Nearly 100 former Maroon staffers returned to campus last fall to celebrate the organization’s centennial milestone, held on the same weekend as the inauguration of Loyola’s 18th President, Dr. Xavier Cole.
The Maroon 100 celebration featured a guest critique from past editors, a cocktail party in the Maroon office – allowing many different generations to mix and mingle – and, of course, a commemorative edition of The Maroon.
Founded in 1923, The Maroon has covered Loyola through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, the dot-com bubble, September 11, and too many hurricanes to count.
And while much has changed at Loyola during the past 100 years – new buildings, new faces, and the internet, to name a few – one thing has stayed the same. The Maroon is still telling Loyola’s story every week, though the way those stories are told has evolved since Harold A. Dempsey published the first issue in 1923.
While the newspaper has remained the flagship, The Maroon is now much more than that. The Maroon is video, an email newsletter, a website and social media platforms, and a mobile app.
But what hasn’t changed is the Maroon’s mission, said Michael Giusti, who has served as the Maroon’s adviser for the past 16 years. The staff will continue to be Loyola’s mirror and lamp – reflecting all aspects of the campus back on it and shining a light on all things that need to be seen, in an effort to serve a “Greater Loyola,” he said.
