The greatest thing about my job is traveling the country, meeting and befriending other Duhawks – people who learned about Loras College long before I did.
Loras is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college with about 1,600 students. Established in Dubuque in 1839, it is the oldest college in Iowa and the oldest Catholic college west of the Mississippi River. Loras’ athletic teams are known as the Duhawks, a name bestowed upon the football team by a Detroit Free Press sportswriter in 1924, combining Dubuque and Hawks.
As a development officer, I meet with graduates, parents and other Loras supporters, helping them decide how they can best help the college and its current and future students. I have met many great people, including some who have been Duhawks for more than 60 years.
It is a great job and could be nothing less because Loras is a very special place.
I wrote the preceding four paragraphs for a new page on this website, which has been under renovations over the past few days. And please let me know what you think of the new look.
But I decided to add a few more words and offer this as a daily posting on the blog I started many years ago and have frequently neglected for the past year or so. You see, I’ve been kind of busy lately. But that wasn’t always the case. And this blog offered a form a free therapy during the protracted and sometimes painful evolution from my days as a newspaperman.
Today, my life is completely different and much happier. I no longer go to work every day, wondering if it would be the day when someone higher up the newspaper’s chain of command finally decided I was an expense on the balance sheet that was no longer needed. Long gone are the dark days after someone finally made that decision and did the best thing that ever happened to me.
Today, I travel to places where I’ve never been and meet people who are united by their passion for Loras College. Today, I work for bosses – who care about me and want me to succeed – and with the most unified team of colleagues I’ve ever encountered.
And on top of everything else, today I am part of a family that brings light into my life every day. It took almost 50 years, but I’m finally right where I’m supposed to be.
Yes, my life is completely different and much happier today. There is much for which I am very thankful this Thanksgiving.
Brome Hill 