Jaynotes | Vol. 35 No. 1 | Fall/Winter 2008

Volume 35, Number 1

The Magazine of Jesuit High School in New Orleans • Fall/Winter 2008–2009

Volume 35, Number 1

INSIDE

FALL/WINTER 2008–09

Dear Jaynotes Reader:

The 2008-2009 school year has been a rich one, filled with much success and Blue Jay Spirit. This edition of Jaynotes captures much of that success and spirit.

Written just after Mardi Gras, Fr. Anthony McGinn’s President’s Message reminds all Blue Jay parents of their obligation to do the right thing for their children. Principal Mike Giambelluca provides an in-depth look at the recent faculty formation experiences that will enhance the learning environment for Jesuit’s students.

Two interviews allow two Blue Jays, Mike Early ’33 and Jack Truxillo ’73, to tell us of the Jesuit High School of yesterday and today. Two other Blue Jays reflect on men important to them. In the latest Medallion Story, Mike Prados ’83 brings to life the Jesuit missionary Issac Jogues, one of the North American Martyrs for whom the Jesuit chapel is named. And John Reine ’69 inspires us with his tribute to his beloved English teacher, Fr. Herve Racivitch, that accompanies the fourth installment of the Profile of a Jesuit High School Teacher.

Homecoming always puts a fresh face on Blue Jay Spirit and last fall that face beamed during Back-to-Banks and the Homecoming Mass and Brunch. We take a look at all the Homecoming events and pay tribute to Jesuit’s 2008 Alumnus of the Year, Jay Zainey of the Class of 1969.

Did I say this has been a year of success? How about 35 National Merit Semifinalists, seven district championships in LHSAA sports, and three state championships, so far! We recap these achievements and other significant events, such as the annual Thanksgiving Drive and the induction of a Jesuit legend into the school’s Hall of Honors.

There’s much to read here. And there’s even more on the school web site, www.jesuitnola.org. So get at it, dear Blue Jays. Enjoy the read. Enjoy the magic.

Mat Grau ’68 Alumni Director Jaynotes Editor

Online at www.jesuitnola.org View

View photos from numerous Jesuit events including athletic contests, Masses, parent receptions, alumni reunions, and student life via the Jayson's Wild Photo Gallery.

Listen

Want to hear Fr. McGinn’s Midnight Mass homily? Would you like to listen in on what senior Peter Flores had to say to the Blue Jays and their fathers at the Father-Son Mass and Breakfast? These audio files and many more are ready for your ears.

Plan

Stay connected to Jesuit events throughout the summer by accessing updated schedules, listings, and announcements.

Read

Read expanded versions of this issue’s stories and many other stories as well.

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Avoid postal hassle by signing up online for various events, including alumni reunions.

Donate

Look for Jayson in the top left corner of the home page. Donating online is convenient and easy.

Facebook

Jesuit now has a presence on Facebook. Visit the official school page at Jesuit New Orleans Alumni.

Jaynotes, the magazine for and about alumni, parents, and students of Jesuit High School in New Orleans, is published three times annually by the Development and Alumni Affairs Office, including a special graduation issue in the summer. Opinions expressed in Jaynotes are those of the individual authors.

President Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66 mcginn@jesuitnola.org Director of Development and Public Relations Pierre DeGruy ’69 degruy@jesuitnola.org Jaynotes Editor Mat Grau ’68 Director of Alumni Affairs grau@jesuitnola.org Director of Special Projects Bro. William Dardis, S.J. ’58 dardis@jesuitnola.org Coordinator of Development & Alumni Affairs Mary Tschantz tschantz@jesuitnola.org Administrative Assistant for Development & Alumni Affairs R. Logan Diano diano@jesuitnola.org Design & Layout Design III Printing Harvey-Hauser—Michael Brennan ’95 Letters, photographs, and correspondence are welcome and may be either submitted by email (grau@jesuitnola.org) or mailed to: Jaynotes Jesuit High School 4133 Banks St. New Orleans, LA 70119 Address changes should be submitted to alumni@jesuitnola.org or contact Jesuit’s Alumni Affairs Office at 504-483-3815.

Parents: If you are receiving your son’s copy of Jaynotes and he no longer lives with you, please let us know so we can update our database and send the magazine directly to him. Let us know if you enjoy reading your son’s copy of Jaynotes. We will be glad to send a copy to his new address and a copy to you. Email changes to: alumni@jesuitnola.org.

It is easy to make a donation online to Jesuit High School. You may donate to the LEF, PAG, and various scholarship funds by going to Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org. Clicking on Jayson in the upper left corner will take you to Jesuit’s secure online donations page. Jesuit High School thanks you for your generosity.

On the Cover:

On the morning of December 11, 2008 students had just settled into their first period classes when a rare New Orleans snow beckoned them to the outside world of winter. These pre-freshmen found the third floor walkway a great place for snow watching. View the snowfall photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/ formation/studentlife.htm

P R E S I D E NJTE’ SS UM E I TE S TS OA DG AY

Doing the Right Thing Almost every day I witness the confirmation of a principle I learned early in my years as an educator. There is no limit to the power of humans to deceive themselves.

New Orleans is in denial. Our community continues to display a cavalier attitude toward the most pervasive danger to the health of its young citizens. Anyone who thinks we have turned the corner in the campaign against underage intoxication should have seen the spectacle of children as young as 13 collapsed in the street along St. Charles Avenue during the Carnival season.

Some parents are deceiving themselves if they believe they are dealing appropriately with the toxic culture that surrounds adolescents in New Orleans. Some parents are clueless about their children’s alcohol consumption. Some parents feel they are powerless to do anything about it. Some parents are complicit and either provide alcohol for their underage children or turn a blind eye when they see intoxicated adolescents.

I continue to be shocked when I hear of parents providing alcohol to other people’s minor children. Physicians know that the early onset of alcohol consumption has the potential for retarding brain development and dramatically increases the likelihood of one’s becoming alcohol dependent. Yet some open their homes for parties where young people drink to the point of alcohol poisoning.

Attorneys know the statutes that define the crime of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles as well as the potential civil liability that can result from serving alcohol to someone else’s minor child.

Yet some of them host parties where teenagers drive off after consuming huge quantities of alcohol.

The community is shocked when a teenager dies because of alcohol poisoning or an alcohol-related car crash. More common, less dramatic, but no less serious is the prolonged dying that occurs over twenty or thirty years because of the alcohol dependence that grows out of the early onset of alcohol consumption.

Doing the right thing is not always easy. In order to avoid difficult choices in parenting, some adults convince themselves that anti-social, self-destructive behavior is a harmless rite of passage.

Denial runs through New Orleans.

On the other hand, many parents do appropriately monitor their teenagers’ social life. Many do set high expectations for their children’s moral development. I am grateful to them for their support and example. The parents who provide alcohol for other people’s minor children are in the minority. Jesuit is ready to help enlighten and empower those parents to do the right thing.

Jesuit is eager to help parents in their responsibility to guide

their children in making healthy choices concerning alcohol and other drugs. Parents have a responsibility to network with each other in an effort to keep their children healthy and safe. Parents need to support their children, provide positive role models, and set limits for their behavior.

Research shows what we know intuitively. Young people who believed that their parents would strongly disapprove of their using alcohol or other substances were less likely to use those substances than those who believed that their parents would disapprove somewhat or would neither approve nor disapprove. The first step in limiting teenage alcohol abuse and postponing the onset of alcohol consumption requires parents to express their profound disapproval.

The second step is to insure an appropriate level of supervision. Most teenage binge drinking and other substance abuse takes place in the homes of friends. Good people sometimes make bad decisions. That is why adolescents need an appropriate degree of supervision. It is not sufficient simply to be in the same house. Parents need to be present and visible at parties. Parents may feel uncomfortable calling other parents who are hosting parties.

They may fear being embarrassed, isolated, or losing the approval of their peers and their children. They may be confused and decide to take the easier way out.

Finally, parents can take advantage of the networking opportunities that Jesuit provides. Our Parent-to-Parent program provides an opportunity for mutual support for the challenges of parenting adolescents in laissez-faire New Orleans. Some parents understandably feel confused and isolated as they try to deal with conflicting values. Some parents may fear the negative reaction of their peers or their children. I ask parents to contact me or the director of student development, Christian Harris, to discuss how we can provide the support and the knowledge parents need to face effectively the challenges of underage drinking.

Parents have the primary responsibility for the health, the supervision, and the moral development of their children. Jesuit is ready to help parents in fulfilling responsibilities.

I bring this to the attention of our entire community, including our alumni, because underage drinking is the number one obstacle to the healthy development of young people. n Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66

Fall/Winter 2008–09

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ANNUS MIRABILIS

Flights of Fancy: Creative Humor Found in Early Editions of The Blue Jay The late 1920s was a period of tremendous social, cultural, economic, and technological change in the United States. In 1926, a new Jesuit High School opened on a single square block in a vast undeveloped area that later became known as Mid-City, making the Class of 1927 the first to graduate from this new location. Talking pictures were about to take off, just as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart did in their flights across the Atlantic. The NBC Radio Network began broadcasting and in the 1927-28 school year, Blue Jays inaugurated their own communications medium by writing, editing, and publishing a monthly newspaper, which they aptly named The Blue Jay. The Blue Jay quickly carved out a reputation among faculty and students as a serious publication. The students who were among the paper’s first reporters and editors covered faculty and alumni news, athletic events, and virtually every aspect of student life, from Sodality elections to Mission Drive bulletins.

When editors perceived the student body needed some “pep,” they editorialized about the indefatigable Blue Jay Spirit. When attendance at daily Mass dipped, they encouraged students to take advantage of the privilege of receiving the Holy Eucharist. For the most part, the stories in the early years of The Blue Jay were written in a factual, straight-forward style and the editorials were often thought-provoking.

The early writers and editors also enjoyed displaying their sense of humor and were given the freedom to engage in a bit of chicanery in virtually every issue. In other words, they had fun placing fiction alongside fact and the two were sometimes barely distinguishable to a careless reader. There are no better examples than the zany articles that torpedoed a popular student, Ralph Watermeier, who was a tackle on “Jesuits” football team.

“Watermeier Plans Long Flight” was the headline in the Dec. 23, 1927 edition of The Blue Jay (seven months after Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic journey). The story went on to describe a long distance flight that Ralph was planning, beginning from the top of the Saenger Theatre and down Canal Street all the way to West End. “Watermeier’s plane, The Pride of Rampart, is the last word in efficiency. Built on the Scotch principle, it has only one wing which may be changed to either side of the plane to balance it. In place of wheels, The Pride of Rampart has rubber sponges to absorb sudden shocks. The engine is a persuasion model. A strong magnet is located under the driving seat, which, attracted by the steel propeller, draws the plane forward at a tremendous speed. The dashboard is equipped with a variety of instruments. Thereare gauges to indicate lack of oil, loss of equilibrium, amnesia, 2 JAYNotes

malnutrition, need of rest, and public opinion. “‘No parachutes will be taken’, said Ralph. ‘If my ship fails I will go down with it. I planned it during my geometry period and it has been my only thought for weeks.’

“When asked what he wanted to be, Watermeier replied that he would devote his whole life to the perfection of the square aeroplane, an idea of his own. “‘You see,’ said Ralph, ‘a moving plane generates a solid, therefore my next plane will be a square.’”

In the very next issue (Jan. 31, 1928), there was a peculiar story that had Watermeier thanking voters, presumably the entire student body, for electing him “chief executive of the backyard playground.”

The article quoted Watermeier: “I wish to thank all those who have fought so bravely with me in this election. I am glad that the libelous charges against me have been conclusively proved untrue. I never cheated in exams and would rather perish than be tardy from school. The matches found in my pockets were to light firecrackers with, not cigarettes.”

Watermeier then made three promises to the voters: “Bigger and better basketball goals, so that more points may be registered.

The court will be raised nearer the basket and a rope ladder attached to the backboard. This will facilitate scoring. A rule will be made that, when a personal foul is committed, the game must be held up for five minutes so that the fouler (or foulee) may recover his personality. “‘These rules are my promises,’” said Ralph, ‘but I want it clearly understood that, as president of the backyard playground, I will prosecute to the fullest extent of my authority anyone who plays marbles in the yard with long fingernails. Long fingernails collect dirt and, little by little, our yard is being carried away by the sinister fingernails of our students.’”

In the May 30, 1928 issue, the editors sent some of the more naive students home for the summer with the startling news that Watermeier, “hero of many a daring adventure and a student of Jesuit High School, plans to bring glory to his old Alma Mater, money for his pocket, news for the newspapers, and fun for the fishes, by swimming the Pacific Ocean from Frisco to China.

“This is to be a most daring and unprecedented feat. Ralph’s feet are to be tied, his eyes blindfolded, his mouth gagged and his ear stopped up. Which he will not tell, for he wishes to set a record that no one can equal. So that, if someone else swims the ocean with their left ear stopped up, he may still claim the right ear championship or vise versa.

“The food to be eaten on the trip will be very nourishing.

Only sea food will be eaten. The following items are to be fed to Watermeier through a rubber hose from the boat accompanying

ALUMNI

him: three quarts herring soup; 1 bowl oyster hash; 3 lbs. condensed sea weed; 1 spoonful of pickled whale tale.

“Whenever Watermeier approaches shark infested waters, he will be sprayed with shark oil from the boat by his side. This shark oil will make sharks think he is a visiting member of their order and they will let him pass by unmolested. The same will be done with whale oil when approaching whales, barracuda oil when approaching barracudas, octopus oil when approaching octopuses, etc.

“Besides this coating of oil, Ralph will have a first layer of axle grease three inches thick. This will be covered with sprinklings of puffed rice which will add to Ralph’s buoyancy.

“A Victrola on the boat will play music to encourage Ralph.

The following records are to be taken along: ‘Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep,’ ‘Whale Bone Blues,’ ‘Nearer My God to Thee,’ and Chopin’s Funeral March.

“A cheering crew will cheer Ralph on to victory… Upon arriving in China, he will eat a bowl of Chinese pork and beans and attempt to swim home. He will take a cake of Ivory soap for desserts. It floats.

“When he returns to New York, Ralph will be presented with a gold anchor by Mayor Jimmy Walker.”

Alas, there was no follow-up story on Ralph’s big swim.

The second year of publishing The Blue Jay saw no letup in stories featuring Watermeier. In the sixth issue, there was the straight-forward headline, “Jesuit Student An Early Success.”

There followed a brief story that was as bizarre as it was humorous.

and reporters who toiled on the staff of the two-year-old Blue Jay were an anonymous trio known simply as the “Unholy Three.” In the final issue of 1929, “the Unholy Three met in solemn conclave to decide the winners of several prizes in a number of contests conducted by Lon Chaney who is now West of Zanzibar.

“Ralph Watermeier is now on easy street financially speaking. The fact is that Ralph is now rich, fabulously rich, very wealthy, financially successful; in other words he has made a proverbial mint of money. How and why?

The answer is simple: he has discovered a way to extract the gold from goldfish.

“Ralph has composed a mixture of Grandma’s Washing Powder and Aunt Jemima Pancake Flour, which, when applied to a goldfish’s back by means of sandpaper, rubs off all the gold—real gold which can be sold at regular prices.

“Simple as it may seem, it took Ralph years of experimenting to perfect his new formula for gold scraping. He first tried to get the gold out of golden pheasants and later started a search for relatives of the goose that laid the golden egg.

“After the gold had been rubbed off the fish, they are taken, canned and sold for sardines. Customers report that the fish have a slightly metallic flavor.

“Ralph is now enjoying the rewards of his long years of research work. He now treats everyone to Eskimo pies, and rides a brand new bicycle.

“And all of his happiness was caused by an innocent goldfish.

“P.S.—It is reported that the S.P.C.A. objects to Ralph’s treatment of the goldfish and intends to file suit against him.”

Among the editors

Opposite page, Ralph Watermeier’s senior photo in the 1930 Jesuit Yearbook; below, in his right tackle pose, Watermeier was featured in the Yearbook’s football section.

“Ralph Watermeier was unanimously chosen as ‘The boy with the best brain.’ He was awarded a silver coated vacuum tube as a prize. The vacuum in the tube symbolizes brains and intelligence. Upon hearing that he was chosen as the most intelligent, Watermeier was deeply touched, pools of tears fell from his face, and he said: ‘Does this mean I am sure to graduate?’”

Ralph Watermeier did, in fact, graduate in 1930 from Jesuit High School, along with his brother, John who was in the same class. Ralph went to Loyola University on a football scholarship.

Watermeier married Addie Higgins and wouldn’t you know— for most of his life, he worked in the transportation industry (although not with airplanes or aeroplanes), but as a general manager in the household moving goods business with Gallagher and Security Van Lines. He died in 2001.

One of Ralph’s sons, Ralph, Jr., graduated from Jesuit in 1961 and admitted he was surprised to learn about his father’s fictitious adventures as chronicled in The Blue Jay. “The truth was my father was an excellent swimmer and he did have a great sense of humor,” chuckled Ralph, Jr. “But his swimming the Pacific Ocean was never a topic of conversation at the dinner table.” n

HOMECOMING 2008

Jay Zainey ’69 —a tireless champion for people with special needs and a staunch advocate for the homeless—was named Jesuit’s 2008

Alumnus of the Year.

“Jay Zainey embodies the Jesuit ideal of being

a ‘Man for Others’ and we are proud to honor him as our Alumnus of the Year,” said Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J., president of the school.

“He has always set the bar high by working in a professional and ethical manner, while channeling his enormous energies into several humanitarian projects which have improved the lives of people, especially those with special needs in our community.”

Judge Zainey, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in February 2002 to the federal bench for the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, was characteristically humble when Fr. McGinn informed him of his selection as Jesuit’s Alumnus of the Year.

“I was truly taken aback because there are many Jesuit graduates who are true ‘men for others,’” said Judge Zainey. “Many of these Blue Jays are working in the trenches everyday to improve the lives of others but receive no recognition for the wonderful work they do for their fellow men and women. I accept this honor on their behalf. I also express my gratitude and thanks to my parents and

Homecoming 2008 was an occasion for Blue Jays to celebrate, well, being a Blue Jay. On a sunny blue sky weekend in mid-October, Blue Jays soaked up all the spirit generated by numerous events.

On Saturday afternoon, alumni and current students and their families came “Back to Banks” to party in the Traditions Courtyard., enjoying rock and roll, entertainment for the little ones, and refreshments and grilled burgers. The excitement was palpable, and ticked up a few notches when the Blue Jay Band struck up the Fight Song and featured speaker Mickey Bordes ’78 fired up the Jays to do their best in the upcoming Homecoming game against Rummel. (Unfortunately, Jesuit was upended by the Raiders, 38-17.)

On Sunday morning, the celebration turned more reverent, but no less spirited, as alumni met in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs for their annual Homecoming Mass. During the Mass the classes of 1958 and 1983 were honored on the occasion of their respective graduation anniversaries.

4 JAYNotes

ALUMNI

Several of Jay Zainey’s 1969 classmates attended the Homecoming Mass, including (front row, from left), Bob Murphy, Kevin Poorman, Chuck Glueck, George Escher, David Latham, Zainey, Wayne Fontana, John Fraiche, Donny Cerise, Dale Oser, Bill Brundige, and Henri Louapre; back row, from left: John Hemstreet, John Litchfield, Pierre DeGruy, Kevin Heigle, Rob Foley, and Rob Toye.

all the priests, scholastics, and lay teachers who gave me such an outstanding education at Jesuit High School.”

While a student at Jesuit High School from 1965-1969, Zainey took part in activities and organizations that provided a strong foundation for his community and charitable involvement, including the Sodality, the Cabinet, and the Philelectic Society.

Additionally, he was an altar server and a reporter for the student magazine, The Blue Jay. A devout Catholic who attends Mass daily, Judge Zainey is married to the former Joy Haik. They have three children, Margaret Z. Roux, Christopher ’01, and Andrew, who was born 20 years ago with autism and special needs and who is lovingly described by the Zainey family as “God’s special gift.”

Throughout his professional life, Judge Zainey has been

involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors, often creating practical, unique organizations designed to assist people who need help, including people with special needs, the homeless population, and lawyers confronted with a crisis or personal family tragedy.

Judge and Mrs. Zainey are the co-founders and motivating forces behind St. Andrew’s Village, a faith-based, long-term private campus living community on the North Shore where adults with developmental disabilities will be able to live, work, worship, and socialize. St. Andrew’s Village will be the first long-term living community of its kind to serve people with special needs in the state of Louisiana. n Read the entire article and view the 2008 Homecoming and Alumnus of the Year photo galleries on the Alumni page: www.jesuitnola.org/alumni.

At the end of the Mass, Jay Zainey ’69 was honored as Jesuit’s 2008 Alumnus of the Year. Then the Blue Jays retired to the Student Commons to enjoy a jazz brunch, catch up on the years away from Jesuit, and celebrate the Blue Jay Spirit that resides at Carrollton and Banks. n Back-to-Banks in full swing: opposite page, from left, the Spirit of Jayville train leaves the Traditions Depot; Dale Hunn and his grandson, Ben, display their hero faces; this page, from left, Blue Jay cheerleaders entertain the crowd with some high-flying acrobatics; and Mickey Bordes ’78 exhorts the football players to do their best in the Homecoming game later that evening.

Fall/Winter 2008–09

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T H E J AY N O T E S I N T E R V I E W

Mike early has been blessed with a long life. Born in 1916, he entered the “new” Jesuit High School in September of 1929 when streetcar rides were 7 cents and Martin’s Grocery had just introduced the “po-boy” for 10 cents. As a student at Jesuit, he was a member of the Sodality, the Sanctuary Society of St. John Berchmans, the Philelectic Society, and the baseball team as manager. He witnessed moments that gave birth to many of the school’s great traditions.

He also met men who shaped the school’s distinctive and successful style, men like Fr. Percy Roy and Gernon Brown. His career path led him to WWL-TV where, as general manager for 37 years, he molded the station into one of the country’s premiere television stations. In 1990 he was Jesuit High School’s Alumnus of the Year. Late last year, Jaynotes interviewed Early at his home overlooking City Park.

Living in the da Quarters…Schooling wit da Jesuits Jaynotes: Tell us about your childhood.

Mike Early: I was born in 1916 and lived at 1223 Royal St. in the French

Quarter. I was one of eight children, number three after two older sisters.

Even though I didn’t live in the parish, I attended Sts. Peter and Paul grammar school because that was the Irish school. Rain or shine, I walked ten blocks to get there.

Jaynotes: How were the Marianite nuns?

Mike Early: Tough, but good. I remember one of my older sisters

introducing me to the principal, Sr. Regina, who asked me what my name was. I said, “Brother.” Sr. Regina said, “Brother?” And I said, “Yes, Sister, Brother Early.” Well, Sr. Regina says, “No. That’s not your name. Go home and ask your mother to write your name on a piece of paper. My mother wrote “John Michael Early.” Remember, it was an Irish school. So Sr. Regina said, “You are Mike.” And it’s been Mike ever since.

Jaynotes: Describe living in the French Quarter back in the 20s and 30s.

Mike Early: As I said, our family home was at 1223 Royal Street, a two-story

house with a front porch. In the summer that porch was our air-conditioning.

All the kids slept out there. I can remember always being awakened by the streetcar at two o’clock in the morning. But we got used to it.

Jaynotes: What else do you remember about the Quarter?

Mike Early: I remember waiting for French bread that this Italian man

would bake at his bakery. The boys would line up and wait for the hot loaves of bread. I would bring loaves upstairs to our family. I can still see the boys coming out with a big basket on their back filled with French bread. They were either going to deliver the loaves or sell them on the streets, maybe at the French Market, four blocks from our house. During one summer while I was at Jesuit, I worked with my uncle at the French Market. I worked from five in the morning until seven at night and my pay was a quarter a day. In the French Market there were stalls on the outside for retail and stalls on the inside for wholesale.

Jaynotes: How did you end up at Jesuit?

Mike Early: My mother. She said, “You are going to Jesuit.” And that’s

where Brother went.

Jaynotes: How did you get to Jesuit?

Mike Early: My mother was the only one driving an automobile and

we had a car, so she used to take a gang of us from the neighborhood to Jesuit—Alvin and Red Jackson, Mike Majoli, and Peter Doyle. All three were my classmates. My mother went to Mass at St. Mary Italian every morning. She got to know this little kid from the Philippines who she would see walking around in front of the church. The first thing you know, he was at my house taking a bath and eating meals with us. He was poor

6

JAYNotes

or even abandoned by his parents. So we got to know him very well. He didn’t live at our house, but he stayed with us a great deal. My mother washed his clothes, bought him new clothes, and paid his tuition at school.

He studied with us every day when we got home from school. He sat at the dining room table right next to me, and the old girl was right there watching over us. I can’t remember his name, but my mother made sure he graduated from Jesuit.

Jaynotes: Were you involved in any extracurricular activities?

Mike Early: I was manager of the baseball team, the first team to win a

state championship at Jesuit. Hap Glaudi and Larry Gilbert were on the team. Gernon Brown was the coach. One of my duties was to make sure that Gernon Brown had cigarettes. He was a perpetual smoker and was always giving me money to buy him a pack of Camels.

Jaynotes: Tell us about studying Latin at Jesuit.

Mike Early: I studied Latin for six years, four years at Jesuit and two

years at Loyola. I don’t remember much of it, though. I do remember Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, for the greater glory of God. Jaynotes: Did you ever get PH while you were at Jesuit?

Mike Early: I’d be lying if I said no. I was in PH four or five times, mostly

for talking and cutting up in class. Fr. Samson was the prefect of discipline.

Very appropriate name. In PH, I had to write the dictionary.

Jaynotes: How did the school day begin?

Mike Early: Every morning at eight o’clock we assembled in the basement,

the whole student body. After roll was taken and we heard announcements, we would march up to class.

Jaynotes: Tell us about the Jesuit-Warren Easton football rivalry.

Mike Early: The Jesuit-Warren Easton game was the talk of the town. It

was a big thing. We had a big parade. Some of the students drove their cars with signs. The day of the game teachers would let us clown around in class and talk about the game. The game was very well attended. And, oh, we had fights, lots of fights. The schools sat on different sides of the stadium, but we still found each other and had fights. It was part of the tradition. Halftime was fight time. It would begin as pushing and shoving and wind up in fist-fighting. I remember Fr. Fox, a little guy—maybe 5’2”—picking up his cassock, tucking it into his belt, and getting in there with the fighters, pulling them apart and getting in a few punches himself.

Jaynotes: Did the fighting students get in trouble back at school?

Mike Early: No. It was part of the tradition.

Jaynotes: Who was Jesuit’s big athlete on campus?

Mike Early: Tommy Daigle ’31. He was a great football player, a great

runner. He received a scholarship to Notre Dame, but they were adopting

ALUMNI

This page, clockwise, Early as student manager of the 1933 baseball team (back row fourth from right); with his daughters Kathleen DeVaughn (left) and Maureen Dehon during a break in the interview; as general manager of WWL-TV; and, with his colleagues Phil Johnson ’46 (left) and CBS newsman Charles Kuralt at an awards ceremony; opposite page, Mike Early’s senior photo from the 1933 Yearbook.

the passing game which didn’t suit his running game.

Jaynotes: Did you enjoy any particular class at Jesuit?

Mike Early: Elocution class. I had heard about this class but didn’t even

know what it was. I told my parents about it and they encouraged me to take the class. Come to find out, the class was on a Saturday morning. I had to give up my free day. Each year ended with a contest. In my senior year, I won the contest with a recitation of “That Baseball Game.” My parents had given me some money, so after the contest I took a date to the Katz & Besthoff on Canal and Scott Streets to celebrate. The first date I ever had. I got myself a big soda, but this little girl, Leah Cohen, didn’t know how much money I had so she just had a Coke. I wouldn’t share my soda with her. I won the contest, not her. That soda was mine. That little girl, my first date, would become my wife.

Jaynotes: Any other memories of Jesuit High School?

Mike Early: When I was a sophomore, I had an English teacher named

Sharkey Lions. I remember him for no other reason than his odd name.

Jaynotes: You were friends with our city’s beloved sportscaster Hap Glaudi who graduated from jesuit just three years behind you in 1936.

Mike Early: Hap was from a poor neighborhood, the other side of the

tracks, as he would say. He lived in the 9th Ward near Holy Cross but had to cross the Industrial Canal bridge. He used to say that he intended to go to Holy Cross but every time he tried to get there the bridge was up.

Didn’t need a bridge to go to Jesuit.

Jaynotes: And tell us the great story of how Hap became a Blue Jay. Mike Early: Hap always wanted to go to Jesuit, but his family did not

have the finances. One day Hap hit pretty big on the horses at the Fair Grounds. So the next day he walked into the principal’s office, put the bag of money on the table, and said, “I want to go to Jesuit High School.”

Fr. Percy Roy, the principal, said, “You can come to Jesuit. Now take that money and go buy yourself some clothes before you come to school.” And Hap told him, “This is probably enough money for two years. But I’ll probably win more and come back.” Know who told me that story? Fr. Roy himself. Hap became a very good sports writer and he would always say he learned how to write at Jesuit High School.

Jaynotes: What about life after Jesuit?

Mike Early: I graduated in 1933. My parents thought I was going to be

a priest. So I went to school for that, but it didn’t work out. Then I went to Loyola and studied law. I joined the Merchant Marines and served four years, mostly in the South Pacific delivering men and returning the dead.

I remember the first kid from our group who was killed in the war, Billy Simno ’37, a pilot.

Jaynotes: Let’s talk about your career. You mentioned that you received a law degree from Loyola.

Mike Early: Yes. But at first I did not know any lawyers. I had worked

for Tad Gormley, whom the stadium is named after, in the training room at Loyola. I went to see him and he took me around to various lawyers’ offices. Finally, one of them told me that from time to time I could help with some items. Eventually I got my own space and began to practice law.

Jaynotes: And how did you come to work at WWL-TV? Mike Early: For a few years I worked as a young lawyer for the

government in the national labor relations department. A large firm I was associated with represented WWL and so the station became familiar with me and I was familiar with the station’s operations. When the station manager left, they asked me if I would step in and handle things until they found someone. So I went in for a temporary job and stayed for 37 years.

Jaynotes: WWL became one of the premiere television stations in the country. Tell us about WWL. Mike Early: Well, it started on Loyola’s campus. Then it moved to the

Roosevelt Hotel. The hotel gave the station free space on the second floor with the understanding that the hotel’s name would be mentioned on the air. Eventually the station moved to Rampart Street. While I was at WWL, I worked with two other Blue Jays, Henry Dupre ’25 and Phil Johnson ’46.

Jaynotes: Who were big influences in your life?

Mike Early: My father was the greatest influence on me. He was a strict

Irishman. You toed the line with my dad. I remember one time I was called into Fr. Roy’s office and when I get there who’s sitting right next to me but my father. Fr. Roy started to give him the litany of why I wasn’t doing well and that I should be doing better. “He’s got the brains, but he doesn’t have the effort,” Fr. Roy told him. And with that I got a backslap right across my face and my nose began to bleed. I didn’t have a handkerchief, so Fr. Roy took me to the washroom and got me cleaned up. When I left school that day, my father was on the corner waiting for me. I said, “Oh, Lord, I’m going to get another one.” “No,” he said. “I should not have done what I did. I promise you I won’t do it again. You will be punished, but I won’t raise my hand to you.” And then he took me to the show, right in the middle of the week. And I found the effort.

Jaynotes: Any other influences in your life?

Mike Early: My mother. Without her, I would not have gone to Jesuit.

I did not know anything about Jesuit, but she did. “That’s where you are going to high school.” “Yes, ma’am.”

Jaynotes: What did Jesuit give you?

Mike Early: A good foundation, a respect for each other, and a closer

affinity with my religion. n

Fall/Winter 2008–09

7

W H E R E Y ’ AT

Barra Birrcher ’56 received the Joseph Gemelli Fleur de Lis Award at the Saints Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon last September. Barra was honored for his 37 years of service to the New Orleans Saints organization. During his tenure with the team, Barra served as game program advertising director, coordinator of donor requests, travel director, director of marketing, and director of community affairs and special projects. For 18 of those years, he represented the Saints’ for the United Way. Barra (fourth from right)

veteran and former food and wine columnist for The Times-Picayune, Jack now lives in Lexington, KY, where he breeds thoroughbreds...and writes novels.

Lawrence Ecuyer ’61 was inducted into

the University of Mississippi’s M-Club Alumni Sports Hall of Fame. During the Bulldogs’ 1962-64 seasons, Larry was a three-year letter-winner at center and linebacker, and started at center in 1963 and 1964. Larry was a member of Jesuit’s 1960 state championship football team.

Capt. Philip Seghers, USNR (Ret.) ’64

recently retired as an economic developer with Entergy Services, Inc. in Baton Rouge.

He has accepted the position of senior naval science instructor of junior navy ROTC at Curtis High School in Staten Island, NY. Also, Seghers retired from the Navy Reserve as a captain with 37 years of service in naval intelligence.

Lenny Zimmermann ’65 and his wife Judi

was surprised when several of his 1956 classmates attended the luncheon ceremony, including, from left, Al Demarest, Cecil Berry, George Kreider, Elliotte Harold, Birrcher, Pat White, Larry McNamara, and Dave Schof.

Fr. Richard Buhler, S.J. ’56 returned home, albeit briefly, to lead the Jesuit High School faculty in their annual January retreat at Manresa. He is the pastor of St. Francis Xavier College Church on the campus of St. Louis University, his alma mater and previously served as the director and superior at White House Retreat in St. Louis.

Jack DuArte ’59

has published Singapore, the second installment in his World War II trilogy, following his first novel, The Resistance. A decorated Vietnam 8 JAYNotes

have returned to New Orleans after having lived in San Francisco, Denver, and New York for the past 35 years. Lenny is a partner with Moses Engineers and is involved in several high-profile projects in the city, including the renovation of the Mahalia Jackson Theater, which had been destroyed

by Katrina. In a recent CityBusiness story, Lenny displayed his sense of humor: “The real reason I moved back to New Orleans is that the world is about to end, and everyone knows New Orleans is 10 years behind the rest of the world. I bought myself some extra time.”

Karl Zollinger ’67 was elected president of the board of the Northshore Housing Initiative, Inc., which is one of the first community land trusts formed in Louisiana.

The organization’s mission is to develop affordable workforce housing for St. Tammany Parish and other areas of the Northshore.

James LeSaicherre ’68 and his wife, Carol, live near Houston, in Clear Lake, where he works for Shell Lubricants.

Jim and Carol have a five-year-old granddaughter.

Ricardo Ortega ’71 is a senior production

engineer at a chemical plant in Pasadena, TX. He and his wife Marcy, and their nineyear-old daughter Tracy, also live in Clear Lake.

Carlos Barrientos ’72 lives in Albany, GA

where he works as a teacher, translator, and writer.

Steve Huete ’73 is a member of the

U.S. Foreign Service based out of the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands.

John Boulet ’75 continues his work in pediatric emergency medicine in Alabama and writes: “My work is exhausting but fulfilling. Please pray for me always to do well by my patients, who are often in dire straits. I pray for my work to reflect only Christ, in all I do.”

Gary Cruice ’76 moved to Lafayette

following Katrina. After teaching for three years at Comeaux High School, he moved to Teurlings Catholic High School where he teaches algebra and psychology. Gary’s brothers—Michael ’78, Kevin ’81 , and Todd ’85 — still live in the New Orleans area.

Keith Grady ’76 has been named chair of the intellectual property litigation group for the Polsinelli, Shalton, Flanigan, and Suelthaus law firm in St. Louis.

Lyle Jeansonne ’76 recently joined the Progressive Bank in the Shreveport area as senior vice president and chief credit officer.

Lyle has been in the banking business for more than 26 years.

Antonio Garcia ’77, director of jazz studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, taught and performed in Doha, Qatar in the Middle East in November. Tony performed in concert with the American High Schools’ Jazz Band as a trombonist and vocalist.

The following day he performed at the Diplomatic Club for an audience of U.S. Congressional Representatives and Arabic heads of state.

ALUMNI

Mike McGuire ’81 led his Country Day basketball team to the Louisiana Division 1-A state championship, the first for the school since 1980.

W. Anthony Toups ’81 has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of the New Orleans office of Advantage Capital Partners, a leading venture capital and small business finance firm. A seasoned attorney and litigator, he most recently was a partner with the New Orleans law firm of Adams and Reese.

P.H. Fred ’82 founded and organized a musical fundraising project to help save a summer camp for special needs children.

When Fred heard that Krewe de Camp was struggling to survive, he went to work marshalling the troupes of local musicians who had been entertaining the camp children for years via nightly live performances. The collaborative fundraising effort resulted in the album Recess, which featured several New Orleans musicians, including Blue Jays Caleb Guillotte ’81 , Greg Eiffert ’81 , Chris Eiffert ’90, Jim McCormick ’86, and, of course, P.H.

the office of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) on military matters. In this new role, Brandon advises Congress on military strategy. Brandon recently received the Bronze Star for meritorious service while in Iraq, his 16th military decoration. Brandon is pictured at the Commander-in-Chief ’s Inaugural Ball in honor of the country’s active duty and reserve military, one of 10 balls attended

by President Obama and First Lady Michelle on Inauguration Day.

Glen Armantrout ’85 has been named

chairman of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Formerly chief operating officer with Acme Oyster House, he now owns RGA Concepts.

Jimmy Treigle ’87 has recently followed up

his first novel, Walking on Water (2008), by collaborating on The Very Big Storm. Both books draw from Katrina experiences.

Maurice Brungardt ’90 and his wife Maria and their three children live in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he is employed by the U.S. Department of State. Prior to his current assignment, Maurice served in the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, Uganda, in addition to temporary duty assignments elsewhere in the world. Whenever possible, usually during crawfish season, Maurice and his family visit his parents and friends in New Orleans.

Irfan Saeed ’91

serves as a senior policy advisor with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. after three years overseas. At the time of Katrina, Saeed was an assistant U.S. attorney in New Orleans.

After the storm, he had been reassigned to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to assist those countries in rewriting their criminal codes.

Kenneth Mathieu ’90 is a managing director with FTI Consulting in Chicago where he practices forensic accounting. He and his wife Amanda and their two sons live outside Chicago.

Stephen Theriot ’91 is the chief financial officer at Guaranty Savings Bank. He has worked as a CPA for the past 12 years.

Stephen and his wife Janine live in Metairie with their two children.

Greg Ernst ’83 is temporarily filling the

Lakeview area seat while Louisiana State Rep. Nick Lorusso ’85 is on active military duty. Greg specializes in maritime law as a partner in the firm of Peuler and Ernst.

Vincent Liberto ’83 recently was

declared the winner of a year-long national sales contest sponsored by J.S. Paluch, making him the number one seller of missalettes, Catholic calendars, and other church items that are published by the company. Vince and his wife Evelyn have ben married 10 years and live in Old Metairie with their two children.

David Martin ’83 has been named chairman of the board of commissioners of the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission.

Brian McMillan ’90 (above) as the Big Shot. Not a Big Shot – the Big Shot, as in the Zulu Mardi Gras organization. A Zulu for 10 years, Brian experienced the thrill of a lifetime on Mardi Gras when he rode in the parade atop his own Big Shot float. Brian, who is a New Orleans attorney, reflected on his role as the iconic Zulu character: “Mardi Gras is all about entertaining people. I’ve always been into entertaining out-oftown people. Every time I came home from Florida Sate the guys from college would come home with me and I would show them around. I guess that’s just the Southern hospitality in me.”

Major Brandon Gregoire ’91 was selected for the Marine Corps Congressional Fellowship Program and is assigned to

Aaron Burgau ’92 has been named New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef for 2008.

Burgau and business partner Leon Touzet ’90 own and operate Patois, one of the city’s hottest new restaurants. After earning a psychology degree from LSU, Burgau quickly realized that his passion was not in the mind but in the kitchen. So he took the fast track to a diploma in culinary arts from the Johnson & Wales’ Culinary School in Vail. He returned to his hometown and began to work with the city’s top chefs, quickly carving out his own best chef reputation among the patrons of Patois and the city’s many other fine dining establishments.

Fall/Winter 2008–09

9

W H E R E Y ’ AT

Dr. John Boyle ’95 has joined the Gulf South Eye Associates in Metairie as an ophthalmologist.

Jeremy Broussard ’95 is an attorney and Presidential Management Fellow assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C., where he works on counterterrorism policy and operations for Afghanistan and Central Asia at the Pentagon. He has also served as a federal prosecutor in D.C. and helped investigate war crime allegations in Somalia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia. He earned his law degree at Howard University.

Jeremy was awarded Howard University’s Humanitarian of the Year award for two consecutive years, 2006 and 2007, for conceiving, organizing, and running “Alternative Spring Break,” which enabled more than 800 graduate and undergraduate students to spend their spring break volunteering for various hurricane recovery projects in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish. Jeremy currently lives in Maryland with his wife and daughter.

Daniel Dodson ’95 is a board certified ophthalmologist practicing in Metairie and Mandeville. Dodson and his wife Courtney have two sons.

James Cusimano ’96 produces and performs in stand-up comedy shows around town. In 2006 James yielded to a life-long yearning and began his career in comedy.

He has performed at The Republic, The Howlin’ Wolf, and Carrollton Station among other venues. James is also a producer-promoter of The Comedy Fusion Revival Tour which showcases great comedic talent in New Orleans. Joining James for a March show at The Republic was classmate Chris Fontana ’96, who also enjoys life as a stand-up comedian, reveling in the satisfaction from his creative and fun endeavors.

Stuart Schultz ’96 is a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch. He and his wife Shannon live in Fort Worth with their first child Harrison (see Bib List).

Mark Bonis ’97 is the new head football coach at Brother Martin High School.

Jeffrey Simno ’97 has won the 2008

10 JAYNotes

Robert Sherman Scholarship, which provides a $1,000 stipend to a talented student composer studying musical theater. An accomplished librettist, Jeffrey is a graduate student at Columbia University working towards a masters degree in fine arts. The scholarship is funded by and named for Robert Sherman, composer of such classics as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Jungle Book. Jeffrey will continue to develop his own work while assisting other talented writers and producing for Broadway. He also is planning to build a regional theater in New Orleans that will serve as a bellwether for Broadway-bound productions.

Kyle Berner ’99

has had quite an interesting career path, to say the least. Kyle is the co-founder and owner of Feelgoodz, a company that sells one product: flip-flops, specifically, flip-flops made in Thailand, a country close to Kyle’s heart.

After earning a marketing degree from Loyola in 2003, he began his career path with many stops along the way to flip-flops: record producer, computer salesman, hot dog vendor, career coach, and teaching English as a second language to students in Thailand. Always one for adventure, and a constant wearer of flip-flops, Kyle spent a year in Thailand soaking up the culture and the life-style. On a subsequent trip to Thailand, Kyle bought a pair of flip-flops that were marketed as “Thailand’s most comfortable, all-natural rubber flip-flop.”

He agreed with the pitch, tracked down the supplier, and hatched a plan to begin a business selling the flip-flops in New Orleans. But before operations began, Kyle toured a rubber farm in Thailand to verify the manufacturer’s environmental claims and to ensure that no child labor went into the manufacture of the product.

Three percent of sales are dedicated to a trio

of non-profit programs that help support the people of Thailand. Already, Kyle has brokered a deal to sell his flops in Whole Food stores in the southwest.

Brett Grau ’99

claimed his first hole-in-one at the Audubon Golf Course on January 24, 2009. Using a 9-iron on the 129 yard par 3 hole #4, Brett lifted a shot that one-hopped into the hole. “I had always thought that I would take a celebratory swim in the lagoon if I made a hole-in-one. But it was a bit chilly, so I opted for a land celebration instead. And, yes, I had three witnesses.” When he is not on the golf course, Brett is directing the morning news show on WVUE-TV Fox 8.

Chris Edmunds ’02 recently moved back to New Orleans after traveling for a year throughout Latin America. In 2007 he graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in music composition. Chris currently works as a freelance musician in New Orleans. His band, the New Orleans Moonshiners, performed at the recent Jazz Fest.

Jason Bourgeois ’04 competed in the USA Weightlifting National Collegiate Championships in Olympic Lifting held recently in Shreveport. Representing Georgia Tech in the 170-pound weight class, he placed fourth with a snatch of 242 lbs. and a clean and jerk of 308 lbs.

Jason, who graduated in May with a degree in biomedical engineering, is currently researching a new endoscopic method of treating abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Lars Stoulig ’06 is a midshipman, 2nd class (jr.), at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Since arriving at the Naval Academy, Lars’s excellence in academics and athletics has merited him a spot on the Superintendent’s List each semester.

ALUMNI

Four Jesuit alumni were recognized in 2008 as Role Models by the Young Leadership Council (YLC), which each year salutes 25 citizens whose positive attitudes and vigorous leadership have made a difference. The YLC’s Role Models enhance the quality of life in the metro area and unite the diverse segments of our community. Congratulations to these Blue Jay Role Models: Ralph Cox

’64 (and his wife Patricia), Charles Heim ’59, Mike nolan ’63, and al Petrie ’71 . The honorees appropriately are called Role Models because they are outstanding examples to emulate for the young talent that comprise the YLC’s membership.

At the annual Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet held in January, two Blue Jays— Dr. Joe Licciardi ’53 and Todd Graffagnini ’87— were honored. “Doc,” as he is called by coaches and players of all the Jesuit teams he has served over the decades as a team physician, was a 2009 inductee into the Hall of Fame. Graffagnini received the Buddy “D” Media Award. As the “Voice of the Green Wave,” Todd provides play-by-play coverage of Tulane University’s football, basketball, and baseball games.

LET US KNOW…

WHERE Y’AT! You enjoy reading about fellow Blue Jay alumni and they enjoy reading about you. Take a moment to tell ’em

WHERE Y’AT!

Mail to Jaynotes, Alumni Office, Jesuit High School, 4133 Banks St., New Orleans, LA 70119; or email: alumni@jesuitnola.org. We welcome digital photos (minimum 750KB resolution), but send only two or three of your best shots.

Jesuit encourages alumni to make a contribution to the LEF or the scholarship funds, or both. No contribution is too small and your gift to Jesuit will help the school in many ways. You may donate online.

Go to www.jesuitnola.org and click on Jayson in the upper left corner.

Grau

Franklin

Fitzmorris

Four Blue Jays were nominated for 2008 Big Easy Theatre Awards. Jim Fitzmorris ’87 was nominated in two categories—Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his performance in The Seafarer at Southern Rep and Best Original Work Created for the

Three former Blue Jay soccer players—P.J. Key ’00,

Theatre for his play What, Has This Thing Appeared Again Tonight? produced

Brandon Chagnard ’05, and

’92 was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor in a Musical category for

Stephen Duncan ’07—are on the

his performance as Pappy Yokum in Tulane Summer Lyric’s L’il Abner. Derek

roster of the New Orleans Jesters, a professional soccer team which plays their home games in the newly

by The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane & the NOLA Project. Mat Grau iii

Franklin ’84 was nominated as Best Musical Director for Rent and Best Director of a Musical with Sonny Borey for Cabaret. And Sean Patterson ’89

renovated Pan American Stadium in

was nominated as Best Director of a Comedy for As You Like It. And the winner

City Park.

was…Jim Fitzmorris for Best Original Work Created for the Theatre.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 11

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Breaux ’86 on the birth of their fifth child, third son, Jonathan Sporl Breaux, October 21, 2008.

Jonathan Sporl is the grandson of Henry Schonberg ’57; the great-grandson of the late Harold Sporl, Sr., ’30; the step-greatgrandson of the late Durel Talbot ’31; the nephew of Warren Breaux, Jr. ’78, Stephen Schonberg ’81, and Christopher Schonberg ’84; and the great nephew of the late Harold Sporl, Jr. ’60 and J. Cressend Schonberg ’61.

Mr. and Mrs. Daryl Albro ’88 on the birth of their son Ian Joseph Albro, September 29, 2007. Ian is the nephew of Donald Albro ’86 and David Albro ’91.

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Browne, Jr. ’88 on the birth of their second daughter, Ainsley Claire LeFebvre Browne, February 1, 2008. Ainsley is the granddaughter of Patrick Browne, Sr. ’56; the niece of Stephen Browne ’91; and the great-niece of John Browne ’48 and the late Stephen Browne ’41.

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Theriot ’91 on the birth of their daughter, Lily Isabel Theriot, April 21, 2008.

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald West ’91 on the birth of their first child, a son, Carson Whiteside West, June 25, 2008.

Dr. and Mrs. August Berner III ’92 on the birth of their fourth child, Gareth Amador Berner. Gareth is the grandson of August Berner, Jr. ’60 and the great-

grandson of the late Amador George Windmeyer ’38 and the late August Berner, Sr. ’34.

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Britsch, Jr. ’95 on the birth of their first child, William Paul Britsch, October 22, 2008. William is the grandson of Dr. Ronnie Britsch ’65 and the great-grandson of Glendy Munson, Jr. ’41.

Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Schultz ’96 on the birth of their first child, Harrison Grant Schultz, January 23, 2009.

Mr. and Mrs. Jody Fortunato ’98 on the birth of their second daughter, Lucia Ann, January 8, 2009.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Marshall III ’99 on the birth of their daughter, Caroline Grace Marshall, June 17, 2008.

The Good Shepherd Inducted into Hall of Honors Fr. Harry Tompson, S.J. ’54, who served as principal and president of Jesuit High School, is the latest inductee into the school’s Hall of Honors. Fr. Tompson was posthumously inducted on December 8, 2008, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

A photo of Fr. Tompson was unveiled in the second floor hallway that has been well traversed by thousands of Blue Jays. His gaze undoubtedly will fall on thousands of Blue Jays yet to pass through this hallowed hall.

As principal, Fr. Tompson is credited with rejuvenating Blue Jay Spirit in the mid-1970s. After a long tenure at his alma mater, Fr. Tompson moved into other ministries, serving as director of Manresa Retreat House, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, and the driving force behind social service initiatives in the inner city area anchored by Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. Gambit Weekly named Fr. Tompson the 2001 New Orleanian of the Year.

12 JAYNotes

Perhaps Fr. Tompson’s crowning achievement was his founding of The Good Shepherd School for at-risk children in the central city. Fr. Tompson did not live to see the first students enter kindergarten at his school. But now that those students are entering high school, Fr. Tompson’s legacy is firmly established as The Good Shepherd. n Read the entire article and view the photo gallery on the Alumni page: www.jesuitnola.org/alumni/hall_of_honors_ masterpage.htm.

Friends and family members gather in the Hall of Honors under the newly unveiled portrait of Fr. Harry Tompson, S.J.

ALUMNI

Alumni Return to Enhance Student Life

Alumni give back to their alma mater in many ways. Several serve on boards and committees offering advice on the school’s operation and future. Many assist with the school’s financial drives, namely the PAG and the LEF. Still others roll up their sleeves and organize food baskets for the annual Thanksgiving Drive. And a few Blue Jays enhance the experiences of current students by visiting classes as guest lecturers and speaking to the entire student body at morning assemblies.

Clockwise from top left: At Career Day in April, Jim Huck ’86, professor of Latin American Studies at Tulane, and Jon Berthelot ’87, dean of students at the Episcopal School of Acadiana, informed Jesuit’s juniors and seniors of the A-B-Cs of a career in education. Earlier in the year at this year’s Investiture ceremony to welcome the school’s newest students, John Haas ’03 inspired the fledgling Jays with stories of his experiences at Carrollton and Banks. Haas is a second-year student in LSU’s Medical School where he is heavily involved in Camp Tiger, a camp for mentally and physically disabled children. At morning assemblies, Blue Jays were visited by several alumni who told stories of their days as students and how Jesuit affected their lives in positive ways. Among those alumni who addressed the student body at assemblies were Capt. Jeremy Broussard ’95, who at the time was on military leave, and actor-radio personality Jay Thomas ’66, whose wisecracks and fractured memories about Jesuit had Blue Jays laughing out loud, quite a feat for a Monday morning. n

Discover more about Blue Jay graduates by visiting the Alumni page on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/alumni.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 13

IN MEMORIAM

Each edition of Jaynotes lists those members of the Jesuit High School community who have died. Please remember our recently deceased in your prayers.

Warren James Mermilliod ’30; John James Petre, Jr. ’32; Raphael Remy Fransen ’33; Salvatore John Ciolino ’34; Morel Miller Elmer, Jr. ’35; John Jay Hawkshead, Jr. ’35; Albert J. Lucchesi, Jr. ’35; Archie R. Boggs ’36; Maurice A. Cristadoro, Jr. ’36; J. Hampden White, Jr. ’36; Eugene John Fortier, Jr. ’37; Frederick William Berner, Sr. ’37; Rosario “Cyrus” J. Caruso ’38; Russell John Esser ’38; Dario Felix Ballina, Jr. ’39; Joseph August Tortorich ’39; Joseph Owen Kuebel, Jr. ’42; John William Waters ’42; Rev. Edgar J. Tiblier, S.J. ’43; Harold Heitkamp ’46; Lynn Anthony Roy ’46; Lester Wallace Edell ’48; Ernest Joseph Cook, Jr. ’49; Ambrose F. Morel, Jr. ’50; Carlos Alfred Leiva ’51; Leonard Frederick Levy II ’54; Joseph D. Hemstreet ’55; Norbert R. Morgan ’56; Linden “Duke” Schneider ’57; Joseph John Bindewald, Jr. ’58; Henry Charles Weber ’58; James J. Delhom, Jr. ’61; Lawrence J. Merrigan ’64; Robert R. Generes, Sr. ’67; Kenneth Eugene Marcell, Jr. ’68; Patrick Henry O’Reilly ’68; Thomas Michael Gardes ’71; Paul Daniel Baril ’75; Brian D. Maher ’75; Joseph Berenger Brechtel, Jr. ’84; Christopher B. Rozas ’90; Joseph Patrick Uddo ’92; Jason Vorbeck ’93

WIFE OF

Erick C. Aertker ’95; Donald J. Bernard ’48; the late Chester A. Blancq ’34; the late Robert E. Burns, Sr. ’25; the late William H. Cahill, Sr. ’28; the late L. Sidney Charbonnet ’25; Gregory J. Favret ’68; Thomas J. Ford ’37; the late Edward A. Foster, Jr. ’38; the late Norman F. Hodgins ’44; the late Eugene J. Hoffman, Jr. ’38; the late Raymond M. Jurado ’35; the late John J. Kuchler ’32; the late James C. Kuck ’32; the late George M. Leppert ’29; the late Edward J. Ludman, Jr. ’41; the late Bates J. MacGowan, Jr. ’39; the late Milton M. May ’37; the late John J. McCann ’33; the late Thomas J. McDonald, Sr. ’35; the late Milton J. McGovern, ’32; the late Howard H. McGregor, Sr. ’35; the late Norman A. Meyer ’33; Lawrence D. Nicholls, Jr. ’45; the late Ulisse M. Nolan ’28; the late F. Patrick Quinn, Jr. ’43; the late Floyd R. Roy, Sr. ’35; the late Emmett W. Russo ’32; the late Stanley A. Thouron ’41; Daniel J. Trahant ’63; Robert E. Treuting ’55; the late Christopher W. Zeringue, Sr. ’35

FATHER OF

Andrew R. Ballina ’74; Philip A. III ’60 and Harvey P. Becnel ’67; Thomas J. ’69 and Harry M. Block ’72; Charles A. Boggs

14 JAYNotes

’64; Jack C. ’61, David A. ’64, and Borne P. Boudreaux III ’67; the late Nicholas E. Caruso ’66; Cameron M. ’06 and Connor M. Chamberlain ’10; the late Joseph L. Clesi III ’67; Joseph R. De Lerno ’69; Stephen I. ’66 and Gregory A. Dwyer ’69; Morel M. III ’69, John J. ’77, and Alan J. Elmer ’80; Derek D. Gardes ’91; John J. Hawkshead III ’85; Kevin G. ’69 and Thomas J. Heigle ’83; Andrew J. Holko, Jr. ’91; Craig A. Juneau ’04; Shawn C. Kelly ’80; Jay O. ’72 and Donald A. Kuebel ’76; Leo J., Jr. ’67 and Kevin A. Lay ’79; Burt J. Lehmann ’74; David J. ’81 and Paul O. Licciardi ’87; Anthony Macaluso IV ’76; Francis M. II ’66 and Charles J. Maier ’71; Darrell G. ’75 and the late Eldon B. Marant ’60; Christopher P. Marshall, Jr. ’09; Craig W. Maumus ’64; Travis M. Melancon ’95; Humberto L. Monge ’75; John C. Mooney ’87; William J. ’74, James E. ’79 and the late John S. Neville, Jr. ’70; Barry T. Obiol ’74; Christopher P. Olivier ’93; George B. Recile ’71; Connor S. Roberts ’10; Norbert Roessler ’61; Michael R. III ’69 and Dennis F. Sherman ’71; Daniel R. Silbernagel ’79; Bradley T. ’76 and Eric J. Simonson ’82; step-father of Camille R. Zenon, Jr. ’78

MOTHER OF

Richard E. ’82, Mark G. ’83, and Patrick M. Alvarez ’86; the late Thomas J. Bennett, Jr. ’52; David H. Bernard ’80; Avery J. Blanchard ’62; the late Herman S. Bock ’74; Robert J. Burlet, Jr. ’67; Robert E., Jr. ’56, Malcolm M. ’57, Gerald F. ’59, and Ralph J. Burns ’61; Nelson III ’84 and Brandon L. Burton ’85; William H., Jr. ’54, Robert B. ’63, and Michael P. Cahill ’76; Carl J. Ciaccio ’63; step-mother of Henry J. Daries ’64; David C. ’83, Christopher E. ’85 and Derek D. DeHoog ’91; Robert J. Despenzero ’54; George C. Drennan ’94; Donald G. Ellis ’64; step-mother of David G. ’00 and Thomas E. Favret ’07; E. Forrest, Jr. ’69 and Michael J. Forbes ’71; Darryl J. Foster ’69; Percy J. Freeman, Jr. ’66; Robert L. Frigo, Jr. ’70; John E. ’62, Michael J., Jr. ’64, Timothy J. ’69, and P. Kevin Galvin ’74; Elbert H. III ’59 and Glenn G. Goodier ’65; Melville H. Goutierez, Jr. ’55; Matthew J. Gracianette ’83; Eugene J. III ’66 and Gregory M. Hoffman ’74; F. Gerard, Jr. ’71 and Peter E. Judlin ’82; James J. Keller ’61; Kevin W. Kern ’76; John M. Klopf, Jr. ’54; Victor E. Lagarde III ’58; step-mother of Robert C. Landreaux ’07; Darrell G. ’75 and the late Eldon B. Marant, Jr. ’60; James A. ’71, Michael P. ’72, and David G. McCann ’75; Howard H., Jr. ’61 and G. Mark

McGregor ’68; Thomas J. ’64 and Philip A. Mele ’69; Wilfred H. Middleton, Jr. ’62; Gregory M. ’83, Brian C. ’84, and Granville A. Morse ’89; Emile C. Netzhammer ’52; William T. Nolan II ’65; Michael R. O’Keefe III ’64; Charles S. Pfister ’56; F. Patrick Quinn III ’72; the late Bruce G. Reed ’65; Adam C. Rogge ’92; the late Raymond J. Salassi, ’58; Kenneth P. ’64 and Lawrence G. Thomas ’70; Robert J. ’81 and Michael S. Treuting ’86; David W. Vignes ’76; Guy E. Weigel ’79; Ronald S. Wood ’60

BROTHER OF

Harold R. ’36 and the late Robert I. Ballina ’47; Charles A. ’69 and David C. Baril ’71; the late Francis B. ’31, the late August J., Sr. ’34, the late Paul L. ’35 and the late Joseph H. Berner, Jr. ’37; David J. ’64 and the late Michael J. Bindewald ’68; the late Rev. Robert L. Boggs, S.J. ’34; Harold G. Brauninger ’65; the late Henry J. Bryer, Jr. ’40; the late Joseph P. Buendia ’71; Samuel J. ’40, Vincent P. ’46, the late Henry J. ’34, the late John F. ’38, and the late Felix J. Ciolino ’43; the late James R. Dalgran, Jr. ’40; the late Rafael ’27 and the late Joseph A. Diaz ’38; Chester A. Drenning, Jr. ’50; Leonard J. ’33, the late Alphonse C. ’35, and John H. Elmer ’39; the late Robert E. Fortier ’36; Henry E. Fransen ’42; A. Albert Gardes, Jr. ’68; Terrence H Gleason ’55; the late Christopher A. Hall ’77; Harold W., Jr. ’44, and James M. Hemstreet ’48; Harold F. Landry, Jr. ’58; Joseph P. Licciardi, Jr. ’53; Gary D. Lummen ’62; Richard M. Marcell ’73; Donald F. ’55, Gerry M. ’66, the late Robert C. ’50, the late Allen W., Jr. ’55, and the late Patrick J. McClure ’57; the late Thomas J. McDonald ’35; the late Robert A. Philibert ’43; Charles B. Rappold, Jr. ’50; the late Sidney L., Jr. ’38, the late Fernand J. ’40, and the late Thomas J. Tiblier ’41; the late Anthony L. Tortorich ’38; Malcolm J. Tuohy ’39; Paul B. ’97 and Gregory G. Uddo ’00; Robert C. Ward, Jr. ’74; the late Msgr. Rev. John A. Weber, Jr. ’37; the late George E. White ’43; Scott T. Whittaker ’78

SISTER OF

The late Charles A. Accardo ’32; the late Mavor C. Alexander ’50; the late Matthew S. Braniff ’31; William J. Brennan, Jr. ’45; Raphael J. Eiffert, Jr. ’53; the late Rev. Lawrence P. Elizardi, S.J. ’47; Msgr. Emile J. Fossier ’35; Jerome B. Glynn ’44; Patrick J. ’75 and Peter M. Graffagnino ’75; John B. Gremillion ’59; William H. III ’61, Douglas B. ’65, and Stephen P. Harris ’67; the late Francis Jacob, Jr. ’30; Ernest J., Jr. ’54 and

ALUMNI

Drouet E. LeBlanc ’60; Charles E. ’47 and the late Richard K. LeCorgne ’61; Keith S. May ’32; the late Hugh J. McAuliffe ’42; Michael A. McCall ’48; Boyd L. Sr. ’51 and the late Emile J. Mothe III ’47; the late Pennywitt J. Naquin III ’50; Vincent A. Paciera ’39; the late George R. Reitmeyer, Jr. ’32; James R. Rivet ’51; the late Roy A. Sax ’39; the late Fred B., Jr. ’34 and the late Raymond M. Schroeder ’36; James T. ’42, Gerard R. ’47, and the late J. Ott Schulte ’35; the late Theodore L. ’29 and the late Edwin J. Soniat ’34; the late Bishop Joseph G. D.D. ’34 and the late John L. Vath, Sr. ’36; the late Samuel T. Vinturella ’45

SON OF

Richard P. Colomes ’50; the late James J. Delhom ’37; the late Donald P. Endom ’53; the late Albert A. McVille, Sr. ’38; the late Warren J. Merrilliod, Jr. ’30; step-son of the late Jerome J. Redmann ’53; the late Jacob F. Schwab ’42; the late Sidney L. Tiblier ’13; stepson of the late Thomas J. Whittaker, Jr. ’44

DAUGHTER OF

The late Darrell J. Donaldson ’53; the late Lawrence P. Elizardi ’18; the late Peter J. Graffagnino, Jr. ’43; the late William H. Harris, Jr. ’32; the late William A. Klein, Jr. ’38; the late Marion E. May ’32

GRANDFATHER OF

Stephen A. Aslett ’99; Mark A. Aspiazu ’92; David M. Becnel ’03; Jonathan H. Becnel ’02; Kyle R. Berner ’99; Kevin M. ’00, Michael F. ’02, Eric D. ’05, and Joel T. Block ’06; B. Paul Boudreaux III ’95; Ryan C. Brent ’99; Jean-Paul Bujol ’06; James R. III ’88, Edward R. ’95 and Robert N. Commagere ’06; James A. Crouch ’03; Glenn R. Dedeaux III ’95; Paul H., Jr. ’02 and Douglas J. deVerges ’05; Jeremy D. Dwyer ’94; Gregory J. ’81, Rene G. ’85, and Christopher R. Eiffert ’90; John J., Jr. ’03, Alan J., Jr. ’05, and Benjamin M. Elmer ’12; Scott P. Eustis ’97; Kyle R. Funck ’03; Lee E. ’03 and Alex J. Griffith ’07; Anthony J. Gusler, Jr. ’10; Robert M. Jr. ’98 and Andrew J. Hamilton ’07; Spencer B. III ’89 and Christian K. Harris ’91; Bartley J. ’99 and Farrell P. Harrison ’03; Stephen L. Hayman ’11; Eric B. Heigle ’02; Philip C. Hellmers ’10; Jeremy T. Hernandez ’03; Bradley E. Hookfin ’97; Brian T. Hopkins ’02; Peter H. Hopkins, Jr. ’00; John B. Imms ’01; Todd B. Johnson ’11; Calvin P. Jones III ’95; Kenneth W. Keller, Jr. ’03; Michael C. Kontos ’85; Kevin J. ’97 and Ryan H. Lane ’04; Andrew C. ’89 and Ryan R. LeBlanc ’91; Keith G. LeBlanc ’00; Charles Ray Lee, Jr. ’98; Nicholas J. Lefante ’03; Anthony Macaluso V ’05; Michael W. Magner ’05; Michael F. Maumus ’99; Michael G. Morvant ’88; Blake S. ’07 and Austin G. Nichols ’10; Stewart E. Niles III ’94;

A. ’04 and Daniel W. Long ’09; Brian J. ’92, Michael R. ’96, and Benton R. Marino ’97; Andrew M.S. Marquis ’08; Jamal T. Martin ’93; Louis B. May ’89; Howard H. III ’88, T. Hunter ’92, James W. ’96, G. Mark, Jr. ’03, and Cooper W. McGregor ’06; Stephen A. Miller ’87; Stephen H. ’95 and Forrest J. Montgomery ’13; Robert J. ’97 and Brian P. Mora ’99; Harold Muller III ’85; Ryan K. Nagim ’97; Daniel J. Poolson, Jr. ’99; James L. ’97 and Michael S. Quinn ’01; Timothy G. Reed ’93; Leon J. Reymond III ’87; Maurice R. ’10 and Tyler J. Richier ’12; Stephen G., Jr. ’98 and Justin M. Ritter ’02; Christopher M. ’88 and Michael I. Rodriguez, Jr. ’90; Austin P. ’10 and Ryan C. Roy ’12; Robert T. Salassi, Jr. ’88; Paul V. ’96 and David J. Saltaformaggio ’00; Bradley M. Scott ’98; Christopher J. Sellers ’07; Danny J. Simon ’86; Peter J. Spera III ’98; Anthony J., Jr. ’91 and Michael J. Taffaro ’95; Gregory M. Tortorich ’11; Tyler P. ’10 and Casey M. Treuting ’10; Anthony J., Jr. ’88 and Tanner J. Tridico ’94; Paul B. ’97, Gregory G. ’00, James L. ’07, and the late Joseph P. Uddo ’92; Terry J. Ursin, Jr. ’93; Jay D. ’89 and Mark S. Valentino ’97; David A. Vinterella ’89; Chad A. Vinturella ’94; James N. Vitale ’06; Karl E. Warner ’92; Karl A. Williams ’96; Ronald P. Yager II ’79; Michael S. ’94, Joseph S. ’07, and Michael J. Yenni ’11

Nathaniel T. Obiol ’04; Joseph E. Orr III ’89; Adam J. Page III ’95; Fernando IV ’87 and Brett E. Patron ’91; Lyell E. Petersen ’89; Andre J. Plaisance ’96; Charles A. Ravaglia II ’99; Nicholas E. ’98, Christopher M. ’03, and Benjamin F. Reed ’06; Dylan M. Richard ’11; David C. ’06 and Daniel S. Rigamer ’10; John J. III ’85 and Michael G. Ripoll ’95; George A. Rowley, Jr. ’04; Peyton S. Saunders ’13; Mark W. Schellhaas ’08; Scott M. ’03 and Andrew C. Schroth ’10; Timothy D. ’06 and Evan P. Shea ’10; Sean H. ’09 and Alex J. Simonson ’12; Brian J. ’86 and Scott M. Spinnato ’93; Eric M. Theriot ’11; Todd P. Trosclair ’98; Andrew J. Valenti ’04; Chad A. Vinturella ’94; Miles A. Waters ’11; William G. Waters ’04; David C. ’92 and Kurt M. Weiser ’95; Carlos S. ’10 and Atticus O. Wilklow ’13

GRANDMOTHER OF

Troy M. Albert ’92; Eric C. Baas ’05; Ted G. ’88, Brett J. ’99, and Jordan A. Bennett ’00; Barrett R. Blanchard ’97; Benjamin D. ’99, Daniel J. ’01, Jordan T. ’07, and Joshua M. Bourgeois ’13; G. Gernon III ’73, Blair G. ’74, T. Desmond ’76, John G. ’78, and Felicien J. Brown ’80; Robert J. III ’89 and Mark J. Burlet ’91; Kevin B. ’82, Harold E. ’83, Erin J. ’87, and Kelly P. Burns ’90; Peter M. Caruso ’81; John A. Cerniglia ’05; Stephen B. ’81 and Michael D. Clement ’83; Trevor O. Coker ’13; John J. Culicchia ’83; Thomas M. Daigle, Jr. ’97; Savare J. DeFelice III ’92; Todd J. ’93 and Ryan B. Derbes ’96; Matthew S. Dozier ’06; Michael J. ’82 and Roy J. Drez ’87; Jason N. Dubos ’06; Brian S. Early ’00; Leon H. Edmond IV ’89; William C. III ’84, Donald G., Jr. ’88, Steven G. ’94, Michael H. ’95, and Joseph L. Ellis ’00; R. Roger Eyles ’06; Brian J. Foster ’11; Greg L. Foster, Jr. ’99; Michael E. Foster ’95; Michael E. Fouquier ’02; Scott T. ’85 and Kent H. Fowler ’87; David M. Gaines ’83; Allen J. Ganucheau IV ’13; John M. ’76 and James M. Gatti ’81; John P. ’81 and James E. Gay ’82; Henry C. George ’01; Grant P. ’92 and Daniel J. Gibbons ’96; Christopher G. ’90, Michael A. ’95, and the late Colin D. Goodier ’97; Allen C. Gregoire ’91; Paul M. Gulotta ’94; Christopher D. ’97, Mark D. ’99, and Scott D. Harlan ’01; Anthony L. Harris ’85; Brandon D. ’05, Jonathan L. ’09, and Evan A. Hartmann ’12; Christopher C. Hartwell ’93; Adam L. Haydel ’12; William F. Hegeman V ’85; Kyle E. ’08, Chad M. ’10, and Kevin P. Heidingsfelder ’13; Scott ’93 and Brett Hines ’91; Eugene J. Hoffman IV ’91; Terrence M., Jr. ’05 and Kyle M. Ibert ’09; Craig R. ’80, Cris R. ’84, and Caffery R. Jackson ’86; William F. Johnson ’03; David J. ’80 and Denis T. Johnston ’83; John M. Kennedy ’87; Jonathan L. ’00 and Kevin M. Klopf ’09; Daniel K. LaVie ’04; Brian J. Lawson ’99; Brian L. ’95 and Lance J. Lenfant ’99; Vincent B. LoCoco ’86; Brett

GRANDSON OF

The late Charles N. Thompson ’37

GRANDDAUGHTER OF Joseph M. Rault, Jr. ’43

GREAT GRANDFATHER OF Timothy M. Harris ’10

GREAT GRANDMOTHER OF

Justin W. ’07 and Andrew S. Barrett ’12; Patrick ’06 and Gerard Braud ’10; Drew A. Burns ’13; Ralph C. Freibert IV ’12; Jude Kernaghan ’95; Emile J. Loetzerich IV ’08; Ryan C. McCall ’05; Jonathan E. Pepper ’08; Jacob M. ’08 and Connor G. Pugh ’13; Reid J. Regouffre ’10; John ’05, Andrew ’07, and Christian Worrel ’12 Correction: In the last issue of Jaynotes, we erroneously listed the wife of Taylor Norton ’98 as having died. Taylor’s wife, Kristen, is alive and well. We apologize for the error.

The list above represents information received through February 28, 2009.

For current announcements, please check the “In Memoriam” page on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/alumni/inmemoriam/ htm.

Information and corrections should be directed to Bro. William J. Dardis, S.J.: dardis@jesuitnola.org.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 15

P R I N C I PA L ’ S C O R N E R

Professional Development Keeps Title II Support Enables Faculty to Attend The Profile of the Jesuit Graduate at Graduation contains five elements, two of which are “open to growth” and “intellectually competent.”

The recently created Profile of a Teacher at Jesuit High School also contains these two components. Just like our students, faculty members themselves must be in a continual process of learning, so that they are always at their best for our students. This process never ends for teachers, and they find continual rejuvenation in the process.

Of course, the cost of teachers engaging in this on-going professional development is typically not free. Jesuit High School, along with other schools, have been blessed to have been allotted federal funding via Title II for our teachers to pursue their professional development locally and throughout the United States.

Since these funds have been made available to us in November of 2007, all of our departments have utilized the money to attend conferences and/or workshops locally and nationally. Teachers in the English and modern foreign language departments have utilized the funds the most to participate in national conferences with their colleagues from across the United States. English teachers have attended conferences in California, Colorado, New York, and Texas, while their counterparts in modern foreign language have attended conferences in California, Florida, and Washington (state).

Some of what our English teachers have brought back with them include: practical and expanded ideas about introducing Elizabethan theatre and the Globe Theatre to students; numerous nuances and techniques to help students better understand the writings of Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, and William Faulkner; collaboration between the use of electronic media and the web on one hand and of

Victorian scholarship and research on the other; in-depth information about the creative process and inspiration for young adult literature; advanced techniques in writing composition and in integrating culture and language in the writing program; the integration of both sides of the brain in the classroom; the use of critical evaluation of informational sources; and integration of technology into the writing process. In addition to increased knowledge in all of these areas, our English teachers packed their suitcases to the brim with handouts for their colleagues in the English department.

Our modern foreign language teachers have come back to Jesuit with the following: integrating the use of music to help

16 JAYNotes

students learn vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and local customs; techniques in creating literature tables to help students with their reading comprehension; various ways to expose students to listen to speaking styles and speaking rates to facilitate vocabulary acquisition; games and projects to enhance communication in the target language; suggestions to help teachers integrate differentiated instruction in the classroom to reach students with various learning styles; advanced techniques to expose students to planned, sequential, and repetitive language structures through listening to and reading interesting and engaging stories; various technological resources to make teaching more effective and more engaging for students; and innovative strategies to increase interactive communication in the classroom.

This past February, Top Abshire (prefect of discipline), Dave Moreau (athletic director), Mike Prados (director of student activities), and I attended a national conference in San Francisco on school culture. The majority of the conference focused on ways for administrators to continually look for opportunities to optimize the culture of their schools. Many speakers at the conference encouraged and challenged us to find innovative ways to help all segments of our school community to communicate more effectively and more regularly. Not being afraid to take risks as a school community was a topic often discussed. Of course, it was also gratifying to have time to share our strengths and challenges with our colleagues from across the country. These types of conferences are always learning and rejuvenating experiences for administrators.

Three faculty members—one each from the science, math, and modern foreign language departments—attended the Advanced Placement Conference last summer in Seattle. At the conference, our three teachers had the opportunity to share and discuss ideas, various teaching methodologies, best practices, common problems, and solutions with colleagues in their respective fields from across the country. In addition to the tremendous benefits resulting from this shared learning process, our teachers attended focused workshops and discussion groups to help them with enhanced strategies and approaches to teach the various sections of their respective AP exams.

Members of our guidance and college counseling department attended conferences in California and Nevada. These conferences helped our counselors professionally in the following areas: providing practical, useful, and simple strategies for teaching hard-to-reach students; changing the way teachers speak to students to promote and nurture accountability for their actions; increasing their awareness and skills to better identify and provide support to high risk/high needs students so that these students perform at optimal levels in the classroom; giving students specific and descriptive feedback; encouraging structured student-to-student interaction

J E S U I T T O D AY

Jesuit’s Teachers on Top of Their Game Seminars and Conferences in the classroom; identifying which students might be at risk for developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in various situations and applying behavioral interventions to its treatment; and learning more specific techniques and technological advances to help students in their college search process.

Teachers in our math department attended a national conference of math teachers (NCTM) in Washington, D.C. this past April. This national conference provided our math teachers with the opportunity to network with math teachers from around the country, and, in some cases, from around the world. Our teachers were able to attend numerous conference sessions and explore and discuss the latest teaching tools. When our teachers returned to Jesuit, they had many new strategies and handouts to share with their math colleagues.

MCJROTC and science had teachers attend an institute in school leadership in the summer of 2008 at Loyola University New Orleans. Those faculty members attending the institute chose two tracks, specifically, administration and curriculum leadership. Areas covered in the administration track were personnel management, performance appraisals, strategic and tactical planning, conflict management, legal issues, financial issues, and communication within the school. Topics covered in the curriculum leadership track were globalization and learning; the interplay of curriculum, data, and instruction; brainbased learning; the relationship of mission to curriculum; building leadership teams of teachers; technology resources in the curriculum; and value-added evaluation of curriculum and instruction.

Fine arts and the library science departments sent representatives to a conference this past April in Philadelphia. The main areas covered at the conference included exposure to historical libraries and collections to provide insight into the significance of fiction and its uses in promoting literacy and techniques to help the visual and cultural programs in promoting the use of historical images as primary source material in studying the past.

Last August and then again this past March, all members of our science department received workshop training in using recently purchased equipment. In these two workshops, teachers learned how to use the various pieces of equipment, specifically, how to work probes, how to design programs for laboratory experiments, and how to measure PH, changes in temperature, and pressure.

Our technology and modern foreign language teachers teamed up for a workshop this past April here at Jesuit. Title II funds paid for an expert from the Sony Virtuoso Learning Lab to provide a full day of training for our teachers on this recently purchased learning lab. The learning opportunities for our modern foreign language students are optimized in a language lab setting, and our teachers are excited about the new horizons to which they will be able to direct students by properly using this new technology.

Finally, Title II funds have allowed every faculty member to receive six or more hours of computer training during the 20082009 academic year. Much of this training has focused on providing teachers with an increased knowledge and level of comfort in use of the sympodiums now found in every classroom at Jesuit High School. This new technology is an interactive display that is connected to a computer and which can be controlled by the teacher using a keyboard or interactive pen. By finding ever more creative ways to use these sympodiums, teachers can create a truly interactive experience for students. Interacting with the Internet, enhancing slides with digital ink, sharing and annotating Web pages, creating visually stimulating images to accompany class discussions, taking and saving notes, and recording portions of presentations are some of the many innovations our teachers are using to make the classroom the learning environment our students deserve.

Title II federal funds have only enhanced the faculty development that has been going on for years. Of course, there are many other ways in which our faculty members have advanced themselves professionally this year. Jesuit and other schools are hopeful that Title II funds will continue to be available in the future.

All the best and God bless. AMDG. n Mike Giambelluca ’82 This page, left, new teachers and their mentors meet with Malcolm Villarrubia ’66, director of faculty development; opposite page, left, teachers fill room 329, the usual place for faculty meetings; and French teacher Patrick Benoit engages his students in group discussion.

Eleven New Teachers Join Jesuit Staff The opening of the 2008-2009 school year saw eleven new teachers join the faculty of Jesuit High School. They are from left, front row: Toni Wyont (classical languages); Merle Palacios (Spanish); Rachel Sharp (math); Gino Giambelluca (science, physical education, football, 8th grade baseball); Theodore Mahne (theology); back row, from left: Kyle White (science); Nathan Halloran, S.J. (theology, campus ministry); Eric Gaudet ’03 (Spanish); Paul Catalanotto (theology, campus ministry); Keith McGee (Spanish). Not pictured: Kenneth Trahan (athletic trainer)

Fall/Winter 2008–09 17

THANKSGIVING DRIVE ’08

Blue Jay Spirit at Its Best

This page, clockwise from left, seniors Matthew Zuppardo, Chris Wegmann, Ryan Flynn, and Ryan Gupta load Thanksgiving boxes into their vehicle before heading out for delivery; Blue Jays shop for groceries at Robért Fresh Market; and, English teacher Tim Powers and his students, from left, seniors Gabriel Gutierrez, Alex Neal, Andrew Puente, Gerard Suhor, Martin Plauché, and James Pottharst, pause for a moment outside a home whose family just received their Thanksgiving gifts.

18 JAYNotes

J E S U I T T O D AY

The day before Thanksgiving is a special day at Jesuit. And it has been since the early days of the 20th century. Once again last fall, Blue Jays focused their hearts and their energies on feeding the needy in our metropolitan area. Homerooms collected enough food and other items, organize their boxes, and personally delivered them to 450 families. As usual, the Class of 1983 donated all the turkeys for the drive. Students, faculty, and alumni all focused on enhancing the lives of others—Blue Jay Spirit at its best.

View the photo galleries of the 2008 Thanksgiving Drive on the community service page: www.jesuitnola.org/extrathanksgiving.htm.

English teacher Gary Wyss and the pre-freshmen in his homeroom sort and pack groceries for basket delivery while alumni unload produce bags for the 200 baskets they contributed to the drive.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 19

DYNA SPORTS

Jesuit’s state championship trophy cases just got more crowded. Three perennial powerhouses of the school’s sports program have brought home state championship trophies in the 2008-2009 school year: swimming, wrestling, and soccer. And in describing the Jays’ three distinct championships, sportswriters seemed to settle on the same word: DYNASTY!

SWIMMING At the Spar Aquatic Center in Sulphur, LA on a November weekend, the Blue Jay swimming team captured the program’s 34th state championship. The victory completed an undefeated season for Coach Bret Hanemann’s aqua men.

The Jays were at their peak for the state tourney after winning district and then besting a field of 19 teams in the prestigious Metro Championship meet.

At the state meet the Blue Jay swimmers amassed 315 points to win the meet by 87 points. The team was led by individual state champions juniors Brian Carr (200 Free, 500 Free) and Marc Dorsey (100 Back, 200 Individual Medley).

The Jays also captured the 400 freestyle relay (Carr, along with seniors Jared Rodrigue, Chris Willem, and Chris Reuter); the 200 freestyle relay (seniors Rodrigue and Mark Reuther and juniors Dorsey and Ramsay Burch); and the 400 medley relay (senior Reuther and juniors Carr, Dorsey, and Burch).

After the successful season, Dorsey was named a 2008 USA Swimming Scholastic All-American. n 20 JAYNotes

View the entire season and photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/swimming.htm.

WRESTLING On a February Saturday at the Pontchartrain Center in

Kenner, Coach Carlos Bertot and his 2008-09 wrestling team brought home the state championship trophy. Again. For the 23rd time. And this one was especially sweet because it was so anticlimactic—the Blue Jays were in control of the outcome before the final matches even began.

As is often the case with Jesuit wrestling, this first place finish was the result of an extraordinary team effort. The Jays managed to place a wrestler in all but one of the 14 weight classes, accumulating more than enough points in the preliminary, consolation, and semifinal rounds to snatch back the state trophy by the end of the semifinal matches.

Four Blue Jays advanced to the final individual matches, with senior Jonathan Dupre (119) the only Jesuit wrestler to win his match. The three other Blue Jay finalists who took second place

ASTY J E S U I T T O D AY

Opposite page, from left, junior Jordan Schwartz makes a move on a Captain Shreve defender in the state championship soccer match; senior Jonathan Dupre lifts his opponent on his way to capturing the individual state wrestling title. Above, Blue Jay swimmer junior Marc Dorsey makes a splash in the backstroke event at the state swim meet.

honors were junior Patrick Fitzsimmons (125), sophomore Chris Johnson (140), and senior Phil Zanco (189). n View the entire season and photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/wrestling.htm.

SOCCER Playing on a cool March night in its opponents’ home town, Shreveport, Jesuit’s soccer team defeated Captain Shreve, 4-1, to capture the program’s ninth state championship. And in doing so, Coach Hubie Collins’s Jays capped a special undefeated season, going 31-0-2.

The Blue Jays fell behind early. It wasn’t until the 33rd minute that the Jays were able to tie the score when a corner kick by sophomore Stephen Cabos was headed into the goal by senior Michael Simmons.

“We’re used to being down,” said senior forward Mark Reuther, who was selected the game’s Most Outstanding Player.

“The last few games we’ve been down and we clawed our way back, and we did it again tonight.”

In the second half, Reuther scored twice in a 10-minute span on one-on-ones with the Captain Shreve goalkeeper. The first goal broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Reuther took a feed from senior Zach Correa and drew the goalie out of the net. After Reuther toed the ball to the right of the keeper, the Jays were ahead for good. Ten minutes later, Reuther was at it again scoring a goal to put the Jays ahead 3-1.

The Jays were without standout mid-forward, junior Patrick Mullins, who was a big reason for the team’s success during the regular season and the playoffs. Mullins was representing the United States Region III in an Olympic Developmental match in Argentina.

At the end of the season, at least two organizations—ESPNrise. com and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/ Adidas—took notice and honored the Jays as the number one high school team in the nation. n View the entire season and photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/soccer.htm.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 21

SPORTS

It has been a good year, indeed, for Jesuit athletics. Of the 10 LHSAA sports Jesuit participates in, so far the Jays have captured seven district championships. This represents the most district titles in a single year for the Blue and White. Three of those district championship teams—swimming, wrestling, and soccer—went on to win state titles.

Senior Taylor Bacques forges ahead of several runners in the early stages of the state cross country meet in Natchitoches.

cross country Led by seniors Peter Flores and Taylor Bacques, Coach Peter Kernion’s cross country team captured their sixth straight district championship. This earned the Jays a trip to Natchitoches to compete in the state championship meet where they took the runner-up trophy.

In the district meet, the Blue Jays were dominant. Flores won the individual title with Bacques finishing second, senior Alex Bukaty third, sophomore Philip Aucoin fifth, and junior Stanton Murray sixth.

At state, the Jays ran well, just not well enough to surpass Catholic High. In the large field, Flores and Bacques finished in the top 20. Ever the astute observer, Coach Kernion 22 JAYNotes

summed up the state meet, “Catholic ran a great race.” n View the entire season and photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/crosscountry.htm.

basketball After completing the regular season in a dead-heat with St. Augustine, the Jays put forth a balanced attack to defeat the Purple Knights 53-43 on Lundi Gras afternoon to claim the district title. The Blue Jays’ offensive attack was led by senior Rontrell Edwards and juniors Dominic Scelfo and Josh Dudley, each of whom scored 12 points with junior Colby Kiefer adding his own 11.

But it may have been the defense that made the

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Blue Jay Football…

A Great American Tradition of Blue Jay Spirit One highlight of the 2008 football season was the inclusion of the Jesuit-Holy Cross game in the Great American Rivalry Series, a program that recognizes the nation’s great prep football rivalries. And a special day it was with the Jays taking a 37-7 victory over the Tigers.

During the halftime ceremonies, a Legend of the Game from each school was inducted into the Series’ Hall of Fame. Jesuit honored Blue Jay great Ray Coates ’44, while the Tigers recognized Barry Wilson.

The 2008 Blue Jay football season was one of ups and downs. Any momentum that could have been garnered from an opening contest in early September was not realized thanks to a cancellation due to Hurricane Gustav. And so the season went with Coach Wayde Keiser’s team unable to sustain any momentum. Two wins here followed by two losses there with a win here and another loss there all added up to a 5-5 season. The Jays ended the season with a loss to eventual state champion Destrehan in the first round of the state playoffs.

Through it all, the Jays represented the school well. n View the entire season and photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/football.htm.

Above, as senior captain Paul Hubbell IV looks on, Legend of the Game Ray Coates ’44 tosses the coin during pre-game ceremonies at the Great American Rivalry contest against Holy Cross. Right, junior Josh Dudley grabs a rebound in a district contest against St. Augustine in the Birdcage.

difference in the outcome. “We played defense well this game,” said Coach Chris Jennings. “We kept them out of the lane, and we didn’t let them get to the basket for second shots.”

However, the Jays could not keep the momentum going in the state playoffs, falling in the first round to the Mandeville Skippers. The Jesuit Cagers finished with a 28-13 record. n View the entire season and photo galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/athletics/basketball.htm.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 23

J AY T A L K I N T E R V I E W

As Jesuit High School’s admissions director, Jack Truxillo ’73 oversees an office important to the school’s future. Alumnus, elementary school principal at St. Agnes, high school administrator in the Jefferson Parish Public School system, Truxillo brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his job. Just after the “Dear Blue Jay” acceptance letters hit home in February, Truxillo took time out from his busy schedule to discuss the admissions process.

A Full Admission from Jack Truxillo The admissions job at Jesuit High School may be one of the most difficult.

I can see how some would feel that way. But I feel it’s one of the best jobs at Jesuit. Being associated with such wonderful young men and their families, dedicated professionals, and a school with outstanding history and tradition…Jesuit is such a great place to work.

How has the admissions process changed since you applied and were accepted to Jesuit back in the late 60s?

The process is much different now. There was no fall Open House or other activities and venues for learning about Jesuit. I simply applied and hoped that Sister Veronica at St. Agnes gave a favorable recommendation for me. Then I waited for the mail.

How has admissions changed since Katrina?

Obviously, the city’s population and, therefore, the pool of applicants to draw from have dwindled. We already knew a smaller pool of available boys was coming. Then Katrina just exacerbated the situation.

So it’s much more of a marketing paradigm now. Since Katrina, we have become more aware of the need to inform as many boys and families of the great things that continue to happen at Jesuit.

How is Jesuit marketing itself post-Katrina?

We are taking every possible opportunity to educate prospective boys and their families about who we are. These efforts include continuing Open House and morning tours and school visits. We have added two new events—Blue and White Friday Night in the fall and Jesuit

24 JAYNotes

Jazz and Jambalaya in the spring. We have expanded the school visits.

At Blue and White Friday Night, boys in grades 4 through 8 had the chance to sample and participate in many of the fun activities offered to Jesuit students. Jesuit, Jazz, and Jambalaya is an opportunity for elementary school boys and their parents to experience Jesuit in a way never before enjoyed—beginning with mass in the chapel, a “virtual video tour” in the auditorium, followed by a casual tour of the facilities. The event ends with a jambalaya lunch in the courtyard with everyone enjoying as the Jesuit jazz band.

Do you ever hear, Jesuit doesn’t have to market itself ?

All the time. My answer is that marketing is about educating people.

Always present is the need to educate people about Jesuit, its values, its traditions, its academics, and its achievements. Since Katrina, the dynamics and demographics of metro New Orleans have made sharing our message about Jesuit even more important. Jesuit’s longstanding traditions are sustained by the distinctive and varied student body.

Marketing is a means to reach out to as many families as possible in hopes they will be inspired to share in the longstanding traditions of Jesuit.

What makes the admissions process unique in the Archdiocese of New Orleans?

The whole admissions process here is unlike any other for several reasons. Single sex schools, no district or “feeder” schools, students choose to attend school wherever they wish, 8th grade availability, and perhaps, most significantly, the archdiocese’s restriction of applying to only one high school make it unique.

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Truxillo is surrounded by his Louisiana history students. Below, a trio of 7th graders discover Jesuit at the school’s first Blue and White Friday Night.

If you could make one change in the process, what would it be?

I would allow students to apply to more than one high school. This would eliminate the stress and pressure of the current process.

or whatever school you are considering through its camps, visits, and events. Enjoy the process. Share your thoughts with your parents.

Then, together, make a decision and have no regrets. n

What do you like best about your job?

The opportunity to meet with groups and individuals and share information about Jesuit. These opportunities afford me a means of discussing misconceptions or dispelling myths about Jesuit. Giving tours is always rewarding for me because our guests are able to see “a day in the life of Jesuit.”

For more information about the admissions process at Jesuit, visit the admissions page: www.jesuitnola.org/admissions.

What is the toughest part of your job?

Not being able to accept every student who applies.

What are the admissions challenges for Jesuit?

I think our biggest challenge is to continue to attract a diverse group of boys while maintaining the standards and traditions of excellence that make Jesuit the school it has become.

What advice would you give to parents who are considering Jesuit as an option for their son?

Be as informed as possible. Know your son. Be honest in discussing school choices, and trust in your own ability as his parents to make the best decision regarding high school.

What advice would you give to a youngster as he begins the admissions process?

Learn as much as possible about the school choices. Experience Jesuit

Fall/Winter 2008–09 25

PROFILE OF A JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

This edition of Jaynotes continues a six-part series that presents the ideal characteristics of the Jesuit High School teacher as outlined in the booklet, Profile of a Jesuit High School Teacher. The teacher at Jesuit is Open to Growth, Religious, Loving, Intellectually Competent, Professionally Competent, and Committed to Justice. This issue presents the fourth characteristic, Intellectually Competent. View the entire booklet on the academic page of Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/academics.

IV. Intellectually Competent A teacher at Jesuit High School involves himself in the ongoing process of mastering the intricacies of his discipline. He also strives for eloquentia perfecta, or “perfect eloquence,” communicating with wit, tact, and passion. This Ignatian virtue also refers to an ability to assimilate one’s learning and actively engage the minds of students in dialogue, reflection, and an ongoing development of higher-order thinking skills.

A member of the Jesuit High School faculty…

•

has a mastery of and zeal for the subject matter and effectively communicates this material to students.

•

models the behaviors of a life-long learner and is willing to continue his education both through independent study and research of subject matter and through formal training.

•

demonstrates flexibility in teaching by using a variety of approaches, by embracing new technologies, and by acknowledging diverse teaching and learning styles.

•

embraces and supports the imaginative, emotional, and creative dimensions to enrich learning.

26 JAYNotes

•

models intellectual curiosity, a thirst for knowledge, and a willingness to search for answers and learn from others.

Computer science teacher Dan Wagner explains a technical issue to senior Stephen Seither.

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Students of the 1960s and early 70s remember Fr. Hervé Racivitch as one of the most intelligent and brilliant teachers to serve at Jesuit.

Honoring Us by the Way He Taught

by John Reine ’69

Reading Gone with the Wind at age six has to rank as one of the minor accomplishments of Fr. Hervé Racivitch, S.J. It certainly doesn’t rival his law degree at seventeen.

As juniors, we merely exchanged smiles of quiet satisfaction at every aspect of the legend that was our English teacher. Hervé had studied in Innsbruck and Chantilly and thence had come to teach at Jesuit. We had long since learned not to be amazed by the tales of his intellectual exploits. Rather, we chose to bask in the borrowed glory of his European renown.

“Hervé” may have been his name in the sidewalk cafés of Paris and in our newspaper-office meetings after school, but in class he was always “Father Racivitch.” A Jesuit, he belonged to that group of teachers who didn’t drive off at 3:30 when school let out. He lived in the community residence, along those dark corridors that resembled above-ground catacombs. Consequently we never saw him do anything so mundane as eat a meal, though other teachers daily took lunch in the cafeteria with the students. In fact, it was rare to see him involved in anything like library proctoring or lunch-line duty, the ordinary ways for teachers to cut non-teaching figures around the school. Hervé’s home seemed to be behind the podium of Room 213.

Why shouldn’t we have felt a personal satisfaction in the accomplishments of this extraordinary man? He honored us by who he was and by the way he taught us. We were never “Class” or “Students” to him. We were always “Gentlemen.” He read to us from Time magazine and played us his phonograph records on his own stereo that he wheeled on a cart into our classroom from time to time. What happens to young men who listen to Bach while the classroom next door is graphing sine and cosine functions? His prayer at the beginning of class alternated between a simple Our Father and the finely chiseled English of a devotion by some seventeenth-century Anglican divine. We

discussed movies, “quality” TV, and the Great Ages of Western Civilization. We applauded the solid wisdom of Alexis de Tocqueville and his critique of American society and lamented the militarization of patriotism in this Vietnam era. We glimpsed Northern sophistication and anxiety in Salinger’s “Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut.” We learned to write dates the European way—10 January 1968: date, month, year. In short, we became obnoxious.

Someone once told Fr. Racivitch that I did an imitation of him. In my mind’s eye I would be wearing wire-rimmed glasses, neatly outfitted in a black cassock with the cuffs of a starched white shirt showing just beyond the black sleeve. My mouth would be screwed up in one of Hervé’s wry smiles, my eyebrows fluttering high like a butterfly, my right hand raised in a gesture of almost scriptural significance.

My life as an educator, however, is the Hervé imitation that I hope one day more people will want to remember. n John Reine was valedictorian of the Class of 1969. He currently serves as associate head of the Upper School at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in the Boston area, where he also teaches Latin to ninth graders and chairs the World Languages department.

Did a teacher at Jesuit make a positive impact on you? Let us know about that teacher in an essay for possible publication. Send your essay to Jaynotes editor Mat Grau at grau@jesuitnola.org.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 27

MEDALLION STORIES

Editor’s Note: One of the stone medallions in the Traditions Courtyard bears the name Isaac Jogues, one of the Jesuit martyrs for whom the student chapel is named. Student activities director and English teacher Mike Prados ’83 tells us the story of this Jesuit saint.

“As a student at Jesuit, I attended monthly Mass in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs. Yet I knew absolutely nothing about the men the chapel is named for. When I returned to Jesuit as a teacher in the early 90s, I picked up a little bit of information about them—that they were from France and were brutally tortured while trying to spread the faith. The gory stories were actually more of a source of amusement than inspiration. But then in the summer of 2002, all that changed.”

In this entry of Medallion Stories, Prados reveals, not only Jogues’s story, but also the

source of his interest in this Jesuit so special to him.

Isaac Jogues, S.J. (1607-1646) In the summer of 2002, I spent a week at the shrine of the North American Martyrs in Midland, Ontario, with about 50 Jesuit students, some young alumni, and a few other chaperones on a pilgrimage in preparation for World Youth Day in Toronto. We lived at the shrine in large tents and ate simple meals. We attended Mass, traveled the paths of the martyrs by both foot and canoe, and venerated the relics of the martyrs where they were killed.

Through this trip I got to know the eight martyrs personally and became inspired by their lives and their deaths. One of the martyrs, St. Isaac Jogues, has made a particularly deep impact on our high school community—students have taken his name as their Confirmation name, and just this past year, theology teacher Matt Orillion ’98, a junior chaperone on the trip, named his first son after him. Long before Jogues was included on a medallion in the courtyard, his image was present on the school building. He is the Jesuit priest in the center of the pediment at the entrance to the chapel.

Isaac Jogues lived a fascinating life. He was born to a wealthy family in Orleans, France, in 1607. A pious and devout youth, he decided to enter the Jesuit novitiate at Rouen at the age of seventeen. Under the direction of Fr. Louis Lalemont, he learned of the work of the Jesuit missionaries in New France (Canada) and 28 JAYNotes

by Mike Prados ’83

developed a strong desire to work among the Huron and Algonquin allies of the French. Well-educated and adept at writing and teaching, he sailed to the New World in the summer of 1636 at age 29. Among his companions for the journey was Fr. Charles Garnier, another future martyr. Fr. Jogues, fully aware of the struggles and hardships to come, was prepared to offer his life while spreading the faith.

Soon after arriving in Quebec, Fr. Jogues embarked on a grueling 900-mile upriver canoe trek to meet Fr. Jean de Brebeuf at an outpost on the Lake Huron peninsula. He was to replace an exhausted Fr. Antoine Daniel, who was desperately in need of rest and recuperation. Upon arriving at his destination, Fr. Jogues fell critically ill of a fever that was spreading among the missionaries and, soon after, among the Indians, who were quick to blame the epidemic on the “blackrobes” (Jesuits), threatening to kill them all. Fr. Brebeuf, however, managed to appease them and preserve the peace.

Under the guidance of Fr. Brebeuf and other older Jesuits, Fr. Jogues worked among the Hurons and their friendly neighbors, the Tobacco, for six years. Nicknamed “Ondessonk” (bird of prey), he learned the Huron language and customs, devoted himself to spreading the gospel and improving living conditions, and made

J E S U I T T O D AY

numerous mission trips to outlying settlements in the Great Lakes region.

Jogues spent much of his time laboring at Sainte-Marie, the central settlement of the entire mission, located near the mouth of the Wye River. Although Sainte-Marie was burned to the ground over 450 years ago, a fully reconstructed model now stands in its place next to the shrine. Our group from Jesuit was able to visit the site and attend Mass in its simple chapel.

In the summer of 1642, Fr. Jogues was appointed to lead an expedition to Quebec. On the return trip through the Mohawk Valley, his group was ambushed by a gang of warriors. The Mohawks were part of a confederation of Iroquois who were the sworn enemy of the Hurons. Many of the Hurons were killed or captured; some escaped into the woods. Although Fr. Jogues himself could have escaped, he surrendered when he saw that René Goupil, a Jesuit donné (lay helper), had been taken.

Everywhere they were brought, the two were brutally tortured by men, women, and children.

In addition to being regularly beaten and burned, Fr. Jogues had his fingernails torn off, his fingers chewed and crushed, and his left thumb cut off by an old lady.

After being observed making the sign of the cross over a child, Goupil was tomahawked from behind and soon died in the arms of Fr. Jogues.

After over a year as a slave, Fr. Jogues escaped his captors through the trickery of the Protestant Dutch. In November of 1643, he set sail for France, landing on Christmas Day. Upon reaching the Jesuit residence in Rennes, the disheveled and shabbily dressed missionary was greeted with astonishment and great joy. News of his arrival spread quickly, creating quite a sensation in France as everyone who was anyone, including the Queen, desired to meet this “living martyr.” Fr. Jogues was even given special permission to say Mass

by Pope Urban VIII despite the fact that his mutilated fingers prevented him from holding the Eucharist in his thumb and forefinger alone. All the attention was a bit much for Fr. Jogues, who only desired to escape the fame and return to his work among the Hurons, and by June of 1644, he was back in Quebec.

Fr. Jogues spent two years building up a new outpost in Montreal and trying to establish a lasting peace with the Iroquois before being sent as an ambassador to his former captives to broker a truce. Upon his return, the Mohawks were impressed by his courage and determination, a pact was confirmed, and a somewhat shaky peace was launched. Fr. Jogues returned to Quebec in July of 1646 with plans to spend the winter back with the Mohawks now that peace had been established. Unbeknownst to Fr. Jogues, however, an epidemic soon broke out among the Mohawks along with a blight falling upon their crops. Some of the Mohawks

quickly blamed their misfortune on the blackrobe, pointing out a mysterious box, containing some of his personal possessions, that he had left with them.

Returning to the Mohawk Valley in September, along with the young donné Jean de la Lande, Fr. Jogues was taken prisoner.

Although most of the Mohawks wanted to free Fr. Jogues and preserve the peace, representatives of a hostile clan had their own ideas. They invited Fr. Jogues to have supper in one of their cabins, and as he entered he received a fatal tomahawk blow to the back of the head. The next morning, de la Lande was brutally murdered as well. The two were scalped and decapitated, and their bodies were thrown into the river. Their heads were placed on stakes facing the direction from which they had come, a clear warning to other blackrobes.

Over the next three years, five more Jesuit missionaries were martyred in Huronia. Fr. Antoine Daniel was pierced by a barrage of Iroquois arrows and bullets as he was concluding Mass. His body was then thrown into the flames of the burning chapel by his attackers. Fr. Jean de Brebeuf and Fr. Gabriel Lalemont were slowly and brutally tortured before being finished off by tomahawk blows to the head. Their Iroquois tormentors were so impressed by their courage that they tore out their hearts and ate them in hopes of gaining some of the same strength.

(To venerate their relics at the site of their martyrdom, we hiked eight miles, braving the heat and threat of deer flies.) Despite being encouraged to leave his dangerous and insecure mission, Fr. Charles Garnier remained at his post during the attack in which he was shot twice and tomahawked in the head twice. Fr. Noel Chabanel was attacked the following day by a Huron apostate who killed him and threw his body into a river.

Despite their horrific deaths, Isaac Jogues and his companions did not lose their lives in vain. Their faith, virtue, and bravery made an impression on converts for years to come and continue to be an inspiration today. On June 29, 1930, the eight North American Martyrs—six Jesuit priests and two donné—were canonized by Pope Pius IX. Their feast day is October 19.

Bringing their stories back to Jesuit High School six and a half years ago was an honor. Students and teachers began talking about the martyrs in their classes, and walking into the Chapel of the North American Martyrs took on new meaning for many of us. The martyrs teach us the value of devotion and perseverance, sacrifice and suffering. When we feel frustrated, inadequate, or uncertain, we can look to the deep faith and steadfast determination of these men as encouragement to move forward and live our lives for the Greater Glory of God. n

Fall/Winter 2008–09 29

J

THE BIG

READ

JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL

COMMUNITY READ PROJECT

The community of Jesuit High School— students, teachers, staff, administration, parents, alumni, and friends—will join together this summer in reading the same book—Boy’s Life

by Robert McCammon.

This is a community endeavor designed to foster both the pleasures of reading a book and the pleasures of discussing that book.

Go to www.jesuitnola.org for more information and to read the author's letter to the Jesuit High School community. Plan on being at Jesuit on August 17, 2009, for an evening program with the author.

Blue Jays Experience Presidential Forum Every four years Jesuit’s students experience a bit of the pageantry surrounding a presidential election. The gym becomes a convention arena, the students become the delegates, and local political officials become the representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties. Last fall Jesuit’s students once again experienced not only the pageantry but also the substance of a political convention as they heard from Louisiana State Rep. Austin Badon (at podium), who represented the Democratic party, and Jefferson Parish Councilmanat-Large Tommy Capella ’83, who represented the Republican party. Each made a case for supporting their ticket in the upcoming Presidential election. Rep. Badon urged students to support Sen. Barack Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, while Mr. Capella strongly suggested that Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, would be a wiser choice. Following their speeches, several students asked questions about the hot button issues in the race.

When the mock vote was tallied, Jesuit’s students overwhelmingly threw their support to the Republican party. n

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Tom Fitzmorris, aka “Mr. Food,” entices guests, including Dr. Bat Brunner and Dr. Gerald Vocke, to bid on some premium bottles of wine at the Algiers table; Tom Bagwill conducts the live auction with gusto and flair, as an appreciative and bemused Fr. McGinn looks on; thanks to Jesuit’s Celebration co-chairs, from left, Anne Barnes and Christine Zazulak, and Auction co-chairs Marian Gibbs and Kathy Weidner.

Celebration 2009!

On a wet, stormy Saturday evening in March, Jesuit parents and alumni filled the cafeteria and Student Commons to take part in Celebration 2009! Unfortunately, the weather forced guests inside so the Traditions Courtyard could not be used. But the weather was no damper on the spirits that flowed, literally and figuratively. Patrons who participated in the many silent auctions, and the one live auction event, had a great time out-bidding each other to win a treasured item. And many did, indeed, bring something home that night in addition to the memories.

View the Celebration 2009 photo galleries at: www.jesuitnola.org/about/Celebration_2009_Photo_Gallery_2009-3-15.htm.

Blue Jay Bazaar!

As lousy as the weather was for Celebration, two weeks later on the last Sunday in March, deep blue skies and a soft spring sun bathed the city, making the annual Blue Jay Bazaar a joyous and fun event for the entire Jesuit community. The Bazaar is always a terrific meeting place to catch up with classmates and teachers, and it’s a wonderful place to treat the grandchildren to some fun times.

View the Bazaar photo galleries at: www.jesuitnola.org/about/Bazaar_2009_Photo_Gallery_3_29.htm.

It’s a beautiful day in the Mid-City neighborhood: Blue Jays of all ages flock to Jesuit’s campus on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon to enjoy the annual Bazaar; students take a dizzying ride on the Wizzer, which proved to be a popular new attraction; Mark Hughes ’95, his wife Jennifer, and their daughter Sydney flank Fr. Nick Schiro, S.J. ’44.

Fall/Winter 2008–09 31

N AT I O N A L M E R I T S E M I F I N A L I S T S

Class of ’09 Produces 35 National Merit Semifinalists The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 35 Blue Jay seniors from the Class of 2009 as semifinalists in the annual Merit Scholarship Competition, representing the largest number of honorees from a Louisiana school and the largest number of semifinalists among Catholic schools in the U.S., according to data provided by the NMSC. Jesuit’s honorees make up 15% of Louisiana’s 227 National Merit Semifinalists who come from 54 schools.

The outstanding performance of these 35 Blue Jays ranks Jesuit among the top 30 public and private high schools in the United States.

Additionally, Jesuit seniors Alula Amare and Ian Cannon, were recognized as National Achievement Semifinalists, an academic competition for outstanding African-American high school students. Five Jesuit seniors were recognized as National Hispanic Scholars: Andrés Begué, Nicholas Chedid, Arthur Collins II, Andrew DeBram, and Andrew Puente.

Jesuit’s National Merit Semifinalists are, front row, from left, Malcolm Andry, Taylor Bacques, Samuel Bienvenu, Patrick Bollman, Thomas Bourgeois, Robert Burvant, Nicholas Chedid, Jonathan Coote, Bradley Delaune, Francis DePano, Thomas Falcon, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Leon Flettrich, Ryan Gupta, Christopher Heneghan, and Taylor Hillburn; Second row, from left, Timothy Lala, Jacques Landrieu, Tyler Landrieu, Eric Lorio, Kanwal Matharu, Charles McMahon, Stephen Merritt, Stewart Mink, and Steven Mixon; Back row, from left, Erik Paskewich, Harold Plauché, Myles Prados, Chris Reuter, John Rourke, Edward Sampognaro, William Simoneaux, Austin Slakey, Christian Trapp, and Stephen Vocke. n 32 JAYNotes

REUNIONS

1944

1994

1949

1999

1969

Blue Jays Reunite: The Class of ’44 enjoyed a couples’ dinner in St. Ignatius Hall, reminiscing about their graduation 65 years ago; the Class of ’94 took up every square inch of space at The Rusty Nail for their 15-year reunion; a quartet from the Class of ’99—from left, David Kreller, Kevin Hanlon, Chris Owens, and Collin Holmes—mug it up in the Traditions Courtyard during their stag event celebrating 10 years; the Class of ’69 celebrated 40 years with a crawfish boil in the Student Commons; and, the Class of ’49 celebrated their 60-year reunion, which only put smiles on the faces of classmates Cecil Murphy and Richard Villarrubia.

View the 2009 Class Reunion Photo Galleries on Jesuit’s web site: www.jesuitnola.org/alumni/reunions.htm.

Through March, three of Jesuit’s sports dynasties have won the state championship of their respective sports—soccer, wrestling, and swimming. The three teams proudly pose with the state championship trophies immediately following their victories. This was Jesuit’s 34th state title in swimming, 23rd state title in wrestling, and ninth state title in soccer.

STATE TIMES THREE!

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