Wrapping up junior year — June 1963 Chronicle

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Bill McDonald

(Note: This completes the presentation of Cathedral Chronicles published during our years at CHS. There are many previous posts providing Chronicle issues, and all of the issues are available on the “Chronicles” page.)

The annual “purple issue” was the conclusion to the Chronicles of our junior year. Now, as seniors, we were going to be in charge, as much as a class of students could be in a rather, shall we say, top-down administrative structure.

Notice of our new status was this photo on page one of the new Student Council officers for 1963-64. “Climaxing a week of spirited campaigning,” the Chronicle said, Mike Reavey (top, right) was elected major-domo . . . president . . . and Kathy Modry (top, left) took the post of secretary.

Page three led off with coverage of the second annual communion supper, May 8, sponsored by the National Honor Society, featuring a Mass conducted in the Eastern Byzantine rite and its “strange English.” Toastmaster at the supper was Mike Reavey, who was also general chairman of the event. Marilyn Stowe was chair of the Mass committee and other directors were Jim Montanari (decorations), Cornelia Spring (invitations), and Bill Danoff (entertainment).

A page three article featured four new YLs of the Radio Club. “YL” in radio jargon, the article said, referred to “young ladies,” atypical members of such clubs. Indeed, Barbara Mooney (photo right), Patricia Manning, Patricia Matthews, and Lynn Lacivita broke the gender barrier at CHS, though Sr. Loretta Thomas was club moderator. The article also mentions Steve Sullivan, president of the club, and Ed Callahan.

Establishment of a new anthology and poetry, headed by classmates, was announced on page three. Carole Organek and Patricia Pettazzoni were co-editors of the project, to use work from three of Sr. Mary Magdalen’s English classes. Kathleen Burtt, Robert Lavoie, and Thomas Hebert were to serve as editorial board directors of the three classes, and Roland Chapdelaine, Thomas Kenney, and Peter Downs as corresponding business managers.

Page four mentioned summer activities anticipated for Kathy Modry (“filing meter slips in the large vault of the Springfield Gas Light Co.”) and Peter Mulvagh (visiting Toronto and Montreal), as well as Gene Ryzewicz and John Moore, who were to spend the summer doing maintenance work at CHS.

The Panthers took the city championship in track and just missed in baseball, according to coverage on page five. John Collins ran a 9.6 in the 100-yard dash and 23.1 in the 220, winning and setting records in both. Paul Rieker also won and set records in the low hurdles and javelin. Returning baseball players cited in an article were Tom Dunn, Gene Ryzewicz, Tom Nolan, John Stocks, and Bob Fitzgerald. Our “linksmen” (golfers), co-leaders in the city league at press time, included classmates Tim Swearingen, Roger Kasmer, Rich Murphy, Mike Bannon, and George Shannon. Reid Oslin wrote an article featuring five track team members graduating that month.

Page six reported that Rosemary Lavinski (photo) had recently been chosen president of the CHS Red Cross chapter. She was also president of the council representing all the Junior Red Cross chapters at high schools in Greater Springfield.

In Student Council election results other than the top positions, reported on page six, Brendan Montano, John Sheehan, and Bob Stroshine were elected judges while Bill McDonald was chosen sheriff and George Shannon, bailiff. (I mean, can there be a more bizarre title in high school than sheriff?)

The June 12, 1963, Cathedral Chronicle

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May 1963 Chronicle

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Bill McDonald

Our class made its mark in the Chronicle‘s last Literary Supplement of junior year.

There must have been a poetry project in class, because nine classmates had poems on the front page of the supplement: Carol Horr, Robert Zielinski, Christine Lukas, Martha Noonan, Kathleen Morin, Gale Lemanski, Carol Carriere, Laurena Fielding, and Joanne Chmura.

Ellen Boissonneault, Judith Cignoni, Karen LaRiviere, Nancy Thompson, and Alma Allard continued with additional poetry on page two of the LS. Reid Oslin and Barbara Mooney changed pace with two essays, and Susan Benoit added a drawing (left).

Most of the May 1963 issue focused on the outgoing senior class. Nevertheless, page one reported on activities and successes of several classmates.

A contingent from Sr. Marie de Lourdes’s history/government classes attended a simulated UN Security Council meeting at Amherst College. Kevin O’Malley, representing the Soviet Union, presided over the mock Security Council during its morning session. Also attending were Claire Pratte, Bill Fleming, George Shannon, and John Moore.

Staying a little closer to home, 10 classmates went to the Massachusetts Youth Citizenship Conference held at Westfield State Teachers College. They were Paul Bueker, Joe Fallon, Patricia Manning, Patricia Matthews, Barbara Mooney, Reid Oslin, Paul Rieker, Mark Rivest, Bob Stroshine, and Kathy Williams.

Anne Nadeau was among the members of the CHS Better Business Club to visit Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford, according to a page one item. The group learned about the company’s “R.P.A. 501 electronic computers.”

It was noted, too, that Richard Bonneau and Paul Donahue would be attending a summer math program at Assumption College, Worcester, on grants from the National Science Foundation. John Sheehan was an alternate for the program.

Not surprisingly, Paul, John, and Richard also made the honor roll, Paul and John with first honors. Other classmates on the top rung were Ray Brassard, Eileen Carmell, Judy Cross, Dianne Dillon, Susan Hartley, Karen LaRiviere, Bill O’Malley, Claire Pratte, Gene Ryzewicz, and Barbara Shean.

The Panthers had an unbeaten stretch in baseball, page three reported. Hoping to grab the city title, CHS “bases its chances” on infielders such as Gene Ryzewicz, Tom Nolan, and Tom Dunn, and pitchers like Bob Fitzgerald. The JV team roster included Larry Maziarz, Reid Oslin, Bob Winship, and Louis Grondalski.

A page three article about a senior photographer for the Chronicle included a photo (right) of him taking a photo (unknown) of classmate Paul “Fuzzy” Dufresne practicing on the low hurdles. Another item, on the tennis “netmen” referred to Fran Liro and Gaetan Pelletier as “strong reserves.” Classmates on the golf team were Rich Murphy, Mike Bannon, Harry Dennison, James O’Connell, and Roger Kasmer, with George Shannon, Tim Swearingen, Robert Booth, and Tom Kenney on JV.

Page four included a feature on more behind-the-scenes personnel in the CHS stage scene. Gary Moran was pictured (left) applying make-up to a thespian and other classmates mentioned as make-up artistes were Bill Fleming, George Shannon, Bob Stroshine, Angelina Cardaropoli, Jacqueline Artiano, Joanne Gatti, Carol Kwasny, Elizabeth Malcolm, and Patricia Canning. Suzanne Babineau was cited for designing backdrops, and Paul Vey, Steve Sullivan, Fran Liro, Bill McDonald, and Bill O’Malley for amazing lighting.

Fr. Riendeau called out the following classmates for their participation in the Holy Week passion play: Peter Poitras, Patricia Ryba, Dennis Trelease, Bob McCann, Dave Guyer, Matthew Geboskie, John Auth, Bob Stroshine, Robert Menard, Karen McKeon, and David Rucinski.

Nine classmates were cited on page four for their success in the competition of the Eastern Division of the Junior Engineering Technological Society (JETS): John Trudeau, Bill Devlin, John Dubiel, Richard Bonneau, Fran Liro, George Shannon, Mark Sullivan, and Mark Roberts.

The May 20, 1963, Cathedral Chronicle

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Showtime! Focus on Minstrel Revue

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Bill McDonald

The April 1963 Chronicle hyped as lead article on page one the upcoming Minstrel Revue, to open the following Tuesday.

Rita Arsenault was early in the lineup, offering “It’s a Big, Wide, Wonderful World.” Also on the card was the “Sinner Man” quartet that included classmates Bill Danoff and Larry Dempsey. Among the dancers were Reid Oslin, Dan Cotter, and Peggy Morneau. Other vocalists were Pat Raimondi (“Little Things Mean a Lot”), Robert Fitzgerald (“Dear Old Donegal”), Frances Hull (“Mr. Wonderful”), Suzanne Tokarski (“Climb Every Mountain”), Paul Poirier (“Stage Door Canteen”), and Mary Lou Lattinville (“Eileen”) (photo right).

Classmates who directed groups included Suzanne Rouillard (“Please Don’t Eat the Daisies”), Linda Nickerson (“Barefoot Days”), Rosemary Lyons (“Tico-Tico”), and Elaine Ambrose (“Alley Cat”). Appearing in “Alley Cat” were Josie Albano and Mark Rivest, photo left.

Page one also reported several classmates were about to head out to Orleans, Mass., for the state student council conference. Slated for fun on the Cape were Kathy Modry, Mike Reavey, Dianne Dillon, and Jim Montanari. No funny ideas. Accompanying the contingent were Sr. Marie de Lourdes and Sr. James Martin.

Classmates John Dubiel and John Trudeau (photo above), whose projects won awards of “superior” at the CHS Junior Engineering Technological Society (JETS) fair, were to be showcased at the East Coast JETS science fair at Cathedral May 10-12. Bill Devlin, Richard Bonneau, and Fran Liro were also to show projects at the event.

Also on page one was notice that our class came in third in raising funds for the Catholic Bishops Relief Fund. We gave $2,348.67 to the total of $9,505.66, with Homeroom 314 leading the way.

Ed Callahan wrote an article on page three about Mechanical Drawing courses available at CHS. Kathy Williams, as the caption to the photo of her (at left) said, was one of only a few girls to take any of the courses. Charlotte Chartier wrote a paean to the many celebrities from the fair city of Springfield. Another brief item on students with names of famous people included only John Marshall from our class, namesake of a former US Supreme Court Justice. Rosemary Hickey was in a photo (right) probably used to fill some space.

Page four offered an article about the trials and tribulations of directors of student groups to appear in the upcoming Minstrel Revue. Suzanne Rouillard was quoted.

Dianne Kruger had a leg up, actually both of them, in this photo from page five, linked to an article about upcoming programs in tennis and gymnastics for the girls. Among boys in gym classes, the article reported, James Webb was tabbed best gymnast and Dennis Trelease best basketball player. James Webb and Joseph Marino were named most improved wrestlers. Paul Rieker was also cited for excellence on the parallel bars.

A preview of the baseball team mentioned Gene Ryzewicz, Bob Fitzgerald, Bernie Cavanaugh, Tom Nolan, Don Chase, and John Stocks. Spring drills for football were also taking place and mentioned in that article were Dan O’Malley, Denny Finnerty, Fran Stachowicz, Gene Ryzewicz, and Ed Crowley.

The track preview cited Bill Fleming, Bill Armstrong, Paul Rieker, Ronnie Sommers, John Collins, Mark Roberts, and Dennis Trelease, while Rich Murphy was listed in the golf article and tennis coverage mentioned Bill Wood and Gaetan Pelletier.

Marilyn McCarthy and Carol Horr (photo, right) were featured in a page six article. The Mu Alpha Theta National Math Honor Society inducted 13 classmates: Alexander Aiken, Ray Brassard, Sally Conklin, Tom Counos, Judith Cross, Robert Green, Richard Grout, Richard Kielbania, Bill Liquori, Bob McCann, Jim Montanari, John Murtaugh, and Connie Spring.

Page six also reported on the Junior Prom to take place that same evening. Nancy Thompson and Maureen Pollard were co-chairs of the decorating committee (theme was “Oriental Garden”), while Donna Roy was in charge of the photo area. Bill Danoff headed up the entertainment committee and others involved were Joe Gelinas, dinner; Patricia Ryba, tickets; Marilyn Stowe, programs; and Bob Cardone, refreshments.

Suzanne Babineau (photo, left) and Donald McCormick were mentioned in an article about those behind the scenes who prepare the scenes that are the backdrops in the Minstrel Revue. Cadet Master Sergeant Robert Burati, an item reported, had been selected by the Civil Air Patrol for an exchange program with a similar cadet in Chile. Bob was to spend time in Chile that summer.

The April 26, 1963, Cathedral Chronicle

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Rolling into spring 1963

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Bill McDonald

Class rings come onto the scene. Still have yours? Still fit? 🙂

Anyone recognize his or her hand in the March 1963 Chronicle photo? Remember, there’s an idiom “I know it like the back of my hand.” You might also remember posing for it, of course. Girls’ hands are on the left and boys’ hands on the right (no mixing!). From the top, left: Diane Tranghese, Donna Roy, Holly Donohue. From the top, right: John Dubiel, Gary Moran, Bob McCann.

Lead story, page one, was about the upcoming Science Seminar. Classmate Paul Donahue was listed as leading the seminar in quantum mechanics.

Page three offered this photo of Jim Montanari looking at an exhibit of prize-winning math projects, which included one of his. (Jim’s holding a report entitled “Computing Devices.”) Among others in the exhibit were projects by classmates Fran Liro, Tim Holt, and Joe McClellan.

Reporter Charlotte Chartier penned a piece on page three about Springfield’s role in the American Revolution.

Bob Stroshine wrote on page four about the visit of a Springfield native serving in the US State Department to CHS. The diplomat talked with members of the History Club, as well as to history and government classes. Barbara Mooney also offered a profile of band director Walter Nickerson. Page four also carried a feature and photo (left) on the work of Susan Benoit decorating the bulletin board in Fr. Nadeau’s religion classroom, which was also her homeroom.

Page five covered the story that haunted the lives of Panther sports fans for two consecutive seasons. Reaching the Western Massachusetts basketball championship finals, the Panthers lost a very close game to St. John’s of Shrewsbury. (Senior year, CHS again lost in the finals, to St. Mary’s of Worcester.) An accompanying item about JV basketball listed Roger Kasmer and Larry Maziarz as members.

Reporting on all-star honors, page five mentioned that Gene Ryzewicz had been named winner of the Lahovich Award as outstanding high school athlete in Greater Springfield. Gene was the first Panther to receive the award since 1954. Tom Nolan and Tim Wright earned honorable mention among hockey all-stars.

James Gastone is mentioned as the only junior on the bowling team, while Jeanne Twohig was a member of our class’s girls basketball team that lost 16-6 to the senior girls. (It was those odd rules back then.)

The track preview mentioned several classmates: John Collins, Paul Rieker, Bill Fleming, Bob Cardone, Dave Wall, Tim McManus.

“Club Notes” on page six reported Kevin O’Malley received a silver cup for debating and appeared on the “Chalice of Salvation” television program along with other top debaters. Jim Montanari designed the cover of the 1963 Pantherpix (as he did for our year). Thaddeus Boryczka hiked from Worcester to Springfield with other members of the Springfield Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.

Four hundred Cathedralites participated in the National Prize Math Exam, according to the item on page six. Classmate Richard Bonneau finished third and James Gagne was the top scorer among those with five semesters of math. Other top scorers from our class were Wayne Malone, Eugene Ryzewicz, and Paul Donahue.

The March 29, 1963, Cathedral Chronicle

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Juniors now — 1963

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Bill McDonald

Zoom ahead a few months (hey, the way-back machine can go back and forth, but only decades ago). It’s February 1963. (Earlier issues from our junior year are available on the Chronicles page.)

Lead story, page one, was the honor roll. Classmates who made first honors were Ray Brassard, Ruth Camyre, Judith Cross, Paul Donahue, Susan Hartley, Karen LaRiviere, Joe McClellan, George Shannon, and John Sheehan. George’s photo (right) was also featured in the article on the speech festival. Among the 24 CHS students participating were classmates Bill O’Malley (group discussion), Kevin O’Malley and John Moore (extemporaneous), Jim Montanari (original essay), Barbara Mooney (prose reading), Brendan Montano and George Shannon (radio newscasting), Dianne Dillon and Reid Oslin (serious prose interpretation), Dan Noonan and Paul Donahue (oratorical prose interpretation).

CHS debated the issue of equal educational opportunity (I guess some topics hang around). The page one item said classmates Bill Fleming and John Moore would take the affirmative, while Mike Reavey and Bill O’Malley would argue the negative, all “under the tutelage” of Kevin O’Malley.

Also on page one, classmates George Shannon, Roland Chapdelaine, and Dennis Trelease were to act in a drama festival presentation of “St. Joan” by George Bernard Shaw.

Margaret Chabot presented on page three a translation in French of a brief article on the language lab and another article reported that Dan Noonan would represent Cathedral in the American Legion’s oratorical contest.

A feature on the CHS majorettes, page four, highlighted classmates Anne Murphy (up in the air at right in image above), Susan McKenna (front left), and Carol Ferraro (third from left, front). The article also mentions Patricia Sullivan and Lynn Lacivita.

Patricia Matthews wrote on page four a report about the results of requests sent by juniors who were to participate in the Model Senate to the US Senators they would represent. Mike Reavey, Barbara Mooney, Kathy Williams, Patricia Manning, Reid Oslin, and Mary Ann Polpec all said they received responses, but John Moore was apparently stiffed by Sen. John McClellan (D-Ark.). Sandra McKay, center, and Rosemary Lavinski were included in a photo at right about the school chapter of the Red Cross. The woman at left is dressed in what apparently was a Red Cross uniform.

Hoopster classmates Dave Wall, Gene Ryzewicz, Rich Murphy, Larry Maziarz, Jack Lawler, and Pat Turner celebrated with other Panthers winning the Interschool League title and moving on to the Western Mass. tournament (page five photo).

Panther grapplers (getting into the retro lingo here) were cited in a page five article reporting on the wrestling team’s 50-0 (!) defeat of Classical, second shutout in city league wrestling history. Featured in the article were classmates Ed Crowley, John Cardano, John Sheehan, and Ben Aleks.

The page five report on the hockey team . . . excuse me, the “icemen” . . . mentioned classmates Tom Nolan, Tom Webber, and Don Chase. The swim team . . . er, the “mermen” . . . suffered through a 2-10 season, but the article citeed the success of Dan Kelly and participation of Bill Wood.

Wrapping up the sports coverage was this photo of student gym instructors, from left on the bars, Richard Guilmette, Bob Cardone, John Cardano, and Ed Crowley. At left are Billy Wise, director of physical education, and Carmen Scarpo.

A page six article featured the 4-H Club activities of Roland Chapdelaine and his freshman sister, Anne Marie. They lived at the time in what was probably “rural” East Longmeadow. At left is a picture of Roland and an award-winning sheep.

Also pictured (below) on page six were classmates Elizabeth Brown and Carol Salvon, being shown proper switchboard technique by senior Marguerite Tourville. (Technology is probably the most significant factor in dating us.)

The February 28, 1963, Cathedral Chronicle

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Chronicle — We’re still sophomores

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Bill McDonald

The May 1962 issue of the Cathedral Chronicle was, as it should have been, pretty focused on the soon-to-graduate Class of 1962. Not a single picture of a classmate . . . but we were represented well in the Literary Supplement.

Page one did mention that classmates Marilynn Stowe and Bill Devlin were among the first CHS art students to submit entries to the International School Art Program.

Bill also had a prize-winning sketch of a beach house (left) included in the Literary Supplement (pages three and four). Anne Fahey published a poem and sketches constituting “Scenes from ‘Silas Marner.'” One of her sketches is at right.

Patricia Trench and Jeff Powers each had an essay on page three, along with Barbara Mooney, Jim McCaffrey, and Kathleen Ensign on page four. Barbara Shean, Christine Lukas, and Fran Liro were represented as poets on page four.

The CHS “cinder men” dominated the West Springfield relays (page five), and several classmates contributed to the success. Dennis Trelease and John Collins were among the sprinters, with Steve Sullivan adding to the middle-distance runners and Dick Grogan to the broad jump team. There’s extensive coverage of three other track meets, with mention of these classmates, and one odd entry. “John Collins, though running slowly, took two first places.” John . . . running slowly?

Rich Murphy is cited as a golf team member, and the CHS “diamonds” include Don Chase at 3rd base and Gene Ryzewicz at shortstop.

The honors list for the third quarter, sophomore year, only merited the back page. Attaining First Honors were Ray Brassard, Josette Bouchie, James Boucher, Vincent Brown, Judy Cross, Dyanne Dillon, Paul Donahue, Bill Liquori, Patricia Malinski, Jim Montanari, June Morini, Bill Nader, Claire Pratte, Donna Roy, John Sheehan, Alan Sponburgh, and George Shannon.

The Chronicle of May 18, 1962

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Chronicle way-back machine returns. We’re sophomores

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Bill McDonald

It’s the Chattanooga Choo-Choo crowd getting ready for Minstrel Show! Phil Dube, Elaine Ambrose, Jeff Powers, and Jane Buckley.

The April 1962 edition of the Cathedral Chronicle led with a promo for the Minstrel Revue of 1962, to take place May 8-11, and featuring several members of our class.

Soloists on the marquee included Rita Arsenault, Dyanne (sic) Dillon, Frances Hull, and Mary Lou Lattinville. Featured dancers included Peggy Morneau and Dan Cotter, while 14 group performances helped fill out the bill.

The only other page one mention for a classmate was the report that Dan Noonan had received a silver medal in the recent state speech finals.

A small article on page three spurred an amusing recollection. The headline reads “Sophs Name Byron to ‘Hall of Fame,'” but the article never says that. It only includes Byron among those being considered for the honor in Sister Agnes Bernard‘s second and fourth period English classes. As I recall, we were to write essays extolling the virtues of our candidates. Some or all were read out loud, and the class was to select the Hall of Famers. Paul Donahue nominated Lord Byron, a flamboyant and notorious Romantic poet who lived fast and died young in 1824. (That’s from Wikipedia; it’s not like I remember those details.) But I do remember being impressed with Paul’s willingness to challenge the usual cast of characters for such things, e.g., heroes, saints, presidents, ball players. I also recall thinking Sr. Agnes Bernard may have been bemused more than scandalized by the choice, as well as Paul’s energetic nomination. I believe Lord Byron made the Hall of Fame.

If we need another reminder of how much time has passed, page four announces the upcoming appearance at CHS of the choral group from the St. Francis de Sales School “for Negro girls in Powhatan, Virginia.” The choral “directress” was a CHS alumna, class of 1933.

Page five has a picture of budding track star John Collins as the Purple Panthers opened their season. Also cited as participating were Dennis Trelease and Dick Grogan. Tom Counos and Bill Wood were on a tennis team that was, according to the report, “Coachless, but not hopeless.”

The April 18, 1962, Cathedral Chronicle

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Merry Christmases

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Bill McDonald

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and wonderful new year.

Here are the December editions of the Chronicle while we were at CHS.

December 1960

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December 1961

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December 1963

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Last Christmas time at CHS

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Bill McDonald

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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Big Panthers

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Bill McDonald

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.