Cathedral High School - Chimes Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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The CHINIES newspaper was back on slick paper. It advertised Hep Cat Floogies...the floy-floy and no fooling...in killer diller reverse calf with jumbo crepe soIes. Los Angeles had attracted Mexican refugees fleeing revolution, perse- cution and poverty in the Twenties and Thirties, The Church had been hospitable, the school found in- creasing numbers of lvlexican sur- names on its lists. A survey by the 1939 CHINIES staff showed 27 pairs of brothers--Diaz's, lVlcDermott's, and Pavlovitch's, among others, There were three Brown's and three Dominguez's as well. In 1940 there were 12 Cathedralites in the Junior Novitiate of the Christian Brothers, The senior jacket was powder blue, and a poll showed that the students' favorite bands were Tommy Dorsey, Glenn lVliller and Kay Kayser. Athletic drives raised 51,000 to 52,000 each year, Almost every class reached its quota. Students collected for and contributed to the Community Chest. PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS Brother Julian had the yard paved and put up a metal fence around the field. And after lVIt, Carmel got a new gym, he was able to persuade the Bishop that Cathedral's enrollment would drop unless it too had a gym, The new gym, facing the newly completed Figueroa throughway, was dedicated on Sunday, lVlay 18, 1941. Master of Ceremonies was Reverend Timothy Nlanning. Con- structed fOr S25,000, the gym was built just in time. War time re- strictions on materials were imposed in 1941, making new constructions difficult. Rationing and restrictions made it difficult for Brother Julian to obtain The lights come on again in the Rose Bowl, and Cathedral and Loyola battle for the championship of the Catholic League Tonight's game will call upon every reserve of physical energy and courage from every playerp it will be clean hard-fought it will be younger generation refuses to get soft It will be the kind of game Americans like to see--a stand up battle till the final gun is fired It is some years since the two teams met in this place for their traditional game The men who played that year and the following year--the men who played last year--are not engaged in the grisly game of war Shoulder to shoulder, Loyola men and Cathedral men fight for the just cause in every branch of the service and in every theater of the In other times the young alumni of both schools would be here, in these times they fight it out on some re- mote battlefront pledged not to return until the final gun is fired I I 7 rugged. It will show us that the war, I a new bus for bringing in students from Pasadena, Burbank, and Glendale, but he succeeded. THE WAR TIME SCHOOL The Second World War left its mark on the school. The December 12, 1941 issue of the Chimes says the future looks exceedingly black. It looks as though the formal education of the Class of '42 will stop abruptly at graduation .... The 1942 yearbook was dedicated to lVlacArthur, The 1943 yearbook went to war, but in 1944 a normal book was published. War bond rallies were extremely successful. By 1943 Cathedral stu- dents had sold more than S100,000 in war bonds and stamps. Drives to purchase jeeps lat 59,000 a piecel and a fighter plane quickly met their goals. In 1943 Cathedral stu- dents collected more money for the war effort per person than students in any other city school. In 1945 Avery Grey, of the Treasury Department, spoke to the students, complimenting them on their splen- did work in the War Loan Drives. lVlr. Joseph Scott, a Papal Knight, spoke on the dangers of Communism, and Father Kenan, an Army Chap- lain, celebrated lVIass, During the war, 902 graduates had entered the service. Fourteen had died. A War Vets Homecoming on December 2, 1945, honored them. Father Cowhig, a Columban priest and pastor of the Chinese Nlission, became school chaplin in 1940, remaining until 1955. He celebrated Nlass each Friday for the entire student body and distributed Com- munion on each First Friday. He heard confessions each Thursday and led prayers for victory at games. 8. The four cells of the Catholic Action group were active in civic good works. Bishop NlcGucken spoke at several of the annual three day student retreats. Enrollment increased greatly during Julian's tenure. Over 100 freshmen were admitted in 1943. And 175 prospective students were turned away for lack of space. There were 680 students when Julian left in 1946 fm ..- f -..f...,.....,, or .V - . - . H ...... J., WSJ, U! . . 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'. BRGTH ER lULlAN'S YEAR icontinued from p. 213 first appeared. The Ietterman's club was revived by Brother V, Eugene. The yearbook of '45 asserts friendly rivalry builds character, and calls athletics a teacher of brotherly love, Cathedral defeated Loyola 14-13 before a crowd of 10,000 on Wrigley Field in 1939 to win the Catholic League football championship. Felix Pennino, a star at St. Nlary's College, took over from Kordick the following year. His 1940 and 1943 teams won the league, he stayed until 1946. ' A The baseball dynasty continued. In 1937 under Brother Justin, the 1.4 Varsity won the league. Brother Henry's 1940 team won 19 out of 28 games and the pennant. Pennino's teams of '43, '44, and '45 all took first. On the team on 1944 were three il- lustrious alumni. Uvaldo Portillo, then student body president, is now Brother Frederick, president of IVlont La Salle Vineyards. Dick Salter became Vice-Principal of Cathedral and head football coach, Brian lVlcGoldrick was contractor for the new Cathedral complex in 1961. Track teams were mediocre until the 1943 league champion team. Next year Cathedral was second to Loyola by 314 of a point. In '45 and '46 Cathedral took first again, 22!brothers' school Basketball teams were mediocre. Tennis teams were short-lived and not very successful. Wrestling, golf, and swimming were introduced in 1946. But the big new sport was boxing. In 1938 Brother Kevin sold shares in a boxing corporation. Students parents and the community were all enthusiastic, In a few years the boxers ounumbered the players on all three football teams. When the new gym opened in 1941, Brother Gerard drew large crowds to Fathers and Sons Night, and many of the public to the popular smokers, These latter performances began with a sports film, featured several bouts and a wrestling match or two, and ended with a fine cigar. Brother Edwin, who came with Brother Julian, was in large part responsible for the athletic program. He was track coach and athletic director, as well as student activi- ties director and head of the com- mercial department. He reorganized the league and got for it full standing in the CIF. Tom McGuire, whose parents had helped the Brothers at Baldwin St., joined Brother Edwin to begin the Fathers' Guild. He Started the Annual Fiesta and Dinner which were to become a Cathedral tra- dition. He supervised the Athletic and Administration fund which, during its existence, raised over S100,000 for the school. Ed Panick, the greatest manager Cathedral ever had, returned after graduation in '44 to work as trainer for the football teams and coach for any Cee or Bee team that needed one. It was during Julian's years that a stable core of Brothers developed, a core not to dissolve until the Sixties. Brother Paschal had come in 1931 and didn't leave until 1960. WAR YEARS Brother Christian Victor, the early principal, returned in 1940 and stayed until he died 21 years later, Brother Augustine arrived in 1942 and stayed 23 years. Brother Ligouri Edward came in 1944 and taught Cexcept for a year at Sacramentol until 1962. Stalwarts of Julian's early years were Brother Basil, an old standby and Brother Justin, who is remem- bered for his ability to do equations on the board as well right handed as left. THE PREWAR ' SCHOOL

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SPRING CONCERT SOURCE GF PRIDE Brother William Cyril became prin- cipal of Cathedral in 1946. His in- terest in music led to the revival of the band and the institution of the glee club and Senior chorus. In the spring of 1950 he conducted the glee club and chorus, and Nlr. Disparte, the band, in the first Spring Concert. Two years later the first two sched- uled performances sold out weeks in advance, a third one had to be sched- uled. The Annual Spring Concert had become a tradition. Brother R. Kenneth took over the chorus and glee clubs when Brother William left in 1952. He continued as conductor lexcept for the spring of 19611 until 1963, the fourteenth and last concert. IVlr. Campos and Nlr. Cronin succeeded Mr. Disparte. The concert was throughout this per- iod well attended, well appreciated, a source of pride for the students, dean of discipline, English teacher, and vice principal, Ligouri Edward. Students remember his sayings: Use your wilI, Talk to your nerves, Be real , his disciplinary proce- dures: toothpick and glue sculpture, the circles in the yard, and his class- room performances in English and religion. NEW PROGRAMS But not everything was stable in the Fifties. The curriculum was continu- ally being reworked. The school tried to provide for widely varying abilities and differing needs of its students. Three different curricula were offered. Technical education promised to solve part of the problem. After con- siderable debate over the kind of building, the Cathedral High School and a symbol of the school's contri- bution to the community. THE OLD GUARD The core of Brothers from the late Forties stayed on till the Sixties: Titus Paschal and Christian Victor gradually moved out of teaching duties, Brother Augustine concerned himself with fund-raising, athletic events, parents' clubs, and the alum- ni. Brother Nlaris taught and coached from 1946 to 1954 and Brother Celestine from 1948 to 1955. But the man of the Fifties was the 24!spring concert Technical Annex was constructed by the Archdiocese. Brother Raphael and Brother Celestine were trained to teach woodworking and auto mechanics. Classes began in the fall semester of 1949. Cardinal McIntyre on February 9, 1950, dedicated the building, drill presses, valve grinders, band saws, and belt sanders, all. lStudents in the curriculum also took mechanical drawing, history, re- medial reading and mathematics, and religion.i The Commercial-Academic curricu- lum continued in an expanded form. Typing, shorthand, bookkeeping, business law, and business theory were offered, as well as sufficient courses to qualify the student for en- trance into college, and of course, religion. The Academic curriculm included Latin, trigonometry, physics, chem- istry, English, civics, Spanish, and religion. Five classes of freshmen were admit- ted and grouped according to perfor mance on an entrance test which now determined not only who would win the scholarships but also who would get ln, and where they would get A typical year began with 740 students saw 70 transfer out, and 20 transfer THE LAY STAFF A constant difficulty in mamtalnln high standards of teaching In all of the courses was the short tenure and lack of experience of most of the lay teaching staff Brother Bertram requested a raise in the laymen s salary to 53,000 when, in 1953, judged four of nme laymen teaching ones were hired away by other schools Not all the laymen were transients The two lVlcGoverns taught Latin and English for a number of years giving the academic courses an air of respectability The coaches Dallmeler in football and Clmmo ln basketball stayed on Vic Balzano, hired In 1954, and Dick Salter in 1957, stayed on through the Sixties VOCA TIONS In one important respect the school seemed to be falling the expectations of its founders Though the rosary . . I in, n I . I 1 .. I . g . z , ' he below standard , and the two good l I n u .n I u