I met Lou Somogyi in August of 1980 when we both enrolled at Holy Cross Jr. College. At the time, the total enrollment was approximately 300 kids. Most of us desperately wanted to cross the street to the land we underachievers or misfits could only dream of. We came from very different environments. I was a snarky kid from a family of ten children loaded with confidence without much reason and he was the only son of Hungarian immigrants.. He was a geeky guy who was extremely meek and silent. He stood along the walls of the Holy Cross hallway watching everyone pass by. Think of your high school days. I was the affable smart ass and he was a perfect target.
We shared nearly all of our classes together at Holy Cross. As time went by, I realized in a sudden burst of maturity that maybe there’s room for someone that isn’t exactly the same as me. As you can imagine, Louie took precise notes and was never without a stack of index cards to memorize. That wasn’t me. He took such pleasure in watching me go without so much as a pen. I confessed later that I only did that to antagonize him. If Louie was a ying I was his yang.
Our bond was two young guys who’s only goal was to find a way to get to the greatest height our minds could fathom. Acceptance into the University of Notre Dame. Lou was so modest and unassuming that there was nothing in his makeup that thought he would be worthy of Notre Dame. We had both grown up idolizing and worshiping everything about the place.
Lou Somogyi never smoked, drank or partook in all of the debauchery I would lead him toward. For all of our differences he was willing to accommodate my mandates that he come out and experience bars and parties. I came to learn that Lou loved to compete. Basketball, baseball, tennis and the one activity where our separate worlds would clash, a pool hall. We agreed that if I could drink beer all night we would play pool as long as his heart desired. We always found the middle ground.
He would be angry with me if I kept this too serious. After all, he thought that maybe I existed just to make him laugh with a nasty quip. I could tell tales for months but this one instance, among many, always cracked him up. A few of us had piled into a New York City hotel room to attend the Big East Conference Tournament. It’s 3 in the morning and all but Lou are passed out from being overserved. I awake to hear the clicking of his computer. Half asleep I ask him, “what the hell are you doing” he responds that he is editing the next issue of Blue and Gold. I said great… your boss (not Stu) is banging hookers in Tijuana right now and you’re editing a F’ing newspaper! Never mind that they had software that could have done the editing for him. He didn’t trust it That story tells you just about everything you need to know about Louie.
Lou Somogyi was everything all of you have written. The kindest, most considerate and honest person I have ever known. He would drop everything for anyone at any time. Raised as a Catholic and a Christian, I think there are times all of us wonder if that one obviously different person in our lives could possibly be a disciple sent from above. Lou was there for everything. The weddings, the funerals, an uncle to my children and even an incredible caretaker for my parents. If he wasn't busy writing and delivering a eulogy for my father he would have been playing the Victory March on the church piano.
Losing Louie is going to be one of the hardest things I ever face. My brothers and sisters, my wife and children and all of those that knew him loved him deeply. The world lost an irreplaceable gift. The Notre Dame community will be less than whole without him. He would punch me for saying this, but a lifetime later, I wonder if the place we ultimately called our alma mater was worthy of him.
Anthony
We shared nearly all of our classes together at Holy Cross. As time went by, I realized in a sudden burst of maturity that maybe there’s room for someone that isn’t exactly the same as me. As you can imagine, Louie took precise notes and was never without a stack of index cards to memorize. That wasn’t me. He took such pleasure in watching me go without so much as a pen. I confessed later that I only did that to antagonize him. If Louie was a ying I was his yang.
Our bond was two young guys who’s only goal was to find a way to get to the greatest height our minds could fathom. Acceptance into the University of Notre Dame. Lou was so modest and unassuming that there was nothing in his makeup that thought he would be worthy of Notre Dame. We had both grown up idolizing and worshiping everything about the place.
Lou Somogyi never smoked, drank or partook in all of the debauchery I would lead him toward. For all of our differences he was willing to accommodate my mandates that he come out and experience bars and parties. I came to learn that Lou loved to compete. Basketball, baseball, tennis and the one activity where our separate worlds would clash, a pool hall. We agreed that if I could drink beer all night we would play pool as long as his heart desired. We always found the middle ground.
He would be angry with me if I kept this too serious. After all, he thought that maybe I existed just to make him laugh with a nasty quip. I could tell tales for months but this one instance, among many, always cracked him up. A few of us had piled into a New York City hotel room to attend the Big East Conference Tournament. It’s 3 in the morning and all but Lou are passed out from being overserved. I awake to hear the clicking of his computer. Half asleep I ask him, “what the hell are you doing” he responds that he is editing the next issue of Blue and Gold. I said great… your boss (not Stu) is banging hookers in Tijuana right now and you’re editing a F’ing newspaper! Never mind that they had software that could have done the editing for him. He didn’t trust it That story tells you just about everything you need to know about Louie.
Lou Somogyi was everything all of you have written. The kindest, most considerate and honest person I have ever known. He would drop everything for anyone at any time. Raised as a Catholic and a Christian, I think there are times all of us wonder if that one obviously different person in our lives could possibly be a disciple sent from above. Lou was there for everything. The weddings, the funerals, an uncle to my children and even an incredible caretaker for my parents. If he wasn't busy writing and delivering a eulogy for my father he would have been playing the Victory March on the church piano.
Losing Louie is going to be one of the hardest things I ever face. My brothers and sisters, my wife and children and all of those that knew him loved him deeply. The world lost an irreplaceable gift. The Notre Dame community will be less than whole without him. He would punch me for saying this, but a lifetime later, I wonder if the place we ultimately called our alma mater was worthy of him.
Anthony
