Vignettes of old photos posted array reminisce of yesterday – the pioneer graduates and their beloved Alma Mater. The memory lanes create a profound nostalgic effect that is hoped to inspire the Louisian community.

At the launch of the University of Saint Louis’ (USL) three memory lane sites located at the Elementary Building (Bishop Constant Jurgens Building), High School Building (Fr. Charles Pieters Building), and San Jacinto Building, the University administrators, teachers and students held a blessing ceremony presided by Rev. Fr. Rex C. Salvilla, CICM, Liaison Officer of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) to USL.

The event was simultaneously conducted during the school’s 14th Universityhood celebration and Summer Saya last May 20, 2016.

High School Batch 1968, College Batches 1970 to 1973, and Elementary Batch 2004 are the pioneering graduates featured in the lanes.

In 1965, Saint Louis School, the former name of the University, opened its portals to 138 high school boys accommodated in two sections for first year and one section for second year.

In 1968, the school was renamed Saint Louis College of Tuguegarao and opened its college department offering four courses, namely: BS Civil Engineering, BS Commerce, Liberal Arts, and Junior Secretarial Course.

Kinder I and II were opened in 1997, and the Elementary Department started Grade I in 1998.

In an email interview with Fr. Salvilla, he said that he was able to get the pictures from copies of the pioneers’ respective annual books.

Fr. Salvilla also shared the story how the memory lane project was initiated.

“In 2013, when I was the overall chairman of the USL Golden Jubilee Committee, we suggested the USL memory lane as one of the projects during the Golden Jubilee celebrations.”

“Actually even without the Golden Jubilee, I would most probably still suggest the memory lane,” he added.

Fr. Salvilla admitted that he is a sentimental kind of person which explains his lingering passion for artifacts and other vestiges of the past.

“I love to collect memories. When I was the CICM Treasurer, I collected old items like the oldest check and old black telephone units from the bodega of the Treasurer’s office. Now I am collecting CICM anecdotes.”

When asked about the significance of having memory lanes in the campus, he said, “It is an inspiration for our school community. Imagine a high school student seeing the picture of his/her grandfather in the high school memory lane.”

“I would like to invite everyone to take a look at those pictures and ask oneself who among the graduates can be one’s inspiration.”

Memory lanes, what better way can we remember the past in the present without such, so to speak.