Good day to all,

We had 15 of our class gather today for lunch and conversation.

We started out with a remembrance of our classmate Jim Hudak who died August 16^th. May Jim Rest In Peace

Jim’s Celebration of Life will be Sunday Sept 27th from 11AM until 2PM at the old Schmidt Brewery on west 7th street.

Jim’s daughter Jenn has advised me that she is anxious to hear from here dad’s old Cretin and Nativity friends. She said Jim was very pleased he was able to stay in touch with many of the guys from his Cretin and Nativity years.

Thanks to Classmate Joe M McGrath, I have a copy of every Comment for all four of our years at Cretin. In the photo attached you will see two of our classmates viewing the edition of the Comment from Oct 5 1962. This edition had much info on the Homecoming that year including the Homecoming Queen candidates and a short bio on each. In case you do not recognize the two classmates in the photo (different hair styles than days at Cretin) they are Gary Stoffel and Jim Dimond.

Considering the anniversary of 9-11 is at hand Joe Schufman asked a question of the group. Joe asked if each one of us can recall where or what they were doing when they heard about the attack and share it with the group. It was very meaningful listening to all.

I passed around the yearbook photo of a Cretin grad from the class of 62 that died in the twin towers, Gary Koecheler.

Next class lunch Thursday Oct 8^th

 

Best to all,

Tom Troskey

Hi Guys,

Kind of a busy few days for many of the class of 63.

The Charlie Golf Outing

On Wednesday, the 12^th we had the 14^th annual class of 63 golf outing that is known as THE CHARLIE

Perfect weather: a photo of all the guys who played –

In the photo from left to right—Bob O’Malley, Jim McCormick, Joe Schufman, Dave Britz, Jim Dimond, Tim Valento, Tom Troskey, Mike Roach, Mike Swenson, Barry McKee and Pat McDonnell bending over.

Speaking of the golf outing —–some discussion was had on what we might do moving forward on the golf event. Here is a suggestion that had considerable support. Reduce the event to nine holes on an executive type course. A course that has a club house where lunch and beverage can be enjoyed. A change along these lines we hope would result in more classmates participating and take 2-3 hours instead of the 5-6 the current 18 hole event takes. Would like to hear from those interested in the golf outing and ultimately if you thought some change would increase participation—especially your participation.

13Aug 2026 Class Luncheon

On Thursday we had the regular monthly class lunch where 16 guys were present. Those attending were Tim Valento, Mike Gaida, Dick Butler, Tom Troskey, Bob O’Malley, Joe Schufman, Dave Britz, Dave Moore, Dave Tyree, Gary Stoffel, Joe Brooks, Tom Schleck, John Runyon, Joe M McGrath, Larry Moser, Jim Dimond.

The Freshman enrollment at CDH this year is 165. The class of 63 freshman enrollment was 322. Times and demographics have really changed!

The Fall 1962 edition of THE COMMENT was passed around for all to enjoy—THANKS to Joe M McGrath who collected every edition for our four years at Cretin.

Last week on CBS News Minnesota there was a segment on The Wall That Heals  (Replica of the Viet Nam memorial wall in Washington DC) This Replica travels the country and was in the Minnesota the past few weeks. One of our classmates who was visiting the Wall was interviewed by the media. You will see Classmate Dave Britz a Navy Vietnam Veteran

In the link below. Please watch the whole link to see Dave

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/replica-of-vietnam-veterans-memorial-visits-minnesota-community

Next lunch meeting is Sept.10^th —mark your calendar

Best to all

Tom Troskey

All,

Several of our classmates (Dave Tyree and John Runyon) personally  knew Sister Roz, the “Massaging Num” that became a fixture at Saint Paul Saints home baseball games.   Many other classmates that live in the Twin Cities probably have some recollection of her.  Dave Tyree has some fond memories as follows:

“ My remembrance of Sister Rosalind started in spring of ’93 when she was hired by the Saint Paul Saints @ Midway Stadium along and above the 3rd base dugout to give massages. The owners were looking for a unique service and she filled that need until the end of 2019 season. I myself had many full massages at her business in Highland Park.  Sister was introduced before each game and  was a fan favorite.

 She lived then on Hamline Ave. (2 blocks south of Cretin) Her one story corner lot was filled with a variety of colorful flowers and vegetables. I lived 6 blocks from her and made it a point to drive by and share our garden stories. 

  My favorite moment of her 26 years was the first time the Saints had a bobble head give away of 1500 to the fans. I and my family arrived 2 hours before game time. You could not see the end of the line when she arrived. Sister proceeded to give a special hug to everyone and thanked us for coming. Sister Rosalind was truly something special!”

There was a very good article in the Pioneer Press about Sister Rosalind and you can read it by clicking in this link –

Sister Roz, ‘Massaging Nun’ at Saints games who helped legitimize massage therapy, dies at 96

Thanks for sharing Dave.

Joe S.

Hello everyone,

Beautiful Summer Day in St Paul yesterday where 17 members of the class of 63 got together for a lunch and socializing.

Those attending were Dave Britz, Frank Villaume, Dave Tyree, Tom Schleck, Jim Hudak, Jim Dimond, Mike Gaida, Tom Troskey, Joe Brooks, Gene Bovy, Dave Moore, Larry Moser, Joe Schufman, John Runyon, Tim Valento, Gary Stoffel, Pat McDonnell——Glad you were there!

A couple of our regular lunch attendees were not able to make it, Dick Butler is recovering from a back injury and Ed Kurhajetz is recovering from a fall. Our best to both of you and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Dave Britz gave us an update on the annual golf outing (THE CHARLIE).

Please note you can still sign up for this very fun event—-

GOLF                  GOLF                  GOLF  

Wednesday August 12^th

Sign up or questions on the golf outing;             Contact Dave Britz at      britzie37@aol.com    or   651 459 1858

Next Class lunch is Thursday August 13^th

Check out the class of 63 web site      https://cretinclassof1963.org

Hope to see many of you in August.

Tom Troskey

A rainy day in St. Paul as 16 classmates convened for lunch at the Pool and Yacht Club.  In attendance were Pat McDonnell, Dave Britz, Jim Hudak, Mike Gaida, Jim Dimond, Joe Brooks, Dick Butler, Dave Tyree, Joe Schufman, Dave Moore, Ed Kurhajetz, Larry Moser, Gene Bovy, John Runyon, Gary Stoffel, and Mike Roach.

Tom Troskey was unable to join us but is doing well on his road to recovery from his hip replacement surgery.  He is somewhat mobile now and plans to attend next month’s luncheon.

Tom asked me to make sure we knew that the CDH baseball team was defending their state title from last year with their first game being played at noon today (Thursday) against Edina. 

Also of note, Sam Udovich, who graduated last year from CDH and won medalist honors as the state golf champion in 2025,  tried to qualify for the U.S. Open Championship, which starts next week.   He played at the Lakes Golf & Country Club in  Westerville, Ohio, where four players would qualify for the big event.   Unfortunately, Sam bogied the last two holes and finished in fifth place (and was still 9 under par).   He is now the first alternate and would get in only if one of the qualifiers was unable to play.  We hope he gets lucky.

Dick Butler shared a some class memorabilia with the group.   He found his original Cretin 1963 Graduation Invitation while rummaging through storage and thought we would appreciate seeing it.   Thanks Dick.

Dave Britz is once again organizing our annual golf outing as asked that I share the following with you –

The 13th Annual Class of’63 Golf outing “The Charlie “ will be held on August 13th (Wednesday) at Highland National Golf course in St. Paul.

Please arrive by 9:30 AM with first group off the tee at 10:00 AM.

Senior rate is $54.00 includes cart. Each pays at the club house.

Format is the “Britz Scramble “  – fun and easy format (no pressure on anyone).

 Contact: Dave Britz to sign up or with questions. 651-459-1858 or britzie37@aol.com

Dave needs a firm count by August 3rd so please let him know if you plan to participate. 

Our next lunch gathering will be on Thursday July 9^th at the Pool and Yacht Club.   We hope many of you will attend.

Joe S.

The weather for our class luncheon today  was very much a sign that summer is here -mostly clear skies, a steady southern breeze and a high near 80 degrees.

Eleven classmates participated –

Click on image to enlarge…

Mike Gaida

Dave Britz

Jim Dimond

Larry Moser

Jim Hudak

Pat McDonnell

Dave Tyree

Joe Brooks

Joe Schufman

John  Runyon

Tom Schleck

Our erstwhile leader, Tom Troskey, was still in the hospital recovering from hip replacement surgery.    The surgery was a success and now Tom is in the recovery/physical therapy phase of his journey.   He expects he will remain in United Hospital for a few  more days before he can return home.   His goal is to be golf-ready by the time of our annual “The Charlie” golf event at Highland National on August 12 and hopes many of you will participate.   Dave Britz has already booked some tee times ( $54/person for green fees and cart).  More info to follow. He will start taking reservations soon.

We signed two get-well cards that will be delivered to Tom.    His fall down the stairs that resulted in his broken right hip was the catalyst for an interesting round-table discussion today – each of us shared when we had our last fall.   Pat McDonnell had a recent serious fall that resulting in broken bones and head injury.  Most everyone had a serious incident in the last few years.   There was consensus that handrails are there for a reason and we all need to use them.   There was also a consensus that 10’ or taller ladders are not meant for us to use anymore.  

I will send out an update on Tom’s health status later this week.

Our next class luncheon will be on June 11 at the Pool and Yacht Club.    

Joe S.

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday we had a gathering of 16 class of 63 members. They are Joe Schufman, Mike Gaida, John Runyon, Dave Tyree, Tom Troskey, Pat McDonnell, Jim Hudak, Tom Schleck, Joe M. McGrath, Dave Moore, Ed Kurhajetz, Dave Britz, Brian Dobie, Tom Mega, Jim Dimond, Joe Brooks. Take a look at the photo and you make recognize some of these octogenarians.

Dave Britz gave us the info for this year’s class of 63 golf outing and as you all know is referred to as THE CHARLIE. Our Classmate Charlie Schuldt started this annual event in 2014 and organized it each year until his passing shortly after the 2016 golf outing. Dave took over organizing the event each year since Charlie’s passing. THANK YOU DAVE!

Here are the details—–mark your calendars.

Wednesday August 12^th

Highland National

18 hole—Britz Scramble format—-might I say this format is fun for all levels of golf skills…….

$54 green fees and cart

We will start taking reservations soon.

Pat McDonnell reminded us that some of our classmates no longer drive but still want to attend the monthly lunches. If you live in the metro and want to attend the class lunch but do not have a way to get to the Pool and Yacht Club let me know and we will try to figure how to get you to the lunch. Thank you Pat for the reminder!

Next lunch is Thursday May 14th

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Our classmate Mike Gaida informed me at the lunch yesterday that he and his wife Mary lost their eldest son Mike this past week. The younger Mike lives with his wife in San Antonio, Texas. The sadness that Mike and Mary are experiencing is unimaginable. Mike requested that I share this with the class of 63 and that we all keep Mike and his family in our prayers.

At this time, I do not have details on services but will advise all when they become available.

GOD BLESS THE GAIDA FAMILY

Tom Troskey

Hello Guys,

We had a baker’s dozen gathering of classmates today at the Pool and Yacht Club.

As we met for lunch today the CDH girls’ basketball game started at Williams arena where the CDH girls were in the semifinals of the state tournament and were playing the #1 seed. Sorry to tell you that the girls lost 65-61 and will play in the 3^rd place game Saturday at Williams.

As I write this the CDH boys basketball game for the section championship is going on. Winner goes to the state where the CDH boys finished the 2025 season in second place.

Heard from a couple of our regular lunch attendees today—Tom Mega could not attend because he is giving this years last ski lessons to elementary school kids at Hyland Hills. Tom has been a ski instructor for decades.

Joe M McGrath sent me a note a couple of days ago indicating that he will miss the lunch because he and his wife Paula are cruising the Mediterranean—-sounds pretty good!

Dave Britz and wife are walking the beaches of Florida for a few more weeks—again sounds great!

We had a fun subject that drew many comments from all attendees. The subject was what teacher at Cretin did they think most positively about and of course the opposite and why.

We also discussed how to get more classmates to attend these relaxed, low key class of 63 gatherings—–please give me any ideas you may have.

Finally be sure to check out the class of 63 web site often    https://cretinclassof1963.org    There is a huge abmount of stuff on this site, just click on all the categories and take a look.

Next class of 63 lunch is Thursday April 9^th—make your calendar

Best to all of you

Tom Troskey

Click on image to enlarge…

We are getting close to baseball season which means teams go south for Spring Training.

Last year CDH’s team was fortunate to be able to train in Florida. Just so happens that last year in March our classmate Dave Britz and his wife Barb happened to be spending the month near Tampa/St. Petersburg. Dave found out that the baseball team was nearby and playing in a seven team tournament with peer teams from around the country.

This was the first time CDH participated in such pre-season activity. Dave went for the first two games. CDH won the first game. Jake Mauer was one of the coaches and Dave asked him if after the game he could have his picture taken with the team. Jake obliged.

Unfortunately, Dave left town and never got a copy of the photo that was taken. At our last class luncheon Steve Walsh stopped by to share info on CDH with us. In the ensuing dialogue Dave mentioned he was fortunate enough to have seen the CDH baseball team in Florida and had his picture taken but he did not get a copy. Steve made note.

Steve Walsh was able to locate that photo of Dave Britz and sent it to him. Dave is now sharing that iconic image with us!

Of note, this team went on to have a rather successful season…..STATE CHAMPION IN THE LARGE SCHOOL DIVISION!

Dave may have been their good luck charm.

Joe S.

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday 12 of your classmates had lunch and a couple of hours socializing with one another and with a guest, also a Cretin grad but 22 years younger than us guys.

Our guest was Steve Walsh a staff member at CDH who heads up the Alumni and development office.

Steve gave us considerable info on the current life at CDH and brought us the information on the current students receiving scholarships funded by the two endowments the class 63 has set up over the years.

Just to remind you, the class of 63 first established a scholarship back in 2003 when we celebrated our 40^th reunion. This scholarship was set up to award tuition assistance to a deserving student and their family. The second scholarship was established in 2023 on the occasion of our 60^th year since graduating from Cretin. The scholarship was put together to honor two of our classmates ( George Bonfe and Mike Ryan ) who led full and productive lives and did not let their physical challenges get in the way. This scholarship is given to a student who also does not let a physical challenge get in the way.

You can see details of the two students receiving class of 63 scholarships as Joe Schufman has updated the class web site.  Included on the class website is how much we have in each endowment that allows us to award scholarships that amount to between 20 and 25% of the cost of tuition. Current tuition at CDH is $17000 per year.

for those who support CDH financially, if you choose,  you can designate your donation to either or both of these class of 63 legacy scholarships.

Class of ’63 Scholarships – Updates

The photo below shows four of the guys as they left the Pool and Yacht Club on the beautiful spring day with the frozen Mississippi river in the background. L-R in photo are Jim Hudak, John Runyon, Dave Moore, Joe Schufman.

This past week I spoke with two of our classmates who wanted to be sure I greeted everyone with a hello from them.

Greg Halbert wishes everyone well and Pat McDonnell who is recovering from a serious bout with pneumonia and a lengthy hospital stay, says he is anxious to get back to the monthly class lunches.

I got a call this morning from Steve Walsh thanking us for having him to our lunch. He says we are very fortunate to have regular gatherings of classmates, and he encourages other classes to do the same using the class of 63 and the class of 65 as examples.

Here is an interesting footnote about Steve Walsh that many of you might already know but for those who do not you will now.

I only recently became acquainted with Steve but knew of him from his days as the quarterback for Cretin’s championship teams.

After Cretin Steve went to the University of Miami and lead them to very successful seasons including the NCAA national Championship in 1987. For those of you who are college football fans like me I would call your attention to ESPN which has a series call 30 for 30 and look up a feature called CONVICTS VS CATHOLICS.

Next class of 63 lunch is THURSDAY March 12^th——see you there

Best to all

Tom Troskey