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

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7?26 Incidents Eight trackmen ran in the Penn Relays for the Hrst time an eight tube Lafayette radio was the grand prize for the annual raffle Robert Stewart of the eighth grade won the Cardinals trophy for Christine Doctrine rn diocesan competition The alumni held their first Smoker as a hundred old boys gathered in the gym and promised each other more reunions Ofhcers Leon DeLorme Joseph Rernhart and Pat ORourke deserve credit for their rnrttatrve and leadership The school suddenly realized that it had a very melodious voice with the organization of the Glee Club in 1958 A familiar figure acted as moderator Bro Victor Baptist A football tradition began in that Autumn the team iourneyed to the wrlds of Massachusetts to engage Central Catholic at Lawrence Refusing to be awed by the boys from the big city Central sent us home in rgnominious defeat Salve for our injured pride is the fact that our first was our only defeat in the twelve year friendly rivalry Con tmumg an outstanding year for sports our track team began its custom of winning the Bronx Manhattan Westchester crown and not satisfied with this plum proceeded to take the CHSAA title' The baseball team did its share to uphold our sacred honor by winning the Bronx pennant The Seniors presented Seven Keys to Baldpate rn the Bronx Winter Garden showing that sports was not our only forte The first open air graduation proved how beauti ful such an event can be provided it does not run' The whole student body turned out to honor New Yorks new Archbishop Most Rev Francis J Spellman Our enormous Welcome sign attracted a broad smile from our Cardinal to be Undoubtedly feeling left out in the previous years race for honors the basketball quintet of 39 drew attention in a most striking manner by de thromng LaSalle and taking its place as city champs Becoming bolder we traveled to Newport R I and brought back third place trophy in the Eastern Tour nament The First Father and Son night attracted about four hundred men and boys its success augured well for the future Instrumental in xnaugurating this yearly feature were Mr Begley Mr Barrett and Mr Gilloon I 4' y 4 t 4 4 4 . . . 4 H 4 4 - x a s . 4 4 ,. 4 . . 1 a 4 4 4 . v 4 4 ' . ' 4 a 1 a s t 4' 1 4 . '4 4 4 4 ' 4 1. ' , . . .4 .V- 4 4 . - .4 ... . . . , 1 , . a a 4 . 1 . , . , .

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Talented Dr. Carl Hauser had already taken up his stay among us as music instructor. He was to re- main with us in that capacity until his death in 1950. One custom which became firmly entrenched during these formative years was the Annual Mount Invitation Games. As many as 850 grammar school athletes of the surrounding vicinity have gathered for the field and track events. The meet early gained the prominence it was to hold for many years. In 1936 we almost moved into Mount Vernon! A change in the boundary line was proposed and put up to the people in a referendum. The Bronx dwel- lers were practically unanimous in their desire to con- tinue to be Bronx dwellers. Mayor LaGuardia sent the police band to parade along Murdock to show his appreciation. We are still bounded by the side- walks of New York! An all-around athlete during the '35-'36 season was a certain johnny Murphyg of whom we shall see more later. The year 1956 was a milestone, the tenth birth- day of a healthy young school. Major obstacles had been overcome during the first decade, and the able pilots who steered the school through the rough water deserve our whole-hearted gratitude. We pause now to thank sincerely Bro. Florentius, Bro. Leo, and Bro. Francis Xavier. Brother Florentius has already gone to his rewardg we trust that he continues to use his influence on behalf of the school he founded. Brother Leo, Provincial and later Director during the worst of the depression, deserves a special thanks. Brother Francis Xavier raised the struggling school to a level with any of its kind in this section. The Second Decade The beginning of the second decade found us on the upswing, bursting with vitality. Registration was at an all-time high of five hundred and twenty. The Mount students took a fierce pride in their young Alma Mater, and school spirit burned with a bright intensity. The tenth anniversary annual affords us an idea of the sentiments of one boy: We rooted as loudly for our losing team of '34 as we did for our championship aggregation of '33 We have always prided ourselves on our school spirit. In june, 1936, Brother Francis had announced that he had secured the services of a Notre Dame alumnus and a citizen of Pelham to take charge of the football teams. The effect was typically electric. An inexperienced squad was whipped into shape and proceeded to trounce its tormentors of the previ- ous season. Benjamin Franklin, Pelham, Eastchester, Iona and Turkey Day rivals, All Hallows, learned to respect Howie Smiths teams in that Fall of 1936. There was a building program in the First year of the new era, but how modest compared to our gran- diose dreams of '29! The cottage was constructed and the rocky southwest corner smoothed and hlled. The handsome statue of Our Lady lent dignity and grace to the quadrangle. l?57 '

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7757 75 ill ll dl :nina minds' d aw.:-tattoos-OVQUUQAD - -ft, The purpose of the raffle of 1940 was solely to finance a new gymnasium. Mount students of the succeeding years would become more and more con- vinced of the truth of the adage concerning the con- struction of Rome. Gonzaga High traveled all the way from Wash- ington, D. C., for the privilege of eking out a one- point victory over M. S. M. Our first musicale was excellently rendered but poorly attended. Time and the growing reputation of our orchestra would soon fill the empty seats Sunday May 19 1940 was a very significant day in Mount history Before a large throng gathered for the annual gym exhibition Mrs McGovern unveiled a memorial and presided at the dedication of the athletic field to her late husband Mr Patrick Mc Govern a great benefactor of the school Another great friend of the Mount Reverend ohn T ordan formerly Pastor of St Frances of Rome and now happy in Heaven blessed the memorial tablet It was Mr McGovern who filled in the swamp areas of the property leveled the playrng fields and covered them with four inches of rich black loam Due to the recent construction of the new Memorial Building over the site of the memorial stone its plaque is being affixed to the wall of the Memorial Gym facing the football field so that Mr McGoverns memory may be per petuated among present and future students for years to come 1942 stands out as a year for establishing prece dents but equal initiative was displayed the follow ing year St Patrick smiled down from heaven upon row after row of smartly marching Mounties Gather ing dusk hindered the vision of thi other spectators On May 18 of that year the school was solemnly con secrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary a truly noteworthy event in our annuals The hundreds of students gyrating and gesticulating in unison under the direction of Howie Smith little thought that they were staging the last gymnastic exhibition that they were ending a glorious tradition The yearly exhibi tions were magnificent spectacles but they belonged to a vanishing era The faculty shifted the burden of the student body onto the broad back of John A Meseck steamer and the experiment proved so suc cessful that a boat ride to Playland is now a yearly must Finally we should mention in a grateful tone the product of the labor and ingenuity of Bro , v i , . 1 , . 1 , . - , . , J -J , , . Q 7 V ' ' , . 3 - llllllllllilllgiun . . . . . Q..--. -... ., .4-.--nn' A :Ilan uulnn 0 1' ' ' ' 1 : 1 A'uSuu.w--- ..,,.aisz.-.-i.mu:nl.i I . I. , U . .Q ph neuron-Q4 ' ' . . , ina' , ,a , . ' ,-. , . L y V K K ' A 1 I la V , if ' A g g -1 V K I I . . .Qwy ,. ., . . . . 1 ff go , - 3 SL. i I ' A ,, I li . '. 1 r 1 A if 1 '1 M i A ug h , . , sm A.!,. 1 , ' ' ' - ' r - up ,,,lr: '