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Wartime Memories
While the war did not intrude often into the lives of SI students, more than a few incidents served to remind Ignatians that they were not a world apart. The school conducted air raid drills and continued to train students in ROTC. For Jack Grealish, the war came home when Bill Telasmanic ’37, a star…
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SI’s Japanese-American Students
For at least two students, the war meant dislocation. Takashi Watanabe ’42 and John Morozumi ’42 were forced to leave school two months shy of graduation because they were Japanese-Americans. Rather than report to the detention centers which would send them on their way to internment camps, they decided to live freely elsewhere. Both moved…
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The Outbreak of War
At 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Jack Grealish ’44 was sitting in the pews at Most Holy Redeemer Church for Sunday Mass. When he and his family arrived home, they heard the news that Japan had launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. “We were in shock,” said Grealish. “Everyone was in shock. We…
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“Mr. SI”: J.B. Murphy
In its 150-year history, the SI faculty has included a number of people who bled red and blue, many of whom were or are alumni or alumnae. But the teacher who has earned the title “Mr. S.I.” never attended St. Ignatius. To earn that moniker, he simply put in 50 years on the job, serving…
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War & Valor: 1940-1949
The decade of the ’40s at SI is a paradox. World War II cast its shadow over the entire nation, and SI was not exempt — approximately 3,000 SI grads served in the Armed Forces and 96 died for their country. Students graduated early to enlist, and they watched as one teacher after another exchanged…
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Chalk-Dust Memories: The 1930s
Fr. Bernard Hubbard came to SI in 1928 to deliver four illustrated lectures at the Little Theatre at St. Ignatius College dealing with “The Great Gapatsch or Mountain Climbing in the Central Alps,” “Conquering the Wild Taku,” “Castles and Folk Lore of Central Europe,” and “The Wonders of Yellowstone National Park.” The last two lectures…
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Founder of FICO, William Fair ’39 brought data analysis to credit scores
One of the most important men in the world of commerce was William Fair ’39, the founder of FICO. His company began in 1956 as Fair, Isaac and Company when Fair, an engineer, and Earl Isaac founded their San Rafael-based company on the principal that data, used intelligently, can improve business decisions. Over the years,…
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SI’s patriarch of Yours, Mine and Ours
Frank Beardsley ’33, his wife, Helen, and their 20 children. Contributed photo, Alex Bogue and Rebecca Webb. Not many SI grads have their lives turned into a movie. Frank Beardsley ’33, saw his life twice on the silver screen, once in the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours, where he was played by Henry Fonda,…
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The Glacier Priest By Fr. Gerald McKevitt, SJ
Among the famous persons in the United States in the 1930s was Fr. Bernard Hubbard, SJ (SI 1906), popularly known as the “Glacier Priest.” Though listed in Santa Clara University’s bulletin as a member of the geology department, the peripatetic Hubbard spent most of his time exploring Alaska and lecturing about his travels to audiences…
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Al Wilsey ’36
One of SI’s greatest supporters over the years was Al Wlsey ’36. He died in 2002, but his legacy can still be felt at SI, from the library named in his honor to the many years of service he gave the school as regent and trustee. At the age of 12, he accepted an eight-year…