Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
By Jon Nyatawa
Up and down the Mall, all weekend long, there were alumni reconnecting with classmates and reliving some of their favorite moments from college. And students were there, too, meeting up with their parents and families to offer a glimpse of things that make the college experience so special here.
Creighton Days!
There were more than 3,000 alumni, parents, family members and friends on campus to celebrate together for three fun-filled days. They were sharing stories and laughs at reunion parties, and marveling at the recent building upgrades on campus tours, and attending one of the many family friendly events. Picnics, popsicles and pickleball, and perfect poses for photos with our favorite people.
Creighton Days attendees spanned multiple generations of Bluejays, many of whom traveled in from across the country to make a few new memories on a campus that feels like home. We collected some of our favorite highlights from the event, which took place Friday, Sept 12 – Sunday, Sept. 14:
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A tour down memory lane
A group of alumni stood together next to St. John’s fountain Friday and they started to look around. Suddenly, the memories came flooding back.
It’s been five decades since they attended Creighton as students. Things have changed. New buildings, new sightlines, a new landscape — almost everything. Yet everywhere they looked transported them back to their past.
Where they were standing? That used to be a street. California Street. Instead of students relaxing on benches under the shade of trees, people parked their cars.
Off to their left? There was Deglman and Swanson, the dorms where they lived. Richard McConville, BA'70, JD'73, pointed up to the fifth floor — he could see his old room’s window.
When they looked toward the south, they were reminded of the Interstate that was still under construction during their undergrad years. It was a massive dirt path, slowly getting leveled to hold a highway. Students used to hop the fence and go sunbathing out there.
The Kiewit Fitness Center hadn’t been built yet. Instead, there was an elementary school in its place. On one snowy day, Mary (Harrington) McConville, BA'71, said students snatched cafeteria trays from the dining hall and went sledding on the hill behind the school. “That’s one of my favorite memories,” she said.
Kiewit Hall and Gallagher Hall were women-only dorms during their time. Neither are on campus anymore. Jack Ketterer, BA'70, pointed to where they used to be.
“No way would I have ever thought that Kiewit and Gallagher would be gone, and the Old Gym would still be here,” he said.
Ketterer is a former Creighton basketball player who suited up for the Bluejays from 1967-1970. He was part of a team in 1969 that knocked off Notre Dame on the road — a victory so thrilling that about 500 students met the squad at the airport when the Jays’ flight landed at around 2:30 a.m., according to a Creightonian article.
“And they didn’t have jet bridges back then so we were right on the tarmac,” Mary McConville said. “It was a lot of fun.”
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Recognizing excellence
Members of the 2000 Creighton men's soccer team returned to campus this weekend. The Jays had a record of 22-4 in 2000, earned a spot in the College Cup and reached the national championship match.
After being greeted by current coach Johnny Torres and members of the Creighton athletic department before Saturday's soccer match, the team stood together on the field as a video tribute played on the big screen.
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Residence hall reflections
Right after they moved into Deglman Hall, Mary Ann (Cannon) Mulligan, BS’75, grabbed the hand of Janet Cole, BSBA’75. They were going on a trip around the residence hall.
So they could introduce themselves to everyone.
Room by room, floor by floor.
Just over 50 years later, when they stood next to each other outside of Deglman, alongside three other friends, there was no dispute about how they all met.
In Deglman. Mary Ann’s (extra-persistent) introduction strategy.
They had so many good times there. The late nights, the study sessions, the bonding. There were unfortunately timed fire alarms — lots of them. And way-too-early curfews. Have you ever tried to make grilled cheese sandwiches with Velveeta, tin foil and an iron? (They tried.)
Back then, Swanson Hall was an all-male dorm, so Colleen (Dwyer) Morrissey, BA’75, remembers looking across the quad and trying to figure out which windows belonged to whom. They definitely had some special signals worked out to pass messages back and forth.
As Morrissey shared those memories, another one popped in her head: The famed “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in 1973!
“You could hear all the cheers from Deglman when Billie Jean King scored a point, then Swanson would roar when Bobby Riggs won a point. It was hilarious,” she said.
A couple of the male students (whether they’d lost a bet or were responding to a dare) ditched their clothes and ran through the quad after Billie Jean King won the match, Morrissey said. According to writeup in the 1974 Creighton yearbook, Billie Jean King supporters “triumphantly lined the stairs outside Deglman Hall taunting the defeated male chauvinists.”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” said Joanne Manthe, BA’75, JD’80, said after Morrissey told the story.
That’s what returning to campus can do, though. You’re transported back to the good old days, reliving the feelings and events from those special college years.
Fittingly, they all had Mulligan to thank for the moments of nostalgia this past weekend. Just like she served as the Deglman social catalyst, Mulligan did much of the planning for Creighton Days, too — calling around to find classmates who could attend and keeping everyone informed of the schedule.
“I guess that’s just me,” Mulligan said.
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The fresh prince of the hilltop
You remember that TV show Will Smith starred in, where he goes and lives with his uncle in California? The Fresh Prince of Bel Air?
This is the question George Ellington, BSBA'75, asks when he's reflecting on how he ended up attending Creighton.
"Will Smith is from West Philadelphia — we're from the same neighborhood," Ellington said with a laugh. "And my mom wanted me to go try something new, too."
Ellington didn't have a rich uncle. But his life changed all the same. He had a supportive and welcoming community that inspired him and uplifted him. The Jesuits on campus kept him grounded. His classmates and mentors made him feel at home.
"I say we all have four or five decisions that really alter the course of our lives — and going to Creighton was one of those for me," he said. "It was the best decision I ever made."
And it kind of happened by chance.
A Creighton alumnus was visiting Ellington's high school to attend a basketball practice. The alum wanted to chat with a recruit, and maybe persuade the student-athlete to attend Creighton. Ellington, a team manager, sat next to him during the practice and got the whole Creighton recruiting pitch.
"From that moment on, I knew I wanted to go to Creighton," Ellington said.
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Java with the Jesuits
Alumni, parents, students and friends shared coffee and snacks with members of Creighton's Jesuit community Saturday morning on the Mall (with the tranquil sounds of the St. John's fountain enhancing the ambience). For two hours, attendees mixed and mingled with their coffee cups in hand.
Java with the Jesuits served as a chance for attendees to reflect and connect, and celebrate the shared values that shape and guide all Bluejays, young and old.
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Bomb pops with Billy
Between the occasional backflip and handstands, beloved Creighton mascot Billy Bluejay spent some time on the Mall to snap photos with alumni, parents and students.
Plus, there were bomb pops!
For the first time during Creighton Days, Billy hosted a special meet-and-greet/selfie session for attendees. On a hot afternoon outside the Mike and Josie Harper Center, the popsicles were a hit.
And Billy?
He actually decided to pass on sweets this weekend. Because, well, he's a bird. But also, he indicated through head nods and finger points that he's trying to watch his figure as an exciting Creighton Athletics season gets underway.
The camera adds 10 pounds, you know!
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