Club History

 

 

Many of you may not be aware of the history behind the MD Lettermen’s Club. There are two gentlemen who were instrumental in formulating the Club in 2004, Henry Enriquez '58 and Dick Litzinger '61. The Club began with phone calls by Henry and Litz to a couple of their friends to get together for lunch at a restaurant in Santa Ana. Those luncheons have evolved into a formal organization with 50 plus members and various events throughout the year. The initial idea behind the Club was to meet informally with fellow Monarchs so that we never lose contact with “the Monarch Family” and, for the mantra to go on forever, “Once a Monarch, Always a Monarch!” The members are always there for each other no matter the geographical differences.

 

There are quarterly meetings conducted by the Steering Committee, headed by our Managing Director, Tom Haupert, '58, who does an outstanding job in not only disseminating information to the members but also, in conjunction with the Club’s Steering Committee, coordinates all the various social events three to four times per year.

 

Coach Dick Coury is the Club’s mentor and for many of us “Our Coach”. His active involvement and support has enabled the Club to go from a few former players having lunch together to the large numbers of Monarchs who attend the meetings, the parties, the putting tournament, the events with the wives and the very successful Athletic Grant Fund program.

 

The Steering Committee is the backbone of the Club. Through this committee all the work of planning and staging the events is accomplished. Bob Webber, who does so much work behind the scenes in keeping the Club in good running order, acts as the official photographer (see all the photos of our various events on this website) and is a key steering committee member along with Ed Adams who spends many many hours devoted to the successful operation of the Club. Additional Steering Committee members who keep the Club running are Henry Enriquez (Founding Member), Eric Patton (Chairman of Athletic Grant Program), Larry Dobson (Treasurer), Jim Baer, Hank Bigonger, Chris Layton, Mike Pinchot, and Keith Regan.

 

An important purpose of our Club is to “give back to the Monarchs” as our way of saying thanks to the Mater Dei Staff and our Coaches for everything they did for us during our formative years at the school. We cannot pay back to our teachers, the priests and religious order who guided our spiritual lives nor the coaches who taught us the meaning of being a Monarch; so the Club decided to “pay forward” to those current student athletes in need of financial aid. The Club, through the overwhelming generosity of its members, selects outstanding Monarchs in need and provides financial assistance to them. The Club has a regimented process these young people must go through to qualify that includes a detailed application, a written manuscript and a formal interview. The process is very competitive as there are so many outstanding student athletes. This past year we had over 40 applicants and 16 student/athletes were selected to receive $1750.00 each to be applied to their tuition at Mater Dei.

In summary, the Club is simply comprised of Monarchs who enjoy each others company and the opportunity to come together periodically for fun, fulfilling events. Please join us by going to the application page on this site and signing up. Thank you.

 

The MD Lettermen’s Club Steering Committee