Our Lady of Lourdes Cheerleaders--1956

In September of 1956, five young ladies from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School assembled in a backyard to practice for the most exciting football game of the year. Every autumn, the Catholic Youth Organization hosted a football jamboree on the west side of Indianapolis for all Catholic schools in grades six through eight. The local diocese owned land across from Bush Stadium on West 16th Street so that local Catholic high schools could have a "home" field.

Lynda Foster (820 North Layman Avenue), Terry McDonnell (419 North Bancroft Street), Judy Lindeman (5234 East Michigan Street), Mary McDavitt (655 North Ritter Avenue), and Katy Grothaus (340 North Ritter Avenue) all worked very hard for the big day. Terry McDonell Wilgus Knisely recalls that one of the most exciting moments came when the parade of teams began and the cheerleaders rode in the back of a convertible waving their school colors of blue and gold as Our Lady of Lourdes families cheered along. Each young lady then walked across a small stage as their name was called over the loudspeaker. Teams from schools like Little Flower, St. Joan of Arc, Christ the King, St. Patricks, Holy Spirit, and numerous others would scrimmage for about ten minutes. Teams who scored could have bragging rights the next day.

All five girls faced a big decision that year as they would have to decide where they would go to high school. Lynda Foster, Terry McDonnell, and Judy Lindeman chose Scecina High School while Mary McDavitt selected Our Lady of Grace in Beech Grove. The Grothaus family moved to Mississippi so Katy attended a high school there. The young women had no inkling on that autumn day in 1956 that they would not all be together again in one room for fifty years! They reunited at an Our Lady of Lourdes class reunion in 2007 at DuFour's Restaurant in Irvington and three of them gathered to pose for a photograph. 

The photographs and the memories of this day are courtesy of Terry McDonnell Wilgus Knisely.

Our Lady of Lourdes Cheerleaders posed in the backyard of the McDavitt family at 655 North Ritter Avenue in September of 1956.  Pictured from left to right: Lynda Foster, Terry McDonnell, Judy Lindeman, Mary McDavitt and Katy Grothaus

Our Lady of Lourdes Reunion Photo in 2007. Pictured left to right: Katy Grothaus Boeding, Judy Lindeman Johns, Terry McDonnell Wilgus Knisely  

A View from Our Lady of Lourdes, 1954 and 2014

Gloria Pirtle beamed as she ascended the stairs along with her mother, Ona Pirtle, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on East Washington Street on November 27, 1954. An unusual snowstorm had struck the city of Indianapolis only hours earlier. The cold temperatures kept the snow on the ground but did not prevent her guests from witnessing her marriage to Julius Becker. (5621 Beechwood Avenue)

Behind the two ladies, you can see the large house at 5332 East Washington Street on the left and the double located at 5334-36 East Washington Street.  The larger home had been carved into apartments by 1954.  Mary Stamper and Clayton Spindler were listed in the larger dwelling in the 1954 Polk's City Directory.  Several families resided in the double next door including the Crichfields, Williamses, McDavitts, and Johantgens.

On her wedding day:  Gloria Pirtle walked into Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with her mother, Ona Pirtle, on November 27, 1954.

5332 and 5334-36 East Washington Street in 2014

The historic image is courtesy of Suzette Hagan.  

McDavitt Family--5334 E. Washington St.

The McDavitt family: James, Howard, Jane, John, Mary Ann, and Patrick in front of 5334 East Washington Street c1950. (Courtesy of the McDavitt family) 

      The McDavitts dwelled at 5334 East Washington Street. Behind the family you can see the Moore Kirk Funeral Home. The funeral home is now run by Oakley Hammond, but has been on the site since 1932. In the bottom photo you can see what the funeral home looks like in 2011. The historic image is courtesy of the McDavitt family.

5334-36 E. Washington St.--Then and Now

This double, built around 1915, is located at 5334-36 East Washington Street. In the top photo members of the McDavitt Family pose in front of the home around 1946. In the lower photo, you can see the duplex in January of 2011. The structure has held up well over the years and retains many of its original features. In both photos you can see the Moore-Kirk Funeral Home located at 5342 E. Washington Street. The historic image is courtesy of the McDavitt Family.