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