"I did some work for the alumni association and am now the membership chairman of the Notre Dame club of Dallas. I'm not an alum; I'm a fan who loves everything Notre Dame stands for.
"Ethan attended kindergarten at a private school. There were seven students in his grade. For first grade, he attended a much larger public school where there were a hundred plus in his grade. Academically, he did just fine--but he did have challenges adjusting to the much larger school and surroundings. I was taking him to school one day, and he said, 'Daddy, I want to stay home.' I told him that I understood his concerns, but we would work through it. I told him that after school the next day, I would be standing on the painted US map near the door where he would emerge. Knowing my love for Notre Dame, he said, 'Meet me at Notre Dame!' We met there every Friday of his first grade year. He just turned 12 this month. He's applied for one of the seventh grade programs, which will hopefully be the start of a lifelong relationship."
"I visited Notre Dame for the first time in 2009. We got to see the locker room and run on the field. Everyone is so friendly--on campus and fans I meet. And I always looked forward to watching the football games on Saturdays with my Dad."