St. Jude Church/School Nostalgia

**jcole** · June-28-10, 02:03 PM

I just went in my closet and found a pair of size 8 embroidered jeans and held them for a few minutes.
I saved them for just such a moment.
I feel better now.

**Mkap** · June-28-10, 02:09 PM

A gold star for KR
Thanks

**Mkap** · June-28-10, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Campfire Girl

I know, I know, the truth is a bite, isn't it? Just because you read it here, doesn't mean it's true! So, just burn some stick incense, plug in the black light, put your favorite LP on the record player, hide behind the beaded curtain- and it'll all be ok!

You crack me up

!

**Campfire Girl** · June-28-10, 02:16 PM

Glad you feel better J - though a size 8 was never in my range, my Levi "Movin on" jeans still hold the same great memories and I've held on to those too!

**Campfire Girl** · June-28-10, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Mkap

You crack me up

!

Except for the beaded curtains, it's what I remember doing at this time of year when school was out and we were "free"!

**12468_laing** · June-28-10, 03:23 PM

It is always good when someone wants to preserve something from the past and have more than themselves enjoy it. Great work and something the church will truly value. All this talk about bead curtains, incense, etc - how would you feel if one of your sons was looking through a box of your stuff in the attic and found your incense burner and asked what it was???????? Actually, I took it away from him and put it somewhere else only I knew of. Show that kid to leave my stuff alone!!!

**Campfire Girl** · June-28-10, 03:28 PM

One thing we all want to preserve - in either concrete form..the graduation pictures - or in sharing stories of our days at St. Jude/Detroit - is the feeling of family we experienced growing up. It's also good to know, that it's not really gone. Our houses have changed, and in some instances, the states in which we live, but the feeling of closeness and family remains.

**7andkelly** · June-28-10, 06:14 PM

Awesome job on the pictures, KR!

**Tsomyak** · June-28-10, 08:20 PM

I just have to add to the kudos. Thanks KR for taking this on!

**kellyroad** · June-28-10, 09:14 PM

Thanks everyone. Does that mean some those demerits can be taken away?

Ok, now the fun begins. What St. Jude graduating class had the most students?
I honestly don't know [[you can count or eye ball). Let's see who comes up with the first correct answer. One answer only please.

**Campfire Girl** · June-29-10, 07:58 AM

I eyeballed it - and am going to say 1961

**jcole** · June-29-10, 08:13 AM

I eyeballed it, and I'm going with 67

**Brock7** · June-29-10, 10:49 AM

Without looking and off the top of my head I'll say '70 because they came along smack dab in the middle of the "Baby Boom".

**jcole** · June-29-10, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Brock7

Without looking and off the top of my head I'll say '70 because they came along smack dab in the middle of the "Baby Boom".

A bunch of us are class of '70, and I think there were about 160 or so in our class.

**Campfire Girl** · June-29-10, 11:00 AM

B7 - that would be my class, and though we took over 2 classrooms in the upstairs gym - and that was great fun - I don't think we were the largest - but I could easily be wrong!

**7andkelly** · June-29-10, 06:29 PM

I'm going to say 65 since there were more kids in my first grade class than you could shake a stick at [[~220).

**Tsomyak** · June-29-10, 08:23 PM

I think it would probably somewhere in the mid to late 60's as well. I seem to recall our class lost quite a few students with passage of Proposal C. That removed state funding for private schools, and tuition jumped. Since 67 is taken I'll put my vote in for 68.

**kellyroad** · June-29-10, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Tsomyak

I think it would probably somewhere in the mid to late 60's as well. I seem to recall our class lost quite a few students with passage of Proposal C. That removed state funding for private schools, and tuition jumped. Since 67 is taken I'll put my vote in for 68.

I'll take 67 [[even though it was taken before...it was my graduating class). There were 60 plus kids in 4 classrooms in the fall of 59. Although the class size dropped throughout the years. There were still 45 to 50 students per class in the upper grades. I recall proposal C [[It's been 40 years..1970). The proposal would have banned public funding to non-public schools; therefore, Catholic and private schools promoted a 'NO' vote on the proposal. At NDHS there was a rally in the gymnasium [[with a band) to get the NO vote out.. It is interesting to speculate what would have happened if the NO vote won [[If I recall correctly it was a close vote). Would the decline in enrollment, especially at the costlier, ND, Regina, Dominican, DeLaSalle etc., have abated? Would the there have been a different dynamic of shrinking catholic population within the city of Detroit? I realize there are many factors for the shrinking demographics at Saint Jude [[the decline of religious vocations, flight from the city, smaller families, competition from suburban school systems, etc. etc.) but still one can't help but wonder "What if?" Proposal C was not passed. Interesting point, Tsomyak

**Campfire Girl** · June-30-10, 09:10 AM

Welllll, which was the largest graduation class at St. Jude/Detroit? I know we were the last graduating class under Fr. Ording, but that's the extent of my trivia knowledge on class data.

**jcole** · June-30-10, 09:33 AM

If I'm counting correctly, 1961 has 211 and '62 has 212. My choice of '67 only had 179. I count 68 as having 168
We had 155 in 1970.
So I'm guessing CFG was closest.

**Campfire Girl** · June-30-10, 10:34 AM

WOW - didn't think we had that many left by graduation - still about 40 per room. We had a good turnout then for the 30th reunion with about 45 alumni attending....if I remember correctly.

**kellyroad** · June-30-10, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

If I'm counting correctly, 1961 has 211 and '62 has 212. My choice of '67 only had 179. I count 68 as having 168
We had 155 in 1970.
So I'm guessing CFG was closest.

We may need a recount. [[This may go to the Supreme Court)

.
Does anyone recall if there was a waiting list in the late 50s, 60s. It seems with the massive population explosion in the NE Detroit area [[especially by the Catholic population), the need for portables, classes in the gym, downstairs church, etc. that there just wasn't enough room to accommodate [[even with 30 plus Dominicans) all those in the St. Jude Parish.

Does anyone happen to know what percentage of St. Jude Parish parishioners attended SJS vs. Detroit/HW public schools? If my street was a sample the data would show 75/25 SJS/public....although I'm guessing my data could be skewed

**12468_laing** · June-30-10, 12:52 PM

I for one don't remember any waiting list, although I don't remember any empty seats in the classrooms. As memory has it, the two rooms above the gym weren't used as classrooms since the late 60's - think it was done about the same time as Fr. Villerot was there. When I was in Boy Scouts, we met in the larger one with the kitchen for a few years, and that seems to have been from the late 60's to 72-73. Any other ideas as to when the two rooms stopped being classrooms.

**Campfire Girl** · June-30-10, 01:25 PM

Father Ording was still pastor until 1970, and we were in the upstairs of the gym for 6th grade, so that would be 1968? I don't know if the classrooms were used after we moved to the school for 7th grade or not?
Our street was 100% SJ - Wolfs, Bushons, Kulkas, Bulgarellis

**12468_laing** · June-30-10, 02:42 PM

Laing between Casino and Moross was mixed - as for SJS, we had Grabowski, Roehrig, Battani, Molnar, Brownlee, Jarmosevich [[sp), Pelkey. The rest went to Carlton. Not sure if Dan Castelli went to SJS or not.