Cathedral Griffin High School - Yearbook (Springfield, IL)

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1' . ,,f, na YF0f his nfffgikvm S0 ather Spa n cane stagiemof gis smdefg H 11 a die Us earlngx dids out. mgmrnigpiiffyofgsf 1533? Hd Slznllzsuddgn dezfth Te 0 reer In SIS -entire Priestl e ing here in pflllgffeld, com? ter 1113 m I. 1251 shortly ,Lf Fafhe 21 C fvstb 5 , Longt. , VW11 Zim A Project 1 By JOAN memorial h 3 Underwa t MURAR0 wall. e would have? lo give 8 100 Ilked H1 Pri If' - be t N . est fb . Ilgast Ilioilgplgh dinect, will g- S just fearingedggg 'lf sh school i, ost :mmf We the mo, Fame and- ant' if will S results fo Iy mar 1'R0bertL. S . benefit th P the ged ba d plekepm , e Griffin aligseqt mechagicagmgrn when U32 xo? t.get to se am Jamtors' work awmil ...,.,.. 311s tm-,, -.c. roommlambmed- But rc ll' mod Ig enough r a h ' e hate the 120 pio acc 3 Cath aged to See atece bi 5 one Ogle Boys: schth? Im o - oo dreams hu most cherish: -S Father Robert Spiekerman, C.S.V. Brother Drolet, who had made such an important impact on the Springheld community with his band and Variety Shows was a hard act to followgfew would have had the courage or desire to try. Father Spiekerman was the man asked to try and in time proved to be an extremely effec- tive leader in his own right. For several years he directed the Va- riety Shows until his health pre- vented such a major undertaking. Still, once well again, he pre- sented BA CH TO ROCKfor two years, a variation on the Variety Show theme. An accomplished musician he brought the band to its Golden Years of Glory. As mentioned elsewhere, his students consistently swept the State com- petitions and year after year the band won top awardsfor excel- lence. Known as Sparky to many of the students A though never to hisface, Father Spiekerman could be a hard laskmaster, demanding the best of his students but giving only the best ofhimself His work was awe inspiring but was achieved at the cost of many hours of work well beyond that given by most. His sudden death on November 3, 1965, was a shocking eventfor all. His wake was held in the school chapel and hundreds of former students and parents came to pay their last re- spects to one who had given so much to the school and students that he loved. JVM rfb'

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gy Fr. john Beatty Fr. john Tobin t K X E r Radio City Rockettes were threatened. Others who appeared at Cathe- dral in this year and would have lasting influence on the school were: Father Tobin, Brother Per- hamg and Fathers Spiekerman and Leahy. The sports teams had only mediocre seasons in 1951-52, but Brother Drolet added a new club to the scene, the Radio- Electronics group. The Career Conference continued to gain im- portance under the direction of Brother Ryan. Among the speak- ers was the Mayor, Father Brown, returning for a visit, the Director of the FBI, and repre- sentatives of business and the Armed Forces, etc. The chorus lines in the variety show seemed to get better as time passed and the shows more elabo- rate. It also seems to have been the year the photographer for the yearbook decided to picture the seniors on a tilt, making for a very interesting layout. Continu- ing a growing tradition, two members of the class entered the Viatorian communityg one of them, Eugene Bertrand, is now a Commodore in the Navy as a Chaplain. Sixty-seven graduated in this year. 771e Radio-Electronics Club Yesterdays tubes are todays transistors.

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53 Sectionaljnalists, losing the big one A new principal, Father Eugene Sullivan, greeted the students who returned for the 1952-53 school year. Another major change in the faculty was the departure of Brother Drolet. Father Spieker- man took over Brother's duties and began to build an enviable reputation of his own as band di- rector. Fathers Leahy and a new faculty member, Father Robbins, took over much of the choral and dramatic work. News of the death of Father dened all who had known him. The football team had a 4-3-l season . . . good, but not great. The basketball team played its hardest schedule to date, making it to the sectionals, but losing the big onef, Still, they posted a 23-5 season. Mr. Gleason had an assis- tant coach, Mr. Leo Kilfoy, who coached Cathedral's track team. The variety show was presented in the tradition of the past and most successfully. Harbauer, former principal, sad- CHSfaculty in 1950. . .....,,.. ,,....c..N,....c. . .i .. . M. 1 fi? .V at it Leo Kilfoy I iili I I Father Eugene Sullivan, C.S.V. Father Sullivan was the sixth principal of the Cathedral High School, servingfrom 1952-1958. In many ways his was one of the most dwcult principalships. The school was sujferingfrom grow- ing pains and constant re- modeling and improvisation were calledfor to accommodate the school as it became ever clearer that thefacilities could no longer handle the numbers ofstudents who were attending Cathedral. In addition to these worries the staff of Viatorians reached peak numbers, a blessing but also a curse. The FU'th Street residence wasjust not capable ofhousing the members present with com- fort. A great deal ofgood will and charity were called for on the part ofall. Luckily, Father Sullivan was the kind ofman who could encourage others to accept less than perfect conditions with good cheer. Good humored, he proved to be a popular principal and su- perior, always concerned for the webfare ofhis men and the stu- dents. Following his departure from Cathedral, he served as As- sistant Provincial ofthe Viatori- ans andpastor at various parishes in Illinois. Today he serves as as- sociate pastor ofa small parish in Nebraska and visits his many friends in Illinois as often as pos- sible. cd 61' Qytaif-