REVISED November 30, 2003
HOMECOMING 2003
How do you kick off an
extraordinary homecoming weekend? With a ball game, of course! The afternoon of
Saturday, September 20th began with principal John LaRoche welcoming our alumni
guests back to Berwyn; Ray Clay ('67) using his famous Chicago Bulls voice to
introduce our players; and Angela Rodriguez ('98) performing a heartfelt version
of our national anthem. The St. Leonard Alumni Lions
came so close to nabbing a victory for their alma mater, but, in the end -- even
with the help of an erratic game clock in the final seconds of the game (heh!
heh!) -- the Mater Christi Alumni Knights proved to be formidable opponents,
squeaking past the Lions with 36-35 victory. The crowd enjoyed the game,
nevertheless, as well as the half-time free throw contest, the eighth grade
cheerleaders, and the spectacle of middle-aged guys actually looking pretty good
on the floor. Although we were ready with ice bags and trusses and bandages of
all sorts, all of our alumni cagers walked, not limped or crawled, out the doors
of the Berwyn Rec when the game ended. Thanks, gentlemen. We hope you enjoyed
the afternoon as much as we did!
Following a 5pm Alumni Mass
at St. Leonard, our alumni guests met in the parish hall to begin an evening of
reminiscing and catching up. Many took the chance to walk through the hallways
and classrooms which they may have last visited decades ago as young students,
and were greeted by our principal and current eighth grade representatives.
Although the computer room and science labs are certainly 21st Century
accouterments, there remain plenty of classic St. Leonard details to elicit warm
memories of former St. Leonard experiences. Mr. LaRoche greeted our
guests for the evening, Nancy Egan Morrissey, representative from the Class of
'53 -- who had all been out late the night before celebrating their 50th Reunion
at Michael Anthony's Restaurant -- shared her thoughts and introduced Pastor
Rev. Bill Curran to lead those assembled in Grace. An outstanding buffet dinner
of Chicken Marsala, lasagna, roast pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, Green
Beans Almondine, and kolacky sated the most discriminating appetite. An open
bar, door prizes, a split-the-pot raffle (thanks to Debbie Nosek ('68) for
donating her winnings to St. Leonard!), as well as complimentary alumni coffee
mugs and mass cards added to an evening of laughter and camaraderie.
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