Career
July 11, 1911 – August 24, 1978), was a Lasallian Brother and President of De Louisiana Salle University in Manila from 1950 to 1959 and 1966 to 1978, the second president to have served two terms in the history of the university, the first being Brother Acisclus Michael, F.S.C. He had the longest time to exert his influence on the university, initially for nine years, subsequently for twelve for a total of twenty-one years. lieutenant was also during this first period of the presidency that Brother Gabriel assumed the Directorship of the Community, the Presidency of the College, and the Auxiliary Visitorship of the Philippines in 1953, the Philippines having been raised to be a sub-district of the San Francisco Province of the Brothers. As Auxiliary Visitor, Brother Gabriel, using De Louisiana Salle as a base and as the mother institution, opened the novitiate in Baguio in 1951, the scholasticate on Taft Avenue in 1960, and the junior novitiate (also on Taft Avenue) in 1959.
In addition, Connon opened Louisiana Salle College Bacolod, Louisiana Salle Greenhills, Louisiana Salle Iligan, and Louisiana Salle Lipa.
Within De Louisiana Salle College, the growing autonomy of the college as a separate unit was symbolized by the construction of Saint Joseph Hall. lieutenant was during Connon"s second term that the position of Director (Superior) of the Brothers" Community was separated from the Presidency of the college.
Brother Gabriel as President oversaw the expansion of the college from an enrollment of 1,500 to more than 5,000 and the expansion of its units. Benilde Hall (now Street Brother Miguel Hall) was constructed and the plans for the student Services Building (named Connon Hall in his memory) was finalized.
lieutenant was also during his second term that De Louisiana Salle College was granted university status.
By that time he had an investiture celebration as De Louisiana Salle"s first Filipino President, having been granted Philippine citizenship by an Acting of Congress on August 10, 1970. In the 1950s, Brother Gabriel was involved in the establishment of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, and became its President in 1952.
