What John Carroll Means to Me?

Veronica Dickie

It is not that I felt unsafe in my old Jeep; I just knew that it was time to get a new car.  I am pretty sure that the front bumper of my old Jeep was about to fall off.  I know for a fact that the vehicle was leaking something (it was probably toxic, but don’t tell the EPA!).  I am fairly certain that if my ‘96 Jeep Grand Cherokee could talk, it would have said, “Veronica, I’m too old.  I need to retire.” 

            I had been driving my old Jeep since I was 16.  It had over two hundred thousand miles on it.  It survived winters that reached negative twenty degrees.  It survived my long drives.  Alabama to New Hampshire and back.  New Hampshire to Alabama and back.  New Hampshire to Montreal and back.  Alabama to Florida and back.  Alabama to South Carolina and back.  (I always dreamed of driving it to Wyoming and back, but the Jeep never made it that far west).

            Other than the palpable feelings one attaches to his or her first love, bite of ice cream on a hot day, snowball fight, etc., trading in my old Jeep for a new car was a harsh reality to face because I did not want to let go of my John Carroll bumper sticker.  I proudly placed that bumper sticker on my rear windshield when I was 16.  I could not help but associate trading in my car with trading in John Carroll.    

            When a friend at Dartmouth (my undergraduate institution) eyed the back of my vehicle and asked me, “What’s John Carroll?,” my immediate response was, “Do you have ten years?”  Ten years.  I instantly decided it would take me a decade to explain sufficiently, to describe adequately what John Carroll is.  But, now that I have had time to contemplate my response to her question, now that I am a faculty member and no longer a student, I have realized that no amount of time would be sufficient for me to describe or to explain John Carroll.

            John Carroll is a solid foundation academically, spiritually, socially.  John Carroll is an indelible sense of community.  John Carroll is support stronger than the flying buttresses designed to hold up entire buildings.  John Carroll is knowing what a Cavalier is (a wealthy aristocrat who fought on the king’s side during the English Civil War from 1642-1649).  John Carroll is mass in the gym.  The bookstore open during your lunch period (but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays).  The rotating schedule.  Your Theology class.  A PM for not tucking in your shirttail. 

Anne Marie Hicks

Class of 1986

Attorney at Law

P.O. Box 131165

Crestline, Alabama 35213

What John Carroll Means To Me?

There are few periods in the course of life that have such a profound and pivotal effect on you as to truly shape your future. For many, high school can be an awkward time of transition in the always-challenging teenage years. There were traditional moments of football games and dances, new friendships and courses of study that are a fond source of reflection when you are decades beyond those times. Rarely, though, are many people able to reflect back upon those years and realize the amazing extent of the multi-faceted experience that sculpted not only a life’s path, but a lifetime walk in the Catholic, Christian faith. For me, John Carroll High School was that exceptional experience that combined the aspects of traditional secondary education with the foundation of the living Christ in every day life.

My memory takes me back to driving up the hill off of Highland Avenue to attend Freshman Orientation. There was so much excitement and anticipation for all the events I envisioned would decorate the next four years of my life. I entered the building with all the others and in the midst of the activity and chatter; I felt the solidarity of faith that had called a vast variety of individuals from diverse backgrounds. In addition, I was aware of the sacrifices my parents had made in order that my Catholicism be reinforced and fostered to greater depths.

I could speak continuously about the teachers, priests, nuns, counselors, coaches and members of administration that made an incredible impact on my life; their influence and presence demanded more from me as a student, an individual, a Christian. My areas of strength were fostered and encouraged and prayer was a daily discipline. There were moments of great joy and moments of tragic loss, all of which we endured as a class and school community. At Mass or in the gym, in the hallways and in each classroom I was given the formative academic and spiritual implements to greet my world with compassion and decency. Like a lot of teenagers, I was far from perfect, but even amidst the normal testing of boundaries and challenges to authority, I was learning lessons that would carry me throughout life.

The instruction I received at John Carroll ignited a passion within to apply the impeccable education to a profession that had potential to make a difference in the world, no matter how cliché that may sound. I earned a Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctorate, and as an attorney, I have sought to contribute to my community through representation and respect for the law. I draw from the essence of peace and justice that was instilled in me many years ago and I have embraced this ever-living, breathing and growing entity known as jurisprudence. It is completely clear to me that God gave me this license and that He is omnipresent in my practice and in all my decisions that can affect so many lives. Like others, I have a strong urgency to attend to the needs of children, their safety and protection, and to share with them this incredible faith and experience I have been given. I have looked around my profession at many familiar faces…..friends, colleagues, peers….all graduates from John Carroll, all successful in their respective rights and many within my class alone. It is a resounding reminder of the quality of education and training, the quality of character that is produced from this treasured institution.

One of the more evident places that this high school has revealed its lasting affect is in relationships. I have realized more over the past decade about the strength and intensity of this bond than I was capable of grasping when I actually attended. It was in the priceless faces at my 20th reunion…..faces just as fresh, brilliant and entertaining as they had ever been. The many friends that I have never lost touch with and who have walked many paths alongside of me for the last 22 years. The 6 girls that I didn’t lose touch with that have a standing lunch appointment the 3rd Friday of every month……2 business owners, a counseling psychologist, an administrator, a professor, a Senior case manager at UAB Dept. of Psychiatry and Neurology and an attorney……all graduates of JCCHS, all professionals, all with firm conviction in faith and family; a collection of once-upon-a-time teenagers that stood the test of time held by the common thread of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Faith.

The greatest manifestation of the value of my experience was just learned a matter of weeks ago. As the mother of three I have been an active participant in the tradition and investment of Catholic education. I remain in the parish where I was baptized (Saint Francis Xavier), have taught there and have coached children for 10 years. It is has sustained me in what seemed to be unbearable circumstances and has been my well of strength and my source of growth in my walk with the Lord. Not only am I dealing with the confirmation of my oldest child, my daughter, but she will be graduating and attending John Carroll next year. I was strangely moved when we took her to the fantastic camps that were provided this summer by the athletic department at John Carroll, but I was literally touched in the deepest way when I walked with her through the doors for the tour. I was in a completely different building in a completely different area, but the Holy Spirit was powerfully present in the same way as He had always been. In every hallway and with every familiar teacher, I was inspired by the tradition and the commitment to excellence. It became clear to me in those moments that my parents had extended the greatest gift possible to me, my brother and sister, and that the seed they had planted had grown into a beautiful dedication to my Catholic faith, generation to generation, with time holding no boundaries. It struck me then, profoundly and with great epiphany, that those four years guided me to the exact place I was standing at that second, and I could not have been more grateful for every moment that lead me to this incredible place.

Sherry Martin Huner

Class of 1987

Retired Speech-Language Pathologist

 

What John Carroll Means to Me?                                                                                                                                             

 

John Carroll was my first catholic school experience.  I value my four years there because in a structured setting, it provided me an opportunity for learning and personal growth in an atmosphere open to the presence of Christ throughout.  I remember being challenged by my teachers who were passionate about their respective subjects.  They inspired me to realize my best in and outside of the classroom.

 

I am also grateful for the opportunities to attend Mass in the midst of the academic routine.  This helped prepare me spiritually for my adult life.  I worked as a speech/language pathologist for six years and am currently a wife and mother of three children.  My oldest son Nathan (10) and youngest daughter Marie (6) have autism.  David (7) attends Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School.  Not unlike high school at John Carroll, my life is woven with threads of challenge and joy.  It is a blessing to feel God's presence in our family's earthly journey and remember that John Carroll was an instrument that helped form me and the family life I enjoy today.

 

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Anthony J. Brooklere

Class of 1954

Pharmacist 

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

  

My parents strongly believed in Catholic education.  So after attending St. Catherine Elementary School, there was never a question about where I would attend high school.  I caught two buses daily to get to John Carroll.

 

My years at John Carroll not only enhanced my knowledge of my Catholic faith, but it also gave me an excellent educational base.  When I enrolled at Auburn University many students had to take remedial courses.  But not this John Carroll gradute!  Good study habits I learned at John Carroll allowed me to excel at Auburn University, to the point of receiving membership in honor societies from my professional school and from the military.

 

As a pharmacist, I have received a number of honors, including pharmacy's most prestigious award, The Bowl of Hygeia.  I give credit for my successes to my John Carroll education.

 

My wife, Sara Jean Gagliano Brooklere, Class of 1955, sent our children, Anna '77 and John '80 to John Carroll and have recommended it to a dozen of others.  Because of John Carroll, my wife and I consider ourselves as champions of Catholic education.

 

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Frances E. Andrews, Ph.D., RD, LD (a.k.a. Edrie)

Class of 1960

Chair and Professor

Family and Consumer Sciences

University of Montevallo

Montevallo, Alabama 

 

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

When I reflected on my four years at John Carroll, so many experiences popped into my head. Trying to sort them and put them into a few paragraphs has been an interesting challenge. I believe the following points say “What John Carroll Means to Me”: the opportunity to be in an environment in which my faith was practiced every day, the excellent quality of the religious and lay faculty, the genuine interest of the faculty in their students, and their willingness to go that extra mile to help each of us.  

The opportunity to begin each day with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in our own chapel gave me the opportunity to practice my own faith as well as to be a part of a community whose faith extended throughout the rest of the day. Having an opportunity to help Sr. Mary Leo in the sacristy supported my interest in the study of the Mass and its practice over time, and forged a friendship with Sister that has lasted almost fifty years!

The excellent quality of the faculty at John Carroll is a known fact! This became more evident to me when I pursued a doctoral degree in dietetics, nutritional biochemistry, and human physiology. I entered graduate school with a healthy fear! Throughout that experience I relied very heavily on the solid educational foundation I received at Carroll. I knew how to study and how to learn because of the faculty at John Carroll. Faculty established a positive environment in the classroom that encouraged us to produce the very best of which we were capable. I owe a debt of gratitude to Sr. Mary Ruth and Sr. Mary John, particularly, for meticulously marking grammatical, punctuation, sentence structure, and the like errors on my papers. Their careful grading prepared me for the scrutiny of my graduate committee as I wrote and defended my dissertation!

The faculty was extremely knowledgeable and up-to-date in their fields. They used exciting and challenging strategies to keep our interest in the subject matter. On more than one occasion, I have used the project-based learning assignment Mr. Bob Potter gave us in American History as an example for my own students. Mr. Potter assigned us a Civil War general and we were to assume the persona of that general and create a report about the general’s war activities, battles, etc. For many Saturdays my Dad accompanied me to the archives of the Birmingham Library to help me research and re-create, without the aid of a photocopier, the battle diaries, maps, etc. of one of the generals!

Faculty, the principal, his secretary, the cafeteria personnel, and even Eddie, our head janitor, genuinely cared about the students. Each of these and many other individuals provided an environment that fostered self-motivation and healthy pride in our achievements. John Carroll was more than a high school. It was an educational experience for the whole person provided by knowledgeable, challenging, interesting faculty and administrators who knew each student, cared about each one of us, and wanted to make a positive difference in the life of each one! In addition to my parents, I owe a tremendous gratitude to everyone associated with John Carroll for providing me with a solid foundation on which I was able to build an exciting career in higher education.

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Sister Tonette Sperando, O.S.B.

Class of 1986

Development Director

Sacred Heart Monastery

Cullman, Alabama

 

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

The experiences and opportunities at John Carroll High School provided me with a well-rounded education and a well-grounded faith.  The values promoted at John Carroll paralleled with the family values instilled by my parents.  My parents taught me that, first and foremost, my belief in God and my Catholic faith were primary in my life and, secondly, that a well-rounded education prepares you for life’s many challenges.  My parents and John Carroll worked together to provide me with a solid foundation upon which to build my future.

 The rigorous academic courses provided at John Carroll prepared me for my college experience, as well as for graduate level academics.  The extra-curricular activities such as sports and Student Council taught various leadership skills which have proven most effective in my professional ministry of education and educational administration.

 Various liturgies and activities throughout my high school experience nurtured my religious vocation – even without my knowledge of it at the time.  The Benedictine Sisters who taught me both at St. Paul’s Cathedral School and John Carroll High School were instrumental in fostering my desire to serve God’s people in the Diocese of Birmingham.  Hence, my entrance into the Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, Alabama was indeed a home-coming. 

 The spiritual and academic foundation provided by the faculty of John Carroll has truly been inspirational to me throughout my life’s experiences.  I am most grateful to my parents for providing me with an educational experience as found at John Carroll High School.  My parents’ gift of a quality education is a gift that has kept on giving!

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John T. Natter ‘57
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)

Natter & Fulmer, P.C. , (Attorney)

 

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

The Catholic foundation imparted upon me as well as my eight brothers and sisters was a seamless tie to the basic principles of life taught to us by our parents.  Those principles and standards encouraged and demanded by the Benedictine Sisters and lay teachers of John Carroll would guide my actions as I utilized those tenets and moral compass in college and as a career naval officer as well as in the business community as an attorney.  And for that, I am grateful for the foundation built upon by JCHS.

Additionally, my classmates at John Carroll were from all walks of life, color and creed.  That in and of itself established a foundation of my future success as I interacted with individuals throughout the nations of the world in national and international affairs.  I’ve been fortunate to have three very successful daughters who also attended John Carroll and have benefited from this same education.   As stated in the Alma Mater – God Bless John Carroll!

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Wadine Meshad Rouss                                                                                    
Class of 1948

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

I have always been proud of being in the first senior class to graduate from John Carroll High School.  I spent my first three years as a student at St. Paul’s High School.  When the new John Carroll opened we had to wait for lockers, a lunch room and had no air conditioning, but we were all proud.  The experience was completely different for all of us, but a definite plus.

The nuns who taught us were very dedicated and quick to discipline.  What a great foundation.  I’m sure that none of them would be surprised that I spent most of my career as a switchboard operator because I was always in trouble for talking!!  The nuns that had the most lasting impression on me were Sister Angela, Sister Mary Leo, and Sister Dorothy.  One of my favorite memories is of Sister Angela sniffing down the hall—“Boys, are you smoking? I’m coming in there!!”

My daughter Anita Rouss Maniscalco graduated in 1972.  She was a cheerleader and had great relationship with so many of her school mates—relations that last until today.

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Don Leithauser
Class of 1952
Broker/Owner of Independent American Realty, Inc.

 

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

My biggest regret from high school is that I did not take full advantage of the wonderful education that the Sisters at John Carroll offered me and yet after I graduated from there and from Auburn University, I became a teacher myself (high school band director) and that’s when I realized what a tremendous influence the Nuns at John Carroll had on my life.

During my years at John Carroll I was Vice President of the Senior Class and President of the National Mathematics Honor Society. In college at Auburn University I was Superintendent of Union Activities, and a member of the Newman Club, the Auburn Knights Dance Band and Kappa Sigma Fraternity.  After college I was President of the Rome, Ga. Exchange Club, Secretary of the Coosa Valley Fair Association, President of the Rome Board of Realtors and named Realtor of the Year in 1972.  I have also served as President of the Northwest Ga. Auburn Alumni Association.

I moved back to Birmingham 40 years later and opened a real estate company.  Sometimes when I talked to people I would tell them I grew up in Birmingham and went to John Carroll.  The reaction I got from them made me know how prestigious John Carroll had become and how lucky my brothers and sisters and myself were to have been a part of it.  

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Thelma Garner Abts
Class of 1954

I believe the four years I was at John Carroll were the happiest of my life.  I was offered a great education which I did not take advantage of and was taught by a wonderful group of teachers (nuns) who I know I drove crazy daily.

The school was still small so everyone knew everyone from freshmen to seniors. It was a safe haven for us all.

I loved by classmates.  They were a wonderful mixture of personalities.  I looked forward to every day I was there.
 
The fifties were a joy.  John Carroll was a Joy!!!!

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Peggy Conway Crawford
Class of 1950

I graduated from John Carroll in May of 1950, the third class to graduate from the then new John Carroll High School.  The dear nuns I was blessed to have as my teachers provided me with an excellent and priceless education that would be of endless value to me throughout the test of my life.  Woven into the book knowledge given to me, my Catholic faith was both nourished and strengthened.  The bonds of friendship that I formed at John Carroll have long endured and I cherish always.  In 1953 I married Bob Crawford (Class of 1949) and began a career as wife and mother (Michele ’72, Rob ’76 and Kathleen ’81.)  In 1973 my husband Bob died and I became the support of our family.  I was employed by UAB in the Student Health Service first as a clerk and then retired in 2000 as the Administrative Associate to the Director for Student Health.  Soon after I retired my dead daughter Michele, who had been ill for many years passed away.  Needless to say, my years at John Carroll, the education I received, the faith that has guided me, the friends I cherish are God’s gift and Blessing. 

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Jo Ellen O’Hara
Class of 1955
Food Editor
Birmingham News

 

What does John Carroll mean to me?

 

That would have been a lot easier to answer 50 years ago than it is today.
There are so many ways in which John Carroll and the education it provided have served me later in life.
In college, I could never blame lack of background for my shortcomings in class. I knew the basics and knew that my success or failure was up to me.
Teachers made a huge impact on education. To this day, I can name those who taught me. I was required to take several courses in college that were not remotely concerned with my future, and I did very well in several of them. Chemistry and biology are two that I recall, and I can only credit my high school teachers.
When I was at John Carroll, it was a small school. I wouldn’t take the world for that. I also like the camaraderie of John Carroll graduates. Not many can look at a composite and name every person in it. The class of 1955 probably could. Some of my closest friends today were friends I met at John Carroll, or at St. Paul's. or at Our Lady of Sorrows.
Many graduates have gone on to achieve in various fields of endeavor. Everyone takes pride in having a connection to greatness, such as a Nobel Prize. And everyone enjoys the victories of the athletes, whether it was a class in the 1950s, or those in 2007.
John Carroll is a large school today, a good school, and a school of which we can all be proud. Involvement in alumni activities also enhances that pride.

 

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Pat McGeever
Class of 1955

 What John Carroll Means to Me?

 Daily, I am thankful to my parents for the personal and financial sacrifices they made to send me to Catholic schools.  Also I am grateful to the parents of my classmates who served as extended parents.

I am continually grateful to the Benedictine Sisters and the Sisters of Mercy for a Catholic and academic education.  Seven years at St. Paul’s, one year at Our Lady of Sorrows (1^st graduating class) and of course four years at John Carroll.

Thanks to all the Sisters who were determined that I was going to learn whether I wanted to or not.  A good example would be that regardless of how well you protect yourselves when you go out in a rain storm you are going to get a bit wet!

Thank you for your continuing support of all of us.  It is a reminder of how fortunate I have been.  God bless all the Benedictine Sisters. 

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J. Stanley Mackin

Class of 1950

Retired Banker

 

What John Carroll Means to Me?

 

 I was fortunate to attend the opening day of the "new" John Carroll High School on Highland Avenue in 1947, my sophomore year.  In my judgment, this single event elevated the quality of Catholic education by quantum leaps, and for the first time in diocesan history, provided a truly competitive environment.  

 

The quality of John Carroll's output continues to be documented each year with additions to noted and outstanding lists of prominent professionals, business people of all walks, educators, athletes, clergy and plan old "good people", etc. etc.

 

How many schools in Alabama have produced both a Nobel Prise Winner and a Heisman Trophy Winner?  I was fortunate to have experienced a wonderful career in the banking world.  And as I reflect back on the many blessings that have come my way, John Carroll Catholic High School is at the top of my list.

 

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More to come....