St. Joseph CHS inducts new Hall of Fame members

Friday, Aug. 01, 2014

OGDEN — A couple who has been active in the Saint Joseph Catholic High School community since 1972, and a three-sport athlete whose 1A shot put record has stood since 2001, were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame during a July 19 awards banquet.

Dick and Marge Molumby moved to Ogden in 1968; their six children attended the St. Joseph schools, as have their grandchildren, and now a great-grandson is enrolled in kindergarten there. Dick Molumby served as president of the school’s Booster Club, president of the grade school board and president of the high school finance board and also was on the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s school board. Marge Molumby was a teacher’s aide at the grade school; as a couple, they helped form the school’s SPREE fundraiser in 1977 and through the years drove athletes to competitions, among other volunteer work. 

“You can’t imagine the things that they have done, and you have to hear some of the things that they’ve done to really appreciate their over 40 years of commitment to the Saint Joseph community,” said Paul Willard, a former St. Joseph principal and coach, who presented the couple with the Lifetime School Achievement Supporter Award.

Willard credited the Molumbys with being among those who, in the 1970s when the schools faced difficult financial times, worked to keep the doors open.

“We would not be here if it weren’t for these people,” Willard said, adding, “Nobody has done more, I think, in terms of being involved in the total community than what Dick and Marge have. … You could always count on them.”

The Molumby children, who attended the banquet, said their parents taught them how to accomplish their objectives, but enjoy themselves along the way.  

The Molumbys worked hard to raise money for the schools, “but they did it through fun, they did it through community, they did it through their friends,” said their oldest daughter, Kathleen Beaudoin. 

In an interview, Dick Molumby said he was only a small part of keeping the schools open in the 1970s, giving credit to Willard and others, and added that the Booster Club, which was started by Jesuit Father Neale Herrlich, “is the thread that binds the community together.”

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was Mary Dinsdale, who during her years at St. Joseph High School (1997-2001) won All Region recognition as a volleyball and basketball player and was a state champion in the shot put and discus. She still holds school records in those two events as well as the 1A shot put record. In addition, she was a member of the National Honor Society and, as a senior, was Homecoming Queen.

Despite her many athletic accomplishments, Dinsdale wasn’t naturally gifted, said Ray Franklin, who coached her in volleyball and track and field. Instead, she was a “very, very, very, very, very hard worker,” he said. “She was one of those athletes who, if the coach told her to do something, she did it. A lot of people don’t realize how much extra time she spent in the weight room.” 

The Hall of Fame was instituted in 2004; outstanding athletes may be inducted five years after graduation; significant contributors are those who have given substantially of their time, talent, or treasure, said Bob McConaughy, a member of the St. Joseph Alumni Association.