The 1961 – 1962 Roundup and 1961 Last Roundup, edited by John Humphries, continued improving, earning awards at the Texas Catholic Journalists Workshop in San Antonio, third and second place respectively.
By 1962 – 1963 the paper again was sold (for a $2.00 subscription) rather than being distributed free. (Literary Edition, Winter 1963). The Literary Edition published short stories, essays, and poems submitted via a contest. Although the February 1963 called this a “new thing,” the paper, of course, had published literary pieces in its first years. The Roundup won the “Award of Distinction” at the Texas Catholic Journalists Workshop for its journalistic technique.
In the May 1963 issue the editor, Roger Sullivan, reported on the plans for the following year. The new editor Joe Benenate would attend the Journalism Workshop at the University of Detroit. The paper will move from a bi-monthly edition to a monthly, eight-page edition. The paper will join several national organizations, including the Columbia Press Association and the Quill and Scroll, and compete against public as well as Catholic schools. The current moderators were Mr. Barfield, S. J., Mr. Jung, S. J., and Mr. Spaeth.
Miles Goodwin humorously reports in the November 1963 issue about meeting deadlines. Mr. Jung, the moderator, “is king. He produces a whip, and he fingers a handlebar mustache (stolen from the Phil). . . . Joe Benenate (our fearless leader) runs around telling everyone what to do, generally contradicting Mr. Jung’s commands. . . . . Around 11:30 we begin to show signs of fatigue. We start missing the paper [pasting articles], and drench each other in glue.”
On February 28, 1965 The Last Roundup sponsored a Hootenanny. About 500 attended.
For the first time the May 1966 issue dedicates the newspaper to Fr. S. J. Rivoire, S. J. who has given so much to the school. This comment is included about the cover: With this issue and the end of this year, we will have finally closed the door on what was the old Jesuit, whose last remains are depicted on the cover. This year’s Graduating Class is the last one to have known the spirit of the old school and what it symbolized.”
For the Jubilee year Jeff FitzGerald announces two new plans in the September 1966 issue: increasing circulation from approximately 750 to 3,000 and a Parents & Alumni section. The December 1966 issue again dedicated its paper to Coach Jim Walsh, Jesuit’s Director of Public Relations and Athletic Director. Because this edition celebrated athletics, the staff believed they must recognize the man who through his eleven years at Jesuit has “taken the Ranger Basketball team to the TCIL finals more times than anybody can remember, and only last year his Golfers came in Number One—again. . . . he will be remembered most as a man who loved people and thought the act in itself was sufficient reward.”
The January 1967 edition gives tribute to Mr. Albert J. Jung, S. J., the paper’s moderator in the early 1963. Mr. Jung came to Dallas in 1962 to teach English and died “of his third heart attack at age 26 during our 2nd period on January 8, 1964.” Jung once threatened to go to Ft. Worth because Jesuit Dallas did not have enough books.
In the January 1968 issue of the paper two editorials tackled provocative topics. The first,
by Roundup editor Dan Maher and Last Roundup editor Chris Vilfordi, noted that the athletic code was flagrantly ignored by both athletes and coaches. They strongly urged “that something be done about this situation.” The second by Jeff Dillon decried the low attendance at the recent band concert, suggesting, “If all we can offer is an apathetic attitude we had better start tearing down our spirit posters. . . ”
Sources: The Principal’s and Minister’s Diaries, The Province Prefect Annual Report 1953, The Mothers’s Club Scrapbooks, and the student school newspaper, The Roundup)
