University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

Page 27 text:

d- l-athcr Ricard cclchrafrs Mass in the (lardcii diiriii; his ( olden inhilcc, I ' Jl ernment, Santa Clara among them. And so Father Thornton, acting spontaneously, put the University unreserveflly at the service of the Government. In fact, Santa Clara was the very first of the universities to declare itself at the complete disposal of the War Department. Captain Joseph L. Donovan, the first Dean of the l ngineering De])artment, was placerl on active duty at Santa Clara, with the local rank of Colonel and as Professor of Military Science and Tactics. The University authorities furnished rifles for drill; the students provided their own uniforms. ( )rganization of the hattalion and its four companies became complete. The Universitv was transformed into a bar- racks. No longer did the electric bells of ( ) ' Connor Hall arouse the voung officers in the morning or summon the cadets to class. The strident notes of the bugle called the men to every duty of the day. Strict military discipline prevailed. So efficient was the manner in which the students responded to the efforts of their army tutors that, after the official inspection. Governor Stephens and a cor])s of army ofiicers of high rank gave a very laudatory report of the conditions thev found at Santa Clara; although hampered by jjoor e([uii)ment for drill, the institu- tion was nevertheless given the very highest military status. As testimony of Santa Clara ' s patriotism, a service flag of 5S5 stars, with eight in bright gold, commem- orates sons of Santa Clara who fought in their country ' s cause. During the great influenza epidemic of 1 ' 1X, l- ' ather Thornton ' s administration came to an end, and in the month of Xovember Ivilher Timothy L. Muri)h - became President of the L ' niversitv. This was, in great part, a ])erio(l of reorganization, for earlv in Father Murphy ' s regime came peace and consequent demobili- zation. The Universitv had to adjust itself to the old order of things after nearly two years of military discipline and rule. In June, 1921, Father Jerome T, I II ■ ,, ,1 w III I ■ , 1 S. Ricard, Padre of the Rains, 1 lie hull IS Innnvn mi the Mission l-ield dui ' imi llie Centennial Rodeo commemorated his golden jubi- (2)(d I 23 I

Page 26 text:

University — as () ' C( niiiir Mall. Td allow s])ace U r the ereelioii of this huildiii,;;, it was neeessary to remove the Aiidit(M-ium from the corner of Franklin and Alviso Streets Imck across the campus to the corner of Franklin and Lafayette Streets. The next stej) was the preparation of the Universitv courses. The Law FacuUy was installed, the foundations of the College of Fngineering were laid, and the lahoratory work of the Science Department was so organized as to supply a distinct Pre-Medical Course. In due time then the lj(jard of Trustees took advantage of the rights contained in the Charter, and on June 16, 1912, Santa Clara College became the Lhiiversity of Santa Clara. The occasion was a momentus one ; and it was worthily celel)rated. The Arch- hishop of San Francisco, the Most Reverend P. W. Riordan, presided at the Com- mencement, and blessed the new buildings. .At least thirty-five thousand ])eople were on the ground. . notable parade marched through the town. Then followed a series of beautiful tableaux, designed by Professor Charles I). South and executed under his direction, which gave the historv of the site, from the old heathen day and the coming of the Friars, down to the very occasion (jf the celebratif)n. Among those who took an active ])art in this event were some alreadv well known in Cali- fornia ])ublic life, and others, then al the beginning of their career, who have since attained to places no less honorable. At the beginning of September following, the Universitv oi)ened its doors and entered upon its new existence, with the Institute of Law and the College of Engi- neering fully organized and equipped, and the old courses of Letters and Science greatly enriched to meet the larger needs of the new day. During the scholastic year that followed. Father James P. Morrissey continued in office, perfecting his work in its many details. Jiut the labor of reorganization had been great. The anxieties consequent upon a change so fundamental as that from College to University were more trying even than the labor. With shattered health he retired in August, PM,i, and Father Walter F. Thornton succeeded to the Presidency. His term of (jftice promised to be uneventful : for, as the Universitv was well estab- lished, its development would follow naturally, and would call for guidance rather than impulse. On April 6, 1917, what had for three years ])een an ever growing jjrobabilitv l)ecame a reality. The United States entered the Great War. This was a thing to be reckoned with. The universities of the land saw the neetl of assisting the (iov- The 1912 croivd ivatchimj Charles D. Suulh ' s hislorical [ (Uiciuil af Santa Clara

Page 28 text:

lee as a Jesuit. The Mass which he celehrated in the inner garden was attended l)y a throng of achnirers. Shortly afterwards came Father Raggio ' s golden jul)i- lee. After laljors of over fifty years in University and parish, as chaplain, teacher, and pas- tor, Father Raggio ' s juhilee called forth a thousand affec- tionate congratulations from Cafftiring a nnimvay. i ' riitcniiial Rndco those he had served. At the main entrance to the campus the townspeople erected in his honor the Raggio (jate. In July, 1921, Father Mur])hv, whose health had heen precarious for some time, was succeeded liy Father Zacheus J. Maher, with whose advent came a new era of activity. February of the year following saw the publishing of the first issue of The Santa Clara, which took over in detail the work (jf the former Chronicle Editors of Tlic Redwood. In May, 1922, the University celebrated the Centennial of the present Santa Clara Mission. Martin Merle produced again his famous Ulission Play of Santa Clara, and afterwards, during three days, the crowds flocked to the Rodeo on Mission Field. The word on the Centennial brings us out of the past and definitely into the present. The few subsequent years, full of striving as they were, and rich in ful- fillment, have passed under our own eyes. The graduates of ' 26 saw the Alumni Science Hall go up in 1923, the gymnasium, engineering shops, and Kenna Hall in 1924, the Donohue Infirmary in 1925, and the Theater reconstructed this year. The achievements of Father Maher ' s Presidency we need not write down as history while they yet remain a living memory among us. And not entirelv a memory, for plans still reach ahead, and the work continues. But when it is done, when the future has completed the present, then the history of the work will already be written in enduring monuments. Editor ' s note : A great part of the Retrospect is drawn from P ' atlKT Henry Woods ' history of the University, shortly to be published. The outer eampiis, 1926 24