The Gonzaga College High School Experience: An Unpayable Debt
Growing up in Deanwood and Anacostia as the only son of a single working mother, Sinclair Harris never heard of Gonzaga. He went to public elementary and junior high schools of the District of Columbia.
While in eighth grade, 13 of his classmates and their parents were asked to meet with the vice principal. At that meeting, the vice principal passed out lists of schools with excellent reputations and said, “We suggest that you put your children in one of these schools in order to give them the best chance for an educational challenge that will bode them well in life.”
Sinclair and his mother looked over the list and discussed affordable options. While Sinclair wanted to go to the school in Connecticut, his mother had no plans or finances for such a venture. She had heard great things about a place called Gonzaga and thought it was worth investigating.
As Sinclair stated during the Kohlmann Address a few years ago, “I don’t know where I would be without the blessing of going to Gonzaga, and it changed my life forever.”
Sinclair went on to graduate from James Madison University and then serve in the United States Navy for 34 years, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral Upper Half. He commanded at every level including Fleet Commander for United States Fourth Fleet and Vice Director of Operations to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Today, Sinclair is the Director for Business Development at LMI, serves as President of the National Naval Officers Association and is a National Vice President of the Navy League of the United States.
In every position and capacity, Sinclair regularly attributes his success to his education on Eye Street. It is for this reason he has decided to provide lasting support to Gonzaga so that others can have the same experience and success.
You, too, can make Gonzaga a part of your legacy with a gift in your estate plan. Contact Daniel P. Costello ’72 at (202) 336-7174 / dcostell@gonzaga.org or David Dugan ’98 at (202) 370-5354 / ddugan@gonzaga.org to start the conversation today.
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