Dr. Timothy G. Sassen: Go Ramblers!

But what to call it? According to Dr. Sassen, the name had to be distinct and separate from Loyola University and the dozens of other “Loyolas” out there in the country and around the world. Why not something that conjured up the nature and true spirit of what a Loyola Academy education was all about? “Go Ramblers” was a rallying cry used for pep rallies and pregame pep talks by the great coach and athletic director John Hoerster, may he rest in peace. So Dr. Sassen presented goramblers.org to the administration, and the rest, as they say, is Loyola history.

 

Dr. Sassen had already spent a career at Loyola Academy as a science teacher and tutor when the high-tech world came calling. He took on the role of integrating technology such as laptops into classrooms for both teachers and students. “Then, when this thing called the Internet seemed like it was sticking around, I moved into the communications department as the web developer,” Dr. Sassen recalled. He stayed in the role until 2015, when he took a position in the Jesuit Schools Network.

 

Loyola was more than just a school for Dr. Sassen. “Loyola was a place of vocation and a source of formation and friendship for me,” he said. “Loyola was the place for family baptisms and first communions. Loyola was home.”

 

“My father worked in Jesuit education almost his entire professional life, and now, so have I,” Dr. Sassen reflected. “As an institution formed in the mold of Ignatian charism, Loyola Academy offers its community a profound understanding of life as a gift from God. To understand life as a gift is to be called to gratitude and generosity. To give is to say, ‘I get it. Thank you.’”

 

In fact, his connection to Loyola Academy has been so meaningful to him that he has included a gift in his will to the school. “I am greatly indebted to Loyola Academy,” Dr. Sassen explained. “That’s why this gift just makes lot of sense to me.”

 

“One continuous thread through my time at Loyola was the companionship that was formed and nurtured through the years,” he continued. “When I was completing my estate plans, I found there was no divider between the Sassen family and the family I have come to know and love at Loyola Academy. So, no one in my family was surprised when I included a gift to Loyola in my will. It was completely expected because Loyola has been such an integral part of my life.”

 

The complete article can be found in the Winter 2018 edition of The Loyola Legacy.