Archbishop Kurtz Blesses Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard
photo by co-editor in chief Cole Crush '19
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz blesses the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard.
November 21, 2018
The sun shone brightly during the dedication and blessing of the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz blessed Trinity’s renovated courtyard and a plaque was presented, formally naming the courtyard after the Hollenbach family. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Class of 1976, along with Trinity President Dr. Rob Mullen, spoke at the ceremony, held Nov. 21 at 2:00. Trinity Chaplain Fr. Dave Zettel and Trinity Principal Dr. Dan Zoeller were among those in attendance.
New Courtyard Adds to ‘College Campus Feel’
by Editor in Chief Cole Crush
Three arches weighing 600 pounds each hung precariously over Shelbyville Road waiting to be installed in their new home. The placement of the arches was the highlight of a number of stages of development of the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard.
The renovated courtyard was largely completed on Nov. 9 after nine months of work.
“A snowstorm in late March caused one tree to fall over, and a thunderstorm in July split a magnolia tree,” Trinity President Dr. Rob Mullen said of the events that led to major courtyard changes.
Mullen went to Trinity graduates for support in the renovation process.
Tom Kargl ’80 (Donhoff Kargl Nall Architects), Dick Sherman ’57 and Rob Sherman ’87 (Vendome Copper and Brass Works), Stan DeVore ’74 (Landscape Lighting Company), Jeff Arentsen ’82 (Kentuckiana Concrete Company), Herman Wallitsch Jr. ’69 (Wallitsch Landscaping), and Paul Clements ’80 and John Clements ’82 (Masonomics, Inc.) were all benefactors to the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard.
The three arches, done by Vendome Copper and Brass Works, each include one word of the Trinity motto “Maximo Animi Ardore (‘Maximum Effort of the Soul’).”
Mullen said, “We hope these heighten the institution. Arches are a common architectural feature on colleges, and we want to show people this is what we do. We teach with the maximum effort of the soul.”
Before the storms took the trees down, the courtyard had only three trees, but after the renovation, Wallitsch Landscaping planted 13 trees. Along with the landscaping, DeVore put the finishing touches on the courtyard by adding landscape lighting.
Like the brick wall in the former courtyard, the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard includes 10 plaques dedicated to the 10 House patrons at Trinity. This gift to Trinity was made possible through the donation of John and Jean Ribar, who are loyal supporters and whose four sons and two grandsons attended Trinity.
As with all projects done at Trinity, no education money was used.
Mullen said, “As we build this, we use donor money, not education money. Donors stepped up and made it possible. If we can’t get the money for it, we won’t do it.”
The first people Mullen asked about donating was the Hollenbach family. He said, “The Hollenbach family liked the idea when I asked, and we wanted to honor a great family who wanted to make the donation.”
According to the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard plaque: ”The Hollenbachs have been part of the Trinity family since the beginning. In 1953, Todd II (Louis J. Hollenbach Jr.) contributed his time, talent and treasure to creating the school. He enrolled his first son, Todd III (Louis J. Hollenbach III) ’57, who was elected a class officer, named the Trinity newspaper The Echo, and later was the first alumnus to be elected to county office as County Judge.”
Todd III later had two sons, Todd IV ’78 and John ’79. Todd IV became the first alumnus of Trinity to be elected to a state office as treasurer. Todd IV and John became Trinity’s first legacy generation and along with their sister, Winkie Hollenbach Dawkins, donated this courtyard to honor their father and grandfather.
This is just one of the six courtyards at Trinity. The other courtyards include the Alumni and Rotunda Courtyard, Founders Plaza, Douglas E. Brown Courtyard, St. Patrick’s Place, and Mary’s Courtyard.
“Trinity has become a courtyard campus,” Mullen said. “When people come here, we want them to have a college campus feel. The Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard enlarges the idea of this vision.”
The process of building the courtyard took much longer than expected but turned out for the better. Mullen said, “I go through a phase of excitement, then worry; then the end is satisfaction. It wasn’t originally planned like this, but I’m glad it turned out like it did.”
After everything was complete, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz blessed the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard on Nov. 21. This was the third consecutive year Kurtz has come to Trinity to bless a campus renovation.
At the dedication of the Hollenbach Family Alumni Courtyard, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer ’76 was in attendance and appreciated the renovation. “This is a place of justice, intellectual learning and community,” Fischer said.
Longtime Trinity English teacher Mr. Frank Ward on occasion takes his classes outside into the courtyard to learn and be in nature. In the springtime once it warms up, more teachers will go out there with their classes and sit on the 11 new benches that will be donated.
“We are fortunate to have these spaces, and I get great satisfaction when they are used,” Mullen said.
The courtyard is just another renovation added to school that Trinity Vice President for Development Mr. Jim Beckham will see every day. Beckham said, “It’s beautiful. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears went into it. This is going to really show off the school.”
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Stan Chauvin • Nov 30, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Congratulations to the Hollenbach’s. No family in the Trinity community is more deserving, for a longer period of time. I can still remember big Todd, giving rousing, no holes barred, fire up speeches at the Beat St X rally’s prior to games in the late 70’s. Never witnessed one as electric since. Great choice.