History

The Greyhound Battalion: A History of Army ROTC at Loyola University Maryland (formerly Loyola College in Maryland)

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Establishment and Early Years (1952–1955)
• Chapter 2: The Vietnam Era and the Transition to Voluntary Service (1955–1971)
• Chapter 3: Coeducation and Program Expansion (1971–1980s)
• Chapter 4: Program Maturity (1990s–2000s)
• Chapter 5: The Greyhound Battalion Today (2010s–2020s)
• Chapter 6: To Do More Universal Good in the Pursuit of Greater Purpose: A Legacy of Leadership and Magis
• Appendix: The Early House

Chapter 1: Establishment and Early Years (1952–1955)

On September 16, 1952, Loyola College in Maryland (now Loyola University Maryland) officially established a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in partnership with the United States Army. The introduction came just one day after the dedication of the Alumni Memorial Chapel on September 15, 1952—a space built to honor Loyola alumni who died in World War II.

The 1953 Evergreen yearbook observed, 

“The 1952 Fall term brought a new invasion of Evergreen. The campus lawns and athletic field took on the appearance of a military encampment as Loyola’s new ROTC unit was established. Freshmen and Sophomore students alone comprise its membership. These Officer candidates wear the traditional khaki with their college and unit emblems. The entire unit is commanded by Lt. Colonel Ralph E. Vandervort Jr., assisted by Major Woodrow W. Jordan, Master Sergeants William L. Adlon, Edwin G. Furnee, Albert A. Geckle and Leo E. Kuneman.” (The Evergreen, 1953)

Figure 3: Cadets Approach Alumni Memorial Chapel, September 1952. From “The military comes to Loyola,” The Evergreen (1953 yearbook). Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections (print yearbook, archival copy on file). Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

 

Loyola was one of 25 colleges selected to participate in a national pilot program to test a new “branch general” curriculum. Unlike traditional ROTC programs of the time that concentrated Cadets into specific Army branches, this broader model emphasized foundational military education with the flexibility to commission into any branch upon graduation.

Figure 4: ROTC Cadets Rappel Off a Loyola College in Maryland Building. From ROTC cadets rappelling, by Loyola University Maryland, 2024, Loyola Magazine. 2024 by Loyola University Maryland.

 

The October 3, 1952, edition of The Greyhound student newsletter elaborated,

“For the first time in the 100 year history of Loyola College, a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program has been introduced into the college curriculum. At present, 158 members of the freshman class, 38 sophomores, and one senior are enrolled in the military course under the direction of Lt. Colonel Ralph E. Vandervort Jr.

The Cadet Battalion Commander for the new group will be Charles H. McFarland, a senior with a year of previous R.O.T.C. experience at the University of Maryland. Duane P. Shultz, ’55, will command “A” Company while John C. Beck Jr. will serve as “B” Company Commander. The remaining sophomore trainees will serve in the capacity of Platoon Leaders, Sergeants, and Squad Leaders, and will all have an opportunity of serving as Company Commanders sometime during the year.

Lt. Colonel Vandervort graduated from Oregon State College in 1941 and received his regular army commission in 1942. He participated in the battle for Europe and later in the occupation of Germany, after which he served in the Pentagon on the General Staff of the Army for four years. The Lt. Colonel comes to Loyola as Professor of Military Science and Tactics after a similar assignment at Ohio State University.

The program, which is compulsory for all able-bodied members of the Freshman Class, will consist of a ninety hour drill and instruction period. Sixty hours will be devoted to the study of weapons, marksmanship, first aid, map reading, and the history of the Army, while the remaining thirty hours will be spent in the exercise of command on the drill field.

Tentative plans call for the formation of a Battalion drum and bugle corps later in the semester and the staging of a Military Ball in the spring. Several reviews will also be held in the spring at which time the Cadet Corps will parade before Regular Army Officers who will inspect the state of training. The Very Rev. Thomas J. Murray, S.J., president of the college, will receive the salute of the Cadet Corps at a special review for the college officials.” (The Greyhound, 1952)

Figure 5: Lt. Colonel Ralph E. Vandervort (left). Major Woodrow Jordan (right). From “The military comes to Loyola,” The Evergreen (1953 yearbook). Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections (print yearbook, archival copy on file). Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

Figure 6: Master Sergeant Leo E. Kuneman with Stenographer Mary Ellen Cholewczynski (top); Master Sergeant William L. Adlon (bottom left) with Master Sergeant Albert A. Geckle (bottom right). From “The military comes to Loyola,” The Evergreen (1953 yearbook). Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections (print yearbook, archival copy on file). Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

 

Figure 7: Major Woodrow Jordan (left) Inspects Radios with Lt. Colonel Ralph E. Vandervort (right). From “ROTC unit established for incoming freshmen,” The Greyhound (1952). Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections (print newspaper, archival copy on file). Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

Figure 8: Cadets Dance at Inaugural Military Ball, April 25, 1953. From “ROTC unit established for incoming freshmen,” The Greyhound (1952). Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections (print newspaper, archival copy on file). Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

 

Figure 9: Cadets at Inaugural Military Ball, April 25, 1953. From “ROTC unit established for incoming freshmen,” The Greyhound (1952). Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections (print newspaper, archival copy on file). Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

 

This pilot program complemented the university’s Jesuit mission, which emphasized the development of the whole person (cura personalis) and leadership in service to society. St. Ignatius of Loyola was himself a soldier who redirected his life toward service after a battlefield injury, leading to the establishment of the Jesuit order in 1534.

“St. Ignatius was a soldier, and he was a fierce, fierce believer in God and in serving others,” said Reverend Timothy Brown, S.J., Assistant to the President for Mission Integration and Associate Professor of Law and Social Responsibility, in a 2024 interview. “He wanted to do something bigger, magnanimous, more. We call it magis” (Brown, 2024, as cited in Goldstein, 2024, para. 5)

At the time, ROTC participation was mandatory for all first- and second-year male students, reflecting national policy. Loyola upheld this requirement until 1969, when federal reforms enabled institutions to transition to voluntary enrollment.

The first Cadet cohort began training in the 1952–1953 academic year, establishing traditions that have endured to this day. The program held its first Military Ball on April 25, 1953, at Turner Armory, where Miss Peggy Ryan, a Notre Dame College sophomore, was crowned Queen of the Ball. In 1955, Loyola commissioned its first Second Lieutenants at the Alumni Memorial Chapel—an annual practice ever since. For much of the 1950s, ROTC life moved to the rhythm of peace and campus routine. As the decade closed, the quiet years came to an end. Developments overseas pulled America toward a widening conflict in Southeast Asia, and Loyola’s Cadets soon found their training—and their futures—shaped by a far more violent era.

 

Chapter 2: The Vietnam Era and the Transition to Voluntary Service (1955–1971)

As tensions increased in Southeast Asia, ROTC at Loyola began to take a different form. By late 1964, Loyola Cadets were training at a tempo that anticipated the Army’s needs in Vietnam.

The Loyola Rangers formed between Fall 1962 and Spring 1963, a Cadet-led, Cadre-supervised club modeled after the U.S. Army Rangers, which conducted additional training in small-unit tactics, physical conditioning, land navigation, patrolling, and other critical Soldier skills as U.S. involvement in Vietnam escalated. By Fall 1964, membership approached one hundred Cadets across two Companies: Alpha and Bravo (The Greyhound, 1964, p. 1).

On October 13, 1964, the ROTC Vitalization Act reshaped ROTC programs nationally, introducing two- and four-year scholarship opportunities and enhancing academic competitiveness. Loyola awarded its first ROTC scholarships in 1967 to three Cadets (F. E. Hilsher, personal communication, 2024).

By spring 1965, Cadets watched headlines shift from campus drills to combat deployments. Elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived at Bien Hoa, Republic of Vietnam, between May 3–7, 1965 (commonly cited as May 7), among the earliest U.S. Army ground combat units to enter the country.

Loyola Cadets like John Joseph Przybylski, Class of 1964, moved from Loyola’s drill field to Vietnam’s front lines. A former Cadet Commander and Drill Team leader, he served two combat tours in Vietnam—1966–1967 and 1968–1969. By his second tour he commanded Cobra Company, 2/501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, operating in the A Shau Valley and assaulting Dong Ap Bia (Hamburger Hill) in May 1969. 

Figure 10: Captain John J. Przybylski, Cobra Company, 2/501st Infantry, before the assault on Dong Ap Bia (Hamburger Hill), May 1969. From 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Photos (2ndbde.org), n.d. https://2ndbde.org/photos/picture.php?/12928/category/2316

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) John Joseph Przybylski’s decorations included the Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device (three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Air Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Silver Star, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star, Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge—an individual record that captures the era’s shift from peacetime preparation to leadership under fire. LTC (Ret) Przybylski retired after 28 years of service as a U.S. Army Infantry Officer (R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home, 2020).

Przybylski’s record was not an outlier; Loyola’s pipeline sent newly minted Officers into Vietnam with leadership responsibilities early in their careers. Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) John Michael Kilkenny, Class of 1962 and a guard on Loyola’s varsity basketball team, served two one-year combat tours in Vietnam, first as a patrol boat commander and later with the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) as a helicopter pilot and Battalion Commander (Virginia Gazette, 2022). 

Similarly, Lieutenant General (Retired) Michael F. Spigelmire (Class of 1960) served as a Special Forces A-Team Detachment Commander with the 10th Special Forces Group before completing two combat tours in Vietnam, first as a Company Commander with the 1st Cavalry Division and later as a District Senior Advisor. Those tours became the foundation for his postwar roles as Chief and Commandant of the U.S. Army Infantry School, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and Commanding General of VII Corps in Germany. LTG (Ret) Spigelmire was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and inducted into the ROTC Hall of Fame in 2016 (Sons of Liberty Museum, 2025).

Colonel (Retired) Frank E. Hilsher, Class of 1968, recounts his selection for Active Duty with pride. Commissioning as an Ordnance Officer with a branch detail to Armor, COL (Ret) Hilsher served three years in Germany with the 4th Armored Division before deploying to Long Binh Post, Republic of Vietnam, 1971–1972. In theater, he served as Branch Chief, Major Items and Repair Parts, for Theater assets, including U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam tube artillery (F. E. Hilsher, personal communication, 2024).

In 1969, Department of Defense Directive 1215.4, titled “Enrollment, Retention, and Disenrollment Criteria for ROTC Programs,” granted universities the authority to eliminate compulsory ROTC participation (Department of Defense, 1969).

Loyola formally ended its mandatory enrollment that same year based on Directive 1215.4. While many campuses experienced intense opposition to ROTC during the Vietnam War, available records from Loyola College in Maryland suggest the 1969 transition to voluntary enrollment was not preceded by notable anti–Vietnam War protest on campus, indicating a relatively muted or deferential campus response to national unrest.

By the close of the decade, ROTC at Loyola was a voluntary program, open to students who pursued military leadership as a vocation.

Chapter 3: Coeducation and Program Expansion (1971–1980s)

Loyola College in Maryland became coeducational in the fall of 1971. The following year, Department of Defense Directive 1304.13 titled, “Accession of Women into the Service Academies and ROTC Programs,” authorized women to participate in senior ROTC programs and earn commissions (Department of Defense, 1972). That year, Loyola ROTC enrolled its first female Cadets.

The “Greyhound Battalion” (ca. Fall 1986–Spring 1987)

On July 1, 1973, the United States Army established the All-Volunteer Force, ending twenty-three years of conscription, the longest uninterrupted period in U.S. history.

During this time, Loyola expanded its ROTC program through cross-enrollment agreements with nearby institutions. Students from Notre Dame of Maryland University, Goucher College, and Towson University began attending Loyola for military science coursework.

This multi-institutional ROTC unit became known as the Greyhound Battalion—named for Loyola’s mascot. Loyola’s digitized yearbook for 1985 contained a spread titled “R.O.T.C.” that read: “The R.O.T.C. Cadet Battalion had another busy and productive year.” (The Evergreen, 1985) Similarly, the 1986 edition also contained a spread titled “Just What is ROTC?”, with text that mentions “the Loyola College Rangers” (The Evergreen, 1986). In the 1987 yearbook under the spread “Clubs & Sports”, the phrase “Loyola Greyhound Battalion” is observed for the first time in print (The Evergreen, 1987). Given that The Evergreen is produced at the end of each academic year (late spring), printed over the summer, and distributed in early fall, it is most plausible that the moniker Greyhound Battalion was adopted sometime between Fall 1986 and Spring 1987. The moniker has since become an official and enduring component of the program’s identity.

With a broader recruiting base and a more diverse set of student leaders from cross-enrolled Baltimore colleges, the Greyhound Battalion changed significantly. Out of that era came Officers whose work reached national institutions. Colonel (Retired) Timothy J. “TJ” Creamer, Class of 1982 and an Army Aviator, achieved Distinguished Graduate of his flight class. He served in the 501st Attack Helicopter Battalion and the 17th Cavalry, 82nd Aviation Brigade, and earned a Master of Science in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He taught as an Assistant Professor of Physics at the U.S. Military Academy before being selected as a NASA astronaut.

Figure 11: COL (Ret) Creamer inside Soyuz TMA-17 during dress rehearsal at Baikonur, Dec 10, 2009. Photograph by Victor Zelentsov, U.S. Army. https://www.army.mil/article/238291/colonel_timothy_j_tj_creamer

In 2009, he launched aboard Soyuz TMA-17 to dock with the International Space Station as part of Expedition 22/23, where he spent 163 days in space. He later led the “Saber Flight” team as NASA Flight Director, the first astronaut to accomplish this transition (NASA, 2016).

Coeducation in 1971, the Army’s 1972 decision to open Senior ROTC to women, and the 1973 All-Volunteer Force broadened the Greyhound Battalion’s pipeline and set the conditions for the operational footprint of the 1990s and 2000s.

 

Chapter 4: Program Maturity (1990s–2000s)

After the Cold War, Greyhound Officers moved into the era’s headline campaigns: Desert Storm, the Balkans, the Horn of Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 

At the start of the Iraq War in 2003, Colonel Laura G. Hutchinson (Class of 2002), commissioned into the Transportation Corps and deployed twice with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in 2003 and 2005. The Division’s mission in 2003 demanded logistics as much as maneuver: to secure Mosul and the north, re-establish services, and hold ground while a new order took shape (Joint Base Langley–Eustis, n.d.). 

Colonel Steve Power (Class of 1999), an Armor Officer, served as a Division Staff Officer with the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit and later commanded a company in Salah ad Din Province during the war’s early phase. In Tikrit and later across Salah ad Din, the 4th Infantry Division shifted from initial combat to sustained security and stabilization, work Power led on the ground (Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments & Ammunition, n.d.). Hutchinson and Power each received the Bronze Star Medal.

From major deployments to enduring missions, Greyhounds led where the Army needed them: service that would scale to the strategic level in the decades that followed.

Chapter 5: The Greyhound Battalion Today (2010s–2020s)

As of 2025, the Greyhound Battalion remains headquartered at Loyola University Maryland and continues to train Cadets from Loyola University Maryland, Towson University, Goucher College, and Notre Dame of Maryland University.

The program’s curriculum focuses on leadership development and is aligned with Loyola’s Jesuit educational mission and values. Cadets participate in physical fitness training, field exercises, academic instruction, and civic engagement. The program’s goal is to recruit, educate, develop, and inspire Scholar Athlete Leaders who commission as Officers of character—prepared for a lifetime commitment and service to the nation.

Since 1955, Loyola ROTC has commissioned more than 1,300 Officers into the United States serving within the Active Duty, National Guard, and Army Reserve components.

Its alumni include General Officers, Brigade Commanders, a former Commander of the United States Army Special Operations Command, a former Commanding General of the United States Army Special Forces Command, a former Director of the Joint Staff for the Maryland National Guard, and a former Deputy G-3 for United States Northern Command. The program has also produced one of the Army’s few astronauts and many graduates who have served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and United States Army Special Forces.

Many graduates have built distinguished careers—both in uniform and in civilian leadership roles—marked by continued public service and civic responsibility.

Figure 13: 1LT Emily Wolfson (Commissioning Class of ’17) Holds Loyola Flag in Afghanistan. From a photograph by Loyola University Maryland, 2023, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Copyright 2023 by Loyola University Maryland.

Leadership at scale, which translates policy into operations and moves the force where strategy demands, defines the Greyhound Battalion’s recent decades.

At the state level, Brigadier General (Retired) Edmond B. “Ed” Nolley Jr. (Class of 1968) served as Assistant Adjutant General for the Maryland Army National Guard, turning experience into public readiness (National Guard Bureau, n.d.). In retirement, he extended that service with Gilchrist as an end-of-life care doula, honoring veterans at bedside (McCausland, 2023). Major General (Retired) Jeffrey P. Kramer (Class of 1986) concluded service as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (J3/5/7) at NATO Allied Joint Force Command–Brunssum, a post that translates policy into operational guidance across an alliance (National Guard Bureau, n.d.). In U.S. Army strategic mobility, Colonel William R. “Bill” Kost (Class of 1998) commanded the 595th Transportation Brigade (Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command) at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, directing the movement of forces and materiel across theaters (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, 2023).

From widened public service to senior direction of strategy, the record is consistent: Greyhounds carry responsibility at scale.

Chapter 6: To Do More Universal Good in the Pursuit of Greater Purpose: A Legacy of Leadership and Magis

Since its founding in 1952, Loyola’s Army ROTC program has maintained an unbroken relationship with the United States Army and Loyola University Maryland. Through war, reform, and generational change, the program has remained grounded in the values of leadership, scholarship, and service.

With more than 1,300 commissioned leaders over seven decades, the Greyhound Battalion has produced Officers who have served in every major U.S. military operation since its founding. Its tradition of intergenerational service—parents, siblings, and children following the same path through the same program—places it among the most enduring ROTC programs in the nation.

It was magis—the pursuit of greater purpose—that guided Loyola’s founding of its ROTC program in 1952. That same spirit continues to inspire each new generation of Cadets as they prepare to serve with integrity in a complex and changing world.

Appendix: ROTC Facilities

The Dell Building (Fall 1952–Fall 1982)

When Loyola College in Maryland established its Army ROTC program on September 16, 1952, its first headquarters occupied a facility comprised of three interconnected and tiered buildings known as the Dell Building, situated directly east of what would become Maryland Hall, and on ground later redeveloped for the DeChiaro College Center. Predating Maryland Hall (constructed in 1962 and dedicated in 1963), the Dell stood between the upper academic terrace and the lower east-campus service road. At its entrance, the sign read “U.S. ARMY R.O.T.C. LOYOLA COLLEGE DET #5-2301 ASU.” It served as administrative and instructional space for the Department of Military Science (Loyola University Maryland Archives, 2025, LUMD.012.003).

The 1953 Evergreen yearbook observed ROTC’s occupation of the Dell Building in Fall 1952, 

“The Dell Building has been turned over to the ROTC for instruction periods, and several offices have been remodeled to accommodate the five man staff. A former classroom now houses the unit’s supplies and a car port has been constructed opening onto the enlarged parking area in the Dell.

Equipment for the new department includes mortars, machine guns and other types of small arms weapons. Electronic devices used by the Signal Corps are on hand for training purposes. Every member of the corps will be issued a uniform and an M-1 rifle as soon as they are available.” (The Evergreen, 1953)

Colonel (Retired) Frank E. Hilsher (Class of 1968) characterized the space as “spartan, but sufficiently military-style,” a description consistent with early ROTC facilities. Training exercises frequently took place in the woods north of the Dell Building, land that today forms part of the Evergreen Museum & Library property (F. E. Hilsher, personal communication, 2024).

Figure 15: Photograph of the Dell Building entrance, Loyola College Army ROTC, ca. 1960–1982. From Loyola University Maryland Military Science Department/ROTC Records (LUMD.012.003), Loyola University Maryland Archives, Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections, Baltimore, MD. Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

Figure 16: Photograph of the Dell Building and Maryland Hall, east campus view before 1982 demolition, ca. 1960–1982. From Loyola University Maryland Military Science Department/ROTC Records (LUMD.012.003), Loyola University Maryland Archives, Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections, Baltimore, MD. Courtesy of Loyola University Maryland.

For three decades, from 1952 to 1982, the Dell Building served as the program’s primary facility. In Fall 1982, Loyola demolished the Dell Building to construct the DeChiaro College Center, a project completed in 1984 and opened in 1985, thus closing the Dell era (Campus Buildings, n.d.; DeChiaro College Center, 1982; Loyola University Maryland Archives, 2025, LUMD.012.003).

Diane Geppi-Aikens Field (Fall 1952–Present)

From the program’s first year, Cadet training centered on the main athletic field southeast of Maryland Hall. A 1953 Evergreen article described early Cadets drilling on “the college athletic field,” corresponding to the site now known as Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. The University renamed the field in 2004 to honor Coach Diane Geppi-Aikens and resurfaced it with synthetic turf in 2006. Cadets continue to use the field routinely for physical training and labs (The Evergreen, 1953; Goldstein, 2024; “Women’s Lacrosse Set for a New Season,” 2004; “Athletic Field to be Re-Named in Memory of Diane Geppi-Aikens,” 2004; “Diane Geppi-Aikens Field Gets New Turf,” 2006). 

302 and 300 Radnor Road (Fall 1982–Present)

Following the Dell Building’s demolition, ROTC operations transitioned to 302 Radnor Road, 300 Radnor Road, and the Early House—three residential houses acquired by Loyola College in Maryland and converted for institutional use as part of the college’s northeastern campus expansion. Loyola acquired 302 Radnor Road in 1967 and 300 Radnor Road in 1976 (Campus Buildings, n.d.).

Archival catalogues from 1982–1985 omit a facility location for ROTC. The 1985–1986 catalogue lists 300 and 302 Radnor Road for the first time, and the 1986–1987 catalogue records the first listing of Early House (Loyola College in Maryland, 1982–1983; 1983–1984; 1984–1985; 1985–1986; 1986–1987; Loyola University Maryland Archives, 2025, LUMD.012.003).

Given this timeline, it is most plausible that ROTC relocated to 302 and 300 Radnor Road in Fall 1982, immediately following the Dell Building’s demolition, with additional space in the Early House adopted sometime between the 1982 and 1986 academic years. 302 Radnor Road served as the main office for the Professor of Military Science while 300 Radnor Road was shared with the Technology Services Training Center until Fall 2015, when the University vacated 302 Radnor Road for future demolition and consolidated ROTC operations into 300 Radnor Road and the Early House (Loyola University Maryland, 2014–2015; F. E. Hilsher, personal communication, 2024).

Early House (Between Fall 1982 and Fall 1986–Present)

By the 1986–87 academic year, university catalogues first listed Early House as an ROTC location; on this evidence, ROTC occupation likely began between Fall 1982 (departure from the Dell Building) and Fall 1986 (Loyola College in Maryland, 1986–1987).

 

The Early House is located on the northeastern edge of Loyola University Maryland’s campus near the former site of Millbrook Avenue and serves as the operations building for the university’s Army ROTC program. It houses instructor offices and supports the day-to-day functions of the program, including administrative work, planning, academic advising, and regular interactions between Cadre and Cadets. Cadets often gather at the Early House to study, prepare for events, or meet with their peers informally, making it a consistent point of contact within the Greyhound Battalion. While unassuming in appearance, the building plays a central role in the routine functioning of ROTC at Loyola and is closely tied to the institution’s broader military and educational history.

Loyola College in Maryland acquired the property in 1966. Archives of Loyola’s student newsletter, The Greyhound, offer differing accounts: some describe the acquisition as a direct purchase while others suggest the acquisition was financed by an anonymous donor. The 1966 article, Early House: Memorial to College Founder, reported,

“Included in Loyola College’s recent land purchases was a large building, chosen to be the headquarters of the History Department, and subsequently named for a man prominent in the history of the school.

Early House, on the eastern most segment of the Loyola campus, was named for the College’s founder and first president, Rev. John Early, S.J. For over two decades in the Society of Jesus, Father Early served successively as Rector and President of Holy Cross, Loyola, and Georgetown. John Early was born in Ireland in 1812…

At the age of 18, Father Early journeyed to an America already fabled as “the promised land” for Europe’s energetic poor. Three years later, he entered the Sulpician seminary, Mount Saint Mary’s, in Emmitsburg. In August of the following year, he transferred to the Jesuit novitiate at Frederick” (Loyola College, 1966).

The article emphasized how Loyola College, the ninth surviving Jesuit collegiate foundation in the United States, was established in response to Archbishop Francis P. Kenrick’s request to limit St. Mary’s to seminary education. Rev. John Early assumed responsibility for creating a new institution of higher learning in Baltimore in 1852.

For fifty-nine years, this remained the history of the Early House. On February 19, 2025, previously unrecorded information surfaced when the Greyhound Battalion received a letter from Winston N. Brundige, an Army ROTC graduate of Johns Hopkins University whose family lived in the house for decades prior to the sale. According to Brundige, the home was built by his grandfather, Thomas Worthington Brundige Jr., in 1928 on what remained of a larger family estate. He recalled growing up in the house from 1945 to 1965 and gave the address as 225 Winston Avenue. In his letter, he wrote:

"[The Early House] was built by my grandfather, Thomas Worthington Brundige, Jr. (at one time, Judge Advocate of the 5th Regiment, Maryland National Guard) in 1928 on the remaining two acres of our original farm. My father sold the house to a client in 1965, who bought it purposely to donate to Loyola after Johns Hopkins had transferred the back portion of the Garrett estate to Loyola" (W. N. Brundige, personal communication, February 19, 2025).

This memory aligns with Loyola’s records, even if the precise nature of the transfer remains unclear. Brundige’s letter also describes the property’s original features, including a barn, large oaks, and a sloping lawn, and references a story told by his grandmother about federal agents occupying the house during World War II to monitor a suspected German agent living nearby. While such accounts are unverifiable, they contribute to the accumulated memory of the site.

Although the precise acquisition history of Early House remains unclear, the records of The Greyhound and Brundige’s family recollections converge on the same transitional period of 1965–1966. 

Today, the building remains in active use. As the Greyhound Battalion’s primary hub for activity, it remains a functional space with a layered past—residential, academic, and operational—woven into the fabric of Loyola’s institutional history and the history of the United States military.

References

• 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. (n.d.). Captain Przybylski Before Assault of Dong Ap Bia [Photograph]. In 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Photos. https://2ndbde.org/photos/picture.php?/12928/category/2316
• Athletic field to be re-named in memory of Diane Geppi-Aikens. (2004, February 26). LoyolaGreyhounds.com. https://loyolagreyhounds.com/news/2004/2/26/Athletic_Field_To_Be_Re_Named_In_Memory_Of_Diane_Geppi_Aikens
• Campus Buildings. (n.d.). Facilities & Campus Services — Campus buildings list (entries: Early House—acq. 1966; 302 Radnor Road—acq. 1967; 300 Radnor Road—acq. 1976; DeChiaro College Center—constructed 1984). Loyola University Maryland.  https://www.loyola.edu/department/facilities-campus-services/buildings
• DeChiaro College Center (1982). (1982–1983). Department of History: Architecture — Buildings. Loyola University Maryland.
• Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. (2023, July 10). 595th Transportation Brigade change of command, Camp Arifjan. https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7901225/595th-transportation-brigade-change-command-camp-arifjan-july-2023
• Department of Defense. (1964). ROTC vitalization act of 1964. U.S. Department of Defense.
• Department of Defense. (1969). Enrollment, retention, and disenrollment criteria for ROTC programs (DoD Directive 1215.4). U.S. Department of Defense.
• Department of Defense. (1972). Accession of women into the service academies and ROTC programs (DoD Directive 1304.13). U.S. Department of Defense.
  Goldstein, J. (2024). 1952: ROTC comes to Evergreen. Loyola Magazine. https://www.loyola.edu/explore/magazine/issues/2024-spring/founding-of-greyhound-battalion-rotc.html 
• Diane Geppi-Aikens field gets new turf, summer facelift. (2006, July 18). LoyolaGreyhounds.com. 

  https://loyolagreyhounds.com/news/2006/7/18/Diane_Geppi_Aikens_Field_Gets_New_Turf_Summer_Facelift

• Joint Base Langley–Eustis. (n.d.). Colonel Laura G. Hutchinson Biography.  https://www.jble.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/3810289/colonel-laura-g-hutchinson/
• Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments & Ammunition. (n.d.). COL Steve Power Biography.  https://jpeoaa.army.mil/Project-Offices/PM-MAS/About/Leadership/BiographyView/Article/3491725/col-steve-power/
• Loyola College. (1966). The Greyhound (Vol. 40). Loyola College in Maryland. https://archive.org/details/greyhound40loyo/page/2/mode/2up 

• Loyola College in Maryland. (1982–1983). Undergraduate catalogue.

• Loyola College in Maryland. (1983–1984). Undergraduate catalogue.

• Loyola College in Maryland. (1984–1985). Undergraduate catalogue.

• Loyola College in Maryland. (1985–1986). Undergraduate catalogue.

• Loyola College in Maryland. (1986–1987). Undergraduate catalogue.

• Loyola University Maryland. (2014–2015). Undergraduate catalogue. https://www.loyola.edu/_media/department/registrar/documents/catalogues/ugc1415.pdf

• Loyola University Maryland. (2023). Chapel construction [Photograph]. In A look back at the creation of Loyola’s chapel. Loyola Magazine. https://www.loyola.edu/explore/magazine/issues/2023-spring/history-of-alumni-memorial-chapel.html

• Loyola University Maryland. (2024). ROTC cadets rappelling [Photograph]. In 1952: ROTC comes to Evergreen. Loyola Magazine. https://www.loyola.edu/explore/magazine/issues/2024-spring/founding-of-greyhound-battalion-rotc.html 

• Loyola University Maryland Archives. (2025). Military Science Department/ROTC records (LUMD.012.003) [Finding aid]. Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections.
• Loyola University Maryland Athletics. (2020). [Photograph of Jimmy Hayburn on podium]. In Jimmy Hayburn receives Patriot League award of outstanding leadership and character. LoyolaGreyhounds.com. https://loyolagreyhounds.com/news/2020/5/26/swimming-diving-jimmy-hayburn-receives-patriot-league-award-of-outstanding-leadership-and-character.aspx 
• Loyola University Maryland. (2023). [Photograph of 1LT Emily Wolfson holding Loyola flag in Afghanistan]. In Inspired by Ignatius: Loyola Maryland’s Greyhound Battalion. Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. https://ajcunet.edu/november-2023-loyola-maryland/ 
• Loyola University Maryland. (2021). [Photograph of Greyhound Battalion cadets presenting colors at commencement]. Loyola University Maryland, Office of Marketing and Communications. https://www.loyola.edu/department/marketing-communications/ 

• McCausland, C. (2023, August). The positive death movement brings comfort to the dying and their families. Baltimore Magazine. https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/educationfamily/positive-death-movement-end-of-life-doulas-bring-comfort-dying-and-families/

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2019). Biographical Data. Timothy J. (TJ) Creamer. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/creamer_timothy.pdf 

• National Guard Bureau. (n.d.). Brigadier General Edmond Baltzell Nolley Biography. https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/Special-Staff/Senior-Leader-Management-Office/General-Officer-Management/bio-show/398/

• National Guard Bureau. (n.d.). Major General Jeffrey P. Kramer Biography. https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/2/2734.html

• R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home. (2020). John Joseph Przybylski [Obituary]. Legacy.com. https://www.legacy.com/funeral-homes/obituaries/name/john-przybylski-obituary?pid=196850793&v=batesville&view=guestbook&page=3

• Sons of Liberty Museum. (2025). LTG Michael Spigelmire. https://www.sonsoflibertymuseum.org/michael-spigelmire.cfm

• The Evergreen. (1953). The military comes to Loyola. Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections. (Print yearbook, archival copy on file)

• The Evergreen. (1985). R.O.T.C. Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections. (Print yearbook, archival copy on file)

• The Evergreen. (1986). Just what is ROTC? Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections. (Print yearbook, archival copy on file)

• The Evergreen. (1987). Clubs & sports. Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections. (Print yearbook, archival copy on file)

• The Greyhound. (1952, October 3). ROTC unit established for incoming freshmen. Loyola Notre Dame Library, Archives & Special Collections. (Print newspaper, archival copy on file)

• The Greyhound. (1964, October 23). Loyola Rangers hold first field training exercise. The Greyhound, 38(4), 1. Loyola / Notre Dame Library Digital Collections. https://archive.org/details/greyhound38loyo_2

• The Evergreen. (1985).

• Virginia Gazette. (2022, March 12). John Michael Kilkenny [Obituary]. Legacy.com. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/vagazette/name/john-kilkenny-obituary?id=33587181

• Women’s lacrosse set for a new season. (2004, February 23). LoyolaGreyhounds.com. https://loyolagreyhounds.com/news/2004/2/23/Women_s_Lacrosse_Set_For_A_New_Season

• Zelentsov, V. (2009, December 10). COL (Ret) Creamer inside Soyuz TMA-17 during dress rehearsal at Baikonur, Dec 10, 2009. [Photograph]. U.S. Army. https://www.army.mil/article/238291/colonel_timothy_j_tj_creamer

The Greyhound Battalion Archive Initiative

For more information, please visit the website of The Institute of Heraldry. We are actively cataloguing over 73 years of documents about the Greyhound Battalion to digitally preserve its history for future generations. If you are an alum with information about the history of this organziation and wish to contribute to this archive initiative, please contact Master Sergeant Gene Zhang at gene.y.zhang.mil@army.mil.