When a man graduates from Saint Ignatius High School, his connection to the school and to the brotherhood he is a part of, never goes away. After attending Alumni Weekend, some may say it gets stronger over time.
The 2017 Alumni Weekend marked the 50th reunion year for the Class of 1967. Gathering to take their class photo, it was as if no time had passed. The class clown was still making people laugh as the class leaders tried to corral their fellow classmates to keep order. And this quality is not unique to the Class of 1967. In fact, all of the nearly 700 alumni that joined to celebrate Friday night had a certain glimmer in their eyes as they recounted memories of high school days gone by.
A special moment for the 50th reunion class, was the dedication and blessing of a plaque created in memory of their classmate and longtime faculty member, Greg "Doc" Knittel '67. "Doc" was the founder of the Saint Ignatius soccer program and served as Dean of Teachers for many years in addition to teaching Latin and Greek. He was an Ignatius man through and through and a great example of what it means to be a Man for Others. A plaque was created, blessed and placed in Wasmer Field in his memory.
In addition to reconnecting classes from years ending in '2' and '7', this weekend brought together our designated Golden Cats who have been out of high school for more than 50 years. Larry Kelley '32 was in attendance as he celebrated his 85th reunion year!
As our alma mater goes, "Years in passing cannot sever, ties of new days from the old." A special thank you to all of our Ignatius Men Forever.