Saint George High School - Georgian Yearbook (Evanston, IL)

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.9n Weffoipeff The historian's task of setting down facts and figures in chronological order is never complete until he has integrated with the his- tory, the character of the subject. The history of a school, without feeling behind it, is an empty meaningless account. ln St. George, this feeling knows no boundsg it is livedg it is part of a heritage handed to us from our predecessors. No one person could describe it to you, yet it is obviously present since its outward sign is loyalty. Therefore the fol- lowing is an attempt on our part to set down just a few of the accomplishments during St. George's first quarter century. As early as l9l3 it became apparent that the need for a high school for Catholic boys on the north shore was acute. Consequently in 1927, St. George was formally dedicated by Cardinal Mundelein. This began an era of achievement of which any school could well be proud. The very first year of its existence saw the inception of the Mothers' and Fathers' Clubs, which were to do so much for the welfare of the students during the course of the years. At this same time the annual Grade School Basketball Tournament began. In athletics, St. George fared well from the start. ln her first encounter she found herself on the better half of a 6-0 score. This was against Loyola. Perhaps the most im- portant factor in the success we enjoyed then and are having now is our excellent coach- ing staff, which has been maintained throughout the years. ln 1933 our first foot- ball coach was Mr. Robert Clark, who, like his successors, molded a very representative organization. Today we can point with pride to what we may rightfully consider one of the best coaching staffs in the city. In 1943, Mr. Burnell, who has been liked and re- spected by every George's boy, came to St. George from Notre Dame. With his arrival began a new era of Catholic League sports. His very first year of coaching was rewarded by the capturing of the mythical national high school football championship by down- ing a great Mt. St. Michaels team from New York in the Polo Grounds. ln l928, the St. George band was started and in its second year took second place in a citywide contest. The school paper, begun in l927 and then called the Georgian, received first class ratings in nationwide competition in 1931. ln 1930, the debating team, with Loyola as its first opponent, began an un- broken string of victories which ran from 1930 through 1933. lt was only when corn- peting against one of the nation's top-flight oratorical groups in a contest at Northwest- ern University that the Dragon team first tasted defeat. The first school yearbook was put out in l93l as the school matured by graduating its first senior class. Another popular activity, the dramatic club, put on a total of nine productions before 1933.

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Perhaps all these, plus those honors des- tined to come its way, were due directly to the fine directors with whom this school has been blessed. Brother I. Elzear was the first of the six and was succeeded by Brother Lawrence David who took the school through the perilous depression days. Brother Ber- nard replaced Brother David in 1939 and in 1942 Brother Patrick took his place. In 1945 Brother Iulius took over the guidance of the school, and from this time until the present the school has continued to grow until it is now at its capacity. In 1933, even during the last year of the disastrous depression, the graduating class numbered 88, and the faculty 18. Eighteen years later, a capacity senior class of 266 graduates and 43 faculty members were recorded in the school rec- ords. One development, directly due to Brother Iulius and his successful expansion program, was the construction of a new Brothers' residence, directly south of the school. The home was formally opened in 1950. It is indeed difficult to say what the for- tunes of this institution may be in the future but one thing is certain: future students, teachers, and alumni have a history behind them which might be well nigh impossible to surpass. Sf. John galafzaf cl f S Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schoo s