March 2020

50 Years Ago
Mrs. Gerald Chamberland and Miss Patsy Melton were recognized at award night as Outstanding Students at St. Margaret Hospital School of Nursing in Montgomery.
Vincentian Fathers of the diocese were pictured concelebrating Mass with the Provincial Superior Rev. James C. Collings, C.M., at St. Michael Church in Auburn.
Brother Mark Thornton, S.C., former principal of McGill Institute, was elected Provincial of the Brothers of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
Two St. Jude Seniors in Montgomery were awarded National Achievement Scholarships: Francina F. Clartion and Patricia A. Tellis.
Fr. Aucoin, pastor of Assumption Parish in Selma, explained the functions of the newly formed Parish Council to the members of the Catholic Women’s Club. Mrs. W. H. Crutcher, president, presided at the meeting
Martin J. Johnson, manager of Social Security, was elected the chairman of the Maritime Club of Mobile, succeeding Joseph A. Allain who remains on the Board of Directors.

25 Years Ago
The 32nd annual Spelling Bee for Mobile Parochial Schools was held at the St. Pius X Sarto Center and sponsored by the “Birmingham Post Herald.” First-place winner was Meggan Lea Booker of St. Ignatius School and runner up was Jennifer Morgan of Christ the King School, Daphne.
The Prichard Chapter of the Katharine Drexel Society was charted by founder and National President Elise Lenoir Morris. The president of the Prichard Chapter of the Drexel Society was Mrs. Fannie Wright.
Baldwin/Catholic Social Services hosted its first Valentine Celebration of Ministry at St. Patrick’s Center. Pam Baschab was Banquet Chairperson.
James Mathay was named director of Marketing/Community Relations for Mercy Medical.
Named to the Mobile All-County Girls’ Basketball Team were: Wendy Hall, senior; Kristi Black and Lindsay Stuardi, juniors; and Beth Olen, sophomore.
Spring Hill College students Kim Vaughn, head cheerleader, Natalie Echeverria, spirit committee chair, Millie Watson, director of student activities, worked to increase school spirit and discovered the original fight song of the school written in 1931 by a student and a Jesuit priest and titled “The Purple and White.”
St. Margaret Catholic Church, Bayou la Batre, erected and blessed their new sign. Parishioner Scott LaForce, a member of the parish council, discovered that money had been raised years earlier by the Ladies Sodality to cover the cost of a church sign, but no designer had ever been commissioned.
— Anne Baggett compiles information for Looking Back from past issues of this newspaper. Anne is a member of St. Mary Parish in Mobile.