St. Columba Grade School Reunion

On Saturday, St. Columba Elementary had their "All class Reunion." If you didn't attend St. Columba or grow up in the West End, you won't be much interested in this blog. I'm posting it mostly for Julie. In this photo is Tommy McNally, Me, Kathy, Kathy's brother Terry, Kathy's sister Mary Ann,, then Rose Lanning, and Nick Lanning.

On this photo: Back row - George Lanning in sunglasses, Nick Lanning in blue shirt, Bill Higgins, You can just see the top of his head, Mary Ann McDonald in the very back, Mike Hardesty in hat; Rose Lanning in tan dress; Donna Becker, the blond, Marinell Francis- with the dark hair; Mary Lynn Wagner; Judy Graf in the plaid jacket; Kathy McDonald next to Judy Graf: Larry Mettling on the far right end; and Tim McDonald stooping in front.

All except Donna and Judy were our neighbors, but I also went to high school with Judy and Donna.

Julie, George Lanning was hoping you'd be there, thinking maybe you'd pick him some dandelions. He said he must have been that irresistible older man. Julie, I talked to Ann Z. - she's cute and sweet as can be. Your 8th grade class graduation picture was posted in the basement along with pictures that people had brought along and hung up. The McWilliams were all there from 32nd street - wasn't Tim there one who was your age? We had a tour of the school building. Remember the yellow steps? The school is now a home for the elderly. We didn't see an elevator, but there must be one somewhere, because there's no way elderly could climb all these flights of steps. The choir loft is now an apartment area; I wonder where that big pipe organ is. And the Epics didn't play - I guess that didn't work out. It was fun and a lot of people were asking about you.

Julie, I didn't know that the Lannings had 8 kids, did you? I only knew George and Rose. And Mr. Lanning must have been a scream. George told us that for gifts, Mr. Lanning gave Mrs Lanning: one year a pony: one year a St. Bernard: and one year a monkey! And the monkey used to throw its poop at people and so they finally had to get rid of it. Gee...really?

A lot of neighbors were there, I guess because so many neighbors attended St. Columba. When we went to school, I'd leave my house, go to Kathy's, and Linda and Diane would come down the street, and meet at Kathy's also, then the 4 of us would head down to Judy, then across the street to Sharons, then down the street to Maureens, then we'd all walk the three blocks to school together.

And at this time, Ben was in high school, I guess Mark was walking with his friends, and little Julie hadn't even started to school yet. She was home picking flowers for the older boys.

There had been three houses built on part of the playground. Reeds Ice Cream Store next to the school is still standing, but not an ice cream store, and Mannings Grocery Store across the street is still standing, but not Mannings. Mingus Grocery is boarded up, Dearhoerfer Drugs is boarded up, lots of shabby looking places, kind of sad. But it had been a great area to grow up.