As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, here are more memories from Jim Rivers:
“I started [OLP} in ’52 and graduated in 1960. I went to Bishop Watterson (class of ’64) and Msgr. John Cody was a friend and classmate. Cody was genuine, warm, kind, and everyone’s best friend. Watterson’s class of ’64 had several future priests.”
“The principal’s office also served as the school’s library. Sr. Macaria was the principal as well as the 8th grade teachers. We remained seated and silent when she had to leave class to do ‘principaling.’ Even then I recall how perspicacious and wise she was. She was a superb leader. She treated us with respect.”
“Sr. Mary was the 1st grade teacher. She had 50+ students who sat in straight rows and loved her. She gave a great start to quite a few good Catholics. Parents really appreciated her.”
“Sr. Claudia was quite old but a delightful person who taught 2nd grade. My sister, Mary Carol (we called her ‘Carol” 100% of the time), was called ‘Mary’ by Sister Claudia and her OLP names was thus forevermore ‘Mary.” At 70+ years old, Carol responds to Mary without a blink.”
“Everybody’s favorited teacher was Sr. Maria Goretti, who taught grade 3. She was young, fun-loving, always the kindest, and a darned effective teacher to boot. She was blessed with great musical talent and an angelic voice. She was pretty much the choir for 8:00 Mass. We students were always invited to climb the stairs in the back of the church and join her in the choir loft, even if we were late for Mass.”
“Father Foley disliked music and singing. He clipped off notes and stayed off-key. I thought, ‘here we go’ when Father Foley did the Litany of Saints. He bellowed out something and she responded with perfect clarity and pitch in a rather high voice. Her Gregorian chant was excellent…unlike Far. Foley’s okr any other priest’s intonations, for that matter. “
“Our school was 100% staffed by Dominican Sisters from New Haven, CT, I believe. Towards the start of 4th grade our nun got sick and horror of horrors, we had a lay person as a substitute- am Miss Cleary. She was young, beautiful, and had perfect make-up and hair. She tried so hard to be her professional best, but our class behaved poorly and took terrible advantage of her. Even I, not your perfect student, was surprised at the change in the corporate personality of the class in the transition from a nun to lay person.”
“Some person or people had placed one or more balloons under the tires of her black, 2-door, Plymouth or Dodge. They popped loudly as she drove off after school one day. Evidently, she was shocked. I don’t think she ever returned.”
“Ahh, Sister Cajetan…7th grade teacher. She was a bit of a drill-sergeant type. I am pretty sure that Sister and I (who talked too much in school) were on a collision course from Day 1. Our personality clash escalated until one day she said something to the effect of ‘exactly what was on your mind’ to me. I responded with something like, ‘You are always favoring the girls. They can do no wrong. You pick on me and the boys and we are never right.’ She had an angry retort, some days passed, and Margie Fahrenback, a classmate, came up to me and recess and said that Sister was still waiting for an apology. I told her that she would have to wait a long time because I wasn’t apologizing. Or so I thought. The powers that be did a full court press shortly thereafter and I was made to apologize. I remember thinking that 7th grade won’t last forever and soon the green pasture of 8th grade was ahead.”