A Letter from President Bob Ryan

In my 25 years at Brophy, I have developed a profound respect for our history and the enduring purpose it has to guide our future. For instance, did you know that boarding students once lived in the basement of Loyola Hall? Or that Brophy was closed for nearly twenty years early in its history? During that time, St. Francis Xavier and Xavier College Preparatory both operated out of what is now Brophy Hall. When Brophy reopened, all three schools shared that same space.

As we approach our Centennial in 2028, we’ll be finding more ways to share stories like these. If you have photos or anecdotes from Brophy’s past, I hope you’ll consider sharing them with us.

My favorite story, though, comes from 1933.

In the midst of the Great Depression, Brophy was struggling to remain open, just five years after its founding. With less than 100 students enrolled and no alumni base to rely on, its future was uncertain. The editorial board of the AZ Labor Board published an op-ed and issued this warning to the community:

“It would be little short of a calamity for Phoenix and the Salt River  Valley were the Brophy College forced to close its doors.”

It’s a striking statement. Even then, before the traditions, before the thousands of graduates, there was a recognition that something important was taking root on North Central Avenue. From the beginning, Brophy mattered. Not only to its students and their families, but to the broader community.

That’s the spirit behind our first Impact Report.

What you’ll see in these pages are not abstractions, but examples of that impact taking shape today.

You’ll read about the Summit on Human Dignity, one of the signature experiences of a Brophy education, where students spend two weeks each year engaging a complex human issue. This year’s focus was addiction, and Drew Rau ’02, our Assistant Principal for Ministry, led an impressive effort that created the kind of engagement more often associated with university classrooms.

You’ll see how we are investing in the long-term health of the campus through projects like the Central Plant and the renovation of Robson Gymnasium – not simply to improve facilities, but to sustain the environments where formation happens. And you’ll meet two families featured in this issue: the Ashtons and the Odells. The Ashtons represent three generations of connection to Brophy; the Odells were first introduced to the school just three years ago. Different paths, but the same conviction about what happens here.

If you’re receiving this magazine, you are part of that story as well.

Brophy has always depended on people who recognize its value and choose to invest in it. That was true in 1933, and it’s no less true today. The impact reflected in these pages exists because of that shared commitment.

As we look toward our second century, our task is both simple and demanding: to care for what we’ve inherited and to strengthen it for those who will come after us.

Thank you for the role you play in that work.

AMDG,