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President's
Page
Dear Fellow Alumnus:
One of the distinct pleasures of my
life was haN^ng a part in honoring Jim
Anhstrong as the most i-aluable Notre
Dame alumnus for more than a quarter
century.
My return, on the occasion of the
June meeting, to the hallowed campus
that has left its imprint on me, stirred
some memories. It al^rays does tliat.
I'm reminded all over again how much
of my heart is with Notre Dame —
and how much a part of me are men
of old Notre Dame.
Jim Armstrong fits into that circle of
gentlemen whose dedicated ser\'ice to
Notre Dame has been enduring. They
hold a very special place.
In my mind, as I see it now, there
are men who represent Notre Dame
and what it is, and stands for. One of
these was the very kind Father J.
Leonard Carrico. Except for him, I'd
have missed a lifelong dream of going
to Notre Dame. He took me in; I
could never have made it without him.
That first autumn of '42, in old Carroll
Hall, the present Father Dave
Scheider of Batavia, New York, was
my roommate. I won't forget I'm better
for having knouoi him.
Our prefect — in those days when
we washed in the basement, studied on
the second floor, and lived on cots on
four, where bed sheets partitioned the
room — was Brother Justin. His face
•was round as a moon, and red as an
apple. He bubbled cheer and there
\vas a bit of Barrymore in him.
His diction was lyrical, even when
(to Dave's and my great pleasure) he
recited "Dangerous Dan McGrew" or
"Casey at the Bat."
He had his o\\'n way of teaching us
discipline, and values. And we'd split
our sides listening when he recited
poems by T.E.B.; compositions like
"Kokomo Sue" or "Sonnets to a Substitute."
Then, he would draw us in
so effortlessly, to "The Hound of
Heaven," and weightier stuff.
Somewhere now, I know, there's a
cluster of appreciative angels gathered
round Brother Justin, evenings, to be
entertained.
W. D. RoUison was tall, greying, and
courtly — a Southern Gentleman
through and through. He taught torts
in Law School — and personified all
that ever was meant by the term "the
reasonable prudent man."
Elton Richter, who taught contracts,
had the bearing and the looks of an allpro
tackle. He owned a coal business
in South Bend, and so his lectures
sometimes were spiced with advice that
came not entirely from the books. A
serious and most fair man, he could
fill the room with his laughter that
came sometimes in a roar.
Even today, when I draft any contract
in my legal offices in Dallas, I'm
inclined to ask "what-would-a-coaldealer-do-in-a-case-like-this?"
Msgr. W. J. Doheny wrote so much
of Canon Law — and he found time to
be the spiritual guide to many Notre
Dame men, including me, and the
young lady who became my wife.
Naturally, we shared the pride that
many others felt, when Msgr. Doheny
was elevated to the Roman Rota, the
Supreme Court of die Catholic Church.
And I sometimes wonder if, in faroff
Rome, Msgr. Doheny's old football
knees throb just a bit when, on an
autumn day, the rousing Victory March
echoes the name of Notre Dame.
To many of us, who thrill to the
sound of the Victory March, the Monsignor
taught much more than a course
in Legal Ethics.
They were like that: men of greatness
\viio held in trust the bond that
they are a part of all that Notre Dame
IS. They possessed warmth and gentleness,
and humility. And each had
strength of character, and a set of
values to pass on freely to students.
Each one is someone special.
Ha\'ing worked \vith Jim Armstrong
on the Alumni Board, I know there
never ^vas a man with more ability, or
one whose loyalty to Notre Dame was
deeper or stronger. The Notre Dame :
Alumni Association, and Jim individ- )
ually, received National Alumni honors ^
in 1964 over ever)' other such group in
the Nation.
Deser\'ing of the recognition that we
bestowed on him? That is imderstating
it He has been the heart, breath
and soul of the Notre Dame Alumni
Association. He deserves appreciation
from all of us — the best we can give.
Sincerely,
LANCASTER Ssirrn '50
President,
Alumni Association ^
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