St. Mary’s College Library Archives & Brother Dennis

Founded in 1863, Saint Mary’s College of California is one of the oldest colleges in the West. The College campus originally was located in San Francisco, with the first Bachelor’s degrees awarded in 1872. In 1889, the campus was moved to Oakland’s Brickpile facility at 30th and Broadway. In 1928, the College was moved to Moraga. Eleven of the original buildings, including the Chapel, constructed during 1928-1929, are still in use today. The Sacramento Northern Railroad had a station that was located on the campus of the College, and trains to bring students and faculty to the school continued up until passenger service was abandoned in 1941.

Much of the archival history of St. Mary’s College and Moraga were due to the efforts of Lewis Francis Brother Dennis Goodman, a native of San Francisco and student at the College in the 1930s. He graduated in 1935 and taught at four high schools in the San Francisco District. In 1954 he earned a master’s degree in library science from Catholic University, in Washington, D.C. From 1953 until 1992, he was a professor, librarian, and archivist for the College. He was one of four founding members of the Moraga Historical Society, and used the third floor of the SMC Library to store the collections that would form the basis for the MHS Archives. In 1992, Brother Dennis retired from the College and continued his work until he passed away in 2003. Martin J. Cohen, Librarian and Archivist, and Student Assistants Alexia N. Jarvis, Melissa Campbell-Macintosh and Gabe Ladd continue the fine tradition of archiving material recording the history of the College and surrounding area.

Contact St. Mary’s College at its WEB site:
http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/