The Halleck murals, panels 1 & 2

One of the topics that I thought of writing about when I first started this blog was the display of murals in Halleck Center at Saint Joseph's College. I kept delaying doing the series and when the College announced its closing in 2017, I took pictures of the murals but still could not find the motivation to do the posts. As we pass the first anniversary of the closing and with some bitterly cold weather outside, I have finally started.

There are twelve murals and they were completed in 1980 by Nancy Lynch, who was married to James Novak, the manager of the cafeteria at the time. There are twelve panels, one for each of the exterior sides of the dodecagon that makes up the walls of the ballroom.

The mural starts with the old Indian school that occupied what is now Drexel Hall. (Here is a history of the Indian School written by Fr Dominic Gerlach.)

The first panel contains the credits.

Below is an explanation of what the panel shows. (If you click on any of the pictures, you should get a larger view in a new window.)

The second panel is one of four that has doors and thus a limited amount of space on which to paint.

This panel highlights the importance of the railroad as a means of transportation in nineteenth and early twentieth century Indiana.

Below is video in which the Ms Lynch reminisces about painting the mural. (Here is a link to the video on Youtube.)

Panels 3 & 4 are here.