Looking Back

50 Years Ago
Sixty priests from the Mobile Diocese concelebrated Mass at the annual retreat at Spring Hill College.
Elected officers of the Priests’ Senate were: Msgr. David Sullivan, president; Msgr. Ed Stuardi, vice president; Fr. Brendan Keller, treasurer; Fr. Oliver Adams, recording secretary; and Fr. Charles Troncale, corresponding secretary.
St. Jude students named to the Society of Outstanding American High School Students were: Elizabeth Blakey, Regina Driskell, Juliette Flowers, Jocelyn Foy, Walter Jones, Leslie Rogers, Delores Watson and Ann Worthy.
John Vella was named Knight of the Year at Council 666 Knights of Columbus Banquet.
Installed as officers of Little Sisters of the Poor Auxiliary were: Mrs. William Murphy, vice president; Mrs. Una Hughes, recording secretary; Mrs. J. Harold Alexander, corresponding secretary; Mrs. John F. Van Hoof, historian; Mrs. Robert J. Bush, parliamentarian; and Fr. Bernard McKenna, chaplain.
Msgr. T. M. Cullen was the main celebrant at Mass for Mrs. Angele Calametti Chapman on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
Officers of the Knights of Columbus Daphne-Fairhope Council were: Frederick Boni, grand knight; Louis Lazzari, deputy grand knight. John W. Ellis Jr., chancellor; Donald Bertagnolli, recorder; F. Louis Williams, J. Gandolfo, John Trione, trustees; John Y. Metzger, treasurer; George C. Dyson, financial secretary; Louis Boni, advocate; Thomas Bertagnolli, warden; Henry Bertagnolli Sr., inside guard; and Gus Bertagnolli Sr., outside guard.

25 Years Ago
Mr. John Conway, English teacher at Montgomery Catholic High School, was selected as one of twelve participants in a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar at Harvard University.
Fr. Steven Williams celebrated a special 50th reunion Mass for the Visitation Class of 1946. Classmates attending were: Ramona Kingston Doyle, Jean Murray O’Neill, Rosemary Norville Harrison, Edwina Spotswood Hamilton, Yolanda Betbeze Fox, Dorothy Gonzales Kotsakos, Margaret Bell Shields, Doris Zimlich Guarisco, Catherine Neukom Cooney, Betty Yeend Bauer and Betty Midget Smilie.
Leigh Ankerson and Tommy Ankerson, McGill-Toolen graduates, signed letters of intent to play golf at the University of South Alabama and University of Mobile respectively. The cousins are members of St. Dominic Parish, Mobile.
Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb led the 47th annual blessing of the Fleet in Bayou La Batre. The Queen, Xaun Nguyen, was crowned by Archbishop.
Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb celebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving at the 50th anniversary celebration of St. Bede the Venerable Parish in Montgomery. Concelebrants included Fr. Patrick Maher, pastor, and Fr. David Carucci and Fr. Fergus Prendergast, associate pastors.
The members of St. Dominic Parish, Mobile, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the ordination to the priesthood of Rev. Msgr. Francis C. Murphy.
Spring Hill College held its 166th commencement with President William J. Rewak, S.J., conferring diplomas to more than 350 students. Nationally celebrated novelist Ron Hansen was the featured speaker.
McGill-Toolen High School graduated 271 class members with Katherine Elise Perrien and Catherine Lee Eiland co-valedictorians. Susan Saint was class president.
Fifty-nine seniors received diplomas from Montgomery Catholic High. Christy White earned valedictorian honors and Tim Crowley was salutatorian.
St. Jude High School graduates had their ceremony in St. Jude Catholic Church. Highlights included the Co-Valedictory addresses by Kristen Lester and Sidney Robbins. Salutatorian was Demerryce Harris.
— Anne Baggett compiles information for Looking Back from past issues of this newspaper. Anne is a member of St. Mary Parish in Mobile.