SJU Athletics Photos

PHILADELPHIA, PA (06/13/02) - The Schuylkill River's first new boathouse in nearly a century will be dedicated this Saturday, June 15. More than 800 guests are expected for the noontime ceremony, at which Saint Joseph's University and St. Joseph's Preparatory School will dedicate the Robert M. Gillin, Jr., Boathouse, home of the J. Vincent Taggart, S.J., Rowing Center. The facility, the first boathouse on the river in 98 years, is at 2200 Kelly Drive, at the 1,000-meter mark, south of the Strawberry Mansion Bridge. The boathouse and rowing center are a joint project among the university, the Prep, the City of Philadelphia, and the Fairmount Park Commission. Saint Joseph's and St. Joseph's Prep will share the facility. The boathouse is a two-story structure with an attractive stone façade. The 8,860-square-foot first floor has four bays and a 270-square-foot veranda with a striking view of the river. The 6,680-square-foot second floor has two common areas for meetings and out-of-water instruction. It also features large windows, an elevator, bathroom facilities, and a 750-square-foot deck. Scheduled participants at Saturday's ceremony will include Saint Joseph's University president Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J.; Prep president David A. Sauter, S.J.; Hon. Michael A. Nutter, who represents the 4th District in Philadelphia City Council and is a 1975 graduate of the Prep; and William E. Mifflin, executive director of the Fairmount Park Commission. Phil Martelli, the head coach of the university's men's basketball team and a 1972 graduate of the Prep, will serve as master of ceremonies. Other special guests include State Sen. Connie Williams, of the 17th District; State Rep. Lita Cohen, of the 148th District; Saint Joseph's trustees J. Eustace Wolfington, Louis J. Cissone, Daniel R. Joyce, S.J., and Robert M. Lam; Wolfington's sister, Martie Gillin, the mother of Robert M. Gillin, the boathouse's namesake; Henry A. Backe, SJP ?48, who launched the drive to build the facility; Prep trustee Andrew W. Hill, SJP ?69, who spearheaded the project's fund-raising campaign; SJU assistant vice president and director of athletics Don DiJulia; Prep athletic director James P. Murray, SJP '59; Prep vice president for development Daniel A. Brennan; Maureen Cullen, of builder Nason & Cullen, Inc.; and representatives of the Schuylkill Navy and past rowing champions of St. Joseph?s Prep, including the members of V8 crew that won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup on the 2000 Royal Henley Regatta. Robert M. Gillin, Jr., was a graduate of the Haverford School and Georgetown University. A determined rower and lover of life, he was the son of Robert M. Gillin, Sr., who is a graduate of both Saint Joseph's College and St. Joseph's Prep. Bob, Jr., was 30 years old when he died, in 1992, and is remembered for his energy, sense of humor, love for others, and courage. J. Vincent Taggart, S.J., spent 26 years at the Prep as a history teacher and moderator. An instructor of uncommon compassion and talent, Father Taggart died in 1996. He is recalled for his love of the Prep and of the Society of Jesus, and for being, in Jesuit parlance, a "man for others." Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851,Saint Joseph's University is celebrating more than 150 years of academic excellence. One of just 137 schools nationwide with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 3,600 full-time undergraduates and 3,000 graduate and nontraditional students. The university's strong liberal arts tradition is marked by rigorous and open-minded inquiry, high academic standards, and the development of the whole person. St. Joseph's Preparatory School is a Catholic, Jesuit-Ignatian school. Founded in 1851, the Prep has been and is a Catholic school in service to the Church in the Ignatian tradition. It began its mission of the education of Catholic boys with the hope that they would become Catholic leaders in their communities, fostering the faith of the Catholic Church and giving witness to the values of their faith. The Prep was selected as an "Exemplary School" in 1985, an award given by the United States Department of Education and the Council for American Private Education. Two years later, Philadelphia Magazine selected the Prep as the best Catholic high school in the Delaware Valley.