Loras Student’s Identity in the 1950’s and 1960’s
By: Clairee Schneider, Rebecca See, Julia Arth, and Jessica Fino
A Loras College student during the1950s and 1960s was identified as a man of great integrity, intelligence, leadership, and strength. The community of Duhawks were committed to high education, service, and involvement and were equipped with strong Christian values. During this time period, Loras continued to be an all-male institution with almost all-male faculty and staff. Clergy members of the Catholic Church made up the majority of the professors and administration. During this time, Loras collaborated with Clarke students for many social events. The Catholic community and identity at Loras College is still very important, although not as prominent as it used to be. Getting involved in clubs and organizations is still a key factor in the experience of a Loras College student. Finally, social events and activities, though different, have always been a big part of the identity and community of the Loras Duhawks.
Loras College has primarily been a Catholic college since its beginning in 1839. The Catholic Faith has made a significant impact on the Loras students’ and faculty’s identity. Reviewing past yearbooks it became clear that there were very few female faculty members at this time, due to the fact that women were just coming out of their homes and becoming a part of the workforce. This was intriguing because even though women were in the workforce there were very few present on a male-only campus. Not only were there few female faculty members, the male faculty members were mostly reverends. For example, Reverend Henry Rohlman was the Archbishop of Dubuque and the Loras College President was Rt. Rev. Sylvester D. Ludy (LC Purgold, 1950-51). Even though most of the faculty members were reverends the male students found ways to strengthen their faith and have fun learning and applying their faith to everyday life. Having specified housing for the seminarians on campus for example, helped to promote their devotion and dedication to the Catholic faith and community.
Loras College had certain residence halls dedicated for specific purposes. The North Hall, now called Rohlman Hall, housed the students studying to be seminarians. Housing these students together provided an ideal atmosphere for them to consecrate their lives in the service of God and maintain a community of men all devoted and dedicated to their faith. These students may not have been allowed to participate in the events with the Clarke students, but they were able to become close with the students they lived with. Making friends with those they lived amongst with similar interests and values allowed them to have a solid group of friends, and helped them to not feel excluded from the same activities the other students participated in. Similar to the North Hall, Smyth Hall was the residence hall that housed thirty-eight young men, who were preparing for admittance to the province of St. Albert the Great of the Dominican Order. These students were not only responsible for their regular school work; they also had to prepare for the Dominican Order by learning the fundamentals of Religious Life. Along with themed residence housing, there were also expectations that were outlined in the student handbook that laid out the guidelines set for the students.
Many of the rules and expectations in the Loras College Student Handbooks from 1964-1969 explained how the students were expected to behave according to the Catholic faith. In the late 1960’s religion was expected to be a part of the students’ daily lives. For example, the Catholic students were required to go to daily mass three to five times a week and were required to go to Sunday Mass every week; non-Catholic students were highly encouraged to attend Daily Mass (LC Student Handbook, 1965). To help students meet this requirement, daily mass was offered in the mornings and evenings in the Residence Halls. Eucharistic Worship was available on Fridays for students to spend time with the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions and Rosary devotions were also available regularly throughout the semester. The students took an active role in their Christianity and expressed it in the publications available to them on campus.
In 1967 and on, there were several articles in the Lorian that focused on the importance of the liturgy in Christianity. One of the articles, from May of 1967, reported that the students wanted liturgical renewal. For example, they wanted to play guitars at Mass, but the Archbishop refused to meet about this request. Another article in the Lorian, from November of 1966 talked about how the Lorian decided to publish articles about other contemporary religions; this was to acquire knowledge about other religions and to better understand the Christian faith. This demonstrates that students at the time were interested in interfaith discussions as early as the 1960’s.
The students not only made their views known in the Loras publications, but through participating in activities pertaining to what they cared about. An activity that helped strengthen the student’s faith was the required annual retreat held every school year. This event, which was held from Ash Wednesday to the first Saturday in Lent, helped the students become more attached to their Catholic identity and become more involved in the Church. “It is one of the many ways by which the faculty of the college gives to the students a chance to educate themselves more fully in the truths and duties of the divine life of grace” (LC Purgold, 1955). Another place that students could practice their Catholic faith was at the newly built grotto.
The grotto was built outside of the North Hall which was the ideal place to hold outdoor religious activities as it was behind the building which housed the seminarian students; it was especially appropriate for Marian Events. The grotto was perfect for the Loras College Sodality, “a group apostolate through ardent devotion and fervent love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, which instills in its lay members zeal in the quest of Christian perfection for self, neighbor, and the world” (LC Purgold, 1955). This is one in many groups on campus that devoted themselves to the Christian life and its values.
The Clerics Club, which set a record of 80 members in 1950, was established so that students could fulfil the “For God” division of Loras’ motto “For God and Country” (LC Purgold, 1950). This club was so popular because many of the students who enrolled in Loras College in the early 1950s majored in Philosophy; if a student was a Philosophy major than it was likely that they were also a part of the Clerical Club. This was not an easy club to be a part of, as these students were not allowed to leave campus unless it was for an emergency, vacation (summer, Christmas, or Easter), or college sponsored event. Although this was difficult, it allowed the students to fully emerge themselves in college life. Today, students have more freedom and go home more often, but results in lack of community that would have been felt in this time period. Not only would these students have a stronger sense of Loras community, they would also have a stronger sense of their faith. It is common for first year students to experience a little bit of home sickness, but requiring students to have so little contact encouraged them to stay on campus. Back in the 1960s, students were able to become more independent and fill that emotional gap with the Lord.
A second club that the students could use to build their faith was the St. Vincent De Paul Society. The purpose of the Society was the “sanctification of the members’ souls”, and it is manifested through extensive works of charity performed by its members (LC Purgold, 1952). They would make visits to St. Mary’s home to entertain the orphaned children, trips to the County Poor Farm to give small gifts of cigarettes and tobacco as well as encouragement, and visits to the various hospitals and nursing homes in Dubuque (LC Purgold, 1952). A third Catholic service oriented organization on campus was the Catholic Students Mission Crusade (C.S.M.C.) and was known for putting on the annual St. Patrick’s Day Auction, to raise money for service trips (LC Purgold, 1952). Similar to the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the Lambda Kappa Chapter Alpha aimed to “assemble college men in the fellowship of the scout oath and law, to develop friendship and promote service to the student body and faculty, to youth and community, to its own members and to the nation” (LC Purgold, 1955). Another group that seems to be somewhat similar is the National Federation of Catholic College Students, which helped with the improvement of campus life in general and extracurricular life in particular. There was also the Alpha Chapter Delta Epsilon Sigma, which was the National Catholic Honor Fraternity; membership in this society was based on scholarship, leadership, and general ability.
Many organizations were started in the 1950’s and 1960’s that enhanced a student’s identity at Loras during their college years. One of the most popular organizations on campus was the Student Government, which consisted of class representatives that were responsible for the regulation of student activities such as mixers, socials, and television parties (LC Purgold, 1955). It was because of the Student Government that the students were able to participate in so much on campus and the Student Government is something that still exists today.
Music and the arts were a very large part of student life at Loras. In 1950, the Glee club was started; this was an organization where students danced and sang (LC Purgold, 1950). A handful of students joined the club when it first started and it continued throughout the years. Band was also one of the clubs students loved to participate in. The band became very competitive with other bands in the school’s conference and sometimes held competitions to see who the better band was. In 1954, the band won the Purgold Spirit Award, which the student band members were ecstatic about winning. Also in 1954, the Boston Pops came to Loras to perform at the request of the Loras Band (LC Purgold, 1954). Some people ended up being turned away because the Fieldhouse was at capacity. Loras College also had a choir organization called the Vested Choir which held many concerts throughout the school year for both the students and community. There was also an organization called The Loras Players that performed plays throughout the school year and that sometimes also included the Clarke women. In almost every Lorian issue during these two decades, there was an article about a choir performance, a band performance, and/or a play or musical going on (see Figure 1).
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were numerous students at Loras College that were involved in a sport. In every yearbook there were many teams pictured and in each Lorian issue there were articles about each sports team and highlights from each game that was played. The college encouraged men to participate in sports, so they offered many intramural sports in addition to three “Major” sports, and four “Minor” sports, also called intercollegiate sports. The Major sports were: Basketball, Baseball, and Track, while the Minor sports were: Golf, Tennis, Wrestling, and Cross-Country. The young men at Loras College were also very involved in intramurals, and there were plenty of options to suit anyone such as: touch football, volleyball, bowling, horseshoes, table tennis, weight lifting, and many others. The Monogram Club was for the students in sports who earned the major “L” lettering. The Monogram Club members earned the “L” lettering to put on their Loras jackets if they would like. Many of the men on campus seemed to be involved either on a sports team or in intramurals which kept them active throughout the year. Along with campus activities, students were able to be involved in the Dubuque community.
Social and community events were a large part of the campus community as well as part of the student’s identity at Loras College. Countless social events were represented in the yearbooks from these two decades such as: the Campus Carnival, Fall Soiree, Tri-College Concert, Stage Productions by the Loras Players, Saint Patrick’s Day Auction, Annual Rock My Soul Concert, Annual Sneak Prevue (Talent Show), Foreign Country Day (every year a different country would be represented for a day), College Day, Parent’s Day, and other miscellaneous events. Loras would team up with Clarke College, to hold community events throughout the school year (see Figure 2).
Loras and Clarke would hold dances together at homecoming and the Sweetheart Ball in the spring. The Sweetheart Ball was organized by Delta Sigma around Valentine’s Day; it was a big event for both Loras and Clarke students. The Sweetheart Ball was very formal; the ladies wore long, poufy dresses and the guys wore tuxes and bowties. Homecoming celebrations had a homecoming court with a king and queen crowned. The homecoming parade shut down many streets around campus, and many people from both colleges, the community, and traveling Alumni participated in the parade each year. The students from Loras loved participating in the social events on campus because it gave them a break from their studies and time to spend with the women from Clarke. Some of the Loras men dated the Clarke women and ended up marrying them during their years at Loras or shortly thereafter.
Community was very significant to the Loras College student during this time period and continues to be to this day. Community at Loras was established through social events, organizations, and amongst religious groups and opportunities. These events, activities, and organizations that the students were involved in shaped their identity and character while at Loras College, and molded them into active and prepared citizens for the future.
Loras College has primarily been a Catholic college since its beginning in 1839. The Catholic Faith has made a significant impact on the Loras students’ and faculty’s identity. Reviewing past yearbooks it became clear that there were very few female faculty members at this time, due to the fact that women were just coming out of their homes and becoming a part of the workforce. This was intriguing because even though women were in the workforce there were very few present on a male-only campus. Not only were there few female faculty members, the male faculty members were mostly reverends. For example, Reverend Henry Rohlman was the Archbishop of Dubuque and the Loras College President was Rt. Rev. Sylvester D. Ludy (LC Purgold, 1950-51). Even though most of the faculty members were reverends the male students found ways to strengthen their faith and have fun learning and applying their faith to everyday life. Having specified housing for the seminarians on campus for example, helped to promote their devotion and dedication to the Catholic faith and community.
Loras College had certain residence halls dedicated for specific purposes. The North Hall, now called Rohlman Hall, housed the students studying to be seminarians. Housing these students together provided an ideal atmosphere for them to consecrate their lives in the service of God and maintain a community of men all devoted and dedicated to their faith. These students may not have been allowed to participate in the events with the Clarke students, but they were able to become close with the students they lived with. Making friends with those they lived amongst with similar interests and values allowed them to have a solid group of friends, and helped them to not feel excluded from the same activities the other students participated in. Similar to the North Hall, Smyth Hall was the residence hall that housed thirty-eight young men, who were preparing for admittance to the province of St. Albert the Great of the Dominican Order. These students were not only responsible for their regular school work; they also had to prepare for the Dominican Order by learning the fundamentals of Religious Life. Along with themed residence housing, there were also expectations that were outlined in the student handbook that laid out the guidelines set for the students.
Many of the rules and expectations in the Loras College Student Handbooks from 1964-1969 explained how the students were expected to behave according to the Catholic faith. In the late 1960’s religion was expected to be a part of the students’ daily lives. For example, the Catholic students were required to go to daily mass three to five times a week and were required to go to Sunday Mass every week; non-Catholic students were highly encouraged to attend Daily Mass (LC Student Handbook, 1965). To help students meet this requirement, daily mass was offered in the mornings and evenings in the Residence Halls. Eucharistic Worship was available on Fridays for students to spend time with the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions and Rosary devotions were also available regularly throughout the semester. The students took an active role in their Christianity and expressed it in the publications available to them on campus.
In 1967 and on, there were several articles in the Lorian that focused on the importance of the liturgy in Christianity. One of the articles, from May of 1967, reported that the students wanted liturgical renewal. For example, they wanted to play guitars at Mass, but the Archbishop refused to meet about this request. Another article in the Lorian, from November of 1966 talked about how the Lorian decided to publish articles about other contemporary religions; this was to acquire knowledge about other religions and to better understand the Christian faith. This demonstrates that students at the time were interested in interfaith discussions as early as the 1960’s.
The students not only made their views known in the Loras publications, but through participating in activities pertaining to what they cared about. An activity that helped strengthen the student’s faith was the required annual retreat held every school year. This event, which was held from Ash Wednesday to the first Saturday in Lent, helped the students become more attached to their Catholic identity and become more involved in the Church. “It is one of the many ways by which the faculty of the college gives to the students a chance to educate themselves more fully in the truths and duties of the divine life of grace” (LC Purgold, 1955). Another place that students could practice their Catholic faith was at the newly built grotto.
The grotto was built outside of the North Hall which was the ideal place to hold outdoor religious activities as it was behind the building which housed the seminarian students; it was especially appropriate for Marian Events. The grotto was perfect for the Loras College Sodality, “a group apostolate through ardent devotion and fervent love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, which instills in its lay members zeal in the quest of Christian perfection for self, neighbor, and the world” (LC Purgold, 1955). This is one in many groups on campus that devoted themselves to the Christian life and its values.
The Clerics Club, which set a record of 80 members in 1950, was established so that students could fulfil the “For God” division of Loras’ motto “For God and Country” (LC Purgold, 1950). This club was so popular because many of the students who enrolled in Loras College in the early 1950s majored in Philosophy; if a student was a Philosophy major than it was likely that they were also a part of the Clerical Club. This was not an easy club to be a part of, as these students were not allowed to leave campus unless it was for an emergency, vacation (summer, Christmas, or Easter), or college sponsored event. Although this was difficult, it allowed the students to fully emerge themselves in college life. Today, students have more freedom and go home more often, but results in lack of community that would have been felt in this time period. Not only would these students have a stronger sense of Loras community, they would also have a stronger sense of their faith. It is common for first year students to experience a little bit of home sickness, but requiring students to have so little contact encouraged them to stay on campus. Back in the 1960s, students were able to become more independent and fill that emotional gap with the Lord.
A second club that the students could use to build their faith was the St. Vincent De Paul Society. The purpose of the Society was the “sanctification of the members’ souls”, and it is manifested through extensive works of charity performed by its members (LC Purgold, 1952). They would make visits to St. Mary’s home to entertain the orphaned children, trips to the County Poor Farm to give small gifts of cigarettes and tobacco as well as encouragement, and visits to the various hospitals and nursing homes in Dubuque (LC Purgold, 1952). A third Catholic service oriented organization on campus was the Catholic Students Mission Crusade (C.S.M.C.) and was known for putting on the annual St. Patrick’s Day Auction, to raise money for service trips (LC Purgold, 1952). Similar to the St. Vincent De Paul Society, the Lambda Kappa Chapter Alpha aimed to “assemble college men in the fellowship of the scout oath and law, to develop friendship and promote service to the student body and faculty, to youth and community, to its own members and to the nation” (LC Purgold, 1955). Another group that seems to be somewhat similar is the National Federation of Catholic College Students, which helped with the improvement of campus life in general and extracurricular life in particular. There was also the Alpha Chapter Delta Epsilon Sigma, which was the National Catholic Honor Fraternity; membership in this society was based on scholarship, leadership, and general ability.
Many organizations were started in the 1950’s and 1960’s that enhanced a student’s identity at Loras during their college years. One of the most popular organizations on campus was the Student Government, which consisted of class representatives that were responsible for the regulation of student activities such as mixers, socials, and television parties (LC Purgold, 1955). It was because of the Student Government that the students were able to participate in so much on campus and the Student Government is something that still exists today.
Music and the arts were a very large part of student life at Loras. In 1950, the Glee club was started; this was an organization where students danced and sang (LC Purgold, 1950). A handful of students joined the club when it first started and it continued throughout the years. Band was also one of the clubs students loved to participate in. The band became very competitive with other bands in the school’s conference and sometimes held competitions to see who the better band was. In 1954, the band won the Purgold Spirit Award, which the student band members were ecstatic about winning. Also in 1954, the Boston Pops came to Loras to perform at the request of the Loras Band (LC Purgold, 1954). Some people ended up being turned away because the Fieldhouse was at capacity. Loras College also had a choir organization called the Vested Choir which held many concerts throughout the school year for both the students and community. There was also an organization called The Loras Players that performed plays throughout the school year and that sometimes also included the Clarke women. In almost every Lorian issue during these two decades, there was an article about a choir performance, a band performance, and/or a play or musical going on (see Figure 1).
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, there were numerous students at Loras College that were involved in a sport. In every yearbook there were many teams pictured and in each Lorian issue there were articles about each sports team and highlights from each game that was played. The college encouraged men to participate in sports, so they offered many intramural sports in addition to three “Major” sports, and four “Minor” sports, also called intercollegiate sports. The Major sports were: Basketball, Baseball, and Track, while the Minor sports were: Golf, Tennis, Wrestling, and Cross-Country. The young men at Loras College were also very involved in intramurals, and there were plenty of options to suit anyone such as: touch football, volleyball, bowling, horseshoes, table tennis, weight lifting, and many others. The Monogram Club was for the students in sports who earned the major “L” lettering. The Monogram Club members earned the “L” lettering to put on their Loras jackets if they would like. Many of the men on campus seemed to be involved either on a sports team or in intramurals which kept them active throughout the year. Along with campus activities, students were able to be involved in the Dubuque community.
Social and community events were a large part of the campus community as well as part of the student’s identity at Loras College. Countless social events were represented in the yearbooks from these two decades such as: the Campus Carnival, Fall Soiree, Tri-College Concert, Stage Productions by the Loras Players, Saint Patrick’s Day Auction, Annual Rock My Soul Concert, Annual Sneak Prevue (Talent Show), Foreign Country Day (every year a different country would be represented for a day), College Day, Parent’s Day, and other miscellaneous events. Loras would team up with Clarke College, to hold community events throughout the school year (see Figure 2).
Loras and Clarke would hold dances together at homecoming and the Sweetheart Ball in the spring. The Sweetheart Ball was organized by Delta Sigma around Valentine’s Day; it was a big event for both Loras and Clarke students. The Sweetheart Ball was very formal; the ladies wore long, poufy dresses and the guys wore tuxes and bowties. Homecoming celebrations had a homecoming court with a king and queen crowned. The homecoming parade shut down many streets around campus, and many people from both colleges, the community, and traveling Alumni participated in the parade each year. The students from Loras loved participating in the social events on campus because it gave them a break from their studies and time to spend with the women from Clarke. Some of the Loras men dated the Clarke women and ended up marrying them during their years at Loras or shortly thereafter.
Community was very significant to the Loras College student during this time period and continues to be to this day. Community at Loras was established through social events, organizations, and amongst religious groups and opportunities. These events, activities, and organizations that the students were involved in shaped their identity and character while at Loras College, and molded them into active and prepared citizens for the future.