My Notre Dame

In this memoir, Thomas Stritch turns a loving, reflective eye on the university to which he came as a freshman in 1930 and in which he remains today, as Professor Emeritus of American Studies. Stritch pretends to no more than a personal view, butMoreIn this memoir, Thomas Stritch turns a loving, reflective eye on the university to which he came as a freshman in 1930 and in which he remains today, as Professor Emeritus of American Studies. Stritch pretends to no more than a personal view, but this collection of memories, observations, and impressions of the people and ideas behind Notre Dames growth as a university is shaped by sixty years of experience and offers an insiders view of the university community. Writing about the growth of Notre Dame since its Diamond Jubilee in 1917, Stritch discusses its presidents, the evolution of Notre Dames religious spirit, its colorful characters, his own undergraduate days, his experiences in and out of the classroom, the history of the fine arts at Notre Dame, and his personal involvement with various academic departments. Stritch himself has played a part in Notre Dames development by reshaping entire segments of the curriculum. His early courses in Modern Culture introduced a rare note of contemporaneity into the curriculum, and with the help of his colleagues, he ushered in plastic arts and film studies. The last of the Notre Dame bachelor dons, Stritch has walked upon the campus for over sixty years, daily observing and contemplating its characters, its folkways, its natural and architectural beauty, and its many endearing oddities. Here he shares in intimate detail all that Notre Dame has meant to him.