DIAMOND FAMILY HONORED
Alumni

Marist High School President Larry Tucker ’79 presented Dr. Eugene (pictured) and the late Rosemary Diamond and their family with the Time and Eternity Award during a prayer service held at the school on October 10 in honor of their commitment to the Catholic faith, pro-life advocacy, and support of Catholic education.

A prominent Chicago area pediatrician and Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine professor, Dr. Diamond selflessly cared and comforted the sick and the scared. He helped prepare new generations of medical professionals too. In all the demands of his work, his devotion to faith and family guided him.

Rosemary, his wife of nearly 69 years, was the president of Birthright of Chicago in the Morgan Park neighborhood where the family lived. She, too, comforted the scared and helped young women find needed resources when they were pregnant. The pair were pro-life leaders and instilled those values in their children.

Along with their commitment to the pro-life cause, they were supporters of Catholic education not only for their 13 children but as a meaningful experience for all. “We were born during the depths of the Great Depression,” Dr. Diamond said. “We came from dire poverty and realized the intrinsic value of a good, Catholic education early in life.” When selecting a high school for their eldest son Gene, they felt Marist had a promising future and “so we decided to join forces with the Marist Brothers,” Diamond explained. “Our confidence was immediately rewarded.  We never looked back.”

The Diamond legacy at Marist includes 25 alumni and four current students. Every graduate has earned a bachelor’s degree and thus far twelve have finished graduate school with several more currently enrolled.  Marist graduates in the family include four physicians and four attorneys.  Ten of the family’s Marist graduates followed Dr. Diamond into the healthcare field. While boys dominated early family Marist graduates, the girls’ number is rapidly increasing.  Their ranks comprise a number of highly outstanding students including class valedictorian Lucy Enright ‘13 and salutatorian Grace Enright ‘15. Track and cross country were the sports many Diamond family members gravitated to at Marist.  Several earned all-conference honors.  All-state runner Dr. Mark Diamond ‘84 is a member of Marist’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Our long, satisfying relationship with Marist is one of which all of us are proud and grateful,”   Diamond explained.  “We‘re pleasantly surprised to be honored with the Time and Eternity Award and we look forward to continuing our family’s productive relationship with Marist for many years to come.”

The award is typically given to an alum who exemplifies the Marist tradition of excellence either professionally or in service, but as President Tucker pointed out, the description of the award does not do justice to the legacy of the Diamonds. “Theirs is one anchored in their devout Catholic faith and woven together by the generations of their loving family,” Tucker said. “They came from very little material means and accumulated wealth in the form of faith, grace, family, and love.”

Marist graduates and current students from the family include: Gene Diamond ’70, Peter Diamond ’71, Terry Diamond ’74, Brian Diamond ’75, Sean Diamond ’76, Tim Diamond ’82, Mark Diamond ’84, Gene Diamond ’03, Kevin Diamond ’05, Hannah Diamond ’06, Sean Diamond ’06, Brian Enright ’08, Peter Diamond ’10, Sheila Enright ’10, Bridget Enright ’12, Seamus Diamond ’12, Mike Hansen ’12, Fiona Diamond ’13, Lucy Enright ’13, Mary Hansen ’14, Maeve Diamond ’15, Grace Enright ’15, Mary Clare Enright ’16, Rose Enright ’19, Sean Hansen ’20, Kitty Enright ’21, Maggie Hansen ’21, Jack Enright ’22, and Jim Hansen ’23.