[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                GONZAGA COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, this year Gonzaga College High 
School here in Washington, DC, is observing its 175th anniversary. This 
weekend, the Gonzaga community will celebrate this occasion with a 
block party at the school on Sunday, September 29.
  I submit some additional information about the school and its long 
history and ask it be printed in the Record.
  The material follows:

              D.C.'s Oldest School Marks 175th Anniversary

       Washington, D.C.--This year Gonzaga College High School 
     located on North Capitol and Eye Street, N.W. is celebrating 
     175 years of service to the community. The oldest educational 
     institution in the federal city of Washington, Gonzaga 
     through the years has educated the sons of government leaders 
     and the sons of janitors, teaching strong moral values 
     interwoven with its rigorous academic disciplines, and 
     producing graduates which the school fondly calls ``Men for 
     Others.''
       Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1821 and originally 
     named the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga grew from a tiny 
     school to a major inner-city presence by the turn of the 
     century. Gonzaga prospered during that period and well into 
     the 1900's, a reflection of the city of Washington at large. 
     So, too, was the school a reflection of the city in the late 
     1960's when racial tensions began to ignite. Enrollment at 
     the Eye Street, N.W. school began to decline. Immediately 
     after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 
     1968, the community around Gonzaga literally caught fire and 
     the riots destroyed some neighborhoods and made others 
     uninhabitable.
       This tense period (1968-1973) marked the turning point in 
     the life of Gonzaga. The Jesuit community and its supporters 
     then made the crucial decision to remain on North Capitol 
     Street, rather than close down or flee to the suburbs. This 
     decision to stay and help restore the inner-city, both 
     physically and spiritually, makes possible this 175th 
     anniversary celebration.
       The arrival of Father Bernard Dooley in 1974 as Gonzaga's 
     new president was the single most significant event in this 
     turnaround. He discovered that the school had no endowment, 
     that its buildings were old and inadequate, and the 
     prospective students were going elsewhere to high school.
       Father Dooley led the turnaround campaign to a stunning 
     success. During his twenty years at the school (1974-1994) 
     Dooley and his team built new buildings, increased the 
     endowment and revived the spirit of the Gonzaga community. 
     This fall, 820 students will be enrolled at Gonzaga, the 
     largest enrollment in its history and a far cry from the dark 
     days of the early 1970's.
       During these 175 years, great leaders have visited Gonzaga. 
     President John Quincy Adams put the students through their 
     paces in Latin and Greek at one graduation ceremony, and 
     President Zachary Taylor spoke at another. Much more 
     recently, Mother Theresa of Calcutta reminded the 1988 
     graduating class of its duty to care for the poorest of the 
     poor.
       Gonzaga may be best known and best represented by its 
     heroes who are not household names--such as Father Horace 
     McKenna, S.J., Father Raymond Lelii, S.J., Joe Kozik and John 
     Carmody. These men and others like them demonstrated by their 
     example that community service is the primary mission of a 
     Gonzaga man.
       Father Allen Novotny is the current President of Gonzaga, 
     succeeding Dooley in 1994. A member of the Society of Jesus, 
     Father Novotny holds degrees from Loyola College in Baltimore 
     (MS and MBA), and the Weston School of Theology 
     (M.Div.)

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