Mercyhurst College - Thesaurus Yearbook (Erie, PA)

Page 7 text:

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Page 6 text:

Dedication Noiselessly a door opens on second floor Egan Hall. A small grey-haired figure timidly emerges from her room and narrowly es- capes a collision with a hurrying freshman. Though slightly startled, she eases the gir1's embarrassment with an immediate smile and a warm Good afternoon, dear. . . . After class a discouraged psy- chology student asks for help. Slipping a reassuring arm about the girl's shoulders, she rearranges her own schedule to plan a conference at the student's convenience . . . Someone has volunteered as- sistance or shown her a kindness-perhaps saved Christmas cards for her mission project or offered her a ride downtown. Her brown eyes and a tight handclasp transmit gratitude for the favor. . . Seated in her armchair, she enjoys leisure hours lost in the classics, novels, or works of psychology, philosophy, or politics, many of which are not in English, for she fluently speaks French, German, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Urus, Hindu and Greek . . . To arouse signs of life amid the gloom of Monday 8:25 classes, she produces a cartoon found in the Sunday paper or a pertinent article from a current magazine . . . Friday a close friend visits her on second floor. They discuss opera, a play, or a movie, or make plans for the Erie Philharmonic concert . . . Shopping downtown she senses the busy rush of the city as a sharp contrast to the earlier days when she felt the wind whipping past her as she skied down the Alpine slopes, scaled the Himalayas or rode camels in India. Dr. Mariq Haas was born in Austria. After earning doctorates in philosophy and letters at the University of Vienna, she crossed the ocean to teach in Rosary College, Lake Forest, Illinois and in 1947, to Mercyhurst. Often Dr. Haas speaks of the changes wrought in Mercyhurst and the girls during these fifteen years. Through her travels over most of Europe and the North American continent, she acquired an international spirit, a genuine interest in the language, the customs, and the culture of foreign peoples. This has led to her concern for the foreign students here at Mercy- hurst. Her door and heart are always open to them, for, she too has known the loneliness of leaving her homeland. To Dr. Maria Haas, in recognition of her service to the Mercy- hurst student, we dedicate the 1962 PRAETERITA. 2

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ln Memoriam MOTHER M. BORGIA EGAN, R.S.M. To the magniiicent leadership and wise vision of Mother M. Borgia Egan, Mercyhurst College owes its existence, its atmosphere, and its ideals. Dedicated to the principle that Christian education is the Wellspring of a truly mature, cul- tured person, Mother culminated her years of work in diocesan education with the founding of Mercyhurst College in 1924, an endeavor which she saw completed in 1926. As active Dean of the college from its opening until illness forced her to assume that role only nominally in 1956, Mother M. Borgia constantly strove to improve the opportunities which Mercyhurst offered, and to maintain an atmosphere con- ducive to the full development of educated Christian women. Under her guidance, not only the curriculum, but also many Mercyhurst traditions took form as a part of her master ideal that true education witnesses the maturing of every facet of a student's being, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and social. Although Mercyhurst College stands as a living memorial to Mother M. Borgia for all to behold, her own outstanding Christian womanhood serves as an even greater tribute for those who knew her personally. An intellectual giant both in her grasp of academic studies and in her masterful ability to plan and organize, she, nevertheless, remained at heart a woman of simplicity, warmth, and humility. Be- cause of her ability to meet both the great and the lowly with spontaneity suitable to each, all those with whom she came in contact were enriched by the experience of having known her. Mother Borgiais death on February ll, 1962 marked the passing of a great educator and a magnificent woman. 4