Spring Hill College Commencement Slated for Sunday, May 9

Apr 5th, 2004

MOBILE, Ala. - Two hundred twenty five members of the class of 2004 will take the historic walk down the Avenue of the Oaks Sunday, May 9, as part of the College's annual Commencement ceremonies. Along with Spring Hill's undergraduates, 75 graduate and Lifelong Learning students will receive degrees or certificates at the 10 a.m. event.

As part of its Commencement ceremonies, Spring Hill will award honorary Doctorate of Humanities degrees to Rev. William J. Byron, S.J. interim president of Loyola University New Orleans and Mrs. Fannie Ernestine Motley '56, the first African-American to graduate from Spring Hill College. Mrs. Alvina Viragh, mother of College benefactor and former trustee Skip Viragh '64 will accept his posthumous degree. Byron will be the College's keynote speaker for the ceremony.

Byron, a former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans, became interim president of the University in October 2003. Byron was most recently research professor at Sellinger School of Business at Loyola College in Maryland, and from August 2000 until June 2003, he was pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.

From 1992 to 2000, Byron was a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Ethics at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and also served as rector of the Georgetown Jesuit Community. He was president of the University of Scranton from 1975 to 1982 and was president of The Catholic University of America from 1982 to 1992.

Along with writing a syndicated bi-weekly column for the Catholic News Service, Byron is the author of several books, including Toward Stewardship, Quadrangle Considerations (winner of the Catholic Press Association's 1990 Best Book Award in Education). Byron is a past trustee of Georgetown University and University of San Francisco and his current directorships include Georgetown University Hospital, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, and The Washington Jesuit Academy.

A Pittsburgh native, Byron holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland, two theology degrees from Woodstock College, and a bachelor's and master's from Saint Louis University. He was the 1999 recipient of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for his contributions to the advancement of Catholic higher education. In that same year he received the Council of Independent Colleges' Academic Leadership Award.

After service in the Army's 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1945-46, Byron attended Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia for three years before entering the Jesuit order in 1950. He was ordained a priest in 1961.

Mrs. Fannie Ernestine Motley '56 will receive an honorary degree under the College's historic Avenue of the Oaks-the site where she received her bachelor's degree, cum laude, almost 50 years ago.

Along with being the first African-American student to graduate from Spring Hill, Motley, of Monroeville, Ala. was also among the first African-American students to enroll at the College. She joined eight other students during the academic year of 1954-55 but, having taken classes previously at Selma University and the Alabama State Teachers College in Montgomery, Ala., Motley entered as a junior. She studied history and English at Spring Hill and was one of only two students from Mobile to graduate with honors.

Though Motley did not seek recognition for her historic degree, newspapers from across the country, including the Montgomery Advertiser and Jet Magazine, recorded the event. The New York Times ran a photo of Motley in her cap and gown in its May 30 edition with an Associated Press story from Mobile.

After graduation, Motley was hired by the Mobile County school system to teach second grade at A.F. Owens School. In 1963, Motley's husband, the Rev. D.L. Motley, Sr., was called to pastor a church in Cincinnati where Fannie Motley would end up teaching elementary school for 24 and a half years and where she would also earn her master's in counseling from Xavier University. Motley remained in Cincinnati until the death of her husband in 2001 upon which she moved to Jeffersonville, Ind.

Motley's sons, D.L. Motley, Jr. and Anthony W. Motley are both pastors in Jeffersonville, and Atlanta, Ga. respectively. She has three grandchildren, one of which is also a pastor, and a great-grandchild.

Though Albert P. "Skip" Viragh '64 lost his battle with cancer on Dec. 11, 2003, the impact of his generosity to Spring Hill will play a significant role in the financial success of the College for years to come. Over the last four years, Skip contributed roughly $13.5 million to the College for capital improvements. His back-to-back record gifts-$4.5 million in December 2002 and $8 million in November 2003-make him the greatest benefactor in College history and one of the largest single benefactors in Mobile history.

Viragh, a former Badger basketball player, was elected to the Spring Hill Board of Trustees in 2001. As a member of the Executive Committee and Finance and Audit Committee, Skip's leadership proved invaluable in steering the College toward plans for a renewed and revitalized campus. His involvement with the Student Affairs Committee helped create an even more dynamic learning and living environment at Spring Hill and provided Skip an opportunity to establish a more personal relationship with current students. Prior to becoming a trustee, Skip had previously established an endowed athletic scholarship at Spring Hill and contributed to the purchase of lights for Stan Galle Field.

For the last decade Skip had been the CEO and President of the Rydex Fund Group, a mutual fund family he founded in 1993. As part of the Rydex Fund Group, Viragh also managed the Nova Fund, the first leveraged index fund available to the public. Rydex, headquartered in Rockville, Md., is now one of the fastest growing mutual fund families in the industry. Prior to creating Rydex, Viragh worked at the Rushmore Funds as the director of institutional sales and marketing. He was responsible for the development of the Rushmore Nova Fund, which became the foundation for the Rydex Funds. Before joining Rushmore, Viragh was with Illinois Tool Works and Monsanto in sales and marketing.

To honor Skip for his contributions, the College dedicated its newest residence hall in his name in April 2003 and named its new campus green The Rydex Commons in honor of Skip's company. The College plans to use Skip's most recent contributions to construct a second residence hall as part of the Viragh Complex. For his record-breaking generosity at Spring Hill, the City of Mobile proclaimed Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2003 as "Skip Viragh Day." The proclamation read in part "The City Council expresses its appreciation for Skip's generosity and love for our city which is so fittingly displayed in this lasting gift." The Mobile Register also paid tribute to Viragh in an editorial that same day.

Commencement events begin Friday, May 7, with an all-graduate reception from 5:30-7 p.m. on the Rydex Commons. On Saturday, May 8, nursing graduates will be honored at a pinning ceremony at 2 p.m. in the Louise Moorer Commons. Graduates and families are also invited to a Baccalaureate Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday. In case of bad weather, the Commencement ceremony will be held in the Arthur Outlaw Rec. Center on the College campus. For more information on Spring Hill College's Commencement activities, contact Greg Walker in the Communications Office at 251-414-3203.