1869-1919
July 1, 1869: Alumni Association formed at the request of the 92 graduates of the class of ’69. Rev. John J. Power, ’51 selected as first Alumni Association President.
November 1871: First Alumni reunion is held at Parker House on Thanksgiving – 30 attendees
1896: Connecticut Alumni Association founded
1898: Worcester County Alumni Association founded
1899: First alumni directory published with 719 alumni
1902: Berkshire County Alumni Association founded
1905: Alumni Association membership snapshot - 437
1906: Regional Alumni Associations founded-Holy Cross Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Holy Cross Club of Boston, Holy Cross Club of New York
1908: Regional Alumni Associations founded-Holy Cross Club of Rhode Island, Holy Cross Club of Philadelphia
June 1910: First three Alumni Association Committees-“Entertainment and Advertising”; “Federation, Statistics and Co-operation with College officials”; and “New Members and New Students”
June 1915: Alumni Association annual dues of $1 adopted
1918: Committee of alumni from the Alumni Association tasked to work with Rev. Joseph N. Dinand, S.J., President of the College, to plan the College’s 75th anniversary celebration.
1919: Alumni Association celebrates 50th anniversary of founding
1919-1944
September 1924: Alumni Office created and Frederick Dietzman ’94 is hired as first Executive Alumni Secretary
1924: Alumni Association membership snapshot - 4,500+
November 1925: Constitution of Alumni Association adopted, formalizing procedures for the Association including election of officers, nominated from regional alumni clubs across the country
April 1927: First edition of Holy Cross Alumnus, the alumni newsletter, published
January 1928: Dues for the Alumni Association increased to $5, and a permanent endowment created by investing the dues contemplated for the support of alumni work
September 1929: One of first formal Alumni Association fundraisers launches to help the College build a new dining hall
April 1931: Created by representatives of 20 of the then 27 regional clubs, the “Alumni Council” meets for the first time on campus
1937: First edition of Crossbow – Boston Alumni Club publication
June 1940: First Alumni Weekend held on campus which was not part of Commencement Week
1944-1994
1947: Office of the Executive Alumni Secretary expands to add staff, to head the Loyalty Fund, then the fundraising arm of the Alumni Association
1947: Class Agent System is established, whereby a member of each class would participate in the fundraising operation and reach out to his classmates
November 1956: First annual Alumni in Law Homecoming held by General Alumni Association
October 1957: At the General Alumni Association annual meeting, the five-year reunion cycle was introduced
June 1960: GAA establishes the In Hoc Signo award as an expression of respect and admiration for those alumni who have distinguished themselves by their dedicated, outstanding and lengthy service to the College, regional clubs or their class. See the list of In Hoc Signo award winners.
1967: General Alumni Association membership snapshot – 13,700+
August 1969: Patrick L. McCarthy ‘63 appointed as the first Director of Alumni Relations and Executive Secretary of the General Alumni Association
July 1, 1969: General Alumni Association celebrates 100th year of founding
May 1974: Eighteen women graduate from the College and become first alumnae of Holy Cross
June 1979: The Bishop Healy Committee is established with a goal to “discover and implement means of alumni participation in efforts to foster interracial understanding, interaction and friendship within the Holy Cross Community.”
April 1983: GAA hosts its first Classroom Revisited, a day of continuing education for alumni and friends
June 1994: The Father Joseph T. O'Callahan NROTC Committee is established to assist the NROTC Unit and to honor the memory of Father O'Callahan, Medal of Honor recipient and Holy Cross professor
1994-2019
1996: Walter B. Roy ’72 is first ALANA graduate to serve as GAA President
1999: Anne Reilly Ziaja ’78 is first female graduate to serve as GAA President
October 2009: GAA Board of Directors votes to change name to Holy Cross Alumni Association
March 2011: The HCAA's first national Holy Cross Cares Day takes place, involving different regional clubs in a day of local community service
June 2012: New HCAA Mission Statement adopted
October 2012: The Holy Cross GLBTQ Alumni Network founded (name later changed to LGBTQIA+ Alumni Network)
June 2013: “Engaging Alumni for Life” tagline adopted by the HCAA
June 2014: First HCAA five-year Strategic Plan established, setting the organization’s goals and mission
September 2017: HCAA President Brian Duggan ‘96 becomes the first HCAA President to serve on the College Board of Trustees during his two-year term
2019: HCAA Celebration Committee formed to plan for the Association’s 150th anniversary year
2019: HCAA membership snapshot- 35,000+