St Francis Xavier Academy - Xavier Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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they who made Mercy College possible, the College Would always look to them for protection, for guidance, for encouragement. Sister Mary Blanche was sitting at her desk sorting mail on the morning our narrative opens. She raised her head and looked out across the beautiful landscape of the surrounding country. Truly, she thought, this scenery rivals the beauties of Switzer- land. Just see the hills bathed in their soft, half-purple, half-silvery haze, separated by that winding avenue so prettily arched with majestic pines! While she gazed at the beauty and appreciated it as though seeing it for the first time, she heard the toot of a horn and presently she saw a handsome Lincoln speeding towards the college. After a few moments, she recognized two of her old classmates, Olive Dana and Alice Donahue, the two who had been appointed with her to the Reunion Committee in 1921. She hastily summoned Sister Mary Naomi and Sister Mary Josabeth, and all three hurried down the driveway to welcome the dear girls. After the exchange of glad greetings, the five of '21 strolled about for a little while to enjoy the beauties of nature and to talk over old times. They soon returned to Resident s Hall, and to the Registrar’s office on the first floor of that building. Sister Mary Blanche was about to take down the first volume of registration when Alice ex- claimed,—“Oh, yes Sister, we love all the dear girls of S. X. A., but some other day we shall begin with 1852. Today let us open the record of the class of 1921. And as she spoke she reached up to secure the treasured volume. “You know it is now ten years since that glorious June, 1921, and our reunion is planned for August, 1931. Only six weeks to gather the girls together—but the preparations have been making for ten years!” Sister M. Naomi and Sister M. Josabeth had been busy arranging chairs at the long table and providing blank books and pencils for all. As Alice ceased speaking, Sister M. N.aomi invited all to “draw in.” ‘Oh, Sister, tell us where is Catherine Fitzgerald, Helen Phelan, Lil---- “I see, my dear, you are the same impetuous Olive as of old. Now let us save time by being somewhat systematic. The names are all arranged alphabetically (or acccording to profession) and we shall take them as they come. Each girl has her own section, and I leave plenty of space so that I may add something from every letter I receive. I think there is no detail omitted, for the class of 1921 has con- tinued true to its old principle of reliability. Every one promised to write to me once a year and so far the record is intact. Now we are ready—A—.” “Oh, Sister, what about Margaret Allen?” “Margaret is now in Detroit and is private secretary to the Governor. “Isn’t that grand!” “Agnes Ashworth, Sister? “Agnes is in Waltham. She and three others, Catherine Flynn, Lillian Byrnes, and Julia Walsh are teachers at the flourishing Elizabeth Mulvey Business College of that city.” “O----------h!” Margaret Mary Barry, as you know, is a professor at the Rhode Island College of Pharmacy. Page Trvcnty-Four ‘The Xavier

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(Jlje Gllaas {fropeqj JUNE. 1931 SISTER Mary Blanche was in her office and was very busy. She was the registrar at the College, and so each day's mail brought her an additional task. Uncle Sam had reminded her many times of late that the tenth anniversary of her graduation from Saint Xavier’s was close at hand, and that she must soon begin prepara- tions to carry out the work assigned her by her Class, the famous forty-one. On graduation day at St. Xavier’s, June, 1921, the class appointed a reunion committee and persuaded Cath- erine Louth, now Sister Mary Blanche, to continue to be the Chronicler of the class in the years to come, as she had so faithfully kept the record of events during the school years. Catherine promised that she would keep herself informed as to the destiny of the dear forty-one in order to be able to assist the Committee appointed on that day. to plan for a reunion at the end of a decade of years. How remarkably Providence had come to her assistance! When Catherine left dear Saint Xavier’s, she regretted very much that the Sisters of Mercy had no college in Providence where she might complete her education with them. Since there was no alternative, she went to Pembroke for her college career, and in June, 1925, was graduated with distinctive honors from that institution. Lady Day of the same year found her back at her old Alma Mater, loved St. Xavier’s, this time in the ranks of the Sisterhood. While Catherine, now Sister Mary Blanche, was making her novitiate—was it her prayers that had brought it about?—Mercy College, the first Catholic Woman’s College of Rhode Island, was begun at Mount Saint Rita’s. It was formally opened in 1928, and three members of the class of 1921, who had joined Catherine in the Novitiate, were appointed as members of the staff. Sister Mary Blanche. Registrar and teacher of Latin; Gertrude Fitzpatrick, now Sister Mary Naomi, teacher of English, and Madeline Manning, Sister Mary Josabeth, teacher of French. The work of the Sister Registrar for the first year was to file the record of all the members of Saint Xavier’s Alumnae (might not some of the senior members have daughters who were leady for college?) to communicate with them, and to assure them that sin e it was “ The Xavier” Page Tn en y-Three

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Gerlrude Barrett—it will not be hard to find Gertrude. She is here at the Mount every week training our girls to be as graceful as Miss Dodge made us long ago. Gertrude Bergin has a music studio in Los Angeles, and, of course, has Clare Gorman with her. Their fame is, indeed, far-reaching. Jeanette Caulfield—dear Jeanette has had a most successful career. She is one of the prominent teachers at the Rhode Island School of Design. Many of her famous pictures are now displayed in the Tildcn-Thurber Art Gallery.” Oh, Alice, said Olive, did we not all prophesy this in 1921, when we saw Jeanette’s etchings in “The Xavier!” Lucinda Cottam—Lucinda is at present in Lewiston 27 Marlborough Avenue. Should you drive along that avenue, you could not mistake Lucinda's home, for at a distance of many rods you would notice the large sign which reads—“Dr. Lucinda Cottam, Osteopath. Among the efficient nurses employed in Dr. Cottam’s office, the names of two are dear to us—Miss Mary Costello and Miss Margaret Sullivan. Helen Corbett—Helen's life work is readily understood, for did she not always redeem the class when the rule of silence was concerned? She is still living in the world of books—Librarian at the Providence Public Library. Olive Dana—Mrs. George Morgan, 1 35 Angell Avenue, St. Paul. We are proud of you, Olive. The Catholic Woman’s Club of St. Paul is indeed fortunate to have you at its head. Alice Donahue—Mrs. James Lowell. How singular, Alice dear, that you should locate at St. Paul, too. You must be a quiet inspiration to your parish. Mary Falvey—our “petite Marie ’ is now in Chicago, a dignified school-ma’am of five feet, seven inches. Among my pupils,” she writes, “none are dearer to me than little Bobby Brady and Dorothy Ellis the first, the eldest child of our old class- mate, Estelle Seeley, now wife of Hon. Charles A. Brady; and the second, the little daughter of another dear one, May Fife, now Mrs. Alexander Ellis. Catherine Fitzgerald—Catherine’s just what we always predicted she would be, a prominent lawyer. Her office is in Concord Building, Washington. And who do you think has an office in the same building and is engaged in the same work? “Why, Anna Taft, of course,” said Alice. “You are right. They write me that they are even now the friendly rivals that they always were at S. X. A. Clare Geraghty—Clare is still in Pawtucket. She has one of the most famous botanical gardens in the state. Do you remember how she loved botany? Eleanor Gorman—Eleanor is a kindergarten teacher in Lowell, Massachusetts. Oh, Sister, didn’t Eleanor love children!” Gertrude Haven—Gertrude is now known by the nom de plume Marie Mayler. She is in Philadelphia and really rivals Isabelle Clarke as a novelist. Margaret Harber—Margaret is the gymnasium teacher at the Pittsburg High School and enjoys her work very much. She hopes to pay a visit to St. Xavier’s some Friday afternoon to see if the girls there now do as well as we did in the days that are gone. Mary Kelley—Mary is the leading pianist of the great Orion Club of Boston. The Xavier” Page TtvenlyFive