We were there.

Last July, Lucretia Bace Hogan and her husband, Ed, took a photographic tour of our Alma Mater and were kind enough to send me a CD containing all that they were able to capture. Lou said that most of the school was locked up - summer recess - but, someone, who was working in a food bank pantry operating out of the old coat room in the lobby, let them come in to see the gym and look around.
                                                                                                                                                                              Above, is where many a b-ball game, intramural, dance, and Friday morning assembly took place. The play, "Who Dunit", almost happened here and who could ever forget those manly Fa-la-la-la-la,et cetera carolers who once strutted and fretted their five minutes upon the stage and were heard no more.

July 2010

June 1962

                                                                                                                                                                        Here's the Flickr link to all the photos in Lou and Ed's HTHS set. It also includes a few items from Lou's private collection of HTHS memorabilia. Double click the photos for captions and comments, or, click the slide show link on the upper right of the Flickr page for even larger viewing. After checking out all of the photos you can use the comment link below to post your own recollections about our mutual home away from home for four years. Do any of you have photos or memorabilia from those halcyon days that you might like to share? Let me know at the email address in the upper right of the blog.


Photo credits: Lou and Ed Hogan

Some stood here.

Holy Trinity grammar school is no more. Its incarnation now occupies our former high school as an interparochial school. But the sturdy old building still remains and has new life as a condominium providing convenient housing for young professionals who commute to NYC. They may even use the Jersey Central as many of our parents did. That clarifying information was provided to me by Paul Younghans, as I had mistakenly assumed that it was probably intended as residences more for senior folk like................us!



Below, is the graduation photo of Holy Trinity School class of 1958. There are 38 of us on Charlie's present HTHS roster. Four, we know, have passed on. Does anyone know the whereabouts of any of the others? Click on any of these photos to enlarge for a better look.

As an extra bonus, Lou sent me her copy of the 8A class, presided over by Sr.Therese Concilio. She adds that when her youngest son attended Jefferson school she again met Patsy Agone, the young man in front of Bill Kervick. He was a custodian at Jefferson. Lou also mentioned that she and Mary Jane Taylor Slover and their husbands had a nice get-together about three years ago. Even though Mary Jane was not in HT grammar school, she's still one of Lou's good friends. A bond forged since high school. Lou does maintain yearly correspondences with Suzanne Will Babcock and Becky Maher Welter. Pam Dorne Venckus turned up at a local supermarket one day and Jim Caldora is still plying his masonry trade around town. I might add that a spirited discussion occurred over at Facebook™ after Stephanie Woodruff Visokay found and friended Frank Kroncke,.  He's the young man on the left directly behind Jim Caldora. But, "more than that I will not say".  [Try his name in the google.]

I managed to find my copy of the 8B class. Weren't we a happy looking group capably watched over by Sr. Miriam Theresa. [ Hat tip to Stephanie for both remembering her name when I could not and for that great line quoted above.]  Do any of you from this class remember Richard Moffitt and his cousin who were with us for a time and then vanished? Years later when Happy Days was on the tube, I was convinced that  Richard had to have been the inspiration for Fonzi.

And to think; there are people eating, sleeping, brushing their teeth and perhaps even blogging in these very class rooms right now. I wonder if they ever hear voices?

Here  are the rest of the photos from Lou and Ed's HT grammar school series.

Top and 8A photo credit: Lou and Ed Hogan

Church of the Holy Trinity

We all remember this sight regardless of where our individual paths have taken us. There are still six members of the Class of '62 who reside in Westfield and its meaning in their lives could well be expressed by some of  Lou Bace Hogan's own reflections:

"My husband and I were married there. It has been somewhat of a family tradition. My sister and brother-in-law, my daughter Laurie and Kevin, Kevin's mother and father and Kevin's brother and sister-in-law were also all married there. On a sadder note, both my parents' funeral masses were held there as well."

Last July, Lou and Ed's daughter, Laurie, and Nancy Whalen Goldsmith's nephew, Kevin, were married at Holy Trinity Church. Family traditions merge and continue. The new, expanded Hogan family above, left to right: Jeff, Lou, Kevin and Laurie McCormack, proud dad Ed, and Eddie.


Here  are the rest of Lou and Ed's Holy Trinity Church photos. You can't help but notice that the church has had an extensive internal remodel since you remember it.
                                                                                                                                                              
Lou took this last photo for the benefit of those of us who may not have known. Monsignor Henry J. Watterson died in 1976 at the age of 101 and was buried right next to the church. That is as it should be since he was responsible for building it and all the school buildings that still stand and serve today. Well done, Monsignor Watterson. RIP.

Monsignor Henry J. Watterson  1875 - 1976

Photo credits: Lou and Ed Hogan


                                  
 I would like to thank Lou and Ed Hogan for all their efforts throughout this project. Not only were their photos the basis for it, they responded to all my requests for additional material and what must have seemed like endless clarifications with good humor and without complaint. Lou even sent a few unexpected gems, like the printed class events, that I forgot even existed. She was also an invaluable and diligent proofreader. In case you didn't know, Lou was once a fourth grade teacher which certainly came in handy with my third grade punctuation. She plans on retiring from her present position this year so perhaps I can prevail upon her to proofread subsequent posts with all that spare time she'll now have. Just kidding, Lou. Have a long and happy retirement.