BY ANTHONY RAMIREZ ‘16
Every year Saint Ignatius faculty and the president travel around the country to meet with alumni. You may have heard of the Blue and Gold Tour, but few students seem to know much beyond the name.
“The cities we visit are those with large concentrations of Saint Ignatius alumni,” says SIHS President Fr. Raymond Guiao, SJ. The cities with the largest turnout are Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C., because “these cities tend to be those in which our students are drawn to school and where they can land employment.” It is also interesting to note that the alumni that generally come to these events are those “who have graduated in the last thirty to forty years,” though an older alumnus will pop in every so often.
“These Blue and Gold events require a lot of travel and energy. I really enjoy meeting a lot of alumni, especially former students, catching up with them and seeing what’s going on in their lives. I’ve been struck by how sentimental our alumni can be about their years at Ignatius. I have been struck by how deep their love is for St. Ignatius.”, says Fr. Guiao.
Saint Ignatius High School is known for having a tight-knit alumni network and the “primary purpose of the tour is to keep in close contact with the alumni, a way of keeping ties of new days from the old … we are true to the words of our alma mater.” The tour keeps alumni updated on what is happening at the school and Saint Ignatius updated on the lives of its alumni. It is somewhat of a misconception that the tours are to garner donation support, as the invitation and event is designed to bring people together socially.
“The letter says come meet the new president, there will be heavy hors d’oeurves, and you will receive a small gift. Sometimes we even will bring a veteran faculty member like Mr. Pasko or Mr. Healey and that is a big draw for our alumni” says Fr. Guiao.
Mr. Dan Malone ‘00 is in charge of organizing the events and has “designed them in a really good, sound way so that people truly enjoy themselves,” though the one thing Fr. Guiao has added is a brief prayer after the speech portion. He feels that “it has been a small, but very meaningful part of the event and is about giving thanks for our alumni and alma mater.”
