As Harry Mares sat with his sophomore classmates during lunch hour more than a half century ago, the pretty, petite senior with short dark hair and such a winning smile would appear daily like clockwork.

The only word Mares ever heard from this girl named Geri Van Bree during that 1955-56 school year at St. Catherine's was a simple "hi." There was never any conversation between the two, yet that daily "hi" from someone who obviously went out of her way to say it to him remained with Mares.

But then, Mares wasn't just anyone back then, just as he wouldn't be during his illustrious life. As a three-year starter at right halfback under coach Ed Race from 1955-57, Mares led the Angels to a record of 22-1-1 and three Catholic Conference championships.

Long before the National Football League captivated a nation's attention, St. Catherine's used to play on Sunday afternoons at the old Horlick Field, which extended east and west along the south wall of the current venue. And during what were the glory days of this program, when St. Catherine's was producing players the likes of Jerry Mertins, who became an All-Pro defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers, and Don Penza, who would captain one of the legendary Frank Leahy's teams at Notre Dame, this was a program to see.

Just how unique was St, Catherine's program? Ask Mares for a signature moment from his high school days and he'll mention a play that was called back.

"We were probably on our

40-yard line and (fullback) Johnny Talos dove in between the center and the left guard," Mares said. "(Quarterback) Johnny May faked him the ball, pulled it out of his belly, handed it off to me as I went off left tackle between the tackle and the end and it was wide open.

"I raced 60 yards for a touchdown. When I got into the end zone, the referee was blowing his whistle. What had happened was Johnny May and John Talos had faked so well that probably eight guys piled onto Tallos and the referee thought Talos had the ball. And here I'm standing in end zone with the play blown dead.

"As I was running back, the referee was going over to Eddie Race saying, 'Coach I apologize. I thought Talos had the ball.' And he apologized to me, but the thought that went through my mind was, 'What a team! Everybody did their job so well that the referee was even fooled.' "

Mares went on to play for Loras College in Iowa, but a knee injury that would require nine operations ended his football career after his freshman season. Little did Mares know that the drama he was losing on the football field would be replaced in real life.

Fast forward to January 1975 when Sue Mares, his wife of 10 years and the mother of their four children, died of cancer at the age of 31 in Minnesota. So there was Mares at the age of 34 with two sons, James and Jon, and two daughters, Andrea and Jane, all without a mother and none older than 9.

How was this exceptional young father, whose numerous accomplishments would include being elected mayor of White Bear Lake, Minn., twice and being elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives four times, carry on as a single parent?

Can we call it spiritual intervention? You decide.

"After the death occurred, Joannie McClosky-Pettit called me," Mares said. "She was at St. Catherine's with me and she asked if there was anything she could do for me. And I said, 'You know, there was a girl I had a crush on. I don't know if she's dead, alive, happily married, divorced … all I know what there her name was Geri Van Bree.'

"Two weeks later, Joannie called me back and said, 'Harry, you won't believe this, but Geri's husband passed away about a year ago.' "

Nineteen years after those daily greetings in St. Catherine's cafeteria, Mares made contact with that mystery woman, who lived in Racine. A long-distance relationship of about 325 miles ensued in the spring of 1975 and they married that fall.

The popular television sitcom, "The Brady Bunch," had been canceled in 1974, but it was revived with this marriage. Van Bree had three children of her own, Michael, Michelle and Melissa, giving Mares and his new wife seven children, none of whom had reached double digits in age at the time of their marriage.

"God works in mysterious ways," Mares said. "I don't even know what brought that thought when Joanie McClosky asked me. Why would I think of Geri Van Bree? I have no idea to this day, but that's what came out of my mouth."

Harry became the father of Geri's children. Geri became the mother of Harry's children, which was underscored when Jane was diagnosed with cistric fibrosis at the age of 3 in 1977.

"When we discovered that Jane had CF, we were told that Jane would live to 6 years old," Mares said. "Jane is still living and the only reason she is still living is the tender loving care and all the therapy that Jane did.

"There is no difference between a biological mother and a stepmother. Jane thinks that Geri is absolutely perfect."

After nearly 34 years of marriage, Mares seconds that

opinion.

"I probably wouldn't be alive today and accomplish what we've been able to accomplish without her," Mares said. "She was the inspiration. I have one word for her - she's an angel."

Catching up with Norman Mares

NAME: Norman Harry Mares

BORN: Dec. 21, 1938 in Racine.

RESIDENCE: Wild Rose, Wis. (about 50 miles west of Oshkosh),

FAMILY: Mares and his late first wife, Sue, were the parents of Andrea, James, Jon and Jane. He married the former Geri Van Bree Oct. 17, 1975 and is the stepfather of her three children - Michael, Michelle and Melissa.

HIGH SCHOOL: St. Catherine's '58

COLLEGE: Graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1962 with a degree in political science and education. Received a masters degree from Winona State in 1967.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Mares was a teacher and assistant football coach at White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota from 1966-97, winning the large schools state football championship in 1976 with an overtime victory. He served as mayor of White Bear Lake from 1991-95 and was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives four times, serving for eight years. He also was appointed Chairman of the Minnesota House of Representatives Education Committee and was appointed Commissioner of Economic Security by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty in January 2003. In 2002, he was named Legislator of the Year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and by the Minnesota State Fire Chief's Association.