Loyola University Maryland - Evergreen / Green and Gray Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

Page 18 text:

Your boy, wlioiu I know at ( olunibia, and tlieii iiioro inliinalely here in bis work in niy doparlinenl, was to me one of my boys, there ai’e lew sncli young men whom I have loved as I would a son. Joe was such a one. Let me tell yon of bis going Irom here. As yon may know the work here is 90 per eent. government war work and it is so essential that the Government will exeinj)! men I ' rom aelive military duty to eontinne in it. I spoke to Joe about it and told him it eonld be arranged if he so wished. He looked at me and shook his head in an- swer. I shall never forget that look, it expressed the soul of a man ])nritied of any selfish motives, who eonld only salisfy his conseienee by doing the duty lhal came to him as his i)arl, and doing it fully and eheerfnlly, just as he had done here. He was fully a man and ready to do a man’s part, whieh we know he has done even to the utmost. May God eomfort yon in this time of, may I say, duty, though 1 know’ the sorrow is deep.” He sailed for France on December 26, 1917, spending the evening before his departure with a former school companion, Mr. W. Paul Brown, S.J., w hose untimely death is recorded elsewiiere in the Annual, The “Croix de Guerre’ with gold star aw’arded him by the French Government, the high enconium ])assed on him by an officer of the British Government, the recommendation of his owm superior otlicers for his promotion, w hich would have taken place had he lived hut a couple of days longer, the tributes to his memory by officers and men alike, all combine to tell the story of the exceptional ability, high courage and noble character of Lieut. Joseph T. Hanlon. The faculty of the College, the Alumni and all the students respectfully offer to his bereaved relatives and friends the sincere tribute of their heartfelt sym])athy. Lieutenant Hanlon wrote Father Fleming the following two letters a few ' days before his death: July 25, 1918. Dear Father — Your letter received telling me about the Annual and the boys. It’s too bad that Lo ’ola has to suffer so much, but w ' ill( such a cause as we have, Loyola wall bear the suffering, I know’. So far I have met no one from the old tow’n except a chap named Wilson of the Virginia Militaiy Academy. I am on the lookout though, and expect to have better luck ])rctty soon. These days we are behind the hig push. It is im])ossible for lu to operate, but we are able to do road-re])airing in the advanced area and so the Comi)any is busy at that. In a way I’m glad because W’C are on the scene of action, and are aiding greatly in gelling the needed stutf to the boys who are really doing the trick. Father, the Yanks are sure “there” and every day 1 become prouder of being one of them. 16

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“Words cannot convey what is in my heart to say to you at this hour. Joe was my very dear friend. In a measure therefore, I can ‘feel witli you’ in this liour which is the meaning of sympathy. Joe was highly regarded by many, many friends in Columbia. The University and the Chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi have lost heavily in this, your loss, which is of course greater than our own. The cause for which he gave his life will receive a new impetus from his high service; and in the memory of his nobility and courage and high ideals those who follow in his footsteps will not forget your son, and our brother. Lieutenant Joseph Hanlon. Another Columbia student, Roland R. Haines, writes thus from the U. S. Naval Academy: “Though several years behind Joe at Colum- bia, I saw a very great deal of him, and came to care for him truly as an elder brother, and the sweetest gentleman I have ever known. Joe was ])resident of our chapter during my freshman year, and many a cheery word of encouragement, advice, and help did he give me. His happy nature and his way of doing things, endeared him to me and to the other members of the chapter so deeply that when Joe left, there was a hole somehow that nobody could fill. ... I wanted just to tell you how we felt towards him, how we truly loved him at Columbia, and of the sense of great personal loss that each must feel who knew him. There is some comfort in the knowledge that Joe gave everything for our cause, but I know the ache in j our hearts, for I have it too.” Resides being an exceptiona l student, Joe was an athlete of no ordinary skill. He won several tennis cups and a swimming trophy in minor tournaments. After graduating from Columbia he practiced his profession with the Ingersoll-Rand Company, of New York. Later he became engaged to Miss Dorcas Carleton, of St. Louis, Mo. When our country entered the war he volunteered his services and was appointed a second lieu- tenant. Some of his friends tried to convince Joe that he could work as well for his country by remaining where he was in civil life. His only response was a shake of the head and the well-known gentle smile. He had no love for war, hut he had a very clear idea of what he believed to be his duty to his country. If he did not receive a commission, he was heard to remark, he would go into the trenches as a private. A letter of sympathy from Mr. Frederick D. Longacre, of the In- gersoll-Rand Company, New York, throws additional light on this phase of Joe’s character: “The news of the death of your son Joseph, was sent to me while 1 was away, consequently my delay in writing you. 15

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That tale of the picture is amusing. (This is an allusion to an error in last year’s Annual, in which, under the picture of Lieutenant Hanlon, appeared the name of his brother, Mr. Edward K. Hanlon, ’09.) I do not mind going as “Ed”; indeed it is one ot my names in a great many places, and all of my friends will know my face anyway. Just now I am anxious to sec the book and hoi)C to get one through soon. Letter- writing in a dugout is not so easy, so this is a short one. Yill write soon again. Best wishes to all, and good luck to yourself. Joe. Dear Father — Sooner than I expected, a good time to write has come my way. Ye were told to be up at six today and off for a new place. Instead, the orders were changed during the night and I was told to stay in bed. I enjoyed three more good horrrs of sleep and now the time is all my own as the platoon is free for the day. I do hope to see you in France as a chaplain, and I ho])e to have you with us. ’ ith this in mind I will write to the chaplain of our regiment to see what he can do. He is an Episcopalian and a “good scout.” Just the other day he said he thought we were due for a second chap- lain and asked me to help in the selection. If he takes me seriously and the Army takes him seriously we will land you and that would tickle me to death. We are a much separated unit and so it will take a couple of days to reach him. I had heard about Jerry Joyce and his getting a provisional lieu- tenancy in the Regular Army. It means nothing to me as I want to see this thing out so that I can get out. In war times we all have to fight; in peace times I would rather work as a civilian than loaf as an army man. The army pay for loafing is not enough to tempt me either. I believe the Maryland boys are nearby just now and I’m going to look them up if I get a good chance. More rumors are afloat that we quit the road-work tonight and then we may move most any place. The final destination is always a big guess with us. Loyola’s record is great and it is true all through the service that the educated boys go to the top. In our own outfit promotions and reductions are gradually putting the college men up, and tlie best part of it all is that everyone in the ranks is able to appreciate their wortl quite as much as the officers do. Of course it is not an infallible rule We have some poets and scientific dreamers who never will climb. It makes me glad to hear that the German in America is fast falling. I think I am “off them” for lif e. I see their prisoners and their destruc- tive work, and I am not only down on the nation hut on the individual. In one house a queer feeling surged over me to see a crucifix turned 17