Alumni Memories

Robin McDowell SVA 1971
"Spending the entire year studying the Renaissance, culminating with a 2-day Renaissance Faire. What a blast!"

Michael Kuper 1965
"Being priveleged as a senior to be allowed in the 'Senior Room,' pool room above the gym."

William Sutton 1967
"The fine faculty, especially Fr. Kammer, but they were all dedicated and caring."

Clayton Hathaway, Jr. 1944
"Being top team selected for collecting scrap metal and paper during the War of World II."

Webb Sentell ‘74
"This is an edited version for 50th Anniversary Come on Frank, hit it outta here! Coach Cicero was methodical to a fault. I found out as his lab-rat Igor my freshman year that he was systematic like a machine. To my knowledge he never ever actually nailed a student with the surprise eraser by your ear, but it was coming, sooner or later, it was predictable. I knew Eric Jones was in mortal danger just before the spin-POW and chalk smoke against the back wall of IPS. "Peckerwood" was a term for “hard- headed” or obstinate slow to learn the rules Flyers. I was first ineligible for baseball as the kid from Minden, but I had to be involved, so I went for baseball manager and lugged Mike Phillips bats all over the district. My secret was in taping his Mickey Mantle 35” bats back up and secretly using them for BP in my pasture in Minden, as they were way too heavy for me all four years. Coach would practically cry when Mike broke yet another, sometimes two a week. He would visibly wince when he had to buy Mike another Mick35. He also had a bad back and would try to pick up baseballs by psychokinesis. He saw me watching one day and said, “not yet.” He was trying to invent Cicero Spray-On-Butter in the back of the science lab back then. He was gonna get rich but it turned out bitter butter. Coach never bought new stuff. He had little funds back then. Our balls were famously ragged and the uniforms were let’s say “nostalgic”. So, the old baseballs were perennial and the suits were perennial and even the pre-season routines AND the signals never changed. When we got the new suits in ‘74, he called them the “Zoot Suits” and when we were tossing him in the pool in New Orleans, all he could manage to holler was “Champs” the New Uniforms, the New Uniforms! SPLASH, one wet Cicero! So, here’s my story. We had all heard these same ole baseball routines and signs every year. He never changed anything! If you were on second the verbal steal was “JAKE”! Sometimes he used that one, but never ever the famous suicide squeeze. It was 1) cup hands to mouth 2) say “Come on “first name” 3) HIT IT OUTTA HERE! (point with left hand to fence). This was basically the Nuclear Code. We had it tattooed to our foreheads on the inside. We had never heard it though he probably historically had taught Flyers this signal, as Cicero fans say, “from here to Hornbeck.” Frank Cicero Jr., coach’s oldest son, was our “poster boy for K-mart” in 1974. For non-baseballers this was our tease to say just try not to strike out. The last game of our high school career found Art Carmody somehow had magically reached third in the state final. When, suddenly, we hear the words no one ever had heard before since the dawn of time! “Come on Frank, HIT IT OUTTA HERE!” The whole bench collectively groaned “Oh #%*!” It was a BRILLIANT move by Coach, that worked. We had never used it before to any of our memories. Frank bunted like he was unconscious! I think he was! It seemed like Art was running at about 3 mph, it was slow motion to me. We only heard that esoteric signal one time. Frank didn’t strike out that time. That RBI was a miracle on so many levels! Frank Jr had saved the bacon for Frank Sr. Historic to say the least. Frank Jr went on to be All District and play for Northwestern in college. He later told me things I didn’t know. When I asked coach who was his best Flyer player, I was wrong in who I had guessed. He said it was “probably Marvin Jordan”. I only asked once. Some of those guys used to come around to see him and it was quite nostalgic. 

Robin McDowell SVA 1971
"Flunked Sr. Mary Grace's Latin II final...had to retake it to pass the class. I promised I'd never touch Latin again as long as I lived! Ironically, I find myself going back to Latin vocabulary in medical terminology on a routine basis now, and also looking to Latin grammatical structures (like aubjunctive mood) when I write!"

John Park, Jr 1949
"Coach's dog (Great Dane) jumped the fence and chased the assistant football coach."

Michael Kuper 1965
"Tumbling down the stairs while attempting to enter the 'Senior Room' as a junior."

William Sutton 1967
"Incurring Coach Brocato's wrath in gym class the day after a 6-0 loss to Fair Park."

Peter Nasser 1975
"Penance Hall- I guess I needed the attention!"

Robin McDowell SVA 1971
"For our Sophomore Social, we skipped the party and had a simple reception in the foyer. We donated the party budget to Holy Angels in honor of the Class of '69, the 100th graduating class. I remember the seniors being truly moved."

Michael Kuper 1965
"Beating Bossier City for the first time in football."

Michael Burda 1977
"Going to the national debate tournament in Seattle, WA representing Jesuit."

William Sutton 1967
"It was standard practice to pull pranks on substitute teachers. We would give false names, switch seats...we'd act like there was a pigeon in the room and get them chasing an imaginary bird."

Peter Nasser 1975
"Going to Herby K's for a shrimp-buster lunch after service project with a good friend-classmate who is now a physician here in Shreveport. We got caught....only once!"

Robin McDowell SVA 1971
"Sr. Bernadine still corrects my grammar on a routine basis, and I often hear Sr. Rita reminding me that math really is something I will use again in life. I've even caught myself telling my own students the same thing!"

Michael Burda 1977
"Gerald Johnson - brilliant, an inspiration."

Peter Nasser 1975
"Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Ely permitted and encouraged creative thinking as long as your results were accurate. I credit time in their classes with where I began thinking confidently for myself."

George Sylvie 1972
Click here to see a letter written to Mr. Gerald Johnson in 1991.