It is reunion time for high schools and colleges. Time to find those yearbooks and brush up on names.
For example, Saint Mary’s Academy’s Class of 1976 is having a class reunion on May 30 with a reception and brunch the next day at the University of Notre Dame.
The Class of ’76 is memorable because it’s the last graduation class from the private Catholic school. At the time the school closed, the total enrollment was 127. The graduation class had 38.
At one time, enrollment was 260. The reunion committee is expecting about 30 people. The attendees will include two nuns and two lay teachers.
So often, reunion groups visit the old school. Alumni walk through hallways, peek in classrooms and find an old locker.
Paula Scott said there is no place to tour. “We can’t go back. Some of the buildings were torn down, others that became condos. It isn’t the same place.”
Fabulous memories for the last class
Longtime city residents may have a few memories of the complex off Miami Street.
For the Class of 1976, they have fabulous memories of the school and their time there.
Paula, who now lives in Washington State, remembers when the announcement was made to close the school.
“We were all very sad,” she said. “It was one of the best experiences in my life. It was an iconic all-girls Catholic school in South Bend from 1945 until the year we graduated. It was housed on the Erskine estate in Twyckenham Hills.”
Betsy Harriman agreed it was an excellent high school.
“There were no cliques, no cheerleaders, no competition with boys,” she said. “It was challenging for classwork. It couldn’t be beaten. It was very free to be part of that. The school let us express ourselves and be very pro-woman.”
The classes were composed of local girls, some from neighboring states and a few international students.
The closing announcement was a front-page story in The Tribune in November 1975. An editorial said the loss would diminish education opportunities in the community. But, the editors said, it was difficult to run a small school with costs rising.
The cost for a year was $880. In today’s economy, that would be $5,400. Those who lived on campus paid $2,000 for housing, or $12,275 today. With more lay teachers, the cost of education rose.
Betsy said she felt bad for the juniors who had to transfer to a school for one year. “It would be hard to start up as a senior.”
A photo was published in The Tribune of the last graduation ceremony, The four top students, Robin Jablonski, Denise Burkus, Mary Roemer and Kristen Moore, were pictured with principal Paul Deignan.
That’s how it all ended.
From Michigan to Erskine Manor
History time for loyal readers.
The Sisters of the Holy Cross opened Saint Mary’s Academy in 1844 in Bertrand, Michigan. It moved to the Saint Mary’s College campus in 1855. There it stayed until it opened on the Erskine estate in 1945.
The Erskine Manor was the estate of Albert Russel Erskine. He was president of Studebaker Corp. from 1915 to 1933. The house was built in the 1920s with the best of everything. According to a 1991 story by Tribune reporter Becky Emmons, Erskine commissioned a local architecture firm, Shambleau & Austin, to design an English manor.
Roy Shambleau also designed other notable buildings in South Bend, including the Tribune building, Tower Building and the first Riley High School.
Financial issues in the Depression led Erskine to commit suicide on July 1, 1933.
The Holy Cross sisters purchased the property in the 1940s and converted the mansion into housing for students. A classroom building and a gym were constructed later. In 1967, an addition was proposed for science rooms and a library.
After the school closed, local businessmen developed the 60 acres into housing. The original mansion was remodeled into four condos. Other buildings were demolished for new home construction.
Betsy said the manor was quite impressive. The surrounding woods and grounds were ideal. “The grounds are unrecognizable today.”
Betsy and Paula recalled mixers with La Lumiere School in LaPorte and Culver Military Academy. Adams High School was called upon if a male was needed for a theater production.
Paula and Betsy lived in South Bend. Paula said her best friend was going to Saint Mary’s. She made the decision to go along, also. “My parents were thrilled I wanted to go there. But we couldn’t afford it. I had to do work-study to pay.”
Betsy said her two sisters went to the academy and her parents appreciated the quality of the education. Her father, Jerry, was dean of faculties and later vice chancellor at Indiana University South Bend. He was serious about education.
The reunion weekend will be packed with memories. Paula said there will be a lot of talking and photos. “It will be wonderful.”
It will be a chance to be part of that community again.
Back to that final year: Betsy wrote a column about the closing for The Tribune’s Nov. 30, 1975, Next Generation page, where she was a regular contributor. In the column, she said the closure announcement didn’t surprise many students, even though they held out hope that “the problems might work themselves out.”
She also wrote that the students didn’t want the community’s “pity” and that they would make that final year “the most meaningful for everyone” at the school.
“Even though we won’t be together physically after this year, the spirit that is Saint Mary’s Academy can never die,” Betsy wrote. “That is the bond that will hold all of us from Saint Mary’s together, forever.”
Contact Kathy at [email protected].
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.southbendtribune.com ’
