St Dominic High School - Torch Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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Cardinal Stritch came to help us celebrate. A luncheon in the school wel- comed the alumni back to visit with old teachers who too had come for the occasion. By that time we had introduced the freshmen to life at St. Dominic's ushered at the Belafonte benefit concert for the C. I. C. , and were beginning to look forward to our share in the Christmas program. Miss Lucille Youngmam practice drama teacher from Mundelein, formed us into a verse-speaking choir for the telling of the Gospel story. Sister Mary Thaddeus planned the beautiful tableaux which accompanied our story. The one big disappointment of our Senior year came when the problem of finances cut short the publication of our school paper, when after a very success- ful first issue under the direction of our English teacher, S. M. Athanasius, we had bedded down a second, the Christ- mas issue. Class rings had thrilled us both with their beauty and their early arrival. Their blessing and reception of members into our newly formed Sodality were preparation for the lovely feast of the Immaculate Conception. Basketball practice started early, since a shortage of football material had ruled out that sport for the year. Our team played well, and there was a con- siderable improvement in the size of the cheering sections, but we were quickly out of the running in the tournament. The smoothest and best of our players was Earl Fletcher, with Alvern, Vince and Kenny giving him excellent support. Aex did equally well on the Junior team. But our interest soon began to focus on our class play. It was to be a musical comedy-- Oklahoma! in Reverse. No wonder so many commented on how well we fitted the parts, for they had been tailored to our size and talents by one who knew us pretty well--our teacher was its author. The announcement of its name and nature came simultaneously, however, with word that we were soon to lose Sister Mary Eduardus as our principal. Sister had be en appointed to take over the duties of a Provincial, supervising one of the four provinces into which our sisterhood is divided. This brought to our faculty S. M. Laurencita who would take over the Junior home room, freeing S. M. Dolorita for more commercial classes, thus relieving S. M. Florina for new duties as principal. ' '? ,NW-' gin' C ' N ' ,,Nk QV-X fx: 'lx' SI! , 2: ,I ' 9 ' i gg .I I f Ill YH rl: 1 i -1 as gi ll Ill nt X S ' 1' ll ul ' I-In N N E Q Q ll nu : I X fuwisr-an H.. c Lil K ...,,,,, -. H. 1 ll tv 1 Q A - a I all Q ,un n I .,,Q,.,z I 5' 4 .11 Q Q . 0 , Q Ld t 'L'j3,4,,m,x.i.,. g 4 M- . v.,' nf' 1': W 'WAT , l 4?

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When we returned to school in September for our sophomore year, we found that ill health had deprived us of our loved S. M. Charles Borromeo, and S. M. Eduardus had come to take her place. S. M. Thaddeus and S. M. Marian were our Sophomore home room teachers. Latin with S. M. Eduardus, or business methods with S. M. Marian, English with our home room teachers, geometry with S. M. Thaddeus, biology with S. M. St. Joan of Arc, and best of all, religion with Father Raymond, really kept us busy. A skating party, a Valentine dance, a joint program of one-act plays and glee club choruses, a successful football and basketball season helped us enjoy the lighter side of life. It was that year that the pastor, the Reverend John Bosco, O. S. M. , established St. Dominic Church as the National Shrine of St. Peregrine, the Cancer Saint. All through our Sophomore and Junior years wrecking crews were busy demolishing residential and business places for blocks about us, preparing for an immense extension of the Cabrini housing project. The spirit of improvement caught hold in the school also, and one by one the high school classrooms andthe halls and stairways were redecorated. A new physics laboratory on the top floor, reconditioning of the auditorium, installation of a new boiler, Father Raymond's annual benefit dinner at the Morrison, all were signs that things were moving. The first yearbook, a paper-covered collection of pictures and memories, arrived as school was closing. Junior year saw us again a divided group, with Sisters Mary Florina and Marguerite Dolore as home room teachers. We heard rumors of an alumni association in the organizing. Red Cross activities, panel discussions, our banquet for the Seniors, and the skating party we sponsored , to gether with a series of intramural basketball games and the noontime dancing in the auditorium kept us busy and happy. Holding the ban- quet in the beautiful crystal room of the Sheraton Hotel was a very special treat. A school picnic at Marquette Park finished off the year. A bigger and better yearbook, sent to the printers in June, told the pic- ture story of our school year, even to its end. The school paper made its appearance that year, too, with three handsome issues, and how proud we were of it! Our Senior year was to prove the best as well as the last. Here we were a united class, with Sister Mary St. Joan of Arc as home room teacher. As soon as school was under way the choir got busy preparing music for the parish golden jubilee celebration on November 13. Father Raymond had been named pastor during the vacation, and his big task was to get ready for the great event. Scaffolding in the sanctuary meant the beginning of operations. At least that much of the church would be handsome when His Eminence

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The ad-program was our first consideration in connection with the play, and armed with ad-forms and enthusiasm we set out to do big things. When Sister had proposed square dance instructions for -us in the fall, and arranged with Miss Elizabeth I-Iennessey of Seward Park for classes, the boys thought they were being cheated a bit, having to give up their gym classes with Father, while the girls Q f 0 regretted forfeiting Miss Hennessey's volleyball instructions. However, it wasn't long before we were finding more fun than J we had left behind and were taking a long step in preparation for the play. v fum As parts evolved and songs and dances fell into place we began to know we had a really good play to offer. Miss Eleanor DiMaggio, music practice teacher from Mundelein, had taken over the singing when a bad fall had put S. M. Annunciation in the hospital. With Miss Jean Cieja, biology practice teacher, relieving S. M. St. Joan of Arc to conduct our practice or hold the reins tight while Miss Youngman and Miss DiMaggio did the training, we were free to put in many hours of solid work. Scenery, costumes, picnic togs, summer formals for the boys, the spirit and zest that found its way into our songs, all gave us many pleasant thrills,' so that when the great moment came we were ready with all our hearts to give our audience the best we had. A boat trip through the locks and along the lake front, meeting Harry Belafonte at the Catholic Interracial poster exhibit, class day beginning with Mass and Holy Communion followed by a festive breakfast and program given us by the Freshmen, then our own exercises in the afternoon reviewing the past and dip- ping prophetically into the future, our class picnic at Fox River Grove, and we were face to face with the reality of graduation. How wonderful to see the maze of scaffolding come down in our newly-decorated church, and realize the utter loveliness of the setting. Bishop Sheil was to honor us with his presence, and every detail must be in keeping. The long line of white and blue caps and gowns, the Bishop's bodyguard of Fourth Degree Knights, the altar decked in gold and white chrysanthemums, the richness of our own lovely choruses, made our parents very proud, and made us feel that we had shared in the beginning of a new and brighter era for the church and school we love so well. 1--Anna Caruso Wh I Z--Genevieve Kuntz 0 S 3--Marian ciuua 4--Pat Marshall J B 5 5--Anna Epley Q 6--Marcia Stacker 7--Mary Reed X ' 8--Anna Long Q E 9--Helen Rhodes 5 10--Patricia Miles , w .ll--Ann Laurix XS 0 12--Judy Jacobson 13--Dorothy Jacobson - - Robert Dominick Elaine Lokcik Charlene Adamx Earl Wilson Arlene Loftus --Joseph Cusack - - Ca rl Collins Alvern Kraatz Kay Dutton Kenneth Fontana Ronnie Dominick William Brittain