This past Sunday, for the SB150 “Discover… South Bend Science” event, I talked about history. That might seem incongruous – science and history together in the same presentation. To me, it was a reminder of how diverse the lives we study in history are. Take, for example, the two people I spoke about: Dr. Bernard…
On Monday, February 9, I sat and watched the wheels of democracy in action as members of the Mayor’s staff successfully lobbied the South Bend Common Council to approve the final phase of the Smart Streets initiative. The lone dissenting vote was cast by Councilman Henry Davis Jr. who represents the second district, an area…
South Bend has been home to many prolific families over the years. One that you might not have heard of is the Kizer family. William Kizer, a local business leader who grew up as part of a pioneer family, lived with his wife Elizabeth Brick at 803 West Washington on the city’s near west side….
Every now and then, you come across an artifact that reminds you just how much our city, let alone our society, has changed. Recently, I found this program from a “Secretarial Seminar” held at the St. Joseph County Public Library that taught young ladies the skills needed to be great secretaries. Sadly, I have not…
Who was the second person to build a working airplane? The third African American to play professional baseball? History records them all, but it is the “first” to do something that often captures the public’s attention. Take Pierre Navarre, for example. Navarre is often credited as the “first” person of European descent (French, specifically) to…
South Bend is set to kick off a year-long celebration of our city’s 150th anniversary in 2015. Too often, that history focuses on a building that no longer stands, or a company that no longer exists. I became enthralled with history because, to me, history is so much more than closed companies or torn down…
Stanley Kubrick is best known for Hollywood blockbusters like 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. But before he was a film director, he was a photographer. Kubrick’s career began as a photographer. His experience began in college for a school publication. Things began to take off for him…
A few weeks ago we covered legendary Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne as our Throwback Thursday feature. Now we are going to take a look at the house that Rockne built. No, not Notre Dame Stadium. This one is literally a house. Rockne commissioned it rather than building it himself. He was too…
Downtown South Bend has changed immensely over the past one-hundred and fifty years. Perhaps no street is more emblematic of the city’s changing landscape than Michigan Street. This Throwback Thursday we take a look at photos showing the changes to Michigan Street throughout the years. Our first photograph is from 1914. It was a postcard…
Notre Dame football kicks off on Saturday against Rice. We here at South Bend Voice thought that it would be fitting tribute to feature one of the all-time greats as the Fighting Irish begin their 2014 season. No single person is more emblematic of Notre Dame football than former coach Knute Rockne. The Norwegian-born coaching…
