Coughlin Given ‘Thank You’

Nearly 800 people filled Spokane’s Ag Trade Center Thursday to pay tribute to the outgoing president of Gonzaga University.

The Rev. Bernard Coughlin spent 22 years as head of the Jesuit institution, and is credited with boosting its academic and financial standing.

“Father Coughlin has been a gift to all of us,” said Chris Schnug, chairwoman of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and emcee for the luncheon.

“We just want to say ‘thank you’ today.”

People from business, government, education and civic organizations dined on chicken and asparagus, and heard a platter full of speakers praise Coughlin, who at one time served as chairman of the chamber of commerce.

From the mayor on down, the crowd included some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the city.

The Rev. William Skylstad, bishop of the Catholic Diocese in Spokane, described Coughlin as “a fellow pilgrim on our mutual journey of faith.”

Like all Jesuits, Coughlin took a vow of poverty in his work. He received no salary as president.

Business executive Luke Williams, who helped organize the luncheon, announced that more than $10,000 was raised through donations to finance Coughlin’s wish to travel abroad in the coming year.

“It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever been involved with from a fund-raising standpoint,” Williams told the crowd.

“When people realized it would get him out of town, the money started pouring in,” he joked.

Allison Cowles, who served with Coughlin on the state’s former council for post-secondary education, described Coughlin, 73, as “a friend and a teacher who makes each of us feel special and loved.”

Coughlin couldn’t leave without a last quick message. “I challenge you to be a community of people who love one another,” he said.

, DataTimes