Saint Leo - Holy Name Chronology

1889--    March 11,  The Benedictine sisters established Holy Name Academy with 40 boys and girls in a building built to be the Sultenfuss Hotel.
               It was sold before opening as a hotel to the Bishop Moore for a convent (Actually it was a Priory). [Horgan]
1892--    A U.S. Weather Bureau is established at St. Leo and operates through 1956
1893--    Holy Name Academy is Chartered by the State
1897--    Holy Name Academy graduates its first student Bessie Bowen
1902--    September 25, Saint Leo Priory is elevated to an Abbey.
              November 27, Charles Mohr becomes the first Abbot.
1910--    School colors are first mentioned as “Purple and Gold” and remain until changed in 1959 when the college opened
              to “Green and Gold”. The prep school maintained the purple and gold through 1964.
1911--   Summer (possibly July-August) the Convent was moved from San Antonio (10 acres) to Saint Leo (40 acres).
1920--   June 3, Saint Leo College becomes a college preparatory school
              September, Holy Name sisters open Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School ages 5-12 (sixth grade)
              October, Holy Name girls begin chemistry, physics, botany labs at St. Leo on Saturdays
              Saint Leo Hall is completed in 1920
1921--    Saint Leo College High School earns accrediting.
1926--    April 11, construction begins on St. Edward Hall (named for King Edward) and completed by Christmas
              Oct., The school's paper first appeared under the name "Junior Spasms," in local newspapers, changing its name several times
1929–    Name changed to Saint Leo Preparatory School (When the student body reflected grades 7-12 to compliment
              Holy Name's St. Benedict Prep., is not known; there could have been a 7th grade since 1920)
1929--    June, The first “The Lion” Yearbook is published
1932--    Summer of, Camp Saint Leo opens
1936--    Father Ernest Schultz becomes "Vice President and Director of the school" relieving Fr John Schlicht O.S.B.
               Groundbreaking for the church began n 15 August 1936 with work continuing on and off for 12 years.
               Church tower completed 1943; exterior completed 1945.  [Horgan]
1941--    September 12, Nine Carmelite nuns from New York take over Saint Leo kitchen duties from the brothers until 1952 [Horgan p504]
               Father Ernest Schultz is the last "Director of the School"
1942--    Father Aloysius Dressman,O.S.B. becomes first Headmaster
1943--    Father Raphael Schooff becomes the second Headmaster
1944--    Holy Name sisters open Camp Jovita
              Nov. 30, Father Bede Gale designs a coat-of-arms for Saint Leo Prep
              Yearbook is not published due to paper shortage during the war. A pamphlet was published instead.
1945--    January 6, The gymnasium and the science building are burned by locals. (The new gym was rebuilt in the same place
               as the old one in 1945. The science building was diagonal to St. Edward Hall on the corner near the gym and never rebuilt)
              WLEO Radio is formed by Donald Daino out of St. Edward Hall with loudspeakers on the dorm room [Horgan]
1946--    Saint Leo Lion resumes publication after wartime restrictions. First hardcover "Lion"
1947--    WVJA, Voice of Junior Alley, Radio is formed by John McCullough [Horgan]
1948--    Church was consecrated on 29 January 1948 after 12 years of work. It was first consecrated church; all others were only blessed. [Horgan]
1949--    Saint Leo Bowl constructed
1951--    April, Construction on  Saint Francis de Sales Hall begins
1952--    December, 13 Carmelite nuns from Mexico City arrive to cook and mend for the monastery until 1963 [Horgan504]
1953--    WLEO is rebuilt by Bob Bennett '57 and Jim Cassilly '57 using Cassilly's transmitter broadcasting from the gym
1954--    September, Father Steven Herrmann is Prior and third Headmaster
               June, Father Marion Bowman becomes third abbot
1957--    April, Construction begins on a new library and center wing of St. Edward Hall
1958--    Construction begins on abbey addition
               May, Last 7th grade graduates. It is being phased out in anticipation of college freshmen
1959--     Sept., A two-year college opens but is never called a “Junior” college, with 67 freshmen--61 men and
               six women, Elizabeth Barthle ‘59 HNA, Gigi Corrigan ‘59 HNA and four nuns.  The Abbey operated two
               institutions for the next five years, until the Prep School was closed in 1964. From SLP class of 1959 that
               enter the new college: Jim Toner, John Kao, Paul Herrmann and Bill Bailey.
               Monastery Wing occupied by Freshman of the College and is known as the first College Dormitory
               Crawford Hall begins Construction
               Father Robert relieves Father Stephen becoming the fourth and last Prep Headmaster
               Mrs. Mary B. "Sid" Corrigan becomes first Dean of Women for Saint Leo College
               May, Last 8th grade graduates. It is being phased out in anticipation of college freshmen
1960--    Holy Name publishes its first yearbook
               Mary Stauduhar is chosen the first female SLP homecoming queen
               Construction begins on a new Priory directly south of the prest wooden Convent [Hotel]
1961--    Spring, Crawford Hall was dedicated.
1961--    June, The first graduates of the college receive diplomas
1962--    March, Groundbreaking for the William P. McDonald Student Center
               Abbot Sadlier dies on a train to give a retreat in Pittsburgh
1964--    May 23, The final commencement of Saint Leo College Preparatory School
              May 29, The final commencement of Holy Name Academy
1965--    April 29, The College was formally incorporated as a separate institution from the Abbey but still controlled by it
1965--    September, Benoit Hall opened
1967--    Snyder Hall was erected
1969--    Marvin Hall was dedicated but renamed Henderson Hall in 1980.
1969--    January 29, The board severed the Abbey, making it not longer a Benedictine institution. (This was done because of the dwindling monastic community)
1970--    Father Fidelis Dunlap becomes the fourth Abbot
1978--    The Saint Leo Press closed in the fall of 1978
1985–    Father Patrick Shelton is elected fifth and last abbot. From this point on only an administrator heads the Abbey
1999--    August 24, Changes name to Saint Leo University

Terms:
Saint Leo was named for its founder, Abbot-Bishop Leo Michael Haid, Abbot of Maryhelp Abbey, North Carolina (now called Belmont Abbey)
Grotto is actually named “The Lourdes Grotto”

Saint Francis Hall is actually called "Saint Francis de Sales Hall" in honor of Abbot Francis Sadlier.
Saint Edward Hall was named for King Edward.

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