‘We all look older, but we’re still family’: A reunion of Rockford’s forgotten Catholic schools

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Alumni from St. Thomas Catholic and Bishop Muldoon High Schools reunited in Rockford, marking a unique gathering for graduates who hadn’t seen each other in over 50 years.

St. Thomas Catholic and Bishop Muldoon High Schools were all-boys and all-girls Catholic schools that closed over 50 years ago, making this reunion a significant event for the alumni.

“I haven’t seen some of them I haven’t seen in probably 50 years,” said Mike Tulley, a graduate of St. Thomas in 1960.

“It’s terrific,” Tulley added, expressing his excitement to reconnect with old friends.

Kathy Baker, who graduated from Muldoon in 1960 and organized the reunion, explained the challenges of reconnecting with alumni after so many years. “We can only do so much by contacting people and we would send things on Facebook,” she said.

Tulley reminisced about his time at St. Thomas, saying, “I played three sports, so I’m anxious to see my buddies, fellow football players. Anyhow, it was a great group, a great school, and we had a lot of fun.”

Baker highlighted the importance of community support in organizing the reunion, noting that it was vital to reach out to churches and local observers to find former classmates.

Reflecting on the reunion, Baker said, “It’s wonderful because I have a lot of close friends too, who are here. But as life goes on, we don’t get together as much.”

Tulley remarked on the familiarity of seeing old friends, saying, “So far I’ve recognized everybody. You know we all look older, obviously, but I think so far everybody’s looking good.”

The reunion provided a rare opportunity for alumni to reconnect and reminisce about their school days, bringing back memories from over half a century ago.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WTVO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WTVO staff before being published.