Endowed Scholarship Profile

The Class of 1957 Endowed Scholarship

In the summer of 1955, the Central Catholic student body swelled to a record-breaking 1,015 students when, without warning, cross-town rival Columbia Prep, an all-boys, Catholic high school located in southwest Portland, closed. The October 1955 issue of the Rampart welcomed these students–there were 76 transfers total–in an article entitled “New Men of Central.” The first sentence read: “This year to the doors of Central have come students of many surrounding schools. Some may have come reluctantly but they have come. To these and the likes of these, we offer our hearts and hands in friendship.”

The men of the Class of 1957 took that invitation seriously and embraced the 28 boys who were joining their class as rising juniors. For all of them, those years were pivotal and laid the foundation for lifelong friendships as well as strong connections to the school. Like many other Central Catholic classes, this group stays in touch. They share memories via email, and when they can, they meet up in person. They enjoy coming back to campus. And, they give back to Central Catholic.

“One thing that always comes up whenever we get together is the rivalry we had between the guys from All Saints and those from The Madeleine. In eighth grade, our All Saints football team annihilated the eighth grade team from The Madeleine. The score was something like 42-0,” remembers Tom Franz ’57, who quarterbacked the All Saints team.

Indulging in some gentle trash-talking, Franz adds, “Maybe they were compensating for their lack of football prowess. But truly, that group of guys from The Madeleine, they were the ones who really made our class scholarship happen.”

“The guys” to whom Franz is referring include the late Bill McDonald, along with F X McLellan, Mike Hagan, and Jerry Smith, all of whom remember the Class of 1957 Scholarship conversation beginning over a game of golf.

Jerry Smith recalls, “Tom Franz might have been a bit harsh, but we Madeleine boys can take it. Funny, he didn’t mention baseball where the “Mighty Mites” of The Madeleine steam-rolled the entire league. But, I digress.”

“I remember our class scholarship as being the brainchild of a small group of us that played golf together. Bill McDonald was the instigator and he hosted the Hagans, the McLellans and the Smiths one summer. Bill said, ’We really need to do this.’”

Jerry continues, “I jumped on that because in 1955, my sophomore year, I received one of Central Catholic’s first scholarships. I think it was $300–it funded my tuition for that year. It was started by the parents of a Central Catholic student who’d died when he tried to save a friend from drowning. I just think it’s so important to give back and this was a great way to make sure that other students are able to benefit from a Central Catholic education.”

F X McLellan (one of the transfer students from Columbia Prep) also remembers the Madeleine and All Saints rivalry. “Regarding the All Saints football shellacking, I have vivid memories. Marty Gill, the All Saints mega-star was a man, 150 plus pounds, with excellent speed against the likes of me, a gutless 90-pound safety whose primary task was to stay out of his way so I didn’t get hurt. The truth is painful, but now I feel better.”

He also recalls the golf game as being the springboard for the scholarship. He adds, “I think Marty Gill was involved, and maybe Bill Powers and Jim Comerford. Marty and Bill made phone calls to a bunch of the guys. But, it never would have happened without Bill McDonald.”

Vic Bellaschi was one of the first classmates to receive a phone call about the Class of 1957 Scholarship. He was also the first to step up and make a gift. Bellaschi, who went on to attend Santa Clara University and built a successful career in financial services said, “My brother Julius ’52 and I got a great education at Central Catholic, plus my parents (the late Peter and Maria Bellaschi) loved the school. Central Catholic gave Jules and me our grounding in the

Catholic faith, and set us on the path to fulfilling our potential, as well as to rewarding careers. It was a no-brainer to make a gift to my class’s scholarship.”

The Class of 1957 was not the first class at Central Catholic to establish a scholarship–that honor belongs to the Class of 1952, whose scholarship was established in 1999. However, they were the second, endowing their scholarship in 2005, and today theirs is the largest of the seven class scholarships, with a principal balance now surpassing $112,000. Since its inception, the Class of 1957 Scholarship has awarded almost $50,000, impacting about 40 students.

Other class scholarships include the Class of 1950, Class of 1951, Class of 1952, Class of 1953, Class of 1958, Class of 1971 and the Class of 1987. In addition, the Classes of 1960 and 1962 have both endowed legacy funds, designated for school operations.

“To this day, I mourn the loss of my good buddies, Jim Altenhofen, Marty Gill, Frank Adler, Bill McDonald, and Gene Comfort,” McLellan says. “When I make a gift to our class scholarship, I do it in their memory. I do it in the hopes that today’s students can benefit from their time at Central Catholic in the way I have.”

Hagan concurs. “How lucky we were to have attended Central Catholic. Not only do we owe a big thank you to our teachers, parents, and friends, but also to our Church and its leaders, which guide us to be aware of what Christ has taught us. Together, we learned not only what was taught in the classroom, but also the meaning of friendship. The support we received from one another then, we continue to enjoy today, 65 years later.”

Jerry Smith agrees, “Our class was always close. We worked together, whether it was on a sports team, the school newspaper, a school project, or more recently, our class scholarship. I strongly encourage other classes who might have an interest in starting their own endowed funds to contact the Office of Advancement. They can help you get started. It’s well worth the effort and who knows? You might even have fun doing it.”

“Central Catholic was such a memorable time in my life. Those years were full of incredible development and growth. I learned so much about the world, about life and about myself and I made friendships that have lasted for decades.”

He adds, smiling, “Yes, the Class of ’57 was small, but we were mighty!”