T R A D I T I O N_______________________________________________. . . the newsetter of the Fordham College Alumni AssociationFordham University at Lincoln Center, New York 10023January 1991Ramology. Historians debate the origin of the name "Fordham" which was given to the land which now comprises the Rose Hill campus by John Archer who purchased it from the Mohegan Indians. Some speak of a parish in England from which Mrs. Archer is reputed to have come and where the word meant a house (ham) at a water crossing (ford). Others claim that Fordham Manor was named in honor of John Archer's friend, Rev. Robert Fordham, Governor of Hempstead, Long Island. Still others contend that the origin of the name is yet another mystery which a liberal arts education has failed to resolve.With affection, TRADITION honors Dean Emeritus Rev. George J. McMahon, S.J. on his fifty years in the Society of Jesus. Fortunately for us, so many of those years have been spent at Fordham. Whether he was throwing elbows under the basket during a pick-up game, celebrating Mass at 555, hosting a cocktail party in his office, insisting that it was much too late to withdraw from a science course ("Don't worry. You'll do fine.") or advising our 19 year old selves on what was or was not necessarily in our best interests, George has always been a source of warmth, common sense, decency and good humor, and he has always known exactly who we were and what we were about. Most recently, he has witnessed our weddings, baptized our children and provided a friendly greeting on our return to Rose Hill. He is very clearly a manifestation of so much of the good we remember of Fordham. Thank you, Father.Dean Emeritus Rev. George J. McMahon, S.J. will celebrate Mass to commemorate his golden jubilee in the Society of Jesus and to commence the annual Fordham College Dean's Day celebration on April 13, 1991. Contact Ed Buckley of Alumni House (212-841-5340) for details.The Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities, issued recently by Pope John Paul II, calls on Catholic colleges and universities to maintain and reflect their religious identity while supporting academic freedom and individual freedom of conscience. The anxiously awaited papal document reflects "a sense of different cultures and environments around the world," said University President Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J. "It is very broadening and liberating. . . . There is (emphasis on) our independence, academic freedom, Catholic tradition and respect for Catholic orthodoxy," Fr. O'Hare said.Ateneo de Manila University, a Jesuit institution in the Philippines, has honored our president, Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J., with an honorary degree and has established an endowed professorial chair in the humanities in his name.On Founder's Day, June 24, 1991, alumni and friends of Fordham will celebrate a worldwide prayer breakfast to commemorate the University's Sesquicentennial. Anyone interested in hosting a prayer breakfast can contact Celeste Manuli of Alumni House (212-841-5340) for details.During this the four hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Society of Jesus, TRADITION notes that the Oxford English Dictionary has defined the Jesuits as practitioners of "devious dissembling and inextricable wiles." John Adams, America's second president, once called the Jesuits a "tribe of perdition" but, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, reminded that "our constitutional principles, however, must give them room." For reasons which some alumni may appreciate, Pope Clement XIV suppressed the Society of Jesus in 1773. The Society continued only in Russia where Catherine the Great refused to enforce the papal bull of suppression. Past president Rev. Vincent T. O'Keefe, S.J. advises that "(g)ratitude to women (has since been a) part of the Jesuit tradition." Pope Pius VII restored the Society in 1814.Rev. Augustus J. Thebaud, S.J., a Frenchman, was the first Jesuit president of Saint John's College, Fordham. Thebaud, a philosopher, historian and poet who conducted classes in mathematics, chemistry, physics and natural sciences, explored the psychology of the American protestant in his leisure time. He authored "do-it-yourself" guides to horticulture and animal husbandry and scholarly works such as Gentillism and The Church and the Moral World. One critic evaluated Thebaud as "a perfect child in simplicity but a giant in everything sublime and useful."The Faculty. Rev. Avery Dulles, S.J., Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, recently published an article entitled "The Place of the Theologian. 1. The Question of Dissent." . . . William M.A. Grimaldi, S.J., professor emeritus of classics, recently delivered the Arnold lecture to the humanities faculty at Penn State. Fr. Grimaldi discussed the major contributing factor in the development of Greek rhetorical theory from its primitive form in the 5th Century B.C. to the advanced and sophisticated rhetorics of Aristotle, Plato and Isocrates in the 4th Century B.C. . . . Janet Ruffing, S.M., assistant professor of spirituality, gave two, week-long retreats, "Invitations to Spiritual Growth in Midlife." . . . Norman O. Smith, professor emeritus of chemistry, gave an invited lecture and tutorial on "Thermodynamics in Relation to Inclusion Compounds" at the First International Summer School of Supra Molecular Chemistry, in Strasbourg, France.The Third Generation - The McCauleys. Dick McCauley boasts that he is part of a third generation Fordham family. His father graduated from The College in 1922, Dick is a member of the Class of 1963 and his son Brian is a member of the Class of 1988.In its early days, Latin Americans considered Fordham a "status" school. In 1848 sixteen Fordham students had permanent residence in Mexico but only eight in Brooklyn. The South, in particular New Orleans, was also well-represented in the student body. Students slept in large dormitories on iron beds aligned side-by-side in long rows. During the winter months, when the temperature hovered near zero, they were awakened at 7:00 a.m. and would grope their way to the washroom where they filled their personalized tin wash basins from large tubs brimming with cold water. Sometimes they had to break the ice in the tubs. Tuition, room, board and the use of bedding cost $200.00 per annum in 1841, a substantial sum. In the nineteenth century, each student entering Fordham was required to have three suits for summer, three suits for winter, at least six shirts, six pairs of stockings, six pocket handkerchiefs, six towels, three pairs of shoes or boots, a hat, a silver spoon and a silver drinking cup marked with his name.The Fordham College Retreat will be held at Mt. Manresa on Staten Island and St. Ignatius in Manhasset on the weekend of March 8-10, 1991. Contact Ed Buckley of Alumni House (212-841-5340) for details.At the center of Fordham's football galaxy shines Alex Wojciechowicz '38. Regarded by many as the best player ever to don the maroon, Wojciechowicz made typesetters nervous and caused radio announcers to stutter. His effect on opponents, however, was more serious. Alex took fierce pride in the way he played football. Ballcarriers could not outrun him, and, when he tackled people, they stayed tackled; when he blocked them, they did not recover. A consensus All-America center in 1936 and 1937, Alex was the granite of the Seven Blocks. He was chosen as the College Football Player of the Year for 1937 by the immortal Grantland Rice, as the Coaches' All-America Player of the Year for 1937,Êas the first pick in the 1938 NFL draft and as a member of the collegiate and professional football Halls of Fame. Recommended Reading. Fordham football fans may enjoy They Won Their Laurels Bright by Ed Gilleran, Jr. '47, a nostalgic review of the "Golden Era" of Fordham football during the coaching reigns of "The Iron Major," Frank Cavanaugh, and "Sleepy Jim" Crowley. Contact Ed c/o TRADITION-Laurels for details.Coach Ed Danowski's 1950 squad ranks among the greatest of Fordham football teams. Dick Doheny '51, perhaps the most accurate passer in Fordham history, threw to Al Pfeiffer '51, a glue-fingered acrobat, and Jack Hyatt '54, Dave Ficca '53 and Larry Higgins '51 raced behind the blocking of Tom Mareski '51, Tom Murrin '51 and their linemates to lead the Rams to heartstopping victories over Lafayette, Boston College, West Virginia, San Francisco, Georgetown, Temple, N.Y.U. and Syracuse. The 1950 footballers compiled an 8-1 mark to add to Fordham's football glory.The Sports Page. Coach Suzanne O'Connell's Women's Cross-Country team, Coach Frank Schnur's Men's Soccer team and Coach Pat Rooney's '24 Women's Tennis team are all Patriot League champions. . . . Schnur and midfielder Seamus Lynch were selected the Patriot League's coach and player of the year. . . . Coach Larry Glueck's Fordham footballers travelled this year in a custom-built bus previously owned by Jim Bakker, the defrocked and imprisoned PTL televangelist. The bus transported the Rams to Brown, among other places, where they registered Fordham's first triumph over an Ivy League football opponent in 39 years.Bring the Kids to the Games! The Ram roundballers play Saturday afternoon games at Rose Hill on January 26 vs. Holy Cross (Winter Homecoming), on February 2 vs. Adelphi and on February 16 vs. Bucknell. For ticket information call (212) 579-2RAM.That Championship Season of the 1970-71 Ram roundballers will be celebrated at a reception in O'Reilly's Restaurant at 56 West 31st Street before the Dayton game at Madison Square Garden on February 23, 1991. Contact Ed Buckley of Alumni House (212-841-5340) for details.Nominations to the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame may be addressed to Joe Favorito, the Director of Sports Media Relations, c/o TRADITION.Rev. Eugene J. O'Brien, S.J., chairman of the Sesquicentennial Celebration, announces that a symposium on the growing impact of professional sports on higher education will be held on February 14, 1991 at the Lincoln Center campus. Contact Anita Ross of the Sesquicentennial Office (212-FORDHAM) for details.Run for the Roses with alumni and friends of Fordham on Sunday, April 21, 1991 in a 13.1 mile pledge half-marathon/walkathon from Lincoln Center to Rose Hill. The event will raise money for programs helping the children of New York. Contact Darren O'Neill of the Sesquicentennial Office (212-FORDHAM) for details.The Name of the Rose. The Fordham Rose, a new hybrid created for the University's Sesquicentennial Celebration, is the horticultural result of a blending of the best from the Chrysler Imperial and Josephine Bruce roses. The flower's deep maroon reproduces the color most closely associated with Fordham. A limited edition of Fordham Rose bushes are available for purchase by telephoning 1-800-477-0987 (Item F9001).RAMembrances. John Lancellotti '60 writes: "You mean you didn't know Ed Walsh? You mean you passed through the place, and you didn't hear the halls resounding with his name? The inscription on his monument outside his basement office at Robert's Hall says simply, 'Keep in touch.' We were all down there in the '50's. THE RAM, the yearbook staff. Walsh was moderator of THE RAM, and the chairman of the Communication Arts Department and always had advice and encouragement for the guys. He wrote about the world-wide effects of television long before others had thought about it and welcomed students to a very demanding field by assigning a 50 page, original research paper. He always had a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, and a fresh ash spilled on his vest. His office was the center of the radical faculty underground, and you could always find a Jesuit around. And there was always great laughter, great spirit and great warmth in the room when Walsh had company. But mostly there was us, 'Walsh's boys' (which included anyone who showed up at his door), popping in and out, searching for direction - which he gave in a barely noticeable way. That's the kind of guy he was. 'Keep in touch.' Always there for you. "In a blatant attempt to influence the objectivity of this publication, the Fordham Rowing Association has offered TRADITION an official Crew Cup "in appreciation of (its) continued coverage of Fordham Rowing." TRADITION deplores attempts to influence its judgment and will not be influenced. However, having chastised the rowing association with its statement of policy, so as not to discourage the crew alumni, TRADITION has elected to keep the cup. So as not to discourage others, TRADITION advises all alumni who seek publicity that it favors the color maroon and images of male sheep.Coach Ted Bonanno's Fordham crew competed at the Henley Royal Regatta, the showcase of international rowing competition, in Henley-on-Thames, England in July. The Men's Lightweight Eight compiled a 17-1 regular season racing record, and the Women's Eight went undefeated in regional competition. Why doesn't the Patriot League make crew a varsity sport? Reader Bob Atkinson '50 correctly advises that Vince Lombardi '37 was inducted into the professional football Hall of Fame not the collegiate Hall of Fame as stated in a recent issue of TRADITION. . . . Sean Driscoll '72 thinks TRADITION is "terrific." . . . Bill Russo '69 criticizes TRADITION for its many requests for "top ten" lists (e.g., greatest impact on mankind and greatest sports performances/events). TRADITION agrees that it may have become carried away with the "top ten" concept, apologizes to its readers and will restrain itself and limit its requests for lists in the future. . . . Crew alumnus John "Monk" Donohue '69 has nominated John J. Mulcahy '94, founder of the Fordham Crew and an Olympic gold medalist in the single sculls, as stroke of the all-time All-Fordham Eight. TRADITION invites nominations for the remaining seven seats. The Eight will, of course, be coached by the legendary Fordham crew coach, John J. Sulger '35.A healthy and happy New Year to all readers of TRADITION.TRADITION: Minister of Propaganda: George P. McKeegan '69; Contributing Editor: William J. Healy '30