Office Panorama
Desk
Fr. Hesburgh told Scholastic magazine that the desk he used for 35 years as University president “served me just fine over in the Main Building, so I brought it with me to my new office.” Items on it include family and fishing pictures, vials of Holy Water, letter openers, his cigar ashtray, a cross, and the recorder he used to dictate correspondence after his eyesight failed.
Dictionary
On a stand by the window sits a large Oxford dictionary. A lover of language and speaker of many, Fr. Hesburgh often looked up words before his eyesight went bad and he asked others to look them up for him.
Mestrovic cross
A beautiful original piece by Croatian sculptor, architect and artist Ivan Mestrovic, renowned as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th Century, who spent the last seven years of his life as a professor at Notre Dame. His sculptures are found throughout campus.
Notre Dame presidents’ rug
A large circular blue-and-gold rug with the seal of the University and the names of all previous presidents including Hesburgh, moved over from Main Building office. It was made in Donegal, Ireland. Fr. Hesburgh once quipped, “You look at the rug with all the Irish names on it and you wonder how a name like Hesburgh got in there.”
Mestrovic sculpture
This small version of the Ivan Mestrovic pieta in the Basilica is interesting because its orientation is flipped, like a photo negative. Croatian sculptor, architect and artist Ivan Mestrovic, renowned as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th Century, spent the last seven years of his life as a professor at Notre Dame. His sculptures are found throughout campus.
Sachem award
Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2006 revived an old tradition to give the Sachem as the state’s top award to an individual in Indiana. He chose Fr. Hesburgh and famous basketball coach John Wooden as the first recipients.
Mestrovic print
Croatian sculptor, architect and artist Ivan Mestrovic, renowned as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th Century, spent the last seven years of his life as a professor at Notre Dame. His sculptures are found throughout campus.
Baseball hats
One from the New York Yankees, commemorating the 1998 World Series champion team. Two years prior, Fr. Hesburgh and Fr. Ned Joyce threw the ceremonial first pitch at the sixth game of the 1996 World Series in New York. Another hat is from the USS Portsmouth, the submarine Hesburgh rode in from San Diego to Hawaii, where he made sure to say Mass under the sea.
Navy Chaplain certificate
Fr. Hesburgh often spoke of how, following his ordination, he had longed to serve as a Navy chaplain during World War II, but had been unable to do so because of his religious assignment to ministry at Notre Dame. The Navy resolved the issue in 2013, recognizing Fr. Hesburgh as an honorary Navy chaplain for his distinguished service to his country.
Humidors
Two ornate wooden humidors contained his beloved Cuban cigars. Fr. Hesburgh claimed the government had given him an exception to the ban on Cuban cigar imports. Nobody disputed the claim.
