r - Archives - University of Notre Dame

Some years ago I received a note
from Bob Fello\\'Sj producer of the motion
picture Knute Rockne All-American:
"Mrs. Rockne gave me what she
described as a picture of Knute's high
school football team, his favorite and
one he always carried •ivith him. I
treasure it so much that I fear it might
get tossed out with the junk if something
should happen to me. I am sending
it to you, knowing you wU see that
it ^rill find a proper home."
There is no mistaking the blazing
eyes. It is the only picture of Rock
I've seen with hair (he was about 13 at
the time)- and it is indeed a jewel
wliich \n\\ be precious to posterity.
The incident made me wonder what
would eventually happen to all the
other souvenirs I had collected during
40 years of writing about sports in
newspapers, magazines, books and motion
pictures; and of talking about
sports on radio and television, at countless
dinners, smokers and rallies. So I
was relieved last spring when Rev.
Pliilip S. Moore CSC, academic assistant
to the President, stopped me in
the Main Building and said: "We are
going to establbh a sports and games
section in the new librar)'. Do you
have any ideas?"
"Father," I said, "I not only have
ideas. I have cartons of material in
my basement I haven't known what to
do with."
"Fine," he said, "you vn\l be our
charter donor."
After some correspondence with librarian
Victor Schaefer it was decided
that I should do this piece for the
ALUMNUS after which the detailed
solicitation would be taken over by
Charhe Callahan, the various publicity
channek of the University and, prob­
To Save It
From the Junk
By Frank WaUace '23
Journalist^, Author, Past President of the Alumni Association
ably, a continuing committee of people
most actively concerned.
Here, then, are the basics of the
project which will, I'm sure, have immediate
and enthusiastic support from
all alumni, authentic and synthetic;
from professional sports people and all
people interested in sports because of
the dignified recognition a great University
will have given to sports.
The Idea . . . coming, logically, from
Victor Schaefer, is to gather records
and written and pictorial data on all
sports, amateur and professional, so that
when reporters, scholars or historians
who want to research any segment of
this broadening field, the best available
sources \vi\\ be waiting at Notre Dame.
Some showpieces will be on display but
the basic collection will be pri\'ately
located -ivith adequate security.
The Material. . . perhaps the easiest
way to answer this is to list the contributions
I expect to eventually make:
copies of my 14 published books about
sports, with original manuscripts, ivorking
notes and correspondence; about
20 other volumes, mostly autographed,
by other -writers about sports history
and personalities; about 50 copies of
magazines, dating back to 1929, containing
short stories, serials and articles,
including all my Football Previews with
contributed material — a history of a
sort of college, football bet\veen 1937
and 1957; motion picture, radio and
TV scripts; pictures, cartoons and
paintings which illustrated magazine
stories; programs, brochures and playby-play
press bo.x charts of famous
games, including Ohio State-ND of
1935; a voluminous correspondence,
including autographs from famous
Americans now dead; and who kno\vs
what else I may find?
Alumni Contributions . . . Almost
everybody who has attended Notre
Dame probably has kept scrap books
or pictures or correspondence. If you
have one piece which you treasure,
write Victor Schaefer.
Special Groups . . . Among those
• who might make sizeable, important
contributions are: The many alumni
professionally engaged in the -writing
and broadcasting of sports; members
of coaching staffs, in any spor^ at
Notre Dame or elsewhere through the
years; the roster of the Monogram
Club, some of whom have also been in
professional sports; nonathletic alumni
(or their heirs) who have been close to
sports; nonalumni who have previously
adopted Notre Dame or who would
like to take part in this significant development;
coaches and sports writers
who went to other colleges but have
Notre Dame mementos and general
memorabilia they would like to keep oflF
that junk pile.
By now you should have the general
idea. Don't \vait to be asked — offer.
I am enormously flattered to have been
asked to kick off this significant project
which is so typically Notre Dame. Ours
has always been not only "a national
but a people's university; we have that
remarkable group of friends because
Our Lady has opened her arms and
made them welcome.
Last August I visited the community
cemetery where each man, including
Sorin, has his himible cross. Just
across the road ivas an athletic field
and in its middle one man with a golf
club, probably a seminarian. Sports
have alivays been part of the air at
Notre Dame, and that helps to explain
Notre Dame sports.
Notre Dame Alumnus, September-October, 1965 21