Several graduates of the Class
of 1936 met in the fall of 1936.
They hoped to establish an alumni
association to keep
alive the comraderie they enjoyed
as students of Southeast
Catholic High School. In the fall
of 1937, under the direction of
the first moderator, Rev. David
E. Rondou, O.Praem.,
the newly formed alumni association
began.
The first six years (1936-1942)
of the association were filled
with the foundation of many of
the activities
which have become the traditions
of today.
In the fall of 1937, the first
Communion Breakfast was held.
During the initial years, the Southeast
Catholic Alumni
Association sponsored the alumni
basketball team.
Dances became a regular event sponsored
by the alumni
association. In addition, alumni
members could always be seen
and heard at the annual
Southeast Catholic - Southern Football
Game
held at Municipal Stadium (formerly
J.F.K. Stadium) on
Thanksgiving Day.
Activities of the Southeast Catholic
Alumni Association
were curtailed greatly by the advent
of World War II.
During this critical time in American
history, a newsletter was sent
to all servicemen by the alumni
association to encourage their
dedicated service. At the alumni
meeting in October, 1942,
the motion was made that the name
of Southeast Catholic
Alumni Association be changed to
Millay Club.
The association was renamed in
memory of
Rev. William J. Millay, O.Praem,
who had taught at Southeast Catholic
High School.
After World War II, interest in
the Millay Club slowly increased.
Beginning in June 1946, The Millay
Tablet made its appearance
on a regular basis to all alumni
members.
Events got into swing with the
first alumni picnic in June of 1947.
In the spring of 1948, The Millay
Club hosted its first
Lettermen's Banquet honoring the
school's athletes.
In the fall that same year, the
annual Communion Breakfast
was held at Palumbo's Restaurant.
Also in 1948, Rev. William A. Fenning
'39 became
the first Southeast Catholic alumnus
to be named
Millay Club Moderator and the first
retreat to
St. Joseph's in the Hills, Malvern,
Pennsylvania, was held.
In 1952, the annual Alumni Carnival
was instituted for the benefit
of the Norbertine Seminary.
As a means of recognizing its own
dedicated men, The Millay Club
instituted The Millay Club Man
of the Year Award in 1953.
This award, still presented yearly
at the Communion Breakfast,
is given to an alumnus
"in recognition of his outstanding
services and untiring
efforts for the alumni."
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Initial Page Posted September 10, 1996
Last Update December 31, 1996