ALUMNI PROFILE

Hail to the chiefs

When Pete Bergan, Bus Ad ’91, was asked to reestablish the Marquette Club of North Texas, he could not have guessed the challenge would result in a proposal of his own.

By Sarah Painter Koziol, Arts '92

But last summer, while the reenergized club celebrated awarding its first club-endowed scholarship to a new Marquette student, Bergan celebrated his wedding to the club’s current president, Maureen Bissing, Arts ’92.

It turns out the newlyweds have more in common than presidential appointments. They also share a strong commitment to supporting their alma mater and a favorite pastime of watching Golden Eagles basketball games with fellow alumni. Both hoped the club involvement would lead them to local fans — maybe fellow alums — in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. They befriended each other in 2000 at a club-sponsored gathering at the Texas Rangers game. But they remained only club-connected until their first date in December 2004: a Mavericks game.

Working together, they have boosted the North Texas club’s popularity. With more than 700 alumni in the area, nearly 80 of them now attend different club events throughout the year.

When the couple married in Chicago during Alumni Reunion Weekend this past July, Bergan missed his 15-year reunion due to the higher priority. But wedding bells beckoned others. Some of their 30-plus wedding guests were able to revel at both events.

“It became another great reason for friends to come into town,” Bissing says.