McNicholas honors and celebrates Distinguished Alumni

Bill Butler '86, Lizanne Gundrum Ingram '78, Jack Selzer '66, Chris Gatio Haynes '74.

On October 23, McNicholas High School honored four of its outstanding alumni at the third annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration. This year's honorees are:
Col. William Butler '86 - Full Stature Special Achievement Award
After graduating McNicholas in 1986, Col. Butler attended Eastern Kentucky University (Distinguished Military Graduate) and was commissioned a Regular Army Second Lieutenant in the Infantry in 1990.  He commanded Light Infantry, Ranger, and Airborne units thru battalion level and served as a Task Force Senior Trainer at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center.  He has extensive staff experience from the battalion thru combined / joint task force level.  Additionally, his combat deployments include three year-long deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I and Operations Enduring Freedom VI and X, all with the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team. His most unique experience in the Army was as a military technical advisor and stuntman for the movie  Blackhawk Down.  Bill has also been a mentor, trainer, and military leadership panel member for Emory University's, Goizueta Business School.
Before retiring from the Army in 2017 he was the Director of Operations for U.S. Army Cadet Command, where he was responsible for planning and executing the U.S. Army's largest training exercise in the continental United States.  He was a Department of the Army senior civilian in Vicenza, Italy for two years before moving back to Ohio in 2019.   Col. Butler is the Chief of Staff for the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus
Dr. Jack Selzer '66 - Distinguished Alumni Award
Dr. Selzer graduated from McNicholas in 1966 where he loved sports and played a small part in a Rocket football win over St Xavier, a basketball win at Elder, and a district championship victory at Crosley Field in baseball. He also edited McNick's first yearbook. After studying economics at Xavier University, trying out high school teaching, and getting his doctorate in English from Miami University, he found himself teaching at Penn State University, where he led various courses in rhetoric, scientific and technical communication, and literature from 1978 until his retirement earlier this year, as Paterno Family Liberal Arts Professor.
As a professor, he authored and coauthored, edited and coedited a number of scholarly books and textbooks, and he played a leadership role in Penn State's outstanding graduate and undergraduate programs in rhetoric. As associate dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, he increased minority enrollments and invented the Paterno Fellows Program, an innovative "honors-plus" offering designed to bring out the best in thousands of Penn State undergraduates. Jack also helped to establish a new parish in State College (Good Shepherd), encouraged ecumenical efforts in his community, coached youth sports, and took on leadership roles in national professional groups, notably the Rhetoric Society of America.
Lizanne Gundrum Ingram '78 - Distinguished Alumni Award
Lizanne graduated from McNicholas in 1978 and began as a social worker after graduating from Xavier University. She found herself back in education as a counselor and found her way back to McNIcholas in 1995. For 18 years, Lizanne served McNicholas as Director of Director of Guidance, Academic Dean, and Director of Admissions. While at her alma mater, she also directed eleven spring musicals, served on the adult team on four Kairos retreats, moderated the liturgy choir for eight years, and served on three accreditation teams.  Lizanne has been a member of Bellarmine Parish and the 7:00 p.m. music group for 40 years, director of several community theatre productions for three organizations, and member of the McNicholas High School Board of Limited Jurisdiction. She is currently the principal of St. Bernadette Elementary School.
Chris Gatio Haynes '74 - Outstanding Service Award
Chris joined the Athletic Booster Board in 2000 and has been continuously involved at McNicholas ever since.  She has worked the gate at football and basketball games for the last 10 years, and has been a part of organizing the Hall of Fame celebrations and the school's biggest fundraiser McNick at Night for a number of years. She served as team mother for a variety of teams while her children were students at McNicholas. A member of Guardian Angels parish, Chris has served on the Festival Committee for over 20 years and created a Friends for Friends group that raised funds to support parish families going through catastrophic conditions in their lives. 
Attention all alums - please start thinking about deserving alumni for this year's Alumni Awards. McNicholas will host a special event on October 7, in the Café and Student Union to present the awards. (Archbishop McNicholas was ordained a Dominican priest on October 10, 1901.) The following day, October 8, the recipients will be introduced to the students at an all-school assembly.
 
Selection for 2020
The McNicholas community may nominate candidates for this award . If you nominated someone in the past, we still have his or her name on file. All three awards will be selected by a committee of school and alumni representatives.  Nominations are now being accepted for next year.  The committee will announce its selections in July.  If you would like to nominate someone for this upcoming year, please  click here.
'Tis the season and time for our 3rd annual St. Nick at McNick service project.



The Alumni Association, led by the St. Nick crew from the Class of '66, is busy preparing for the 3rd annual St. Nick at McNick project to assist people in need at Christmas.

Last year, alumni and friends, raised almost $9,000 for St. Nick. We were blown away by people's generosity. It was a GREAT effort, and we were able to help a LOT of people with the money raised. This year, we hope to match or surpass that amount. To that end, we are asking for alumni support of our St. Nick at McNick effort.

St. Nick's mission is to raise funds for gifts and support to people in need during the holiday season. For some, St. Nick will provide gifts for Christmas. For others, the program will provide more basic necessities such as blankets, warm gloves and scarves, and household items. The number of people we will be able to help depends on the amount of money we can raise. We hope that many of you will consider a contribution to the St. Nick at McNick effort. As McNick alumni, we are many in number, and even small contributions will add up...so give a little or give a lot...just please give. Together, we can be a mighty force.

As St. Nick plans evolve, more details will be available such as agencies we will be supporting, dates, times, help needed, etc. Stay tuned! There will be many ways to contribute. We will need shoppers and a small army of people to help wrap and organize the gifts at the wrapping party.

We will be collecting contributions until December 6, which is St. Nicholas Day, but early donations will be VERY much appreciated. There is a lot of work for St. Nick to do! We need to plan our efforts, determine the number of people we can help, figure out what gifts to buy, etc. Donations made before Thanksgiving will give us time to plan and will help us work towards a $1,000 match for early donations made by Thanksgiving, offered by two very generous people.
You can to donate two ways.  You can pay on-line or by mailing a check.

· Make the check payable to: McNicholas High School
· Be sure to put 'For St. Nick at McNick' on the memo line of the check.
· Mail to:
McNicholas High School
Attention: St. Nick/Shawn Young
6536 Beechmont Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45230

Spreading the word to more people about St. Nick at McNick will hopefully raise more money. You can help by passing on information regarding St. Nick to friends and family whom you think might be interested.
Thank you for considering a donation to St. Nick at McNick.


Maggie Sheehan '15 continues with service


Maggie, graduated from the University of Dayton in December of 2018 with a degree in psychology. Her years at McNicholas and the University of Dayton, not only prepared her for her future career; it also fostered a desire to serve others. While at McNicholas, Maggie took part in the Appalachia Retreat. In college, this desire to serve led her to Tennessee to work with the Glenmary missionaries, where she was met with open arms. There was a large Hispanic population in her community in TN, and she fell in love with the hospitality, joy, and love that is so present in their culture. Inspired by this love, she decided to spend a year as a full-time volunteer in Ecuador with a program called Rostro de Cristo.

Rostro de Cristo, which means "face of Christ" in Spanish, was founded in 1989 by a St. James Missionary priest from Boston, Fr. Jim Ronan. Its mission is to enter into relationships with our Ecuadorian neighbors with respect and humility; to serve local projects that respond to the situation of poverty faced by so many Ecuadorians; and to live in an intentional community with fellow volunteers - sharing faith, food, and friendship. As a volunteer Maggie works at a local organization which works on long-term solutions to the problems of poverty and seeks opportunities to improve the lives of the people. This may be a local tutoring program, a health clinic, or a school. 

She began her service with Rostro de Cristo on July 22, 2019, after a 10-day orientation program in Boston.  Maggie asks that you keep her and her community in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through this faith-filled journey.  While she will not have a phone this year, she will continue to share her experiences with us.

Veterans  Day annual breakfast

First of all- THANK YOU to our Rockets who have served this country.  Five years ago we started building our list of Rockets who served.  I am happy to say that our official list has grown from 50 to 351. To check on our McNicholas military list, or to see if we need to add someone to the list please click here . If you find we are missing someone, please email Shawn Young.

On  Monday , Nov. 11,  McNicholas High School honored the holiday by inviting all veterans to have breakfast with us in the Café, starting at 9:30 a.m. Then at 10:30 a.m. we moved to the main gym for a presentation for the entire student body, and our guests. This year our featured speaker was World War II Veteran Henry Armstrong.  Hank at 95 years old held the entire student body at attention as he described his time in Europe. McNicholas also invited the  WW II  Veterans who partnered with us last April, for the Soaring Valor program. Former student partners from the trip were also invited back. We had 16 World War II veterans attend, and they were recognized in front of the students.   We had over 100  veterans and guests  back, and of course, we would love to thank even more of you! We will host this event again next year, and we hope that you will be able to join us. 
 

If you would be interested in joining our Military Committee, please contact Jim Hay at 513- 236-7609 or jhay279786@aol.com. The committee does a lot of great work here at McNicholas. They host the breakfast on Veterans Day, organize a ceremony on Memorial Day, and now host our Rocketoberfest. This event is scheduled for October 10, 2020. This event  helps raise funds for the upkeep of our military memorial and to raise funds for scholarships for deserving students. In the past 11 years, the Military Committee has raised over $80,000 for scholarships. Five scholarships were offered last year at $1500 each.  More details will be coming as we get closer. 
Rocket Alumni Scholarship fund

I want to just take a minute and thank all of you for helping to make this past school year a very successful one for us. Last year, over 500 of you joined us for your class reunions, and it was terrific for our whole community to see you reengaged and back on campus. I also want to thank you for making a difference with the Alumni Scholarship Fund. Because of your support, we now have four students who are the son or daughter of a McNicholas alumni now receiving a $1,300 scholarship, which is renewable for all four years at McNicholas. Many times these Alumni Scholarships will be the difference as to whether or not the student is able to attend McNicholas, so you truly are making a difference in the life of a young Rocket.
 
 
Donation totals to the alumni scholarship fund this year, by class:
'59 - $4,459.84 
'79 - $585      
'99 - $927.87  
'64 - $550  
'84 - $510   
'09 - $85   
'69 - $14,810.24 
'94 - $5,136.67   

 
This gives us a total of $27,064.62 for the year.  Thank you very much! This year saw a couple of very generous donations! A special shout out to the Class of 1969.  They wanted to do something very special this year for their 50th reunion.  I think they succeeded.  The previous record was $5,000.  
 
With this year's reunions behind us, it is now time to set our sights on the next round.  If your graduation year ends in a 5 or 0, you are up for a reunion next year.  I have already sent out an email to the planning committees last week. As we move into 2020, please check our website to see when new reunion dates are announced. 



Save the Date for McNick at Night

McNicholas High School will be hosting its 22nd annual McNick at Night on Saturday, March 14, 2020, at Norlyn Manor in Batavia. This event is our largest fundraiser, and it helps to support our school in many ways that tuition alone cannot cover. The evening includes fellowship, food, cocktails, games, raffles, and silent and live auctions. While we rely heavily on the business community to donate items for the auction, we also count on the support of the McNicholas family and individuals like you, our dedicated parents, alumni, and friends.
This year will be particularly festive because we will be celebrating all things Irish with a St. Patrick's Day theme and hope that you will be able to join us. If you cannot attend, please consider donating an item for the auction. There will be a receptive audience at McNick at Night looking forward to bidding on items like tickets to sporting or entertainment events, a vacation home rental, restaurant gift cards, jewelry, or anything in between! To donate an item, please contact Annette McHugh at 513-619-5814 or amchugh@mcnhs.org. Slainte (to your health)!


Anthony Munoz presents Ford gift to Rockets

Mike Castrucci Ford partnered with The Anthony Munoz Foundation and attended McNicholas' Homecoming Football Game on September 20 and brought the Ford Tailgate 4 UR Team Event. Ford donated $10 to the Athletic Boosters for every person who signed up to play tailgate games.
Anthony Munoz, NFL Hall of Famer and former Bengals All-Star surprised the football team with a pre-game pep talk and an awesome donation to the athletic program of an end zone camera.
The boys did not disappoint and brought home a victory over Purcell 30-0.
Please enjoy this video of a longstanding McNicholas football tradition called Chick-a-boom, along with the Bleacher Report video of Anthonys Pep Talk and giveaway. Thanks to Ford and The Anthony Munoz Foundation for making Homecoming 2019 an unforgettable night.

 
McNicholas hosted first Craft Fair on Nov. 9

Thank you to all of our crafters and shoppers who came out to support of first craft fair on Saturday, November 9. We had 45 crafters who brought in their handiwork for you to buy.    These handmade/handcrafted items will make great and very unique Christmas presents. There was also raffles, so you could have won some of the items from the crafters. Thirteen of our crafters are graduates ranging from the Class of '59 all the way up to the Class of '08. Based on the results from this year, we certainly will run the craft fair next year and continue to grow it.


Alumni Basketball night.

Time to mark your calendars for the 11 th
 Annual Alumni Basketball Night. This game will be played on Friday, DECEMBER 20. The varsity game starts at 7:30 p.m. Get together with your teammates and come back to school to watch your Rockets take on Fenwick.   Tickets for alumni and family of alumni are only $5. All former Rocket basketball players will receive free admission, as long as they register with the alumni office prior to December 10. 

Starting at 6 p.m. former players are invited to join us for a reception in the library. Appetizers and cold refreshments will be provided at no cost. At the reception, you will get a chance to meet with Coach Monahan and the members of this year's team. To secure your free ticket, and a spot at the reception, please email Shawn Young prior to December 10. You may also order discounted tickets ($5) to the game, for your family and friends. This is a great way to stay connected and have some fun. I look forward to hearing from you!
Light up a Match!

Will your employer match your gift to McNicholas High School?  Now we have an easy way for you to find out.
 
Visit the McNicholas website and simply type in the name of your employer. You'll get up-to-the-minute information on your employer's matching gift program and easy links to light up a match.
 
Many companies will double or even triple your donation! And some will match gifts of retirees, spouses, surviving spouses, and outside directors. Some companies even have matching programs to contribute cash based on your volunteer time.
 
Please take a minute to see if your company can multiply the impact of your gift: just click here, or we'll look it up for you  Fom more information, contact, John Jorden, Director of Development, at (513) 231-3500, Ext. 5190 or  jjorden@mcnhs.org .
 

Recognition tiles

Tile Wall

Honor a graduate, teacher, parent, or other loyal Rocket with a commemorative tile. The tiles are permanently installed in the main hallway and are available in white ($100), yellow ($150), and green ($250). The deadline for this years order is December 31.
 
Family and friends looking for a meaningful and beneficial way to honor their graduate can click here or call Shawn Young, Manager of Alumni Relations and Special Events, at 231-3500 x5850.

You can also go online,  click here, and print off the form.


Rocket Service Corner - S potlight on alumni making a difference

This is a new feature for the newsletter, and it is one that I hope catches on, and that you find helpful.  Many people contact me about publicizing service/ fundraising opportunities that would be interesting to our alumni community.  We would like to focus on service that you and your Rocket friends have done, or help support you in your effort to spread the word about an upcoming event to the Rocket alumni community. You can send in your request for help, or your story to Bridget Kahermanes '66 prior to the first of the month.  Bridget is the chair of the alumni service committee. 


This month's Spotlight is on Anita Ohm Kramer '66. Anita believes, in order to achieve satisfaction in what you do, you should immerse yourself in something you're passionate about. As she searched for a place to volunteer, she managed to combine two of her passions... her love of horses and her desire to help and enrich the lives of others.

Her love of horses came first. As a young girl, when her family moved down on 5 Mile, their neighbors had a barn and several horses. They allowed Anita to ride the horses and hang around the stables and she did, every chance she got. Through the years, she continued to ride on vacations and whenever an opportunity came along.

Anita has a long history of volunteering. She began volunteering back in high school at a local nursing home. Through the years, her volunteering centered around her church and community. She spent a good deal of time volunteering with local organizations that support outreach programs for those in need and the homeless. She also worked to raise awareness and funds to support a child abuse prevention agency.

So, how did she marry her two passions? Her current labor of love is being part of the DCCH (Diocesan Catholic Children's Home) Center for Children and Families. DCCH, is located on Orphanage Road in Northern Kentucky. DCCH provides services including residential treatment, foster care, adoption, therapy and counseling services to meet all mental health needs for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families in Northern Kentucky.

Anita's time is spent volunteering with the Equine Program. The horses are used as therapy for children recovering from trauma, abuse, and behavioral problems. The program is housed on the grounds of DCCH. Anita is involved in the daily and general care of the horses which includes feeding, mucking stalls, and assisting with training the horses - Blaze, Vader, Georgie, and Poco. She also works/has sessions with the children. During these sessions, the resident children interact with the volunteers in the general care of the horses to gain a sense of responsibility, self-confidence and knowledge. She also teaches them to ride. Anita says that the energy of the horses gently guides the children to a bond of trust, peace, and healing.

Anita feels so blessed to be part of this program. She loves being with the children, the new friendships she has made, and of course, loving on the horses.
DCCH makes a real difference in the lives of the children and families they help. If interested, there are many other volunteer opportunities available:
* Mentoring a child in their Residential Treatment Program
* Tutoring a child in their Guardian Angel School
* Providing childcare during the Foster Care & Adoption support group meetings (great for a small group of friends)
* Assist DCCH with volunteer coordination
* Work with their marketing team to build awareness in the community
DCCH Programs:
Residential Treatment, Foster Care and Adoption, Targeted Case Management and Therapy Center.
More information is available on their website. Donations to DCCH are also accepted.

Alumni Updates


Any news?
Do you have news to share? Let us know what you've been doing since graduation! Update your information by completing our alumni update form on the McNicholas webpage or call the Alumni Office at 513.231.3500. ext. 5850


Robert Glassmeyer '70 is happily retired from the Cincinnati Police force and is looking forward to the big 50th reunion next year. 
In Memoriam

This list is generated from local obituaries and information received from the family and friends of our alumni and current students. Please contact the alumni office  if there is incorrect or missing information. 

Alumni

Mike C. Gunning '62; Brother of Jerry '64, Jayne Gunning Walker '67, and Brother-in-law of Mike Walker '68.

Celia Bockelman '66.

Lee Charles Nordloh '71; Brother of Denise (attended), and Diane (attended). 

Kimberly Johnson Wessendarp '75; Sister of Jill Johnson Moore '81, Dave '81, Dan '83, Tim '89.

Jill Herbers Morehead '90 ; Sister of Jennifer Herbers Isaacs '87.


Distinguished Family and Friends

Elizabeth E. Bresser; Mother of Mary Bresser McCue '65, Alice Bresser Kennedy '67. Maureen Bresser Ostertag '69, and Bill '73.

Ronald J. Frey; Father of Ronald '77, Rudy '81, Renee '82, Robert (attended), and the late Rick (attended), Father-in-law of Kate Kanis Frey '77, Erin Bridges Frey '81, and John Scheidler '81. 

William E. Huber; Father of Carl '64, William '71, and James '77.

Timothy F. McNerney ; Father of Maggie '97, Annie McNerney Tate '99, and Kevin '02, and McNicholas English teacher '70-'73. 

Quick Links for Alumni