91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Spirit was born out of a need for improved campus communications and a source for reviving campus morale. September 1999 was our first edition. This is our 234th issue. My last.

When we began Spirit as a monthly newsletter we created a Spirit Advisory Council comprised of staff and faculty from a variety of offices and departments on campus to advise us on story subjects and storied individuals. I ended every meeting with one question: What are your colleagues asking about, concerned over, wanting answers to? We wanted to fill the communications void, bringing our readers updates on major university initiatives, new building projects, issues affecting GU and higher education, program improvements and people working behind the scenes and out front making this place better for all of us.

I hope we have accomplished that to some degree of success. Sandy Hank in Campus Printing and Stephanie Plowman in Special Collections have served on the Spirit Advisory Council since day one, and I am most appreciative for their continued support. Sandy has designed every issue of Spirit over the past 25 years, and Stephanie has been a constant resource for facts and figures to complement our stories. Also, I doff my cap to groundskeeper Matt Bafus, who served with us from 1999 to 2020, stepping down only when in-person monthly meetings during COVID were replaced by Zoom. (He wanted nothing to do with computers). But some of his story ideas over the years were among the best we crafted. Thank you to all three of my Spirit Hall of Famers. That council necessarily turned over many times during the past 25 years, but each new member contributed greatly to our perspectives, story slates and operational values. Thanks to all of you who served.

When the pandemic hit, we moved to online versions of Spirit, which not only made communication possible for those working remotely but saved the university the cost of printing every issue (which you can now do on your own printers, if you wish).

I couldn’t end this run without thanking all our employees, both past and present, who have allowed Spirit to tell your stories, share your achievements, embrace your tragedies, and warm our hearts. It has been my honor to bring you closer to each other and share the news we might not otherwise learn.

I’d like to introduce you to Spirit ’s second-ever editor, Thea Skokan (‘22), a 91³Ô¹ÏÍø graduate who will be starting in Septemper, a talented and inventive writer and editor who has deep ties to 91³Ô¹ÏÍø and a passion for storytelling. Please be receptive to her requests for interviews and information to help carry on the legacy and spirit of this publication. And send her your story ideas at spirit@gonzaga.edu. She’ll love hearing from you.

The best is yet to come!

- Dale Goodwin, founding editor