman year at SLUH. In the information packet sent to new students was a description from Dr. Tai of the Chinese program. I recall that the description said that more people speak Chinese than any other language in the world. That made an impression on me, and

I selected Chinese as my foreign language. I enjoyed it, did well, and took it all four years at SLUH.”

Joshua went to college at St. Louis University, and majored in international business. “SLU did not offer Chinese, but I was able to take Chinese classes at Washington University through an inter-university program. I earned a scholarship to spend my junior year at the National Taiwan University.”

“There are more and more Jr. Bills in China. There is a growing group of guys in Beijing that I keep in touch with. One day, while visiting a client in Shanghai, I bumped into my classmate, J.C. Brooke. His office is in the same building as my client. Imagine that…on the other side of the world from St. Louis, in a nation of over a billion people, I run into a fellow Jr. Bill from the class of ’92 in the hallway of an office building!”

Continued from Page 27Chinese Language Studies Flourish at SLUH

29

Reunion Planning DinnerDuring the Fall of 2009, SLUH will host reunions for all classes ending in a “4” or “9.” We host 13 reunions each year…every quinquennial class from the 5-year reunion to the 65-year reunion.

In 2009, the following classes will have reunions:’44, ’49, ’54, ’59, ’64, ’69, ’74, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, ’99 and ’04*.

There will be a Reunion Planning Dinner at SLUH for members of these classes on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. This is your chance to join the Reunion Planning Committee and help create a fun and successful reunion for your class.

SLUH will provide a simple buffet dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. There will be an informational session starting at 6:15 p.m. We will provide a complete reunion planning kit with the information you need to get started. Bring your calendar or PDA, because dates for all reunions will be set during this meeting.

Shortly after this planning meeting, reunion dates will be announced to each class via standard mail, e-mail, and a posting on the alumni page of the SLUH website (www.sluh.org).

Mark your calendars:

WHAT: Reunion Planning Dinner

WHEN: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 5:30 p.m. Dinner

WHERE: Danis Lobby at SLUH

WHO: Any interested alumnus from the classes of ’44, ’49, ’54, ’59, ’64, ’69, ’74, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, ’99

For more information, please contact Joe Patke ([email protected]).

* NOTE: It has long been a tradition at SLUH that the 5-year reunion is held on December 26. Therefore, SLUH will plan and host the 5-year reunion of the Class of ’04 on Saturday, December 26, 2009. There is no need for classmates from ’04 to attend the Planning Dinner.

Around the HallsContinued from Page 21

St. Louis University High School,

represented by Luke Chellis ‘10,

Brendan Ross ‘09, Joseph Maher

Schulte ‘09 and Mark Waterman

‘09, won the seventh annual “World

Quest” international knowledge

competition at University Missouri-St.

Louis on November 13. The Jr. Bills

competed against more than 20 other

local schools to earn first place and an

all expenses paid trip to Washington

D.C. “It was a total surprise to us,”

said Senior Mark Waterman. “We

didn’t know how we would compare

to the other teams.”

The competition was composed of

seven rounds of questions, with such

topics as international communication,

Middle Eastern history, globalization

and current events.

During their trip to Washington D.C.,

they will do some sightseeing and will

compete with approximately 60 teams

throughout the country.

The competition will be held on April

3-5, 2009 at the National Press Club.

S L U Hwins World Quest

Competition

30

Alumni Phonathon Continues

SLUH continues its annual Alumni Phonathon tradition this fall. “It’s fun…like a mini-reunion,” commented Patrick Mehan of the Class of ’86. Mehan’s class brought six callers down to the Backer Memorial to spend an evening on the phones catching up with classmates and seeking donations to SLUH.

Thirty-one classes will take part in the 2008 phonathon, and over 140 volunteers will give an evening of their time to call their classmates. So far, their efforts have paid off. To date, nearly 500 alumni have made pledges totaling just over $85,000. The average pledge was over $150.

“Matching gifts from employers have been a big help in increasing our gift dollars,” commented Betsy Malinak, SLUH’s Director of Annual Giving. “Many companies offer a matching gifts program as an employee benefit, and alums who work at these companies-or whose wives work at them-can have their gifts doubled, and

in some cases even tripled by their company. Boeing, Anheuser-Busch, Wachovia, MasterCard and Emerson are just a few of the companies that contribute to SLUH through matching gifts programs.

The tradition of the “Running of the Bills” continued this year at the first home football game. The Fresh-man class was introduced into the spirit of SLUH during pre-game festivities as the Seniors taught them cheers, helped them apply blue paint for the game and cheered as the Freshmen ran into the stadium to take their place in the stands.

d A u p h i n p l Ay e r s u p d At e :

Ah, Wilderness!

The Boys Next Door

Set in New England in the 1980s, The Boys Next Door tells the story of four mentally disabled men who live together in a group home as their burned-out social worker is attempting to “mainstream” them into society. Senior Mark Holzum plays Jack Palmer, the drained social worker attempting to supervise the four men as they try to adapt to mainstream society. Seniors Andy Frank, Andrew Fowler, Pete Winfrey, and Junior Andrew Kresyman play the four mentally disabled men who live in the communal residence.

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September 2008 Production

The only comedy written by Eugene O’Neill, Ah, Wilderness! is set in a fictitious small town in Connecticut during the summer of 1906. It tells the story of Richard Miller (played by Senior Andy Frank), an intelligent high school graduate, who is bound for Yale in the fall. Miller fancies himself a rebel; an anti-capitalist romantic. Because of his radical leanings, his girlfriend is forced by her father to break up with him. His heart broken, Miller sets out to win back his girl.

November 2008 Production

A Jesuit College Preparatory School • Founded 1818

Change Service Requested

Backer Memorial4970 OaklandSt. Louis, MO 63110-1402

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PAIDSt. Louis University High

Eight Jesuit novices visited St. Louis University High School in November to discuss vocations with students. The young men were all from the Jesuit Novitiate in St. Paul, Minnesota, where they are in their first two years of formation as Jesuits. The Jesuits-in-training visited theology classes, providing students students the opportunity to hear their vocation stories and ask questions.

Shane Mulligan, n.S.J. ’06, a Jesuit Novice, said, “It was a very encouraging experience. The students were very engaged with their faith and with theology.” Two of the other novices who visited are also SLUH graduates – Sean Powers, n.S.J. ‘05 and Joe Wotawa, n.S.J. ‘06. Currently, there are 300 men in Jesuit formation in the United States.

“We learned a lot about the Jesuits…their way of life, what motiviated them to enter the order, and the role they play in the Catholic Church,” said Junior Jack Newsham. “It was helpful that they were here to visit, and everybody had a lot of questions.”

According to Theology teacher Matt Sciuto, “This was an opportunity to learn more about the Society of Jesus up close and personal and to hear it from young men who are still fairly close in age to our students. It may be one of the best experiences we have offered our students about vocations in a classroom setting.”

Jesuits in Training Visit SLUH to Promote Vocations

Fr. Carl Heumann, S.J. ‘77 chats with the visiting Jesuit Novices at the morning Mass.

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