June 14, 2005
By Pete LaFleur
Three honorary monograms were presented at the 2005 Notre Dame Monogram Club’s annual June dinner, held June 2 in the Joyce Center concourse. The honorees included two members of the Notre Dame athletic department – director of recsports and fitness Sally Derengoski and associate athletic director for compliance and student welfare Mike Karwoski – plus South Bend media personality and longtime Notre Dame supporter Bob Nagle.
Two honorary monograms also had been presented during recent months. Pat Shannon (’48) was presented an honorary monogram by his brother Dan (a former Monogram Club president) on Aug. 6, during a gathering in New Buffalo, Mich. Shannon has been an active member of ND Club of Chicago since 1960, serving as that club’s president in 1964 and remaining an active board member of that club’s scholarship foundation.
Notre Dame benefactor Dan Murphy – older brother of former Irish baseball coach Pat Murphy – recently was presented an honorary monogram in April at the Universal Notre Dame night hosted by the ND Club of Denver. Murphy and his wife Michelle have funded a charitable remainder trust that provides funds for baseball and men’s lacrosse grants-in-aid at Notre Dame.
Check back soon to www.ndmonogramclub.com for a complete release on Murphy’s honorary presentation, including photos from the ceremony (also check the upcoming issue of Inside Irish for information on all four recent honorary recipients). A link to the previous Pat Shannon honorary release is included below:
http://und.collegesports.com/sports/monogramclub/spec-rel/122604acg.html
Former Notre Dame associate AD Tom Kelly helps Sally Derengoski slip into her Monogram Club blazer.
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Excerpts from presentation of honorary monogram to Sally Derengoski, presented by Monogram Club executive director Jim Fraleigh and former associate athletic director Tom Kelly
“Our first recipient is a longtime administrator in the Notre Dame athletic department. This individual is a 1983 graduate of Notre Dame and has committed herself to Notre Dame, its students, faculty and staff for nearly 22 years. For those of you who don’t know, over 90% of students participate in some sort of rec-sports programming over the course of an academic year here at Notre Dame. And in her role as Notre Dame’s director of rec services and fitness, she is intimately involved in the creation, design and implementation of literally hundreds of classes involving fitness, mind, body and performance-enhancement and instructional classes for both individual and team sports.
“After serving as a graduate assistant, she was named assistant director of rec. services in 1983. She also served as the director of the university golf course from 1987 to 1999. Currently, she assists with game management for both the Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball programs and has contributed to the university and athletic department in a number of ways over the years.
Sally Derengoski (center) is welcomed into the Monogram Club by Julie Doyle and Jim Fraleigh.
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“She helped create the Coaches Car Wash, which serves as the official kickoff for the university’s annual United Way campaign. She was instrumental in the creation and implementation of Late Night Olympics, one of the favorite things of out student body. She served on an advisory board for the Notre Dame golf course and on the advisory board for the national youth sports program. She currently oversees the Notre Dame summer sports program, in addition to all of her other responsibilities. She is also the founder and co-chair of the Run-Jane-Run Golf Outing to support the YWCA locally.
“And because of her dedication, commitment to Notre Dame, our students and the entire campus community, it gives me great pleasure to award an honorary monogram to Sally Derengoski.”
Excerpts of comments from 2005 honorary monogram recipient Sally Derengoski
“I want to thank all of you. This has been a dinner that I have enjoyed coming to for most of my 22 years here and I’ve always been in awe of the people that you’ve honored and this is a great group of comfort for me. The first dinner that I came to, the after-dinner speech was about what a Notre Dame man was and I was thinking sometime that they will be talking about what a Notre Dame man and woman are.
Sally Derengoski counts the annual Monogram Club dinner among her favorite events during her 22 years at Notre Dame.
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“So, congratulations to Julie tonight for breaking the ice. My dad played a year of football here in ’34 and graduated in ’38 and then again in ’40 with a law degree, so I’d like to pay tribute to him.”
Additional Derengoski Bio. Notes – while under her direction, Notre Dame’s RecSports fitness program was awarded the 1992 Governor’s Council Award for excellence in promoting health and fitness … 1981 graduate of Indiana University (bachelors in psychology), receiving her MBA from Notre Dame in ’83 … named intramural athlete of the year while an undergrad at IU … native of East Lansing, Mich.
Dave Poulin – who presented the honorary monogram to Bob Nagle – has many fond memories of these special Monogram Club ceremonies during the past 10 years.
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Excerpts of comments from Dave Poulin, in presenting 2005 honorary monogram to Bob Nagle
“This is my 10th dinner and this is by far the highlight of this weekend for me – watching people receive honorary monograms. Sally said that women cry more than men but I’ve seen some pretty big guys up here in tears … because that’s how much the monogram means and you are asking someone to join a very exclusive group.
“The gentleman that we are going to ask to join us tonight is a terrific man. He is giving. He absolutely loves the University of Notre Dame. He has worked with Paul Mainieri and the baseball team. He has worked with Muffet and the women’s basketball games. He has done (hockey) games. I have stepped off an airplane with him in Fairbanks, Alaska, at 68 degrees below zero with no windchill and he looked up and said, `Wow, is this great or what?’
Bob Nagle and his wife Mary Carol listen to Dave Poulin’s presentation of the honorary monogram.
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“You know him from hosting your football luncheons. He had a very difficult year last year healthwise. I am here to tell you and show you that he is clearly back, he is himself. He’s a Notre Dame man and tonight he is receiving an honorary monogram, Bob Nagle.”
Excerpts of comments from 2005 honorary monogram recipient Bob Nagle
“Sally said it was a realization of a dream but I don’t know that I ever dared to dream that this could happen. I feel like I’ve been so gifted and blessed to be involved with the University of Notre Dame and the student-athletes, coaches and people who carry the banner for Notre Dame around this country. I’ve had the chance to be at the gatherings of Notre Dame clubs all around the country, after basketball games or hockey games, baseball games, and see the way that our student-athletes and coaches present themselves and what a special place this is and what it means to so many people around the country.
“A couple of things that have always occurred to me is that if people could know how hard our athletes work on the road and how much a burden it is for them to travel. … You see how resilient and how strong our athletes and coaching staffs have been over the years. There have just been so many memories and it’s been great to be a part of it.
“I grew up in Ottawa, Illinois, which is a bastion of Irish people, and we went out and played football at halftime of the Notre Dame radio broadcasts and pretended hat we were Darryle Lamonica and those guys. We came here for a visit in 1965 and my brother and I climbed up over a wall in the stadium and pulled grass out of the stadium, put it in our pocket and went back and sold a handful for a dollar back in Ottawa.
Bob Nagle always has warmed up quickly in front of the microphone and he had some kind words and witty remarks while accepting his honorary monogram.
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You get a chance to work with so many wonderful people, the coaches and administrators, the people who have the passion to be a part of Notre Dame. You can’t be here without having a passion for Notre Dame, it’s such a special place. … I remember when Marc Kelly was one of the kids out in Los Angeles who waited for the team bus to get there so he could meet the players and coach Phelps.
“There’s so many great memories and so many wonderful people. You are representative of that and are part of one of the greatest organizations in the country and don’t underestimate how much you mean to all the people who love Notre Dame. Thank you.”
Additional Nagle Bio. Notes – has served as sports directory for Lesea Broadcasting … former sports director at WSBT … active in local politics, including a bid for mayor of Mishawaka … he and wife Mary Carol are the parents of two sons and a daughter.
Excerpts of comments from Missy Conboy, in presenting 2005 honorary monogram to Mike Karwoski
“In the spring of 1992, I got a call from an administrator at a small northeastern college asking if Notre Dame had internship opportunities available to enable one of their graduate students to complete requirements for a masters degree in sports administration. We really didn’t have any money budgeted for internships but I was approached by the then athletic director, Dick Rosenthal, to see whether we might find some funding.
Mike Karwoski slips on his Monogram Club blazer as Missy Conboy, Julie Doyle and Dave Poulin look on.
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“So, spring break, 1992, this graduate student drives from New England to South Bend to interview for the position. So I realized I should have been wary of hiring anyone dumb enough to drive 16 hours to South Bend in spring break to interview at Notre Dame for an internship in compliance that only pays $3,000 a semester. Fortunately for me and everyone in our office, he accepted our offer.
“He did such a great job that we offered him the opportunity to stay on as an intern for the second semesters. By the summer of 1993, I was getting ready to take maternity leave and Dick decided that we could use a back-up in the compliance office during my time away. We decided to extend the internship for another year, doubling his annual salary. A year later, we upgraded his title to assistant director of compliance and doubled his salary again.
“Since that time, he has been promoted two more times. Much to his disappointment, we stopped the practice of doubling his salary. After 13 years since that spring break interview, this individual has become a major player in the Notre Dame athletics department. He served for five years as assistant athletics director for compliance and this past spring was promoted to associate athletics director in charge of compliance and student welfare.
“There is no doubt that he loves Notre Dame as much as any graduate could and his integrity and commitment to compliance continue to set an example for our department and for our university. He is without question the authority on all the do’s and don’t’s in college athletics and Notre Dame is very lucky to have him minding the rules.
“I only hope that one day I can return the favor and help him wallpaper his nursery but until that announcement comes, this award will have to suffice. I’m very proud to present an honorary monogram to my colleague, my dear friend and the best intern ever, Mike Karwoski.”
Mike Karwoski – who had dreams of attending Notre Dame – has spent the past 13 years as a key member of the ND athletics compliance opertion and now is part of the special Monogram Club family.
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Excerpts of comments from 2005 honorary monogram recipient Mike Karwoski
“First of all, thank you I’m stunned. It’s kind of funny, being here year 13 I think it is right now, I wanted to come to Notre Dame out of high school. It didn’t work out, being a young guy and not making some of the smartest decisions but to now be here, this has become my family. All of the folks that I have met, the people that I work with every day. Having the opportunity to meet my wife here, Anne, it’s just been a tremendous experience.
“And with Missy obviously being so instrumental in helping me over the years, supporting me. Kevin (White), everything that you have done for me and for Anne. I’m at a total loss of words here and having followed Bob Nagle is not a good thing. Thank you, it’s an amazing honor, something I will always remember. I greatly appreciate it, thank you.”
Additional Karwoski Notes – has served as the administrator of Notre Dame men’s golf program … member of the BIG EAST Conference men’s and women’s golf committees … previously served as member of the BIG EAST men’s and women’s soccer committees … served as athletic administrative assistant and graduate assistant soccer coach at Springfield (Mass.) College, earning a master’s degree in physical education and sports management … served as a committee clerk and legislative aid in the Connecticut General Assembly, after graduating from Central Connecticut State in 1990 with a degree in political science … was a member of the soccer and baseball teams at CCSU … native of Farmington, Conn. … married to the former Ann Niemier, a senior staff assistant in the Notre Dame football office.
Mike Karwoski (center) flanked by Julie Doyle, Missy Conboy, Jim Fraleigh and Dave Poulin.
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