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XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER 2019

The magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of Xavier High School Summer 2019

REFLECTIONS

ON THE REGIMENT

News from 16th Street

MEMBERS OF XAVIER’S REGIMENTAL COLOR GUARD led the way at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on June 13 as 250 young Sons of Xavier marked their graduation. “As you set the world ablaze with the love of God, picture the next generations of men who will be sitting in these same pews,” valedictorian Christian Deem ’19 urged his classmates. “You are the makers, the shapers, and the doers of the world that those young men will enter. For them, and for the love of God, make it a just world.”

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Dr. Thomas Draper ’44

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REFLECTIONS

ON THE REGIMENT

Since a military department emerged on 16th Street in 1886, Xavier’s history has been closely intertwined with that of its Regiment. A mandatory military education defined the Xavier High School experience until 1971, when a nation and city divided over the Vietnam War led President William Wood, S.J.† to make military participation optional. Forty-eight years later, the Regiment lives on at Xavier, and despite the years that separate them, its alumni attest to the important role it played in their lives.

From 1940-44, all Xavier

students were cadets under the instruction of a unified faculty consisting of Jesuits, laymen, and military instructors. In my first year on 16th Street, there were 20 Jesuits—nine priests, 11 scholastics.

To understand how the Regiment influenced my life, it is necessary to recall those times.

My years at Xavier began on a clear morning in early September 1940, when Jack Lovely ’42† arrived at my house promptly at 7:15 a.m. in his dress blue uniform to guide me on my first day. He escorted me, in my new blue uniform, to the 8th Avenue subway in Jamaica, Queens, where we took the E train to Manhattan—my first time on the subway. Other uniformed young men joined us as the train proceeded to 14th Street, where we exited and walked on to Xavier, on 16th Street.

Entering through the side door adjacent to the Church of St. Francis Xavier, Jack brought me to the “new gym” where a throng of freshmen gathered. The sound of a bugle brought quiet, and Headmaster Thomas Doyle, S.J. ’25† (the cadet colonel of his class) spoke from the balcony to welcome us. We were divided into classes, and I was assigned 1B under the supervision of Ray Gibson, S.J.†, who taught Latin and religion. In the course of the day we were introduced to our other teachers—Mike O’Donnell† for algebra, Leo Paquin P’64† for English, Frank McGuire ’36† for history.

One afternoon that first week was set aside for military instruction. We assembled at the 9th Regiment Armory on 15th

Street under the direction of LTC Andrew Knight, USA (Ret.)†, SGT Bradley Van Deusen, USA (Ret.)†, and SGT Stephen Nemeth, USA (Ret.)†. My platoon was led by Cadet Sergeant David Henry ’42†, later a close friend. LTC Knight and his assistants were career officers assigned to Xavier from the 1st Army commanded by LTG Hugh Drum, USA†, once a student at the College of St. Francis Xavier.

The introductory week culminated on Friday, when the entire Regiment marched into the Church of St. Francis Xavier for the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

After class once a week for the rest of the year, we would assemble in the gym and march to the Armory for military drill. We eventually celebrated the conclusion of our first year with a delightful cruise to Bear Mountain for the entire school with families, friends, and faculty, sharing the festivities on a luxurious Hudson River dayliner.

The nation was still at peace in September 1941 when we returned for a new term. The military department was now under new leadership—COL Fred Chamberlain, USA (Ret.)† was Professor of Military Science and Tactics, assisted by LTC Edwin Mooney, USA (Ret.)†.

In the Regiment, I was placed under the command of Cadet Captain David Henry. Dave was also sports editor of The Review and arranged for me to report results of Xavier basketball and football games to the New York newspapers. Meeting sports editors at the New York World Telegram and the Long Island Press was a great pleasure for me, particularly when we defeated Fordham Prep on Thanksgiving Day to finish the football season with six wins and just one loss (to St. Cecelia’s, coached by Vince Lombardi).

The Regiment marched at the Fordham Prep game at what

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CADET COLONELS

1.

3.

2.

1. Rector-President Henry Boyle, S.J.† presents Cadet Colonel Philip Lacovara ’60 with the Regimental commander’s ceremonial gold saber in 1959. 2. Regimental leaders surround Cadet Colonel Raymond McGuinness ’41†. 3. Cadet Colonel Joe Reilly ’49†, right, with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Simmons ’49†. 26 XAVIER MAGAZINE

Caretakers

of history:

THE ROLE OF CADET COLONELS

FBy Shawna Gallagher Vega

or more than a century, the weight of the Regiment’s history has rested squarely on the shoulders of its cadet colonels. Through wartime and peacetime and moments of great patriotism and protest, those colonels have set the standard for their peers and served as guardians of a long tradition of discipline, service, and civil engagement.

Decades after leading the Regiment, past colonels vividly remember both moments of glory and lessons learned.

“You feel that you’re a part of history,” said Tim Williamson ’00, whose father Arthur Williamson ’66 P’00 regaled him with tales of the Regiment growing up. “I also felt like I was a role model for others. I tried to set the tone for the younger kids of the school about how to act, how to behave, and how to represent Xavier.”

“What I learned was that when you’re at the top, you’ve got to help people. Even as the colonel, I would help a freshman. You get to that place and you’ve got to take care of the troops,” said Joe Garvey ’67, who served in the Navy before transitioning to a law career. “I learned a lot at Xavier that I applied when I was in the service. You learn things about keeping people together and making sure people fit in. You set that example. The personality of the Regiment—and the personality of any organization—comes from the helm. Words matter.”

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From the Archives

In 1886, the military department emerged at Xavier under the direction of the National Guard. In those days, the College of St. Francis Xavier featured college, high school, and grammar school divisions, and for the first decade of the military department’s existence, military drill was reserved for the youngest boys. The program soon spread to the high school and college divisions, and by 1895-96, all students of high school age were part of the Regiment. Xavier would become known as New York’s Catholic military school, a public image that endured for decades to come. Pictured here are grammar school officers of the Regiment in April 1904.