Pioneer Post. In This Issue. Spring/Summer A Newsletter for Alumni & Friends of Alleman Catholic High School

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1 Spring/Summer 2016 Pioneer Post A Newsletter for Alumni & Friends of Alleman Catholic High School Bush Family s Roots Firmly Planted in Alleman Pioneer Soil You feel Marilyn Bush s love for Alleman Catholic High School in a phone conversation. Her love for Catholic education goes back to her own time at Alleman, and even a few weeks after graduation in For it s what happened when she met an Alleman graduate named Ken Bush at a dance at CJ s at St. Joseph s Church/School in Rock Island after she graduated that set the stage for two more generations of kids and grandkids to graduate from Alleman. Everyone pictured at this Bush wedding is an Alleman grad. Front Row: Ken Bush, Marilyn Bush, bride Amanda Bush Schilling, Julie Vande Voorde-Bush, Steve Bush, Sarah Bush-Graybill. Second Row: Mark Jackson, Katie Jackson-Franklin, Karen Bush-Jackson, Reagan Bush, Martin Bush, Harrison Bush, Nathan Bush, Teresa Bush Dunbar. In back: Eric Jackson, Kevin Bush, Melinda LaSalle-Bush The photo was taken at the wedding of Amanda to Levi Schilling Nov. 28, 2015 at Sacred Heart Church. It was at that dance that Ken, a 1952 Alleman grad, who spent his freshman year in high school at the old St. Joseph s High School in Rock Island, asked her to dance. After they danced, they talked and Ken offered Marilyn a ride home to her neighborhood not all that far away on 9 th Street and 18 th Avenue in Rock Island near Douglas Park. (Continued on page 8) It just felt very happy and productive (at Alleman). I just In This Issue Visit our website at Father Knows Best.2 Alumni notebooks. 6 & 11 Faculty news....7 Development news...10

2 Father Knows Best The Values of Alleman Remain Clear to This Day My Wonderful, Loyal and Dear Alumni & Friends, Alleluia! He is risen. Let us rejoice! It is no coincidence that Easter comes in the spring when we celebrate new life all around us. Through our belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we too have new life in His name. We are reminded that God s love for us is strong enough to conquer the greatest of all human fears: even death. Our faith is the light that conquers all of the darkness that exists in the world today, but it is a light that we are called to share with others. Catholic evangelization is an essential mission of the church. We are called to evangelize - to bring the Good News to all of humanity and thereby influence and transform humanity from within and make it new. The Good News is meant to be shared. Pope Benedict XVI, in 2008, stated that Catholic Schools are an outstanding apostolate of hope, intellectual and spiritual needs of three million students. Pope Benedict stated that the threefold mission of Catholic schools (i.e. Alleman) is to proclaim the gospel, to build community, and to serve all of our sisters and brothers. The entire Catholic community is called to evangelize our culture and the Holy Father stressed that all Catholic schools play a critical and irreplaceable role in this endeavor. It is Alleman s mission as a Catholic school and the very essence of our Catholic identity to share the good news and to teach as Jesus taught. The Alleman standards and benchmarks are grounded and centered in the person of Jesus Christ, developed with Catholic world view, and distinguished by excellence and sustained by the gospel message. This means we contribute to the evangelizing missions to the Catholic Church to educate the whole student mind, body, and spirit. Alleman is in collaboration with parents as the primary educators of the whole student by providing an excellent education rooted in gospel values. Alleman responds to our challenging times of s ecularism with faith, vision and the will to succeed because Alleman s mission is vital to the future of our young people. Alleman provides an excellent academic program with a faith-filled environment. This is the standard and the benchmark of Alleman. It s the Identity, the standard of effective Catholic education. A Catholic education provides articulation benchmark that will enable the students with strength, hope, and love in order to live their lives infused with the gospel values. We can overcome the darkness in the world today if we share the light in our lives and don t hide it under a bushel basket. It is not my faith and my God. It is our faith and our God, and we need to invite others to share the banquet with us. The gospel on the second Sunday of Easter was the story of the doubting Thomas. Thomas was not present the first time that Jesus appeared after the Resurrection. His friends told him about it, but he doubted because he had not seen with his own eyes. His friends didn t give up trying to persuade Thomas to have faith. Thomas was with the group the next time that Jesus appeared and said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe. And because Thomas was able to see with his own eyes he believed and responded, My Lord and my God! Blessed are we who have not seen and still believe. We must allow others to see the risen Christ by the way we live our own lives. Be kind to others, share with others, help those in need, visit the sick and the elderly, live good Christian lives with high moral standards, be truthful, stop gossiping, say grace before meals, be thankful, and pray always. These are just a few of the ways we can let our light shine. Try to imagine what would our world would be (Continued on page 3) 2

3 Heritage Ball winner knows the feeling Father knows best (Continued from previous page) like if the silent majority did this. We can overcome darkness. I want to thank you for your support of Alleman Catholic High School. Your continued prayers for our success along with your financial support enable us to provide a gospel based education of the highest quality. An Alleman education is integral to our mission statement to proclaim the good news. Alleman is the place to encounter the living God, who is Jesus Christ, revealing his transforming love and truth to all people. Alleman Catholic High School is: Centered in the person of Jesus Christ; evangelizing and living our mission statement; distinguished by our excellence; committed to educate the whole student; steeped in a Catholic world view; sustained by gospel witness; accessible to all young people; utilizing school-wide assessment methods and practices to document student learning and program effectiveness. Alleman s Catholic identity requires excellence in academic and intellectual formation in all subjects, especially in religious education. We remain true to our mission established by Father John O Connor, our first principal, some sixty-seven years ago and know that our success is more critical in today s world than ever before. Jesus has risen and one day we, too, shall experience the joy of the kingdom to come. It is our faith let us share it with everyone. I hope the summer months are enjoyable and funloving. Until fall, you are in all my prayers and may God bless you all. You are all greatly loved. Always and ever, Director of Development Father Mirabelli s annual prayer was answered at the Heritage Ball March 19. Mirabelli annually prays at the outset of the night that the winner of the Dream House is present at the Heritage Ball. It s a prayer that often has not been answered. But among a crowd of more than 500 people, this year it happened. The winner of $250,000 was Elayne Hogan, and she was there. Back in the second year of the Dream House Raffle, Hogan and her late husband won the house and took the house. Elayne wowed the crowd by first making it up the stairs to reach the stage, then by making a $25,000 contribution to Alleman High School. Here s a list of the other winners: $15,000 - #863 Karla Polaschek, Davenport IA $ #572 William Houser, East Moline, IL; #1246 Sergio Contreras, Moline, IL $ #1075 Catherine Raines, Michael Phillis, Thomas Phillis, Timothy Phillis, Milan, IL; #2775 David & Jane Lamb, Moline, IL; #256 Robert Wells, Rock Island, IL; #869 Anthony Chesser, Pittsburgh, PA; #121 Mark Koster, Geneseo, IL $ #1071 Mary Ann Garland, Moline, IL; #2233 Bert Westemeyer & Sheila Kraemer, East Moline, IL; #1525 Ronald F. LaMar, Bettendorf, IA; #1484 David & Vera Johnson, Clinton, IA; #1497 James P. Cross, East Moline, IL $500 - #2419 Robert Flaherty, Madison, NJ; #1177 Deb Toppert, East Moline, IL; #2528 Lynn M. Downey, East Moline, IL; #2417 David & Gretchen Mills, Moline, IL; #131 Marty R. Damp, Moline, IL; #978 Preston & Joyce Zawada & Others, Milan, IL; #414 Thaddeus Shovlain, Phoenix, AZ; # 2795 Carrie Bigham, Aledo, IL; #2607, Jerry Buysse, Atkinson, IL; #515 John & Carol Nonnenmann, Taylor Ridge, IL $1000 Attendance Prize - #1101 Brent Morlok, Rock Island, IL; #242 Greg & Kathy Schneider, Moline, IL; #465 Ed Wegscheid, Coal Valley, IL; #1503 Bill & Mary Cornelis, Moline, IL; #1717 Karla Larsen, East Moline, IL $2,500 Early Bird Winners: #69 Brenda K. Kay,Wheatland IA;#1592 Michael Ague, Romeoville, IL; #1675 Mary Boland, Fishers, IN A special gift was also presented to Father Mirabelli commemorating his 50 years of service to Alleman and many years of service to the Heritage Ball. The ball will now be called the Fr. Mirabelli Heritage Ball. 3

4 Celebrating 50 years In His Own Words Fr. Mirabelli Looks Back Over 50 Years at Alleman Fifty years ago, Fr. Daniel Mirabelli came to Alleman on a bit of a mission for the Viatorians. He expected to stay two years. Now, some 50 years later, he s still here, and in many ways, still enjoying it like it was his very first day. What follows is an interview that can be found in its entirety online at Keep in mind, we tried to steer clear of topics that would involve too many names or even teams because over that span of time it is impossible to do that properly. Q: Think back to that first year. What was that like? Fr. Daniel Mirabelli: My intention when I first came in June of 1966 was to be here two years and I was going back to St. Viator. Fr. John O Connor, he really impressed me the way he conducted the school. We had 1,396 students in school at that time. John O Connor was a great influence. Although the students, I won t say, were afraid of him, they respected him. That impressed me a whole lot. He impressed me to such an extent, just the way he conducted himself in assemblies, when he had kids in his office. And the whole approach was one of respect. He respected a student, and in turn the kids respected him. John O Connor set the standard for what Alleman High School was all about. Secondly, the thing that impressed me, was the tremendous support of the pastors. Monsignor Jordan, Fr. Casey, Monsignor Cleary. Fr. Callahan all those priests were just a tremendous influence. They wanted Alleman High School, and when I came, we had 36 sisters and 9 priests. There were 9 parish priests that were teaching in the school. Q: Who were some of the other top people you met here at Alleman? Fr. Mirabelli: Without a doubt, Don Morris set the tone for the whole athletic department. And he wanted the coaches always to show a respect for the athletes. Don Morris was the example of what an athletic director and coach should do. And every coach followed, and the big example that comes to mind is Bob Carroll. Bob Carroll was tremendous. Don George was very good, Gene Henze was very good. Fr. Mirabelli, with Alleman academic honorees, Nicole Polzin and Rachel Elliott. Mirabelli received the Community Service Award from the Rock Island Rotary Club in April. Francis Langheim was tremendous. All those guys they were good because Don Morris set the tone. Q: What do you consider some of Alleman s top achievements and its overall impact on the Quad-Cities? Fr. Mirabelli: You can see the influence here in the Quad-Cities and throughout the country where our 3rd annual Trailblazer 5K Run/Walk At Alleman High School, June 25. Register online at 4

5 In his own words (Continued from previous page) students have been very successful in their field. Whatever field they have gone into, they have been very very successful. It s a reflection on Alleman and what Alleman has accomplished. Because of the way, again, they they were educated here. Q: What about the type of people who have graduated from here? You have to feel good about that. Fr. Mirabelli: They are fantastic people. I really mean that. What they have accomplished in their fields, especially here in the Quad-Cities is really something. And what they contribute here and throughout the country is amazing... I would have to have a list (to name all the people. And all these factors enter into why Alleman is, again, unique. Alleman is special because of the care, because of the concern, because of the dedication. Q: You obviously could have left. What has kept you here so long? I know you have a tremendous love for Alleman. Fr. Mirabelli: What it came down to, very simply, was working with Don Morris until he passed away in It was just a part of my life. It was just something that I became so accustomed to the people in the area especially to the students. In all the years that I have been here, I have yet to have a student show me disrespect. Students who are willing (to help). Father can I do this? Father can I do that? It s just the attitude of the students. And I want to mention what the pastors of this area have done for this high school. And today it s not easy for the pastors. Without parish assessment and our Development Office, tuition would have to be close to $7,000 a year. And if it got to be that high, we have number of parents who could not afford it. The economy in this area is not that strong. All these factors enter into why Alleman is unique. Alleman is special. Because of the care, because of the concern, because of the dedication and because of the financial aspect of the parish priests. I can t emphasize that enough: what the parish priests do for Alleman High School is unbelievable. Q: Let s shift to some fun things. The Heritage Ball, you basically started that, right? Fr. Mirabelli: It started in That was under Fr. VanWiel. It was then, just a dance, primarily not really a fundraiser, but a dance to raise a little money. It was held here at the high school and it got to be very successful. Then when Fr. Van Wiel left, I took it over. We ve had some great people. We had key people like Dick Colman. Vic Romeo, Harlan King, and a number of other people. But those were the key people that we got with the Heritage Ball. And we got with the chairman and the co-chair people. And gradually, of course, the name of Michelle Gau comes up. She was phenomenal what she did. Unbelievable. Then you also had Bill Tiernan and his wife, Mary Tiernan. They were in charge of the first silent auction. Joyce DeGrauwe was a great help. Joyce DeGrauwe was phenomenal. We could not keep having it at Alleman because we got people and we went to the Mark at that time. They changed their name to the iwireless. And the iwireless has been very good to Alleman High School over the years. Q: So when you look back you are very pleased with what the Heritage Ball has become? Fr. Mirabelli: Oh phenomenal. Without the Heritage Ball, I don't know what tuition would be. Tuition, without the Heritage Ball, tuition would have to be close to $7,000 a year, and adding the Parish assessment. (Continued on page 9) Alleman is special because of the care, because of the concern because of the dedication. - Fr. Mirabelli 5

6 Among Our Graduates ALUMNI NOTES Dr. Richard Neyens 63, is currently the Registrar at St.John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Col. He is married to Jennie Perazzo and they have 8 children, all who live within 8 miles of them Rebecca Stewart Bazor 71, retired after 22 years at Alcoa Pete Kale, 72, a Pioneer in the nursing field, retired in January after 23 years as a nurse practitioner with Carle Physician Group. He became certified as an APN back in Kale, a resident of Urbana, Ill., worked in adult medicine at both the Mattoon-Charleston and Urbana Carle clinics. He was a founding board member of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing in 2002 and president of the organization from Don Vandewalle, 73 brought a unique visitor to his class earlier this school year. Former President George W. Bush visited Vandewalle s class. Vandewalle, the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, Management and Organizations Department, Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Bush only makes about two such classroom appearances a year on the SMU campus, where his (Continued on page 11) BIRTHS Paige Teresa VanSpeybroeck, born Oct. 19, 2015, to Eric 02, and Lauren Albracht VanSpeybroeck 03 ude Martin O Hearn, born Oct. 15, 2015 to Patrick 02 and Amanda O Heart. Nicholas Douglas McGinnis, born Jan 30, 2015, to Nicolas McGinnis 96 and Stephanie McGinnis. Camila Zoe Schrader, born Oct. 8, 2015, to Zachary 03 and Milagros Ojeda Schrader. Edison Theodor Sierra, born Dec. 23, 2015 to Edward Sierra 96 and Melissa Sue Sierra. Chase Robert Green, born Feb. 23, 2016, to Teresa (DeSplinter) 03 and Todd Green. 50 ROBERT BUSH April 7, THOMAS L. McKERNIE November 5, BETTE A. (HUFFORD) BAKER December 5, JOSEPH PAT FITZPATRICK October 30, MAUREEN MO PORTER December 29, BILL SMITH January 12, JAMES E. HARONIK April 14, DR. JAMES KELLY December 20, JUDY POPP October 1, GERALD LISKE October 13, JAMES M. DINNEEN June 21, JANICE KRON March 9, DELORES J. LAURIE SENGER December 18, SANDRA WILKINS FERRIS October 13, GREGORY RECKSIECK September 20, MARY S. VanHECKE LAMBERT November 3, JUDY M. FOX January 21, DANIEL J. MEYER March 27, MICHAEL J. FLAHERTY April 15, SUZANNE MUECK HOSKINS November 18, REV. JOHNJOSEPH JERRY DePORRES LOGAN February 9, PETE COLHOUR January 30, MARY ANN MIMI JASTER March 25, JOHN R. SHUMAKER Oct. 29, KATHY EGAN December 20, DENNIS LANG March 26, VERNETTA NEFF BEORKREM December 17, MICHAEL SEXTON October 10, 2015 KAYO PORTER (Former Alleman janitor) 6

7 AlLeman news Alleman All-Stater McCracken Returns to Coach Pioneer Girls Basketball The list on Megan McCracken s Alleman Hall of Fame plaque as an All-State point guard is so plentiful that it s clear they had to shrink the type. She even helped lead the Pioneers to a third place Class A finish in 2002 under Jay Hatch, the man she replaced after Hatch resigned after the past season. The only question left after the April 14 announcement of her as new head girls basketball coach at Alleman Catholic High School is how much more she can add to her accomplishments as a coach. It s clear that Alleman Athletic Director Steve Smithers is betting she will. Smithers repeatedly called the hire of McCracken a home run as he introduced her to players, coaching staff and teachers at the Don Morris Gym. And with her mother looking on, McCracken, the all-time leading scorer in Alleman girls history, began showing why. She called Alleman a place really close to my heart, when addressing the team, and staff on What I really think makes it special is the people. From you people sitting right here to the faculty and staff. The Alleman community supports you. Alleman girls coach Megan McCracken hand. every aspect of your life. Her goal is to challenge them What I really think makes it personally, as a student and as a special is the people, she told basketball player, McCracken her future team. From you told the team. people sitting right here to the faculty and staff. The Alleman community supports you. She wants to build players that have balance with athletics and academics and through their McCracken, who was a twotime first team All-Stater who faith, family and friends. also leads AHS in eight career basketball categories and was a She most recently had been working as the Assistant Director four-time All-Western Big 6 of Corporate Partnership at selection, said she felt Illinois State University. fortunate to be able to give McCracken s past also includes back, to Alleman, which helped assistant coaching stints at her get to where I am at today. She also had some interesting messages to her future players. Western Illinois University and Spring Hill College in Alabama. McCracken was clearly happy to She s hear to help them develop return to Alleman, where personally, she said. That s why we teach and that s why we besides coaching, she will teach English. coach. Basketball and athletics I walked up and down that hall as a whole is much bigger than and I can t tell you how excited I wins and losses, she added. It am to be back at Alleman, she gives you a tool for personal said. growth that carries over to 7

8 Bush family Continued from the Cover They started dating after that and were married June 7, Since their marriage, 11 Bushes have graduated from Alleman. In addition, so did three spouses. Plus, grandchild Reagan Bush will be a senior at Alleman next year. The five children are Kevin Bush, Teresa Bush Dunbar, Karen Bush Jackson, Steven Bush and Martin Bush. The six grandchildren are Katie Jackson Franklin, Eric Jackson, Sarah Bush Graybill, Nathan Bush, Amanda Bush Schilling, Harrison Bush plus the aforementioned Reagan Bush. The three spouses are Melinda LaSalle Bush, Mark Jackson and Julie VandeVoorde Bush. Marilyn s early memories of Alleman are rich. She even remembers praying an entire summer that she would not have a certain Sister as a teacher for Latin because she was so tough. Her prayers were answered, but in a way she did not expect. When the notice came, and I had her, I go awwww, Marilyn recalled. But she was great. It was just that I feared her so I had to work extra hard. One thing she also easily remembers is how the Catholic faith taught at Alleman has been there for three generations of Bushes. Back in the 1950s, it was, of course, a much different, less complicated time. But there are still similarities to this day. I liked the incorporation of religious values into everything we did there, she said. The fact that we had Mass every morning. We could pop in early and go to Mass. The fact that we had retreats, religion classes. It seemed like it flowed. She had attended St. Joseph s Grade School in Rock Island, then Alleman and from there to Marycrest College in Davenport. It just felt very happy and productive (at Alleman), she recalled. I just felt very well-prepared there and continued again in a Catholic environment (at Marycrest College). So it just seemed like everything flowed one into another. In regard to her family, it certainly kept flowing to Alleman. And no matter who attended and graduated, the reputation in terms of preparation remains intact. I ve asked them through the years: Did Alleman prepare you for what your future was going to be? Marilyn said. They were all definitely positive to that. She even directly asked the most recent Alleman Bush family graduate, grandson Harrison, who after his first semester at the (Continued on page 9) 2016 Alleman Prom Court Alleman s 2016 prom court is front from left, Queen Katie Johannes, Anastasia Cajigal, Kate Florence, Cassie Wales and Mary Scarpinato. Back row, Shawn Malcolm, Connor Flack, Brad Johnson, King Jared Appleman and Ivan Morrow. Appleman is the son of 83 Jeff and 83 Michelle Winston Appleman (deceased); Johnannes is the daughter of 90 Jason Johannes and Kate Florence is the daughter of 85 Angela Posateri Florence. Don Morris Golf outing, june 3 32nd annual at Highland Springs Golf Course. Shotgun start at 1 p.m. Steak dinner, prizes. $80 per person. Entry form at Join the fun. 8

9 Bush family... (Continued from previous page) the University of Illinois, responded, oh, I am really well prepared. In fact, he came home with straight As for the (first) semester, added Marilyn. And he s working hard. Hard work, of course, is a strong value in the Bush family. It s clear Marilyn is proud of her children and grandkids for keeping that value alive within the family, too. Kevin, a 1977 Alleman graduate, was the valedictorian of his class. The former member of the Alleman band went to Illinois and graduated in mechanical engineering. Today, he works in Dearborn, Michigan for the Continental Co., in the area of emissions. He s married to Melinda LaSalle, a lady he first met at Alleman, and they have one child. Teresa, who was selected homecoming queen while at Alleman, graduated a year later. The former student council president went on to Iowa State, earning a marketing degree. Today, she works for Catholic Relief Services, promoting it throughout the Midwest. She s also been to Haiti and African countries as part of her work. Her children did not go to Alleman, but that s because she lives in the Des Moines area, where Marilyn is happy to report they went to Dowling, the Catholic high school there. Karen graduated from Alleman in 1979, and married Mark Jackson, a 1976 grad of Alleman. Karen finished up her undergrad at Western Illinois University. Mark works in agricultural stabilization and conservation. Karen can be found these days at the Botanical Center in Rock Island, putting on their events. Their two children are Alleman graduates. Mirabelli (Continued from page 5) Q: Talk about the Dream House. Was that your idea? Fr. Mirabelli: Oh, no. No. Again, what happened was Steve Fieweger and his wife, Sheri, they were in Indiana and the hospital there, had this approach where they would sell 3,500 tickets and they would charge at that time, $100 or $150. They said Father what do you think? I said, sure, let s do it. It s been very very successful. Without the Dream House we would not be what we ve accomplished today. It s just one of those things that happened. It s just the people who ve come up with the ideas. Steve and Sheri Fieweger were key people in that. And we have continued that over the years. Steve Bush graduated in Steve, an Illinois graduate, farmed at first, then started his own business, Bush Seeding, which did repair work for the power company when they tore up a yard. He changed that business into Bush Turf, which works nationwide. Their work, which sometimes has them installing soccer fields over artificial surfaces, has found its way onto surfaces like Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Miller Park in Milwaukee and Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, among other venues, while their own turf is installed in places like Alliant Energy Field in Clinton, Iowa, and Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Marty, who was president of the student council at Alleman and the National Honor Society, graduated from Alleman in He majored in mechanical engineering at Illinois, and has been at John Deere for 20 years working on the tractor of the future. His oldest son, Harrison, just graduated from Alleman last year, and is now at Illinois. Marilyn and Kenny have now been married 57 years. They ve even hosted class reunions at the farm just because we are involved with the whole Alleman tradition, she said. Marilyn is very proud the family has as many as three generations that have graduated from Alleman. Absolutely, she said. We re green. 9

10 DEVELOPMENT NEWS You Can Make a Difference in an Alleman Student s Life You can help make the difference between a boy or girl getting a Catholic education or not. The Alumni Scholarship Fund was established in 2010 to offer those families in need a helping hand in securing an education for their student here at Alleman. Currently, almost one-third of our families are in need of tuition assistance. You can support scholarships for those boys and girls to realize their dream of a Catholic education. All donations are invested into the Alleman Scholarship Fund, and interest is drawn annually to offer tuition assistance to those in need. All donations are 100% tax deductible. A mailing to all of our alumni was sent in early May asking for a gift to the Alumni Scholarship Fund. If you did not receive your letter, or would like to make a gift on your credit card, please contact the Alleman Development Office at Thank you for all you do for Alleman and its students. Your generosity leaves a lasting mark at your alma mater. Fr. Mirabelli and Alleman 1966 grad Bill Albracht were honored by the Rock Island Rotary Club at its 42nd annual Awards Luncheon in April. Father was given the Community Service Award and Albracht the Excellence Award. Chip In Your Support with Birdies for Charity Please plan to participate in the 2016 Birdies for Charity program. Not only will you help Alleman, but you can be a winner too! If you correctly guess the number of birdies made in the tournament, you have a chance to win a 2-year lease on a 2016 Lexus NX, or many other great prizes. Entering is easy just visit our website at and look under the Support AHS tab for a link to Birdies for Charity. If you have any questions, please call the Alleman Development Office at

11 Alumni Notes (Continued from page 6) Presidential Library sits. An especially interesting aspect of the visit was seeing the president so relaxed, Vandewalle said. In the small group, off-the-record setting (20 undergraduate students), the President was extremely personable, and often surprised us with his level of candor and sense of humor, In an unrelated matter, Vandewalle was inducted into the Park University s Wall of Honor this October Jane (Fecht) Wiggins, 74, retired after 36 years at Trinity Hospital as the Director of Women s Services. Jane s husband, Mike Wiggins, 74, is currently National Sales Manager at Taylor Entrance Systems. We are lucky to have all of our children in the area, and having fun with (five) grandchildren, Mike said...heidi Huiskamp Collins, 81, won the Kiwanis Club of Rock Island s prestigious Hixson Award. A member of the Kiwanis Club for 12 years, the 1981 Alleman graduate was honored for her work with a young lady who is now in college. Heidi mentored her since she was 5 and less than a year ago, watched her graduate from Davenport Central. Heidi promised her long ago, if she graduated from high school, she would get her through college and the young lady is now attending Scott Community College full-time while also working a full-time job Lynn VanDeHeede, 85, was honored by the Diocese of Peoria as a Distinguished Teacher for VanDeHeede has headed up the Alleman Counseling Department for the last 11 years Jenna Ryden Benik 86, is currently in the Physician Assistant Program at St. Ambrose University with a planned graduation date of December 2016 Edward Sierra 96, currently the Director of Finance at TMK IPSCO in Houston, Texas, has been accepted to the University of North Carolina MBA Program for July of Michael A. Pohlmann, received his Master of Science degree in Soil and Water Chemistry from the University of Arizona in May 15 Nicole DeBruine Deitrich, 09, joined the Army Reserves in 2010 and is currently serving, as is her husband, Alex, who has been in the Army Reserves since They have a son, Wyatt Michael Deitrich, who was born Sept. 16, 2014 Liam Otto, 13 received his Parachutist Badge last fall for completing Airmanship 490, Basic Parachuting, an airmanship program where cadets earn their basic jump wings after successfully completing five free-fall jumps at the United States Air Force Academy. Liam is currently a 2/C (2nd Class, Junior) Cadet at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, Class of Did You know? Alleman now offers the following at A monthly newsletter ed to alumni featuring stories on alumni and updates on school events. Update your information for this fun read. Sunday Conversation: An in-depth interview, generally with Alleman alums relating to their life and profession. Denny Schlindwein, Drew Brozovich, Phil Taylor and Joan Mauch have already been featured and can be found under Alumni and Friends tab at the top of the Home page. General features on alumni and their accomplishments. Sports Corner for features on Pioneer teams, especially those lacking media coverage, including underclassmen teams. 11

12 Alleman Catholic Catholic High School High School th Street Rock Island, IL Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE PAID Permit Number 49 Rock Island, IL Pioneer Class Reunion Plans Here s a list of what various classes have provided the Alleman Development Office by the time the Pioneer Post went to press. Remember, we can update the website under Alumni and Friends, Class Reunions. Class of 1956: Oct. 7, 8, 9, all at Holiday Inn, Downtown Rock Island Class of 1961: Sept. 9-10, Holiday Inn, downtown Rock Island. Mixer Friday, Dinner Saturday. Contact: Elaine Kauzlarich DeClerck (309) Class of 1966, 50th Reunion: Saturday July 2, 6 p.m. to Midnight at Abby Station, th Ave. Rock Island. Contact Dianna Ford at DFord1420@ah.net or Sue Carothers at dcnsc70@yahoo.com Class of 1971: Oct. 15 at Botanical Center, Rock Island. Contact Therese Blackwell at or thereseblackwell@gmail.com Class of 1976: Sept. 30 at Kavanaugh s in Rock Island. Contact: Mary Kenney Fuhr at or ffuhr@aol.com Class of 1981: July Friday Mixer at Icons Martini Bar, th St. Rock Island, starts at 7 p.m. Saturday night reunion at Brix in downtown Moline., th St., starts at 6 p.m. Contact: Lisa Wells. Class of 1986: Aug. 6, Riverhouse in Moline, Contact: Holly McAvoy, and McAvoyhollyk@johndeere.com. Other contacts: Beth Luckenbill Ford and David Baird. Class of 1991: Sept rd Roots Pizza Saturday. Rooftop at Wrigley Sunday. For additional details, see facebook.com/ events/ Class of 2001: June 18: Two events, both on Saturday: 1, Picnic at Ben Butterworth Parkway at noon at the East Pavilion. 2, Blue Cat in Rock Island at 7 p.m. Cost: $10 total for both events. For additional details, see website at: Classes of 1951, 1996:. 2006, 2011: No information provided. The Class of 1954 plans an 80th birthday celebration at Jake O s. in R.I. Aug. 6. Contact Mike Cervantes