A new CHS — done deal?

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Bill McDonald

At a press conference this afternoon, in front of the damaged Cathedral High School building on Surrey Road, officials from the Springfield Diocese and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a $38 million agreement that will reportedly lead to the rebuilding of the high school, as well as an adjacent pre-school and middle school.

Springfield Republican report

What the new high school will be remains to be seen. Enrollment, which was more than 3,000 students in our time, is now 228 high school students, and a building of smaller scale may be appropriate. It appears, however, that a new Cathedral High School will replace the building in which we spent four years.

What do you see in Cathedral’s future? Continuing small enrollment? A return to the “glory days”? 🙂

‘Ladies and gentlemen — the Beatles!’

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Bill McDonald

For four weeks up until February 1, 50 years ago, the #1 song in the U.S. was “There! I’ve Said It Again” by Bobby Vinton. Then things changed. For the next 14 weeks, the #1 song was a Beatles song. First, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” then “She Loves You” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

Sunday, February 9, 50 years ago, attention riveted on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Beatles’ first appearance on American TV. Did you watch? The February 28, 1964, edition of Cathedral Chronicle had no mention of the Beatles. How big a deal were they at school? Among your friends?

The March 25, 1964, issue of the Chronicle, however, contained an article (click image of article to enlarge) about classmate Sandra Bruschi getting an autograph of Ringo, through the auspices of a family friend, while Sandy and her family were vacationing in Miami Beach. The Beatles were in Miami Beach at the time as well.

She brought a photo of the “Fab Four,” with the inscription “To Sandy and Helene [her sister], with love, The Beatles, Ringo Starr,” to school where it was on display for a day in Fr. Bourque’s classroom.

The Minstrel Revue senior year, in April, did not ignore the Beatles, certainly. In a segment entitled “The English Cross the Channel for a Visit,” there was a “Typically English” group, the song “Charade,” and “The Four Chaps” doing “Something Sophisticated.” Bill Danoff, Larry Dempsey, and Brendan Montano often performed for us. But the Beatles were not a trio. On this one occasion, they added Mike Reavey. Mike recalls they wore wigs and probably performed a Beatles song, though, as he says, “I did not sing a note.” Early lip synch.

This is a picture of The Four Chaps (l-r): Larry Dempsey, Bill Danoff, Mike Reavey, and Brendan Montano, culled from the Minstrel Revue program and slightly edited.

Anyone remember more about their performance? Oh, for video cameras back then. Did anyone ever take “movies”?

Quo vadis, CHS?

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Bill McDonald

This is an interesting illustration on the CHS home page.

“. . . new Cathedral High School on Surrey Road.” That seems to imply a rebuilding of the school building, heavily damaged in the 2011 tornado and closed since. But wait. The Springfield Republican, in an article Jan. 26, says the future of CHS is “on hold.”

The spokesman for the Diocese of Springfield says decisions about the school depend on final resolution of efforts to secure funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the success of a drive to fund the “Cathedral Endowment Fund for Tuition Assistance.” When you click on the above illustration on the CHS website, you go to a page describing that fund.

In a letter to the editor Feb. 2, Ralph Hess ’78, secretary of the CHS board of trustees, provides more information and lays out the case for the endowment fund.

What do you think is going to happen? Do you want a new Cathedral High School on Surrey Road?

‘Purple’ stuff

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Bill McDonald

Okay, antiquarians (a much nicer term than hoarders), whadya got? What stuff from CHS did you hang on to for . . . ahem . . . 50 years?

Mick Ogulewicz was able to provide Purple Panthers ’64 all but the last two of the editions of the Cathedral Chronicle published during our years there. (Does anyone have the May and June 1964 editions?) Jacqui Artiano Ruest is sending in Minstrel Revue programs and has sent photos of her beanie (top) and “Top Tech” pin.

Your blog correspondent still has his blazer. Gulp. I blame that on my dear mother, but I have had about 15 years to dump the moth-eaten jacket. I then wouldn’t have been able, however, to show pictures of the seal on the pocket and the classy “Kennedy’s” mark.

Let us know what you’ve got. Send pictures. Don’t be ashamed or bashful. It’s not a disorder . . . I’m pretty sure.

CHS maze

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Bill McDonald

The Student Handbook contained schematic drawings of Cathedral, which many of you must have used, at least as freshmen, to get around. . . right. What a maze it was and what a crowded one!

As the schedlue (sic) at right shows, we were given _four minutes_ to get from class to class. Not too bad if you’re going from 212 to 308 or something. But what about when you had class in the science wing and had to get back into the main section, a floor or two down? Or worse, the gym! ‘Scuse me! Coming through!

Very early losses

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Bill McDonald

We lost two classmates before they even became juniors.

Fifty-two years ago, on this date, a Thursday then, we awoke and learned, or came to school and found out, that Richard McGurk had died the night before. Richie had been wounded when he and his brother, Raymond, a freshman at Cathedral, were, according to the police, “horsing around” in the family kitchen. It was sad and shocking news, as the headline in the January 18, 1962, Springfield Union shows.

The article, at right (click to enlarge), reported that Richie had died on a Mercy Hospital operating table at 9:29 pm the previous night, less than two hours after he had been stabbed, near the heart. His brother, Ray, the article said, “collapsed from shock following the accident” and was admitted to Mercy Hospital in fair condition.

We didn’t have official grief counselors come to school to help students and teachers in their grief, as is common today. But it is likely that nuns and priests, and fellow students, played that role and likely well. Perhaps there were official gatherings at school at which prayers were said, and prayers said in various classes, but many students probably went through that Thursday and Friday, and then the wake Friday night and funeral Saturday morning, in a daze. Richie’s obit, from the Daily News of January 18, 1952, is above left (click to enlarge).

No mention of Richie’s death appeared in the Cathedral Chronicle, perhaps because of the tragic circumstances and because most everyone knew what had happened. There was, in the September 29, 1961, issue of the Chronicle, a few months earlier, notice of the death of Gerard Plante on August 27 (above right, click to enlarge). The tribute to Gerard bore the rather odd title “Frosh Departs . . .”

Gerard had been hospitalized for several weeks prior to his death. His death, then, was less shocking than that of Richie McGurk’s, but no less sad. As an indication of his pleasure at being a student at Cathedral and a member of our class, he was buried in his uniform blazer.

‘A True Cathedralite’

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Bill McDonald

Our Student Handbook contained a lot of information. I’m sure we all had read it and knew it well. 🙂 It also provides a lot of context about our days and years at CHS. There were sections on

School History
Philosophy and Objectives
Spiritual Development
Intellectual Development
Moral Development
Cultural Development
Physical Development

Opening the section on Spiritual Development was this picture of then-Rev. Timothy J. Leary. He later was named a monsignor. Wrapping up that same section was the “Pledge of a True Cathedralite,” beginning with “I pledge:

To cooperate with divine grace in forming myself into a true and perfect Christian
To think, judge and act constantly and consistently in accordance with right reason illuminated by the supernatural light of the example and teaching of Christ
To be aware of the need of supernatural aid and desirous of obtaining it through prayer and good works, and above all through attendance at Holy Mass and frequent reception of the Sacraments
To be clean in speech, in action and appearance, transcending all that is vulgar and unbecoming a Christian lady or gentleman
To do honor to Cathedral High School by my dignity, publicly or privately observed, whether it be at official school functions or outside of school jurisdiction
To possess the desire for increased learning, and the initiative to pursue it through exercise in clear, accurate and logical thinking under the direction of the faculty of my school
To preserve the ideal of honesty in my own soul and in the souls of my school associates by scrupulous devotion to exclusively personal effort in school work
To be respectful of the authority of properly constituted officers of government and willing always to make any self-sacrifice necessary to promote the common good of our community and the whole nation
To respect and tolerate the rights and opinions of others regardless of race, religion, political affiliation or social standing
To be loyal to my school, its directors and faculty, having always the best interests of Cathedral High School at heart and shunning anything that would bring disgrace upon it.”

Christmas time at CHS

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Bill McDonald

This Christmas poem and illustration appeared in the December 20, 1963, edition of Cathedral Chronicle. As you can see, the poem was written by Charlotte Chartier. Does anyone know the illustrator “Connery”? Don’t you love the classic green ink? The entire edition was green.

Many thanks to Mitchell Ogulewicz, who has provided Purple Panthers ’64 with copies of all the Chronicles published during our years there. They provide a rich trove of memories and we will be making extensive use of the content, especially photos.

Also in the December 1963 edition were:
• a report on the upcoming annual winter concert by the Glee Club, to be held January 20
• announcement of the upcoming trip (February 15-19) to Washington, DC, for government students and senior members of the National Honor Society. Cost was listed as $65-$75.
• a listing of special Christmas programming on WHYN (channel 40) and WWLP (channel 22)
• a description of Christmas projects in the girls’ Foods and Nutrition class (yum). The article also refers to parties planned by the class, usually held on holy days. (?) The writer points out while the parties sound like fun, “strict discipline is maintained at all times.” But of course!
• a preview of the boys’ basketball team, which was to open its season the date of the edition. Led by Gene “Winkle” Ryzewicz, it said, the team had been ranked the #10 team in New England pre-season.

In our freshman year, the Chronicle reported, the Dramatic Society and Glee Club re-enacted the Nativity scene. The only member of our class mentioned was Michael Reavey, who portrayed “Benjamin.”

"'Look at the Child smile,' muses Kathleen Modry in the role of Columbine, as Stehen Dreyer and Jeffrey Powers comply." Chronicle caption.

“‘Look at the Child smile,’ muses Kathleen Modry in the role of Columbine, as Stephen Dreyer and Jeffrey Powers comply.” Original caption.

Sophomore year, the Chronicle of December 22, 1961, contained the photo at right, as well as a report on the one-act Christmas play “Columbine Madonna” to be presented that day. Class members mentioned were Kathleen Modry, playing Columbine; Denis Trelease as Pierrot; Jeffrey Powers as Scaramouche; George Shannon, giving the prologue; Richard McGurk and Daniel Noonan, as shepherds; and Francis Liro, William McDonald, Steven Sullivan, and Paul Vey, as “in charge of lighting.”

The December 21, 1962, edition also reported on the holiday program offered by the Dramatic Club, “The Journey of the Three Kings.” Juniors involved were Jeffrey Powers, as one of the three kings, and Denis Trelease, the “night watchman.”

Merry Christmas to all members of the Class of 1964 and their families! (See, green, just like the Chronicle.)

CHS rebuilding petition

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Bill McDonald

Three members of Cathedral’s Class of 2016 have posted a petition online urging that the school, heavily damaged by a tornado in 2011, be rebuilt on the Surrey Road site.

The school has been operating at a former elementary school in Wilbraham since the tornado and officials of the Diocese of Springfield have not announced final plans for the school. More than 1,000 persons have already signed the petition.

While this blog is intended to remember the Cathedral High School of 50 years ago and to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the graduation of the Class of 1964, we can’t ignore the present state of the school, especially at such a critical time. For those of you close to the situation, what are the issues? Do you think the school should be rebuilt on the Surrey Road property? Or re-imagined and relocated?

Purple Panthers '64

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1964's graduation from Cathedral High School

Author Archives: Bill McDonald