Father Louis M. Kelley, C.S.C., president of the University from 1928 to 1934, died on February 8, 1964, at the age of 79. During Father Kelley’s administration, the University granted its first baccalaureate degrees to six bachelors of arts in 1929; he also presided over Columbia University during the worst years of the Great Depression. After leaving Portland he later served as assistant superior general of the Congregation of Holy Cross. His portrait, painted by artist-in-residence Emil Jacques, hangs on the third floor of Waldschmidt Hall outside the offices of the dean of the Graduate School.
In 1935, February 8 also marked the first appearance of the Columbiad as a weekly publication. It had begun as a periodical edited by the faculty but eventually came under the editorship of students. Later in 1935 it changed its name to The Beacon in reflection of the change in name of the University itself and the adoption of “The Pilots” as a nickname for the school’s athletes.
To see more University of Portland history go to www.up.edu/almanac.