Founders' Day

WHAT IS FOUNDERS’ DAY? WORDS FROM CATHERINE DUNN, BVM •

•

Mary Frances Clarke was a woman of high integrity and began what we know as the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVMs).

She had a great love of learning and teaching…thus the foundation we know today as Clarke University.

Founders' Day has been celebrated in many ways over the years. It means a great deal to me that whether we have big or small gatherings, we stop for a moment in time each year, to honor Mary Frances, to say thank you, to pray to her, to know that we are who we are today because of her vision. Mary Frances Clarke is part of my being! She is with me ALL the time!

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE IT ON OCTOBER 4?

• It’s the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, to whom Mary Frances Clarke had a special devotion. She was also a Third Order Franciscan in Dublin, which is how she met Margaret Mann and Rose O’Toole, two of the other co-founders.

CELEBRATIONS FROM THE PAST • For many years, we’ve celebrated Founders’ Day. Here are some highlights from the Clarke Courier dating back to the 1930s:

IN THE 1930s

• Founders’ Day was celebrated by a visit from the Archbishop with a Mass with students in their caps and gowns.

• A play was usually put on to honor Mary Frances Clarke, and in 1931 a play that portrayed some of the parts of the life of St. Francis was made in her honor. (St. Francis was Mary Frances Clarke’s patron saint.)

• 1931 Founders’ Day was celebrated with a mass. Upperclass students wore their academic garb while underclass students wore white.

• A vocal and instrumental program was held followed by a short play.

1933 The feast of St. Francis was often celebrated alongside Founders’ Day.

IN 1939 • The radio club produced and presented the prologue of wings, an original script. The theme was centered on “the place of the college graduate in the modern world as reflected in the story of Clarke College, yesterday, today, and tomorrow."

• The radio series spanned more than a century in their portrayal of the origin and development of the educational system of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

• Wings was an original poem written by Mary Hill Mullaney, a current student at the time.

THE 1940s • By the 1940s, other types of celebrations to honor Founders’ Day had evolved. One such tradition was an annual picnic held at Eagle Point Park. It is not clear when this picnic began, but by the late 1940s, it was well established and attended by faculty as well as students.

• Another tradition that was added was the dedication of the senior class picture.

• In addition, members of the present senior class read letters from the previous graduating class recounting the previous graduating class activities.

1949 •

• •

Some years, Founders’ Day was celebrated with a Mass, a picnic at Eagle Point Park, and an evening program dedicated to Mary Frances Clarke; 1949 was the first year that the entire student body appeared in academic garb for the Mass.

The traditional reading of the previous senior class letters was also part of the celebration.

Sister Mary Xavier directed the "Founders' Day" play that portrayed the courage and charity of Mary Frances Clarke and her three companions as they made their way to the U.S. and finally to Iowa.

1950 • Photo from 1950 Founders’ Day celebration.

It mentions the annual program was presented in honor of Founders’ Day.

1951 • A drama about Mary Frances Clarke and her three companions was presented in honor of Mary Frances Clarke and Founders' Day by the senior class in Terrence Donaghoe Hall.

1956 PICNIC AT EAGLE POINT PARK

1958 • Around 1958, Founders’ Day was combined with the official opening of the school year. A Mass was held, followed by an all-school picnic at Eagle Point Park.

• As part of the festivities, an entertainment program which included class compositions of song and dance contests was held.

• A traditional evening program that included a skit was presented by the senior class.

• Finally, letters from the previous year’s graduates were read from various departments such as Home Economics, Sociology, Music, and French.

1959 • A High Mass, picnic, tribute to Mary Frances Clarke in the form of a drama production, and letters from recent graduates were part of this year’s Founders’ Day celebration.

1960 • A Mass was held in honor of All Saints' Day and Founders’ Day. This year marked the 127th anniversary of the founding of the BVM community.

1961 • The Courier mentions Founders’ Day and includes a few photos from the Eagle Point Park picnic, as well as a skit honoring Mary Frances Clarke.

1968 FOUNDERS' DAY & 125TH ANNIVERSARY

1977 • While celebrations honoring Mary Frances Clarke no doubt continued in some form, they were mentioned less in The Courier as the late 1960s and early 1970s brought more focus on other events such as Homecoming and fashion shows, etc.

• There is some indication that Founders’ Day might have been celebrated as part of Convocation during the late 1960s and early 1970s though nothing specific was written on this connection.

1986 • The Courier ran a story about Mary Frances Clarke and Terrence Donaghoe as it prepared for the dedication of the new buildings replacing those lost in the fire of 1984.

THE 1990s • There was a ConvocationFounder’s Day celebration in 1996. The Courier covered this event. Mary Ann Zollmann BVM, was the featured speaker.

THE 2000s • Presently, Clarke's Founders’ Day celebration features free slices of cake in the Atrium on October 4.

• Faculty members serve red velvet cake, a dessert favorite of the BVMs, to students, faculty, and staff.

2018

2020 Sunday, October 4 Alumni Sunday Liturgy Sacred Heart Chapel

Live Stream 5 p.m.

• 2020 is a special year as Founders’ Day, October 4, falls during Homecoming weekend.

• The Alumni Mass will be in memory of all graduates who have passed away as well as honoring Mary Frances Clarke.