Notre Dame Golden Moments

Dan Healy

Notre Dame Golden Moments
20 Memorable Events That Shaped Notre Dame Football
by John Walters
Rutledge Hill Press (2004)
ISBN 1-59186-042-3

As the son of a member of the West Point class of 1924 I think it is most appropriate that the most golden moments (4) were Army vs Notre Dame. Days after the 1946 scoreless tie, watching the news reel of the game in a movie theatre, we still thought Blanchard was going to score.

The names Blanchard, Davis, Tucker, and McWilliams still go through my mind as the Army backfield. McWilliams wasn't mentioned in the book. Also not named in the story of the '46 game was the Army center.

While we were in school, the University of Houston was trying to get into the Southwest Conference. Gil Burdick, he ran the swimming pool in the Rock, claimed they would never let U of H into the SWC, the U of H would dominate it. He was wrong, they let the U of H in. He was right, U of H dominated the SWC.

Fast forward to the 1978 Cotton (Ice) Bowl. Many of the fair weather fans who left the game early listened to the final quarters stuck on frozen I45 South out of Dallas. As I remember, the Army center in the '46 Army/ND game was Bill Yoeman, the coach of the 1978 U of H Cotton Bowl team. Bill Yoeman's teams did dominate the SWC.

The major omission in the book was the "Here comes Shannon" Notre Dame/Oklahoma game of 1952. Maybe a whole book should be written on that game.

A Quiet Divide

Dan Healy

A Quiet Divide
by Roger Colombik
ISBN: 1-891386-43-3
Library of Congress Number 2005907308

When most of us travel we are insulated from the local culture in the cocoon of tourist, military assignment, or business or government official. Roger Colombik suffers no such limitation as he wanders through the Balkans, the Middle East, Poland, and other countries.

We had the privilege of visiting with Roger Colombik recently and hearing of his adventures first hand. He will wander into a village listening for English. If he hears English he will solicit the speaker as his interpreter and walk up to strangers and start to talk and take pictures. This book contains his impressions from those conversations.

As the father of a spina bifida child, in some way I might be able to share the feelings of The Horseman. I would like to telephone him as the author did Djevat.

In this book is a wonderful quote from Dr. Ivan Dejanov of Skopje, Macedonia:

“The truth will always survive generation to generation. I don’t have fifteen years to chase philosophy...”

We probably don’t either.

This is a short book, but should be read slowly and often and thought about. This book is also self-published and can be purchases from the author. He can be contacted at:

Roger Colombik
PO Box 2308
Wimberley, TX 78676
512–847-9549
colombik@gte.net

Grace

Larry Brehl

Grace
Compiled and Edited by B. C. (Connie) Aronson
Random House
ISBN: 0-375-42607-8

Grace -- a meaningful collection of quotes and passages about the various aspects and applications of grace, from spiritual to social, etc. This collection was compiled and edited by an acquaintance of mine-- B. C. (Connie) Aronson -- on commission from Random House. The book contains quotes and passages from more than 250 notable persons in all walks of life and times, ranging from St. Augustine, Muhammad, The Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa to Mark Twain, Elizabeth Browning, Martin Luther King and Marian Anderson. I value Grace because it is a very good and well-presented book...also because I received an autographed copy and am included in the "Acknowledgments" section among the several "friends who contributed ideas, quotes and encouragement."

For Notre Dame Fans Only...The New Saturday Bible

Larry Brehl

For Notre Dame Fans Only...The New Saturday Bible
by Rich Wolfe
Lone Wolfe Press, a divsion of Richcraft Distribution
ISBN: 0-9729249-9-X

For Notre Dame Fans Only...The New Saturday Bible, by ND 1965 grad Rich Wolfe, said to be "the #1 selling sports book author in America for the last six years." Copies were distributed at the annual "Leahy Lads" dinner on September 29. I received a copy from my oldest brother, Frank, ND'42, and his wife, Mary, who is a "Leahy Lassie." This book contains many humorous and other ND-related tales, some sports-oriented and others concerning student "adventures" (such as the oft-told and now legendary John Ryan and John O'Brien interview-and-photo session with Grace Kelly). A number of other Class of '55 members and happenings pop up in the 250 pages. There also are 32 full-page Irish football-focused Time and Sports Illustrated covers, printed in full color. It's truly a book to be obtained and enjoyed.

Wins, Losses, and Lessons

Larry Brehl

Wins, Losses, and Lessons
by Lou Holz
William Morrow imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-084080-8 and ISBN-10: 0-06-084080-3

Lou Holtz autobiography titled Wins, Losses, and Lessons. It's an interesting, fast read...spanning his life from boyhood in West Virginia and Ohio during the hard Depression years through the struggles and successes of his football career until his retirement from coaching in 2004.