Alumni Testimonies
Dan Clifford – Class of 1939, Visitation School
Dan attended Dowling High School. He served his country in the Coast Guard during World War II. Dan attended Drake University on the GI Bill and received an accounting degree. He was a practicing CPA for 40 years until retiring in 1990. Like Dan, our Holy Family School students benefit from the rigorous demands of a Catholic education.
“I believe the only way out of poverty is to get an education. That’s why I believe in the mission of Holy Family School. In those days, there were plenty of nuns. Each taught 30 to 35 kids. No teacher aides. The discipline was physical – but nobody was permanently injured! There were lots of physical activities at recess. The older boys changed clothes at noon and played baseball or tackle football with no pads, but no one got hurt.
Our mentors were our parents and our older siblings. Public schools were good but I always felt we got a little better education at the Catholic schools. In my experience, the favorite teacher was always the one that was strict. And even though they were strict, they did what they were supposed to do. Performing for them made you feel good about yourself. You get self esteem by accomplishing things.”
Angel (Lathrop) Grubb--Class of 1971, Visitation School
Angel attended Dowling High School and graduated in 1975. While Angel was a student at Visitation School, every Saturday her mother would simmer a batch of her traditional spaghetti sauce and instruct Angel to take a bowl of it over to the nuns who loved in the convent. She remembers this task as a constant in her life, the beginning of a weaving of home, school, and church into the fabric of her life.
Her education at Visitation and Dowling Catholic is still shaping essential decisions. Angel has three boys who all went to Dowling. The family business belongs to "Legatus," an association which honors the values of the Roman Catholic Church. As a current member of the Holy Family School Foundation Board, she continues to weave Holy Family School into her life. It is Angel's love for Holy Family school that keeps her involved in making sure the school remains open.
"That's a rough neighborhood. Learning your faith as part of your education prepares you for hardship, protects you from danger, and gives life its meaning and direction."