Three historical photos from Notre Dame in the 1950s included in Wayne State University Library System’s digital collections.
Three photos (above and below) from Notre Dame's earliest years have been discovered in Wayne State University Library System’s digital collections of photographs and archives gleaned from early Detroit and its surrounding area.
The photos, taken in February 1955 by The Detroit News and part of the "Michigan Cities" collection, clearly show Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods as a newly constructed institution of learning serving “at least 750 boys and to expand these facilities as their finances permit,” as the original memorandum of agreement signed by six pastors on the east side stated prior to the school being built.
Notre Dame High School opened its doors to a freshman class for the first time on September 7, 1954. The following year, Regina High School, a new establishment for girls, was built adjacent to Notre Dame High School to complement the educational center at Harper Woods.
Some of the Marists who were on staff during the early years at Notre Dame included Fr. Vincent Robichaud, s.m., Fr. Robert Graham, s.m., Fr. Robert Champagne, s.m., Fr. Raymond Ouellette, s.m., Fr. Austin E. Verow, s.m., and Fr. James Kiley, s.m.
About the WSU collections: The WSU Library System's digital collections are created through grant-funded partnerships with a range of local cultural and educational institutions from digitization of material held in the school’s special collections and archives and licensed materials from publishers. The collections, provided through a handful of interrelated systems, support research, teaching and learning across multiple disciplines, in the classroom and beyond, according to WSU. Over 50,000 images and texts celebrate Detroit's contributions to the arts, fashion, education, history, architecture, interior design, medicine, and more.
The Wayne State University Library System consists of the university's six libraries: The David Adamany Undergraduate Library, the Purdy/Kresge Library, the Shiffman Medical Library, the Arthur Neef Law Library, the Science and Engineering Library and the Reuther Library and the School for Library and Information Science.
More on Notre Dame High School’s early years is here.
The front entrance of Notre Dame is photographed on Feb. 8, 1955. From the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University Verow walks through Notre Dame High School on Feb. 8, 1955. From the Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.