A Long and Beautiful Relationship

BY MARCEL GARSAUD ’54, J.D. ’59, H ’04 PROFESSOR EMERITUS AND FORMER DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF LAW

In the story of race relations in New Orleans around the late 1940s and early 1950s, the histories of Loyola University and Moon Landrieu ’52, J.D. ’54, H’79, H ’05, are inseparable.

When Moon enrolled at Loyola in 1946, the university did not enroll Black students. The Jesuits, similar to society as a whole, were deeply divided on the issue of the integration of the university. The leaders in the Jesuit community in terms of public commitment to integration were two remarkable men: Louis Twomey, S.J., regent of the law school, and Joseph H. Fichter, S.J., chair of the Department of Sociology.

In later years, Moon recalled his early contact with Frs. Fichter and Twomey in a panel discussion with Norman Francis, J.D. ’55, H ’82, and Edgar "Dooky" Chase III ’71, J.D. ’83, at Loyola when he said: “When I came to Loyola University on a baseball scholarship, I didn't think much about race at all. And the first ‘movement’ I sensed was Fr. Fichter’s book. Because Fr. Fichter had written a book about Mater Dolorosa Parish, which was my parish, and the talk was all over campus about it because he was eventually silenced. His book was suppressed. Then I met Fr. Twomey, who was preaching social justice and racial justice. And I began thinking and got involved a little bit in the discussion process. In any event, by accident, I ended up in law school in 1952.”

Coming into this fractured environment, Moon soon grew to share with these two Jesuits the moral imperative of equality for all. Frs. Fichter and Twomey awakened in Moon his quest for racial equality.

It appears that Fr. Fichter, in his role as moderator of the National Federation of Catholic College Students, or NFCCS, also known as the National Conference of Catholic College Students, was an early influence on Moon. The minutes from an Aug. 15, 1953, meeting of Loyola’s chapter of NFCCS indicate that a discussion ensued relative to whether a college that was segregated should continue to be admitted to membership. The issue was to be considered at the annual convention at which Moon was Loyola's delegate. At the Aug. 15 meeting, a suggestion was made for a resolution that all member colleges who excluded African Americans from attending be asked to resign from the federation. In the midst of a heated discussion, Moon protested that “we would be excluding the very schools which needed conversion and hence defeating our own purposes,” an early hint to his activist bent in regard to integration.

In addition to Fr. Fichter, Fr. Twomey also affected Moon's view of integration. Fr. Twomey founded and led the Institute of Industrial Relations, later called the Institute of Human Relations, and forcefully and courageously fought for the laboring man and for integration. In his entire time in law school, Moon encountered Fr. Twomey on almost a daily basis.

The influence of Frs. Fichter and Twomey on Moon is evident, but his new and close friendship with Norman Francis cemented his strongly held beliefs regarding race relations. Norman and Ben Johnson, J.D. ’55, were the first African Americans admitted into Loyola’s law school in 1952.

As remembered by Norman, when he was enrolled as a freshman, Moon, who was already in law school, walked up to him and said, “I know who you are, and I'm here to be your friend.” This warm welcome led to a lifelong friendship. While in law school, they participated together in the National Conference of College Students. In fact, Norman introduced Moon to the NCCS. Moon and Norman were also members of the St. Thomas More Law Society – the only integrated student organization in the law school. Their shared beliefs in civil rights and their friendship was no doubt supported by the law school’s dean, Antonio Papale, who was a leader in the Association of American Law Schools and advocated for the integration of the nation's law schools.

Sharing classes, meals, conversations, rides, meetings, and memberships with Norman solidified for Moon his long commitment to racial justice. Loyola’s law school was truly the incubator for their relationship.

As members of the St. Thomas More Law Society, Moon and Pascal Calogero, J.D. ’54, H ’91, future chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, sought to have a party but were unable to obtain a public venue because the group was integrated. As a result, the party was held at Moon's home, where he lived with his parents. During the party, Moon's mother answered the doorbell, and when she opened the door, there stood Ben Johnson.

She asked, "Can I help you?”

Johnson replied, "I'm here for the party." And another barrier fell.

During his public life, Moon continued his connection with Loyola by teaching a course in the College of Business and often lecturing at the renowned Loyola Institute of Politics.

In his later years, Moon and his wife, Verna, were members of the Ignatius Chapel community, an intentional small Christian community that celebrates Mass every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Loyola's Student Chapel. After the service was over, Moon would sit in the first row while Verna got him coffee and a doughnut. One after another, members of the community would go over and engage in a timely conversation with Moon, which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was the only Sunday Mass in the Archdiocese that had more than one homily. Truly, Moon was a living homily!

Loyola and Moon surely had a long and meaningful relationship, a mutual admiration society in which each learned from the other as they wrestled with social challenges and the issues of the day. This was aptly alluded to by Fr. Tom Greene ’86, J.D. ’89, the Jesuit Provincial, in his homily at Moon’s funeral Mass when he said: “It was said in one of the papers this week that Moon learned about faith and justice from the Jesuits. I think if we are honest about ourselves, Moon taught us a lot about how to live faith and justice. He had the courage to lead at times when we did not. What a great blessing this friendship has been for us, the Society of Jesus.