Fifty Years and Counting

The following is a personal reflection by Tommy "The Hawk" Hawkins that has been circulating in cyberspace among the class of 1959, which includes our own Irv Hermann and Joe Krug.  (Unfortunately, the poem that was supposed to be attached was not available.)  Enjoy!

50 Years and Counting

by

Tommy Hawkins

Class of 1959

An up close and personal view of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Notre Dame's Class of '59 and its Induction into the 50 Year Club.

Respectfully submitted to Notre Dame Magazine and Mr. Kerry Temple by Tommy Hawkins, B.A. Sociology, two-time Basketball All American, Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, and 1999 Sorin Award winner.

During earlier class reunions, I viewed with respect and amazement those Notre Dame alumni who were celebrating their 50th anniversaries. I wondered if I would live long enough to enjoy the honor and privilege of being Inducted into the University's 50 Year Club. Well, folks, I made It and the experience was nothing short of phenomenal. This past June 4-7, members of the 1959 class gathered on campus to share the glories of old. Most of us hadn't seen each other for a half-century, yet the stories flowed like fine wine. As we relived the experiences that are indelibly etched on our minds and souls, I decided to capture my classmates' remembrances on audio tape. I recorded their vivid, recapitulations which I will share with you, but first, I must set the scene.

Back in 1955, I was one of two black students in our freshman class. At that time, there were only ten blacks attending Notre Dame. Please keep in mind that this was before President Barack Obama was born, before Rosa Parks and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr's Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, and nine years before Congress passed the Nation's first Civil Rights legislation. Although a year prior to our matriculation at Notre Dame, the United States Supreme Court, by unanimous decision, handed down a ruling outlawing racial segregation in public schools, integration was by no means the law of the land. For the most part, segregation ruled. Picture this: 1,200 male freshmen, two of them black, beneath the Golden Dome led by a brilliant and resilient civil rights minded president, Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, who preached the dignity of man regardless of race, creed or color. Father Hesburgh, who was far ahead of society, made it perfectly clear that anywhere Notre Dame's minority students were not welcomed, neither was Notre Dame. What an incredible vote of confidence that was for an 18 year old student athlete from the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, who would for the following four years be the only black on the basketball team and the only black in all of the classes he attended. I have received many compliments in my lifetime, but that remains the ultimate.

So, as the world turned in 1955, we mourned the death of genius physicist Albert Einstein, paid reverent respect to the retirement of British World War II leader and Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, cheered the Brooklyn Dodgers first-ever World Series Championship win over the rival New York Yankees, and looked on in awe as Walt Disney opened the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland. Post-war America on the move. There were 1,200 determined young teenagers beginning a mission of becoming Notre Dame men.

Flash-forward 55 years to the 50th reunion of the graduating class of 1959; a proud assemblage of grey beards, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, professors, owners of professional sports teams, former professional athletes, advertising executives broadcasters, musicians – you name it – all intent on waking up the echoes of a life-shaping past. The personal exchanges were constant and aptly expressed. With tears in his eyes, Dr. Knute Cavanaugh of Longmont, Colorado, remembers the look of happiness and pride on his father's face when he received his degree. He explained that his father never went past the fifth grade and Knute was the first member of his family to go to college. Young Cavanaugh embodied the spirit of Notre Dame. He worked in the campus dining hall for four years and knew just about every one on campus.

To the dismay of his classmates, Jim Dorsey of Oakbluff, Massachusetts, got married in his junior year and brought back his bride, Pat, to South Bend. I frequently visited the Dorsey household and enjoyed many home cooked meals. Jim proudly recalls his membership in the Notre Dame marching band. He and Pat have been married for 52 years.

Bo Broemmel, now living in Marion, Illinois, remembers his position on the Notre Dame baseball team and will never forget his coach, Jake Klein, and the day he started in right field for the Irish.

Pete Hackett of Springfield, Ohio, looks back on the spiritual side of Notre Dame, which he says was the best spiritual four years of his life. According to Pete, even when he prays today, he always envisions himself at the Grotto with Notre Dame always in his heart and soul. Pete and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 50 years and have five children, including three sons who graduated from Notre Dame and a daughter who attended St. Mary's College. They boast 15 grandchildren.

Ed Malone, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, shared his memories of visiting the Grotto where he received hope and inspiration. On the social side, Ed laughed at the fact there were no women on campus. Notre Dame didn't go co-ed until 1977. During our tenure, Ed and I, like most other Notre Dame men, paid frequent visits to St. Mary's College and St. Joseph's Nursing School.

Tom Lopina, of Winston Salem, North Carolina, rejoices in the sustained spirit of Notre Dame and in being a distinguished member of one of the world's greatest families.

John P. Thurin, now living in South Bend, Indiana carried around a copy of the 1959 Dome yearbook, a publication for which he served as editor-in-chief. John flashed back to those all-night sessions he and his staff spent on the third floor of La Fortune Student Center completing the creatively unique project.  As we leafed through the beautifully bound blue and gold labor of love, John reeled with pride and passion. Some experiences are indelible, sustaining life forces.

Jim Keegan of Wilmington, Delaware, thinks of the Grotto as the most peaceful place on campus. When asked if he always felt the need to visit the sacred shrine, he smiled and said “sometimes twice a day.”

On they came. Dick Murphy of Elmhurst, Illinois, was a hard-working loyal manager of the Irish basketball team. He beamed when recalling our 1958 win over defending NCAA champion North Carolina. 20,000 wild fans witnessed that one at the old Chicago Stadium.

Lee Brand of San Raphael, California, will never forget his first vision of the Notre Dame campus. Riding in a cab up Notre Dame Avenue, he looked up and saw the Golden Dome. Lee claims he has never duplicated that riveting experience any place else in his life.

My track and field teammate Steve Dornbach from Edina, Minnesota, recalls watching me go over the high jump bar when I wasn't playing basketball. Who knew?

Dr. Bernie GillespIe from Shelter Island, New York, will never forget being commissioned in the Navy, the day after graduating from Notre Dame.

Bob Byrnes, currently living in Greenwich, Connecticut, recalls the over-all positive attitude that has always been a big part of Notre Dame: the religiosity, the camaraderie of the students, the dedication of the professors, and the incredible University spirit. He ended his comments by telling me a big highlight for him was watching me play basketball. As he walked away, he said "You were an inspiration to us all, Tommy." I still haven't recovered from his gracious remark.

Jimmy Just from Arlington Heights, Illinois, was a running-back on the Notre Dame football team. He has two outstanding memories of his time beneath the Golden Dome: first, traveling to Norman, Oklahoma and handing Oklahoma a 7 to 0 defeat, breaking their 47 consecutive game win streak. Second, was meeting his bride of 50 years at St. Mary's College.

As for me, it was an incredible feeling to reconnect with my classmates and realize that everything I experienced over 50 years ago was real: the friendships, the love, the caring, the spirit, the camaraderie, the sharing, and the mutual respect. At the reunion. I was asked to give a speech and emcee our class dinner. What an honor. I did my best to make it live for the guys and their ladies. I live with a cascading waterfall of memories that constantly bathe and invigorate me: as a freshman living across the hall from Rector Father Robert Pelton, in Cavanaugh Hall, he guided me on the path of personal and academic success; being told by my basketball coach Johnny Jordan, that if I was going to be a Notre Dame All American, I needed to develop public speaking skills, and then mentoring me in the process; visits to the Grotto before and after home games, whether I scored 30 points or just 15; bonding with members of our top ten rated basketball teams, especially my basketball roommate and fellow All American, Eugene Raymond Patrick Duffy, who stood only 5'5" tall. (“Duff” – one of the most dynamic human beings that ever walked the face of the earth – died of cancer at age 33. I miss him.) And there's more.

Sitting quietly in the rear of Sacred Heart Church, I watched resident sculptor Ivan Mestrovic methodically chip away on his world-famous Pieta, discussing poetry with my English literature professor Father Chester A. Soleta, who instilled a love of poetry that has always inspired me (I am about to publish a personal book of poetry). I was convinced by Father Henri Dulac, an energetic Logic professor, that if I took his course I would thank him for the rest of my life. Father, you have my eternal gratitude. I will never forget the shared fellowship of my classmates – what a supportive group of guys, the “never say die” encouragement of Father Hesburgh, and the tears of pride on the faces of my family when he gave me my bachelor's degree. As you can see, my Notre Dame mug runneth over.

The highlight of my weekend was a one-on-one meeting with Father Hesburgh. I hold him in such high-esteem. During a previous visit, Father and I toured campus in a golf cart stopping and reminiscing at various sites. That visit prompted my writing a free verse poem entitled, “The House of Hesburgh.” I matched a 1958 photo of Father with the poem, had them framed in blue and gold and packaged for presentation. My meeting with “Father Ted” was, as always, inspirational. As we exchanged pleasantries and memories of old, Father said, "I've got something for you" and handed me a photo of me, taken back in 1956, making a high flying dunk shot. "That’s one of my all-time favorites," he said.

That set the stage for my offering. I unveiled the plaque and read the poem to him. Quietly, he shed a tear and said, “Tom Hawkins, I don't cry" to which I replied, “Why should I sit here and cry alone." I'd like to share the poem with you.

[Poem missing]

The character of the Notre Dame 59ers can be seen in so many distinguished ways. With better than 73% participation, our class’s financial contribution to the University is an all time record of $26.4 million. I must also add, we have never forgotten our class members who lost their lives in service to our country. During the reunion, our Vietnam Memorial Project included the dedication of a plaque in memory of our fallen classmates. It now hangs in the campus ROTC Building. A hearty salute to Col. Edward Mezzapelle and Dan Rapp for their efforts in not letting us forget that freedom is never free, and in honoring those who, in life and death, insure our liberty.

As I move on in years, I look back on my four years at Notre Dame as the greatest time of my eclectic life. Under the Golden Dome, I was nurtured in faith, education, collegiality, growth and development, enduring friendships, personal success, and the pride of belonging to such a wonderful family. I entered Notre Dame a shaky, uncertain teenager and left campus a confident man.

A thousand thank yous go out to our Class of '59 Reunion Co-Chairs Joe-Mulligan and Vince Naimoli and to the reunion steering committee John Cashion, Class President, Jim Keegan, Class Secretary, and Dan Crossen. Fabulous job, guys. Also, hats off to Chuck Lennon and the staff of the Notre Dame Alumni Association for their stellar efforts on our behalf.

As I boarded my flight back to Los Angeles, I was already flying high, filled to the brim with the shared joys of our Golden Jubilee Celebration and in awe of the sustaining strength of the Notre Dame bond. I found my seat, sat back, fastened my seat belt, smiled and quietly chanted to myself, rejoicing in the rhythmic repetition:

We are ND!

We are ND!

We are ND!

We are ND!