St Josephs College and Military Academy - On Parade Yearbook (Hays, KS)

Page 72 text:

ll! QCPQCL fL0l'l Cen fel' il .ii 1 'N 4 rp ' ' Bishop Thlll Blesses New Building Bishop Frank A. Thill, D. D., Bishop of the diocese of Salina, formally dedicated the new Recreation Center, thusculminating a project which had been envisioned these .many years. The larger student body and the in- adequacy of the recreational facilities of the school made it imperative that some further addition be made to St. Joseph's. Permission was finally granted by the Capuchin superiors and work was begun almost immediately. The architectural firm of Shaughnessy and Bower of 'Kansas City prepared the plans. Groundbreaking took place Oct. 25, 1949 in the presence of several faculty members. Work was pushed ahead as fast as the weather and lalbor conditions would permit. The foundations were completed before the win- ter. The following Spring the superstructure gradually took shape and it was hoped that the building would be ready for occupancy by September. Lack of this and that important material and shortage of skilled laborers slowed down the building operation to such an extent that the building could not be used until February of 1951. The dedication took place on February 8. Due to the shortage of funds, much work was done on the interior by the students and faculty. The finishing of the basketball floor, walls and 'bleachers was done by students and faculty. The painting in the athletic depart- ment, in the musicdepartment, and in the recreation and canteen areas was all done by faculty and. students. The basketball goals were also home-made, effecting a saving of several thousand dollars. Above: The new St. Joseph's Recreation Center seen from the -South. Center: Students painting the walls of the basketball auditorium. Lower left: Bishop Thill dedicates the Center.

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Freshman Team Shows Highest Promise The freshman squad, under the coaching of Assistant Coach Si Pal- mer, raised the -hopes of all St. Josephls fans with the Eromlse of an outstanding basket all team coming ug 1n a couple of years. Some of t e boys were entirely new to the game, others had been play- ing on grade school teams, but as a unit, showed promise of malying a good team in thelfuture. While the reshmen lack height, as do all the Cadet squads, they m-ade up for this by teamwork and hustle. The Freshman Record : Cadets Opponents 20 Russell 39 39 Plainville 26 46 La Crosse 33 44 Plainville 33 54 Ellis 35 34 Hays High 27 20 Russell 26 29 La Crosse 30 38 Hays High 34 39 Stockton 31 38 Ellis 33 Upper right: John Simon fakes, sinks a two-pointer. Center: Herrman comes in for a set- up. Below, the Freshman Squad, left to right: Back row: Tom Terrill, Duane Ruder, Melvin Dinkel, Ray Reece, Harold Kunzelman. Center row: Edwin Schrant, John Henderson, Leo Tully, Dale Walsh, Herrman. Front row: Bill Weishaar, Bill Brown, Lee Simon, Jim Davidson, Verlin Schmidt. 355. '--'W-Q17 l1'i4- F I7:v J 4.

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Above: By the end of 1950 the building had progressed to this point. Picture taken from the West Scene shows lower left, the music depart- ment, lower right, the recreation area, and up- per, the basketball arena. Below: Interior View of the completed basket- ball floor, showing the boxing ring in position. The ring is mounted on casters so that it can be stored under the bleachers without dismantling. Also note the basketball goals, of which there are six. One goal is shown in playing position, the others in the retracted position. The hall seats 1500 spectators comfortably. The floor is a regular college size playing area. RRP.