This past April, work began on campus to replace the venerable Huesman and Sullivan residence halls. Built in 1947, they were the first residential halls on the campus. Now 72 years old, they will be replaced by four-story premier residential facilities, scheduled to open in fall 2020, that will provide housing for an additional 400 students. We recently asked alumni and others to send us their memories of life in Huesman and Sullivan. Here is a sampling. —The Editor.
The Roster
In fall 1964, I moved into Sullivan Hall, where freshmen started their dorm life. We were told we had to sign in and sign out (including listing our destination) when we came and went. I was surprised to learn that my fellow Sullivan Hall residents included Tarzan (gone to jungle), Popeye (gone to see Olive Oyl) — you see the pattern.
Chris Stratton ’68
Young and Innocent Days
I lived at home my first two years at LMU, 1972 and 1973, but spent many a night at Sullivan with friends who lived on campus. Those nights were some of the best times in my life. We laughed, talked about our newest boy crushes and just enjoyed life. I look back and think how lucky I was to experience all this. It was a time of innocence.
Deanne Fabro ’77
Pranks
What I loved about Huesman Hall was that you could pull out the lower drawers of the closet in front of the door and block the door. Exiting by the window permitted a firsthand view of the victim. Often, said victim was down the hall taking a shower and would come trundling back with nothing but a towel wrapped around him. Sometimes it was helpful to swipe the towel during or after the shower. Also, the windows facilitated other activities. The largest item in the room was the mattress. It was fairly easy to remove everything in the room by way of the windows. A completely empty room always seemed shocking to an unsuspecting occupant.
Dan Fannin ’64
Sand Games
I was head advisor in Huesman in 1965–66. That year, we had a fairly radical group of boarders, so we repainted the Rec Room then organized four pickup trucks to haul sand from Playa at midnight. The next morning, the campus woke up to a sand volleyball court between Sullivan and Huesman!
P. Gregory Rausch ’66
Girl Group
During 1982–83, Jean Remley and I were, I think, the first women to be resident advisors in Sullivan Hall. We had been told that only men, most recently Jesuit novices, had lived there before. We occupied the rear half of the building, as there were still offices in the front half. We felt a bit separated from the other residents, with no other dorms nearby. But I think this made the small group of mostly freshmen, about 40 girls, feel very close. My most fun memory was of being serenaded by the guys from Rosecrans and Whelan, led by their RAs. We had a fantastic group of RAs that year.
Joanne (Bergstedt) Junker ’84
Baby J’s
I only spent one year at LMU, 1982–83, but I formed many lasting relationships. My fondest memories of Sullivan are our “Sullivan Baby J’s” football team, late nights watching musicals in the room of Joanne Junker ’84 and how we (very young) women took care of each other. Coming from a small, Catholic, all-girls high school, it was the perfect transition into the big world of college. What a great year!
Michelle DeBriere Doherty
Love Story
We met during our freshman year at the front desk in Huesman Hall, where Courtney worked as a check-in attendant. [One day] Donovan was with a group of friends and Courtney had to check them in. We exchanged brief small talk, where Courtney asked if anyone knew how to play euchre (a Midwestern card game). Donovan was the first person to say yes. It wasn’t long before Donovan would sit and talk with Courtney for her entire four- to eight-hour shift. We continued to build our relationship, playing cards in the Sullivan lounge, playing piano in the Huesman Chapel, eating In-N-Out by the fountain and walking to class together. We dated for eight years and got married at Sacred Heart Chapel on May 30, 2015. When Sullivan and Huesman were being torn down, Donovan secretly reached out to LMU to see if he could get the front desk where we first met, but, sadly, it could not be found. Instead, LMU saved the letter “M” (for our last name) from Huesman. Courtney had no idea Donovan did any of this, and shortly after our four-year wedding anniversary, Courtney received a package from LMU. It was the black “M,” accompanied by a Lions card that read, “Thank you for falling in love at LMU.”
Courtney (Hardebeck) ’10 and Donovan McCarty ’10
First Date
I lived in Sullivan and my boyfriend, now husband, lived in Huesman. He asked me out on our first date in front of the fountain in the middle of the dorms, and when we got married, we knew we had to take pics at that location.
Kim Nierva Zuno ’06
Gen 3
My son, Nicholas, was baptized by Luis Proenca, S.J., in Huesman Chapel on Nov. 18, 2001. Nicholas hadn’t been to the chapel since the baptism, and so we wanted to be sure he saw it before it was taken down. We photographed him and his father, Albert ’95, in the chapel during the “Farewell to Huesman and Sullivan” event this past April. Nicholas happily sported an LMU sweatshirt, as he is a freshman this fall! He is a third-generation Lion, since my dad, Robert Buschelman ’61, also is an alumnus. Thanks for collecting our dear memories of this special place.
Ann (Buschelman) Cortez ’96
Deus Ex Machina
During the ’70s, there was a very popular 5 p.m. weekday Mass in Huesman Chapel, with 50–70 students in attendance and Jesuit scholastics, who were a big part of the music ministry. The Greeting of Peace was a major event, since so many people were regularly there. One day when I was the priest for the Mass, I made some comment about God’s power, and at that moment a light earthquake jolted us. We all laughed a bit nervously and continued on with the liturgy.
Randy Roche, S.J.
Mass Fun
I was part of the group that led the singing at the Saturday Mass. I tell people that God sent me to LMU to show me that worshipping Him was enjoyable.
Eric Fisher ’75
Confession
My husband of 46 years lived in Huesman. I climbed in his window many times.
Chris (Hessler) Prengaman ’71