St Sebastians School - Arrow Yearbook (Newton, MA)

Page 75 text:

Collupy and Hugh Bradshaw as the School quintet was called upon to face nineteen opponents that included B.C. High, Coyle, St. Mark's, Belmont Hill and South Kingstown, R. I. The B.C. High game was arranged for the night of the annual Christmas Party and it attracted 400 fans to our cage but they were not too surprised when we had to bow to the in-towners. Other features of the season were three appearances on the floor of the Boston Garden and the rescue of Fr. Flanigan and his entourage from the wilds of Taunton on one of the worst nights of the year by Tom Hartnett's father. At the end of the campaign, Hilt Collupy was designated Blue captain, but Bill Harwood's Reds were a bit too strong and Hilt did not get his plaque. The Hockey team had an almost all-junior line-up when it took the ice at the Skating Club, for it featured Bob Murphy, Jack Boyle, Bob Egan, joe Deignan, Bill Gibbons, jim Ryan and Harold Field. The only regular who was not a Junior was Goalie Bruce Harrigan whose play was a great factor in our winning of the First Half championship even though we eventually lost the league crown to Malden Catholic in the play-off. On March 16th, a Hockey-Basketball banquet was held in the School refectory and the members of both squads were honored in a setting that reflected the proximity of St. Patrick's Day. The speakers of the evening were Mr. Bill Mokray, Basketball Director of the Boston Garden, and Mr. Bob Graney, Hockey Coach of Walpole High. As usual, Fr. Keating's piano-playing was a memorable feature and the droll stories of Jerry Shea convulsed the crowd of parents, friends and students. In addition to their jackets and letters, members of both squads received sterling silver medals of St. Sebastian, and to complete the festivities trophies were presented to the coaches, Mr. Murphy and Fr. Keating, after individual plaques had been hung by Paul McGrath, John Ellard, Bill Harwood and Andy McAuliffe. Andy's plaque was won at the expense of Bob Murphy's Reds in a tight 5-2 battle that smacked of David's triumph over Goliath. In the meantime we had observed the feast day of St. Sebastian on January 20th with a Mass celebrated by the Headmaster and many mornings we reached the Hill in time to attend the 8:30 Mass offered each day by the Monsignor. Our Annual Retreat was given from january 29th through the 31st by Fr. Philip Kelly, C.S.C., and the Lenten season brought appropriate devotions on Wednesdays and Fridays. Marking the third year of its existence, THE WALRUS was edited by Senior Dick Griflin and it continued to charm and annoy in each issue. Carrying out its reportorial functions, it recorded the mid-Winter Alpine Club expedition that attracted twenty-five zealots to Intervale, N. H., the designation of john Kirk to be the School's radio representative for a second successive year, and the same Senior's advance to the finals of the Herald-Traveler Spelling Bee. We scanned each copy of the School monthly with greater interest when Gene McAu1iffe's portraits and photographs began to ornament its pages. On Sunday, April 13th, the Alumni of St. Sebastian's gathered here at the School to assist at a Mass celebrated by Monsignor Mclnnis and to receive Holy Communion. Afterwards, the first Alumni Communion Breakfast was served in the refectory and at its conclusion Monsignor Wright addressed the gathering on The Privileges and Responsibilities of Higher Education . -I 71 I-

Page 74 text:

the season without bearing any special battle scars. Racing through a most successful campaign, they bowled over five opponents and were forced to accept only one defeat at the hands of a more experienced Lawrence Central Catholic eleven. The Varsity, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. Reaching great heights in the early contests, the Red and Black tapered off in the late games and ended up with three victories, two ties and two defeats. This 1946 eleven, however, reached the apex of St. Sebastian Football prestige when it tied a powerful St. 1ohn's Prep team, 7-7, before 1100 spectators on our own field. The occasion was Parents' and Friends' Day and, after the contest was over, 750 guests availed themselves of the invitation to attend a Coffee Hour in the refectory. In the Red-Blue intersquad battle, john Ellard finally proved his right to a plaque by vanquishing a courageous Red team led by joe Ford. Another pleasant project was introduced in early Autumn when a School Tennis Tournament was held under the supervision of Fr. Aubut, new Tennis coach. With the prize of a new racquet as an incentive, thirty boys competed vigorously and we were especially pleased when the final match found two of our juniors facing each other for the crown. In the outcome, jack Nawn scored a straight- sets victory over Frank Pitts to become School Champion. Pitts could find consola- tion, however, in his election as Class President at the same time that Hilt Collupy and Jack Slattery were chosen Vice-President and Treasurer. With the close of the first marking period, it became evident to us that in Hugh Bradshaw we had added a notable scholar who would give top-flight com- petition to Tom Barrette who had won our class scholarship for the past two years. As time went on, we were to learn that the newcomer was a man of many parts, for he proved to be an athlete and a cartoonist as well. About this time, THE ARROW began to assume proportions with john Kirk as Editor and Robert Bullock as Business Manager. The Choir also was deep in rehearsal with Mr. Whelan and Eddie Linnane's resourcefulness was tested to the utmost to rid the grounds of an unwelcome visitor. Fortunately, a WALRUS camera-man was on hand to record the episode graphically for posterity. To fete the j.V.'s for their glorious grid season, a Sports Night was held exclusively for them on November 29th and the famous Boston College backfield quartet of Panciera, Songin, Poissant and Canava made an appearance to answer an avalanche of questions. Movies of the B.C.-Tennessee game were shown, after which our warriors received their letters from Monsignor. The Christmas vacation was greeted with more than ordinary interest by our class because it brought the sponsorship of our first official function, the junior Prom. The committee entrusted with the making of the necessary arrangements was composed of Tom Barrette, Roger Vorce, jack Nawn, Jack Boyle, Jack Slattery and Frank Pitts. By the time that the evening of january 5rd had arrived, they had very efiiciently taken care of all details and had transformed the refectory into a wintry fairyland. Hal Reeves' music was entirely satisfactory, but the high point of the evening was the oohing and aahing of our feminine guests when the souvenir compacts were distributed. The other classes in the School were most loyal in supporting the prom and that did much to contribute to the success of the affair. With the advent of Winter, our athletic interests changed once more to Basketball and Hockey. At the hoop game we were capably represented by Hilt -1 70 1-

Page 76 text:

A broader Spring athletic program than ever before was attempted in 1947, for the School fielded teams in Tennis and Golf as well as Baseball. The racqueteers were coached by Fr. Aubut and the divot diggers were Fr. Hannigan's pride and joy. Jack Nawn, Frank Pitts, Jim Ryan, Harold Field and Park Hurley were the junior candidates on the court, while Joe Deignan, Bob Murphy, Gene Pierotti, Jack Nawn and Don Marshall represented us on the links. All things considered, both teams acquitted themselves very well, breaking about even in their matches. When Baseball started there was great gloom in the vicinity of the Hill because illness had deprived the nine of the services of Bob McNabb who had fallen victim to pneumonia and pleurisy. A stiff schedule had been arranged and the coach was almost desperate until Andy McAuliffe stepped into the breach and proved himself a fine hurler. His strikeouts mounted with each game and he reached his peak in the St. John's Prep game when 24 victims fanned the breezes. Despite such an unexpected solution to our pitching problem, the team was plagued with anaemic hitting and an epidemic of costly errors so that the season's record was four wins against nine losses. There was some consolation in the fact that the teams that beat us went on to establish impressive records, and also in the fact that the Red and Black had shown magnificent spirit even in adversity. In the Red-Blue game, Ed Quirk's Blues defeated Frank O'Donoghue's Reds to win a plaque for the veteran outfielder. By that time, Commencement Week was upon us and it began with the Year's End Party which featured the traditional banquet, followed by a showing of Take me out to the Wigwam and the awarding of sports letters and jackets. Many of us attended the Senior Prom at the Woodland Golf Club the following night where Harold Field's prancing was the hit of the evening. On Tuesday the Fathers' and Sons' Day Red-Blue game was rained out but the weather cleared to permit the Seniors to enjoy their outing at Swampscott the next day. Thur'day brought the Baccalaureate Mass at the Cenacle convent, the Headmaster being Celebrant, assisted by Fr. Beatty, Deacon, and Fr. Cotter, Subdeacon. After the Mass, Monsignor Mclnnis delivered a forceful address to the Seniors, the undergraduates and the assembled parents. In the evening at the annual Musicale, Leo Litwin and his orchestral ensemble delighted a large throng at the Hotel Bradford Ballroom where the soloist, Alice Farnsworth, received a most enthusiastic tribute from the audience. For the first time in the School's history, the Graduation was held at 10 A.M. with Bishop-Elect Wright presiding over the exercises on the grounds the Archbishop's Residence. The Salutatory and Valedictory orations were delivered by john Cremmen and john Kirk before Bishop Wright gave his stirring and impressive address. For the awarding of diplomas, the graduates were presented to Bishop Wright by the Headmaster and the presiding prelate expressed his con- gratulations to the recipients. To bring the morning to a close, the Bishop celebrated Solemn Benediction assisted by Monsignor Mclnnis and Fr. Flanigan. Although this was the third time that we had witnessed the Graduation Exercises, they made a deep impression upon us this year because we realized that, when they were held again, we would be the central figures. Early in the following September, we were shocked to see the School's name in newspaper headlines that reported four of our Sebastianites missing at sea. A hurried digest of the news report revealed that four days before, Vin Greene, jack Boyle, Bill Gibbons and Bob Murphy had set sail from Nantucket in a leaky catboat, Smuggler's Luck , with Boston their destination. After putting in at Chatham -I 72 1-