A Look Back: the University of Notre Dame, 1956-57

Call us enthusiasts yet again for tracking down a copy of the 1956-57 Dome, the University of Notre Dame yearbook. We’ve thumbed through the thing and found a few items of interest, which we’ve highlighted below - plus with added commentary.

During the 1956-57 school year, Bellairs lived in Howard Hall. At some point he was a tutor in English [1], and worked in the cafeteria to supplement his finances.

Visitors

The following people and groups visited the campus [2].

• Author and philosopher Jacques Maritain
• Richard Nixon, Vice-president and 1956 Republican vice-presidential nominee (Oct.)
• "I particularly remember [John's] fondness for Frank O'Malley's wisecrack when Nixon visited the campus.  O'Malley had released his class that afternoon with the remark that, 'It's not every day that the Beast of the Apocalypse comes to the campus.' [3]"
• Adlai Stevenson II, 1956 Democratic presidential nominee (Oct.)
• Marian McKnight, 1957 Miss America (Jan.)
• Dancer Jose Greco
• Ingrid Goude, 1956 Miss Sweden winner and second runner-up 1956 Miss Universe (March)
• 
  Musician Louis Armstrong, with singer Velma Middleton (spring)
• "This was the era of his great album, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy. He performed to a packed crowd in Notre Dame's old basketball gymnasium and had the audience eating out of his hand. He reserved his singer, the formidable Velma Middleton, until the second half of his concert. She and Louis were outrageous together...they were great entertainers, and more importantly, great musicians.[3]"
• Senator John F. Kennedy (Patriot of the Year, 1957) [4]

References

• [1] "Academic Record Form for Indiana University Center Faculty" (Jul. 23, 1960).
• [2] "The Dome", University of Notre Dame (1957).
• [3] Correspondence with Alfred Myers.
• [4] "Patriot of the Year Recipients", University of Notre Dame.