St Francis High School - Crusader Yearbook (Athol Springs, NY)

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- CELEBRATION Father Adam remembers his days at S.F.H.S. 9 i i rrrr s f f'f1g!FQSwgg5, , .xx Fr. Vincent offers his reflections on life in the missions. 'NJN

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JUBILATION Institutions such as high schools are not unlike other inventions of men and women: if they serve a purpose well, they thrive and become popularized, often outliv- ing their creators. Such is the case with St. Francis High School, for it too was a good and novel idea that because of a determination all its own, has managed to catch on. Fr. Justin, the inventor of the Franciscan school on Lake Erie, would have been proud, not of him- self, but of the fine young men who have entered this schools portals. On Thursday, November 10, it was the pleasure of Fr. Marion Tolc- zyk, past principal of St. Francis, and now Minister Provincial of St. Anthony of Padua Province, to ad- dress the crowd of over 500 who gathered in the school gym to cele- brate the GOLDEN JUBILEE, with a concelebrated mass. Following the mass, a most unusual procession of 550 students filed past Fr. Marion, thanking him for his visit and re- ceiving his handshake of thanks in return. .5 'l i .l ll I .1 .. I l As the students celebrated on Thursday, so too did the entire Franciscan community of Western New York along with their guests, especially Bishops Head and Benincasa, Eighty priests, twenty nuns, the St. Francis Mixed and Chamber Choruses and the Brass Ensemble along with faculty and friends, helped create a most splendid atmosphere in the school chapel. Befitting the joyous occassion, Fr. Adam Zajdel, alumnus from the first graduating class l1931l, pre- sented a light and entertaining homily during the mass. He spoke fondly of St. Francis High. His mes- sage was very clear: it was the early determination of Fr. Justin and his associates and the present spirit of excellence in achievement, which makes St. Francis High the suc- cessful enterprise that it is. ln his comments Bishop Head thanked God that the spirit of St. Francis has been here, in this part of the world, for these blessed 50 years. Q Bishops Benincasa and Head concelebrate with Fr. Provincial. Saturday Night over 500 people attended the St. Francis High School Parent's Guild Dinner held at Leisureland. The evening's schedule of events included after dinner entertainment by the SFHS Mixed Chorus, and dancing to the tunes of Gus Farrell and his band. Fr. Claude, who had graduated from St. Francis in 1945, was the honored speaker. ln his presenta- tion father felt that St. Francis High was and is a unique schooI be- cause everyone is personally in- volved. He claimed to have come to this realization during his term as a teacher. He continued to relate to his attentive audience how St. Francis has the spirit of the poor man from Assisi. . .and all that St. Francis High does is a reflection of that spirit. St. Francis entitles its students to an experience that can't be equalled at any other school . . . because it not only helps individu- als grow in mind but in spirit also. ,2 nd . ...o Fr. Claude praises the achievements o S.F.H.S.

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DEDICATION The Year Book Dedication Com- mittee proudly and jubilantly memorializes it's Golden Jubilee Edition by saluting Mr. Robert Tor- galski, who at the age of eighteen, initiated his coaching career under the tutelage of Fr. Rufinus Niedz- wiecki on the St. Francis High School Athletic Staff in 1961. Known to the students as Coach T , he was an outstanding All-Cath- olic athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at Ryan High School. A thoroughly alive person, Robert Torgalski, represents the standard of excellence as a Coach and Physi- cal Education Instructor combining knowledge of his subject and meth- od with concern for the individual student. Continually in a process of educating himself, he attends physical education courses, assists at various sport and health clinics and camps at various local colleges and universities. He is respected and admired by all who work with him. During the past sixteen years, he has served as both Junior Varsity and Varsity Coach in football, bas- ketball, and baseball, and as Physi- cal Education Instructor and Coordinator. lt is, however, as bas- ketball coach that he has excelled. ln his seven years as coach of the Junior Varsity, Bob's cagemen posted a cumulative record of 98 wins, 25 losses, with two undefeat- ed championships. The Varsity Team, currently referred as The Big Red Machine , under his lead- ership, has never finished lower than fourth place: finishing second three times and won three division- al championships posting 97 victo- ries and 33 losses since 1969. Coach T has guided his teams to eight consecutive appearances in the Manhattan Cup Playoffs, only to lose in the semifinals or finals. ln 1969, he was appointed Ad- ministrative Assistant and Director of Athletics at St. Francis. During the past eight years as Athletic Di- rector, all St. Francis teams have drawn praise for their poise, style, dress, and discipline. He has shown concern and assumed the responsibility of providing academ- ic assistance to help his players maintain the school's high scholas- tic standards. He has also orga- nized and initiated the Girl Cheerleading Corps, a wrestling team, a swimming team, a weigh- tlifting club, an isometric team, a hockey team, a soccer team, and one of the finest summer sports schools in the area. His latest ac- complishment is the inauguration of the St. Francis High School Hall of Fame. Robert Torgalski is a dedicated, responsible, hard-working individu- al who has helped build a fabulous- ly modern physical athletic complex and program. These quali- ties, plus the additional intangibles used as criteria of greatness, can only be instilled by a great leader. The perpetuation of the Franciscan academic and athletic tradition of excellence and perfection seems a certainty as long as Coach T is the sparkplug of the Big Red Machine. H '4- I-4 . , ff, T 1 L