From Infirmary to Institution: A History of the Bannan Alumni House
Santa Clara University, California’s oldest operating institution of higher education, founded in 1851, boasts a rich history interwoven with the contributions of dedicated individuals and families. Among these, the Donohoe and Bannan families stand out for their enduring legacy, which is notably embodied in the Bannan Alumni House. This article explores the evolution of this iconic building, tracing its journey from its origins as the Donohoe Infirmary to its current role as a vibrant hub for alumni engagement.
The Genesis: Donohoe Infirmary (1925-1975)
The story begins with Catherine Donohoe, who in 1924 contributed $40,000 to construct the Donohoe Infirmary in honor of her parents, James and Rose Donohoe. James and Rose were married in 1850 and had five children: James, Henry, Mary, Frederick, and Catherine. The youngest son, Fredrick, was sent to Santa Clara College in 1877. Over the next 25 years, the Donohoes were generous benefactors to the Santa Clara community and the University. This act of generosity addressed a critical need, as the existing infirmary had been housed on the second story of the Adobe Lodge since 1870.
Opened in 1925, the Donohoe Infirmary was a state-of-the-art facility for its time. A photo of the unveiling of the Donohoe cornerstone in 1925 shows the petite, stern-faced Catherine barely reaching the shoulders of then-SCU President Zacheus Maher, S.J., and Archbishop of San Francisco Edward Hanna. The building contained an apartment for the attending physician, office of the infirmarian, an apothecary's shop and dispensary, a reception room, and other smaller offices on the first floor. The second and third floor were devoted to the sick and convalescent; with a chapel, sunbaths, and a rooftop garden. Accommodations were provided for 30 patients and, should extraordinary needs arise, the lofty attic could be fitted as a general ward. The Donohoe Infirmary served the Santa Clara community for approximately 50 years, providing care and healing to generations of Broncos. Campus lore even suggests the presence of a ghost or two lurking in the halls.
A New Chapter: The Alumni Association Finds a Home (1975)
As the University expanded, its healthcare requirements evolved. After 50 years, infirmary operations moved to the newly built Cowell Health Center. With the Donohoe Infirmary now vacant, department heads vied for the prime office space. In 1974, Louis I. Bannan, S.J., assistant to the president for alumni affairs, wrote a letter to Fr. Donald Flickinger, executive assistant to University president, Thomas Terry, S.J., proposing the Donohoe Infirmary become the new home of the Alumni Association. Fr. Bannan wrote, "The alumni, students, and all our public should know that we are not a second rate agency. Obviously, this is a great factor to enhance loyalty and communications, as well as income.
Fr. Lou, as he was affectionately known, recognized the importance of alumni relations as the heart and soul of Santa Clara. He understood that providing alumni with a dedicated space would foster stronger connections and a greater sense of belonging. Despite strong competition for the building, Fr. Bannan prevailed.
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In 1975, the Alumni Association moved from cramped quarters in Varsi into the first floor of Donohoe with other University departments, including the Office Communications and Marketing (now University Marketing and Communications). The transition from infirmary to alumni hub marked a significant shift. Bedpans were traded for banquets, ice packs for ice-cold drinks, and waiting rooms for welcome receptions.
Just three years later, thanks to the Donohoe Alumni House Renovation Committee and generous alumni contributions, the kitchen, conference room, and second floor were remodeled in 1978, thanks largely to contributions from alumni and the Donohoe Alumni House Renovation Committee. Graduation picnics spilled into the backyard. Reunion meetings filled the conference room. Impromptu celebrations kept the building buzzing. The Alumni Gardens behind the building was completed as a special project of William J. Until 2009, though, the Alumni Association shared the building with other University departments.
Modernization and Expansion (2009-2011)
Under the leadership of Paul Locatelli, S.J. '60, renovation plans were approved in 2009 with the goal of improving building safety and creating a dedicated Alumni Center. Following top to bottom renovations approved by University President Paul Locatelli, S.J. ’60 in 2009, all other departments moved out and Donohoe became the dedicated Alumni House. The remodel modernized the building with seismic retrofitting, a new boardroom, expanded office space, accessibility features, and a bright “living room” where alumni could gather. In addition to the seismic retrofit, the building now has easy handicap access, a working elevator, a first floor restroom, a "living room" for meeting and greeting, a large board room for gatherings and events, and expanded office space. When renovations were completed in January 2011, a bit of alumni history was preserved in the structure. A time capsule, buried behind the building on Oct.
A Name to Remember: The Bannan Legacy (2019)
On March 23, 2019, the Donohoe Alumni House was officially renamed the Bannan Alumni House. The change honors Louis I. Bannan, S.J., and the Bannan family, more than 200 of whom attended classes, married in the Mission, been christened in the chapel, given generously since 1919. The large conference room inside the building was officially named the Donohoe Boardroom, and will contain a plaque detailing the history of the Donohoe Family and their role in building the original Donohoe Infirmary.
The Bannans are widely recognized as a tight-knit family of hardworking, humble tinkerers. It’s a reputation that started with Irish immigrant and locomotive engineer Patrick Bannan, who moved his family from Chicago to San Francisco just after the Civil War. His youngest son, Philip, bought a machine shop in the City called Pacific Gear and Tool Works. The shop burned down in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake but Philip refused to fold and rebuilt soon after. In a 1986 Santa Clara Magazine profile on Philip’s eldest son Tom Bannan (“Perspectives of a Patriarch”), Tom sums up his familial philosophy of giving back with Philip’s words following the earthquake: “After the fire, the realization came to me that an act of God or of nature can wipe out the efforts of a human being. Philip and Teresa Bannan had 10 children. Five of the six Bannan boys followed in their father’s footsteps and became engineers. At the start of the Great Depression, the Bannans bought Western Gear, which produced everything from helicopter parts to artificial kidneys. Over the decades of growing their company to 4,000 employees, the family contributed millions to build up Santa Clara’s School of Engineering and fund various scholarships. Bannan Engineering Labs were built in 1960, Bannan Hall in 1973, and the Thomas J. One hundred years ago, the Donohoe Infirmary-now the Bannan Alumni House-opened its doors to the Santa Clara community.
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There is a running joke in the Bannan family: you can go to college anywhere you want, but your parents will pay for your tuition at Santa Clara. The lineage of the Bannan family runs deep at the university. For 100 years, over 150 Bannans-brothers and sisters, husbands and wives-have attended Santa Clara. “We knew the university would tear down the aging Bannan buildings when they announced the building of the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation,” Patti Bannan Pascale said. “But the Bannan family has a long history in Santa Clara. The Bannan family committed major contributions to the School of Engineering of Santa Clara. They donated the Bannan Engineering Labs, the Bannan Hall and Thomas J. Bannan Engineering Building. The Bannan family traces its engineering background to Patrick Bannan, an Irish immigrant and locomotive engineer. His son, Philip Bannan, bought a mechanic shop called Pacific Gear and Tool Works. The company eventually merged with Western Gear, an engineering company that built mechanical parts for fighter jets, tanks and space shuttles. Five of Philip’s six sons attended Santa Clara, following in their father’s footsteps to become engineers. That left Louis I. Bannan as the exception: he became a Jesuit priest and joined Santa Clara as a professor in psychology and philosophy. The Alumni House was renamed in special honor of Lou Bannan, S.J., who passed away in 1998. As the assistant to the president for alumni affairs, Lou Bannan, S.J., believed alumni relations were the heart and soul of Santa Clara.
Kathy Kale ’86, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations, is quick to point out that the Donohoe name isn’t being erased. As for why the specific name change, Kale says it’s a fitting testament to Fr. Bannan-affectionately called Fr. Lou by generations of Broncos-who championed Alumni Relations in his 40 years here. “Fr. Von Massenhausen serves as the Alumni Relations’ associate director of chapters and groups. While walking on campus recently past the construction site of the former trio of Bannan buildings, she says, “I didn’t expect to get emotional but I really was. I was thinking of my cousins whose grandfathers’ names were on the buildings. That’s a piece of you, you know?
“One common theme that binds us is the Santa Clara family,” President Michael Engh, S.J. said. And for Patti Bannan Pascale, the niece of Lou Bannan, S.J., the Bannan Alumni House is a touchstone of her great-uncle’s spirit. “Sometimes he would call you into his office in the Alumni House,” Patti Bannan Pascale said. “He would say, ‘I see you around and you are just not looking as happy as you normally do. The Alumni House was originally built as an infirmary. When the infirmary moved to the Cowell Health Center, Lou Bannan, S.J., successfully lobbied the university to move the alumni office from Varsi Hall to the Alumni House in 1975. “The alumni, students and all our public should know that we are not a second-rate agency,” Lou Bannan, S.J., wrote. “Obviously, this is a great factor to enhance loyalty and communications, as well as income. It was this sense of loyalty, a profound sentiment for Santa Clara that defines the many generations of Bannan family members who have come and gone as students of the university. “It is a place of formation, a place where we find the love of our lives,” Patrick Nally, a fourth-generation Bannan, said.
Cloie von Massenhausen ’19 says her friends like to tease that at Santa Clara, it would be far too easy for her to go on a date with a cousin without knowing it. They may be joking, but it’s not the craziest assessment given von Massenhausen’s lineage. You see, she is a sapling in the Bannan family tree, whose roots stretch deep into Santa Clara University history. Nearly 200 Bannans have come here in the past 100 years, since Tom Bannan ’23-that’s 1923-went against his father’s wishes to attend the University of California at Berkeley and enrolled at Santa Clara instead. Von Massenhausen is a descendant of Tom’s on her mother’s side. “I walked by a building every day of my freshman year that shared my first name-Berchman Bannan Hall, named for my grandfather,” he says. On March 23, 2019, the Donohoe Alumni House was officially renamed the Bannan Alumni House. “Seeing that name everywhere is not scary or intimidating,” Harvey says. “It gives me something to work for.
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