Alumni Bios
Click the name below to view the biography. To add your own please email bourgade1980@hotmail.com.
Following graduation from Bourgade, I attended Arizona St. Univ. on a full-ride Leadership Scholarship. Three semesters later, during my sophomore year, I transferred to University of Notre Dame. I spent part of my junior year in London as a part of Notre Dame's London Program. While in London, I was fortunate to travel to Russia before the 'Curtain fell' and attend Easter Sunday Mass in Rome, seated just rows behind the cardinals, compliments of a Notre Dame Holy Cross priest. I graduated with a BA in Government in 1984. Thereafter, I attended Creighton Univ. School of Law and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1987.
Casey, who I met in law school, and I married in January 1987. Casey and I live with our family in Golden, CO, a suburb of Denver. Kevin (DOB 4.3.92), our oldest, is a junior at Foothills Academy, and Dugan (DOB 10.10.94) is in 8th grade at Our Lady of Fatima in Lakewood, CO. Casey is the Director of Audit at the Colorado Department of Transportation and has worked there since 1988.
My mom, Dotty, has lived with us since 1994. My dad moved to Colorado with his wife Linda in 1990 and lives about an hour away in Greeley. My brother Michael (Class of 1982) moved to Colorado in 1989 and lives with his wife and three children 15 minutes away in Arvada, CO. Only, Kathy (Class of 1978) my sister, still lives in Arizona with Tim Lambros (also class of 1978) and their four children, two of which are now married and have children. Can you say great-aunt? Casey's folks lived in Lakewood for many years until his dad died in 2004. His mom now lives about 20 minutes away. We have been blessed with nearby family.
After graduation, I began practicing first in a national commercial litigation firm for a year. Not one to want to carry the partner's briefcase, I accepted a position with Claim Litigation Counsel for State Farm. From 1988-1998, I tried cases and defended State Farm Insureds sued as a result of auto accidents and property and casualty losses.
At the encouragement of another Notre Dame graduate and now law partner, I entered private practice in January 1998 with the law firm of Bayer & Carey, a small insurance defense firm. As a shareholder at Bayer & Carey, I predominantly defend builders and sub-contractors in construction defect litigation and home owner's associations and individuals in a variety of litigation. Over the years, I have represented nuns to day-care providers, college football players to skiers and defended individuals, who have been involved in gunshot and explosions accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries. (No, I did not defend the Vice-President involving his gunshot mishap.) Most recently, I have started defending builders in copyright infringement actions. My Federal and State District Court docket not only keeps me busy, it challenges me day in and day out.
Notre Dame has and continues to be a big part of my life. I have served on the Board of Directors for our local alumni club. I taught government and English as a 2nd language to Latin American immigrants in Denver and was honored for our work in this area by Notre Dame's National Alumni Ass'n . College football, namely the IRISH and Colorado Buffaloes, is a big part of our fall. We try to get back to Notre Dame each fall for a game and attend all CU home games.
Professionally, I have served the Denver Bar Ass'n as 2nd Vice-president and on the Board of Trustees. I served on the Colorado Bar Ass'n Board of Governors. Recently, I was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a national ass'n that recognizes both plaintiff and defense trial attorneys.
We have been active as Eucharistic Ministers and lectors at Our Lady of Fatima since 1989. More recently, however, we have become regular mass goers at Regis University, a small Jesuit college in Denver. Regis' 7:30 PM mass is a lot easier to get teenagers to attend.
I continue to play softball, something I did at Bourgade and the University of Notre Dame and now on recreational leagues. Since 1990, I have bicycled (road), predominantly in so-called charity (MS 150 and Courage Classic) two and three day 150-170 mile rides. Besides softball, Casey and I also golf.
Laura A. Tighe, Esq.
Bayer & Carey, PC
1660 Downing Street
Denver, Colorado 80218
303.830.8911
ltighe@bayerlaw.com
Born in Phoenix, AZ, I graduated from St. Gregory’s 1976. I went to high school at Bourgade Catholic in Phoenix (1976-1980). My high school years included Cheerleading, Pep Club, Yearbook Staff, Quill & Scroll, Drama, & Going to Washington, DC with the Close Up Program, as well as going to Nashville when I was 16 to make a country-western record.
Shortly after high school graduation, I moved to Southern California and worked doing clerical work for some public medical clinics. I moved back to Phoenix from 1983 – to 1986, and took some classes at Phoenix College, furthering my photography and computer skills. In 1986 I moved back to California (Union City – east of San Francisco Bay), where I worked as a professional photographer for both National School Studios, and Olan Mills. I then started doing clerical again, and made my way up to executive assistant working for a number of vice presidents and chief officers for several prominent Silicon Valley hard drive and chip manufacturers.
I met the man of my dreams, Mark Stafford, in November of 2000. Ten and a half months later, we were married on Kealia beach on Kauai under a full moon. Just after the wedding, we moved to Denver for 2 years where I worked as a photographer for Glamour Shots. We missed the coast so much that in 2003 we moved back to California – this time making our home in San Diego. Since the wedding we have been living our "happily ever after". My husband, Mark, and I have a commitment and a stand that everyone who wants it can have the relationship of their dreams. People frequently come to us for advice and coaching on how to achieve that (with extremely successful outcomes!). Mark is a senior systems engineer for Lockheed Martin, and I am once again working in the clerical arena as an executive assistant at Qualcomm, Inc. (an international mobile device chip maker). In addition to my art as a portrait photographer, I also write, sculpt and paint.
My mom remarried in 2007, at the age of 75 (after having been widowed for 8 years). In May, 2008, she and her husband, Bernie, came to live with us. Now they get to spend their retirement vacationing with Mark and I at beautiful tropical resorts!
- Steve Hoza
After graduation, I went to Glendale Community College then Arizona State University in 1982. I got a job at Hayden Library. While I was there, the Arizona Historical Foundation was looking to do an exhibit on Pearl Harbor. I told them that I had some items from the USS Arizona. They allowed me to put up a small display. The staff of the Arizona State Capitol Museum saw it. They got in touch with me and that started my career. I began as a volunteer at both the State Capitol Museum and the nearby Arizona Hall of Fame Museum. They eventually hired me as curator and exhibit technician.
While at ASU, I took a semester off and spent it visiting friends in Perth, Western Australia. I learned to play, and became a big fan of, Australian Rules Football.
I graduated from ASU with degrees in History and German. After working at the museum for a few years, I was hired at the Arizona State Archives as a book and paper conservator. I was trained by one of the best bookbinders and paper restoration specialists in the Southwest.
While I was at the State Archives, I was invited to come to the Salvadoran National Archives in El Salvador in November 1989 to conduct document preservation classes to their staff. While I was there, the rebel FMLN group launched a major offensive against the capitol and I was trapped there in the middle of the heavy fighting. I was lucky to escape alive.
After I arrived home, I married my wife Marla in May 1990. I then began working at the new Arizona Historical Society Museum in Papago Park. I was there for 13 years as curator, exhibit technician and book and paper conservator. One of the highlights of my time there was restoring an AT-6 training aircraft from WWII and supervising it’s suspension from the gallery ceiling. I subsequently had the chance to fly an actual AT-6 out of Coolidge Airport. It was a real thrill!!
While at the AHS Museum, I wrote two books. One was on the German POW camps in Arizona during WWII (we traveled to Germany in 1994 to interview former POWs), and the other book was on military aviation training in Arizona during the war. My brother and I spent one year flying over Arizona photographing the former WWII airfields. During this time, I appeared on the History Channel, A&E and C-SPAN talking about WWII history, especially in Arizona. I have also consulted on several film and documentary projects as well.
In the mid 90s I began playing on two local Australian Rules Football teams here in the Valley, the Tempe Devils and the Phoenix Scorpions. I have also umpired games at both the local and national level. I played on the Devils’ championship team.
I have curated exhibits in museums all over Arizona. In June 2003, I was asked by Dan Harkins to design and build the displays at the new Cine Capri Theatre in north Phoenix. Look for it if you go there.
Today I work at the Huhugam Ki Museum on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community as museum archivist and book and paper conservator. I also curate and build exhibits. It is the finest place I have ever worked.
While at the Arizona Hall of Fame Museum, I worked on an exhibit on the Wallace and Ladmo Show. I began a friendship with the cast and crew of the show that continues to this day. Recently, Wallace and I created an internet charity website that is not only a comprehensive history of the show, but the products sold on the site raises money for the Arizona Humane Society. The site is at www.wallacewatchers.com. I have been a life-long collector of Wallace & Ladmo memorabilia. I recently curated an exhibit on the show that is at the Mesa Historical Museum.
I am also an officer in the US Air Force Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol. I am certified as both an aerial and ground search specialist. My brother and I search out lost aircraft and investigate past wrecks to determine cause. We also have erected memorials at several wreck sites throughout the state. For most of the 90s, I taught a course at Central Arizona College on the history of World War Two in Arizona. I incorporated a lot of the research and photographs from the crash sites and the former airfields that we photographed, along with the history of the German POWs.
- Connie Mroz (Sachs)
Class of 1980: Student Council Corresponding Secretary, 1979-1980; Tennis Team, 1979; Speech Team, 1976 – 1980; Drama, 1976-1980; Chess Club, 1978 – 1980; Thesbian, 1980; NHS, 1980. Currently: I have been living in Knoxville, TN since 1993. I have three children – Aaron (21), Ryan (18) and Megan (16). I’ve been married to Mike for 22 years. I work full time for an architect near downtown Knoxville. I am also a part-time student at the University of Tennessee, finishing my degree in History with the intention of pursuing my Master’s in History as well. I am researching WWII German POW camps in Tennessee with the hopes of turning that research into a book, Senior Research or a Master’s Thesis. In my spare time, I volunteer at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, TN. I love to read, write, hike, run with my dogs, and spend time with my children and friends.
Constance Sachs
Cope Associates, Inc.
2607 Kingston Pike, Ste. 5
Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 694-9000