St Joseph High School Nazareth Academy - Excelsior Yearbook (Victoria, TX)

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Our Schools Mave Meen Bducating Those of us who attend St. Joseph ' s and Nazareth Academy today- very seldom stop to think of the many hundreds of Victorians who have been educated in our schools in the years before we were born. It seems that St. Joseph ' s and Nazareth Academy stepped into Vic- toria ' s history about the same time. It was the middle of the nineteenth century when Father A. Gardet became pastor of St. Mary ' s Church, which was then called Our Lady of Guadalupe. Father Gardet, who was a born educator, is given credit for the original establishment of both St. Joseph ' s and Nazareth Academy. Nazareth A c a d e m y , under the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, opened its door s to boarder s as well as day stu- dents. In 1872, there were thirty-four boarders at NA and the number of day students was rapidly increasing. In 1889, over a hundred and sixty students were attending St. Joseph ' s. Hence, we see that our schools have been contributing Christian education adults to the city of Victoria for almost a century. After an era of prosperity, public schools opened in our city and many students were forced to drop out of the parochial and private schools b e c au s e their p a r e n t s could not afford tuition. For a time Nazareth Academy existed as a public school. With the turn of the century came a turn (for the worse) in St. Jo- seph ' s history. The school seemed to die out. In 1902, the Brothers of Mary picked up the pieces and St. Joseph ' s reopened its doors to one hundred and twenty-sevenyoung Victorians . Nazareth Academy was also experiencing difficulty as a public school. In the fall of 1895, NA was once more a private boarding and day school. The St. Joseph ' s Educational Foundation was formed in 1929. The idea of a new school came into view. The new buildings were erected and by 1940 the Brothers ' house and school were well occupied. The Sisters were busy with their teaching, and additions were being made to both the convent and school. In 1922, Nazareth Academy be- came an aff i 1 i at e d high school. September 30, 1932, saw the initial meeting of the mothers of Nazarites to form the first PTA. Mrs. J.W. Hopkins was elected the first president of the organizations.

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We Dedicate Our fSook to ) onsigHor 3,0. Beck With grateful affection, we, the seniors of St. Joseph ' s High School and Nazareth Academy, dedicate the I960 Excelsior to the shepherd of our flock, Monsignor F. O. Beck. Monsignor Beck came to Victoria fronn Hallettsville where he served as pastor of Sacred Heart Church. He has been pastor at St. Mary ' s for almost twenty years. Dur- ing his pastorship, he has achieved many goals both civic and spiritual. Because of his outstanding work, the Archbishop gave him the title Right Reverend Monsignor several years ago. Under his able eye, the renovation of St. Mary ' s Church, and the erection of St. Mary ' s Hall and the new St. Mary ' s rectory were completed. One of the latest and most spectacular structures in Victoria, the million-dollar Church, rectory, and school in Our Lady of Victory parish, was built under the supervision of Monsignor Beck. Many of us met Monsignor at a very early age, when he baptized us. We have grown up under his paternal eye and received the sacraments from his priestly hands . We have profited from his advice and encouragement. He is a true Father to each of us . Monsignor Beck has always taken a special interest in our schools and, as far as possible, in each of us. He will always remain close to our hearts because he is not only our pastor, the shepherd of our flock, but our close friend. As we reach the steps of adulthood, we begin to realize how much this outstand- ing captain in Christ ' s army has contributed to our welfare. By leading us (his army) to the realm of heaven, he is forming tomorrow ' s saints. Because of our great respect and deep admiration for him, we dedicate our book to Monsignor F. O. Beck.

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Victoria V youth for Many years. The completion of the new three story building in 1951, marked the eighty-fifth year in Nazareth Academy ' s history. St. Joseph ' s has come a long way since it was originally established. Today St. Joseph ' s grad- uates some forty young men each spring. St. Joe ' s total enrollment is now over five hundred. The education, which it is possible for us to receive at St. Joseph ' s and Nazareth Academy, must be attributed to the Sisters and Brothers, our grandparents and great grandparents, those pioneers who came to Victoria when the going was rough. In the words of the late Sister George, We can look back on a past, not of glorious deeds that attracted great attention, but on a steady course in a good cause. It is up to our generation to look ahead and to provide for our pos- terity. We must leave St. Joseph ' s and Nazareth Academy with some- thing to remember us by as our forefathers have left us. We, the seniors of ' 60, are about to complete our secondary edu- cation. We stand on the steps of adulthood. Throughout our yearbook, we have tried to bring out some of the ways in which St. Joseph ' s and Nazareth Academy are forming better citizens for Victoria. We have tried to show how our schools are producing well rounded, Christian educated citizens of the vorld tomorrow. The I960 Excelsior Staff Co-Editors Robert Cornelius, Carole Bunge, Pam Geistman Class Editors Feature Editors Ray Traber Mary Lynne Broderick Jim Seller Pat Nevlud Clara Marie Hawes Dennis Weitz Copy Editor Advertisements Subscriptions June Herring Jean Fossati Shirley Goodwin Personalities Business Managers Activities Proof Reader Sandra Taylor Frank Sisti Peggy Tolbert Nancy Henkel Lillie Mae Faltysek Delphine Vela 9