History Continued

A Fortuitous Benefactor

Soon after classes began, Bishop Gerken received alarming news. Cardinal Mundelein (for whom the school was named) failed to secure the funding that was promised. So, Bishop Gerken began a frantic search for money. Almost immediately the bishop encountered good fortune. Mrs. Katherine E. Price, a widow from Connecticut, wrote to him in November inquiring about the needs of the Diocese. Mrs. Price was intent upon aiding the church in the Southwest in the form of donations from the estate of her late husband, Lucian B. Price. Bishop Gerken informed Mrs. Price about the need for money to finish construction of the new school, and Mrs. Price responded by agreeing to finance St. George's College and to add two wings to the building. The first school year ended with the graduation of three students. And in honor of Mrs. Price, the school was renamed Price Memorial College.

Construction of the original building was completed in February 1929. Dedication of the two new wings took place October 27, 1929, just three days after the stock market crash and the beginning the Great Depression. Mrs. Price journeyed from Connecticut for the dedication.

Generosity and Hard Work Prevail

The poverty of the Depression could have closed Price Memorial College, but the generosity Mrs. Price and the hard work of the school's teachers, students, and families saved it.

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