Happy Birthday, Gonzaga

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GONZAGA COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL BIC ENTENNIAL Birthday, Gonzaga!

This year, 2021, is a momentous one in the history of Gonzaga, as it marks our 200th anniversary of offering young men in the Washington area an unrivaled Jesuit education. This fall, students, alumni, current and past parents, and friends joined us in a variety of ways to celebrate our Bicentennial.

1821-2 02 On the pages that follow are 1 photos of three events that took place this fall. We look forward to continuing the celebration with you into the spring!

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Gonzaga’s Official 200th Birthday

The Washington Seminary, the school that would eventually become Gonzaga College High School, held its first day of classes on September 8, 1821. To mark this milestone anniversary, Gonzaga hosted a Mass of Thanksgiving and a full day of festivities on campus on September 8, 2021.

1, 2. Before the day began, Social Studies Teacher Nick Pugliese ’08 led a group of students and faculty members on a Heritage Walk from 917 F Street, NW — the original site of Gonzaga — to 19 Eye Street. Photo number one shows the group outside the original building on F Street, NW. 3. Mr. Pugiliese and Father Lingan place their hands on the wall of the building at 917 F Street — the only thing that remains from the original campus. “It struck us because it’s just a wall on one hand, but it’s so much more than that,” said Mr. Pugliese. “To be standing there and to think of the people who were standing there 200 years ago. I think it would blow their minds to know that all of us would be standing there 200 years later at the exact minute that they opened the school. Despite how different the neighborhood looks and despite how much everything has changed — and how much Gonzaga has changed — there are still aspects of that vision that have kept us going for 200 years and will keep us going for 200 more.” 4, 5. On campus, the student body gathered for a Mass of Thanksgiving in St. Al’s. During his homily, Father Lingan spoke about Gonzaga’s founding and history, and the importance of remembering, sharing, and continuing to write the stories of this school and community. “In 1821, it was believed that this school was needed to help serve and educate the young men of Washington, and in turn serve this city,” Father Lingan said. “Today, in 2021, I humbly and firmly acknowledge that Gonzaga is needed more today than ever. And a Gonzaga Man for Others is needed more than ever as well.” 6. During the Mass, Father Lingan shared with the students a papal blessing that Pope Francis bestowed upon Gonzaga in recognition and celebration of our 200th anniversary. The blessing was presented to Father Lingan at the annual Opening of Schools Mass, which was celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This special blessing will be framed and displayed at Gonzaga. 7. The Classes of 2022 and 2023 forming a “200” on Buchanan Field. 8. Father Lingan cuts a Gonzaga birthday cake with SGA President John Jerro ’22 and SGA Vice President Andrew Schaefer ’22. 9. The Booster Club leads student cheers as well as a rendition of Happy Birthday, Gonzaga! 10. That evening at 18:21 military time (6:21 PM), Gonzaga officially kicked off the public phase of the Forever Gonzaga Bicentennial campaign by livestreaming a special video presentation. Pictured here are Father Lingan, David Dugan ’98, Gonzaga’s Vice President of Alumni and Advancement, and Forever Gonzaga Campaign Chairs Monica Thompson (P ’19), John Thompson III ’84, and Michael P. Tierney ’70.

Bicentennial Mass and Block Party

October 17, 2021

We could not have asked for a more gorgeous fall day for our Bicentennial Mass and Block Party in mid-October. The event drew current and former faculty and staff, current Gonzaga families, young alumni and their children, and Gonzaga friends from all different eras. “This was the first time Gonzaga has ever hosted an event like this,” said David Dugan ’98, Gonzaga’s Vice President of Alumni and Advancement. “Everyone was in such a great mood, enjoying our beautiful campus and one another’s company. We’re so grateful to everyone who came out.”

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1, 2. The day began with alumni, current families, and Gonzaga friends of all ages coming together for Mass in St. Aloysius Church. 3. Justin Fronda ’21 served as cantor. 4. Brain Egan ’86 — host of the Echo Ever Proudly Podcast (see page 10) — doing a reading at the Mass. 5, 6, 7, 8. Family-friendly activities were set up all over campus, including face painters, several inflatables, cotton candy and other snacks, and a paint-your-own pumpkin patch. 9. Current Gonzaga students staffed a table in the Arrupe Commons where visitors could browse through old issues of the Aquilian, Aetonian, and Phoenix. There was also a highlight reel of WZAG segments from over the years. Next door in the Sheehy Theater, guests had the chance to watch A School of Men for Others, a 1994 film about Gonzaga's history featuring actor Robert Prosky and Ash Hawken ’53. 10. A picnic lunch was set up on Eye Street.

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GDA Bicentennial Show

October 16, 2021

Alumni from across seven different decades gathered in the Sheehy Theater in October to celebrate all the different ways in which Gonzaga has contributed to the performing arts over the years.

Performers came from all over the United States — New York, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles — to showcase everything from musical theater numbers to Irish music. “The reviews from the cast and the audience were universal in their joy and praise of the evening,” said GDA moderator and Gonzaga Math Teacher Mr. Paul Buckley ’86. “Alumni loved catching up with old friends, meeting some new ones, and reliving their days on the stage. It was a joy to see so many talented people of different ages working together — all in celebration of a place we all love so dearly: Gonzaga.”

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1. The performance included dance routines, songs, acting scenes, choral numbers, and more. The alumni celebrated the rich history of Gonzaga in theater, movies, music, television, and radio, and performed with classmates, Hall of Famers, and current students on Eye Street. 2. Michael Bobbitt ’90 singing “Lullaby of Broadway” with both alumni and current members of the GDA. 3. The Class of 2020 and current GDA students performed a medley from Newsies — a production that was scheduled for March 2020 and had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. This was the first time the cast was able to perform the songs on the Warman Stage. 4. Father and son Allan L’Etoile ’73 and Nathan L’Etoile ’12 performing “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” 5. David Wannen ’96 and Gabriella Barbuto (Academy of the Holy Cross ’14) performing “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof. 6. Choral Arts Director Jenni Dunn leads students in “Like An Eagle.”