Cathedral Griffin High School - Yearbook (Springfield, IL)

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When the school year opened in the fall of 1937, Father Sees greeted the students as the new principal. Mr. Albert Eck, an ac- countant, joined the Viatorian staff and taught bookkeeping, and Mr. Gregory Sloan became the new coach as well as instruc- tor in History and Modern Prob- lems. lt might be well to point out to those who think in terms of coaching staffs for each sport that Mr. Sloan, like his predecessors, was the only official coach the school had. He served as athletic director in addition to his other duties. Several of the Viatorians and laymen interested in the ath- letic program helped out, but when a Cathedral student spoke of the coach there was little doubt about who he was referring to. Yet from the beginning, the men of Cathedral were powers to be reckoned with. The first full-time football season ended with a rec- ord of three wins, three losses, Mr. Gregory Sloan and one tie. In 1933-34 the bas- ketball team compiled an excel- lent record of seventeen wins and four losses. ln 1938-39 Cathedral became the first Catholic school to reach the State basketball fi- nals. The team lost the first game in the state tournament, but their presence there after only five years of competition was a tribute to the dedication of the players and coaches. Baseball was added as the third major sport in the 1938-39 school year. Father John F. Brown Father John F Brown frst taught at Cathedral Boys' High School as a brother in its second year of existence. He then went on to the seminary and ordination to the priesthood. He next ap- peared at Cathedral in 1938 and remained for two years serving as dean of studies. He returned for a third time when Father Harbauer became principal in 1942, again as dean of studies. Father Brown served one year as principal of the school 1948-49. His leadership of Cathedral was brief simply be- cause in 1949 the Superior Gen- eral ofthe Clerics of St. Viator chose Father Brown to become Provincial of the American Prov- ince of the Clerics of St. Viator, a post he heldfor ten years. It is hard to capture the unique quality that Father Brown had as a teacher and he was an excellent classroom instructor. His em- phatic use of the word Well! and the phrase Don't you see . . . had to be heard to be appreciated. After his terms as Provincial, . Father Brown served as principal, novice master and pastor. After several severe strokes, Father Brown passed away in March of 1983. wj. l The first cheerleaders. L. to r.: Mary Geist, Ceil O'Brien, Helen Stevens, ,W ' ' WW 5 Theresa Conners. 9 W ttflilltr

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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

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When players dribbled, they had no idea where the ball was going. The 1939-40 school year was the last to be spent in the school building at Seventh and Monroe Streets. lt was in this year that Bishop Griffin leased the former Converse Public Grade School located at Eighth Street and Eastman. After considerable re- pairs and remodeling, this build- ing became the new home of Cathdral Boys' High School. The last year in the old school saw the return of Father John Brown who had taught as a Brother at Cathedral in its second year of existence. Now the Dean of Studies, Fr. Brown began a long association with the school as teacher, Dean and eventually as its fourth principal. Brother Ju- lius Kirchgessner alsojoined the faculty in this year and, with brief interruptions for seminary and other school assignments, began a career of over thirty years of ser- vice to Cathedral-Griffin. He is still a member of the Griffin staff. F Wh A nnual Commencement Invitation. 'is . , .1 Student projects sent boys to band camp. my Xarukg nh finial' Elin of Uflgr Qfntifrhru! llagfqiglg ftiguul fqvxur Ng: If-nw: ni your prnrun- nl Ihr fifrly Ammxlt Qumumummt an fluenbq earnmg,L'Hag tiring-Fin! uimtrcu termini lifirtg- rig! :xt right frtarl iiniglill af Qlulunhus Albillri ipxingfivlhjillimvin lixrrllrnrg fly Hina: Rehn-nb 354-um 3.Griifin.H.Il. it-su ,mm Father Julius Kirchgessner Father Kirchgessner is another Viatorian who has spent a good part ofhis career in serving the people of Springheld. He taught several years in the post-war pe- riod at Springheld Junior Col- lege, now known as Springheld College in Illinois. In 1947 he be- came afull time member ofthe stan' at Cathedral and remained until 1950. He returned to Spring- field in 1961 and is still a valued member of the staff For many years he taught math and me- chanical drawing. Some years ago he began semi-retirement but seems to work longer and harder hours than ever. U' anyone can be said to know everything there is to know about the physical plant at Gryjin it is Father Kirch- gessner. When things go wrong, it is he who seems to know the source of the trouble and how to go about correcting the problem.