Seton Hall University - Galleon Yearbook (South Orange, NJ)

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Seton Hall has her history, and, like the world history of which it is a part, it reflects the rise and fall, the withdrawal and return, the life through death pattern discernible in the course of human events. The Christian vision of history (another inheritance from the He- brews) is that of a march onward and upward. History is not a series of closed circles, each tightly locked within itself, but an ever ascend- ing line. Events occur in a progression. They reverberate and impart their forward mo- mentum to the times that follow. The birth of a man and his rise to power among men have within them as seeds the birth and rise of other men. As the Galleon focuses its gaze on our uni- versity and its recent life, the pattern which emerges causes us to be encouraged, for recent events are pregnant with things to come. A new figure has become part of the history of Seton Hall, and in his coming we see most forcibly written a promise of a bright future. We think it is an event most significant of events yet to happen. Thomas Carlyle said: No time need have gone to ruin, could it have found a man great enough, a man wise and good enough; wisdom to discern truly what the Time wanted, valor to lead it on the road thither; these are the salvation of any Time. Our Time at Seton Hall has called forth loudly for such a man. With the tremendous expansion of our university into many areas, with the increasing number of students, with the growing weight of responsibility to the community and to the state, with the sudden death of Monsignor McNulty, the man who guided Seton Hall to her recent greatness, a man was called for, like unto Carlyle ' s man. Such a one, we think, has come. In his first public appearance as president of Seton Hall, Monsignor John J. Dougherty, likened his relationship to the university to that of Moses with the people of Israel. Before an enthusiastic crowd gathered for the Annual Sports Dinner, Monsignor Dougherty asked for help in holding his arms over Seton Hall as Moses had over the gathered forces of his peo- ple. To our minds, the image chosen by our new president that evening could not have been more appropriate, for we think of him as a great leader and a prophet. Monsignor Dougherty is a man of wisdom, as were the seers of Israel. A scholar of the Bible, a teacher of its word to many generations of young men preparing for the priesthood, he derives his wisdom from that of God, and he has responded with all of his being to the inspira- tion accorded him in his thorough training. Years of meditating on the message of God have made him a man of the Scriptures. We notice how often in speech he returns like a moth to the light, to the source of his wisdom which is the Book. His words are warm with divine fire; they burn deeply into our minds, not only because they are always apt, but be- cause they are delivered with a deep sincerity. 7

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DEDICATION Right Reverend Monsignor John J. Dougherty 6

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and a truly prophetic consciousness of mission. His mind is patent to the divine touch, and we catch something of God when he speaks to us. The prophets of old spoke for God, and be- cause the word of God was never static, never a dead thing, but rather creative and formative of Israel and her history, the speech of the prophets was considered to be, not only prog- nostic of the future, but productive of it. Mon- signor Dougherty has spoken to us a number of times since his coming on December 1, 1959. His words have been prognostic of things to come at Seton Hall and they have been active among us. They have had already a shaping influence on the course of Setonia ' s history. We recall how he stood on the stone steps of the priest ' s residence on the day when he came to us. We remember what he said: ' ' I have no speech, but I do have a heart— and it is yours! We savor again in retrospect the electric re- sponse of our student body to these simple words. How full of promise they were! We remember the roar of welcome we gave to him when he strode down the middle aisle of the gymnasium for the Christmas Convoca- tion. Already his spirit had become our spirit, and we showed him that our hearts were his. His words that day were again full of promise. He told us of his plans for the family that we are, and for the house that we live in. He warmed us by his pledge that justice would rule our relationship, and that love would make the future of our university great. The power of these words and the efficacy of those promises have become evident to us in the short weeks that have followed their enunci- ation. Before our eyes some of the things he said would be done are being done, and now we know his words are prophetic indeed. Our campus grows more beautiful before our gaze as it knows the deft touch of our President ' s artistic hand. Word reaches us of strides for- ward in the academic order. Our manifold and far-flung graduate school will soon return to the source of university life which is the campus with its fine library and superior facilities. There are rumors of curriculum changes to strengthen the fibers of our university, of in- creased faculty salaries, and bettered condi- tions for those who teach us, all of this further evidence, we think, that justice of word has already become justice of deed. We see in the new seal of the university now gracing the majestic gates, an external symbol of a new spirit at Seton Hall, of a rebirth, a second spring. In one man we see the incarna- tion of this spirit, the fleshing of the hopes and dreams of Seton Hall at the crossroads. We think he sums up in himself the living shape of things to come, things that will be good for Seton Hall. He is Monsignor John J. Dougherty, thirteenth president of Seton Hall. To him, with deepest respect and heartfelt affection, we dedicate this Galleon of 1960.