Alumni Memories - Old and New

In honor of Judge Memorial’s centennial, we asked three different alumni the same set of questions - one of the eldest St. Mary of the Wasatch alumnae, Katherine Murray Schubach from the class of 1938; one of Judge Memorial’s eldest alumni, Ray Kelly from the class of 1945; and our youngest Judge alumnus Olivia Vandersteen from the class of 2021. Their memories and experiences may be different but they are all proud to be part of the Judge community!

Catherine Murphy Schubach St. Mary of the Wasatch Class of 1938

Catherine turned 100 years old on December 12, 2020, and attended St. Mary of the Wasatch from 5th through 12th grade. She was interviewed by her granddaughter Dominique McCarthey Aragon ‘97.

How or why did you decide to attend St. Mary of the Wasatch? My family moved from Wyoming to Salt Lake City when I was eight years old and we settled in the Harvard/Yale area. I grew up Catholic, so the most logical decision for the family was to attend Judge and St. Mary’s.

Who were some of your favorite teachers that you remember? y Sister Donald - 7th, 8th and 10th grade geometry y Sister Rose Estelle – high school english y Sister Theresa – high school drama class

What was your hardest class? Algebra! (No hesitation at all)

Did you participate any extracurricular activities? Unfortunately, girls did not get to participate in many sports outside of gym class, so I mostly remember going to my brothers’ basketball games at Lourdes or Judge. I did take drama at St. Mary’s so all those that participated in drama class got to do the once a year school play. But I do not remember any of the actual plays I did. I also sang in the choir because most girls did that at Mass anyway.

What school event did you enjoy the most? I remember we had a dance once a year for junior and senior girls where we got to ask the boys. Most of the boys were from Judge since I had a brother there and that’s who everyone hung around with. The gym was decorated and there was a band, which was nice.

I also remember what a lovely experience it was to crown the Virgin Mary. The whole high school would process out to the front of the school to the Grotto where the large statue of Mary stood. We would all wear veils, sing songs, and someone special was chosen to crown Mary. Parents were allowed to attend.

What was the silliest thing you did to deserve a detention? Or what is the most trouble you got into at school? I was never in trouble at school. I would have to say that were a couple of times that we got shushed by the Sisters because we were talking or giggling during study hall, but that was it. There was not any detention during the time I was school because it was not needed.

What did you do after graduation? I attended the University of Utah for one year where I was part of a sorority. Much later I became a flight attendant.

Did St. Mary of the Wasatch prepare you for your career and how? Yes and no – at the time women were not expected to go to college and many women ended getting married and having families quickly after high school. However, I felt St. Mary’s prepared me for having a family, but also when I attended college I was able to understand many of my classes and could have conversations about the world with many of my peers.

What advice do you have for young alumni and/or students? I think it is so important to study and work hard in high school, but do not forget to have fun with your friends as well.

Ray Kelly Judge Memorial Class of 1945

Ray attended Kearns-Saint Ann Catholic School from kindergarten through 8th grade before coming to Judge Memorial. He was interviewed by his daughter Lisa Kelly Bouillon ‘82.

How or why did you decide to attend Judge Memorial? My parents were Catholic and my mother wanted me to go to a private Catholic school. Judge Memorial was more advanced on the scholastic side versus the public schools in Salt Lake. Judge was also an all-boys school until my senior year. I think I had 22-25 in my graduating class of 1945. My mother also liked the idea of a uniform which consisted of a sports jacket and tie. I believe tuition was around $100 per year which was expensive back then. My mother also liked the idea that religion was a big part of the school.

I am also honored that the Kelly tradition has been around for several years and I am very proud to say my all my children and some of their children have also attended Judge Memorial.

Who were some of your favorite teachers that you remember? All the teachers were nuns or priests. I don’t recall many names since it was too long ago. But I believe Sr. Mary Ann taught English and Sr. Theophane taught Latin and Typing. Did you participate in any extracurricular activities? Yes, I played a few sports: baseball and football. For baseball, I was a pitcher and played in center field. I remember the following players: Earl May, Bill Schulte, Curtis Haire, and Ed Hill.

I also played football as a quarterback and a cornerback. We had a pretty good football team. Our uniforms were old uniforms from St. Mary’s College, as we couldn’t afford new ones. I remember when we were playing one game and at half time we were up 35-0. When we went into the locker room, Coach Powers chewed us out. That memory is still very clear in my mind.

Our football team was undefeated in 1945 until the last game of the season when we went up against Park City and lost. Back then, we used to drop kick for the extra point! We didn’t have a football field so we played our games at a municipal park, which was located at 700 East and 1300 South.

What school event did you enjoy the most? I didn’t go to any events since I was busy with schoolwork and playing football and baseball. I enjoyed the relationships I made with several classmates such as: Dick Cramer, Bill O’Reilly, Earl May, Bill Schulte, Curtis Haire, Ed Hill, and Joe Cronin who ended up being my best friend not only throughout school but up until his passing.

What was the silliest thing you did to deserve a detention? Or what is the most trouble you got into at school? I’m not sure this is the silliest thing I did for detention, but probably the most trouble I got into. I had a little squabble with Sr. Theophane in Typing class. I held a typewriter out the window and told her I was going to drop it. Typing class was on the second floor so you can imagine what would happen to the typewriter if I had dropped it. My detention was to clean the convent every Saturday morning for the year.

We would also shoot dice upstairs during our free period in the one of the towers which was the library back then. Other detentions included going to the basement of the school and meeting up with the priest for a boxing match. We all knew who would win!

What did you do after graduation? After graduation, I enlisted into the Navy.

Did Judge prepare you for your career and how? The school taught me dedication and hard work. At the age of 93, I am still working approximately 1315 hours per week.

If you had to ask our youngest alumnus a question, what would it be? What do you hope to accomplish in high school and what do you hope to take forward in your career and your personal life? What advice do you have for young alumni and/or students? My advice to alumni and/or students would be to keep the tradition of Judge Memorial alive. It’s the “WE” tradition that lives on not only in the classroom but on the playing fields. Remember, what you put into school is what you will get out of it.

I have attended football and basketball games for 40+ years and I hope at the age of 93 to continue in the years ahead. Once a Bulldog

Always a Bulldog!

Olivia Vandersteen Judge Memorial Class of 2021

How or why did you decide to attend Judge Memorial? I decided to attend a Judge Memorial since my older brother went there. My family also wanted to leave our very LDS driven neighborhood, and the best way we could do that was by going to a Catholic school.

Who were some of your favorite teachers? My favorite teachers would have to be all of the ones that took over the music program each year. When I was in choir, I had three different teachers in three years, and really liked each one of them. They took on so much, and still enjoyed what they were doing.

What was your hardest class? My hardest class had to be Honors Biology. Everyone who took that class, or is currently in it, will know exactly what I mean.

Did you participate in any extracurricular activities? I participated in swimming, lacrosse, choir, and the football program as a watergirl/team manager. What school event did you enjoy the most? I really enjoyed going to football games as a watergirl. I liked being down on the field with all the players and other watergirls. I feel like I connected with those people, and I still think back to some of those games and how much fun they were.

What was the silliest thing you did to deserve a detention? Or what is the most trouble you got into at school? There is a uniform policy where we can’t wear denim on “dress up” days, and so as a rebellious sophomore, I wore a denim jacket one day , and received a detention for it. Although, I do know some people that received detention for not wearing socks. I always thought that was strange.

What do you plan on doing after graduation? I am going to Oregon State, and will be studying Marine Biology. I love ocean animals and hope that I can work up close with them on a daily basis. Do you think that Judge has prepared you for life after graduation? I’d say that I feel slightly prepared, but it’s still hard to tell since I haven’t quite experienced life outside of Judge yet. I feel like my life after high school starts once I’m a freshman in college, and that won’t be until September.

If you had to ask our oldest alumni a question what would it be? A question that I have for the oldest alumni is, did high school really prepare you for life? Meaning life after college, and anything after that. How did Judge really shape you into the person that you are today? (if it did.)

What advice do you have for students? My main advice for students is to stop procrastinating. I know it seems like that’s what everyone is saying, but I’ve learned this through experience. The more you procrastinate, the more work builds up, and your grades will very quickly drop. I would also say to enjoy your high school years. Reach out to people you’ve never talked to before, and just have fun.

Olivia was a co-captain of the Girls Swimming Team.