Benedictine College - Raven Yearbook (Atchison, KS)

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Strike The Golden Lyre TE ls: . 3 .-:iss . , -v.:f-- , an ' ll 'wif l John C. McKenzie Director of Symphony Orchestra ALTHOUGH college students are traditionally suspicious of attempts to foist on them anything bearing the slightest tinge of culture, the Rev. Maurus Kennedy, O.S.B., fearlessly led St. Bene- dict's music and dramatics department into the wilds of the darkest and most deserted spot on the campus, the college auditorium whenever musical productions are being staged, and before the year was out had built up a student following to be proud of. Music interest has zoomed at St. Benedict's during the past few years and to Father Maurus as the guiding light is due much credit. Bellini's stirring Norma Overture played by symphony orchestra opened a year of extraor- dinary musical activity. The orchestra, conduct- ed by Professor john C. McKenzie, presented four public concerts given in the college audi- torium during the season of 1939-40, featuring various soloists. In the first concert on Novem- ber 8 Eugene Drimmel, sophomore and concert- master, interpreted Gipsy Airs by Sarasate, leaving no doubt as to his extraordinary talent. An all-French program or orchestral music was presented on December 17. The soloist was George Schaefer, senior pianist, who together with the orchestra performed Cesar Franck's Variations Symphoniques. Schaefer's piano re- cital, April 3o, was acclaimed as the outstanding achievement of the year. An unusual feature took place at the third concert on February 29, when Prof. McKenzie invited a promising young pianist to be the soloist. Miss Bernadine Pretz, sixteen-year-old niece of the Rev. Pius Pretz, O. S.B., and the Rev. Paschal Pretz, O.S.B., pro- fessors of mathematics and physics, respectively, performed the well-known Concerto in A-minor by Edward Grieg. St. Benedict's College Symphony Orchestra, left to right-George Schaefer, Dorothy Bacon, Thomas McCreedy, Joe Goodwin Cstandingj, Janis Kenner, Eugene Drimmel, james Hagen, Father Pius Cbackj, Jack Murphy, Fredia Thorsson, Robert Kenner, Professor McKenzie, Father Hugh, Mrs. Ruby Moore, Father Edward, Bruce Kettenbeil, Jack Keithline, Father Paschal, Ruth Tappen, Frank Mannott, Joe Wachtel Cbackj, Vic Barbieri, Clint Simmons, Duane McKenzie, William Lyke, Archie Lang, Joe Crookshanks, James Kelley. l Page 20

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classes. They too, as have the second year classes of the past, live wildly and furiously, but, nonetheless, show sparks of future success, some of which even now are visible. Scholastic ability can be noted, prominent athletic prowess is ob- vious, and many of the lads take the spotlight in the extra-curricular aifairs of the school. By the time the third year of school comes around, the classes dwindle to less than a third of their original number, but what this remainder lacks in quanti- Q ty it has in quality, and the true analysis of a group is a qualitative analysis, not j A a mere quantitative one. Wliat we notice most in the class of i4I is an close ap- 1 proach to a mature Catholic outlook, the thing most necessary 1n making a suc- 'v.,, cess of life and attaining the eternal destiny of man. This class too is repre- sented on the honor roll, and in athletics and other activities. We see now that more than ten per cent of the students who call themseives seniors are deserving of note. The three other classes too have accomplishments and abilities, a fact that should not be overlooked even though now the seniors are - and rightly so - the object of much attention. Sophomore Class, bottom row, left to right-L. Dehner, J. Kelley, P. Beisner, E. Hickey, R. Hechinger, C. Courtney, J. Smith, D. Burg. Second row-W. Roth, C. Ortiz, J. Dockery, F. Costa, D. Hart, E. Buvdreck, C. McKenny, J. Kane. Third row-J. Gleeson, E. Hutchins, L. Visnic, D. Dillon, H. Tarski, J. McDonald, A. Gohman, M. Collins. Fourth row- F. Hanis, F. Manns, E. Barry, V. Delaney. Last row-H. Beier, R. Martin, A. Schramp, M. McNally, A. Lang, M. Grazda, J. Brennan, F. Lynch, W. Anton, D. Ryan, J. Clements, F. Weakley. Freshman Class, bottom row, left to right-L. Wisely, D. Johnson, R. Miller, C. Dorf, J. Montgomery, R. O'Hara, R. Dolan, J. Tkacik, T. McArdle, P. McKee, W. Miller, R. LaBounty, J. Doyle, W. Liner. Seond row-C. Kleinheim, J. Nash, R. Arensrneyer, N. Cuff, R. Pratt, J. Hurley, F. Schwartz, W. Lafferty, T. Abercrombie, R. Jones, R. Marriott, T. McCreedy, C. Staska. Third row-J. Coleman, M. Nugent, R. Frey. Fourth row-J. Schwartz, R. Roloson, E. Menges, J. Van Rheen, M. Quinnett, W. Ripley, D. McKenzie, C. Simmons, J. Murphy, J. Goodwin, J. Haunsperger, M. Brock, C. Wietharn. Fifth row-J. Hadwick, J. Crookshanks, R. Tiernan, J. English, F. Burns, J. Mullen, W. Lyke, B. Dehner, R. Brennan, F. Roberts. Sixth row-D. Burns, L. Woods, R. Wilkes, B. Mayse, F. Spillane, R. Nolan, J. Wavada, E. Koos, F. Wojciechowski, G. Lucas, J. McReynolds. Last row-K. Kappel, E. Kubicki, A. Zbin, J. Applington, R. Liss, E. Farrell, V. Krische, W. Cur- tin, J. Pillar, G. Armatis, W. Wilson J. Lavin, R. Maher, G. Wcaker, H. Wall, R. Jarrell, S. Schroeder.

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Lf page 57 A Cappella Choir, first row, left to right-Basil Finken, james Hoge, Brendan Downey, Bernard Gervais, Hugh DeMar, Eugene Dehner. Top row-Anselm Llewellyn, Gerard Nathe, Andrew Dean, Jerome Koval, Gabriel LaRocque, Leonard Nowacek, Timothy Fry. On the last concert of the year, May 29, the orchestra will perform a symphony composed by the Rev. Andrew Green, O.S.B., formerly head of the department of music. The soloist again will be Eugene Drimmel, who will play the Bruch Violin concerto in G minor. Besides these public appearances the orchestra also gave bi-Weekly half-hour concerts broadcast- ed over the local ratio station KVAK. Classical pieces, interspersed with songs, novelties and overtures, were featured on the air waves. In no small measure is the credit for the orchestra's success due to Prof. McKenzie. His sparkling personality and recognized musician- ship has endeared him in the memory of those who came into contact with him as a conductor and as a teacher of violin and theory. Professor Herbert Krumme demonstrated his organ virtu- osity at a recital on the Orgatron in january. Throughout the year his students in piano have shown his teaching ability. The sound-proof broadcasting studio, a re- juvenated room in the refectory building, housed the orchestra in its broadcasts and practices. It was also the scene of the bi-weekly Musical Variety programs, serving as an outlet for the talent of the student musicians. Frequently ap- pearing as soloists were Vic Barbieri, accordion, Joe Crookshanks, trumpet, Eugene Drimmel, violin, Bruce Kettenbeil, trumpet and French horn, Archie Lang, clarinet and tenor, Raymond Miller, tenor, Jack Roche, tenor, and Clinton Page 21 Rev. Maurus Kennedy, O.S.B. ing, Head of Music and Dramatics Departments Simmons, trombone. Archie Lang, Chicago soph- omore, was featured in a program of popular songs twice a week throughout the year over sta- tion KVAK. The influence of the college swing band, the Ravens of Rhythm, led by Vic Barbieri, was felt in the surrounding territory. This year proved to be most successful for the jivers. They had several long public engagements, and also crashed into the students' hearts in providing the lively tunes for the press dance, the Head- line Hop.