Commemorative Issue 2019 Upon Reflection
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Commemorative Issue 2019 Upon Reflection is year of celebration has brought many opportunities to re ect. We began our 175th year celebrating Blessed Basil Moreau’s Feast Day and honoring his vision through service and caring for others in the community. We gathered with family and friends around the table to share a meal at the Moreau Dinner. And we gathered around the table of the Eucharist to celebrate the goodness of God. We brought our joys and sorrows and we were sent forth to walk in solidarity with others to build community. Our year began in the spirit of celebration, and so we end it. at is what Saint Mary’s women have always done — gathered together to celebrate and go forth. It is what our faith teaches us to do and through the education o ered at Saint Mary’s, students are equipped to go out into their communities with open hearts embracing new ways of envisioning peace and doing the work of justice. e needs of the world are great and have been even before the sisters saw the need to educate young girls. How we meet those needs going forward may change, but rooted in Moreau’s vision and the work of the sisters, we will continue to educate women, and men in the graduate programs. So what di erence does a milestone year like this make? What has this year invited us into? is year of celebration, of honoring our founding and traditions, is preparation to continue to meet the needs of our contemporary world. rough pilgrimage, conferences, and retreats we have explored topics of spirituality, the Church, justice, beauty, truth, goodness, and the history of the sisters. It was their Yes! that continues to lead us as we embrace education with hope and joy, not afraid to tackle di cult challenges, but approach them as opportunities for growth. For Saint Mary’s it started with the Yes! of the sisters stepping out in faith and trusting in God. roughout this year, I have found the Saint Mary’s community responding with a resounding Yes! to continue to build upon our history, to step out in faith, to embrace both the joys and sorrows, and to celebrate the many accomplishments of our community addressing the complex needs of our contemporary world. Words from Moreau’s Christian Education inspire us to root ourselves in the mission and move forward… “With eyes of faith, consider the greatness of your mission and the wonderful amount of good you can accomplish.” Consider the greatness Saint Mary’s has yet to accomplish! With eyes of faith, we go forth. Sincerely, Judith R. Fean Vice President for Mission 175th Anniversary Kicko Celebration Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Loretto Courier | 3 19-641 Courier Upon Reflection copy.indd All Pages 1/7/20 5:05 PM TABLE of CONTENTS volume 94, number 3 | commemorative issue 2019 12 50 20 4 8 16 The Saint Mary’s College Courier Courier Staff Contributors Alumnae Relations Staff About Saint Mary’s College IN THIS ISSUE is published three times a year Donna Fischman Kathe Brunton Kara M. O’Leary ’89 by Saint Mary’s College. Celebrating 175 years of Editor Haleigh Ehmsen ’16 Executive Director of Alumnae empowering women to make Kaitlin Emmett ’20 Nonprofit postage paid [email protected] and College Relations a difference in the world, 4 Rooted in Values at the Post Office Gina Twardosz ’20 [email protected] Art Wager Saint Mary’s College is at Notre Dame, IN 46556 Lexi Grady Haitsma ’17 8 If These Halls Could Talk and at additional mailing offices. Creative Director Photographers recognized as a pioneer in Associate Director of ONLINE EXTRAS Mary Meehan Firtl Christian Alonzo-Cuatepotzo the education of women. 12 Evolution of Academics POSTMASTER: Alumnae Relations A Catholic, liberal arts Send address changes to Art Director Matt Cashore [email protected] Peter Ringenberg institution in Notre Dame, Timeline: 175 Years Alumnae Relations, Curt Sochocki 16 Check out extended content Indiana, the College offers Saint Mary’s College, Senior Graphic Designer Class News and stories online at Illustrator more than 50 undergraduate 20 A Committment That Will Endure 110 Le Mans Hall, Send alumnae class news to: Curtis Parker academic programs and also saintmarys.edu/Courier Notre Dame, IN 46556-5001 [email protected] For the Record offers co-educational 22 Copyright 2019 Saint Mary’s Alumnae News Editor master’s degrees. College, Notre Dame, IN 46556. 110 Le Mans Hall 24 Club News > c.1915 Photo Gallery Reproduction in whole or part Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame, IN 46556-5001 26 Class News is prohibited without written > Reflections on Reunions permission. 175 th Event Highlights Letters to the Editor 50 The opinions expressed are those of the authors or their Send letters to: > More Stores Shared from subjects and are not necessarily [email protected] If These Halls Could Talk shared by the College or editor. Courier Editor Saint Mary’s College Shari Rodriguez 303 Haggar College Center > An Evening with Alice McDermott Vice President for Notre Dame, IN 46556 College Relations The Mark of On the cover: Postcards (c.1904–1910) show a look back [email protected] Responsible Forestry Photo from the family of Anne Dolan McKelvy, Class of 1915. on our roots and the beloved road that brings Belles home. www.fsc.org (Postcards from the personal collection of Curt Sochocki) See more of these historic photos online at saintmarys.edu/Courier SGSH-COC-002249 By Haleigh Ehmsen ’16 Sister Madeleva referred to the maples and sycamores on campus as the bodyguards of campus. They tower above offering protection and shade. Underneath their branches we find respite for reading, studying, or making a phone call home. In their midst, we feel assured, confident in the transformative power of this place. Beyond protection, the trees mark the seasons. They mark the years. As students come and move on, the trees grow tall, defining the place that so many women have called home. 4 | Commemorative Issue 2019 Courier | 5 Like the trees, Saint Mary’s women stand for something. Our alumnae live and work across the country and around the globe. They are leaders in their fields, dedicated to their communities, and always striving to make a difference. They are entrepreneurs, scientists, writers, sociologists, nurses, economists, mothers, sisters, friends, and more. Inspired by the core values of community, The beginning of anything brings uncertainty, learning, faith/spirituality, and justice — these are and in our 175th year, we have been looking back the tenets that guide them. Though things have at the humble beginnings of this extraordinary changed in the world as they have graduated year College. It’s hard to imagine the uncertainty that Look at this avenue. Do you not love it, after year, our values remind us of our strengths the four sisters who came to Indiana faced. But and lead us forward. they persevered, they moved forward, they planted This regiment of trees in ranks of fours And it all begins here, on this campus, amongst trees, and embraced that uncertainty, knowing they the trees. Here students broaden their minds as were rooted in their mission to educate women Marching abreast, maples and sycamores? they take new courses, engage in dialogue and and serve the needs of the community. It is a body-guard a king could covet. discussion, serve in the community, and live with They were hopeful, planting trees and values their peers. They conduct research with their that would grow strong and protect the campus I like its strength, but most, the beauty of it, professors and take leadership roles in campus long after they were gone. organizations. They intern, work, and travel to In this issue of Courier, we explore the foundation And this one thing too mere for metaphors, discover what they like, what they don’t like, and and history of Saint Mary’s that has empowered Its gray-black-white with winter out-of-doors, who they really want to be. women to respond to the needs of the times over the last 175 years. Rooted in our core values, the And any winter sky at all above it. College has grown in the shadows of the trees, as courses of study have evolved and adapted to the needs of the world, wars have started and ended, There is one austere veteran; you must know him, political divisiveness has caused turmoil, recession has hit, and yet Saint Mary’s has stood strong. That grave, gaunt sycamore, battered and white And standing stark beneath the blue of noon. What a fine debt of dignity we owe him! But wait until you watch him through the night; Wait till you see him sharp against the moon. — Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, CSC A May Day celebration in front of Holy Cross Hall shows a young Avenue in the background (c. 1906). 6 | Commemorative Issue 2019 Courier | 7 By Kathe Brunton If These Halls Could T lk. Living in the dorms of any college isa an iconic experience. For most students, it’s the rst time they have left the comforts of home, which brings a whole new level of independence. And while each will go on to have robust lives far beyond their rst experiences at college, the impact of living on campus, the friendships and memories that are formed, often last a lifetime. For years, we have heard tales of Saint Mary’s alumnae and what they best remember about their college experience; memories surface of their time living in Le Mans, Holy Cross, McCandless, Regina, or Opus halls.