About Us

75th Anniversary

The 1950s

Lewis College: "To be perfect is to have changed often," said John Henry Cardinal Newman. And so Lewis changed its name again, reflecting the development of its baccalaureate curriculum. Lewis College of Science and Technology granted its first baccalaureate degrees in 1952. Sancta Alberta Chapel was completed, providing a place for worship and pastoral services. The chapel belltower now serves as a campus landmark.

For the rest of the decade, enrollment grew steadily. The Lettermen's Club constructed the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary near the new chapel. Athletics became an integral part of the Lewis experience although football was discontinued in 1956. Gordie Gillespie, legendary Lewis Athletic Director, who was to remain on the staff for 24 years, started in 1952 as a basketball coach under another legend, Father John Brennan, chaplain, teacher, coach and athletic director and for whom the current baseball field is named.

Anthony Benacka, class of 1953, was a Rhodes Scholar Candidate. Lewis students could bowl on campus at the Lewis Lanes. The college newspaper was called "The Shield."

To top