Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, was born May 25, 1917, in a Catholic home in Syracuse, N.Y. He attended the University of Notre Dame and was ordained a priest in 1943. He studied in Rome until he was forced to leave due to the outbreak of World War II. He graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1945, having earned a Doctorate in Sacred Theology. He became executive vice-president in 1949 and served in that position for 3 years. Today, Father Ted lives at Notre Dame and is frequently seen on campus talking with students.

Known as "Father Ted," Reverend Hesburgh served as Notre Dame's President for 35 years (1952-87), the longest tenure thus far for that university. He holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for "Most Honorary Degrees," having been awarded 150. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, the Congressional Gold Medal on December 9 1999 and the United States Military Academy's Sylvanus Thayer Award in 1980. In 1982 he was awarded the F. Sadlier Dinger Award by educational publisher William H. Sadlier, Inc. in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the ministry of religious education in America. He was the first recipient of the NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award in 2004.

Hesburgh has been politically active most of his life, first serving as a member of the United States Civil Rights Commission from 1957, and Chairman from 1969 until his dismissal by President Nixon in 1972. He also served in a number of other posts on government commissions, non-profit organizations and Vatican missions. One post included his appointment to a science commission by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954.

Hesburgh was one of the founders of People for the American Way, and he served on the Knight Commission that overhauled college sports from 1990 to 1996. Currently, Hesburgh is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network and is a strong supporter of interfaith dialogue. His international interaction has brought him the honor of having the Memorial Library renamed for him in 1987. He was a charismatic and enthusiastic leader of the fundraising effort and was extremely influential in defining the vision of the library structure. He wanted the library to be a highly visible statement to the outside world about the importance attached to scholarly achievement by the University; he achieved this by the library's size, prominent location and eye-catching mural seen here.

That same year, 1987, Hesburgh stepped down as head of Notre Dame. After a year-long sabbatical, he returned to a retirement office on the 13th floor of the newly named Hesburgh Library. One of his first projects was completion of an autobiography, "God, Country, and Notre Dame," which was published in 1990 and became a national bestseller. He continues to be very active in retirement including chairing the advisory committees of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, both housed in the Hesburgh Center for International Studies here at Notre Dame. He has been a national leader in the field of education and active in redefining the nature and mission of the contemporary Catholic university.

In 2009, he supported the invitation for Barack Obama to speak at Notre Dame, which was controversial because of Obama's strong endorsement of pro-choice legislation in contrast to the Catholic Church's anti-abortion stance.

Image: Hesburgh Library mural, "The Word of Life," depicts Christ the Teacher and is informally known as "Touchdown Jesus."