March 22, 2006
The Monogram Club’s annual winter meeting was held on January 1, the day prior to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, in the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. Excerpts from the meeting are as follows:
Deputy director of athletics Missy Conboy spoke to the board about the upcoming 35-Year Celebration of Women’s Athletics at Notre Dame, which will take place during the 2006-07 academic year and culminate with a pinnacle weekend. More details on this will be announced via www.ndmonogramclub.com in the coming months.
Club 1st vice-president Marc Kelly reported on the quick implementation of the Catastrophic Relief Fund (CRF), which was first brought to the club by former directors Jim Seymour and Mike Heaton. The recent events related to Hurricane Katrina – as well as the knowledge that at least two former Notre Dame student-athletes had been severely affected – brought this issue to the forefront.
Club 2nd vice-president Joe Restic reported on the initial success of the sports liaison program. He went on to discuss the budgetary concerns and issues involved with handling numerous requests for team travel abroad.
Treasurer Ken Haffey reported that, as of Dec. 21, the club had received approximately 60% of its projected dues revenue. He also reported that expenses for 2005-06 appear to be in line with the budget, and that the Brennan-Boland-Riehle Fund and Monogram accounts have continued to grow while the overall market remained relatively flat in 2005.
The remaining phases of the Notre Dame Stadium enhancement project are scheduled to have Gate A turned into the “All-American Gate” by the commencement of the 2006 season. Gate D will become the “Hall of Fame Coaches Gate” for the 2007 season, Gate E will be the “National Championship Gate” for ’08, and Gate C’s conversion to the “Pro Football Hall of Fame Gate” in 2009 will complete the Monogram Club’s ambitious project, which began last year with the completion of the “Heisman Gate” and the hanging of numerous banners in and around the stadium.
The board was informed that the 2006 Blue-Gold Football Game will take place on April 22, and that renovation projects inside Notre Dame Stadium will likely move the spring games in 2007, ’08, and ’09 to an alternate site.
The 2006 edition of the popular Football Fantasy Camp was announced as being sold out.
Chair Kevin McDermott reported that the Sports Heritage and Awards Committee was recommending Dr. Carol Lally Shields to be the 2006 recipient of the Moose Krause Distinguished Service Award. The committee also recommended four former student-athletes receive postgraduate service monograms, and the board approved each case. The board also approved three honorary monograms: one to be presented to Mike Bean on Feb. 6 (see story on page 3) and two to be presented at the annual meeting in June.
Communications committee chair Mike Frantz reported that www.ndmonogramclub.com was averaging 5,500 page views per month and had featured 47 feature stories since the September meeting.