The Thirties were interesting times for students at Judge. The decade was dominated by the Great Depression, and the football field was just a grassy area with springs. The teachers were mostly nuns or priests. And according to interviews with graduates at that time, homework was thin.

In the early days students could attend Judge from first grade until graduation. James Hearley attended Judge from second grade to his graduation in 1938.

For him, that time was a time of pure delight. During grade school, he went on walks by the streams that flowed from  springs and through bushes that were in the field below the old school, where the football field is today. Sports were not such big deals, but when given the opportunity to go to a football or baseball game, it was immediately taken.

Most of the time, James hung with his friends in the “Pep Club.” The club put on the annual plays and an operetta every year for the rest of the student body, which at the time was made up of only about 50–60 people with about 10 or so teachers.

Hearley remembers that the senior class play of 1939 was ‘Pride and Prejudice.’ He added that the ‘new’ gym and auditorium were a welcome addition to the campus.

Classes back then were spread out in the big hospital building. For example the chemistry class took place in an old operating room on the top floor of the building which was round to allow for maximum light. But the floors were made of slippery tile, so it was often during class that students slipped and fell.

All dances took place in buildings that had been “lent” to them by the owner. Nothing ever took place on the school grounds. The reason? The school building was not meant for dances and social occasions; it was an old hospital and had many problems as it was.

“The elevator wasn’t used, and the stairs were very old and creaky. I was frightened of them,” Hearley said.