From Queensland...

Note: This message was originally sent on February 7, 2024

One of the best feelings in the world is to be remembered. This is something we take seriously at Gonzaga University, and you can see the evidence of it all over campus. Buildings, programs, and scholarships carry the names of individuals, groups, and organizations who have made a difference in the lives of others. Many of those names are of people who are no longer with us, but some of the names we hold just as dearly in our hearts receive their recognition a little more quietly.

Like Cherami Freeman (’06), who shared a Linkedin post this past week on a particularly memorable part of her Gonzaga experience—one that has touched so many other lives since her graduation. She hits the nail on the head: you never know how much of an impact you have until someone remembers you. I couldn’t possibly put it better than she has, so here it is in her own words:

I didn’t make many lasting connections from my time at Gonzaga University. I didn’t sit still long enough.

I tried to do something new each year. I was an R.A. as a sophomore in a sophomore dorm, which definitely cramped my social life. I was a WCC champion rower for Gonzaga Women’s Rowing in my junior year under head coach Glenn Putyrae. And then I was the 2006 senior class president.

We came up with the idea to commission a life-sized bulldog statue for campus, and fundraised around $50k for the effort. The local artist Vincent De Felice had a much greater vision, and University Advancement and Alumni Relations stepped up to the plate to help us grow the donor base and raise the stakes to fund a larger-than-life icon.

The bulldog statue outside the McCarthey Athletic Center has become the most photographed place on campus.

Laura Gatewood, assistant vice president of donor relations, was in the school store at the end of 2023 and saw this new bobblehead. She thought of me, and after all this time, pitched her idea to Shane Hatcher, principal giving officer in University Advancement. He agreed: find Cherami’s address and send it to her.

This gift, 18 years after the fact, showed up just weeks before I moved overseas with my family. This became one of the few personal items we brought with us to our new home in Queensland, Australia.

It serves as a reminder to me of the potential of our impact. And makes me feel like I brought a piece of history—and a piece of home—with me.

#gozags

Thank you, Cherami, and everyone who helped bring one of our favorite places and traditions to life. You are remembered and appreciated.