Journey to His Past

You have probably heard of high school's that vote for Most Likely to Succeed, Most Talented or Most Popular, but have you ever heard of the Class Optimist?  I hadn't, but Kirk's grandfather, Bert Corcoran, was voted that in his senior year.

27 members of Grand Rapids, Michigan Boys' Catholic Central High School held a mock election.  A newspaper article reported the election results in the Grand Rapids Press 25 April 1922 edition on page 11; column 4 and 5.

Can you imagine being voted as the shark, rough neck, woman-hater, or baby?  Things have certainly changed since 1922.  High school's today would never be allowed to use derogatory labels.  The teacher in me noticed that six of the students weren't voted for anything.  I guess it isn't as noticeable in a larger school, but I wonder how they felt about being left out.  Another thing that time has changed, I guess.  They probably didn't give it another thought.


  Here is the clipping:

Transcription:
CATHOLIC CENTRAL HAS SENIOR MOCK ELECTION

Twenty-seven members of the junior class of Boys' Catholic Central High school learned Monday how classmates regard them when the annual mock election was held.  The results include:

Most Popular, William Grant;
handsomest, Ronald Chinnock;
shark, James Withey;
class pet, Harold Myler;
class pugilist, Ralph DeVries;
optimist, Bert Corcoran;
pessimist, Charles Guinon;
athlete, Francis Slattery;
fashion plate, Edward Symanski
cutup, August Annerino;
dancer, Michael McCue;
farmer, John Collins;
rough neck, Frank Holland;
woman hater, Joseph Zematis;
bluffer, Wilson Madden;
artist, Leo Van Gorp;
poet, Francis Manikowaki;
chauffeur, Gerald Joyce;
baby, Joseph Morrison;
musician, Archie Foster;
wit, Bernard Morrisey,

Ask and it will be given to you.  I had written on my blog how I would like to have a wedding picture of Kirk's grandparents, Bertrand and Leona Corcoran.  My mother-in-law emailed me and said her sister, Helen, had their wedding picture at one time and maybe Helen's daughter had a copy of it.

I contacted one of Helen's sons and he contacted his sister and within a few days I had a copy of the picture.  I love this picture.  I love the veil, the dress and the flowers.  I think it is a true depiction of the 1920's fashion.

Leona Dollaway, the daughter of Willis G. Dollaway and Francis Denny Dollaway, married Bertrand Francis Corcoran, the son of Timothy Corcoran and Helen Schmitt Corcoran on 3 June 1925 at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  Leona was 20 years old and Bert was 22 years old.

The marriage record of Bert and Leona Corcoran states that Frances Freel and Louise Margold were witnesses.  My mother-in-law believes that is who is in the picture with them.

Kirk and I spent a day last summer visiting ancestral places in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This is the  area where many of Kirk's ancestors settled.

One special visit was to St. Andrew's Cathedral.    St. Andrew's is located at 301 Sheldon Blvd., Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Kirk's grandfather, Bertrand Corcoran, attended high school at Catholic Central High School which is across the piazza of St. Andrew's.  Kirk's grandparents, Bertrand and Leona (Dollaway) Corcoran were married here in 1925.  I would love to have a picture of their wedding at St. Andrew's, but so far haven't found one.  Kirk's great grandparents, Timothy F. Corcoran and Helen (Schmitt) Corcoran's funerals were held at St. Andrew's.

Timothy Corcoran and family lived on Lafayette Street in Grand Rapids, which is just a few blocks from St. Andrew's.  St. Andrew's was the family church when Bertrand and his brother, Howard, were growing up.

The pictures below are from our visit to St. Andrew's in 2012.

FACT	DATE	PLACE OF RESIDENCE	ENUMERATION DISTRICT/PAGE ID./DWELLING
Birth	1903	Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States
Census	1910	Monroe, Newaygo, Michigan, United States	113/2B/22
Census	1920	Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, United States	82/3B/63
Census	1930	Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, United States	79/7A/81
Census	1940	Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, United States	86-105/7A/124
Death	1959	Elk Rapids, Antrim, Michigan, United States

Kirk's maternal grandfather, Bertrand 'Bert' Francis Corcoran, died of a heart attack on 21 July 1959 in Elk Rapids, Antrim, Michigan.  Bert and his wife, Leona, were in Elk Rapids visiting his daughter, Elizabeth 'Betty', and her husband Jim (Kirk's parents).  Jim was on a temporary assignment for Western Electric at the time.

Kirk remembers the days before his grandfather's death as fun.  His grandfather was a very generous person.  He would talk to his grandchildren and was fun to be with.  Whenever Grandpa Corcoran came to visit he would slap a silver dollar in his grandchildren's hands.  That week Grandpa Corcoran had taken Kirk and his brother and sisters to a dime store type store and the kids got to buy a toy.

The morning of Bert's death was a sunny, summer day.  Kirk, who was eight at the time, remembers the family eating hamburgers on the screened-in porch.  While Bert was eating he started having problems.  He went inside to lay down and an ambulance was called.  The kids were kept on the porch while the paramedics attended to Bert, so they wouldn't see anything.  But kids being kids, they peeked through a window.  Kirk remembers the paramedics plunging a hypodermic needle into his grandfather's chest before being told to get away from the window.  Bert died shortly afterwards at the age of 56.

Below is the obituary for Bertrand Francis Corcoran (7 Jan 1903-21 Jul 1959).  Bertrand was the son of Timothy Francis Corcoran and Helen (Schmitt) Corcoran.

B.F. Corcoran, Salesman, Dies

Bertrand F. Corcoran, 56, of 2601 Frederick dr. SE. real estate salesman for Battjes Real Estate Co. and member of St. Thomas' church, died unexpectedly from a heart attack Tuesday in Elk Rapids while he was vacationing.

Mr Corcoran was born in Cook county, Ill., but lived in Grand Rapids most of his life. He was a member of the Holy Name society of St. Thomas' church and the Elks, and was a fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

Surviving are his wife, Leona; two sons, Richard of Grand Rapids and John D. of College Point, N.Y.; three daughters, Mrs. James M. Lenendyke and Mrs. Chester Sypren of Grand Rapids and Mrs. Jack L. Nelson of Traverse City; a brother Howard of Grand Rapids, and 15 grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Thomas' church. Burial will be in Woodlawn cemetery.

The body is at O'Brien's Colonial funeral home.

Bertrand Francis Corcoran was born 7 January 1903 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois to Timothy Francis Corcoran and Helen F. (Schmitt) Corcoran.  He died 21 July 1959 in Elk Rapids, Antrim, Michigan.