Since its founding in 1873, many McDonogh men, and now women, have felt the call to serve our country as members of the armed forces. Each year, the community pauses for a Memorial Day ceremony to remember those who gave their lives protecting our freedom.
After World War II ended, under the leadership of Headmaster Louis E. Lamborn, a group of trustees and parents who had lost sons in the war led a committee to raise funds for a field house to honor McDonogh boys who died serving our country during World War I and World War II. The plan also included Memorial Court, a special spot in front of the field house which is anchored by the memorial stone, a nine-foot-tall granite monument inscribed with the names of McDonogh’s Gold Star Heroes. On November 22, 1946, during halftime of the McDonogh versus Severn football game, 1,500 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the School gathered to dedicate Memorial Court — one of the most sacred places on campus. See more here. At the dedication ceremony, Eustace Glascock, a member of the McDonogh Class of 1879, was present at age 85 to recite his poem, The McDonogh Uniform.
In 2015, thanks to the generosity of the Class of 1964 and the leadership of General Joseph Franklin ‘51 and Admiral Hank Chiles ’56, Memorial Court was refurbished, including the addition of a beautiful base around the monument with the names of McDonogh alumni who lost their lives in Korea and Vietnam. The renovation also included the installation of a flag court with special lighting for nighttime illumination, new landscaping, and accessible pathways.
Each year, McDonogh’s Memorial Day ceremony includes a remembrance of an alumnus who gave their life in service of our country, and students wear a gold star on their blazers to the ceremony as a reminder of that sacrifice. After the reading of The McDonogh Uniform, a wreath is placed at the memorial, Taps is played, and the School community dismisses in silence. For years, Butch Maisel ‘72 a military historian, has displayed an exhibit of photographs as well as original artifacts related to one of McDonogh’s gold star heroes.
