Center for Thomistic Studies Papers Relating to the Center for Thomistic Studies, The University of St. Thomas, Houston


Collection Summary
	Creator:	The University of St. Thomas, Houston
	Title:	Center for Thomistic Studies Collection
	Dates:	1966-2009
	Abstract:	Papers created by the Center for Thomistic Studies that record the creation and history of The Center for Thomistic Studies of the University of St. Thomas, Houston.
	Identification:	Center for Thomistic Studies
	Quantity:	8.4 linear feet
	Language:	English
	Repository:	The Archives of The University of St. Thomas, Houston, 3800 Montrose Blvd., Houston, Texas 77006-4626

Historical Note

Rev. Victor Brezik, C.S.B., stretched the imaginations of many when he teamed up with Houston Philanthropist Hugh Roy Marshall in 1975 to revive the teachings of the medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas, at the university by establishing the Center for Thomistic Studies.

Marshall, who graduated from UST in 1974 with a philosophy degree, thought the Thomistic philosophy he had studied “made sense” in a way nothing else had. Together he and Father Brezik established the only Ph.D. program at UST. Once that was accomplished the dynamic duo then convinced Anton C. Pegis, a distinguished philosopher and president emeritus of the Pontifical Institute in Toronto, to become the first director of the Center. After Dr. Pegis’s sudden death in 1978, Professor Vernon J. Bourke accepted the position of Interim Director from 1978-1980.

In October 1979, the University held a symposium honoring the 100th anniversary of Aeterni Patris, the papal encyclical, which launched the revival of Thomistic philosophy in the 20th century. This highly successful event, generously funded by the Strake Foundation, and attended by philosophers from all over North America, staked out the Center’s claim to leadership in the field. The following fall the first classes in the new program were held. Houston had become the latest destination in a 750-year intellectual journey that had also passed through Paris, Salamanca, Rome and Toronto.

The scope of the Center’s work falls into four general areas: teaching, research, publication and community service.

The graduate philosophy library, located on the lower floor of the Doherty Library, has been named after our chief benefactor, Hugh Roy Marshall. It is still in operation and will continue to grow.

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Historical Note

Fr. Victor Brezik, C.S.B., was born in Hallettsville on May 2, 1913. He attended St. Thomas High School in Houston and went on to join the Basilian order in 1932, being ordained as a priest in 1940. He studied in Toronto and received his Licentiate in Mediaeval Studies at the Pontifical Institute in 1943, center of the North American renaissance in Thomistic philosophy, and his Ph.D. in 1944. Fr. Brezik came back to Houston in 1954 as a member of the faculty at the new University of St. Thomas. He studied under two great Thomists of this century, Jacques Maritain, and Etienne Gilson, who was a speaker at UST in 1956.

The Rev. Victor Brezik, CSB, Endowed Scholarship for graduate students in Philosophy at the Center was established on March 26, 1999 by the Basilian Fathers of Toronto. The scholarship/fellowship is awarded to students at UST who are accepted for regular admission into the graduate program of the Center and who meet all scholarship academic requirements.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection of the Center for Thomistic Studies covers the period from 1966 to 2009 and is an on-going collection. Subjects include: Preparation and opening of the Center Affiliations and associations Advisory Board Members Correspondence of the President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Director of the Center, Fr. Victor Brezik and Dean of Arts and Sciences Faculty from the Center and the Department of Philosophy, Visiting Professors and Pontifical Faculty Budgets and financials SACS approval of the Center Statutes of the Center Majors in Philosophy Faculty Senate, Faculty Council, Graduate Council, Arts and Sciences Council, Undergraduate Council, Board of Directors meetings and minutes Student courses, grades, housing, honor society, financial aid, admissions, senior night awards, library acquisitions, bookstore, grades Seminars, symposiums, lectures, bioethics seminar, visiting professors Newsletters, brochures, catalogs, publicity Notre Dame Press, Lumen Christi Press and Regenery Publishing Company

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Arrangement
	The Collection is arranged according to major subjects: Faculty, Administration, Fund Raising, Public Relations, Students, Courses, Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society, Academic Activities, Publications, and Affiliations and Associations.
	Series Descriptions

		Series I: Series 1: Faculty files are listed alphabetically and include credentials, research papers, speeches, and correspondence. Pontifical faculty and visiting professors are included.
		Series II: The administrative series includes graduate and undergraduate budgets, advisory board members, meetings and reports; meetings of chairs, faculty, and the graduate council; academic advising, admissions, financial aid, faculty senate meetings and minutes, graduate council meeting and minutes, correspondence of President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Directors of the Center and Fr. Victor Brezik, CSB.
		Series III: The fund raising series lists the major donors to the Center, and a dinner and Mass of thanksgiving honoring benefactors.
		Series IV: This includes public relations material consisting of brochures, catalogs, the Cauldron, a student newspaper and Dimensions, a university newsletter, faculty newsletters, press releases and newspaper clippings.
		Series V: The course related series includes graduate and undergraduate course offerings, book prizes, a reading exam, major in philosophy, graduation and senior night, critical thinking reading, and course bibliographies compiled by Anton Pegis.
		Series VI: The student series includes correspondence and student listings.
		Series VII: The Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society series includes correspondence, financials, a short history, newsletters, memberships, booklets, pamphlets.
		Series VIII: The Academic Activities consists of a list of friends, speakers, papers, brochures and correspondence from Aeterni Patris Symposium, Aquinas lectures, Bioethics seminar, Christian Faith and Culture meetings, newsletters, brochures, meetings and correspondence, and Colloquia.
		Series IX: The publications series includes Center publications, Handbooks for Faculty, Administrators and Adjunct Faculty, correspondence of Lumen Christi Press, Notre Dame Press and the Regenery Publishing Company.
		Series X: The affiliations and associations series includes the American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA), American Philosophical Association (APA), International Academy of Philosophy, Intercollegiate Studies Institution, Inc., International Council of Universities of St. Thomas Aquinas (ICUSTA), Maritain Association, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
		Series XI: The restricted file contains confidential material that cannot be accessed.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Access by permission of the Archivist only.

Restrictions on Use

Contact the Archivist for information on use.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

This collection, like other archival materials, must be maintained in a climate-controlled environment.

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Index Terms
	All of the terms and names listed below can be found in the finding aid.
	Organizations:
		American Philosophical Association
		Center for Thomistic Studies
		Congregation of St. Basil
		CSB
		Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc.
		International Council of Universities of St. Thomas Aquinas
		Maritain Association
		National Endowment for the Humanities
		University of St. Thomas
		UST
	People:
		Aqinas, Thomas
		Brezik, Fr. Victor
		Gilson, Etienne
		Maritain, Jacques
		Marshall, Hugo
		Pegis, Dr. Anton
	Subjects:
		Catholic university
		Philosophy
		Thomistic Studies
	Places:
		Houston (Tex.)
	Document Types:
		Manuscript

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Series I: Faculty; 1977-2009
Box	Folder
1	1	Founding Years Faculty List; 2009
	2	Boyle, Joseph; 1980-1987
	3	Brown, Oscar; 1980-1987
	4	Elders, Leo, S.V.D.; 1980-1984
	5	Elders, Leo, S.V.D.; 1985-1988
	6	Koterski, Joseph; 1980-1990
	7	Lee, Patrick; Correspondence, Credentials; 1980-1991
Box	Folder
2	1	Lee, Patrick; Research Papers; 1981-1989
	2	Liccione, Michael J.; 1980-1987
	3	Macierowski, Edward M.; 1977-1983
	4	Marculescu, Ileana; 1979-1984
	5	Marler, Jack C.; 1981-1986
	6	Mullady, Brian T; 1986-1987
	7	Royal, E. Peter, C.S.B; 1978
	8	Pontifical Faculty; 1984-1986
	9	Bourke, Vernon J.; Visiting Professor; 1980-1985
	10	Kovach, Francis J., Visiting Professor,; 1983-1985
	11	Wilhelmsen, Frederick D., Visiting Professor; 1984-1985
	12	Faculty Council Minutes; 1986-1994
	13	Faculty Notices; 1996-1997
	14	Faculty Senate Meetings and Minutes; 1983-1991
Box	Folder
3	1	Faculty Senate Meetings and Minutes; 1992-1995
	2	Graduate Faculty Meetings and Minutes; 1980-1985
	3	Senior Faculty Committee; 1981-1987
	4	Undergraduate Faculty Meetings, Minutes, Agendas; 1983-1987
	5	Visiting Professors for the Center, Others; 1981-1982
	6	Visiting Professors for the Center, Others; 1983-1986

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Series II: Administrative; 1966-1999

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Series IIa: Undergraduate Budgets; 1966-1998
Box	Folder
3	7	Budgets; July 1981-September 1985
	8	Budgets; October, 1985-December 1988
Box	Folder
4	1	Budgets; July 1989-Deceember 1991
	2	Budgets; 1992
	3	Budgets; 1993
	4	Budgets; 1994
Box	Folder
5	1	Budgets; 1995
	2	Budgets; 1996
	3	Budgets; January-June, 1997
	4	Budget Preparations; 1989-1998
	5	Departmental Expenditures and Budgets, ; 1966-1981

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Series IIb: Graduate Budgets, 1982-1998
Box	Folder
5	6	Budgets; 1982-1983
	7	Budgets; 1984
Box	Folder
6	1	Budgets; 1985
	2	Budgets; 1986
	3	Budgets; 1987
	4	Budgets, February, 1988-December, 1989
	5	Budgets, January, 1990-December, 1991
	6	Budgets; 1992
	7	Annual Reports for the Center, 1991-1995
Box	Folder
7	1	Budgets; 1993
	2	Budgets; 1994
	3	Budgets; 1995
	4	Budgets; January, 1996-November, 1996
	5	Budgets; January, 1997-June, 1997
	6	Budgets, General; 1982-1985
Box	Folder
8	1	Budget Preparations; 1991-1998

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Series IIc: Advisory Board; 1974-1999
Box	Folder
8	2	Correspondence, Luncheon, Meetings, Reports; 1980-1985
	3	Members, List of; 1978
	4	Bourke, Vernon J.; 1986-1988
	5	Boyle, Leonard E., OP; 1980-1987
	6	Clark, Mary T., RSCJ; 1981-1985
	7	Dougherty, Jude P.; 1982-1985
	8	Fabro, Cornelio, CSS; 1980-1981
	9	Fitzgerald, Desmond J.; 1983-1989
	10	Gallagher, Donald; 1983-1985
	11	Henle, Robert J., SJ.; 1980-1985
	12	Langan, Thomas; 1985
	13	Lawler, Ronald D., OFM.; 1983-1993
	14	Lescoe, Rev. Francis; 1980-1987
	15	Maurer, Armand A.; CSB; 1981-1987
	16	McInerny, Ralph; 1981-1991
	17	Owens, Joseph, CSsR.; 1983-1987
	18	Reichman, James B., SJ.; 1982-1984
	19	Robb, James H.; 1979
	20	Sweeney, Leo, SJ.; 1979-1988
	21	Synan, Edward A.; 1981-1986
Box	Folder
9	1	Veatch, Henry B.; 1974-1999
	2	Wallace, William A.; OP., 1984
	3	Weisheipl, James A.; OP., 1981-1985
	4	Zedler, Beatrice H.; 1982

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Series IId: Correspondence, 1975-2003
Box	Folder
9	5	Arts and Sciences, Dean; 1989-1997
	6	Business Office; 1981-1997
	7	Brezik, Fr. Victor, CSB; 1975-1994
	8	Center, Director of the; Kennedy, Fr. Leonard; 1981-1987
	9	Center, Director of the; Lawler, Fr. Ronald D.; 1980-1984
	10	General; 1984-1997
Box	Folder
10	1	Academic Affairs, Vice President for; 1983-1993
	2	Brezik/Bourke; 1977-1978
	3	Brezik/Bourke; 1979
	4	Brezik/Bourke; 1980-1998
	5	Brezik/Lawler; 1979-1993
	6	Brezik/Marshall; 1974-1984
	7	Brezik/Marshall; 1985-1996
	8	Brezik/Marshall; 1997-2003
Box	Folder
11	1	Brezik/Pegis and Pegis Family; 1975-1985
	2	Brezik/Strake; 1967-2001
	3	President’s Office/H.R. Marshall; 1974-2002

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Series IIe: General; 1980-1998
Box	Folder
11	4	Academic Advising, Pre- registration, Spring; 1993
	5	Admissions; 1984-1986
	6	Alumni; 2008
	7	Arts and Sciences Council Agendas, Meetings, Minutes; 1991-1992
	8	Board of Director Meetings for Center; 1981-1987
	9	Bookstore; 1987-1992
	10	Divisional Chairs Meetings and Reports; 1989-1991
	11	Events of the Center; 1981-1982
	12	Formal Opening of the Center; 1980
	13	Graduate Council Meetings; 1993-1995
Box	Folder
12	1	History of the Graduate Philosophy Program by Fr. Brezik; n.d.
	2	Housing; 1981-1985
	3	Hugh Roy Marshall Graduate Library; 1976-1984
	4	Language Exam Committee; 1981-1985
	5	Library Acquisitions; 1976-1985
	6	President’s Reports and Correspondence; 1980-1985
	7	Proposal for the Graduate Program by Anton Pegis; 1976
	8	Registrar; 1981-1983
	9	Registrar; 1984
	10	Registrar; 1985-1986
Box	Folder
13	1	Reflections Regarding Center Meeting Held September 3, 1985; September 3, 1985
	2	Statutes of the Center; 1979-1990
	3	Students: Financial Aid; 1980-1982
	4	Students: Financial Aid; 1983-1985
	5	Students: Financial Aid; 1986-1996
	6	Search for New Director; 1996-1998

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Series III: Fund Raising; 1973-2009

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Series IIIa: Donors; 1978-2009
Box	Folder
13	7	Founding Donors; 2009
	8	Bredeweg/Kennedy Negotiations for Center Funds; 1985
	9	Burkitt Foundation; 1982-1986
	10	Family, Crooker, John H.; 1979
	11	Cullen Chair in Philosophy; 1979-1984
	12	DeRance, Inc.; 1979-1985
	13	Donovan, Dr. and Mrs. Michael M.; 1973-1991
Box	Folder
14	1	Hotze, Ernest G., Ceco Compressor Engineering Corp.; 1981-1992
	2	Mitchell, Dolores; Charitable Annuity Trust; 1981-1983
	3	Marshall, Hugh Roy; 1978-1984
	4	Quintana Petroleum Co.; 1983-1991
	5	Scanlan Foundation, Endowment of Bishop Nold Chair in Philosophy; 1981-1985
	6	Strake Foundation; 1989-1991
	7	Veatch, Henry B.; 1981-1986
	8	Webre, Lloyd P.; 1981
	9	Others; 1979-1997

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Series IIIb: General; 1981-1987

Box

Folder

Dinner Honoring Benefactors of the Center; 1981-1987

Mass of Thanksgiving for Center Benefactors; 1982

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Series IV: Publicity; 1975-2003
Box	Folder
14	12	Brochures and Miscellaneous Items; 1979-1984
	13	Catalogs for the Center; 1982-2002
	14	The Cauldron, Student Newspaper; 1979-1984
	15	Dimensions, University Newsletter; 1975-1980
	16	Newsletters, Faculty; 1980-1986
	17	Press Releases and Newspaper Clippings; 1975-2003

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Series V: Students; 1969-1984

Box

Folder

Correspondence; 1969-1986

Lists; 1983-1984

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Series VI: Course Related; 1975-1996
Box	Folder
16	1	Book Prizes Presented to Students; 1982-1986
	2	Course Bibliographies Compiled by Anton C. Pegis; 1975
	3	Course Offerings, Graduate; 1980-1986
	4	Course Offerings, Undergraduate; 1981-1986
	5	Course Offerings, Undergraduate; 1992-1996
	6	Critical Thinking Readings; 1996
	7	Graduation and Senior Awards Night; 1984-1986
	8	Major in Philosophy; 1969-1986
	9	PhD Dissertation Defenses; 1988-1993
	10	Prospectus of Graduate Program Leading to MA and PhD Degrees; 1981
	11	Reading Exam, M.A.; 1979-1985

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Series VII: Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society; 1984-1997
Box	Folder
17	1	Booklets and Pamphlets; 1984-1995
	2	Correspondence; 1985-1986
	3	Correspondence; 1987-1995
	4	Correspondence; 1996-1997
	5	Financials; 1984-1993
	6	Memberships; 1986-1987
	7	Short History and Newsletters; 1984-1987

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Series VIII: Academic Activities, 1978-2009
Box	Folder
17	8	Aeterni Patris Symposium, Correspondence and Memos; 1978-1979
	9	Aeterni Patris Symposium, Dinner and Friends List; 1979-1980
Box	Folder
18	1	Aeterni Patris Symposium, Speakers, Papers, Brochures; 1979
	2	Aquinas Lecture; 1981-1996
	3	Bioethics Seminar; 1983-1984
	4	Christian Faith and Culture, Brochures, Newsletters, Pamphlets; 1981-1986
	5	Christian Faith and Culture, Meetings and Correspondence; 1983-1986
	6	Colloquia; 1987-1995
	7	Lectures, Lecturers and Symposiums; 1981-2009

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Series IX: Publications; 1980-1982
Box	Folder
18	8	Academic Publications of the Center; 1983-1987
	9	Graduate Bulletin for Center; 1987-1988, 1989-1991
	10	Handbook for Faculty, Administrators and Adjunct Faculty; 1980-1992
	11	Correspondence, Lumen Christi Press; 1983-1987
Box	Folder
19	1	Correspondence, Notre Dame Press; 1983-1984
	2	Correspondence, Notre Dame Press; 1985
	3	Correspondence, Notre Dame Press; 1986-1991
	4	Correspondence, Regency Press; 1983
	5	Notre Dame Press, Brochures, Pamphlets; 1984-1986

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Series X: Affiliations and Associations; 1978-1987
Box	Folder
19	6	American Catholic Philosophical Association; 1980-1984
	7	AAmerican Catholic Philosophical Association; 1985
	8	American Catholic Philosophical Association; 1986
	9	American Philosophical Association; 1978-1997
	10	International Academy of Philosophy; 1980-1983
Box	Folder
20	1	Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc.; 1983-1986
	2	International Council of Universities of St. Thomas Aquinas; 1995-1996
	3	Maritain Association; 1980-1986
	4	National Endowment for the Humanities; 1986-1993
	5	Proposal of MA Program Submitted to Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; 1979
	6	Correspondence, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Approval of Center; 1980-1982
	7	Correspondence, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; 1981-1982
	8	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Criteria for Accreditation; 1989
	9	Correspondence, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Self-study; 1982-1988

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Series XI: Restricted; 1971-1981

Box

This information is restricted from research.

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