Exciting News from Mark White

This morning I was surprised and excited about receiving an email from Mark White.  Within the past two weeks Jack Park shared with me that he had re-established connections with Mark White and Dale Wachowiak.  Jack shared their email addresses with me and last evening I generated an email to both Mark and Dale.  This morning I was thrilled by an immediate reply from Mark.  Mark conveyed his delight to have heard from me.  He added that he enjoyed his 5 years at the Josephinum and that he has kept in contact with a few of our classmates.

Mark shared with me an email that he had sent to Bernie Rabik and he noted that it would be fine if I shared it with other classmates.  I found it very interesting.  I am now attaching his email to Bernie in its entirety:

"Rab … great hearing from you. Sounds like life is good there; it is here too. 

I’m not much fun on the phone since I’m a little hard of hearing, but email a date and time when you are free and I’ll give you a call or … for now … we can use email to catch up. Counselor, I realize your time is money. You still earn it … I only spend it.

Highlights after leaving the Joss:

•    College – Graduated from the University of Detroit; at the time the only university in America completely surrounded by used car lots; Radio-TV major; theatre minor. Worked as a disk-jockey; lots of summer stock, radio dramas, live television dramas (no video-taping in those days). Won a MFA fellowship (theatre) at University of Michigan.
•    New York Theatre – Dropped graduate work; appeared with the APA, a professional repertory acting company on Broadway for a season before being drafted into the Army; acted with several notables to include Rosemary Harris (Spiderman’s Aunt), Nancy Marchand (Tony Soprano’s mother), Donald Moffat, Keene Curtis, Helen Hayes and others.
•    US Army – Entered a Private; left a Captain (OCS graduate); served 13 months in Korea as an Infantry Company Commander; dodged “Nam” since I was a sole surviving son (my father was killed in WWII); I spent 4+ years “walking the wall” keeping everyone safe. Married Betty, my colonel’s secretary, during the last tour of duty at Ft. Benning, Ga. I appeared in several local theatre productions; got out of the Army and never again treaded the boards. It was time to settle down, get a real job and raise a family.
•    Married life – Betty and I were blessed with a daughter and two sons; each graduated college; one from Notre Dame. Betty and I were married 42 years before she passed away in 2011 from cancer. She was my life partner; a beautiful gal, person, mother and wife. I miss her dearly. I have three grandchildren.
•    Professional life – Worked at Xerox (Atlanta) for 12 years in sales and sales management; later was President of two office supply companies and a medical supply company (Georgia, Carolinas, Bermuda). Betty and I lived in Bermuda for five years where I worked and she partied. Bermuda has best been described as 60,000 drunks hanging on to a rock in the middle of the ocean. We hung on and had a ball. I spent 33 years in the industry; afterwards I wrote a book on sales management which has done well considering very few can get past the first two chapters without falling asleep.
•    Retirement - I retired in 2003 to take care of Betty. I live in Columbus, Ga. where Betty and I began our life together. My son, Mark Jr. is currently living with me while finishing his PHD dissertation. I enjoy cooking, am bald, fat, missing a few teeth, can’t hear or see very well, and lazy … but … content.

That’s a snap-shot at 10,000 feet. I’m most interested in reviewing your life’s high-lights. Hope to hear from you soon, Rab."

Mark's email address is mwwhite@knology.net.

Responses to Class Reunion Announcement

Response to our 2016 Class Reunion on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in October has been impressive.  In addition to Chris and me, those who've said they are planning to come are Don and Betty Wampach, Norm and Linda Hageman, Frank Fulkerson, Fr. Dan Clayton, Fr. Jim Koenigsfeld, Jack Park and Harry Tennery, Steve Lautermilch, Mike Heydinger, Ron and Sandy Langhals, Thad and Donna Kresho, and John and Loretta Dahmus.  Fr. Ger Knueven said he is working on a substitute to cover for him that weekend in October.  Mike Heydinger is talking with Fr. Frank Kehres about plans and arrangements for the reunion.  Kenny Stephens and Dale and Frances Schmitz replied they are interested in the reunion but are yet uncertain about plans.  I received regrets from Doug Kruse, Joe Mammola, and Bernie Rabik.  Chris and I are looking forward to a refreshing, invigorating time at the beach with all of you.  I will be getting more information out to you in the near future.

CGTC Still in Run around the Globe

Since my previous post on January 31, 2016, the Carolina Godiva Track Club has amassed an additional 15,000 miles in its pursuit to complete its virtual run around the Globe.  Since leaving China, club runners have eclipsed miles that have taken them through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana.  As of today, the running club has completed a total of 22,435.1 miles.  The person with the most miles has run 896.5 miles since January 1.  Our daughter Katie is in 12th place having run 609.5 miles.  My running has been significantly curtailed over the past month and a half because I had a pacemaker inserted on February 26 and underwent prostate surgery on March 29.  (Needless to say, I will not be in shape to run the half-marathon in Louisville, KY, on April 30.)  When club runners reach the West African coast, we will traverse the Atlantic Ocean.  Our next landing location will be the East Coast of Brazil.  There is a total of 70 active runners participating in this virtual run around the Globe.