The Springfield Republican published an article on December 9 entitled “Do you remember when Springfield’s Cathedral High School was new?” Well, yeah. 🙂
Carolyn Robbins, the author, says the current uncertainty about the future of the school has spurred controversy and nostalgia. We, of course, had our 50th reunion to spur all the nostalgia we could muster.
The Cathedral High School Board of Trustees would like to send a message to our Cathedral Community.
We were surprised and disappointed by the letter from the Diocese on Thursday (November 6). Like you, we believed this issue to be settled and, based on that, have put a tremendous amount of energy into raising the Endowment for Tuition Assistance and putting plans in place to improve the school so that it was an even better educational program when we returned to Surrey Road. The administration and staff have been incredible in moving the school forward in its temporary quarters and have been innovative in reaching out for new technology and programming.
We understand the responsbility the Bishop feels to make the best decision possible on the school and are confident that we will once again prevail in this latest process. There is a natural time and place for the anger and disappointment regarding this latest hurdle placed in front of us. We do believe, however, that we need to turn that anger and disappointment into positive action. The process we will be going through in the next few weeks is promised to be transparent and fair. We expect that the meeting minutes will be published on a pubiic website so that many can be heard. We need the Cathedral Community to be the loudest, most informed and respectful group heard for the next few weeks. We need everyone that truly cares to join us in letting the Diocese know that Cathedral matters … to us, to Springfield and to the overall Catholic community.
Thank you for your support.
The Cathedral High School Board of Trustees
Demolition work has begun on the CHS building damaged by the June 2011 tornado.
The new bishop of Springfield has pulled back from the “commitment” to rebuild or replace the tornado-damaged Cathedral High School made by his predecessor only nine months ago.
The Springfield Republican reports that Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, who took office in August, wants to “review opinions and options” before committing to a particular decision on the future of the school. The bishop’s announcement, contained in a press release November 7, generated responses of frustration and anger from local officials and CHS supporters, as well as heated comments on the newspaper’s website.
Here are links to articles about the controversy:
Future of Cathedral High School in Springfield uncertain, bishop says
Springfield leaders react with frustration, anger over Cathedral High School rebuilding delay
Diocese spokesman on Cathedral High School: We are not the enemy
Readers respond to stories on questions about Cathedral High School’s future
It was a grand event. We all talked . . . and remembered . . . and talked . . . and were reminded . . . and talked. I just got back from 12 days in New England and hope soon to be able to post many photos from the events. If you have some you would like to share, please send them via email.
More than 100 members of the Class (list below) registered for the reunion.
(This is a list of class members. Many attended with guests.)
Geraldine Achin Sarnelli
Josie Albano Pelligrini
Ben Aleks
Pamela Alifano Basile
Elaine Ambrose Atkins
Kristine Anderstrom
Rita Arsenault Spencer
Jacqui Artiano Ruest
Pat Bagge Harmon
Michael Baker
Sara Batista Iwaniec
Anne Belleville Rosso
Janet Boyer Hourihan
Ray Brassard
Jane Buckley Peterson
Eloyce Bujnicki Pierog
Charlotte Chartier Lawrence
John Collins
Judy Cross Donahue
Ed Crowley
Judy Curto Hourihan
Maureen Davis Heasley
Caroline Demers Tougas
Bill Devlin
Dianne Dillon
Holly Donahue Scortino
Paul Donahue
Linda Duchesne Ferrero
Paul Dufresne
Joe Fallon
Carol Ferraro McKay
Joe DeCaro Fitzgerald
Mary Fitzpatrick Brassard
Bill Fleming
Mary Foy Holmes
Marlene Galiarducci Christy
Doris Gaudette Leduc
Diane Girouard Theriault
Richard Grout
Joan Hamel Sagendorph
Tom Hamre
Susan Hartley Mantoni
Bill Hartung
Peggy Hogan Szych
Tim Holt
Kevin Hourihan
Mary Hurley
Marion Jones Johnson
Patricia Kane Gittes
Roger Kasmer
Patricia Kelley Conz
Mona Klicka Daponde
Susan Knox Monaghan
Roger Krass
Lynn Lacavita Duffy
Ed Lambert
Karen Lariviere Audette
Mary Lattinville McCormick
Janet LaVallee Holden
Ellen LeClair Zuk
Bill Liquori
Bill Lyons
Rosemary Lyons
Maureen Lyons
Bob McCann
Nancy McCarthy Gagne
Bill McDonald
Patricia Matthews Vey
Jim Montanari
Peter Mulvagh
Anne Murphy Kellner
Fr. Tim Murphy
John Murtaugh
Martha Noonan Murtaugh
Nancy Norris Gates
Marilyn O’Day McClellan
Mick Ogulewicz
Kevin O’Malley
Reid Oslin
Barbara Pantuosco
John Patterson
Carol Phillips McCarthy
Maureen Pollard Hershel
Bob Pouliot
Elizabeth Poirier Thompson
Roberta Quiriy Phaneuf
Pat Raimondi Liquori
Helen Reid Stewart
Carole Riendeau Lanza
Peter Robillard
Tom Robinson
Kathryn Stevens Patterson
Patricia Sheehan Rugowski
Donna Roy Nodurf
Gene Ryzewicz
Sandra Saletnik Dukette
Mike Semanie
George Shannon
Barbara Shean Lippert
Tom Sheedy
Ray Siwinski
Linda Smith Szenkum
Ron Somers
Maureen Spring Fontaine
Nancy Thompson
Luke Turgeon
Francie Veale Cornwell
Paul Vey
Bill Wagner
Edmund Wallace
Bob Winship
Terry Yesu
One of the most scintillating headlines from the Chronicle‘s sports scribe appeared in the February 1964 edition (page five), above an item on John Collins, “the blur.”
Swift Senior Speedster Scores Stunning State Sprint Sweep
Alliteration above all. John had just won the state title indoor 50-yard dash, and had finished sixth in the national championship in Madison Square Garden. The reigning city, Western Mass., State, and New England Catholic champion, John was soon to begin his stellar senior season in outdoor track. (It was a personal pleasure as a student at Boston College later to watch John, representing Holy Cross, in several collegiate track meets, especially in matchups with BC’s Larry Jeffers, a 1964 graduate of Minnechaug.)
The sports page also reported on the basketball team’s superb season, noting that in the process Gene Ryzewicz became the highest scorer in Springfield schoolboy basketball history. Still on the Panthers’ slate was the Western Mass. tournament. The CHS wrestling team finished second to Tech in the city finals, but three classmates were weight-class champions: Ed Crowley, Attilio Cardaropoli, and Tom Murphy. Classmate Eloyce Bujnicki was to represent us in the Western Mass. High School Gymnastics Championship to be held at CHS March 14.
On page one, it was noted that band officers Paul Greeley, Susan Ritchie, and Maureen Levesque were preparing for the annual concert. William Fleming wrote a column for page two on the “plague” that was Communism in the world. As reported in Mike Reavey’s February post, 47 seniors visited Washington, DC, and, among many other special occasions, watched Mike lay a wreath at the grave of JFK (page three).
Barbara Mooney had a feature on page four reporting on the investiture of Rev. Timothy P. Leary as a monsignor. Bracketing that coverage was two features indicative of the contemporary attitudes toward young women. Upper right, an article told how a career in modeling offered “Dream of Glamour, Clothes, Good Pay.” Dream, okay. Reality, pretty iffy. Lower left was the notice that Dianne Dillon had been chosen as Cathedral’s “Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow.” The designation was based on achieving the highest score on a written exam, which more likely presaged her subsequent long career in law and public service.
Page six contained the picture at right, and reported that Elizabeth Francesconi competed in pairs ice skating. The Drama Club was to present a 14th century passion play, on the scale of a pageant. Classmates participating included William Danoff, Richard Joseph, William Liquori, Paul Rieker, Thomas Murphy, Thomas Counos, Roland Chapdelaine, Michael Crowley, Helen Reid, Carol Shtogren, Edmund Crowley, David Rucinski, Vincent Brown, Stephen Sullivan, and Robert McCann.
Here’s the February 28, 1964 Chronicle
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As we headed into the last few months of high school, the January 1964 Chronicle featured the upcoming model US Senate, which was to propose, discuss, and vote on a civil rights act. The photo above shows classmates acting in the roles of Senate leaders.
Other classmates were preparing for CHS hosting the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils on April 3 and 4. Chairing the committee making arrangements was Dianne Dillon, assisted by co-chairman William Danoff. Linda Lorraine was preparing favors and Thomas Counos was in charge of hospitality. Other logistics were to be managed by Martha Axt, Kathleen Modry, Linda Nickerson, and Maureen Pollard.
The editorials and opinion pieces on page two were headed by Ellen Boissonnault‘s column chastising Republicans for even considering nominating Barry Goldwater for US President. “If the delegates to the Republican convention have any sense at all, they will not nominate Barry Goldwater,” she wrote. What did you really think, Ellen? 🙂 (Regina Carestia had assumed duties as page two editor.)
Both the basketball and hockey teams were high in respective standings early in the seasons. While the photo at right describes Dave Wall as dunking the ball, the photo doesn’t quite show it. New to the sports page was a report on the CHS “hooperettes,” i.e., girls’ basketball team, coached by Sr. Martin Patrick. Captained by Kathy Sawicki, the team included classmates Jeanne Twohig, Pat Canning, Kathy Kilbride, Bea Desroches, and Elaine Krepella.
Janice Bushey writes on page six about the CHS cornerstone placed in 1959 at dedication of the then brand new Cathedral High School building. An item reports that Kevin O’Malley won first prize ($100) in the 17th annual “Voice of Democracy” contest sponsored by the local VFW post. A piece on term papers and projects mentioned classmates Mark Rivest, Jacqueline Noel, Joanne Gatti, and Richard Misiaszek.
Twenty classmates received medals for outstanding performance in the National Engineering Aptitude Search test, sponsored by JETS: Ronald Bettini, Robert Boucher, Richard Bowes, Vincent Brown, Robert Cardone, David Collins, William Devlin, Paul Donahue, Robert Green, Thomas Hamyre, Paul Langlois, Joseph McClellan, William O’Malley, John Quill, Thomas Roberts, Thomas Robinson, Robert Romaniak, David Rucinski, John Sheehan, and Mark Sullivan.
In the Literary Supplement, page one, Francis Liro does a take on “Twinkle, twinkle, little star . . .,” adding a cartoon. Edward Callahan and Kathleen Burtt add poems, and Barbara Mooney an essay on how to write a theme by writing about how you can’t write a theme. On the second page, Patricia Pettazzoni has a “meditation,” Ellen LeClair a brief remembrance, Suzanne Babineau a poem and drawing about the courage of Jackie Kennedy, and Paul Donahue pens a passionate “Essay on Peace.”
Here’s the January 31, 1964, Chronicle
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Literary Supplement, page one
Literary Supplement, page two
The December 1963 issue of the Chronicle was the last Christmas-time edition in our time at Cathedral. It was printed with green ink, repeating the “tradition” set the year before. (I’ve darkened the pages to make them easier to read.)
Lead story and photo (above) was about the Glee Club’s Winter Concert, set for January 17. There was an amusing item about the first driving class for Ann Cavanaugh, Ruth Camyre, and Patricia Raimondi (photo below). Seems the Ford Falcon in which the trio was receiving instruction from Francis Connery had a weak battery. It stalled on Plumtree Road and would not restart. With the girls out behind the car pushing, Connery was able to jump start the vehicle and bring all back to school.
Page two acknowledged the assassination of President Kennedy with an editorial, a collection of some his most famous statements, and a sketch by Suzanne Babineau. Kevin O’Malley had an essay about the value of a tax cut on investment income for both the national and international economies.
A page three feature on the student receptionists at the Guidance Office included photos of (l-r, below) Patricia Manning, Maureen Pollard, and Mary Perrin (washing the inside of the glass in the office door). Other receptionists included Ellen Boissoneault, Donna Roy, Virginia Iwaniec, Margaret DeMontigny, Diane Benoit, and Sylvia Sekac.
Classmate Patricia Matthews wrote a page four feature on Christmas traditions. Another item on the same page about the pantomime presentation of the Puccini opera “Gianni Schicchi” highlighted the resilience and deftness of some of the performers. (Apparently the presentation took place as scheduled on November 27, despite the altered school schedule for the funeral of President Kennedy.) Mentioned were Jo Anne Moore, Linda Lourraine, Robert Winship, and William O’Malley.
While the caption for the photo at left says our senior basketball players are “getting into harness,” it looks more like they’re heading out for a good time after a hard-won victory. The basketball team, which had an excellent season overall, finishing just short of a Western Mass championship, opened its season the night this edition of the Chronicle came out. The sports page shows its creative terms for various sports: “keglers,” “basketeers,” “mermen,” and “grapplers.” Grantland Rice would have been proud.
The keglers, also known as the bowling team, were led by captain Jim Gastone. Classmates among the mermen, the swim team, were Dan Kelley, Tom Counos, Mike Bannon, Greg Beauvais, and Bill Wood. And the grapplers, the wrestling team, included John Cardano, Attilio Cardaropoli, Ben Aleks, Joe DeCaro, Tom “Turk” Murphy, Paul Rieker, Dan Cotter, Jerry Couture, and Walt Reardon.
Below is a photo from that season’s football closer, against Tech, showing “ramblin’ Dave Guyer.”
Janice Bushey had a nice page six feature on impresario Fr. Richard Riendeau, director of the opera presentation mentioned above, also teacher to three junior and two sophomore religion classes and a class in logic.
Here’s the December 20, 1963, Chronicle
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Classmates finishing their CHS football careers were the focus of photos (above and right) and an article on page five of the November 1963 Chronicle. Regrettably, after opening our senior season with a 1-1-1 record, the Purple Panthers dropped five straight games. They were to meet Westfield in the season finale the day after this issue came out. (Other seniors on the team — Gene Ryzewicz, Dave Wall, and “Dee” LaCasse — were still to play basketball, so there was no farewell to CHS sports from them.)
(This was also the Wednesday following the assassination of President Kennedy, but as the deadline had passed prior to that, there was no mention of that iconic event in this edition.)
Page one featured the honor roll and induction into the National Honor Society of new members, including 22 seniors (photo above). NHS officers were: George Shannon, president; Mark Sullivan, vice-president; Nancy Thompson, secretary; and June Morini, treasurer. Also noted was the upcoming Dramatic Club performance of “Nativity at the Crossroads,” to be presented December 20. Among cast members were classmates Jan Perry, Robert Menard, and Pam Alifano. Assisting director Michael Gelinas as student director was Robert McCann.
The lead editorial on page two lauded the appearance of a “new entertainment” coming into the “teenage world.” Described as “clean, wholesome entertainment,” the new thing was . . . folk music! And it was replacing “jazz.” Yup, the music we danced to in the Holy Name Social Center on Friday nights was . . . jazz. 🙂
Sixteen classmates had received early college acceptances, according to the article on page three. They were: William O’Malley, Kevin O’Malley, Reid Oslin, Edward Callahan, Paul Donahue, William McDonald, Vincent Brown, Josette Bouchie, Leonie Cormier, Philip Dube, Dianne Dillon, Anne Murphy, June Morini, Kathleen Williams, Edward Chwalek, and John Moore. Page four reported that the Chess Club — led by officers Alan Sponburgh, president; Daniel Noonan, vice-president; James Peterson, secretary; and John Quill, treasurer — was looking for newcomers.
Also continuing his athletic career at CHS after football was Don Chase, who was listed as a returning starter for the hockey team on page five, which included classmates Tom Nolan, Tom Webber, Ed Chwalek, and Timmy Wright. The sports page reported that Tom Nolan led the city soccer league in scoring and noted the potential for this year’s basketball team. In addition to Ryzewicz, Wall, and LaCasse, classmates on the team included Rich Murphy, Jack Lawler, Bill Cosgriff, and Larry Masiarz.
There was also an uncommon mention of girls’ sports. CHS hosted a clinic for girls’ basketball that drew more than 100 coaches and players. Frontier Regional coach Vi Goodnow, who led her team to a 77-5 record over three years, led the sessions and summed up the importance of good sportsmanship by saying, “A girl can be a lady on a gymnasium floor.”
Kathleen Martin wrote an article on page six about the extracurricular activities of some of our lay teachers. Also on page four was a photo (below) and article about a new “IBM 402 Accounting Machine” course offered to 20 students and two teachers.
Here’s the November 27, 1963, Chronicle
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Stage performances were the feature of the October 1963 Chronicle, with the photo above on page one. “Father of the Bride,” according to the accompanying article, was to be presented by the Dramatic Club November 13-15. In addition to the principals in the photo, the play featured classmates Donna Roy, Denis Trelease, John Sheehan, Carol Horr, Frances Veale, Nancy Thompson, Helen Reid, Elizabeth Macolm, and Robert Cardoni (sic) (Cardone). Tickets were $1.
On page six, the photo above appeared with an article announcing the presentation of “Gianni Schicchi,” an opera by Puccini to be performed in pantomime (kind of a combination of acting and karaoke). It was scheduled for Wednesday, November 27, but that was the week following the assassination of President Kennedy, which may have forced its postponement. (Anyone in the cast recall? Paul Donahue? Rita Arsenault? Tom Murphy? Bob McCann?) The opera was directed by Fr. Richard Riendeau and the cast included additional classmates John Collins, William Fleming, Linda Lorraine, Tim McManus, Jo Ann Moore, William O’Malley, and Maureen Pollard.
Page one also reported that Chronicle co-editors Kathleen Ensign and Robert Stroshine, as well as page one editor Jeffrey Powers, were going to tell, in a skit, a freshman assembly that day how the Chronicle was put together. Due to compete in a diocesan speech festival that weekend were 12 classmates: Jim Montanari, Brendan Montano, Daniel Noonan, Susan Barrett, William O’Malley, Reid Oslin, Kathleen Burtt, Jane Curto, Barbara Mooney, Paul Donahue, Kevin O’Malley, and George Shannon.
Michael Reavey was prescient with a page two essay on the troubles facing the Ngo Dinh Diem regime in South Vietnam. His conclusion: “Mr. Diem’s future is very dim.” And short. A week after Mike’s essay appeared, Diem was arrested and assassinated in a coup. The coup was supported by the Kennedy administration, though it is likely Diem’s killing was not.
Page three reports on the Pen and Pallette publication (photo above) and includes the photo of several classmates (below) interviewing mayoral candidate John Pierce Lynch.
Page four includes coverage of Frosh Day, in which very benevolent dictators among the Class of 1964 ordered members of the Class of 1967 about, with kissing of rings, etc.
The sports page (five) led with the football game against Holyoke the next day. It also reported that the 4-1 soccer team was eyeing the cry championship. Classmates among the “booters” were Tom Nolan, Paul Rieker, goalie Bob Fitzgerald, Tom Webber, Ray Siwinski, Lou Valley, and Charlie Parsons.
Also noted on page six was that Robert Menard and Lynn Albano had been elected officers of Le Cercle Francais.
Here’s the October 25, 1963, Chronicle
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Here are the four Class of 1964 officers, as pictured in the September 1963 edition of the Chronicle. While these were the official leaders of the class, we, as the senior class, were leaders of the school (at least the student part). (I’m interrupting the order of posting Chronicles, because it was taking too long and 1963 had a lot more about us. All issues will eventually be available here.)
The Chronicle itself was a class project in terms of editors. Kathleen Ensign and Robert Stroshine were co-editors and page editors were Jeffrey Powers (one), Robert Stroshine (two), Edward Callahan (three), Barbara Mooney (four), Reid Oslin (five), and Margaret DeMontigny (six).
Lead picture on page one (at left) was Tom Counos, as king of the freshmen. Other page one articles reported on Ray Brassard and Nancy Thompson, as co-editors of Pantherpix, with numerous other seniors on the staff. Six members of the class qualified as semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program, and Paul Donahue and John Sheehan scored above 750 in both the math and verbal sections of the SAT. Twenty-six other members of the class scored above 700 in either math or verbal.
George Shannon penned a column about the Federal Communications Commission on page two. Page three reports on several seniors’ summer jobs and a new advanced history class conducted by Sr. Marie de Lourdes for 16 seniors. Charlotte Chartier wrote a feature about classmate Janice Perry, returning after two years in Puerto Rico, where her father was stationed in the Air Force.
About a third of page four is devoted to a ton of seniors who served as members of the Senior Patrol. Smaller items reported on another classmate, William Wood, whose family was uprooted by the Air Force to Nebraska but who lived with family friends at Westover to continue study at CHS, and Ellen LeClair, who had lost her class ring at the beach but had it returned by a member of the Class of 1961 who found it.
Page five reports that the Purple Panthers “will field a fast, mobile and hard-hitting squad this season.” Classmates on the team include linemen Dan O’Malley, Dennis Finnerty, and Fran Stachowicz; running backs Dave Guyer, Don Chase, Ed Crowley, and Paul Defresne; receivers Don LaCasse and Dave Wall; and, of course, quarterback Gene Ryzewicz. Hey, and they all played defense, too! The sports page also notes how some “feminine CHS’ers” kept physically active during the summer and includes a picture of our cheerleaders, including our classmates Kathy Modry, Holly Donahue, and Maureen Lyons (at right).
Page six had the photo at the top of this post, along with an article giving background on our class officers. Another item reports on classmates elected to lead the JETS (Junior Engineering Technological Society): Vincent Brown, president; Stephen Sullivan, vice-president; John Dubiel, secretary; Timothy Holt, treasurer; and Robert Zielinski, “publicity man.”
Here’s the September 27, 1963 Chronicle
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