Crespi Welcomes Mount Carmelite Alumni

Alumni of Mount Carmel High met Wednesday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Priory in Encino for the 6th Annual Mount Carmel Alumni Association St. Paddy’s Day Luncheon. Dressed in green to commemorate the patron saint of Ireland, they celebrated with fellow alumni, clergymen and family members from graduating classes that spanned decades.

Among the assembled classmates were James Nash (class of '67) and Paul Martin and Tom Pinard (both from the class of '57). They swapped stories and spoke with Father Gus Carter, who is now affliated with Crespi but used to be one of their teachers at Mount Carmel. They also talked about that day's sermon with David Genders, who is part of the Order of Carmelites.

The reminiscing continued through the afternoon over traditional St. Patrick's day fare of corned beef, coleslaw, potato salad, and bottles of Harp and Guinness. Long-standing friend of Crespi, Bridgett Green, had shopped for, cooked and prepared the hearty feast over several days.

Crespi's Brett Nordyke, who is the school's director of institutional advancement, took time to gather the alumni into the chapel to thank them for funding much needed repairs to the Priory after flood water had damaged the kitchen on two occasions. Nordyke also thanked them for providing funds for a brand-new walk-in refrigerator.

Their Roman Catholic all-boys high school is no longer standing; however, its legacy of scholarship, success and family values still lives on through in Encino.

, Mt. Carmel High was founded in 1935 at 71st and Hoover streets in Los Angeles. The school closed in 1976 due to declining enrollment and a few years later was destroyed by fire. Although the buildings had fallen, the school was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and the spirit of the Crusaders endured.

In 2002, a group of Mt. Carmel graduates formed the Mount Carmel Alumni Foundation with the goal of reconnecting fellow graduates. They’ve since expanded their vision to include supporting Catholic elementary schools in greater Los Angeles and raise funds for retired Carmelite priests.