The Summer 2009 Alumni News Magazine featured a story about archived information found on Raymond P. Whearty, a member of the Pioneer class of 1918. The files provide a small glympe into the life of one of the first Regis graduates. A reprint of that article is provided below.



From the Archives:
Records of a Member of the Pioneering Class of 1918 Show us a Rare Look at the Early Years of Regis
Originally published in the Summer 2009 Regis Alumni News Magazine (Volume 76 | No. 4)

Above: A copy of Ray Whearty's September-October Monthly Report (click image for larger view)

Raymond P. Whearty, a distinguished member of Regis' pioneering class of 1918, passed away in 1984. To the casual observer, the passage of time obscures the details of his life, reducing his legacy to a mere record, albeit a lengthy one, of his accomplishments.

The Alumni Files in the Development Office would indicate that, after Regis, Raymond went on to graduate from both Fordham University and Fordham Law School. His friends and family would explain that he served as First Assistant to the Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the United States Justice Department during the Truman Administration before moving on to the Grievance Committee of the New York Bar Association. And a quick Google Search would reveal that in 1949, while still working at the Justice Department, he acted as the chief government prosecutor during the famous Alger Hiss trial.

Sadly, this list offers little more than an outline and fails to provide any insight into Raymond's personality or passions, leaving one of Regis' most accomplished alumni shrouded in somewhat of a mystery. In May, however, as Raymond's son, Raymond Jr., was cleaning his basement, he stumbled across a long-forsaken box that had once belonged to his father. Inside rested a veritable treasure chest of Regis memorabilia—report cards, event programs, pictures, letters, and, the crown jewel of the collection, the very first edition of the Regis Yearbook. Raymond Jr. sent his discovery to Regis just as the school begins to archive its history in preparation for the celebration of its Centennial. Now, almost one hundred years later, the collection provides a window to the past, making the formative years of both Raymond and Regis accessible to anyone who wishes to look.

Like most Regians, Raymond, or "Ray," as he was known to his friends, took his studies seriously. Ray's monthly report cards consistently ranked him among the top five students in the school's two most valued disciplines—Classics and Mathematics. Interestingly, Ray's report cards suggest that Regis' curriculum has remained largely unchanged since its inception—English, Catechism, History, and Science round out Ray's course of study—perhaps proving the old idiom: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Nor did Ray escape the pattern of 'over-involvement' symptomatic of Regis attendance. His yearbook page is packed tightly with achievements and affiliations. He was the Class Secretary, an officer within the Debate Society and Drama Troup (a hint, no doubt, of the lawyer to follow), and an active member of Sodality, Regis' original Campus Ministry organization, not to mention the Cross Country record-holder in both the mile and half-mile events.

More so than any of these credentials, however, the tribute written about Ray on his yearbook page (where favorite quotes and personal messages appear in the more recent editions of The Regian) highlights how special a young man he truly was. "A good student, athlete, yes, a very good everything," its reads. "An excellent speaker, a zealous classman, a school devotee, earnest, persistent, and a poet to boot, what more could one ask? Ray is a gentleman, keen for knowledge, keen for a good time. To fear work is not his part, to dread defeat is less." Perhaps it is owing to this unfailing character that when the pioneer class was invited back to Regis for their Golden Jubilee Celebration in 1968, it was Ray whom the Jubilee Committee invited to speak by a unanimous vote. Unfortunately, Ray's speaker notes do not appear in the collection, but one can guess that he likely expressed a sentiment similar to the poetic charge he dedicated to his classmates in the yearbook: "Stout heart and stubborn courage then must brave," he wrote. "Struggle to rule the course unto the grave."

In so many ways, Ray appears to have been the model Regian. Perhaps he appears so because Regis had the same effect upon him that it has had upon the decades of students who followed. Or maybe, given that Ray and Regis grew up simultaneously, Ray started the tradition, provided the mold, and thus deserves gratitude for having laid the foundation for nearly a century of similar success.

Below: A sampling of Whearty's Regis artifacts, donated to the Regis Archives