16 minute read
A Letter from the President
DEAR LOYOLA FAMILY,
Hope. Did you ever think we would use that word again? Through those many, frankly dark moments of the past year, I thought of what many of you have heard me say time and again: the power of God’s unconditional love. That’s what has pulled us through this pandemic year, that is why we are here on earth and that is why we thrive. That hope is everywhere on the Loyola campus as faculty, staff and administration gather together again as one. Most importantly, it is why it is such a joy to see our young men come back, physically present as they take part in our Jesuit Catholic mission. This is life at Loyola, life as it should be.
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To say it has been a difficult year for all of us is an understatement. And much more so for the many who have lost loved ones and found life in disarray. As they reimagine their future, so does Loyola, so must Loyola.
Faith. That’s what I have in our administration, their leadership; our teachers, their commitment; our staff, their steadfastness; our community, their love of our school. This issue will show you how Loyola has reached out to the future, while always remembering where its students are from, 1901 Venice—where Men for and with Others are formed to be leaders. When you read Director of Faculty Dan Annarelli’s article about our Directors’ program, you see what Principal Frank Kozakowski had and has in mind for the future. Think, explore, invent, lead. Charity. That is a word that is filled with nuances. For Loyola, it is giving and not counting the cost. It is in our students’ DNA. That’s why Aidan Reilly ’17 was given the Citizen Honors Award by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society for Farmlink, why junior Henry Kupiec’s Groceries for Good fed so many, why Gabriel Batnij ’22 is known for kindness.
Though hope, faith and charity are out of their biblical order above, they are what we aspire to: Faith, Hope and Charity, the way to a better world and future. All blessed by God’s unconditional love.
Yours in Christ,
LOYOLA MAGAZINE
AMDG Rev. Gregory M. Goethals, SJ ’73 President, Loyola High School of Los Angeles
Editor:
Maite Saralegui Berry
Design and Creative Direction:
Charity Capili Ellis
Cover:
Dlugolecki Photography
Photography:
Denver Broncos, Dlugolecki Photography, Keats Elliott, Farmlink, Kupiec Family and Dustin Snipes
Contributors:
Daniel Annarelli, Gabriel Batnij ’22, Hunter Carroll ’17, Tracy Edwards, Henry Kupiec ’22, Susie Wampler and the Advancement Team Loyola Magazine is published by Loyola High School of Los Angeles for alumni, parents and friends. For more information, please contact:
Loyola High School of Los Angeles
1901 Venice Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90006 213.381.5121 www.loyolahs.edu
TABLE OF CONTENTS
03 A Letter from the President
05 The 21st Century Loyola, Echoing the Past,
Embracing the Future
By Susie Wampler
09 George Paton ’87 and Loyola:
Bringing It Home to the Broncos
By Hunter Carroll ’17
10 Aidan Reilly ’17 Receives Award by
Congressional Medal of Honor Society
By Jason Cruz ’12
11 A New Kind of Trading Post:
Their Currency is Kindness
By Gabriel Batnij ’22
12 Groceries for Good: Helping Those in Need
By Henry Kupiec ’22
13 Senior Service Project Celebrates 40th Anniversary:
Capstone Program Reimagined During Pandemic
By Tracy Edwards
15 The Directors’ Cut:
How Loyola is Reenvisioning Education
By Daniel Annarelli, Loyola Director of Faculty
18 Loyola Is EVERYWHERE…Oh, the Places Cubs Go!
By Jason Cruz ’12
19 Four Faculty Legends Say Goodbye
By Jason Cruz ’12
21 Class Notes
22 In Memoriam
26 Board of Directors
THE RIBBON CUT by Loyola President Fr. Gregory M. Goethals SJ, ’73, was, of course, Loyola blue. Beyond it stood the newly christened Caruso Hall, the much-anticipated new facility that will help propel the school’s longstanding legacy of academic leadership and service to the community for many generations to come.
The unveiling of Caruso Hall and the grand new main entrance to campus on a beautiful evening in early March shepherded in a new era for Loyola High School. The majestic building celebrates Loyola’s long history and advances the school’s mission into the future. It is simultaneously inspirational and practical. And it cherishes sacred Loyola traditions while embracing and enhancing innovation.
Pivotal to the $34 million 1901 Venice Boulevard Capital Campaign, the 26,188-square-foot Caruso Hall will be home to more than 200 events each year. The facility replaces, expands and modernizes Xavier Center, which was built in 1964. Xavier had become outmoded and was no longer able to meet the needs of the dynamic Loyola community. Like its predecessor, Caruso Hall will be the most used space on campus, hosting everything from liturgies and the annual Interchange fundraiser to the school prom and academic testing.
Visionary Leadership
Through the Caruso Family Foundation, alumni parent, businessman and Loyola Board Chair Rick J. Caruso and his wife, Tina, donated $4.5 million toward the new building and an additional $500,000 to endow a four-year scholarship for a high-performing, low-income student from an underserved Los Angeles neighborhood. Their gift is among the largest in the school’s history.
“Taking Loyola into the next century was the board’s goal, as was retaining Loyola’s mantle as one of the finest Jesuit schools in the country,” Mr. Caruso said. “It was clear that what Loyola needed to do to continue to be an elite Jesuit Catholic educational institution was to build— both academically and physically—to literally reach out to this new century and capture the future. Tina and I are honored to be part of this next step as Loyola charts the next hundred years.”
Loyola parent Chris O’Donnell narrated the video that premiered following the Inaugural Mass and Grand Opening ceremony on March 6. “Welcome to Caruso Hall and the future of Loyola,” he said in the video. “Step onto our 21-acre campus, and you feel its history—156 years and counting. The legacy of our past [and] the excitement of our present [are] catapulting us to the future.”
At the virtual event, Fr. Goethals expressed his gratitude to the many members of the Loyola community—benefactors, alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends—who helped make the campus transformation a reality. “I especially want to thank Rick Caruso for his vision throughout these years as we moved forward with plans for the 21st century Loyola,” he said. “His generosity and his leadership as board chair and strong belief in our mission helped to make this all possible.”
Innovation and Inspiration
A key innovation of Caruso Hall is the hidden retractable walls that allow the space to be used as a single Grand Hall —ideal for liturgies, all-school gatherings and other major events—or up to three separate rooms, providing maximum flexibility. State-of-the-art integrated communications and AV equipment, as well as soundproofing within the adjustable walls, add to the facility’s capacity to adapt to a wide variety of purposes. The building also includes a dedicated sacristy to service liturgies; a full-service banquet kitchen, capable of serving 800 guests; a multipurpose student kitchen; ADA-compliant restrooms; a second-floor balcony overlooking Hayden Circle; and a colonnade that serves as a pre-event space.
Several naming opportunities within Caruso Hall—including pillars, to be named by alumni classes, and the beautiful windows mirroring Ruppert Hall—remain available. “The beauty of Caruso Hall is that it embraces all that Loyola is. It is an education and liturgical space, as well as an event space where we all can come together,” Fr. Goethals says. “Ultimately and most importantly, it is about who we are. We are Los Angeles, as we form its young men to be its leaders—through our campus, through Caruso Hall, through our Jesuit Catholic education, our faculty and administration are inspired to give back and to do good.”
The Caruso Hall complex will include a Veterans’ Wall of Honor, paying tribute and showing gratitude to the thousands of Loyola graduates who have served in the military throughout the past one hundred years.
—Fr. Gregory M. Goethals, SJ ’73
The capital campaign also encompasses an updated main entrance to the venerable Loyola grounds at 1901 Venice Boulevard, which has been the school’s home since 1917. A new wrought iron front gate spans the entrance to the campus, providing additional security as well as a beautiful focal point.
As you enter campus, Hayden Circle has been embellished with a Graduate-at-Graduation Walkway, a visible and stirring reminder of the attributes aspired to by Loyola students during their time at the school: Open to Growth, Intellectually Distinguished, Religious, Loving, Committed to Justice and Developing as a Leader.
The new grand entrance and addition of Caruso Hall create a dramatic and cohesive architectural core for the campus. The school’s oldest structure, Loyola Hall—dating from 1917— is now flanked by Caruso Hall to the west and Ruppert Hall to the east. Completed in 1926, the latter is home to the school’s Jesuit community and remains the school’s spiritual center.
Masterful Planning
The most recent prior capital campaign, the Campaign for Loyola, concluded in December 2010 with construction of William H. Hannon Science Hall and Ardolf Academic Hall— both of which echo the architectural design of the campus’ iconic buildings while boasting advanced technological interiors. It also included major renovations to Loyola and Ruppert halls and several other facilities.
Caruso Hall’s design was similarly inspired by Loyola and Ruppert halls, both of which were created by A.C. Martin decades earlier. The building was designed by KFA Architecture, which has been recognized for its architectural, design and master-planning services for projects throughout the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The firm was an early pioneer of adaptive reuse projects, including more than 40 historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles.
The completion of Caruso Hall marks a major milestone toward the long-term campus master plan. In 1999, Loyola’s Board of Trustees—then helmed by Edward P. Roski, Jr. ’57—recommended that all new construction mirror the Collegiate Gothic Revival architectural style of Loyola Hall and Ruppert Hall, with a contemporary interpretation, while preserving the historic prominence of the first two buildings on campus.
General contractor MATT Construction has built some of the most iconic buildings in California, such as The Broad museum and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which will open in September. It also managed construction of Hannon Science and Ardolf Academic halls.
Caruso Hall’s large arched windows and warm-toned masonry make it a fitting companion to its august neighbors. But all the buildings’ beauty is less important than the values they reflect and the learning and formation that occurs within their walls.
Past as Prologue
Loyola High School holds a vital and central place in Los Angeles history. Founded in 1865, Loyola is the oldest secondary educational institution in Southern California. For generations, the school’s graduates have been renowned for their leadership in pioneering new industries, fueling the region’s economic growth, addressing societal challenges and opportunities as well as serving the community as Men for and with Others. Today, Loyola students continue to reflect the diverse population of Los Angeles County, drawing from more than 190 zip codes, with students of Latino, Asian-Pacific and African-American descent comprising nearly half of the student body.
“A Jesuit Catholic education forms and leads,” Mr. Caruso adds. “Loyola makes all the difference in the world to the young men that come here—it’s a game changer. The Jesuit mission is going to be enhanced that much more by the beauty of the architecture and the setting and the elegance and the presence of this campus.”
At the March 6 virtual Grand Opening, Fr. Goethals said he looks forward to welcoming students, faculty, staff, alumni back to the reimagined campus as soon as it is safe to do so. He referred to Caruso Hall’s completion—and the other campus transformations made possible by the 1901 Venice Boulevard campaign—as “a historic moment for this great institution.”
The joyful, complete return to campus will be an even more wonderful kind of blue-ribbon day.
—Mr. Rick Caruso
GEORGE PATON ’87 AND LOYOLA: BRINGING IT HOME TO THE BRONCOS
BY HUNTER CARROLL ’17
AS A SOPHOMORE AT LOYOLA, George Paton’s alarm
went off at the early hour of 5:00 a.m. almost every day. He then spent his mornings hard at work with his fellow Cub brothers at Coach Ed Hearn’s samurai weightlifting program, all before starting class at 8:05 a.m.
Not only was this Mr. Paton’s first experience as an early riser, but his experience playing football also taught him hard work and discipline. He’s convinced that these are some of the most important life lessons he took away from his Loyola experience.
“I learned at a young age that if you work harder than your opponent, you’re typically going to beat your opponent,” says Mr. Paton, now the General Manager of the Denver Broncos.
Mr. Paton played three years of football at Loyola, eventually becoming the starting quarterback for his senior year, then team captain, leading the Cubs to the CIF Quarterfinals. That year, he was named the team’s most valuable player.
“We weren’t expected to do much that season. We probably were not the most talented team, but we were one of the most hardworking teams. We were always the most prepared,” said Mr. Paton. “That’s because of Steve Grady ’63 and Jon Dawson. We always felt like when we stepped on the field, we were going to outwork, out-physical and outexecute our opponent. And we usually did.”
Mr. Paton thrived in the competitive atmosphere that Loyola provided. Thanks to the idea that the team and person who worked the hardest usually fared the best, he created competition in everything he did.
“There was always competition. I thought the Loyola environment got the best out of me for one, but I also think it got the best of everyone that bought into it.”
Following his graduation from Loyola in 1987, Mr. Paton continued playing football at the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles. After five years with the team, he went to Europe, coaching and playing football before returning to Loyola to coach alongside Steve Grady ’63.
Mr. Paton had an incredibly successful two-year stint as the sophomore football team’s head coach before accepting a scouting intern position with the Chicago Bears in 1997.
After spending three years with the Bears, Mr. Paton eventually worked his way up to assistant director of pro personnel. In 2001, he was hired by the Miami Dolphins as the director of pro personnel, where he worked for five years. From 2007–2020, he spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, eventually becoming the assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel. Entering his 24th year working in the NFL, Mr. Paton is now with the Denver Broncos as the highest-standing employee in their personnel department, the general manager. Whether he is in meetings regarding free agents, scouting players for the upcoming NFL draft this May, or strategizing with other executives, his days start early, and they end late. “Loyola is a microcosm of what I go through today. All the values that I learned at Loyola are things that I use today,” Mr. Paton explained. “They treat you like a man from day one. Loyola is very process-driven, especially in football, and the way we have to function in the NFL is also extremely process-driven.” While Mr. Paton credits Loyola for turning him into a morning person from a young age, he also acknowledges that the school instilled the fundamentals of hard work and discipline in him as well, which is just one aspect of Loyola for which he will be forever grateful.
—Mr. George Paton ’87
Aidan Reilly ’17 Receives Award by Congressional Medal of Honor Society
BY JASON CRUZ ’12
HARVESTING HOPE. That’s what Loyola alumnus Aidan Reilly ’17 is doing with the Farmlink Project, a nonprofit that he co-founded in April 2020 as a response to the nationwide crisis of food insecurity amplified by the pandemic. For his outstanding service, Mr. Reilly received the 2021 Citizen Honors Award for “Service Act” by the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor Society this past March.
Farmlink connects the broken supply chains in the agricultural and food access industries, fighting against waste and shortages by linking farms that have surplus produce with food banks and communities in need. In just four months, Farmlink reached a milestone of 10 million pounds of rescued produce delivered and has since moved over 27 million pounds of food to nearly every state in America and two additional countries. Support of the organization has resulted in $2 million dollars raised and counting.
What started out as an idea brainstormed during quarantine by a group of university students has since grown into a fullfledged operation with more than 200 volunteers across the United States. Mr. Reilly, who is Farmlink’s chief creative officer and a senior at Brown University studying international politics, sees a “shared perspective, sacrifice for the betterment of others and a relentless sense of humility” in all of his peers. Thus, it should come as no surprise that some of the earliest members of the organization were a pair of Mr. Reilly’s own classmates at Loyola: Max Goldman ’17 (CFO) and Cooper Adams ’17 (Farms Team Lead). He credits their leadership and resolve, saying the two have played pivotal roles in Farmlink’s success. “My advice to current students? If you’re thinking about starting a project, start it with another Cub.”
“It’s these types of people who truly affect change in the world,” added Mr. Reilly. “The fact that Loyola alumni are highlydriven, intelligent and resourceful explains why there are so many Cubs around the globe doing just that.”
The Citizen Honors Award is given to outstanding individuals who go above and beyond to perform extraordinary acts of service. But, for a Loyola Cub, that’s simply being a Man for and with Others.
—Mr. Aidan Reilly ’17
To support or get involved with Farmlink, please visit their website at farmlinkproject.org.
