Catholic High is central to them

Catherine Allain had fond memories of visiting her grandmother as a child.

"My grandmother still lives three doors down from" Catholic Central High School in Troy, she said. "When I was growing up, I'd go to her house, and I couldn't wait to go to Catholic High."

But it was more than just seeing the school that made her want to go to it; it was also hearing the fond stories told by her mother and grandmother, both graduates of the institution.

Long ties

Mrs. Allain's family history is closely tied to that of the school, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. She graduated from there in 1972. Her mother, Catherine Hulihan, graduated in 1949; her grandmother, Anne Grahm Hulihan, graduated in 1928. Two of Mrs. Allain's children are also graduates of the school: Jeannette, '94, and Aimee, '97. Her son Christopher is now a junior there.

Mrs. Allain's memories of her high school include her principal, Rev. Edward Fitzpatrick, and meeting her best friend, as well as some of the long-standing traditions of the school: the May crowning, ring ceremony, and "the elegant and spiritual way they handle graduation."

Her mother remembers her principal, Msgr. T. Gerald Mulqueen, whom she described as "a task master," as well as the Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of St. Joseph who staffed the school.

"I remember basketball and football games, proms, parties," she said. "I traveled with a crowd from Lansingburgh. We all had went to St. Augustine's" for grade school.

Memories of Troy

Ms. Hulihan, former Alumni Office secretary at the school, clearly remembers her 1949 graduation day.

"It was a hot June day," she said. "I was the last one in our class to get the diploma because I was the shortest. Then we went out to dinner at the Crooked Lake Hotel, and that night was the prom."

Ms. Hulihan said her bed-ridden mother still talks about her days at Catholic High. "She always talks about it. Right up to this day, she tells her stories," Ms. Hulihan said. "My mother was a winner. She was in the middle of everything. She was late every day for four years."

Early days

Both Ms. Hulihan and her mother attended the school when it was located in the old Troy Hospital at 8th and Fulton Street. Getting to school could be a challenge.

According to the school's history: "There were no school buses as we know them today. If you had to ride a bus, you had to use the Traction Company Bus. School tokens cost $.05. The bus left you in downtown Troy. Ascending the steep Fulton Street hill was your problem. In winter the sidewalks, covered with ice, were practically impassable. Boys would form a chain from 7th Avenue to 8th Street and pass the girls up the hill hand-over-hand until they reached the safety of the steps."

Ms. Hulihan clearly remembers the struggle of getting up the hill in the winter, but said coming down was a piece of cake: "We slid down on our book bags."

Big move

Four years after Ms. Hulihan graduated, she and the rest of the Catholic High community learned that the school would move to its present location at 116th Street and 7th Avenue. Renovations were made to the old Cluett Peabody Lab, which was located three doors down from the Hulihan family.

While many graduates were heartbroken over the move, Ms. Hulihan had other feelings. "I spent four years going up and down the hill -- and then they moved it after I graduated," she said with a laugh.

Ms. Hulihan was grateful that the Catholic High tradition could be carried on through her daughter and grandchildren. "I was thrilled she was there," said Ms. Hulihan of her daughter. "I was so thankful to God she was there. I was newly divorced with seven children. I could only afford to send my oldest."

Next generation

She is consoled by the fact that, her grandchildren have been able to carry on the family tradition, noting: "This year I have three" grandchildren enrolled in the school.

Of her granddaughter Jeannette's 1994 graduation, she said, "It was wonderful. It was a thrill to know Jenny was the first of the fourth generation."

While there were many similarities to Ms. Hulihan's and her mother's days at Catholic High, life there was changing by the time Mrs. Allain was enrolled. It was more than the new location or modular scheduling. "I remember we had a place outside the gym where you could smoke," Mrs. Allain said. "That was a liberal move."

Changing world

"There was a lot of social unrest with Vietnam," she continued. "As a freshman, I remember them announcing a Catholic High graduate had been killed in the war. I think when my mother and grandmother were there, there was more patriotism in the country."

While the world was changing, so was the Catholic Church. When Ms. Hulihan and her mother were in school, the faculty was made up of priests and sisters. During Mrs. Allain's time, lay teachers were introduced. The religious who were at the school also made some changes.

"Habits changed while I was there," Mrs. Allain remembered. "They stopped wearing veils and took their baptismal names. These were big changes."

There are only a few differences between Mrs. Allain's Catholic High experience and her children's. "I wore a plaid, woolen skirt and a gray blazer. I loved the pocket on the blazer," she said. As for her children's uniforms, she's happy "they're machine washable."

Close to school

While the times have changed and the school building has moved, the love this family has for Catholic High remains strong. Looking out her window at night, the school is one of the last things Ms. Hulihan sees at the end of the day.

"Every night, it's all lit up. I can see it from my bedroom," she said.

"I feel my life is still connected to Catholic High," reflected Mrs. Allain. Of her daughter's graduation, she said, "It's really quite an honor. My husband is a graduate as well. It's an honor to carry on the tradition."

'A home of its own'

Current students of Troy's Catholic Central High School are sure to have vivid memories of the 1997-'98 school year. It will be remembered as the year the first day of school was delayed and the year they got a "new" building.

In June, work began on the $2.5 million renovation project dubbed "Miracle on 116th Street." The work included gutting the inside of the 50-year-old building and completely rebuilding the inside. Even though construction crews worked three shifts, seven days a week, the school's opening was delayed by three days to allow for electrical work to be completed.

When school begins on Sept. 8, students will be greeted by new classrooms; an art room and science lab; improved heating, electrical, plumbing, ventilation and air conditioning systems; a new chapel; wiring for all offices and classrooms to be linked to the internet; and handicapped accessibility, including an elevator.

The project is Phase II of the school's Capital Campaign. The first phase raised $1.5 million and renovated the gymnasium and athletic facilities.

"When they gutted the building, all that was left was a shell," said Sister Carolyn Schanz, president of the school. "Now we're a class act. We're right up there."

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard call the renovations "a marvelous transformation of Catholic Central High School."

The institution has never occupied a building that was built as a school. The new renovations have allowed the school to occupy space that was created for education, leading Bishop Hubbard to say: "Catholic Central High School at last has a home of its own."

(Anyone interested in contributing to the building project can send contributions to Catholic Central High School, 635 7th Ave., Troy, NY 12182-2595. Anyone interested in touring the new facility should call 235-7100.)(MM)

(09-04-97) [[In-content Ad]]