My Favorite CHS Memories
Memories submitted for the 50-year Reunion in 2013 with some editing
Sharon Beaton Layendecker - “Father Boro’s Religion Class Test Question `Name the oldest Cardinal in the United States?’ Someone answered: Stan Musial. Father said he could not mark it wrong because, in baseball terms, it was correct. I want to know who gave that clever answer after all these years.”
Judy Birch Dowd – “Sock Hops after the games, senior class play and party, Proms, slumber parties, cruising Tiner’s. Piling into `Beats’ convertible.”
Marlene Chandler Hettinger – “Pep Rally when we were Freshmen – some of our peers all agreed to do a cheer. I started only to find I was the only one cheering! Morris Weeks threw a paper airplane in the hall with a straight pin in the nose of the plane and it stuck to the back of my skirt. OUCH! Our impromptu play `Sleeping Beauty as a Baby.’ I was the baby in a grocery cart which lost all of the decorations as the cart was being pushed out on the stage.”
Mike Gleason – Serving as Emcee (MC) for Homecoming and Prom. My debut before a microphone that led to a career behind one. Learning to do `The Twist’ at the Sock Hops we had in the cafeteria. (I can still do it!) Food Fights. Graduation Breakfast when Fr. Furlong told us we were the `Worst Class’ ever. Lifting Volkswagens. Hanging out at Janet Tanner’s after school in Senior year. Playing the murderer in the Senior Class Play and in my big scene, I’m supposed to break down and admit everything in an emotional speech. Audience laughed. Why I’m not an actor today.
Kathleen Corrigan Herk – “Squirt guns. (Thanks Fitz for taking them home!) Class skits with sound effects, the `Haunted House’ and the `Albino Farm.’ TP-ing and all those slumber parties @ Mary Jane’s. Notice that my memories are NOT academic.”
James R. Gibbons – “When `someone’ put a bomb in the boys restroom our senior year. I just can’t remember who.”
Frank Davis – (SOMETHING HAS MADE FRANK IMMORTAL TO MANY OF US – Hmmm – WHAT WAS THAT NOW?) “The last day at good old CHS. The English class on the day the new teacher announced she was battling cancer with experimental chemotherapy at Creighton.”
Jeanne Delaney Wilkie - I remember pep rallies, basketball games, slumber parties (where I learned to smoke – darn) but gave that up 40 years ago, playing Holy Angels CYO basketball against Cathedral (Sheila said I was the most "lady-like player she had ever seen.") HA! Also, remember when Geri Schula (Who also played on the Holy Angels team) broke her leg in a game against CHS? Don't remember who the CHS player was that came down on her as they both went up for a rebound. I know it was senior year because Geri spent a lot of her cheerleading time with a cast on her leg. I loved going to sock hops at Cathedral and Holy Angels. (I was in the youth club who planned the Holy Angel's dances - amazed they became so popular.) I remember swimming at Peony Park, loved the beach area for "baking" in the sun with baby oil all over us. No sun screen back then! I remember being brave enough to join the boycott lunch to protest a lengthened school day. (I had an after-school job to get to) also remember being proud to be in the National Honor Society, and excited being an Attendant at our Senior Prom. But mostly, I enjoyed just becoming friends with so many people in ours and other classes at CHS. Great memories!
Charles W. Strong, Jr. - I remember our freshman year when we had a football game at Bishop Ryan, and Pat Venditte was the quarterback. He was so thin that he had trouble keeping his pants up. We were in the huddle at one point and his pants dropped. We got creamed by Ryan, but the only image I have is Pat standing there with his pants around his ankles. He went on to do so many great things, I'm sure he did not suffer from any trauma as a result of that moment. Does anyone remember the movie days when several of our classmates participated in a couple of TV specials? Fort Atkinson was one of the subjects as I recall. Then there was graduation night when John Snyder was driving his '57 Chevy and may have been speeding when the police began hot pursuit. John had to hide the car, but did make it to the graduation ceremony. I remember one day when Fr. Furlong walked up to me and asked how much money I had in my pocket. I told him $20 and he said: `Give it to me.’ I asked `what for?’ He said it was for my smoking on campus. I said I thought I only owed $15 and he responded that he had faith in me doing it again so I could just pay ahead of time.
Barbara Barbarossa Schwebel - Football games, having the lead role in "The Mad Woman of Chaillot," pep rallies, basketball games, inducted into National Honor Society, cheerleading for senior year but moved away - no cheering. Explosion in science lab with Sister Michelle - no one was hurt, first T-P at my Hawthorne Avenue home, slumber parties, hanging out trying to look cool.
Mike McGrath – Ross Caniglia saying the Act of Contrition as we sped (100 mph) down Redick St. Does anyone know who ran thru campfires naked with a paper bag on their head at our `woodsies?’ Driving my Dad’s black 60 Chevy panel truck around with “borrowed” funeral flags on the hood and 3 or 4 of the guys following behind in their cars. Sunday night dances at Holy Angels. One of the Miick bros jumping out of CHS window. Frank Davis making himself an instant legend in the annals of CHS. Football and basketball games, cafeteria boycotts. Mr. Ziesel’s head smacks to wake us in study hall. Hanging out at King’s. Trying to get up the ramp at Tiner’s without burning up the clutch. Parties at Wellman Stadium, (Bob’s basement) the many crushes thru the 4 years.
Kathy Kiefer Welsh – Remember Green Beanies? We were required to wear them to Mass (although I do remember black wadded up Chapel veils, and, in emergencies, a Kleenex stuck on with a bobby pin.) My sweet little friend, Sharon Leahy, helped me one day when I couldn’t locate my Green Beanie. We all had poofy hair so the beanie didn’t really fit anyway, and the solution was to fold it in half and pin it on top of our ratted curls. Sharon solved my problem of a lost Beanie by cutting hers in half. That was all we really needed anyway. This worked for weeks until one day there was a surprise “Beanie Inspection.” Yes, we failed inspection. One half of a beanie was just not approved. I think we were fined or had to have a detention. Can you imagine that happening today?
Peter Leonovicz - One of the absolute FUNNIEST EVENTS occurred following a Thursday night Football game with Columbus St. Bons. Following the game, many of us congregated at King’s on 72nd to celebrate. As a carload of guys headed out going back up Underwood Ave., one or two such members had mother nature's urge to relieve their bladders. Naturally, we pulled the car over to the curb - in front of the palatial estate of John Redick. Just as two or three of us were hydrating one of his trees, an Omaha Police Dept. cruiser pulls up right behind us with his spot lights on. As we hurriedly tried to retreat, the officers placed us in their car and proceeded to interrogate us. Shortly, Bob Wellman, who was always the sideline Press Man at all the games, pulls up in Walt's Olds and wanders up with his `Press' labeled hounds-tooth hat and says, "you can't do this to my boys, I'm from the press!" Needless to say, he was literally picked up and quickly placed in the cruiser. All of us were taken to Central Police Headquarters. We all knew we were totally had, until our dads showed up, after which we were released to go home. As a sidebar, our court date followed a couple of weeks later with all of us nervously awaiting the proceedings. When the arresting officer was called to the bench, much to our surprise he was a "no show," thus the Judge dismissed us, much to our joy. The fact that my father "Big Pete" had been on the Police Force for 17 years may have had some remote connection on the "no show" that particular day. Hmmmmmm!!! The other memorable event in our four years was during the final week or weeks of our Senior year. After lunch, prior to returning to homeroom, we went to the restroom. On this particular day, one of our classmates lit a cigarette and inserted the fuse of a M-80 firecracker into the end of the cigarette, and placed it on the back of the porcelain toilet, as we all skirmished for our homerooms. As the clock ticked in our minds, suddenly this incredibly reverberating sound roared down the halls. The nuns jumped up and ran out into the halls. Smoke was seen exuding through the vent on the Boys Room door. Upon evaluating the situation, the entire porcelain toilet was shattered away from the tile wall with water running all over the floor.
Roberta Kauth Pleiss – Fond memories of football & basketball games & snacks afterwards at King’s or Tiner’s Drive In, all-school retreats in the gym, Senior Prom, the `Haunted House’ on 2nd & Bancroft, Senior Class Play `The People vs Maxine Lowe,’ girls’ basketball with Coach Ruff. Sophomore Religion Class. The Sister wouldn’t give Mary Jane Atkins permission to leave for the bathroom. Mary Jane crawled as fast as she could from the front row to the backdoor exit. She scared everyone along the way. The nun never cracked a smile – but the students sure did.
Larry Guerra – Double date with Tom Whitmore and the front wheel of his Mercury fell off. I was in the little boys’ room at Cathedral yelling to a friend outside the window and turning around to put my face into Roger Higgins’ chest. He was standing right behind me and I was clueless to that fact. Julie McGargill speaking to the students asking us not to put ExLax into ingredients of items for the bake sale.
Patty Howell Maguire – I remember how easy it was to make Mary Manion laugh. I remember how easy Billi Whelton could make me laugh. I remember how easy Jerry Fitz could make everyone laugh. I remember wishing I could be as smart as Judy Birch. I remember what a good friend Charlie Strong was. I remember what a gentleman Jim Sullivan was. I remember Mary Dowd’s great laugh. I remember Kathy Corrigan’s big smile. I remember Jim Boe as a good athlete, good student and really good guy. I remember Sheila….
Dennis Grace – Made World-Herald sports front page as a freshman Golden Gloves boxer. Got knocked out in the 3rd round. Classmates called me `Canvas Back Grace.’
Sharon Domet Cumming - Proms, dances, riding around town in someone's car, going in the country to look for the `Albino Farm,' going to the drive-in, playing `The Bufalo Are Coming.' It was a wonderfully innocent time. I can also add a memorable teacher to my memories. I believe her name was Sister Elias. I don't think I ever saw her smile and she was always giving me a bad time for talking to a certain boy between classes.
Jerry Fitzpatrick - Football, basketball and baseball games, dances in the gym, at Holy Angels, and Peony Park. Going to the `Albino Village,' TP-ing, driving through Tiner's , Todd's, and Memorial Park, eating at King's, "watching" movies at the Sky View Drive-in, and finally, after all that, actually getting a signed Diploma. High School was a blast!
Kathy Garrigan Sunderbruch - Working on the school newspaper. Acting in the plays. Taking the bus to small Nebraska towns for football games, speech and drama tournaments. Laughing with friends.
Want to add to the above, or add a comment to something mentioned - send me an email. mgleason2@hotmail.com