SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — On university campuses across America, spring's arrival is a symbol of rebirth and renewal, while letting go of the old. Spring has been welcomed at Notre Dame College in South Euclid since 1922.
Except for this year.
A clock keeps time above a door labeled "Archives." Inside, history lines the shelves while Archivist Patricia Harding is still cataloguing all those final moments, until they cease to exist.
"Nobody knows how to close a college," Harding says.
On February 29th, the school's president announced the private Roman Catholic college would close, due to financial issues.
Less than 10 miles away from the school, Cindy Munz is still in disbelief. "It's such a beautiful campus and I was hoping somebody would buy it and that would stay around, but it doesn't look like it."
She is especially emotional over Notre Dame's closure. Her connections run deep.
"Notre Dame has been a huge part of our lives. Three generations," Cindy said.
Cindy's mother Mary Jean graduated from NDC in 1948. At 99-years-old, her eyesight has faded. Her memories have not.
"I thought it was very good. They certainly worked with the students. Any time that you had any problems people were available to help," Mary Jean said.
The sentiment is echoed by Cindy, who followed in her mother's footsteps, graduating with the class of 1988.
"All the activities and the friends we made, I still have longtime friends I keep in touch with all the time. There was so much going on. Technology was advancing. It was just a great time. The 80's were awesome," Cindy recalled.
Mother and daughter will return to Notre Dame for the very last graduation on Saturday. Anticipating sorrow and joy, Mary Jean's grandson and Cindy's son Matthew will receive his degree as a Class of 2024 graduate.
The last in the family. In all Notre Dame families.
"I can't say it's hit me yet, but I don't know what exactly I'll be feeling until I get to that moment," Matthew Munz said. "It hasn't sunken in yet."
The trio's alma mater, just a short drive away, is moving on too.
"It's a community in mourning right now of what's to come. It's not 'goodbye,' it's 'see you later,'" Matthew said.
Back in the archives, the leather-bound books, old metal cabinets, and storage boxes aren't going anywhere for now.
A college's legacy lives beyond photos, cardboard and clutter. It's symbolized in old sunflower arrangements, scattered among the stacks.
Patricia Harding tells us the sunflower is cherished by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
No matter where a sunflower grows, it will always turn to face the sun.
Baccalaureate services take place at 4 p.m. Friday on the Notre Dame College campus. Commencement is at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday May 4th.
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