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Sister Mary Cramer, BVM describes the impact of Mundelein College upon her life in an interview with Angela Abbinante. Sister Mary grew up in Chicago and was part of the first class of students at Mundelein. The college had a sense of community early on with various clubs and activities. Sister Mary taught in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota. She returned to teach at Mundelein in 1953 and served as the Dean of Students until retiring in 1968. Sister Mary finishes the interview by explaining her service and advocacy for the elderly community after leaving Mundelein.
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Sister Joan Frances Crowley, BVM was born Dorothy Crowley in Chicago, Illinois in 1919. Sister Joan Frances received a bachelor’s of arts in History from the College of Great Falls (now the University of Montana) and earned a master of arts in History from Marquette University. Sister Joan was affiliated with Mundelein College from 1962 to 1991, holding the positions of Assistant to the Dean in Residency, Instructor of History, Assistant Professor of History, and Professor of History. Additionally, Sister Joan Frances was a published author, Fulbright scholar, and renowned educator. She passed away in 2009 in Dubuque, Iowa.
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Sister Mary DeCock, BVM reflects on her childhood in DeWitt, Iowa and her undergraduate experiences at Clarke College. Though Sister Mary describes herself as “not particularly attracted to religious life,” she took vows and joined the BVMs shortly after graduation. Sister Mary describes her involvement with a one-time ceremony at Mundelein in which she and others “affirmed the diaconate” of a fellow sister, Rose Marie Lorentsen. The ceremony was a “positive protest” to male only ordination. Sister Mary discusses her involvement with global justice activism and her embrace of liberation theology. She is especially passionate in her depiction of the Mundelein affiliation with Loyola and feels that it reflected a total lack of communication.
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Sister Mary Pat Haley, BVM describes her life path to interviewer Cheryl Lemus. She explains that she spent a happy childhood in Des Moines, Iowa, entered the BVMs in 1952, and received her bachelor’s degree from Clarke College. She arrived at Mundelein College during a period of political turmoil in the United States in 1966. Sister Mary Pat was initially an instructor at Mundelein, became its Chief Academic Officer, and eventually served as the college’s Dean. She believes that Mundelein’s sense of community was lost with its affiliation to Loyola University. Sister Mary Pat ends by explaining the importance of engaging students.
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Sister Ann Harrington, BVM discusses her experiences as a professor for the Mundelein College Weekend College during the 1970s. Sister Ann took part in a special program called “Strategies for Learning” which utilized pedagogical methods such as “Autobiography” and a “How to Read a Book.” The program used books such as How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler, and Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents. Sister Ann concludes her interview by discussing the effects of the Loyola-Mundelein affiliation on the Mundelein Weekend College. She notes that the affiliation weakened the community bonds among the students of the Weekend College which led to its eventual demise.
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Sister Mary Benedict, BVM was a professor and chairperson of the departments of education and psychology at Mundelein College. Sister Mary Benedict began teaching at Mundelein in 1934 and left in 1957. Sister Mary Benedict recounts the struggles she experienced as a sister undertaking graduate studies in psychology in the 1930s because church authorities looked askance at the discipline of psychology at the time. Sister Mary Benedict emphasizes the spiritual approach to life characterized by acceptance and recounts her application of that principle in various circumstances. Sister Mary Benedict relays vivid recollections of several of her fellow faculty members including, Sister Justicia Coffey, Sister John Michael Dee, and Sister Augustina.
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Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM was born in San Francisco in 1919. Sister Schmidt taught in the education department at Mundelein from 1961 through its affiliation with Loyola University Chicago in 1991 where she continues to serve as a chaplain. In this interview, Sister Jean Dolores relays her educational and teaching background before her arrival at Mundelein, including her experiences as a teacher for the San Fernando Valley St. Charles School where celebrity families, such as the Hope and the Crosby children attended. Sister Jean Dolores recalls her busy life as a teacher and administrator at Mundelein and describes it as having “several balls in the air.” Sister Jean Dolores recounts the many changes that Mundelein students and faculty experienced during the tumultuous decades of the 1960s and 1970s.
