Connecting the Dots with Shawn Young


For this edition of Connecting the Dots, we go back further than we have ever gone before, but in a twist,we will come right up to the present, and even peek into the future.  This story starts back in the 1940's out in Ripley, Ohio.  Four kids were growing up, and growing closer as friends.  Two of those were Douglas Young and Herberta Haitz (my parents), and the other couple was Bob Bridges and Joan Helbling.  They double-dated in the early days, and then both sets of friends eventually got married, moved to Cincinnati and started their families . The Youngs grew up in Milford, and the Bridges grew up just off of Hopper Rd.  This story has one other element that is key to connecting the dots, and that comes from my days of Little League baseball in Milford.  I was always the first baseman, and the catcher was always Adam Painter.  We grew up playing a lot of baseball together.  Our coach for many years was my oldest brother, Terry Young '72.  Adam will come back into the story.
While attending Rocket High, I was sandwiched between Erin Bridges '81, and Jill Bridges '83,Bob and Joan's daughters. We knew each other a little. I heard my parents tell stories about their family, but I was a little too shy to say anything while in high school.   As it turns out, we all attended college at Northern Kentucky University (NKU), and started to get to know each other a little bit more.  But in the strangest twist of all, Adam Painter, from the Milford baseball days is also a student at NKU.  He had moved to California during high school, but returned to Greater Cincinnati.  He and Jill eventually started dating, and they eventually got married.  I should also mention at this point, that Adam and Jill are also our partners in the McNick alumni bowling league, a great way for alumni to get together. (More information about the league will be coming out in the July Newsletter.)

Adam and Jill have two sons who are both graduates of McNicholas High School.  Elliot graduated in 2014, and Grant graduated in 2016.  A couple of months ago, Grant contacted me to help in out with an endeavor.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to try to connect even more dots in this journey of ours.  

Grant is setting out on a mission to ride his bike across the United States.  He is going to keep us posted along his journey, and he would like the help of the McNicholas alumni family.  Grant will be looking for some friendly faces to welcome him into their homes along this journey.  He wants to get to know alumni from across this country, and share their stories with the entire McNicholas community.

Grant set out for his journey on Tuesday, June 6.  He started in Milford, Ohio, and will be making his way south to Shawnee National Forest, then heading west towards Portland, Oregon. Grant is just about out of Kentucky, making his way into southern Illinois. This journey will take around 45-60 days.  If you want to follow along with his progress, you can do that on Facebook at Grant Across America. He will be camping some nights, and hopes to stay with familiar faces and Rocket alumni.  Contact Grant at (513)274-3080 or email him at   [email protected] if you can offer him accommodations or simply conversation.


McNicholas High School announces new Alumni Awards

Archbishop McNicholas High School is pleased to announce exciting new recognitions for alumni. Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, McNicholas High School will present three new awards. In conjunction with the establishment of these awards, McNicholas is also pleased to announce a special event on October 9, 2017, in the Café and Student Union where these new awards will be presented. (Archbishop McNicholas was ordained a Dominican priest on October 10, 1901.) The following day, October 10, the recipients will be introduced to the  students at an all-school assembly.
 
Selection
The McNicholas community has the opportunity to nominate for this award.  All three awards will be selected by a committee of school representatives.  Nominations are due by June 20, and the committee will announce its selections on July 1.

Awards
The Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented annually to one male and one female McNicholas graduate  who have honored McNicholas High School by their outstanding professional achievements, volunteer activities, and community-organization advocacy. These alumni have shared their affection for McNicholas and its community and have been shining e xamples of high moral and ethical standards and values learned at McNicholas High School.
 
The McNicholas Outstanding Service Award   will be presented to a member of the McNicholas community who has made, through years of tireless effort, significant contributions of time, talent, and treasure to the growth of McNicholas High School. 
To nominate someone for the Distinguished Alumni Award please click here.

Alumni football and alumni soccer events planned for this summer.
Alumni Soccer from 2016.

This year's alumni soccer game will take place at Penn Station Field on Saturday, July 15.  Please arrive by 11:30 am to start picking teams for this year's titanic struggle!  A hot dog cookout will follow the event on the Paradise Plaza. To register for the event, please  click here .

The football program will be hosting the Alumni and Friends Golf Outing  at Vineyards Golf Course this year, on Saturday, July 29. The cost is $75 for a day of golf and fellowship. This will be a 2 p.m. shotgun start, please arrive around 1 p.m. to register.  If you are able to join us for dinner only, that cost is $25. For more information about this event, or to sign up  please click  on this link  or you email   Steve Rice  or call Steve at 513-910-2750.


McNicholas is a family business

"By the grace of God, I teach and coach and lead McNicholas Rockets, Children of God, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and cousins and grandchildren and best friends of other Rockets. McNicholas is a family business. You reminded me daily that in a universe that has been expanding in all directions at the speed of light for over 14.5 billion years, each of you is a unique being, once-in-a-forever, a miracle, created in the image and likeness of the most powerful force in that universe."
--Mr. Jeff Mulvey '86 to the Class of 2017 in his graduation speech.

Congratulations to all the Archbishop McNicholas High School students on the completion of this school year! Have a safe and wonderful summer!

Last but URGENT need for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games!!

If you would still like to be a part of this great event, BUS TRANSPORTATION GUIDE opportunities are available from Monday, July 17 to Saturday, July 22.
All athletes competing in venues other than the Convention Center will be transported from there to their venues in vans specifically for handicapped individuals, i.e. small ones that only carry ten or so people.  MANY of the vans are coming from areas outside of Cincinnati WITH their drivers, many of whom do not know our city at all. So each van will need a personal GPS in the form of a Cincinnatian who can direct the bus driver and assist the athletes as needed.  If this sounds like something you or someone you know would like to do, please register per the instructions printed below, check Transportation, and under Experience and Training type in "guide for bus travel." Of course you would be taken back to the Convention Center.  The buses will deliver the athletes at the beginning of their events and return to pick them up as the events end. This sounds like such a nice opportunity to interact with the athletes as they anticipate their competitions or reflect on how they did! 

Additionally, the bowling events (one in Newport and one in Erlanger) on July 18 still need volunteers. The Archbishop McNicholas team has a good number going to Newport, but even that venue needs more.  For some reason, the corporate sponsors are not coming through for bowling. Please help if you can. Again, the instructions are below.

Thanks for considering these requests.  We expect the National  Veterans Wheelchair Games to  be a real highlight in our city's summer, and Archbishop McNicholas High School is providing 10% of the overall volunteer "work force." Our community has truly stepped forward.

Instructions on How to Volunteer
Go to Wheelchairgames.org
Go to Get Involved
Go to Volunteer for the 37th NVWG
Go to 37th NVWG Volunteer Sign-up Form
Do be prepared to fill in your complete address, your phone number, an emergency contact name and phone number. Some people are finding that they must fill in this information, and others are only requiring your own name and address, and your email address.
Under Group/Company name, fill in Archbishop McNicholas High School, Leader's name: Gwyn Bush,
Leader's phone number 513-368-5573
Select your t-shirt size from the drop down menu
Under Volunteer Agreement, select "I Agree"

Events in the news at McNicholas High School

To learn more about what has been happening on campus this past month, click on any of the stories listed below.





Reunions for 2017

1982 Class Reunion 2012
Class of 1982 at the 30 year reunion

The reunion season has begun!  The Class of 1997 got together this past Saturday night at Rhinegeist Brewery. The Class of 2002 will be gathering this Saturday night, June 17, at 50 West Brewery.  We hope everyone has a great time laughing, visiting, and renewing friendships with your classmates. Most of the reunions are in the planning process at this point.  You can click on the link here to see where your class is in the planning process. 


Time to place your tile order

Tile Wall


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


Alumni Updates

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

Phyllis Ruehlman Stewart-Hope '57 set up a model of an Ambulatory Health Center on a fee for service basis in 1992-93, in Warsaw, Poland two years after the fall of the wall and the end of the Cold War. She was a Disaster Nursing Supervisor for American Red Cross Volunteer medical missions in Honduras for 12 years.

Jackie Hicks Schieszler '59  has a LCSW license. She has been working in the field for 22 years providing services to children, adolescents and adults with mental illnesses and substance abuse issues. She loves what she does, and plans to keep working.

Fr. David Sunberg '82 celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination this month. Fr. David now teaches at the Athenaeum, he was new to the faculty this past school year, after many years as a parish priest.  He also celebrates mass at IHM occasionally. He shared that he was humbled by the fact he was chosen by the Lord to be a priest, and he discerned to be a priest as a junior in high school.

Mike DePompei '03 and his wife Katie, have stared a new business located in Hyde Park Square at 3434 Edwards Road. AR Workshop Cincinnati, is a DIY workshop where people can come and create charming customized home decor on days, nights, and weekends. The space is great for  girls night out, date nights, team building, bridal showers, bachelorette, and birthday parties. They can comfortably fit 30 people for projects.  For more information please click here.

Ashley Neltner Johnson '07 married McNick alum, Kevin Johnson '08 on April 22, 2017.

Andrew Thole '08 and Amanda (Klump) Thole '08 welcomed a baby girl Audrey Marie Thole on May 15. 

In Memoriam

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

Alumni

Carole Conover Kranack '61; Sister of Larry '60, David (attended), and Constance (attended).  


Distinguished Family and Friends

Mort Libby; father of Daniel '85, and father-in-law of Anne Ewers Libby '85. 

Ervin R. Oberschmidt; father of Rick '71, Nancy Oberschmidt Vogedes '73, Janet Oberschmidt Wyer '74, Cathy Oberschmidt Graf '76, and Carol Oberschmidt Anderson '78. 

William F. Rust III; father of Charlie '09, and Nicholas '13. 

Kimberly Selzer; wife of William Selzer '68, step-mother of Diane Selzer Fisher '86, Christina Selzer Wilver '00, sister-in-law of Paul '61, and Jack '66. 

Jeanne E. Staubach; mother of Paul Staubach, and grandmother of Sara Staubach Jehle '06, Michael '09, Matthew '11,Hannah '14, and Maria '18.
Quick Links for Alumni