Reminiscence #54...Only 1022 to go: The Times They are A-Changing

     First of all, I want to give a shout out to the outstanding athletes who comprise the Ignatius girls' 4 person crew.  They came in 2nd in the nation in their event, and subsequently, they were honored by the Illinois State House of Representatives.  Congratulations, ladies.  When I find out more, I'll pass it along.

     For those of you who might not be aware, there are a lot of faculty changes going on at St. Ignatius. Quite a few veteran teachers have either retired or are continuing their careers at different venues. Best wishes to all of them. This caused me to wonder who are Ignatius' "iconic" teachers of today and tomorrow. Who will take the place of O'Mara, Fr. Link, Connelly or Raispis?  Many from my generation (or later) might say, "No one!!!", and they're probably right. That doesn't mean that Ignatius is suffering a vacuum of great teachers. It's just that things are different now. The world is different now.
     For the sake of clarity, today's "reminiscence" is about Dr. Jane Delaney. As you might guess, I feel that she is a very likely prospect for the role of the next generation of "icons".  In 2004 she was awarded the Raymond T. Grant Educator-of-the-Year Award. That was the first inkling that I had of the respect her students had for her, but when I asked her what other professional recognitions she may have earned, I was over-whelmed. Three times she was named Outstanding Elementary Teacher by St. Ignatius College Prep, Nazareth Academy made her the recipient of the Teachers Who Make A Difference Award, she was a semi-finalist for the Golden Apple Award. There have been other accolades, but that's enough to give you the idea. I'm sure that she would be the first to tell you that such recognitions are fine, but that's never been her goal.
     I actually took the 37-mile trip to school just to interview Dr. Delaney to find out what makes her so successful, and I studiously wrote down what she told me. After dwelling on my notes for a long time, I realized what is more important is how different the process of education has become. It's not better, it's not worse...a statement many of my peers would disagree with...but things are different now. If I had to read and memorize ("memorizing" was very big back in the day) "The Cremation of Sam McGee" (by Robert Service), I would have had go to my nearest public library and hunt through the card catalog and stacks to find the right book. I have a 9-year old grandson who now could probably "google" it in less than a minute. If you generalize that to all areas of learning, it becomes apparent why I say that things are different now.
     To be a great teacher now, the same elements are necessary as they were in yesteryear. A teacher has to be intelligent and well-educated, have a passion for the material and the students (or in Jane's case call it "love") and have a high enough energy level to "do 5 shows a day" then coach or moderate a sport or activity. There is one other quality that I have noticed in my experience: Charisma. Like beauty, I can't define charisma but I know it when I see it. Jane has all of these elements.
     My original intent was to put down what she told me were the driving forces in her method, but, upon reflection, it occurred to me that, even if I understood it completely, I'm not sure that I could explain it. In my teaching years, we tried to convince our charges that we were the fountain of all truth in our respective fields. "Learn what I tell you, and give it back on the test."
     Dr. Delaney is at the vanguard of the new wave of teaching. That's why I'm featuring her in this blog. The theme that I kept hearing from Jane was open-to-growth...not only for her students, but for herself. In her classes, learning is a collaborative process. She even admitted that there are students who are more skilled (or talented) in the realm of technology than she is. Sometimes she learns from them.
     This should not be interpreted as, "Let the students wander aimlessly." This is where the intelligence aspect enters. She sets the assignments, and, where and when necessary, she steers the class in the appropriate direction. She also does that on an individual basis. Her students have come to trust her to guide them, but they are allowed to discover. They are "learning how to learn" and they are incorporating the facilities that are available in the world today. When they have moved on to another class, to another school, they take that skill with them.
      I close by saying that, while Dr. Delaney came to mind when I was "cogitating" the next icons, she is NOT to only one.  To all Ignatius teachers and coaches, "Keep up the great tradition!...and thanks."

Reflection #53 (Only 1023 to go!): Go, Wolfpack

     I was excited to read that the St. Ignatius Girls' Water Polo Team won the state championship this year...and the boy's team came in 4th in the state. I don't know the team members, nor have I ever coached any water sport, but my involvement with St. Ignatius, including coaching, has generated a keen interest in how the Wolfpack is doing. I read one statement that said this is the first state team championship that St. Ignatius has ever captured, and I would guess this is so. Prior to 1963, we didn't even participate in the Illinois state association.      At a pep rally this spring, not only were the water polo teams' achievements acknowledged, but it was noted that this year, Ignatius teams had earned 9 conference championships, 4 state regional titles, 6 state sectional titles and a state championship. This is a vast difference from when I was a new teacher and coach 50+ years ago.
     Certainly we strived to field championship teams back in the early '60's, and indeed, there were individual athletes who excelled. Tom O’Hara, class of ’60, was favored to win the one-mile race at the ‘64 Olympics. The Sheehan brothers achieved great success in the state in tennis, and Don and Fred Hogan were outstanding in their respective sports. In team sports, we’ve had many fine athletes who have distinguished themselves in college and beyond. I was privileged to have coached several outstanding athletes. But athletics at Ignatius has (or should I say "had"?) always taken a back-seat to academics. After all, the Jesuits were the intelligentsia of the Church. (Don’t tell the Dominicans that I said that.)
     I was prompted by this year’s athletic achievements to drag out the old 1963 yearbook and do a little unofficial research. Needless to say, there have been a lot of changes at the school since '63. We are now coed, the building and grounds have increased in both size and quality, the size of the student body is larger and far more diverse, and there are far fewer priests and scholastics than in the early ’60’s.
     In the ‘63 yearbook, there were 8 sports pictured. They were football, cross country, basketball, swimming, bowling, tennis, golf and track-and-field. (Interestingly, chess was included in the athletic portion of the book, but I didn‘t count it as one of the 8. No offense intended.) Baseball was not among the sports shown, but, actually, we fielded a baseball team in the spring of '63 right after football was dropped . In order to compare, I reviewed the present-day athletic
section of the Ignatius website, and I noted 22 different sports. The boys’ and girls’ teams for the same sport are counted as just one; e.g., girls’ basketball and boys’ basketball were counted as a single sport. Ignatius now offers not only the 8 that were on the ‘63 list, but also such sports as field hockey, la cross, rugby, crew, and, of course, soccer as well as many others.      It should be noted that now several of the sports are classified as “club” sports. These are sports that are not sanctioned by the IHSA, and the cost of participating in the sport is passed on to the athletes' families.

     The frosting on our year was that senior Jack Keelan won the state championship in cross country and set the state record for the two-mile run in track. A truly remarkable achievement.
     In a somewhat humorous vein, Ignatius had a cheer to soften the blow of being bested by our opponents which drove Fr. Brad Schaeffer up the proverbial wall when he was principal. It went: "That's all right; that's OK. You're gonna work for us someday.". Father felt it was arrogant. I don't know why.
After this year, that cheer can be laid to rest.
             Congratulations to all of the fine athletes and their coaches. Go, Wolfpack!

Reflection #52 (Only 1024 to go!): The Old Gang's All Here

      First, congratulations to the athletic teams that have done so well in state competition. When the final results are all in, I want to list their accomplishments. Secondly, congratulations to the students who were recognized as examples of the ideal Ignatians from the various years. These awards are presented at the end-of-the-year Mass in the presence of the entire student body as well as the Jubilarian alumni...those who graduated at least 50 years ago. Some of you will know why the "Pintozzi Junior-of-the-Year Award holds a special interest for me, and this year that award went to Kent Hutchinson. If you know Kent, be sure to congratulate him.
     This past Sunday (May 26), there was a gathering of some of Ignatius' old guard. There were two men whose names you might not know, especially if you are younger than 48 years old...but should. They are Bob Gabric and Ron Cygan. From 1968 to 1979, Bob and Ron were the school's basketball coaches, Bob coaching the varsity, and Ron coaching the freshmen. For nine of those years, I was sophomore coach
     The Gabrics, Bob and his wife Pat, were coming through town and wanted to meet up with some old friends from back in the day. So Ron and Arlene Cygan, who still live in the area, along with the Luzzis, the Spaldings, Sue Connelly (widow of our dear departed friend, Jim) and John Chandler met for dinner and had a grand time.
     Bob had joined the staff at Ignatius in the fall of '64 as the P.E. teacher and a assistant basketball and baseball coach, but in the fall of 1968, Bob replaced Tom O'Connor as the head basketball coach. Bob was not only a great coach but a fine mentor to Ron and me. It occurred to me, as I transitioned to coaching tennis in the '80's, that I learned a great deal about coaching from Bob. The respect that his players had for him is reflected in how many have stayed in contact with him despite his having been gone for over 30 years. Some have even traveled to Tucson to visit him. I have written in earlier blogs, that, besides an impressive work ethic, Bob had a way of seeing the simple solution to each problem, much as did Pat O'Mara. Bob and Pat are retired now, and, after a stint coaching and participating in the Senior Olympics, Bob is devoting himself to playing as much golf as is humanly possible. The Arizona summer heat doesn't bother him. I believe his quote was, "The hotter the better."
     Ron Cygan was hired to teach math and coach in 1968. He continued to coach basketball, eventually as Bob's assistant with the varsity. When Ron Cygan left Ignatius, also in 1979, he went to Lemont High school to teach math and stayed involved in athletics, both of which he continues to do to this day.
     I would be remiss not to add that Jim Luzzi also coached basketball, helping me with the sophomores. In 1969, Jim was hired to teach math. Even though he only coached b-ball for one year, he enjoyed the experience so much that he accepted the position of varsity soccer coach which he has held ever since.
     So this past Sunday, we met at a restaurant and did what old friends do after long separations. We talked about our families, our health, what we are up to these days, and, of course, we reminisce about "the time when ..." and "Do you remember the game where ...?.
     While the main topic of this blog is about a couple of former basketball coaches, I'm sure you'd like to know how Sue Connelly is. Knock wood, she's doing fine, surrounded by friends and family members. How's John Chandler? John is John, he's great. He is doing what he always does, dedicating himself 110% to the care and well-being of Saint Ignatius College Prep.

     As for me and my wife, Mary Jo...thank you for asking...we never had a bad day.

Reflection #51 (Only 1025 to go!): The Benefits

     During a recent chat with the irrepressible Joe Fisher, '67, he mentioned that it is the common opinion (in Beverly) that, if Ignatius had not gone co-ed, it would not be open today.

     A little background: As the decade of the 60’s came to a close, the Jesuit population of the school was diminishing. Priests were leaving and the number of men entering the order was decreasing. More and more laymen were needed to fill the gap. Economically, laymen, who frequently had families to support, were more expensive than Jesuits (priests, brothers and scholastics) who took a vow of poverty. As a result, sometime around 1970, the tuition passed the $1000/year mark, and that seemed to be a magic number. The number of students who were applying for admittance began to diminish. Of course, it could also have been that parents began to feel, if there were fewer Jesuits, how was this a Jesuit school.      I don't refute Fisher’s assertion for a moment, ...but I believe that, were it not for Bob Hope's "HOPE FOR IGNATIUS" benefit in 1976, we wouldn't have lasted long enough to go co-ed. My assessment is based on what I perceived as the rise in spirit and confidence around the school community that was generated by his appearance. Perhaps it is a good time to mention, for those of you under 35 years old, the magnitude of Bob Hope’s stature in the world of entertainment. It’s difficult to compare Hope with today’s comedic personalities, but I dare say that it would be like having Leno or Lettermen or John Stewart suddenly appear to do a benefit. From the mid-1920’s into the ‘80’s, Hope was as popular an entertainer as there was. How Fr. Joe Bowen was able to procure Hope's appearance is worthy of a whole blog in itself. It seems to have been a combination of Fr. Bowen’s persistence combined with a fair helping of good fortune. Sometime during the rough financial times prior to '76, I had expressed my concern about the school's future to Fr. Link, and he assured me that God would provide, so let's not discount Divine intervention.
     Suddenly, there was a vibrancy that had been missing. The student body increased in size right after that first benefit. The "logician" in me says, "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc" (After which, therefore because of which), the logical error implying that if one event follows another, there is a cause-effect relationship between them. There were, no doubt, many factors that went into play that brought about a resurgence of energy and enthusiasm, but I contend that Hope’s appearance was a major catalyst.
     Hope donated his performance, but he did make some reasonable demands of the school...travel, lodging, a full orchestra and, of course, rental of the Auditorium Theater for the night. However, he also brought Andy Williams and Diane Cannon along. Additionally, Williams made a commitment to perform a benefit at a later time. For those of you who might not be familiar with those names, Andy Williams was a very popular singer and variety show TV host of the '60's and '70's. Diane Cannon was most well-known as an actress, but she was also a singer/songwriter.
     Thanks to Don Hoffman for providing me with the names of the stars who appeared, over the next five years. They included Glen Campbell in ’77, Andy Williams in ’78, Ella Fitzgerald in ’79*, Sergio Franchi in ’80 and Victor Borge and Della Reese in ’81.
     Sometime after that 1981 benefit, Fr. Rowe made the decision to change the format of the benefits to something with greater “elegance” in keeping with the stature of Saint Ignatius, so the Chicago Symphony Orchestra became the attraction for several years, complete with a orchestral rendition of “Hail Ignatius”. The piece was a big hit.
     While the benefits, which eventually included concerts by Natalie Cole, and stage presentations like "Jersey Boys" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll" were wonderful, the benefit to the school was out-weighed by the cost and effort to produce them. Keep in mind, the goal of St. Ignatius College Prep is to present the best possible educational opportunities and environment...and that doesn't come cheap.
(*Ella did appear, but I’m relying on my memory for the year.)

Reflection #50 (Only 1026 to go!): The "Walk for Ignatius"

     A preamble: Please keep in your prayers the family of John Tracy. John passed away a couple of weeks ago. He had been the Dean of Students for a little over 20 years, and the varsity basketball coach for about 10 years. In my experience, John was one of the good guys.

      Recently, I was reminded of the Walk for Ignatius, so,with the help of Don Hoffman, the school’s archivist, I perused the 2000 Fall edition of the St. Ignatius Magazine. That year marked the 30th anniversary of the walk, and, coincidentally, that was the last Walk for Ignatius. Since the first walk was held in the fall of 1971, it would have been more appropriate to wait and write an article on its 50th anniversary, 2020, but at my age...Well, you know.  I don’t even buy "green bananas” anymore.
     Those of you who are over 60 years old may remember selling chances for the Mother’s Club Luncheon which was held each spring. In 1970, Fr. Stan Wisniewski was confronted by the seniors who said that they absolutely would NOT sell chances any more. Stan wrote, “I had to scour around to find some other source of revenue-raising.” Stan finally hit on something and, for one year, the students sold World’s Finest Candies. While that brought a marginal increase in funds for the school, it also brought with it something else...vermin. Additionally, the Student Council informed Fr. Stan that selling candy was a “grade-school kiddy job”, and they weren’t going to do that either.
     Frank Raispis, who was principal from 1970 to 1973, recalls Joe Rubinelli (’72) coming into his office and saying that the Student Council wanted to do a “walk for Ignatius". Frank was pessimistic about it succeeding, and he told them, “If it goes well, you get the credit; if it doesn’t, you get the blame.”  We certainly would be the first high school in the area to try such a fund-raising project.
     In fact, it “took off’. The plan was to have a 20 mile walk along the lake front, starting and finishing at North Ave. beach. Father Jim Condon took care of the arrangements with the city. The route would run north to Hollywood, then the students would return as far south as Navy Pier. To complete the full 20 miles, there were "outposts" at the ends of harbors where the students would get their walk-cards stamped, and, in order to get credit for having completed the walk, each student would have to show the filled-in card when he finished. (We were an all male school at the beginning.)
     Frank remembers the spirit and energy that were present during those early years. For example, the students taking Greek formed a club-”Pheidippidedai", and they wore t-shirts of their own design. One year, some students carried a sedan chair with a student in it, and, during at least one walk, Jim Connelly’s cross-country team ran the entire route. A popular tradition was the buttons given to the students either before or after the walk. Ray Kizelevicus, who took over organizing the walk from Fr. Wisniewski, still has a pretty complete collection of those buttons.
     Eventually, the length of the walk was shortened to 20 kilometers, cutting off some of the more out-of-the-way detours and the Navy Pier leg. The distance really wasn’t that big of an issue anyway. Despite the fact that the students were suppose to show their stamp-cards to their sponsors, the money was usually given whether or not the walk card was produced. After a few years, it became something of a game with students to leave the walk route, and catch a ride to the end of the route and back. They were going to get the money anyway.
     Over the years, it was the tradition to kick-off the fund-raising portion of the walk with some kind of themed assembly. One year, Father Wisniewski was escorted into the gym by the Chicago Honey-Bears, the dance troop of the Chicago Bulls. The sight of Fr. “Wiz” surrounded by a group of beautiful young cheerleaders can only be described as surreal. Another year, Father Beuter, the principal, climbed into a hot-air balloon to sail away...“back to Kansas” would be my guess...but it was a too windy that day to risk it. Still another year, a 100-yard subway sandwich (Tony Rosinia claims that it was 500 feet. Whatever!) was the attraction to rouse the student body to a fever pitch and get them to plead with mom, dad, grandma, grandpa and less threatening neighbors to pledge something per mile.
     Over the 30-year span, the students brought in a total of close to $3,000,000. There are a lot more stories to tell about the “Walk”, but that's enough for now. I’m not sure why the walk was stopped, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if the liability factor played a part. Twelve hundred teen-agers walking 20 km along a narrow path between Lake Michigan and the Outer-Drive...I‘m happy that we made it through 30 years without a major mishap.

Reflection #49 (Only 1027 to go!): The Generational Gap

     I wonder how many of the present generation Ignatians know that there was a 40-year gap in the history of St. Ignatius football. (If you're reading this "reminiscence", you probably know.)  At Christmas, our son gave my wife and me a framed photo of four Saint Ignatius football coaches from 1962 that he bought on EBay. It had originally been printed in the Chicago Daily News. In the photo were head coach Tom Ososkie, Carmen Pintozzi, Don Lucas and me. There was a personal significance to our family (of which some of you are aware) apart from my being in the picture. This picture flooded our memories, and, it now hangs in a prominent place in our home.
     When I mentioned the photo to Russ Hartigan, 64, ("Hon. Russell Hartigan" to you), he requested that I send him a copy, since he had played on the last Ignatius football team before the sport was dropped for 40 years. I also mentioned the photo to Dr. Arturo Menchaca ('71), who reminded me that Carm's untimely passing prompted him to quit the cross country team prior to his senior year and join the newly formed soccer team in the fall of '70.
      Ososkie left St. Ignatius almost immediately after football was dropped, and Lucas left a few years later. Carmen stayed on to continue to teach history and he became an iconic cross country and track coach through the mid- and-late 60's.

     I named this blog "The Generation Gap" because I was musing about all of the different perceptions of St. Ignatius that the students and teachers have had over the last 50 years. I am privileged to be, for want of a better word, a conduit through those many eras. At the same time, the changes at the school have "left me in the dust" a little bit. As I walk through the halls at school, I am greeted by many old friends, but there is a sizeable "subset" of young people who may be students...or may be teachers. From my vantage point, I can't always tell.
     This week I was at school and I met a young lady who admitted to having been born in 1984...and she is an administrator.  I went into "Tully Hall"...what we use to call the "commons"...and was talking to a teacher who, I'm quite sure, is younger than my children. No big deal; for the first 17 years that I taught at St. Ignatius, I was younger than any of my children are now.
     It got me to thinking. Who are the present day icons?   Is it Josh Morrow, the man who was named Educator-of-the-Year last May? What about coaches like Ed Ernst (track, cross country), Mike Cashman (water polo) and/or Erik Eastman (Girls' Volleyball), all of whom have posted wonderful records over several years? What classroom teachers have filled the places of O'Mara, Raispis, Connelly, and so many of the fine...dare I say "great"?...teachers of my time? I ask for the forgiveness of many truly outstanding teachers that I have failed to include in my short list.
     My sense is that there is no lack of today’s teachers who educate and inspire present-day Ignatius students.  One freshman has already disclosed the name of a teacher who inspires her.  When I started this "gig" of writing my reminiscences, I vowed not to do any research...just work from memory...but I have to admit the temptation to try to hunt out the present day "super-stars" is appealing.

      Whoever you are, keep up the great work!

Reflection #48 (Only 1028 to go!): Busy Times

    I know that this is not a "reminiscence" in the standard sense, but it's worth mentioning. It's been a pretty busy time of year, alumni-wise. On Friday, Feb. 15, a fairly large group of alumni from the '60's and '70's met in the alumni hall. It was just an opportunity for some from that period to reacqaint themselves with Ignatius, perhaps for the first time in a long time, and see some of the changes that have taken place. Those who wanted to, were then invited to watch the 2012-13 edition of the St. Ignatius Boys' Basketball Team in action.

    On Friday, February 8, the Saint Ignatius Athletic Hall-of-Fame induction was held in Tully Hall, formerly the "commons".
Listed below are the names of the recipients and the activities for which they were recognized:
Teams:
The Class of 1920 Football team
Deceased Alumni:
Mr. Richard L. Free (Dec'd) '40 (track) (accepted by son, Richard Free, Jr. ’63)
Alumni
Mr. Michael C. Fountain '90 (track)
Mrs. Meghan Gilhooly Burke '96 (track and field)
Mr. Richard Gray ’93 (tennis)
Mr. George W. Groble '53 (football)
Hon. Russell W. Hartigan '64 (student athlete, coach, referee)
Dr. Arturo T. Menchaca '71 (track and cross country)
Mr. Malik T. Murray '92 (basketball)
Ms. RaKina P. Payne '93 (tennis)

    For the last several years, the induction ceremony was held before or at half-time of one of the school's athletic contests. This year, while there was a basketball game in the gym that night, the induction ceremony was held separately from the game. Family and friends were invited for a meal and an opportunity to visit with one another. Then the formal induction ceremony was held. There was no distraction by those students who were not interested in the athletes from "days of yore".
    I had a particular interest in this year's selection. Two of my former Tennis players were inducted. They were Richie Gray and RaKina Payne, both of the class of '93. Besides posting outstanding records in tennis at Ignatius, they continued to participate in tennis after graduation, playing in college and beyond. Richie is now a teaching pro, having coached several top players throughout the USA. Rakina continues to play competitively while working in the family business.
    There is temptation to start to name all of the outstanding tennis players that were on the teams during the 15 years that I coached the girls' and 13 years that I coached the boys' teams, but this is risky. I would NOT want to omit the name of someone as deserving as the names listed. As time goes along, I'm sure that more will join Richie and RaKina.
    By the way, stay alert to the invitation to nominate other alumni or coaches that you feel are deserving for consideration in the St. Ignatius Athletic Hall of Fame.

    Finally, on March 1, the annual Saint Ignatius Law Society's Luncheon will be held at which time the Hon. Thomas Hogan ('72) and Justice Mary Jane Theis will be honored.