On Friday, October 2, we are celebrating the retirement of Carolyn Ludwig, my assistant while I was Alumni Chair in Humanities. Carolyn's time at the University of Dayton spanned some 49 years. During that time she held numerous positions, and positively touched the lives of many faculty students and staff with her kind and gentle manner. She began in 1960, fresh out of high school, and worked for Brother Mann in College of Arts and Sciences office. Dwight Esinehower was president of the United States then, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series (perhaps the best game 7 in history!), Chubby Checker topped the pop charts with "The Twist," and I was in the 6th grade.
Later she moved on to the Athletic Department, where she briefly got to know Harry Bajuan, "The Blond Beast," and where she worked directly under Tom Frericks. She was there when the UD arena was constructed, and when Elvis performed in concert there. After a stint in the College of Arts and Sciences again, she became the first and to date only administrative assistant for the Alumni Chair in Humanities, working with Professors Gene August, Michale Barnes, Richard Benedum, and lucky me. Carolyn kept the trains running on time, the symposia organized, the materials ordered, and much, much more. She also assisted Graul Chairs Eric Street and Sean Wilkinson. Carolyn knew who to see and where to go, no matter what the problem.
The inserted photo is that of Carolyn on the hood of a mid-1930s Chevrolet. For several generations Americans had their photographs taken with their cars -- it was that important to them. And like Carolyn today, she seems to have everything under control. This time it was with rope over the hood ornament! A pretty serious little girl!
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