Alumni News Archives

Members of the Class of 1973 gathered to celebrate their 50th Rambler Reunion over a fun-filled weekend on September 15 and 16.

Despite the rain, it was a wonderful day on the links at North Shore Country Club in Glenview as alumni, parents, and friends of Loyola Academy gathered for the sold out 29th annual Ramblers Golf Outing on Monday, September 11. As we celebrate our 29th year, we want to recognize the great history of this event and the impact it has made over the years—contributing over $250,000 to Loyola’s Tuition Assistance Program!

On Saturday, September 9, Ramblers from the Classes of 1952 to 1968 and Rambler parents of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 00s gathered for a special Golden Rambler Reunion. Among the attendees were roughly 10 members from the Class of 1953, celebrating their 70th reunion!

On Monday, August 21, members of the Loyola Academy community gathered for a luncheon at Sophia Steak in Wilmette to hear from newly appointed Head Football Coach Beau Desherow '93. A special Q&A with Coach Desherow was facilitated by Mary Kate Herion '14, senior marketing coordinator at Big Ten Network.

Loyola Academy President Rev. Gregory J. Ostdiek, SJ, Development Chief of Staff and Alumni Relations Marty Jennings '98, and Director of Alumni Relations Ashley Sanks '10 recently took a group of students in the LA Tank entrepreneurship program to New York City as part of a 36-hour power internship. This trip to the Big Apple enabled our East Coast alumni to come together and connect with current Ramblers during a networking reception hosted by Daniel J. Williams '88, Dan Cashion '88, and Courtney Murphy '98 at the Yale Club in Manhattan on Wednesday, May 31.

Thank you to Jonah Nolan '94, who recently visited Loyola to chat with our students! Throughout his carer, Jonah has worked on critically acclaimed projects such as Memento, The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and the HBO series Westworld. Jonah offered valuable insights into his creative process while writing for film and television.

Philip J. "Phil" Andrew '85 will receive the Pursuit of Peace Award from Parenting 4 Non-Violence (P4NV), a charitable organization which provides parenting education training, personal financial literacy training, and other family life skills training to over 3300 individuals. The Pursuit of Peace Award recognizes the significant commitment and sustained contributions of an individual or organization in the pursuit of peace by helping to promote a culture of non-violence in the Chicago area.

In March, the LA Tank program wrapped its eighth year by awarding students an opportunity to collaborate and present their ideas to a panel of Loyola alumni entrepreneurs. The program is structured such that students are grouped into teams and tasked with solving an existing problem with a new product or idea.

Loyola Academy joins the nation in mourning the tragic loss of life at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.

Latin for where are you going?, Quo Vadis Day on Friday, January 27, offered Ramblers the opportunity to discover, explore, and evaluate their future aspirations. "Quo Vadis taps into the power of the Loyola Academy parent and alumni networks to provide students with a road map of inspiration as they prepare for the next step in their journey," explains Assistant Principal Mrs. Terri S. Jackson, who collaborated with Development Chief of Staff & Alumni Relations Mr. Marty Jennings '98 to organize the program. The day included a blend of large forum-style keynote addresses interspersed with small "career conversation" workshops. In total, over sixty Rambler parents and alumni from industries as diverse as healthcare and law to business and journalism spent the day on campus engaging with students and sharing their educational paths, professional experiences, and helpful advice along the way.

Loyola Academy mourns the loss of longtime educator, mentor, coach, and friend Francis J. "Frank" Amato, who passed away on Saturday, January 28, 2023. He was 96. In the fall of 1966, Coach Amato came to Loyola, hired to teach physical education and coach football and track. What followed, in the nearly six decades since, was an extraordinary tenure as coach, teacher, and administrator. Coach built an unrivaled career marked by exceptional achievement to be sure, but, more importantly, by a generosity of spirit, a quiet dignity, and an authentic paternal presence. For over half a century, Coach Amato was one of the rocks of Loyola Academy, a constant that helped define the very tradition and the spirit of the Academy. Coach Amato was truly one of the finest there ever was.

Young alumna Maria J. Varela ’16 made a visit to Loyola Academy’s Art Club meeting on Monday, January 9, and spoke about her experience as a fashion design student at Columbia College, where she earned her BFA in 2020, and as a textile design student at Bath Spa University in England, where she earned her MA in 2022. Maria brought examples of her master’s thesis, a collection entitled “Dear Diary,” for students to see and explained that the inspiration for the collection were the sights, sounds and experiences she encountered abroad during her time at Bath Spa. “This collection is a maximalist’s approach to exploring the joys and freedom of European travels in a post-pandemic world,” she says.

Loyola Academy President Rev. Gregory J. Ostdiek, SJ, announced on January 11, 2023, that Mr. Timothy P. Devine '88 of Chicago has been named Loyola Academy's next principal.