Amado T. Tumbali, SJ
Asst. Province Archivist
July 8, 2016
Flames and smokes had not yet been fully extinguished from the burning AdZU Brebeuf Gym when students, educators, and alumni already begun to cope with their griefs by bringing up to social media their sentiments side-by-side with fond memories about the most iconic building of Ateneo de Zamboanga University. Both sadness and gratitude to the service rendered by the Gym have been conveyed since that tragic fire has wounded the Blue Eagle on the morning of 7 July 2016. As memories of the Gym continue to surface, the first among them need be remembered, i.e. its birth:
The ceremony was preceded by a colorful parade inside the gym of the thirteen teams participating in the Zamboanga Amateur Athletic Federation Basketball League. His Excellency was assisted by Very Reverend Fr. Superior Leo Cullum, S.J. and Reverend Fr. Rector Alfredo Paguia, S.J. Immediately after the blessing, the City Mayor gave a short speech praising the Jesuits’ work in Zamboanga City, and declaring the formal opening of the ZAAF League Games. He then tossed the first ball between the Ateneo de Zamboanga and the A.E. Colleges. After an hour of noise and suspense, the Eagles came out winners by one point, although for the first three quarters the score was against them. Some details of the new Gym-Auditorium are as follows: theater-like frontage and façade with porte-couchere, waxed wooden floor reinforced underneath with concrete, boxes seating two hundred, bleachers (with seats separated from the footrest), ten classrooms, two offices, a commodious stage, a college store, and shower-and-toilet facilities. A giant blue eagle mounted on the Ateneo motto, Pro Deo et Patria, will grace the main façade. (The Philippine Clipper, February 1950.)
Province Archives
In response to the overwhelming show of support to the Ateneo, we would like to inform alumni and friends of Ateneo that you may send your donations to the OFFICIAL BANK ACCOUNT for the ADZU Rebuilding Fund.
