VOLUME 5 • CHAPTER 1 • January 2005

COWCHIPS

..... A little lemon and seltzer will remove those pesky ink stains after you've been fingerprinted. It concerns Bubba that a few of you northerners coming down to the Florida Spring Reunion are not aware of some southern idiosyncrasies of our speech - especially in the boonies of central Florida ( i.e. Arcadia, Frostproof, ecksetera) You must know that "y'all" is singular. "y'all y'all" is plural (all y'all is permissible in some areas) and "y'all y'all's" is plural possessive. Further, if y'all y'all see a sign that states "fresh squeezed orange juice", ignore it.....the word is "squoze". ..... Police are called to an apartment and find a woman holding a bloody 5-iron standing over a lifeless man. The detective asks, "Ma'am, is that your husband?" "Yes," says the woman. "Did you hit him with that golf club?" "Yes, yes, I did." The woman begins to sob, drops the club, and puts her hands on her face. "How many times did you hit him?" "I don't know, five, six, maybe seven times... just put me down for a five."
..... Tom Emmet '48 is the recipient of the Council of Independent Colleges' 2005 Allen P. Splete Award for Outstanding Service..... Jim Ryan '53 advised us of an interesting read for those of us who are not familiar with the customs of Muslims, Islam, etc. A book written by Robert Spencer and Daniel Ali, INSIDE ISLAM, A GUIDE FOR CATHOLICS. I think one may cancel the "for Catholics" line as it is a good introduction for anyone who wants to learn a little about these folks. I bought one for about nine bucks at Amazon.com. ......This is not a general solicitation for Campion Forever contributions, but rather a reminder to those of you who have not donated to our cause since 2001 or 2002, that we will settle for a small donation ($10.00) each year. We would hate to introduce you to our nasty Florida JUG. Please know that our costs are not diminishing and we are doing some major improvements to our website. Thanks in advance.....Do you by chance have an address for Dr. Joseph A. Bongiorno '59? He apparently lives in the Chicago area. Thanks, Ed Zinschlag '59 We do not have Doc Bongiorno in our file. Please try to help Ed. (And us!)
Note that we did not mail a directory this January. There were so few changes that it would have been counter productive. We will send one to any of you who were not aboard last year. Please, as we have asked before, scan through your grad year friends' names and alert us to any undeliverable addresses that you can correct, as well as a bad e-mail address, info on those who have died, etc. We know we have a lot of stale data and we cannot make the appropriate changes without your help.

NOW HEAR THIS:

CAMPION JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL (late 30's - early 40's)
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin 53821
608:326-6432
From the office of Director of Admissions

The policy of Campion, in general, has been to discourage transfer students. No senior transfers are accepted. Juniors and sophomores are accepted only if they meet certain rather stringent requirements. The main reason for this policy is that long experience has proven that the attrition rate for transfers is very, very high.

Campion's strictly college preparatory program of studies has proven difficult for transfer students who have earned only average grades in their previous high school studies. For this reason we demand an average of B+ or better.

It is our experience, also, that many transfer applications stem from the parent's desire to better their son's academic performance rather than from a desire on the part of their son to attend our school. If the student himself does not earnestly wish to come to Campion, his lack of enthusiasm will eventually defeat the purposes his parents had for the transfer.

In summary then, the transfer conditions for a sophomore or junior student are: (1) a curriculum that fits the curriculum of Campion students in his year; (2) an average of B+ or better; (3) above average conduct rating; (4) a serious positive motive for changing schools; (5) no trace of emotional conflicts at home or in school.

Accordingly, if your son meets these qualifications and it is his desire to enroll in our school, please take the following steps. Please request that the principal at your son's previous high school send us a complete transcript listing: (a) grades in each subject; (b) the boy's I.Q.; (c) results of any national tests he may have taken as an eighth grade student (if he has taken any such test). Fill out the green application form. Have your son write a letter accompanied by a $25.00 fee (to cover expense incurred in evaluating transfer information). This fee is not refundable.

From a 1947 CAMPIONETTE:
We have Frank Kraman and Aaron Huguenard (both 1947) to thank for the saving of this somewhat interesting news item from the "Daily Journal" of Wheaton. Ill.: "James T. Glynn, 619 N. Main Street, former pupil of Wheaton Community high school and now attending Campion Jesuit Military Preparatory School in Prairie du Chien, Wis., has been promoted to the rank of sergeant in the R.O.T.C."
While 'Beef'' is puffing his chest over this, it might be well to note the complete name of our school as it appears above.

Suddenly we have two sailing stories:

PRESS RELEASE
8/15/04

Bob Listecki

Bob Listecki, (Campion'58) Pharmacist and owner of Glen Ellyn Pharmacy was a crew member aboard the yacht "Bozos Circus" that won the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy.
Finishing at 7:30 AM Tuesday July 27th, "Bozos Circus" was the overall winner by 4 minutes over 168 boats in the fleet.

Listecki was competing in his 25th Chicago to Mackinac Island race. This 25th sailing is an invitation to the "Island Goat Sailing Society". The boat is owned by the Metcalf family and Listecki has been sailing with the family for 30 years. The race was completed in 66 hours for the 333 mile course to Mackinac Island.

The race is the oldest, longest fresh water yacht race in the world. Sailors come from around the world to compete. The crew of "Bozos Circus", a J35 class boat, had 100 years of crew experience for this years race.

The race is conducted by the Chicago Yacht Club and the first running was in 1898. Listecki, a 1962 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, competed on dingies informally with sailing friends. He is a member of Chi Psi Fraternity. In the winter Listecki participates in DN class iceboat racing in the Wisconsin area.

Robert E. Listecki 630-469-5200
www.chicagoyachtclub.com/mackinac

America's Cup
By Jim Haupt '47

Its old hat now but I experienced an unusual occurrence while following the television ventures of the America's Cup challenge a few years ago. This story is just too good to let die.

Dick Spence

The background begins with the author at the tender age of thirteen. I attended a boarding school, Campion high school in Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin and there met a kid from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His name is Dick Spence. His older brother was Mel and they actually lived in Williams Bay, a town on Lake Geneva. Their folks ran a supper club there called Spence's Five O'clock Club.

During the summer of 1944, my cousin Dan Gellerup and I took a bike ride from Milwaukee to see the Spences in Lake Geneva. Dan also attended Campion High School and turned out to be an inveterate adventurer. The Spence boys lived on a converted farm on the lake shore. The house was a remodeled barn and there was a remote two car garage they had turned into summer sleeping quarters for the boys, and in this instance, guests.

We were told in no uncertain terms that we both had jobs while we were there. Dick worked at the yacht club and he and Dan took a small boat to work each day. In the evening Dan worked for Dick's mother making salads. I became helper to the dishwasher. Daytimes Mel had an ice route and I was his designated helper. Mostly I rode along and listened to him holler, "Ice today, any ice?"

The boys had a cub type sailboat that they raced weekly. I was told of but do not remember meeting a younger kid who was winning all the races by name of Buddy Melges.

Fast forward most of a lifetime. Dick Spence went to Villanova, became an engineer, moved to Florida to build a very successful construction business. Unfortunately his brother Mel was killed in an automobile accident while still a youth.

Buddy Melges had made his mark as a manufacturer of sailboats and a champion Olympic sailor. He was the captain of the boat in the America's Cup competition called "The Heart of America", artistically symbolized cruising under full sail through a field of wheat bending with the wind.

The television geniuses put the audience right on board, even introduced the crew. I watched the kid working the forward hold known as the sewer . He was frantically stowing the spinnaker. Somehow I learned his name was Spence! He was the image of his deceased uncle Mel, teeth flashing and all. I knew in a tic the whole deal.

Melges needs a mainsail full of money to finance his venture into international ocean racing. A good source might be his boyhood friend who has made it big in the construction field. Spence gets his kid a ride in the America's Cup. And I get the thrill of a lifetime witnessing and realizing the development that ensued.

I had only to check my facts and share the joy of the occasion with my cousin Dan, who had actually kept in contact with his old Campion H. S. classmates and now spent his time as a fly fisherman in Vancouver, Washington.

Don't ever let the criticisms of a few keep you from telling the truth about terrorists. Our country is so full of political correctness that we cannot have reasonable conversations. Universities used to be places where everyone could discuss issues and increase knowledge of philosophical topics. I am afraid that it is much more difficult today.
Jim Bayley '57

The Train Ride Home, April 4, 1968

On Thursday, April 4, 1968, the Burlington Route's train number 10, the afternoon Zephyr from Minneapolis to Chicago, functioned as The Campion Special with a scheduled stop at Campion Crossing at approximately 7:25 pm.

Students leaving for Easter recess were more than anxious to depart. The long, dark winter term had ended with third quarter exams having been completed about ten days previously. A cold front passed through Prairie du Chien that afternoon and was accompanied by a brief thunderstorm, transforming the morning's warm, humid closeness into a raw, cloudy, windy evening. After classes and afternoon free time, students assembled in their respective areas at approximately 5:00 pm for a final check-up study (i.e., attendance check) and release from school. The dining hall remained open, providing dinner for those still on campus. Thereafter, bags in hand and (for most) dressed in coat and tie, those traveling by train made their way out to Campion Crossing. Between 1966 and 1970, the Burlington Route was in the process of downsizing its trains, presumably for the sake of economy. The Twin City Zephyr in 1968, despite its grand history, was frequently reduced to one locomotive, a dining car and three or four coaches. On this particular night, the Zephyr arrived on time in full dress with three, possibly four locomotives, and at least 12 cars (providing extra room for Campion passengers) including gleaming chrome coaches, a dining car, multiple Vista Domes, and the signature round ended observation car at the aft of the train.

With the wind blowing and the sun light gone, the 90 to 100 (perhaps more) CHS travelers climbed aboard to find a coterie of Campion men already present after boarding at the PDC station.

In one car, stacked in a coach seat in all of their red and white glory, were three or four cases of Budweiser beer. The train thus departed.

Probably no one will ever discover all of the events that transpired that night, but by the time the train was south of East Dubuque, there was disturbing evidence to many aboard that all was not as it should be with respect to passenger activity. Images recalled while traveling included long streams of toilet paper fluttering past the windows, accompanied by occasional flurries of white cloths (napkins, towels, head rest covers?) shooting by. Although two or three standard coaches were made available, the Campion passengers fanned out throughout the train with a sizable group making for the observation car. After establishing themselves to the extent that non-Campion passengers absented themselves (i.e., fled), they proceeded to open a door at the rear of the car and throw off two or three lounge chairs. Additional students arrived minutes later, carrying a toilet uprooted from a restroom, and flung it from the train. The disorder escalated, with students running and shouting between the cars. Out of fear of being swept up by the train crew and thrown off as well, non-participating students began looking for places to hide, including this author, who went forward and found temporary safety in the dining car, having a ham sandwich and a soda. A second hiding place was a darkened Vista-Dome where the students, seated in blackness, voiced their concerns to each other: "Jesus, if we go back to our seats, we're going to be dead. How are we going to get our luggage when it's time to get off?" During this time, a Campion classmate dressed in a navy blue suit, wearing a conductor's cap, and smoking a cigar arrived and asked to see our tickets.

The train made its way to Chicago with this author getting off at La Grange, Illinois. Recalled images during the walk back to collect luggage included shrieks, shouts, chairs without cushions or backs, wet, grimy floors, and cigarette smoke. Upon disembarking, students were informed of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King which occurred earlier that evening.

During the morning announcements on the first day back at school twelve days later, the Campion student body learned the extent of the damage sustained to Burlington train equipment. The school had been presented with a bill of $3,000 for repairs (some students recalled later that this figure was as high as $10,000) and had been notified that the Burlington Route would no longer make special arrangements for transporting Campion students, such as providing additional coaches and/or stopping at Campion Crossing. Evidently, the school quietly settled with the Burlington Route. If any students were disciplined for the events of April 4, the actions were not made public. Interestingly, even in the present, alumni acknowledge that the train episode did occur but generally give few details, presumably from not remembering, feeling that it was not a big deal, or from not wishing to re-visit a foolish, destructive, adolescent event.
— Paul McCullough '70

This from Chris Westendorf '68

Chris Westendorf

At the beginning of the 1966-1967 school year, my junior year at Campion, there were many familiar and many new faculty members. One of the new members was Fr. Phil Dreckman. He would be teaching Religion and Social Studies. He, also, was one of the prefects in the Senior dorm - Xavier Hall. He had a ''fuzz'' haircut and wore sweat shirts when he was in the dorm. For some reason I remember the color orange. He also smoked a lot of cigarettes.

During my Senior year I took an Asian Studies course which was taught by him. The class consisted of lectures, handouts, lots of reading and plenty of freewheeling discussions. It was like a college seminar. I learned a lot and, to this day, I have a love for all things Asian.

That same year during the Spring flood season my friend Joe and I decided to follow the railroad tracks down to the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers and go swimming. This was against the rules since no one could leave campus without permission. After an hour or so we headed back only to be caught by Fr. Hilbert, the president of Campion. Our punishment was three-fold with Fr. Dreckman being a part of it. Without going into the first two parts of the punishment I will tell you that we were called down to Fr. Dreckman's office after lights out. He pulled out of a desk drawer a long wooden oak paddle and asked me if I wanted all fifteen swats on the bare behind all at once or five at a time. I chose all fifteen at once since I figured he was out of shape because he smoked so much. By the tenth swat, sure enough, it didn't hurt as much.

After I graduated in 1968 I lost track of him and I often wonder where he is and what he is doing now. Does anybody know?

Dear Aaron,

Just this morning I had a cup of coffee with Fr. Don Driscoll and, naturally, the talk turned to Campion. We lost Fr. John Holbrook. On June 16th Fathers Howard Kalb, Willard Dressel, Walter Halloran, and I celebrated the 50th anniversary of our ordination. We celebrate both in Omaha and here in Milwaukee. Father Basil Price [who taught at Campion as a scholastic] also was with us from Korea. He returned to Korea after our celebration and died piously in the Lord after a short bout with cancer. RIP. I succeeded Father James Gladstone as Minister of this house. He has gone on to be the Director of Formation for the Wisconsin Province. Don't let the few dissidents discourage your fine production.

I recommend Father Pat Boyle (Campion '49) for some commendation. He was awarded two silver stars for his military service in Vietnam. His brother Gerry's son is back from Iraq and is running for political office here in Milwaukee. Courage!
— Fr. Bill Kelly S.J. '41

Dear Mr. Huguenard,

As you reported in the July newsletter, my father, George W. Lennon, Jr. '48, died on May 24, 2004. I was glad to see it because my mother wanted to make sure that Dad's death was recorded in the Campion newsletter. Although obituaries and/or death notices ran in the Daily Oklahoman, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Baltimore Sun (see below), she was concerned that fellow alumni of Campion would know about Dad and keep him in their prayers.

Our family has a long history with Campion. My dad was sent to Campion by his father, George, Sr., who not only graduated from the high school but was also a graduate of the old college. My grandfather had been sent to Campion to straighten him out after a poor freshman year at Portage (Wis.) High School. The Jesuit method of education was most effective, and my grandfather became a successful lawyer in Chicago.
Although my parents had lived in Oklahoma since 1985, they made many trips to Prairie du Chien to visit Campion. My dad made sure that his children and his wife knew all about Campion!

My dad was buried in Chicago, and many Campion grads attended his wake and funeral. Our family is grateful for their prayers and for their many expressions of sympathy.
My mother, Sarah, is now preparing to move back to Chicago. I know she would be glad to stay on your mailing list.

Many thanks,
Mary Beth Lennon

George W. Lennon Jr., 73, insurance underwriter (Originally published May 27, 2004) George George W. Lennon Jr., a retired insurance underwriter and former Cockeysville resident, died of cancer Monday at his Oklahoma City home. He was 73. Born in Chicago, he attended Loyola University there. He enlisted in the Navy during the Korean War and was a sonar operator in the Sea of Japan. He joined United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. in 1956, and 10 years later moved to Baltimore as assistant secretary in charge of underwriting for financial services. He worked initially at the company's old offices at Calvert and Redwood streets, and moved in the early 1970s to its then-new office tower at Pratt and Light streets - now the Legg Mason Building. "He was proud of USF&G's role anchoring the redevelopment of downtown Baltimore," said a daughter, Mary E. Lennon of Baltimore. In 1985, Mr. Lennon became vice president of BancInsure Inc. in Oklahoma City, where he retired in 1996. He was a former member of St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Cockeysville. A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Linus Roman Catholic Church in Oak Lawn, Ill. In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife of 38 years, the former Sarah Marie Fitzgerald; a son, Patrick J. Lennon of Springfield, Mo.; another daughter, Noreen C. Lennon of Chicago; and three sisters, Maryrose Berger of Long Beach, Ind., Virginia Eck of Orland Park, Ill., and Joan Creen of Chicago Heights, Ill.

Mary Beth Lennon
Office of Institutional Advancement
College of Notre Dame of Maryland
4701 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
Tel: 410-532-5314
Fax: 410-435-7591
Email: mlennon@ndm.edu
Learn for life!
www.ndm.edu

The class of 1964 celebrated their 40th year reunion in Prairie du Chien this summer. Here is Pat Mower's story of the party:

Pat Mower

Bob Lachance and Bill Morrow put together a 40th edition (anniversary edition) of the Campionette. I think they deserve a 98A for this...best grade possible at Campion.

We actually got INTO the prison and saw INSIDE Marquette Hall and the Chapel. Also got into the Gym (Old gym...for the younger guys), and Lawler Hall.

It took me 5-6 years to accomplish the tour, but it was worth every e-mail, phone call, letter, talk, whatever it took to do it. The staff was extremely gracious and were amazed at the people who went in. I told them they would see a change from the start of tour to end. They did. Even some of the personnel started to ask about things near the end of the tour.

We had approximately 55 classmates out of 111 that graduated. 16 are known dead, and probably there are a few more. We ate dinner on the Julia Belle steam boat, and I actually got to play the Caliope! Mass was at St. John's by Fr. Jim Fitzgerald, a scholastic while we were there.

Also in attendance was Mr. J.P O'Neill. Then a scholastic, now just John O'Neill...someone recalled that he used to play basketball with the guys in Kostka Hall, and he would get very excited when someone bumped up against him, saying.... "You can't touch a Jesuit!" Needless to say, he got "touched" a lot this weekend. Very humorous and a great time!
— Pat Mower '64

Classmate Jim Williamson '47 recently sent us an e-mail with this thesis:

The following is supposedly an actual question given on University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different Religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

The student was awarded an 'A'.

This from Robert Bruchs '73

Mr. Robert Edward Madigan took the Senior pictures for the Knight from 1947 until the class of 1972. He died on May 13, 1972.

REUNION UPDATE

Jim Sweeney

Our Host, Jim Sweeney '49, is planning an event of great proportion. Among other things, he promises a Saturday night banquet you will never forget. Oysters on the half shell, lots of shrimp and steamed clams. Topped off by carved Prime Rib of Beef and even Starbucks Coffee. After the 5:00p mass there will be a cash bar prior to the banquet at 7:00. Sweeney asks you to advise the person you reserve your room with that you are with the Campion group. Thus to insure our group discount.

Dress code for all events will be Florida casual. Please, no swim suits! Preferably no shorts.

Father William Leahy SJ, President of Boston College, has been invited. He was a Scholastic from 1973 - 1975. Also invited is Father William Sullivan SJ '48. Jim asked us to remind you that, as in the past, contributions are requested to help defray expenses for the religious who might want to come. You also might suggest any members of the clergy that would like to be invited. For those interested, the dogs run at the Sarasota Greyhound Club.

For info: 941-355-7744 or www.floridagreyhoundracing.com.

NEW FLORIDA SCHOOL

President Nicholas J. Healy, Jr. describes Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida the first new Catholic University to open in the United States in four decades - as "unabashedly Catholic."

Healy's description also suits many of the 101 students who recently attended their first classes at the new school, which opened on a temporary campus in Northern Collier County.

Two Franciscan nuns sat next to students wearing T-shirts and shorts in a mandatory theology class. Student Chrissy Jaholkowski said she looks forward to praying the rosary at night while walking around the campus with the nuns. "You never get too much of God," said Jaholkowski, a freshman from Vero Beach. "There's always room for more."

The recent classes and celebrations marked an early step in fulfilling the vision of Domino's Pizza founder Thomas S. Monaghan, who is contributing about $200 million of start-up money for the school.

Rendering of proposed church at Ave Maria University

Monaghan, a former owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball team, has devoted much of his time in the past 20 years to Catholic charities and education: he helped to establish a center that provides legal help to people who believe their religious freedom has been jeopardized, and founded an organization of Catholic business leaders who commit to spreading their faith in their professional and personal lives.

He also is chairman of Ave Maria College, which was founded in 1998 in Ypsilanti, Mich. The college, with an enrolment of about 250, is a sister campus of the one in Florida.

Monaghan's vision eventually will take shape in a 750-acre campus in eastern Collier County. Ave Maria intends to build its permanent campus on land donated by the Baron Collier Companies, a real estate and agricultural firm that will develop a town around it.

Healy said Ave Maria is striving to eventually enroll about 5,000 students, although he's not sure when that will happen. The school will set up an athletics program, probably in Division II, and will look for niches in research, possibly one in biomedical sciences, he said. For now, however, Ave Maria is a small school operating out of what had been a half-built retirement center. Two four story buildings house classes, a small library and student apartments. The students, most of whom are freshmen, are taking core classes such as literature, history and philosophy.

Ave Maria students, who each pay about $15,000 a year in tuition and room and board, said the intimate atmosphere and strong Catholic roots were among the main reasons they committed in the spring to attend a school that hadn't opened at the time.

"There are so few people here that it's so easy to get to know everybody," said freshman Clare Maagad, a Bradenton resident and Bayshore High School graduate.

"It's more of a Christian and uplifting atmosphere, rather than a party atmosphere," said freshman Brittany Allen, a Homestead resident who chose Ave Maria over Florida State University."

Ave Maria students, all but a handful of whom are Catholic, are not required to attend. Mass. But they are required to take theology classes and uphold an honor code that commits them to not lying, cheating or stealing.

Professors generally. must be practicing Catholics who are faithful to the church's teachings.

The nine professors are three priests, a nun and five laypeople. A rabbi who now teaches at Ave Maria's Michigan campus is expected to join the staff in a year or two.

The school will offer some education courses in Sarasota through a partnership with the "Dreams Are Free" Institute, which focuses on innovative approaches to learning. But Healy said there are no plans at this time for a broader presence in Sarasota.

In many ways, student life at Ave Maria is not much different than at other schools. Students talk about forming intramural volleyball and basketball teams and holding regular dances and movie nights.

They're proud of being the first class at a new school and are eager to start traditions that will be followed for years to come - although it's too early to tell exactly what those traditions will be.

Perhaps, unknowingly, some of the students started one on a recent afternoon. When freshman Cara Gruen walked into the dining room, the other students serenaded her with "Happy Birthday."

That gave Gruen, of Cincinnati, another reason to believe she made the right choice by picking intimate Ave Maria over the much-larger Ohio State University.

"That was just so wonderful," she said. "I could not think of another school where that would happen."

THE STORY OF GEORGE O. SCHMIDT '48

After graduation from Campion, George received a B.S. degree from Fordham, a meteorology degree from St. Louis, and a masters degree in City Planning from North Carolina University.

He was a Captain and pilot in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Germany. His duties were primarily in Meteorology flights in the North Atlantic.

Later, in the Air National Guard, his duties were refueling fighter planes while in flight on alert over North America and the Pacific.

George held a position with the Tennessee Valley Authority as a city planner until 1981 when he suffered a heart attack which led to his retirement.

He lived in Knoxville, Tennessee and Bayonet Point, Florida until his death on June 29,1996 in Knoxville. He is survived by two sons, James and Eric.

George is buried in his birth town, Alexandria, Indiana.

In the back yard (actually!, in Carmel, Calif.) of our classmate, Scot Macbeth '47, one can find the Mission Basilica Paradiso. Rather impressive, methinks.

Hope to see all of you in Sarasota in April…

Home  |  Links  |  Newsletters  |  Reunions  |  Contact

Hugies • Campion • Forever !!!