by nolahistoryguy | Aug 24, 2024 | 1950s, 1960s, Brother Martin High, Cor Jesu, Gentilly
Like St. Aloysius, Cor Jesu Senior Rings were a Big Deal.
Cor Jesu Senior Rings
So, the Class of 2025 have their rings. Tonight, they’ll celebrate at their Ring Dance. While the Kingsmen didn’t have the Brother Mark Thornton Terrace for a dance venue, I’m sure they knew how to party.
Here’s a ring from the class of 1958. The ring shows the school’s name, with the city below the stone. The font for the “CJ” encrusting provides a bit of flourish. While the concept art for the first BMHS ring didn’t include it, the production design included the city’s name.
One side presents the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with a scroll proclaiming “Amateur Cor Jesu” (Loved be the Heart of Jesus). This Sacred Heart image is similar to the mosaic which hung in the Brother Martin High School main entrance for years. I don’t know if it dates back to Cor Jesu. That mosaic currently hangs in the Brother Jean Sobert Advancement Building. So integral to the school’s traditions and the Institute is this proclamation, Cor Jesu High School’s name is oft-repeated in modern times.
Below the Sacred Heart is a small shield containing the “19” of the class year.
The other side of the ring completes the class year, with “58” in a shield. The ring features an image of the main entrance of the school, including the two-story classroom building on Elysian Fields. This image remains relatively unchanged in the BMHS era. While the entrance morphed into a more formal space in the 1990s, walking past now triggers fond memories for Kingsmen.
Dance Favors
While so many of us went to our class ring dance, it was a casual date. Sure, there were the guys who barely wore their rings because they gave them to their steady girl. The majority of us took a date to the dance, had a great time, and created a fond memory. This is a prom favor representing the Cor Jesu Senior Rings. This specifically says, “Senior Prom.” I don’t know if CJ had a ring dance favor, but we did at BMHS in the 1970s. If anyone has one of those favors, please send me a photo of it!
Congratulations again to the BMHS Class of 2025, and blessings to the Kingsmen who passed their traditions on to these young men.
by nolahistoryguy | Aug 22, 2024 | 1960s, 1970s, Brother Martin High, Cor Jesu, Gentilly, St. Aloysius
Brother Martin High School Senior Class Ring is a generations-old tradition.
BMHS Senior Class Ring
Tonight, the Class of 2025 formally begins their final year at Brother Martin, as they receive their class rings. The class ring is an important symbol, a statement that the wearer completed what was for a long time, the top level of education for many in the working class. In New Orleans, the “where did you go to school?” culture dominated social circles for generations. The senior class ring became a lodge token, a quickly recognizable answer to the question.
St. Aloysius Crusaders and Cor Jesu Kingsmen took pride in their class rings. After all, many of those men didn’t go on to university. Some went straight into the service, with some not coming back to those senior rings. So, that senior class ring was a Big Deal. Even the men who went on to college often chose not to buy a college ring, preferring to identify with their high school.
New School, New Design
From the book: Brother Mark Thornton, S.C., reviewing the design of the first BMHS senior ring with Neil Bero, Stan Stopa, and Bobby Taylor in 1969. These young men would become part of the Charter Class of BMHS in the following year. Brother Mark became the combined school’s first principal.
When the Institute decided to combine Cor Jesu (CJ) and St. Aloysius (SA) into a new entity, they required a new design for classic symbols. So, L. G. Balfour created a number of concepts for this new addition to the long-standing traditions. The crimson-and-gold of CJ fit a gold ring with a red stone nicely. The “Crusader” and the “Kingsman” bore so many similarities, it wasn’t hard to tap both legacies.
Balfour knew the importance of getting this right from the start. After all, they stood to profit handsomely from the Class of 1970 and future seniors. Here’s their proposal for that first class ring.
L. G. Balfour Company
Symbolism of the Class Ring Design
Design No. 1
Coat of Arms side – in the shield we have taken the seal of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, paying special emphasis to this teaching order. Opposite this we have the fleur-de-lis, which denotes the Diocese of New Orleans. Below we have a scroll, which represents the history of this new school: one end will be the history of today, and the other rolled end, the future. On the face of the scroll we have the school monogram, “BM.” Superimposed over this we have the arms of a crusader, holding aloft a sword; but in this design, the sword is intended to be a cross held aloft by the crusaders. The crest is a crusader’s helmet, and is flanked by the founding date of the school, 1969.
Mascot side – here we have the graduating class date, 1970, and the mascot, the crusader. We have depicted him drawing his sword, in defense of his school, his ideals, and his homeland. On his shield is the stylized lamp of education, with the flame forming the letter “M.” The name “Crusaders” at the bottom of the shank finishes off this design.
Concept Artwork
The Ring
Based on the design description, Balfour created concept art for the ring. These illustrations present the symbolism. The coat of arms didn’t change for the actual rings.
The standing Crusader is quite similar to the Kingsman used by CJ (and adorned the wall of the Conlin Gym for years).
The Stone
Balfour offered two looks for the stone, cut and smooth. These illustrations present the ring in white gold, possibly a non-gold clad. As gold prices soared with the inflation of the 1970s, that clad alternative offered families a less-expensive way to continue the ring tradition.
Note that these concepts say “Brother Martin High” around the stone. “High” became “New Orleans,” as is visible in the side illustrations.
Under-stone shim
Many schools include a “shim” under the ring’s stone. The shim is visible from the inside of the ring. For example, Mount Carmel Academy includes a tiny scapular as a shim in their senior rings. Balfour proposed a number of shim concepts for the Crusader ring. None of them made the final cut.
Encrusting
Balfour suggested a “BrM” monogram encrusted on the red stone. That morphed into a simple, single, “M.”
While the majority of seniors choose the “M” encrusting on the stone, the school included a non-encrusted stone as an option. Of these two proposals, the simple “M” became the production choice. They simplified the font for the school name with, as mentioned earlier, “New Orleans” at the bottom.
The Brother Martin Senior Class Ring
Here’s the finished product. Congratulations fo the Crusaders of the Class of 2025, as they take continue to “make a life,” as Brother Hernandez was fond of saying.
by nolahistoryguy | Aug 2, 2024 | 1960s, Brother Martin High, Gentilly, NOLA Mayors, Victor H. Schiro
Victor Schiro Key to the City, a regular gift presented by the mayor.
Victor Schiro Key
Key to the City, administration of Mayor Victor Schiro. Vic presented this key to Brother Martin Hernandez, S. C., at some point during his tenure as mayor. The Brother Martin High School Archives houses this key. This key has a loop for display on a chain for a necklace, charm bracelet, or perhaps a watch fob. Schiro handed the recipient the key in the plastic box shown above. The box reads:
VICTOR H. SCHIRO
MAYOR
NEW ORLEANS, LA
The box twists open, revealing the key.
Unanimous Election
Victor H. Schiro sat on the New Orleans City Council as Councilman-at-Large in 1961. So, in July of that year, then-mayor Chep Morrison resigned his office. President Kennedy appointed Morrison Ambassador to the Organization of American States. The City Council filled the vacancy by electing Schiro. The States-Item and WDSU-TV editorial cartoonist (and NOLA Legend) John Churchill Chase did a cartoon that noted Vic was the only mayor of New Orleans to ever be elected unanimously.
Schiro ran for mayor and won on March 3, 1962 (It’s important to note that the Democratic primary and runoff took place the November before the general election). He won re-election in November of 1965, with his victory in the primary that year. Schiro served until May 2, 1970. So, Moon Landrieu succeeded him at that time.
Honoring Individuals
Walt Disney and Vic Schiro, July 24, 1966 (courtesly LSM)
The “key to the city” represents a high honor. The tradition is that the bearer could come and go at will throughout the city. The key enabled the bearer to enter the locked gates of a walled city. Mayors regularly awarded the key to visiting dignitaries. So, the Schiro key made it all the way to Los Angeles in 1966. Vic presented a key to Walt Disney upon the opening of “New Orleans Square” at the amusement park.
Brother Hernandez receives the key
While we’re not sure of the circumstances of the presentation of a Schiro key to Brother Martin Hernandez, it’s possible he received it in 1969. The combined school opened in August of that year. Brother Hernandez held the position of Provincial at the time.
by nolahistoryguy | Jun 13, 2024 | 1950s, 1960s, Brother Martin High, Cor Jesu, Gentilly, St. Aloysius
Cor Jesu’s detention was called Penance Hall.
Penance Hall on Elysian Fields
Another quick one from the archives. This is the Student Handbook for Cor Jesu High School, the predecessor school to Brother Martin High School on Elysian Fields. It’s a full rulebook, a breakdown of expectations the school had for students. Every school has one, including St. Aloysius and BMHS.
A quick flip through this handbook confirmed that it was indeed your basic set of rules. Then I came across Penance Hall:
Students who violate school regulations are usually assigned to Penance Hall, which begins at ten minutes after dismissal bell.
Section of the Cor Jesu Student Handbook on “Penance Hall”
Nothing says “Catholic School” quite like institutions like “Penance Hall.” Let’s face it, other schools have detention. “The Breakfast Club” is an entire movie set during a weekend detention session. But penance is so wonderfully Catholic.
I did find a St. Aloysius student handbook, but a quick glance of that booklet didn’t list a detention/penance hall setup. I’ll put it to you Crimson-and-White Crusaders. What did y’all call it?
Evolution to BMHS
The Cor Jesu Penance Hall continued into Brother Martin, but not by that name. It was simply “detention,” when I got there in the fall of 1971. Mr. Louis Levy was Vice Principal and Disciplinarian. Now, even though I never received official school detention, we usually held practice for the Debate team in the “old” hallway, the original Cor Jesu building. That’s also where Mr. Levy held detention. So, we learned the details of the process.
Mr. Levy came in the room (and mind you, I’m paraphrasing) and explained how the hour worked. “Gentlemen, you are going to learn to dance. You will dance by my numbers and by my steps…”
Naturally, detention period became known as “Mr. Levy’s Ninth Period Dance Class.”
I’m not sure what sort of busy work Dance Class attendees did during ninth period. I encourage any alums of Dance Class to share some details!
Archives Update
This booklet is typical of a lot of the things I’ve found in only two weeks of digging in the archival storage rooms. So far, it’s been a blast. I found this first copy in with a bunch of Cor Jesu football programs. Since that first copy, I’ve turned up two more. I took quick photos of the cover and Penance Hall with the phone. By tomorrow, we should have the workspace set up with laptop and scanner, to make full copies of these memories.
by nolahistoryguy | Mar 6, 2024 | 1960s, Carrollton, Metairie
Spring planting collided with Mardi Gras in 1962.
Planning your Spring planting
Several ads in the Times-Picayune enticing the reader to get started on the spring planting! Guillot’s off S. Carrollton, Perino’s off Causeway, and Arnber off Clearview. They’re all on the same page of the Times-Picayune on 3-March-1962.
Guillot Camellia Gardens
Guillot’s recognized Election Day in this ad. City elections took place this day. The big races were on the Democratic side, runoffs that, for all intents and purposed, determined who would hold office for the next four years. While Guillot’s encouraged everyone to vote, they still pitched getting the spring garden work going.
Guillot Camellia Gardens operated at 8301 Olive Street, just behind the old Cloverleaf/Sealtest Dairy on S. Carrollton and Olive. The dairy closed in the 1980s. The US Postal Service acquired the land. They preserved the front of the old dairy building, So, now the neighborhood post office stands there. Schmelly’s Dirt Garden occupies the location now. It’s a compost/garden soil vendor.
Arnber
In 1962, the corner of Veterans Highway (the change from “highway” to “boulevard” would come years later) and Lime Street was the Arnber Seed and Garden Center. As real estate in Broadmoor and Mid-City grew in value, businesses like nurserys and garden centers migrated out to the suburbs. The cheaper rents in Metairie improved profit margins. Arnber’s promoted azaleas, shade trees, fruit trees, and roses in their 3-March ad. The location, 4640 Veterans is now Leslie’s Pool Supplies.
Perino’s
Perino’s started up at S. Claiborne and S. Carrollton Avenues, across from the streetcar terminal. By 1962, the business had moved to to Metairie. It’s Still There More at 3100 Veterans, just off of Causeway. There wasn’t much around the corner in 1962. Lakeside Shopping Center was growing out and the House of Lee restaurant was directly across from Perino’s. Now, of course, they’re surrounded by all sorts of businesses.
by nolahistoryguy | Feb 21, 2024 | 1960s, Catholicism, Schools
Archbishop Rummel supervised Catholic School integration. (NOTE: originally posted in 2015)
Segregationist Catholics protest, at the Chancery of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, June 17, 1960. (T-P photo)
Catholic School Integration, 1960
Joseph Francis Rummel (1876-1964) was Archbishop of New Orleans from 1935 until his death on 8-November-1964. He shepherded the Church in New Orleans through the turbulent years of school integration and the Civil Rights Movement. Rummel integrated Notre Dame Seminary by allowing two black men to study for the priesthood there in 1948, and allowed the Josephite Fathers to open St. Augustine High School, dedicated to educating young black men, in 1951. He ordered desegregation in all Catholic churches in the archdiocese in 1953. In 1960, he tackled the issue of segregated parish elementary schools.
Rummel didn’t even have a firm plan on how to implement desegregation in 1960. Still, white Catholics were incensed at even the mention of integrating schools. He ignored these protests and moved forward, announcing a desegregation plan for the Fall of 1962.
White Catholics protesting the integration of St. Rose de Lima on September 4, 1962 (T-P photo)
The segregationists were out in force in September of 1962, at multiple schools. The folks at St. Rose de Lima weren’t as informed about what was going on with the Archdiocese. The sign in the background says “Go back North Big John”. That’s problematic for two reasons: First, Rummel’s first name was Joseph, and second, he was Bishop of Omaha prior to coming to New Orleans, and had been here for twenty-seven years at that time.
White Flight
While the policy of the Archdiocese clearly prohibits segregation, “white flight” to the suburbs ensured that most of the schools administered by the Archdiocese to this day are still segregated.
Because of his long tenure, Archbishop Rummel made a major impact on the city. Remind me to tell you the story about how the school that bears his name was almost run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart sometime. Seriously.
Archbishop Rummel is one of the Legendary Locals of New Orleans.
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