Paul V.J. Dwyer grew up in North Philadelphia and was from St. Edward’s parish. He attended Roman from 1911 until 1914, but he unfortunately had to leave school during his junior year so that he could help support his mother who was raising a family of 7 alone. When Paul was just 3 years old, his father, a Trolley Car Conductor, had tragically died in a trolley-car accident. While Paul always regretted not receiving a diploma from Roman, he knew he had to help his family.
Just three months after the U.S. entered World War I, Paul enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in Company L of the 109th Infantry Regiment in the 28th Division. On July 16, 1918, during the Second Battle of the Marne, Paul was captured by enemy forces after sustaining injuries from poison gas used by the enemy on U.S. troops. He was held as a prisoner of war until released at the end of the war in December 1918.
Following the war, Paul married his wife, Mary, in 1921 and they had 3 children – Mary, Paul, Jr., and Joseph. Paul Jr. graduated from Roman in 1944 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and Joe graduated from Roman in 1955 and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956 until 1960.
Paul Sr. was an accountant with Graham Parsons Co, a downtown Philadelphia Accounting Firm, and he was a leader in Our Lady of Holy Souls Catholic Church in Tioga and is known to be one of the founders of the Holy Souls Credit Union. He died in 1946 at the young age of 49. His doctor attributed Paul’s death partially to the physical damage he sustained from the German Army’s poison gas attack during the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918. He is buried in the Dwyer Family plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
As previously noted, Paul always regretted not being able to complete his 4 years at Roman and receive his diploma from Catholic High. But on November 7, 2024, during Roman Catholic High School’s Annual Veterans Day Assembly, Joe Dwyer from Roman’s Class of 1955 proudly accepted an honorary diploma that was posthumously awarded to his father, Paul.
Edward Hyland was from St. Columba’s parish in North Philadelphia. While at Roman he was an honor student and also played on the football and track teams. Edward graduated from Roman in 1939.
Just one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and trained in Texas as a fighter pilot. Edward then served in the European Theater of Operations during World War 2 as a Lieutenant with the 368th Fighter Squadron of the 8th Air Force. On January 11th, 1944, Edward was piloting his P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane while escorting a bomber mission to Germany. Edward was killed when the mission was attacked by an overwhelming force of German fighter planes near the German border. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. Edward left behind a loving family who remember and honor him to this day.
William “Bill” Graham was from St. Stephen’s parish in North Philadelphia. Like his classmate, Edward Hyland, while at Roman Bill was an honor student and played on the football and track teams. He graduated from Roman in 1939.
Just a few weeks shy of his 19th birthday, Bill enlisted in the Marines in 1942. He served in the 1st Marine Division and almost immediately after completing boot camp, he fought at the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. On December 26, 1943, Bill’s regiment was the first ashore at the Battle of Cape Gloucester. Bill lost his life during the battle. He was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery and is buried at the Punch Bowl Cemetery in the Philippines. Bill left behind a loving family with many memories and a legacy that has not dimmed with the passage of time.
James J. O’Donnell grew up in North Philadelphia and attended Gesu Parish grade school. He graduated from Roman in 1941 and while there he was involved in the Band and the Yearbook Committee.
James served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1943 until 1946 and was a sailor aboard the U.S.S. Rockaway. During his service he had spent some time in a Boston area hospital after his ship took enemy fire. While aboard ship he was a member of the Seabees, where he learned his carpentry skills.
James married his wife, Dorothy, in 1945. After discharge from the Navy, he joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. James served as an apprentice, journeyman carpenter, foreman and superintendent. He was a member of Carpenter’s Local Union #122 and was also President of the Local for 20 years. James and his wife raised three children, and he was the proud grandfather of five grandsons. James passed away in November of 1988.
Francis X. Hannigan, known to most as “Hank”, enlisted for military service shortly after graduating from Roman in 1968. He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from March 20, 1969 to March 16, 1970, and he was in the 9th Infantry Division eventually earning the rank of sergeant.
Hank’s unit saw heavy combat throughout his time in Vietnam and was presented with the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm. At one point during battle Hank’s unit was in danger of being overrun by the enemy. Hank, carrying the radio, called in desperately needed support, saving the lives of many American soldiers. For his meritorious service that day, Hank was awarded the Bronze Star.
Roman had a big influence on Hank’s life and he was a proud Vietnam veteran, although he seldom spoke of his time in Vietnam. He often paid tribute to those who served by attending ceremonies held at the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Hank worked for 42 years at W.W. Grainger, Inc. He and his wife, Joan, were married for over 46 years, raised 3 children and were blessed with 5 grandchildren. Four nephews have attended Roman and two great-nephews are presently Roman freshmen. Hank died in 2023, leaving behind a loving wife and family and many wonderful memories.
James F. Dahl was from Ascension of Our Lord parish and was raised in the Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods of Philadelphia. While at Roman, Jim was actively involved in the school community, playing in the band for all four years, and helping to run the intramural floor hockey program for three years. Jim graduated from Roman in 1993.
Jim chose to follow in his late father’s footsteps by enlisting in the United States Navy in 1994. He served as a Radioman aboard the USS Shreveport from 1995 to 1996. During his time on the Shreveport, the ship participated in missions such as Operations Deny Flight, Provide Promise, and Joint/Decisive Endeavor. While in port in Haifa, Israel, during this deployment, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, and the ship remained stationed for two weeks, providing security for the state funeral.
Following his military service, Jim has held a variety of IT and managment roles, obtained dual bachelor’s degrees in information technology and information systems security, as well as a master’s degree in information systems security and assurance. He has also been extremely active in Roman’s Alumni Association and Board of Trustees. Jim currently resides in Northeast Philadelphia with his wife, Kristina, and his two stepsons: Christopher Zampirri, a member of Roman Catholic High School’s class of 2025, and Tyler, who will enter Roman in the fall of 2025 as a member of the class of 2029. He is also a proud father of three sons.
One of the truly amazing things about modern technology tools, such as Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com, is our enhanced ability now to find forgotten stories from Roman’s past. The headline that you see here from the Philadelphia Inquirer reveals one of these stories as the paper reported that William Graham was killed in action and his friend, teammate, and classmate from Roman, Edward Hyland, was missing in action. It would later be confirmed that Edward was killed when his fighter plane was shot down over Europe. On November 7th, 2024, during Roman’s Annual Veterans Day Assembly, another remarkable and memorable moment took place at the legendary school at Broad and Vine. Over 80 years after they gave their lives in World War II, not only were William Graham and Edward Hyland honored, but Roman also brought their families together as members of the Graham and Hyland families that were in attendance were recognized by the students, alumni, and military veterans.