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singing in the chorus, and loving archery class which she was pretty good at. After Knorr’s children had grown up a little, she was able to go back to school and earned her GED which helped her attain a real estate license. Mary Paluga, 90, remembers enjoying lunch with her friends at school. Paluga’s father worked hard but during the Depression Era, there was just no money to attend high school. Paluga is honored to have a Joliet Catholic Academy diploma. Mary Scaccia, 85, enjoyed biology class during her school years. Unfortunately, her family was poor and could not send her to high school so she helped out around the house. Scaccia is proud that she worked at a chemical company packaging soap to sell at Sears. Emma Shelby, 93, was unable to complete high school because she was already married and starting a family. Shelby can remember loving to read and enjoying history class. Her honorary diploma means a great deal to her, and she knows that her family feels just as proud. Ina Thompson, 90, lived a mile out of town and there was no school bus available. Her parents were poor and unable to send her to school. Thompson attended beauty school and owned her own shop. She enjoyed life back then, it was so simple, and misses the good old days. Graduates were honored by JCA’s band with Pomp and Circumstance. Students, faculty and staff, family members, and Sunny Hill representatives rose to their feet and filled the Student Activity Center with applause of appreciation as the graduates exited. The graduates noted their diplomas mean a great deal to them and that their families were very proud as they headed for Heritage Hall. Graduates and their families were greeted and congratulated by JCA’s administration while they enjoyed refreshments provided by the faculty and staff. The following honorary graduates were unable to attend due to health and/or other issues: Donald Henry, Linda Gregorec, Otis Franklin, and Rosemary Spencer. Their diplomas were accepted by Charlotte Mather, Sunny Hill Nursing Home Coordinator of Admissions and Marketing Mass, he was led outside and told to look for his name on the building. “I kept looking around but I didn’t see anything. I thought maybe they put a sign by the entranceway with my name on it along with the building committee. But I didn’t see a sign,” he said. Finally, the committee told the priest the same advice he often gives others: Look up. “When I did, I was overwhelmed with emotion,” he said. “There on the building, in large letters, is the name of the building—the Niles Gillen Parish Center.” The building was named after the priest because it was only through five years of hard work and dedication on his part that it came to fruition. But Father Niles credits the talents and persistence of the building committee and sub committees along with the generosity of parishioners for helping the parish reach its goal. Serving on the building committee were Tom Dignam, chairman; Fred Holzweiss, co-chairman; Stanley Bileschi, Bob Scott, Steve Varga and the late Tom Hinger, who came up with the design. “We met every week and there were struggles, frustrations, blood, sweat, tears and arguments as we hashed things out and made decisions. Some of these committee members were here every single day during construction and we owe them a debt of gratitude,” he said. He singled out the dedication of Dignam and the knowledge of Stan Bileschi as contributing to the overall successful design of the building. In addition to spacious meeting rooms and space for religious education classes, the building boasts a huge banquet hall and kitchen facilities that can easily handle upwards of 400 people. “There aren’t many places in town where the community can rent that kind of space. We are thinking it will be put to good use for weddings, big conferences and other events,” said the priest. Meanwhile, the parish is making great use of the new facility with plans for entertainment, dinners and dances. On Sunday, April 26, radio personality Noel Kingston performed. An Irish tenor and story teller, Kingston has performed in Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and the Lincoln Center. “More activities are being planned,” said Father Niles. “The new parish center will allow us to do much more.
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