Agnes Evelyn was born February 3, 1921, to William Thomas and Mary Otto “Mame” Dugan Rogers, near Bardstown, Ky. She was the youngest of nine children, six brothers and two sisters. Six weeks after her birth, Agnes Evelyn’s mother died and her father followed four years later. Baby Agnes Evelyn went to live with her uncle and aunt, Wallace Victor and Sudie Bowling Rogers. As a child, Evelyn could tell people that she had two Mamas and Papas, one in heaven and one down here!
Evelyn completed her early schooling at St. Catherine in New Haven. She graduated from St. Catherine High School in 1938. She quoted her uncle and aunt so much that one of her teachers at St. Catherine’s nicknamed Evelyn, “Mama Said and Papa Said!” When Evelyn was a senior in high school, Mother Teresita Thompson visited St. Catherine School and Evelyn, who was considering entering the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, changed her mind and entered the Mount Saint Joseph Ursuline Community instead. Evelyn received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Victor on August 14, 1939.
Sister Mary Victor’s first mission assignment was to St. Paul School, Leitchfield, Ky., where she taught music and was the housekeeper. Her next assignment was to St. Teresa School in Glennonville, Mo. She returned to Kentucky and gave private music lessons and/or taught elementary grade students at Stanley, Sorgho, Owensboro (Sts. Joseph and Paul, Blessed Mother, Immaculate), Mayfield, Fredericktown, Buechel, Jeffersontown, Hodgenville, and Princeton. From 1960 to 1985, she directed the music department at St. Angela Home in Louisville teaching beginning and advanced piano students, and violin to young students using the Suzuki Method. During many of those years she was organist at St. James Church. In 1977, Sister spent the year at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., studying piano under internationally renowned Frank Glazer and violin under Suzatte Batton. From 1985 to 1992, she directed the Suzuki Violin Program at Brescia University. Sister Mary Victor retired to Mount Saint Joseph in 1992. As director of the museum for 10 years, she computerized the identification file, and developed creative displays. She also served as Motherhouse organist for seven years.
In 2005, Sister’s health rapidly declined. While under treatment at Owensboro-Mercy Hospital, she died unexpectedly on June 15, 2005. Father Joseph Mills, former chaplain, and Father Chris Kauf, visiting chaplain from Poland, celebrated the funeral Mass on Friday morning, June 17, 2005. Sister Mary Victor’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery.