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Marywood High School, California

Former teacher Sister Joan Kirkpatrick (formerly Sister Joan Patrice) shares her memories of Marywood

Alumni information & events

For questions, contact Cami Pritchett, Constituent Engagement/Planned Giving Manager, who is heading the alumnae/i relations area of our department at this time. You may reach her at 812-535-2807 or email cpritchett@spsmw.org.

Upcoming events

If you would like to plan a class reunion, the Sisters of Providence constituent engagement manager can help. Please email cpritchett@spsmw.org or call  812-535-2807. If you have pictures from your reunion that you would be willing to share, we would like to showcase the photos here.

Submit an alumni event

Thank you!

We Sisters of Providence would like to thank the Marywood High School alumnae for your monetary gifts of support throughout the years dedicated to the care of our retired sisters. We are grateful!

The Sisters of Providence lovingly acknowledge Marywood Alumnae Association who received the Rooted in Providence award at the 2018 Donor Dinner. This award honors companions who have made lifetime gifts of $100,000 or more to the Sisters of Providence.

Keep in touch!

The Alumnae Association has an active group on Facebook. It’s a monitored group, so you must submit a request to join. Get started here!

Transcripts

To obtain a transcript, please contact Nanci De la Rosa-Ricco at the Department of Catholic Schools at nricco@rcbo.org.

Class notes

  • Mary (Cain) Collier

    Class of 1957

    Mary Cain Collier. 1957. Love to hear from classmates.
    (August 2024)

  • Sandra (Van Handel) Suran

    Class of 1962

    Sandra Suran (Marywood, 1962) is living in Oregon, in a suburban neighborhood of Portland. I graduated from the University of Portland in 1968 with a degree in Business Administration, Majoring in Accounting. I started a CPA firm (because the big, international firms “didn’t hire women”) and became the first woman to Chair the Oregon State Board of Accounting and then the first woman to Chair the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). I Chaired the U.S. Small Business Development Commission (SBDC) in Washington, D.C. I was selected as the National Small Business Advocate by the Small Business Administration in Washington D.C. – the first woman. At one time, I was on 13 Boards at the same time, while also co-managing partner of my growing CPA firm. I joined KPMG (international CPA firm) when they acquired my company. I left after 3 years and started a small management consulting firm, which I retired from 3 years ago.

    (August 2024)

  • Linda Zepfel Crowley

    Class of 1963

    After graduating from Santa Clara, and two years in the Peace Corps, my husband and I lived in Phoenix for 50 years but now are living on the Oregon Coast. Our son and daughter and 6 grandchildren live nearby. Life is good!

    (May 2024)

  • Lorraine (Losleben) Butler

    Class of 1965

    I would love to hear what some of my classmates are doing!

    My husband, Richard, of nearly 57 years & I, recently moved from PA to MN because we had no family in PA. We love it here in Cloquet, outside of Duluth, & finally being so close to our girls(2 out of 3…one lives in GA)

    We have 8 grandchildren.

    I retired after working for a wonderful Endocrinologist.

    By chance, at our 50th wedding anniversary, we completed seeing all 50 states, as well as England, Scotland, Wales, Japan, Liechtenstein, Italy, & Switzerland. Our first daughter was born on Guam.

    So life has been very good to us, in spite of the fact that I have an Essential tremor, which has gotten much worse.

    I feel so fortunate to have had the education that I did at Marywood. An interesting note is that my Dad was the only boy to graduate from Marywood also, before it became an all girls school!

    (September 2024)

  • Julie Mulroy

    Class of 1966

    I just watched the video of Sr Joan Patrice’s memories of teaching at Marywood in Orange. I was particularly interested in the story of the fire. I was part of a group of volunteers who planted iceplant to stabilize a steep slope on the downhill side of the school when we first moved in. That and the big parking lot on the other side, in addition to the materials used in the school would have been big fire deterrents.

    (February 2024)

  • Nancy Phillips Jimeno

    Class of 1972

    Just watched Sr. Joan talk about Marywood and her memories of the school. I wasn’t smart enough to take her classes, which were STEM-type classes, but I remember her well. She was so patient with us and I never once heard a cross word from her, although heaven knows we deserved a good tongue lashing now and then.
    What was special about Marywood? I answered that before Sr. Joan did – EVERYTHING! To begin with, the campus was, as Sister mentions, simply beautiful. It felt to me as such a privilege to be accepted as a student at Marywood. My parents were not much interested in my education, but the Sisters of Providence most certainly were. All of the faculty expected the best from us and the standards we were expected to meet were a stretch but with the help of the faculty and administration, we mostly met them.
    I must say that I am particularly grateful for the intellectual curiosity that was encouraged and which helped me to yearn for further education. My parents discouraged me from college, telling me that I was “not college material.” But my experience at Marywood kept the desire to learn burning in me. At 38 years old I finally made it to California State College, Fullerton and graduated summa cum laude. I went on for a Ph.D. in political science at UC Riverside, returned to CSU Fullerton where I was a political science professor for 20 years and have recently retired. None of this would have been remotely possible had I not attended Marywood.

    (February 2024)

  • Beth (Berger) Prizer

    Class of 1978

    Beth Prizer (Marywood HS,1978) and husband, Michael celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on a safari in Kenya. It was an amazing experience.

    (August 2024)

  • Helen Mae Almas

    Class of 1980

    I was honored to teach at Marywood, Orange from 1967 to its closure in 1980. I enjoyed being a member of the Marywood community and still consider myself a part of that community. I try to keep up with my former students by Facebook and attend reunions whenever possible. May God protect the Sisters and the entire Marywood family. Marywood the buildings are gone, but the Marywood spirit is still alive in its students and teachers and families.

    (September 2024)

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History of Marywood High School

The former St. Joseph Academy was purchased in 1934 from the Dominican Sisters whose motherhouse was in Cuba. Marywood High School was primarily a college prep high school for girls of Orange County and a boarding school for girls of other localities. A limited number were accepted for grade school; this discontinued in 1949. Expansion of enrollment led to a new location at Nohl Ranch in Orange County and was dedicated on Dec. 5, 1964. The school also attracted international students from nine countries. Marywood was closed in 1980.

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