Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Anthony Caruana, left, and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, both Cardinal O’Hara High School alumni, point to their senior class pictures posted in the school. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com There was a fire, a profound speech, and a chance to prove to Western New York that a new Catholic school could emerge as a place to receive a top-notch education.

This is what two of Cardinal O’Hara High School’s alumni can attest to when recalling what happened when the doors officially opened in September 1961 at the school’s O’Hara Road facility.

The events of the first days of high school seemed liked yesterday to Town Supervisor Anthony Caruana and State Assemblyman Robin Schimminger as they summarized four years as members of the first class at O’Hara.

According to Caruana, the pair gathered with 318 other students inside the school cafeteria while a bulldozer was ablaze outside the main building.

“There was so much smoke,” said Caruana, who remained dubious to what was being said to the group in the cafeteria as firemen extinguished the flames. “We were told that we would become part of something truly special.”

Caruana was skeptical of what he was being told at the time because he thought he would have been better off at his school of choice: Canisius High School.

“We didn’t know it then, but we were part of a special class. We were pioneers,” said Schimminger. “Nobody knew what Cardinal O’Hara was, and we were responsible for molding its traditions. We’ve come to appreciate that now.”

The two teens along with their classmates had to demonstrate to the Catholic Diocese that this school, which at the time consisted of youth from Kenmore and the Town and City of Tonawanda, could compete with other educational facilities in the area.

Caruana said the students were told that they were to represent the school in the same manner as those individuals who attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

“Father Martin Dombrowski told us during his speech that we needed to be just as proud as West Point men,” said Caruana.

Being told to act like those cadets is what Caruana believes encouraged the new students to immerse themselves in the arts, athletics, clubs and educational programs offered at the school.

“Sports were the big thing at the time. Everyone tried out for the football team,” said Schimminger, who never did get his time on the gridiron.

Caruana was an athlete who played prominent roles as a football and baseball player, while Schimminger tried his hand at rowing but found that performing in school plays and participating in clubs such as the debate team were areas where he excelled as an individual.

At times, the duo’s high school careers ran parallel. Both had fond memories of performing in plays and serving as class officers – Schimminger was class president while Caruana was the class treasurer.

Caruana noted how coach “Iron” Mike Turner and O’Hara’s Franciscan Fathers played a major role in helping him establish his high principles and value standards.

“Under Coach Turner’s leadership, we won the Smith Division championship in our first year of varsity play without any seniors on the team, and then we repeated the next year,” said Caruana as he reminisced about days competing on Conway Field — now known as Kenney Field — at the corner of Brighton Road and Colvin Boulevard. He broke his ankle his freshman year in a game against Nichols but returned with a vengeance as a sophomore to lead the Hawks to their second championship.

The two offered scattered memories while reviewing photos of their former classmates as the conversation continued for nearly two hours.

“Our class only received one yearbook, so these photos are valuable. Most of them are not in our yearbook,” said Schimminger.

Caruana then talked about high school dances and meeting his future wife, Diane Gilcrist, also an O’Hara alum, at the Delaware Pool; while Schimminger recited lines from school plays and rambled off names of classmates with whom he still associates nearly 50 years later.

“Linda Master (Northrop) was our valedictorian and became a math teacher for the Air Force Academy, and Sharon Leery was the star of the play our senior year,” said Schimminger.

The two could have probably gone on for hours but concluded their thoughts by saying that they had a wonderful time at the school and that they hope that incoming students will appreciate the legacy the first class established before graduating in 1965.

Caruana and Schimminger agreed that although O’Hara was a young institution, it helped them grow by broadening their horizons and teaching them what it truly meant to be a Hawk.

“We wouldn’t have done it any other way,” they said.

As the school kicks off its 50th anniversary, both Schimminger and Caruana hope that the current students will take a moment to reflect on those more than 5,600 alumni who help shaped the school’s history and traditions. The school will host numerous celebratory events throughout the school year to mark the five-decade milestone, and there are also photos of the members of the first class displayed in the school on the first floor.

For more information about Cardinal O’Hara High School, visit the school’s website at www.cardinalohara.com.