Lady Flashes Lose Nailbiter

The Vicksburg Post by Steve Wilson
swilson@vicksburgpost.com

Friday's game pitting St. Aloysius and Cathedral was a retro night, with the Lady Flashes wearing new powder blue throwback uniforms styled after those worn by St. Francis Xavier Academy in the late 1959's.

The scoreboard seemed frozen in time as well.  Cathedral led at the half 13-12.  St. Al went nearly 10 minutes at one point without a field goal and the two teams didn't cross the combined 40-point threshold until the fourth quarter.

But Cathedral scrapped together a late 8-1 run in the final l:09 to earn a 34-28 Division 7-1A win.

After being down most of the contest, St. Al finally grabbed the lead  with 2:17 remaining.  Ann Garrison Thomas, who finished with a game-height 18 points, scored in transition on a layup and hit a short jumper in the lane to give St. Al its first lead of the second half.

But from there, it was all Natchez.  Auka Kumi converted a putback in traffic, but couldn't convert a plus one opportunity.  Crystal Beckwith and Kumi scored on layups and Taylor Beesley finished the run by converting two at the free-throw line.

"We were missing layup after layup after layup." Cathedral coach Randy Smith said, "Then we finally hit three in a row and it actually put us up where we could relax and play half-court man (defense.)  I was happy with our girls' effort on defense.  That's what won this game."

St. Al (6-8, 1-2) had its chances, as Thomas hit converted the front end of a bonus opportunity and Klaire Miller had a steal, but missed a breakaway layup with Cathedral leading 32-28.

The seeds of St. Al's demise were planted at the charity stripe, as the Lady Flashes went 6-for-18 in the second half.

"I don't think they were mentally prepared to beat Cathedral today," St. Al coach Cookie Johnson said.  "We were down four when I realized we had missed 12 free throws.  You have to have these to win a tight game like this."

Cathedral led at the end of one, 8-6, and at the break, 13-12.  Thomas hit a one-and-one opportunity to give the Lady Flashes a brief 14-13 lead that would be their last one before the final two minutes.

Beesley led Cathedral (5-11, 1-0) with 10 points, while Kumi added nine.

Throwback Uniforms In Memory of Classmate

Brothers donate uniforms to St. Al in mother’s memory

by Ernest Bowker

Katherine Meyer Turcotte, right, dribbles up the court during a game against Redwood in 1959.

When he was a child, Jeff Turcotte would view the old photographs and newspaper clippings in his mother’s scrapbook with awe.

They were simple but powerful memories from a time when a young woman named Katherine Meyer was leading St. Francis Xavier Academy, “The Sisters’ School,” to some of its greatest basketball success.

“Those scrapbooks, to me, were like the coolest thing ever,” Turcotte said. “She was always the athlete in the family.”

His mother’s athletic prowess inspired Turcotte to his own athletic career. He ran track and cross country at the University of New Mexico and has coached the same sports for 20 years at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque. It also is inspiring him to give back to the Catholic school in his mother’s hometown of Vicksburg.

Turcotte, along with his brothers Steve, Greg and Jeff, have donated a set of girls basketball uniforms and $1,000 to St. Aloysius High School in honor of their mother, who died in September.

The uniforms are throwbacks, styled like the ones Katherine Meyer and her teammates wore in the 1958-59 season when they played at O’Beirne Gymnasium on Clay and Adams streets. They’ll be worn for the first time Friday night against Cathedral, then once each season after that.

The $1,000 donation is to start a scholarship fund in the names of Katherine Meyer Turcotte and Roy Turcotte, the patriarch of the family who died three months before his wife of 52 years. Roy Turcotte was a graduate of St. Aloysius, known as “The Brothers’ School.” The family is also donating $2,000 to The Vicksburg Lions Club, of which Roy Turcotte was a member.

On Thursday night, St. Al — a combined school of the Sisters’ and Brothers’ schools — will host a reunion for all former girls basketball players. A potluck supper will begin at 6 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

“To spend $2,000 on something that will hopefully build for more and give her friends something to reminisce about, and give our family a reason to get together, it has a lot of different reasons for doing it,” Jeff Turcotte said. “I think the girls will enjoy the game, and it’ll be fun for my mom’s friends. It has so many happy reasons for it. I’m glad it’s all come together.”

Katherine Meyer led the St. Francis Xavier Academy Blue Streaks in 1958-59 to one of their best seasons. She played forward and was the leading scorer on a team that reached the Class B-BB state tournament.

SFXA won the Sub-District 4 championship — the equivalent of a division title to modern teams — before losing by one point to Sebastopol in the District 6 tournament championship game.

St. Francis still was one of six teams to advance to the state tournament, but lost in the first round. Center Hill beat the Blue Streaks 40-38 on a basket in the final 30 seconds.

“That was when we played six girls per team and didn’t cross the line. You had three on defense and three forwards. It was a totally different way of playing,” said Myrtle Loviza Curro Alvarado, a teammate on the 1958-59 team. “Katherine was a great player. She was one of our best scorers.”

Like his brother, Steve Turcotte said there was little doubt who the best athlete — or, at least, the best basketball player — in the family was.

“Dad was a baseball player, but he didn’t do it through high school. We were all runners. All of us were very athletic. When it came to basketball, Mom was the coach to us all,” said Steve Turcotte, who lives in Vicksburg.

Even for a talented player like Meyer, opportunities for girls to play college basketball were practically non-existent at the time. She eventually settled into life and married Roy Turcotte, her high school sweetheart.

Roy Turcotte was in the Navy and the family moved often. The couple had four children, all born in different places, but Vicksburg was always home. The couple settled in Vicksburg for retirement.

“Vicksburg was always home base,” Steve Turcotte said.

Not long after Katherine Turcotte’s death, Jeff Turcotte was thinking of a way to pay tribute to his mother. Inspired by her basketball exploits, he reached out to St. Aloysius officials about donating the uniforms and scholarship money. It was warmly received.

“We’re always looking for a way to link the past and the present and let the kids know what kind of team we had. We were very excited about it,” St. Al athletic director B.J. Smithhart said. “What better way to help the school than to get deserving kids a scholarship? It works out for everybody.”

St. Al’s players have yet to see the retro uniforms. They were shipped over the holiday break, but the school’s office has been closed. Senior forward Ann Garrison Thomas, however, said suiting up in the Columbia Blue throwbacks with buttons on the shorts and retro lettering sounds like fun.

“It sounds like something very interesting. It’ll be a good thing to add to the season every year,” she said. “I think it’ll be something worth coming to watch.”

That sentiment applies not just to casual fans, but alumni and the Turcotte family as well.

Both Jeff and Steve said it was difficult for their scattered family to get together. Steve and Greg Turcotte live in Mississippi, but Jeff is 1,000 miles away, and Tim Turcotte lives in Lexington, Ky. Their parents were the glue that bound the four brothers together.

“We always had a built-in reason to come here,” Jeff Turcotte said.

That reason is gone, but not forgotten. They hope honoring the memories of their parents will provide years of new reasons to come together — and give generations of others their own reason.

“Vicksburg has always been home to our family. Mom and Dad are from there, and their families were from there. We’re hoping it’s a reunion for us brothers,” Jeff Turcotte said. “You always want to keep your folks’ memories alive. I’m sure there will be a lot of tears shed that night.”

Read more: The Vicksburg Post

Katherine Meyer Turcotte

Class of 1959

If you go - St. Aloysius' girls basketball team will wear throwback uniforms for its game Friday against Cathedral, in honor of the 1959 team and former player Katherine Meyer Turcotte.  The game starts at 6 p.m., and admission is $5.

Thursday at 6 p.m., St. Al will host a potluck supper in the school cafeteria.  All former girls basketball players from St. Al and St. Francis Xavier Academy are invited to attend. For information, call Myrtle Curro Alvarado at 601-661-0847.

Happy New Year Classmates!

The one and only Dick Clark!

He will be sadly missed this year!

Merry Christmas Classmates!

May God shine afresh in our hearts
His miracle of love at Christmas 
and in the new year.

Lori Rae Logue Roberts Obituary

STARKVILLE - Mrs. Lori Rae Logue Roberts, 50, died unexpectedly Wednesday at her home in Starkville.

Lori was born in Columbus in 1962, attended elementary school in New Orleans, junior high at Warren Central in Vicksburg, her early high school on the island of Bahrain and graduated from London Central High School in London, England.  She attended Mississippi State University.

Lori and her husband and family lived in Germany for eight years.  Her husband, Marty, was a commissary manager with the DOD (Department of Defense) Commissary System.  Lori and her family moved back to Mississippi nine years ago.

She was the secretary for the Starkville Church of Christ on the Mississippi State campus when she died.  Currently, Lori's husband works for the DOD Commissary System in Biloxi.  Her daughter, Brigitte, attends Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.  Her son, Brian, attends Starkville High School, where he participates in cross country; and her son Brandon, is stationed in San Diego, California, with the Navy.

She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Rachael Finkie; her grandfathers, Harold Logue and Cyril Andrews; and her sister-in-law, Paige Douglas Logue.

She leaves behind her husband, Marty Roberts; her three children, Brandon Roberts, Brigitte Roberts, and Brian Roberts; a grandmother, Gladys Andrews; her mother, Wanda Logue; her father, Louis Logue (Class of 1959); her brother, Layne Logue; and nephew, Forrest Logue, all of Vicksburg.  Additionally, she leaves her sister, Dawn Logue Lundien and her husband, Matthew; niece, Hannah Lundien; and nephew, Josh Lundien, who live in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Visitation for Mrs. Roberts was scheduled Friday, December 21, 2012, from 5 until 7 p.m. at Welch Funeral Home in Starkville.  Funeral services were at 10 a.m. Saturday, December 22, 2012, at Welch Funeral Home.  Burial was in Memorial Garden Park Cemetery.

Classmate's Daughter Dies

I am truly sorry to announce that our classmate, Louis "Sonny" Logue's daughter passed away.  His wife and family are in Starkville, MS, today burying their daughter, Lori, who died suddenly leaving her husband and three children. Please keep Louis and his family close in prayer and we are very sorry for his loss.

Obituary will follow~

Verreen Prewitt McNamara Obituary

Verreen Prewitt McNamara died , December 9, 2012, at her home.  She was 94.

Mrs. McNamara was a communicant of St. Michael Catholic Church. She was a member of the Business and Professional Women's Organization.  She served as the president of the Knights of Columbus Women's Auxiliary.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas A. McNamara; a son, John Patrick McNamara; her father, Yancy Prewitt; and her mother, Fair Lena Jones Prewitt.

Survivors include her children, Sue Fowler, Mary Carol Lundberg, Thomas R. McNamara, Barbara McNamara, Albert L. McNamara and Debbie McNamara; a brother, Billy M. Prewitt; six grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Michael Catholic Church with the Rev. P. J. Curley officiating.  Burial will follow at Greenlawn Gardens Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the service Thursday at the church.

Paulbearers will be David McNamara, Michael McNamara, Lonnie Smith, Douglas Sims, Dave Ellison and Don Whittenberg.

Memorial may be made to St. Michael Catholic Church building fund, 100 St. Michael Place, Vicksburg, MS  39180, or Vicksburg Catholic School, 1900 Grove St., Vicksburg, MS  39183, or St. Joseph Hospice.