St Brendan High School - Anchor Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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T e Varsity of ' Weill win . . . easily! With these almost legendary words as an inspiration the ,4-8 team marched forth to meet the foe. The origin of this expression is now, almost as famous as the varsity itself. One bright afternoon, a reporter of the Stella stall approached our beloved Bertie Cavanaugh and coyly asked what the chances for victory were at the next game. Without the slightest hesitation, Bertie', replied the renowned quotation which has been as a bulwark against our rivals when the going got tough. The following day, we played The Mary Louis Academy and sorrowfully enough suffered one of our few defeats. From that day forth, Miss Cavanaugh was the target of severe jostling on the part of her team-mates. 4'Bertie,,' however took all the teasing in her good natured way and for this reason has been accepted as the idol of St. Brendan's Varsity. The '4-8 team boasted a rostra of girls filled with a keen spirit of sportsmanship and player ability. ,loan Broncaccio, the team manager for two years did her job well and without a thought of reward. Forwards, Jeanette Horky, Joan Murtha, and Frances Onorato worked ceaselessly to increase their scoring percentage for the love of S. B. H. Peggy O'Brien who succeeded Bertie as captain, after her graduation in January, was the little one of the team, little in size but mighty large in scoring power. Peggy piled up the highest individual scoring record for the season. Right up in the midst of noteworthies, we find Pat Keogh, hard-working co-captain whose mirth and humor brought smiles even when the odds were against a Brendan victory. Guardsg Peggy Chandler, Ellen Donoghue, and Rita Sasso proved themselves to be A-1 defen- sive mechanism. Ellen originated the titleiof Bertie for Grace from a song entitled Pistol Packin' Bertie-lay that forward down. Grace was not a rough player, she just didn't recognize her own strength, ahem! Beth O'Brien who hails from the same territory as Peggy O'Brien has been one of our mainstay guards. Looking back upon a successful season, the varsity players recalled the toughest game of all. That was the two point victory over Fontbonne Hall, 26-24-. Many people hoped and prayed for the winning of this game! among them Sister Mary Amadeus, for many years our beloved moderator of sports affairs, and also Sister Bernadette de 74

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A Note about Notes Because weive lived and loved the songs, We're leaving now behind, In all our hopes and fears ahead A song we'll surely had. As the metronome of Time ticks into its fine passage in a remarkably allegro beat, we realize that now we're at the climax of four years, melody. Soon, instead of the carefree signature of sharps and flats we found so difficult to remember, we'll be con- fronted with phrases of discord, which we must transpose into harmony, at the begin- ning of each new measure of endeavor. From this chord on,ilife will be a composition of the joys we find in Chopins' Waltzes-the sorrows felt in Beethoven's Rapsodies. In the orchestra, weive learned how to enjoy hard work, and how to strive for perfection, and to appreciate accomplishment. Music has prepared us for the unforseen future, so that we will accept Christ's Divine Plan with a song in our hearts. Turning back over the pages of our high school music, we find within their bars, notes of ambition, labor, happiness-joined together to form chords of success. Success-such a small word to mean so much! Success in having delighted our audi- ences on so many occasions, success in becoming one of St. Brendan's vital functions, success in cramming happy lifetime memories into four years of bi-weekly meetings of our orchestra. Music cannot live without a sturdy staff to support it. The orchestrals staff is ably mjmed by our -director, Miss Belsito, and our very proficient managers, Sister Mary James and Sister Regina Mercedes. To them we owe the accomplishment which four years have produced. Thank you, could not reveal the sincere gratitude our hearts might express-if they could speak. Saying goodbye to St. Brendanls Orchestra-is bidding farewell to one of the dearest friends weive had in high school. However, tears disappear in the remembrance of the priceless gift we carry with us through life-music. Thus, we surrender our places in the orchestra to our successors, and pray that we may be remembered in time to come. Surely, the honor of playing in St. Brendanis orchestra, as well as the apprecia- tion and knowledge of music we have acquired thereby will never be forgotten by us. 73

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Lourdes, her able assistant. The last few seconds were so tense and so filled with the screams of excited onlookers that the varsity called for a time-out. As the players gathered in a circle, someone, no one seems to know exactly who, suggested that they devote the team to Our Lady of Fatima with the special intention that she help the cause of a Brendan victory. It seems that Our Lady, through Her Loving Son heard their prayers and the thrill of victory was ours. This triumph was the last of the first half and was followed by a tremendous celebration. A huge cake bearing the inscrip- tion, We'll win . . . easily! was carried to Bertie by the cheerleaders. Eventfully enough this climaxed the '48 varsity victories. There are many people who make up a successful varsity aside from the players. There are those who cheer them on and those who assist in the technical details. We have been privileged to have two very worthy and sportsmanlike girls as the timekeeper and the scorekeeper for the varsity. These girls graduate as part of the '48 team. To Connie Peet and Maryanne Paradise, the 1948 seniors can only say 'ithank you for the work they did without thought of praise and with unselfish motives. Also, with the varsity of '4-8 graduate our four high spirited cheerleaders. Kay Murray, captain, Doris Harvey, Betty Colquhoun and Alice McGuinness have shown their patriotic school spirit and have become inspirational to the girls who will carry on for them. A cheering squad, second to none has been trained under their direction and is equally worthy of praise. High on this list is Miss Virginia Foley, a Brendan alumna and coach of the '48 point-getters. Miss Foley strove incessantly to teach the girls new plays to confuse the enemy. Then, too, there is Miss Margaret Shehan, better known as Peg. She has been our staunch ref, always ready to straighten a play and call a play straight. The season of '48 is finished but the varsity of St. Brendan High School of 1948 will live on. Bertie's birthday party, Ellen's ballerina dance, the actions of Snutfy and Snuffy's cousin, Queenie, all the bus rides, the favorite- With a Heigh and a Ho and a . . . Ho Ho, Bonga, Wongaf' the games won and even the games lost, the entire thrill of being part of such a grand group will be a memory for a long time. The '48 varsity bids adieu to all including Patsy and Andrew who kept the gym floor in perfect condition. They have but one message to give to future varsity members before they leave the portals of their Alma Mater. We'll win . . . easily! ALICE MCGUINNESS 75