Thursday, April 21, 2016
Monday, April 18, 2016
The 2016 S.F.X.A. Class Reunions
Pictures taken at Walnut Hills Restaurant for our last get-together on a stormy evening of April 11, 2016, before Kay and Jim continued on their trip. We had four days of catching up and spending quality time together. It's always great to see them come back home for a visit. Wishing them safe travels. Myself, Anita Zorn Hossley (Class of 1958), Kay Hess Simms and Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado.
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Jim and Kay Simms at Walnut Hills Restaurant.
Picture taken at 10 South Rooftop Bar & Grill April 10, 2016 after having lunch together with former high school classmates. Out-of-town classmates were in town for the St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Banquet held Saturday evening at Farrell Hall. Left to right - Jim Simms, Ina Lott Whittington, Kay Hess Simms, Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado, Anita Zorn Hossley (Class of 1958), Bobby Alvarado and myself.
(Class of 1959) Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado, Sue McNamara Fowler, Kay Hess Simms, Ina Lott Whittington, Vera Marshall Brown and myself, Marian Love Boyd Phillips.
Six Classmates attended the 2016 St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Banquet on April 9, 2016 at St. Paul Farrell Hall. It has been 57 years since graduating from our Alma Mater, S.F.X.A. No classmates from St. Aloysius attended.
We also ate lunch at Cracker Barrel but took no pictures were taken on April 9, 2016.
Picture taken on Friday, April 8, 2016 at KJ's River Town Grille in downtown Vicksburg. Myrtle Loviza Alvarado with husband Bobby, Kay Hess Simms and husband, Jim, Ina Lott Whittington, myself, Vera Marshall Brown and husband, George and Sue McNamara Fowler.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Vicksburg Landmark Has Collapsed - Funding Needed For Repairs
Part of a Mississippi landmark that housed Nuns and taught thousands of students in Vicksburg has collapsed and community funding is needed for repairs. DETAILS>>http://bit.ly/1Mv5O03
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
2016 St. Aloysius/St. Francis Alumni Banquet
Vicksburg Catholic School
St. Francis Xavier Academy ~ 1860
St. Aloysius High School ~ 1879
April 9th, 2016
Special Guests
Class of 1966
Class of 2016
St. Paul Farrell Hall
The Vicksburg Apartments, old Y. M. C. A. and the Old Court House Museum in the background.
Class of 1959
Vera Marshall Brown, Myra Logue and George Brown.
George Brown, Glenda LaGarde and Bobby Alvarado.
Jim and Kay Hess Simms
Nina Cocarro Buell, Margaret Patricia "Patty" Hebler Grey, Sue McNamara Fowler and Tommy Ray McNamara.
Myra Logue, Nina Cocarro Buell and Margaret Patricia "Patty" Hebler Grey
Joe Harrison (Magician) Class of 1966.
Left to right: Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado, Sue McNamara Fowler, Kay Hess Simms, Ina Lott Whittington, Vera Marshall Brown and Marian Love Boyd Phillips. The Class of 1959 celebrating 57 years! Out of 20 girls, 5 have gone to their heavenly reward, 2 cannot be found and 7 classmates could not make it.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
St. Francis Xavier Convent East Wall Has Collapsed
Center needs help in funding repair
A section of the east wall on the first floor of the 1868 St. Francis Xavier Convent, which is now part of the Southern Cultural Heritage Complex, has collapsed.
Efforts are currently being made to rebuild the wall, the executive director of the SCHF Stacie Massey said, but the community's help is needed.
"The construction of the temporary wall is just starting. Our fundraising goal to correct the problem that caused the wall's failure and to rebuild the exterior brick wall is $200,000. The community and those who love these buildings are responding, and we appreciate that so much. We have already raised almost $7,000 in just a couple of weeks of this fundraising project. But we still have a ways to go," Massey said.
The four-story Sisters of Mercy convent building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Mississippi Landmark.
Built in 1868, the structure is one of the largest and best preserved example of 19th-Century Gothic Revival architecture in Mississippi and is one of the most historically significant buildings in downtown Vicksburg.
On January 31, bricks began to fall from the wall causing the collapse, and it has been the SCHF's immediate concern to stabilize the building and protect it from further collapse, Massey said.
However, before any work could begin, the foundation had to consult with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Laird and Smithers, Inc. was contacted and hired following approval from the department to give a structural engineer's opinion to determine a plan to secure the convent building, determine the collapse, develop a plan to fix the problem and rebuild the wall.
"Fountain Construction Company was hired to do this work," Massey said, which includes shoring up of walls for support in the basement and three of the four levels of the convent, carefully bringing down the exterior brick wall (saving the historic bricks and eight windows) and constructing a temporary exterior wall to weatherproof the convent.
"The engineers will then be able to get into the convent safely and determine the cause of the collapse and develop a plan to fix the problem, rebuild the exterior wall and restore the interior side of the wall.
"At this time, the shoring of walls, and the demolition of the brick wall is complete, and the construction of the temporary wall is just starting," Massey said.
For those wanting to donate to the rebuilding of the convent wall immediately, Massey said they could send a check made payable to SCHF, 1302 Adams Street, Vicksburg, MS, 39180. The SCHF is also working on a way for individuals and groups to donate online, and hopes to have this information available on their website soon.
"The convent should be preserved and restored because of its historical significance and importance to the community," Massey said.
In addition to the convent's historical value, the building is used for SCHF events, which includes lectures, book signings, performances and tours. For more information about the SCHF, call 601-631-2997 or visit http://southernculture.org.
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