ST. MARY OF THE WASATCH

Student Body Officers - President: Kathy Bray; Vice President: Victoria Long; Secretary: Charlotte Mates; Treasurer: Roseanne Colosimo; Historian: Monica Colosimo.

Senior Class Officers – Jane Ringholz, president; Carla Ausick, vice president; Debbie Nourse and Mary Jo Cafarelli, secretary; treasurer, Cathy Fox; student council representatives Julie Burnett, Dorothy Sakech, Nancy Bagley.

Junior Class Officers – Connie Crotty, president; Kathy Lahey, vice president; Chris Cornwell, secretary; Laura Tobari, treasurer; student council delegates Patricia Guthrie, Mary Ann Thompson and Katie Hawk.

Sophomore Class Officers – Linda Kunzweiler, president; Madeleine Kitterer, vice president; Mary Brown, secretary; Nancy Colosimo, treasurer; student council reps Ellen Powers, Darcy Pratt, Mary Jo Bailey and Veronica Seal.

Freshman Class Officers – Carol Sonstellie, Pat Fritz, Gail Economou, Cathy Mele, Cindy Bruce and student council representatives Pat Fritz, Gail Economou, Cathy Mele and Cindy Bruce.

During the Summer

St. Mary’s was represented at Girls State by Cynthia Colosimo.

The Year

Faculty: Sr. Ann Veronica, principal; Marjorie Pierce, vice principal, dean of students; Sr. Patricia Ann Scott, dean of studies; Sr. Mercedes, director of education in the West; Sr. Louise Marie, guidance counselor; Fr. Patrick McInally, chaplain; Fr. Martin Semple, religion; Fr. Reyes Rodriguez, religion; Sr. Duane, languages; Palmer DePaulis, world history, English; Sr. Josephine Marie, business; Sr. Carol Ann Brennan, chemistry, religion; Sr. Patricianne, English; Sr. Clare Assisi, science, math; Sr. Beatrice, foods, clothing; Hope Boyer, business; Jose Azarcon, sociology, psychology; Mary McBroom, speech; Sr. Eugene, fine arts; Sr. Jean Francis, math; Sr. Laverne Johnson, U.S. history, religion; Sr. Noel, fine arts; Ramon Ehrman, biology; Marie Jackson, librarian, journalism; Judy Liapis, athletics; Ann Musser, French; Sr. Julia, fine arts; Catherine Baumer, math; Sr. Noel, fine arts, German; Sr. Jean Hope, religion, math; Sr. John Baptist, bookstore manager; Sr. Ignatius, business office; Sr. Flavia and Sr. Felicity, receptionists.

The Student Council was led by the presidents of the four classes – Jane Ringholz, Connie Crotty, Linda Kunzweiler and Carol Sonstellie – plus 14 representatives. Dorothy Allen was its social chairwoman and Eileen Brown oversaw religious activities. Sr. Josephine Marie was the moderator.

Victoria Long was president of the Board of Regulation, assisted in enforcing school rules by seniors Sherrie Brown, Ann Crandall, Kristine Fassio, Sue Hession and Pam McDonough, juniors Kathy Holland, Chris Cornwell, Melissa McIntyre and Mary Ann Thompson, sophomores Paula Pazell, Linda Montanesi, Chris Eckroth, Patricia Cordova, Patti Cronin and Dawn Sconfienza, and freshmen Bev Lopez, Claudia Kudrick, Ann Maria Murnin, Liz Hawk, Marjorie Goodwin and Carol Elizondo.

The Teleview newspaper’s editor-in-chief was Teresa McElroy. Roberta Jewett was assistant editor. Staff members included Jeanette Treadway, Karen Schulder, Nancy Lund, Debbie Trople, Sharon Gustaveson, Betsy Miller, Carolyn DeMarco, Mary King, Cynthia Proctor, Pam Hawk and Alana Halliday, who was a correspondent for The Salt Lake Tribune. Gustaveson was the correspondent for the Deseret News. Marie Jackson was the adviser.

Ann Crandall and John Bailey were the head Varsity Cheerleaders. They were joined by Kerry Yanni, Kristine Fassio, Evelyn Ellis, Jeff Wright, Robb Carter and Mike Cheshire. The Junior Varsity cheerleaders were Melissa Ruberts, Michele Everill, Debbie McGeehan, Kris Razzeca, John Smith, Steven Nourse, Jim Gagnon and Jeff McKenna.

Pep Cub officers were Pam McDonough, Dorothy Sakech, Carol Ingalls, Karen Bianchi, Marilyn McIntyre and Roxanne Yanni. Sr. Louise Marie was their moderator.

The marchers were led by drill mistress Pam McDonough and assistant drill mistress Melissa Ruberts. The 50 members marched to the beat of drummers Mary Jo Anton, Kathy Cronin and Patricia Bettin.

Ann Crandall was Homecoming Queen and Mike Vaculin was King. First attendants were seniors Debbie Nourse and Pat Aloia. Juniors Evelyn Ellis and Kevin Nourse were second attendants. “Men of Gold” was the theme. Organizing the affair were Patricia Guthrie, Mary Brown, Jeff Wright, Kevin Nourse, Michele Everill, Laura Tobari, Warren Blakemore and Gary Barber.

Carol Ingalls was editor-in-chief of the Marycrest yearbook. Staff members included Pam Razzeca, Debbie Nourse, Sharon Donovan, Anne Harte, Charlotte Mates, Eleanor Hoyt, Marilyn McIntyre, Cathy Fox, Julie Burnett, Cherie Morrell, Liz Meyer and Mary Ann Thompson. Karen Vance was moderator.

The Senior Glee Club officers were president Barbara Roser, vice president Norma Bridgewater, secretary Alana Halliday and treasurer Krista Pickens. Members included Teri Lee Pacheco, Peggy Praught, Celeste Welsh, Chris Eckroth, Di Ann Pacenka, Anne Hutchings, Nancy Bagley, Marian Lynch, Marian Kaffer, Paula Pazell, Barbara Roser, Linda Montanesi, Kathy Heath, Kathy Weiss, Kathleen Gordon and Darcy Pratt. Sr. Eugene was the moderator.

St. Mary’s senior Krista Pickens participated in a panel discussion at the 13th annual Teen-Age Traffic Safety Conference at the State Capitol.

Language clubs thrived. Paula Goicoechea, Teresa Saldivar, Mary Ann Abbott and Debbie Piercey were officers of the Spanish Club, moderated by Sr. Duane. French Club officers were Mary Sue Clement, Brigitte Brunhart, Beverly Young and Eleanor Hoyt; Ann Musser was its moderator. Sr. Noel oversaw the German Club, led by Chris Cornwell, Lynn Zeiger, Kris Bayha and Debbie Francey.

St. Mary’s represented Iceland in the Model United Nations. Sherrie Brown was club president. Lynn Zeiger was vice president. Other officers were Nancy Bagley and Roberta Jewett. Sr. Laverne Johnson was moderator.

Carolyn DeMarco, Sarah Wilson and Carla Ausick were National Honor Society officers. Their moderator was Sr. Carol Ann Brennan.

“Cast Your Fate to the Wind” was the theme of the fall formal dance. Marilyn McIntyre and Steve Kitterer were the queen and king. Ann Crandall and Ross Caputo were attendants. Herman Franks was the squire.

Sophomore girls won the Spirit Week competition. A Marycrest photo showed enthusiastic cheering by Debbie McGeehan, Betty Gonzales, Bobbie Davidson, Teresa Ivory, Ellen Powers, Mary Elyse Krall, Jane Gronning, Patti Cronin, Sarah Wilson, Kim McCrystal, Sheila Merritt, Kris Razzeca and Nancy Colosimo.

The Red Cross Club was led by president Andrea Myntti, vice president Judy Elizondo and fellow officers Karen Schulder and Peggy Praught. Members included Colleen Carr, Teresa Crumbo, Linda Moeller, Monica Miller, Rosemary Alvarado, Marian Lynch, Brigitte Brunhart, Margaret Bray, Mary Elyse Krall and Kathy Weiss. Palmer DePaulis was the advisor.

The yearbook described Linda Kunzweiler and Leo Lovato as the “chief astrologers” at the Sophomore Strut, whose theme was “The Age of Aquarius.”

Serving as models for various department stores were Anne Wilson and Ann Crandall, ZCMI; Alana Halliday, Lowry’s; Pam Razzeca, Castleton’s; Sue Hession, J. C. Penneys; Victoria Long, The Paris; and Kathy Bray, Adrien ‘n Emilie.”

Alana Halliday was president of the Symphony Sub Debs. Other officers were Margaret Hanley, Mary Anne Benton, Kathy Wilson and Kathy Heath. Sr. Eugene was the advisor.

Leading the Ski Club were president Genie Heiser, vice president Rosa Melendez, secretary Sharon Donovan and treasurer Cherie Morrell.

Eleanor Hoyt was the St. Mary’s Prom Queen. Dorothy Sakech was senior attendant and Melissa Ruberts was junior attendant at the prom, whose theme was “Through the Looking Glass.”

The St. Mary’s Girls’ Athletic and Pep Association was led by Karen Bianchi, president; Marilyn McIntyre, vice president; and Dorothy Sakech, historian.

Plays

“Always Tell the Truth,” directed by Mary McBroom and student director Sherrie Brown, starring Patricia Bettin, Kristine Fassio, Robin Kelly, Vickie Hesse, Kaycee McGinley, Sylvianne Hanchir, Catherine Fritz, Cathy Cornwell, Judy Elizondo, Sue Hession, Victoria Long, Ann Crandall and Cindy Rafferty.

Catherine Fritz played the role of Herod’s mother in the Christmas play.

On April 11, 46 members of the Class of 1970 played host to the annual Alumni Luncheon, the last in which St. Mary-of-the-Wasatch was open. The oldest alumna was Florence Sullivan Douglas from the Class of 1910. There from the Class of 1920 were Cora Rotzler Brennan, Veronica Heinlein, Eleanor O’Brien Dahnken and Lucy Baier, who became Sr. Gereon. After a social hour in the Great Parlor, lunch was served for graduates of six classes ending in 0. Edythe Brown Smith was the toastmistress afterward, eliciting responses from Sr. Marie de Lourdes Bruneau, Class of 1915, Sr. Ella Rose Wirthlin from 1927, Rosalie Voix Neville (1951), Jane Ringholz (1970), Madeline Flood Sanford (1927 and 1931, high school and college) and Becky Dean, Class of 1968. Judy Ogden Spurgeon was general chairwoman. Melanie Miller, Class of 1967, handled publicity.

Graduation

81 graduates on May 31 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. The St. Mary’s Glee Club sang several numbers after remarks by Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal, then the white-gowned graduates flipped their blue tassels from one side of their caps to the other. “The girls marched to the entrance of the cathedral,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported, “and emerged onto the sun-drenched steps to mingle with proud and happy family members and friends. The mood of the graduates was mostly somber, but some seemed jubilant.”

The Closure of St. Mary’s

The decision was announced March 6, 1970 by the Salt Lake Diocese following the completion of two studies: One, by the Educational Planning Laboratory of the University of San Francisco, which looked into all of the diocese’s educational activities; the second, by the Stanford Research Institute, which evaluated every school run by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Numerous factors influenced the decision, the diocese said, but “the financial picture of these two schools weighed heavily with the Sisters of the Holy Cross and the Diocesan Board of Education.”

St. Mary’s had a deficit in the 1965-66 school year of $85,000. A fraction was paid by parishes that had students at St. Mary’s. The Sisters of the Holy Cross absorbed a $60,000 loss. By the 1968-69 year, the deficit was $80,000; parishes paid $24,000, leaving the congregation $56,000 in the hole. Tuition and fees per student amounted to $225, but the cost per student was $450. The study said the sisters would have to come up with at least $60,000 a year to continue operation.

Meanwhile, Judge had a deficit of $39,000 in 1965-66, met by the parishes and the Diocese. By 1968-69, the deficit had risen to $70,000; the parishes absorbed $24,000, leaving the Diocese $46,000 in the red. The cost per student was $433, but tuition and fees covered only $235, requiring a $195 subsidy.

Continued red ink was expected because of the rising cost of living and the higher cost of paying teachers. “There has been an increase of lay faculty in the schools,” the Intermountain Catholic said, “and the teachers’ salaries are coming close to a par with the public-school salary rate. By consolidating the students at Judge, the per pupil cost will be hopefully lowered, with an increased student body, while the cost of operating the plant will be the same substantially. … It seems probable that an increased tuition charge will be necessary to make the operation of JMHS financially solvent.”

The bishop’s statement noted that the 1964 decision to move the girls to St. Mary’s was based on projections of increased enrollment that did not materialize “while the educational costs have increased enormously.” In addition, while structurally sound, St. Mary’s required repair and renovation to continue as a modern educational facility. Stanford and the Sisters of the Holy Cross concluded the congregation could no longer operate St. Mary’s if financial problems were not resolved. The study for the Diocese “substantiated the acuteness of the financial problems of St. Mary’s.” Separately, a diocesan survey of attitudes on Catholic education found “there was overwhelming support for a coeducational high school system.” So St. Mary’s closed in June, 1970 and Judge became coeducational in September. The Diocese also restructured the high school feeder system. A month before the Judge announcement, the Diocese said it was closing the lower six grades of Cathedral elementary school and moving its students to Lourdes and Bishop Glass, 344 Goshen Ave. (1000 West).

The Tribune reported Judge had 410 students while St. Mary’s – which was run by Sr. Josephine, the mother superior, and Principal Sr. Ann Veronica – had 396, plus 21 nuns (15 of whom were teachers), 11 lay teachers and three priests. Both Fr. O’Neill and Sr. Ann Veronica sent letters to parents, explaining the financial difficulties of the two schools running an annual debt of close to $120,000: “By bringing the two schools together we will have enough students that we will not have a problem of duplicating teachers and we will be able to offer a broader program,” Fr. O’Neill said. “It is hoped to lower that deficit to some degree. However, an increased tuition charge will be necessary if Judge is to come close to financial solvency.” Tuition was $175 a year for Catholics, $350 for non-Catholics. St. Mary’s had 32 non-Catholics.

The closure was anticipated by the Judgeonian, which wrote on Jan. 5 – two months before the official announcement – that “there is probably going to be another hike in tuition fees and just probably the reuniting of Judge and St. Mary’s. … [Fr. Cendese] said that definitely the Catholic schools are in a precarious position,” adding he doubted any help was available from state or federal governments. “He went on to clarify this statement by saying that the schools in Utah themselves are in a bad way and the state could hardly accept the added burden of the Catholic Schools.”

Under the banner headline “Someday We May Be Together,” The Deseret News’s “The Young Americans” section on Jan. 23, 1970 featured an article about the merger by Judge student John Blakely and St. Mary’s student Sharon Gustaveson. “Rumors of consolidation,” he wrote, “have been a favorite topic of conversation at the school, with both pro and con sentiments developing. However, the majority of student opinion appears to run against the consolidation.” Among those against, junior Daniel Byrne was quoted saying “discipline problems would be greater because of larger classes.” Senior Max Jarman feared “the presence of members of the opposite sex would create a triangle of learning, social activities and athletics.” But junior class president Warren Blakemore thought it was “a good idea because of social development.” In the Judgeonian on April 30, writer Mike Gorrell observed that St. Mary’s doors would be closed for the first time since 1930 and that “this will be the second consecutive year that students at Judge have had to become accustomed to a new form of education; first, modular scheduling and then girls. Students have adjusted very well to the modular scheduling and it is hoped that students will adjust as well to this change.”

At St. Mary’s, there were mixed feelings as well, with more students supporting the change, said Gustaveson. Kathy Bray, the only female student body president in a Salt Lake County high school, dismissed arguments that the girls would be afraid to express themselves around the boys. But she was concerned that fewer opportunities would be available to girls after the merger. In the girls-only school, she noted, “girls are able to develop their abilities, such as in leadership and scholarship.” Junior Kathy Holland was all for reunification. Being with all girls, she said, “isn’t reality. The world isn’t full of just girls. You have to be with both sexes to get an honest view of life.”

The Tribune carried a poem March 27 written by junior Alana Halliday on the closing of St. Mary’s: “I have lived a rich life. Take a dusty book from my shelf and imagine me as a might figure against the ravages of time. / Today, I stand with weighty shoulders, while my beams grow heavy with financial burden. My spirit grows weak with work. My life has been a useful one. My halls of memory are crowded. / Glance upon my fading visage. Peace will come with my empty corridors.” Halliday also quoted Katherine Hanley, Class of 1933, and mother of Margaret Hanley, a junior at St. Mary’s: “Like everyone else, I feel sick about it. I have received letters from all over the United States and we all find it impossible to believe.” Halliday continued: “Although the closing of the school strikes a note of great sorrow, there are thoughts that perhaps she deserves a rest.”

The year-end edition of Teleview, the student newspaper at St. Mary’s, featured an editorial by Terri Miller noting that “many girls are sad about the coming change in their school life. They must not look back at St. Mary’s with a wistful heart. Memories are something to be cherished, not sadly, but with an inner glow of warmth and satisfaction. St. Mary’s will not leave its traditions behind to live only in the hearts of alumni. We must carry forth the ideals set by our predecessors with the idea of delivering them to our own families.”

The Teleview also included a quiz on how girls should deal with boys when they interact at Judge the next year. “Will you survive?” the newspaper asked, offering a few questions designed to help readers decide if they would or not. For example, “You are walking down the hall and you see your first boy walking towards you. Do you: a) Try to shrivel him with one glance; b) Get the lump out of your throat long enough to look him in the eye and say hi; c) Pretend you can’t see him; or d) Turn around and run for the nearest ladies room.” In another scenario, “you’re in the cafeteria with your tray loaded. Suddenly you trip over some guy’s big feet and spill everything. Do you: a) Swear and kick him as hard as you can; b) Close your eyes in a silent plea for help, then begin picking up the pieces; c) Blame your bum leg for leading you into his feet, pick up the mess as fast as you can, and accidentally kick him as you leave; d) Apologize TO HIM and burst into tears as you head for the nearest ladies room.”

Following the consolidation announcement, there were changes in the Oblate hierarchy at Judge. The Intermountain Catholic Register reported in late April that Principal Fr. Thomas O’Neill was being transferred to St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, Calif., along with Fr. Murty Fahy. Fr. Thomas Smith was sent to Duncan, Okla. as assistant pastor at Assumption Church. Fr. Terrence Fitzgerald said “we are grateful for the years of dedicated service given to the cause of Catholic education in Utah by Fr. O’Neill,” a Philadelphia native who came to Judge in 1962, five years after his ordination. “Under his leadership the most modern educational programs have been successfully implemented at Judge Memorial. I am sorry to see Fr. O’Neill leave, but am grateful for his contribution to the work of the Church in this area. I am glad that he will be succeeded by such a fine successor as Fr. Cendese.” A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Cendese also attended Catholic U. and was ordained in 1965.

The Judgeonian on May 28, 1970 characterized O’Neill as “a figure you will not soon forget and is one of the first people many of us will remember when we look back on our high school careers. His total enthusiasm for Judge Memorial will be gratefully appreciated for years to come.” The paper also said Fr. Smith was sent to Oklahoma because there were a lot of “Spanish farm workers” there and Smith spoke Spanish, which he taught all four years he was at Judge. Smith also taught freshman English, German, music appreciation (conducting the band for three years) and oversaw the Glee Club.