Loyal Sons & Daughters

In 1972, after 125 years of all-male education, the University of Notre Dame went coed. These pages collect the memoriesJean Lenz, O.S.F., rectress of the all-female dormitory Farley Hall during that first year when loyal daughters joined the loyal sons of Notre Dame. Loyal Sons and Daughters gives readers a glimpse of what life was like for that first class of women, and for the men who welcomed them. It was a pivotal time for a campus so steeped in tradition. Sister Lenz was right in the middle of it all as the daughters of Notre Dame wrote new stories at the country's most storied Catholic university. More than a quarter century later, she heeded the urging of fellow Golden Domers—"get these stories into print, otherwise they will all be lost."

A remarkable set of stories by a remarkable woman. Jean Lenz captures the essence of the Notre Dame Spirit., Sister Jean Lenz is one of the great women in the modern history of Notre Dame. In this delightful memoir, she captures much of the community building, faith sharing, and sheer fun that characterizes the residential tradition at Notre Dame. And best of all, she captures the challenges the institution faced in moving from an all-male campus to a fully co-educational center of learning., On two counts, Sister Jean is the perfect person to have written this anecdotal history of the women’s era at Notre Dame: She lived it, and she’s a wonderful storyteller., Sister Jean Lenz has written a gem of a book—a wonderfully engaging narrative of some of the most important years in the development of student life at the University of Notre Dame. Loyal Sons and Daughters is a thoughtful, informative, and poignant story of the transforming power of a woman's love for the Church and the ministry of education., I believe this book will become a classic in many ways . . . Until now, this was a warm and rich bit of history that has never been told. Now Sister Jean has told it in such a superb way that I believe her book will become a classic among a few books that chronicle the history of this wonderful institution.

Jean Lenz, OSF, is Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.