Shawn O’Brien ’89, Christopher Cola ’93, Brian Usner ’97, and Jerry Eumont ’80 get high marks for their work organizing and hosting the 2015 Houston Alumni Chapter Crawfish Boil. The event took place on Saturday, May 2, at Jackson’s Watering Hole just outside of downtown Houston.

More than 50 Blue Jays and their families — about 100 people total — saddled up at Jackson’s Water Hole in Houston to celebrate everything Jesuit. The 5th annual event, which featured 450 pounds of spicy crawfish and a vat of delicious jambalaya, took place on Saturday afternoon, May 2.

Special guests included Strake Jesuit president Fr. Daniel Lahart, S.J., Houston’s Cristo Rey Jesuit president Paul Posoli, and Tom Bagwill, who is Jesuit’s director of institutional advancement. Each made short presentations to the appreciative group.

Jason Murphy ’91 with wife Sheridan and daughter Bridget Anne

On behalf of Jesuit president Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66, Bagwill thanked the alumni and their families, saluted the Houston leadership team, and offered a special word of gratitude to Fr. Dan and all those at Strake Jesuit who graciously opened their doors to hundreds of Jesuit New Orleans students immediately following Hurricane Katrina. 

The crawfish bash started in 2011 after Jesuit alumni director Mat Grau ’68 established a Houston alumni leadership team and asked its members to keep Houston Jays connected to each other and to their school at Carrollton and Banks. The Houston alumni chapter — one of many across the Gulf Coast — is currently led by Christopher Cola ’93, Shawn O’Brien ’89, and Brian Usner ’97.

The artfully crafted crawfish and jambalaya were expertly prepared by boil-master Jerry Eumont ’80, who’s been cookin’ the crawdads from the beginning.  

A handful of lucky alumni walked away with Jesuit goodies provided by their alma mater.

Strake Jesuit president Fr. Daniel Lahart, S.J., Jesuit director of advancement Tom Bagwill, and Houston Cristo Rey president Paul Posoli