Caretakers of history: THE ROLE OF CADET COLONELS
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By Shawna Gallagher Vega
or more than a century, the weight of the Regiment’s history has rested squarely on the shoulders of its cadet colonels. Through wartime and peacetime and moments of great patriotism and protest, those colonels have set the standard for their peers and served as guardians of a long tradition of discipline, service, and civil engagement. Decades after leading the Regiment, past colonels vividly remember both moments of glory and lessons learned. “You feel that you’re a part of history,” said Tim Williamson ’00, whose father Arthur Williamson ’66 P’00 regaled him with tales of the Regiment growing up. “I also felt like I was a role model for others. I tried to set the tone for the younger kids of the school about how to act, how to behave, and how to represent Xavier.” “What I learned was that when you’re at the top, you’ve got to help people. Even as the colonel, I would help a freshman. You get to that place and you’ve got to take care of the troops,” said Joe Garvey ’67, who served in the Navy before transitioning to a law career. “I learned a lot at Xavier that I applied when I was in the service. You learn things about keeping people together and making sure people fit in. You set that example. The personality of the Regiment—and the personality of any organization—comes from the helm. Words matter.”
XAVIER MAGAZINE 27
