Dear Classmates,

I posted Barbara Vanek's obituary in In Memory. I'm pretty sure you can leave comments for any of our classmates listed there. Contact me if you can't.  If you know of anyone else who has died send me an email with the year if known.

With love and wishes for your good health,
Barbara Mandal

Jose Andres (Andy) Gomez and a Woods Ring

Jose Andres Gomez (“Andy”), a first generation student from Plainfield, Illinois, just finished his junior year at the Woods. Andy is majoring in Exercise Science and minoring in Massage Therapy.  Barbara Martin Fossum, a member of the Board of Trustees, met Andy during the October 2023 meeting of the Board.  Andy was working at the free massage therapy clinic, conducted each Thursday as a lab for the students.

Andy told Barbara, during the clinic, that he was going to take a semester off to help out at home, where his grandmother was very ill with cancer, and also to earn money for the next semester.  Barbara made a case in favor of his returning to campus.  She held up her Woods ring and ended with, “and if you do not graduate, you will not have one of these beautiful rings.”  He responded that, yes, he really wanted a Woods ring and hoped he could get one.  Barbara told him that If he stayed in school and graduated, she would make sure he got a ring. 

When Andy returned to campus in January, Barbara reached out to several in the class of 1965 to ask if anyone would like to help buy a ring for Andy.   A number of classmates sent checks, but even better, Eileen Janssens Nasif offered her ring for Andy.  Andy liked the idea of having a legacy ring, so the Class of ’65 committed to having Eileen’s  ring sized and cleaned through the Woods Office of Advancement.  But Eileen’s ring could not be resized for Andy, and was donated for another student.  But fortunately, BJ Riley,  Director of Marketing at the Woods, donated his ring and the Office of Advancement had it resized for Andy.  The Class of ’65 paid for the resizing, and Andy proudly wears his ring.  He is the first man to wear a legacy ring.

Andy currently works at the Woods as a student assistant coach, and a Resident Assistant in Les Bois.  His grandmother is cancer free for the time being.  Andy dreams of becoming a Head/Assistant Coach for a college program in the future.  He says that his family “pushes me and helps me achieve my dreams every day. I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for them.”  His mother wrote a beautiful letter of gratitude for influencing Andy to return to the Woods.