Saint Mary’s to unveil Centennial timeline Oct. 5

WINONA, Minn. — In honor of its Centennial year, Saint Mary’s University commissioned Brother Roderick Robertson, FSC, professor of art and design, to complete a timeline wall mural of the university’s history.

The timeline installation will be unveiled during a public ceremony 10:45 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, in the lobby of the Toner Student Center.

Brother Roderick, a 1963 alumnus, has taught art and design at Saint Mary's for 35 years. This timeline depicts the first century of Saint Mary's University. Fittingly, the artist wanted to tell the university’s story symbolically with 100 photographs. 

The piece is divided into four segments or panels. The first panel illustrates the founding and early years of the university under the direction of the Diocese of Winona. The second panel illustrates the arrival of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the beginning of the Lasallian character of the school. The third panel depicts the arrival of women on campus and how becoming co-educational influenced and changed the nature of the institution. The fourth panel presents the changes that occurred as the college became a university, including the expansion of graduate and international programming. The end of the mural speaks to the future of Saint Mary’s University.

The rich and colorful history includes many of the faces from Saint Mary’s University who have shaped its heritage and transformed the school’s educational experience.

The piece includes the first photograph of Saint Mary’s College, taken by Florence Curran and donated by her grandson Rob Linden of Winona. Curran captured the school’s cornerstone laying in 1912.

The SMU class of 2011 helped fund the project through their senior class gift.