St. Thomas Libraries Blog

G. K. Chesterton’s fictional detective Father Brown is one of his most popular fictional creations. While initially produced as contributions to periodicals like the Pall Mall Magazine and McClure’s Magazine, the Father Brown stories soon gained great popularity and were later compiled into anthologies.

The hero of the stories  –  a short, squat, helpless appearing Catholic priest – was based on an actual priest, Father John O’Connor.  O’Connor was a lifelong friend of Chesterton and contributed to his conversion to the Catholic faith.

The original inspiration for the stories was Chesterton’s discovery of Fr. O’Connor’s profound knowledge of the depths of human depravity.  This came about through a conversation at a dinner party at which two Cambridge University students commented sarcastically about the naïveté of modern Christian priests.  Chesterton was struck by the paradox of the outwardly innocent appearance of his priest friend and a his friend’s deep understanding of sin and evil.

Father Brown’s detective pursuits are truly Chestertonian in that they shun the techniques of science and the undiluted rational powers of man. “Mere facts are commonplace,” says Father Brown. The sleuth depends on a deep knowledge of the human heart instead of methodical observation to solve mysteries.

The Chesterton-Belloc Collection housed the Department of Special Collections features over 1200 works by the English author G. K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936).     Among the materials in this collection, you will find a variety of editions of works from his Father Brown detective series.

Did you know that University of St. Thomas was officially an all-male school in its undergraduate program for the first 92 years of its history?  It wasn’t until September 1977  that women were first admitted as full members of the undergraduate class.   While the school’s administrators anticipated that only 100 – 125 women would enroll in the first year, St. Thomas welcomed 221 women students for the Fall Semester.

From the Aquin, September 7, 1977

To accommodate the women undergraduates, the physical campus underwent a bit of a facelift prior to their arrival.   Bathrooms and locker rooms were remodeled in existing buildings to provide spaces for women. But the most visible change to the campus landscape was an addition to Murray Hall.  Constructed during the summer of 1977, housing for up to 94 female students was created.

Construction of the Murray Hall residence addition June 1977. 

The transition to a coeducational institution went very smoothly by all accounts.  By the 1980-81 academic year, 40 percent of the undergraduate student body were women.  That same year, Rachel Wobschall was voted the by the student body to be the first female Tommie Award (formerly the “Mr. Tommy” award) winner.

Two female students in a Murray Hall residence room, May 1978. 

To explore more of the history of the University of St. Thomas, visit the University Archives webpage.