Spring 2003 - Fenwick High School

Down Memory Lane
W I T H D A N O ’ B R I E N
Having 73 years of history with
Fenwick put Dan O’Brien in a
unique position to reflect on the
school’s past. Several years ago, he
collected his memories into a book,
“Fenwick Over the Years,” and included
some of his favorite photos. As Dan
spoke about his memories, his words
were recorded and with the help of Dr.
Jerry Lordan, put into writing. Here are
several excerpts:
About the conduct of students:
“The conduct of the school, discipline
wise, was very stringent. For example, if
you had a class on one side of the
corridor and your next class was on the
other side, you were not permitted to
simply cross the corridor to that class.
You had to go down to the middle of
the corridor, where a monitor stood, and
you had to walk around him and then
down to the side of the corridor where
your class was convening.”
Football in the early days:
“When football started in August 1929,
the building was anything but complete.
The basics were there. They had some
We know what they’re doing…
classrooms but there were no shower
rooms or those other fine facilities that
are so necessary for athletic teams. As
Tony (Lawless) would always say,
“Practice must go on.” He started
football at that point in time, and the
shower, if you will please believe it, was
the drinking fountain right outside the
entrance to the gym on the first floor.
They would just line up there and sprinkle
themselves with that water and then
dry themselves. That was their shower.”
“During World War II, transportation
was scarce and gasoline was at a
premium. The football team of which I
was the head coach at the time could
only provide transportation for the
freshman football team out to the
priory in River Forest for practice, but we
all had to run back to Fenwick after each
practice. That was a two-and-a-half mile
jaunt after practice... We would always
run the same route back to Fenwick and
people in that vicinity would anticipate
us, time-wise and would stand out on
their porches or on the sidewalk and
clap as we progressed toward Fenwick.”
“Take two aspirin and
see me in the morning.” Dan O’Brien
Honoring the Cardinal
“In the fall of 1996, Cardinal Bernadin
died of cancer…His funeral cortege was
scheduled to go past the school in the
early afternoon. Our principal, Jim
Quaid, made plans to dismiss the
students early so they could view the
procession…There were logistics delays
and the hearse did not leave the
Cathedral until much later in the day,
close to dusk. The faculty assumed that
after such a long wait on a chilly, cloudy
afternoon, most of the students would
have left their posts on Madison Street
and gone home…(but) of their own
choosing, which I think is commendable,
hundreds of them lined the sidewalk to
watch the Cardinal’s procession. It was
very edifying and a great tribute to the
character of the Fenwick students.”
If you would like your own copy of
“Fenwick Through the Years,”
please send $25 (checks payable to
“Fenwick High School”) to
Alumni & Development Office,
Fenwick High School,
505 Washington Blvd.,
Oak Park, IL 60302-4095.
26
SPRING 2003
Ensure Fenwick’s
Bright Future
Give to the
Endowment Fund
Dan O’Brien and Fr. Dooley are up there planning
how to make the Fenwick section of Heaven better!