Loyola University - Wolf Yearbook (New Orleans, LA)

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the public and an urgent request from His Excel- lency, the Most. Rev. James J. Blenk, then arch- bishop of New Orleans. Sixty-nine students registered when Loyola opened as a university. The original faculty, with the exception of Father Biever, was gone. New fac- ulty members and the first officers of Loyola, as a university, were the Rev. Patrick A. Ryan, S.J.. vice-president; the Rev. Louis G. Baslmal, S.JL secretary; the Rev. Paul Faget, S.J., treasurer; the Rev. Louis Le Blanc, S.J., chaplain; and the Revs. Augustine C. Porta, Joseph B. Frankhauser, Peter P. O ' Sullivan, Henry R. Fleuren, Joseph Gerlach, Robert M. Brooks and Michael J. Walsh, all members of the Society of Jesus. The degree of master of arts was conferred on Mr. Francis T. Gouaux, A.B., M.D., and Mixime J. Perret, A.B. William A. Tonglet was the high man in his class for the degree of bache- lor of arts and Carl E. Ramos was top man earning his B.S. degree. Valedictorian was Joseph J. Gerache of Vicksburg, Miss. Early in 1912 the university applied for a charter from the Louisiana General Assembly to be recognized as a university. After hearing that some members of the legislature were say- ing that the Jesuits had not shown themselves capable of con- ducting a university, Father Biever, himself, stood on the senate floor and delivered a fierv speech in defense of the Order. The sun does not set on any part of the universe in which there is not a Jesuit university, he declared. The assembly granted the charter first in April and gave its final approval July 10. Thus Loyola was authorized to grant all university degrees. The class of 1912, because the charter was not finally approved until the summer after its commencement, did not receive degrees under the charter. At the 1912 exercises Fred Grant was saluta- torian and Lawrence Knobloch was valedictorian. The first de- grees under the charter were conferred in March, 1913. As a result of the earlv and complicated evolution of Loyola Univer- sity, she welcomes 1911 and 1912 graduates as alumni. FIRST BUILDING Jie first building on Loyola ' s campus, as we know it to- day, was the small Burke Memorial Seismographical observatory located between Marquette hall and Holy Name church. It was 20

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cated at the rear of the church. The plan of studies, as well as the organization of the entire adminis- tration, was identical with the downtown Immac- ulate Conception. In fact, members of the staffs of the two colleges were at times interchanged; they held their commencements together. The St. Charles college was called Loyola after St. Igna- tius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. There is an amusin £ anecdote that jroes with the founding of Loyola college, which has been proven to be only a legend. According to tradi- tion, in 1904 the Rev. William Powers, S.J., then superior of the province, summoned the Rev. Al- bert Biever, S. J., Loyola ' s founder and first presi- dent. Father Power, it is said, gave Father Biever a dime for carfare and told him to go uptown and found a university. Thus, Loyola has the distinc- tion of having been founded on a dime and a streetcar ride. Nine students registered at Lovola in 1904. Only one was classified as a college student and the rest attended the academy. Registering first was Charles L. Seeman. Father Biever was as- sisted on the faculty by the Revs. William Salentin, Austin E. Fields and Lawrence White, all of the Society of Jesus. Sub- jects such as Latin, Greek, French, math, history, geographv. penmanship, elocution and religion were taught. The first grad- uate was Basil R. Beltran, later to become a distinguished Phil- ■r ' adelphia physician. The college grew and in 1906 Father Biever called a Catho- lic men ' s conference to raise funds for a new building. A Mr. W. E. Claiborn was made acting chairman of the group. In 1907 the Marquette Association for Higher Education, with Mr. B. A. Oxnard as president, was organized for the purpose of establish- ing a university from the two colleges. This group was also re- sponsible for the financing of Marquette hall. At the beginning of the academic session on Sept. 11. 1911. the college parts of Immaculate Conception and Lovola were to form a university with all studies being carried on at the St. Charles Ave. site. The two preparalorv schools were merged to form Jesuit High School, which maintained classes at the Baroime location and is now located on Carrollton Ave. These consolidations were done in response to a general demand from iv

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built to hold a seismograph, a device for detecting and measur- ing earthquakes. The ground was broken in March, 1910. It is one of the two seismographie observatories in the South, the other located at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Ala. William Burke con- tributed the building in memory of his son Nicholas D. Burke, who died while attending Loyola in 1909. This and subsequent edifices were built in the Tudor-Gothic architectural motif, con- structed of oriental brick and sandstone. In July of 1910 the foundation for the present Marquette hall was begun and in November the cornerstone of the hall was blessed. Costing more than $400,000 it was ready for the first session in 1913 under the new charter. Also in Julv, 1910 the ground was broken for Thomas hall, named for Mrs. Stanley O. Thomas, university benef actoress, and was dedicated May, 1912. Thomas hall is now used as a rectory for the priests. The present Church of the Most Holv Name of Jesus had its beginnings in 1914 when Miss Katherine McDermott gave the Jesuits $100,000 to build a church in memory of her brother, Mr. Thomas McDermott. After a second donation of $50,000 work was begun. To curtail expenses the Jesuit brothers aided in the work. Completed in 1918 the first occupants were soldiers quar- tered on Loyola ' s campus during World War I. A few months after the Armistice it Avas opened to t he public, and dedicated Dec. 9. 1918 by His Excellency, the Most Rev. John W. Shaw, D.D., then archbishop of New Orleans. Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Bobet were among the many benefactors to the school. Mr. Bobet donated $12,000 in 1912 ' for Loyola ' s arts and sciences library. This library was located until 1950 in Marquette hall on the second floor where the present dean ' s of- fice is. He also donated the marble altars in Holy Name, along with Mrs. William P. Burke. Mrs. John Douglas, Mrs. Josephine Burke Palmer and Mrs. George Swarbrick. Mrs. E. J. Bobet gave the 13 bells in Holy Name ' s tower and the carved pulpit which stands in the chancellory. Mr. and Mrs. Bobet were re- sponsible for the building of Bobet hall which opened for classes in 1924. The wooden stadium, used when Loyola had football, was com- pleted in 1918 where the drill field is now. Lights were added in 1937 at a cost of $14,000. The construction of the present library was begun in 1948. It was erected at a cost of $800,000 and dedicated April 2, 1950 21