“The breadth of his knowledge was amazing. He could have taught English, theology, philosophy, psychology, photography with equal ease. Besides teaching, he had an ‘open to anyone’ informal group that met in his office between classes several times a week. He and students exchanged views during casual conversations. He often suggested certain books that might interest us ... His aim was for us to think for ourselves, with him really indirectly showing us how to think. These sessions were the most valuable gifts Mercyhurst gave me. He was a mentor and a friend … The first class I attended with him left me with the thought – this is why I am at Mercyhurst. That thought is as true today as it was in the fall of 1942.”
May Day was celebrated at Mercyhurst every spring from 1932 through 1968, beginning with the crowning of a senior girl as the May Queen, one of the most important honors bestowed by the graduating class. She in turn crowned the statue of Mary, at first in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and later on the front lawn (or in the chapel in case of rain). Some of the most elaborate May Days were held during the 1940s and 1950s, like these recorded by Dr. John A. Donatelli. The popular professor’s daughters were often included in the ceremonies, like Barbara Donatelli Bentze ’60, the cute flower girl in the photo at center right. May Day drew large crowds of spectators, pictured at right behind May Queen Margay Savage in 1945.
Taylor Little Theatre on the lower level of Weber Hall is named for Mother M. Eustace Taylor. A member of Mercyhurst’s first graduating class in 1929, she went on to earn advanced degrees including a doctorate in English at Catholic University. She joined the ‘Hurst faculty in 1937 and was affiliated with the college through 1993, including a term as president from 1954 to 1960 and many years on the Board of Trustees.
delighted when the Carolyn Herrmann Student Union was unveiled in 1990. It was named for Sister Carolyn Herrmann, the seventh president of Mercyhurst (1963-1972), a student advocate and a dynamic leader who steered the college through its transition to coeducation. She was the first president of Mercyhurst who was not also the local superior of the Sisters of Mercy.
Generations of students who had lobbied for a student union on the Mercyhurst campus were
In 1984, Mercyhurst’s art gallery in Hammermill Library was named for Sister Angelica Cummings,
who had taught art from the college’s opening in 1926 until 1974. When the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center opened in 1996, the gallery found a new home in its lobby and today ranks among the best gallery spaces in the region. In addition to her distinguished teaching career, Sister Angelica was a renowned artist in her own right, best known for her oil paintings. In 1974, she was named Mercyhurst’s “First Lady of the Arts,” and the Sister Angelica Senior Award honors an art student each year for creative excellence.
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