Saturday, May 2, 2009

Retreat, Hell!

Frank Reitemeyer also sent along this little gem that lies along the HTHS memory lane. He says he doesn't remember any of it. Just the reason for it. I have a different take.

Here's a Gonzaga Retreat quiz:
A. Who was entrusted with the keys to, The Buttery?
B. Who is not present in this photo?
C. Who brought a squirt gun to this solemn occasion?

And for extra credit:
Can anyone remember what it was we were supposed to write down and put into envelopes for some later reference or reason and what happened to (some of) those mystery missives?

Did the girls have anything comparable to this? If so, any pictures of it?

Frank rightly recalled that the Gonzaga retreat was mandated by Fr. John. No retreat - no Senior prom admission. His prom date was, Janet Roguski (Jodziewicz), and he could not believe his good fortune that she consented to go with him. I went with, Helene (Eeny) Douress, who, BTW, was one of the reasons I wound up in California in 1972.
With who/whom - I still can't figure out which is correct - did you go to the Senior Prom ?

One last thought regarding Fr. John's irascible demeanor towards us Seniors: Remember the all or nothing vote that was held on another one of his ideas - Senior blazers? That Chinese boy in Tianamen Square pales in insignificance to the stand we all took against tyranny that day in room 201. Well, OK, maybe that's a reach.

I'll mention this again. If you'd like to see the larger size of any photo on this blog, just left click on it. Dig those shiny chinos.

2 comments:

charles mattina said...

I have many memories of the Gonzaga retreat, all of them bad. It was run by a bigoted Jesuit who, most of the time, was lambasting Jews and Judaism, particularly Eddie Fisher, particularly for his having dumped Debbie Reynolds to marry Elizabeth Taylor. This man was a rabid anti-Semite, something I couldn't quite parse in that way back then. The retreat was a warped, unpleasant, unhappy affair.

The women did, indeed, have a retreat of their own, but I don't recall where.

Yes, the little envelopes. I still have mine, believe it or not, and it is embarrassing to read its contents, so I WON'T share them with you.


Charlie Mattina

charles mattina said...

I can't get away from this Gonzaga thing.

I have another trivia question: What male member of the class brought a pint of whiskey with him on the retreat and, on the bus ride there, went around to each of the guys speaking of this fact and saying, "It'll go hard on anyone who tells."

The notes in the envelopes, by the way, were meant to be ways in which one would bring himself closer to God, lead a better life, etc. How did we go along with stuff like this?


Charlie Mattina