Annual Golf Outing Unites Duhawks

December 22, 2019January 2, 2020 Loras College Marketing 556 Views

Front row: Dan Hawryluk ’71, Joe Morgan ’70, Tom Galeteo ’70, John McCarty ’70, Jim MacDonald ’70. Back row: Ron Reid ’71, Tim Selz ’70, Gary Brockhaus ’71, Tom Muisenga ’70, Mike Gradoville ’71, Tom Durkin ’70, John Sheahan ’71 and Pat Sullivan ’71.

We all know there is something unique about the bonds of friendship and camaraderie that are formed at Loras. For members of the classes of 1970 and 1971, those bonds remain strong and bring them back together every year.

In 1994, after three of his classmates from Loras had passed away, Tom Muisenga (’70) felt it was important to get some friends together to honor them. After some coordination, a small collection of Duhawks gathered for a round of golf and dinner.

It has become an annual tradition that has lasted 25 years.

The passing of Dan Noethe (’70), Grover Wilson (’70) and Gordon Pisarek (’71) was felt by all. Muisenga thought it was important to get together not only to remember their friends but to continue to share experiences.

Each year, those classmates come from all over to the Oak Brook Municipal Golf Course in Oak Brook, Ill. After teeing off around midday, they reconvene for drinks on the patio to catch up and reminisce about their time at Loras and the friends who have moved on.

Those friends who do not golf still join in the reunion at a post-golf dinner at Roberto’s Ristorante in Elmhurst, Ill.

Over time, the size of the gathering has fluctuated, sometimes with up to 35 participants. Though the numbers may vary, these Duhawks will still gather to maintain their strong bonds.

Anyone interested in participating can contact Joe Morgan (’70) at jbees3@hotmail.com.