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The Lasallite bannered its July 15, 1941 Alumni section with “ALUMNI PRESIDENT PROMISES ACTION”. The article continued, “The Alumni Board of Directors, through its president, Adolfo Roensch, promised to place a clubhouse at the disposal of the members of the Association early next year—maybe sooner—depending on how promptly dues are paid and pledges redeemed…Mr. Roensch said that only P500.00 in dues had come in during the month of June and that the Board is taking steps to increase this amount in July...Mr. Roensch revealed that the report of the membership committee showed that only 16% of the registered
alumni have responded to the first call for dues.”
The clubhouse dream saw its first glimpse
of reality when DLSAA President Ramon del
Rosario, Sr. (1942-43; 1949-50), together with Rafael
Ygoa and Carlos Ledesma, rented a house in
Malate with a small swimming pool and handball
court. To their chagrin, the military took over the
clubhouse for its headquarters in 1942 and forced
them to move to another site—the Catholic Center
in Taft, now the Sta. Isabel College. Serendipitously,
their new clubhouse was more accessible
and spacious than the first and even had an indoor
basketball court—a much-welcome city respite for
alumni members in the midst of war-torn Manila.
The Japanese occupied DLSC’s Taft campus
until 1945. After the February 1945 tragedy where 16 of 18 Christian Brothers and 25 of 50 civilians residing in De La Salle College were mercilessly killed by retreating Japanese marines inside the DLSC chapel, the college reopened on July 9 of that year and business resumed as usual. The Green Archers’ winning of its first post-war basketball championship gave comfort and hope to students, faculty, and alumni traumatized by the grisly events of the past few years. In 1949, another morale-boosting effort came when Br. Romanus Lewis FSC spearheaded a project, a “Return to Roost” campaign that involved setting up an alumni picture gallery along the walls of the main floor of DLSC. Photographs from the first high school class of 1916 to those of the present were included, as well as all graduates. Assisting Br. Lewis were Ricardo Gallaga, chairman of the DLSAA fellowship committee; and Conrado Sanchez, Jr., chairman of the DLSAA membership committee. The picture gallery project, intended as a source of information, pride, and historical nostalgia, had already existed in other Christian Brothers’ schools at that time. Handball games, movie premieres at Marcos Roces’ Ideal theatre, black-tie benefits, amending of by-laws, and exciting NCAA games peppered the life
of the post-war Lasallian alumni. In 1949, NCAA tickets in particular, became harder to acquire. Interestingly and not too unlike present times, to cope with increasing demand, some “deserving alumni” were given tickets based on their compliance with certain guidelines, such as attendance to
monthly meetings, donations to the sports promotion
fund, and payment of registration fees. The
DLSAA sports promotion committee also organized
an alumni bowling tournament on October 14, 1949, which was quickly followed by a warmly welcomed visit of Br. John. On December 11, 1949, the newly-leased, temporary De La Salle alumni clubhouse at the corner of Taft Avenue and Dagonoy Street was formally inaugurated and blessed. The simple ceremony was presided over by Rev. Bather de Swaaf, chaplain of the Christian Brothers and assisting him were Br. Athanasius and various members of the DLSAA Board of Directors. Four pesos assured the use of the clubhouse for proprietary sustaining members, as opposed to six pesos a month for Association members. President Antonio Ortigas (1987-1989), however, hardly recalls the pomp and pageantry that went with its inauguration. He simply remembers the Dagonoy clubhouse as giving him his first milkshake. A few years later in 1952, the construction of a permanent DLSAA clubhouse was completed and blessed by Fr. Pascual Adorable SJ, an alumnus of HS ’34. The proverbial cornerstone was laid by President Miguel Ortigas, who also unveiled the plaque. Included in the De La Salle Alumni Club were a bowling alley, recreation hall, tennis and handball courts, a kitchen, and lockers; the clubhouse was to become a canteen upon DLSC’s purchase of the house during the construction of St. Joseph’s Hall in 1955. The Christian Brothers’ continuing plans of progress and expansion took form in a new novitiate in Baguio on May 22, 1952. A few months later on July 7, 1952, La Salle-Bacolod opened its doors as the second De La Salle school in the country. Then-Bacolod City Mayor Alberto Montelibano donated 10 hectares, on which La Salle-Bacolod currently stands. The new college building, dedicated to St. Joseph, opened on June 17, 1956, offering more space for the growing number of college courses. It was also a golden year for Lasallian sports—the seniors basketball team regained the NCAA championship that eluded them for 9 years, while the seniors and juniors tennis teams dominated the NCAA wars. That winning trend extended over to track & field, swimming, and volleyball during various competitions in 1958. The start of the Lasallian expansion also took place that year—La Salle Academy opened in Iligan, Lanao del Norte with a student population of 300; in 1960, DLSC opened its Graduate Business School (GBS) for Masters in Business Administration. The former Barrio Masambong in Mandaluyong could also now credit its new, more chicly peninsular-sounding name, Green Hills—a place that would eventually be known as Mecca for discount-hunters the world over—to the albeit equally discriminating Christian Brothers when La Salle Greenhills opened to 176 preschool and grade school students in 1959. Several standout alumni affairs took place in 1960, including Br. Anthony Ferdinand FSC’s golden jubilee, the first annual alumni mass for deceased members, and more notably, the Lasallian Alumni World Congress in Rome that September. Three new alumni organizations were also inaugurated—the now University of St. La Salle Alumni Association in Bacolod with 132 members and the Cebu and Iloilo “chapters” with 48 and 36 members, respectively.
On October 30, 1960, almost 400 alumni from 1940 to 1960 visited the college campus, for fellowship games that included basketball, softball, volleyball, and handball matches. A committee was also formed for the upcoming golden jubilee the following year, with President Antonio Beltran, Sr. as chairman. Three successful and momentous reunions were held during the 1961 golden jubilee year—the first for its postwar alumni, the second at the new Green Hills novitiate for pre-war alumni, and the third, a huge, three-day slew of festivities from June 16, the anniversary date of the founding of the college. Brothers, students, faculty, and alumni attended Holy Mass in the chapel with Monsignor Justino Ortiz, representing His Excellency Rufino J. Cardinal Santos. Br. Dorotheus Joseph FSC, former director of the college, was honored by the golden jubilee club members. A golf tournament of around 200 alumni, students, and faculty was held at the Manila Golf Club. The tournament was won, among others, by high school principal, golf enthusiast, and future DLSAA Vice-President Emeritus for System Development and Alumni Affairs Br. Josiah Benedict FSC. A presentation of commemorative De La Salle postage stamps by Postmaster General Enrico Palomar to Br. Crescentius Richard FSC followed a cocktail hour in the college library as well. The next day, June 17, marked the official alumni homecoming. Br. Hyacinth Gabriel Connon FSC, Auxiliary Visitor, presented a testimonial of appreciation to the DLSAA from the Brothers of the Philippines. A non-ceremonial, purely convivial night of dancing and merrymaking called the Green and White Dinner was held that evening at the Manila Hotel. In attendance were around 1,700 alumni and their wives, students and their dates, and faculty. A tribute was paid to former director and teacher Br. John’s dedicated years of service. A pontifical high Mass was celebrated the next day by alumnus Bishop Hernando Antiporda at the newly-renovated Manila Cathedral assisted by Fr. Francis Bowler SJ, Fr. Felix Perez, and future DLSAA Distinguished Lasallian awardee Fr. Patricio Lim. The last event in the series of jubilee year celebrations was the college convocation on awards which was held at the DLSC gymnasium. For the first time, 18 carefully chosen pre-war alumni were given plaques for outstanding achievements in their chosen fields. Ariston Estrada, Sr., Leonardo Osorio, Virgilio Lobregat, Francisco Ortigas, Jose Feria, Sr., Carlos Valdes, Sixto Orosa, Jr., Jose Obles, Sr., Anthony MacLeod, Sebastian Ugarte, Antonio Garcia, Rafael Ygoa, Ramon del Rosario, Rene Kahn, Carlos Ledesma, Ernesto Rufino, Sr., Jesus Yujuico, and Heriberto Aguinaldo made up the maiden roster of DLSAA awardees. In addition, 12 distinguished persons were awarded Letters of Appreciation for their assistance to the educational work of the Christian Brothers. J. Antonio Araneta, Jose “Ka Pepe” Diokno, Miguel Ortigas, Joaquin Ramirez, Jr., Rafael Rufino, Sr., Vicente Rufino, and Doña Julia vda. de Ortigas joined double-awardees Carlos Ledesma, Francisco Ortigas, Ramon del Rosario, and Ernesto Rufino in this honoring. Simultaneously in 1961, the DLSAA rechristened its official publication, De La Salle Alumni Newsbriefs to De La Salle Alumnews, following a renaming contest launched in December 1960 won by Juanito Eusebio of HS ’49. The submission by Eusebio likewise included Archibald—the rotund, lovably bald, and green archer mascot created by Ramon Echevarria, Sr. seen today—in the masthead. The new by-laws for the DLSAA took effect on July 1, 1961 and included the elimination of all stockholders or “propriety members”. The De La Salle Alumnews of February, 1961 reported, “...the De La Salle Alumni Association will ultimately become a nonstock, non-profit corporation. In view of this, the present stock investments of the Association will be placed in a trust fund to be administered by a board of trustees which will be composed of some of the present principal stockholders. “All present stockholders who own one or more shares shall be granted a life membership certificate in the Association...” Certificates of life membership to alumni who joined the priesthood or brotherhood were also granted and, finally, all other further plans for the idealistic Dagonoy clubhouse were dropped. A flurry of activity colored the early 1960s, starting with the honoring of Superior General Br. Nicet Joseph FSC with a reception banquet by the DLSAA. A month later in July, the Association gave another dinner in honor of former Secretary of Justice Jose Diokno at the Philippine Columbian Association. That same month, the Maryknoll sisters turned over their school in Lipa to the growing De La Salle family, which the Christian Brothers aptly named La Salle High School, Lipa City. Talks about a proposed merger between the DLSAA and the newly organized Green and White Association, Inc. also took place. In 1964, Br. Ulbertran Bertin FSC addressed DLSC’s sixth graders who were graduated and sent as freshmen to the new high school in La Salle Greenhills. Simultaneously, 160 DLSC seventh graders were likewise graduated and addressed by Br. Stephen Malachy FSC to become the last high school freshmen of the DLSC campus who graduated in 1968. The De La Salle College Alma Mater Hymn, reportedly brought by Br. Malachy from Fresno, California’s San Joaquin Memorial High School, was formally sung for the first time during the graduation rites of HS ’64. Br. Benedict attended a despedida in his honor before his departure for the World Congress of Alumni; sadly, shortly before, Br. John, the last surviving member of the first Brothers community that came to Manila in 1911 and the beloved purveyor of student sports and athletic camaraderie in DLSC, died on April 17, 1964. The last high school class, the “Last of the Mighty”, graduated from the DLSC Taft campus in 1968, and two years later, came the inauguration of the De La Salle Brothers independent district of the Philippines with Br. Justin Lucian FSC as its interim Brother Visitor. Until the mid-1960s, the Brothers in the Philippines constituted a sub-district of the San Francisco district and, thereafter, up to 1970, the Baltimore district. On February 2, 1970, the Philippine province became independent to be officially known as the De La Salle Brothers - Philippine District. Myanmar was its only sub-district. By 1974, one year after admitting its first 38 female students, the Christian Brothers converted the DLSAA to a non-stock, non-profit corporation. The granting of university status to DLSC the following year also helped pave the way for further progress of the Lasallian family—De La Salle South, Inc. (Santiago Zobel School) opened in 1978 with a co-educational population of 1,067 students. In 1980 came the start of the College of St. Benilde and the University’s withdrawal from the NCAA. Four years of basketball limbo followed until DLSU won the National Open in April 1983 and two months later, coached by Ron Jacobs, the Philippine Amateur Basketball League in June. On June 24, 1986, the UAAP Board, in a marathon meeting at the Philippine Columbian Association, voted to accept DLSU as its eighth member. The year DLSU shifted to the trimestral system, 1981, also marked the University’s seventieth year and the DLSAA’s sixty-fifth. This coincided with the Association’s decision to revert back to an ordinary tax-paying foundation. The awards committee also settled on the name “Distinguished Lasallian Award”, the highest and most prestigious non-sports award given by the DLSAA to its exemplary alumni. The last grade school students of the Taft campus graduated in 1984; two years later, DLSU officially joined the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Perhaps a bigger milestone came the following year, with the inception of the DLSU System composed of DLSU-College of St. Benilde, DLSU-Dasmariñas, DLSU-Health Sciences Campus, DLSU-Manila, and DLS-Santiago Zobel. The Emilio Aguinaldo College was also acquired by DLSU that year and officially became the University’s College of Medicine. In 1989, after successful runs in the UAAP, HS ’64 launched the De La Salle Alumni Sports Foundation. The three years from 1990 to 1993 proved to be remarkable sports seasons—the Green Archers won back-to-back championships and the first Sports Hall of Fame induction was held honoring 11 outstanding Lasallian alumni athletes. Francisco Aguinaldo, Dionisio Calvo, Horacio Cebrero, Jr., Virgilio Lobregat, Ernest Kahn, Pedro Morro, Francisco Ortigas, Emilio Ugarte, Sr., Sebastian Ugarte, Fermin Uy, and Rafael Ygoa made up the first batch of Sports Hall of Famers. The “Beat Brother Ben” golf tournament, fronted by Classes ’72 and ’73, also began its run in 1997 as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Br. Benedict, who in 1960 began his Taft career and in 1978, assumed his post as the vice-president for Development and Alumni Affairs, while in between, lording his impressive golf game over everyone like a banner, in his signature colorful language.
In 2002, De La Salle-Araneta University became the newest addition to the rapidly expanding DLSU System and was followed by DLSU-Canlubang a year later. January 2004 started on a sad note for the entire DLSAA. Br. Benedict, now appointed Vice-President Emeritus for Development and Alumni Affairs, passed away January 3 while on vacation in Baguio. A scholarship was established by HS ’62 in his name—the Br. Benedict Scholarship Endowment Fund—and an annual golf cup, the DLSAA Br. Benedict Cup, began its maiden run in his behalf. Due to an exceptionally groundbreaking year in sports in 2004, the Animo Fund was launched to help and develop Lasallian athletes. Br. Armin Luistro FSC, Brother Visitor of the DLS Brothers - Philippine District, also took the helm as the twentieth president of the De La Salle University System on April 1, 2004, and continues to lead the University towards its much-awaited centennial year in 2011.
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