Hyacinth Gabriel Connon
Hyacinth Gabriel Connon | |
---|---|
Born | Patrick B. Connon July 11, 1911 |
Died | August 24, 1978 | (aged 67)
Nationality | American (until 1970) Filipino (from 1970) |
Hyacinth Gabriel Connon, F.S.C. (July 11, 1911 – August 24, 1978), was a
The greatest achievement ever made during Connon's administration was the granting of the charter as a university to the college on February 19, 1975.
First term
Connon's first term was marked by the expansion of the college and its professionalization, began under Brother Chrysostom Peter Clifford, F.S.C., who assumed the post of Dean of the College, succeeding Brother Lambert Edward Chisholm FSC, its post-war re-founder. It was also during this first period of the presidency that Brother Gabriel assumed the Directorship of the Community, the Presidency of the College, and the Auxiliary Visitorship of the Philippines in 1953, the Philippines having been raised to be a sub-district of the San Francisco Province of the Brothers.
As Auxiliary Visitor, Brother Gabriel, using De La Salle as a base and as the mother institution, opened the novitiate in Baguio in 1951, the scholasticate on Taft Avenue in 1960, and the junior novitiate (also on Taft Avenue) in 1959.
In addition, Connon opened
Second term
It was during Connon's second term that the position of Director (Superior) of the Brothers' Community was separated from the Presidency of the college. Brother Gabriel as President oversaw the expansion of the college from an enrollment of 1,500 to more than 5,000 and the expansion of its units. Benilde Hall (now St. Brother Miguel Hall) was constructed and the plans for the student Services Building (named Connon Hall in his memory) was finalized. It was also during his second term that De La Salle College was granted university status. By that time he had an investiture celebration as De La Salle's first Filipino President, having been granted Philippine citizenship by an Act of Congress on August 10, 1970.
Other achievements
In the 1950s, Brother Gabriel was involved in the establishment of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, and became its President in 1952. He resigned the post in 1957 for health reasons.
In the 1960s, Brother Gabriel, in tandem with the rector of the
Honorary degrees
- Doctor of Letters (1950)—St. Mary’s College: Moraga, California
- Doctor of Philosophy (1961)—Ateneo de Manila University: Quezon City, the Philippines
- San Beda College: Manila, the Philippines
References
- DLSU System: Past Presidents: Hyacinth Gabriel FSC system.dlsu.edu.ph Accessed, March 2006