Fall 2005 - St. Charles Preparatory School

Eerily reminiscent
Jesuit High School’s entire first floor was flooded,
ruining the school’s auditorium, cafeteria, student
commons, athletic facility and many classrooms.
The flood of 1959 covered St. Charles’ entire first floor,
including the library, cafeteria, Mother of Mercy Chapel,
and science labs.
The Great Flood
Taken as the water began receding, this photo from near
the Broad Street bridge shows the entire St. Charles
campus flooded in January of 1959.
The Distinctive Leader in Catholic Education
He said that unfortunately for the
students, their Christmas break will be cut
to one week. They will also be in classes
further into summer break than usual.
School officials have not yet been able to
assess the effect the disruption will have on
the students’ college application process,
but they have two guidance counselors
devoted to
the issue.
The St. Charles community sent the
$5,000 check to the Stedman brothers in
New Orleans and designated for aid to
students whose families were most affected.
The brothers personally delivered the
funds, along with a copy of Saint Charles
Borromeo Preparatory School: The First
75 Years of Excellence, by Louis V.
Fabro’49, issues of The Carolian, and the
prayers of many for the recovery and future
success of Jesuit. They all met on November
10 for lunch in the French Quarter.
“I see that there are a great number of
similarities between our two schools. I
deeply appreciate the generosity of the
faculty and staff. Thank you for the 75th
anniversary year book. I find it very
interesting. Thank you for your help. The
school and many of our families need the
help,” McGinn wrote.
Jesuit students have recently published
the “hurricane edition” of the school newspaper,
The Blue Jay. You can view it at
www.jesuitnola.org along with
several pictures of the flooded school.
Stedman brothers very
fortunate
“We were much luckier than most in the
city,” reported Richard Stedman Jr.’89 by
phone from New Orleans. He and his
brother, Patrick ’97, live in the 20% of
New Orleans that did not flood.
Patrick ’97 Stedman, in his third year
at Loyola University Law School, says his
apartment, just four blocks from Loyola
was relatively untouched” by the storm.
Loyola was forced to close, so he currently
makes a three-hour commute three times a
week to Louisiana State University Law
School in Baton Rouge for classes. LSU
took in many Loyola students, including
Patrick, while New Orleans
recovers from the hurricane
damage.
Patrick moved to Baton
Rouge initially, and slept on a
friend’s couch for four weeks.
Since he has chosen to return
to his old apartment because
that city has grown to twice
its original size and is very,
very crowded. He hopes that
he can finish up next semester
at Loyola after it re-opens
sometime in February. Loyola
set up its law school at the
University of Houston, but
not before Stedman had made
other arrangements. Patrick
holds a degree in finance and
marketing from Tulane
University (2002).
“It’s got a great reputation throughout
the New Orleans’ community and all the
alumni of Jesuit are very committed to
their school.”
Whether Patrick remains in New
Orleans after graduating from law school is
a decision he has yet to make. The city has
suffered significant damages, and no one
knows what kind of employment opportunities
will be available New Orleans or even
in the region.
Richard ’89, lives just two miles away
from Patrick. He, too, graduated from
Tulane University undergrad in 1993 and
earned his J.D. from Loyola law School. He
met and married his wife, Amy, and they
have three young sons, ages 1, 4 and 6.
Richard works for Phelps Dunbar, a local
law firm in commercial litigation department.
His offices are located on Canal
Street.
They, along with Patrick, evacuated to
his wife’s parent’s sugar cane plantation in
Donaldson, Louisiana. Richard’s law offices
were not flooded, and he was back to work
shortly after the storm. His family just
retuned to the city the first week of November
and are settling back in. “Things are a
bit different then they were a few weeks
ago.”
Richard has lived in the city since
graduating from St. Charles 16 years ago,
and as terrible it is to see the destruction to
the city he’s really touched to see St.
Charles and other people who really care
reaching out to the people affected by
Hurricane Katrina.
Richard said that if he couldn’t send
his sons to St. Charles, they will go to
Jesuit. It has a long history, excellent
academic credentials and exceptional
athletic teams. He also sees the bonds his
friends, who are graduates of the school,
have formed, and is reminded of St.
Charles.
Patrick ’97 and Rick Stedman ’89 with Fr. Anthony McGinn in the French
Quarter
Huge undertaking in 1959
St. Charles Prep school students clean lockers on the
school’s first floor which had been flooded with more
than six and half feet of water and covered by mud.
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