Bruin alumni and friends return to celebrate Homecoming
Goldie Rapp
‘There’s no place like Homecoming’
PERU– St. Bede’s alumni and friends from far and near reunited over the weekend for the academy’s largest weekend celebration of the year. The annual Homecoming weekend was full of celebrations and recognitions – not to mention the Bruins beat the Elmwood Park Tigers 49-26.
The traditions kicked off on Wednesday evening with the annual girls’ powder puff football game on campus. Then, on Friday evening, St. Bede paraded downtown Peru before the annual variety show in the Abbot Vincent Gymnasium.
Saturday morning after the annual Jim Lattin 5K Run/Walk, the St. Bede Athletic Hall of Fame inducted posthumously St. Bede coach and teacher Ken Anderson, Emily (Arkins) Balestri ’02, Caitlin (Gidcumb) Colling ’06, Ralph Levaccare ’73, Richard “Dick” Verruchi ’66 and the 1972-73 football team.
The Class 1A State Champion Softball Team reunited on the Abbot Philip Davey Field where a recognition ceremony and ring dedication took place among friends, family, fans and former softball players. Four women alumnae, who were players on the first softball team at St. Bede, also were also recognized and received an honorary state championship medal for being the trailblazers in the sport at the academy. Those women were Sam (Lijewski) Pump ’79, Margaret Comiskey ’77, Patricia (Perona) Collins ’76 and Hilde (Luther) Grivetti ’76.
Presenting this year’s game ball at the start of the varsity football game was 1948 graduate Eugene Kunkel, who was celebrating his 75th class reunion. His niece, Rosemary Kunkel-Wall, a graduate from the class of 1973 and one of the first females to graduate from St. Bede Academy, flipped the game coin.
The halftime show featured the Class of 1973 who were escorted by the St. Bede cheerleaders to acknowledge becoming the newest Golden Bedans and recognizing their generous 50th reunion class gift to the academy.
The Class of 1973 raised funds to renovate a classroom on the first floor of the academy in support of St. Bede’s Legacy Project.
“This generous gift fulfills a significant project.” stated Julia Yaklich, director of mission advancement and major gifts. “We are blessed that our 50th reunion classes continue to honor their experience at St. Bede by ensuring that today’s Bruins have access to the same life-changing education and experience that they did.”
Alumni and friends had the opportunity to tour the newly-renovated academy building. St. Bede is currently raising funds to complete the final phase of the renovations. The project, which encompasses complete renovations of two floors within the academy, is on track to be completed in 2024 with about $700,000 of $13 million left to raise.
The popular 7th annual BruinsJam took place following the football game on Saturday, which included a lineup of performances by St. Bede alumni.
On Sunday, the St. Bede Alumni Association held its annual Bruins Brunch in the Perino Science Center and presented Fr. Larry Snyder ’68 with the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award. In addition, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of admission of women to the academy, the alumni association presented an award to all women graduates of the academy. Accepting the award were three of four of the first-female graduates of St. Bede Academy in 1973 – Debb (Garncarz) Ladgenski, Rosemary (Kunkel) Wall and Lissa (Harrison) Balda.
Save the date for St. Bede’s 2024 Homecoming, which will be held Oct. 18-20.