St. John of the Cross Class of 1973

We grew up, and attended St. John's, not only during formative years for each of us, but in an era in which there was profound change in the United States. The '60s and '70s were memorable decades in our country and similarly laid the foundation for each of us today. The discipline, respect for authority (and each other), and emphasis on doing the right thing, as maddening as it may have seemed during our years at St. John's, made us better persons and surely influenced us, even when we didn't know it, throughout the many years that followed. Although many of us have lost touch with each other, and the school, through the years, the friendships that we formed many years ago will always be important to us and taught us how to, and in some cases, how not to, interrelate with others. We hope that we will have a chance to reconnect, even if geography or other restrictions mean that it will only be through this site. Enjoy the trip down memory lane that follows....

1965

The memorable year in which we entered first grade. We packed lunches and tried to remember to bring milk money with us each day. Do you recall the nurse's office that was next door to our first grade classes? How about all those wonderful penmanship classes? The principal's office was just a few feet away, which was a fact that was not lost on any of us. We adjusted to wearing uniforms and, for at least some of the boys, learning how to tie a tie (others, who we won't name, wore clip-ons). Some key developments occurred internationally and in the U.S. This was the year in which our first combat troops landed in Vietnam and it was when casualties began to mount. Malcom X was also killed in 1965 and vicious riots roiled Watts later in the year. The Sound of Music premiered and, unfortunately for all Philadelphia sports fans, another year went by without a championship.

1966

We somehow completed our first year of school and enjoyed a summer of no classes. Many of us spent a lot of time at Roslyn Park or with friends in our neighborhoods. We enjoyed considerable freedom then and wandered all over town, most often with no adult supervision. A far cry from life in the 21st century. When we returned to school in September, we no longer were the youngest children at St. John's--we ruled over those pipsqueak 1st graders! Miss Fox was one of our teachers and many of of us have fond memories of her. At least one of us can recall being nabbed by a member of the safety patrol, who brought us back to school for jaywalking across Woodland Road. Didn't they have anything better to do? Do you remember joining the Credit Union? How about those little passbooks that tracked our savings? The Miranda decision was handed down that year, which provided some important rights to those who are arrested. We trust that those rights never came into play for any of us since we left St. John's, correct? Texas Wesleyan defeated Kentucky for the NCAA Men's Basketball championship, which was a historic achievement in the annals of minorities in the U.S. This was the year in which Medicare debuted and the first episode of Star Trek aired.

1967

Our last year in the hallway that was adjacent to Woodland Road. Miss McCann was one of our teachers--little did we know that she would pop back into our lives again a few years later. Do you remember Father Flanagan coming into class to deliver our report cards? Would you have preferred not resurrecting that memory? We often made the trek to the church to practice reciting prayers, trying not to be too off key in singing hymns, and for other events, such as 40 Hours and Stations of the Cross. This may have been one of the last years in which females were required to wear veils or other head coverings--hooray! A big year on the world scene. The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; Frank Sinatra produced Strangers In the Night, and the movie, The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman, hits the big screen. We should have listened and should have invested in plastics...This was also the year in which the Sixers, behind Wilt Chamberlain's strong play, won the NBA Championship!

1968

We moved to the other side of the school and seemingly entered a new world. Tougher classes, more responsibility, and even more homework. We also started to interact more often with older students, who still appeared to be larger than life. Do you remember having to line up in the school yard each morning before the bell rang signaling the start of another day? A lot went on in that school yard--the girls jumped rope, the boys flipped baseball cards, and everyone always seemed to be on the move. Some of us recall the bedlam that ensued at the end of a school year when we tossed all of our baseball cards into the air and watched everyone scramble to gather them for themselves. Little did we know that we were tossing away some cards that would ultimately be worth thousands of dollars. Some momentous, if not ominous events occurred in 1968, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy. The antiwar, free love, and Flower Power movements were in full bloom--one can only imagine what our parents, even in the little hamlet of Roslyn, PA, were up to in those days. The first episode of 60 Minutes aired, and it is still going strong today. The record of the year was "Up, Up, and Away," by the Fifth Dimension.

1969

We now were more than half way through our tenure at St. John's. Do you remember the "cool guitar mass" at 10:15 on Sundays? Our altar boys surely do, as we had to hold those plates for interminable periods of time, just in case a host fluttered to the ground. Many of us also recall the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve--a couple of those were snow filled evenings and the anticipation of opening presents the next day was overwhelming. Our Girl Scouts took many trips together, as did our class. Who can forget Willow Grove Park? Going for a ride on "The Alps?" How about "The Thunderbolt" or "The Mouse?" This was a very big year in our lives outside of St. John's, too. Richard Nixon was inaugurated and the Vietnam War intensified in a huge, and unfortunate, way. Neil Armstrong took that fabled first step on the moon--do you remember trying to stay up until the wee hours to see the grainy pictures that were beamed back to Earth? In August, a seminal rock 'n roll event put a little town in New York--Woodstock--on the map forever. Some famous books were penned, such as Slaughterhouse Five and The Godfather. Some unknown television show, Sesame Street, first aired, and influenced countless lives in the 30+ years that followed.

1970

Our last year before we moved downstairs. We cannot imagine that one person could forget having one of our home rooms in the school gym. Even harder to forget was the memorable incident in which one of our classmates went off, in Sister Therasina's class, and tossed partitions, books, and papers into the air as he made an exit that rivaled no other. One would have to believe that she never saw such an event in South America! Current day students could not imagine that we used mimeograph machines to make copies and had to climb those dark stairs above the stage to do so. One upside was the crisp, fresh smell of copies that had just been run off the machine. Outside of our little hamlet of Roslyn, PA, four students were killed at Kent State that year and our troops invaded Cambodia. The biggest rock group of our era, The Beatles, broke up that year, while Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix checked out due to drug overdoses. Monday Night Football debuted and the picture of the year was Midnight Cowboy.

1971

We finished sixth grade in the Spring, and after another Summer, moved downstairs as we had become 7th graders. Our education began to expand in many ways. To wit, many of us learned that "Post Office" could involve much more than buying stamps. School dances also started that year for us. It seemed, as if on cue, that every dance ended with "Color My World" or "Knights in White Satin." Do you remember that flute salesman that the school somehow let loose on us? How much money did we waste on those things? Did anyone ever master that instrument? We also, if you recall, had to wear coats and ties to school in 7th and 8th grade--uggh! We had a memorable (if you want to use that word) class trip in 1971--check the Trivia Questions section if you cannot remember where we went. The 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, passed in 1971. It was also the year in which the Pentagon Papers were published and Villanova, behind the inspired play of Howard Porter, lost the NCAA Championship to UCLA. All in the Family debuted in 1971 and rock legend, Jim Morrison, died.

1972

The spring augured another track and baseball season. Track entailed traveling to Abington High School for practices and meets at Huntingdon Junior High. Who can forget baseball practice at the school, with foul balls flying onto nearby lawns (and into some houses!). We hardly had high level facilities, as girls volleyball had some practices in the school yard. The nuns received new uniforms that year--do you remember the "fashion show" that some of them gave us??? The Fall of 1972 marked the magical football season in which our undefeated team convincingly won the championship (please check out the "Football Team" page on this website for much more on that subject). Parties were in full bloom by now, as was "dating," much to the chagrin of our instructors, who told us we would burn ourselves out and ruin our lives forever! Do you remember "The Happening," the publication which was the brainchild of Sister Ruth and was edited by Redmond McConnell? It was cool and featured Stephen Quiring illustrations. 1972 marked the year in which the Watergate Scandal broke loose and President Nixon's days in office would be numbered. Billie Jean King won the Wimbledon championship and M*A*S*H* aired for the first time. Carole King racked up many a Grammy Award that year, including one for the best record, "It's Too Late."

1973

We entered our final semester as the clock ticked toward our graduation. Our fabulous boys basketball team had a great year, but just could not beat St. Philip's. Do you remember the two hour practice the day of the first St. Philip's game and then being totally exhausted as we dropped a close game? We finished fourth (out of 64 teams) in the La Salle High tournament to finish our season. The girls team did not have such luck, but played very determined ball throughout the year and had a lot of fun in the process. We had two terrific plays--"The Oddfather" and "The Gimmick." Who could forget Bob Welsh dropping the gun in the pivotal scene of the latter play, just as he was going to gun down Tony "Marlon" Pannullo? Mike Cannon's "Feebie the Firefly" was seen buzzing around the school that year, and if the legend is true, lives today! Redmond McConnell produced a fantastic yearbook and was assisted in that effort by Ellen Thornton, Liz Raslavich and the snappy cartoons of Stephen Quiring. It really was a bittersweet day when we graduated, as we knew that great things lied ahead, but this band of persons, who we called classmates for 8 years, would never be fully together again. On the world stage, the Vietnam War thankfully ended. We were beginning to get close to having to register for the war--so we were lucky! The Godfather, despite being parodied by us, won the Academy Award.

Epilogue

Most of our Class of '73 grads went to Bishop McDevitt or Abington High, while a few others attended La Salle, the Mount, and Plymouth Whitemarsh, and some left the area, as their families moved out of Roslyn. As time moved on, many of us went to college (and grad school), while others started their professional lives, and created new families of their own, much earlier. One of the things that surely has become apparent, as the years have slid by, is that St. John's had a profound impact on our lives and helped make us what we are today. Memorizing all those long religion questions, endlessly practicing those hymns, and showing respect for authority (as much as it pained us--literally, at times), instilled character that remains with us today. The bonds that we formed, which now go back more than 40 years (yes--40--from the time we entered first grade) are deeper than we ever could have imagined. The 1994 reunion vividly demonstrated this, as more than 50 of our grads attended, including a few who came in from other states.

We still have many chapters to write in each of the books of our lives. Hopefully, if you are a Class of '73 grad who's reading this, you'll be able to attend the upcoming reunion. This will not only give you a chance to rekindle some memories, but to also connect with others, who just may inspire you as your life goes forward.