Aquinas Institute - Arete Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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Rochester Catholic High School Of course, I looked around for our classmates first. I saw Mary Whalen before any of the others. She is as charming as ever, quite as charming as the pictures she paints. She has only just returned from France where she has been studying for the past two years. While I was talking with Mary, a very tall young man, accompanied by a priest, stepped up to us. We looked at them closely but failed to recognize either and were beginning to think they had been mistaken, when the priest said, “So, you don’t know me, Gertrude?” I instantly recognized the voice. It was indeed Albert Geiger! Who would have thought it! We talked about the happy days in the Rochester Catholic High School and in the course of our conversation he informed me that he has lately been appointed assistant to Rev. M. L. Nolan. But the tall young man did not intend to be left out in the cold any longer and accord¬ ingly he broke in upon our conversation with, “And don’t you know me either?” I looked up at him, and had to admit that I didn’t, so Father Geiger introduced him as, “Mr. Edmund Conolly, junior member of the firm of Conolly Bros., bookbinders.” I was indeed astonished, as you may well imagine. It seems funny that Edmund should take so to books, when at school it was a well recognized fact that he had no particular liking for them. While we four were talking together, a very scholarly looking priest approached us. It was none other than Father Keenan. He has become somewhat older in appearance than when I saw him last, but no doubt his duties as President of the Rochester Catholic College for Young Men may be the cause. I inquired for Father Dowd, and Father Keenan said he had sent his regrets on not being able to attend the banquet, as he was due that night to give a lecture before the Holy Name Society of his parish, St. John’s new church on East Ave. near Brighton. Father Napier, it seems, is also pastor of a new parish, a branch of the Immacu¬ late in the southern part of the city. We looked around for some of the others, and in our search met William Deverell who has the important position of Treasurer of the Rochester Trust and Safe Deposit Company. (William always did show great ability in handling money.) George Kalnibacher, William said, had been unable to attend the banquet as he could not spare the time to travel. He is president of a western college, you know, and is also quite a writer. Have you read the third edition of “The White Treasure?” You remem¬ ber it first appeared in the “Student” while we were at school. But to continue:—by this time we had wandered over near the orchestra, and to my surprise I discovered the director to be John Mattie. His experience during school days is serving him in good stead. We did not see Augustine Martone in his old place, but came across him later on. He said he is so busy with the patients, you know he is one of the leading physicians of the city and has a very extensive practice, that he has no time to practice with the orchestra. As yet, I had not met all the girls, so with redoubled energy I set about looking for them. At length we caught sight of Mary Gebaud. She is doing real missionary work in the world, by nursing the sick, or in other words, is a professional nurse. Marguerite Quinlivan sixteen

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Senior Annual, Nineteen Fourteen within me; I wondered how the dear old city looked; how all my friends and classmates, of whom I had not heard in years, were. How time had flown! I could scarcely realize that so many years had passed since I last trod upon my native soil. I confess I had often felt a little homesick and longed for a sight of dear old America. The sound of someone’s calling my name roused me from my reverie, I turned and one of the attendants at the hotel gave me a letter. I studied the handwriting. Where had I seen it before? Surely, it was Gertrude Fleming’s! I has¬ tily broke the seal and read this very interesting letter: Rochester, N. Y., Feb. 2, 1925. Dear Frances: No doubt you have often wondered why I have never written you. I lost your address, and now have only come upon it accidentally; so please pardon my seeming neglect. Now, I am going to be a little egotistical, and talk about myself first, as I am sure you wish to know with what success I have met. After graduating from New Rochelle in the class of ' 18, I secured a position in one of the high schools near Rochester. But it did not suit me, so, when a year later, 1 was offered a better position as teacher of German, in the Central High School in New York City, I gladly accepted it and have been there ever since. This is my first visit to Rochester since I secured the position in New York, as our family moved there soon after. The purpose of this visit to Rochester was to attend the Alumni ban¬ quet of the Rochester Catholic High School, which was held last Thurs¬ day, January 28. It was a great success. But I will begin at the begin¬ ning. The association was greatly honored by the presence of Rt. Rev. Bishop Hickey, Rev. Father O’Hern, the Governor of New York State, Jack O’Hara, and the Mayor of Rochester, Karl Staud. After the sump¬ tuous feast was over, the toastmaster, who, bv the way, was Gregory Fur¬ long, now one of Rochester’s leading manufacturers, introduced the speakers of the evening, and among them were some of the members of our class. Thomas Sercu gave an address on “The Success of the Cath¬ olic Business Man,” but as he himself is an example of the successful business man and an ardent church worker, I need say no more. One of Rochester ' s prominent citizens, Chief of Police, Gerald Quigley, who has succeeded his father upon his retiring from office, entertained the company with remarks on the moral standard of the city. I assure you his wit of former days has not left him. After this part of the program was over, Adeline Farrell rendered a violin selection from Mozart. She has won quite a reputation for herself both at home and abroad. Did you not meet her while she was studying music in Berlin? (Yes, I did, and confess I was indeed charmed with her exquisite playing.) Then the Rochester Quartette, which is composed of Albert Beikirch, Charles Napier, John Keenan and Raymond Buckley, sang some very beautiful ballads. These four boys are in the automobile business together. I understand they have a perfect monopoly in the country. Both Bishop Hickey and Father O’Hern addressed the guests, and then all adjourned to the reception room to renew old acquaintances. ftflee

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Senior Annual. Nineteen Fourteen was with her, the very “Puss” we knew at school. Her education is also benefiting her, as she has the reputation of being a very clever business woman. I learned from these girls that both Mary Collins and Kathleen Guerin have entered the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph and at present are teaching in the high school. Josephine Norman is the only one among us who has entered into the matrimonial state. She is the wife of Richard Ryan, the celebrated author. She herself has written several good books. The search so far had been quite successful, but still I had not accounted for all the members of the class. I was just beginning to feel a little disappointed, when I heard this startling exclamation, “Why, Ger¬ trude, I hardly knew you, you’ve grown so tall!” And there to my amaze¬ ment stood William Shea. He gave me a great deal of information I must say. lie, himself, has been in Chicago for the past three years employed as advertising manager for the “Chicago Tribune,” while Felix Clossey is its editor. Both Leo Fleckenstein and George Weltzer are in Cleveland. They are in partnership and are the proprietors of a large manufacturing plant. All the boys, William said, had had great suc¬ cess and he pointed out Francis McMahon, State Commissioner of Edu¬ cation, as an example. Our conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Norbert Wat- tel. He has changed a great deal since we left school but not for the worse. Norbert had quite a time getting away to attend the reunion. He is employed as a real estate man and does a thriving business. Eugene Calahan sauntered by while we were conversing, and we shortly stopped his further progress by demanding that he give an account of his worldly career. In the briefest possible way, he conceded to our demands—“Grad¬ uated from the Buffalo Dental College in 1917; came to Rochester and have been practicing here ever since; doing a pretty good business.” Of course we all laughed at the brevity of his answer. All further conver¬ sation was cut short by the midnight strokes of the great hall clock, which acted as the signal for our dispersion. All hurried off to the waiting taxis and so ended that eventful night. Now, dear friend, I trust I have not bored you with the recital of all these happenings, but hope they have been of as much interest to you as to me. I will expect to hear from you very soon and wish to know all about your rovings in the Old World. Your loving classmate of Auld Lang Syne, Gertrude A. Fleming. I folded the letter with a sigh, but it was a sigh of content. It was indeed a great pleasure to me to hear such wonderful news of the Class of 1914. Fate had certainly been kind to us all. It seemed that no one had let opportunity slip by unheeded, but had listened to her counsel and followed her advice. Our success, we owed to our dear Alma Mater. A hundred thoughts of home and of my schoolmates of old surged through my mind that whole evening and I only hoped that the same kind Providence that had watched over us in the past and had given us so many temporal and worldly blessings would guide us ever onward to eternal spiritual success—the possession of the Kingdom of God. seventeen