Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 2, 2023 53 monograms and earned the starting left tackle spot in 1955 under head coach Terry Brennan. Edmonds, at 6-foot and 210 pounds, developed into a strong, versatile, two- way player for the Irish, known for his blocking on offense and as a speedy rusher on defense. He drew praise from one observer for being a veteran who specializes in "smothering quarterbacks as quick as a whistle … with speed and savvy." As a senior in the fall of 1955, Ed- monds returned to campus bothered, as were many in the United States, over the brutal murder of Emmett Till — a 14-year-old Black youth from Chicago — in Mississippi that summer. Edmonds felt few on campus were talking about such a stirring national story, so he gave a speech about it for a class and helped raise money to benefit justice for Till. Edmonds raised $50 and donated it to the NAACP, starting his decades- long involvement with the organization, eventually serving as chair of the Can- onsburg, Pa., chapter. The rest of his life was a fight for equality, with years of continual awareness, advocacy and service. He graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in sociology, and added a mas- ter's from the University of Pittsburgh. Upon a request from executive vice president Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., he helped establish a Black Studies pro- gram at Notre Dame. Edmonds spent five years as a social worker for the Veterans Administration at University Hospital in Pittsburgh. He was dean of students at Pittsburgh's School of Social Work from 1967-71 and then spent several years helping over- see the United Mine Workers health care programs in the Midwest. For 15 years, prior to his retirement in 1992, Edmonds worked for the state of Penn- sylvania as a public health executive. "My experiences at Notre Dame re- inforced things I grew up with — that with hard work and good relationships, you can go a long way," said Edmonds, who died in Harrisburg, Pa., at age 88 on Sept. 17, 2022. "Notre Dame gave me an opportunity to see where I had some- thing to give to others." ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com Edmonds, who helped establish a Black Studies program at Notre Dame, had a long and highly successful career in social work and education before his passing at the age of 88 on Sept. 17, 2022. PHOTO COURTESY THE EDMONDS FAMILY Honoring: Thom Gatewood '72 College Football Hall of Famer Kevin Corrigan NCAA Champion lacrosse coach Jack Nolan Long- me ND broadcaster Missy Conboy '82 ND Deputy Director of Athle cs Michael Leep Sr. Businessman and philanthropist Larry Dwyer '66 Asst. Director of Notre Dame Bands Jim "Augie" Augus ne Curator of ND collec bles For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org Announcing the 7th Annual Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards Celebra on Friday, September 22 Smith Ballroom The Morris Inn University of Notre Dame 11:00 a.m. - Noon Social Hour & Buffet Noon - 1:30 p.m. Awards Program