UNIVERSITY BULLETINS | When Benny Arra walks through campus, he sees what his brother, Joe Arra ’17, saw – a bustling campus with familiar sights.
It is more than what his mother, Patty Arra ’85, saw during her undergraduate years. The campus is bigger now, with several additional buildings, such as Hannon Library, the Life Sciences Building and University Hall.
Benny sees much more than what his grandfather, Harry Honda ’50 saw. The campus was Loyola University then, and comprised only a few buildings, including Xavier Hall, St Robert’s and Malone. Even Sacred Heart Chapel was just being built.
But when Benny graduates in 2022 with his degree in engineering physics, he will walk the same path across Sunken Garden that his brother and mother and grandfather walked before him.
Harry often brought Patty to campus when she was a child. He wanted her to feel the sense of place he had felt as a student. Harry’s family had been interned in Arkansas, as many Japanese-Americans were, as he served 4½ years in the Army’s Quartermaster Corps in several locations, training soldiers to go overseas. He came to Loyola on the GI Bill right after World War II. Harry, who went on to become a renowned journalist, wanted his daughter to experience the campus as he felt it, a welcoming place where he could develop his potential.
Patty chose LMU. After graduating, she acted a bit, was in sales, and with her husband, Dan, raised the family. She brought her sons and two daughters to campus, pointing out the sights but also focused on “the vibe of the campus.” She says you get a feel for the diversity and inclusion of the student body as you walk around, those characteristic aspects of LMU she wanted her children to experience.
Joe and Benny chose LMU. Joe earned a physics and applied mathematics minor, and is working in Los Angeles as a sales engineer for an IT consulting firm. Patty volunteers with LMU’s Global Day of Service and she and Dan serve as a Parent Ambassadors. She helps new parents understand the dynamics between LMU and the city of Los Angeles, which offers so many incredible opportunities. They also serve on the LMU Parent Council, which advances the university’s mission by working with the Office of Parent Programs and Parent Giving to encourage current and past parents to take part in LMU programs, events and fundraising activities.
Three generations who share a singular sense of place.