140 Years of Forming Men for Others

A timeline of developments

to meet the ever changing needs of our students

1870s The entity that eventually becomes Creighton Prep is started and grows through the generosity of brothers Edward and John Creighton and their wives, sisters Mary Lucretia and Sarah Emily Wareham. After accumulating great wealth from his investment in Western Union — the builder of the transcontinental telegraph system between Omaha and Salt Lake City — along with as his mining, banking and livestock interests, Edward dies in late 1874 without a will, leaving his fortune to Mary.

As a memorial to her late husband, Mary bequeaths $100,000 for the purchase of land for buildings that would become Creighton College. On July 1, 1878, the assets are deeded to the first bishop of Omaha, James O’Connor, who asks the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus for help in staffing the new Catholic school. In the winter of 1880, the college starts a library with books purchased from a Jesuit school in Kentucky that had closed a decade earlier.

After her death in 1876, Mary leaves significant funds to the college as well. Within the next two years, her sister Sarah, who was by then married to John Creighton, pushes for the development of what would become St. John’s Collegiate Church, dedicated in 1888 (just a few months before her death). She also presses for an addition to the main campus building for the Jesuits. Before he passes in 1907, John makes many gifts to expand the college.

Tuition is free in those early years, and the college’s population of 120 on opening day (September 2, 1878) includes mostly grade school-age students, preparing for a seven-year stretch of, essentially, seventh grade through the first year of traditional college studies. Reading and writing dominate the curriculum, and Jug (short for “judgment under God”) is instituted as a disciplinary consequence.

Fr. Henry L.

Sullivan, SJ ‘101920s

By 1922, enrollment is over 400 students, and Latin and physical science are also being studied. Just two years later, Creighton High School is charging tuition of $25 per semester and has 347 students separate from Creighton University. In 1929, the legendary

Henry L. Sullivan, SJ from the Class of 1910 is named principal of the high school, a position he would hold for the next 29 years.The college chapel –

St. John’s CollegiateChurch.The founding members of

Creighton College and BishopJames O’Connor of Omaha.1880s students from

youth to college-age.4 CREIGHTON PREP

1878 – 2018

First year students in 1912

A patch highlighting the championship accomplishment of the Omaha McDevitts’ baseball team.

The Creighton Prep headline on theformation of the Mothers’ Club.

A monthly newspaper called The Creighton Prep reports on the many activities and accomplishments of Prepsters during this time, including the semester grade point averages of those making the honor rolls. On November 22, 1933, the formation of the Prep Mothers’ Club makes front page headlines, with the article noting that the first meeting was attended by 120 mothers.

1930s

In 1939 as the prospect of another world war looms, a bright spot is the Omaha No. 1 McDevitts American Legion baseball team of Prep players that wins the national title with a 6-2 victory in Fontenelle Park over a team from Berwyn, Illinois.

After America enters World War II in 1941, yearbook publication ceases until 1945, when the Jay Junior is dedicated to the alumni who “made the supreme sacrifice.” In all, 51 former Prep students die serving their country in WWII, including John Parle ’38 who receives the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his Principal’s Report in the 1945 yearbook, Fr. Sullivan notes, “Over a thousand Prepsters of the last fifteen years are serving their country in every branch of the Service.”

Also in his report, Fr. Sullivan mentions the popularity at Prep of dramatics, music, elocution (speech) and debate and a record enrollment of 520 at the start of the school year. On the athletic field in the 1940s, contests between Prep and South are especially popular. In the varsity football team’s 1947 season opener against South, approximately 18,000 fans pack Creighton Stadium to see Prep win, 30-7, the first victory for a team that would go undefeated on the way to a state championship.

The 1939 Omaha No. 1

McDevitts American Legion

baseball team.By the late 1940s, it becomes clear that, with the huge gains in Prep enrollment over the years, an addition to the current building or new construction on another site is needed. Fundraising activities, including card parties held by the Mothers’ Club in the Brandeis building as well as funds saved by Fr. Sullivan, help the cause.

1940s

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Building the campus, facilities and curriculum

while staying true to the mission to form men of faith, scholarship, leadership and service

1950s

In 1953, Fr. Sullivan leads efforts to acquire 40 acres of land at the corner of 72nd Street and Western Avenue for approximately $50,000. A capital campaign ensues, and results in raising nearly $1 million. Key to the project’s success are the efforts of Fr. Carl Reinert, SJ, the school president, and in 1958, the new Prep is completed debt-free at a cost of about $1.7 million. To house over 30 Jesuits, a residence is added in 1961.

In athletics, Prep dominates throughout the ‘50s in football and tennis, winning fully half of the state titles available in each sport. Head Football Coach Don Leahy ’47 and his teams go on to win another five before Tom Jaworski ’61 takes over in 1972.

In 1967, Operation Others begins, providing students with a way to help local families with food insecurity at Christmastime. At about that time, the Jay Journal puts more emphasis on student opinion, and surveys students on issues such as a tuition increase and junior-year religion classes that some consider lacking.

In 1971, Prep holds its first dinner-andauction fundraising event called BASH (short for Building a Scholastic Heritage) to help fund scholarships and operating expenses. Between the silent and oral auction portions of the program, attendees are treated to a buffet meal for $9.50 per plate.

During the decade, the number of families served by Operation Others goes from 150 to 500 as student walk-a-thons along with swimming and basketball marathons are created to raise money for food.

1970s

On May 6, 1975, an F4 tornado damages Prep heavily, though the building is repaired by the August start of the next school year.

At the same time, soonto-be-legendary Jesuits such as Latin teacher

Charles Kanne, SJ ’13 and theology teachers Mark Niemann, SJ and Bill O’Leary, SJ continue to add to their legacies while Dean of Discipline Dan Laughlin, SJ maintains order among the students.Fr. Dan Laughlin, SJ

Students working as part

of Operation Others.Construction at the 74th

and Western Avenuecampus in fall 1958.The buffet dinner line at BASH ‘71.

6 CREIGHTON PREP

1878 – 2018

Prep students in 2018

Student callers for the Endowment II campaign.

The next 35 years are a time of great change at Prep. The Endowment II campaign of the early ‘80s brings in $3.1 million, helped by student callers working from 6-10 p.m. to reach out to Prep constituents. In 1985, a 3,700-squarefoot weight room is constructed east of the Mullen Gym, in part by Brother Mike Wilmot, SJ and other dedicated volunteers. In 1987, Prep is named one of 271 “Exemplary Schools” by the U.S. Department of Education, and two years later, the varsity football team wins its fifth consecutive state title.

By 1990, Operation Others is feeding over 900 families, and BASH on Ice raises $300,000 to help offset the gap between tuition charged and the cost of educating Prep students. Three years later, the school dedicates the 35,000-square-foot Henry L. Sullivan, SJ Campus Center as a place for Prep students to eat lunch, attend Mass and study. The space is also used for band concerts, dances and events. Room is also added for art, architecture and band classes on a second floor while the main floor houses counseling and campus ministry personnel.

Students at work in theDr. James B. and Joan C.Peter Science Center.

In 1999, Prep’s commitment to science education and improving standardized test scores in science is made clear with the construction of the Dr. James B. and Joan C. Peter Science Center, with five new and four remodeled classrooms. The school also constructs additional space for administrative offices at the south end of the school and remodels others for classroom use.

In 2003, Fr. Thomas Merkel, SJ begins the longest tenure of any modern day Prep president when he starts the first of his nine years at the school’s helm. During his time in office, Prep raises approximately $37 million for new construction that includes the Heider Center, Jurgensen Park and the Criss Auditorium with tiered seating. Funds for financial aid are also a key focus of the campaign that stretches from 2007 to 2013.

Students in the HeiderCenter honor thebasketball team onSenior Night 2018.

The following year, the Circo Memorial Plaza is added to the west side of the building. School officials later add a healthy lunchtime dining service to a developing health and wellness program. In addition, the Heider Family bestows historic gifts on the school to fund the Loyola Scholars program and half of the Lannon Learning Commons project slated for completion in spring

2020. ■

1980s 2018

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