History: "Jesuits in Oregon", Jesuit High School, Portland 1956 ********************************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE: ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ********************************************************************************* Transcribed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: W. David Samuelsen - April 2002 ************************************************************************ "Jesuits in Oregon" 1844-1959, Rev. Wilfred P. Schoenberg, S.J., published June 1959 by the The Oregon-Jesuit to commemorate the Centennial Year in Oregon. No copyright, not registered. Jesuit High School, Portland, 1956 Of the 44 Jesuit high schools in the United States, the 43rd to be established was Jesuit High School in Portland. This is, of course, no disgrace, though it clearly shows how shining-new it is among Jesuit preparatory schools extending all the way back to Georgetown s foundation in 1789. Though a recently achieved reality, Jesuit High is an ancient hope. As a hope, it existed as early as 1907, when property was purchased for St. Ignatius parish in Portland. At that time,so vast an area was secured precisely for a Jesuit-type high school in Portland, to be established at some future time when circumstances favored it. Because of a shortage of men to staff a school and other reasons that are no longer important, the proposed high school on this site was never developed. In 1929, just before His Grace, Archbishop Howard, announced his plans for Central Catholic, certain laymen in Portland appealed to the Jesuit Provincial for the establishment of a Jesuit high school. After long discussions over the proposal, the matter was again dropped; but the way was left open for a future development. Occasionally, the subject came up for discussion, but no serious attempts were made to settle the matter until 1954, when the Holy Cross Fathers of Portland revealed the closing of Columbia Prep. At this time, it was suggested that the Jesuits take over the Columbia Prep campus in the West Hills, but certain difficulties stood in the way. Again, the subject of the school was dropped, and the Holy Cross Fathers sold the campus to a real estate agent for subdivision. Here, matters stood at the beginning of the summer in 1955, when the Archbishop asked Father Provincial, Henry J. Schultheis, S.J., to establish a high school in or near the western area of Portland. A 55-acre tract of land on the Bertha - Beaverton Highway, 15 minutes from downtown Portland, was approved by His Grace as the site of future Jesuit High School. The property, known locally as the Hillsdale Dairy Farm, had a one-half mile frontage on the highway. It was the family estate of an industrious Swiss farmer, turned businessman, Mr. Fred Zwahlein. When this worthy gentleman learned the purpose for which the Jesuits wished to use his farm, negotiations were quickly completed, and announcement of the purchase appeared in the daily papers on Aug. 16. The sale price of the property was $165,000. The money for this was advanced by the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus. First Student A few hours later, after signing papers for the purchase, Fr. Schultheis embarked by plane for Montana to keep another appointment. On the same plane was Mr. AlbertV. Fonder, whose grandson had recently graduated from St. Thomas More s parish school in Portland. When he heard reports on developments, he immediately made a verbal application to Fr. Schuitheis to enroll his grandson in the new high school. This boy, John O Phelan, was the first student registered. His grandfather s application was made official in writing in January, 1956. Steps for organizing the new prep school were begun at once. Father Daniel Lyons, S.J., was assigned bythe Provincial to supervise a building drive, and Mr. John Maloney, of Seattle, commissioned to design building plans for a school with a capacity for 600 boys and residences for boarding students and Jesuit faculty. Fr. Mathias I. Wilhelm, S.J., of Gonzaga University, was appointed the school s first superior on Jan. 8, 1956. Fr. Joseph Perri, S.J., of Gonzaga Prep, was made its first principal in April of the same year. Meanwhile, the papers of incorporation, "Jesuit High School, an Oregon Corporation, not for profit, were drawn up by the school s attorney, Mr. John T. Casey, and filed in Salem during the first week of February, 1956. At a luncheon meeting, held in the Congress Hotel on Jan. 10, Mr. J. Stuart Leavy was selected as general chairman for the city-wide drive for funds. On March 11, twenty-one Jesuit priests gathered from all over the province, and 2 Holy Cross priests invaded the pulpits of Portland to present the needs of the new school. Actual canvassing for funds began during the following week. By Wednesday of that week, $117,000 had already been pledged. Building Contracts Awarded Three days earlier bids on the first unit of the project, a service building with kitchen, cafeteria, heating plant, and miscellaneous rooms for temporary classrooms, had been submitted. On the same day, the contract for grading and drainage was awarded to the John L. Jersey Construction Company on its bid of $32,767. The Ross B. Hammond Company won the building contract for the first unit with its bid of $222,422. On Tuesday, April 10, 1956, groundbreaking ceremonies were held on the building site with His Grace, the Archbishop, presiding, and with Mayor Fred Peterson of Portland and Mayor A. H. Rossie of Beaverton in attendance. Coat-of-Arms Other developments kept apace. An official coat of arms, designed by Fr. Andrew Vachon, S.J., was adopted, and the official motto, "Age quod agis," which means "Do well whatever you do," was included at the base of the shield. During the summer of 1956, twelve Jesuit priests were assigned 'to Portland to beg 'from door to door for the new school, and the pledges they gathered amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was all sorely needed, for the most conservative estimate of the total cost of the project was one and one-quarter million dollars. With the debt for land to be liquidated, the Jesuits could ill afford to provide more help from their own resources. All Portland could see the crucial need of the school; all Portland was asked to help provide it. As for staffing it, the Jesuits would and did take care of that. As work on the first unit of the building progressed, Fr. Perri organized the academic structure of Jesuit High. Entrance examinations were administered on April 14, 1956, at the Cathedral grade school. The first faculty, consisting of 8 members, was announced in June. Among them were 5 priests, 2 scholastics, and 1 layman, hired to teach and coach. The public was advised that only freshmen would be admitted during the first year and that each succeeding year another division 'would be added. Books, typewriters, desks (discarded desks from another school), chalk, and a thousand other items, large and small, had to be acquired for the opening of school. By Sept. 9, 1956, all was in a more-or-less state of readiness, and the faculty assembled for the first teachers meeting. Though historic, it was dull, like most teachers meetings. There was, however, a strong spirit of enthusiasm. An undercurrent of nervous excitement lent itself to all proceedings and made them more than tolerable. All knew very well that, during the next few months, they would be under Portland s demanding scrutiny not to mention that of 'their brother Jesuits through the northwest, who were carrying greater loads in other schools to make Jesuit High possible. The next day, Sept. 10, 1956, the great climax was reached. The doors of Jesuit High, 43rd among Jesuit preparatory schools in the United States, were opened wide, and 90 solemn little freshmen trooped through. Portland s Jesuit High School, a mere hope for exactly 49 years, was now a reality. Three years have passed since that day. The 90 little freshmen have advanced to the senior class, and Jesuit High has become a full four-year high school with a Jesuit faculty of 18 priests and scholastics. Already, it has achieved a generous measure of fame. New buildings have arisen. The first classroom unit and the multipurpose gymnasium 'building were completed in 1957; the second classroom unit and football stadium, in 1958; and a section of the faculty residence, in 1959. In competitive tests, Jesuit High students have consistently ranked at the top. Its debating teams, like teams from Jesuit prep schools the country over, have participated in the most important tournaments in their part of the country and have won an estimable share of honors. Its athletic teams have carried the school s "green and gold" onto fields far abroad with considerably more wins than losses. Its speakers have already placed in State Finals Oratorical Contests - though they were obviously at a disadvantage because of their younger ages. Its dramatic productions arid speaking contests for grade school students have attracted city-wide attention. In terms of dollars saved - which often speak more eloquently than academic excellence Jesuit High, in its first 3 years of existence, has saved the taxpayer at least $216,000. This figure is based ona per-student rate of $400 annually, a conservative amount to cover capital investment and current expenses for Portland s public high schools. At the same rate, Jesuit High will save Portland s taxpayers $240,000 annually when it reaches its built-for capacity of 600 students in other words, an amount that would total the entire cost of Jesuit High s building program in 5 years. This is public service on a grand scale. As an added public service, the Jesuit High School Culture Series was organized in 1957. Since that time, 9 Jesuit lecturers a year, some, like Fr. John Lafarge, S.J., of national renown, have been brought to Portland to make solid contributions to the city s cultural vitality. Other services rendered by the Jesuit faculty members for the Catholics of Portland are beyond human calculation. Its priests, for example, serve as chaplains for convents or spend their week ends in assisting the diocesan clergy with parish work. Some give Retreats, all have been called upon for guidance in many of Portland s juvenile prob lems. All these activities and many more involving great issues in the city s welfare have merited universal praise. Although founded late, by the average Jesuit prep school s standards, Jesuit High, Portland, has very quickly become more than a typical Jesuit school. In 3 brief years, it has become an ideal. In another year, its first graduates will nervously accept their diplomas and bid goodbye to their Jesuit teachers. Approximately 100 percent of them, compared to the national average of 15 percent, will go on to college and professional studies. When they complete these and return to take their places in the professional services of Portland and all Oregon, then, and not untilthen, will the people of Oregon see the final results of their faith in Jesuit education and how fully their sacrifices for Jesuit High have been repaid.