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Post by ic59 on Sept 18, 2020 23:30:35 GMT -5
Iona College opened its doors on September 19, 1940, and turns 80, today. You've come a long, long way, in your first eighty years. Congratulations. Proud to be a Gael.
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Post by qs on Sept 19, 2020 10:55:12 GMT -5
Dittos, IC59! Iona bootstrapped upwards with great men like Austin Devane (History) and the quickest mind I ever met, Bro. Thomas G. Bullen. There was a lot of fun, too. Hey, the moderator of the chess club was Brother Knight!
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Post by ic59 on Sept 19, 2020 14:55:00 GMT -5
So many brothers/teachers to mention. Br. Loftus, former president and our first BB coach, deserves a special shout out.
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Post by Cjb on Sept 19, 2020 19:47:37 GMT -5
Need a history lesson... who funded the start-up of Iona?
Was it the NY archdiocese (doubtful)?
Or, a bunch a wealthy predominantly Irish families who engaged the ICB's and had the foresight to utilize the GI bill as a foundation to build a Catholic college?
Or, none of the above.
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Post by ic59 on Sept 19, 2020 20:20:46 GMT -5
Cjb, as far as I know it was the Order of the Irish Christian Brothers. They came to New Rochelle in 1917 (I believe) and started Iona Prep and Iona Grammar. Thus, they had the land that the College was built upon. They built a Library and Cornelia Hall, which were the only college buildings, since Doorley Hall, housed the Prep until 1950 when the new home of the Prep was completed. Four or six guys in the first graduating class of 1944, as all the other guys who started in 1940, went into the Armed Services. Not sure how many started but the number 70 is my guess. Not sure if the NY Archdiocese donated any money, but the Brothers needed their approval to open the College. And the GI Bill probably played the biggest role in Iona's early growth. In summation, I'm not really sure of the info I provided, but that's what I believe. Without bragging, and trying to be objective, I think the College had a pretty impressive first 80 years. If anyone else could add to the start of the College, I'd love to read it.
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Post by Z-73 on Sept 20, 2020 18:55:43 GMT -5
Amen, 59!
I may have mentioned this before, but I first heard about Iona College as an 8th grader in 1965. My Dad was an attorney with a law firm in downtown Manhattan. The senior partner was a gentleman named Desmond T. Barry who was on the Board of Trustees at Iona. In 1965 there was a celebration of Iona’s first 25 years and Mr. Barry and his wife took my parents as guests. When my folks came home my Mom couldn’t say enough good things about the College.
I was heading to an Irish Christian Brothers’ High School (Msgr. Farrell on Staten Island) that upcoming September. In my senior year at Farrell (1968-1969) I thought I may have a vocation and applied to join the ICBs. Prior to graduation I had second thoughts and went to a small college in Ohio. While there the thought of joining the ICBs lingered and I decided that I needed to give it a try. I transferred to Iona as a sophomore in the 1970-1971 school year. I decided at the end of my sophomore year that I probably did not have a vocation but finished out college at Iona.
My brothers and sisters went to bigger undergrad schools (NDU, Villanova, SUNY Binghamton), but I just felt more at home at a smaller school. Iona was perfect for me. The monks (I remember Bro. Bullen, qs) and lay teachers at Iona were great and I had many friends there. Indeed, earlier this year I ran into a woman at Wegmans with whom I had classes and is also Class of ’73 – so she is among the first class of women at Iona (1969). She told me that she turned me down for a date at Iona (I do not remember that) but we’ve had dinner a number of times since January.
I haven’t been back to the College since attending an Iona/Siena game in 2005. While there I did run into Bro. Dunkak in the chapel (the man looked the same as he did in 1973 and I asked if he had a “Picture of Dorian Gray” in his closet). He invited me to mass with the monks and back to the residence afterward. It was great seeing them all.
I love Iona College and, like all here, I am proud to be a Gael!
Go Gaels!!!
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Post by qs on Sept 21, 2020 13:30:34 GMT -5
Glad you met Bro. Bullen, Z-Man! In my day he would fill up the front blackboard with equations and fairly leap to the side blackboard to continue. Our gag was that while his right hand was writing equations his left was simultaneously erasing earlier equations to make room for the equations to come. I loved it!
While a heavy Physics guy, Brother Bullen said the most important courses at Iona were the Religion courses.
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