Maryville Academy

Protecting Children. Strengthening Families.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

https://www.maryvilleacademy.org/donatevolunteer/donatenow/

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Mission, Vision, Values
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership
      • Maryville’s Board of Directors
    • Maryville Code of Ethics
    • Our Model of Care
    • Our Alumni
  • Programs
    • Maryville Catholic Youth Organization (CYO)
      • CYO Grade School Track & Field Meet 2019
      • Advisory Council
    • Maryville Children’s Healthcare Center
      • Caregiver Training
      • Center Guidelines and Visiting
      • Children’s Healthcare Center Staff
      • Diagnoses and Conditions Treated
      • Children’s Healthcare Center Wishes and Needs
      • Referral Guide
    • Maryville Crisis Nursery
      • How We Care for Your Child
      • Parent Support
      • Crisis Nursery Volunteer Opportunities
      • Crisis Nursery Advisory Council
      • Maryville Crisis Nursery Stuff the Bus Event on April 23, 2022 | Wish List
    • Maryville Golf Academy
      • Maryville Golf Academy Program
      • Maryville Golf Academy manager receives IPGA Distinguished Service Award
      • Flagstick Newsletter
      • Golf Academy Success Story
    • Maryville Jen School
      • Academic Program
      • Vocational Program
      • CAAEL
      • Jen School Wishes and Needs List
      • Advisory Council
    • Family Behavioral Health Clinic
    • Residential Programs
      • St. Monica Home Program
        • Moms Recovery Home Substance Abuse Services
        • Mom’s Recovery Home Program Wishes and Needs
      • Residential Services for Girls
        • Wish List for Casa Imani and Casa Salama
      • Saint Dominic Savio and Saint Teresa of Calcutta Homes
    • Stephen Sexton Training Institute
    • Maryville Sports Complex
    • Augustus Tolton Peace Center
  • Media
    • News
    • A Holiday Message from Sister Catherine M. Ryan, O.S.F.
    • Maryville Video Gallery
    • Maryville Photo Gallery
      • Crisis Nursery Christmas Party 2019
      • Jen School Holiday Sip & Shop 2019
      • Jammin’ with Jen 2019
      • CYO 4th Annual Golf Classic 2019
      • IGPA-Maryville Gleason Cup 2019
      • CYO Grade School Track & Field Meet 2019
      • Crisis Nursery Ladies Luncheon 2019
      • Ed Block Courage Award to Zach Miller 2019
      • Cardinal Blessing for Center for Children 2018
      • Annual Gala 2018
    • TV/Video
    • The Voice
    • Annual Report
  • Upcoming Events
  • Join Our Team
    • Maryville Employee Benefits
  • Become a Volunteer
  • Ways to Give
    • Donate Now
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Grant Awards
    • Our Supporting Organizations
    • Ed Block Courage Award
    • Charitable Tax-Free IRA Rollover
    • Giving Societies
    • Planned Giving and Bequests
    • Volunteer Your Time
    • Program Wish Lists
  • News Feed

Our Alumni

Our Maryville alumni have gone on to become productive and contributing members of their communities. Here are a few stories.

  • Bette Rogers
  • Dove Vavra
  • Jack Conroy
  • Jeanette Thomas Ensinger
  • Lanetta Haynes
  • Shantaye Wonzer
  • U.S. Army Lt. Colonel John Gilbert

Here’s an edited recollection from an alumna of a memorable day when bank robbers stopped at Maryville in 1953.pic

The day in question is when two men robbed the First National Bank of Wheeling. These men were driving down River Road after the robbery when they saw a cop car. Now the cops at the time had no idea that these men had just robbed a bank, but the robbers went into a state of panic and started speeding so the cop car took chase. The robbers jumped out of their car near the side drive by the rectory and ran through the school. They went up to the second floor, ran through Providence Hall and deposited a gun on the top shelf of my locker.

Later, when I reached up to get some socks that I had in a basket on the top shelf and felt this cold metal thing. When I took it out to my surprise it was a gun! I first threw the gun gently on the bed next to my locker and then wrapped the gun in my skirt. (Nice outfit in the pic, it was laundry day, and I didn’t have any clean clothes that day) and started going to find a nun to give the gun to. I was trailed by everyone nearby yelling, and we got into the stairwell and met Kay Kilgallon. Kay took the gun from me before I dropped it and it went off.

Then the photographers and reporters came. And as I was standing with Fr. Garrity, they asked me to point to where I found the gun on the shelf. I wasn’t sad at all that day, just bewildered. Later that afternoon I had to go to the infirmary to work, and Sister Gerard was praying on the sunporch and told me to go and dust mop the rooms. So I went to go down in the basement to get some mops when I could hear some guys talking and once in a while bang on something metal. Well, I froze.  I couldn’t get myself to go downstairs, so I kept going back to the nun, but she was busy praying. So I went back to the top of the stairs. I must have stood there for 1/2 hour too scared to go down because I could hear that someone was downstairs. I also knew that there was a tunnel going from the infirmary to the rectory, and I was sure the robbers where down there. Finally, I got the nerve to tell sister that there was noise coming from downstairs,and I was too afraid to go down there. She started to laugh and said she was sorry, she forgot to tell me that some plumbers where down there working on some pipes.

The FBI also wanted to talk to me, but I unfortunately touched the gun, most likely smearing the finger prints on the gun. A couple of times the FBI came back to talk to me, and I was always told to go to Fr. Halpin’s office to talk privately with them. I really couldn’t tell them anything. The last time the FBI came to school was about junior or senior year, which was about two or more years later. As far as I know, they never found the bank robbers.  The pictures of me with Fr. Garrity were in all the papers; the others pictures were not as big as the one here. Over the years someone gave me the 8 by 10 picture from the newspaper, on the back the date is Oct 1, 1953. I remember thinking they had my wrong age because I had just turned 14 in September. I also have a smaller picture dated the same day from “The American” newspaper, the large picture doesn’t say if it was the Tribune or Sun Times.

   –Pat Morrissey Day

Translate

English | Español | Język Polski

Please help us care for children and strengthen families.

Donate Now

Information

Nondiscrimination Policy
Affiliations and Associations
Privacy Policy
Maryville’s Program Sites

Maryville Biometric Policy

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Employment

Maryville Employment Benefits
Employee Emergency Notification

All Available Positions

Calendar

Mar 14

The Ed Block Courage Award Luncheon

March 14 @ 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Des Plaines
View All Events

Contact Us

Contact Us

1150 N River Rd
Des Plaines, IL 60016

(847) 294-1999

Maryville Center for Children
Maryville Des Plaines Campus
Maryville Eisenberg Campus

Copyright © 2023 · Log in