conwayl's blog

The words to "Maryland, My Maryland" were written 150 years ago by journalist and poet James Ryder Randall, who attended Georgetown from 1848 to 1856. In 1861, while chair of English Literature at Poydras College, Pointe-Coupée, Louisiana, Randall read a newspaper report of the Baltimore Riot. This clash between pro-South civilians and Union troops in Randall's native city on 19 April, 1861, resulted in what is commonly accepted as the first bloodshed of the Civil War. The account Randall read stated--incorrectly as it turned out--that Francis X.

The bulldog was selected as our mascot in 1962. In that year, a student committee set out to restore the tradition of a live mascot, a tradition that had lapsed in 1951 when the University suspended varsity football. The committee settled on the English bulldog as the breed that best embodied the tenacity of Hoya athletes. A three-year-old purebred bulldog was purchased, one who came with the pedigree name of Lil-Nan's Royal Jacket, but who answered to Jack.

O'Gara Building

Beginning in the 1960s, a number of well-known musicians played at student-organized concerts in McDonough Gym, including Ray Charles (1963), Peter, Paul & Mary (1964), the Kingston Trio (1965), Johnny Mathis (1966), The Lovin’ Spoonful (1967), the Four Tops (1968), The Who (Homecoming 1969), the Grateful Dead (Homecoming 1970), and Traffic (November 1970). After incidents at the Grateful Dead concert and the Traffic concert (which was attended by 6000 people, 2000 more than fire regulations permitted), the University administration suspended concerts on campus.

The University awarded its first honorary doctorate in 1821. It was not until 1934, two hundred and thirty seven honorary degrees later, that one was awarded to a woman.

Jesuit Cemetery before 1889

In March of 2009, a simulated explosion was set off close to Key Bridge for the filming of a television program pilot, Washington Field.

That would probably be Alfred C. “Al” Blozis (C’1942), who held multiple world records for the shot put. At 6 feet 6 ½ inches and 248 pounds, Blozis’ size and strength earned him such nicknames as “Big Al” and the “Hoya Hercules.” Participating in 26 college track meets between 1939 and 1941, he never lost a shot put event and held five world records concurrently: the 16lb indoor shot, the 12lb indoor and outdoor shot, and the 8lb indoor and outdoor shot.

Yes. The original words to the Alma Mater were written by Robert Collier (C’1894), who was later known as the publisher of Collier’s, the National Weekly, a magazine founded by his father. Robert Collier’s version of the Alma Mater included, in its first and fifth lines, the phrase, Sons of Georgetown. Of course, at the time the words were written, there were no “Daughters” of Georgetown. From 1904, however, with the establishment of the Nursing School, women formed part of the Georgetown student body.