by nolahistoryguy | Aug 27, 2024 | 1960s, Brother Martin High, Cor Jesu, Gentilly, St. Aloysius, Treme
The St. Aloysius ring 1969 marked 100 years of educating young men in New Orleans.
St. Aloysius Ring 1969
St. Aloysius High School presented rings to their final class, 1969, in the fall of their senior year. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart announced the closure of the school the previous summer. The campus at Esplanade Avenue and N. Rampart Street would close after graduation in May, 1969. The institute combined the student bodies of St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu High School, forming Brother Martin High. The BMHS Class of 1970 received the first class rings of the combined school in the fall of 1969. With fond memories of the legacy schools, those underclassmen of 1969 carried on at the expanded campus on Elysian Fields.
The Legacy
1937 Senior Ring, courtesy Mr. Tommy Longmire
As we mentioned in our article on the 1936 ring, the original colors of St. Aloysius High School were purple and gold, and the mascot was the “Panthers” The Sacred Heart encrusting on the 1936 ring gave way to the Aloysius “A” the following year, for the class of 1937. The stone was still purple. When Brother Hernandez approved the name/color changes, the stone became red.
The Ring
The Class of 1969 ring followed the pattern for the school’s class rings since the change of mascot and colors in the 1930s. The school’s final class ring sported one major change. Instead of the text surrounding the stone saying “SAINT ALOYSIUS HIGH SCHOOL,” the 1969 ring replaced the bottom text with “100 YEARS” to mark a century of tradition in New Orleans.
The left side of the ring presents the bust of a Crusader. the knight wears chain mail armor, with a coronet of nobility on his head. He stands in front of two crossed swords. The class year appears above him.
The right side displays an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A scroll above the image says, “Amateur Cor Jesu.” The date, 1869, marks the year St. Aloysius opened, on Barracks and Chartres Streets in the French Quarter.
A word from your sponsor
We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on the senior rings. While NOLA History Guy is not affiliated with Brother Martin High School, I am a 1976 graduate of the school. My book, Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, traces the history of St. Aloysius, Cor Jesu, and Brother Martin from 1869 to 2010. Here’s the back-cover blurb:
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.
The book is available at all the usual suspects — the link here clicks through to Amazon. If you buy (or have already purchased) the book, feel free to contact me (edward@ebranley.com), and I’ll be happy to inscribe your copy.
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 | Jul 12, 2024 | 1970s, Brother Martin High, Gentilly, Lakefront, University of New Orleans
Brother Martin High played a role in the UNO Spring Commencement in 1977.
UNO Spring Commencement in the old gym
Photo from the University of New Orleans in 1977. Caption on the rear:
“Chancellor Homer L. Hitt, left, and Brother Donnan Berry, S.C., Principal of Brother Martin High School at the UNO Afternoon Spring Commencement program, May 20, 1977, with honor graduates Mrs. Sharon Ann Brown, second from left, who received her degree with magna cum laude honors; and Miss Janice A. Goodspeed, who graduated cum laude.”
Brother Martin High School had such a tight connection with the University of New Orleans in the 1970s. It’s no surprise that the university invited Brother Donnan to deliver a commencement address. UNO had only been “UNO” for three years at this time, having changed over from LSUNO in 1974.
Dr. Homer L. Hitt was the first Chancellor of the university. At the time, UNO was part of the Louisiana State University system of schools. The system had a President, and each individual university was administered by a Chancellor and their respective Vice-Chancellors. That changed when the university moved to the University of Louisiana system of schools, and the CEO assumed the title of President. The campus Alumni Center bears Chancellor Hitt’s name. Affectionally referred to as “The Smoke Stack,” the Alumni Center is the last remaining structure from the original NAS New Orleans that stood on the site during World War II. My dad’s first Electronics Shop for the College of Science was in a building just down from the incinerator building (the smokestack).
At this time, commencement ceremonies took place in the Health and Physical Education Center. The gym wasn’t large enough to accommodate a combined commencement, so there were two, morning and afternoon. The UNO Lakefront Arena resolved that issue in the 1980s. The “Old Gym” is still there more. UNO re-named the building the “Human Performance Center/The Athletic Center.”
Brother Donnan was the third principal of BMHS, after Brothers Mark Thornton and Brice Hendrick. He was succeeded by Brother Ivy Leblanc.
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.
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