About the Sesquicentennial Timeline

 

The format of a historical timeline with more or less detailed annotations was decided on with the interests of potential readers in mind.  We assumed that the casual browser might wish to  focus on the years of his or her time at Saint Peter’s, and a timeline seemed the best way to make that easy.  However, for readers who would like more detailed information about the University’s history, the O’Toole Library and its Archives Department maintain a rich array of resources. Inquiries may be addressed to archivist@saintpeters.edu.

The creation of the timeline has involved a long series of decisions about what to include and what to omit, and we are of course aware that we cannot claim to have made the right calls in all cases.  So we apologize in advance to any parties who may feel they have been unjustly passed over.

A few broad principles of selection may be outlined here. In recognition of individual faculty accomplishments we felt there was no way to avoid unfairly privileging the faculty members we have known and worked with personally over their predecessors and successors, and therefore this timeline does not purport to point out particularly distinguished teachers and scholars.  Individual faculty (and administrators) figure in the timeline only when there is a particular reason for spotlighting them, for instance, a chair endowed in memory of a particular professor or a woman who was the first to occupy a particular senior leadership position.

Similarly, from the long list of honorary degree recipients, we have perforce been selective, mentioning only those of clear historical importance and those who have remained, at least for the present, household names.

Also, we felt we could best avoid offending any individual members of the University community by not mentioning particular current or recent employees.  Readers will find that this policy is mainly noticeable in the captions of the photographs that illustrate the timeline.

An attempt has been made to be forthright and specific about inconsistencies among the various sources on matters such as exact dates, statistics, etc., inconsistencies which, though not frequent, do occur, particularly for the early decades of the history.

The editors have for the most part silently adjusted variations among the sources in the use of capital letters and in the spelling out or abbreviation of such words as Saint and Father, on the assumption that variations of this kind could be distracting to readers.  Similarly, over the years the title of the student newspaper has usually not carried the definite article; however, from 2008 to 2020 (before it was changed to the Saint Peter’s Tribune) it was called The Pauw Wow, and that is the form we have used.

We would like to thank Ms. Ann N. Knake, the associate archivist for reference services at the Jesuit Archives & Research Center in Saint Louis for her generosity and patience in answering questions and providing copies of documents on several matters, particularly the negotiations leading to the reopening of Saint Peter’s in 1930.  We are also indebted to Ms. Lynn Conway, the university archivist at Georgetown, for some images and additional information.  We are grateful as well to Brianna L. LoSardo, the archivist of the Archdiocese of Newark, for providing information.

The following are the main sources for this timeline.

Richard J. Cronin, S.J.  The Jesuits and the Beginning of St. Peter’s College (1983).
____________   The Closing and Re-Opening of Saint Peter’s College: 1918-1930 (1989).
Francis X. Curran, S.J.  The Return of the Jesuits (1966).
Robert I. Gannon, S.J.  The Poor Old Liberal Arts (1961).
Joseph McLaughlin and Thomas Matteo.  Saint Peter’s College (2010).
Jim O’Donnell.  The Young Estate: A Book about Saint Peter’s College (1972).

The following publications were also helpful.

Arthur C. Bender, S.J.  A Brief History of the New York Province (n.d.).
Joan F. Doherty.  Hudson County: The Left Bank (1986).
[unsigned]  A Brief History of Saint Peter’s Parish (c. 1983).

These and a number of similar publications can be viewed on the Saint Peter’s University Library website, Documents Repository, Historical Publications.

Material has also been drawn from the University magazine, from Alumni News and Notes, and from The Pauw Wow (the student newspaper, now the Saint Peter’s Tribune) and yearbooks.

Below are the names of the timeline team.

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Author:

John Michael Walsh, Professor Emeritus of English

Contributors:

Virginia Bender, Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Planning & Chief of Staff
Daisy DeCoster, Director of the Theresa and Edward O’Toole Library
Mary Kinahan-Ockay, University Archivist
Ilona MacNamara, Librarian, Reference & Exhibits Coordinator
Eileen L. Poiani, Special Assistant to the President & Professor of Mathematics

With special thanks to Patricia M. Damm, Associate Director of Web Strategies, for her diligence, support and technical expertise in executing the digital timeline.