Cathedral Griffin High School - Yearbook (Springfield, IL)

Page 22 text:

With the first graduates suc- cessfully launched, the 1934-35 school year began with the inevit- able changes that characterize any school. There was a new coach, Mr. Don Anderson, who replaced Mr. Earl Reavy, the first full-time coach that the school had. The dramatic club, founded in l93l by Brother Wilken and called Genesius, presented several productions for their fellow stu- dents and were hired to present radio skits on Sunday evenings for the Springfield listening pub- lic. Father John Morris was a member of the class of 1935. The sixth year of the school's existence saw a slight drop in en- rollment. Two hundred and forty- seven students registered for classes in the fall of 1935. lt was also the last full year in which Father O'Connor, the founding principal of Cathedral, would serve in that office. There were now sixteen Viatorians staffing the school, and their quarters in the former rectory of old St. lVlary's parish were not only in- adequate, but actually posed a health hazard to the men living there. So cramped were these quarters that the Fathers and Brothers did not have a room in which they could gather as a group for recreation and prayer. One of the Viatorians who spent several years there recalled that many of the priests and brothers A pioneer team in 35. spent their free time next door at the fire house sharing the recrea- tion of the firemen. These firemen not only served as hosts to the Viatorians, but were of constant help to the school. They donated many hours of their time to help repair the inadequate facilities, built scenery for the minstrel and variety shows, and in general were some of the most valuable and devoted backers of Cathedral Boys' High School. Members of Engine House No. 1 donated time, talents and materials to schoolprojects. Old St. Marys is seen in the background. .411

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The band made its first appear- ance in its West Point style uni- forms at the Springfield- Cathedral football game. Under the direction of Father Eugene Surprenant, the Echo began pub- lication as the school's newspaper. The word first has appeared in this text over and over, but it is hard to avoid as each of these early years saw the beginning of some aspect of school life, many of which became permanent parts of the Cathedral-Griffin tradition. Perhaps the most important first , since it indicated that the new school was here to stay, was the first commencement ceremony held in the June of 1934. The cer- emonies began with Mass cele- brated by Bishop Griffin in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Following Mass, a breakfast and class exercises were held in the Knights of Columbus Hall. Fifty-nine young men be- came the first graduates of Cathedral Boys' High School and the nucleus of alumni that numbers over 5,000 today. Two members of that first graduating class, J. Cullen O'Brien and Jo- seph Prokopp, became priests of the Diocese of Springfield. eil illffyji il thy iff!-A-as ' Wills ua 35 I GM' .... Qwogct izwsuui yvw9L 064'-90' K rn-rm p Jun- was If-ix CSV 3 -A . Founded in 1933 by Fr. E. J. Surprenant ,, ..., .. .. 'A V . M... 'x V

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V Y 1, tlledrafs Ng ig. FRA N 1 ,, ' I K 'RED HARTMAN ff Qavbiflg staff Father See w-:ARL 1 A student retreat at Cam Star 0 the Sea, Lake S rin ield. two ne 1 S' athletic di ES DIRKSEN P f P gf mentor? haces to the coacmngegggi- at Cathedral high The public was taking notice. Jdygggdko 1954-55 Faculty Fr. Daniel 0'Connor Fr. james Sees Bro. Gerald LaMarre Bro. joseph Drolet Bro. Thomas B. Nolan Bro. Charles Carlon Fr. Stanley Swikoski Fr. john T. Ryan Bro. john A Toolan Bro. Richard Crowley Bro. Thomas A. Pallo Fr. Edward T. O'Neill Mr. Don Anderson eve air d f of h 5Cho01, fn basketball S lfksen, shown an out Sessions an Lan YI the 1936 football st' Low and football wash the right gbov D ier Park, year by SFE3iZerslty basketbail ggfsen is is forrtiiei-Iagspgeen named head Bu-,m I' Sees and R - He will be ngfield high HIL who is I Ed Hut assisted ' and and - rom c ' - man. lf 111 fo tb - -A will coach only part tglgfeilgo, IS employegrgg Egrgul athyeteall RZ, Y W 6 Pillsbury 1936 also saw the appointment of a new coach for the athletic teams, Mr. Charles Dirksen. Coach Dirksen was helped by Mr. Frank Hartman who became closely associated with the athletic programs of the school. lt was also in this year that the school colors were changed from the original purple and white to the purple and gold to avoid confu- sion with several other schools in the Springfield area. In March of 1957, Father O'Connor left for Belgium to at- tend a General Chapter of the - l Clerics of St. Viator. At this chapter, he was elected to Assis- tant Superior General of the con- gregation. Father James Sees was appointed acting principal for the remainder of the year and at the June commencement it was an- nounced that he would become the second principal of Cathedral Mr. Dirksen also resigned as coach at the end of the school year to join the faculty at St. Louis University. Msgr. M. A. Tarrent officiated at the gradua- tion exercises that year as Bishop Griffin was out of the city. 1955-56 Faculty Fr. Daniel 0'Connor Fr. James Sees Bro. Gerald LaMarre Bro. joseph Drolet Fr. Thomas Nolan Bro. Charles Carlon Fr. Stanley Swikoski Fr. john T. Ryan Bro. john A. Toolan Fr. john P. Lynch Fr. E. J. SUFPFCHHHI Mr. Charles Dirksen 1956-57 Faculty Fr. Daniel O'Connor, Fr. james Sees Bro. Gerald LaMarre Bro. joseph Drolet Bro. Thomas B. Nolan Bro. Charles Carlon Fr. Stanley Swikoski Fr. john T. Ryan Bro. john A Toolan Fr. W. A. Harris Fr. john Wood Mr. Charles Dirksen 1957-58 Faculty Fr. james Sees Bro. Gerald LaMarre Bro. joseph Drolet Bro. Thomas B. Nolan Bro. Charles Carlon Fr. Stanley Swikoski Fr. john T. Ryan Bro. john A Toolan Fr. joseph J. Ryan Fr. T. L. Sullivan Bro. Thomas A. Pallo Fr. Francis j. Duffy Mr. Albert Eck Mr. Gregory Sloan