I am a native of Campbell’s Island, Illinois, a small island in the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities. It never had a grade or high school, as far as I can tell, although the “white man” has been living there off an on for 200 years. I am the product of Catholic Schools: grade (St. Anne ’77), high (Alleman ’81), college and graduate school (Marquette U ’85 & ’87) and seminary (Mt. St. Mary ’92). I was drawn to this site by my interest in history, small towns, and sports. I noticed, also, that a few closed Catholic High Schools from Western Illinois were not yet listed, and so began some contribution. My mother grew up in Henry County, and yes, I also have relatives in Atkinson, Mineral, Annawan, Kewanee. I lived in Princeville for 10 years and was pastor of the Catholic Church there. My Peoria office for almost 15 years was located in the former Convent of the Academy of Our Lady, which closed in 1988. I enjoy following the Princeville Lincoln Trail games against schools I have known my entire life. In January, 2008 I was appointed to the Vatican, so will follow Illinois sports, as well as help with these pages, from some distance!
The small town schools which have closed over the years, public and private, represent the people of a certain time and place. Each month passing takes us farther from those people. It is vital that we keep some record, and this site does an admirable job at keeping that memory alive.
History, photography and writing have always been interests of mine, so I enjoy hanging out around here. I am fascinated by the architectural features of some of the closed buildings, and what they tell us about the people who built the structures. Seeing the decrepit high school at miniscule LaRose, photographing the gymnasium at Rutland, seeing how quickly a grand high school building can fall apart at Newman, finding out about “terrible” ball club at Andover have been fascinating, and this enthusiasm is hopefully transmitted to those who visit the website.
That enthusiasm for a forgotten high school truly exists, in the heart of an alum, in the spirit of a student of history, in a fan of the glory of sports. I’ve seen it a few times when I have talked about the site. Friends and family have shared memories. A few times they have broken into a long neglected fight song, eyes glowing with appreciation of a now discontinued alma mater.”
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Sadly Monsignor Richard Soseman passed into eternal life on December 09, 2020. Monsignor Soseman was a wonderful person and friend. He was also an avid supporter of the Glory Days website. Thank you, Monsignor Soseman, for your incredible service to God and for your assistance with this website. You are truly missed.