April 2020

50 Years Ago
Steve Schroll, Montgomery Catholic High School junior, was voted MVP in basketball on the Montgomery all-metro team in Class AAA.
Mike Baxley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Baxley, and a junior at McGill-Toolen, was notified of his acceptance as a member of the 1970 United States of America School Band. The band was scheduled to tour England, Scotland and Ireland.
Mrs. J. Fleetwood Smith, president of Providence Hospital Auxiliary, welcomed 18 new members at a spring coffee held at the School of Nursing.
Mrs. Harold Dawson was elected president of the Ladies of Charity in Mobile. Other officers were: Mrs. Margaret Bolton, first vice president; Mrs. Harold Doody, second vice president; Mrs. A. J. Amos, treasurer; Mrs. John D. Pauls, corresponding secretary; and Mrs. A. L. Perez, auditor.
Sidney Pearson was honored as the most outstanding senior on McGill’s basketball team. Coach Frank Kerns presented him with a plaque at the annual banquet.

25 Years Ago
Director of Hispanic Ministry, Fr. Chris Viscardi, S.J., outlined the main challenges for Hispanic ministry within the Archdiocese of Mobile to participants of the NCCB Southeastern Region for Hispanic Affairs held at Spring Hill College.
New renovations and additions at the Allen Memorial Home were blessed by Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb.
Alex Quiros, Hugh Muller and Pat Medinger carried on the tradition of Jesuit Novices coming to the City of St. Jude under a cooperative work experience program begun in 1971.
The Legion of Mary, an association of lay Catholics who are actively engaged in living and sharing the Gospel to bring people to God, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding by Frank Duff in Dublin, Ireland. Work began in Mobile at St. Mary Parish with 15 ladies and pastor Msgr. John R. O’Donohue in 1939. Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb celebrated the anniversary Mass in Mobile at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. First officers of the Curia were Mildred Frazier, president; Alda Balthrope, vice president; Nellie Sweeney, secretary; and Regina Kelly, treasurer.
Christ the King School won the South Trust Bank/Thomas Hospital Spring Fever Chase School Program awards for highest number of students participating and highest percentage of total school enrollment participating in the event.
Brock Schmidt, an undergraduate student at Spring Hill College, is pictured in “The Catholic Week” explaining a homework problem to a student at Most Pure of Mary School as part of the college’s mentor program.
—Anne Baggett compiles information for Looking Back from past issues of this newspaper. Anne is a member of St. Mary Parish in Mobile.