Siena College - Saga Yearbook (Loudonville, NY)

Page 11 text:

Habemm Papam . . . tWe have a Papal On Tuesday, October 28, 1958, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli ac- cepted the throne of Peter as Pope John XXIII. Like his predecessors of the last 2,000 years, he received the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Deposit of Faith and the guidance of the light of Eternal Truth. He is the head of the Mystical Body, the Vicar of Christ upon earth. Like St. Peter, it was of him that our Lord said: He who hears you heats Me. Like his predecessors, His Holiness John XXIII will be the living embodiment of the principle that truth in any era of human learning can never contradict truth in another era. He will use the words of eternal truth as a skilled surgeon uses a scalpel, to cut away all of the false and erroneous notions with which the human mind can be infected, regardless whether they are errors of the past or their modern variations. He will use the words of eternal truth to temper the dangerous enthusiasm and childish eagerness of man about his new discov- eries. Like our Lord before him, John XXIII will be speaking to those who are open minded respective to the truth as well as those who are close-minded and rejecting of any but their own system of virtues. The world indeed marvels at the superhuman accomplishment of the Papacy. As Christians, we continue to be grateful for the goodness of God who can work so much good through men. We are the Body of Christ, member for member. We should te- member to pray often and fervently for His Holiness, that God may give him the strength to bear the indescribable burden of the Papacy and that the Kingdom of God may be extended to include the whole human race. Viva 2'! Papa!

Page 13 text:

HISTORY OF SIENA COLLEGE The year 1937 is a most memorable one for the Class of 1959. For some of us it reveals a vital statistic, the year of our birth; for all of us it represents the founding of our Alma Mater. It was in 1937 that the Reverend Edmund Francis Gibbons, D.D., Bishop of Albany, invited the Franciscan Fathers of the Province of the Most Holy Name to extend their activities into his diocese. Time and time again we have heard our parents narrate the beginnings of St Bernardine of Siena College. They tell us of the purchase of an estate of 40 acres with a large old brick mansion on it; how classes were hrst held in the several rooms of that building; and of attending the laying of the cornerstone for the structure known as Siena Hall e- the center of the College Administration, the labs, and the classes. A short time later our gymnasium, Gibbons Hall, was constructed; Many a cheer has rung from the rafters in this building on behalf of out great basketball teams of the past and spirited teams of today. In our own lives we have witnessed the phenomenal growth and development of our beloved college. As small boys we watched students going into Siena Hall during the years of World War II. To meet the needs of the war, the college accepted its responsibilities and contracted with the US. Navy to train its personnel. How we gazed with awe upon those uniformed cadets! When the war ended, large numbers of ex-servicemen, including some of our older brothers, enrolled at Siena. We saw the erection of prefabricated buildings holding 18 classrooms. Several old buildings on the campus were con- verted either into more classrooms or were put to use for extra-curricular activities. Then we watched the erection of H several Quonset huts, one of which became a temporary Chapel for our use. 1950 marks a notable development at our Alma Mater, for this was the year in which the St. Bernardine of Siena Friaryt the Faculty House for the Friars. was completed; Attached to this structure is Our Lady of Angels Chapel, always open for our edification and sanctification. Here are held the Forty Hours Devotion and our Annual Retreat. It was also in 1950 that our presently outstanding Field Artillery ROTC Unit was established. In our own time on the campus. we have researched and studied for many hours at the beautiful Father Jerome Dawson Memorial Library. opened just before we became Freshmen. As we leave the campus we see the rapidly rising skeleton of a new dormitory building being erected to make Siena an even greater attraction for students miles away. We eagerly anticipate an early return after graduation to visit this latest addition. Many a time over a cup of coffee in our cafeteria we have wished for a larger and more modern eating-place, and now this dream will soon be fulfilled. For. along with our new dormitory a spacious dining hall is now under construction. Siena. our college, has gone a long way in a short 21 years. What will the next generation bring? If Siena ex- pands and grows at the same rate in the future as it has in the past, it will soon become one of the greater Univer- sities of the East Coast. At that future date. we - the Class of '59 e can tell the Class of 179 about our pioneer days at the outstanding University of Siena.