CElEbRAtiNG LEGAciES - St. Pius X Catholic High School

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From the Alumni Director... The search engine Google has been an Internet hit since its debut. Today millions of people around the world use the search engine for school, work and pleasure. The company’s overview states “founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin named the search engine they built “Google,” a play on the word “googol,” the mathematical term for a one followed by 100 zeros. The name reflects the immense volume of information that exists and the scope of Google’s mission: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” When I think about Google, I wonder if Mr. Page and Mr. Brin imagined how successful they would be in fulfilling their mission. What legacy will their organization leave on the industry that is the Internet and the world, for that matter? Even my 8-year-old nephew, Jon, knows that if you need to find out information, “just Google it. You can find anything.” Similarly, when I think about St. Pius X, I wonder if our school’s founding fathers realized what their hard work would accomplish. Back in 1958, when Bishop Hyland, Monsignor Maloney and Father Harrison began to craft a vision for St. Pius X, what was their guiding mission? What kind of legacy did they want to leave to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta? Fr. Harrison, the school’s first principle, was quoted in a 1962 newspaper article as saying, “It looked like God smiled on our endeavors from the very first. We have been successful in both our athletic and academic accomplishments. The very first year playing a ’B’ team schedule we were highly successful. Each year has seen an increase in National Merit Scholarship Finalists. The first year we had one, the second year two, the third three and this year six. Two of the three last year won full scholarships to the college of their choice.” Father Harrison also expressed that the teenager of his day was better prepared, more mature and had more opportunities than those of the previous generation. He stated “They are reading now what we read in college.” Father Harrison expressed his concern that the teenagers “are missing much. Possibly it’s the fault of our entire society which is forcing them to grow up sooner. Girls begin to think of marriage as soon as they enter high school.” What was the school’s biggest problem in the 60’s? As Fr. Harrison stated, “our biggest problem both for sports and the school as a whole is transportation. It is very expensive and time consuming to get to the school. I’ll be glad when the Baptist College opens near us and then maybe there will be public bus service.” Sr. Carol Patron, a member of the Class of 1959, recently shared with me that getting to school was a very real issue for the students. With large Catholic populations located at St. Anthony’s in the West End and downtown near Immaculate Conception, many students had to get creative with transportation. Sr. Carol remembers picking up seven other students on her way to St. Pius X. The school’s location, just off the Northeast expressway near the Shallowford Road turn off, was a source of great concern for many parents in the archdiocese. The parents played a critical role in the livelihood of the early St. Pius X community. Father Harrison stated, “Our Home and School Association has been a terrific asset. Parents can help a lot and do. It takes a cooperative effort to run a school. One person couldn’t think of all that needs doing.” The article states that William Waidelich was president of their active association. Like many past and present “Pi-Hi” parents, Mr. Waidelich’s sacrifice of time, treasure and talent to St. Pius X left a lasting legacy. A legacy not just of bricks and mortar, but of graduates: son Bill ’62, daughter in law Elaine DiCristina Waidelich ’63 and grandsons Trey ’91, David ’94 and Brian ’97. When I think of my own parents and the sacrifices they made to send me and my four siblings through St. Pius X, I say a prayer of thanks. While attending “Pi-Hi” I didn’t appreciate having to ride the MARTA bus at 5 a.m., being the only cheerleader not allowed to go “roll” the football players houses or having very limited TV time at home. I’m sure we can each recall those times when we didn’t necessarily understand or appreciate the decisions our parents made for us. I now know that it was a privilege to attend St. Pius X, and I fondly remember that the good times definitely outweighed the bad. The conclusion of Google’s company overview is subtitled “The road ahead.” It states “A lot has changed since the first Google search engine appeared. We have grown and expanded our offerings from a single service to dozens, often in as many languages. We now have thousands of employees and offices around the world. But some things haven’t changed: our dedication to our users and our belief in the possibilities of the Internet itself.” I think the legacy of St. Pius X Catholic High School is similar. A lot has changed since 1958. We have grown from that first graduating class of 73 to over 10,000 graduates. The school offers over 100 activities and clubs for students to join. In the tradition of our beloved Coach Maloof, the first staff member of the school, the faculty is a synchronized team of educators and coaches. They are truly dedicated to helping our students do the best they can with the abilities God gave them. The diversity in our student population combined with our goal to develop the whole child makes St. Pius the top choice for many prospective parents. Our alumni are scholars, servicemen and women, community activists, business leaders, priest and religious. Some things haven’t changed: our dedication to our students and our belief in our motto: Domini Sumus, We are the Lord’s. Many blessings, Friday Night Under the Lights: Front Row: David Kempton ’65 (Parent of Alumni); Second Row: Vicky Dorsey ’81, Tony Lentini ’83 and Mark Haddad ’77 (Parent of Alumni); Third Row: Rob Buechner ’81 (Current Parent), Keith Carter ’81, Stephanie Hatheway Froug ’82 (Current Parent), Mary Pat Conboy Wilson’83, Mike Dallas ’82, Parker Wilson ’82, Michael Shikany ’66 (Parent of Alumni) and Nathan Schaffner ’06. Vicky Dorsey ’81, Director of Alumni 2
From the Alumni Association President... Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls), Hank Aaron (Atlanta Braves), and Vince Dooley (University of Georgia). When you hear these names, you immediately think of the impact they have had on their respective sports. When I heard that Coach George Maloof passed away, I knew that he should be listed right up there with the other legends for his impact, love and leadership at St. Pius X. In mourning the death of our beloved coach, hundreds of alumni came back to St. Pius X to pay their respects. It was a fitting tribute to a man who gave his time and talent to uplift others. As I reflect on Coach Maloof’s amazing legacy, I can’t help but think of my own family’s long history with the St. Pius X community. My family’s first connection to St. Pius X came in 1962, when my grandmother Maria del Amparo York began teaching Spanish at the school. She dedicated her life to education as she was a teacher and principal for more than 40 years in Cuba and the United States. As the Cuban-American community in Atlanta continued to grow, so did my family and its relationship with St. Pius X. Our first family member to attend St. Pius X was my cousin, Jose Pagoaga ’80. He played football under Coach Maloof and married Karen Kerner Pagoaga ’82. Jose has remained involved with St. Pius X, having served as President of the St. Pius X Alumni Board, and he and Karen have passed on their love of their Alma Mater to their children. As a student, Devon ’09 was a member of the National Honor Society and was involved in the dance program. Michael ’10 is a member of the football team, and Melissa has played soccer on the St. Pius X middle school team. My family contains a second St. Pius X romance as my cousin, Carlos Pagoaga ’84 married Maria McHugh Pagoaga ’84. Carlos and Maria are the proud parents of Zack, Caroline and Will. Carlos is currently the Community Partnerships Director at The Coca-Cola Company. Carlos and Jose’s sister, Ana Pagoaga Crowe ’86 cheered at St. Pius X, and she now resides in Orlando with her husband, Danny, and their very active boys: Colin, Declan and Hunter. My brother, Raul Trujillo Jr. ’87 was on the SPX wrestling and track teams. He is currently the Advertising Director at MundoHispánico (Atlanta’s oldest Spanish language newspaper). Raul and his wife Mary Lynn have a beautiful daughter, Adria. Mercita Ponce de León Fernández ’88 remembers St. Pius X as a place where a young person could safely learn, grow and develop one’s faith, mind, athletic and artistic abilities in a positive atmosphere. Mercita, a Spanish teacher at Notre Dame Academy, and her husband Frank are parents to Marisol and Sabrina Rose. Adolfo Ponce de León ’89 played baseball at Pius and helped the Audio/Visual crew for Pius Players and the basketball team. Adolfo is currently an Electrical Engineer for the Georgia Transmission Corporation. Mercita and Adolfo’s brother, Gabriel Ponce de León ’91 summed up why he enjoyed St. Pius X by stating, “the strong Catholic faith, teachers and coaches that challenged us in a loving way, an extension of family and the foundation for life-long friendships.” Gabriel, an Epidemiologist at the CDC, is engaged to Molly Millsap. My sister, Karen Marie Trujillo ’95 was a member of the National Honor Society and an amazing dancer at Pius. She works as a Senior Environmental Scientist at URS Corp. and is active in the Atlanta Catholic Sports league (along with Raul, Gabriel and myself). She is currently in the planning stages for her 15-year St. Pius X reunion. I graduated in 2001, was a member of the National Honor Society and ran track at Pius. I am a Communications Specialist for Catholic Charities and for the past four and a half years, I have had the utmost honor to serve on the St. Pius X Alumni Board. It has been a true joy to volunteer my time. In total, my family has 13 Pius alumni and one former Pius teacher. Just like my family, there are many examples of Pius legacies that value a Catholic education. The importance of this education is manifested in the many successes and contributions of its alumni. Let the tradition continue for generations to come! Augusto Michael Trujillo ’01, Alumni Board President 3
Page 1: S T . P I U S X C A T H O L I C H I
Page 5 and 6: George B. Maloof, legendary footbal
Page 7 and 8: “Schools are more than hall ways;
Page 9 and 10: program,” Samantha explains. The
Page 11 and 12: Alumni Association Events Summer Al
Page 13 and 14: 2nd Annual Career Forum A Success!
Page 15 and 16: The inaugural running of The Finish
Page 17 and 18: A Letter from Principal Spellman De
Page 19 and 20: St. Pius X 2009 - 2010 Annual Fund
Page 21 and 22: Don’t forget! Annual Fund FAQs: Y
Page 23 and 24: The Campaign Explained Why is there
Page 25 and 26: Alumni Join Our Faculty and Staff S
Page 27 and 28: A Big Year for SPX Girls’ Cross C
Page 29 and 30: The team’s next challenge would b
Page 31 and 32: Rekindling the Fire of Our Faith A
Page 33 and 34: Lion Lines. . . keeping up with alu
Page 35: In Memory of Elizabeth Messner “S

CElEbRAtiNG LEGAciES - St. Pius X Catholic High School

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