The birth of St. John's Gym

Clinton had long wanted a gym for its young people. In the 1940s, Arthur Graves actually designed a gym that was planned to be built on the empty lot on Chestnut Street, between the Armory and the Presbyterian Church; as we all know, it never happened.

In 1955, Monsignor Barry first started a building program for other reasons. The living quarters for the Sisters of the Presentation needed to expand and the increased enrollment at St. John’s School (now the Clinton Public School offices) required additional classrooms. The Monsignor was a huge fan of “live shows, good plays, and real theater” and set off making live drama a part of parish life at St. John’s. Proceeds from these regular shows went right into the building fund. That first play, “The White Steed,” netted over $2,500, which went right into the fund. By 1956, a monthly Building Fund Collection envelope was introduced at the church and soon afterwards, the school had its four additional classrooms and the Sisters had added facilities on upper Church Street.

The first real mention of a gym came in January 1956 when Father McGraw and Father Hughes saw the fund expanding even after those planned capital improvements were under way. The big drive for the “Memorial Gymnasium” opened in March 1957 when the parish presented a play entitled “Is the Priest at Home?” Soon after, a $25,000 pledge was made and by April 1958, the St. John’s Building Fund Drive had collected $100,000 in cash and the previous building projects were already being paid off. Another play, “My Fair Lady,” brought in money for the project. By 1959, 2,800 adults were regularly contributing to the fund, although some local companies were going out of business and some Clintonians were out of work due to the Steel Strike of ’59. The good people of St. John’s wanted to see this gym built and the Building Fund Drive was successfully led by Judge William Constantino and Dr. Francis O’Toole.

Finally, in April 1959, General Contractor Ralph Burgoyne & Sons broke ground for the gym and less than one year later — Monday, March 21, 1960 — the doors swung open for the first time and a new era began. The overall cost was $230,000 and the building contained 15,700 square feet of floor space. Future plans for outdoor recreational areas near the gym included a baseball diamond, football field, and ice skating rink.

The dedication ceremony was indeed impressive. The ceremony opened with the singing of the national anthem by Francis McDonald, accompanied by his mother, Mrs. T. Frank McDonald. Bishop Bernard Flanagan was the main speaker at the event with many priests, nuns, and clergy from all over Central Massachusetts in attendance. Over 1,200 people were in attendance that night. One of the many speakers during the ceremony noted: “The gym’s main purpose is to develop strong minds, strong bodies, and strong souls and we dedicate ourselves to following through what has been started here tonight.” At the meeting, it was announced that Kevin Kerrigan and Dorothea Murphy would serve as daily instructors in the gym for all the children who registered to participate in physical education activities there.

After the speaking portion of the program ended, it was time for the athletic show. Anne Zarzecki, a senior at Bartlett High School, was one of the featured attractions. She was the holder of the Massachusetts and New England Regional Roller Skating Championships and she performed a roller skating exhibition that was masterful. The final event of the evening was the first basketball game of the “town championship tournament,” Holy Rosary vs. St. John’s. Jasna Gora would play the winner of the game later that week.

I’m not sure whose idea it was to pit these cross-town rivals against each other with so many clergy — and the bishop — in the audience, but you can almost guess what happened next. I talked to several players who were on the court that night many years ago and still get conflicting stories. Most of these guys have hung up their sneakers a long time ago, but the rivalry is still fresh in their minds. St. John’s, sporting brand new uniforms, won the game 35-26. The Item reported that it was a “rough and tumble” game, but there was no mention of any fight breaking out — although that’s not how some of the players remember it at all. John Young of St. John’s scored the very first points ever scored in the building.

One former Rosary player told me that a fight broke out at mid-court during the first half and both teams were ordered back into their respective locker rooms until everybody settled down. All he remembers about the tussle was looking up into the stands and “seeing all those nuns either covering their eyes or holding their head in their hands.” One former St. John’s player told me that there was no fight during the game — the fight was after the game, when a teammate decided to visit the Rosary locker room to “rub it in” and a fight broke out. Thankfully, the Item didn’t cover any of the extracurricular activities, just the game highlights! Later that week, St. John’s beat Jasna Gora to become the first “town champ” in CYC basketball and the MVP trophy was awarded to Francis Gannon of St. John’s.

Less than one month later, 665 people had officially enrolled at the new Memorial Gym and a full schedule of events for young and old was created by Father John Cahill, CYC chaplain. Rules were firmly established and distributed about the use of the gym and this message was posted for all to see:

If what makes a “home” out of a “house” is the way people live in it, then what makes a “youth center” out of a “gymnasium” is the way people use it. The name “gymnasium” is on the outside of the building because that is what the building is. The title of “youth center” must be earned by the people inside.”

Amen.

Terrance Ingano is a Clinton historian.