Our History
The Crimson Circle was organized at the beginning of the 1929-30 school year, as a permanent society, to carry out and enforce the laws and the traditions of the Associated Students. Influential men of the Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes make up the active membership. The president of the Student Body, the president of the Block "I", and the head Yell Leader, are the associated members. All violators of Loyola's code caught during the year were summoned, tried, convicted and punished in open assembly. The humiliation in many cases was even more effective than the physical punishment inflicted. Cutting assemblies, insubordination and the infringement of the Frosh rules, were punished summarily. This body has merited a definite place in our Student Body. It maintains on a firm basis the traditions and rules which are an essential part of school life. It is the duty of the Crimson Circle to interpret these rules and to enforce their observance.
The Founding Fathers: Lehn (Hon.), McGrath (Hon.), Higgins (Hon.), Haggerty, Brubaker, Von Der Ahe, Marshall, Sullivan, Nevins, T. Sargent, Aguayo, Donahue, Joyce, Brown, Del Valle.
Crimson Circle - 1930
In 1932, Crimson Circle saw a change. Realizing the need for a service club on campus, Homer Pheasant reorganized the Crimson Circle and transformed it into such a club. It assisted the Mothers at the Loyola Guild Tea; it took complete charge of the gates and tickets at the Alumni-Varsity game following Spring practice, and it lent its support to the Frontier Nites. The chief object of the Circle is to aid in all student activities, whether they be intellectual, athletic, or social. The membership was limited to fifteen active members and were selected from among those students who distinguish themselves by their service to the University.
Crimson Circle - 1932
In 1938, the duties of the organization consisted in handling the rooting section at athletic contests, notably the football and hockey games. It was their thankless duty to pass out and recollect megaphones to Loyola's rooters at the football games. The members were also guardians at student assemblies. The Crimson Circle men were distinguished by their deep red sweaters which enclosed the head of a lion. In addition to the former tasks of overseeing the rooting section at the athletic contests, and upholding the Loyola tradition by their example, the Crimson Circle handled, in its monthly court session, the parking difficulty brought on by the newly-paved road in 1940.
Crimson Circle - 1940
Fall registration was ably organized with the aid of Circle members, and in the various socio-scholastic events which followed, they demonstrated their ability to preserve order, out of which order came a high degree of achievement. The University Lectures, the post-game dances as well as all the dances sponsored under the aegis of the ASLU, the Masses and retreats of the academic year, the rallies, the polls, the Homecoming Parade, the Glee Club concerts, the Loyola Plays, the Varsity and Variety Show, the activities of Senior Week and all the varied social movements of an alert student body were made more successful because of the quietly helpful attendance of Circle men. All this watchful work, in addition to their exertions for the solution of the parking problem and their interpretations of the ASLU Constitution in Judicial hearings have made the Crimson Circle an invaluable adjunct to our student life.
In 1954, the Circle served as an honor guard at the president’s wedding, also gaining the label, “An able body of men” in 1963.
Members have and always must maintain a high academic rating and pass through a series of personal interviews before being considered for election. In 1967, the Crimson Circle, throughout its multi-decade existence, has always stood for those qualities which characterize the ideal Catholic man, the Loyola man. The most important event sponsored by the Circle is the annual Red Cross Blood Drive.
1978 and 1979 were the years many women tried and failed to join Crimson Circle. Up until 1980, when the one, and only female to ever be admitted to the Circle.
In the fall of 1987 the Circle members expanded their service to include Mexico. They repainted a dormitory at Rancho San Juan Bosco orphan-age. In the Spring, they performed other philanthropic acts in Mexico and in greater Los Angeles.
In 1989, Crimson placed special emphasis on helping those less fortunate; members took a trip to a Mexican Orphanage to provide food and help with construction and spent a day out with the 9th Street kids to the L.A. Zoo. The goal of the Crimsons is to underscore LMU as an institution dedicated to the education of the complete person. The following year, Crimson Circle adopted their work with orphans at Rancho Nazareth, an orphanage in Tecate, Mexico. Each semester the Crimson Circle made a weekend journey to this orphanage donating food, performing general maintenance, and most of all befriending the orphans of this very impoverished area. Their work with the children has proven to be a very rewarding experience — one tradition they hope to continue for some time.
Chris Elliot and Mario Muxo with friends at the orphanage.
In 1991, we earned the title “Just a swell bunch of guys,” To be a Crimson meant you were an established leader.
Members are perhaps most recognized as ushers at mass. Not only do they assist with services throughout the school year and summer, but they play a role during the more celebrated ceremonies such as Ash Wednesday, Christmas mass, Mass of the Holy Spirit and Palm Sunday.
The members of Crimson Circle experience life from a different perspective after assisting Meals on Wheels volunteers. They understand tolerance after spending a Sunday morning visiting Juvenile Hall with children who have participated in acts of murder and brutality. They discover joy when the students at Loyola Village Elementary School finally understand long division after hours of patience and encouragement. They experience understanding and friendship when assisting University programs. All of these elements of life come from a person's involvement with the community in the name of service.
In 1995, Fr. O’Malley presented the Crimson Circle award to Tom Von der Ahe, Jr ‘87, who accepted on behalf of his grandfather, who is also one of the Circle’s founding fathers, Wil Von der Ahe ‘32.
In 1998, Crimson Circle became a part of a big brother tutor program at Westchester High School. They tutored "at-risk" students three times a week in algebra and english. Members also tutored students at Lennox Middle School. Crimson Circle also had a Christmas toy drive at the Los Angeles County Zoo. Each member picked out a child and bought a gift for him or her. They then delivered the gifts to the children at the zoo. Members also worked with Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a needy community. For Thanksgiving, the members served food in a soup kitchen. Every year Crimson Circle works with "Meals on Wheels," delivering hot meals to people who cannot provide for themselves. They also go to juvenile hall and spend time with children who usually do not have anybody to communicate with. At LMU, members participate in mass and the basketball programs and help regulate the parking lot for various events put on by the president and board of trustees. Members hosted the Crimson Charity Ball, which was and still is a big formal dance open to the entire campus. The most important aspect of the event was that all of the money and proceeds went to children with cancer. It was sponsored by alumni and outside businesses.
A Crimson member poses with some new friends during a service activity for Habitat for Humanity
Doing service-which ranges from tutoring at Westchester High School, to passing out clothes to the homeless in Venice, Crimson Circle is a group of men which hold similar values and a devotion to help those in need. Doing service, which ranges from tutoring at St. Columbkille Grade School to coordination of blood drive recruitment, Crimson Circle is a group of men who hold similar values and a devotion to help those in need. Members better the campus community by repainting the LMU letters on the bluff, a tradition that started in 2004 and continued up until 2009.
On April 24th, 2003, Crimson Circle was recognized and rewarded by ASLMU as the Service Organization of the Year. For the 2004-2005 academic year, The UCLA Blood & Platelet Center presented an award for the group with the highest participation rate (564 units of blood, saving 1,692 lives at the UCLA Medical Center). In the 2009-2010 academic year, Crimson once again was awarded by the UCLA Blood & Platelet Center, this time, for the college campus that collected the most amount of blood (1108 pints of blood, saving 3,324 lives). November 2014, saw awarded by one of their placements, Urban Compass for years of positive presence in the lives of youth and for inspiring them to achieve college success. Also, in partnership with Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles’ 2014 Buddy Walk at City Hall, Crimson was honored for years of volunteer service.
In 2024, the Crimson Circle Service Organization maintains our original values of service, honor, brotherhood, tradition, and faith. Last semester Crimson set an all time Service Organization Community (SOC) record for service hours. Completing over 1800 hours at service placements, on campus, and across the greater Los Angeles area. The org began working with the Grace Hopper STEM Academy to provide tutoring and mentorship to the at-risk middle school students. In recognition of the efforts Crimson Circle has made, the org received a Certificate of Appreciation and Community Partner Award. At the 25th annual Charity Ball, LMU Crimsons and Belles joined to raise over $3000 for The Midnight Mission. At the Spring Blood Drive, the organization set a post-COVID donation record of 212 pints and 111 sign ups for Be The Match. Crimson also set an all time school record with an 85% show rate of donors. A recent highlight of membership is ASLMU’s President Drew Hartz, who managed to maintain his status as a Crimson throughout his term. We are a passionate organization, committed to service and justice at LMU and throughout Los Angeles.