November 10, 2000

Old friends reacquainted, new alliances made during reunion 2000

As part of Loyola Reunion Weekend, the coveted Adjutor Hominum award was presented to Janet Mary Riley, A'36, L'52, during the alumni luncheon on Friday, October 20. In addition to the luncheon, the weekend began with a festive reception in the Audubon Room, which honored the Golden Wolves, members of the Class of 1950. Friday night concluded with the President's Welcome Reception in the Palm Court, followed by Class of 1965 dinner at the Fairmont Hotel.

Saturday started with a City College alumni luncheon at noon in the Audubon Room. In the evening, individual classes gathered for fun times and live music on campus for the reunion receptions. Sandy Hinderlie and Kermit Ruffins performed after the receptions.

Sunday morning the reunion wrapped up in true Loyola fashion with a Mass in the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church and a blessing for Loyola married couples.

"Reunion 2000 was a fantastic opportunity for our alumni to celebrate Loyola through the years," says Trish Moser, director of alumni and parent relations. "Many of our alumni had not been back to campus in decades. It is very exciting to see their reactions and share their enthusiasm."

The Adjutor Hominum award is presented annually to an outstanding alumnus of the university whose life exemplifies those characteristics which Loyola seeks to form in graduates, namely moral character, service to humanity, and unquestionable integrity.

"We are honoring a particularly deserving alumni whose service to her community, her church, and her alma mater has been carried out with quiet devotion," wrote Cliff Sutter, G '77, president of the alumni association, in his nomination letter.

Riley received her undergraduate degree in 1936 from Ursuline College, then an affiliate of Loyola University. In 1941, she began work as a librarian at Loyola. She left Loyola in 1943 to serve as a librarian at area military posts and two years later she returned to Loyola as a law librarian.

She began taking law courses and earned her J.D. by 1952. Since there was little opportunity for women to practice law in New Orleans, she was offered a full-time teaching position in the School of Law. In 1956, she became the first woman to hold a full-time law school teaching position in New Orleans, and the seventh to hold such a position in the United States. Never one to stop advancing her education, she received an LL.M. from the University of Virginia in 1960.

During her tenure as a law professor, she wrote the first casebook on Louisiana Community Property Law and served as a Louisiana Law Institute reporter where she revised Louisiana community property laws that deemed the husband "head and master of the community." Riley was instrumental in convincing the legislature to adopt the concept of equal management. She is considered a pioneer of community property law.

Although she retired from Loyola in 1986, she has remained involved with the university by teaching seminars and courses as an adjunct professor until 1997. Currently, she is auditing an evening class in the Loyola Institute for Ministry.

She is most proud of her membership in the Secular Institute of the Society of Our Lady of the Way. She continues to learn and lead by example, like the Ursuline nuns and Jesuit priests that influenced her.

Janet Mary Riley, A'36, L'52, holds the Adjutor Hominum Award presented to her at the annual Alumni Luncheon during reunion.

Selena Spence, A'01 Intern in the Offices of Public Affairs and Publications