Looking back

50 Years Ago
Bishop John L. May blessed and dedicated the new convent for the school Sisters of Notre Dame at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Officers of St. Margaret’s Altar Society, Foley, were: Mary Manring, president; Irene McAlpine, vice president; Gertrude Kaiser, secretary; and Dorothy Layer, treasurer.
Providence Hospital hosted a press-hospital seminar sponsored by the Alabama Press, Broadcasters and Hospital Associations.
Bishop John L. May gave the sermon at the annual Red Mass in St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans.
Installed as 1973-74 officers of the Father Michael Kenny Council No. 3038, Knights of Columbus, Spring Hill College were: Joseph Byrne, grand knight; Robert Lindergren, deputy grand knight; Michael Campeau, treasurer; and Richard Morteli, chancellor.
Extensive remodeling  of the sanctuary of Little Flower Catholic Church, Mobile, was completed by general contractor George Bodden.
Newly elected officers of the Dothan Deanery, NCCW, were: Mrs. James Fitzgerald, president; Mrs. Carl Cope, first vice president, Mrs. Frank Wiesner, second vice president; Mrs. Jack Hyde, third vice president; Mrs. Charles Murray, treasurer; Mrs. Gary Westhoff, recording secretary; and Mrs. William Warren, corresponding secretary.
Corpus Christi welcomed Sister Eileen, Sister Rita, Sister Teresa and Sister Margaret to teach in the school.
St. Jude Pirates shut out the Georgiana Panthers 46-0. Pete Antoine and Ralph Jones led the defense.  Ronald Grace, Carleton Ross, Brian Ford and Winfred Robinson led the offense.
CCD teachers at St. Philip Neri Parish, Belle Fontaine, were: Sister Beatrice, RSM, Mrs. Claude O’Rourke, Mrs. Jane Fields, Sister Irene, RSM, Miss Rene Boudan, and Brother Michael Jacques, SSE.
25 Years Ago
Lay ministers commissioned in the 15th class of the Toolen Institute for Parish Services were: Diane Busby, Sylvia Billot, Jacqueline Ellison, Mary Grayson, Charles Meadows, Barbara Smyth and Elizabeth Woodall. The commissioning took place at St. Joseph’s Parish in Prattville.
The Rev. John Carroll, S.S.J., was appointed Pastor of the parishes Prince of Peace, Mobile, and St. Joseph, Maysville.
Sister Barbara De Moranville, MSBT, was elected general custodian of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity at their Motherhouse in Philadelphia. Sister Barbara served at Catholic Charities in both Montgomery and Mobile.
Prominent theologian R. Allan Culpepper, dean of the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, lectured on “The New Millennium in Contemporary and Johannine Perspectives” at Spring Hill College.  
The code phrase for the entire parish and school at Christ the King, Daphne, was “When Irish Eyes are Smilin” when they surprised Msgr. Timothy Deasy with a surprise 40th anniversary celebrating his ordination to the priesthood.
Mobilians Dorothy and Arthur Outlaw announced they were making a $3 million gift to Spring Hill College, his alma mater. The gift was the largest in the college’s history and Spring Hill named the student recreation center the Arthur Outlaw Recreation Center in acknowledgement of their magnanimity.
Mrs. Mary Ann Halliday, president, presided over the 63rd ACCW convention in Dothan.  Mrs. Mary Briers, president of the Montgomery Deanery, presided over the luncheon and Mrs. Katherine Hire, president of the Baldwin-Escambia Deanery, presided over the speakers panel. Mrs. Jo Ann Ryan, president of the Mobile Deanery, presided at the brunch. Mrs. Hilda B. McRae, ACCW president of the Dothan Deanery, was convention chairman and also presided over the closing banquet with singer/performer DANA providing the entertainment. Closing remarks were given by  Most Rev. Oscar H. Lipscomb, Archbishop of Mobile.
 — Anne Baggett compiles information for Looking Back from past issues of this newspaper. Anne is a member of St. Mary Parish in Mobile.