Loras College - Purgold Yearbook (Dubuque, IA)

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- = ase = Colonel Holland is presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The colonel speaks to Auditorium. Father Phil Fusco congratulates Colonel Holland on the speech he gave at the Loras Club luncheon in Chicago. 27

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26 Colonel Colonel Holland signs a momento. U.S. Army Colonel Leland Holland, a member of the Loras class of 1953, was reunited with his wife and family on Sunday, January 25, 1981, with the return of the ex-hostages from Iran. The Colonel and other hostages had been held for 444 days since the take-over of the U. S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, The Colonel visited the rest of his family at his mother’s home in Scales Mound, Illinois in February, following the White House welcome and other special tributes to the fifty-three in New York and Washington, D.C. While in Illinois, he visited Dubuque and the Loras campus. Colonel Holland is a native of Shulls- burg, Wisconsin and a graduate of the Scales Mound, Illinois high school. He attended Loras from 1949 through 1953, and earned his degree at the University of Nebraska in 1961. A son, Joseph attended Loras in 1973 and 1974. Mrs. Holland is the former Mary Ann Connolly of Dubuque. She and two of the children had been with the Colonel in Iran, but returned to the States prior to the seizure of the Embassy. The Colonel had been hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Hospital for a few days following his return for treatment of bronchitis. Otherwise, despite rough treatment at the hands of his captors, he apparently is in good health. Along with the other returnees, Colonel Holland looks forward to rest, relaxation and the enjoyment of his freedom. Among the highlights of his return were a special half-time telephone visit with the people of Scales Mound during a basketball game, and the formal welcome which the residents of the Scales Mound area gave to the Colonel. An all day celebration was highlighted by a parade in his honor. Special telegrams of welcome were sent to the Colonel’s wife and to his mother by Dr. Pasquale Di Pasquale, Jr., Loras’ president. United States Army Colonel, Leland Holland, class of ‘53. On Friday, February 20, Colonel Holland and his wife visited the Loras campus to participate in a Mass of Thanksgiving for the safe return of the ex-hostages. The concelebrated Mass in the Chapel of Christ the King was followed by a reception for the Colonel and Mrs. Holland in Tuohy Auditorium. President Di Pasquale expressed the gratitude of the entire Loras community for the Colonel’s release, along with the others who were held hostage, and the safe return home. Colonel Holland responded with brief comments and answered questions from those in attendance. He par- ticularly pointed out how his Loras years helped him during the hostage days, and specifically mentioned his experiences in classes taught by the late Monsignor Sylvester Luby, Mon- signor Timothy Gannon and Professor Paul Oberman. The Colonel was presented with a Distinguished Alumnus Award.

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28 Harry Chapin in Concert Harry Chapin Harry Chapin entertained the Loras community on Monday, April 28. The concert was held in the fieldhouse before a full house. This was Chapin’s 2053rd concert since the conception of his band ten years ago. Chapin and his band traveled around the world averaging two-hundred performances a year. Half of their appearances were benefits in which funds in excess of three million dollars were raised to support the elimination of cancer, muscular dystrophy, multi- ple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and the President’s Commission on World Hunger. The members of the Chapin band included: Doug Walker, lead guitarist; John Wallace, guitarist; Howie Fields, percussion; Yvonne Cable, cellist; and Harry’s brother Steve on keyboards. Since his first commercial hit “Taxi” in 1972, Chapin has written hundreds of Harry Chapin in concert in the Loras Fieldhouse songs including his number one gold single in 1975, “Cat’s in the Cradle”. Chapin wrote the songs of the ABC hit show “Make A Wish’ and released “Sequel” a continuation of the “Taxi” story which included his hit “Story of a Life”. Harry Chapin was a refreshing, dynamic entertainer. His songs set moods, they paint a picture of a situation. His music illustrated the human condition: doubt, self-reflec- tion, a man who fails to emotionally cope with all the situations he faces in his life. And as Chapin himself says in his monologue song before exiting the stage: ‘When you sing from the heart, you hope something sh ows.” He did show the world something very special, a part of ourselves. Harry Chapin was killed this summer in a tragic accident, but a part of him will remain with everyone he touched throughout his lifetime.