Judge Memorial Catholic High School names McCarthey Stadium

"We are so grateful to the McCarthey family for their support and for demonstrating the greatest commitment to Catholic education in all of Utah since Mary Judge gave the Diocese of Salt Lake City Mercy Hospital," said Hamburge.

According to "The Salt of the Earth," by Bernice Maher Mooney, Mary Judge, wife of John Judge who died Sept. 14, 1892, wrote to Bishop Lawrence J. Scanlan Nov. 27, 1901, with the desire of establishing a home for aged and infirm miners and a hospital where the unfortunate could receive proper medical and surgical treatment. Construction was completed in 1909. With the building of Holy Cross Hospital, Mercy Hospital closed in 1916.

Mercy Hospital was transformed into a school in 1920, first run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and then by the Holy Cross Sisters.

On Nov. 5, 1960, Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal, assisted by Father James T. Kenny, superintendent of schools, laid the cornerstone for the new Judge Memorial Catholic High School. The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (Toledo-Detroit Province, Ohio) operated a coeducational high school from 1961 to 1964, and Judge Memorial High School for Boys from 1964 until 1970. The school resumed a coeducational status in 1970.

"I think Mary McCarthey is a tremendous example of support for church and involvement in community," said Hamburge. "Mary went to St. Mary of the Wasatch, which is now part of the Judge Memorial family.

"This field was obviously a dream," said Hamburge. "We are a center-city school, and we have only one field. The old field was plagued with problems from rocks to water when you did not want it. In the end, the McCarthey gift made it possible for us, even as a four and one-third acre school, to offer a quality experience for all the children in the city. Judge is a school that has so much diversity, and without the help of dedicated and generous people like the McCarthey family, Judge would probably not have a future. But because of their wonderful support and their belief in the great mission of Judge Memorial and the great work of our teachers, coaches, and the families over the years, that mission will now continue."

Hamburge said they started the dream, the Legacy Campaign, with the idea that Judge had 87 great years. Now they want to ensure 87 more great years, which cannot be done with only tuition dollars, especially when 40 percent of your students need financial aid. It takes the true spirit of Christian generosity in order to help parishes and schools like Judge Memorial continue their work and their great ministry.

"We are blessed," said Hamburge. "More than that, we are honored to have the McCarthey name on our campus for ever and ever. We are so grateful and honored they would invest in the mission of our school and the commitment of our teachers and parents. Now we have made, in a sense, the statement that the mission of Judge will continue for many years far into the future.

"The idea began with the belief this stadium was more than a field," said Hamburge. "This is not an athletic facility as much as it is an investment in the mission of our school. We are here to stay and carry out our mission as well as we can."