Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame from 1952 to 1987, left an indelible mark on the University as a champion of civil rights, promoter of peace and justice, and steward of Father Sorin’s founding vision of making Notre Dame a force for good in the world.
We invite you to share your special stories or memories of Father Hesburgh as a collective tribute to his legacy. Stories will be shared publicly. We look forward to sharing your Hesburgh Stories with the Notre Dame family!
Presented by the Notre Dame Alumni Association
I am from Syracuse New York. Fr. Hesburgh is from Syracuse. I met him at the Grotto one year while visiting for a football game and told him where I was from. He talked to me for a while and was so very kind. Said that he liked growing up in Syracuse. Later, I received a signed copy of God, Country, Notre Dame and he told me to take care of Syracuse.
It was sometime in 1990, when word was released that Father Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, new book, GOD, COUNTRY, NOTRE DAME, would be released. A date was also released when Father Hesburgh would be available for a book signing in the Notre Dame bookstore. That date became a priority for me to be on campus that day, but as that date became closer to deadline, it became quite apparent that for a dozen or more very good reasons it became impossible for me to be at this much publicized book signing on campus.
In total frustration I sat down and wrote a letter to Father Hesburgh explaining to him how much I admired him, how sorry I was that I could not attend the signing, and would he please sign a paper with his autograph so I could attach it to my already purchased book.
Lo and behold I received from Father Hesburgh the following handwritten note:
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
From the desk of …
Rev. Theodore M. Hesgurgh c.s.c.
President Emeritas
J.m+J
4,23,91
Dear Chuck-
Thanks so much for
bring a great Notre
Dame man and
serving Notre Dame
so well.
To you and your family
much love and a daily
prayer at Mass.
Ever devotedly in ND.
Father Ted Hesburgh,csc
I was elated at Father’s response, and I have this note pasted into the first title page, I treasure this with great love and respect. I honestly can state, Father Hesburgh is the greatest man I have ever met.
I once interviewed Father Hesburgh for The Observer. It turned into a conversation and the one thing he said that stuck with me the most was “Don’t rest on your laurels.” That advice stayed with me and has allowed me to gain access to opportunities that I never dreamed I would have. Big Thank You to Padre for living your faith and pushing for fair access and opportunities for everyone!
Encounter with Fr. Ted Hesburgh
My first encounter with Fr. Hesburgh, and most memorable one, happened on Saturday night
March 29, 1969. Three of us freshmen from Keenan Hall were walking around campus at night.
We stopped at the Administration Building and noticed the lights were on in a corner office of
the second floor. We had heard that Fr. Hesburgh often worked at night in his office. In those
days, the buildings were not necessarily locked until late at night.
We decided to go into the building and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Standing in front
of the closed office door, we debated among ourselves whether to knock on the door or just
leave the building. One of us blurted out, “No guts, no glory!” With that, one of us knocked on
the door. Our hearts were pounding as Fr. Ted opened the door, and welcomed us into his
office.
He asked what class we were in, and where we lived on campus. One by one, he asked the
name of our hometowns. David Keitges spoke up and said “Ojai, California.” Fr. Hesburgh then
related a story about that area which demonstrated his familiarity with that part of the Golden
State. He turned to me and I said, “Port Clinton, Ohio.” He responded that Port Clinton was
near Sandusky, where Knute Rockne worked as a lifeguard on Lake Erie at Cedar Point
Amusement Park.
The phone rang at his desk, and Fr. Hesburgh excused himself to answer it. After a brief
conversation, he hung up the phone and came back over to where we were standing. He
mentioned the caller was Milton Eisenhower, the brother of former President Dwight
Eisenhower, who had recently passed away. Mr. Eisenhower was calling to see if President
Hesburgh would participate in the funeral of his brother on March 31 at the Washington
National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Fr. Hesburgh replied that he was saying a Mass at
Notre Dame instead.
He then turned to the third member of our group, a student from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
area. Of course he was familiar with Pittsburgh, and mentioned something about it.
After a few more brief exchanges, it was time for us to leave so he could continue working.
A few things struck me: 1) his welcoming demeanor to three unexpected freshmen visitors on a
Saturday night, 2) his familiarity with our hometowns, especially two quite small ones, and 3)
his working on a Saturday night.
When we said our goodbyes, he wished us well in our studies. We then headed back to
Keenan Hall to share our story with our residence hall mates, of meeting the President of Notre
Dame in his office.
William Streeter, Class of 1972
My Dad was a lead bombadier in WWII. After the war he was accepted into the College of Law at Notre Dame. As a married veteran he was assigned a “home” in Vetville on the ND campus. While studying for finals one year, he was sent to the infirmary with an appendicitis attack. Fr. Hesburgh came to his home to speak with my Mom. She wanted to go see my Dad, but their first child (my sister) could not go. Fr. Hesburgh told my Mom that he would take care of Donna while my Mom sat through my Dad’s surgery. My Mom and Dad were Margaret and Benedict Dankovis. He graduated with his law degree in 1949. Notre Dame has been our “home” since then. Go Irish.
An alum who lives in Mishawaka, I brought my five-year-old daughter to campus in 2012, culminating in visiting the library. I was sheepish after my daughter was caught on the 13th floor riding her scooter, then we descended to the first floor to leave, only to see Fr. Hesburgh also leaving the library, aided by his assistants. I pointed him out to my daughter, who insisted on meeting him. I – again, sheepishly – introduced my daughter to Fr. Hesburgh, who gave her a beautiful blessing. It was clear that this gracious man knew how to bless his flock, resulting in a moment that this father will long remember.
I graduated from Notre Dame in the mid-1970s. Our two daughters also graduated from Our Lady’s University. Our youngest daughter, Kathryn, was a freshman when the tragedy of 9/11 happened. One of her suitemates and good friend’s grandfather was a vice president and popular professor at Notre Dame. The Sunday after 9/11 happened our daughter and her good friend were invited to her grandfather and grandmother’s home in Granger for dinner. At that dinner Father Ted was present along with Father Joyce and 3 or 4 other ND students. When Kathryn returned to her dorm that night she called us to tell us about the experience. She was completely blown away by what Father Hesburgh talked about that would be the result of 9/11. He clearly was a visionary and what he had to say about the changes in the world became very true. I dumbfoundedly asked Kathryn what she contributed to the conversation. She appropriately answered “nothing” and reminded me that she had just turned 18 and had limited life experiences. Well, this is September and fast forward to January and the beginning of the Spring Semester. Kathryn had not seen Father Ted since that night until she was at Mass at the Basilica on a cold January day. Father Hesburgh was not the celebrant at Mass but was a Eucharistic minister and our daughter was in his line to receive holy communion. When it was her turn to receive the host Father Ted said “Body of Christ Kathryn”. What an amazing man who met so many influential people and he remembered the name of a quite shy freshman girl just beginning her Notre Dame experience. Wow!
On a Friday, Carole flew out for the Senior Prom from New York and had to take a
plane from O’Hare to South Bend. She was in Nursing School and was studying
“Catholic Ethics for Nursing” for an exam to to be taken Monday. She began to take
some heavy needling and interrogation from the male passenger next to her, and found
herself defending Catholic practice. She had noticed a priest behind her, and was very
annoyed that he did not chime in, to give her a little support. After landing, as they
walked to the terminal, he asked her name and if she was lived in the area. She
answered that she was attending the Senior Prom at ND, She asked him why he didn’t
lend some verbal support on the plane. He said “You were doing so well—it was far
more impressive for him to hear it from you than from me.”
A day later, Saturday night, that same priest was at the entry to the dance in LaFortune
to greet the students and their dates. The protocol was for the student to introduce his
date to the University President, Fr. Hesburgh, which I attempted to do. But he
said,”We’ve already met—good evening, Carole.”
About ten years later, after Carole and I married , I was invited to the New York kickoff
of yet another fundraising effort by the University at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf
Astoria, New York, spouses included. Fr. Hesburgh again was the greeter, and as we
approached, he said “Good evening —so nice to see you again Carole. Already used to
being “second Banana,” I introduced myself.
This story is actually my brother E.J.’s who I hope has been able to share a cigar with Fr. Ted. E.J. was an ’81 MBA and loved Notre Dame. When his daughter Abby was born, he contacted Fr. Hesburgh’s office to ask if he might be available to perform her baptism. Unfortunately, he was to be out of town that weekend. We had a small crew of Godparents and parents and priest in Sacred Heart on a bleak Fall afternoon in 1981, the entire basilica to ourselves, when during the baptism in walked Ted Hesburgh in his London Fog coat. Fresh from the airport. Who can guess why? Our solidly middle class family had no particular influence. He owed us nothing and we had zero expectation. He could have gone back to his office or Moreau and got on with his day. A simple lesson from a great man. Come Holy Spirit!
The following is an excerpt from my Father Ted Talk given at our 50th reunion this past June 2023.
A Light in the Window
On a blustery November evening, 1972, a student was running through campus. It seems he was always running, but this night he saw a light in the window of the administration building. He ran up the steps and burst into the office of a man who did not know him and blurted out, “The president was wrong and you were right.” Because on that day Richard Nixon had dismissed Father Hesburgh from the Civil Rights Commission, because Father Hesburgh refused to do anything except that which was right. And then Father Hesburgh turned his famously piercing eyes on me and reassured me and that day, he taught me a lesson in integrity, justice and perseverance.
Because you see, if we talk about service, we must understand there are certain people in our life that are necessary because they inspire us to look for what is joyful and passionate and purposeful in an imperfect world and sometimes, we have to stop to thank them.
When Notre Dame said, could I return to help develop a program for premed students, but it would be in honor of Father Ted? I said of course. But then, 35 years later, those piercing eyes of Father Hesburgh had failed him, but not his courage, not his passion, not his ability to inspire. That inspiration lives on even after he has passed.
Because what we learn from these people who inspire us is that the key to service is to find joy and passion in something you do with and for others. Partner together and do it very, very well. And if you are doing something to support one of those pillars – faith, family, peace or health – you will have impact.
So, I thank Notre Dame which trained me, I thank these special people, Father Hesburgh who formed it, and most of all, I thank all of you for what you do every day to inspire me. God bless.
I was a new freshman at ND in Holy Cross Hall. After attending the freshman class intro session at the ACC, I was trying to get back to Holy Cross for a freshmen meeting. I got a bit disoriented on campus and used the dome to guide me in the right direction. I was running behind the dome and slowed to a walk when I saw a priest in the distance. It was Father Hesburgh. I said hi and he asked me where I was going. I said I was late for a freshman meeting in Holy Cross. He said “Hop in. I’ll drive you over”. So I got in his Mustang and enjoyed the short drive and chat to Holy Cross. We shook hands and he said “Not sure how many times we will talk again while you are here but I wish you the best of luck while at ND”. He was so easy to talk to and a very generous man, as many of us know. A great start to my ND years.
I arrived on campus in 1958 excited to be at university far away from the Bronx where I lived and grew up. It was a new world in more ways than one, I discovered thanks in large part to Fr. Hesburgh. I thought I knew why I was there–an extension of my education at a large Catholic high school within walking distance of my home, a grown up version with religious faculty and deeper dive probably into subjects. Well, not in Fr. Ted’s school. He introduced Great Books, brought in talented lay profs
and opened up the wider world not only in subject matter, but, as we well know, by his own remarkable involvement in world affairs. I learned I was there to broaden & deepen my mind, critical thinking as well as spiritual grounding. He was an inspiration, a guiding light and a caring person.
He set the university on a bold and fresh new course–and change my life forever.
The Announcement of Coeducation: Fall 1972: I remember when Father Hesburgh addressed the student body, while standing on a platform in the South Quadrangle, that Notre Dame was going to accept women for the first time. He told a story about a young woman walking between the male dormitories on campus. He said that it sounded like ‘feeding time at the zoo”. He remarked that he was troubled by this and that it was not normal. It was this and other factors moved him to make this historic change at Notre Dame.
Just caught up with this e mail. Some 25-30 years ago. I was passing thru the Dallas airport and saw Fr. Ted sitting alone lighting up a cigar. Being a 53 ND grad, his initial year as President and allegedly his favorite , I went up and introduced myself. His traveling companion was away on a phone call, so I had 10-15 minutes of uninterrupted friendly chat time with him one on one. It was a rare opportunity. I never forgot that chance meeting and how friendly and gracious Fr. Ted was. To this day, he is still the greatest personality that passed through my lifetime.
As most people know, Father Hesburgh had people read to him in his final years due to his macular degeneration. I was lucky enough to be in the mostly empty library doing some research on the computer during one Winter Break period when Father Hesburgh’s assistant asked if anyone would like to read to him. As a staff member I jumped at the chance, as I believe the job was mostly given to students when classes are in session. Upon arriving at his office, I was led to his desk where he was smoking a cigar and he handed me a stack of papers to read. After reading through the national newspapers he brought out a Times magazine. It was the end of year issue for 2009. After reading through some articles, we got to the Farewell section, honoring those who had passed away that year. It was as I was reading through those that I realized what a worldwide impact Father Hesburgh had. As we went through the names of well known people like Ted Kennedy, Walter Cronkite and lesser known individuals such as Norman Borlaug (a plant scientist who helped Mexican farmers increase corn yields) or Helen Suzman (the first woman to visit Nelson Mandela in prison), he knew of or had met almost everyone and had a story to tell about most people profiled and about his own experience of helping the farmers grow corn and his meeting with Mandela. Afterwards he showed me the mementos around his office, recalling his favorite moments, especially that supersonic flight! It was an afternoon that I will always remember and he even asked if I wanted to keep the copy of the magazine. I will always cherish the Time magazine from December 2009 mailed to Theodore Hesburgh, Pres. Emrts, 13th Floor Hesburgh Library, University of Notre Dame.
A classmate and I were shooting a short film for a class at Notre Dame. Our script called for a narrator. During casting, we sent an email to Father Hesburgh’s office on the off-chance that he would agree to lend his voice to our small project. We were thrilled and surprised when his secretary promptly responded with a date and time for us to come record his lines. That day we learned Fr. Ted’s eyesight was such that he was unable to read our script. We read his lines to him, which he then repeated for the recording. Holding a boom microphone across his stately desk will always be one of our fondest ND memories.
It was spring 1979 and I was about to graduate from MBA school and become a “Double Domer”. I don’t remember much of the details but the MBA class had a pre-graduation dinner which was attended by Fr Hesburgh. In the attached picture, that’s me with the white suit (it was the disco era so don’t hold the fashion fail against me!) along with my good friend and fellow MBA John Hurley. As I said, not many details remembered other than the pleasure of meeting and dining with a man I so admired.
Fr. Hesburgh was passing through the library one saturday and asked my son (Brian J. Laughman ’01) and his friend if they were interested in serving as altar boys for his daily private mass. An experience my son never forgot! Brian has been in Heaven with Fr. Hesburgh since 2018.
At the end of my freshman year in May 1976, I was part of the concert band that was kept on campus after finals to play at graduation. Two band mates and I lived in the now-defunct Holy Cross Hall – the furthest dorm on campus from the ACC.
We were hauling our instruments as fast as we could – dressed in our band uniforms – across campus on a warm morning. As we neared the Dome, we saw a car parked in front of the steps leading up to the Admin building, but were too focused on moving as fast as we could to notice anything else. As we neared the car, we heard a deep voice, as if from on high saying, “I believe you gentlemen may be running a little late.”
Screeching to a halt like characters in a cartoon, we looked back over our shoulders and saw Father Hesburgh descending casually down the steps. “Come on, get in and let’s go!” He opened the trunk, we put in our instruments and he drove us over to the ACC. On the way, he asked each of us our names, where we were from, and how our Notre Dame experience had been this past year. I was amazed when, many years later, I met Father Hesburgh again at my mother-in-law’s retirement dinner and he immediately recounted this story to my family.
So two band mates and I were chauffeured to graduation in 1976 by Father Ted Hesburgh. He was a true gentleman, a wonderful person, and a true Notre Dame man!
In 2011, Reunion Weekend, 50 year anniversary for my husband, Terry, Class of 1961.
We attended the Mass said by Fr. Hesburgh. The Mass was crowded but we sat up front and could see Fr. Hesburgh very well. I couldn’t help but stare in awe of him the whole Mass. I felt seeing him at Mass was the highlight of the weekend.
In 2016, Reunion Weekend, 55 year anniversary for Terry. We went back for the weekend. We visited the Hesburgh Library and made our way to the 13th floor where Fr. Hesburgh had an office. Terry wanted to see where his office was. We stood in front of the door of the office for several minutes, and this time Terry just stared in awe, and smiled.
Another Notre Dame memory and highlight of another wonderful ND weekend. and of course, Fr. Hesburgh.
I was a reporter/editor at Catholic news service writing a story about social justice. My assignment was to interview a prominent person so I chose Father Hesburgh and called his office to set up an interview. Expecting to talk with his secretary I was stunned when he answered the phone himself and said, “Hello, Kate? How are you? How’s your father?”
My dad founded the General Program of Liberal Studies at ND in 1950.
Reporter tho I was I found myself tongue tied and forced to set a future call which Fr. Hesburgh graciously did.
Afterwards I discovered he was well known for never forgetting people he had met.
I had met Fr. Ted a number of times as a student (Class of 1979) and he always remembered me as “one of those Callahan boys.” He was friends with my Uncle Chuck, better known as Fr. Charles Callahan, C.S.C, who was in charge of the Retreat House on the edge of campus and who also was a significant fundraiser for the order. He knew my father who usually attended at least one home game as a guest of Uncle Chuck, sitting with the Holy Cross priests. You could pick him out as he was the only one wearing a light colored coat in a sea of black. When Fr. Ted’s autobiography was published, I quickly bought a copy as a Christmas gift for my Dad. Then I thought it would be extra special if I could get it signed. I sent it to Fr. Ted on campus with a return envelope and a note asking him to please sign the book and identifying myself. He signed it, addressing his note to my Dad by name, and I had it back in a few days. That was the best Christmas gift I ever was able to give to my Dad. After he passed away, I was given the book and I treasure it to this day, in memory of 2 wonderful men.
I had the joy and privilege of meeting Fr. Hesburgh a few times during my undergrad and grad years at ND; however, one encounter in particular will always be with me. I was in my senior year in the spring of ’95, it was a rainy day around 2 or 3pm, I had several things on my mind, but as I passed by the library, I decided to get out of the rain and see if I could leave my new copy of Fr. Hesburgh’s book “God, Country, Notre Dame” in his office and ask if he would sign it. (I had been carrying it in my backpack for weeks… and somehow that day I remembered it.) His receptionist said he happened to be in, and asked me to wait. Fr. Hesburgh came out moments later, warmly greeted me, signed my book, and chatted with me for several minutes asking me about myself, my family and my time at ND. Then, as I realized I had his attention, I asked if he could help answer some questions about our Catholic faith that had been lingering in my mind at the time (but now, I have no idea what they were). He graciously said he would, but asked me to follow him to the sitting room of his office so we could talk as he got ready to celebrate Mass. We talked for a few minutes and then he invited me to join him for daily Mass. Of course, I said yes, and we walked into his small private chapel in his office. I quickly realized that the only people at Mass were Fr. Hesburgh, his receptionist, and me! He asked me to read the first reading, and he even said a beautiful, short homily. It was a Mass and moment of faith and grace that I will always remember. My Notre Dame experience was forever enhanced by that incredible encounter with a man who continues to inspire my life with his examples of faith, humility and service.
Bill Jordan ’85
On Saturday July 13, 1985 I wrote Father Hesburgh a letter, suggesting “peace scholarships”, along the lines of the ROTC Navy scholarship my younger brother, George, had received to attend Notre Dame. Having graduated in May, and preparing to go to Chile with the Holy Cross Associate Program, I thought it a good idea worth sharing. Live Aid was being broadcast and having finished the letter I fell asleep late in the evening on the couch of the San Diego home I had grown up in, failing to turn the TV off. When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I saw was Father Hesburgh on the TV screen, recounting the well known wisdom attributed to Gandhi about teaching a person to fish as opposed to giving a fish in charity. Within two weeks a letter response came through the mail, straight and to the point, “good idea, not likely the best time in Washington to achieve, but I’m meeting with Loret Ruppe of the Peace Corps and I will begin promoting…” Fast forward to a breakfast meeting in Santiago Chile a few months later and Father Hesburgh picked up the conversation right where the letters left off, encouraging graduate studies to gain tools to have greater impact in places like Chile. He wrote a letter of recommendation to study at Cornell to do just that. Even when we disagreed on topics such as divestment from South Africa around apartheid, he always responded to any communication. A true leader who always built relationship, even when there “were two sides to every coin.” Not surprisingly, when Americorps became a new government program that included scholarships for service, Father Hesburgh was on the founding board! Thank you, Father Ted, for the kind of leadership that we need so desperately these days!
It was near the end of my junior year and I had no plan for the summer of 1982. I needed a job to help pay tuition and other costs before graduation. I was desperate. So, I went to the grotto to pray for help. I lit a candle and walked up the stairs. There, not a few feet in front of me, was Fr. Ted. I said, “Good evening, Father.” He replied, “Well hi Jeff. How are you doing?” I was surprised he remembered me because I had interviewed him freshman year for the Scholastic magazine, but it was easily 2 years prior. I asked him how he remembered my name and he said “We don’t have many students from northern Wisconsin.” And he remembered me because I lived near Land O’Lakes. He pressed me on how things were going, and I replied I didn’t have a summer job. I didn’t know how I was going to pay tuition for senior year. Without missing a heartbeat he said, “Why don’t you become a student fireman?” He said he would talk to Bro. Borromeo at the Notre Dame Fire Department, and I should go there the next day. Sure enough, the next day I was interviewed and hired as an undergraduate student fireman. The university paid my tuition and room & board for my one-year service. I lived in the firehouse from May of 1982 until May of 1983 when I graduated. I probably would not have graduated without Fr. Hesburgh’s help. I needed the money. I am very proud of my service to the university, and I’m even more proud of Fr. Hesburgh,CSC. I am so grateful for his help. He truly was a man of integrity and leadership. He was the answer to my prayers.
Forever Memories:
In 2011, Reunion Weekend, 50 year anniversary for my husband, Terry, Class of 1961. We attended the Mass said by Fr. Hesburgh. The Mass was crowded but we sat in the first couple rows and could see Fr. Hesburgh very well. I couldn’t help but stare in awe at him the whole Mass. I felt seeing him at Mass was the highlight of the weekend for me.
In 2016, Reunion Weekend, 55 year anniversary for Terry, we went back for the weekend. We visited the Hesburgh Library and made our way to the 13th floor where Fr. Hesburgh had his office. Terry just wanted to see where his office was. We stood in front of the door for several minutes, and this time Terry just stared in awe and smiled.
My dad worked at Notre Dame for over 30 years and as part of his staff benefit was able to send six children to Notre Dame for free.
Years later when I was working at Notre Dame I had set up a lunch with my friend and the founder of the Center of Social Concerns, Padre Don McNeill. We were planning to meet at his residence at Holy Cross House.
Shortly before lunch he called to ask if Ted could join us. I said yes, having no idea who Ted was but figuring since we were having lunch at his place it would be rude to say no.
When I arrived, Padre Don welcomed me with his usual warmth and energy and then, much to my surprise, Fr. Ted Hesburgh joined us at the table. For the next hour I was treated to tales of these two giants of Holy Cross who talked about the founding of the Center for Social Concerns and some of their early mishaps. It was amazing!
Afterwards, Padre pulled me aside and said with great concern that he was looking for readers for Fr. Ted whose eyesight had diminished to the point where he could no longer read. I quickly volunteered my father who had, by this time, retired.
On my way back to the office I called my dad to ask if he had time to read to a retired priest. I didn’t mention the name of who he would be reading to because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. My dad said yes but when I was short on details he finally said, “what’s the deal!”? What aren’t you saying?”
That’s when I explained that my dad would be reading to Fr. Ted. My dad immediately said in a hushed tone, “of course. He has done SO much for our family. It would be an honor.” I had never heard my dad talk about Fr. Ted but it was clear he had a great deal of reverence for him.
The last day my dad was supposed to read he received a message that he needn’t come in and Fr. Ted passed within 24 hours.
All these years later our family continues to be profoundly grateful for the gift of our education made available to us through the University and Fr. Ted all those years ago.
Class of 2002 here. A good friend (Carmen Tudela ‘02) clued me in that the 13th floor of the library was the quietest place to study. Most people will also remember it was the floor where Father Hesburgh’s apartment was located. I will never forget the time Father found me “studying” aka sleeping in my carrel on the 13th floor and asked me if I wanted to come to Mass with him. (Imagine being awoken to this question, from this man?) He found a male student to be the altar server so I was the only “congregant.” I was a regular mass goer for my entire life but I found myself terrified that I would forget the responses, as there were no other attendees to echo my words. Thankfully I did ok. Afterwards he showed me his pictures from the Civil Rights movement and the jacket they gave him when he said Mass on the South Pole. What a man.
In ‘72/‘73, the last year of my 5-year undergraduate program, I worked in the Office of International Student Affairs. In the second semester of that year, the director of the office (Rev. Dan O’Neil) took a sabbatical to Rome and left his secretary and me in charge of the office. While Fr. O’Neil was away, one of our international students came to our office with an on-campus housing issue. I attempted to make an appointment with the director of student housing to resolve the issue, but I was not successful. (In his defense, he was doing double-duty that year as director of housing and as general counsel for the University.) Later that week I ran into Fr. Hesburgh on campus. I explained my dilemma. He whipped out a business card and wrote “Please see David Fromm” on the back. Needless to say, I got the appointment and resolved the issue for the student!
Fr. Hesburgh was the very first person I met on the ND campus. It was early August in 1971, and I was near the end of a cross country trip from Oregon to my home town in Western Pennsylvania. As I was to enter ND Law School in a couple weeks and had not been on the campus since I was a small child, I thought I should visit. The campus was practically empty. The first building I visited was the home of the Golden Dome. I walked up the stairs, and standing outside his office was Fr. Hesburgh. I introduced myself, and we chatted for a few minutes, mostly about a mutual friend, who was the Catholic chaplain at my college alma mater. While I hoped this one -on- one experience would be repeated again sometime over the next three years, it was not. But what a great introduction to Notre Dame!
For my 90th birthday, my daughter and son-in-law arranged for us all to meet with Fr. Ted in his private chambers overlooking the campus. However, this was not our first encounter. I first met Fr. Ted after WWII: He joined the Notre Dame staff to teach theology, and I was a junior architecture student completing my studies through the Naval V-12 program. Although we did not see much of one another over the years, he sent my wife and I a personal note during the tumultuous 60s on campus. “Keep the Faith, Baby!” he wrote. We have kept the faith–and his letter–all these years. The last time I saw him was eight years ago on January 19–Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We talked about that fatal day for Rev. King, where Fr. Ted recounted receiving a death threat call in his own hotel room. “What did you do!” I inquired. Fr. Ted replied very calmly, “I told him that the only thing he could take from me was my life.” The caller instantly hung up. Fr. Ted encouraged us to keep praying to the Holy Spirit, for whom he had a special affinity. He held my hand and prayed over us all. My entire arm very literally tingled for an hour afterwards, until it eventually reached my heart. I knew it was the Holy Spirit working within me. Less than one month later, the Holy Spirit came to take Fr. Ted’s life, fulfilling his mission of “God, Country, and Notre Dame.” Yet, Fr. Theodore Hesburgh’s spirit continues to permeate every facet of Our Lady’s campus. After all, the only thing of his that God took from us was his life. His legacy lives on.
I co-wrote a children’s book in 2014 about Santa visiting a Notre Dame student stressed about finals. We decided Santa should look like Fr. Hesburgh, so we went to ask his permission. He spun a dozen great stories, approved by telling us “I’ve been called a lot worse,” and asked us to read him the story when we finished. So months later, we signed the book we read him, and he told us he would put it with his other author-signed books. “I have over 2,000 books signed by the authors, including Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt,” he said. Too lofty a company, but what a thrill. He had a talent for making everyone feel special.
I’ll also never forget the students lined up along the route between the Basilica and the cemetery after he passed. It was below zero that day, and a vicious wind chill. But hundreds of the students wore their best clothes, which meant they were in sports coats and other things that provided little protection from the bitter cold. They just had too much respect for Fr. Ted to wear their informal puffy coats or frilly hats.
My first job on campus was an administrative assistant position with the Hesburgh Program after working my first few years out of college in banking. Every May we held a luncheon for our graduating seniors in the Oak Room above South Dining Hall. Fr. Hesburgh was there to wish our students well and possibly to give a presentation to them (I don’t remember the presentation part but was most likely as this was MANY years ago). As I was standing near the entry to go sit down at the luncheon, Fr. Hesburgh approached me with a smile and said, “What will you be doing following graduation?” to which I grinned and promptly replied “working for you!” He was so approachable, kind and his people skills were unprecedented from anyone I have ever met.
My brother and I visited campus during the summer before our senior year in high school. We were lucky enough to get an appointment with Fr Ted, and we nervously went up to his office. When we got there, he apologized for the mess and asked us to clear off the chairs and have a seat. To our surprise, the Olympic torch was on one of the chairs! He had a great sense of humor about all the tokens and honors he had received over the years.
My daughter a Notre Dame 2016 graduate and myself happened to be in the Hesburgh Library on the Saturday of Orientation in 2013. My daughter was helping the incoming class get situated
On a brief break as incoming parents and students were at the Joyce my daughter suggested we go over to the library and she would show me where Father Hesburghs office was located. We were leaving the library and as we approached the exit who was coming in but Father Hesburgh and his aide. We said hello and the aide called to us and said Father would like to speak with you. I couldn’t believe that at this time Father Hesburgh his aide my daughter and I were the only ones there. Father took the time to ask her where she was from and her class. Erin stated that she was going into her sophomore year and she was from the Boston area. He asked her what she thought of the University and if it had been a good idea of his to have women enroll at the University. He spent the next five to ten minutes speaking with us. We were about to leave and he gave my daughter and I a blessing. He was truly a very inspiring man. I remember my daughter stating this was a special moment that she would remember during her years at Notre Dame. Father Hesburgh would pass away shortly after but her and my memories of a very special priest and man will be with us forever. I know he asked her what she wanted to become. Erin was a biology major and said that she wanted to become a Doctor. Father Hesburgh my daughter did become a Medical Doctor in June 2023. I really believe this meeting was truly extraordinary even if only for 5 or 10 minutes. I know he blessed her and I that day
I was the first in my family to attend college (class of ’93). My grandparents had gone on a road trip across the US prior to my grandfather’s death. I never knew but they had stopped at Notre Dame along the way and spent a day at the Grotto and Basilica. As a student I wanted to get Fr. Ted to sign a copy of his book for my grandmother before I graduated. I went up to his office in the library and he asked all about my family. He signed the book with an entire page filled with a personal note to my grandmother about her faith and the impact she had on my spiritual and personal life. It was a blessing to be able to give it to her and she couldn’t believe it was really from him until she read the note on the front page. What a humble example to follow. Thank you Fr. Ted and Come Holy Spirit.
As a shy freshman on campus in the fall of 1986, after a home football game, while walking across south quad on Sunday morning the day after our first home football game victory, Father Hesburgh was walking toward my roommate and I as we walked to the library. As we nervously thought what do we say to the president of the university, Fr. Ted greeted us with “how’d you like that game fellas?” His demeanor said it all. Welcome to Notre Dame, this is your home. Enjoy your four years! Father Hesburgh – a great leader!
In the fall of 1978, I met Fr. Hesburgh on Wisconsin Ave, Georgetown DC. We went to a coffee house and talked Notre Dame Football for an hour!
A number of years ago I called Notre Dame to ask a question about a religious issue
Imagine my surprise when father Hesburg answered the phone
So personal nd humble
Then when my husband and I brought a long time fan to campus we were invited to his personal mass
And lastly as I worked in the science library to help with my husbands final year Father presented me with an honorary degree
A real class man and great leader of Notre dame
Many years ago, I was doing research in the library for a book that I was writing. A friendly priest came by and noticed that I was not finding what I was looking for. He offered to help me, and we were successful. He told me that if I needed any more help, his office was on the wall behind us. I later walked by the door that he indicated was his office. It was Father Hesburgh’s office.
I am almost finished reading God, County, Notre Dame….by Father Hesburgh
What a fascinating book and what a fascinating life he lead. If you have not read it yet, you definitely need to put it on your list. All the best to the new president, Father Dowd! May he lead the University in the same traditions as Father Hesburgh , Father Jenkins, and all the past presidents going all the way back to Father Sorin. Merry Christmas to all!!!!
Stan
In 1952 Fr Ted travelled Europe looking for the best and brightest to teach at Notre Dame. He had a vision of Notre Dame becoming even more of a prestigious academic institution. He also had the passion to achieve this vision. On one of his trips to Ireland he met with my brother, Fr. Ernan McMullin. He wanted my brother to teach at Notre Dame. He was a force to be reckoned with. He went to the Bishop of Raphoe in remote Donegal to convince him that my brother was needed at Notre Dame. His charisma worked a miracle. At the time in Ireland it was unknown for a priest to be relieved of his pastoral duties. My brother went on to have an illustrious career at Notre Dame. He and Ted became life long friends. The respect they had for one another was profound. Even though he was unwell at the time, Ted made a point in 2011 to be at a memorial mass held for my brother on campus. It brought tears to my eyes to see Ted concelebrating the Mass. Equally his words after the Mass touched me deeply.
My dorm, Pasquerilla West, had a week-long competition called Queen Week, where freshman in each section of the dorm competed to get the most points so their section could win a long-forgotten prize. One of the events was a scavenger hunt and one of the items was “make a pyramid anywhere on campus, best location wins.” The rector of Fischer overheard us planning and said “hang on, let me make a call,” and then sent us across campus to the library. At ten o’clock at night, Father Hesburgh opened the door to his office on the thirteenth floor and let a gaggle of teenage girls make a human pyramid in the middle of the room and gamely posed next to us for the picture. Needless to say, our section won Queen Week in 2003.
When I was a freshman at St. Mary’s, I was taking a pre-Innsbruck foreign-exchange German language class with Dr. Wimmer at Notre Dame. Then I attended some long-forgotten event on ND campus and Fr. Hesburgh showed up. We attendees all stood in a line, and Fr. Hesburgh graciously came by to each of us so we could recite our names and shake his hand. When he came to me, I introduced myself as “Gerti Wimmer”, and he responded “Oh! Professor Wimmer’s daughter!” Now, Dr. Wimmer and I had an adversarial relationship and I’m sure he felt as deeply about me and my slangy Austrian form of German as I did about him and his need to explain novel terms in both German and Japanese. But unlike this story, I didn’t at that moment feel the need to get into a long-winded explanation with the President of Notre Dame, so I just panicked and said “yes” and left it at that. But I often wondered in the years afterwards if Fr. Hesburgh ever asked Professor Wimmer about his daughter and how she was doing at the University… and whether Herr Wimmer also just responded politely and let it go. That was the only time I ever met Fr. Hesburgh, however, but I never forgot it.
Fr. Ted founded the Student International Business Council in the 1980s. His vision was to create a business club that allowed students to work together to propose solutions to real world business challenges from global businesses. I remember an audience with him in his office at the library. He was charming and inspiring, sharing that what really frustrated him at the time was the fact that most curricula waited until the last chapter at the end of the semester to cover global business, and in many cases the class didn’t even make it that far. Fr. Ted turned this model on its head; many courses then began to START with global business at the beginning of the semester and the lucky students who benefited from the SIBC were able to double dip. Many of these team members went on to work for companies they partnered with on projects. I am one of those students. Thank you, Fr. Ted!
1. This is not so much a “Fr. Hesburgh Story,” but a Father Hesburgh experience. Attached is a photo taken by our daughter (Meghan Mulhern; UND 2009; Welsh Family Hall President 2008-2009), while Fr. Ted was speaking at a dorm event for Welsh Family Hall, which was held in the previous Press Box in the stadium during the Spring of 2009. From what Meghan told me, just after Fr. Ted started speaking, the rainbow appeared in the sky behind him. He was obviously totally unaware, but apparently there was plenty of whispering and pointing from the Welsh Fam girls.
2. Our son Patrick (UND 2011) told us that, when he was a Freshman, he rushed to get into an elevator in the Library to go upstairs for some studying and there stood Fr. Ted in the elevator, all by himself. To Pat’s amazement, Fr. Ted reached out his hand to him and introduced himself. Pat’s response, with a laugh: “Father, I KNOW who you are.”
Brian Mulhern
UND 1978
It was spring 2003 and the occupation of Iraq had me in a foul mood. On my way up to my carrel, the elevator doors open and in walks Fr. Hesburgh, mistakenly setting off on his floor, Fr. Hesburgh asked me to help him celebrate Mass. I happily agreed. My mood had changed. Years later I attended the memorial Mass in his honor, with President Carter in attendance.
When I was at ND,(1955-59), I worked all four years at the Student Center; the first two years as part of the Work Crew( preparing for, and cleaning up, after various events. In my Junior year I became one of two student assistant managers; and then in my Senior year I became Manager. One of the special treats of this job was that occasionally, when I was working in the evening, Fr. Hesburgh would be making the rounds of the campus and stop in at my office for a visit. I was delighted, as he was known around the country , and probably the world, as a very special person in so many ways
At the end of the year I attended a meeting with other Managers from other Universities only to find out that ours was the only University represented there that had a student as their Union Manager.
During the fall of my Senior year my dad and a few of his buddies from our hometown parish came down for an ND football game.
Before the game they came to visit me at my lodging hall. Afterwards we walked over to show them the Student Center and my office.
Guess who walked in. Yes, Fr. Hesburgh! The men were all delighted to meet him.
And my Dad? I will never forget the smile and look of pride on his face!
In a small way, it was a chance to say “Thank you ” for all that he had done for me.
Thank you for the the chance to express this.
Bob Daily
Father Hesburg stories
I first heard about Fr. Ted as appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the newly created Civil Rights Commission -never thought I would meet him. My very first encounter with Father , Ted was during fall of 1969 when Freshman year myself and several of the members of the African-American Society of Notre Dame, had an impromptu meeting with him at his office in the Golden Dome administration building. The sign of those times were students nationwide sitting in and taking over administrative offices of colleges to protest investment of finances in South Africa, based on the continued application of apartheid for the people of South Africa and request divestment .
American students attending schools all over the nation, participating in protest against the war in Vietnam, Civil right conditions, and worldwide affairs were experiencing tragic consequences . Fr. Ted placed his hand on my shoulder and invited us to sit down for conversation. We were allowed to leave the office freely without any repercussions and continue our studies – Graduation 1973.
I many years later communicated with Fr. Ted based on my daughter’s desire for the Golden Dome experience. He offered to be her Campus Godfather and it was a blessing to share her Graduation ND 2001- Graduation Speaker USA President George W. Bush with him. She has a copy of his book with his signature. Today she has been a part of the Alumni Association’s effort to provide support and encouragement for new ND Students- when I attended an ND Luncheon in Chicago I was greeted by people’s acknowledgement of her commitment and service to ND. We make the World a better place than when we found it and make footprints for others to follow.
Come Holy Spirit
Terrence C. Harris 73
In 1980, I was flying as a Captain on BE-99 aircraft for Britt Airways based in Bloomington, Illinois. We had inaugurated service to South Bend (SBN) from Chicago (ORD) shortly before. On this particular flight, I had departed the gate at SBN and began my taxi for takeoff. I was almost to the runway when we received a radio call from operations, informing us of a late arriving passenger. I informed ops that it was too late for any more passengers, at which time they said “Oh! …but it’s Father Hesburgh”.
Upon hearing who it was, I returned to the gate and we quickly boarded Fr. Ted who was forced to take the seat directly behind mine. The BE-99 is only a 13 passenger seat aircraft and we had no cockpit door or even a curtain separating the cabin. We were already fully loaded except for that one seat. I turned around and asked Fr. Hesburgh for his blessing for a safe flight since we were near our max takeoff weight and away we went, landing uneventfully in Chicago.
Fast forwarding to 2003, our oldest son Christopher was attending baseball tryouts at ND and we were able to secure a visit with Fr. Ted. He invited us up to his office and allowed us to view some of his many personal items, including the SR-71 Blackbird he had flown on, the year before his flight on my BE-99. Despite his excellent recollection of events in his life, I was disappointed that he hadn’t remembered our flight together. It was still an exciting experience for our family of four to have been given the opportunity of visiting him. Our youngest son Cal is now a 2nd year grad student at ND and anticipating graduation next May (2024).
In the late 1980s, I was passing through Zurich’s airport on my way to St Moritz, when I spotted Fr. Hesburgh walking towards my gate. I approached him with a friendly “hi – you look familiar!”, to which he replied “that’s because I am!” So we enjoyed a brief stop and chat before bidding us farewell as he explained that he was off to have lunch with the Pope. That was the last time I saw him until he attended my grandmother’s wake in South Bend in 1996. As he approached the funeral home, I was standing outside near its entrance where he introduced himself and asked if I was the funeral director. My father who stood nearby dryly asserted that it was time to change my image!
Father Hesburgh was half Luxembourgish as were our parents. He met my parents during a “parents weekend” when my brother attended ND 65-69. When I came to ND my freshman year in 70 with my parents, Father Ted saw my mother from a distance as came right over to say hello to “his fellow Luxembourgish”! For the next 4 years, whenever my parent or I saw him, we received the same greeting. We all loved him.
My Hesburgh story occurred in the early morning hours of May 15, 1983, the day I graduated from the University of Notre Dame. The previous day I had purchased a rosary for my mother at the Hammes bookstore, and was showing it to my father later that evening. My plan was to surprise my mother with this gift after the graduation ceremony.
My father, Erastus Rose, a North Carolina State graduate and convert to Catholicism, took a few puffs on his pipe while examining the rosary beads. “I think we should have this blessed by Father Hesburgh.”
Oh thee of little faith. I scoffed at father”s suggestion. “Tomorrow”s graduation day! I’m sure Father Hesburgh has many matters to attend to on graduation day, and simply will not have the time to do this – not to mention figuring out how to locate him and insert ourselves into very busy schedule. Great thought dad but how?”
Pop puffed on his pipe again. Smiled a bit. “Let me handle it. Take your mother to breakfast in the morning and I’ll meet you.”
So dad gets up early the next morning and finds father hesburgh”s office, and introduces himself to what I believe was an administrative assistant. He asks to see Father Hesburgh, and explains that he is visiting from Long Island, NY for his son’s graduation, son purchased rosary, and he would like Father Hesburgh to bless it.
“I’m afraid he’s not here”, said the assistant, “but you might find him at Corby Hall having breakfast. Why don’t you head over there and I’ll call ahead to let them know you’re coming.” She gave pop directions to the old Corby hall and off he went.
On arrival a Holy Cross priest greeted my dad and brought him over to Father Hesburgh”s table. They sat, chatted, had a cup of coffee together, and Father blessed the rosary shown in the attached pictures. This was Mom”s rosary from May 1983 until her death this past May at the age of 93.
When dad returned with the rosary he smiled, had a twinkle in his eye – “you can give this to your mother now, and Father Ted says hello.” All things are possible through the blessed Mother, and her son Jesus Christ.
Thanks for this opportunity to share my story.
Kevin Rose
ND “83
I’m a “91 graduate and my go-to study spot was the 11th floor of the ‘Brare, the same floor as Fr. Hesburgh’s office at the time. I once had the privilege of riding up with him solo to the 11th floor, during which he asked my major. When I replied American Studies, he responded that that was the “best major at the University” for its breadth of studies. I’ll never forget that.
I was rushing into the library during finals week as I passed a slow walker on the path. The slow walker immediately said “Hello, who are you?”. I stopped in my tracks realizing it was Fr. Hesburgh. I slowed down and introduced myself. He asked if I was liking school, liking my major, really made a connection in just a few minutes. He then stopped short of the West Entrance, pointing to the name over to door, and said (paraphrasing, here I can’t remember the exact words) “One day I was walking this path to check on the library, see how construction was going. And I stopped right here and looked up. I saw the letters “Hesburg….”. And I went up to my new office, called , and said ‘I told you not to name this after me.’ And they did anyways.”
He was humble and loved his amazing view from his office in the library. It was special for me to hear from him that people had to go around him to give him recognition. He is the embodiment of Notre Dame to me.
I’m a member of the Class of 1986. When selecting an elective one year, as a junior or senior, I can’t recall clearly, one class offered was “The History of the U.S. after World War II”, taught by Father Hesburgh. I immediately signed up for the class, not believing my good fortune. Father Hesburgh was a living history, and knew many of the people who were part of the history he was teaching us. What a thrill! And just shows how important undergraduate education was to Notre Dame at that time. A lesson for our school’s future?
When I was the student men’s basketball manager (’80), Father Hesburgh said the team mass around 330 pm, before big home games ( ie UCLA )
ND men’s basketball never lost a game when Father Hesburgh said the team mass.
We always thought he had special powers.
Stacy Russo
As a member of the class of 1970 I was fortunate to meet Fr. Hesburgh on several occasions, in part because his nephew was a classmate and his niece attended St. Mary’s College. I never worried about his travels. I felt that they broadened him and provided him with a worldview that he could share with us. One of his greatest actions was to keep the university open in May 1970, after the Cambodian incursion when many colleges around the country closed in protest. Instead, he instructed all of the teachers to re-organize their classes to evaluate how each discipline related to the War in Vietnam.
His love of undergraduate education was unparalleled. I once asked him why Notre Dame did not have a medical school. He said that he respected physicians very much, but that their education was so costly that a medical school would be “the tail wagging the dog“. He wanted to save his educational budget to distribute among the greatest number of students possible.
Later, he was instrumental in helping Vietnamese refugees relocate to the United States. Our class contributed to that effort. Subsequently, classmates, honored him with an oil portrait, created by the widow of our class president. It now hangs in the international center. Finally, we planted two trees adjacent to his grave, marked otherwise only by a simple stone cross with his name.
Here are two stories.
1. I had two older brothers who went to ND. The older started in 1942, but the war intervened and he wasn’t able to return until 1946.
He married and lived in Vetville in 1947-48. Fr. Hesburgh was the Vetville Chaplain.
Almost 40 years later my wife and I were hiking in the Rockies. It was Saturday afternoon and we were near Vail. I told my wife, Anne, that I thought that Vail had a multidenominational church, but I thought that on Saturday afternoon they said Mass around 4:30.
So we drove into Vail and sure enough there was Mass. We went into the Church and it was oddly shaped interiorly, so you couldn’t even see the altar from where we sat. But as the Mass progressed I said to Anne that I thought it was Fr. Hesburgh saying the Mass. (My understanding was that he had a brother living in the area.) And it was Fr. Hesburgh.
After Mass, I went over to him, said I was an ND Grad, had never met him and that my name was Joe Spiegel. He immediately said “And how is your brother Frank and his wife Pat? How is that for 40 years later!
2. My older daughter applied to and was accepted at ND. But gymnastics was extremely important to her, ND didn’t have much of a program so she wouldn’t go and went, instead, to Cornell.
She graduated from there in 1987 with her B.S. in Engineering.
We attended the graduation. At the time Cornell’s tradition was that only its president addressed the students at graduation, no outside speaker.
So he started off “When you came to Cornell, you thought we had the football team of the University of Notre Dame and the education of the University of Chicago. But instead you got the football team of the University of Chicago and the education of the University of Notre Dame.”
I was furious at his remarks and I wrote him a letter telling him what I thought.
I never heard back from him, but the following year I attended the graduation again. This time
my daughter was getting her Master’s Degree.
And Cornell broke with tradition. They had an outside speaker. It was Fr. Hesburgh!
Joseph L. Spiegel ND ’56
The year was 1973.The location was the Morris Inn on the campus of Notre Dame.I had been accepted to ND law school and I was checking out the campus with my Da. Father Hesburgh was just coming out of the cloak room, having hung up his coat. My Da, not knowing who he was, assumed he was the cloak room attendant and handed him his coat to hang up.A lesser man would probably have pointed out to my Da that he was president of the university and embarrassed my Da.What did Father Hesbugh do? Without saying a word, he hung up my Da’s coat. My Da was a graduate of the University of Illinois law school and hadn’t followed Notre Dame up until that point.
Father Hesburgh’s action illustrated his great sensitivity and humility in my opinion.
Bob Mohan, NDL’76
Bengal Bouts Champ 76
Bengal Bouts Judge(last 40 years)
Great story cousin😊 In character for two outstanding & beloved men in my life!
Betsy Mohan Kain ‘73
In my four years at Notre Dame (1961-65) Father Hesburgh had a tradition of blessing the girls at the class dances whose dates were co-chairmen of that years dance.
He blessed my date at the Freshman dance. Then, he blessed my new date at the Sophmore Cotillion. He blessed her again at the Junior Prom as we were engaged to be married.
In my Senior year, he blessed her again, for a third time as well as the child she was about to have as she was about six months pregnant. He in effect said he was blessing her and the baby twice. Our son, Daniel, was born July 24,1965, 2 months after graduation.
I also know Fr. Hesburgh was friends with my father, Anthony W. Brick, Jr. who graduated in 1933 & 37. Fr. Hesburgh was from Syracuse, New York and Bishop O’Hara was Bishop of Buffalo.
Thank you for this chance to reminisce.
Daniel E. Brick
On my graduation day in 1976 I had no idea where my parents were seated in the ACC. It was open seating and they could have been just about anywhere. Try as I might to find them I just couldn’t locate them in that vast arena. Father Hesburgh opened his remarks that day by suggesting that before beginning the ceremonies that we graduates take a moment to recognize and thank those who sacrificed to put us through Notre Dame, whether that be our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or whomever. As he said this, and as if drawn by a beam of light, I spotted my parents in the upper reaches of the arena! We waved excitedly to each other in what was truly one of the most moving moments of my life. I’ve always felt that it was Father Ted’s special intervention which helped me find my parents that day. I’ve told this story hundreds of times over the past 47 years, usually tearing up in the process.
I was in a graduate program at Notre Dame, and since I lived in my carrel in the library, I knew I would run into him at some point. When the day finally came, and he got into the elevator with me, he asked me what I was studying. I told him a bit about that and also mentioned I was teaching freshman comp. With genuine appreciation, he replied, “You guys are heroes!”
We got married at the Basilica on a beautiful October day in 2003. After the wedding, we walked down to the Grotto to take pictures. As the two of us were posing in front of the rows of candles, Father Hesburgh walked by and offered his congratulations. He kindly blessed our wedding rings, and said a prayer with us. He mentioned how happy he was when Notre Dame alum were married on campus, and how blessed he had been to be part of many of those weddings. We took it as a good omen that Father Ted blessed us on our wedding at Notre Dame!
I held the door for him one busy evening at LaFortune, and as he entered he said to those he was walking with: “Let’s get a cheeseburger and get out of here.”
I was the founder and original “Quote of the Day” Editor for the Observer. I provided a quote for each edition of the paper in 1985, 1986 and 1987. The tradition continued for about 30 years. On Fridays I’d provide the “Campus Quote”…a quote from an administrator, faculty or student or someone who said something about ND. One of my favorite quotes was from Father Ted: “The best thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” The picture is of me with Father Ted in late 1983 or early 1984 when I was a Freshman and Father Ted came to Alumni Hall to visit with us.
As a new ND grad, I was living in Chicago, and I heard Fr. Hesburgh was giving a speech in downtown Chicago . I decided to go to the building to see if I could talk to him for a minute . There was something I was troubled about and I wanted to ask for a prayer . When I got to the building lobby , I saw Fr Hesburgh waiting for an elevator . I ran up to him , quickly introduced myself and told him I was in distress about a situation and asked him for “his favorite prayer “ He smiled and said “That’s easy . My favorite prayer is
“Come Holy Spirit”. For some reason , I expected a longer more elaborate prayer , and thanked him and asked ,
“ That’s it ? Is there something more ? “
He turned to me with a twinkle in his eye and gently said as he winked at me and said “ That’s it …. It works every time . “. Then he turned and got into the elevator and disappeared . I’ve been praying “Come Holy Spirit “ ever since that magical day . I will never forget him and his advice because he was right .
I am a triple Domer, BA ’62, MA ’71, JD ’84. My wife Jackie and I met while we were Peace Corps Volunteers. Jackie and Father Ted became close friends shortly after I was named Director of Admissions. We attended the first “academic black tie dinner” where we sat at Father Ted’s table. When leaving the event with him, he suddenly stopped and said to Jackie, who was seven months pregnant, “Oh, I haven’t given you my maternal blessing yet.” He went on to ask Jackie to kneel down, and proceeded to bless her, at which point Jackie stood up, ran to snatch a flower from a table arrangement and gave Father Ted the flower. As he turned to leave the building, she said, “Oh Father Ted, I haven’t blessed it yet!” And she proceeded to bless the flower she had just handed him; he thanked her profusely while Associate Provost Fr. Ferd Brown burst out in total laughter! From that day forward Jackie and Fr. Ted were great “buddies,” and she accompanied him on many of his hospital visits to pray for and bless the sick, especially the grounds crew and the housekeeping staff.
During my final years in the admissions office when I was enrolled in law school, Father Ted asked me and Jackie to plan a 25th anniversary celebration for the US Peace Corps. He a gave us $25,000 to organize an on-campus conference. We were fortunate enough to discover that Father Ted’s influence in Washington, D.C. allowed us to get as conference participants the outgoing US Peace Corps Director Dick Celeste, the incoming Director Lorett Ruppe, Peace Corps’ First Director Sarge Schriver, and a host of the Peace Corps founders, including Warren Wiggens and Senator Harris Wofford.
When I decided to leave Notre Dame to become Country Director for Peace Corps in Ghana, Father Ted came to our home to celebrate Mass for me and Jackie shortly before I left for training in Washington D.C. He also invited Professor Bill Richardson, a Professor of Spanish and the first African American faculty member at ND. Bill was a close friend of ours and he had been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Father Ted decided the Mass was to send us all on our journeys with God’s blessing, Jackie and me on our journey to West Africa, and Bill on his journey to heaven. A few weeks after that, I served as a pall bearer at Bill’s funeral Mass at which Father Ted was the main celebrant!
I am a ND alumni (’80). When I was a student dating my future wife from St. Marys, we went for a pre-formal dance and dinner at a restaurant at 100 Center in Mishawaka. Fr. Hesburgh was at the same restaurant with guests so we had to go upstairs at the restaurant to say “hi.” On the way up the stairs to say hi to Father H, my wife broke the heel off her high heel, so she said to Father H, “It’s a fine time to leave me, lose heel,” (a play on the song “a fine time to leave me Lucille”). Father H had a good laugh!
My daughter (St. Mary’s) arranged for me (’80), my dad (’47) and brother to have an audience with Father Hesburgh in his office when we were in town (2014) for my dads 90th b-day, so we spent an hour in his office talking or rather “listening” to Father H. He had cigar ashes all over his clothes. Unfortunately I think he passed away less than a year after.
Back in the 1990’s I had the pleasure of tailgating with Father Ted in the stadium lot with another friend named Ted also. Awesome!
Deep in the winter of 1968 I was deeply troubled. I was morally uncertain about being drafted and sent to the war in Vietnam. Should I resist? Enlist? Take refuge in Canada? Refuse? I was conflicted. While walking back to my residence hall very late at night I saw that the light was on in Fr. Hesburgh’s office on the third floor of the Main Building, just under the dome. Fueled with the boldness of my conflict, I knock on his office door and he bid me to enter. I briefly explained my dilemma. He looked me in the eye and said, “I understand, my son. All I can say is – follow your heart. It will never lead you astray.”
I followed his advice and he was right. So many times over.
I graduated in 1999, and during Senior Week there was a tour of The Places You’ve Never Been on Campus. One of the stops was Fr. Hesburgh’s office in the library. When we went up, it was such a treat as he was there! He spoke to all of us, took pictures, and told a few stories before we had to move on to our next destination. I still have the picture and it is one of my fondest memories from my time as a student at Notre Dame.
Fr. Hesburgh, while signing is autobiography, noted that I was a double domer. I still have the book.
When I was a student, my friend Meg Vonderhaar scheduled a meeting with Fr. Hesburgh. We both were on the ND Volleyball team and came from a practice – she told me to come with her but I said no because I was in a t-shirt. Meg told me he was practically blind and it didn’t matter. 30 seconds into meeting Fr. Hesburgh, he asked “is that a dog on your shirt?!” We all laughed and spent the next hour in his office listening to his stories and telling jokes. He had such a warm heart and welcoming presence.
Father Hesburgh greeted me on the elevator at the university library and inquired about my studies and asked for specifics on courses, professors, etc. It was a very special moment for me as I was able to let him know how spectacular my economics professor was, and how she had really made the subject interesting to me.
I was walking on campus with a hot chocolate and spilled it all down my front! Hot chocolate stains, marshmallows in my hair. Then, Rev. Hesburgh spotted me and came to the rescue. He took me to the bookstore and got me a new sweatshirt! My hero.
I remember an interviewer walking with Father and as they talked Father H. pointed to a building window (simple building) and said that’s where I live. The reporter was surprised. Also I went to his wake – a long line with pictures as you wait and talked to others – nice! And when we arrived at the casket, I was taken by the fact that I could stand there as long as I wanted. Too nice! A great man, who we always saw at different places in S.B. I remember eating at Sorin, and heard this person talking excitingly to a couple and it was Father talking to parents about ND.
My incoming class was the last class which Fr. Hesburgh greeted during our Welcome Weekend. He was on stage during our opening Mass – an exciting event for those of us just beginning our ND journeys, but equally exciting for our parents and families. In February – 5.5 months later – I was studying just outside of Fr. Hesburgh’s office when the news broke out online about his passing. It was very late, but many of us walked to the Grotto to pray. Fr Hesburgh was – and is – a big part of what makes this community special. It was a pleasure to be here while he was still alive and as active as he could be. Spes Unica!
In the spring of 2006, my family was visiting the campus. We had flown in from Hawaii and it was my daughter’s 10th birthday. While touring the library, I took a chance that perhaps Fr. Hesburgh was in, and we all visited his office. He graciously took the time to welcome us and posed for pictures. Upon learning we were visiting from Hawaii and that it was my daughter’s birthday, he huddled us together and said a special prayer for my daughter and said the Hail Mary- all in the native
Hawaiian language! (the Hawaiian language is a critically endangered language) Mind blown!
“Holy Ghost: Meeting Father Hesburgh”
I had met Father Hesburgh on many occasions, but never in office.
In addition to covering Notre Dame athletics as a journalist and teaching the next generation of media professionals, I also have a leadership consultancy – du Lac Leadership.
I frequently use Notre Dame references in my work with individuals and organizations. One quote that I frequently use is Hesburgh’s quote on vision. You know it. “The very essence of leadership is vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.”
My goal was to one day find the time to meet with Father Ted and to talk leadership. Especially the origin of the quote.
It was early March 2012 and I had a lunch meeting at the Morris Inn on the Notre Dame campus.
Now, this was before renovations to the Morris Inn and, if you remember, when you walked in there was a portrait of Hesburgh near the stairs on the right hand side when you came in.
If you looked at the picture you could see a reflection of people coming in and out of the Inn.
I arrived a little early and waited near the entrance near the portrait. I glanced down at my phone for messages and back up to look at the portrait while I waited for my friend.
I’ve always stressed to my students to look at the small details of things. It’s amazing what you can learn. So I practiced what I preached and walked a step closer to the portrait in hopes of learning the artist’s name and the year it was painted.
The picture was very detailed and realistic. The dark eyes of the Holy Cross Priest commanded one’s attention when viewing.
I began to daydream a little bit as I studied the portrait, only to be jolted back to life when the picture said “enjoying the painting?”
I jumped back and shook my head in disbelief wondering if what I had just heard and witnessed was real. I turned around to see Father Hesburgh and his secretary, Melanie Chapleau. Hesburgh was smiling while she was rolling with laughter.
“You really thought the painting was speaking to you,” she said.
Embarrassed, I explained the reflection and how perfectly timed the chance meeting had just taken place.
Mrs. Chapleau said that was the best laugh she had in quite some time. I said, “at my expense.”
She went on to say if I ever wanted to talk with Father Hesburgh, rather than the painting, to just give her a call.
I said, “As a matter of fact I do.”
So after setting up a meeting. I headed over to campus from my home in Portage, IN. Spring was just around the corner and it was a bright comfortable day.
I took a bouquet of flowers (my mother is a florist) to brighten Father Hesburgh’s office on the 13th floor of the library that bared his name.
I thanked Mrs. Chapleau for her help and was escorted in Father Ted’s office. He had just finished lunch and had a cigar in the ash tray. “I’m allowed”, he joked although he did not light it up. He had 25 minutes before he had a meeting with a freshman class.
He talked leadership, while I listened.
I don’t collect autographs but I took my copy of his autobiography for him to sign, as this was an exception.
We shook hands after 20 minutes and I thanked him for his time and began to leave.
I stopped by Mrs. Chapleau’s desk to thank her again and she said, “did you get a picture?”
I said “no” and she said “you must.”
So I went back in to stand next to the man I had always thought was bigger than life for a photo,
Since I am a mobile journalist, my smartphone served as the camera of choice as Mrs. Chapleu created the digital picture on the device which now serves as one of most prized possessions.
As I left the library, I looked down at my hand and thought about the various presidents, popes, and dignitaries that also shook his hand.
I also walked out wondering If I might have been the last person to interview him.
In February of 2015, I was teaching the multimedia journalism class at Notre Dame and was staying at my room at the Innesfree B&B, where I rented during the week.
Something woke me up around 1 am that night . I come from a radio background and always have the radio on. That’s when I learned that Father Hesburgh had died.
I was stunned, but not surprised. We knew it was coming. It just happened to be on the same day that Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played “Mr. Spock” on the TV series “Star Trek”, had died.
Father Ted’s death was overshadowed and I was shocked that there wasn’t more media coverage of this person who is considered one of the most influential people of the 20th century.
The CNN website story about his death contained errors and I contacted them to tell them that Father Hesburgh did not receive his doctorate from Georgetown, but stated it was from Catholic University. The story was quickly corrected.
My old boss Bob Schmuhl, who has written many books on Hesburgh, told me that Father Hesburgh with his longevity was the reason for the lack of coverage.
Perhaps we thought Father Ted would always be with us.
A few days later, I represented a few media outlets and covered the funeral mass of Father Hesburgh and paid my final respects to a man I consider a hero.
A few years later I would do the same for another hero that I had also once asked to sign an autograph – Ara Parseghian.
Until the next time, stay Irish strong, wash your hands like a champion, and Go Irish!
Len Clark, Ph.D.
My most vivid Memory of Fr. Hesburgh was actually at the Hesburgh Library. It was around 2004 if I remember correctly. I was riding the elevators with @Mai Quant. We were going to look for a quiet space to study on the upper floors. We took the elevator on the first floor, just the two of us. And just before the elevator doors closed, in came Fr. Hesburgh. We said our cordial hellos and we kept talking in Spanish (Mai and myself were both from Nicaragua). He heard us talking in Spanish and with a perfect accent he asked us in Spanish where we were from. After we told him Nicaragua, he started recalling the time when he visited our Country, the cities he had been and the people he had met decades ago. I wish that elevator ride would have lasted so much longer to keep hearing him recalling his stories. What an impact he made in such a short time that here I am cherishing the brief encounter we had twenty years later.
I was a Hesburgh Public Policy student in the late 1990’s/early 2000’s. One of the benefits of being a Hesburgh student was that we got to have a hours-long sit-down with Father Ted every year in his adorable and unique little apartment in the library. He would sit in a distinguished chair with the Notre Dame insignia on it and regale us with fascinating stories from his past – especially those about each and every president he knew personally. His stories about the Kennedy brothers and LBJ were especially fascinating – and very frank! He never held back with us about what he really thought about world leaders or their decisions and legacies. He also was always so open about MLK Jr. and their civil rights battles they waged alongside one another. He taught us real lessons about history because he literally lived it. Father Ted Hesburgh was truly one in a million – and the world was so much better when he was in it.
A year before he passed away, I was waiting for an elevator before doing some research in the library’s upper floors. Father Ted, who sight had failed, got into the elevator with me and said, “You’ll have to tell me your name.” I told him and mentioned I was in the Class of ’76. He replied with a soft chuckle that I must have hated him then. Ours was the first class with coeducation, and there were a lot of highs and lows.
I was grateful, in that four-minute elevator ride, that I was able to tell him how proud I was of the lessons I learned during that transition era. We also talked about the huge strides the university has made — from fostering a dog-eat-dog attitude in a 1960s athletics-based environment to promoting a greater spirit of appreciation of others in an institution that explores through the performing arts.
It was dizzying. I’ve never experienced such a compact conversation that left me with so many thoughts to review later. I imagine he had that effect on thousands of people who were lucky enough to have his full attention for moments like that.
I met Fr. Hesburgh Freshman year . I was walking to the South Dining Hall to get dinner with Betty Carbone Schroeder one crisp fall evening, and there was a lone priest walking towards us as we rounded the admin building. As we passed he said, “Hello Betty, hello Randee” and we responded in unison with “Hello Father.”.
We continued on our way for awhile in silence, until I said, “What a nice man, I wonder how he knew our names?” And Betty looked at me like I just got off a spaceship from Mars and said “That was Fr. Hesburgh”.
I never had another opportunity to cross paths with him like that again, but have forever remained deeply impressed that, in addition to the numerous global humanitarian issues he presided over annually, and the various world leaders he met with on a regular basis, he obviously made the time to memorize the names and the faces of the entire freshman class every year, which during his tenure numbered around 1,500 people. He never forgot his core mission. He was truly one of a kind.
I met him several times over my time there. The first was in the elevator of the library, and during that ride, he said a quick mass and offered me a blessing! He never forgot my name after that and I was honored every time I came across him on campus! One of the last times I saw Fr Ted was at the dinner celebrating the Corby Award winner after the Navy game my junior year. He was nearly blind by then and still remembered me and my name. He was an amazing and inspiring man and such a gift to Notre Dame!
My mother was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer during the spring of 1997. That began a long regimen of chemo and radiation therapy that brought her temporary relief and remission. Regardless, my mother as a nurse knew that this form of cancer would return so she was never really at ease.
As Christmas approached that year I began trying to think of a way or a gift that might provide some sort of peace for her and it struck me that some form of comfort could come from Fr. Hesburgh. So I took a flyer and wrote him a letter asking him to write to my mother.
Just prior to Christmas a letter arrived from Notre Dame. Father Ted offered thoughts about Christmas joy and about faith in the face of adversity. He also threw in a bit of humor and then offered the opportunity for a family Mass with him in the New Year.
My mother was overjoyed at the letter and the offer of the family Mass put her over the moon. We did have that family Mass in Father Ted’s office and private chapel in the library bearing his name. And we finished our extraordinary day at the Grotto.
My mother’s cancer did return and she passed away on the day before Mother’s Day in 1999. She was different after that day at Notre Dame with Fr. Ted…we all were…
I was lucky enough to meet and have many conversations with Father Hesburgh based on his relationship with my Uncle Rozell Newbill II. My uncle would call Father Hesburgh, and we would go to his office to meet with him to discuss anything from the history of African Americans in South Bend to politics to religion. It was always a lively discussion from which I walked away energized and ready to be a force for good in the world, motivated and inspired by such an amazing example of goodness! (NOTE: I have a picture of the 3 of us that I would like to accompany my memory.
I met Fr. Hesburgh a number of times over the years, first as a student and later as an alum and faculty member. Three memories stand out for me:
1. He invited our children to sit on the floor at the foot of the altar for mass one evening at the Center for Social Concerns when they were being antsy in mass. They had no idea who he was and continued to be just as antsy as before. I was quite spun up about their behavior but relished it in rather than being annoyed as some might have been.
2. In passing one evening at the library in early 2009, I greeted him and we struck up a conversation during which I learned that he thought that, “Michelle Obama was both smart and beautiful.”
3. Teaching my classes during the week after Fr. Ted’s death, and being a part of the rituals and prayers of that week was one of the most moving experiences of my life. I went to the bookstore and bought every student I taught a copy of God, Country, Notre Dame, threw out my planned lessons and read the book with all of them for the week. The lines to pay respects in the middle of the night in the freezing cold were a stunning testament to a life well lived.
I feel so lucky to have visited Father Hesburgh many times during my time as a student. When Badin won hall of the year, a group of us went to visit him and he talked about his time living there and told us “they were the happiest years of my life.” We later asked if we could make t-shirts with that quote and he told us of course, if he could have one. I have a photo of him happily holding up a shirt with hot pink writing and his quote! Another favorite memory is when I asked him what he felt was the greatest accomplishment in his life. I anticipated him sharing something about his work fighting for civil rights or the dignity of life, but instead he said it was bringing women to Our Lady’s university. He shared how strongly he felt about the role of women in the faith and world and how it seemed like a no-brainer that a university honoring Our Lady would teach women as well as men. Of course, his faith was truly amazing and I will never forget how he would tell us as students that whenever we didn’t know what to do, simply ask for guidance by praying “Come Holy Spirit.” I love by those words today. One of my most special memories, however, is that I purchased a CD of him praying the rosary as a gift for my grandmother. She loved it and actually passed during the joyous mysteries. He helped shape me and my faith and impacted so many lives!
I met Fr. Hesburgh the summer of 1984 when he visited the study abroad program I was a part of in Tianjin, China. Later that fall, he said hello to me as I walked passed him in front of Walsh Hall. I felt honored that he remembered my name!
I met Fr. Hesburgh in Los Angeles at a Notre Dame dinner with my father William Liljestrom class of 1943. Herschel Walker also sat next to me at the dinner table along with Father Hesburgh. I believe it could of been in or around 1980’s or so. Both of my parents, William and Patricia Liljestrom were dear friends of his.🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
We won a visit with Fr Ted at a silent auction it was a wonderful experience and he blessed our rosaries. We are so grateful for that.
I was a senior working on my senior thesis. The topic was the role of clergy and religious in the Civil Rights Movement, and having seen many photos and articles from that time in American history that included Father Hesburgh I reached out to see if he might have time to speak to me. Up to the 13th floor with homemade cookies and a tape recorder in hand, we sat together for 45 minutes as he shared stories of his experience and the people he walked with as a leader and a friend during those years. So grateful to have had that moment with such a faithful, gracious man.
My parents marriage was one of the first marriages Father Hesburgh ever performed. They were married in December of 1944. Father kept in touch with my parents all throughout their lifetime. Several family vacations were spent at Notre Dame’s beautiful campus. We made one final trip for my mom in 2000 – my mom, my sister, my two young sons and myself. My mother was just at the beginning stages of dementia. We were able to have a private meeting with Father Hesburgh in his office. It meant so much to my mom and it was a visit we will never forget.
Father Hesburgh spent a lot of time away from Notre Dame in promoting Notre Dame. In doing so he gained a lot of political influence both within and outside of the United States. Among the faculty there was an old joke about Father Hesburgh. Question: “What is the difference between Father Hesburgh and God?” Answer: “God is everywhere. Father Hesburgh is everywhere except Notre Dame.”
I co-chaired a student-led orientation committee for the first female undergraduates in 1972. One of my responsibilities was to invite Father Hesburgh to say a mass at the grotto on Sunday morning of orientation weekend for the first women and their parents. Father Hesburgh graciously accepted and did a great job. (I kept the letter he sent accepting the invitation as well as a thank you note he sent for organizing the orientation.) When I was helping some seminarians set up the altar for the mass, one of them asked me if I would be concelebrating the mass with Father Hesburgh. I said, “I would be honored, but I don’t think Father Hesburgh would approve since I am not a priest!”
On my graduation weekend (1986) Fr. Ted kindly hosted my parents and grandmother for a visit in his office. To my “Nana” it was the equivalent of meeting the Pope. Earlier I gave Fr. Ted a heads up that my grandmother had two strokes and she spoke haltingly with a pronounced stutter. Once we got Nana settled in a chair in his office, Fr. Ted Ted pulled his chair face to face with her and he clasped his hands around hers. At first Nana spoke to him haltingly. But it became clear by the calm patient way Father Ted was acting that my grandmother should feel no rush or stress to “find” her words. Slowly her stutter melted away and their conversation became more fluid. Everything my grandmother believed about this Holy man was being confirmed to her in real time. My parents and I watched in awe. I was gifted with the opportunity to spend many wonderful occasions with Fr. Ted. I even got to travel with him to an international conference. He was a wonderful mentor to me and I am so grateful for that blessing. Bill Healy Class of 1986
Touching reflection. It brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful!
I have two stories that stand out to me. The first has to do with my time as a graduate student at ND between 1976-1981. I had an office on the 5th floor of the library just across from a Chaired professor. She introduced me to Fr. Ted and on several occasions Fr. ted and I passed in the hall on the 5th floor He would always say “good to see you Hank.” In 1985 I was working for United Airlines in South Bend as a customer service agent working the ticket counter. Father Hesburgh was checking in for a flight and looked at me and then at my name tag, which said Henry instead of Hank. I had not seen him for five years. He said “At Notre Dame we know you as Hank.” Yikes! The other story is also from the airport in South Bend. Father was upgraded to first class even though he preferred the bulkhead I coach. He therefore boarded the aircraft early. When general boarding began an older woman was given early boarding and as she was walking through first class she recognized Fr. Ted. She asked him to say a prayer for a safe flight. He responded “I am happy to, but just so you know, I’m in sales, not management. Classic!
I had the honor of interviewing Fr. Hesburgh for a class project I believe my junior year. We were doing research and interviews on the first women allowed to attend the University, and I got to go up to Fr. Ted’s office to sit with him and chat about the decision to go co-ed. I remember being so nervous going up the elevator, but he instantly calmed my nerves with his warm, welcoming, and gentle presence. He showed me around the office and pointed out some of his most treasured memorabilia, and then we sat down for the interview. I got to ask all the questions and absorb everything he had to say about that first class of women and how the University changed (for the better obviously). Rather than rushing me off as soon as the questions were done, we continued chatting about my experience on campus and my background, and I was just in awe of how much he genuinely cared to learn about my own life in that moment. I treasured that time and will carry those memories with me forever. Truly humbled and honored to be able to sit with him like that and just soak in all his greatness. There is no one else like him, and he is greatly missed.
I was adopted into the Hesburgh family. I received a letter from Father Hesburgh, via my baby box from when I was born. The letter was a typed up note and signed by him, welcoming me into the family.
It was an honor and the biggest gift from the Universe to be able to have grown up listening to Father Ted’s connections with others and his stories telling of Life and the World around him. He inspired, impacted, and changed lives.
I met Father Hesburgh late one evening in the admin building. Yes, I climbed up the fire escape and knocked on the window. Since the light was on, I assumed he was there. He was. Rather than have me crawl through the window, he kindly invited me in through the front door. First thing he said was, “Hello, dear”, then proceeded to tell me about the trip to China he had just made. I was fascinated by his adventures! Then he sweetly asked, “What can I do for you dear?” I told him that I was a 5th year architecture student. My older brother graduated in ’83. One of my younger brothers and I would be graduating in ’85 and my youngest brother in ’86. For 3 years, my parents dreamed in staying at the Morris Inn. Since reservations could only be made through a lottery, itwas difficult for us to make a reservation for them. My parents did not have such luck. Their 25th anniversary was coming up and all I wished is that my parents would be able to stay at the Morris Inn during Junior Parents Weekend of my youngest brother. I expressed how grateful I was that my parents were so supportive and loving. This year would be our last chance since my youngest brother was the last of opportunities for their names to be put in the lottery. With tears in my eyes, I told Fr. Hesburgh that I just wanted to thank them. Most of my life, I had medical conditions and surgeries that made life tough. Despite those tough times, they were always at my side. Fr. Hesburgh listened intently, then said “I will see what I can do.” I hugged him and said thank you, then left through the front door. Two days later, I found a reservation for 2 at the Morris Inn! What a kind and wonderful man!
I met Father Hesburgh in the elevator of the library. I was going up to one of the top floors to study for finals. I realized who he was the second I walked in, and he struck of a conversation with me right away. I was especially stressed that day, and I’m sure he could tell. He asked me my major and reassured me that everything was going to go well. ❤️ After I got out, he continued up to his office in the penthouse. I waited a couple minutes, and then I proceeded to get back in to the elevator and take it back down to the basement to call my parents and tell them who I met!
I was a freshman, waiting at the library circle with my other freshman friend, waiting for a bus. A priest comes up to us and starts a conversation. My friend Christy asks Father Ted if he is a Jesuit or holy cross priest. Father Ted asks were you to abroad last year? We replied no that we were freshman. Father Ted said, actually I am father Ted Hesburgh. We both wished that the ground would swallow us up, but he was completely gracious about it as expected. I have a picture in my office of Father Ted with the saying above it you are a Notre Dame woman stand tall.
While our Dad was a student in the mid-50s, our Mom and her twin sister were librarians. Our Aunt Irma Bonicelli Godfrey was head librarian for the Science School and our Mom, Ida Bonicelli Trigiani was head librarian for the a school of Architecture.
When Fr. Hesburgh saw them on campus he would always refer to them as the Heavenly Twins. He could not have given them a greater compliment.
(PS – their older brother, our Uncle Orlando Bonicelli was an All-American basketball player for ND.)
My friend Irene Pryor Loftus and I were walking behind the admin building one evening to go from BP to the Grotto. Suddenly the door opened and Father Hesburgh came out. He said good evening and asked us our names. He told Irene he knew the Bishop of her diocese. When he asked my name, he said his sister (who lived in the small town next to my hometown) had told him I would be at Notre Dame and he recalled that when I said who I was. He had an amazing facility for recalling names and faces, a gift I sadly lack.
I was meeting with Father Ted in his office to prepare for his speech at Junior Parents Weekend (1978). We were sitting at the table in his office. His assistant came in and said “Father, the President is on the phone for you.” He told me to stay put while he walked to his desk to take the call. It was President Carter asking Father Ted to go to Golda Meir’s funeral as part of the U.S. Delegation. He said that he had made a commitment to a group of nuns having a retreat and could not go. He came back and we finished our discussion.
My dad was an ND professor. For my 11th birthday my parents took me to dinner at the Morris Inn, which I thought was unbelievably swanky. During dinner, Father Ted walked by and stopped to say hi to my folks. When he found out it was my birthday, he reached in his pocket and gave me a dollar, and he wished me a happy birthday. That was still worth plenty to a kid in those days—I wish I could say I saved the dollar, but I definitely spent it! I never forgot how nice he was, though.
As a senior in 1971 Fr. Ted accepted our invitation to celebrate Sunday Mass in the Fisher Hall chapel. After Mass he invited us to lunch in the faculty dining room on the second floor of the South Dining Hall. He really enjoyed interacting with the undergraduate students. He still remains the most popular president at ND.
Fr. Hesburgh, if riding in the elevator with you to the 11th floor of the library, would always speak about the decision to allow women to enroll at ND. 💙
I met Father Ted in the elevator at the Hesburgh Library one night during finals week in my Sophomore year (1991). I always studied on the 9th floor so that I could focus and I was studying for a particularly challenging Theology exam that evening. I actually did not even realize it was Fr. Ted, but he talked with me, asked me what I was studying and wished me luck. I felt a lot better after having the conversation and only realized later that I had been talking with Father Ted!
When my father was an undergraduate at Notre Dame in the 1940s, Father Hesburgh taught a Catholic marriage and family course. In it, he told his young male pledges that they were obligated as good Catholic men to grow the kingdom by fathering as many children as possible, at least a dozen. My father and my mother took that to heart. I arrived in our family as number 12 of 14. The way I see it, if it weren’t for Father hesburgh’s instruction, I would not exist today. So, I literally owe that great man my life.
Thank you, Father Ted.
As the Editor of the yearbook the Dome I never had the occasion to call fathers office and be denied a contact. All for the good of the college.
I remember when the Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso told me to tell Father Hesburgh, “We need more scholarships for Mexican Americans.” He told me to tell Father Hesburgh in Spanish. Which I did when I I saw him at Notre Dame. I said, but in Spanish, “Father Hesburgh, the Bishop of El Paso Patricio Flores told me to tell you we need more scholarships for Mexican-Americans.” In Spanish I said, “Padre Hesburgh, el Obispo de El Paso, Patricio Flores me dijo que te diciera que necesitamos mas becas para los esudiantes Mexicanos-Americanos.” He answered me in Spanish, “Digale al Obispo que seguro que si.” “Tell the bishop that certainly we will. “
I was a Graduate Student in the summers at Notre Dame. My graduation date was Aug of 86. Father Hesburgh, retired June of 86.
I knew a wonderful lady named Pam Spence, who worked in the administration office. I was in the first graduation class to have Father Malloy, sign our diplomas. Many years later living in Miami, I saw Mrs. Spence, at the team hotel for a Bowl game. I mentioned to Mrs. Spence, my only regret was not having Father Hesburgh’s signature on my diploma. Mrs Spence, said, “if you send me your diploma, I will have Father Hesburgh, sign it.” Well, I unframed my diploma and sent it to South Bend. I maybe the only alumni to have a diploma signed by two Notre Dame Presidents. Father Hesburgh, hand signed my diploma Congratulations Father Ted Hesburgh. I can’t tell you how much having Father Ted, hand sign my diploma means to me!
It was 1988 and Fr Hesburgh had never celebrated mass at Fisher Hall. He told me no one had ever invited him. So I did. I felt empowered. I was a sophomore member of hall government, after all. I think our rector Fr Thomas was not so pleased as much attended Fr Hesburgh saying mass at your dorm. By the time his office was done with the planning it turned into an outdoor mass in the courtyard between Fisher and Pangborn Halls. Residents of Pangborn and other South Quad dorms were invited. An elevated platform was put in place, complete with altar, crucifix, tables, chairs, candles, plants, and flowers, all dressed accordingly. The day itself was lovely. Good temperatures and blue skies, mostly. But a bit windy. I’ll never forget the sight of Fr Thomas chasing down some windblown hosts that Fr Hesburgh had just consecrated. The breezy conditions did not curtail Fr Hesburgh’s homily, however. He spoke at length about the many places he had celebrated mass, from the Himalayas to, well, the courtyard between Fisher and Pangborn. He also spoke about a simple prayer he would say often, as brief as his homily was not, “Come Holy Spirit!” What an experience he gave us!
Years after I graduated, Father Hesburgh came to Washington, D.C. for Universal Notre Dame Night. Before the dinner, he said Mass at a nearby church where he had served his first assignment after being ordained. After the Mass, he came outside and positioned himself at the foot of the steps to greet members of the congregation as they left. My mother and father (who put two sons through Notre Dame) were in line, but a woman right ahead of them was dominating Father Ted in conversation. So, my mother (short in stature) started to move out of the line. As she passed Father Ted, he kept his eye on the woman who was speaking to him, but reached out his arm and gently grabbed by mother’s arm and said, “Stay here, Dear.” The other woman ended her conversation and he had a kind greeting for my mother and father. It made their day (and mine).
Father Ted did a prayer for me before one of my surgeries. Asked when I would return to work and showed up the day I returned to work 6 weeks later, and did another prayer for me for continued health. What a lovely man. God rest your soul.
At senior prom in May 1970, my fiancée and I had the chance to meet Father Hesburgh. The first thing my fiancée said was “Oh, so you’re Ted the Head!” I thought I was not going to graduate. Father Hesburgh just said “So when are you going to get married?” When I told him the wedding was in June, Father said…”good luck!”
Fr. Hesburgh had a tradition of blessing prom queens and princesses, and he blessed my wife my sophomore year as we were dating then, my junior year as we were engaged to be married, and my senior year (1965) as she was 4 months pregnant, he blessed her twice…once for her and once for our son Dan Jr, who was born in South Bend on July 24, 1965. I love that thought.
As you know, we all had ID#’s, and they were long. While overseas in Angers, France, in 1974-75, one of my ND colleagues sent Fr. Ted a postcard & just signed it with her ID# “7312xxxxxx.” Not her name. A few months later, a lovely letter came to her from Fr. Ted. He had taken the time to look up her ID# and wrote her a very personal letter.
I remember my first year at ND – 2014 – sitting next to Fr. Hesburgh at Mass in the Holy Cross House chapel while I volunteered with some of the CSC retirees. He prayed the rosary while responding at Mass, still as spiritual and close to God as always. It meant a lot to me to share some prayerful moments with him before he passed later my first year. <3 Fr. Ted.
My senior year at ND (2002), I made an appointment to go see Fr. Hesburgh. I had a print of the famous picture of him with Dr. Martin Luther King I was hoping he would sign. Turns out I was there just in time for his daily Mass in his office chapel. He said Mass for me and his assistant and it was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. He prayed a special blessing over me, he signed my picture that I still have framed in my home, and then he shared stories…humbling, awe-inspiring stories by such an unassuming person. He showed me some of his many awards. I was completely awestruck. One of the things I was most humbled by was him wanting to know about me – where I came from, my plans for the future and my ND experience. So blessed to have such a great memory of him that I will always get to keep.
Was 13 years old celebrating Christmas in Vail, Colorado. Went to Christmas Eve Mass at a small chapel in Vail. Father Hesburgh said the Mass. Really made my Dad’s day. Dad was a lifelong ND fan. Never forgot that Mass.