Augustine Vattamattam

It was in the first week of June 1999 in Balasore that I received a call from Fr. Provincial in Jamshedpur informing me that I had been appointed rector of Loyola School, Jamshedpur. I was asked to take up the new assignment by the end of July 1999. On July 31st, the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, I was read in as rector of Loyola. It was with great hesitation that I accepted this assignment. Three years passed, and on Aug 1st 2002 I was asked to take over as principal of Loyola when Fr. Pius was transferred to Dhanbad. Little did I realize then that I was taking over as the 13th principal of this great institution. 13 is generally considered as an unlucky number! And I am tempted to think that that has been proved true in my case. Loyola went through some very difficult experiences during the five years that I have been here in charge of the school. If we have been able to face it all confidently and successfully, it is because of the great support and cooperation of each one of you, parents and alumni. Let me express my sincere gratitude to all of you for standing by me especially in such difficult times with great understanding and patience. Together we have been able to tell the world that Loyola cannot be simply put down by vested interests.

hOla! hOla!! hOla!!!           Voila!!!  Loyola!!!           Congratulations!!!

In my Study

On this occasion, I would appreciate if all my fellow Loyoleans - both students and faculty, share some of my pleasant experiences, contacts and events that I perceived during my continuous service period from 1954 to 1993.  Right now, my position is just like the"Butter, Cheese and Salad" within a jumbo sandwich - encompassed by several stacks of sliced bread - bridging the Loyola of the 50s with the Loyola of the 90s and following it through its progress during the 60s, 70s and the 80s. The list of all the Loyoleans, whom I remember and genuinely wish to mention here, is really in astronomical proportions. It is as impossible to consider about all of them, as it is to enumerate and name all the stars in the sky.  So, I will bring to your attention, especially the neo-Loyoleans, a profile of some luminaries, who still linger in my memories like the dim, blinking stars - many "light years" away from us - in the skies of Loyola.

Ready for Work: Mr. Rao on his Excelsior motorbike in 1957

It was he, who played against me and taught me field hockey, from my boyhood days. People used say, "Rustom and Sohrab are on the field". It became my favorite game thus! He was a great Tennis player too. He was known for his powerful backhand drive! I had gone on several Scout camps with him, as a Boy Scout of Board High School, Yellamanchili, of which he was the Head Master for 35 years. There, he introduced many games, including Cricket and Baseball. He handled English for the students of VI th. Form [equivalent to the Xth Standard in Loyola] and I was lucky enough to be his student in 1947.

George Hess

The Early Life of Fr. Hess

Father Hess was born on 10 October, 1919 in Bayonne, New Jersey to David and Julia Hess. His Father, was a self-made civil engineer and a consultant to JP Morgan. David Hess was also a close friend of Mr. Rayens, the Chairman of AT&T and in the good old days, the young George Hess would visit the estate of Mr. Rayens on Long Island with his parents. It was this privileged lifestyle that Father Hess gave up to make the journey to Bihar as a Jesuit in 1952.