Monthly Archives: January 2013

Fifty years ago: Lourdes Shrine/Gardella Honors House built and dedicated

University of Detroit Mercy students today know this building as the Gardella Honors House, but the original name of the structure was known as Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. It was donated by Mr. and Mrs. George A. Gardella, Sr., president of Food Associates of Michigan Inc. Construction was supposed to start in January of 1963, but did not begin until March because of a delay in shipping the marble from Italy for the side walls of the structure. After...

A bit of hockey history at University of Detroit Mercy

Now that the Detroit Red Wings are back in action, here are a few notes about the University of Detroit Mercy hockey team. Not long after the move to the McNichols campus from the Jefferson campus, in addition to the football and basketball teams, they fielded a hockey team. Though hockey was a club sport, the Titans played regular college teams. In the 1970-71 season they tied with Dayton for first place in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. The following...

Buckminster Fuller and World Game at University of Detroit 1970

“the most important fact about spaceship earth: an instruction book didn’t come with it.” R. Buckminster Fuller The World Game was an educational exercise in planning a more equitable and efficient  distribution of the worlds resources among all people. It was conceived and designed by Buckminster Fuller, who served as a visiting professor at U. of D.  for a year in the School of Architecture. Students could could earn up to eight credits as a graduate or undergraduate in the...

“Be sure you have a comfortable cup of tea” Catherine McAuley

As I was searching around the web looking for special days in January, I came across a page that had January as “Hot Tea Month“. It reminded me of a quote that  Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Religious Sisters of Mercy (RSM), said to one of her sisters on her deathbed: “Be sure you have a comfortable cup of tea for them when I am gone.” Since then a tea cup has become the symbol of Mercy hospitality. From...