Tempus Fugit

For nearly 44 years my time at IHM has been a cherished memory of friendship, encouragement, and innocence that I have treated like a long-lost reality. I think and speak of that place and the people often. I still wonder why I left such a place that became one of my fondest and most treasured memories. Then I stumble upon this web site and I find that IHM for many of my former classmates remains something beyond virtual. I am simply overwhelmed. There is the picture of Fr. Tony Bruder, who introduced me to Latin – via the natural method. What would he think if he knew how hard I struggled through Latin II, III, and IV after I left IHM. Pete Adams, my big brother, who came to my home and introduced me to IHM after Father Richard’s visit made it inconceivable in my mind that I would go anywhere else. And there is fellow Philadelphian and classmate, Al Stark – quiet, gentle, Big Al. Of all my memories of Al, his crashing through the ice on the pool at the bottom of suicide hill is about as stark as they get and a real testimony that people can survive hypothermia – if they don’t drown first. We made the trek back and forth to Bellfontaine a couple times together (along with Jim O’Brien). I remember George Nestler as the flag football great from somewhere near Pittsburgh; Emmet Helrick from Long Island; and Claude Marchessault from somewhere in New England. What happened to Barry Kane, Mike McGreevy, Charlie Tuna and the others? If I recall the worst thing anyone in our class could have been in 1962 was a “pedantic snob.” I clearly remember none of the guys in those photos were ever so designated!

More than anyone, however, I would love to be able to speak or write to Father Casper. I have much to tell him about how things have gone since the night before I left IHM – how I have never forgotten the lessons he tried to teach.

Mr French

Mr French taught geometry to sophomores. He was a teacher from Pittsfield. He would come every afternoon right after lunch. The first thing he did was pick up a piece of chalk, light a cigarette, throw the match out the window, and start writing on the board. Well one afternoon he was late. Being the goof off that I was (am) I decided to be Mr French. I started imitating him and he walked in. He then wanted to see the imitation. So I asked for a cigarette and some matches. I came in the door, picked up the chalk, lit the cigarette, threw the chalk out the window and started writing with the cigarette. Everyone thought it was pretty funny including him. I thought he was a great guy. If you gave him a dumb or smart answer he would put his hand on his hip, stand a little crooked, and give you this dumb look. he may have even called you an asshole, which you probably were. I can see his face and his stare. What a great guy. One of the best teachers there if not THE best. Where ever you are Gil I hope you’re doing well. I’d take a bullet for you.

Scary Stories in the Library in The Old Wing

I remember when Father Krah use to gather us in the Old Library alog with all the Freshman and tell us scary stories during Holloween. Then after the stories we would all gather outside to take a walk down the road and we would walk into the small cemetary with a few tomb stones where a few Junior’s and Senior’s would be waiting to pull a prank. They would be burried underneath a pile of leafs and as Father Krah would be saying a prayer they would pop up screaming, scaring the living daylights out of all of us gathered.
Then we would go to the soccer field for a Bon Fire planned by the Senior’s. This entire experience was priceless !

Visiting our Math teacher

For all of those who could remember, Ms Carol Chanen who taught Math , she would invite students to her home for a fresh home cooked meals. Her family would make everyone feel at home. I can remember that she would invite us for Thanksgiving and would have so much food that be the time we left her house we could’nt breathe with so much food in our bellies. Ms Chanen, wherever you are, may the Lord bless you and your family !

Ice skating in the back yard

Every year during the ice cold winters a group of those on the Hockey team would get a hose from the local fire department and fill the yard in the back yard untily it actually became an ice kating rink. We would have hockey games on the ice right after study hall or on the weekends.

Just Having Fun

During our sophomore year with the class of ’78 we would get up in the middle of the night and pick up Michael Whitehouse’s bed and place it in the bathroom where all the shower’s were at. In the morning he would get up and complain the father Krah who would be the person monitoring the dorms. One time we would take his mattress and throw it out the window facing the back. All we wanted is for Mike to wash his socks on a more regular basis. Wherever you are Mike, God bless you !

Taconic Conference Champions 1978

One of the greatest moments as a student and Captain of the Soccer Varsity Team was taking the Title that year playing against toughest competition around,
playing along the greatest friends ever. Playing for the best coach ever Marty Marbach and the best team Manager Joe Webb. There are just unforgettable moments in my life. Being able to catch up with coach Marty Marbach years later at Madison Square Garden , New York City while he was an assitant coach to R. Massomino of Villanova , during that same year they became the NCAA Champs, beating Georgetown in the finals.
Fr. Krah, god bless your soul, you were truly in inpiration to me. I will never forget being in your English Lit classes, you made them quite interesting.. For those who remeber , English class with Mr Unsworth during our Sophmore year, I agree , it was tough staying awake, but we got through it. I will like to give special thanks to Father Mike Shershonovich for having confidence in me as well as having high hopes for me. He stated to me during my junior year that by my senior year he predicted I would be president of the student body as well as the Captain of the Soccer team. I became both. Thank you for all of your encouragement and faith in me. I truly miss all of you !

Music Practice

I have fond memories of practicing guitar, for many hours, in the new chapel. Always had a talented music committee under the direction of Ms. Jackie Abbott, who also was very talented. Enjoyed Masses at IHM.

How about a walk down memory lane.-REC ROOM AREAS..

The rooms were a little different when I was there as far as their designation from probaly what some of you remember in different years. There were two TV rooms-both rooms at the bottom of the steps near the phone booth. You could use either, there wasn’t an upper class specific room. The one on the left (the bud room) was where I watched Roberto Clemente hit the homerun to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 world series. Bet you didn’t know that my class (1975), painted all the murals in the “Bud” room. I did a lot of the grass around snoopy, even think I did the some of the bullet holes, I did a lot on andy capp and a bit on the bud sign itself. Fred Ramsey did most of the painting on the bud sign, but left before it was done and Marty Cummings painted the second eagle on the label. When my class did the bud room, it became a smoking lounge too and my classmate ken pilla put down the carpet in that room. Going further down the ramp, the door halfway down on the left was the radio room that transmitted to all the rec rooms including the gym. At the bottom of the ramp, there was a door to the left that went to backstage. The hallway that went to the right went to a caisson (where the new wing clothes chute was emptied) and then the bathroom and also had an outside exit. There was also a water fountain between the caisson and the bathroom.
Through the double doors, the first door to the right was the ping pong room. Directly across from that door was the first entrance into the gym. Going further down that hallway, the next room was a pool table room, but seems like we never had any pool cues or billiard balls to play pool. Both these rooms had sports lockers lining the walls. The next room on the right was another lounge and had an older style floor stereo/record player. Through the double doors the first door on the right was the PL and across from it was the other entrance to the gym. Straight you could either go upstairs to the classrooms or go straight out the exterior double doors to the outside “L”.
Backtracking some, when you went through the doors near the phone booth and took the right towards the refectory, the first door on the right was the other entrance to the TV room, next was the typing classroom. Across from it was the entrance to the new wing boilers. The next door on the right was one entrance to the faculty refectory, across from that doorway was one entrance to the language lab. Then through the double doors there was another door to the right that was another entrance to the faculty dining room and across from that was another door to the language lab. Then on the right was double doors to the stairway leading upstairs. Across from that (on the left) was of course the entrance to the physics/biology lab. And straight away was the student dining room.
Funny how I can still walk down those halls that have been gone for almost 15 years now, maybe more.
PLEASE GUYS, ADD TO THIS, One thing i always wanted to know what which class painted which rooms. i know the class of 73 painted the rec room on the right at the bottom of the stairs, but never knew which classes painted which of the rooms. who painted the caves in the PL (wish they were finished- they looked great). help me out everyone

Study hall & Fr Richard Burchell

I remember when Fr Burchell came aboard and was doing monitoring for the study hall one evening, he told us that there would be no talking,, well apparently a few tested him and they did talk, he said that if you got caught talking it would 3 swats or a TAD, most of uis chose to take the punishmenrt across the seat of our pants with his
hockey purck which he used as his spanking tool. It was the same with Fr Mike when he picked up on it, if you were caught talking after lights out in the dorm, and i heard him yell to one guy that the next time it would be bare a****.