Sixty
years ago our dad, John F. McCormick, began his freshmen year
at Notre Dame as a 24- year-old, newly discharged veteran from
World War II. Dad had not originally planned to attend Notre Dame
because, as he put it, "a Notre Dame education was not an option
for a poor kid from Lima, Ohio." However, he landed at Notre Dame
after hitchhiking with a childhood schoolmate and fellow war veteran,
Virgil Cassidy, who wanted a traveling companion.
During the visit, Dad was approached by a priest who inquired
about his college plans. He explained that he might enroll at
the University of Dayton or Ohio State the following year. Upon
learning Dad was eligible for the G.I. Bill, had decent high school
grades (thanks to the Toledo Ursulines) and could come up with
$100, the priest slipped him a paper across the desk and told
him to sign it. The next day, July 4, 1945, Dad became a full
time Notre Dame student. Indeed, "going along for the ride" was
a trip that changed his life.
Dad spent the next three years at Notre Dame, only returning
home for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year. When he wasn't
in class or studying, Dad worked a variety of jobs. He would tell
us that working for the University was somewhat like being an
indentured servant. He spent countless hours in the Huddle, flipping
burgers and cleaning its kitchen, scraping the grease off the
ceiling and the floor. He filled Coke machines and cut grass all
over campus until his eyes swelled shut because of his horrible
allergies.
Dad was also a prefect in Sorin Hall and had the unpopular task
of taking daily Mass check, which required him to report those
"Men Missing at Mass." Yet being a prefect in Sorin wasn't all
bad -- Dad met and kept a lifelong friendship with Father Ferdinand
Brown, CSC. In fact, he worked so many hours while a student that
the University owed Dad money when he graduated.
Additionally, to earn some spending money, Dad, along with classmate
and friend Jim Ferstel '48, photographed school functions. Together
they captured many of the memorable moments during the late 1940s:
Vetville, Army/Notre Dame games (see photo above), Heisman Trophy
winners Johnny Lujack and Leon Hart, Bengal Bouts, not to mention
numerous social events and an occasional Notre Dame wedding. Dad
and some of his photos appeared on the cover of Scholastic
Magazine and in the Chicago Tribune Sunday Rotogravure
-- remarkable considering his eyesight was so poor he was legally
blind.
Our Dad loved Notre Dame, and his experience at the
University remained a profound gift throughout his life. He cherished
the people, the study, the discipline and of course, the football.
Year after year, he looked forward to games in the fall, especially
the games during the 1980s when his son, Kevin, served as an assistant
coach under Gerry Faust. He treasured the Grotto, morning Mass
in the Crypt and a quiet walk near the lake. Clearly, though,
Dad's best time at Notre Dame was meeting the love of his life,
Mary Bishop McCormick, with whom he shared 56 years of marriage,
10 children, 40 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
Without a doubt, the ritual and the practice of the faith each
day at Notre Dame shaped Dad's spiritual life. As a student he
became an avid "prayer," which included daily Mass and a daily
rosary, a habit that lasted for the next 60 years. Notre Dame
instilled in Dad a lifelong passion to "seek the truth in all
things," but above all else, an unyielding faith in the loving
God, who welcomed him home August 19, 2005 -- nearly 57 years
to the day that John F. McCormick received the Dome Award for
the Class of 1948 and graduated cum laude from Notre Dame.
John F. McCormick, ND class of 1948 is the father of Mary G.
McCormick, ND class of 1978 and Timothy J. McCormick, ND MBA candidate
2007. He also is the grandfather of Colleen M. McCormick, ND class
of 2008.
(November 2005)
