Matthews And Babl To Be Inducted Into Irish Hall of Fame Next Wednesday

FIRST IRISH ROYALTY Joe Cavanaugh and Queen Katie Matthews presiding over the first official St. Patrick's Day celebration in 1967.

Wednesday, March 13 the newest inductees into the O'Neill Irish Hall of Fame will be honored with their names set in stone on the streets of O'Neill. This year the inductees were Katie Matthews and Arnie Babl. The following is the story of Matthews and her participation in what has made the O'Neill Celebration.

Katie Matthews was born in 1932 on the family homestead northeast of O'Neill. She grew up there, attending country school alongside her brother Pete & several siblings. She graduated High School, and after 2 years in Nursing School in Lincoln, she returned to O'Neill.

Back home, her reputation grew. With her curly black hair & rosy cheeks, she could catch your eye. Her booming voice got your attention. But ‘twas her figure that could really turn heads. Katie was queen-sized and proud, long before “body positivity” was a thing. Her dainty feet and hands belied her strength. She bested many a man, who learned the hard way, NOT to accept a challenge to fight or wrestle either Katie OR her friend Annie Asimus in a bar.

Yes, those ladies could hold their own with the men, so it's no surprise that they drove Annie's maroon convertible, covered in green crepe paper, in O'Neill's first St. Patrick's Day parade in 1961. Behind them, Katie's brother Pete & friend Joe rode a green horse. By tradition, Katie was in every parade Pete was in from then on.

The 1967 parade kicked off the state year-long Nebraska Centennial celebration. Doc Cook & his Fenians were looking for THE woman to embody their cause. Naturally, they chose Katie as their Fenian Queen. On the big day, Queen Katie looked regal in her crown and long green dress, waving to the crowd, with Doc's daughter perched at her feet. The pre-partying had made Katie a little unsteady, & the lurching ride of the decorated hayrack made her swaying worse. But she managed to stay upright through the whole parade, like the true Queen she was.

Her royal bearing was surely part of the reason that, for the city's Irish King and Queen contest in 1969, Katie won out over Kathleen Cavanaugh. Alongside King Joe, Katie beamed in her new shamrock dress. Never suspecting she was about to rocket to statewide fame. Governor Norbert Tiemann was in town that Monday, March 17th. He had just finished reading aloud his proclamation, designating O'Neill the Irish Capital of Nebraska. Caught up in the excitement, he turned to Queen Katie, and they sealed the proclamation with a big kiss. The photo of the Governor & Miss Katie “The World's Greatest Queen,” sharing their moment, appeared on the front page of the Omaha World Herald.

Another photo of Katie made the World Herald in 1970 as well, showing her & Joe crowning their successors, Betty & Matt McCabe.

A little-known fact: Katie once helped the 1972 National Champion Cornhuskers score a victory. World Herald columnist Tom Allan described it: “…the annual world championship Irish tug-of-war held here. True, the might of the (Cornhusker) Blackshirts was not present, but a team…did beat the O'Neill Elbow Room, the defending champions, with an unwitting assist from Katie Matthews, the 220-lb O'Neill monarch, known here as ‘World's Most Bountiful Irish Queen.' Katie, wearing a green No. 1-topped crown, provided a last-minute assist by grabbing the end of the rope in her unlimitable enthusiasm.”

In 1974, she was promoted to Major in the Fenian Women's Army Corps.

Despite her titles, Katie kept some of her rowdy ways. Having no kids of her own, she often babysat for others, including the Cavanaughs, Cooks, and her nieces & nephews. Some great life lessons were learned. Her nephew Leo recalls, about age 5, going to the bar with Aunt Katie. A fella there pushed his luck too far, calling her “Klondike Kate” after being warned not to. That did it. With a mighty uppercut, Katie launched him over the bar, where he landed, out cold, on the floor behind it. The bartender cussed, reminding Katie that she had been TOLD to STOP DOING THAT, and they had to leave.

In 1977, Katie's life took a domestic turn when she married Don Kazda, the brother of Pete's wife, Gladyce. Married life didn't deter Katie from seeking yet another title, running for Mayor in 1978, one of the few times she was a non-winner.

In later years, she was a custodian at OHS. Katie could be stern, but her heart was always in the right place. She was just her own person. Take her or leave her, what you saw was what you got.

Katie Matthews never went down without a fight, and cancer was her final opponent. She passed away in 1987 and is buried under her married name. Her biggest contribution to the early St. Pat's celebrations is summed up by her epitaph: “O'NEILL'S FIRST IRISH QUEEN.”

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