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1954 Classmates Remember Menard School for Boys
Alexandria Daily Town Talk (LA) - Thursday, May 14, 2009
Author: David Dinsmore
By David Dinsmore
ddinsmore@thetowntalk.com
(318) 487-6343
Graduates from the 1950s remember a totally different school than the Holy Savior Menard Central High School of today.
First of all, it was known as Menard Memorial High School.
Secondly, there were no girls.
This Saturday, some of the members of the class of 1954 will get together for their 55th reunion of sorts, alumnus Jim Richard said.
The class held its first reunion in 20 years back in 2004, when they got together to commemorate 50 years.
"We get to talking and laughing ... and all of a sudden it seems like it was just yesterday," Richard said. "We decided to try this again and see what kind of response we'd get."
They will meet in the morning at the old campus location on Elliot Street between 19th and 20th streets, where Menard Memorial stayed until combining with Providence Central in 1966 to create the current Menard High School.
Named for the late Rev. L. Menard, the Catholic military school sprung from the St. Xavier Commercial College with the relocation of teachers from the Brothers of the Sacred Heart -- brought to Alexandria by Menard at the turn of the 20th century.
Combined with the lack of girls, Menard Memorial's military-type environment offered a different kind of education than the other high schools in the area, which at the time was comprised of Bolton High School, Peabody High School, Pineville High School and Providence Central for Girls, Richard said.
"Because it was all boys, (the teachers) could be a little more, I guess you could say, convincing," 1954 alumnus Donald Wilmore said. "They were definitely strict."
This discipline came with expectations that pushed the boys to try their best in all aspects of their education, from athletics to the classroom, Wilmore said.
"When you got an A, you definitely earned it," he said.
One of the benefits of the environment was the reduced number of distractions that come from interaction with coeds, Richard said.
"We didn't have to worry about girls, and I guess that was good and bad," Richard said. "We didn't have to worry about fighting or competing over them at school."
But Menard Memorial and Providence Central had a lot of interaction as the girls were cheerleaders at the athletic events, shared the stage at the school plays and had a ball at school social functions, Richard said. It's no wonder that many of the Menard guys dated Providence girls away from school.
The strict environment also made the camaraderie more challenging and even more fun, Wilmore said.
"We weren't angels, but we better not get caught," Wilmore said.
Some of the classmates were more conservative, but a few "strived to make the day interesting," Richard said.
"We had all the fun we could stand and all the trouble we could stand, too," he added.
For all the good and bad, Wilmore said, most of the graduates look back on their days at Menard Memorial with no regrets.
"It was one of the highlights of my life," he said.
Section: Features
Page: 01, 02D
Record Number: alx67344606
Copyright (c) Alexandria Daily Town Talk. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Alexandria Daily Town Talk (LA) - Thursday, May 14, 2009
Author: David Dinsmore
By David Dinsmore
ddinsmore@thetowntalk.com
(318) 487-6343
Graduates from the 1950s remember a totally different school than the Holy Savior Menard Central High School of today.
First of all, it was known as Menard Memorial High School.
Secondly, there were no girls.
This Saturday, some of the members of the class of 1954 will get together for their 55th reunion of sorts, alumnus Jim Richard said.
The class held its first reunion in 20 years back in 2004, when they got together to commemorate 50 years.
"We get to talking and laughing ... and all of a sudden it seems like it was just yesterday," Richard said. "We decided to try this again and see what kind of response we'd get."
They will meet in the morning at the old campus location on Elliot Street between 19th and 20th streets, where Menard Memorial stayed until combining with Providence Central in 1966 to create the current Menard High School.
Named for the late Rev. L. Menard, the Catholic military school sprung from the St. Xavier Commercial College with the relocation of teachers from the Brothers of the Sacred Heart -- brought to Alexandria by Menard at the turn of the 20th century.
Combined with the lack of girls, Menard Memorial's military-type environment offered a different kind of education than the other high schools in the area, which at the time was comprised of Bolton High School, Peabody High School, Pineville High School and Providence Central for Girls, Richard said.
"Because it was all boys, (the teachers) could be a little more, I guess you could say, convincing," 1954 alumnus Donald Wilmore said. "They were definitely strict."
This discipline came with expectations that pushed the boys to try their best in all aspects of their education, from athletics to the classroom, Wilmore said.
"When you got an A, you definitely earned it," he said.
One of the benefits of the environment was the reduced number of distractions that come from interaction with coeds, Richard said.
"We didn't have to worry about girls, and I guess that was good and bad," Richard said. "We didn't have to worry about fighting or competing over them at school."
But Menard Memorial and Providence Central had a lot of interaction as the girls were cheerleaders at the athletic events, shared the stage at the school plays and had a ball at school social functions, Richard said. It's no wonder that many of the Menard guys dated Providence girls away from school.
The strict environment also made the camaraderie more challenging and even more fun, Wilmore said.
"We weren't angels, but we better not get caught," Wilmore said.
Some of the classmates were more conservative, but a few "strived to make the day interesting," Richard said.
"We had all the fun we could stand and all the trouble we could stand, too," he added.
For all the good and bad, Wilmore said, most of the graduates look back on their days at Menard Memorial with no regrets.
"It was one of the highlights of my life," he said.
Section: Features
Page: 01, 02D
Record Number: alx67344606
Copyright (c) Alexandria Daily Town Talk. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.