Your Sunday picture...

Spring continues to spring

... from Notre Dame. Even though we may not be there to see it, campus is still awash in the glories of spring. Trees, flowers, and that grows exudes new life so much so that you smell its sweetness. Of course, you have allergies, I would advise to refrain from inhaling it too deeply. Enjoy your Sunday wherever you may be!

We may be...

Steds mom teaching and styling at the same time!

... quarantining, but it does not mean we throw everything to the wind! That is certainly the mentality that Betsy Vogel, mother of Stedsmen Peter '12 and Edward '17 Vogel, has as she continues to remotely teach her fifth grade in Orange, Connecticut  While her teaching may happen over the internets, it does not mean Betsy is dialing it in with an unkempt and slovenly appearance as if she rolled right out of bed and straight into the virtual classroom.  On contrary, she's dialing it in and looking, as Father Sorin would say, trés chic. Trés chic indeed because Betsy is wearing a couture hat from Steds spring apparel line of 2017. And in the process, the kids are getting schooled not just in the fundamentals but also the fundamentals of looking good! It's the proverbial win-win. On wearing her Steds couture hat, Betsy said, "Some may say I am wearing this hat because I had a "bad hair day" or wanted the attention of "socially distanced onlookers." But I tell you they are all wrong. I did for the kids!"

While quarantining...

Rutherford signaling "We going to beat this thing"

... you may have missed it, it was his proverbial fifteen minutes of fame. Yes, Stedsman, Charlie Rutheford '18, EMT, aspiring medical student and native Washingtonian, was highlighted on Notre Dame's recent Covid-19 broadcast, a broadcast that highlighted the work of alumni to stem the affects of this pandemic. Suffice it to say, as an EMT and living in Washington State, Rutherford has truly been, and still is, at the front lines of the fight. On Rutherford's interview, Fr. Ralph said, "It was edifying and uplifting. In the end, it gave me great hope as well as confirmed what I already believed... that our graduates are exactly what the Founder wanted them be for the world... forces for good. Good on you, Charlie!"

To watch the interview, click HERE

This Memorial Day...

... is certainly different than those of the past, but let that not damper the true spirit of this day. Often thought of as the official start of summer, Memorial Day is much more than just that as it the day for remembering those men and women who died while serving our country's Armed Forces. So, while we go about our holiday, let us pause, remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and giving our thanks.

To read Fr. Ted Hesburgh's words at Notre Dame's Clarke War Memorial, click HERE.

Saturday's squirrel.

Nuts: once again for dinner 

Charles Dickens wrote a novel entitled Hard Times, and for our furry friends, the times are definitely hard. With no handouts and no trash cans to dive, it's lean times. How are our furry friends surviving? Simple. Going back to basics. Here's a squirrel who doing that just. On nibbling on an identified tree nut, this squirrel stopped and non-verbaled, "Can we make a trade?"

Kids in...

O'Leary: A purveyor of chicken and more

... quarantine: VIRTUAL FINALS WEEK. These are serious times, and so are the academics. On-line classes have given way to finals. Hard to believe it, but it’s Virtual Finals Week. Rest assured, the Stedsmen are playing for keeps they always do, taking their on-line finals for King and Hall. But how do you take an on-line? Who knows… but they do. Tonight, we will hear all about and more from Jack O’Leary, Steds freshman and resident Floridian, and Chick-Fil-Aer, who had some time to speak amid this demanding and taxing week.

St. Ed: With the University's residence halls, including the oldest and most storied, St. Ed’s, shut down, where are you these days?

O’Leary: Away from Steds I’m back home in Stuart, Florida. For people who know Florida I'm near West Palm Beach, and for those who don’t… let’s just say Miami.

St. Ed: Your on-line classes are over, are you glad that it is now Finals Week?

O’Leary: This last half of the semester felt slow, but I think its crazy that its already finals week. I only have two finals and I finished my papers early so this week isn’t that bad for me. I’m definitely ready for online classes to be over so that I can get out of the zoom classroom and enjoy the sun before it gets hotter than Hayes-Healy down here in FL.

St. Ed: Still, how do one do “finals” on-line? After all, while you would never cheat, who is there to make sure that the other guy isn’t opening a book or something?

O’Leary: Today I had my Econ exam at 1:45. So, naturally, I woke up at noon, ate a Publix sub, and logged online at 1:44 to take my exam. To make sure nobody's opening any books without permission, my professors decided to instead allow all of their students to open up their books. Open-note, open-book exams have made my exam week stress free. 

St. Ed: With on-line classes and finals soon to be done and over, what do you intend to do with all of your newly found free time?

O’Leary: To keep myself busy I have returned to my high school job at Chick-Fil-A. Since my return we've broken the drive-thru record and served 287 cars in a single hour. Not to say this was all me, but I spot a correlation. When I’m not selling chicken, I plan on soaking in as much sun as possible. I have a lot of work to do in order to get back the tan that the South Bend Winter stole from me. 

St. Ed: Do you have any advice for getting through quarantine?

O’Leary: The advice I have for my fellow Stedsman (and all others) is to watch Peaky Blinders. Available on Netflix, this show has made my staying in enjoyable, and sometimes even preferred. 

The answer is...

Students returning soon

... classes will start early. With Graduation festivities now over, the University made an announcement late this afternoon concerning the upcoming Fall Semester. The Fall Semester 2020 will start in the fall, but it will start early AND on a Monday... Monday, August 10th. Citing informed decision making and the stringent testing, classes will start early, forego Fall Break, and end early, before Thanksgiving. On the announcement, an Stedsman, speaking on the condition of anonymity said, "I hope stringent testing refers to testing for the Corona virus- not academic testing."

To read the full announcement, click HERE. 

Your Sunday picture...

Campus in its spring glory...

... from Notre Dame on Graduation Day. Yes, today is Graduation Day, and so, congratulations to all of our seniors who, as of right now, are the newest graduates. While Graduation ceremonies could not be held, there was a virtual thirty minute on-line ceremony that seniors and others could tune into and watch. On not watching the virtual ceremony, Fr. Ralph said, "I am waiting for the release of the  'Best of' version of this on-line event, but seriously, congratulations to all of our graduating Stedsmen!" 

... while technology delivers degrees. 

Locked...

Problem fixed

... down. Not only are the residence halls in lock down but also the Steds basketball hoop. Yes, the Steds hoop is in lock down. Covid-19 related? Sort of, but to be honest, non-Steds use of the Steds basketball hoop, rated the best hoop on campus, really bothered the Stedsmen. Seeing strangers use the hoop was like seeing a stranger using your favorite coffee mug. The solution? Well, it looks like the outgoing Steds President, Josh Gambardella, delivered a solution to this problem. On the Steds basketball hoop on lock down, Gambardella said, "As it should be!" 

But a passerby and friend of Sted, Bill Kempf '94, thought something totally different was happening and exclaimed, "“Everyone knows that Steds hoops is on fire, but this seems a little extreme, even for NDFD. They may take our hoops, but they will never take our freedom!"

Best of

... the Gentlemen's Monthly. Here's the story four years ago today. Yes, it's four years old, but it's still creating a buzz.

Looking good...

St. Edward's 2015-2016

...for the Hall picture! Following the Yacht Dance, the Stedsmen woke up, gathered for a late afternoon hall photo, to be immortalized for ages to come. Unfortunately, the University prohibits Hall Staff from standing on the portico, destroying a fine tradition, but that didn't prevent them from doing something new... standing on ladders. On the recent photo change, Fr. Ralph said, "They may take our portico away, but they can't take our ladders!"

Kids in...

Verdeschi: Virtually a sophomore now

... quarantine: VIRTUAL FINALS WEEK. These are serious times, and so are the academics. On-line classes have given way to finals. Hard to believe it, but it’s Virtual Finals Week. Rest assured, the Stedsmen are playing for keeps they always do, taking their on-line finals for King and Hall. But how do you take an on-line? Who knows… but they do. Tonight, we will hear all about and more from Matt Verdeschi, Steds freshman and resident Connecticuter, who had some time to speak amid his demanding and taxing Virtual Finals Week. Enjoy.

St. Ed: With the University's residence halls, including the oldest and most storied, St. Ed’s, shut down, where are you these days?

Verdeschi: I am back home in Katonah, New York. More specifically, I have been spending most of my time in my dining room. My twin snores incredibly loud, so rather than kicking him in the middle of the night, I actually moved my entire bed to this room.

St. Ed: Your on-line classes are over, are you glad that it is now Finals Week?

Verdeschi: I am definitely glad it is finals week, but I am also concerned about the future. Yesterday, I cleaned out my desk for fun because I was bored. I do not want to imagine where my boredom will bring me next. 

St. Ed: Still, how do one do “finals” on-line? After all, while you would never cheat, who's there to make sure that the "other guy" isn’t opening a book or something?

Verdeschi: I found that most professors moved their exams to some version of an open note format. It honestly amazes me how some professors decided against this option, but all I will say about this choice is that one day I hope to have as much trust in someone as these professors have in their students. 

St. Ed: With on-line classes and finals soon to be done and over, what do you intend to do with all of your newly found free time?

Verdeschi: I plan on spending more time reading textbooks about important educational topics. Jk of course not. I actually plan on using my time to teach younger kids about the value of respect. I will utilize my elite Call of Duty abilities to destroy kids, trash talk them, and inevitably show them the importance of respecting their elders. 

St. Ed: Do you have any advice for getting through quarantine?

Verdeschi: Cover your windows so birds do not attack them while you are trying to sleep. At around 6:00am for the past three days a bird has been smacking into the window next to my bed, but he does not hit the window hard enough to hurt himself. Instead, the bird basically just checks if the window opened up in the last ten seconds since he last bodied it. 

Your Sunday picture...

... from Notre Dame.  A special thanks to BettyJane Blossfeld, mother of Steds senior, Josh Blossfeld, who during a special day trip to campus, took these beautiful pictures of Mary and the Grotto. As you can see, the tulips are up, and there are also some differences to the Grotto. Notice the new stone pavers as well as some the trees are missing atop the Grotto itself. Believe it or not, the trees were putting considerable weight on the Grotto.

Still, what appropriate pictures to share on this special day... Mother's Day!  How could we not remember our moms? Thanks and all our love for our moms and all that they do, seen and unseen, for us. Where would we be without you? So, Steds moms, make sure to collect your hugs and kisses from your Gentlemen today!

Can you tell me...

St. Edward's Street: Well worth a stroll

... how to get to St. Edward's Street? Now, many of you probably thought I was asking how to get to Sesame Street, and if you did, you're wrong. I really want to get to St. Edward's Street, and yes, it really does exist. And just where is this street? New York City of course. Yes, in Brooklyn, just south of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, you'll find this small, uniquely shaped street that runs east and west AND north and south... that eventually ends at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. On living near St. Edward's Street, Joe Meares '10 said, "Taking a stroll down this street makes any visit to the City complete."

Kids in...

Paz: Keeping it real and peacing out 

... quarantine. These are serious times, and the epidemic that grips our nation and world should not be taken lightly. Currently, the kids are away from Steds and the University. The spring semester has come to an abrupt end, but life continues. Tonight, we hear from Alec Paz, Steds freshman and resident Californian, who had some time to speak amid his virtual Finals Week. Enjoy.

St. Ed: With the University's residence halls, including the oldest and most storied, St. Ed’s, shut down, where are you up these days?

Paz: I am currently residing in Huntington Beach, California. 

St. Ed: As in-person classes have been nixed for the rest of the semester, how have you found on-line classes?

Paz: Although the adjustment to online classes was confusing at first, I have settled in and am very thankful that classes are set in the Eastern Time Zone. The highlight of my week is always waking up at 5:00 a.m. to discuss cultural diversity in my Moreau class. 

St. Ed: Clearly, you have more time on your hands than ever before. So, what are you doing these days to pass the extra time?

Paz: To pass the extra time, I have dipped my toes into the fields of haircutting and jogging, both quite successfully. Upon my first attempted haircut, I am pleased to report that I have successfully channeled my inner Vin Diesel. Additionally, in my attempt at jogging I successfully ran four full quarter miles before having to sit down. 

St. Ed: During your sojourn away from Steds, what do you miss?

Paz: I mostly miss LeFun runs at 2 A.M. and being able to get third servings at the dining hall. Since I’ve been home, I’ve forgotten the taste of fast food and have been forced to eat a salad for the first time in months. Quarantine is hell.

Your Sunday picture...

Oh deer...

... from Notre Dame. While the kid are away, the deer will play. Walking the path that leads north from Holy Cemetery, the walnut forest is a perfect place for the deer to forge for whatever they forge for... and apparently, it's true. Where there is one, there is another... or in this case, a whole herd of deer! Can you see all eight? Enjoy your Sunday wherever you may be!

Inspired...

Steds Love Their Moms

... by the lamenting of his son, Alec, at dinner, David Lis created this sign for his son and his wife Debbie. Sadly, the greatest weekend of all weekends at Steds was not to be, but David's sign conveys the sentiments and wishes of every Stedsmen for their moms. David said, "While the moms cannot proudly wear their specialty designed shirts, perhaps this year this sign can be shared by theGentlemen with their moms, in recognition of they do." 

Indeed, let it be shared... and let it be known that at the direction of the newly elected Hall Government, the appointed Moms' Weekend Commission, Drew McClimon, has Moms Weekend 2021 already planned. Yes, it's true! Would we tell a lie to our moms? Perish the thought. More information coming soon.