From the Editor’s Desk: Remembering 106 Years of Sister Jean

As many members of the Loyola community already know, our beloved Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt died Oct. 9 at the age of 106. 

Schmidt was a wonderful woman who allowed her faith in God and love for her community to guide her decisions up until the end of her life. I think the world could learn a thing or two from her. 

Although she was a national icon, the specific impact she left at Loyola was impressive and will be celebrated for years. Since the news of her death, students have been sharing memories and photos they have with her on social media. It’s been touching to read them and know how deeply we all cared for her. 

I was lucky enough to have had many interactions with Schmidt over the last 3 or so years at Loyola, each one meaningful and grounding in its own way.

My first year at Loyola, I got the chance to interview her about her involvement with Mundelein Women’s College, where she was the dean of students before it merged with Loyola in 1991. At the end of the interview, I picked her brain about her experiences working with the students both on and off the basketball team since Mundelein. 

It was only after that interview I was able to truly understand how deeply she cared about her students. 

My second year, I lived in Baumhart Hall at the Water Tower Campus, and I would commute three days a week at 9 a.m. to the Lake Shore Campus for classes. She too rode the bus every morning, without fail, at 9 a.m.. I came to look forward to our exchanged smiles every time we boarded the bus. 

That same year, I had lunch at the same time and table every week with friends in Damen Dining Hall. Schmidt did the same, just one table over from me. Once again, we would exchange smiles, and if I had one on me I would always pass her a copy of The Phoenix. She was a loyal reader, and for that I am forever grateful. 

In my experience, Schmidt’s joy radiates beyond the students, impacting families of Loyola community members as well. My grandmother and grandfather, who are lifelong Christians and were educators for more than 30 years before they retired, always ask me about her in our phone calls. 

Last year for Christmas, I gifted my grandfather a bobblehead of Schmidt. He was ecstatic to receive it and still displays on his desk to this day. 

My own bobblehead of Schmidt — displayed on a shelf in my apartment since the day I moved in — reminds me of the freshman year interview, where I learned she too had her own bobbleheads from years past lined up on the cabinets at the corner of the room. 

The same office in Damen now sits without Schmidt’s name at the front, occupied by someone new. It’s such a stark contrast to the door that before was always open, inviting students inside for the conversation and advice Schmidt was known for. 

This week, read all about the community that Schmidt so loved and supported in The Phoenix. Learn about her impact on Athletics at Loyola in sports, hear about the 2hollis concert in arts, find out more about potential cuts to the Language Department in news and explore the importance of collecting physical media in opinion.