Being Xaverian - Our Lady of Good Counsel High School

Class of 1962 Celebrates a Milestone!
On June 10, 1962, 155 boys gathered at St. John the
Evangelist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, for their
commencement ceremony. As the first, four-year
graduating class from Our Lady of Good Counsel High
School, these young men made a mark in the school
history. Many of them embarked upon adventures at
universities, in careers and vocations that scattered them
throughout the country; yet, their bond as Good Counsel
alumni was everlasting.
Fifty-years later, in May of 2012, nearly half of the
surviving members from the Class of 1962 gathered in the
Alumni Gallery at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
in celebration of their 50th Class Reunion. The evening
began with dinner in the Dining Hall, where the classmates
and their spouses and guests reconnected with one
another. For some, this was the first time they had seen
one another since their graduation in 1962. Following the
dinner, each alumnus received a special 50th Reunion pin
and gathered for a class photo.
The following morning, the 1962 classmates boarded a
chartered bus at Good Counsel and traveled down to
the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D.C., for Our Lady of Good Counsel High
School’s commencement ceremony. The class of 1962
congregated near our 280 seniors in the crypt of the
Shrine. The graduates from the class of 2012 led the
procession into the Shrine at 10:00 a.m., followed by
the 140 members of the faculty and staff and then the
gentlemen from the class of 1962.
Dr. Paul Barker,
president of Our Lady
of Good Counsel High
School, spoke to the
crowd of nearly
2,000 prior to the
announcement of
diplomas and awards,
and emphasized the importance of our Good Counsel
community.
Following the commencement ceremony, the 50th
reunion graduate and their spouses attended a luncheon
at Finemondo Restaurant in Washington, D.C.
In October of 2012, the members from the class of 1962
also joined in on the Reunion Weekend festivities.
Ed Scuillo reflected on the October events: “[Many of us]
met with Greg Wood, the Our Lady of Good Counsel
High School Archivist, to video record fond recollections,
notable situations and reflections of our Xaverian
teachers’ personalities. This video will become an
archival part of the 1962 alumni legacy. The Alumni
Reception followed with alumni colleagues and spouses
sharing 50 years of personal memories and experiences.
We were honored and delighted to socialize with Brother
Gavin (Tom Murphy). Our many thanks to the staff for
coordinating our 50th year reunion and for making this
a most memorable year." ✦
Congratulations to the Class of 1962!
“Many of the Class of 1962 had never set foot on our Olney campus. Others came om as far away as Haiti, Washington
State, and South Dakota. Some had not seen one another in the 50 years since they graduated. What was the attraction
e building they knew no longer stands. Yes, but their school does. ey came home to Good Counsel, a place where they are
bonded and where they belong. No one came back to recall with fondness how to conjugate a verb, dissect a og, write a thesis
paragraph, or solve a quadratic equation. ey returned to celebrate the significance of a part of their identity, their cultural
and spiritual DNA – who they are.”
—Dr. Paul Barker, President
aLumnI
27