St Mark's Catholic Grade School

ST. MARK'S CATHOLIC GRADE SCHOOL 5 We Love Our Lunch Ladies! With her two children, Danny and Kristy, at St. Mark's, Mrs. Driscoll was an involved mom, serving as a Girl Scout leader and room mother. So she was primed to say yes when approached about helping in the lunchroom. Mrs. Driscoll apprenticed under Mrs. Bowers for three years and then took charge of the program in 1988. She was recently recognized by the Diocese for more than 30 years of service. She is still going strong! "It's a lot of fun watching the kids grow up," said Mrs. Driscoll. The prices have changed over the years and so have the menus. Hot lunch is still a bargain at $2.35 and milk is 50 cents. Popular items are pizza, tacos, the baked potato bar, and rib sandwiches. P izza burgers, tater tots, polka dot pudding, mashed potatoes with hamburger gravy: if you're a Marksman, the mention of these foods is probably bringing back fond memories! St. Mark's School has been serving hot lunch to children for more than 70 years. And in that time, only three women have headed up the program, and they all have been St. Mark's moms! Mrs. Dorothea Troy In 1946, Mrs. Troy had two children, Jim and Bill, attending St. Mark's and she was president of the Mother's Club. She and several mothers started a hot lunch program during the colder months of October through April, when it wasn't as easy for children to go home for the midday meal. "Father Fitzgerald got her one, four-burner stove," recalled her son Bill. The program grew from this one appliance to a fully equipped kitchen, which fed up to 725 children a day. When Mrs. Troy started the program, hot lunch cost 15 cents and milk 2 cents. Thirty years from its beginnings, Mrs. Troy was still serving up her famous apple crisp and other favorite items. Mrs. Elaine Bowers In 1976, Mrs. Troy handed the baton to Elaine Bowers. Mrs. Bowers had six sons—Steve, Paul, Phil, Guy, Chris, and Gene— five of whom went to St. Mark's. "Many moms helped in the lunchroom," said son Phil. "She got close to Mrs. Troy." That relationship, combined with her degree in home economics, made Mrs. Bowers a natural fit to manage the lunch program. Mrs. Bowers fed hungry Marksmen for 12 years. Mrs. Kathy Driscoll The generous, kind, and hard-working people like our lunch ladies are part of what makes St. Mark's great!

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