MEMORIES
From Grathell Poage (Class of 1979):
"I attended Willibrord Catholic HS and we did have women's sports. We had ladies basketball, softball, tennis, and
soccer. Also, the baseball team fielded some very excellent players such as myself, Henry Martin, George Winters,
Todd and Tracy Jackson. I am proud to have been associated with the Warrior tradition."
From Dan Mathys:
"Ever watch the movie Polar Express? Robert Zemeckis (Alum of St. Willibrord's) directed
it. The little poor boy's house address was the same as Robert's. He graduated around 1971." (NOTE: An
in-depth interview with Zemeckis can be found by clicking on this link: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/zem0int-1)
From Pat (Giblin) Russell (Class of 1956):
"How fondly I remember "Willy's." I graduated from there in 1956. Fr. Exler was our principal
as well as the dearest priest I have ever met. A lot of our graduates still stay in touch (over 50 years since we graduated).
We were in the choir and I remember basketball games which at times were quite dangerous. Opposing teams would "rock" our
buses.
"Sister Virginette was the cooking/sewing teacher who used to check the girls' dresses
on prom night and if they weren't "proper", she would escort the girl(s) to her sewing room where she would tape the dress
to the skin or find other ways to make sure we were "decent." She flunked my cooking class (4) of us per table) for one
semester because I left the pot on the frozen peas as they were cooking. My close friends (5 of us) enjoyed classes so much
that the nuns tried very hard to make sure no two of us were in the same class. We had a lot of laughs. The lunch
menu was 10 cents per day and the warm food was excellent.
"We have fond memories of St. Willy's and I have met two ladies out here (California and Las Vegas) who
went there, earlier than I did. My brother went there for the first two years, then the family moved to California.
"Those were the days!"
From William Napier:
"I attended in 1948 to 1950. Did not graduate but came close.
We had a football team.
It was started in 1948 and coached by Steve Kristian (I may be misspelling the name). We practiced in Palmer Park and never won a game. I was perhaps the worst athlete in the
history of Chicago prep sports but at St. Willys, that was no detriment.
"Mine would have been a class at Willy's that included Robert Ward, a very special person. He died three years ago soon after celebrating
his fiftieth year as a Order of the Oblates priest. A younger brother by two or three years is also an Oblate. I last heard of him being stationed in south
Texas somewhere."
From Mary Galusha (class of 1970):
"Great memories, just looking at that ancient building. I attended from 1966 - 1970 and still have all
four yearbooks. I remember the old, dilapidated wooden floors (at least on the first floor) and the even older desks.
"The nuns used to guard the Exit doors so students couldn’t sneak out
to the back alley during recess for a smoke. We had Sister Thomas Aquin (we called her T.A.) who would stop you dead in the
halls if you were chewing gum and demand $1.00 – like anyone was actually carrying cash with them! She also would have
the girls who had mysteriously short pleated uniform skirts (we rolled them up at the waists under the blazers) knell down
on the bare hall floor, and if the skirt didn’t reach the floor, also demand money. She had a rather unsettling lopsided
limp, so of course we speculated that she had a wooden pirate leg.
"Sister St. Phillip headed up Glee Club, Sister Mary Beth taught Algebra & Geometry. The annual Latin Banquet
(can you say Toga?) was always looked forward to, except that it was held in the cafeteria with the lights dimmed, under strict
supervision of course. Because it was a three-story building, with tons of stairs, we sold fake “elevator passes”
to the unwary incoming freshmen every year. The school gym had been converted to a Study Hall with lockers, so our gym class
consisted of walking in all weather down to Palmer Park’s rec center to participate in “Marching Class”
whereby 20 or so students marched around in formation to music in preparation for the Gym Show every year.
"Of course, the REAL highlight of the study hall/”gym” was that
the dances (with live local bands like the Blue Royals?!) were held there. The nuns would go up to couples slow dancing and
push them apart if they were dancing too close. The rest of the school halls were closed off during the dances with locking
floor to ceiling gates in case couples wandered off down a dark hall, or possible vandalism, I guess.
"But here’s a factoid
that kind of put St. Willibrord’s on the map of Chicago sometime around 1968-1969: There was a promotional radio-sponsored
contest (WLS or WCFL) that partnered with one of the popular cough drop companies at the time – maybe Smith Brothers
Cough Drops? The contest was that whatever Chicago high school would send in the most slips of paper (compared to # of kids
in the school) with Smith Brothers Cough Drops written on them, would win an on-site concert with Baby Huey and The Babysitters
as the starting lineup, and Tommy James and the Shondells as the main entertainment.
"Well,
we wrote like crazy during all our classes and won the concert. I emailed Tommy James not long ago to see if he’d remembered
it at all, but no response. Probably couldn’t admit that he had done such a small gig??? But it was great. Baby Huey
passed away in 1970, not long after that.
"What a GREAT four years it was."
From "ajgjw:"
"(The school) was not a member of IHSA till I believe 1975, played in the Mayor Daley Christmas
Classic at Navy Pier in 1972, and lost to Public League powerhouse Crane Tech 133-30 (made the Larry Lujack "Cream of the
Week"). (We) were coached by Mario Valente in basketball and baseball since the late '50s until 1975.
"Jacques
Christeans (the maintenance man) began a soccer team in the late '60s and played their home games at Kensington Park. All
of their basketball games were played at Turner Hall on Indiana Avenue.
"I believe the
name of the league they were in was the Catholic Prep along with St. Gregory, St. Benedict, Cathedral, St. Michael's, and
other schools from Chicago."
from Bob S. (dated 4/1/2019):
"Hi! Stumbled on the site. What great memories. Went to the Friday night dances 1959-1962
or so. I was a Rosemoor kid stuck going to Harlan HS instead of Fenger. I built a social life with my Catholic
friends from St. Willy's and Mendel.
"(I) Recall fondly the dances in the gym with the
jukebox. Always trying to go the washroom for a smoke. The "bouncer" was smart and figured if two guys were going to the "john"
that they would be going for a smoke. Gals in twos, yes; guys never unless they wanted to puff.
"First
kiss was with a gal named Kathy W. after a dance. What memories! Would love to hear from my old contemporaries."
NEED MORE INFORMATION
If you have information that we could use to highlight the history of Willibrord Catholic
High School, please write to us by email or at the address below. We
are looking for photos of the school, its teams, and prominent individuals. You can contact us at dr.veeman@gmail.com or at:
Illinois High School Glory Days
6439 N. Neva
Chicago, IL 60631
