2009
Man of the Year
William T. Slick, Jr.
’41
William T. (Bill) Slick, Jr. ’41, personifies the phrase
“Man of Latin.” The retired Exxon Oil Company senior
executive and long-time advocate and supporter of
Catholic education (and many other causes) has served
the Lord, his community and the needy “in deed and
truth.”
Bill has long been active in his local parish where he
led its participation in the Diocesan-wide campaign for
Houston’s new Cathedral. In 1997, Slick was awarded
the Papal Gold Medal Auguste Crucis
Insigne Pro Ecclesia et
Pontifice by Pope John
Paul II. It is the highest award given to laity
by the Papacy.
Slick’s family upbringing and his Catholic education are
things he has always valued. Bill always enjoyed school
— especially his years at Cathedral Latin. He
appreciates the solid academic foundation that he
received from the Marianists. He learned about values at
Latin — order, commitment and discipline. “My whole
being was influenced at my mother’s knee by her simple
truths, mottos we all learned, and at Catholic
institutions,” Slick reflects.
After graduating from Latin and serving in the Army Air
Corp, Bill attended Brown University on the GI Bill and
earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1948. While
at Brown, Bill met his wife Pattie. The two married and
started their family. Together, they reared two
children, Steven and Susan, from whom Bill has three
grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Sadly, Pattie
passed away in 1985. Also in 1948, Bill took a job with
Humble Oil Company in Tomball, TX, in a move that began
a successful 35-year career in the petroleum industry.
By 1961, Slick was promoted to Executive Assistant to
the Chairman of the Board of Humble Oil. In 1972, Bill
was made a Senior VP and member of the Management
Committee of Exxon USA. Bill retired from Exxon at age
60 in 1983.
Throughout his busy career and in his retirement years,
Bill always found time to give back to others. He joined
the Board of Trustees at Brown University and later
joined the Board of Directors of the University of St.
Thomas – then a struggling Catholic college in Houston.
He chaired a capital campaign for UST that raised over
$35 million and helped lay the foundation for a
generation of growth there. Despite the loss of his
first spouse, Bill considers himself “blessed” to have
found a second love in his wife, Sally. The couple
shares a passion for travel and an interest in
philanthropy. In 1996, the Sally S. Slick and William T.
Slick, Jr. Endowed Collection in Business Ethics was
established at the University of St. Thomas. They have
established scholarships at Brown and UST as well as
several Catholic high schools including NDCL, where Bill
established the Robert E. Van Bergen ’41 Endowed Music
Scholarship at NDCL — in memory of his classmate and
good friend Bob Van Bergen. Many Latin alumni will
remember Bob as a state champion trumpet player and the
leader of the music department at Latin from 1962-71.
2008
Man of the Year
Roger Abood ’61
St. Peter Chanel High
School President and Principal Roger Abood ’61, a
well-known Catholic educator in the Cleveland area, has
been chosen to receive the highest honor of the
Cathedral Latin Alumni Association, the Merit Award, for
2008. The annual Merit Award is given to one who by his
conduct and example has brought renown to Cathedral
Latin School.
After Latin, Roger went
on to John Carroll University for undergraduate and
graduate degrees in the sciences, with further graduate
work at John Carroll, Ursuline College, and the
University of Dayton.
Abood has been a
teacher, coach and administrator at Chanel since 1967
and was appointed principal in 1987. He taught many
science courses, including anatomy, biology, chemistry
and earth science. He also taught at Cuyahoga Community
College. Abood has been recognized for his professional
contributions by Chanel, John Carroll and the North
Coast League. He also has been honored as North Coast
League Baseball Coach of the Year.
Abood followed his
older brother, Jim ’47, to Latin, but says it was the
reputation of CLS at St. Ann School that was the most
compelling reason for making his choice.
He recalls that he was most
impressed with the devotion of the Marianists to Mary
and that priest and brothers were authentic people –
that they smiled and were interested in you.
In
particular he recalls Brother Frank, Brother Tonry,
Brother Conlon, and Brother Geiger. Also important was
the dedication of the lay faculty, and the ‘addendum’ of
Mr. Ternansky.
Of
course, as most alumni remember, he noted the vibration
of the gym during the rallies and the spirit of the
senior class. The experience at CLS was responsible for
his decision to be an educator. His impression of CLS
will never be lost to him.
Roger and his wife, Kathleen, have four children and
nine grandchildren.
2007
Man of the Year
Thomas Rodeno
’64, a man with a steadfast commitment to helping
others, has been chosen to receive the highest honor of
the Cathedral Latin Alumni Association, the Merit Award,
for 2007. The annual Merit Award is given to one who by
his conduct and example has brought renown to Cathedral
Latin School.
While at
Cathedral Latin, Tom played sports at the varsity level
and was captain of the basketball team. After CL he
went on to the University of Nebraska on a scholarship
and played until injury ended his participation. After
graduation from Nebraska in 1969, he coached there for
several years, and then returned to Cleveland where he
was JV coach at CL. In 1993 he was inducted into the
Hall of Fame for his All-East Senate and All-Catholic
performance in football as a senior and his co-captaincy
of the basketball team.
Subsequently he
went on to a business career, and after he and his
family moved to Denver area, he established a
manufacturers representative business in the pipe,
valve, and fitting industry that has become very
successful, employing twenty-five people.
The most notable
point is his leadership in the community. After the
diagnosis and then death of their child, Amy, at seven
years old from cystic fibrosis, he and his wife, Mary
Jo, have spent many years with the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation. The Foundation in Denver calls Tom “ an
integral part of our fundraising activity and works on
our behalf consistently throughout the year.” He
started the 65 Roses Golf Classic in Denver which over
the past ten years has raised close to three million
dollars, with the 2007 event in the works. At the
national level, Tom is currently a member of the Board
of Trustees; he is past Secretary/Treasurer of the
national organization. The national cystic fibrosis
program has raised over $200 million, of which
ninety-one percent has gone to research and education.
In the past twenty-five years or so, the average
lifespan of a person afflicted with the disease has
risen from seven years to thirty-eight years.
He is active in
the Diocese of Colorado Springs in their program to
develop plans and raise money for the primary and
secondary education in the Douglas county area.
Reflecting on
his life Tom said that three things deeply affected
him—his faith, his family, and Cathedral Latin School.
At Latin he says, “I grew up, my faith was fostered, I
learned to take responsibility, I developed lasting
friendships, I became a student, and I earned my way to
college, where I met my wife. Lastly, many dreams were
fulfilled that would carry into the future.”
Tom is married
to Mary Jo and they have three children.
Edmund
Turk '43 - 2006
Man of the Year
In recognition
of a lifetime of public service and civic endeavors,
Edmund Turk ’43 has been chosen to receive the highest
honor of the Cathedral Latin Alumni Association, the
Merit Award.
Ed ’s mother
wanted to him to attend Cathedral Latin because she was
impressed by the Society of Mary when his older brother
went to Latin. After graduation from CLS, he served in
the military from 1943-46. He earned an undergraduate
degree from John Carroll University and went on to
receive a law degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School,
after which he practiced general law.
Ed entered the
public service arena and was elected to six successive
terms in Cleveland City Council in the 1960’s and early
1970’s, ultimately serving as president of the Cleveland
City Council in 1972-73. He later chaired the Public
Utilities Commission of Ohio and was a member of the
governor’s cabinet in 1973-75. In the 1980’s he served
as a member and vice-president of the Cleveland Civil
Service Commission, the Cleveland Zoning Appeals Board,
and a Cleveland Municipal Court judge.
In general
service to the community he has been active in many
local, county, and state commissions and councils: the
Charter Review Commission of the City of Cleveland, the
Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Criminal Justice Co-Ordinating
Council, the Governor’s Commission on Energy, the Energy
Advisory Council, and the National Association of
Regulatory Commissioners, and the U.S. and Canadian
Energy Supply Committee.
He has been
active in St. Vitus parish and Slovenian-American
cultural affairs for his adult life.
Ed and his wife
Linda Sue, who now reside in Mentor, Ohio, have been
married for 33 years. They have a daughter, Elizabeth,
and two grandchildren.
The
Alumni Association would like to congratulate Ed on
receiving the Man of the Year Award.
Peter R. Pucher '55 - 2005 Man of the Year
This year’s Merit Award recipient
was Peter R. Pucher ’55. Pete spent 18 years as a
guidance counselor, teacher and coach. He began his
career at Cathedral Latin, teaching 3 years. He moved
to St. John Cansius High School for 2 years, and then
taught at Holy Name High School for 6 years. Serving as
head football coach and athletic director, his teams
compiled a 35-10-1 record. In 1970, he was named West
Senate Coach of the Year.
In the late 1970’s and early
1980’s, Pete worked in the administration of properties
for the city of Cleveland, including Cleveland Municipal
Stadium. In 1985 he returned to education as the head
of major gift development for John Carroll University.
In 1988 he moved to NDCL as the development director.
Pucher continues his mission of
giving back to his community. He served 25 years as a
volunteer in the Selective Service System and has been
an active member of the Knights of Columbus for 43
years. A life member of the American Football Coaches
Association, he received the Great Cleveland Football
Coaches Association’s Golden Deeds Award in 1991.
Pete spent 16 years on the Greater
Cleveland Convention Bureau and was named the 1995
Greater Cleveland United Way Volunteer of the Year. In
1989, he helped create the Geauga County Touchdown Club
and is now a lifetime member. He was a member of the
Chardon Rotary Club and the National Society of Fund
Raisers Executives, where he also served as local
chapter president and board member.
The Alumni Association would like
to congratulate Pete for his induction into the Man of
the Year award.
Rev. John Putka ’56 – 2004 Man of the Year
