A few months ago, Sister Peggy Ann Clinton, OP, was getting to know one of her students, Grace Baron, at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, New Jersey. Grace, MSDA ‘25, mentioned in passing that she had family in Mobile, Alabama. Sister Peggy Ann, knowing that the Caldwell Dominicans had served at St. Catherine School in Mobile for many years, asked if her family had attended St. Catherine’s. The next day, Grace reported that her grandfather, Jim Backes, had attended St. Catherine’s and was taught by several Caldwell sisters. Recently, Jim was in New Jersey and had a lovely reunion with his seventh-grade teacher, Sister Bettyanne Schultz, OP (Sister Mary Albert). Jim told Sister Bettyanne that she has always been an icon in his eyes, and he credits her and other Caldwell Dominicans for their great influence on his life.
Photograph (L to R): James Backes, Sister Bettyanne Schultz, OP, Grace Baron