The Laetare Medal
In the early 1880s, the Notre Dame faculty and administration were discussing a way to engage American Catholic lay men and women with the hierarchy of the Church. University President Rev. Thomas...
View ArticleThe Great Fire of 1879
Wednesday, April 23, 1879, started out as any other spring day at Notre Dame. Taking advantage of the warm day, the Minims were out on their play yard. Around 10:00am, they were the first to notice...
View ArticleMemorial Library Dedication 1964
Notre Dame’s Memorial Library (renamed the Hesburgh Library in 1987) was formally dedicated on May 7, 1964. Its doors officially opened for student use in the fall of 1963, although the famous “Word...
View ArticleIllinois Rally for Civil Rights 1964
On June 21, 1964, Soldier Field in Chicago played host to the Illinois Rally for Civil Rights. The principle speakers were Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., President and Founder of the Southern Christian...
View ArticleEdward Sorin & Notre Dame’s Early Years
While Notre Dame would flourish in the 19th century, it was not an easy road. Most American educational institutions faced severe obstacles that often led to ruin. John Theodore Wack noted, “Of the...
View ArticleBrick Top Shaun Rhue
In October of 1932, dog breeder Charles Otis and his partner Thomas Bolton announced that they were going to donate an Irish Terrier to Notre Dame to serve as mascot for the football team. According...
View ArticleMain Quad Cannons
On May 22, 1896, the United States Congress approved the Disposition of Condemned Cannon, Etc., which provided the Secretaries of War and of the Navy the authority “to loan, or give to soldiers’...
View ArticleAn Archivist’s Eulogy for Father Hesburgh
I mourn the passing of Father Ted in a deeply personal as well as professional way. In 1978, when I was an ambitious but still young archivist, he believed in me enough to give me the chance to be...
View ArticleThe Archdiocese of New Orleans Collection
Early in the 1880’s Professor James F. Edwards, librarian of the University of Notre Dame, aware that irreplaceable items pertaining to the history of Catholicism in America were constantly in danger...
View ArticleCrossroads Park and Fountain
During the summer of 1976, student Paul Linehan made his senior art project a reality before heading off to Harvard for graduate school. The University implemented Linehan’s design to beautify the quad...
View ArticleThe Military at Notre Dame
Notre Dame has had a long military tradition. The administration organized student military units early on as a means of encouraging physical activity, leadership, and discipline. In 1859, a company...
View ArticleNotre Dame vs. Army
Notre Dame’s relationship with the military also extends to the athletic fields. Many Notre Dame traditions and myths were born out of football games with Army. In 1912, newly appointed Athletic...
View ArticleGrover Miller Scrapbook
Grover Miller was the photo editor of the 1916 Dome yearbook. Like many other students at the time, Miller kept a scrapbook of the photos he took and collected and various ephemera he collected....
View ArticleCatholic Parish History Collection
During the past several decades, interest in parish histories has grown considerably in America. Throughout the United States, pastors and parishioners have become more keenly aware of the need to...
View ArticleRev. John “Pop” Farley, CSC
John Farley arrived to Notre Dame in the fall of 1897. He came to study for the priesthood, but also had a penchant for athletics. He won nine varsity monogram letters in football, baseball, and...
View ArticleMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The University Archives, along with all other Notre Dame administrative offices, will close for the Christmas Celebration on December 24th and reopen on Monday, January 3rd. CAZA 40/01: Christmas Card...
View ArticleArt at Notre Dame
Art has long been an important offering in the curriculum at Notre Dame. “Drawing and painting have been always favorite studies at Notre Dame, and improvements will be made to render these studies...
View ArticleMartin Luther King Jr. at Notre Dame
On October 18, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Notre Dame’s Stepan Center. The South Bend Citizens’ Civic Planning Committee organized the event, which was a fund-raiser for the Southern...
View ArticleThe Juggler
The Juggler is a student literary and art magazine. The first issue was published December 1919 as a stand-alone college humor and satire publication, which were common among other universities at the...
View ArticleKing Kersten
In the spring of 1972, Robert (Bob) Calhoun Kersten ran one of more memorable Student Body Presidential campaigns from his office in the fourth floor bathroom of Walsh Hall. Kersten’s candidacy was...
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