Utica Catholic Academy

[dave]

By 1976, separating students by sex seemed no longer important to the clergy. I could have told them it was a bad idea. In fact, I think I did. I believe this might have been the first time I felt the sting of getting kicked around in the religion of my fathers. No, come to think of it, that occurred a year or two before at Blessed Sacrament when the pastor turned the heat off. Or maybe it was when .... Oh, well. What does it matter?

Anyway, I have no knowledge of what went on at UCA after 1961. (Nor Notre Dame, for that matter.) My last memory of UCA comes from the spring of 1961 after the school moved to South Utica and a girl I was dating was elected the Valentine Queen. She deserved it. When she asked me to escort her to the dance, I was by default automatically made Valentine King, probably the least deserved honor of my entire life. I have never been Valentine material, except to one lady who married me.

So for me, UCA fades into history. If anyone would like to post their memories post 1960 (or anytime), please feel free to do so.

I'm done.


Click once or twice to enlarge.

[dave]

I forgot to run the conclusion to "Dragon Breath," so here is the story in its entirety.


Dragon Breath


We were in trouble so often that year that it is hard to remember which imbecilic prank got us suspended from school for 2 days, leaving us to roam around downtown Utica trying to avoid our parents. But I think it was the flash in the urinal trick that George and I immediately conjured up in our General Science class when we witnessed Sister Mary Anthony throw a pinch of pure magnesium … a small pinch … into a beaker of water. The most brilliant, beautiful flash of purple lit up the lab and George and I were immediately electrified with the promise of mayhem. I remember looking over to him. His eyes shone a bright and manic comprehension of the possibilities. All we needed to do was get some pure magnesium powder … just a pinch.

A fellow student named Burton was Sister Mary Anthony’s pet and the keeper of all the locked-up chemicals in the lab. I can’t really tell you how we bribed him into giving us a pinch of the powder because, even years later he would be so embarrassed by the subject of the blackmail that he would probably sue me for writing about his crime of nature.

Suffice it to say that we obtained a rather large pinch and were able to keep it in a stolen test tube overnight. The next day, just before lunch, by which time the boys’ bathroom urinals were always dry, we carefully poured the magnesium powder toward the rear inside of one of these ancient porcelain monuments that looked like upended bath tubs, built wide for boys with impaired aiming ability.

Hiding ourselves in one of the nearby pooper stalls, George and I waited and soon our random victim walked in to use the very urinal we had salted. We couldn’t have prayed for a better dupe.

Eddie was a year ahead of us in school and was an excitable kid, being Italian, and rather effeminate to boot. He was what today one might call a drama queen, and his reaction to any upset was always sure be over the top.

Eddie unzipped and whipped it out. A split second later the boys’ bathroom erupted with a clap of thunder, accompanied by a blinding purple flash. Eddie staggered backward, peeing up the wall and across the floor, he even managed to piss up his shirt and tie. He ran from the scene as if he had just been licked up the front by a fire-breathing dragon. Not pausing to put himself back in nor to zipper up, Eddie bolted out of the bathroom and down the hall about 30 feet before colliding with Sister Mary Anthony, who was approaching the area at high speed for obvious reasons.

“Put that thing back in your pants, Mister,” shouted the nun. I don’t think I have ever heard the word “thing” pronounced with such malevolence.

Laughing uproariously, George and I danced in the pooper stall as the nun came crashing through the bathroom door. Our stall door opened only inward and the two of us were having a problem getting out. As Sister’s feet pounded toward us, George pulled down his pants and sat down on the toilet. The stall door crashed open, knocking me backward onto a sitting George who said simply, “He did it, Sister.”


From "Real Writer," Copyright 2007, David Griffin
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[dave]

I figure if you're back here in the UCA thread, you're less likely to be offended by this. And if by chance you are offended, you're much to serious to be a Catholic. Hahahaha!

[Deleted]

Jun 7, 2012 16:49:08 GMT -5 dave said:

I attended UCA from the fall of 1957 until the spring of 1960 when the old building next to St. John's Church closed. I graduated from Notre Dame H.S. the following year along with other boys from UCA and St. Francis high schools. The girls in our classes went to the "new" UCA in South Utica.

I never knew the following. (From an AOH site.)

John C. Devereux - The Catholic

www.windsweptpress.com/images/jc devereux sm.jpg

[/img]

John C. Devereux was the pioneer in the movement to establish the first Roman Catholic Church West of Albany, and the fourth in New York State. Through his efforts, Father Michael O'Gorman came to Utica and on January 10, 1819 said mass in the old Court House and Academy on Chancellor Square. On January 25th, 1819 a meeting was held in the home of Devereux and "the first Catholic Church in the Western Districk of New York" was incorporated. Father Farnam became the first pastor and his residence was a small wooded house on the East side of the quare. John and Nicholas Devereux donated $1, 125 to start the church. Also, in 1830 John C. Devereux donated a piece of property on upper Steuben Street to St. John's Church to be the first Catholic Cemetery. In the year 1834, John C Devereux and his brother requested the Sisters of Charity to conduct a Catholic orphanage and day school in Utica. As a result, three Sisters were sent from the Mother House at Emmitsburg, Maryland. Tradition has it that they arrived, with their scant belongings, by canal boat on May 1st, 1834. The Sisters were lodged in Devereux's home on Broad Street until the first building could be completed for their use. Each of the Devereux brothers contributed $5000.00 and they opened the first orphanage in a small frame dwelling house in the center of the lot just South of St. John's Church on John Street. In December of that year, three children were received in the small story and a half house, which number soon increased to eight. John C. Devereux, a kindhearted man, a lover of children although he had none of his own, visited the orphanage daily. The institution was incorporated in 1848. A day school, the predecessor of Utica Catholic Academy, was opened a short time later in an adjourning building on Burnet Street 4.

(I do think a more colorful "nuns arriving" story is that of the group of nuns who journeyed up from New York City one snowy day in the 1880's to Rhinecliff Station on the Hudson River. Bound for Saugerties about a mile across the frozen river, where they were to begin teaching at the new parish school of St. Mary of the Snows, the women were told to their surprise that no boats plied the waters in winter (back then.) They were informed people crossed regularly by walking over the ice. Paying a young boy to be their guide, they began the tramp toward the church they could barely see .... until the building disappeared when they were half way across as it began to snow. The young lad seemed not to be intimidated by the weather, but the women were by then near hysteria. Shots began to ring out, but the boy said to not be afraid, it wasn't guns they were hearing, but only the ice cracking, a normal occurrence as the swift running Hudson burrowed under their road of ice. Happens all the time, he told them. Not to worry.
They made it across and took the boy to dinner with them before sending him back across the ice.)[/quote]

ANd St. John's will be celebrating its 200th anniversary next year. 

[Clipper]

I remember the UCA next to St. Johns, and I also remember when Notre Dame became the boys high school, and UCA became the girls high school and was on the hill in South Utica on Foery Drive. What is that building used for now?

[Deleted]

Not sure if it is even there anymore. I remember looking up the hill from my grandparents house on Meeker Ave in South Utica. I think that was UCA. I know it is not St. Joseph's Nursing Home since that was sold and is a rehab place called Utica Rehabilitation and Nursing. Rehab is far more economical than nursing home service. More bang for the buck. Don't know what will happen with old folk I guess euthanasia. At least it is fast and cheap.

I'll have to look next time I pass that way which may be soon since I have a craving for a bottle of Bardolino Wine and a meat-a- balla.

[Clipper]

Yeah, the building I am thinking of was a multi-storied building that sat on the hill behind the St Joseph nursing home. You accessed it off of Oneida Street. It would not surprise me if they have torn it down. It was an old building and probably loaded with asbestos among other things. My grandmother was in St Josephs when she broke her hip, and one of my dad's aunts was a resident there until she passed away. I think she was able to stay there as a benefit to her daughter who was a nun. (Sister of St. Joseph I think) She was the burser at the College of St Rose for many years until her retirement to the mother house when her health began to fail. She was in her late 70's or early 80's before she left St Rose.

Where do you go for your "meata balla" and your Bardolino wine? Cavallo's?

[Deleted]

I eat at home.

[clarencebunsen]

This one of Dave's classic threads and I'm posting it to bring it back to the top of the list. I only met Dave twice in real life. The second time was after they had moved to Myrtle Beach . Barb and I were vacationing there and met Dave and his wife for dinner. That was a delightful evening.

[Deleted]

Sept 3, 2012 15:19:32 GMT -5 dave said:

I figure if you're back here in the UCA thread, you're less likely to be offended by this. And if by chance you are offended, you're much to serious to be a Catholic. Hahahaha!

I never saw this, lol. Reminds me when I was in seminary some of us would remove the arms for the Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue and place them in the beds of certain other seminarians and priest lecturer's. LOL And Dave is right if you are offended you are not Catholic.

[kit]

Dave Griffin and his wife Carolyn lived in Murrells Inlet, SC since 2011. I spoke with him twice a week via ham radio up until about a week or so before he passed, along with a half dozen other hams from both upstate NY as well as a couple of snowbirds temporarily living in Florida. His FCC Call Sign was N2CHI. Dave had a positive attitude regarding his imminent passing and seemed to accept it in a very spiritual way.

In life, Dave was a 'fount of information' in many fields and freely shared it with anyone who was interested through the Windswept Press and here on Clipper's Busy Corner. His easy-going demeanor was very satisfying and calming to many of us, and his knowledge and memory were extraordinary. Dave was a wonderful guy. He has been missed greatly by many for the past 3+ years.

Thanks CB for brining this thread back to the top.

[Clipper]

Have you by any chance spoken to Carolyn since Dave passed away? I spoke to her shortly after Dave's death and have thought about calling her a few times. Just to inquire about how she is doing, and to share with her just how much Dave was appreciated and how much he is missed by us all. I still have two books he sent me. One is about fly fishing, and the other is a book of his essays titled "Story Teller" I just found it listed on Barne's and Noble's website but I am not sure if it is still able to be purchased or not. Do they normally continue to print and sell a book like Dave's? I wanted to post the link in case anyone wants to try and buy it.

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/storyteller-david-griffin/1112306098

Another story that I remember is "Out of Gas." He was such a prolific writer. He could make a short story out of just about anything on the spur of the moment. I never knew anyone previous to knowing Dave and have never met anyone else that could rival his multiple talents, or level of knowledge on so many subjects.

windsweptjournal.blogspot.com/2013/06/out-of-gas.html

Do you remember the photos of his old printing press that he had in the house they lived in before moving to Murrel's Inlet? I can't find them at the moment but they are probably archived along with his hundreds or thousands of posts on here if we go back far enough.

You may remember my commenting that I was taking a young lad fishing and had bought him a pole and reel. Well he has fallen in love with fishing and expressed an interest in learning to fly fish. I am not a great fly fisherman so I loaned him the book. He got a new flyrod for Christmas and is practicing his casting in his back yard in preparation for fishing in the spring. Just an example of how Dave's diversified writings, talents, and skills are still alive and well through his books. His legacy is amazing.

[clarencebunsen]

The link you posted is for an ebook so it can be available forever. To read it you need the Nook app which is available for free at the Apple store. So for $4.99 you can read it today on your Ipad.

[kit]

Clipper... my only link to Dave was either through here on the Corner or through ham radio. I don't believe Carolyn has an FCC license so since Dave's passing I am no longer in contact.

[Clipper]

No, she didn't have ham license. I remember her saying that she was selling all of his radio equipment. I just got off the telephone with her. She was very happy to have me call, and extremely happy that we still think of and talk about Dave often. She is still in Murrell's inlet and doing well. I don't know how old she is but she just retired last year. Dave has been gone for 4 yrs now and she says she still misses him every day, and that no one could ever be as interesting to have a conversation with across the kitchen table. He was a very unique and versatile person to say the least.

She said to say hi to everyone. Especially you Kit, and Fiona. She was thrilled to know that Dave lives on through is stories and posts here on Clipper's Corner.

Kathy has a cousin in Myrtle Beach so we will be going over to visit her and her husband at some point if this pandemic crap ever slackens up. Carolyn says that the infection rate there is 34% of everyone testing. She told me to call her if we come to town and we could have coffee or go out to dinner with her. I hadn't talked to her since a couple of months after Dave died. She is a very nice lady and very friendly. I guess being married to Dave I should expect nothing less.

Just a note. The photo that I use for a profile picture was taken by Dave in 2008 or 2009 when they were passing through Bristol and I met them at Perkins for breakfast. Damn. I wish I could say I still look like that, haha.


The old springer spaniel, Murphy, that used to lie at Dave's feet whenever he sat in his chair is still alive and kicking. And Carolyn is in good health other than a very bad back. We talked for almost 1/2 hour.