Featured Alumnae
Jean O’Keefe Curran ’45 serves as Deputy Grand Marshall in St. Patrick’s Day Parade Jean and her best friend Marge Ruhl Wewerka ’45 reflect on their IND education Regina “Jean” O’Keefe Curran ’45 served as the Deputy Grand Marshall in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Jean was honored for her work with St. John’s Tenth Ward club, which raises funds for St. Elizabeth School for special needs children. She has marched in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade for more than 30 years, so she is a fixture for the crowd that lines Charles Street every year.
Jean (second from right) and Marge (far right) enjoy oranges with their basketball teammates at halftime.
Jean talks about when her brother enlisted after Pearl Harbor, “In the eighth grade…I had perfect attendance. And the day my brother was going into the service, I had exams. I was so upset when I said goodbye because I thought I was never going to see him again. Then I went to school and took my exam, and they let me go home and they still counted me as perfect attendance.” Regina “Jean” O’Keefe Curran ’45 served as Deputy Grand Marshall of the 2008 St. Patrick’s Day Parade because of her work with St. John’s Tenth Ward club serving the special needs children at St. Elizabeth.
points out that the communication with troops was not like
Jean came to IND to chat about her St. Patrick’s Day
anything like you do now,” says Jean. ”You had to wait for a
honor with her best friend, Margaret “Marge” Ruhl
letter or weeks and weeks or until someone pulled up in front
Wewerka ’45. “When I was in first grade is when I met
of your door.” Because of the war, everything was rationed.
Marge, and Marge became my best friend for the rest of my
If a family wanted to bake a cake for someone, the family
life,” says Jean. Jean and Marge were active at IND as
had to ask neighbors for their share of the ingredients needed.
members of the student council and the basketball and
Life was surely different for the Class of 1945, but the
bowling teams. Marge played badminton, and Jean was the
value of an IND education remains the same. Marge advises
editor of the yearbook.
the students of today, “Don’t take this school as an obligation
Although Jean’s loved ones returned home safely, she it was today. “They were gone for three years. We didn’t hear
During Jean and Marge’s time, the existence of a bowling
to complete your education. It is a privilege to be here.” Jean
team was not the only thing different than today. When
and Marge are the best of friends and have been through it
students rode the streetcar, they would not sit down to
all together, from marriage and children, from vacations to
avoid wrinkling the pleats in their skirts. When they played
holidays. These IND “first-graders” are there for each other,
basketball, they did not dribble past half court. When they
even if it’s cheering for the other from the chilly sidewalks of
had birthdays, they would buy a pair of socks for the birthday
Charles Street during Baltimore’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
girl for $0.25.
Best friends for life.
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the onyx | winter 2009