Legacy means much more to Douglas Beirne ‘20 than tradition or heritage. It relates and resonates more directly with family, particularly his father’s connection to St. Thomas.

“My dad graduated in 1987, and he has told me how much the Eagle brotherhood has meant to him throughout his adult life,” Beirne says. “But when I was deciding on high school, he advised me to do what was best for me, to find the right fit moving forward. I made all the campus tours, weighed all the options, and I had a great sense that St. Thomas was home. That’s what I cherish most right now and hold in my heart, the same as my dad has.”

Students of alumni continue to comprise a valuable contribution to the St. Thomas mission. Drawing in second and third generation graduates helps maintain a sense of affinity on which many institutions pride themselves, a valued kinship from the past into the present.

And it was an active role inside Round Up, the most signature St. Thomas enterprise dating nearly a century, where Martin Douglas Beirne IV discovered his most rewarding connection to his Eagle family.

“I had an opportunity to work on the senior board,” Beirne says. “To see how the student body rallied in that final week and into the final day to reach our goals was a true testament to that brotherhood, to what St. Thomas is all about.”

The brotherhood. Eagles responding for future Eagles.  Beirne played a pivotal part among riveted scholars racking another outrageous total in raffle ticket sales – $525,370 – crashing the half-million-dollar mark for the fourth consecutive year and raising a raucous seven-year sales spike to more than $3.6 million with all proceeds benefiting St. Thomas tuition assistance.

After enrolling from St. Cecelia Catholic School, Beirne quickly gravitated to fine arts and choir. He began in stage production before making the transition to acting and gained considerable growth from participating in one of the most significant college preparatory theater programs in Texas.

“I developed more self-confidence, especially when in front of an unfamiliar group or an audience,” Beirne says. “More than anything else, I built strong relationships within a vibrant group. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Beirne graduated as a member of the prestigious St. Thomas chapter of the National Honor Society. He received an impressive scholarship package to attend St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. The Greehey School of Business carries considerable prestige for entrepreneurship and innovation. But the attraction for Beirne was the program’s educational reputation for emphasizing faith, values, and service within its highly acclaimed curriculum.

“St. Mary’s offers fantastic faculty who I expect can help mold me into the person I hope to be,” Beirne says. “There’s true meaning and purpose in addition to academics. It’s a choice very consistent with my four years at St. Thomas.”

Catholic. Basilian. Teaching Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge since 1900.