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Spring/Summer 2017
ALBRACHT NAMED 1st OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD WINNER
Bill "Hawk'' Albracht asked for a moment.
He wanted to retrieve his jaw from the floor after being told he
would receive the first Outstanding Alumni Award from
Alleman Catholic High School.
"The teachers and staff at Alleman Catholic
High School prepared us for a life that put
others' needs before our own," Albracht, of
Moline, said of the honor he receoved March
25 at the Fr. Mirabelli Heritage Ball in
Moline's i-Wireless Center.
"We were held to a higher standard than most
and, in the doing, we all tried to live up to
what was expected of us," said Albracht, a
Rock Island native who served 25 years with
the U.S. Secret Service, protecting six
presidents and numerous foreign heads of
state.
He also worked to safeguard America's monetary system,
conducting criminal investigations for the Treasury
department. After retiring from public service in 2001 as the
assistant special-agent-in-charge of the Secret Service’s
Washington D.C. office, he went on to manage Ford Motor
Company’s Executive Security Operations. In 2005, he moved
to Moline and opened a security consulting firm.
"In my case, they saw potential in me that I did not see in
myself,'' Albracht said of the staff at Alleman. "Only later, in
the military, did I become aware and understand where my
education had taken me. I have great affection for Alleman.''
Upon graduation from the "Little School On the Hill,"
Albracht joined the Army. He attended Infantry Officer
Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant
at age 19. He spent his commissioned career in the Army
Special Forces, commonly known as the "Green Berets,'' and
at 21 was the youngest captain to command combat troops in
Vietnam.
For his military service, Albracht received three
Silver Stars for gallantry in action, three Purple
Hearts, five Bronze Stars and several other
awards for combat valor. He is one of the most
decorated veterans of the Vietnam War, also
gaining worldwide attention for his role at
Firebase Kate — the subject of a best-selling
book, a documentary and a soon-to-be-released
feature film.
In the autumn of 1969, then-Capt. Albracht took
command of Firebase Kate and its 150 soldiers.
Within hours, they were under attack by a well-
armed enemy force of some 6,000.
Under a rain of fire from above and a constant ground attack,
he and his men held out for five days. Cut off from supplies
and reinforcements — with all means of resistance exhausted
and no air or artillery support — he successfully led his men
through enemy lines under the cover of darkness in a desperate
attempt to escape and evade the enemy.
"When tasked with defending a doomed outpost in Vietnam
and, against all odds, getting my men back to safety, the
decisions made ultimately came down to my faith and moral
courage — both of which I attribute to my education at
Alleman,'' Albracht said.
"To be named as the Alleman Outstanding Alumni is an honor
that I will always cherish and try to live up to."
Story by John Marx (76), a columnist for
The Dispatch, The Rock Island Argus,”
and QConline.com
Pioneer Post A Newsletter for Alumni & Friends of Alleman Catholic High School
Spring/Summer 2017
2
Father Knows Best
Hello Good
People.,
As Alleman
begins to
wind down
its 67th
school year,
I am
reminded of
all of the blessings we have had this
year and all of our previous years
because of the love and devotion of our
dear alumni and friends.
Because of your generosity, we will
continue renovations in our
classrooms, this summer focusing on
the classrooms in the newer wing of
the little ole school. Renovations will
include new ceilings, new lighting,
fresh paint and new desks and chairs
for students. Also, we will continue to
upgrade our technology used in the
classrooms.
Also, this year we saw big changes to
the Heritage Ball and Dream BIG
Raffle. We have had great comments
on the changes of having the Ball in
one area of the I-Wireless Center, the
ease of mobile bidding, and the change
from a plated dinner to heavy hors
d’oeuvres. You can see photos from
our signature event on page 10 . A
heartfelt “thank you” to all those
alumni who attended the Heritage
Ball—your support means so much to
us. Mark your calendar for next year’s
Ball on March 24, 2018.
Another exciting new project that we
are embarking on is that of the Alumni
Field here at Alleman. The Alumni
Field will be a new state-of-the-art turf
field that will provide a safe and
consistent surface for our student-
athletes. The field will be behind the
school on the site of the current
practice field. The field will be named
the “Alumni Field” in honor of those
many student-athletes who have
worked hard over the years to be the
best they can be in the name of
Alleman High School. If you would
like to donate to the Alumni Field, visit
our website at https://
allemanhighschool.org/support-ahs/
alumni field.
If you would like to help us in our
efforts by being a class
representative for your sport when
you attended Alleman, or are a
current parent who would like to
help in soliciting other parents in
your child’s sport at Alleman, please
contact Athletic Director Joe
Conklin at 309-786-7793 or
You can read more about this
project on page 9 of this issue of the
Pioneer Post.
As you can see, we have many exciting
things happening at Alleman. As the
trees begin to bud and the flowers are
beginning to bloom, I am reminded of
how our students continue to grow and
bloom with all of the good things
happening around us at Alleman.
May God continue to bless you and
your family throughout the summer,
and may you always be proud to be a
part of the Alleman family and a true
Pioneer!
CONGRATULATIONS 2017 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME HONOREES
3
FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Cathy Plasschaert is a
“Master Teacher”
Cathy Beuselinck
Plasschaert, class of
1968, has added yet
another designation to
her resume, that of
Master Teacher. Cathy
was honored along with
fourteen other area
educators at the 2017
Master Teachers
Induction Ceremony
on May 4.
“I am so honored, humbled & grateful to receive
this recognition from The Dispatch and Argus. In
all honesty, I share this award with many others--my
teachers who guided me to consider education as a
career choice, my family who encouraged me to
pursue my dream of being a professional educator,
my colleagues who have mentored me and my
students who inspire me daily,” Cathy said.
The Master Teacher recognition event began in
1991, and has recognized more than 420 of the
area’s best educators for their service and
dedication.
Cathy is no exception to that rule. In addition to
teaching at Alleman for the past 19 years, Cathy has
been a teacher for 40 years overall, spending 36
years of that in Catholic education.
In addition to teaching at Alleman, Cathy serves as
the faculty advisor for the student newspaper, The
Pioneer Press.
Hatch Inducted into
Fourth Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Jay Hatch, World History teacher
at Alleman, who was recently inducted into his fourth
Hall of Fame—the Quad City Sports Hall of Fame.
Hatch grew up in Des Moines and was a rare three-
sport athlete at Augustana College, but he has gained
his greatest fame as a coach.
Jay led Alleman to Illinois softball titles in 1992, 1994
and 1998, and now serves as the softball coach at
Bettendorf High School. Jay entered Alleman’s
Athletic Hall of Fame this year.
He also coached the Alleman’s girls basketball team to
a state championship in 2005. Under his direction, the
Pioneers also went to state in 2001 and 2002, finishing
third in ’02. His record in 23 years as Alleman’s head
basketball coach was 478-280.
Jay was inducted into the Illinois Softball Coaches
Association Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Illinois
Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
4
AMONG OUR GRADUATES
Class Notes . . .
‘56 Bob Noe was crowned this year’s King at
the Junior Board of Rock Island Mardi Gras
celebration. Bob was recognized for his career
accomplishments, as well as his service to his
parish and to the Quad Cities community.
‘60 Ellen Shamasko Mallego, ‘60 Pat
Gustafson Miller, and ‘60 Suzie Wick Eihl
had a mini Pioneer reunion in California in
February. They had not seen each other in 55
years, and share that, “AHS friendships last!”
‘10 JT Scarpinato has been promoted to
Assistant Editor at Travel & Leisure Magazine
at Time, Inc. He and his fiancé, Maggie
Omastiak, will be getting married November 4.
They both live and work in Manhattan.
‘12 Tori Scarpinato graduated from the
University of Iowa in May 2016 and started
working for Holmes Murphy, Inc. in Des
Moines, IA. She is double licensed as a broker
for Employee Benefits and Property Casualty
insurance sales.
‘13 Jessica Tucker has self-published a book,
Cracks in the Sunshine, a collection of her
poetry. It is sold on Amazon. Jessica is
studying elementary education at Western
Illinois University, Quad Cities.
‘15 Isabelle Anderson was named to the All-
CCIW Women’s Basketball Team. Izzy is a
sophomore at Augustana College in Rock
Island, IL, and was the team’s second leading
scorer with 11.8 points per game.
Pioneer
Class Reunions 1952—No Information Received
1957—Sept 15, 2017; Football game, then
Kavanaugh’s Pub in Rock Island; Sept 16, 2017,
Holiday Inn, Rock Island, with Mass before the
evening meal. Contact Jim Lodico at
309-945-7443
1962—No Information Received
1967—Aug 26, 2017, The Stern Center, Rock
Island, 6 pm to 11 pm, Contact via email at
1972—Aug 19, 2017, Holiday Inn, Rock Island;
Contact Greg Schneider at
1977—Contact Maria Escontrias Terronez,
563-424-5311 or [email protected]
1982—July 14 & 15, 2017. Gathering on
Saturday, July 15 at the East End Club in East
Moline. More information to follow. Contact
Christine VanParys Cornelis-Sanchez at
309-235-4956, or [email protected]
1987—No Information Received
1992—No Information Received
1997—No Information Received
2002—No Information Received
2007—No Information Received
2012—No Information Received
5
Among our graduates
‘50 Pauline Peterson Britton
November 26, 2016
‘54 Carol Forwinkle Brocker
October 5, 2016
‘53 John Robyt
February 25, 2017
‘53 Louise King Doering
March 27, 2017
‘54 Mary Ann Tully Mochel
October 10, 2016
‘54 Dolores West Baker
January 18, 2016
‘55 Frank DePaepe
July 16, 2016
‘56 Carolyn Eechaute Wilder
January 23, 2017
‘57 Colleen Glynn Sovey
January 18, 2017
‘57 Donald Coppens
October 14, 2014
‘57 Bardeen Monteyne
June 18, 2016
‘57 Marlene Billhartz Wolf
January 25, 2015
‘59 Patricia Schnell Womack
January 13, 2017
‘59 Nicollet Tady
August 8, 2016
‘59 Jerry Paskvan
December 30, 2016
‘60 Richard Dennhardt
April 14 2016
‘60 Patricia Keefe Gluba
August 21, 2016
‘61 Donald Schmitt
February 9, 2016
‘61 Janice Rossmiller Kron
March 9, 2016
‘61 Phil Immesoete
July 2, 2015
‘61 Ted Caldwell
July 7, 2014
‘61 Janet Klauer Norman
November 13, 2016
‘61 Lawrence Senger
February 13, 2017
‘62 Andrea DeSmet Sullivan
November 10, 2016
‘62 Thomas Yeager
February 16, 2017
‘65 Phebe Block Aubry
November 4, 2016
‘64 Diane Schroeder Klier
April 4, 2017
‘65 Donna Hurley Russell
December 20, 2016
‘65 Peter Colehour
January 30, 2016
‘67 Kathleen Sweeney-Jones
August 11, 2016
‘69 Steve VanSpeybroeck
December 24, 2016
‘69 Theresa DeRuyck Hixon
December 14, 2016
‘70 Mark Jasper
January 7, 2017
‘74 Jeff Creen
July 25, 2016
‘78 Patricia Kale Mendoza
March 20, 2017
‘81 Jodie Eads
October 4, 2016
‘05 Seth Kimbell
November 3, 2016
6
On campus
Dance Marathon 4 Raises Record Amount Amazing things happen when our students are united
and motivated to help others—like raising a record
$43,020 to help children being served at the
University of Iowa Children’s Hospital who are facing
serious and life-threatening illnesses.
On March 31, more than 300 Alleman students
participated in Dance Marathon 4, held in the Don
Morris Gym. In the four years that Alleman students
have organized Dance Marathons, they have raised
more than $100,000.The money raised this year will
be coupled with money raised by St. Ambrose
University students in their Dance Marathon.
Together, Alleman and St. Ambrose students
were able to present more than $220,000 to the
Children’s Miracle Network. Senior Ellie
Rouse, Moline, created a video highlighting
families Alleman hosted this year. To see the
video, visit YouTube and search the title DM4
Family Video.
Congratulations to hard-working, service-
minded Alleman students who captured
FIRST PLACE, again this year, in the Quad
Cities Student Hunger Drive.
Alleman students brought in 59,582 pounds
of food to win their Division (those schools
with enrollment of 300-1250). That amounts
to 140 pounds per student!
2017 PROM COURT 1st Row (l to r): Eli Gaeta; Ellie Rouse; Ally Murphy
(‘87 Tim & ‘88 Lynn Rosa-Gastaldo Murphy); Racquel
Gonzalez; Augie Darrow (‘88 Clarence Darrow)
2nd Row (l to r): Adrian Connolly; Mary Grevas; Sam
Dodson; Miguel Stoll; Lizzie Malcolm
7
On campus
Congratulations to our 2016-2017 Illinois State Scholars
Quad City Times “Salute to Academics”
2016-2017 Recipients
Congratulations to the following seniors recognized by the Quad City Times for their
academic achievements:
Academics—Lucy Adlfinger (’83 Matt Adlfinger) and August Darrow (‘88 Clarence Darrow)
The Arts—Noel Huntley (’86 Dale Huntley) and Jessica Zepeda
Humanities—Lupita Toscano and Kourtney Johannes (‘90 Jason Johannes)
Leadership—Brenna Hogan (’77 Dan Hogan) and Samantha Sharp (‘85 Kim Foley Sharp)
Math/The Sciences—Eli Gaeta and Reagan Bush (‘87 Martin Bush)
Vocational Education—Matt Clark and Connor Boyd (‘88 Ann Newberry Boyd)
Young Journalist—Noah Kelly and Nathan Graves
Lucy Adlfinger Reagan Bush Augie Darrow Michael Elliott Sam Dodson Kourtney Johannes
Noah Kelly Peter Moens Ellie Rouse Ally Murphy Jessica Zepeda
8
ATHLETICS UPDATE
The 2016-17 school year was yet another impressive chapter in Alleman athletics history, highlighted with a
number of remarkable individual and team achievements. Alleman’s student-athletes not only competed with
distinction on the field, but performed impressively in the classroom and made significant charitable
contributions in our community. We are very proud of all of our student-athletes efforts on and off the field
of competition and are excited to begin preparation for the upcoming school year.
Reagan Bush, daughter of ’87 Martin Bush and
Susie Gustafson, was
named to the 2016-2017
IHSA All-State
Honorable Mention
Academic Team. Bush is
among a select group of
students to be given this
honor, and only the fifth
to be recognized from
Alleman High School.
Nathan Graves, son of Bob and Kathy Graves, has
been selected as a finalist
for the Quad-City Times
Athlete of the Year for his
stellar performances in
football, basketball, and
track. This is a well-
deserved honor for Nathan
who also excels in the
classroom and is an active
community volunteer.
Girls Tennis – 3rd Place State Finish!
The girls tennis program enjoyed a historic season including an
undefeated regular season, a repeat WB6 Championship, and a 3rd place
team finish at the state meet.
This is the first time in school
history that the girls tennis
program has brought back a
state trophy.
Boys Basketball – Regional Champions!
With a 67-63 win over Rockridge the boys basketball team were
Class 2A Regional Champions and advanced to Sectionals for the
first time in six years.
Pioneer Signing Day
More than a dozen Pioneers will continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level next
year. Maris Boelens (Southern Illinois Softball), Dylan Cervantes (Western Illinois Golf), Nathan Graves
(Montana Track), and Mary Grevas (Iowa Rowing) all signed a Division 1 National Letter of Intent this
year – congrats to all!
Community Service
The Alleman girls basketball team collected, packed, and
delivered over 225 coats for local youth in need in partnership
with the East Moline/Silvis Rotary this winter season.
9
ATHLETICS update
A NEW ERA FOR ALLEMAN ATHLETICS
Introducing Alumni Field
at Alleman High School
Hard work and dedication have been the cornerstone of
Alleman Athletics. One of the biggest challenges our athletic
programs have always had to overcome is the condition of our
practice field. The leading sports turf experts in our area have
tried multiple times to reseed and re-sod the field with limited
long-term results.
A group of former Alleman athletes, along with Fr. Mirabelli,
Athletic Director Joe Conklin, and Business Manager Dave
DeJaegher have set a goal to raise the necessary funds to install
sports turf on our practice field behind Alleman. The initial
investment is considerable, but realistically it is the only long-
term solution for the overuse the field experiences.
The new turf will benefit the football program, strength and
conditioning programs for all sports, physical education
classes, and all outdoor sports programs, by providing a
consistent and safe surface for our athletes to train and prepare
for their prospective sports.
We are appealing to our great base of alumni, current and
former parents, and the entire community to help us
achieve our goal. If you are willing to be a class rep for
your preferred sport, contact Joe Conklin at 309-786-9963.
Benefits
Provides a safer, consistent surface
for practice, allowing for increased
use of limited facility space.
Eliminates rapid deterioration of the
fields conditions in wet weather.
Allows broader access for the field’s
use increasing availability for all.
Programs to Benefit
Football
Physical Education Classes
Offseason & Summer Strength &
Conditioning Programs
Boys & Girls Soccer
Boys & Girls Track & Field
Cheerleading
Booster Boys Youth Football
Work will be done by Bush Sports
Turf—owned and operated by Steve
and Julie Bush, Alleman Class of 1982.
For more information and to donate,
visit https://allemanhighschool.org/support-ahs/alumni-field
Logo by ‘99 Christopher Mandle Design
10
Support ahs
Thank you to all who attended and supported
the 2017 Fr. Mirabelli Heritage Ball
Top Left Photo: ‘81 Mike & ‘85 Karen Fischer Mihm (17
Chaircouple), Fr. Mirabelli, Kevin & ’87 Leslie Dietz Hird (17 Co
-Chaircouple). Top Right Photo: The crowd enjoying the
Heads or Tails Raffle. Bottom Left Photo: Our First
Outstanding Alumni Award recipient ‘66 Bill Albracht.
Bottom Right Photo: Student Ambassadors Lauryn Praet,
Mindy Hoang, and Zoe Arvanitis.
Photos by Alleman parent Rich Glancey, owner of
Pictureman Sports Photos. Rich graciously took and
donated photos of couples who attended the Ball.
11
Support ahs
Alumni Cash in on
Dream BIG Raffle!
$150,000 Grand Prize
‘78 Thomas H. Pauwels, Moline, IL #1053
$25,000
Roy & Linda Redden, Franklin, AR, #248
$10,000
‘76 Mary Lou Witherspoon, Moline, IL & ‘75 Ramona Connelly, Palatine, IL, #695
$5,000
Marcia Cornelis (’66 Thom), Moline, IL, #2047
$2,500 (Attendance Prizes)
Susan Dryden, Clarence, IA, #340 ‘01 Aubree Krol, LeClaire, IA, #2488
50/50 Add-On Raffle ($28,537)
‘87 David O’Keeffe, Moline, IL #2453
12
1103 40th Street
Rock Island, IL 61201
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
US POSTAGE PAID
Permit Number 49
Rock Island, IL 61201
Welcome to our New Alumni Alleman High School Class of 2017
