As you are aware our hometown had a tremendous tragedy two days before Christmas. Six people were killed in a fire. Three of those were firemen, one of which was Dave McNally, an important member of our group.

Dave's ties to Cardinal Stritch and the local Catholic community only grew stronger over the years. He was heavily involved in the activities of the school and one of its staunchest supporters. Needless to say he loved the school and it's sports. It is our thought that we should do something that will have long term recognition of Dave and his contributions as well as the ultimate contribution - his life to save another. Our theme is something that will be long lasting, strong, practical and helpful. These terms also aptly describe Dave himself. We want to do something that his kids, family, friends or new members of the community walking into Stritch will immediately identify with Dave and what he represented in life. He was the good, active citizen who was strong and always there, a model for everyone's kids.

We plan to donate a universal weight machine and peripheral equipment to Cardinal Stritch in his name. This truly fits our theme and would be something he would appreciate. The machine itself will be called BIG MAC. We will also include a plaque, which explains the history of the man behind the BIG MAC. We hope to secure enough donations to purchase the equipment. Any surplus donations will be used to further honor Dave's memory. We plan to have to have a dedication ceremony sometime before the end of the school year, with all invited.

We need your help to make this a success. Your contributions to this cause no matter what size will be greatly appreciated. We want everyone to be a part of this opportunity to honor our friend and hero. $50, $100 or more, whatever you can afford and would like to contribute will be used to support this effort. Please make your contributions to Keokuk Savings Bank, referencing BIG MAC and send to:

Jack Neyens, for the BIG MAC committee