This spring marks the official retirement of Fr. Thomas Blantz,
CSC. A familiar face on campus Fr. Blantz has taught U.S. history at Notre Dame since 1968. In addition to serving as rector of Zahm Hall for three years, he has lived in several other residence halls: Fisher, Farley, Cavanaugh, Howard, and McGlinn, where he currently resides.
Fr. Blantz attended high school at Holy Cross Seminary and continued his priestly formation at Moreau Seminary. He studied for 4 years at the Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained a priest on October 30, 1960. After receiving a master’s in history from the University of Notre Dame in 1963, he earned a doctorate from Columbia University in 1968.
A popular instructor, he teaches freshman American history and courses on a variety of topics in American history, including U.S. presidents, the era of FDR, and Notre Dame history. Fr. Blantz wrote his dissertation on Monsignor Francis Haas, later bishop of Grand Rapids, and his work in labor mediation under Franklin Roosevelt and in the Civil Rights movement. His interest in Bishop Haas culminated in his 1982 book A Priest in the Public Service: Francis J. Haas and the New Deal. Fr. Blantz also authored a biography of George Schuster, a twentieth century Catholic writer and president of Hunter College who spent the last years of his life working at Notre Dame under former University President Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC.
The university has officially recognized Fr. Blantz’s service through numerous awards, including the College of Arts and Letter’s 1979 Rev. Charles E. Sheedy Award for excellence in teaching, the James E. Armstrong Award in 1997 for distinguished service to the university, a John A. Kaneb Award in 2001 for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at the University of Notre Dame, and a Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, CSC, award in 2010 similarly for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Fr. Blantz contributed to the university through his leadership. He served for 9 years as director of the university archives and later as chair and director of undergraduate studies in the history department during the 1980’s. Working closely with Fr. Hesburgh and his executive vice president, Fr. Edmund Joyce, as vice president for Student Affairs from 1970 to 1972, Fr. Blantz played an important role in guiding the university’s transition to being a co-ed institution.
His colleagues attest to his selfless service to the history department in particular.
“Fr. Blantz is a model academic citizen. He never places his interests or preferences above the needs of the department, his colleagues, or his students,” said Professor Thomas F. X. Noble, former chair of the history department.
Professor Thomas Kselman echoed Noble’s praise for Fr. Blantz’s contributions as a colleague and in the classroom. “Fr. Blantz has been a wonderful colleague,” he said. “Since my arrival at Notre Dame in 1979 he has been a model of good judgment, discretion, and civility. When faced with a difficult issue, Fr. Blantz was a person I knew I could turn to for counsel and advice. In the classroom Fr. Blantz is enormously popular and effective.”
Professor Daniel Graff, director of undergraduate studies, said that Fr. Blantz served as a mentor to him when he joined the department in 2001.
“He is a walking encyclopedia of information – about the university’s past, policies, and practices – and he shared his perspectives on everything related to students (curricula, advising, and teaching) with a refreshing humility that belied his expertise developed through years of caring about and for undergraduates,” Graff said. “It is Fr. Blantz’s commitment to students in all aspects of their lives that I’ve tried to emulate in my decade at Notre Dame. As an award-winning teacher, administrator, and advisor, Fr. Blantz will leave a legacy for the history faculty to aspire to when he retires.”
History Professor Fr. Wilson Miscamble, CSC, met Fr. Blantz when he arrived at Notre Dame as a graduate student in 1976 and was assigned to be his teaching assistant. Describing Fr. Blantz as an “extraordinary and dedicated teacher” and a “marvelous priest-professor,” Fr. Miscamble said, “I once heard him describe teaching as a profound act of charity, and Fr. Blantz has certainly given of himself and his knowledge to literally generations of Notre Dame students.”
Fr. Miscamble also spoke to his fellow priest’s impact on the Holy Cross community and Notre Dame as a whole.
“He is a sustaining presence in the Holy Cross community at Notre Dame and an anchor for the teaching efforts of the order,” he said. “A striking feature of Fr. Blantz is that he is ageless. He looks pretty much the same today as he did when I first met him 35 years ago. His devotion to Notre Dame and his students has assuredly kept him young. He is a truly committed Holy Cross religious who is faithful to common prayer and the common life, and it is reassuring to know that he will continue to be well involved at Notre Dame for many years to come.”
Senior history major Myisha Eatmon testified to Fr. Blantz’s importance in her personal and professional life.
“Fr. Blantz has been an integral part of my development as person, a student, a historian, and a future graduate student,” she said. “As my adviser, he kept me grounded and reminded me to keep an open mind when deciding on graduate school as a next step in my education, as well as when choosing PhD programs to which to apply. Luckily, for me, his retirement comes after my graduation, but he will truly be missed.”
Elliott Marie Argue ’11 worked with Fr. Blantz as his research assistant for two years.
“Fr. Blantz showed me how to take pride in my work,” she said. “It does not matter who he is researching and whether that person will ever be looked up again in the archives – that work will be the very best, most precise work that can humanly possibly be done. He really glorifies God through his beautiful work.”
When asked what advice he would offer Notre Dame students, Fr. Blantz responded: “The principal advice I would give a student would be to take full advantage of all the opportunities available here at Notre Dame and thoroughly enjoy these 4 years while you are doing it. Try to grow as much as you can intellectually, culturally, socially, and religiously, set high goals for yourself in all these areas, and try to develop yourself into exactly the type of person you someday want to be. It is a very exciting and satisfying challenge and life.” One way to begin following this advice is getting to know Fr. Blantz.
Many of Fr. Blantz’s colleagues and students remark that they cannot imagine Notre Dame or its history department without him. Fortunately, he plans to continue teaching his well-known American history courses in the future and to remain involved in campus life. Upon his retirement, Fr. Blantz leaves a remarkable legacy in the lives of the many students and colleagues whom he has touched with his kindness and generosity.
Claire and Claire are senior history majors whom Fr. Blantz once dubbed “Claire 1” and “Claire 2.” They consider learning from Fr. Blantz one of the blessings of their time at ND. Contact them at cgillen2@nd.edu and cmysliwi@nd.edu.
