common thread june 2011

1Xavier Foundation www. xavierfoundation.org

June 2011Xavier High School Foundation

Kelsie Sargent and Nolan Dunkirk

2 SPRING 2011

On May 22, 2011 school board president Jeff Hanson awarded diplomas to 209 graduates from the Xavier High School Class of 2011.

Graduation speaker Keane Haase addressed his classmates with touching reminders of how their time at Xavier will get them through anything the future may throw at them:

“While we have seen and accomplished so much, we will not face many of the most difficult challenges until years from now. When we do, I think we can fall back on everything that Xavier gave us.

We can fall back on our education. We have learned to be curi-ous and to think critically.

We can fall back on each other, on the great friendships we have formed over the last four years.

We can fall back on our faith. Our belief that there is right and wrong. Our knowledge that there is a loving God who created the world and each of us for a greater purpose.

But most of all, we can fall back on the idea that we are Saints. We live and believe in the motto of Xavier: Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow, Serving Forever. Our learning is not done; our leadership is just beginning; our service must be never end-ing.”

The commencement speech can be found in its entirety at www.xavierfoundation.org.

After Keane’s address, Principal Keating presented Wyatt Hagen as the Salutatorian and Kyle Tietz as the Valedictorian of the Xavier Class of 2011.

Prior to graduation, at the Honors Assembly held on May 17, the following awards were presented: The City of God Award for Active Involvement in Parish to Rachel Schueller; Xavier High School Hall of Fame to Abigale Bedard, Mitchel Downey, Jennifer Murtha, and Kyle Tietz; and the Xavier High School “Light of the World” award to Kyle Tietz.

In addition to the student awards, faculty member Gaylord Hauschildt was recognized for 35 years of service, and Carolyn Vranish, who served for 38 before retiring at the end of the year.

Class of 2011: We Are Saints“Our learning is not done; our leadership is just beginning; our service must be never ending.”

Tori Shepard, Eric Zenisek, Kimmy Askelson Shaun Meyer, Kelly Collins, Greg Hunt

Kate Steingreaber, Mitch McLaughlin, Ty Sampson

Mitch McLaughlin & Hallie Martin

Pat Chizek & Aubrey Hart

Lisa Cowden, Amy Persick, Spencer Hemann


On May 26, Greg Neumeyer and Wes Hillesheim from Bank Iowa provided a free seminar entitled “A Practical Guide to Estate and Charitable Planning” to local parishioners and Xavier benefactors. This infor-mative seminar provided tips to attendees on how to use their estate plans to protect their assets and heirs while supporting their parishes, the Xavier Founda-tion and other charities. If you were unable to attend the seminar, but would like information about estate planning, the Xavier Foundation has an extensive li-brary of estate planning materials we would be happy to share with you.

Supporters who include the Xavier Foundation in their estate plans will ensure the long term stability of secondary Catholic education in our community, and are eligible for membership in the Foundation’s Heritage Society.

For more information contact Jody Ruff at (319) 378-4571 or [email protected]

Estate Planning Seminar Offers Advice

More than 300 grandparents and great-grandparents gathered at Xavier High School on April 28, 2011 for the second annual Grandparents Day Mass. After a light breakfast and social, the grandparents were treated to a visit with Xavier Principal, Tom Keating. Students were then united with their grandparents and joined the student body for Mass in the gymnasium, officiated by Fr. Podhajsky and Fr. Vu.

In Principal Keating’s address to the Grandparents, he said, “There is no doubt in my mind that grandpar-ents can have a greater influence on students than any other people in their lives. Our mission at Xavier is to develop the total person in a Catholic environment. To us that means producing students who will make the world a better place. What greater example do they have in that regard than you?”

The annual Grandparents Day Mass serves as an opportunity for students to honor their grandparents and reinforce the importance of strong and positive relationships within families.

Record Turnout at Grandparent Mass

The Cedar Rapids metro business community showed its support of Xavier High School by investing more than $112,500 during the 2011 Xavier Foundation Business Appeal.

Under the leadership of Doug Valentine, State Farm Insurance and Heidi Brown, community volunteer and former Deputy Ad-ministrative Officer for the United States Attorney’s office, sev-enty-nine volunteers solicited financial support for Xavier High School. The Xavier community is grateful to all who invested in our great school. A business donor listing will be posted on our website, and a printed listing will be included in the Cedar Rapids metro area parish bulletins in June. Please visit these businesses and thank them for supporting Xavier.

Thanks to the hard work of our alumni, student, and parent vol-unteer callers and the generosity of our alumni community, more than 2,000 calls were made to LaSalle, Regis, and Xavier alumni during the 2011 Alumni Appeal. To date, the appeal is within $15,000 of reaching the $80,000 goal.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to make a gift to the Alumni Appeal and would like to do so, you may mail gifts to P.O. Box 10956, Cedar Rapids, IA 52410-0956, or make a dona-tion online at www.xavierfoundation.org. All gifts received on or before June 30, 2010 will be included in our Annual Report to Donors published in September.

Successful Business Appeal!

Alumni Appeal 80% to Goal

Updating RecordsThe Foundation would like to encourage all Xavier Foundation alumni and friends who have made changes to their primary address, phone number, or e-mail addresses to make sure their re-cord is updated with the Foundation. This is especially important for alumni, as contact information is used for reunion planning. Questions? Contact Jessica Schneider at (319) 378-4571 or [email protected].

4 SPRING 2011

The St. Francis Xavier Teaching award was established in 1998 by an anony-mous donor to be presented to a Xavier faculty member who goes above and beyond through his or her profes-sional career in fulfilling the mission of Xavier High School – to develop the total person in a Catholic environment. The 2011 recipient, selected by the Xavier administration, is Regis High School 1973 alum, Tom Lilly.

Lilly began coaching at Regis High School in 1985, where he stayed until he moved to Xavier High School in 1998. He con-tinues to serve as a teacher and coach at Xavier today.

Xavier principal Tom Keating states, “One of the best things I can tell you about Tom Lilly is that he is invested. He is invested in his faith, in Xavier High School and in our students. He simply wants what’s best for Xavier and for every student who walks our halls.”

Although Lilly’s coaching prowess is legendary, it is in his classroom where he has touched the most lives. His classroom,

whether in Psychology or Fitness/Wellness is an environment of energy and student engagement. Students are comfortable in his class because they sense his deep care for them. His previ-ous principal and now superintendent Jeff Henderson says, “He understands well that what he does in the classroom and in the school is not of his choosing, but of God choosing him to work in a Catholic School environment. He never forgets that. The respect I have for him is beyond measure.”

Just when Lilly appeared to have done all he could to help shape the lives of Xavier students, he answered the call to serve as an adult leader on Kairos in the spring of 2011. His willing-ness to witness his faith through this retreat had a profound impact on the students who participated.

An active member of St. Matthew’s parish, Lilly encourages his students to be actively involved in their own parishes as well.

Lilly has bought into the challenge, “Ask not what Xavier can do for you; ask what you can do for Xavier.” Above all, he has remained true to his commitment as a Catholic educator to teach as Jesus did.

Above and BeyondRegis Alum Awarded for Excellence in Teaching

The TeachersCount “Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher” campaign pairs well-known individuals, such as Laura Bush, America Ferrera, Jeremy Piven, Al Roker, and others, with their favorite teachers. This year’s pairings feature 1989 Regis High School alum Kurt Warner and Regis High School teacher and coach Dick Breit-bach.

The caption under the TeachersCount Warner-Breitbach photo states:

Whether it was in the classroom or on the field, two-time NFL MVP quarterback Kurt Warner learned how to excel from his high school teacher and coach Richard Breitbach. Mr. Breitbach taught the future Super Bowl champion that in “every-thing you do, no matter how big or how small, do it to the best of your ability.”

To learn more about TeachersCount and/or the “Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher” campaign, visit http://www.teacherscount.org.

Teachers Count: Kurt Warner and Dick Breitbach


Their bags are packed and they’re ready to go! On June 6, Janet (McGrath) Sat-terlee (R80) and her family will leave behind family and friends and the crea-ture comforts of home in Cedar Rapids, IA to embark on the next chapter of their lives in Honduras.

It had long been a dream of Janet, the Di-rector of Campus Ministry at Xavier High School, and her husband Scott to devote their lives to mission work. As so many things do, this dream took the backseat to lives made busy with careers and family. Content and blessed with their busy lives, the Satterlee’s decided that their call to serve could wait until they retired. All of that changed when in the fall of 2009, Scott made the decision to close his busi-ness. Janet and Scott began to discuss their dream of living a missionary life in earnest; and started the long process of narrowing down opportunities listed in the book of Catholic Mission Organiza-tions.

Their first inquiry was with “Farm of the Child;” a Catholic, non-profit, family-style orphanage that provides education, health care, spiritual formation and com-

munity outreach in Honduras. The query, made in August 2010, quickly turned into a conversation with the organization’s current Executive Director, Andrea. As it turned out, Andrea and her family had spent 10 years at Farm of the Child and were ready to move back to the States, but before they could go, they needed to find a replacement for their ministry. An-drea explained that her family provided a support ministry for the mission workers of the two orphanages within Farm of the Child; offering spiritual guidance, retreat, and support in addition to their daily support of the children at the orphanages with meal preparation, grounds care, tutoring, birthday parties, and compan-ionship. After Andrea and Janet agreed to keep in contact the Satterlee family went on to apply not only at Farm of the Child, but at five other mission organizations.

The Farm of the Child remained at the top of the Saterlee family’s list, and as the pieces began to fall into place, they decided to make the decision final. They would move to Honduras in June of 2011 and take over the ministry at Farm of the Child. Their minimum expectation for

length of stay is two and a half years, though Janet explains, “ I think we’re really open to what the Holy Spirit and God have planned for us. We’ll stay as long as it seems appropriate and are being called.” She continues with a chuckle, “My husband says we’ll stay for two and a half years, I say we’ll stay forever! So, it’s hard to know, but as long as it seems like we’re still supposed to be there, we’ll stay.”

The hardest part of the decision? Without hesitation, Janet answered, “Leaving our family. We have a big extended family that we’re very close with and we’ve had the blessing to be able to see my brothers and sisters and their kids whenever we want. It will be especially hard for my kids (Henry and Shea). It was also a very difficult decision to leave Xavier; I really, really love my job here.”

The easiest part of the decision? Janet once again answers without hesitation; “Giving away all of our stuff; it’s like good riddance!” After their plans were made last fall, the Satterlee family began the process of selling or giving away their belongings; whittling a home packed with things down to a suitcase and one “carry-on” per person and five containers of memories and keepsakes.

In spite of the major changes awaiting them, the Satterlees remain calm and focused, “People say we’ll miss the food or air conditioning, but I think it’s the unknown of what we’re going to do that’s the most daunting. We really have no appreciation for what a huge change it is to go to a new culture or to be a minority. But, as long as we feel we’re doing some-thing valuable, we’ll be ok. We want to be busy, we want to be helpful.”

To learn more about Farm of the Child visit: www.farmofthechild.org. To follow Janet’s blog visit: www.satterleemission.com.

This Is Our Faith...

Janet Satterlee (R80) and Family Embark

On a New Life of Service in Honduras

6 SPRING 2011

Russell Blaine died April 26, 2011. Russell was a chemistry teacher at Regis High School from 1962 to 1976.

Joseph Kenney died January 20, 2011. Joseph was a St. Patrick’s alum, and a long-time teacher and coach at St. Patrick’s and LaSalle. Joseph is survived by three sons, Patrick (L74), Michael, Joseph (L82); two daughters, Rita (L80) and Catherine (L76).

Thomas Kelly (R59) died April 24, 2011. Thomas is survived by his sisters, Patricia Kelly, Geraldine Frerick, and Kathy (Kelly) Van Berkum (R69).

Mary Lou (Sojka) Henry (R60) died April 3, 2011. Mary Lou is survived by three sons, Timothy, Douglas, and Michael; and a sister, Carol Hook.

Karen (Stufflebeam) Persons (R60) died March 4, 2011. Karen is survived by her husband, Robert; her children Michele Geers, Mark Persons, Laura Shelley and Stephaney James.

Linda (Smith) Godwin (R64) died De-cember 15, 2010. Linda is survived by her husband, Ron (R65); her children, Jeffrey Kapler and Chad Kapler; father, Orrin Smith; siblings, Collen Hamilton, Ronald Smith, Patricia Smith, Carol Smith, Ellen Eihausen, Laurie Smith, and Orrin Smith Jr.

Richard Naughton (R64) died February 25, 2011. Dick is survived by his wife, Jackie; their son, Sean; his sister JoAnn Scanlan; and his brother, Bob.

Kathie “Kate” Driscoll (L65) died February 12, 2011. Kate is survived by her children, Heather and Sean Quass; longtime friend, Steve Den; and siblings, Donna (Driscoll) Schulte and Mike Driscoll.

David Tigan (L66) died January 23, 2011. David is survived by his wife, Barbara; his mother, Claire Tigan; children, Elizabeth, Annie, Matthew, Paul, Katherine and Jane; a brother John (R77); and a sister, Mary (L70).

Donald “Donnie” Ament (L67) died De-cember 10, 2010. Donnie is survived by his son, Brad (L93); mother, Mary Ament; sib-lings, Nick (L69), Sandie Drew, and Bonnie Calvert (L65).

James Van Berkum (R67) died March 9, 2011. James is survived by his wife, Joan; a son, Jamie; two daughters, Jennifer and Joanna; parents Cornelius and Georgia Van Berkum; a brother, Tom (R69); and two sis-ters, Jayne Myhre (R72) and Julie Cornelius (R76).

Larry Crowley (L68) died May 23, 2010. Larry is survived by a step-son, Daniel Shane Brown; step-daughter, Samantha Lynn Swift; sisters, Marianne Hoffman and Deborah Lutchen.

Gordon “Gordy” Kennedy (R68) died March 31, 2011. Gordy is survived by his wife, Mary; mother, Betty Kennedy; two daughters, Amy Soukup and Ashley Soukup; siblings, Cathy Jones (R65), Patricia Hop-kins (R66), Mike (R77), Don (R79), and Ron (R79).

Teresa (Stephenson) Mollenhauer (R72) died February 7, 2011. Teri is survived by her daughter, Kathryn Montgomery and two brothers, Tim (R69) and Mark (R64). Teri was preceded in death by her parents, Bob and Mary Stephenson; and a brother, Kurt (R65).

Jeffrey Krumbholz (L73) died March 18, 2011. Jeff is survived by brothers, Mike (L64), Steve (L66), John (L68), and Neal.

Mary (Roudabush) Bundy (L82) died March 16, 2011. Mary is survived by her husband, Mike; daughter, Justine; son, Brent; father, Lawrence Roudabush; two sisters, Angie Grobstich (L79) and Annette Rashed (L81); and brother, Mikey.

Deborah (Murray) Landowski (R85) died March 15, 2011. Deborah is survived by her husband, Rob; mother, Mary Jo Murray; sisters, Pat Airy (R80) and Kathy Ander-son (R82); brothers, Mike (R84), and Terry (R87).

Lisa Musel-McCoy (L85) died March 9, 2011. Lisa is survived by her husband, Doug; her parents, Fran and Kathy Musel; brother, Tim (L80); and sister, Laurie Smejkal.

In Memory Of Alumni & Friends

Most people need wills, and when you make yours, please remember the Xavier High School Foundation.

Memorial GiftsOne way to support the Xavier Foundation is through memorial and honorarium giv-ing. It allows you to honor friends or family, living or deceased, while helping support Catholic education. Each year, the Xavier community celebrates a memorial Mass to honor the individuals remembered at the time of their death or to recognize indi-viduals honored on special occasions such as an anniversary, retirement or birthday. Names of those special individuals are inscribed in our memorial book, located in the Monsignor Sodawasser Chapel.

Kenneth Charipar died March 21, 2011. Ken is survived by wife of 60 years, Patricia; children Diane Stortz (L70) and Tom (R69), Lisa Boddicker (L76) and Mike, Brian (L79) and Annemarie, Gary (L71) and Mary, Denise Rodenkirk (L74) and Joe, Christine Schulte (L81) and Dean, Karen Woods (L83) and Curt, and Ken (L86) and Donna.

In his lifetime, Ken coached and mentored more than 1,000 baseball players and was named to the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

In 2000, Ken’s family honored him by dedi-cating the Xavier High School baseball field as Ken Chairpar Field. On June 3, 2011 during a double header against Cedar Rapids Prairie, the Xavier varsity baseball team honored Ken’s memory with a tribute between games. The Charipar family was in attendance and received a memento in honor of the day in front of a crowd full of Ken’s family and friends.

Ken Charipar


Alumni News1960sBob Campagna (L67) returned to his alma mater as an Artist in Residence from January 11 - 24, 2011. Bob and the LaSalle Middle School students completed a photo explora-tion of the Iowa River Valley (pictured below).

1970sMark Whitters (R73) is the winner of Eastern Michigan University’s Outstand-ing Teaching Award for Full-Time Lectur-ers. Whitters is an internationally respected scholar of Biblical studies and world history. He received his doctorate in religious studies from the Catholic University of America (pictured below).

1980sTracy Spicer (L83) and Dustin Ehrman were united in marriage on August 7, 2010. The couple reside in Cedar Rapids.

Eddie Kibbie (L86) and his wife Janet cel-ebrated 20 years of marriage on February 25, 2011.

Heather (Hintz) Tashjian (R88) announces her position with Premiere Radio Networks in Burbank, CA.

1990sThomas Staudacher (R90) and wife Tobi announce the birth of their daughter, Rhen Lora, born September 20, 2010. Rhen joins siblings Rex, Augie, Crew, and Tug.

Ross Wilken (R92) and Erin Duesterhaus were united in marriage on July 24, 2010 at St. Jude’s Church in Rochester, IL. Ross is employed as an Associate Benefits Director for the CME Group.

Joshua Rank (L96) and Laura Fliehler were united in marriage on October 1, 2010 at St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, IA. Josh is employed as Vice President, High Yield Portfolio Manager at Aviva Investors in Des Moines. The couple reside in Ankeny, IA.

Amanda (Evers) Michalik (R98) was mar-ried on June 29, 2002. Amanda and her hus-band have two children, Philomena Rose (4), and Joshua David (10 months). The Michalik family resides in Dearborn Heights, MI.

Jennifer (McClure) Sanders (R99) and husband Marshall announce the birth of their second child, Grayson Samuel on April 17th.

Derek Waite (X99) and Andrea Vavra were united in marriage on September 17, 2010. The couple reside in Cedar Rapids.

2000sLaura (Brandes) Ebinger (X00) was the re-cipient of the Greater Cedar Rapids Commu-nity Foundation 2010 Minnie Rubeck Award for her insight, creativity and dedication that have greatly increased the number of children served and the quality of services provided by Kids First law Center where Ebinger serves as an attorney.

Adam Jensen (X01) and Andrea were united in marriage on December 22, 2010. Adam is a Specialist in the US Army, stationed in Grafenwoerh, Germany.

Derek Kramer (X08) won the UNI 3 Point Shooting Contest and proceeded to repre-sent UNI at the State of Iowa Intramural 3 Point Championships at the men’s NCAA bracketbuster game at Drake. Derek com-peted against the 3 point champs from the University of Iowa, Iowa State, and Drake University.

Christy (Hardinger) Agee (R95):

A Taste for SuccessAs a child, Christy Agee grew up surrounded by food, wine and good company so the transition into the hospitality arena was a natural one. Her Italian family came together at the dinner table, enjoying dishes made with ingredients pulled from her grandmoth-er’s garden - influences which would shape her career choices in the years ahead. At a young age Agee became consumed with the restaurant world, a passion that continues to this day.

After graduating from Regis High School in 1995 and the University of Iowa in 2000, Agee moved to Chicago. After seven years honing her strategic skills in the corporate world, Agee had the good fortune to return to her first love, the hospitality industry, when the opportunity to take ownership of Witts Bar and Grill came available. As owner and GM, Agee tended to the day to day operations of running a restaurant and in early 2009, brought Jeffrey Hedin on board to elevate the menu, emphasizing seasonal ingredients while still keeping a tavern focus.

Later that same year, Agee and Hedin began making plans for Leopold. Sharing a love for rustic European cuisine, they traveled to both France and Belgium, finding inspiration and absorbing all they could to bring that au-thentic Belgian experience to Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. With Hedin overseeing the menu, Agee comfortably oversees the front-of-house, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere focused on good food + good friends – much like the family dinner table she grew up at herself. To learn more about Leopold visit www.leopoldchicago.com.

In addition to Leopold, Agee is the proud owner of Witts, a casual neighborhood bar in Lakeview, IL, a place Agee notes, “Is perfect for catching Iowa games!” To learn more about Witts visit www.wittschicago.com.

LaSalle - Regis - Xavier

8 SPRING 2011

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage PaidCedar Rapids IAPermit No. 353P.O. Box 10956

Cedar Rapids, IA 52410-0956

Board of DirectorsOfficersMost. Rev. Jerome Hanus, OSB, STLWilliam McCartanJohn CleavengerConrad BaumlerRev. Philip ThompsonJody Ruff

MembersGary BeckerEllen BouchardMichele BusseBrenda ClancyTom HoffmannTom KeatingDan LynchCynthia SueppelMark Watson

Board EmeritusMichael StallmanGary Streit

Jody RuffExecutive Director

Lynn JumpAnnual Fund Director

Jessica SchneiderDir. Marketing & Alumni Relations

p: 319.378.4571f: 319.378.2953e: [email protected] w: www.xavierfoundation.org

Return Service Requested

Parents: If this issue of the Common Thread is addressed to your son or daughter who has established a permanent residence, please notify us of that new address. Call (319) 378-4571 or e-mail [email protected]

Reunion News:LaSalle Class of 1981. July 1st, 2011 – July 2nd, 2011. Friday, 6pm - 12am: Informal gathering at Shawn Atay’s.Saturday: Morning golf outing coordi-nated by Mike Young. 5:30pm - 12am: Best Western Longbranch Hotel and Convention Center. Contact Tim Sippy with questions at 319-360-6086 or [email protected].

Regis Class of 1981. June 24 and 25, 2011. For more information contact Sharon Mochal at [email protected].

Regis Class of 1986. Saturday, July 30, 2011 from 7:00 - 11:00 pm at Klik’s Photography in Cedar Rapids. For more information contact Rachel (Donnelly) Ipsan at [email protected].

Upcoming Events: • Xavier Homecoming 2011. September 16, 2011. Xavier vs. Iowa City High.

• Fourth Annual LaSalle - Regis - Xavier Alumni Basketball Tournament. Date to be determined.

Angie (Pernicone) Charipar (R90) & Debbie (Miller) Jacobs (R69)

common thread june 2011

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