ELLIOTT TAKES HIS PLACE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S HALL OF FAME 14
Johnnies and Bennies Make the Big Leagues 20
Examining the Impact of an American Pope 26
Fr. Don: A Life Well Lived 32
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Performance and positivity fueled Elliott’s Hall of Fame path P. 14
When the former Saint John’s football standout takes his place in the College Football Hall of Fame this December, his mind will be on the sweat, support and sometimes saddening serendipity that fueled his success on the field and life’s work off it.
From SJU and CSB to the big leagues P. 20
A far larger number of alums than one might expect are making their mark in the world of professional sports. And they credit what they learned at SJU and CSB with providing a foundation that helped make their current careers possible.
Reflections on an American Pope P. 26
A group of Saint John’s University graduates who have studied and covered the Vatican extensively, as well as the Abbot of Saint John's Abbey, look at what the ascension of Pope Leo XIV might mean to the Church and to the Saint John’s community.
SAINT JOHN’S MAGAZINE
is the alumni magazine of Saint John’s University. It is published twice a year, in the spring and fall by the SJU Office of Institutional Advancement.
PROJECT MANAGER
Sarah Forystek
EDITOR
Frank Rajkowski frajkowsk001@csbsju.edu
CREATIVE DIRECTION AND DESIGN
Gearbox Creative
CONTRIBUTORS
Ruth Athmann
Rob Culligan ’82
Dave DeLand
Dana Drazenovich
Michael Hemmesch ’97
Eric Hollas, OSB
Jordan Modjeski
Ryan Klinkner ’04
Jim Kuhn ’02
Hannah O’Brien
Frank Rajkowski
Rick Speckmann ’72
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tom Morris ’89
Tommi O’Laughlin ’13
UNIVERSITY ARCHIVIST
Br. Eric Pohlman
EDITOR EMERITUS
† Lee A. Hanley ’58
ADDRESS CHANGES
Ruth Athmann
Saint John’s University P.O. Box 7222 Collegeville, MN 56321 rathmann@csbsju.edu
Excellence in All Arenas Makes SJU Distinct
As another academic year begins and the familiar rhythms of fall return to campus, I’m reminded once again of what makes Saint John’s distinct. Here, excellence doesn’t belong to any one department, discipline or domain. It’s a defining thread that runs through everything we do, from the classroom to the playing field and far beyond.
This issue of Saint John’s Magazine arrives at the perfect moment –football season. And while we have much to celebrate on the field this year (we always do), these stories reveal a deeper pattern: Johnnie excellence is broad, enduring and built on a powerful foundation of character, leadership and purpose.
You’ll read about Blake Elliott’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, a testament not only to his record-setting career but also to the formation he received here: rigorous, values-centered and designed for a life of impact. And you’ll see how our growing number of alumni in professional sports reflect that same foundation – an education that cultivates discipline, character and leadership.
That tradition continues. Joe Becker ’24 capped a phenomenal career with All-America honors and a rewriting of the baseball record books – proof that today’s Johnnies continue to compete with excellence and heart.
But here’s the truth we know: None of these athletic achievements stand apart from the larger purpose of a Saint John’s education. They’re part of the same story. The same commitment to excellence that fuels national titles and broken records also drives our students in research labs, classrooms and community projects – shaping principled leaders and men of character in every field of study.
We play to win. But what truly defines us is how we do it: with integrity, in community and for something larger than ourselves. Athletics at Saint John’s is inseparable from our academic mission – to educate whole persons who lead, serve and make a difference in the world. That’s why
President Brian Bruess
This issue of Saint John’s Magazine arrives at the perfect moment – football season. And while we have much to celebrate on the field this year (we always do), these stories reveal a deeper pattern: Johnnie excellence is broad, enduring and built on a powerful foundation of character, leadership and purpose.
our classrooms produce Fulbright scholars, and our courts and fields produce champions. That’s why our alumni thrive in boardrooms, classrooms, hospitals, labs, studios – and stadiums.
This is the integrated excellence we strive for – where intellect, values and purpose come together to form lives of meaning. We aim to develop thinkers and doers, learners and leaders. And we do it together,
through the enduring relationships and shared mission that define the Saint John’s experience.
To our current Johnnies: Carry the tradition forward with pride and purpose. To our alumni: Thank you for lighting the path with your example. And to all who support this great community: Know that your belief in Saint John’s fuels a legacy of excellence that endures far beyond the season’s final whistle.
25 Years of Innovation: The Saint John’s University Private Investment Fund
Twenty-five years ago, a group of 17 visionary Saint John’s University alumni – each a leader in venture capital – gathered on campus to tackle a bold question: How can we help Saint John’s thrive through innovation?
Their answer was as ambitious as it was forwardthinking: the creation of the Saint John’s University Private Investment Fund (SJU PIF) – a fund built on the belief that innovation, entrepreneurship and alumni expertise could become powerful tools for the university’s long-term success.
A Vision Realized
Led by founding chair Mark Flynn ’78 , and advanced by subsequent chairs Rick Bauerly ’91 , Ed Ryan ’78 and Dick Nigon ’70 , the fund began with a simple concept: Connect Saint John’s with the entrepreneurial energy of its alumni by accepting gifts of private securities and investing in privately held companies.
What began modestly — with two investments and a few pledged assets — has matured into a thriving, high-performing portfolio. Today, the results speak for themselves:
• 14 times return on total investment gains and pledged private stock
• A model of alumni engagement , combining philanthropy, financial acumen and mentorship
• A growing impact on students, faculty and the broader university community
“We’ve been fortunate to have alumni leaders such as Dick Nigon, Buzz Benson, Rick Bauerly, Scott Becker and several others bring this idea to life over the past few decades,” Flynn said. “The idea behind the SJU PIF was to engage with many successful SJU Alums who are investing in private companies and allow the SJU PIF to participate alongside these individuals. In addition, we hope to create a mechanism whereby a successful entrepreneur that owns private securities could pledge a gift to the PIF and then make the contribution when there is a liquidity event.”
A Culture of Innovation
What sets the SJU PIF apart is not only its impressive returns, but its guiding philosophy: Innovation is essential
Over the years, the fund has supported ventures across industries — from medical technology to wholesale food distribution, reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit of its alumni network. And with each investment, the fund reinforces its dual mission: to generate financial returns and to support the mission of Saint John’s University.
Looking to the Future
Now entering its next chapter, the fund continues to grow. A new generation of alumni leaders is bringing fresh energy and expanding its reach. Recent milestones include:
• Hiring the fund’s first student intern , deepening mentorship connections
• Reviewing nine new investment opportunities this year alone , with more in development
• Building a pipeline for student engagement, networking and real-world learning opportunities
The fund’s mission remains steadfast: to deliver strong results that benefit Saint John’s students and programs, while ensuring innovation remains a defining strength of the university.
What began as a bold idea 25 years ago has become a powerful force for good at Saint John’s. And the best part? It's just getting started.
A Banner Year of Giving at SJU
BY | ROB CULLIGAN ’82 , VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of thousands of benefactors – alums, parents, staff, friends, trustees, businesses and foundations – Saint John’s experienced a record-setting fundraising year for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, raising over $35 million in outright gifts, pledges and planned gift commitments.
We not only set a new Student Fund record, but we also eclipsed our overall giving record. In a nutshell, it was a banner year for Saint John’s.
Here is a snapshot of the fundraising records we broke in fiscal year 2025:
Give SJU Day
On a single day, Nov. 20, 2024, Saint John’s raised a record $1,113,613 from 1,500 donors during our annual online day of giving. Our previous record was $846,712 in 2023.
Student Fund
Thousands of donors contributed $3,409,504 toward the Student Fund for the undergraduate college, eclipsing our goal by nearly $120,000. The previous record was $3,207,872. This is not only the first time in history we have raised more than $3.3 million. It’s also the first time we’ve raised more than $3.4 million, and the eighth-straight year we have surpassed $3 million.
Go Johnnies Challenge
We had another very strong athletic fundraising campaign. The Go Johnnies Challenge last September netted $239,834 from nearly 1,000 donors.
School of Theology Annual Fund
The SOT/Seminary also set a record – raising $550,168 for the Annual Fund supporting scholarships for graduate students and seminarians. The previous record was $507,198.
University Total Giving
For the first time in history, the total amount donated to the university exceeded $30 million. This included a record $31,046,478 for the college and $1,755,784 for the School of Theology and Seminary. That’s a grand total of $32,802,262 – our highest ever. The previous record was $29,650,562.
79% of all gifts to the Student Fund were less than $1,000. It was a true team effort.
University and Abbey Total Giving
The combined fiscal year fundraising total for the university and St. John's Abbey reached an all-time high of $35,837,893
This included $32,802,262 for the university and $3,035,631 for the abbey. This is the first time we have surpassed $35 million in a fiscal year. The previous record was $32,968,155 in FY20.
These impressive results were driven by a record number of large gifts. In FY25, Saint John’s received nine gift commitments of more than $1 million. But it’s worth noting that Saint John’s benefits from gifts and pledges of all shapes and sizes. This year, 79% of all gifts to the Student Fund were less than $1,000. It’s a true team effort!
Over and above these successful results is the outcome and impact of these donations. Behind each and every donation there is an inspiring story of support for student scholarships, academic programs, student development initiatives, art and culture, athletics, faith formation, building projects and so much more. The impact is significant and profound.
On behalf of President Brian Bruess, as well as our students and faculty – who are the recipients of your generosity – we salute you for your ongoing loyalty and support.
Thanks to you, our students and our beloved alma mater continue to soar.
Couple’s Estate Gifts Will Bolster Immokalee Scholarship Fund
BY | ERIC HOLLAS, OSB
It was the visit that had not been planned. Peter Blyberg and wife Linda Hoeschler Blyberg had looked forward to a few days in the Fergus Falls area, but torrential rains loomed. They did not want to be caught in potential flooding, and on a lark, they phoned the Abbey Guesthouse.
There was a room, and they quickly snapped it up.
Linda is no stranger to Saint John’s. She has served as a regent and then trustee of the university. She is a friend of the Pottery Studio and a benefactor of The Saint John’s Bible.
She and her deceased husband Jack established an endowed scholarship at the university, and it now supports students who have graduated from Immokalee High School in Florida
In college at Georgetown, Peter and Jack struck up a lifelong friendship that over time bound the two couples together. There were other affinities as well, including Peter’s Benedictine education at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. Following the deaths of their spouses, however, marriage did not seem to be in the cards.
But it was the next logical step.
Their visit to Saint John’s had not been planned, but what Linda announced that evening had been percolating in her mind for a while.
To the already-existing scholarship fund, she intended to make an additional estate gift. Peter sat in silence, until it was his turn to speak.
“I want to do something too,” he said.
Surprised, Linda turned to him and blurted out: “And what would you like to do, Peter?”
His number matched hers, and she could scarcely believe it.
A Saint John’s Bible trip to England had provided a turning point in their relationship with Saint John’s, and a service at Canterbury Cathedral recalled for Peter a key moment in his life — in that very church.
“On the Saint John’s trip, I was blessed to return to Canterbury with a wonderful woman and a great
community, and I was overcome with emotion,” he recalled.
In a letter penned a few years earlier, Linda wrote about some of the Immokalee students she had met at Saint John’s.
“We believe that Saint John’s does an excellent job emotionally and socially in supporting these young men during their four years at Collegeville. Saint John’s prepares them for full and meaningful lives, and we believe that Saint John’s educates the young men whom our families and communities need.”
“This is a long-term relationship,” comments Peter.
To which Linda added, “This is the place and the project that mean the most to Peter, and to me. What will be our legacy? This will be our legacy.”
Peter Blyberg (left), Alfonso Segura Sanchez ’26 (middle) and Linda Hoeschler Blyberg (right).
Wicka to Receive 2025 Bob Basten Award
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
Tom Wicka ’90 credits two men with helping shape the work ethic and values that drive his considerable professional success and many contributions to the community.
The first is his father Richard, a 1952 Saint John’s University graduate. The second is John Gagliardi, the longtime legendary Johnnies head football coach for whom Wicka played linebacker from 1986 to ’89, earning All-MIAC honors twice.
“The ethos of Saint John’s is really centered on how do you contribute to the world around you and how do you try and be a leader – not just professionally, but in the community,” Wicka said.
“That’s something John really pushed, and in the four years I played for him, I took away lessons daily, weekly and annually. Those were things my father also stressed as well – thinking beyond yourself. He and John were really of the same vintage. They came from different parts of the country. But their basic philosophies were much the same.”
In fact, it was his father who first connected Wicka with Gagliardi –helping clear the ground for his youngest son’s choice to attend SJU.
“I was the last of six kids,” said Wicka, a graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall High School. “The four oldest boys all went to the (University of Minnesota), and my sister went to St. Mary’s in Winona. So I was his last shot.
“But Saint John’s wasn’t high on my radar early on. Then one day, my dad sneakily suggested we go see John speak at a luncheon in the basement of my old grade school in St. Paul. He just said it was a free meal and it might be fun. John spoke and put the hook in me right there. I really connected to him and started to think Saint John’s would be the right place for me."
Wicka has shown he knows what he’s doing as well. After graduating from SJU, he has gone on to a long and successful career founding and leading businesses in the direct marketing, commercial printing and health care tech services industries.
That included serving as chief marketing officer and executive vice president of IWCO Direct for almost nine years, and as the co-founder and chief executive officer of NovuHealth from 2012-20.
Currently, he is a founder and investor with River Road Investors, an investment group that also includes fellow Johnnies David Sunberg and Carter Hanson, another former standout linebacker for the Johnnies.
But beyond his professional success, he has always made sure to give back, including through founding the Nash Avery Foundation with his wife, Angie, to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It’s named after the couple’s son Nash, who was diagnosed with the condition at age 4 and waged a courageous battle against it before his passing in 2017.
He has also been a major contributor to the Walker Arts Center, where he served on the board of trustees, and is currently chairing a capital campaign for CommonBond, an organization that provides stable housing, other assistance and financial education to those in need.
In addition, for the past three seasons, he has been giving of his time as a volunteer assistant coach for the Johnnie football team, working with the team’s linebackers.
It is for those efforts, and plenty of others, that Wicka has been named the winner of this year’s Bob Basten Award, presented annually to a former Johnnie football player who has exhibited outstanding leadership traits, is involved with his community and alma mater, has carried a sense of fair play beyond the football field and has demonstrated an overall commitment to excellence.
It’s named in honor of Basten ’82, who went to training camp with the Minnesota Vikings before embarking on a successful career as a business executive. He died in 2012 after a decade-long battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Wicka will receive the award at halftime of the Johnnies’ Homecoming game against Augsburg on Sept. 27 at Clemens Stadium.
“I view the Bob Basten Award as the greatest award presented to a former Saint John's football player,” SJU head coach Gary Fasching said. “To me, it means excellence and someone who is outstanding in many categories. Tom Wicka, this year's recipient of the award, checks all of the boxes.”
Over the years, Wicka has always remained connected to SJU, including through hosting a president’s social and CSB and SJU trustee dinner at his home in Edina, serving as co-chair of the John Gagliardi Football Legacy Fund, advising on a direct mail strategy effort for The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program and donating COVID tests to both CSB and SJU.
But serving on Fasching’s coaching staff has been especially gratifying.
“It’s a way to give back some of what I took out of the program,” he said. “I have to credit (fellow assistant coach) Mike Magnuson, who has given back 10-fold of what I have to Saint John’s football over the past decade. He really inspired me to reengage and take the time to come back to the program in a more active role.”
Denis McDonough Returns to SJU and CSB as Scholar-in-Residence for 2025-26 Academic Year
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
The 1992 graduate, who has served as White House chief of staff and secretary of veterans affairs, will make a number of campus visits and co-teach a course on health care finance and policy.
One of Saint John’s University’s most prominent alumni will be a regular presence on campus during the 2025-26 school year.
Denis McDonough ’92 – a former White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama and
secretary of veterans affairs under President Joe Biden – is serving as scholar-in-residence at the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement.
“It is a challenging time in higher education nationally, and an exciting
time at SJU and CSB with (joint) President (Brian) Bruess’s exciting new tenure,” McDonough said.
“As usual, it looks to me like Johnnies and Bennies and our (two) institutions are helping the country think through big challenges.
“And given that I have more flexibility in my own calendar now, I wanted to come home and be part of that.”
McDonough, a Stillwater High School graduate, will make several campus visits during the fall semester, including as a participant in the 19th annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture. He will also be part of two events in the Twin Cities metro area.
In the spring semester, McDonough will co-teach a course entitled “Health Care Finance and Policy in the 21st Century” with Dave Schulte ’92, the president of McKesson Ventures, a leading health care venture capital firm. In 2023 and ’24, Schulte was recognized by investment service firm GrowthCap as one of the top 25 investors in the health care field.
Schulte was also a member of Harvard Kennedy School’s Healthcare Policy Leadership Council from 2019 to ’21.
The class will feature one public event focused on the issues being discussed. McDonough, who also served as chief of staff at the National Security Council from 2009 to ’10 and as deputy national security advisor from 2010 to ’13, was part of the Obama Administration when the Affordable Care Act was passed.
He then went on to serve as White House chief of staff from 2013 to ’17 and as secretary of veterans affairs from 2021 until the end of the Biden administration earlier this year. In the latter role, he oversaw the VA health care program in which well over 9 million veterans are enrolled.
“This is the first time our schools have had a cabinet member as part of our faculty, or as a long-term scholar-in-residence,” said McCarthy Center Director Dr. Matt Lindstrom, the Edward Henry Professor of Political Science at CSB and SJU.
“So it’s very exciting.
“Our students can learn a lot from the experience Denis has had in the policymaking world – both foreign and domestic. But they will also see in him someone who personifies the values he speaks about and that form the cornerstones of our institutions. Treating the people around you the way you want to be treated, lifting up the least among us, listening with the ear of your heart and all the other ideals people think about, not just in terms of Benedictine values. But in terms of human values as well.”
McDonough – a standout football player under legendary Johnnie head coach John Gagliardi – said he is looking forward to having
the chance to once again spend an extended amount of time at CSB and SJU, getting to know the next generation of Bennies and Johnnies while also finding out more about Johnnies and Bennies who preceded him.
“I am most looking forward to meeting students and hearing and learning from them,” he said. “It will be excellent to be back home in Minnesota, and in Collegeville and St. Joseph. I’m also planning on (researching) another great Johnnie, Cleve Cram ’36 (a longtime station chief for the CIA). It is quite apparent to me that SJU, and his experiences there, contributed to Cleve’s success professionally and, therefore, to the strength of the United States.”
McDonough is also excited about the course he will be co-teaching.
“I got this idea as I talked to another classmate, Paul Finley ’92,” he said. “One of Paul and his wife Maureen’s awesome sons is a Johnnie and went to work in health care upon graduation.
“Health care is a huge part of the national economy, and it –especially med tech, health insurance and health care delivery – is a great strength of Minnesota. Paul spoke to Dave and I about the huge numbers of Johnnies and Bennies going into the health care sector every year, which is a great benefit to the country. So we both are eager to share our experience in health care – Dave, with his great success and extensive experience in health care finance, and me, with my experience in national debates on health care policy – in the hope that it helps those students continue to excel in this important industry upon graduation.”
Overall, McDonough said he is eager to give back to a place that played a key role in his own development.
“Without SJU, and the wisdom and lessons from great leaders and thinkers like Br. Dietrich Reinhart, Ken Jones, Martha Blauvelt and John Gagliardi, I would not have had the experiences I have been blessed to have,” he said.
“SJU and the friends I made there are extremely important to me.”
SJU Baseball Clubhouse Named One of Finance and Commerce’s Top Projects
For the second time in three years, the Saint John’s University campus has been featured in Finance and Commerce’s annual list of the state’s top projects.
The Saint John’s University baseball clubhouse – located adjacent to Haugen Field at Becker Park – was named as one of the statewide magazine’s top projects of 2024.
The facility – which opened in February of 2024 – features 51 lockers (plus six in the coaches’ area), showers and bathrooms, a satellite training room, a laundry room, a meeting room, a coaches’ office and a rooftop deck that can be used for viewing baseball games, as well as for tailgating prior to football games in the fall.
The project was made possible thanks to donations from Johnnie baseball alumni, parents and friends.
Leading that effort was the Becker family. Scott Becker ’77, a former football and baseball player at SJU, served as a volunteer assistant on
the baseball coaching staff for eight seasons. In addition, he is a founder of Northstar Capital, a leading private equity firm based in Minneapolis.
Becker, his wife Julie and their family also provided the exceptional leadership gift that made possible Becker Park – which features a modern turf field, spacious grandstands and press box and a surrounding plaza area.
“The clubhouse is truly state-ofthe-art and a major addition to our facilities here at Saint John’s,” said Scott Lieser, who was named the school’s head baseball coach in May after spending the past seven seasons as an assistant to legendary coach Jerry Haugen, who retired after 48 seasons at the helm, but will serve as coach emeritus in 2026.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have alumni and friends who care deeply about Saint John’s baseball and made the clubhouse possible. Whenever we bring someone through – especially into the locker room – their reaction says it all. It’s a special space that reflects the pride and support of our community, and it makes a real difference for everyone in our program.”
The clubhouse joins the Saint Elizabeth Seton Village townhomes and Nicol Bridge on the SJU campus – which opened in the fall of 2022 –and made Finance and Commerce’s list of the top projects of that year.
“This project is a clear example of our facilities master plan, Elevate Together, coming to life,” CSB and SJU Physical Plant Director Russ Klein said. “It’s proof that when purpose, partnership and strategic planning align, real progress happens – and students benefit.”
New Trustees Appointed
A number of new members were named to the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University Boards of Trustees, effective on July 1.
Complete biographies of all board members can be found at csbsju.edu/about/boards-of-trustees
Pam Wheelock
Wheelock has extensive experience from her long career, having served in executive roles in nonprofit, philanthropic, academic, business and state government organizations. From 2017 to 2019, she was the chief operating officer at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Before that, she held various positions including vice president of university services at the University of Minnesota, interim president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, vice president at the Bush Foundation, and executive vice president and chief financial officer for Minnesota Wild’s parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.
In 2019, Gov. Tim Walz appointed her acting commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She became a trusted advisor in the Ventura administration as commissioner of finance, and she was deputy mayor and director of planning and economic development for the City of Saint Paul.
She holds a master’s in applied economics from Marquette University and a Bachelor of Arts in history from St. Catherine.
Kathryn Enke ’05
Saint Ben’s Alumnae Association President
Enke is a higher education professional with expertise in leadership development, strategic planning, crisis response and nonprofit board governance. In her professional role at the American Association of Colleges and Universities, she directs leadership development and support programs, including the Presidents’ Trust, an international group of college and university presidents. She also oversees AAC&U’s Board of Directors, advancement operations and strategic planning.
Enke earned a B.A. in history from the College of Saint Benedict and an M.A. and Ph.D. in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota.
Chris Coborn ’81
Coborn serves as chairman and CEO of Coborn’s Inc., a corporation of grocery, pharmacy, convenience, liquor, retail stores, online grocery ordering and delivery, and central support facilities headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Coborn’s Inc. has $2 billion in annual sales and employs over 10,000 people in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.
Coborn serves on the FMI and Topco boards and is past chairman of the National Grocers Association’s Board of Directors; past chairman of Topco Associates’ Board of Directors; past chairman of the Minnesota Grocers Association’s Board of Directors; past member of NACS Board of Directors; and member of the North Dakota Grocers Association’s Board of Directors. In 2017, Coborn was inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame, and in 2021, he was honored by his alma mater as the Saint John’s University Entrepreneur of the Year.
Denis McDonough ’92
McDonough served as the 11th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. He also served in President Barack Obama’s administration as the 26th White House chief of staff, from February 2013 to January 2017. In that role, McDonough managed the White House staff and worked across the cabinet to advance the Obama-Biden agenda.
Prior to his role as chief of staff, McDonough was principal deputy national security advisor from October 2010 to January 2013. He also served as the chief of staff of the National Security Staff and as the deputy national security advisor for strategic communications. He chaired the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee, leading the multiagency team to address complex challenges including crisis management and national security policymaking.
McDonough graduated from Saint John’s University and earned his master’s degree from Georgetown University.
Kristen N. Hodge-Clark
Hodge-Clark serves as senior assistant dean for program planning within the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) at Georgetown University. She oversees several strategic functions related to the development of new credit-bearing programs and collaborates with SCS leadership to implement a thorough program review process to constantly monitor the health of existing academic programs and to identify opportunities to improve, redirect or close programs as needed.
Prior to joining SCS, Hodge-Clark served as vice president for best practice and innovation with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB). She has also authored several publications including her most recent reports, Taking the Pulse of Campus Climate and Strengthening HBCU Governance and Leadership
She holds a B.A. from Spelman College and a Ph.D. in American Studies with a concentration in higher education policy from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Jeanne Marie Lust ’73, OSB
Lust is presently the treasurer of Saint Benedict’s Monastery. She graduated from the College of Saint Benedict with a major in biology and a minor in secondary education. She earned a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Minnesota.
Lust retired as associate professor of biology at Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s in 2023 after 33 years of teaching. Upon retiring, she was awarded professor emerita status in biology. Along with serving on the Faculty Senate three different times, she also served as chair of the biology department from 2000-06.
Mike Anderson ’05
Saint John’s Alumni Association President
Anderson is a director at SkyWater Search Partners, where he leads a team specializing in corporate accounting and finance recruiting. He majored in communication/ media studies at Saint John’s, studied abroad in Australia, and served as a captain of the SJU lacrosse team and the news director at KJNB campus radio. Anderson and his wife Kayla live in Orono and together they have two sons.
In all, a total of 371 graduates (343 undergraduate and 28 graduate students from the Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary) participated in the ceremony as crowd of around 1,354 looked on.
“I’ve heard that you – class of 2025 – are an extraordinary group,” said Fr. Bill Lies, CSC, a 1984 SJU graduate and the provincial superior of the U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross, who delivered the commencement address.
“Leaders, connectors, friends. People who have lived the Benedictine value of community in real and beautiful ways. Don’t leave that behind. Let it continue to shape your lives. Carry that mission forward. Welcome a stranger. Lift up the vulnerable. Heal the hurting. Remind others that they matter and build the bridges Pope Leo called us to build in his first words as pope.
“Because that’s how the world begins again.”
Canaan Cooper of The Bahamas, who graduated with a degree in biochemistry, was the student speaker. His remarks focused on how he and his classmates have been shaped by the four years they’ve spent in Collegeville.
“We came as seedlings – uncertain and untested,” said Cooper, who was selected to serve as a sitting youth parliamentarian in the inaugural Bahamas National Youth Assembly. “I was a 17-year-old island boy traveling alone to rural Minnesota. And today … we walk out as oak trees, raised in this beautiful arboretum: weathered, rooted and unshaken.
“We’ve learned to thrive in the harshest conditions: With the Holy Spirit breathing life into our souls, Lake Sag pulsing through our veins, Johnnie Hot Bread filling our stomachs. And sunrises remind us that we’re still alive.”
The top five majors in the class of 2025 at SJU were global business leadership (100), accounting (51), computer science (21), biology (18) and economics (17).
PERFORMANCE, PURPOSE AND POSITIVITY
PAVED ELLIOTT’S HALL OF FAME PATH
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
THE FORMER SJU ALL-AMERICAN WILL TAKE HIS
PLACE AMONG COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S ALL-TIME GREATS WHEN HE IS INDUCTED INTO THE SPORT’S ULTIMATE SHRINE THIS DECEMBER
When Blake Elliott ’03 finally takes his place in the College Football Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Las Vegas this December, the record-smashing Saint John’s University standout will be thinking of the many mile markers he passed on the trail that led him to that stage.
Those magic moments … an NCAA Division III national title, the Gagliardi Trophy and the seemingly endless highlight reel of jaw-dropping touchdown catches and crowdpopping kickoff and punt returns.
The extraordinary blend of sweat, labor and natural talent it took to make it all happen … and the people – family, friends, teammates, coaches and other members of the SJU community – who were behind him every step of the way.
But Elliott will also be reflecting on the sweet and sometimes saddening
serendipity of it all … of the way the peaks to which he’s ascended and the valleys through which he’s forged each eventually revealed their own purpose.
“A lot of dominoes have to fall to get you to this point,” said Elliott, who will be officially inducted during the 67th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. “And, you know, those dominoes can be good or bad.
“When I think back on things – even the (car) accident my brother went through, which was the worst thing to ever happen in my family’s lives – led me to the career I have now. There were so many things that happened at Saint John’s that had to fall just right to make an honor like this possible.”
FINDING A CALLING THROUGH TRAGEDY
The accident to which Elliott refers occurred in May of 2003, just months before his final season with the Johnnies. His younger brother Adam, then 16, swerved to avoid a vehicle on a rural Stearns County road near the family’s home in Melrose.
The car struck a fence post and rolled over, ejecting all three occupants. His two passengers escaped serious injury, but the accident left Adam in a fight for his life.
“I remember I was at a Twins game with a couple of buddies from Saint John’s,” Blake recalled. “My sister called and told me Adam had been in a serious accident and they were taking him by ambulance to St. Cloud. She said I needed to get there right away. One of my friends, Mark Brownson, who ironically is now an emergency room doctor, drove. And he drove aggressively. I mean, we were passing cars on the shoulder on I-94 all the way from the Metrodome to St. Cloud Hospital.
“The Adam that we knew is not there. He’s been in a wheelchair ever since, and he needs help with most physical tasks. He has almost no short-term memory. You can have lunch with him, and five minutes later, if you ask him what you had, he won’t remember. So that’s hard. But the important thing is he’s still here.”
“WHEN I THINK BACK ON THINGS – EVEN THE (CAR) ACCIDENT MY BROTHER WENT THROUGH, WHICH WAS THE WORST THING TO EVER HAPPEN IN MY FAMILY’S LIVES
– LED ME TO THE CAREER I HAVE NOW.”
BLAKE ELLIOTT
“We got there, and within 15 minutes he was being airlifted to the Twin Cities. But at least I got the chance to see him. He was in really bad shape, and those are the images that never leave you. They stay etched in your mind forever.”
Adam survived, but spent 82 days in intensive care with his brother by his side for nearly all of those long and arduous hours.
And the brain injury he suffered left him in need of lifelong care.
“He’s stable, which is really important, but there was still a certain level of loss to that accident,” Blake said of his brother, who continues to live with his mother, Marit, in Melrose.
The experience instilled in Elliott a desire to serve adults in his brother’s situation, or far worse. That led to a career working with disabled adults, which continues today at DOMA, a Twin Cities-based health and human services company he co-founded.
“You’re kind of thrown into the disability services realm, and at first you don’t know what’s going on or what’s happening,” he said. “But once you’re there, it becomes your whole life. I ended up doing a few things in real estate for a while after college. But it was pretty clear this was the path that was calling me. And so much of that had to do with my brother and what he’s gone through, of course.”
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
Well before that, though, Elliott said his life unfolded a bit like one of those old Choose Your Own Adventure novels – a series of pages where had things taken a different turn, the outcome might have looked much different.
It all started on a field adjacent to a rhubarb patch in Melrose where Elliott proved his toughness to a group of older kids that included future SJU stars like quarterback Tom Linnemann ’00 and wide receiver Ben Sieben ’00.
“He was so small,” Linnemann recalls. “I mean he was a little runt. But he always wanted to play (football) with us. We let him, but the one rule was he couldn’t cry. We were tough on him, but he never did. Even when he got tossed into the rhubarb patch.”
But coming out of Melrose High School, football wasn’t the sport he was focused on. Rather, it was basketball in which he expected to excel collegiately.
“My goal my senior year was to get a preferred walk-on spot (at the University of Minnesota) in basketball,” he said. “That didn’t happen. But someone – and I wish I could remember who it was – told me if you have a chance to play athletics at the Division I level, you should do it. But if not, you might want to consider playing Division III. Because at the Division II level, you still have a lot of the time commitment that you do in Division I, yet without the publicity and perks that come with it all. So that got me thinking.
“I mean back then, I was an immature 18-year-old kid still trying to figure everything out. I didn’t make my decision to come to Saint John’s until June. And the big reason I decided to go there was that guys from Melrose – like Tom (Linnemann), Ben Sieben and Brian Zirbes – were there already and having success (in football).
“Beyond that, it was a place where I could conceivably play both sports.”
His talent was already apparent to the Johnnie coaching staff, including current SJU head coach Gary Fasching ’81, who was then in charge of recruiting on the staff of the legendary John Gagliardi.
“Daryl Oja was the football and basketball coach at Melrose, and I knew him pretty well from when I’d been the head coach at (St. Cloud) Cathedral,” Fasching said. “He told me about Blake, and I got out to watch him play a couple of games his senior year. He only had about three or four catches. But you could still see the athleticism.
“Then I saw him play basketball and I was really impressed. That’s usually a good indicator of a guy’s athletic ability – if he can excel in more than one sport.”
That was demonstrated by the way Elliott turned heads immediately when he reported for the start of football practice in Collegeville in the fall of 1999.
“He made some outstanding catches right away,” Fasching said. “You already could see the seeds of what he eventually became.”
But those seeds needed a while to take root. Just a couple weeks into the preseason, Elliott was running a crossing route when he tangled with a defender and injured his back, sidelining him the entire season.
“It was a fluky thing,” he said. “We didn’t even have shoulder pads on yet. I landed pretty awkwardly on my head and shoulder, and ended up with a bulging disc in my lower back. They were thinking about surgery, but they decided to try traction first. I had to do that for 45 minutes three times a day. It was pretty intense and terribly painful.”
While frustrating at the time, the injury did qualify Elliott for a medical redshirt – which he would use to return to lead the Johnnies to a national championship in 2003, a season in which he earned the Gagliardi Trophy – named in honor of his head coach and presented annually to the top player nationally at the Division III level.
“There again, you take something that at the time was horrible - your first year in college and you’re in pain,” he said. “You can barely walk. You can barely sleep. But looking back, you see the way that impacted
the whole picture. There were so many things during my time at Saint John’s where had they not happened, something else wouldn’t have either.”
BUILDING THE LEGEND
Elliott did recover in time to play basketball for the Johnnies in 19992000, seeing action in 13 games. But his focus began to switch more toward football.
He earned a starting spot at wide receiver in 2000, recording 60 catches for 967 yards and 14 touchdowns as part of an offense that also boasted high-powered receiving threats in senior wide receiver Jeremy Forsell ’01 and senior tight end Nate Kirschner ’01.
His efforts helped lead the Johnnies all the way to the national championship game before falling 10-7 to Mount Union (Ohio) on a last-second field goal.
“He was the third option on that team,” recalls Linnemann, the starting quarterback. “He mainly ran post patterns the whole game. He probably ran close to a marathon some weeks. He didn’t have to be a superstar. But he learned how the superstars acted and what it took to get them where they were.
“Then, as he went along, it was like he was Mario from the video game and had just eaten a mushroom. He got bigger and stronger, while still being like a water bug – quick and elusive. That turned into a pretty incredible combination.”
By the following year, Elliott was firmly established as the Johnnies’ go-to guy offensively – earning both All-MIAC and All-America honors for the first of three seasons in a row. The 2002 season was particularly impressive as Elliott piled up 1,484 yards receiving and 22 touchdown catches – both of which still stand as single-season school records.
“He’s the best Division III player I’ve ever seen,” said Ryan Keating ’03, SJU’s starting quarterback in 2001, part of 2002 (before a seasonending broken arm) and all of 2003.
“I know there have been other fantastic players who have gone on to great success. But Blake was as good as they come when it came to making things happen on the field. He was a once-in-a-generation kind of playmaker.”
Indeed, Elliott set a total of 29 school records during his career, many of which still stand today. He finished his career ranked second alltime at all levels of NCAA football in receptions and second in Division III history in touchdown catches.
His NCAA all-divisions record for consecutive games played with a reception (47) wouldn’t be broken until 2008. And his 4,826 career receiving yards and 63 career touchdown catches remain SJU and MIAC records.
He still holds school records for career kickoff and punt return yardage as well.
“We’ve had a lot of really great players in the 30 years I’ve been on the coaching staff,” Fasching said. “In my opinion, Blake is at the top of that list. When you look at the impact he made game-in and game-out with defenses designed to stop him, and the things he could make happen any time he touched the ball, it was pretty incredible. I’ve been on the lookout to find the next Blake Elliott. But I’m not sure we’ll see another like him.”
SJU advanced to the national semifinals in both 2001 and ’02, but lost both times – falling 35-14 at Mount Union in 2001, then 41-34 in heartbreaking fashion at Trinity (Texas) in 2002.
In that game, played on a sunny San Antonio December afternoon, the Johnnies fell behind 28-6 in the first half. But they rallied to tie the score at 34 in the fourth quarter only to lose on a late touchdown run by Trinity quarterback Roy Hampton. Elliott finished with 15 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
“That game is the biggest regret of my career,” he said. “Our team that year was every bit as talented as the team that won it all the following season. Had we beaten Trinity, who knows what would have happened. But I think that drove all of us coming back in 2003. We didn’t want to let that happen again.”
MAGICAL SEASON
All of that set the stage for one of the most memorable seasons in SJU history as Gagliardi chased down former Grambling coach Eddie Robinson to become the winningest coach in college football history, and the Johnnies won their first national title since 1976.
At the center of all of it was Elliott, finding temporary respite on the field while helping care for his brother off it.
“He got hurt in May when football was still four or five months away,” Elliott recalled. “Had it been closer to the season, I may have decided I couldn’t play. I mean I didn’t leave the hospital for 11 straight days after the accident, and those first 30 or even 60 days, there was no way I could have focused on anything else.
“But by the time football season started that August, I felt like I could step away a little bit. And it was nice to have that outlet for two or three hours a day. To be honest, I wish all my family members had been able to have what I had – an environment that was so supportive. I was hanging out with my best friends in the world, getting the chance to laugh and have fun. It was exactly what I needed at the time. That was really helpful and healthy for me.”
And fortunate for the Johnnies as well.
Elliott finished the season with 117 catches for 1,319 yards and 13 touchdowns – coming up huge when it mattered most. That included a thrilling 50-yard kickoff return to set up the game-winning touchdown in a dramatic 29-26 win over Bethel that sealed a MIAC title and moved Gagliardi past Robinson atop college football’s all-time victory list.
Elliott finished that game with 15 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns before a crowd of 13,107 at Clemens Stadium, with around 100 members of the Minnesota and national media gathered to chronicle the occasion.
“With Blake, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected,” Gagliardi said of him that season. “He’s made a lot of amazing plays.”
“All players are equal, but some are more equal than others. He’s good. He’s very good.”
He proved that again a few weeks later against Mount Union in the national championship game when he rushed for a game-breaking 51yard touchdown in the third quarter despite battling a hamstring injury.
SJU went on to win 24-6, snapping the Purple Raiders’ record 55-game winning streak. Elliott – who began seeing time in the backfield during the postseason in an effort to find new ways to get the ball into his hands – was named the game’s outstanding player.
He finished the day with 11 carries for 110 yards and caught five passes for 51 yards.
“That win was no fluke, you know,” Elliott said. “We may have been the underdogs, but we’d been knocking at the door for three seasons before that. And in every aspect of the game – offense, defense, special teams –we were more dominant that day.”
LEGACY LIVES ON
After being chosen to play in the Hula Bowl along with top stars from the Division I level following the 2003 season, Elliott signed as a free agent with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.
But he broke his leg during minicamp in the summer of 2004, and after spending a year on injured reserve, he was released in the spring of 2005 – launching him into the next phase of his life and career.
Meanwhile, first as a trickle, then building to a steady stream, support began to build for a Hall of Fame induction.
Gagliardi, his head coach, had already been inducted into college football’s ultimate shrine in 2006. Elliott first appeared on the ballot in 2014, and gradually picked up more and more support.
“Getting inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame is, I believe, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a player or a coach,” said Mark Flynn ’78, a former standout linebacker for the Johnnies who serves as Campbell Trophy Summit Chairman for the National Football Foundation, the organization that oversees support,
administration and operation for the Hall of Fame, now located in Atlanta.
“There’s a pretty rigorous standard just to be nominated. You have to have been a first-team All-American from a recognized party. Then you go on the ballot with all these other all-time great players. It’s hard to break through, especially coming from a smaller school. But, as the process went along, I think people started to see how deserving Blake was. He had an amazing career, but more importantly, he was one of those people who used football as a springboard to go on to do great things in his life. That’s been noticed.”
Which is why, this past January, Elliott finally got the call after 11 years on the ballot – joining a 2025 induction class that also includes coaching icons like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, and such former standout players as Michael Strahan, Michael Vick and former Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser.
“It’s pretty surreal to see your name mentioned on a list like that,” Elliott said. “Those guys are not only alltime greats, but they’ve gone on to do amazing things in their postplaying days. You can’t turn on TV these days without seeing Michael Strahan (who is part of the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show and also co-hosts ABC’s Good Morning America ). Michael Vick just became a head coach (at Norfolk State). It’s pretty lofty company to be in.”
But it’s company in which Elliott belongs.
“What (Gagliardi) did in his 60-plus years of coaching sets him apart. And the things that Blake accomplished
“I SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE ALL THE COOL THINGS WE DID TOGETHER AND THE RELATIONSHIPS WE BUILT THAT REMAIN STRONG TODAY.”
BLAKE ELLIOTT
do the same thing,” Keating said. “They both are unique talents whose careers won’t ever be replicated.”
“Blake was electric to the point where every time he touched the ball, you assumed he was taking it to the house,” added Linnemann, who was part of the radio crew during Elliott’s final three seasons at SJU. “If he didn’t score a touchdown, it had to be because someone made an unbelievable defensive play. He was such an exciting player to watch.”
Yet Elliott said none of that would have happened had he not first found his way to SJU.
“You have to start with John,” he said. “I don’t get into the Hall of Fame without his coaching and everything he built over 60 years at Saint John’s. Then I was lucky enough to play with a great group of guys at a time when we were as successful as any time in that program’s history. And we had so much support from so many other people. So I see this as an opportunity to celebrate all the cool things we did together and the relationships we built that remain strong today.
“It’s an individual award, but it’s also an opportunity to again shine the spotlight on Saint John’s football, and that’s what makes me most happy.”
FROM SJU+CSB TO THE
AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF JOHNNIES AND BENNIES HAVE BEEN MAKING THEIR MARK IN THE WORLD OF PRO SPORTS
Ask Nic Barlage about the impressively large number of Johnnies and Bennies currently making their mark in professional sports and the chief executive officer of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers will tell you he’s not the least bit surprised. After all, the 2006 SJU graduate credits his own time at SJU and CSB with helping lay the groundwork for his later success.
“When you look at the foundation and experience SJU and CSB creates for its students, it’s not surprising to see graduates having success in any field,” said Barlage, who was named the CEO of Rock Entertainment Group (which includes the Cavaliers) in 2022.
BY | FRANK RAJKOWSKI
“In this business, you can’t control some of the factors that impact your job – like wins and losses. But what’s really important is having a positive attitude –looking at challenges that present themselves as opportunities. You really do have to be wired that way, and those are the kinds of graduates CSB and SJU turn out.”
Indeed, at many different levels, and in a variety of different roles, SJU an d CSB graduates can be found working across the broad spectrum of professional athletics.
Here is a look at some of those graduates.
NFL
“In my case, working in sports isn’t something I really thought about when I was at Saint Ben’s,” said 2001 graduate Anne Doepner, who is now the senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Minnesota Vikings.
“I was a French major. So I wasn’t focused on making this my career. But in another sense, the small, liberal arts education I got there was a formative experience for me. It provided me with a well-rounded skillset that helped me so much as I got started in this field.”
“I WAS A FRENCH MAJOR. SO I WASN’T FOCUSED ON MAKING THIS MY CAREER. THE SMALL, LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION I GOT THERE WAS A FORMATIVE EXPERIENCE FOR ME. IT PROVIDED ME WITH A WELL-ROUNDED SKILLSET THAT HELPED ME SO MUCH AS I GOT STARTED IN THIS FIELD.”
ANNE DOEPNER ’01
Doepner joined the Vikings as an executive assistant in football operations in 2006 and worked her way up to become the director of football administration, a role in which she negotiated contracts and handled salary-cap related issues. In 2019, she took over a position in which she works to expand opportunities in the NFL for everyone.
She is one of a number of CSB and SJU graduates employed by the Vikings – a group that also includes 1998 SJU graduate Ryan Monnens, the team’s director of player personnel, and Jake Essler, a 2014 alum in charge of college scouting in the Midwest.
“I have no idea if that’s a large number or not,” Monnens said in 2022 when asked where SJU and CSB ranks among NFL employee representation. “But it sure feels like it’s a lot and it’s a group I’m proud to be part of.”
The list of Johnnies and Bennies in the NFL extends well past the Vikings. Ben Bartch ’20, of course, continues to see action on the field as an offensive lineman with the San Francisco 49ers, including in Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024.
Then, there is 2000 SJU graduate Trent Kirchner, the longtime vice president of player personnel for the Seattle Seahawks.
“It’s such a tight-knit community (at SJU and CSB), and one of the biggest things is the encouragement you’re provided with to dream, to not think any job is too big for you to go out and achieve,” Kirchner said in 2022.
“You see people who have been at Saint John’s and the things they’ve gone on to do in government, education or the private sector. You want to obtain that kind of success as well.”
For Kirchner, one of those people was Dr. Pat McKenzie, a 1979 SJU graduate and the team physician for the Green Bay Packers since 1991. For years, he worked alongside associate team physician John Gray, a 1976 SJU grad, before Gray’s retirement several years ago.
“I don’t know if I have an exact reason, but it does seem like (the number of SJU and CSB graduates in pro sports) has grown a lot since I started,” said McKenzie, who played
basketball for the Johnnies and whose son, Pat Jr., also played at SJU and is now the program’s head coach.
“I think when you see it happen to other people in your world, you understand it can be a realistic goal for yourself as well. It motivates you to chase your own dreams.”
Even before McKenzie, there was 1962 SJU graduate Bernie Kukar, a football and basketball standout for the Johnnies who went on to a long and successful career as an official, including 22 seasons (1984 to 2005) in the NFL where he officiated two Super Bowls and was an alternate for another.
He retired following the 2005 season.
“It used to be fun when I’d work a Green Bay game and I’d see Pat there,” Kukar said. “I’d find him before the game. People would ask me why I was talking to a team doctor. I’d tell them ‘This is a Saint John’s Alumni Association meeting. Get out of here.’
“It’s been really exciting to see the way the number of graduates has grown,” he continued. “Especially watching some of these guys – like Ryan Monnens and Trent Kirchner –move into pretty high positions with their teams. Trent and I exchange Christmas cards every year. There is kind of a bond there we share.”
But those bonds are not confined to the NFL. 2015 SJU graduate Brett Becker is the senior manager of pro scouting and baseball operations for Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres.
“Success in this business is similar to success in a lot of other jobs,” said Becker, now in his ninth season with the team. “It takes hard work and you need to be someone other people want to be around. Someone who is willing to learn from people more experienced than yourself.
“If you’re someone who’s a good listener and is willing to start off doing the grunt work, that goes a long way. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me to see so many Johnnies and Bennies making their mark with
“I THINK THE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU GET AT PLACES LIKE SJU AND CSB BREEDS THE TALENT AND AMBITION YOU NEED TO SUCCEED IN A FIELD LIKE PRO SPORTS, WHERE THERE AREN’T THAT MANY JOBS."
BRACE HEMMELGARN ’12
“IF YOU’RE SOMEONE WHO’S A GOOD LISTENER AND IS WILLING TO START OFF DOING THE GRUNT WORK, THAT GOES A LONG WAY. THAT’S WHY IT DOESN’T SURPRISE ME TO SEE SO MANY JOHNNIES AND BENNIES MAKING THEIR MARK WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS.”
BRETT BECKER ’15
different teams. There’s a work ethic that gets instilled in you at those schools. Johnnies and Bennies are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to get to the positions they want to reach.”
Closer to home, 2012 SJU graduate Brace Hemmelgarn is the manager of baseball content and photography for the Minnesota Twins.
“One of the things you really learn about at Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s is the importance of networking,” Hemmelgarn said. “I started shooting Twins games during my sophomore year in college when Target Field first opened. I came down here and introduced myself to anyone I could. People started to put a name to the face, and I was lucky enough to get offered a part-time job the following year.
“I think the education and experience you get at places like SJU and CSB breeds the talent and ambition you need to succeed in a field like pro sports, where there aren’t that many jobs. Special people come out of those schools. You see that with the success they have in a wide variety of fields.”
MLS
The Minnesota United of Major League Soccer also have a number of Johnnies and Bennies working in the organization, led by Gretchen Korf ’00 and Bryant Pfeiffer ’94.
Korf joined the organization in 2022 as chief financial officer, then in 2023 her role was expanded to executive vice president, chief administrative officer and chief financial officer.
Pfeiffer spent 13 years in sales leadership positions with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and 10 years with Major League Soccer’s league office before helping launch the United in 2017. He is now the team’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer.
“Maybe there’s something in the beer at Sal’s or the La Playette,” Pfeiffer said with a smile. “I’m not sure what the explanation is when it comes to why we have so many Johnnies and Bennies making
the kind of impacts they are. I do know when you hire a Johnnie or Bennie, you know the quality of person you’re going to get. And as someone who has been around this industry for a while, I can tell you that’s really important.
“Both schools also have such a strong commitment to athletics.
“BOTH SCHOOLS ALSO HAVE SUCH A STRONG COMMITMENT TO ATHLETICS. THERE’S A RICH HISTORY OF SUCCESS IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SPORTS OVER THE YEARS. I THINK THAT CULTURE HELPS OPEN THE DOOR TO OPPORTUNITIES WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING INVOLVED IN AREAS LIKE SPORTS MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.”
BRYANT PFEIFFER ’94
GRETCHEN KORF ’00
“AS MORE AND MORE OF US BECOME ESTABLISHED IN THIS INDUSTRY, WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO STRENGTHEN THAT ALUMNI NETWORK. IT’S A WAY OF GIVING BACK AND RECIPROCATING THE HELP WE RECEIVED.”
NIC BARLAGE ’06
There’s a rich history of success in a number of different sports over the years. I think that culture helps open the door to opportunities when it comes to getting involved in areas like sports management and administration.”
In addition to Korf and Pfeiffer, both Joe Deignan ’95 and Tom Vertin ’68 are among the United’s investors, while Eric Thomas ’94 is the chief commercial officer for Allianz Life Financial Services, the team’s stadium partner.
Dr. Ryan Fader ’07 is an orthopedic surgeon with Allina who serves as one of the team’s physicians.
Meanwhile, Marie Boo ’11 took over as senior rehab coordinator and physical therapist for the San Jose Earthquakes in the fall of 2023, just after concluding her duties as the physical therapist for the U.S. Women’s National Team – including at the 2023 World Cup.
“Working in the athletic training room at CSB was an invaluable experience to jump-start my career,” Boo said. “I utilize skills I learned there every day in my current
position. Additionally, the faculty and courses helped me to learn how to think critically and apply didactic material to real world scenarios. This is an absolutely vital foundation that I was able to continue to build upon throughout my DPT program, residency and beyond.”
NBA
Barlage – who was able to use Pfeiffer as a resource when the former was with the Timberwolves and he was a student at SJU –leads the SJU/CSB delegation in the NBA ranks.
He started his career with a stint in baseball as the assistant general manager for the Alexandria Beetles of the Northwoods League immediately after graduating from SJU. From there, he landed a job as a sales consultant with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Charlotte Bobcats followed before he arrived in Cleveland in 2009.
He eventually worked his way up to become the team’s vice president of sales and services, then returned to Phoenix in 2014 to become the Suns’ senior vice president and chief sales officer for three years. He came back to the Cavaliers in 2017 as the president of business operations, and in 2021 he was named chief operating officer of Rock Entertainment Group, – the umbrella entity encompassing the teams and venues that are part of Cavaliers chairman Dan Gilbert’s family of companies.
“I was able to utilize the JohnnieBennie network when I was in school, which is why any time a Johnnie or Bennie reaches out to me now, I try to be sure to make time to connect with them and help in any way I can,” said Barlage, whose team was the top seed in the Eastern Conference in last season’s NBA playoffs.
“As more and more of us become established in this industry, we have the chance to strengthen that alumni network. It’s a way of giving back and reciprocating the help we received.”
"THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO GET INVOLVED IN THINGS TO GET EXPERIENCE AND GAIN A BETTER OF SENSE OF WHAT IT IS YOU REALLY WANT TO DO. YOU COME AWAY WITH A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF DOING.”
JULIA DEYAK ’21
One of those younger Bennies and Johnnies just beginning to make her way in the business is Julia Deyak, a 2021 CSB graduate who has been with the Minnesota Timberwolves since early 2024 as an account executive on the group events team.
That’s given her a front-row seat as the team has advanced to the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two seasons.
“CSB and SJU offer so many different clubs and class activities,” Deyak said. “There are so many ways to get involved in things to get experience and gain a better of sense of what it is you really want to do.
“You come away with a lot of confidence in what you’re capable of doing.”
Deyak is not the only CSB and SJU alum with a connection to the Timberwolves. Dr. Aaron Krych, a 2001 graduate, is an orthopedic surgeon who serves as chair of the Orthopedic Surgery Department and Division of Sports Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He has also been the Timberwolves’ team orthopedic surgeon the past six years.
NHL
Across the river in St. Paul, SJU and CSB have also been represented with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
Nick Gilman, a 2023 graduate, began a video production internship with the team in September 2024 that is now a full-time position.
“It’s a small field and spots like this are extremely competitive to get,” he said. “But the Johnnie-Bennie connection was super valuable in helping me find something. Brace (Hemmelgarn) was a really nice connection to make.
“I was able to able to shoot a lot of different sports at Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s, and that helped a lot, too. It helped improve my understanding of how sports operations work and what goes into it all behind the scenes.”
“I WAS ABLE TO ABLE TO SHOOT A LOT OF DIFFERENT SPORTS AT SAINT JOHN’S AND SAINT BEN’S, AND THAT HELPED A LOT, TOO. IT HELPED IMPROVE MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SPORTS OPERATIONS WORK AND WHAT GOES INTO IT ALL BEHIND THE SCENES.”
NICK GILMAN ’23
PRO TIPS FROM THE PROS
Many of the Johnnies and Bennies now succeeding in the pro sports field stressed the importance of finding ways to get involved and build relationships.
“Take advantage of any and every opportunity you can find in the field, even if it’s with a local sports club to start,” Boo said. “Gaining experience and building relationships will help open other doors in the future.”
“Definitely make sure you get involved while you’re still in school, whether it’s by helping out in the athletic department or doing something in the community,” Pfeiffer added.
“So many people graduate with good grades. It’s the different experiences that are open to you at CSB and SJU that can help you differentiate yourself.”
Doepner said learning how to collaborate and be versatile will prove valuable as well.
“Our organization only consists of about 275 people,” she said of the Vikings. “That’s not a lot of bodies to make this huge machine work. Everyone has to pitch in and support each other across departments. Nobody questions if it’s their job or not when there’s something that needs to be done. Everybody pitches in.”
Barlage said those are skills that SJU and CSB stress.
“I think the success you see Johnnies and Bennies having in this industry is an example of what you can do with a liberal arts education,” he said. “It opens your mind to a whole different aperture of what might be possible for you, and it helps provide you with the skills you need to make the most of it when you get there.”
HABEMUS PAPAM!
The selection of Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago as Pope Leo XIV came as a surprise to many. What factors went into choosing the first American Pope, and what might his papacy look like?
A group of Saint John’s University graduates who have studied and covered the Vatican extensively, as well as the Abbot of Saint John’s Abbey, weigh in with their thoughts:
Vatican observers have always believed that the election of an American pope was next to impossible.
The main reason was that it would risk identifying the Catholic Church with a world superpower.
But with the conclave of 2025, this implausible scenario seemed, in retrospect, almost inevitable. Pope Leo XIV, a.k.a. Cardinal Bob Prevost from Chicago, was elected quickly and decisively.
What happened to change the conclave dynamics?
I’d point to four things.
• First, in an increasingly globalized church, national boundaries matter less than ever today. Cardinal Prevost’s own ecclesial career, which included many years in Peru and Rome, illustrates this trend toward the internationalization of ministry. With that in mind, he was often described as the “least American” of U.S. cardinals.
• Second, after 12 years of Pope Francis’ outward-looking pontificate, the cardinals were paying attention to internal issues, including looming deficits in the Vatican’s operating budget and its pension fund. Cardinal Prevost, when he was head of the Augustinian religious order, had built a reputation as an effective manager. He was seen as someone who would work well with the Roman Curia, the Vatican bureaucracy that was pretty much ignored by Francis.
• Third, I believe religious-order cardinals are attractive to the cardinal electors, who tend to trust someone who has a deep spiritual formation and has taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Cardinal Prevost had twice been elected as prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine, which was seen as a seal of approval on his leadership abilities.
• Fourth, the American-born cardinal came into the conclave as a virtual unknown to the world, but very well-connected to the cardinals who would be casting votes. He built those connections over a period of 40 years – working with South American church leaders, traveling the globe to countries where Augustinians operate and meeting with cardinals non-stop during his two-year stint as head of the Vatican’s influential Dicastery for Bishops. He participated in countless Vatican meetings, including sessions of the Synod of Bishops, another important meeting ground. His fluency in five modern languages helped, too.
About 80 percent of the cardinals were voting in a conclave for the first time, and Cardinal Prevost was one of them. But unlike the rest, he was already a figure who was known and respected among his peers.
An American pope? We didn’t see it coming, but they did.
JOHN THAVIS ’73
John Thavis is the prizewinning former Rome bureau chief of the Catholic News Service. He has written and lectured extensively on Vatican affairs and is the author of the books The Vatican Prophecies and The Vatican Diaries
THE DARK HORSE PROVED A PERFECT PICK
Rome feels different without a Pope.
There’s a sense that something is missing. That someone is missing.
I arrived in Rome on April 23rd, just two days after Pope Francis had passed away.
A few hours after landing, we went to St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Francis’ body was lying in state, and we said our prayers.
The Holy Father’s funeral was a few days later, then the cardinals’ jobs began: It was time to elect a new pope.
Because I host a daily radio show and appeared on a few other media outlets, I spent hours and hours talking about the list of “Papabiles.” Maybe you remember some of the names: Tagle, Parolin and the very entertainingly-named Pizzaballa.
But Prevost? The American? Mentioned occasionally, and only when you were talking dark horses. If he was an album, you’d call his candidacy a deep cut.
“There will never be an American pope in our lifetime,” they said.
“If we have an American pope, it’ll be Dolan or O’Malley,” they said.
“Prevost will be our next pope,” I wish I’d said. But of course, I had no clue what was coming.
At coffee shops, or over plates of pasta, talking to Vatican insiders, voting cardinals and journalists, I’d hear their predictions: An evangelist and missionary to help spread the Gospel with joy? Or a Vatican insider with working knowledge of the Church and her bureaucracy?
It was either-or. The cardinals would have to pick between those types of leaders, it seemed.
And so when the white smoke poured out of the chimney on May 8th, it must be one of the front runners, we said on-air.
“Habemus Papam!” the cardinal announced from the balcony. And when he said “Prevost” the crowd in St. Peter’s was stunned. Most of the world was stunned. An American!
But in retrospect, why we were surprised? He’s a missionary with decades of leadership in the Church and someone who knows the Vatican. The perfect choice. The Church is clearly in good hands with Leo XIV.
How could we not have seen this coming? Well, with most things, we only see God’s plan when looking in the rear-view mirror.
The city of Rome was thrilled. She had her pope. And we as a Church are thrilled because we have a pope. And an American pope, at that.
Viva il Papa!
LINO RULLI ’93
Lino Rulli is a prominent radio host, author and TV producer who currently hosts The Catholic Guy Show on Sirius XM Radio.
SEBASTIAN GOMES ’07, SOT ’11
Sebastian Gomes is the executive editor of audio and video for America Media who serves as executive producer of Jesuitical , Inside the Vatican and The Gloria Purvis Podcast
LEO
XIV REPRESENTS A LIBERATING LETTING GO OF PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS
This conclave was different. Back in 2013, Pope Benedict XVI’s historic resignation meant that the cardinals could have an honest discussion amongst themselves about the demands of the job and the mission of the papacy in an increasingly complex world.
They could go in any number of directions. Five or six names of possible candidates floated around the Vatican press corps. One of them, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected Francis.
Fast-forward 12 years later to May 2025 when another historic, though drastically different, papacy came to an end. Francis had set the Catholic Church on a very specific course. For the world he prioritized mercy, fraternity and care for creation. For the church he prioritized “synodality,” a new culture of community life emphasizing the equal dignity of all the baptized in which listening, discernment and decision-making are done together.
In my mind, the real question facing the cardinals as they walked into the Sistine chapel on May 7th was, “Will it be Francis II, or not?”
The pressure was on. The field was wide open. More cardinals from more countries
were crowded under Michaelangelo’s famous frescoes than ever before. Some of the best, most trusted Vatican journalists had lists of 10 or 12 candidates. Few expected a short conclave.
After lunch the next day, our team at America Magazine debated going into St. Peter’s Square. We were exhausted from covering the whole event, and almost certain the smoke signal from the chapel that evening would be black.
“But,” I said, “you never know.”
A few hours later, white smoke billowed from the chimney and the bells of Rome rang out. From the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica walked neither Francis II nor Benedict XVII. Wearing the traditional red mozzetta, the new pope looked like Benedict. Then he spoke and sounded like Francis.
All of us were eager to know exactly who Leo XIV is, what he stands for, what he thinks. We wanted to compare, categorize and draw conclusions. But being in Rome, I learned that a conclave, for all the hype and headlines, is firstly a spiritual experience. It’s about letting go of judgments, preconceived ideas and narrow frameworks.
You never know. And that can be a very liberating thing.
POPE LEO XIV’S PAPACY INVITES US ALL TO BUILD BRIDGES
Pope Leo XIV’s papacy carries added significance as the first American to ascend the Chair of Peter.
His election marks a moment of both historical consequence and spiritual opportunity – not only for the Church in the United States, but for the global Church seeking new ways to engage a rapidly changing world. As an American, he brings a unique perspective shaped by the cultural tensions, pluralism and democratic instincts of his homeland. He understands, perhaps more keenly than most, the challenges of polarization, individualism and media-driven discourse.
And yet, rather than replicating these dynamics, he seeks to redeem them –modeling a leadership style grounded in humility, dialogue and the search for the common good.
This American pope, shaped by missionary work in Latin America and deeply formed by the Church’s social teaching, reminds the world that the heart of Catholicism is not found in nationalism or power, but
in communion and service. His election challenges the U.S. Church, in particular, to rise above internal divisions and reclaim its role as a bridge – between cultures, between classes and within the Church herself.
For Saint John’s, Saint Benedict and Benedictines throughout the world, Pope Leo XIV’s election is both a moment of pride and a summons to renewed fidelity. His emphasis on synodality, unity and the dignity of work echoes the core of Benedictine life. His American identity, coupled with his global outlook, reminds us that while the Church is universal, it is also incarnated in particular places, cultures and communities.
In Pope Leo XIV, we see a Benedictine spirit of hospitality extended to the margins, a monastic attentiveness applied to global concerns and an American voice calling the Church to unity, justice and peace.
His papacy invites us – especially those of us formed in the Benedictine tradition – to build bridges that are wide enough to carry the weight of hope.
ABBOT DOUGLAS MULLIN, OSB
In January of 2024, Abbot Douglas was elected as the 11th Abbot of Saint John's Abbey.
ERIC LECOMPTE ’99
Eric LeCompte advises the Vatican and leads the inter-religious development group, Jubilee USA Network.
NEW POPE WILL GO WHEREVER IT
TAKES
TO HELP THOSE IN NEED
“We saw a bishop who put on a helmet, boots and went out to meet people, very close, very, very humble with everyone ... from those who held important positions to the most humble of people,” my Catholic Relief Services partner, Janinna Sesa, would tell National Public Radio after the election of Pope Leo XIV, the person she described.
As prelate of Chiclayo, Peru, the people of the diocese affectionately referred to him as Padre Prevost – often forgoing the moniker of bishop. There, he led efforts to confront the economic and health challenges of the pandemic, a major outbreak of dengue fever, unrelenting floods, poverty, the refugee crisis, human trafficking and environmental issues.
After decades of serving the people of Peru as an Augustinian missionary, he was appointed bishop, then elevated as a cardinal to head the Vatican’s Dicastery of Bishops by Pope Francis. Prevost would hold one of the most influential positions at the Holy See and make recommendations to Francis on who should be named a bishop throughout the world.
Of note to Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s, Prevost is a believer in the promise of the liturgical movement that the monastic communities helped lead. As a follower of the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church, the Rule of St. Augustine, he was formed by a rule that centers on some of the earliest teachings of putting the poor central to how they are impacted by any decision we make. His education would focus on Vatican II theologians, who align with the Benedictine value that Jesus – God – is in every person that we meet.
I sat with him several times in Rome since his appointment as cardinal in 2023. He is humble, calming, thoughtful, an intellectual and a bridge builder. When Leo speaks, he has reflected deeply on the words he chooses.
As a bridge builder to our tradition, Prevost chose the name Pope Leo XIV, after Leo the XIII who authored Rerum Novarum. This encyclical from the Leo of 1891 remains at the heart of Catholic teaching that supports the rights of workers and the vulnerable.
Sharing Southside Chicago roots and a predilection for Chicago’s White Sox, I’d like to claim him as a native Chicagoan and indomitable product of the Midwest. But he represents much more than middle America. As a citizen of Peru, Leo is the first Peruvian and second Latin American Pope. But while in Rome this past June, I’d see how he represents even more.
Racing across the city with United Nation and government leaders from Africa, I’d hear he represents that continent, too. They focused on the reality that his mother is from a mixed-race Black Creole family in Louisiana.
The recently elected Pope Leo is claimed by much of the world.
After Leo’s election, I joined partners from around the world in Rome working on the social focus of the Jubilee Year as declared by Pope Francis and previously St. John Paul II – global debt relief and economic aid to end poverty. Leo ratified our Jubilee Year efforts – not surprising for a bishop who puts on a helmet and boots in disaster zones to help those most in need.
FR. DON WAS A BEACON OF
LIGHT INSPIRATION &
THE LONGTIME FIXTURE OF THE SAINT JOHN’S COMMUNITY PASSED AWAY AT AGE 99 IN APRIL
The Saint John’s community, and many others around the world, lost a source of light and inspiration with the passing of Fr. Don Talafous, OSB, who died at the age of 99 on April 11 in Collegeville.
Over the course of his eight-decade connection to Collegeville, Fr. Don served as a monk, teacher, mentor, chaplain and friend – all the while epitomizing the essence of Saint John’s and the Benedictine values that form its bedrock.
“Fr. Don was a dear friend to generations of students, faculty, staff, monastics and presidents. We miss him and will continue to model his revered gifts of deep listening and genuine friendship,” said Dr. Brian Bruess, president of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.
Born Jan. 4, 1926, in Duluth, Minnesota, Fr. Don arrived at the Saint John’s campus in September 1943 as a 17-year-old freshman. He obtained his undergraduate degree in 1948 and completed his seminary studies in 1952.
Other than subsequent teaching postings at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau, Bahamas (1952-54) and at St. Anselm’s Parish in Bronx, New York (1954-56), and a graduate school stint in Berkeley, California (1968-70), Fr. Don basically never left Saint John’s other than to travel on its behalf.
He was a faculty resident and theology professor for nearly 40 years, earned the Walter Reger Award in 1989 and became alumni chaplain after his retirement from teaching in 1996. In more
recent years, his online Daily Reflections provided comfort, peace and purpose to readers around the world.
But it was his personal interactions with students, faculty and staff and alumni that made him an essential part of the fabric that binds the Johnnie family together.
“I’m grateful for pretty darn good health, wonderful work and (being) surrounded by very wonderful people,” Fr. Don said in a 2018 interview with Saint John’s Magazine. “I need myself to be encouraged and hopeful every day.
“There are some like myself that are involved in such rewarding work that you feel it’s going to be hard to let go. I hope that it’s rooted in my trust in the Lord. It’s hard to think of leaving.”
Memorials in honor of Fr. Don may be made to the Don Talafous Scholarship Fund By mail: Saint John’s University, Development Office, P.O. Box 7222, Collegeville, MN 56321
A Minnesota Benedictine Monk Leaves the Message:
I See You. You Matter.
Eric Schubert ’92 wrote this editorial for Minnesota Star Tribune . It is reprinted here with permission from both Schubert and the newspaper.
“At my age, surely not far from death,” Father Don once wrote, “I try to act on the belief that the best preparation is generous, loving use of the present, of time and of opportunities … Live life, live it now with generosity, hope, gentleness and joy.”
Fr. Don Talafous
How ironic in our unprecedented era of quick-click connectivity and online “friend”-making, isolation abounds. In 2023, the U.S. surgeon general declared an epidemic of loneliness, while Gallup revealed in 2024 that daily loneliness among U.S. adults hit a two-year high. This year, Harvard research found that less than half of young Americans feel a sense of community – only 17% say they’re deeply connected to one.
Separation or loss can make loneliness suffocating. And it can leave us hardened and isolated in distrust’s chasm. It increases risks of depression, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia. Isolation weakens communities. Learning, creating, helping, caring and loving –these come from human connection, not digital imitation.
Fr. Don Talafous, a Minnesota Benedictine monk who died in April at age 99, leaves gifts we need now – regardless of faith or belief – to build connections only humans can. Though he freely admitted he didn’t have every answer, he offered many that can help awaken the communal spirit within us all.
For more than 80 years at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Fr. Don practiced presence – remembering names, listening, observing and sharing. He made you feel seen – not scanned. Heard – not just replied to. Known.
He arrived in Collegeville from Denfeld High School in Duluth in 1943 as a curious 17-year-old freshman. After becoming a priest, he taught in The Bahamas and the Bronx before returning to Minnesota, where his decades-long “parish” was the students of Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s. He held titles such as theology professor and chaplain – but his most enduring role was friend.
I first met Fr. Don in college when he simply said hello.
He took this mindful pause thousands of times yearly with hundreds of people. His warm greeting usually started a conversation – then another, and then more. He remembered your name, then your story.
Person by person, generation by generation. You felt you mattered to him, because you did.
After graduation, I moved to California. Alone, I arrived home after work to a bulging envelope in my mailbox. The return address read: D. Talafous.
Inside was a handwritten note atop eight double-sided pages of intricately woven updates from people worldwide – all once greeted by Fr. Don.
His alumni newsletter contained far more than milestones and book reviews.
Between births and weddings were short vignettes – glimpses into the most vulnerable parts of life, shared with someone trusted to carry them.
A father mourning his dead child. A marriage painfully unraveling. A terminal cancer journey ending. A soldier yearning for a simpler time and place.
Each reflection made you pause – and sit with what people carry. We all carry something.
We are together in this way, if we notice.
Fr. Don’s writing was an act of observation – his way of seeing and connecting lives across continents and decades, often through his daily reflections published online for readers worldwide.
Written from a Catholic, Benedictine perspective – yet never preachy
or judgmental – his words offered warmth and hope, drawing believers and skeptics alike. In his 90s, doing his best work, he published his fifth and final book –aptly titled “Musings” – a collection of reflections.
He saw names like Cheung and Cortez alongside Kowalski and Schmidt in the student directory and viewed diversity as a bridge, not a threat – a way, in his words, to “build bridges and decrease racism, intolerance and discrimination.” He spoke from experience, as a world traveler who always seemed to bump into someone he knew – whether in the Himalayas or Highland Park.
As a chaplain, Fr. Don often encountered people in their loneliest moments. In one reflection he wrote of loneliness, and asked: “… Can we do or be something for others caught in this misery? I was lonely, emotionally crushed, and e.g.: ‘You came to my help? You comforted me? You befriended me? You consoled me? You joined me in the cafeteria? You … ?’ ”
Yes. Yes, we can. And only we –not AI or machines – can truly cure loneliness.
“At my age, surely not far from death,” Fr. Don once wrote, “I try to act on the belief that the best preparation is generous, loving use of the present, of time and of opportunities … . Live life, live it now with generosity, hope, gentleness, and joy.”
Fr. Don’s hello – and goodbye – said it all: I see you.
You matter. He offered that connection even when carrying losses that a life of 99 years brings. That’s where real connection begins – and loneliness begins to end.
Eric Schubert of West St. Paul is a teacher who previously spent nearly 30 years in communications.
“Each reflection made you pause – and sit with what people carry. We all carry something.”
Eric Schubert
2025 Inductees Join Hall of Honor Sept. 27
Another group of Saint John’s University athletic legends will take their place in the SJU J-Club Hall of Honor during the annual induction dinner and ceremony scheduled for Sept. 27 in Guild Hall.
The event – which follows the Johnnies’ Homecoming matchup against Augsburg that day at Clemens Stadium – will begin at 5:15 p.m.
Tickets are $75 per person until Sept. 21 and $100 per person after. Tickets for children ages 6-12 are $35 while children 6-and-under are free. The cost includes dinner and beverages. All proceeds go to the J-Club to support Johnnie athletics.
This year’s inductees are:
Bob Alpers ’82 – SJU’s longtime golf coach, whose team’s won two national titles, and the athletic director from 2016 until earlier this year. He was also a standout basketball player for the Johnnies.
Jerry Haugen ’76 – A standout football and baseball player for the Johnnies who went on to serve as SJU’s head baseball coach from 1978 until this past spring. He was also the longtime defensive coordinator for the Johnnie football team, helping the team win NCAA Division III national titles in 1976 and 2003.
Bernie Kukar ’62 – An All-MIAC performer in football and basketball for the Johnnies who went on to become an NFL referee for 22 seasons and was part of the crew for two Super Bowls while serving as an alternate for another.
Patrick Lilly ’79 – An All-American soccer standout in 1976 who went on to earn All-MIAC and all-district honors as a junior in 1977 and again as a senior in 1978.
Craig Muyres ’64 – A quarterback who led SJU to a 19-0 record as a junior and senior, including winning the school’s first national title in 1963. He was also a two-time AllMIAC pick in basketball who finished his career with 1,344 points.
Ken Roering ’64 – A talented wide receiver who started four seasons for the Johnnies and earned AllMIAC and All-American honors as a junior and again as a senior in 1963 when SJU won a national title.
Todd Schlorf ’90 – A two-time AllAmerican singles player in tennis and a one-time All-American in doubles play. He also led SJU to the Division III national tournament as a team in 1990, the only time in program history that’s happened.
Josh Sherlin ’05 – A two-time MIAC champion and All-American golfer in 2004 and ’05 who helped lead the Johnnies to the Division III national meet in all four of his seasons in Collegeville.
Brian Smith ’83 – The first national champion in SJU track and field history, winning the 5,000-meter run in 1983. In all, he was a threetime All-American and seven-time All-MIAC performer across track and field and cross country.
Jim Platten ’74 (J-Club Distinguished Service Award) –For well over 25 years, the alum and longtime SJU supporter has volunteered in the equipment room, helping out with the football team and other programs. Along the way, he has been a friend, resource and mentor to multiple generations of Johnnie student-athletes.
General
Saint John’s University claimed its fifth basketball MIAC regular-season title in the last seven seasons, in addition to football’s conferenceleading 37th championship in the fall. SJU added four second-place finishes (cross country, golf, swimming and diving and outdoor track and field) and three thirdplace finishes (baseball, hockey and indoor track and field).
• Eighty-eight Saint John’s studentathletes received 2024-25 Winter and Spring Academic All-MIAC recognition in June. For the fifth-straight academic year, SJU led the MIAC in male honorees with a total of 173 in 2024-25, followed by Gustavus Adolphus (149), Macalester (134), St. Olaf (133) and Carleton (110). The Johnnies had 85 fall honorees in cross country, football and soccer, the most in the conference. Student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 on a 4.00 scale to qualify for Academic All-MIAC recognition. Transfers, like freshmen, must complete a full academic year to be eligible the following season. Athletically, student-athletes must be a member of a MIAC-sponsored
varsity team and be academically and athletically eligible. The student-athlete must have utilized a season of participation (per NCAA and MIAC definitions) and have remained on the sports roster through the conclusion of the sports season.
• Wide receiver Dylan Wheeler ’26 was named a nominee for the 2025 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team. Wheeler is one of 197
Wheeler ’26 nominees for the team, which recognizes a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others. A consensus 2024 All-American and accounting and finance doublemajor with a 3.64 GPA, Wheeler organized a fundraiser during the 2024 football season for Folds of Honor to provide academic scholarships for the children and spouses of America's fallen or disabled military members and first responders. He will serve as SJU's Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee (SAAC) president for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year and is in his fourth year of raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Baseball
Joe Becker ’24
The Johnnie baseball team finished third in the MIAC with a 14-6 record (25-16 overall) and made its 15th-consecutive appearance in the MIAC Tournament (17th overall). Third baseman Joe Becker ’24 was named to the D3baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America second teams and was also selected as D3baseball.com’s Region 9 Player of the Year. He is SJU’s seventh All-American on the diamond and first since 2021. The baseball program has now had 43 All-Region honorees since 2010. The 2025 MIAC Co-Max Molock Player of the Year set program records for home runs (15) and runs scored (48), and also led the team in batting (.391), slugging percentage (.859), on-base percentage (.538), home runs (15),
Dylan
extra-base hits (27), RBI (42) and slugging percentage (.741). Becker started 164 of SJU's last 165 games dating back to 2021 and ended his Johnnie career as the program's all-time leader in games played (182), at-bats (642), runs scored (174), hits (223), doubles (48), home runs (36), total bases (401) and walks (86). He also holds the school record for RBI, both in a single season (54 in 2024) and career (178). Becker, second baseman Ryan Janzen ’25 , outfielder/second baseman Alex Matchey ’27 and pitchers Will Fazio ’25 and Connor Hartley ’25 were named All-MIAC. In the classroom, five Johnnies achieved College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District distinction: Hartley, Janzen, right fielder Brendan Hemr ’26 , center fielder Riley Schwellenbach ’27 and pitcher Carter Theisen ’27 . First baseman Collin Kray ’27 earned the MIAC Elite 22 Award for baseball, which is presented to the individual with the highest GPA among the student -athletes who participated in the four-team MIAC Tournament. SJU also earned an ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. The 47 Johnnies on the roster combined for a 3.43 GPA. Assistant Scott Lieser was hired as the program’s next head coach after Jerry Haugen ’76 retired following 48 seasons and a 916-736-5 (.554) record.
Basketball
’25
SJU basketball (25-4, 15-1 MIAC) won its 12th MIAC regular-season championship (fourth in the last six seasons) and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 74-59 win over Carleton March 1 for the program's fourth MIAC Playoff championship in the last six tournaments (ninth overall). The national postseason appearance was the Johnnies' 22nd (13th at the Division III level) and fifth in the last seven seasons. SJU ended the season ranked No. 13 in the final D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. The 20-win season was the Johnnies' 16th overall and sixth in the past nine seasons. Three of
SJU's four losses were decided by four points or less. Wing Ryan Thissen ’25 was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America second team and both the D3hoops. com All-Region 9 and NABC AllDistrict 9 first teams. He was named to the CSC Academic All-America first team – his third-consecutive honor – in addition to winning his third MIAC Elite 22 Award for having the highest cumulative GPA among student-athletes who participated in the six-team MIAC Playoffs. He ended his career second in program history with 1,680 career points and is SJU's all-time leader in games played (114) – all starts – and ranks ninth in assists (287). Thissen, who was selected as the MIAC’s Offensive Player of the Year, was joined on the All-MIAC team with guards Blake Berg ’25 and Kooper Vaughn ’25 , who became the program’s all-time three-point leader in his final season. Guard Luke Healy ’25 and wing Griffin Rushin ’25 were both named to the All-Playoff Team, while guard Kyle Johnson ’26 joined Healy, Thissen and Vaughn on the CSC Academic All-District team. SJU basketball collected its 13th-consecutive National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award and nine Johnnies were named to the 2024-25 NABC Honors Court: Healy, Johnson, Rushin, Thissen, Vaughn, guard Zach Longueville ’25 , guard Thomas Menk ’26 , wing Connor Schwob ’25 and guard Andrew Wagner ’25 . The Johnnies combined for a 3.59 GPA in 2024-25.
Golf
SJU golf tied for second at the MIAC Championships and recorded its fourth-best scoring average in program history – a 296.0 in 24 rounds. Andrew Boemer ’25 became the second Johnnie to qualify as an individual to the NCAA Division III Championships and the first since 2015 ( Ryan Gallagher ’17 ) in May. Boemer was named to the Division III PING All-Region 6 team, which was announced by the Golf Coaches’ Association of America (GCAA). SJU has now had 63 All-Region honorees in the last 26 seasons (since 2000). Tim Fultz ’26 (fourth) and Gavin Grahek ’28 (ninth) achieved AllMIAC distinction by placing in the
top 10 at the MIAC Championship in October, while Boemer and Ethan Kress ’26 were voted All-MIAC by the league’s head coaches. The program received GCAA AllAcademic team recognition for the 17th-straight season, while Boemer, Fultz and Kress were named Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars. The SJU golf program has now had an All-America Scholar each of the last 26 years, for a total of 53 during that span.
Hockey
Saint John’s hockey tied for third in the MIAC with an 8-7-1 record (11-14-1 overall) and made its seventh MIAC Playoff appearance in the last nine seasons. Goaltender Bailey Huber ’25 was named AllMIAC, while forward Justin Thompson ’25 and defenseman Mason Campbell ’26 were named All-MIAC honorable mention. Cam Boche ’27 was selected to the MIAC All-Playoff Team. In the classroom, forwards Jackson Bisson ’27 , Cody Carlson ’25 , Matt DeRosa ’25 and Jackson Sabo ’25 were named to the CSC Academic All-District at-large team. Nine Johnnies earned 2024-25 America Hockey Coaches' Association (AHCA) All-American Scholar recognition for maintaining at least a 3.75 grade point average in both the fall and spring semesters during the academic year and appeared in 40 percent of the team's games. The Johnnies recognized were forwards Chris Kernan ’27 , Logan Lyke ’27 , Jacob McPartland ’27 and Jack Wandmacher ’27; defensemen Sam Berry ’27 , Danny Eckerline ’25 , Michael Spinner ’26 ; and goaltenders Huber and Jon Howe ’26 . As a team, the 31 Johnnies combined for a 3.53 GPA.
Swimming & Diving
SJU swimming and diving finished second out of six teams at the 2025 MIAC Championships and 36th out of 47 teams at the NCAA Division III Championships. Brayden Slavik ’26 was named the MIAC Co-Swimmer of the Year, while Ben Gill was voted by his peers as the conference’s Coach of the Year. Slavik broke
Ryan Thissen
Bailey Huber ’25
three program records and won three individual events at the MIAC meet. SJU totaled nine event championships – including three of five relays – and 32 All-MIAC honors (top three) at the meet. Slavik and diver Eli Grabinski ’25 both qualified for the NCAA Championships, each earning All-America honors. Grabinski finished eighth on the 1-meter board and 14th on the 3-meter, while Slavik took 15th in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Coby Kern ’25 was named to the inaugural 2025 Allstate National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Good Works Winter Team in March. He was one of 20 honorees on the 2025 Allstate NACDA Good Works Winter Team, including one of five from the NCAA Division III level. Outside of the pool, Kern served as SJU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president in his third year with the organization. He started a Special Olympics regional swim meet on the SJU campus, which steadily grew in the last three years under his leadership. Grabinski, Kern, Carter Larson ’25 and Cody Watts ’27 were named to the CSC Academic All-District team. Watts was also selected as a College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American, while the team achieved CSCAA Scholar All-America status with a 3.57 GPA among 28 student-athletes.
Tennis
The Johnnie tennis team tied for seventh in the MIAC with a 3-6 record (8-9 overall). Alex Draeger ’27 and Sam Wolden ’27 earned All-MIAC honors in doubles, while Wolden received his second consecutive All-MIAC distinction in singles play. Draeger, Wolden, Cooper Anderson ’25 , Finn Dolezal ’26 and Taylor Duncan ’26 earned CSC Academic All-District honors. As a team, SJU collected its 12th-consecutive All-Academic Team Award from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). To be eligible for the ITA All-Academic Team Award, an institution must submit the academic year’s grade point averages for each studentathlete on the roster and carry a team GPA of 3.2 or higher. The 10 Johnnies combined for a 3.46 GPA in 2024-25.
Indoor Track & Field
Jackson McDowell ’25
SJU’s track and field team finished third out of 11 teams at the MIAC Indoor Championships hosted in the Donald McNeely Spectrum. In total, SJU won three individual championships and totaled 10 All-MIAC (top three) performances. Jackson McDowell ’25 finished second in the high jump to lead three Johnnie All-Americans at the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. McDowell broke his own program record by clearing 2.14 meters (7-0) – which tied him for the 21st-best height in Division III indoor history. SJU’s two heptathletes, Max Lelwica ’25 and Anthony Thurk ’25 , earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) second-team All-America honors in ninth and 14th places, respectively. Zach Schaffer ’25 also earned second-team All-America honors with a 16th-place mark of 6.93 meters in the long jump. Max Reis ’28 finished seventh in the second heat and 17th overall out of 20 sprinters with a time of 6.84 seconds in the 60-meter dash. He missed 16th place and secondteam All-America honors by 0.002 of a second.
Outdoor Track & Field
The Johnnies finished second –by half a point, 207-206.5 – out of 11 teams at the 2025 MIAC Outdoor Championships. SJU qualified six athletes in six events at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and finished fourth out of 73 teams with a program-record six top-eight finishes across the three-day meet and seven total All-America performances. Kevin Arthur ’24 was named the MIAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for an unprecedented fourth-consecutive year and finished second at nationals in both the 100- and
200-meter dashes. He also served as the second leg on the Johnnies’ third-place 4x100-meter relay team. McDowell, the national runner-up in the high jump indoors, finished third outdoors. Lelwica was third in the decathlon and Reis was third, right behind Arthur, in the 100-meter dash and earned All-America second-team honors with a ninthplace mark in the long jump. McDowell was named to the CSC Academic All-America cross country/track and field third team. He earned All-America honors in all three of his national appearances, was a three-time MIAC champion in the high jump and five-time AllMIAC performer (four in the high jump, one in the javelin). SJU has now had seven CSC Academic All-Americans in cross country/track and field over the last five seasons. The track and field team and nine of its student-athletes earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic recognition, as well. The USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor is the 17th-straight for SJU, as a total of 89 Johnnies combined for a cumulative team GPA of 3.43. The Johnnies recognized were Lelwica, McDowell, Reis, Thurk, Mitchell Degen ’26 , Matt Hansen ’27 , Aidan Morey ’26 , Emanuel Popoca ’25 and Cooper Smith ’27
Wrestling
Five Saint John’s wrestlers –Thomas Holmquist ’28 (125 lbs.), Connor Krueger ’27 (133 lbs.), D.J. Myles ’25 (197 lbs.), Logan Thorsten ’25 (165 lbs.) and Aiden Wayne ’27 (heavyweight) – finished in the top eight as the team finished 10th at the NCAA Regional.
Holmquist and Krueger just missed a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships with fourth-place finishes at their respective weights. The top three in each weight class advanced to nationals. Wayne took seventh, while Myles and Thorsten claimed eighth. All five Johnnies earned the 2024-25 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-America honors, and Myles was named to the CSC Academic All-District at-large team.
Kevin Arthur ’24
Reunion Weekend 2025 a Smashing Success
Over 1,400 alums and friends returned to the campuses of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict June 26-29 to take part in Reunion Weekend 2025.
This year’s festivities gathered graduates from class years ending in 0s and 5s. Those Johnnies and Bennies spent the weekend reconnecting with old classmates, attending alum college sessions, taking part in class gatherings and attending the all-class dinners and award ceremonies at each school.
There was also a bicycle ride Saturday morning, the annual Beach Bash at Lake Sagatagan on the SJU campus Saturday afternoon and a Reunion Concert featuring Big Toe & the Jam at Sal’s in St. Joseph Saturday night, along with a number of other events and activities.
“Reunion weekend is always special, but this year’s celebration was truly exceptional,” said Adam Herbst ’99, the executive director of alumni relations at SJU. “The turnout from so many of our reunion classes was inspiring, and the smiles on the faces of our Johnnie and Bennie alums said it all. There is nothing quite like seeing classmates reconnect, reminisce and make new memories together on the beautiful campuses where it all began for them.”
Milestones
1954 John E. Rielly recently published his book/memoir “My Foreign Affairs: From Hubert Humphrey’s Vietnam to American’s Role on the World Stage.” Rielly is a foreign policy expert who served as a foreign affairs aide to Vice President Hubert Humphrey. He also spent 30 years as president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He taught at Harvard, Northwestern and UC San Diego, and edited the American Public Open and U.S. Foreign Policy series. He has also served as a consultant to the National Security Council.
1982
David Bromelkamp recently published his book “AdvisorSmart for the Individual Investor: Your Guide to Selecting a Financial Advisor to Get Better Financial Advice.” Bromelkamp is the founder of Allodium Investment Consultants, an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisor firm in Minneapolis. He has over 40 years of real-world financial experience.
1991
Robert Gag joined Bluum, a leading provider of education technology solutions, as chief revenue officer this past March. He brings vast experience delivering K12 solutions, having served previously as the CEO of Tierney, a company acquired by Bluum.
1994 In April, David Moe was named chief operating officer of Pedrollo Group USA, a company recognized as a global leader in the electric water pumps industry.
2002 Mike Carey was recently profiled by Bloomberg Law after leading a team from Dykema law firm to a victory over Tesla in a wrongful death suit over Tesla’s autopilot system in California state court in 2023.
2002 Matt Delly recently began his role as executive vice president, chief merchandising officer at Grocery Outlet, one the leading extreme value retailers in the U.S.
2002
Matt Johnson recently co-founded the AI-native software engineering firm Blank Metal.
2004
Brian Eder, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Voyage Wealth Architects, was recently named a 2025 Notable Wealth Manager by Twin Cities Business Magazine.
2008 Steven Lemke was chosen as this year’s winner of the Catholic Benedictine Educator Award. The award – sponsored by the Benedictine Institute at SJU and the CSB Koch Chair in Catholic Thought and Culture – recognizes a CSB and SJU faculty member whose teaching “successfully integrates the Catholic Benedictine tradition with courses in their academic discipline and/or the Integrations Curriculum.”
2016 Frantz Soiro recently obtained his doctorate/Ph.D. from The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy.
Marriages
1984 Jeff Jacobberger to John Lundbert, June ’25
1986 Karen (Kuebelbeck ’87) to Todd Fritz, Nov. ’24
2014 April to Theo Helms, Apr. ’25
Anna (Fossum) to James McLean, Oct. ’24
2016 Clare (Johnson ’15) to Samuel Brynestad, Mar. ’25
2017 Zelda (Wear ’18) to Zachary Dietz, Sept. ’24
Mary (McSharry) to Jason Omann, Mar. ’25
Katie (Morris) to Connor O’Rourke, Oct. ’24
Taylor (Graham) to Joe Stofferahn, Oct. ’24
2018 Allison (Kosobud ’17) to Matthew Burgstahler, Sept. ’24
2019 Johanna (Parker ’21) to AJ Parker, June ’25
Megan (Gemuenden ’19) to Aaron Schwietz, Jan. ’25
Alyssa (Bjelland ’20) to Noah Taylor, Aug. ’24
2020 Karly (Hennen ’20) to Aidan Cassidy, Aug. ’24
Kayla (Collins ’20) to Jack Kneeland, Nov. ’24
Gianni (LaPanta ’21) to Zach Omann, June ’25
Erin (Titus ’20) to Kyle Salverda, Nov. ’24
Sydney (Sherek ’20) to Sam Schuberg, Oct. ’24
2021 Julia (Pias ’22) to Jake Dittel, Dec. ’24
Emma (Gorman ’21) to Mason Hennen, June, ’25
Hannah (Delmont ’20) to TJ Hodge, Dec. ’24
Martha (Koenig ’20) to Michael Sulaiman, May ’25
2022 Samantha (Lundgren ’22) to Evan DeChene, June ’25
Elissa (Rooney ’22) to Casey Lieser, Sept. ’24
2023 Margot (Achterkirch ’22) to Ken Ringler, Feb. ’25
Ashley (Hill ’24) to Carter Schmitz, May ’25
2024 Margaret (Krutchen ’23) to Evan Kalsow, May ’25
Births
1991 Lindsey & David Rom, girl, Apr. ’25
2007 Allison & Tim Herby, girl, Oct. ’24
2009 Al & Russell Gliadon, girl, Dec. ’24
Megan (Koenig ’10) & Ryan Schroeder, girl, Feb. ’25
2010 Beth & Curt Groebner, twins, May ’25
2011 Katie (Windschitl ’11) & Matthew Brolsma, girl, Feb. ’25
Katie (Elmquist ’12) & Andrew Grausam, girl, Jan. ’25
Mette & Andrew Rotschafer, boy, Nov. ’24
Anna (Bergstrom ’11) & Ryan Urlick, girl, Nov. ’24
2012 Caroline & Andy Burns, girl, Feb. ’25
Caitlin & David Crowley, girl, Feb. ’25
2012 Maggie (Burgart ’12) & Danny Elenz, boy, Oct. ’24
Kathryn & Luke Inveiss, boy, Feb. ’25
Kristine & Aaron Koenig, girl, Feb. ’25
Kaycee (Knutson ’12) & Gavin Miller, girl, July ’25
2013 Samantha & Scott Schroeder, boy, Dec. ’24
2015 Abigail (Jarnot ’14) & Dylan Gertken, girl, May ’25
2015 & SOT/SEM ’18
Laura (Fox ’15) & Brennan Hall, boy, Mar. ’24
2016 Nicole (Flesch ’17) & Patrick DeWitt, boy, Apr. ’25
Ashley (Winden ’16) & Jack Hansen, girl, Feb. ’25
Anne (Frank ’17) & Luke Wittman, girl, Nov. ’24
2017 Gabrielle (Weber ’17) & Jacob Christensen, boy, July ’25
2018 Jenna (Degen ’19) & Logan Davis, boy, July ’25
Bonnie (Triplet ’18) & Patrick Ellingson, girl, Apr. ’25
Rachel (Nelson ’17) & Steven Pfahning, girl, Feb. ’25
Allison (Cwikla ’18) & Samuel Valerius, girl, Mar. ’25
2019 Melisa & Alex Guzman, boy, Feb. ’25
Katarine (Podewils ’19) & Samuel Johnson, boy, June ’25
Molly (McGrane ’19) & Max Martin, boy, May ’25
2021 Brianna & Chris Backes, boy, Mar. ’25
Deaths
1942 Kathleen Horgen, daughter of deceased, Robert, Sr., mother of Jared ’01, sister of Jerry Haugen ’76, Apr. ’25
Magda Lamm, spouse of deceased, Vincent, mother of Edward ’90, Mar. ’25
1945 Ardella Bellefeuille, spouse of deceased, Warren, Feb. ’25
Juletta Reisinger, spouse of deceased, Herman, May ’25
1947 Veva Arnold, spouse of deceased, Heinz, Feb. ’25
Verne Reintjes, spouse of deceased, John, Jan. ’25
1948 Mary Hanlon, spouse of deceased, Merrill, mother of Tim ’72, Sean ’75, Matt ’83, Mar. ’25
1948 & SOT/SEM ’52
Rev. Don Talafous, OSB, Apr. ’25
1948 Ralph Weber, Nov. ’24. Oliver Young, father of Mark ’73, Apr. ’24
1949 Lorraine Cofell, spouse of deceased, Bill, mother of David ’88, Jan. ’25
Joan Twomey, spouse of deceased, Jerome, mother of Kevin ’72, Dec. ’24
1950 Shirley Borgerding, spouse of deceased, George, mother of Brian ’77, Paul ’88, June ’24
Anthony Cremers, June ’25
Edward Matejcek, Feb. ’25
1951 John Dougherty, father of Paul Dyson ’88, May ’25
1951 Rita Rengel, spouse of deceased, Robert, Feb. ’25
Dr. Thomas Rudolph, May ’24
Dolores Van Orsow, spouse of deceased, Duane, mother of Mark ’82, Nov. ’24
1952 Joseph Cascalenda, Mar. ’25
Elizabeth Hessburg, spouse of deceased, Philip, mother of John ’83, Apr. ’25
Rev. Jerome Holtzman, Feb. ’25
Dr. J. Anthony Malerich, July ’25
Elizabeth Nilles, spouse of deceased, William, mother of Robert ’80, Apr. ’25
Claude Schneider, brother of deceased, Roman ’45, Ardwin ’48 and Leon ’51, Apr. ’25
1953 George Bodmer, step-father of, Kevin Kelly ’81, Feb. ’25
Roger Braun, Apr. ’24
Dr. George Crowley, Nov. ’24
Millie Dosh, spouse of deceased, Terence, Feb. ’25
Richard King, Sept. ’24
James Kluegel, Nov. ’24
Patricia Schaefer, spouse of deceased, Vincent ’53, Nov. ’24
1954 Regina McCarthy, spouse of Richard, mother of Tom ’94, Dec. ’24
Rev. Thomas Wahl, OSB ’54 & SOT/ Sem ’48, July ’24
1955 Katherine Bratsch, spouse of Jim, Mar. ’25
Erna Scherping, spouse of deceased, Clarence, mother of Roger ’80, Oct. ’24
Raymond Schmitz, father of Greg ’78, Mar. ’25
Conrad Schneider, brother of deceased, David ’49, Feb. ’24
Phabe Wartman, Apr. ’25
1956 & SOT/SEM, ’60
Rev. Roger Botz, OSB, Apr. ’25
1956 Hugh "Buzz" Holzknecht, June ’25
1956 Juliana Howard, spouse of Jerry, mother of Stephen ’81, Thomas ’85, David ’89, Feb. ’25
Dr. Paul Purdy, Apr. ’24
Jeremiah “Jerry” Reedy, May ’25
Theresa St. Onge, spouse of deceased, Douglas, Sept. ’24
Kathleen Turley, spouse of William, mother of Patrick ’90, Feb. ’25
1957 Robert Bresnahan, brother of deceased, Roger ’53, July ’25
Leo Berg, brother of deceased, Richard ’55, Dec. ’24
James Blaha, May ’25
Donald Catton, brother of deceased, Ken ’53, Apr. ’24
Allan Jirele, Sept. ’24
Jan Kubesh, Jan. ’24
William Mueller, Sept ’24
Duane Rubertus, Nov. ’24
George “Bud” Sedivy, father of Peter ’97, Feb. ’25
1958 Frank Barnett, brother of Denny SOT/Sem ’78, brother of deceased
Rev. Larry ’68, May ’25
Richard Fiereck, July ’25
Marvel Pryor, spouse of deceased, Paul, Mar. ’25
Richard Brudos, brother of deceased, Thomas ’60, Nov. ’24
James Gaebel, Jan. ’25
George Gales, June ’24
Edward Goerng, May ’25
Byron Johnson, Jan. ’25
John Litschauer, Apr. ’25
Leo Pulskamp, Mar. ’24
John Schaefer, Feb. ’25
1959 James Schlosser, Apr. ’25
Agnes Yapel, spouse of deceased, Anthony, Jan. ’25
1960 William Magee, Dec. ’24
Robert Matuska, Feb. ’25
Ray Olson, Sr., Feb. ’25
Robert Stich, brother of Richard ’74, Mar. ’25
Joyce Wong, spouse of Freeman, Jan. ’25
1961 Theodore Heimer, father of Luke ’93, brother of Gary ’65, David ’66, Apr. ’24
Lee Pohl, father of Joseph ’92, Jan. ’24
Susan Princeton, spouse of deceased, Joel, Apr. ’25
Bonnie Reim, deceased first husband, Victor P. Reim Jr., mother of V Philip ’87, Erick ’83, June ’25
Karen Skwira, spouse of deceased, Michael ’61, mother of Michael ’88, Peter ’92, Joseph ’93, sister of Stephen Tell ’61, July ’25
1961 & SOT/SEM ’65
Rev. Frank Tomasiewicz, June ’24
1961 Marvin Weniger, Feb. ’24
1962 Charlotte Gavin, spouse of Bob, Apr. ’25
Gordon Halloran, July ’24
Maurice Lamb, Mar. ’24
1962 & SOT/SEM ’99
Rev. LeRoy Maus, Jan. ’25
1962 Gregory Roettger, Dec. ’24
Eugene Wolff, Apr. ’25
1963 Stella Bridgeford, spouse of Paul, Jan. ’25
Rev. Daniel Dahlberg, Mar. ’25
David Kotewa, June ’24
James Lennon, Apr. ’25
Thomas Roth, brother of Richard ’67, Feb. ’25
James Schoeberl, May ’25
1964 Robert Beutz, father of Chris ’90 and deceased son, John ’93, Feb. ’25
Larry Engel, brother of Doug ’70, Apr. ’25
Thomas Hesselmann, June ’24
Gerald Konrad, Jan. ’25
Martha Rasure,spouse of Don, mother of Samuel ’95, Mar. ’25
1964 Leslie Senden, spouse of Jim, Feb. ’25
1964 & SOT/SEM ’68
Rev. Stanley Wieser, Feb. ’25
1965 Dennis Dolan, June ’25
Ellen Rau, spouse of Dennis, Dec. ’24
1966 & SOT/SEM ’70
Abbot Peter Novecosky, OSB, Aug. ’24
1966 & SOT/SEM ’70
Rev. Bernard Stauber, May ’24
1966 Janell Zenner, spouse of Terry, Sept. ’24
1967 Sharon Bemboom, spouse of Robert, Apr. ’25
Richard Kinzer, brother of Jack ’64 and Don ’66, May ’25
Kevin Lynch, June ’24
James O’Keefe, Jr., son of deceased, James ’36, brother of Frank ’71, Mark ’72, Thomas ’79, Nov. ’24
1967 & SOT/SEM ’64
Robert Wald, Dec. ’24
1968 James Bloom, Dec. ’24
James Borgestad, May ’25
Mary Musielewicz, spouse of Richard Dietman, Sept. ’24
William Hoss, brother of deceased, David ’63, Jan. ’25
Dennis Korman, brother of Tom ’75 and deceased, Dan ’71, May ’25
Robert Schenk, son of deceased, Richard ’33, Mar. ’25
1968 Leah Tierney, spouse of Patrick, Feb. ’25
Lt. Col. Thomas Wegleitner, brother of Mark ’72, Mar. ’25
1969 Nancy Bruns, spouse of Craig, Mar. ’25
Sally Hovanec, spouse of John, Apr. ’25
Cathleen Kuduk, spouse of David, Feb. ’25
Theodore Linton, May ’24
Cynthia Paskauskas, spouse of deceased, Vitas, Sept. ’24
Eugene Studer, brother of Mark ’72, Nov. ’24
1970 Paul Gotmer, Apr. ’25
David Nester, July ’24
Mark Torborg, brother of Tom ’77, Mar. ’25
Gretta Woodward Smith, mother of Thom ’70, Mar. ’25
1971 Steven Downing, brother of Patrick ’74, June ’25
Dale Floody, brother of Donald ’84, Nov. ’24
Rosemary Spurzem, mother of Larry, Jan. ’25
Chun Wong, Apr. ’25
1972 & SOT/SEM ’73
Lester Heitke, brother of Rev. Lawrence ’63 and SOT/Sem ’67, May ’25
1972 Mary Belisle, spouse of Mark, July ’25
Genevieve Krueger, spouse of Tom, Mar. ’25
Thomas Schirber, Mar. ’24
1973 Marie McCarthy, mother of Mike, John ’78, Mar ’25
1974 Marian Byron, mother of Mark, Feb. ’25
Jeanne Fier, spouse of Jim ’74, mother of Scott ’01, July ’25
Lori Fruin, spouse of deceased, Tim, mother of Cody ’09, Sept. ’24
Dr. James Hood, July ’24
Michael Montag, May’ 24
1975 Roys Cunningham, Jr., Feb. ’25
Margaret Maher, spouse of Michael, Dec. ’24
John Peplin, Feb. ’24
Gregory Reiland, Apr. ’24
Phillip Van Steinburg, June ’23
SOT/SEM ’76
S. Anne Marie Geray, sister of George ’56, Mar. ’25
1976 Gerald McCarty, brother of deceased, Michael ’75, Nov. ’24
1977 Linda Dickey, spouse of Kevin, June ’25
Mark Rieland, Mar. ’25
Dean Stiller, Jan. ’25
1978 Scott Johnson, brother of Chuck ’75 and deceased, Steven ’78, Mar. ’25
1978 & SOT/SEM ’82
Hazel Meoska, mother of John Meoska, Feb. ’25
1980 John Brittan, brother of Mark ’82, June ’25
1982 Robert Rohling, Apr. ’25
SOT/SEM ’83
Takla Knutson, spouse of deceased, Paul, Mar. ’25
1983 Lori Thompson, spouse of Tom, mother of Joe ’14, Ben ’18, Mar. ’25
1985 David Henneman, Dec. ’24
SOT/SEM ’86
S. Mary Lou Dummer, OSB, Feb. ’25
1986 & SOT/SEM ’93
Eunice Ruff, mother of Rev. Anthony, Apr. ’25
1987 Victor Kurpiers, father of Victor ’87, Keith ’96, June ’25
Leonard Smith, father of Kevin, Feb. ’25
Shawn Turner, Feb. ’25
1988 Jean Hanson, mother of Jon, Jeff ’95, Feb. ’25
SOT/SEM ’90
Rev. Michael Patella, OSB, July ’25
1991 Patrick Bajari, Apr. ’25
1992 Timothy Cayler, June ’25
Deacon Henry Knapp, father of Michael, Feb. ’25
1994 Andrew Mickus, Jan. ’25
Peter Stolz, son of deceased, Robert ’62, brother of Robert ’92, Feb. ’25
1996 Kristin Hughes, spouse of Mike, sister of Jeff Dummer ’89, May ’25
1997 Joe Tasto, brother of Tom ’00, John ’06, Apr. ’25
Jeremy Zavitz, brother of Robb, Feb. ’25
1998 Michael O’Rourke, father of Cap, Feb. ’25
1999 Tim Giuliani, father of Tony ’99, June ’25
2000 Grady McGovern, brother of Ryan ’96, Jan. ’25
2002 Mandy Mergen, spouse of Adam ’02, Feb. ’25
2007 Ethel Smith, mother of Javin, Mar. ’25
SOT/SEM ’14
Nathan Chase, Mar. ’25
2015 Mark Zasmeta, father of Thomas, Peter ’17, Apr. ’25
Class of 1964 Leaves Mark
The Class of 1964 has always had a special bond with Saint John’s.
That’s been demonstrated in a variety of ways throughout the course of the now-over six decades since their graduation, but especially when it comes to generosity toward their alma mater.
Nowhere has that been more evident than through the creation and support of the Class of 1964 Endowed Scholarship Fund. The fund was established in 2014 – the year the class celebrated its 50th reunion – and has now raised well over $1 million in donations after accumulated annual distributions now totaling more than $30,000.
But that’s not counting the more than $2.5 million earmarked in planned giving from members of the class who have included the fund in their estate planning.
In all, 26 members of the class have allocated $9 million overall to SJU in their estate plans, the highest number of any class.
“I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me personally, I’ve always loved Saint
John’s,” said Dave Huber, a member of the Class of 1964 who went on to teach chemistry at CSB and SJU for 32 years before retiring in 2012.
“I’ve been an educator most of my life, so that’s my No. 1 cause. And the ideals that form the basis of both CSB and SJU are extremely important to me.”
Michael Healy, another Class of 1964 alum who went on to a long career in health care administration in South Dakota, said supporting the fund is another way of giving back to a place that provided him with so much.
“Just being accepted into Saint John’s as a student (was important) considering that Irene High School (in South Dakota) provided limited preparation for college academics at the time,” said Healy, who has also included the fund in his estate planning. “The student aid I received was another crucial component, as was the support that was afforded to me by the professors at SJU during my early semesters. I eventually improved to a point where I made the Dean’s List because of them.
“Over the years since graduation, through the reunions and in other ways, my closeness to SJU has only
increased. When it came to this endowment, it just felt like it was now time to pay it forward.”
Healy said the acts of kindness made over the last 10 years by the Class of 1964 have benefitted not just the endowment fund, but planned giving and estate planning as a whole at SJU.
“It will ensure support for the future as was available to us in the past,” he said.
Fellow classmate John Hicks, who had a long career in accounting in the Milwaukee area and now resides in Florida, feels the same way.
“My wife and I decided the best way to allocate our estate would be to charities,” Hicks said. “Saint John’s was the biggest one for me, and my wife agreed with that.
“I guess it’s just because of the help I got when I was there. That meant a lot to me, and I believe very strongly in the values Saint John’s provides. I know the amount we give won’t be wasted. It will go to helping future students receive the same benefits I got.” For more information on ways to Leave Your Legacy through Charitable Gift Annuities, or other similar giving tools, please contact the Planned Giving team at 320-363-2116 or visit sjulegacy.org
