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On June 5, as the Class of 1959 celebrated the golden anniversary of their Notre Dame graduation at Reunion 2009, they dedicated a memorial plaque to several of those who could not be with them: the eight men of ’59 who gave their lives in service to the United States during the Vietnam War.

• 1^st Lt Richard S. Horsfall, USMC (November 2, 1962)
• 2^nd Lt Leonard J. LeRose, USAF (December 23, 1963)
• Capt Edwin G. Shank Jr., USAF (March 24, 1964)
• Lt John G. Byrne Jr., USN (1965)
• Capt James J. Carroll, USMC (October 5, 1966)
• Lt Curtis R. Baker, USN (March 28, 1967)
• Lt Eugene M. Vaichulis, USN (September 30, 1968)
• Lt Col James A Fowler, USAF (June 6, 1972)

Ed Mezzapelle ’59 and Dan Rapp ’59 spent years in research, uncovering the names and precise dates of death of their fallen classmates—and inviting the remaining family members to join them for the plaque dedication on campus. The plaque now hangs as a permanent memorial on the second floor of Pasquerilla Center.