HISTORY AND TRADITIONS
Share your memories. And come visit your new Donohoe Alumni House
Did you know SCU freshmen used to wear red-and-white beanies so they would stand out on campus? Or that the San Francisco ’49ers have the same colors as your alma mater because the original owners were Santa Clara alums? How about the fact that Benny the Bronco, Santa Clara’s original mascot, came from a cartoon in the local newspaper? Or that one of the biggest events on campus these days is the Mr. RLC competition?
One of the great responsibilities of the Alumni Association is to preserve the rich history and traditions of our school and pass them on to new generations of Broncos. To this end, one of our more ambitious projects for 2011 is to create a tangible way to share our University’s icons, rituals, and lore with current and future students.
We’ve started documenting the more commonly known facts, but we need your help! In an attempt to represent all decades and experiences, we’ve created a webpage where you can share favorite memories from your time at SCU. Visit www.scu.edu/alumnihistory to tell your stories and, while you’re at it, dispense your best advice to incoming freshmen. We look forward to sharing the outcome of this project later this year.
A moment in time
This past year your Donohoe Alumni House underwent extensive renovations. Amid the construction, we took the opportunity to preserve a bit of alumni history in the structure. On Oct. 15, we buried a time capsule deep in the concrete ramp at the back of the building. In the capsule are items of historical and sentimental significance—original keys for the Donohoe front door, a wine glass from Vintage Santa Clara, a Bronco pom-pom, copies of Santa Clara Magazine and The Santa Clara student newspaper, Fr. Locatelli‘s Funeral Mass program, and a wine bottle commemorating Pat Malley‘s 25th year as head football coach, to name a few.
 |
Your place: Fr. Lou in front of the Donohoe Alumni House
Photo: SCU Archives |
My favorite item is a letter dated Dec. 2, 1974, written by Lou Bannan, S.J., professor of philosophy and assistant to the president for alumni affairs. In the letter, Fr. Lou makes a passionate plea to Rev. Don Flickinger, executive assistant to University President Thomas Terry, S.J. Specifically, he asks for the Donohoe Infirmary (which was moving to the newly constructed Cowell Health Center) to become the new home of the Santa Clara Alumni Association:
The alumni, students, and all our public should know that we are not a second-rate agency. Obviously, this is a great factor to enhance loyalty and communications, as well as income. This is clearly a great investment in the future.
Although competition for the building was fierce, Fr. Lou prevailed and, in 1975, the Alumni Association moved into the first floor of the newly remodeled Donohoe. Now, more than 36 years later, the Donohoe Alumni House is truly a facility dedicated solely to serving alumni, students, and all members of the Santa Clara family.
In appreciation of Fr. Lou’s persuasive efforts, the location of the time capsule is marked with a plaque bearing this inscription:
Whatever we truly love—our friends, our family, beauty, and goodness—it is all a gift of love from God. Cherish these gifts. Enjoy them. Return trust with trust. Return love with love…. and stay loose. He loves you the way He made you.
Louis I. Bannan, S.J.
(1914–1998)
Teacher, Mentor, Friend
Stay loose!
Kathryn Kale ’86
Executive Director
Alumni Association