Chaminade High School - Crimson and Gold Yearbook (Mineola, NY)

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Bro. John Perko, S.M. Third year students have become familiar with the mimeograph syntax Bro. John imposes on his classes from year to year. He stressed knowledge of Latin fundamentals, and his own arrange- ment of the syntax program enabled his charges to master this require- ment of the language. The Seniors have also known him in connection with their English course. His variety in assigning topics for public speak- ing helped us overcome the self-consciousness felt by beginners. As a personal preference, he liked religion. ln his little talks with Seniors he insisted upon the importance of making religion a natural factor in our lives. His other activities embraced care of the library and super- vision of the Crimson and Gold. In both he received a willing co-opera- tion from his student assistants. Through his efforts as adviser of the yearbook, we have been able to perpetuate the memory of the self-sacri- ficing Brothers at Chaminade. Bro. Joseph Quick, S. M. Although Bro. Joseph did 'not teach in the classroom, no student could help meeting him at the treasurer's desk in the office. He was a familiar Brother when bills needed adjustment or more commutation tickets had to be bought. We went to him for our vari- ous favors and had our little points of business taken care of immedi- ately. There were other responsibilities upon Bro. Joseph's shoulders besides the task already mentioned. He took care of the mailing for the school. Report cards, announcements, and bulletins were sent to our par- ents by Bro. Joseph. Then, too, there were many other reports incidental to school management that had to be issued periodically. The treasurer was responsible for many of these. Whenever we went to Bro. Joseph, we did not think he had so many things to tend to. But we learned from some of the Brothers the wide extent of his work. ln his own quiet way, he has been a necessary factor in the managment of the school. Bro. John Sfrickroth, S.M. Many of us tound history, medieval and modern, simplified because of the diligence of Bro. John who gave us his own outlines from day to day. History was a natural subject with him. He could quote instances from the past for the length of the period. On the other hand, his personality also helped us master our studies. He called us by our first names, and that made for an acquaintance we greatly ap- preciated. By coaching the nimrods of the Rifle Club, he further in- creased the number of his admirers. His enthusiasm and novel suggestions put the club on its own resources financially. It purchased its own equip- ment and built its own range. Through the many friends that Bro. John could depend on in an emergency, the nimrods readily solved the problem of transportation for matches away from school. In such a manner did Bro. John labor among the boys who respected him for the interest he showed and for the encouragement he habitually gave them. Crimson and Gold Twenty-nine

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Crimson and Gold Bro. Joseph Mervor, S. M. Board-work and mathematics lmostly al- gebra and the two geometriesl were combinations we associated with Bro. Joseph. He believed in making us see things for ourselves. Half of the period we spent in spotting mistakes and learning theory, the other half we devoted to figures either at our desk or at the front-blackboard. If some of us found the going difficult, we received the added momentum after school at his desk in the music department. For some of us this was a two-fold advantage, because in addition to the help we were get- ting, the music of the band practicing across the hallway was ours for the asking. Since Bro. Joseph was music supervisor, we could enjoy both. As music supervisor, our math teacher collaborated. with Mr. Far- nan, the director of the band, in making the band an indispensable fac- tor of Chaminade activities. The boys displayed their talent admirably, fulfilling the wishes of their supervisor and their director. Bro. Richard Moenich, S.M. Without Bro. Richard, the Freshman foot- ball and basketball teams would be without a coach. He assumed the task of grounding these fledglings in the fundamentals that would eventually prepare the youthful athletes for Varsity competition. Because Bro. Richard was himself an athlete, it was easy for him to teach the aspirants who reported to him for practice. His basketball team was especially success- ful. On the other hand, the majority of these lads knew him also as their teacher in mathematics. In this respect, he followed the tactics of a coach. Going from desk to desk, he would show each student the diffi- culties of unknown quantities, equations, and the evasive word problems. But his greatest service came as athletic supervisor. ln the locker room, he was busy at work checking on the details of equipment. Each athlete was assigned definite lockers and reportea regularly to the managers. Bro. Richard took good care of us athletically. Bro. John Nichol, S. M. Everyone of us knew Bro. John at the station- ery store. Before class in the morning, we went to him and bought our supply of pads, pencils, review books, etc. He was very willing to serve us. In the classroom, we enioyed his spirited German courses. He could reel off German to the delight of a dyed-in-the-wool dutchman. Frequent- ly, he would intersperse bits of humor between his questions and repeat- ed phrases. From an inside source, we gathered that he was a skilled penman and artist. Anyone who has seen his graduate group pictures in the office, will agree that his work is above the ordinary. But his de- lightful sense of humor will always put him apart from the rest of the faculty. Perhaps his long experience in the classroom lBro. John has de- voted more than forty-eight years to teaching boysl has accountedlfor this genial trait. Certain it is that he likes boys and that his boys have liked him.

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Thirty The Senior Graduate more than anyone else understands the impression a good school has made upon him. He is tak- ing with him the accumulation of influences which have transformed him into a better individual. He senses the re- sponsibility with which he must discharge his obligations as a Catholic, a citizen, and a member of a household. As he looks upon the past, he realizes that a very de- finite philosophy has guided him. The Crimson symbolized that life is real, that life is earnest. The Gold emphasized the need of generous application and determined leadership. He has lived through all this and gathered definite principles for himself. His high school life is now ended and the world opens before him. Not all of us will take our places in the world in the same way. Some of us may follow the usual procedure of con- tinuing our education at some college or university, a Cath- olic secondary school if possible. There we will complete the training begun here at Chaminade. On the other hand, a few of us will be obliged to get positions immediately and complete our schooling with evening courses of one kind or another. Yet, each will be aiming at some profession, or at some vocation as a goal. Other graduates before us have been faced with similar problems of adjustment. Many of them have succeeded brilliantly, bringing further credit to the school. Their tri- umph encourages us to make the step forward. We feel sure that a way will open before us, and that, whatever happens, we shall always be inspired in our problems by the ideals we have learned while attending Chaminade. For the moment, we cannot overlook the pleasant compan- ions we have known during our high school days. ln order to perpetuate the comradeship so evident among us, we have at- tempted to recapture each character in the short biography attached to each photo. Whenever we review the list of these graduates and recall the personalities of l939, we shall say a prayer for each other that each may have the good fortune to abide by the lessons we have learned. Crimson and Gold