I was blessed to return to Bishop Hartley this summer to join Hartley’s Advancement Team as the Director of Development. It has been a great gift over these past few months to connect with many alumni and hear firsthand about the impact of a Hartley education and the importance of giving back to our alma mater. I am proud to call myself a proud alumnus of Bishop Hartley (2012) and grateful for the friendships, formation, and Hartley community that surrounded me here my four years and beyond. 

I grew up around Bishop Hartley and Columbus' east and southeast sides. My mom and dad are “Sweet Hartleys,” John (1977) and Dolores (Fox) (1976), who attended Christ the King and St. Phillip. My siblings, Dan (2010) and Melanie (2014), were blessed by Catholic education at St. Matthew and shared a Hartley experience.

Online donations can be made at: apps.bishop-hartley.org/donate-now. 

We are excited to share a new program through the Diocese of Columbus called The Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund. Gifts made to this Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) provide affordable access to Catholic education at Bishop Hartley through tuition assistance.

Any donation made to this fund up to $750 for single filers (or $1,500 for married couples who file jointly) grants you a dollar-for-dollar reduction on your Ohio tax liability for your filing next year. This opportunity is a much more significant benefit to you than a regular charitable donation which only reduces your taxable income (AGI). Along with a federal deduction, you will also receive a reduction in the amount you owe on your Ohio income taxes with a gift to Bishop Hartley via a tax credit.

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity or making a gift to the Scholarship Granting Organization, please contact Hartley’s Director of Development, Brian Igel, at bigel@cdeducation.org or 614-237-5421 ext. 10777. You can also read more or make an online donation designated to Bishop Hartley at www.emmausroadscholarship.org.

Sky pictures capture just one moment, just one frame, of the sky. Not everything is in the picture. The day I met with Judge Cocroft, I was practically dragged out of bed, plagued by exhaustion. The college application process had finally sunk its claws into my back, pulling me down into the depths of despair and stress. I had one thing to look forward to: Panera with Judge Cocroft. From the second I woke up, I decided to make that moment my sky picture for the day. Little did I know it would be the best decision I’ve made in a while.

Judge Cocroft understood me. The narrative that teenagers are so edgy because they are misunderstood is true. We feel like we aren’t heard, like our screams are muffled. Judge Cocroft heard me better than I heard myself. Not only did she answer my questions, but she reached beyond them. I asked her the inevitable question about being a Black, female judge in a White, male dominated field. I ask professionals this question all the time, but I always get the same answer: “When they go low, you go high,” as the beloved Michelle Obama has preached numerous times. I find, however, that doesn’t always work. People get comfortable because they know what to expect from you. They know you’ll walk away, so they figure they can get away with anything. Judge Cocroft told me, “When they go low, you meet them there. Never make them feel comfortable doing that again.” Chills overtook every bit of my body. Not a day goes by that I do not think about that moment. That exact moment is my sky picture of September 23, 2022. Words fail to describe the impact I felt. Judge Cocroft provided me with life advice and people skills that are applicable to any situation. When I do succeed in the professional world, I owe it all to her. This sky picture is going to the Favorites.

The excerpt below, was written by current Hartley senior, Eva Smith, about Franklin County Muncipal Court Judge Kimberly Cocroft.

The American Football Coaches Association recognizes a high school teacher in each school of its member coaches. The award for Great Teachers Change Lives for Bishop Hartley was awarded to Fulvia (Pellegrini) Fowler (1981) for her commitment and loyalty and the difference she has made in the lives of so many of our student athletes.

The walls of A and B wing feature tributes to many of our outstanding alumni who are doing exceptional things in our world. As we continue to expand these tributes, we invite all our alumni to submit stories, so we can consider them for this distinction. You can see the list of honorees on the Alumni page of our website. Please contact Shelly Dunkle Skelly (1985) Alumni Coordinator, at sskelly@cdeducation.org or 614-237-5421, ext. 10634 with nominations.

Eyan Jackson (Honorable Mention)

Robert Lathon (Honorable Mention)

Rory Ralston (Honorable Mention)

Joey Wooten (Honorable Mention)

Ella Brandewie was selected to play in the District Volleyball All-Star game as well as the Under Armour All-American game in January. Twenty-four of the nation’s most skilled and best players are hand-picked by Under Armour to train and compete at the most elite levels in Orlando, FL.

Congrats to Coach Mike Rahe (1985) on a successful season and surpassing 200+ wins in his career. He was selected to coach in the OHSVCA Volleyball All-Star game on 11/20.

Kevin Walsh (1980) and his wife, Connie, have been married for 30 years. They have a daughter, Kathleen, a son, Kyle and two granddaughters. Kevin has been in finance for nearly 40 years.

Margaret Rose (Donnelly) Bonham (1987) graduated from Xavier University in 1991 and La Salle University in 1994. She married Dr. Brad Bonham in 2000 and resides in northeastern Illinois. They have three children: Erin, Sarah, and Cole.

PICTURED: Ashley (Hixon) Gogolin (2002) 

Staci (Lobaugh) Howley (2007) owns her own home bakery business (Bakery Loo’s); she and her husband expect their first child in 2022.

Nala (Key) Kovach (2013) and Conner Kovach (2014) celebrated their wedding day on September 22, 2022. Look at all the generations of Hawks that came together to celebrate their beautiful day.

Dayna Shoulders (2019) serves as President of Unified Sisters, an Ohio University student organization that strives to unite minority women through self-empowerment, cultural awareness, and professional development. Unified Sisters has been awarded the Best Sponsor Award at the annual Blackburn Spencer Scholarship Pageant raising over $2,800 in 10 days for the multicultural student leader scholarship fund. Dayna is grateful to Bishop Hartley for the opportunity to cultivate the leadership skills she utilizes to this day.

Bishop Hartley makes the 4 for 40 Promise to students: Give us four years of quality effort and determination, and we will holistically prepare you for the next 40 years. We recently checked in with the 40-year reunion class to see how we’re keeping that promise.

Back: Jim Kiener, Mike Rotunda, Mike Mundorf (Nancy's husband), Tom Nerny, John Mascari, Tom Messersmith, Mike Diamond, Dave Erwin 

Middle: Kathy (Stegman) Agriesti, Barbara (Roach) Badgett, Janice (Lamson) Klepsar, Carol (Jones) Hughes, Dianna (Morrow) Dudzinski, Patty Gallagher 

Front: Nancy (Knox) Mundorf, Susan (Lang) Erwin 

The class of 1967 gathered August 13 at Plank’s to celebrate their 55^th reunion. They were pleased to have a great turnout.

The fun-filled reunion weekend for the class of 1977 included the Homecoming football game and a tour of the school. On Saturday evening the class enjoyed a gathering at Edison Brewing Company. 

The class of 1987 enjoyed catching up and reminiscing on June 25 at the community center at The Jeffrey in Italian Village (thanks to Eric Wagenbrenner for hosting). The class has enjoyed reunions every 5 years since 1991. The time in between the visits melts away, and the Hartley sense of family and community is always present. They forward to seeing everyone again in the summer of ’27 for the 40^th!

These classes will be celebrating significant reunions in 2023. If you are a member of one of these classes and are involved in planning your reunion or want to be, please contact Shelly (Dunkle) Skelly (1985), Alumni Coordinator, as soon as possible. We can help with contact lists and ideas and post your reunion information to Hartley's website and social media to help spread the word. Consider including a tour of Hartley as part of your reunion evening. The tour takes about two hours. It’s a rewarding experience for alumni to visit campus and see all the incredible changes. It truly makes you proud to be a HAWK.

We regularly feature “Sweet Hartleys;” married couples who are both Hartley graduates. In some cases, they are high school sweethearts; others found their way to each other after leaving these hallowed halls. Please continue to send your Sweet Hartley announcements to Alumni Coordinator, Shelly (Dunkle) Skelly.

Bill and Chris (Moore) McCoy, both class of 1968, celebrated 50 years of marriage on April 22, 2022 (Earth Day). They have one son, Bill (Emmy) who attended Hartley (class of 1995), and one grandson Will.

Joe and Judy (Whitlatch) McKinley graduated together in 1968. They met at Christ the King in eighth grade and dated all through high school, even attending both proms together. They married at Christ the King on March 18,1972 and celebrated their 50th anniversary in the spring.

Jeff and Kim Miller (1994 graduates) have been happily married for 21 years after meeting at age 14. They met at an 8th grade dance in the Bishop Hartley gym in 1990!  After graduating from Miami University, they settled back in Columbus. They have two boys (Will (2021) and Drew). Jeff has been the president/CEO of Dawson for the past 15 years. Kim is an EVP at The Buckeye Ranch for the last 17 years.

Dan and Dianna (Morrow) Dudzinski (1963 and 1964) met at Bishop Hartley in 1963, married in 1966, have been married for 56 years. They have 3 children who all graduated from Bishop Hartley and have 9 grandchildren. Their children are Chris (Dudzinski) Cunningham (1986), Jackie (Dudzinski) Newlon (1988) (married to Mike Newlon (1988)), and Dan J. Dudzinski (1996). They are proud to be graduates of Bishop Hartley and love hearing what is happening at the school and following athletics. 

While Jenny (Prout) Assmann was a senior at Bishop Hartley in 2000, Nick Assmann was a freshman ('03). They did not officially date in high school but did attend a Valentine's dance together that year. Both attended and graduated from Ohio Dominican University; however it was not until 2009 that they began dating after seeing each other at a Bishop Hartley alumni gathering. They dated for 5 years before getting married in 2014 at Christ the King and are now the proud parents of Morgan (7) and Alivia Assmann (6) who attend St. Catharine School.  

If you know of alumni who have passed away, please let us know by contacting Alumni Coordinator, Shelly (Dunkle) Skelly.

Every decade of Hartley alumni was represented – 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020! Golfers came from near and far including Texas and California. Most importantly, we raised more than $10,000 for the Alumni Legacy scholarship. Get your foursome together for next year’s event, August 6, 2023!

Bishop Hartley’s 2^nd Annual HawkFest took place, Friday, October 21 before the football Hawks took on league rival, Bishop Watterson. Alumni enjoyed time to socialize in the Telerski and Casson Student Center (TACC) before the game while current students and families participated in activities in the rear parking lot. Donatos pizza, Graeter’s ice cream, and donuts from the Donna’s Delicious Dozen truck were available for all.

The class of 1964 experienced many volunteers and draftees who eventually served in Vietnam. In September, this year, Robert Broderick (1966) and Joe Failla (1964) participated in a trip sponsored by Honor Guard of Columbus and the Columbus fire Department, to Washington DC along with 90 others who served in wars from WW11 to the present. The reception and appreciation that was shown to all of us will never be forgotten. 

Tom Kneeland (1970) served in the Army and the Ohio Army National Guard from 1971-1977 and was in the 1/238th Air Cavalry. He was in the Army from 1971-1977 and was part of the flight crew on UH-1 Huey and OH-58 LOH helicopters. 

Jason Molnar (2002) served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) from 2007 - 2009. He served as an Armored Reconnaissance Officer/Cavalry (19A) from 2006-2010 on active duty and as an Intelligence Officer (35D) in the United States Army Reserve (USAR) from 2010-2022. Jason will retire early in 2023 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

The following graphic presents the number of alumni living in each state or region and is approximate based on the most up-to-date information we have received from our alumni. If you have not contacted us to let us know that you have moved, please update your information here!

Alumni Hawks continue to live the pillar of service long after they leave our hallowed halls. On August 6, several rode in Pelotonia, an annual bike ride which raises funds for cancer research at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Center at The Ohio State University. Riders raise funds by riding 25-180 miles. Alumni riders included John Eberts (1978), Chris Irwin (1976), Amy (Jungkunz) Dandurand (1983), Eric Kristofic (1983), Karen (Ryan) Young (1986), Jennifer (Baker) Jenks (1974), Thai Trinh (2004), and Elias Maloof (2017). 

The beloved Fr. Jim Ogurchock (“Fr. O”) was a faithful supporter of Hartley and spent many Friday nights on the football sideline. Our current chaplain, Fr. Michael Fulton, continues the tradition and can often be seen supporting our athletic teams. He’s even been called upon for “flag duty”!

Please continue sending your updates and photos for future editions of The Hawkeye!