rice review spring 2015

RiceReview

2 0 1 4 - 1 5 A l u m n i N e w s l e t t e r A Ye a r i n R e v i e w

Rather than an official annual theme, There has never been a better time to be a Crusader is something that is a recurring observation made by many Crusaders at the same time, with diverse emphasis, depending on different parts of the overall Brother Rice audience. Some say it to prospective students about current stu-dents. Alumni and teachers with more seasoned perspectives, who have witnessed the positive changes at Brother Rice firsthand over the years, like to say it when discussing a comparison of today and yesterday.

We all agree that being selected as the Best Private School by the SouthtownStar lends outside credence to our internal impressions

about ourselves. With higher ACT scores than any other boys school and among boys at area co-ed schools, more AP scholars and National Merit winners, along with athletic success like being Chicago Catholic League varsity football and swimming champions, while quadrupling the size of our band and music programs, these facts and much more provide plenty of proof to todays prospects that Brother Rice deserves to remain the number one choice for boys who wish to attend a Catholic high school.

Added to these facts about recent school success are the steadily growing alumni activities like BRAIN for Business. Along with the Alumni Association, it now seems that virtually every department, coach, and adult club sponsors or hosts some event that specifically invites alumni,

rendering a calendar of alumni events that fills every month. It is difficult to imagine any other high school anywhere offering more opportuni-ties for alumni to come together for themselves and for todays and tomorrows Crusaders.

School leaders believe there has never been a better time to support todays Crusaders because tuition and fees add up to almost $11,000.00 a year. Seasoned alumni continue to remind their peers that when they went to Brother Rice, they all received huge tuition discounts from the preponderance of Irish Christian Brothers who took vows of poverty while also proving to be among the best educators in the world.

The Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, as they are known today, are considerably fewer in number, leaving their legacy of excellence to the predominantly lay leadership of the Brother Rice Board of Directors, led by Burt Odelson,

including eleven alumni among 14 members, and in the administration led by President Dr. Kevin Burns and Principal Jim Antos.

Continued on page 2

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be a Crusader!

National Merit Scholars with proud Principal, President,and Guidance Chair.

Burt Odelson

During his short tenure, Kevin Burns has already proven to be so well-known among alumni that many believe he attended Brother Rice before beginning a career in education that led to becom-ing District Superintendent of CHSD 218, where thousands of students and hundreds of teachers and staff were under his charge. Jim Antos has become so well-respected, admired, and liked, that the Alumni Association unanimously voted him to be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame as only the fifth Honorary Alumnus, followingTom Mitchell, George Sedlacek, Joe Bergmann, and Brother Tom Collins.

Odelson, Burns, Antos, and many board members are among the schools leading annual donors, at a time when donors have become a growing source of life for todays and tomorrows Brother Rice. Many factors have raised tuition proportionately higher than the past. Most of todays excellent teachers do not take vows of poverty even though their excellence is not rewarded as much as public school counter-parts. Todays proven technology is expensive, and so are the continuous repairs and improve-ments on a building and grounds that are almost 60 years old. This cost burden can no longer be solely carried by parents who raise families in the immediate area, where the median home value is under $200,000 and the median income is under $100,000. Even if all could afford to pay full tuition, there would still be a significant shortfall, if alumni and friends did not support the school.

We therefore thank God for these school leaders and alumni and friends like (listed alphabeti-cally), the Alumni Association, Terry Bowen 72, Brother Rice Foundation Members, the CAAC, Bob Clasby 69, Pat Condon 66, the Dads & Alumni Dads Clubs, Paul Duggan 68, Brian Farrell 74, Bill Hite 66, Bob Jacob 67, Shaun Jacob 93, Jim Kramer

64, Don Liebentritt 66, the Mothers and Alumni Mothers Clubs, Tom Mikrut 79, Ed Murphy 65, the Murrihy Family & Friends, Ed Napleton 69, Larry Platt 68 and Family, Kevin Ryan 67, the Sloan Family & Friends, Mike Vanier 69 (with family & friends of Tom Carmody 69), Dr. John Wakerly 66, and Bill Young 61 for their past, recent, and ongoing leadership in supporting Brother Rice over the years.

These alumni have been joined by hun-dreds of others, (including many who insist on remaining anonymous and some whom we innocently omitted) in demonstrating that Brother Rice can be here for todays and tomorrows young men who live in neigh-borhoods like Mt. Greenwood, Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Beverly, West Beverly, Morgan Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Orland Park, Washington Heights, Ashburn, Midway, Gresham, Burbank, Alsip, Marquette Park, Blue Island, Hickory Hills, Worth, Chi-cago Ridge, Brighton Park, and Roseland; if alumni who came to Rice from these neighbor-hoods give what they can, no matter where they live today.

Many of our donors now live in areas remote from Brother Rice. Other donors who still live in the area may not have sons, but on a daily basis see firsthand how important Brother Rice is to what is still good about the area, as do those paying the increasing tuition for their sons or relatives, while also giving more for students they hardly know. They give out of a sense of gratitude for what they received from unselfish and gifted teachers and coaches, and they give because they know todays Crusaders need alumni help. They give because Edmund Rice foresaw that a good seed would grow in their hearts. They give because they know

great men exist that there may be greater men. Some give as a tribute to their parents for raising them in such a rewarding culture. Many give for unspoken reasons, expressing their appreciation through their gifts.

The list of donors is longer than an economical printing budget allows, and yet the list must grow in order for future Crusaders to grow and for the well-being of what remains one of the greatest parts of a world-class city. We can only remain the number one choice for boys becoming men in a Catholic high school through a collective response to appeals for renewed, increased, reinstated, and new do-nations, large and small. When some of our guys fall on hard times, we then rely on more of us who can give more, who remember to give again, or who give for the first time, while helping family and friends. Some individuals are capable of making a huge difference, but if more of us give smaller donations, we not only directly help more Crusaders today and tomor-row, but we also indirectly create more support by impressing private foundations who give large grants to schools with active alumni.

Now is the time to contact Mike McShane, Brian Badke, Jim Casey, Jim Antos or Kevin Burns or anyone at Brother Rice to let them know you are ready to give what you can. A Crusader proudly wears the cross of Christ. He campaigns, champions, advocates, and gives toward worthwhile endeavors. From Brother Penny through Dr. Burns, Brother Rice continues to enrich the lives of young men who act manfully in Christ Jesus.

There has never been a better time to be a Crusader.

(Due to recent and older publicity about the use of Crusader as a mascot, Jim Casey wel-comes emails on the topic at [email protected])

2 0 1 4 - 1 5 A l u m n i N e w s l e t t e r A Ye a r i n R e v i e w R i c e R e v i e w T h e r e H a s N e v e r B e e n a B e t t e r Ti m e t o B e a C r u s a d e r ! 2 0 1 4 - 1 5

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There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be a Crusader! Continued from cover

Dr. Kevin Burns Jim Antos


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Like hundreds of fellow alumni last year, Bill Young 61, received an email about the 2014 Career Day. Bill replied with a phone call to Alumni Director Jim Casey 70, and as soon as the conversation ended, Jim arranged for Bill to speak to hundreds of students, separate from Career Day. Bill flew in from Manhattan Beach, CA, on April 16, 2014, and captivated three con-secutive audiences of mostly seniors and juniors.

Part of what motivated Casey to organize a sepa-rate visit for Bill to speak to many students was what he said about his career former CEO of Volkswagen of North America, former CEO of JD Powers, and current Board Member of Lithia Motors. But mostly, it was how Young convinced Casey that the bigger the audience, the better Bill would feed off them.

A month and a half after Bills visit, in his speech at graduation ceremonies, valedictorian Matt Sweiss 14 validated the lasting value of Mr. Youngs ad-vice by referring to it. This was two weeks after Bill also verbally pledged what could turn out to be the largest single gift in Brother Rice history, but Matt Sweiss was not aware of this.

Here is a small sampling of how Bill Young con-nected with current Brother Rice students:Its not what happens to you, its how you react.We create our own problems, because 98% of what I worried about never happened.After three and a half years at University of Illinois, I didnt finish college because of a ridicu-lous dispute, so when I went to work, I had to spend too much time explaining myself, and then I had to work twice as hard. (Bill added later that most of his later success stemmed from what he learned at Brother Rice.)My father taught me to use my own fears to my advantage.Lets get rid of the notion of normal behav-ior. Theres no such thing.Once you judge others, you defeat your own

success, so be aware of your own prejudice. (At that point Bill told a story about how he prejudged a kid with dyed hair and multiple piercings before the kid deliberately walked ahead of Bill in order to hold open the door for him. Bill hesitated to stifle tears, while admitting his shame. Then he told a story about how he delib-erately purchased a home in a neighborhood that a banker, using a racial slur, told him to avoid, and financed his home from another banker after explaining to the original one why.)Dont let anger or criticism possess you.Exceed expectations, yours and others, because if you exceed them on a regular basis, you will be rewarded.Live in the present. Dont focus on things youre not going to get. Thatll drive you bats**t.When you make a mistake, own up quick-lypeople who dont make mistakes are not DOING ANYTHING!If you want to be a failure, dont think of oth-ers. If you want to be successful, think of others first and foremost.Technology is no substitute for human com-munication. Tell your girlfriend you love her with passion.I dont care how much you know until I know how much you care.

It became clear that it wasnt just what Mr. Young said to the young Crusaders, but it was how he said it that kept them connected with his mes-sage. His passion was as genuine as it was wide-ranging, from laughter to tears. He left time for Q & A, and when one student asked him what motivated him to make the trip to Brother Rice, he again hesitated from emotion, explaining, I have 14 stents. Im dying. Its time to give back.

Matt Sweiss was hardly the only student to derive lasting value from Bills passionate message. After each of the three 45-minute sessions, Mr. Young could not catch a break from the young Crusad-ers, as a handful asked questions after the bell, while others walked out expressing noticeable ap-preciation for the presentations, with one student stating (with passion) that the Class of 61 grad is a cool guy!

Earlier, Bill joined Casey, President Dr. Kevin Burns and Vice President Mike McShane 87 for lunch, and all three came away thoroughly impressed with the mans kindness and consider-ation of others, thrilled to have him speak to the students without having a clue that his kindness was going to extend well beyond speaking to a number of classes.

Later, Bill deliberately engaged Casey and McShane in a discussion about the needs of Brother Rice, and they laid it out, emphasizing how tuition is becoming out of reach for too many who live in the immediate and surround-ing neighborhoods, and how good teachers and smart technology are more expensive than when Bill attended Brother Rice and was taught by good teachers who mostly took vows of poverty.

On May 9, 2014, Bill Young called Caseys office and explained, with McShane and Major Gifts Officer Brian Badke 92 listening on speaker-phone, how he planned to help fund the future sustainability of Brother Rice High School. Casey described it as the most thrilling phone call he experienced in 27 years at Brother Rice. Not only does Bill wish to build a foundation primar-ily with funds from his own personal portfolio, he wishes to convince other alumni like him to make the same commitment and connection to Brother Rice.

Its easier for me to beat up on someone for a big number, if I give a big number in order to help sustain the school for the next 30 to 40 years, Bill said.

Casey, McShane, and Badke wish every poten-tial big donor could meet or otherwise become inspired by Bill Young or by their own sense of giving back at a crucial time. After meeting Bill and spending time with him again later in the summer, Dr. Burns and Casey were simultane-ously inspired to consider the theme Forever Young for the first Brother Rice Gala Event in January of 2015 (see Forever Young article).

In the meantime, Bill and his wife have given generously to the already established Brother Rice Foundation, while engaging with members from that board to produce other means for sustaining the schools future.

Realizing that some alumni can think bigger and give bigger than others, sustaining the future of Brother Rice will require more alumni to think as big as they possibly can, for Brother Rice to stay Forever Young.

Please contact Jim Casey at 773-429-4456 or [email protected] if you would like to meet with Bill and discuss the future of Brother Rice. Or contact Jim, Mike, Brian, or Kevin to recom-mend someone you believe should meet Bill Young 61.

Bill Young 61 Connects with Crusaders Today and Into the Future


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To describe the first Brother Rice Foundation Forever Young Gala Event, many involved placed the adjective great in front of people, place, music, food, cause, mission, fun, time, timing, and launch in anticipation of next years 60 Years and Forever Young.

The great people were gathered by great committee members and great table sponsors including the following: Chairs Dr. Laura Shallow & Dr. Brian Farrell 74*, along with Dr. Kevin Burns, Brian Barkowski 95, Jim Casey 70, Dr. Jorge Cavero 77, Bob Clasby 69, Nancy Condreva, Mark Donahue 74*, Donna Eastman, TomHarrigan 64, Larry Heavey 71, Shaun Jacob 93*, Jim Kramer 64*, MikeMcShane 87, Rick Murphy 93*, Burt Odelson, Greg Papiernik 76, Steve Rosenbaum 74, Mark 71 & Joyce* Sterk. (*Committee Members and Table Sponsors).

The committee selected the great place and food (Beverly CC), the music (City Lights Rich Daniels 78), and the January 17, 2015, launch date (next year it will be later in mid-February).

The great cause and mission, to build a Foun-dation for todays and tomorrows Crusaders, was not only generously supported by afore-mentioned table sponsors, some of whom also provided generous auction prizes and partici-pated with generous bids, but also the event sponsors Advantage Mechanical,Beeline Cleaning, Beverly Bank & Trust (Dennis OMalley 82), again Dr. andMrs. Kevin Burns, CEP Exhibit Productions

(Mr. & Mrs. Werner Koos), Levin & Brend (again Mr. & Mrs. Greg Papiernik 76), Manning & Napier (Mr. & Mrs. John Marren), 1994 Crusader Basketball Section-al Champs, again Mr. & Mrs. Burt Odelson, Sheehy Funeral Home, Dr. & Mrs. Patrick Sweeney, William Blair & Associates. Other friends of the Forever Young Foundation Inaugural event included Mr. Patrick Ahern, Mr. &

Mrs. James Antos, Mr. & Mrs. Delano Brazil 87, Dr. Joseph Brosnan 71, Mr. & Mrs. Marco Corsi, Mr. Jim Cranley 82, Evergreen Living & Rehab Center,

Flo & Santos Pizzeria & Pub, Rev. Joseph Hardy, Mrs. Eileen Neary, Mr. Eddie Olc-zyk & Mr. Rick Olczyk, with Tom Killoran donating beautiful photographs of guests.

Ed Sochacki 91 produced a wonderful and memorable Forever Young Video andPatrick Elwood 85 from WGN Channel 9 News dis-played an absolutely perfect pitch as Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneer. Band Direc-tor Dan Briggs conducted two beautiful performances from the Brother Rice Saxophone Quartet and Bella Suono

Quintet before and during dinner, before Dean Rolando led the always entertaining City Lights Orchestra for dancing that filled the floor well until midnight.

In typical Crusader friend and family fashion, the great party and camaraderie continued until the workers at Beverly simply had to go home. The video, auction, and music set a unifying tone, with everyone sharing in the good feeling of making money for todays Crusaders. The always generous Pat Folliard 73 added even more excitement when he won the biggest bid in the live auction.

With one appeal and two events, the Brother Rice Foundation is already giving back to support todays Crusaders, while positioning themselves to be there for tomorrows Crusad-ers. Foundation Members Patrick Condon 64, Thomas Gorman 85, Thomas Harrigan 64, James Kramer 64, James McCord 67, Greg Papiernik, 76, Bill Young 61, and Ex Officio member Dr. Kevin Burns, are joined by Board of Director members, Odelson, John Birney, Br. Dan Casey 69, Cavero, Brian Coughlin 74, Donahue, Elwood, Far-rell, Jacob, Kramer, Br. Dominick Murray 63, Mike Petrik 75, Rosenbaum, Mr. Steve Ruff 64, Shallow, and Joyce Sterk to support a full calendar of events and donation appeals throughout the year for many years, and we have already learned in 2015 that their lead in remaining forever committed will keep Brother Rice High School forever young.

First Forever Young Gala Event a Great Launch for the Brother Rice Foundation

Committee planning Forever Young

Pat Elwood 85 MC

Forever Young Committee at event


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In establishing the Bill Hite Scholarship for the sons of union construction workers attend-ing Brother Rice, Bill Hite 66 handed over a $30,000 award to Brother Rice from the DC

Friends of Ireland, as reported on www.Brother-Rice.org last March, which can still be found at http://Alumni.BrotherRice.org/?s=Bill+Hite

In September of 2014, Alumni Director Jim Casey 70 met with Bill Hite 66 and Local 597 Business Agent Tim Gallagher 81 at the Tri-Partite Conference of the United Association (UA) of Plumbers, Fitters, Welders, and HVAC Service Techs, which represents 370,000 mem-bers in the U.S., Canada and Australia, along with Contractors and Owners at Local 597 train-ing center in Mokena. While introducing Casey and Gallagher to former NFL quarterback Bernie

Kosar, Hite handed the ball to them to promote the building of the Bill Hite Scholarship.

Since then the biggest additional donors have come from William Blair & Associates, Bob Brooks 72, and Governor Pat Quinn. Casey and Gallagher look forward to contacting locals, contractors, building associations, and invest-ment firms interested in helping Bill Hite provide scholarships to Brother Rice for the sons of union construction workers who could not otherwise afford todays tuition.

Hite 66 With Kosar Hand Off to Casey 70 & Gallagher 81

Ed Murphy 65, Brian Coughlin 75, and Joe Ferrick 75 will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame as Men of the Year in front of classmates celebrating their 50th and 40th anni-versaries and alumni from all years, and Jim Antos will be inducted as only the fifth Honorary Alumnus in front of hundreds of alumni and colleagues who remember him as one of the finest educators in Brother Rice history.

All four men will be honored for different and extraordinary examples of what it means to be a Crusader as part of the All-Alumni Reunion Dinner on Friday, November 13, 2015, at the Car-mody Center (BRHS cafeteria). Please contact Jim Casey ([email protected]) or Donna Eastman ([email protected]) if you wish to receive an invitation to this event. Classes ending in 5 and 0 will also receive special reservations, with the Class of 65 also enjoying a special reception.

Murphy, Coughlin, Ferrick, & Antos to be Inducted into the Alumni Hall at All-Alumni Dinner November 13, 2015 - 5s and 0s to be Featured

On Friday, November 14, 2014, the follow-ing alumni were inducted into the Brother Rice High School Alumni Association Alumni Hall of Fame: Mike Kamin 64, for his extraordinary and continuous service in defense of our nation, Mike Elwood 74, Steve Rosenbaum 74, and Tom Mikrut 79 as 2014 Alumni Men of the Year for

their extraordinary and continued service to Brother Rice.

Mike Kamin 64, Alumni Hall of FameIt has been the custom of the Brother Rice Alumni Association to honor alumni veterans of military service, especially those who died while in service of our country, but also those whose extraordinary service deserves special recognition. On the occasion of his 50th graduation anniversary, Mike Kamin 64 is clearly among those alumni who deserve spe-cial recognition. Please go to http://Alumni.BrotherRice.org/ for more biographical details about Mike, but suffice it to say that it is difficult to imagine any alumnus from any high school with a more impressive resume of crucial intelligence experience at the Pentagon and in the middle of every major war zone since Vietnam.

It is because Mike Kamin 64 has provided non-stop exper-tise in dangerous places around the world in defense of our nation for over 40 years, that the Brother Rice Alumni Asso-ciation proudly inducted him into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

Mike took amoment after being honored to also honor fellow Crusaders who served in Afghanistan.

Continued

Kamin, Elwood, Rosenbaum & Mikrut Inducted into Alumni Hall atAll-Alumni Dinner November 14, 2014 - 4s and 9s Featured

See more about Bill Hite on page 11

Alumni Board with Joe Ferrick 75

Kamin holds framed flag

Kamin 64 Meets Konstant 99

Mike presented a framed flag, which he personally commissioned, from the embassy in Kabul to Alumni Hall of Famer JJKonstant 99, who earned two Purple Hearts and one Bronze Star for his heroic duty there and in Iraq.

Mike Elwood 74 2014 Man of the Year and Alumni Hall of Fame

Throughout his years as an alumni volunteer, Mike Elwood 74 enjoyed connecting his family with Brother Rice events, bringing his dad to dinners and games, especially when there was a post-game pizza party. To this day, he enjoys attending events with fellow Elwood Crusaders, Tom 68, William 78, and Patrick 85, who serves on the schools board of directors.

Mike wanted to build upon the opportunities for all alumni to come together, so he became involved in the Alumni Association, first as the ad book chairman and the vice president of alumni events in 2001, two positions he held until 2008. When Jim Cannon 63 died suddenly in 2008, Mike was a natural and unanimous choice to fill mighty big shoes as president of the Alumni Association, a position he still holds. During his tenure as president, he continued to also lead as ad book chairman until last year, when Terry Barton 69 took over.

Always thinking of others, Mike cites Cannon, Casey, and the late Tom Carmody 69, as alumni leaders who initially inspired him along with his parents, but now there are too many alumni for

him to name them all, since there are now so many ways for alumni to become involved.It is because Mike Elwood has been a leader in inspiring alumni and others to come together and build Brother Rice that he was a 2014 Man of the Year, and was thereby inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

For more on Mikes path toward becoming Alumni Association President, go to http://Alumni.BrotherRice.org/ Steve Rosenbaum 74 Man of the Year and Alumni Hall of Fame

Steve Rosenbaum 74 first became an ener-getic Crusader while in grade school, citing the atmosphere of varsity basketball games as electric. Anyone who knows Steve and who has experienced that atmosphere in the gym will agree that he has recharged that energy and more back into Brother Rice ever since, virtually non-stop for 44 years.

Steve has been an ubiquitous member of the schools Board of Directors since 2009, continuously serving on committees that build momentum for Brother Rice. Added to that, Steve plunks down his money for and faithfully attends virtually every Alumni As-sociation event sponsored every year, and no school has more alumni events than Brother Rice. He is so faithful, that when a conflict prevents him from attending something, he feels genuinely bad about it. If the event at-tracts couples, Steve and Sharon Rosenbaum are among the first to make reservations, while encouraging others to do so as well.

Steve Rosenbaum 74 embodies the true meaning of Brother Rice Crusader as much as anyone does or has throughout the history of the school. Among the synonyms for Crusader are proponent, advocate, and protagonist, all fitting descriptions of this man, who never stops working and leading others in a worthwhile cause - the advance-ment of Brother Rice High School. Many times we have said that honors are past due, but none has been more past due than this one to Steve, who is especially glad to have waited and to be honored in front of his 1974 classmates as a 2014 Man of the Year and thereby inducted into the Brother Rice Alumni Hall of Fame.

For more on Steves path to Brother Rice and back again, go to http://Alumni.BrotherRice.org/

Tom Mikrut 79, 2014 Man of the Year and Alumni Hall of Fame

Tom Mikrut 79 does not recall having much of a say in the matter in choosing Brother Rice. His classmates from Kolmar in Oak Lawn went to Richards, but his parents insisted on Catholic education, so he ended up following the footsteps of his brothers, Joe 75 and Mark 76, but he recalls that he could have gone to Marist.

Fortunately for some recent and currentstudents, memories of Brother Rice, com-bined with Toms incredible generosity, have led him to significantly help many Crusaders afford tuition.


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Alumni Hall of Fame and Anniversary Classes Continued from page 4

Elwood and Casey

Rosenbaum and Burns

Mikrut 79 & OConnell 03

Barton 69 & Jacob 67 With Crusaders


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The Joseph Mikrut Scholarship, named after Toms dad, has, to date, impacted over 50 students who graduated from St. Catherine of Alexandria in Oak Lawn: My Dad was a dedicated family man hard working, blue collar electrician for forty years at Western Electric, who not only put a roof over our heads and food on the table, but he also provided an education for his three sons, even though his education was limited. One way to recognize his sacrifices and efforts was to name the scholarship after him, and it

meant a lot to him (and my mother) before he passed. The parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria and Father Pat were extremely important to both of my parents, so it made sense for the scholarship to meld my appreciation for BRHS with their apprecia-tion for Father Pat and St. Catherine.

Toms assessment of his own generosity is strikingly humble, but since it is difficult to imagine where Brother Rice would be today without alumni writing checks, we do not

share Tom Mikruts humble comparison of himself. Alumni writing checks and urging others to do so are today as significant as any other part of the Brother Rice Family, so that is why the Brother Rice Alumni Association is proud to honor major donor Tom Mikrut 79, as a 2014 Man of the Year and induct him into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

For more on Tom Mikruts return to Brother Rice, go to http://Alumni.Brother-Rice.org/

Classes of the 4s and 9s Celebrate Anniversaries at Alumni Dinner

Bros. Casey, Hayes, and Collins

Class of 64 50th

Class of 64 on tour

Class of 64 Learns Physics

Drum Major Leads 84 Grads in Fight Song

Harrigan, Phelan, McCann 1994

Ken Furlough 09 with Mr. Dolan

Kramer, Weimar, Dooley, Malee, Ruff, & Rice 1964

MC Tom Gorman 85

Pat Hosty 15 & John Walsh 61Barton 69 & Jacob 67 With Crusaders


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Alumni News and Calendar of Alumni Events Monthly Board Meetings-Second Mon-day or Tuesday of the Month Please contact Donna Eastman ([email protected]) for exact date and time. Contact Jim Casey (jcasey@ brrice.org) if you have any questions.

Alumni News Throughout the Year Go to website - http://Alumni.Brother Rice.org/ - Be a frequent visitor and support our efforts to seek website advertisers Keep posted on events and activities.

Update your email address with Donna or Jim - Keep informed about Brother Rice events and activities for alumni in general and for your graduating class in particular, including specific classmate information, from happy to interesting to sad. Send newsworthy stories to Jim or Brian Barkowski 95 at [email protected].

Stay active with participation or donation and continue to receive the Rice Review.

Activities and Events Posted Throughout the Year on Website and Through Social Media, and Sent via Email (Contact Jim Casey ([email protected]) or Donna Eastman ([email protected]) for information about the following events. Contact Donna, Jim, or Brian Barkowski ([email protected]) to update your contact information.

Post-game Receptions After Varsity Basketball or Football Games

BRAIN for Business Meeting Locations, Dates, and Times Please go to http://Alumni.BrotherRice. org/BrainForBusiness/ or call BRAIN Chairman Gary Stubits 82 at 847-420- 0966 or Alumni Director Jim Casey 70 at 773-429-4456 for information about upcoming meetings, and/or sponsorship and advertisement opportunities.

Career Day Wednesday, March 11, 2015 Contact Jim or Donna

Circle of Champions (Athletic Hall of Fame) Saturday, April 18, 2015- Sponsored and Hosted by Athletic Department Contact Sue Stanley at [email protected]

Alumni Softball League From May to August Contact Jim Casey ASAP to enter a team.

Alumni Golf Outing Friday, June 19, 2015 at Gleneagles in Lemont Contact Donna or Jim

Four Separate Golf Outings - CAAC, Murrihy, Sloan, and Founda- tion Contact Jim or Mike McShane at [email protected] for updated information.

Homecoming Alumni Gathering Contact Jim Casey

All-Alumni Reunion Dinner with Ad Book Friday, November 13, 2015 at Carmody Center (BRHS Cafeteria) Contact Donna or Jim

Yearbook Distribution for the Class of 2015, Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Professional Event at the Union League Club (TBA in December)

Christmas Cheer for Brother Rice Alumni and Friends (TBA in December)

Shaun Jacob 93

The Circle of Champions, the Brother Rice athletic hall of fame, is welcoming its fifth class of dedicated coaches and athletes to this

prestigious fraternity. The Class of 2015 will be inducted Saturday, April 18, 2015.

The members of the Class of 2015 include Tom Barry 71, Tom Dwyer 04, John Fazy 71, John Flynn 61, Bobby Frasor 05, Dennis Harrigan 69, Bill Kazmierczak 82, Mark Klutcharch 82, Tim Lawrence 76, Br. James McDonald, CFC, Jim McElroy 69, Mike McGrath 69, Brian McShane 03, Brian Roll 73, George Roll 80, Steve Roll 72, Ed Sinkus 74, Dave Telander04, and the 1981 IHSA State Champions Football Team.

Circle of Champions 2015 April 18th at Brother Rice High School


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Brother Rice Supports Get Behind the Vest for CPD OfficersAs part of our Catholic Schools Week celebra-tions, Brother Rice hosted a wear blue dress down day to support Get Behind the Vest, an initiative sponsored by the Chicago Police Me-morial Foundation that works to raise funds to replace worn out bulletproof vests for Chicago police officers.

A bulletproof vest has a life of about 5 years, and the replacement cost is approximately $500; police officers are given a vest when they initially join the force, but they must replace their vests on a regular basis because the materials wear out and break down. A bullet will permanently damage a vest, thereby making it unusable. Therefore, it is vital that police officers have updated bulletproof vests to remain safe while on the duty.

Kate McMahon, a representative from Get Be-hind the Vest, contacted Brother Rice President Dr. Kevin Burns to ask if BR would be willing to come on board and support this initiative. The date was set, the press was contacted, and

ten CPD officers who are also Brother Rice par-ents came out to be a part of the day. WGNs anchorman Robert Jordan also stopped by to interview and film the BR CPD dads and their sons and to discuss why Brother Rice chose to support this cause (see the video footage at http://wgntv.com/2015/01/28/school-pitches-in-to-raise-funds-for-police-vests/).

This event revealed that over 100 of our Brother Rice students have a parent or other close family member who is a CPD officer, and our alumni statistics showed that approximately 220 Brother Rice alumni are CPD officers. It truly brought home the close ties that Brother Rice shares with the Chicago Police Department. Since Catholic Schools Week asks students to reflect on how they serve their community, it seemed most appropriate that the Crusader family step up to support the men and women of CPD who serve and protect that same community.

The Brother Rice wear blue dress down day netted $1,000 for this campaign, which will

purchase 2 bulletproof vests. The goal of Get Behind the Vest is to raise enough funds to purchase 8,000 vests. If you would like to con-tribute, please go to http://www.getbehindthe-vest.org/ for more information.

(A second fundraiser on February 11 added another $4,800 (totaling $5,800), including a match from Dr. Burns and another donation, providing a total of 14 vests for CPD officers.)

Filan, Fahey, Knoell and Barkowski, Lost But Will Be RememberedBy: Joe Swiatek 15

The year 2014 has been a most difficult year for the Brother Rice family. Starting with the passing of Mr. Al Filan in January, followed by student Cameron Fahey 15, Mr. Andrew Knoell, and Mrs. Eileen Barkowski, Brother Rice has been continually coping with losses.

Mr. Filan, Mr. Knoell, and Mrs. Barkowski certainly had different teaching styles and personalities, but they shared a passion for their students that came through in the many positive experiences remembered by students, alumni, and colleagues at memorial services

in the Brother Rice main gym. Everyone also came to know more about Cameron Faheys passion for learning, justice, and enjoying life with friends and family, as he too was remembered in the main gym and at a packed St. Barnabas funeral Mass.

We remember these teachers as leaving indel-ible marks on the lives of their students, but the same can also be said about young Cam-eron, so we urge alumni to read more about their rewarding lives if you have not already done so.

Brother Rice may have suffered too much loss for one year, but it can also be said that because of Al, Cameron, Andrew, and Eileen we will all be better for the lives they shared with us.

More about the lives of these three faculty legends and the amazing Cameron Fahey can be found at http://Alumni.BrotherRice.org/RestInPeace

CPD Blue Fundraiser 2015

For A Listing ofDeceased Alumni,

Relatives and FriendsGo To

http://alumni.BrotherRice.org/RestInPeace


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Career Day XXI Scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The Brother Rice High School Alumni As-sociation will join forces with the faculty and IA staff, along with the administration, to host the 21st Annual Alumni Career Day on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Between 80 and 100 alumni, spanning fifty years of graduating classes (1960 2010) will tell their true stories about their various career paths from Brother Rice to where they are today.

Brother Rice Alumni Director Jim Casey calls Career Day his favorite event of the year. Every-body loves it - the faculty, the students, the staff, and the alumni express as much gratitude to us as we do to them for the experience, Casey said.

Last year 100 alumni were scheduled for Career Day and 80 of them made it even after an incredible snow storm delayed the start of school by 90 minutes.

Almost 400 alumni from many walks of life have participated in various Career Days throughout the years and all are welcome to join us again, or join us for the first time. Please contact Jim Casey at [email protected] or Donna Eastman at [email protected] if you would like participate in Career Day XXI.

30th Annual All-Alumni Golf Outing is Friday, June 19, 2015Bill McNulty 63 and Gleneagles CC in Lemont will again join the Alumni Association in hosting the 30th Annual All-Alumni Golf Outing on Friday, June 19. Consecutive shot-gun starts are scheduled, the first at 8:00 A.M. and the second at 1:00 P.M., so we recom-mend that you gather your foursomes of fellow alumni now, and also other friends and family members. Make it an outing within an outing and let us do the organizing for you. Contact Jim Casey ([email protected]) or Donna East-man ([email protected]) if you have any questions at this time.

The acronym stands for Brother Rice Alumni Interactive Network and the pun about syn-apses firing alludes to more than 200 alumni meeting at various times throughout the last two years, at various businesses run by fellow alumni, making business connections with each other.

We urge you to contact Jim Casey at [email protected] to learn more about how Gary Stubits 82, the brains behind BRAIN, Jim Walsh 86, and others are continuing to grow this original and dynamic concept for alumni.

BRAIN Leaders Stubits & Walsh with Rodriguez,Coghlan & Farrell

Please go to http://Alumni.Broth-erRice.org/BrainForBusiness/ for online information or contact Jim

Casey for current information.

BRAIN for Business Synapses Firing with AlumniDoing Business with Each Other


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Alumni Moms Host Third Trivia NightBrother Rices Alumni Mothers Club hosted its 3rd Annual Trivia Night on January 24. The event was a great success, with over 200 people (a nice mix of alumni, alumni parents, current parents, faculty, administration, and friends) enjoying a night of challenging trivia questions and lots of laughs. The team captained by Leo

Schmitz 77 won for the second consecutive year. Leo himself could be the answer to the trivia question, Who is the first Brother Rice graduate to be named as the Director of the Illinois State Police? Pictured are alumni moms Anne Minella, Anne Girzadas, Darlene Folliard, and Marlene Mrozek.

The broadcast journalism class was intro-duced to students at Brother Rice during the 2013-2014 school year. The brainchild of Mr. Barkowski and Mrs. Van Assen, Ms. Pacetti agreed to teach this new class.

Ms. Pacetti knew that next years (current year) class of 28 would need to find a bigger, more permanent home. Room 100 was the only classroom in the school that would re-ally work as a production studio. The room was being used as a math classroom, and was originally renovated because of the generos-ity of the Odelson Family. Ms. Pacetti asked Brother Rice President Dr. Kevin Burns if it would be possible to repurpose this room, creating a classroom that could turn into a production set. He thought it was a great idea and suggested she contact Mr. Burt Odelson, the Chairman of the Brother Rice Board of

Directors, to make sure he was comfortable with the repurposing of the room. Not only did Mr. Odelson approve of the idea, he wanted to be on board with the creation of the production studio. Mr. Barkowski then contacted architect Mr. Paul Aubin, father of Marcus Aubin, who generously created a virtual prototype of the forthcoming renova-tion, and who also donated a green screen, while Martin Murray 75 donated an iMac to enhance the refurbishment and other im-provements donated by Mr. Odelson.

The production studio is now available to the broadcast journalism, yearbook/journalism, and marketing classes not only during class time, but also before and after school. The broadcast journalism class is already working to expand and enhance their High School Cube broadcasts and intend to create more

broadcasting opportunities next school year.

The studio should attract expanding interest from alumni, prospective students, and pro-fessional sponsors of student-created videos, at a time when this technology and broadcast-ing skill is expanding into every advancing enterprise in the world.

Reprinted and edited in part from The Standard (May 6, 2014)

Brother Rice Adding (Adds) a New Production StudioBy: Mitch Strahlman 14

The Boy Scouts of America Chicago Council has partnered with the Plumbing Council of Chicagoland to honor UA General Presi-dent William P. Hite as the recipient of the Inaugural AFL-CIO George Meany Award on January 20, 2015, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Chicago.

Bill Hite 66 is the first to receive this award because of his internationally recognized lead-ership in growing the UA, at a time when most unions are in decline. The UAs emphasis on offering the best training and continued part-nerships with owners and contractors appeals to the Boy Scouts as a way of preparing their members for careers with a future.

For much more on this, Google Bill Hite and Boy Scouts. The following is a You-tube broadcast of Bills speech upon receiv-ing the award: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUwRfKqb-40

In addition to UA of United States, Canada, and Australia, the UA is now among the most significant labor unions in Ireland, as the UA Irish Counterpart, the Technical, Engineering, Electrical Union (TEEU) General Secretary Eamon Devoy met with Bill Hite to officially begin their partnership in enhancing skills, en-suring safety, and expanding job opportunities for their members. See the following for more on the TEEU and UA partnership.

http://www.ua.org/latest-news/ua-and-teeu-of-ireland-sign-historic-global-federation-agreement-at-the-irish-embassy.aspx

As the leader of UA and as a personal friend to labor, business, and political leaders, not to mention a 2005 recipient of the Rerum No-varum Award alongside Cardinal George, it is more than fitting that Bill Hite should also be the Grand Marshall for the March 14th St. Patricks Day Parade in downtown Chicago. See more about this at

http://www.chicagostpatsparade.com/grand-marshal.html

Boy Scouts of America, TEEU Irish Union, and Chicago St. Pats Parade Unite With Hite 66

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PAIDBedford Park, IL

Permit 160

Brother Rice Announces Google Chromebook InitiativeInformation technology isnt just about devic-es; its also about the software and the Internet that connects the two. Its about finding the best solutions for the school. Its about think-ing forward, yet being diligent in finding the right tools to use. Seven of the eight Ivy League universities and 72 of 2013s top 100 U.S. universities have gone Google with Google Apps for Education.

This school year, Brother Rice has chosen four classes to run a pilot program using Chromebooks and Google Apps for Educa-tion. Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, all freshman and sophomore students will be required to purchase a Chromebook for use throughout their time at Brother Rice.

Chromebooks fill three big needs theyre easy for students and teachers to use, theyre easy to share, and theyre easy to manage. Some of the

features that Chromebooks provide over other device options include, but are not limited to: Full version of the Internet, not limited to an app Creation vs. consumption Google Ecosystem for Collaboration (Docs, Sheets, Slides) Reduced cost with eBooksAccording to IDCs latest report on tablets and laptops in K-12 education, Chromebooks are the best-selling device in the U.S. this year.

Wrestling Room Completed: New Locker Rooms On The WayThanks to the efforts of many alumni and parents who support wrestling and other ath-letics, Brother Rice will have new facilities for athletes in time for the entire 2015-16 school year. The Wrestling Team coaches, along with many supporters, raised funds and donated hundreds of hours of expert skill to complete the room (located between the library and fitness center) in time for this season. Vari-ous coaches and CAAC leaders, along with many others have also donated thousands of dollars and discounted services to rebuild and renovate the locker rooms for all students, athletes, and coaches, which are expected to be completed by the end of this school year.

Brother Rice Drone on Duty

rice review spring 2015

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