Class of 1954: A Class of Pioneers
When the first class entered Bellarmine College in 1950, they were pioneers—it was a new world, a new college, and they were building it together. There were no doors on the buildings for the first few weeks, and alumnus Al Cassidy '54 remembers a roof being installed while he was in class.
“Almost everybody was playing it by ear. We were all learning,” said Cassidy, who not only graduated in the Class of 1954 but also served as a university staff member and a board member and has been a donor to the university throughout his lifetime.
Across the next four years, the class developed a bond, navigating their academic journey at a new college but also sharing an urgent uncertainty. With the Korean War having just begun, the looming threat of the draft was real to the all-male classmates. The government issued deferments based on academic performance, and after their first year, the class dwindled by half, and by the time of graduation in 1954, only 42 of the original 115 students completed their degrees.
Despite the pressure, there was no cutthroat competition. The students supported one another, and the relationships forged in those crucial four years lasted
“The most significant thing about (my time at Bellarmine) is the relationships with the other 41—then and to this day,” Cassidy said. “The bonding that took place, going through those experiences in what was really a short period of time, is what I've looked back at.”
In the decades after graduation, the classmates remained in touch, adamantly preserving the relationships forged in those challenging, uncertain years.
Class of 2025: Our Newest Graduates
Bellarmine University conferred more than 780 degrees to the Class of 2025 during its Spring Commencement ceremonies held Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
