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David Mitchell

Joe,

Sounds almost as bad as Father Foley at OLP in grade school. He once hit Frank Beales so hard for talking in the cafeteria (yes, no talking at lunch) that his head banged down hard against the table and he came up with blood running out of his mouth. And anothr time some kid (maybe Tommy Cennamo?) hit so hard his head bounced off the wall with blood rushing from his nose. I used to get shivers when he came in th room sometimes - even when I knew I wasn't the one in trouble.

I notice the boys all wear ties with white shirts now at Watterson (we lucked out). 

I'd love to make the August thing in Columbus. But I have you beat on distance. It's a 13 hour drive for me.  and this week I drive to Bangor Maine (2 days each way) to see my daughter and two grandkids. Oh, and I love Portland, my son lives there with another 8 year old grandson, who is about begin his first season with the "First Tee" golf program.

And finally, say hello to Dick for me sometime. Last time I saw him I was 2002, leaving to move to SC and stopped in to say good bye to Bill - who was checking out of OSU hospital (for the last time). The looks of resignation on Bill, Monica, Dick, Father Jerry Staluka, and everybody else's face in the hospital room was very foreboding. 

Joseph D. McCarthy

Dave,

You have me on this weeks trips.  I only have to drive around Fairfield through Sacramento California, which I will do at 4:00A.M. Thursday, to avoid the traffic nightmares that turn my trip into sixteen hours one way.  Poor you, even if you left at 11:00P.M., you have major traffic problems around Washington/Baltimore, then around Newark/New Yor City, and finally around Hartford/Boston areas.  But the Bangor Area is well worth a drive (except around Leaf Peeker season).  One year while living in the Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, PA) my wife and I drove through Bangor and continued to St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.  Then toured Nova Scotia, Cabot Island, and Prince Edward Island. 

I think I still might have you beat though for my drive to Columbus at the end of July.  First stop, approximately 745 miles, Salt Lake City.  Next Day, approximately 720 miles, North Platte, Wyoming.  Third day, about 670 miles, Bloomington, Illinois.  Final day, about 480 miles to Hilliard, Ohio.  After a few days in Columbus I will head to Detroit to visit Nieces, a Nephew, and a cousin.  Then a short trip to Cobalt, Ontario, Canada.

Oh the roundtrip to Columbus will be our 32nd by car from or to the West Coast.

James Hamilton, M. D.

Joseph D. McCarthy

Well Jim, talking for myself, the last time I drove a tractor trailer was almost 50 years ago.  The pay was bad then, but do to traffic, is worse today.  A trucker gets paid by the mile; so sitting in commute traffic, as an example, means the truck driver isn't getting paid for that extra hour or two.  NO THANKS.  On the other hand I know I've driven over 1 million miles since I first receive a license; and I'll bet Dave isn't far behind.  In fact, I'll bet there are a number of our classmates who have at least traveled a lot.

All for now, I will sign off and get ready for my trip North.  No, not "NORTH, TO ALASKA", as the tune went.

Michael McLeod

Thanks for the Aquinas stories. That's pretty heavy-duty corporate punishment inthe name of God material there.  "Angela's Ashes" has got nothing on you guys.

Why, exactly, was Aquinas closed? I'm guessing that it was a marketplace decision, that the old fashioned separate-the-genders approach couldn't keep up with the times. Just something I never considered before.

We just got through, down here, with the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub attack. I've done quite a bit of writing about it over the past year. It's emotionally taxing but at the same time a privilege to see the best and the worst of humanity and try to use words to nudge everybody towards an appreciate for and participation in the better end of that spectrum. 

Fred Clem

Michael,

In our youth, there were three local schools run by religious orders: Aquinas,  St. Mary of the Springs and St. Joseph Academy.  All closed over a relatively short period of time.  More than likely the creation of the new diocesan high schools caused a significant drop in their enrollment..  

Other Ohio dioceses still have such schools such as Moeller, Xavier, St. Ignatius, Chaminade-Julienne,  St. Edward and some I've missed.  Several of those have larger enrollments than Watterson in spite of higher tuitions.

Timothy Lavelle

I have an Aquinas story for you. It's a family story. I'll wait while you make popcorn and use the restroom.

My older brother Steve went to Aquinas. He holds the LaVelle family record for attending the most high schools. But this story isn't about him.

An even older brother Mike attended Aquinas. He was a tough guy and brough home daily stories about getting the crap beat out of him for sneaking a smoke or back-talking, or seeing someone else get manhandled by the heavenly brothers. My recollection is that they were the order BCP? Brothers of Corporal Punishment?  Mission statement: Beat 'em while you gott'em? Something like that. But this story is not about him.

My Mom was always the real go-getter in our family. She raised us all, using my Father as a threat of imminent destruction for any failings on our part. Mike was the first of my brothers to attend Aquinas. Mom immediately got into the Aquinas Mother's Club in his freshmen year and our family attended every money raising event. The Mothers Club at that time held multiple events to raise money for the school. She worked hard at it. She also worked a full-time job downtown and did all the Mother stuff besides.

Mike was a senior. Mom was elected President of the Mother's Club at the beginning of that school year. 1957, I think. It was a Very Big Deal to her and we were so proud of her. Two months into that senior year, Mike ran away from Aquinas, Columbus and his family. Never returned. Got a job in New Mexico.

The point...You would expect a person to quit or step-down as president in such an instance. Quit being president of a club when their only child in that school absconded - but she never considered it. I know that she was embarrassed as hell as weeks and then months went by and we did not hear from Mike or know where he was. She soldiered on. "Big Sally". Quite a trooper.

Janie Albright (Blank)

Tim, I'd like to have known your mom. I love your story telling style. As a side note my father got expelled from Aquinas in 1926. Graduated from East in 1927. Was on the baseball and golf teams at both schools and was in the school play The Mikado at East. Even in 1927 they had a yearbook. Lol. 

Mark Schweickart

Tim,

Wow, what a gut-punch of a reminiscence, all the more-so due to the way you disguised the sad poignancy by wrapping it up in your trademarked Lavellian humor. "Make'em laugh, make 'em cry," nice piece of writng my friend,  well done!

(By the way, for the rest of you, please know that I have trademarked the word "Lavellian". It will cost you a nickle every time you want to use it. Ca-ching! Let me know when the occasion arises, and I will send you my PayPal address. We don't want any lawsuits now, do we?)
 

David Mitchell

Tim's "Aquinas" story reinforces my guess that there is much more to his story than what we've heard - (probably that way with most of us). I must say that it reminded me of one of the many extra priveledges I grew up with. A "stay-at-home" Mom was one of them. My admiration goes out for all mothers who had to work outside the home, in addition to being in charge of us little apes as we grew up.  

While I'm on this more serious direction, I still have not gotten over your story (a month or two back) about your older brother flying "Phantoms" in Vietnam. I had only one experience with Phantoms and it was memorable to put it mildly. We needed more help with a much larger "contact" than usual and called up "higher command" for assistance. They were quick to arrive (from nearby Saigon, not Da Nang, from where your brother may well have flown into "the North"). Theye were starkly effcient in their setup conversation with us over the radio. And the swiftness and the force of something that big left us sort of dumbfounded. My admiration for those guys is something special!

And if youre reading this Tim - please convince his kids to tell him how important it is to them to know some of his personal history from that experience. 

On a lighter note, you slipped in a mention of "DFC" on that post. For all of you who have been duped into thinking "DFC" stood for "Distinguished Flying Cross", I must confess to you that the real meaning is the "Duck For Cover" badge. We have all been lying to you for years.

Mary Clare Hummer (Bauer)

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there. The day has me remembering many of your Dads besides my own.  Regardless of the stories we DON'T know, the men of '66 have made a difference!! Have a day of hugs and fun. 

Clare

Donna Kelley (Velazquez)

Here is thinking of my Dad, an Aquinas grad and wishing all a Happy Fathers' Day!!  

Lawrence Foster

Jim,

 I like your photo of the deer on the home page.  Thanks for submitting it.

Janie,

Interesting story about your father and Aquinas.  I remember Aquinas being called  "Aquinas College High School."  My father graduated in 1926 from St. Mary's HS in Delaware but it was only a 3 year school.   He came to Columbus, lived with his sister and her husband and graduated from Aquinas in 1927.  Family lore tells of him being on the baseball team.  I wonder if he got your Dad's roster spot.  I do remember Dad also telling me that sometimes they would not have lunch at Aquinas but would go to East High for lunch and then back to Aquinas.  Who knows, they may have crossed paths.  Small world.

Mary Ann Nolan (Thomas)

My brother Steve Nolan graduated first in his class in 1965 from Aquinas. 

David Fredericks

The Aquinas discussion brings back some memories.  Eddie Rudolpho of our 8th grade class at St. Mike's went to Aquinas.  His dad was the neighborhood barber.  I'd ride my bike to the barber shop on Saturday during the summer and get a butch haircut.  Seems to me it was a buck and a quarter.  Eddie's dad would give you a 5c coupon for a free ice cream cone across the street at the Nicklaus Pharmacy plaza (Jack's dad). 

Janie Albright (Blank)

Dave, Gables Dairy. Then one dip went to 8¢  Can we really be that old?!! 

Lawrence Foster

Some freshman year Aquinas stories.

Reading these Aquinas stories brought back some memories for me.

The Sean Kelleher story.  Sean and I sat next to each other in English class in the last seats of each row.  Father Charles (Charlie) Duffy was the teacher.  It was early in the school year and we were going over grammar.  Father Duffy asks what are the 8 parts of speech.  Sean asks what's the answer.  And I actually knew it so I started whispering them back to Sean.  Father Duffy hollers, "What are you two talking about?" And for some unknown reason I said, "Nothing Father."  Why I did not tell him the truth I don't know.  He made us come up to the front of the room and asked again and again Sean and I both said, "Nothing Father." Father Duffy was right handed and he swung out and smacked Sean real hard.  As we were standing close together he couldn't get me with his right hand so he swung with his left hand and just barely clipped my chin. He was angry that he missed me.  He glared and told us to go back to our seats.  

The Brian Doyle story.  Brian was in the same class as Sean and me. But he had a front row seat.  Father Duffy was not a mean nasty guy like I presented him in the first story.  He did have a sense of humor.  One day he was doing some verbal pop quizzing and it was playful at times with how he approached some of the questions and how the guys responded.  He asked someone a question that he was sure the student would get wrong.  But the student didn't get it wrong and Father Duffy showed the disappoinment on his face but also with a smile.  Now, do you remember the Starkist tuna commercials with Charlie the Tuna and the line from it "Sorry Charlie?"  Yeah, with Father Duffy's expressed disappointment Brian calls out "Sorry Charlie!" Father Duffy's head whips around and the room is dead silent.  Brian realized his accidental pun and started putting his hands up and stuttering and apologizing and then Father Duffy started laughing.  And so did the rest of us.

The Shooting story.  Spring of 63, English class...again.  The classroom was on the 3rd floor corner.  The windows were open to enjoy the breeze.  Father Duffy was standing at the back of the room as someone was doing some work on the chalkboard.   I heard what I thought was a car backfiring and turned to look out the window.  Across the street at the gas station I saw a man on the ground and another man standing a couple feet away pointing his arm down at the man on the ground.  It was too far away to see if there was a gun in his hand but I suspect so.  I called out to look and Father Duffy turned to see what was apparently a shooting that had just occurred.  Father Duffy said to calm down because the police will take care of it.  He told us to walk on the other side of the street when we went home that afternoon.  There was nothing on TV that night or in the paper the next day about a shooting so I assume that the man did not die.  

The Eddie Rudolpho story.  This story did not occur at Aquinas but many years later in Cincinnati.  Back in the early 90s when one of my sons was in the 5th grade and he had what I would call a "friend crush" on a girl named Adrianna who had been a bit sick with flu and missed a few days of school around Valentine's Day.  He wanted to get her a card and maybe candy as a gift.  Peggy thought this was so nice of him, so being a good mother she helped Eric with it all and took him over to her house.  The girl's father met him at the door and Peggy recognized the dad as a nurse anesthetist whom she had worked with during surgical deliveries.   Then a few years later Adrianna's older sister Gabriella who was a classmate and friend of my older son Ben had a high school graduation party one afternoon.  I was walking by her home when she came out and I chatted with her and Adrainna.  Then I saw their father come outside.  It was none other than Ed Rudolpho! It was a great surprise for both of us and a good talk.  They moved away after that and we lost contact.  Ed was quiet fellow but really decent in my experiences with him.      

Holey Moley!  Did I get lost on the trails of memory.  Okay, I am back now. Going to go do some furniture refinishing.

Mark Schweickart

Dave,

I too always went to Eddie Rudolpho's father's barbershop to get my hair cut, although I do not remember the coupon for ice cream. Maybe it was only given to those getting the butch cut, which, even though quite the style in those days, I could never bring myself to do. I preferred the longer look, with the lttle wave in the front, you know the Brylcreem look, not the Butch-Wax look. I remember sensing that Mr. Rudolpho was a little disappointed in me not wanting to get hip with the look you and Eddie had. But no, I was totally sold on the love-power promise of the Brylcreem look.

"Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya/ Brylcreem, you'll look so debonair/Brylcreem, the gals'll all pursue ya/ They'll love to run their fingers through your hair."

Also, I don't think the barbershop was directly across from Nicklaus, which was on the corner of Selby and High. As I recall the barbershop was several blocks further south on High next to a little road that started at High Street and went west. It did not have any houses on it, and if you took it down towards the Olentangy River, you would come to a cemetery that was tucked away down there. Does that sound right, or am I dreaming that?

Alan Standish

I've often wondered where Eddie R went after St. Michael's.  Thanks for the updates!  I remember getting the "squirrell" cut at the barber shop and Eddie laughing about the combo crew cut and combover in the front!!  I remember the barber shop being right about where Ann-Ton's used to be.

Michael McLeod

Was this barbershop everybody is talking about the one that was, if I remember correctly, very close to watterson? On high street? Near a movie theater? Memory fuzzy.

Mark Schweickart

Mike,  No, the Rudolpho barbershop was no where near Watterson. It was just a couple blocks south of St. Michael's.

Alan, I think it was a little further south than Ann-Ton's. I just pulled up a google map, and lo and behold, there is a road that dead ends into High Street called , wait for it... "Cemetery Road"  and it leads down to the Walnut Grove Cemetery (which is a name I do not remember at all). Anyway, I am pretty sure that is the corner where the barbershop was.

The thing I most remember about Eddie in gradeschool is how muscular he was. I was fairly athletic as a sixth or seventh grader, but was all skn and bones. Eddie had actual pecs and biceps, and he would tease me about being so skinny. I don't remember him being a stand-out athlete, but he was built like he should have been. Speaking of athletics, how about some memories of the sad attempts to have football teams in sixth and seventh grade competing with other schools on the weekends. St. Michael's football was an particularly shabby experience, especially during sixth grade. We had to change into our football pants and shoulderpads, helmets, etc. in a cold corrugated barn that was actually the garage for the school bus. The shoulderpads were hardly more substantial than those padding a woman's jacket today to give her that squared off look. In seventh grade we were upgraded to real shoulder pads that made a huge difference in not dislocating one's collarbone when trying to bring down an 8th grade John Shultheis fullbacking his way through the second string of sixth-and seventh graders trying our best to provide a semblance of a defensive team for the first string to practice against. I recall my helmet did not even have a chin strap or face guard, and would invariably go flying off when being bowled over during attempted tackles.

Anyway enough of that,  perhaps this will prompt a few memories from others.

Joseph D. McCarthy

ALERT, to Honorably discharged veterans.

I just returned from Portland, OR where I had a discussion with a usually reliable individual.  He stated that he was part of the BETA (Test) program to roll out benefits for Honorably discharged veterns, other than retirees..  He is currently receiving hearing aids, prescriptions, and other benefits.  The program is expected to roll out to all Honorably retired veterans, except for Marines, as of November 17, 2017.  Sorry Mr. Semper Fi Judy I had to try and pull that joke.  It is for ALL Honorably discharged veterans.  Supposedly you will be able, by mail, to obtain just about everything you can obtain at a base PX; but you cannot go to a base PX, it must be done through the mail.

Veterans, through your contacts, Veteran's organizations, etc. can you check thi out.

Mea Culpa Mr. Judy

Mark Schweickart

Speaking of Vet stuff, I caught a preview on PBS the other night of Ken Burns' new multi-part series on the Vietnam War which is coming out in Septemeber. The preview itself is about a half-hour, and contains a lot of fascinating "the-making-of" sequences. This looks to be a very impressive undertaking by the Ken Burns team.

Here's a link to the preview:

http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/home/

David Fredericks

Sorry Mark, I've got to go with Al on the location of Rudolpho's barber shop.  Are you sure you didn't get your hair cuts at Dunbar's garage?  

Janie...thanks for the help wih Gables.

Janie Albright (Blank)

I remembered it being spelled Ridolfo with i.  Does that look familiar? I did a Zabasearch and no Rudolfo's pop up but I did get this hit. Maybe one of you should call him.