Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

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History relates the story of the human race, mankind; a story which covers the lives, and events surrounding the lives of millions of people. Among these millions there are occasionally found those who, as indi- viduals, have distinguished themselves in a manner which marks them as extraordinary and who thereby stand out from their contemporaries casting a shadow of obscurity over them. We find this to be true in the arts, in literature, in the many aspects of human endeavors, and we come to call these men great . They exem- plify the ideal or perfection which those who follow in their footsteps attempt to attain and use as a norm in determining their goals. When we speak of greatness in the sphere of military generalship today in our world of conflicting ideologies with war impending at every corner, our minds focus on the names of Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon-ideals of the past which are approached by a few men like Eisenhower, Mac- Arthur, and Rommel in our lifetime. And the same parallel can be drawn with any of the fields of human ambition. It is in this spirit that we have based the theme of the history of the Class of '56. Certain men who are of the class entitled great will be named as representing the ideal of each of the schools within the college, the student government, the cultural, fraternal, and professional organiza- tions and all those which make up campus life at Manhattan.

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i d e d i c ati o n Manhattan College is a little out of the ordinary in that it is a college with a religious influence permeating throughout all of its many phases and aspects. It is ordinary in that we have a representative student body, men of unusual caliber and also those who find it difficult to iust get by. But in all this, there is a common denominator; we are human beings who are afflicted by trials, dimculties and sorrows and each of us is unique. We realize this and in aiming for our ultimate goal, eternal salvation, are always hampered and led astray by this human element within us which constantly exerts an influence upon us. Today especially, we, as members of a highly mechanized, technical society surrounded by the material Opulence of America, are faced with the problem of our salvation and the performance of the will of God. When we leave the confined, yet venerable halls of Alma Mater, the attraction of material pleasure will be an even greater dimculty once we are withdrawn from the Christian atmosphere of the campus. The religious training which has been an important part of our backgrounds will be faced with the test of reality as we enter into our professional fields. The road ahead will not be an easy one, and it is with this in mind that we dedicate this 36th Volume of the Manhattanite to those contemporaries who held to the right way, Christ's way, the Way of the Cross. We refer to those Modern Day Martyrs, individuals who had the proper perspective in their lives which enabled them to withstand the attack of the senses in their daily lives to the degree that their salvation was the prime consideration, with life as only a means toward the meriting of eternity with God. With an eye to the spirit which guided these men, we conduct our thoughts to our post-Man- hattan life, hoping and trusting that we too will become martyrs in a sense; that we too will have the strength of will and the perseverance to remember what we are and what is our destiny.