Siena College - Saga Yearbook (Loudonville, NY)

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M051: Reverend EDMUND F. GIBBOT'JS, D.D. Biybop of Albany Retired Most Reverend VWNLILIU'A A. SCULLY, Bishop of Albany M 05; R everend EDXWARD I. MAGINN, 11D. Auxiliary Bijbop of Albany

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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.

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M y Dear G mdzmtes: I feel a special kinship with the Class of ,59, since its appearance at Siena coincided with my assumption of the presidency. You have run your course in four years; mine has still two years to go. You have the advantage of me, too, in that you have tangible evidence of achievement during your four years - your degrees. When I hrst came to Siena, in 1939, the College was two years old and definitely a small college. I persist in thinking of it as small despite statistics to the contrary. The fact that Siena is no longer a small college is impressed on me most forcibly on occasions like this, when I reHeCt that I no longer know most of the students personally. My knowledge of you is, however, probably more extensive than you realize; my pride in you certainly is. A college must center its activities about its students. But in its concern for its present students it cannot lose sight of its past students, its alumni. The achievements of our alumni are the measure of the success of the College in the task it has set itself. The alumni is in a real sense our contact with the world of reality that lies outside our sup- posedly sheltered walls. You are about to join the alumni. I hope that the Class of ,59 will add more than its numerical share of Vigor and loyalty to an alumni body which of necessity reflects what the College is but of choice can help to make it still better. May Godis blessing be with you always. Sincerely young hi7 ' E ??euibhza tREVJ EDMUND F. CHRISTY, O.F.M. 13 i F vywq 3....