Alumni - National Association President's Message

I must have been no more than 5 years old the first time that my brother, Eldon, returned home from Wilcox. He had gone to Notre Dame in the fall and, at Christmas, was making his first trip home. Now, almost 50 years later, I remember that day as if it was yesterday. My parents and all his friends were anxious to see him. He would have been 16 or 17 years old at the time and you can imagine as a 5 year old how I felt to have my big brother coming back after being away for what seemed to me to be an eternity. The first thing I remember seeing was that red and white Notre Dame football jacket. I saw how proudly he wore it and I knew from that moment on that some day I, too, was going to be a Notre Dame Hound. Some 12 years later, my dream came true. And on that day, I was wearing that very same Notre Dame jacket.

To this day both my brother and I are proud Hounds. Family occasions and our private conversations are sprinkled with reminiscences of our days at Notre Dame; our recollections of Père; the great characters we met; the perceived hardships and adversities we faced. Athol Murray College of Notre Dame has played an important role in our lives. Our father had the wisdom to recognise the importance of education and that Athol Murray College of Notre Dame would deliver that education and also build the character that we would need to survive in the world we were entering.

Our pride as Hounds is also a driving force behind our involvement in the Notre Dame Alumni Association and our desire to support the College in its endeavours to move forward into the future. We know that our identity and heritage as Hounds can only be preserved through the continued growth and prosperity of the College.

I am very proud to serve as the President of Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Alumni Association and to represent Hounds on the College's Board of Regents and in other functions from one end of this country to the other. I follow in the footsteps of many great Hounds who have served with such dedication in this position including our past-president, Bill Lutes. I also get the opportunity to work with representatives on our national board of directors who represent alumni in each province of Canada. Finally, I get a chance to meet and deal with the dedicated staff and enthusiastic students who are at the College every day.

All of these people make a tremendous contribution in assisting to keep Père Murray's great dream for Notre Dame alive. I invite you, as an alumnus, to join the great team of Hounds who have committed themselves to this mission. Contact the representatives in your area or contact the College to find out how you can make assist us in preserving this meaningful and worthwhile dream.

Dale A. Rondeau,
President