Race to the Top

Kenneth Leithman ('47) (LIGHTman) recalls a brief meeting with Brother Martin, S.C., principal of St. Aloysius, that shaped his future.

• Ken worked after school at an auto business to help defray his tuition. As a result, he could not compete in sports for the Crusaders. However, he sometimes assisted the baseball team – warming up the pitchers, catching batting practice, doing other odd jobs – to earn tuition credit.
• One day during his senior year, Ken visited Brother Martin to obtain a copy of his transcript and a college application.

Finances dictated that I attend a state school. During our 15-20 minute visit, he studied my transcript, wrote, studied, and never said a word. Once completed, he pushed the documents across his desk and said, "Son, with grades like this, you are a Loyola man." I rose, picked up the package, thanked him, and walked out of his office.

• The question of how to break the news to his mother obsessed Ken as he traveled home. "I left home that morning to obtain a state university application, the cost not easily obtainable, and returned with an application for a university beyond our reach."
• At a family meeting, it was decided that Ken should visit Loyola – look at the campus, determine the costs, and discuss his situation with Admissions.
• Earnings from a summer job at Ochsner Hospital plus some family savings financed Ken's freshman year at Loyola.

 

Ken Leithman 1947

Brother Martin, S.C.

What some would label a stroke of luck enabled Leithman to complete his education at Loyola. He sees it a different way. "It was at this point that I realized that Brother Martin and the Almighty had some communication."

• In the spring of 1948, Ken saw a sign on campus announcing the start of a track team for the following school year.
• Having regularly beaten the athletes in pickup races at Aloysius, Ken decided to try out for the Wolfpack squad. He put on his first pair of track shoes and, without starting blocks, ran a 10 flat 100.
• Coach Jim McCafferty offered him a four-year track scholarship that covered tuition, books, meals, and fees. Big Jim found it hard to believe that Ken never ran high school track.
• Ken experienced great success on the track. He lettered four years, made all-Gulf States Conference three times, captained the 1951 conference championship team, and earned the Most Valuable Player award.
• When Leithman graduated from Loyola, the featured speaker was none other than Brother Martin, by that time the Provincial of the New Orleans Province.

Kenny Leithman wins dash at Loyola's track in 1952.