Mount St Michael Academy - Mountaineer Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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'f', ' ' . X gg?ggL,,,Z,,,,,,H,,.,, ,,,, F., ,. ., , VHA, ,7,.,, ag ,, . . , ' 1 2 I 5 I Bro Florentius was in charge of the ioneer fac . p - ulty of fourteen Marist Brothers. With Bro. Leo, Provincial, he deserves our gratitude and esteem for guiding the school through the green . . . and the lean . . . years. Father Tapin took up the duties of chaplain which he was to perform so faithfully for twenty-five years, whence he would go to celebrate our jubilee in heaven. One of the founding Broth- ers has risen in stature with the school, until now he guides the destiny of the Mount as Director. The infant showed hearty vitality from the first, the registration scales reading a healthy 62 pupils. The child is father to the man, and some early cus- toms have remained with us. The first raffle for the benefit of the basketball team was begun on Novem- ber 16, 1926. The term Mount weather was coined when the rain chased the first graduation exercises in- doors to the chapel. St. Michael was paid due homage by a solemn dedication ceremony, during which his statue was unveiled. Mrs. Charles Augustine Robinson, world- famed National Flag Lady, presented us with an American flag. A tablet in the parlor commemorates this outstanding day in our history. The Regents tests that harassed the hrst students dealt with Civics, Silent Reading, and Spelling. Baseball was the first organized sport. An early Mount journalist reports, the large open area in front of the power-house affords us space for warming up the old wing, sometimes, alas, to the detriment of a few glasses in the windows of the laundry and to the great chagrin of the laundryman, to say nothing of the Reverend Treasurer. Our smile broadens when we read about a magnificent stadium which would occupy the hollow along Mundy Lane . Those were the days when winter sports did not mean football of basketball. Our scribe goes on to say, Many a happy hour was spent coasting down the slopes in the rear of the power-house. Then the brook was dam- med and the heightening waters provided us with a beautiful skating rink. Rousseau would have approved of one of the early extra-curricular activities, the cultivation of a large garden to the south of the building by the boarders. The Mount was a country school with a vengeance! The most glamorous activity of the year was the annual gym exhibition in which the whole student body participated. The 1928 exhibition set a pre- cedent by being rained out. These spectacles grew more impressive with the years and attracted thou-

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Nfuyy - ' ,Ae ,'g':v,' 7, . , . if ga ff The First Ten Years The Great War was over, schools were over- crowded, and St. Ann's Academy taxed to the limit. Further expansion in Manhattan was practically im- possible, and the Brothers began to seek for greener, less-occupied pastures. Land abounded in the far reaches of the Bronx, and expeditionary forces ven- tured into these wilds. After careful explorations the most remote plot was staked out. Many a skeptical eyebrow was raised when informed of the choice. True, most of the area was undrained, a brook wound across the property and decided to settle in an un- sightly hollow near Pitman Avenue. Part of the land purchased had been used to dump Mt. Vernon refuse, rocks and rills had kept other prospective buyers away. Only the territory nearest Nereid and unpaved Murdock looked promising for school grounds. Even today, land to the south of the Mount affords grounds for comparison with those distant days. There is one advantage to an ugly duckling, and that is the price. Our ugly duckling was legally adopted on September 29, 1921, since it was his feast day, St. Michael the Archangel had no choice but to take it under his wing. Angels seem to have acquired amaz- ing know-how in rearing awkward children, for some day the ugly duckling would become a majestic swan. I 1 x . .-.hip -to ,atm s. -V Incidentals had to be attended to, Monticello and Hill Avenues had to be blocked off, and a mass of other details postponed the actual construction. Re- member, those were the twinkling Twenties, the era of .glittering prosperity, and the original blueprints were worthy of an elaborate age. Besides the main building, there was to have been a tremendous wing to the North, with a swimming pool on one floor and a gym on the other. Another large wing to the South would serve as dormitories, while a magnificent chapel was to lie to the rear! Perhaps these dreams would have come true, but it was getting late - 1925 already and the big burst not four years away. Ground was broken on September 29, and St. Michael took a tighter grip on the reins. By Christ- mas the steel was up and a certain question began to fly about, Bro. Leo, will the building be ready by September? In 1949 the question had not changed, the difference was that the first Bro. Leo was then the Provincial, while the second is the present Princi- pal, the first project was the main building, while the second was the Memorial Gym. In the lirst instance, the building was ready for September. Should we remark that the infant Mount bore an amazing re- semblance to the mature adult of twenty-five?

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sands of spectators. Finally they were discontinued during the war years and never resumed. After a year and a half of existence the young school began to experience severe growing pains. One reporter of the late twenties informs us, It was amid loud expressions of rejoicing that we heard the news that a new building had been decided upon to be ready for the opening of school in September. Our basketball lovers will at least be sure of a spa- cious and commodious hall for their settings. How easily satisfied were the basketball lovers of that generation! In addition to the dormitory building, two addi- tional fioors were to rise on the power-house, and plans for the dream gym were pushed forward. Then came the depression and an abondonment of our castles in Spain, we settled for the dorm . Regis- tration dropped to an alarming low during the en- suing yearsg the number of boarders once reached 65. Another decade would pass before anyone could seriously consider a new building program. The depression had its brighter aspect. One hun- dred WPA workers were kept busy for several months covering the rubbish heap in the Mt. Vernon corner, filling in the gulley lower down, and construc- ting the wall along Mundy Lane. The cinder track, the longest in the city, was laid, the football field leveled, and handball courts erected. While the con- struction fever was as its height, Murdock Avenue donned a respectable pavement. Q, Mad li Q ,gh- .am -fr N but September, 1929, was an eventful month for New York City, even though jimmy Walker's town did not realize it at the time. In that month, football was introduced at Mount St. Michael! Should we risk an accusation of arrogance by noting that this has been the most lasting ill effect of the depression for many New York High Schools? Our Rockne was Milton Pop jahodag he set an example for future mentors by winning four out of six games in his first season. In 1935, Mr. james jordan of Law- rence, Mass., took over the duties of athletic director. The following season saw the Mount soar to a dizzy pinnacle in the football world. Highlighting a per- fect season was the defeat of Iona, breaking the lat- ter's undefeated skein at twenty-six games. Fordham Prep and All Hallows were already becoming our traditional rivals. Baseball would not be denied its place in the sun that year. No less an arena than the Polo Grounds was chosen for our play-off with St. johns of Brook- lyn for the city title. It seemed as if the Mount would cop a double crown when we led 9-2 in the fifth inning. However, baseball crowns do not seem to fit us comfortably and we began our habit of passing them on to others. About this time an unknown young Maryknoll priest came to the Mount during vocation week. He impressed everyone with his evident sincerity as he spoke of the lay apostolate. He is far better known today as founder of the Christopher movementg his name is Father james Keller. 5 - A I 9 2 6 Vxa M . , alt-i3...J.4..I is .T ,.,.........4,......' ' av I 'M' f f 'W't Q.. M V .-I