Harry Carlin, S.J., graduated from St. Ignatius in 1935, a classmate of Bill Bruce. He joined the Jesuits, and returned to SI for three years as a scholastic beginning in 1942. After ordination, he served as disciplinarian at Loyola High and Brophy Prep, then returned to SI, again in charge of discipline. He told the story of the time a student was sent to him for throwing a paper airplane in class. After school, Fr. Carlin ordered the student to fold another paper airplane, go up to the roof, throw the airplane, retrieve it, and repeat the process again and again until Father told the student to stop. Later, Fr. Carlin went home to the Jesuit residence at the same time he always did. He received a phone call at dinnertime. The student wanted to know if he could stop throwing the paper airplane yet. Fr. Carlin had forgotten.

After a period working with young Jesuits at Alma College, Fr. Carlin was appointed president of St. Ignatius and assigned the task of moving the school, fast running out of space, to a new location. He purchased land in the Sunset District and built the 2001 campus. After his six-year term as president, he was appointed executive vice president and continued to raise money for the school, first to finish paying off the debt from building the new campus, then for endowment and improvements. His love for SI and the energy he put into making it great led some to say that his initials, H.V., stood not for Harry Vincent but for High Velocity Carlin, founder of the modern SI.