Rice High School - Edmundian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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O pf Q Qtpifgiaao , 5 h af ? . sooo LUCK GRAouATioN of ya - 95' TO THE ISSUE 77' I I A sso 1959 0 ci.A r .. ,.. I - K U - -.m -----.---.+.,v----.v-v.v.'.'. June, i959 Vol. XV,,No. l Brother Synan congratulates the King and Queen of the Prom and heaps praise upon the other 134 Seniors and their escorts dur- ing his brief Prom address. .King Rogilio Rodriquez hovers over his pretty Queen who has just received a bouquet of roses. The monarchy was established by an excit- ing elimination dance drawing. 270 PACK PROM AT PIERRE oN-MAY 1 -BIGGEST' EVER Rice seniors celebrated May day in a manner that would have caused any loyal Communist to gag on his vodka. For six delightful hours K9 P.M. to 3 A.M.?, l35 seniors and their beauti- ful escorts made like bourgeois, capi- talistic, warmongering children of Wall Street moneylenders. They were pay- ing guests of billionaire Paul Getty's Hotel Pierre where they filled the lux- urious Grand Ballroom to overflowing. Actually, the seniors - most of whom work as hard as any self-respect- ing comrade - had saved for months to raise the needed gelt lS25.00 plus trimmings? for the memorable affair. The hard-working committee, headed by Brother St. John, handled every detail with the aplomb of govern- ment protocol officials. Everything was planned to perfection, from the choice of hotel to the color of the bow ties. Highlights of the evening included some pre-Prom parties, parental intro- ductions, taxi rides to the Pierre, having pictures taken, and six hours of dancing. The music of Mark Towers, who has played at ll Rice proms, was interspersed with pauses for punch ll 937 vintage - a very good year for punch? and a full course Cfruit Cup, chicken, ice cream, etc.? dinner. The Rice chaplains, Brothers and the lay teachers acted as chaperons. Rogilio Rodriguez lRoom 47? and his date were the lucky king and queen. She got roses and a compact, Rogilio re- ceived cufflinks. Following the affair, most went to all-night eateries to squander more. x ' Y i The annual Graduation Mass had a special significance this year. The celebrant was Rev. Father Neil J. Graham, a recently ordained graduate lClass' of '51?. With Father Graham in the sacristy of All Saints Church are a few of the 11 seniors who will enter the religious life. They are Henry Lemkau tFranciscans?, Tom Joachim ilrish Christian Brothersi, Bill Appleyard lDiocesan priesthood?, Adolph Menendez lXavierians?. The entire student body attended the Mass on the feast of the Sacred Heart. Over 700 received Communion. 210 Receive lliplnmas lln June 5 Rice's eighteenth annual Commence- ment Exercises, held on June 5th at the Hunter -College Auditorium, went off without a hitch , The largest class in the history of the school l2lO seniors? received their diplomas before a crowd of almost 2000 relatives and friends. The weather, after a few angry clouds and a short, cooling shower, cleared nicely and the heat was only mildly uncomfortable. The graduates, glee club, band, and even the tuxedoed ushers gave a memor- able display of the careful training they had received that would I'3Qt soon be forgotten. Pictures in the center- fold and elsewhere provide vivid testi- mony that Ricemen had learned a great Q deal besides school book knowledge during the past four years. The day began with the entire stu- dent body attending Mass and re- ceiving Communion at All Saints Church. Celebrant of the Mass was a recently ordained diocesan priest, a graduate of Rice, Class of '5l. Father Neil Graham breakfasted with the fac- ulty members following the Mass and promised that after his studies in Puerto Rico are completed, he will visit the school to speak to the under- graduates. ' At l o'clock, the graduates, band and glee club met at Hunter College for an hour long rehearsal- Then all returned home to prepare for the evening. 'By 7:45 the auditorium was already crowded with excited relatives and friends. The program opened with a 45 minute concertlby- the band and glee club. At 9:15, to the careful cadence of Mr. McGill's organ music, the graduates marched on the stage while the audience clapped and flash- bulbs popped. Br. Synan delivered the traditional Principal's Report during, which he gave'particular praise to the parents, the many promising religious vocations and the scholarship winners. Rt. Rev. Msgr. Gerald B. Mahoney, Pastor of All Saints Church, distributed the diplomas and medals,..patiently shaking hands with almost, 250 stu- dents. Doctor Slevin, D.DLS., an- out- standing Catholic, layman,. gave the Commencement Address. 'He gave some sound spiritual and practical ad- vice to the attentive graduates. Msgr. Mahoney closed the cere- monies with words of praise to the faculty, the parents and the graduates. At lO:55, the proud Seniors, their green and gold diplomas in hand, marched down the aisle. NOTICE - This special eight-page edition of The Founder is in- tended as a supplement to your yearbook. It includes most of the late-in-the-year events not covered by the Edmundian . Slip it in your yearbook and save it! -.........e ,f-,M ...sf -1-M -ee -- - we -

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T THE AGE OF FORTY, Edmund Rice had achieved what many would consider the height of success for a middle-aged man-and a Catholic-in the Protestant dominated business world of Catholic Ireland. Edmund Rice was the third of six boys born to Robert and Mary Rice in West- court, County Kilkenny. At seventeen, he was apprenticed to his uncle in the import and export business. At thirty- two, he was the owner of the expanding business, and, by 1802, he was a wealthy man. Only two things had saddened his life. His only daughter was born a hope- less cripple and his devoted wife had died after only a few years of marriage. In spite of his business successes and his constant eFForts to be a good Catholic, Edmund Rice felt a certain uneasiness of soul. He thought of entering a European contemplative order. But the loud voices ot hundreds of delinquent boys who roamed the streets of Waterford provided a rude awakening. He determined to establish a school in order to do what he could for these poor creatures. Thus, the grain of mustard seed was planted. Today, I57 years later, the Christian Brothers of Ireland have ex- panded beyond Edmund Rice's fondest dreams. Today, over 4,000 Brothers teach in hundreds of schools in Ireland, England, Scotland, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, India, South Africa, Gibraltar, and Italy. Recently, the Church has done another thing that the humble Irishman would not have dreamed. His cause for canoniza- tion has been introduced in Rome. Rice is proud of being the first school named after Edmund Rice. We pray that soon the school may have to change its name to St. Edmund Rice High. the 1959 eclmunclicin T

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Page 2 THE FOUNDER June, i959 Above-a low-level view of the Grand March, one of the Prom highlights which took place just before the last dance around 2:30. The large crowd and the narrow ballroom made the march somewhat difficult. Everything was fine until the couples tried to turn in front of the band- stand. Then the whole march wound up in happy confusion. The behavior of the students was superb. Even the usual frosty waiters smiled and confided that our boys had more polish than many of the Pierre's customary well-heeled clientele. FOUNDER NEWS BRIEFS . . . Eleven members of the graduating class will dedicate their lives to the service of Christ. Seven have been accepted for the priesthood, three will enter the lrish Christian Brothers and one will become a Trinitarian Brother. Eight members of the Class of '59 are already in the Brothers' Juniorate. Thus, it means that l9 in all - almost lO'Mp of the class - have been specially blessed by God. Four underclassmen will also join the Brothers in September. 'By September the number of former Ricemen in the Brotherhood will reach l2O . . . Summer School will start on June 29th! One or two failures and you've won a scholarship to summer school. Three failures and you join the five-year plan. Teachers will be Br. Bradley, Br. Kearney and former faculty member, Br. Maloney . . . Some underclassmen hope to attend courses in reading and English at local colleges . . . Rev. Father Wood, chap- lain to the Brothers and students, will return to his monastery in Mt. Angel, Oregon. Fr. Wood came to know many Rice boys through his work in confession and with the band . . . More seniors than ever going to college . . . Many graduates, now out of service, have decided that college is a must. Students should take example from them and hit the books . . . Finally, although schools are closed during the summer, remember that churches aren't. Don't forget your obligations during the summer. Regular confession and communion are the best ways of keeping out of trouble. And don't forget your rosary, morning and night prayers. The soul you save may be your own . . . Poor Bernie Higgins i3-573 was forced to ride on the Merry Mixer wedged between two pretty girls. Despite his obvious discomfort and reluctance, Bernie manages a smile. Over 2000 Rice boys and girls from three schools sailed on the Hudson Belle for Playland on Senior Charlie Garcia is as proud of his girl iVicky Woods, sister of Mark Woods l-427 as she is of his sharp, well-earned track sweater. The weather was beautiful and all had a wonderful time-including the Playland owners who earned at least S6000 of the Rice boys' May 26. dough. Published by the Students of RICE HIGH SCHOOL 74 West 124th Street, New York 27, N. Y. Conducted by the Christian Brothers of Ireland Volume XV Iune, 1959 No. 1 FEATURES .........,.......... ....... P atrick Prior, Robert Downes, Michael Mangan, Albert Rose, Edward Dunn BUSINESS MANAGER ........................................................................,........... Thomas Brennan DARKROOM AND PHOTOGRAPHY ............ Edward Dunn, Frank Bednarski, Michael Vega, Robert Requena, Bart Schneider FACULTY ADVISER ....... .......... R ev. Bro. R. T. Unsworth Robert Cevasco executes a tense bow while Br. Synan hands Msgr. Mahoney the next award. Bob received the American History Medal and one of the Senior Essay awards. He plans to use his State Scholarship to study for the Brooklyn diocesan priesthood. Bob was one of 14 award winners. Graduates Receive 16 Scholarships, 14 Awards - Best In History Rice students won their biggest jackpot in history this year, earning l6 scholarships worth a possible Sl 0,000. The surprising boon had a startling effect on the entire student body for it swept away a growing inferiority complex that had plagued Rice schol- ars. Now, Rice has proven that they can compete and even outclass the best in other schools. Faculty members considered this the greatest benefit from the i959 awards. ln October, thirty seniors wrote the difficult State Scholarship Examina- tions. Soon after, the school was no- tified that nine had been awarded State Scholarships and that two more were high on the waiting list. The scholarships - worth from S350 to S800 per year and good in any New York College or University - went to Robert Cevasco, Robert lnsull, John Kelly, Victor Maldonado, Thomas Mann, John Martin, Kenneth Morris, Peter Ruggere, and James Griffin. Ed- ward Foldessy and Dennis Minogue are on the waiting list. Ed Foldessy, William Oberheim and Ken Morris received partial schol- arships to Iona College, as did Albert Berotti and Joseph Gloss, who were nominated by the faculty. Morris re- ceived a S1200 per year scholarship to Boston College and came fifth in the competition for a scholarship to Notre Dame, Thomas Joachim and Peter O'l-lara received Generoso Pope grants valued at 5200 each to defray tuition expenses. Top athlete and good student Charlie Garcia was se- lected by Fordham for a track scholar- ship. On graduation night, i4 awards went to deserving seniors for excel- lence in various subjects. fSee pic- tures of medal and scholarship win- ners on page 6.3 , With some really promising talent among the underclassmen, the pros- pects for i960 appear even brighter. However, any class will be hard pressed to meet the high standards set by the Class of l959.