Memoirs

From John Franzen '71

We haven't discussed this previously, but the Fr. Scott's classroom photos, https://campion-knights.org/Staff/Scott/scrapbook/, especially the frontal one, make for a notably *artistic* presentation. The theme is Fr. Scott's own "class-in, class-out" theme: *the unity of Christian faith with human reason*. I realize that we don't all hold to the Christian faith today, at least to the degree that we used to, but this was Fr. Scott's constant theme: It seemed that every instance of lawlike regularity in nature was "a most beautiful example" of God's grace.

I think the photos were taken by a well-skilled photographer, and I believe the photographer probably took quite a few images that he rejected, in favor of this, the best take. Fr. Scott's *cassock* represents *faith*, while his distinctively laid-out *natural science classroom* represents *reason*. Probably no other kind of photograph from Campion could better capture what Campion was at least supposedly most about, faith-seeking-reason for young learners, than a photograph from Fr. Scott's classroom.

I don't deserve much of the credit for having this insight into the character of the photograph, however. Most of the credit should go to my (and Bob and Johnny O's) Class of 1971 classmate Michael Lachance. I have merely extended Mike's insight somewhat. Michael and I corresponded by email about the photographs a few months ago.

Another focus I would add, however, is the unusual range of facial reactions that this photo seems to display. Kevin Smith seems quite sure that in whatever Fr. Scott has just said, he is surely just joking, and indeed Alan Lloyd and Lloyd Diehl seem more mildly but similarly amused. Bob Huber and Greg Heberlein both seem to know that Fr. Scott is serious, but know that there is something very counter-intuitive about this new item of knowledge.

As for Bill McErlean, Dave Homsey, and myself, we all seem to be taking Fr. Scott's pronouncement straightforwardly seriously, but also to be wondering whether maybe Fr. Scott is making some sort of rare mistake in what he is asserting! Others show surprised facial reactions that lie between any two of these ideal types.

John

From the Desk Of John Duskey '63

As we have not had a golf outing these past two years, many of us have not made the trip to Prairie du Chien for quite a while. It should be noted that the city has grown since the days of Campion High School. In fact, the city has purchased advertising time on WTMJ in Milwaukee, before and after sports events, to promote tourism in Prairie du Chien: Yes, there are things to see and things to do in Prairie.

Last month, an internet service called Pocket posted an article about some of our most interesting, yet lesser-known national monuments. I read this article with interest, knowing exactly which national monument would be likely to appear. And I did come upon the description of Effigy Mounds National Monument, which is located in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. To get there from Prairie du Chien, you would cross the bridge to Marquette, Iowa, and go three miles north on Highway 76.

President Truman signed the proclamation that created Effigy Mounds National Monument in 1949. During the 1950s, 244 more acres were added, and in 1961, the 100 acre "Ferguson Tract" was added. It was in spring 1961 that a ceremony was held to celebrate the enlargement of this National Monument, and the band from Campion High School was invited to attend and play the national anthem. It was a short trip, but certainly a memorable one.

When this National Monument was first created, the National Park Service conducted archaeological investigations into these burial mounds, but in 1959 they established a policy that only nondestructive testing methods would be allowed. The emphasis shifted away from field investigations and toward preserving and interpreting the story of the people who built these mounds. A law passed in 1990 gives further protection to these Native American burial sites.

There are also some Native American burial sites at Wyalusing State Park, on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River.

In this space, I have regularly raised questions related to the high school curriculum and I have a follow-up to report: The kind of health and nutrition course I had mentioned would be difficult to start without highly qualified teachers, so the answer to this would need to start at the college level. With this question in mind, I wrote to William Cullinan, the Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Marquette University to ask if a program in diet and nutrition had been under consideration. This is the reply that I received:

Dear John,

Thanks for your message. We are indeed planning a master's degree program in nutritional sciences and dietetics. I believe you are entirely correct that this is a weak spot in medical education currently. Also, the field has evolved a number of specific subdisciplines (such as sports nutrition, geriatric nutrition, cancer nutrition and pediatric nutrition, to name a few). We are excited about providing another important and powerful pathway of study for Marquette students into the future! Regards,
Bill Cullinan

This looks like a good start. It is interesting that Dean Cullinan agreed with my statement that "An ounce of prevention costs a lot less than a pound of cure." This may not have been as important when we were students at Campion, but we have experienced nearly a half-century of farming methods that have depleted the soil of some essential nutrients, making these nutrients less available in the food we buy at the grocery store. Today's high school students should learn about all of this, as it would encourage them to live healthy lives. As for us Campion alumni, we are likely to be interested in the subdiscipline of geriatric nutrition.

A few years ago, one of my classmates gave me a list of Jesuits at the Camillus residence who are former Campion faculty, and Jesuits who are Campion alumni. I have updated this list from time to time - most recently on June 12, 2021 in consultation with Fr. Joseph Eagan.

These are the former Campion faculty, currently living at Camillus in Wauwatosa:
J. Patrick Donnelly taught English and History 1952-62
Joseph F. Eagan '40 taught English, 1956-62
Robert J. Joda, taught English, Spanish and Speech, 1952-55
Theodore M Kalamaja taught Latin, 1963-64
James J. O'Leary, taught Latin 1959-62
Joseph N. Pershe, taught Latin and Math, 1960-61
Thomas Schloemer, taught Latin 1962-65
Jim Warosh, taught English, 1969-75
George Winzenburg, taught History and Phys.Ed, 1969-71
Fr. Winzenburg presently serves as superior of the Jesuit Community at Camillus

Other Campion alumni at Camillus:
James J. King '47
George A. Sullivan '47
Charles R. Baumann '63
Fr. Doug Leonhardt taught English, 1964-66 (He is presently at Marquette High School) Fr. Leonhardt formerly served as superior of the Jesuit Community at Camillus
Fr. Greg Lucey, taught Latin 1958-61, Principal 1969-70, President 1970-75 Fr. Lucey presently lives at Marquette University

Note: this is not a complete list of all living Jesuits who were formerly at Campion, just the ones who are, or have recently been, at the Camillus residence. The residence is located at 10201 West Wisconsin Avenue in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It is now possible to visit the Jesuits at Camillus, but you need to contact them several days ahead of the time of your visit. There are still some Covid restrictions in place.