Spring 2003 - Fenwick High School

Down Memory Lane
28
SPRING 2003
with James Loverde ’64
“Thank you, Father Reynolds”
Like Father Reynolds, Miles Standish knew
the name of each one of his men – but not
on the very first day! Surely I was not the
only student impressed, as Father Reynolds
walked slowly up and down the aisles while
wielding his pointer like a centurion’s pine
staff. Had he merely memorized our names
after Matins, or had some fey power
enabled him to call on us without the
benefit of a seating chart
It was a golden Monday morning in
September, 1962, and the class was Junior
When “Makin’ Tracks” (annual 5K Run/
Walk and fundraiser for the track at
Concordia University jointly built and used
by Concordia, Fenwick, and Oak Park
River Forest) took place last October, a new
dimension was added. It was the “Rube
Marquardt Award,” given to the first
Fenwick participant to cross the finish line.
It honors Rube, who died in 2001, for his
excellence in running while a Fenwick
student. Brad Spencer devoted a column to
Rube’s accomplishments and gave us
permission to include an excerpt.
You see, from what I’m told, Rube was
the sort of man that sports legends are
made up of. He was an all-around
outstanding athlete, along with being a
profoundly amicable and compassionate
person…Rube was fast. He was so fast
that he was able to chase down good
fortune, whether or not he was seeking it.
Sometimes he would even lap it, on his
way to the finish line.
We look at the time period between 1936
and 1937 as probably the highlight of
Rube’s athletic career. As a running back
on the Fenwick football team, Rube
played in front of 80,000 spectators in
the highly coveted Prep Bowl at Soldier
Field…And then Rube played forward on
English. Father Reynolds was asking us
basic questions about language, art, and
literature. In the course of that year, he
would teach us composition and take us
from Caedmon and Cynewulf to Emily
Dickenson and Huckleberry Finn. And he
would continue to challenge us by his
example as well as by his teaching….”
To read more of James’ recollection of Rev.
George Reynolds, O.P., please visit the
website: fenwickfriars.com and go to the
alumni/ae page and “Down Memory Lane.”
Makin’ Tracks Takes Us Down Memory Lane
Brad Spencer, Sports Editor of the Wednesday Journal, on “Rube” Marquardt ’37
the basketball team and won the
National Catholic Championship in a
30-27 win over Joliet Catholic…Due to
Fenwick’s success on the basketball
court, Rube…and the rest of the
championship team were invited to the
White House.
That same year, Rube, now churning up
track dust, was the anchor on the fourman
800-yeard relay that set a record
with a time of 1:32.08.
(More than 60 years later)…at the
ceremonial opening of the new track…
(Dr. Gerald Lordan, Fenwick’s Director
of Institutional Advancement and one of
the organizers of the event) watched in
awe as Rube, in his early 80s, jogged
around the track with ease.
I asked him afterwards what his fondest
memory in sports was, thinking he’d
mention the Prep Bowl, the trip to the
White House, or the national
championship, and he replied, ‘running
track,’” says Lordan. “It was greatest
sports memory of his life.”
(You can find the entire column on the web
site: fenwickfriars.com, go to the alumni/ae
page and “Down Memory Lane.”
Rev. Richard LaPata, O.P., ’50
and Bob Dixon traveled
to Minnesota and Texas,
where they enjoyed visiting
with alums at events
hosted by Lou Frillman ’70
in Minneapolis and
Roy Terracina ’64
in San Antonio.
Another Makin’
Tracks Memory
Tom Cusack, Jr., ’43 visited with Dr.
Jerry Lordan, Director of Institutional
Advancement, who organized Fenwick
volunteers for the 2002 Makin’ Tracks 5K
Race. Tom’s family home at the corner of
East Avenue and Washington Boulevard
in Oak Park was purchased by the
Dominicans and became the Priory and
eventually the site of Fenwick High
School.