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Volume 53, Issue 70 | monday, january 21, 2019 | ndsmcobserver.com
Notre Dame remembers professor By MARY STEURER News Writer
With a devotion to academics, faith in God and charity to others, Gary N. Knoppers was someone who fully embodied the Notre Dame spirit. “He attracted many wonderful students to our department, graduate students [and] others, taught the honors classes and students really loved him,” chair of the department of theology Timothy Matovina said. “What I appreciated most was that he was just a genuinely good human being, a Christian man.” Professor Knoppers, the John A. O’Brien professor of theology, died of cancer at 62 on Dec. 22. An expert in biblical studies and ancient Hebrew and Near Eastern history, he came to Notre Dame
in 2014 after 25 years at Penn State University. Mark Lackowski, a Notre Dame fourth-year doctoral student, said Professor Knoppers assumed a presence in the theology department right away. “I’ve been told that when he came in, immediately, he was looking to build bridges, connections with other faculty members [and] with students and he basically wanted to get people talking to one another, working together,” Lackowski said. “ … He was just someone who was good at connecting people, fueling people, making people feel comfortable to bring whatever expertise or whatever perspectives that they had to the table and putting those all into conversation with each other.” Professor Knoppers used
his scholarship to inform and strengthen his faith, Matovina said. “You can be a real critical scholar of the Bible, know the languages and know the history, but also be a person of deep faith coming out of those studies and out of your whole life,” he said. According to a Jan. 10 University news release, Professor Knoppers received the 2014 R.B.Y. Scott Award for Outstanding Book in Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies for his book “Jews and Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations.” The book explores the Samaritans’ “relationship with Judeans and the ways in which different factions of Judaism were negotiating their identity, religiously, politically [and] socially,” Lackowski said.
Campus dining director discusses updates By CLAIRE RAFFORD News Writer
Shortly before winter break, Campus Dining announced the addition of two new dining locations on campus. Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, a Greek restaurant, will take the place of Au Bon Pain Catering in the Hesburgh Center. Director of Campus Dining Chris
Abayasinghe said that the new eatery will offer fresh, healthy Mediterranean food in a social yet scholarly setting. “We wanted to respond to the new Jenkins-Nanovic Building, which is constructed right next to where this facility is going to be, and we also want to acknowledge the growing globalization of our campus and begin the process of introducing authentic, delicious
ND to remove murals
“[The book] goes to the heart, in some ways, of his scholarship, which is the complexities and dynamics of the political and historical situation of the Jews,” theology professor Abraham Winitzer said. Professor Knoppers also received the R.B.Y. Scott Award for Outstanding Book in Old Testament Studies for his work for the Anchor Yale Bible series in 2005, according to the release. Most recently, Professor Knoppers was writing commentaries on the Book of Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah, Lackowski added. “Gary was always interested in the relationship between the different Jewish groups within ancient Israel,” he said.
Luigi Gregori’s Christopher Columbus murals will no longer be displayed fully in the Main Building, University President Fr. John Jenkins said Sunday in an email to members of the Notre Dame community. The murals, a series of 12 paintings in the main corridor of the Main Building, were completed in 1884 by Italian painter Luigi Gregori and depict the life and work of Christopher Columbus. The
see OBITUARY PAGE 3
see MURALS PAGE 3
Observer Staff Report
SMC celebrates 175th anniversary
cuisines,” he said. Abayasinghe said Garbanzo is expected to open in March 2019. The second new retail location, Pizza Pi, will be located in the place of Reckers on the south side of South Dining Hall. According to a previous Observer report, the restaurant will serve mostly Italian foods, such as pizza, pasta see DINING PAGE 4
Notre Dame fan opens Irish pub in Florida By MARIA PAUL RANGEL News Writer
With its sports teams, school spirit and long-enduring traditions, Notre Dame has managed to build a fan base that stretches all over the globe. The support for the Irish is not limited to students and professors. It includes people that neither attend nor graduated from Notre Dame, but who share an equally strong sentiment for the
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University. Such is the case of bartender Joseph Patrick Casey, who now owns an Irish pub in Key West, Florida. “I became a Notre Dame fan [when] I was 6 years old and saw the golden helmets for the first time,” Casey said. Casey said the sight of the helmets left a strong impression, as he has supported the Irish ever since. Casey is a “subway alumnus,” which is what he described as a group of Notre Dame supporters
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who did not attend the University but travel to watch home football games, and he said he has attended over 120 games in his lifetime. “Notre Dame is very sacred to me,” Casey said. “I go there every September for at least four games.” Through thick or thin, rain or shine, Casey supports the Irish. Casey once flew to North Carolina during a hurricane in order to watch his favorite team play see PUB PAGE 4
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ANN CURTIS | The Observer
Students attend service event “Saint Mary’s Serves” in Regina Hall for the 175th year anniversary celebration of Saint Mary’s College. By JORDAN COCKRUM and MARIA LEONTARAS Saint Mary’s Editor, Associate St. Mary’s Editor
For the duration of the 2019 calendar year, Saint Mary’s is commemorating its 175th anniversary.
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This Sunday, the day of the Blessed Feast of Fr. Basil Moreau, Saint Mary’s began its year of celebrations with a day of events. Community members participated in Saint Mary’s Serves, a see ANNIVERSARY PAGE 4
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