by nolahistoryguy | Jun 9, 2025 | 1950s, BOSH, Brother Martin High, Gentilly, St. Aloysius, Treme
No uniforms meant St. Aloysius students could wear items like this Crusader belt buckle.
Crusader belt buckle
We have a number of fashion accessories in the Crusader Archives at Brother Martin High School. This belt buckle reminds us that Aloysius students dressed in regular civilian clothes for all but the last years of the school’s existence. While there was a grooming and dress code, the Navy uniforms don’t appear until the 1967-68. Since the NJROTC unit chartered at Aloysius, Cor Jesu never required uniforms for its students.
Uniforms but not Navy
The Brothers required students in grades tenth through twelfth to take NJROTC at Brother Martin. That policy changed in the 1975-76 school year. That meant not all students received free uniforms from the Navy. The school uniform morphed from a khaki shirt and trousers to a white, short-sleeved shirt and khaki trousers. The uniform shirt bears the red shield/gold cross emblem. NJROTC cadets wear their Navy uniforms on “drill” days. The modern cadet uniform resembles the Navy’s “junior enlisted” pattern, a khaki shirt with navy blue trousers. Naval enlisted from the ratings of E-1 to E-6 wear this.
St. Aloysius students wore the Crusader belt buckle at a time when so many of them ended their academic careers with high school graduation. This is why the question “where did you go to school” takes on a different meaning in New Orleans. Seniors wore their class rings to proclaim their school, but underclassmen in jeans or chinos relied on other fashion accessories. The letterman’s jacket or sweater was by far the most (and loudest) proclamation. The belt buckle offered students and alumni a way to say “I’m a Crusader” away from campus.
Wearing the school
So, with the exception of cadets on “drill” days, an item like our Crusader belt buckle here wouldn’t be out of order for the majority of present-day students. Even though the majority of Crusader graduates go on to college, where one went to high school remains significant. I’m hopeful that Mr. Rando and the staff will consider bringing back the school belt buckle. Web belts are still popular for young men. Perhaps even elementary schools would allow the belt buckles (hello recruitment!)
Additionally, I know Mr. Rando personally enjoys all the old accessories and ephemera we’re digging up. We also know that he’s a graduate of the Brother Jean Sobert, SC, Institute of Making a Buck for the School. These belt buckles would fulfill that mission!
The Book
Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans by Edward J. Branley
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by nolahistoryguy | Oct 9, 2024 | 1920s-1930s, BOSH, Brother Martin High, St. Aloysius, Treme
Building St. Aloysius 1925 began in the Fall of 1924.
St. Aloysius 1925
“Alumni See Start of New Building” is the title of a short article reporting on the start of the “new” St. Aloysius building. The first steps in the replacement/upgrade of the school began on 8-October-1924. The Times-Picayune covered the “first piling” formalities in the paper the next day. A group of Brothers and VIP alumni posed for a photo:
“It was a thrilling moment for 500 boy students of St. Aloysius College when the first pile was driven for the new building to be erected this winter. Here are some of the older folk who watched the process with interest: W. J. Drez, President of the Alumni Association; W. M. Wren sub-contractor; Maurice Dufour, class of 1900; Brother Paul, president of the college; Brother Alphonse, former president; Gus Llambias, class of ’97; Brother Theodorus, member of the council; and A. S. Montz, class of ’98 and architect for the building.
The Institute opened St. Aloysius in 1869, in the French Quarter, on the corner of Chartres and Barracks Streets. The popularity of a BOSH education led the Brothers to move from that location to the corner of Esplanade Avenue and N. Rampart Streets in 1892. By 1924, the school outgrew the original building at that corner. The city wanted to expand the N. Rampart Street neutral ground, so the original building had to be demolished. The contractors completed the new building by the start of the school term the following year. The city widened the street, giving NOPSI more room for streetcar operations. on the St. Claude and Esplanade/Canal Belt lines.
An interesting aside in the body of the news article refers to the properties around the original building. Since the building on the corner had to come down, the Institute acquired several houses away from the corner. They demolished those buildings, clearing the way for this construction.
The legacy and traditions of St. Aloysius High School continue on at Brother Martin High School.
by nolahistoryguy | Jul 4, 2024 | 1970s, BOSH, Brother Martin High, Cor Jesu, Gentilly, St. Aloysius
The BMHS band directors ran a summer camp back in the 1970s.
Band Summer Camp
Mr. Joseph Keller and Mr. Arthur Hardy, on opposite ends of the bottom row, offered a summer music program at Brother Martin High School in the 1970s. They opened this summer camp to both boys and girls. The students were quite diverse.The group stands at the doors to the “old band room.” At the time, you the band room stood separate from the rest of the school. To get to band class, musicians exited via the mall or the gym and walked around to the far side.
That meant there wasn’t a lot of activity behind the band room, once the class period started. Back in the 70s, when more students smoked, behind the band room became one of the spots to ease the nicotine fit. Band kids tell stories of one of the teachers randomly opening the doors to freak out visitors.
This was the summer before Mr. Keller’s last year at Brother Martin. Mr. Hardy took over as director in the 1974-75 school year. That’s when he brought in his friend, Mr. Marty Hurley. Mr. Hardy later moved on, becoming “Mister Mardi Gras,” as he produced “Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide” full time.
The Joseph Taverna Band Hall
The school demolished the old band hall to make way for the Thomas F. and Elaine P. Ridgley Fine Arts and Athletic Center. This gorgeous facility includes the new band hall. It bears the name of Joseph “Prof” Taverna. Taverna directed the St. Aloysius Band from 1931 to 1961. Additionally, the Ridgley Center contains fine arts classrooms, the Chorus practice room, and the St. Aloysius Class of 1944 gym.
Archives update
The project moves along! We’ve got the scanner set up. So, documents and other ephemera assume a digital form. We’re also finding some great old photos and other documents that you’ll see here and on the book’s facebook page.
by nolahistoryguy | Apr 11, 2024 | 1860s, Antebellum New Orleans, BOSH, Brother Martin High, Civil War, Cor Jesu, Faubourg Marigny, Post Civil War, St. Aloysius
The Brothers of the Sacred Heart moved into Faubourg Marigny during the Civil War, Bay to City.
Bay to City
At the beginning of the Civil War, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart (BOSH) stood at a crossroads. The Institute operated St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, since 1854. With secession of Louisiana and Mississippi, the Union Navy blockaded the Western Gulf Coast, anticipating an invasion of New Orleans. The Brothers closed St. Stanislaus to boarders.
To fully appreciate this move, consider a trip from the city to the bay. We’re not talking about an hour’s drive. In 1861, you’d load up a coach or wagon with your boy(s) and their luggage, and head about 100 miles east. That was a eight hour ride. With Farragut’s ships and gunboats, along with Butler’s 30,000 troops on Ship Island, safety was a serious concern. While families understood the concerns, they didn’t want to just give up on a BOSH education for their boys.
To the City
Brother Athanasius Faugier, S.C.
So, the BOSH contacted the Archbishop of New Orleans, Jean-Marie Odin, about setting up a presence in the city. Odin agreed, and connected Brother Athanasius Faugier, S.C, of St. Stanislaus, with Father Anthony Durier, pastor of Annunciation Parish in Faubourg Marigny. Fr. Durier helped the Brothers set up shop in the Marigny. This made a lot of sense. Brothers from France worked with a French archbishop to open a school in a very-French neighborhood. Fr. Durier loaned a house to the BOSH. They renovated that house to accommodate twenty-five boarders. They then rented a house on Union Street (now Touro Street) and opened the school. The school was about six blocks away from the boarding house. The 1883 Robinson Atlas segment above shows Annunciation Church in block 492.
Fr. Anthony Durier
This arrangement continued through the end of the rebellion. The BOSH packed up and returned to the Bay. It wasn’t long, though, that Archbishop Odin invited the institute to establish a permanent presence in New Orleans. The BOSH purchased the house at Chartres and Barracks Streets in 1869, and St. Aloysius opens.
Thanks to the faculty members of Brother Martin High School, who assembled much of this information for their Day of Experience, “Exploring the Origins of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans.”
by nolahistoryguy | Dec 10, 2023 | 1980s, 1990s, Books, BOSH, Brother Martin High, Gentilly
Our tenth installment of NOLA History Guy December features Brother Nicholas, SC – Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans (BOSH)
NOLA History Guy December – Brother Nicholas Geisenberg, S.C.
Brother Nicholas, SC, was a long-time Maths teacher the BOSH Schools. I had the privilege of taking “Senior Math” with Brother as a Junior, in 1974-75. If you’re wondering how that worked, I attended Brother Martin High School as an eighth grader. My maths skills weren’t top/honors, so, I was routed to “regular” Geometry class as a ninth-grader. The honors guys took “Geometry A” with Brother Neal, SC. The “A” track finished Trigonometry in Algebra IIA, as tenth-graders. They took Calculus as eleventh-graders, and went on to UNO for Calc I as seniors. Not me! I took Trig, “Senior Math” in the old terminology. Brother Nicholas (never “Brother Nick” to his face) was a serious teacher who brooked no nonsense in his class. He objected to the number of Fridays I was away from class because of Debate and Quiz Bowl, and regularly chided me about that.
Outside of class, Brother was a nice man. He chaperoned the school trips to Europe in the summers. Brother studied German with Ms. Palmisano. I would say a few words to him, “auf Deutsch” as he left German II and I came in for German I as a sophomore.
Brother Nicholas, S. C., throwing out the first pitch at a Crusader baseball game.
As we’re doing with all our images for NOLA History Guy December, here’s the caption for the two photos of Brother Nicholas in the book:
“Brother Nick.” Brother Nicholas Geisenberg, S.C., beloved teacher of generations of St. Aloysius, Cor Jesu, and BMHS students. In addition to teaching Math, Brother Nicholas served as assistant principal at Cor Jesu in 1969. After retiring from the classroom, Brother Nicholas remained active on campus, managing the school’s bookstore and as a dedicated fan of BMHS sports, particularly baseball. Above, Brother Nicholas on duty in the bookstore in the late 1990’s. Below, the BMHS baseball team honored Brother Nicholas by asking him to throw out the first pitch of the final game of the 2003 season. (Lower photo courtesy of Mr. Danny Ford, father of Jeremy (’03) and Braeden (’09))
The Book
Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans by Edward J. Branley
From the back cover:
When New Orleanians ask “Where did you go to school?” they aren’t asking what university you attended but what high school. That tells a native a lot about you. For over 150 years, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart have educated the young men of New Orleans, giving them the opportunity to answer the question proudly by replying St. Stanislaus, St. Aloysius, Cor Jesu, or Brother Martin. Images of America: Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans showcases photographs, illustrations, and maps tracing the role of the institute in making New Orleans a vibrant and dynamic city, able to overcome even the worst of adversity. From their roots in the French Quarter, moving to Faubourg Marigny, and finally settling in Gentilly, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart continue to make a major contribution to metro New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana.
Available at local bookstores, Walgreens stores, other local shops, Bookshop, and other online outlets. Give history! Support NOLA History Guy December.
by nolahistoryguy | Oct 5, 2021 | 2010s, BOSH, Brother Martin High, Gentilly, Uncategorized
LMEA Marching Festival brings local bands together to perform.
LMEA Marching Festival
Each year, District 6 of the Louisiana Music Educators Association (LMEA) holds a “Marching Assessment” in the Fall. Crusader Band (along with other local bands) call it “Marching Festival.” At the end, when the scores are announced, the officers of the participating bands gather on the field to accept their awards. For the 2007 Festival, Crusader Band’s Drum Major and two Band Captains, along with the co-Captains of the Dominican Debs wait for wait for their scores. I don’t have names for these young men and women at this time. If you know them, let me know. (I sent the photo to my class of 2012 kiddo, who was Brass Captain in his senior year, but he’s in Palo Alto and not awake yet).
Football Season for Crusader Band
In the Fall, Crusader Band is a football band.Going back to the beginning, the band turned out to perform in the stands at games. While some band programs place football as a second priority, behind band competitions, the Crusader Band’s mission was to support the team. The school and the Athletic Department recognized this, and funded a good bit of the program’s expenses. So, as a five-year band dad, I remained silent when parents whose kids attended other schools fussed about money. They were going out of pocket for trips to competitions. I paid a $50 uniform cleaning fee.
The late Mr. Marty Hurley, long-time Band Director, had a solid strategy for preparing for Festival. The festival program called for performance of three tunes and a percussion performance. Hurley chose a theme, picked three tunes, then worked up the drum routine. One of the tunes always featured the auxiliary unit. Crusader Band partners with the “Debs” of Dominican High School.
The band wore the NJROTC service dress blues in those early years. When NJROTC became an elective course track, Crusader Band switched to a classic-style uniform. The style changed over the years. They wore this set of uniforms through my son’s senior year (2011-2012).
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