Memoirs

From Fr. Brian Paulson, S.J. '77

From Tom Olson '72

On December 23, 2019 the Campion Jesuit High School Nostalgia Page celebrates it's 20th anniversary as Campion-Knights.ORG. The Nostalgia Page got it's start in 1992, but was really only available to people who were priviledged with access to the early internet. It wasn't easily obtained on any dial-up Bullentin Board Systems. It appeared on some Gopher based servers using text based search engines (such as WAIS, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead), Telnet, FTP, and text based browsers such as LYNX. Very few people found it... usually organizations with relationships to research universities and/or goverment entities. It was a big surprise to hear from Gov. Pat Lucey that he found it somehow and encouraged me to keep up the work. When CERN's WWW protocol and NSCA's easy to use graphic browser, Mosaic, caught on, the C-K project snowballed. The page received the domain named Campion-Knights.org on December 23, 1999.

Campion JHS Alumni Internet Activity Time Line.

The relationship of Campion-Knights with CampionForever is briefly stated in the History of Campion Alumni Association, Chapter 2.

From Jim Geldermann '70

Know the Gospel Audio Interview with Bro Fr. Larry Gillick, S.J.

Father Larry Gillick, SJ was born in Milwaukee and attended Marquette Jesuit High and St. Norbert College before entering the Society of Jesus in 1960. He received his bachelor's degree from St. Louis University in 1966. He taught at Campion Jesuit High in Wisconsin for the next three years. He was ordained in June 1972 after completing his theology studies at Regis College in Toronto. For the next seven years...
continue reading at Our Lady of Perpetual Help

From Bill Morrow '64

Tom,
When I received this quarter's issue of the Wisconsin Province Jesuit magazine and saw the obituary for Fr. James Fitzgerald, I scanned it and sent it to my classmates. I received the following back from Frank Foley, who eventually became our Class President.

I thought you might want to use it for the next Campion Newsletter.

Bill Morrow '64

It was Mr. Fitz who nabbed me, the class dumb-ass. I was standing in the snow at the top of the excavation pile alongside what would become the pool at Hoffman Hall.

During our second year at Campion, on a typical post-Kostka Hall movie night -- a winter Saturday night in Lucey Hall -- Frank Quilty, Jim Banner and I were milling about the basement hallway between the smoker and the back delivery double doors. With idle minds and matching hands, we were open for possibilities in our whiling away of time. I don't know who brought it up first, but we noted to each other that there were skis in the storage room next to the hallway. The door to the room was unlocked. Our hands were no longer idle.

Across the moon-lit snow covering, with shouldered skies and poles, we crossed directly to the Hoffman Hall construction site. Semi-smart boys we were, as we decided to skip taking the plowed walkway toward the dining hall and then the sidewalk across the front of Lawler Hall. Instead we trudged directly across campus through the mid-calf snow, heading for a large gap in the construction site's barrier fence. There was a lot of risk involved here, as crossing this fence line was crossing into dreaded "6-4-2" territory. That is, being found out would mean six weeks of short bounds, four weeks of Jug and two lost weekends. The ultimate punishment short of an early train ride home. But what the heck.

The dirt dug out for the new pool had been piled into a very high mound next to the hole... the new Mt. Campion. We climbed the gentle side-slope of the hill. At the crest, the gleesome threesome stepped into the leather straps of the skis and without a pause to consider the proximity of Lawler and the danger of its dark robed inhabitants, we quickly schussed the two-story hill, down another story into the pit of what would become our future pool. All three of us "dropped" at the base, just before crashing into the dark, mud side wall of the excavation.

Pausing to listen for bodies in motion, we stood in silence, our joy cinched in our throats, expressing nothing but our broad grins. Complete silence except for our fast heartbeats, muffled and pulsing against our ears. No Jesuits were at the edge of the pit. After about three minutes, another ski run was decided by Banner as he headed back up out of the pit. We carried the skis and poles up the slope with fits and starts, sliding and crawling against the steep bank. Dumb-ass was last, finishing on hands and knees to the top.

Catching my breath and bent over to strap myself in for a second run, I looked up and watched Quilty and Banner take off without a word back down the hill towards Lucey -- two dark figures, skis, legs and elbows flailing, silently getting smaller against the white snow. Turning around, I saw the blackrobe trudging through snow and quickly toward the barrier opening. Since my skis were still not on my feet, I knew I was caught. No fast escape to Lucey. I carried the skis down the slope to meet my 6-4-2 doomsayer, and saw it was Mr. Fitz. Between fast breaths, his opening was to ask while pointing, "Who are the other two guys," who by this time, were three-quarters back across campus. Recalling the characters of old tough-guy movies, I told Mr. Fitzgerald that I will not say who they are. "You are in serious trouble Foley and if you do not tell me who, [then] you are in far worse shape than a 6-4-2," was his reply. He asked again who they were and again, I repeated the law of Cagney and Edward G. Robinson - "I ain't no rat."

The following Monday, at morning announcements over the speakers in the classrooms, Fr. Doran invited me to immediately come to his office. This would be my introduction to Fr. Doran, another fine man that I admired from afar on that campus. (To be honest, I was pretty much "afar" with the entire cadre of Jesuits.) Fr. Doran, with his usual calm demeanor, asked me the same question about my two cohorts, and I remained steadfast in my response. Nothing else was discussed and he told me to get back to class. Over the following four weeks, each and every day I checked the bulletin board in the dining hall, dreading the inevitability of four weeks of daily Judgment Under God and, far worse, two long weekends of non-stop Jug. In short, nothing happened and that kept me completely on the edge, now revising and practicing what I will say to my Dad if the punishment wasn't a 6-4-2 but worse.

Naturally, I knew the Jesuits do not forget that dastardly "Boy-to-Man-in-Progress" who sullied their rules on boundaries. After four weeks of spotting Mr. Fitz and choosing to walk perpendicular to his intended pathway, I decided to throw off my angst. I directly approached and asked him why I had not yet been sentenced. He was as baffled as me. Later, in May of that sophomore year, after elections for next year's class officers, I was invited to meet with Fr. Kalb in his office in Lawler Hall -- again, my first introduction and my only private time with this good man.

There's no one else left to tell this story. Near as I can determine, Jim Banner has not been heard from by anyone in recent years. Frank Quilty passed from this good life a few years back. Good Fr. Doran is also gone ... and now Father Fitzgerald has passed. Mr. Fitz was the most friendly and kindest Jesuit to any and all of us. Fr. Kalb also passed just after our 50th reunion. So from that May 1962 meeting with Fr. Kalb, it is only I who can now report his one key question which remains permanently etched into my memory: "How is it possible that you were elected by your classmates?" I was taken aback by the question and I was as clueless as he. Once again in bafflement I sat with a vacuous stare back at Fr. Kalb ... you know -- like a dumb-ass ... but one who had learned at least to keep silent and withhold confirming evidence.

God has blessed me with these memories ... of men who dedicated their talents and lives on behalf of our growth and of classmates who were the first to expose, shave off and after, laugh off the rough edges of our clueless, wandering, unfolding selves. This Thanksgiving, gratitude, every day.

In celebration,
Frank

One of the striking differences among alumni is how differently they recall their experiences at Campion, viewed some 40, 50 or more years later. While we were at Campion, many of us accepted our membership in the Campion community as a normal part of our lives; while some of our number, particularly during freshman year, clearly disliked being at a boarding school.

Incoming freshman classes during Campion's best times in the 1950s and up to the late sixties typically numbered in the vicinity of 170. (In the fall of 1956, there was a freshman class of 189. In the fall of 1959 there was a freshman class of 167.) Sophomore classes were typically in the vicinity of 150. Even in those years, about 12% of the freshman class did not return. Many of those were students simply didn't want to be at Campion. Some departed before the end of freshman year.

But in the midst of such life adjustments, there seemed to be little negative talk. Such would have been like an infection, able to spread throughout the class. Most of the transfer students who entered in sophomore and junior year wanted to be at Campion. Some of our number, while enjoying Campion for the first year or two, found other interests in their home towns during the summer, such as the freedom of mobility in driving a car, and attachment to a local girlfriend. But, by and large, classes tended to stick together, with a kind of loyalty to school and to classmates. Campion provided an academic experience of renowned quality, which surely would be an asset when applying to enter college. Moreover, the relationships with other students were a force that kept us together. Still, there were some strange exceptions.

Those of us who were there at the time remember that one freshman, noting the absence of a fence and barbed wire, simply left one night. There was another freshman who, though experienced at boarding school life, couldn't get used to the idea of not going home on weekends. His situation was aggravated by time spent in JUG. After a few months, he persuaded his mother to take him away from Campion.

Over all the years, there were some students who were removed from Campion because of conduct problems. Some cases represented dissatisfaction with the boarding school environment; there were probably some other factors, too. For these students, Campion should have been viewed as a temporary problem: It would be over and done with in a mere four years. But for a teenager, four years seems like a long time.

There were others who were not really happy to be at Campion but stayed because of the above mentioned cohesive forces, and/or because of parental pressure. There were students who appeared satisfied while at Campion, but who were critical of the school (even as it was prior to the changes of the late sixties) some years later, after experiencing a few more years of education and developing an understanding of what a high school education should be.

On the other hand, there were many students who were happy to be at Campion, or who, at least, were successful in hiding their unhappiness. I know of one student who was not pleased with his experience in the last few years of grade school, and who was thrilled to be at Campion from the very first days of freshman year.

From an educational standpoint, it is in the interest of the school to have only a few students in JUG. That would mean that the guidance of student behavior was accepted by nearly all. In real life, this does not happen. In those days, Campion did not have a special education program, so students with seriously disordered behavior were not supposed to be admitted, just as those with special cognitive needs were not admitted. This works in an elite, private school in a way that would never work in public education. If the admission program makes a mistake, the school finds out that there are some students who are simply better off in another school.

There is a wide spectrum in this issue of discipline. At one end there is some misbehavior and a limited number of students in detention. In such a school there might be a larger number of students expelled. I once taught at a school that decreased its enrollment by nearly 20% in one year. That school ended up operating in a building suitable for many times its actual enrollment. It closed several years ago.

At the other end of the spectrum, there have been schools that readily took in students who were expelled from other schools. At one such school where I taught, detention wasn't taken seriously; students tended to want a detention on any given day, because that was where all their friends were. The dean of discipline was a part-time position, due to a limited budget. There were few expulsions; one major qualification for students was that tuition had to be paid. That school has also closed.

Campion had a peculiar place in this spectrum. It required strict discipline. Every boarding school requires strict discipline; parents send their sons there because they want a program with fewer distractions to student learning. The basic operation of the school depends on a structured environment where the students are continually engaged in worthwhile activities, and the faculty knows where students are at any given time. (Don't we already know this from some of the failures we saw in the history of Campion?)

Students in JUG? Some may need counseling to assure the student and the school that bad behavior will not be repeated. Expulsion should be more of a threat than an action taken. Similarly also for JUG. The best scholastics/prefects were the ones that elicited some fear, much respect, and who wrote few JUG slips. (Roland Teske comes to mind; there were a lot of others.)

Ultimately Campion depended for its existence on the love for the students that was shown by Fr. Corrigan, Fr. Doran, Fr. Kalb, and the many other Jesuits who served there. But the identity of the school itself was the students. The fact that students loved their school was what kept things going.

As you read this, I am sure you can, from your memories from your years at Campion, fit a special case into the various examples. You can remember specific events that fit into the descriptions shown above.

In retrospect, I have a profound dislike for the recollection of some that Campion was like a prison. That is too serious a word. It is painful for me to see that the real estate is being used as a Correctional Facility. I may have a peculiar viewpoint on this, derived from the fact that, during my years at UCLA, I went to see the John Herbert play about prison life that took its name from Shakespeare's Sonnet Number 29. I also taught for one year at the Cook County Jail Alternative High School. Never liken Campion to a prison!

Rather, we should look to the way Campion students loved their school. Recently I was reviewing the 1958 Knight yearbook and came across the names of three students who died while they were enrolled at Campion: John Harney '60, Gene Mosley '61, and Ronald Wendling '61.

John Harney, from Galena, Illinois, was described as an unusual boy, frail-looking but with a very virile mind and will, and a winning personality. His favorite subject was history, in which he had read widely. He died during his sophomore year.

Ronald Wendling, a freshman, died of cancer on Easter Sunday, April 6, after a three month illness. A native of Lakewood Ohio, Ronald was described as an outstanding Campion student.

Gene Mosley was a native of Lakefield, Minnesota. He had two brothers who had graduated from Campion: David '52 and Lawrence '54. He was born with a heart ailment, and longed to attend the school of his older brothers. He was noted for his appreciation for education, his unselfishness, and enthusiasm to lead a normal life.

One statement Gene made on the day he died is worth remembering: he asked "If I live, I won't have to leave Campion, will I?" And yes, Gene is remembered for his rare courage and resignation to death. The fact is, if Gene had lived, he would have graduated in May 1961, and would have had to leave Campion. He would have faced the need to make some decisions: where to go to college, what to major in, and what to do for a career. That didn't happen.

Many of us loved Campion, but Gene had the rare opportunity to tell us, and he still tells us more than sixty years later, how much he loved Campion.

From John Duskey '63

Ralph Dublinski was born on June 26, 1927 and grew up in Milwaukee. He attended Pulaski High School on the south side of Milwaukee. After graduation, he worked for a time in his father's meat-cutting business. Then he attended college for three years, studying Electrical Engineering. But in the spring of 1950, he decided that a career in Engineering was not for him. He joined the Jesuits on August 17, 1950.

He spent two years in the novitiate and two years as a junior in Florissant, Missouri. For the next three years he studied in St. Louis and earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. He also extended his background in mathematics in preparation for regency.

The regency assignment that was given to him was at Campion High school, starting in the fall of 1957. While at Campion he taught freshman Algebra, sophomore geometry, and advanced Algebra. He also was a moderator of sodality and prefect in junior and senior divisions. In 1959-60, his final year at Campion, he was one of the first men assigned to be a prefect in the new dorm, Lucey Hall.

Regency was followed by three years studying Theology at St. Marys, Kansas. He was ordained on June 11, 1963, along with classmates Fr. Jim Finnerty and Fr. Ted Hottinger. The 1963-64 year was his fourth year of Theology, and after that came his tertainship year. From 1965 to 1968 he taught at Marquette High, also serving as dean of discipline.

In the 1968-69 year, he was assigned to teach at Creighton Prep in Omaha. He also had earned Master of Arts in Counseling during those years when he was teaching. But during and after that year at Creighton Prep, he was also reevaluating what his own vocation should be, the work he was really called to do.

Ralph left the Jesuit order in May 1969, in the midst of a turbulent year in which many young men left the priesthood and religious orders. While others had problems in the transition to secular life, Ralph did not. He had met Beth, the young lady he eventually married and his life became easier from that point on. The couple married and moved to the Denver area and Ralph spent the rest of his life in Colorado. With his background in counseling, Ralph was able to offer helpful support to other former priests whose transition was not so easy.

Ralph and Beth had more that 49 years of a very happy life together. They had three children, Mike, Mark, and Monica. Later in 1969, Ralph accepted a position as a probation officer with the State of Colorado. It seemed like a perfect fit for his experience and ability. He eventually moved into the position of supervisor, where he offered continuous training to the other probation officers, and handled a few of the tougher cases himself. Ralph worked for the State of Colorado until his retirement in 1990, and after that he devoted time to the care and upbringing of their three children.

His departure from the Jesuits was not problematic for himself or for the order. He maintained contact with the Jesuits at Regis High School in Denver and with some Wisconsin Province Jesuits in Omaha and Milwaukee. One priest said of him "He remained a Jesuit in his heart." As he reached age 90, his health problems grew, and he passed away on February 20, 2019, just a few months short of his 92nd birthday.

From Randy Roberts

Dear Campion Knights,

I am sorry to report that John Marek, Class of 1974, died last January. Because John died without a will and with no immediate relatives, the Cook County Public Administrator impounded his estate and remains while it searched for living relatives. This was unsuccessful. The County Administrator has recently released John's remains for burial, and I am inviting you and some college and work friends to attend his funeral.

John was my friend since college at Loyola University and my work colleague at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. John spoke fondly of his high school years at Campion.

The funeral will be on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at Resurrection Cemetery Chapel, 7201 Archer Avenue in Justice, Illinois 60458. We will meet at the Resurrection Cemetery Office at 12 p.m. and then proceed as a group to the chapel for the funeral. Afterwards, we would like to gather for lunch to celebrate John's life at Szarotka Banquets, 8100 South Roberts Road, Justice, Illinois.

I hope some of you can attend. Invite others who knew John. If you can attend, please let me know so that we can have enough prayer booklets. Also, let me know if you can join us after the funeral as my guest at the luncheon. Please RSVP for the funeral and/or lunch to Randy Roberts at (847) 502-3811 or Randy.Roberts7943@gmail.com by January 20, 2020.

May John rest in peace.

Sincerely,
Randy Roberts