It’s official. I’m old. Yesterday, along with almost one hundred of my classmates from the Class of 1972, I received my Golden Diploma from St. Ignatius College Preparatory. It’s been fifty years since we graduated from S.I. and began our journey to seek our fame and fortune in the world. It’s interesting that in conversations with many of my classmates at the two reunion events this past weekend, I heard no one speak about fame or fortune. It seems that all of us shared stories of our service to humanity over the past fifty years and how we hope we’ve made a positive difference in the lives of those with whom we came in contact. This was a very different experience from first class reunion.
The first official reunion of the S.I. Class of ’72 celebrated ten years since our graduation. It was held in 1982. I’ve often referred to this gathering as the “business card reunion.” As we all approached the age of 30, it seems that many attendees wanted to impress others with their early professional accomplishments. Since I was a teacher, I didn’t have a business card, but I went home that night with about thirty business cards from classmates who were making a name for themselves in various professions. Many of the conversations that evening involved stories of early career successes. Now, after fifty years, I guess we can all agree that most of that is trivial, in light of the overall experience of sixty-eight years lived.
I didn’t encounter anyone at this year’s reunion who seemed to be in competition with others. It was all about camaraderie, shared memories, and interest in each other’s stories of family and life in general. Any business cards exchanged were to provide contact information, not to impress the recipient. Most of the social groupings which separated us during our high school years had dissipated. Perhaps we all realize how blessed we are to have been able to attend and participate in the Golden Reunion events. Thirty of our classmates didn’t live long enough to be with us this weekend. They were very much in our thoughts and prayers during the liturgy yesterday morning.
Catholic education, Jesuit education in particular, makes a difference. Our four years at S.I. prepared us to commit ourselves to a life of service, regardless of our chosen profession. It doesn’t matter if you were a tradesman, an attorney, a firefighter, a dentist, an educator, or someone who committed their life to business, medicine, science, technology, or the arts, the opportunity was always there to commit our lives and our efforts to the greater glory of God. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam — AMDG. Clearly, many members of the S.I. Class of 1972 have done just that. They have lived lives which reflect the basic values of Ignatian education.
To those who taught us and coached us during our four years at S.I…. Thank you!
To those who financially enabled us to attend S.I…. Thank you!
To those who contributed to the construction of the “new” S.I. campus on 37th Avenue, which we enjoyed for our sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school,… Thank you!
And for the opportunity to experience four years of high school with almost 280 other young men who have gone on to make a positive difference in our world,… Thank you!
