Just about everyone around Xavier Prep knew of Sr. Nancy
Perlick’s love for dogs. The associate athletic director and administrator, who
passed away Dec. 11 after a courageous battle with cancer, often brought her
dog Rosie and Rosie’s pal, Ruby, to school.
In the late summer of 2014, a stray wandered onto campus and
Sr. Nancy and other staffers took him in.
That stray was me.
Sr. Nancy and athletic director Sr. Lynn Winsor graciously
allowed me to produce a blog for the school Web site. It is called the XCP
Files and I have been fortunate to continue it this school year after a
successful debut in 2014-15.
It is something I truly enjoy. In many ways, it surpasses
the satisfaction I gained from covering sports for The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Interscholastic Association
for close to 40 years.
The main reason for that has been the fantastic people at XCP, especially Sr. Nancy.
She was my primary contact here. I would write most of my
reports from home and e-mail them to her to approve before I posted them. It
was a good system.
Not long ago, after reading one of my stories, she said how
much she enjoyed reading them. The ones away from Xavier were particularly
interesting, she said, “because I can’t go to a lot of them and these stories
make me feel like I was actually there.’’
You can’t get a much better endorsement than that.
I first met Sr. Nancy a few years ago when I would cover
volleyball, basketball and softball games for the AIA. She was always helpful,
along with sports security man Mike Williams, often offering me a seat behind
the scorer’s table.
Sr. Nancy had everything down pat, from adjusting the volume
on the latest music hits to pronouncing the names for players from both
schools. Before the games and at halftime, she could be found immersed in a
book.
The same was true at softball games. She kept fans informed
of the score, even though it flashed on the scoreboard, and made sure to plug
the treats available at the concession stand.
She was more than a voice. She had substance, a lot of it.
She sent out season schedules and served as a liaison with the AIA. While Sr.
Lynn is one of XCP’s primary movers and shakers, it was Sr. Nancy who had her
back.
Sr. Nancy was like the Radar O’Reilly character on the classic TV
show, M*A*S*H. If you wanted something done, you would go to her and she made
sure it would happen.
She loved being a part of the Xavier community, especially
working with and guiding the students. She also enjoyed traveling, sometimes to
Hawaii.
She had a wonderful smile, and even if she wasn’t sure an
idea would fly, she would put the wheels into motion as a loyal soldier should.
Sr. Nancy might not completely understand this hubbub
regarding her passing. But it is something we are compelled to do.
There will be plenty of tears at her funeral Mass. Tears of
sadness, knowing how much she will be missed – after about 20 years here, she
is irreplaceable -- but also tears of joy because we know she is with the Lord.
Thanks, Sr. Nancy, for taking me in.
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