General Notes

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Catherine BRIGHT ADAMS was born Thursday, 28 April 1910, at 7:55 PM at the Copper Queen Hospital, in Bakerville, outside Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona Territory.  She weighed 4 3/4 lbs.  She was christened there on 1 May 1910 with Patrick F. and Nellie BRIGHT SMALL acting as sponsors. Shortly thereafter she moved to Los Angeles where she took her first step, then to Butte, Montana before settling in Ishpeming, Michigan where they built a house at 601 Main St.

Catherine attended Ridge St. School until grade 3.  She went to St. John's Parochial School, taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, when she was old enough to cross the tracks.  St. John's was the Catholic Church the ADAMS' attended.  She made her First Communion on 10 Oct 1918 and was confirmed on 7 May 1922 taking Mary as her Confirmation name.  She went to the Ishpeming High School graduating in 1928.

She was recruited to go to the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota by Sisters Monica and Prudentia who remained life long friends. She majored in English and Dramatics and minored in French and Sociology. She graduated in 1932.  During one summer recess she took classes in music at Northern States Teacher's College in Marquette.

St. Scholastica played a very large role in Catherine's life.  She met life long friends; Mary (Stevenson) Magney, Mary Lou Scanlon who became Sister Ann Edward Scanlon, and a future President of the College, and Sister Kathleen O'Brien.  The college gave her first job so she could gain experience.  Catherine and her family visited Duluth nearly every year to visit the nuns.  She has contributed to the college every year.

Her very first job was at the Villa Academy for the school year 1932-1933.  She taught Physical Education, English and French.  Her next job was in Lake Lindon, Michigan at Hubbell High School from 1932-1937. While in Lake Lindon she met Nick and Lila Manderfield who remained close friends through the years.  From 1937-1940 she taught English and Speech at Menominee, Michigan High School.  She started work on a Masters in Education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1940 for one school year and then taught at East Lansing High School (1941-1942).  She completed her Masters in the summer of 1942. That Fall she took a job in Green Bay, Wisconsin where she taught one class of English at West High School and  English and Dramatics at Franklin Junior High School.

In the Fall of 1947  she was introduced to Bill KEMP of Lake City, Minnesota by Mary Reding.  Mary was a substitute teacher at Franklin, and Bill and his mother were in Green Bay to visit the Redings.  The Redings brought Bill and his mother to the ADAMS' house on Van Buren St. to visit and they were introduced.  It was a Saturday and Bill asked her out that night but Catherine was hosting a card party that evening and could not go so he asked her out for Sunday night.  They went to a movie and then went back to the ADAMS' home for angel food cake left over from the night before.  Kate was fairly embarrassed about this because they were eating it in the kitchen.  When the KEMP's left Bill said that Catherine would be hearing from him and Catherine thought "Oh sure.  Bill wrote a thank you and must have been talking about her quite a lot around Lake City. The very next week Mary Reding's brother-in-law, Carl came to visit and he was also introduced to Catherine and Mary was encouraging him to ask her out but he said no because he had talked to Bill at the Surf Club and knew that Bill was interested.  They started to see one another and were married 16 Aug 1949.  They honeymooned in Niagara Falls after spending the first night at the Hotel Pfister in Milwaukee and the next night in Gary Indiana.  They moved to Lake City into a small but very comfortable home at 1004 South Oak St. It had previously been a gas station that Bill had remodeled.

Catherine's Baby Book lists her birthplace as Bakersville (a suburb of Bisbee). The birth card announcement says Warren, Arizona and Catherine always said Bisbee.  The actual birth record says Town of Warren, District of Warren, County of Cochise, Arizona Territory. Date of Birth is April 28, 1910. Parents: Herbert James ADAMS and Catherine Marie BRIGHT. Birthplace of father was Oxford, Michigan and occupation was accountant. Birthplace of mother was Michigamme, Michigan with the occupation of hosuewife.  Copy in File
She died about 1:00 am and the family was notified about 1:15.
Burial was in St. Mary's Cemetery.
Sponsors were Nellie (BRIGHT) and Patrick Francis Small