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October 26, 2020Members of the St. Joseph High School Class of 1970 recently presented students at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School with a check for $250,000 as part of their 50th reunion celebration.
With a few remaining gifts trickling in, the final class gift amount totaled $270,897, a new record as the largest reunion gift in the school’s history.
“It is a very proud and humbling moment; what a privilege to be associated with such a great group of caring individuals,” said Don Dailey ’70. “The SJ Class of ’70 has always been a generous group of alums, and giving back to our alma mater is pretty much coded into our DNA. We really buy into the Marianist vision of 'Learn, Lead, Serve.' We all recognize how important VASJ is to the community and how critical a Catholic values-based education is to our students.”
"We are enormously grateful to the Class of 1970," said VASJ president Richard Osborne '69. "Their loyalty to their alma mater and their commitment to the students of today beautifully reflects the values of our school, past and present.”
The idea to incorporate fundraising into reunion planning efforts was spawned during the class’s 40th reunion, according to Kevin Flynt ’70.
“We recognized the many opportunities provided to us by attending St. Joseph High School, such as the faith experience, educational opportunities and the ‘We are St. Joe’s’ feeling,” Flynt said. “That feeling from 1970 melded well with the 'Faith. Family. Future.' sentiment of the current VASJ Vikings. To be able to give back and support the current generation of Vikings is part of our class legacy.”
The class gift will be used to support three major initiatives on campus: scholarships, a musical arts program called Music Matters and renovations to athletic facilities.
Thomas Bodle ’70 said the Viking ties have continued to bond his classmates over the years and inspired them to support the school.
“The spirit and values that were instilled in us 50 years ago were reinvigorated to give current VASJ students an opportunity for a good, values-based education. As an alum, I am proud of the school and I am proud of our class,” Bodle said.
Over the last decade, the SJ Class of ’70 has cumulatively raised an astounding $1.125 million. Dailey said he hopes classes will continue to make fundraising a component of their reunion planning efforts.
“While we are pleased to hold the class gift trophy for now, we want to challenge all subsequent 50th reunion classes to also include a six-figure class gift in their plans,” he said. “The SJ Class of ’70 will cheer them on and joyfully relinquish the trophy if/when others can meet or exceed our results!”
