Check out this week's E-Newsletter for the latest on Alumni Events, Scholarships, and more!
Dear John,
Welcome back to our newsletter! We have a new Highlighted Scholarship to share, a reminder about our upcoming Memorial Gathering event in August, and some really great Alumni lives to share in our Eagles Out in the World feature. Thank you for your continued generosity to Sacred Heart.
Melissa Woinarowicz, Executive Director
The Dale M. Neppel Scholarship
There is an old saying that education is not simply about making a living-it is about making a life. Few people understood that better than Dale Neppel. Throughout his life, whether as a student, athlete, educator, administrator, husband, father, or friend, Dale believed deeply in the power of education to shape lives, open doors, and help people discover their God-given purpose. It is fitting, then, that his legacy will continue through the Dale M. Neppel Scholarship at Sacred Heart.
Judy and Melissa Neppel met with me to share more about Dale and why they chose to establish this scholarship in his memory. As they shared stories from their life together, one thing became abundantly clear: Dale loved people. He wanted others to succeed, to find fulfillment, and to know they mattered.
Dale attended Sacred Heart beginning in the fourth grade, where he met Judy Driscoll. Although they first met as children, they didn’t begin dating until their senior year of high school. Five years after graduation, having both completed college, they were married at Sacred Heart Church by Monsignor Merth, the very priest who helped build the church and school that had played such an important role in their lives.
Sacred Heart left a lasting impression on both Dale and Judy. They fondly remembered the sisters who taught nearly every subject, attending Mass each morning before school, and the high expectations placed upon every student. Judy recalled that respect, discipline, and faith were simply part of everyday life. Dale often said those years at Sacred Heart were some of the best years of his life. Looking back, they appreciated the strong Catholic education they received and the values that became the foundation of their marriage and family.
Athletics also became an important part of Dale’s life. A gifted athlete, he earned a football scholarship to the University of North Dakota, where he played center and linebacker for four years, eventually serving as co-captain of the team. While football brought lifelong friendships and wonderful memories, Dale never lost sight of why he was there. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while competing as a collegiate athlete.
After graduation, Dale and Judy began their careers in Devils Lake before eventually returning home to East Grand Forks. Dale would spend the rest of his professional life at Northwest Technical College, eventually serving as Vice President of Student Affairs. His work was never simply about enrollment or graduation numbers. Melissa shared that her dad genuinely cared about helping students find careers that fit their passions and strengths. He believed people deserved to enjoy the work they did and to experience fulfillment in both their careers and their lives.
That passion for helping students profoundly influenced his own daughter. Melissa originally began nursing school before realizing it wasn’t where she was called to serve. She eventually became a teacher, coach, and today serves as an academic counselor at Arizona State University. Listening to her describe her work, it was easy to hear echoes of her father. Like Dale, she finds great joy in helping students discover their own paths and encouraging them as they prepare for meaningful careers. She smiled when I noted that she had naturally followed in her dad’s footsteps.
While education was central to Dale’s life, family was always his greatest priority. Melissa remembers growing up in a home filled with faith, encouragement, and unconditional support. Her parents made it possible for her to explore skating, piano, dance, swimming, sports, and countless other activities. They encouraged her independence while always making sure she knew she was loved. Sundays meant Mass together, and some of her favorite memories are of attending sporting events with her dad and going out for breakfast afterward.
Dale loved sports throughout his life. He remained an enthusiastic supporter of UND athletics, belonged to the Champions Club, and enjoyed watching nearly any sporting event on television. He and Melissa often spent hours together cheering on their favorite teams. Judy recalled his kindness, thoughtfulness, and the many quiet ways he looked after other people. Whether helping students, supporting family members, or simply checking in with those he loved, Dale had a gift for making people feel seen and valued.
When I asked Melissa what she misses most about her dad, her answer was both simple and deeply moving. “There’s nothing I don’t miss,” she said. She misses their daily text messages, their conversations about sports, holding his hand in church, and simply having him present in her life. Judy lovingly cared for Dale through his health challenges, and together they modeled a marriage built on faith, devotion, and selfless love.
Dale was inducted into both the Sacred Heart Hall of Fame and the University of North Dakota Hall of Fame, honors he accepted with characteristic humility. Melissa shared that he always considered himself fortunate simply to have had the opportunity to attend Sacred Heart. Education had given him so much, and now, through the Dale M. Neppel Scholarship, it will continue giving to future generations of Sacred Heart students.
Perhaps there is no greater tribute to Dale’s life than this scholarship. For a man who spent his career helping students discover their purpose and pursue their dreams, it is only fitting that his legacy will continue by helping young people receive the same gift of Catholic education that meant so much to him. We invite you to prayerfully consider joining Judy and Melissa in honoring Dale’s life through a gift to the Dale M. Neppel Scholarship, Give Here, ensuring that his passion for education and student success continues to inspire Sacred Heart students for generations to come.
Dale Neppel with his wife, Judy, and his daughter, Melissa
Please do RSVP to help us plan for our brunch.
We'll be serving Egg Bake (Executive Director & Cook - Melissa's Recipe)
Croissants, and Fresh Fruit. Just click here.
Kevin Driscoll - Class of 1970 Kevin Driscoll is a Sacred Heart Alumnus who has made his mark, not just in the world, but beyond it, contributing to the necessary functioning of the Orion capsule computers in the recent Artemis Mission that went beyond the moon. From a Minnesota farm to Seoul, Korea, to Honeywell and NASA, this Eagle has soared to great heights. I had the opportunity to meet Kevin at our recent Alumni Gathering in St. Paul. As a lifelong unabashed Star Trek fan, I couldn’t wait to hear more about his life and his work. Read on to find out more about this alumnus of the Class of 1970.
Long before Kevin was designing computer systems that astronauts’ lives would depend upon, he was a curious kid growing up on a Minnesota farm. His father often reminded him that a farmer had to be “a jack of all trades and a master of most.” A farmer needed to understand mechanics, carpentry, chemistry, botany, and countless other skills. Looking back, Kevin believes that philosophy helped propel him into his future career.
His fascination with electronics began early. By ninth grade, he was entering science fairs with computers he had designed himself. One project was an electronic slide rule. Another played tic-tac-toe. By high school, he was experimenting with an inexpensive way to build computers using air instead of electricity through fluidic circuits. He even connected one of his creations to a surplus teletype machine. “I knew,” he said, “that I would be working with computers somehow.”
That curiosity continued at the University of Minnesota, although life soon took an unexpected turn. During the Vietnam era, Kevin’s draft number was called. Rather than waiting to be drafted, he enlisted in the Army so he could have some say over his assignment. After excelling in an intensive forty-week cryptography program, graduating with honors in every phase of the training, he earned the opportunity to choose from several prestigious assignments. Eventually, that path led him to Seoul, South Korea, where he became responsible for operating and maintaining the United States’ secure voice communications network throughout the country.
Returning home, Kevin resumed his studies while working at Honeywell, thanks to a fraternity brother who helped him secure a student position. In a twist of fate, on April Fool’s day no less, Honeywell promoted him to engineer before he had even completed his degree. For the next nine years, he balanced full-time work with college classes, traveling so extensively that completing his education became a marathon rather than a sprint. Sixteen years after graduating from Sacred Heart, he finally earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Minnesota.
That perseverance launched a remarkable career spanning more than five decades. Kevin worked on the avionics for the Boeing 777, military aircraft, and countless aerospace programs before joining the team designing the Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis program. The Orion capsule is designed to carry astronauts farther into space than any spacecraft built for human exploration. The computers aboard Orion are not merely important—they are essential. If they fail, lives are at stake.
Kevin explained that space presents challenges most of us never think about. Radiation can cause computers to behave unpredictably, so engineers cannot simply build one computer and hope it works. Instead, Orion uses multiple computers that constantly compare answers with one another. If one computer produces an incorrect result, the others can outvote it and continue safely. Kevin spent decades developing the dependable computer architecture that makes this possible, ensuring that astronauts could rely on their spacecraft even in one of the harshest environments imaginable.
His accomplishments have earned him some of the highest honors in his profession, including Honeywell’s prestigious H. W. Sweatt Award, the University of Minnesota’s Distinguished Computer Science Alumnus Award, 60 patents, and NASA’s Spaceflight Awareness Team Award. Even today, in semi-retirement, Kevin continues consulting on computer systems supporting NASA’s future lunar exploration efforts.
Despite these extraordinary achievements, Kevin remains a lifelong learner. He has traveled extensively around the world and still dreams of visiting Egypt to experience a total solar eclipse (having been present at the last 2 U.S. eclipses) and exploring places like Petra. His travels have also taken him on a number of pilgrimages, including Czestochowa, Fatima, Lourdes, the Vatican, and the 7 basilicas of Rome.
When asked about artificial intelligence, his answer was thoughtful and refreshingly practical. He isn’t concerned that AI will become sentient. Rather, he believes the greater challenge is ensuring that people use it wisely and continue developing the ability to think critically. One of his former bosses described him as a “pathological thinker”—someone who naturally asks, “What can go wrong with this?” Kevin believes that professionals will have to develop this skill in order to monitor and correct possible mistakes made by AI systems.
Listening to Kevin describe spacecraft, cryptography, computer architecture, and eclipses with the same contagious enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but think that his greatest gift isn’t simply engineering. It’s curiosity. That same curiosity that led a farm kid to build homemade computers for science fairs eventually helped carry astronauts safely toward the moon.
Sacred Heart has always sought to form students who are prepared not only for successful careers, but for lives of purpose, service, and lifelong learning. Kevin Driscoll’s remarkable journey reminds us that those lessons can take our graduates anywhere—even beyond the bounds of our own world. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle. Matt "Flash" Vanyo - Class of 2000 If you attended Sacred Heart around the turn of the century, there's a good chance you know Matt Vanyo by another name.
Flash.
Like so many high school nicknames, it has followed him long after graduation. More than twenty-five years later, classmates still know exactly who you're talking about when someone mentions "Flash." It speaks to something that has always made Sacred Heart special: the lifelong friendships that begin in its classrooms and continue long after graduation.
Where has life taken Matt since graduating from Sacred Heart in 2000? Although his career has led him from St. Paul to Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually back to the Twin Cities, one thing stood out during our conversation: the relationships he built at Sacred Heart continue to influence both his personal life and his professional success.
Growing up just a few blocks from Sacred Heart, Matt came from a family with deep roots in the school. His aunts and uncles had also attended Sacred Heart, making it much more than simply a place to receive an education. It was the center of his childhood, where faith, friendships, and community became woven together.
Like many Sacred Heart alumni, some of Matt's favorite memories revolve around athletics and the connections he made and still has today. He fondly remembers playing on Sacred Heart's first baseball team, playing home basketball games in Alvarado, and all the teammates and coaches along the way, following the Flood of 1997 under Coach Steve Gust. But when talking about those years, it's impossible not to mention the flood itself. Matt remembers joining classmates and community members to fill sandbags, attending school in temporary classrooms, and witnessing firsthand the incredible determination that rebuilt both the school and the community. Three years later, his class proudly became the first to graduate from Sacred Heart's new school building—a distinction they continue to share with pride.
Matt pictured with MN Twins legends
Kent Hrbek and Tom Brunanski
His love of baseball has remained a constant throughout his life. Today, Matt participates in the Minnesota Twins Fantasy Camp in Fort Myers, Florida, where former Twins players coach teams of baseball enthusiasts for an unforgettable week on the field. For someone who has always loved the game, it's an experience that combines competition, camaraderie, and pure joy.
Marshall and Ruby Lake Time :-)
After graduating from Sacred Heart, Matt attended and played baseball in Thief River Falls at Northland College, he also coached youth baseball for Dave Aker and junior varsity baseball at SHS with Darin ‘Butch’ West all while serving in the Army National Guard. After two years at Northland, Matt finished school at St. Cloud State University and began building a career in the financial services industry. His professional journey took him to Madison, Wisconsin, before eventually bringing him back home to Minnesota. Along the way, he met his wife, Nicole, and together they now enjoy traveling, golfing, spending time with friends and family, and sharing life with their two beloved dogs, Marshall and Ruby.
Today, Matt has built his career around helping individuals and families navigate important financial decisions related to investments, tax strategies, estate planning, and long-term financial security. The most rewarding part of his work is building meaningful relationships with clients, educating them about their options, and empowering them to make informed decisions with confidence. His passion for serving others and helping people achieve their financial goals continues to inspire and motivate him every day.
When I asked Matt what made Sacred Heart different, his answer surprised me. Certainly, he appreciated the small class sizes and the opportunity for one-on-one attention from his teachers. Those experiences helped him academically. But looking back, he now realizes Sacred Heart gave him something even more valuable.
Relationships.
As a student, he didn't recognize that he was building connections that would influence his future. Today, working in wealth management, he understands just how important those early connections became. The friendships, trust, and communication skills he developed at Sacred Heart have become the foundation of a profession built entirely on relationships.
"Networking and building relationships are so important to my career," he reflected, "and I learned how to do it at Sacred Heart."
Matt's story isn't really about financial planning or baseball. It's about people. The people who stood shoulder to shoulder filling sandbags. The teachers who invested in him one-on-one. The classmates who became lifelong friends. The clients he now serves with integrity and compassion. Through every stage of life, relationships have remained at the center.
Sacred Heart has always been about more than academics. It is a place where faith is nurtured, friendships are formed, and young people discover the importance of serving others. Matt "Flash" Vanyo's story is a wonderful reminder that the relationships built within Sacred Heart's walls often become the greatest gift of all. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.
A note about Eagles Out in the World:
Your story is important to Sacred Heart’s Legacy.
I hope Eagles Out in the World communicates that success isn't measured only by titles or accolades. It's measured by living a life of purpose. Kevin's purpose happened to take him to NASA. Matt’s purpose has taken him to Florida, Ireland, and helping people plan their financial legacies. Someone else's purpose may have been teaching second grade for 35 years or caring for patients in a rural hospital. Let’s celebrate all our stories!
Please get in touch with the Foundation today and we can talk about your story: where your purpose has taken you, and how your time at Sacred Heart helped you write the next chapter. - Melissa
Our Goal for this year's Student Annual Drive is $150,000.00. Each year, the Foundation Family is asked to contribute to the operational needs of Sacred Heart students through this drive. This is our opportunity to help keep the building warm, the lights on, and our students and teachers supplied with everything they need to have the best year possible at Sacred Heart. Please join us in the effort and donate to the Student Annual Drive today. Thank you for your continued generosity!
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We hope you have enjoyed this week's update! If you have any life updates for yourself or an alumni you know that we could feature, please contact the foundation office.
