Looking back

50 Years Ago
Sister Beatrice Couture and Sister Irene Hagan were assigned as religious education coordinators for Mobile County.
Funeral Services for Fr. John A. Cronin, S.J., were held at Spring Hill College.
The Edmundite Fathers celebrated 35 years of service in the South.
Elected officers of Mobile General Assembly Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus were: N. L. Bodden, faithful navigator; J. V. Torrans, faithful captain; G. T. Green, faithful admiral; R. H. Leek, faithful pilot; Rev. Michael Lux, C.S.P., faithful friar; Gary C. Sherman Jr., faithful comptroller; C. C. Skeen Sr., faithful scribe, S. C. Chappell, faithful inner sentinel; J. J. Shanks, faithful outer sentinel; and E. E. Guidry, Jr., faithful trustee.
Bishop John L. May joined his ordination classmates in Rome to celebrate their Silver Jubilee.
Elected to serve on the parish council of St. Rose of Lima Parish, Mon Luis Island, were Miss Rita Collins, Mr. Norbert Gobia, Ms. Kenneth Hickman, Miss Ida Mae Chastang, Mr. Arthur Hickman and Ronald Collins.
Fr. Michael J. Ferrell, S.S.J., baptized eight young converts.
Fr. John F. Hurley, C.M., succeeded Fr. Joseph Konen as pastor of St. Michael Parish, Auburn. Fr. Konen was transferred to pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Tallassee. Fr. Konen continued as Director of Campus Ministry of the Diocese of Mobile.
Mrs. Deloris Gray, Mrs. Louise Hubbard, Mr. T. F. Studdard, Mrs. Billy I. Vogel and Richard Kosmer, staff members of St. Jude Hospital, completed Phase I of the Supervisory Management Course of the American Management Association.
25 Years Ago
Joan Anderson was named the director of the Sullivan Home in Mobile. The home, a division of Catholic Social Services, was a licensed facility for single pregnant mothers and was named for the late Msgr. David Sullivan who led the Archdiocese of Mobile Catholic Charities Office in the 1970s-80s.
Holy Spirit Parish, Montgomery, celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Joseph Walker was named Catholic High Montgomery’s Valedictorian and Leader of the Year. The Three Ideal Graduates were Vince Cornell, Daniel Johnston and Jeff Barranco.
McGill-Toolen Catholic High School graduated 284 students. Binu-John Varghese Sankoorikal was valedictorian and Paul Journey Agnew was salutatorian.
Valedictorian of St. Jude High School, Montgomery, was Jamika Pessoa and Kimberly Jones was salutatorian. Commencement speaker was Dr. Edward Wheeler, chaplain of Tuskegee University.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta was presented the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of her humanitarian activities around the world.
The McGill-Toolen Yellow Jacket Club held its annual spring meeting with Louisiana State University Head Football Coach Gerry DiNardo as guest speaker.
Among those attending the 50th anniversary celebration of the Visitation Class of 1947 were Nanie Ollinger Grove, Gloria Wood Silvernail, Rody Johnson, Amelia Courtney Pittman, Ellie Smith Brown, Catherine Percy Favre, Mamie Toomey, Monie Damrich Wilkins, Madeline Murray McPhillips, Helen Null Ollinger and Polly Herrin.
Parishioners and friends gathered at St. Patrick’s Church, Phenix City, for a Eucharist thanking God for the many years the Vincentian priests had served the parish since its founding in 1911. As of June 4, 1997, Archbishop Lipscomb would provide a pastor for the parish.
Mrs. Dorothy H. Brundidge, supervisor and volunteer for the City of St. Jude Social Service Center, was recognized by the Alabama Conference of Social Work for her 25 years of service.
— Anne Baggett compiles information for Looking Back from past issues of this newspaper. Anne is a member of St. Mary Parish in Mobile.