finances. Enrollment in the Catholic high schools fell dramatically from 2,530 students in 1967 to only 1,900 in 1971. With the extreme decline of incoming students, the need for three Catholic schools was not necessary. Ultimately, the only option was to shut down one of the Catholic high schools. Reitz Memorial was quickly taken out of the equation because it was the founding school and centrally located. The decision process of whether to close Rex Mundi or Mater Dei was contemplated for three months before a conclusion was finally made. February 29, 1972, Peter Taromina, of the Area Catholic School Board, made the motion to retain Mater Dei and Reitz Memorial high schools. This motion was seconded by Wilbur “Red” Walker. The board voted 7-4 to close Rex Mundi. The results were taken to Diocesan Council who voted 12-4 to close the school. March 29, 1972, the decision to close Rex Mundi was made official. The students, administrators, graduates, and families were all strongly affected by the decision. If the Rex Mundi students chose to continue in the Catholic high school system, their options were either be transferred to Mater Dei or Reitz Memorial. Juniors were allowed to decide which school they wanted to attend, however, underclassmen had to go to the school in their district. They began visiting Mater Dei and Reitz Memorial high schools to become acquainted with future classmates and teachers. Each day, fifteen Rex Mundi students from the freshmen, sophomore, and junior classes spent their school day at one of the two schools. A Rex Mundi student was assigned a student at the host school with similar academic interests to provide a tour. This allowed the Rex Mundi student to get an idea of what the classes at his or her new school would be like. The school board was “firmly committed” to providing adequate transportation. The Evansville Catholic Diocese put the former Rex Mundi convent up for sale. March 22, 1975, George Utley, director of Ivy Tech, purchased the old Rex Mundi convent for $1.5 million for the state. More than half of the proceeds from the sales of Rex Mundi was used to pay off old debts. With the closing of Rex Mundi, faculty had to be distributed elsewhere. Catholic school officials were responsible for the employment of staff and faculty for the two remaining Catholic high schools in Evansville. The selection of faculty