Owing the future to our ancestors
Laura Petelle
Senior Staff Writer
They came in ships, at first, across the wide and treacherous oceans, making a leap of faith into the terrible unknown. From Europe and Africa at first, and then later from all corners of the world they came to this vast land. Some came in fear, in desperation, in poverty, in prison, in chains, or in debt Ñ but they came, to this land of immigrants, this land of opportunity, this land of hope, this land of dreams. Here they built the American Dream: To give a better life to oneÕs children. So these immigrants came and worked and strove and sweat, to build a better life for their children, and maybe Ñ just maybe Ñ to send those children to college, the American symbol of success.
In a very powerful and unique way, Notre Dame is the living embodiment of the American Dream. Back in the days when Harvard still had quotas to keep Catholic enrollment low, when Catholics had a hard time breaking into the Eastern establishment, when Catholic boys couldnÕt afford to go to college, a little school in Indiana learned to play football.
From Pennsylvania to Kansas, all across the Midwest and Great Plains where so many Catholic immigrants settled, Catholics tuned in on the radio and heard college boys playing football. In the cities, in Boston and Philadelphia and Chicago and New York, Catholics read in the newspapers about these boys at Notre Dame who played the rough new sport.
But these werenÕt just any boys.
They were boys with last names like Flanagan, Schwartz, Melinkovich, Stuhldreher, OÕBoyle, Savoldi, OÕNeill Ñ names like the immigrantsÕ own. And these boys were beating teams like Army, Michigan and Stanford. Right there in the middle of Indiana was a little school where Catholic boys could go to college, where sons of immigrants could receive a college education and with that education, a springboard toward the American Dream.
My own grandfather, Frank Petelle, was born in Chicago in 1920 and grew up listening to Notre Dame games on the radio. He came of age during the Depression, and couldnÕt afford to go to college. He joined the Navy in World War II, fought for his country, came home and married my grandmother Lois and moved to Bangor, Mich. But his heart belonged to Notre Dame.
My grandfather held a lot of jobs. He worked at a factory, sold insurance for State Farm, bought some farmland and grew apples. It was never easy, and there was never enough money to go around. But he dreamed that one day his sons would go to college and filled their heads with stories of Notre Dame.
In 1968, my father, Jim Petelle, enrolled at Notre Dame. He worked far harder than IÕve had to, in order to pay the bills that his scholarship money didnÕt cover. The acceptance letter, report cards and student ID that my grandparents so carefully preserved in an album reveal their pride. My father was the first in his family to graduate from college and was followed three years later by my Uncle Pic, who also attended Notre Dame.
My father followed in his fatherÕs footsteps, working hard to build a better life for his children, filling our heads with stories of the Golden Dome. In 1996, I enrolled at Notre Dame. Because of my parentsÕ hard work, I havenÕt had money worries while IÕve been at Notre Dame. IÕve had far more freedom to pursue my interests and explore my world and live the American Dream.
And this is the American Dream, and every member of the Class of 2000 is the embodiment of that. Our ancestors braved the oceans to come to a new land and build a better life. Our parents and grandparents worked and sacrificed to make our lives even better than theirs were.
So when I receive my diploma on Sunday, it may have my name on it, but it wonÕt be my diploma. It will belong to my family and friends, teachers and supporters, who worked so hard to make sure I could be here. It will belong to my ancestors who made a terrifying leap into the unknown to build a bright future for their children and grandchildren.
But most of all it will belong to my grandfather, who dreamed of a place in the prairie where Catholic kids could go to college, a place where Mary stood high on a Golden Dome, this wonderful place called Notre Dame.
Laura Petelle served as Assistant Managing Editor at The Observer during the 1999-2000 year. She is a graduating senior who will be jointly enrolled in Duke UniversityÕs Law and Divinity schools in the fall. If you would like to contact her, e-mail her at lpetelle@yahoo.com.
The views expressed in this column arethose of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, May 19, 2000
