Patrick McGrory '99

During my junior year at Saint Joseph's University I wrote a very important letter —my application to become the “Hawk,” mascot. I explained how important the Hawk was to the University, and how much passion I had for everything that the Hawk and Saint Joseph's represented.

I mentioned that while the Hawk uniform itself was simply cloth and feathers held together by stitches and glue, the true Hawk Spirit comes from bringing these feathers to life by completing a task which many think impossible — to always be flapping — a tradition which has lasted for more than 50 years.

In becoming the Hawk for my senior year, I was able to not only embody this tradition, but to develop an understanding of how many “Hawks” there truly were within the Saint Joseph's community. The Hawk is not only the most decorated mascot in all of college sports, but it is also every individual athlete wearing a uniform with Saint Joseph's emblazoned across the front. It is every student striving for a University diploma. It is every parent sacrificing to send a child to SJU. It is every professor and staff person whose dedication and passion allows the University to fulfill its promise. Yes, we are all Hawks, and our collective actions unite as Saint Joseph's seeks to become the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.

During my senior year, I never stopped flapping, and by doing so, I made sure that “The Hawk Will Never Die!” on my watch. After graduation, I focused on having my actions do the flapping and thereby continuing to represent the spirit of the Hawk and Saint Joseph's University. I continue to this day, focusing on how I can give back to the school that gave me so much. I have come to realize that one of the most powerful ways we can give back, with immediate impact, is through making a gift to the Saint Joseph's Fund. Every gift counts and works towards the larger goal of supporting academics, athletics, campus ministry, service projects, student leadership and so much more. I am convinced there is no other way for my fellow alumni and me to collectively have as dramatic an impact as through contributing to the Saint Joseph's Fund.

Like the letter I wrote my junior year, this too is very important, as it serves as a reminder to me, and hopefully to those who read it, that we are all “Hawks,” and that our individual actions are the feathers that appear on the uniform. Through our collective actions, we bring these feathers to life. I ask you to join me and know, through our actions, that wherever we go, we represent not only ourselves, but the unending spirit of all that Saint Joseph's represents!

Patrick W. McGrory '99