Weird Creighton History

In a new episode of Weird Creighton History, Rick and Micah speak with local writer Matt Holland about civil rights pioneer Fr. John Markoe, SJ, a beloved and influential Jesuit who worked for Creighton University. Markoe is best known for founding the Omaha DePorres Club, whose members worked to encourage businesses to change racially discriminatory practices. Be sure to attend the event Righting History: The Markoe Collection and the Omaha DePorres Club on Sept. 28 at the Revive Center to learn more about Markoe and the private collection of materials Holland recently donated to Creighton.

Law-abiding library patrons Rick and Micah discuss Creighton's relation to the academic crime of the century: the Iowa man who stole 26,000 rare books and manuscripts from about 300 university libraries across the U.S. The collection — estimated at anywhere from $5.3 million to $40 million — made Stephen Carrie Blumberg the most prolific book thief in world history. After Blumberg's 1990 arrest, a group of Creighton librarians helped the FBI return thousands of books to their rightful owners. This drew Blumberg's ire, and he warned Creighton that the Reinert library would be the next target of one of his elaborate heists. More than 30 years later, as a Creighton archivist, professor and class of students recently discovered, this story is far from finished. Read the story of the book bandit, the Omaha Project, and the Creighton detectives here.

In the second part of our Weird Creighton History series on the notorious book thief and the Creighton-aided FBI investigation the Omaha Project, Micah speaks with Creighton archivist Pete Brink about Stephen Carrie Blumberg, the rare books and manuscripts that the FBI gave to Creighton and how a recent discovery in the Rare Books Room opened a new chapter in the story. Be sure to listen to Part 1 of this series (Weird Creighton History: Episode 11)And, if you're interested in an even deeper dive, check out our full story on the book bandit and the Creighton detectives. 

In the third part of our Weird Creighton History series on the notorious book thief and the Creighton-aided FBI investigation the Omaha Project, Micah speaks with Creighton assistant professor Trish Ross, PhD, about the class she taught on the case this spring and the online exhibit the students created.Be sure to listen to Part 1 of this series (Weird Creighton History: Episode 11)And Part 2And, if you're interested in an even deeper dive, check out our full story on the book bandit and the Creighton detectives. 

With the St. John's Fountain and Plaza under renovations (and it being the 30-year anniversary of the Eternal Flame sculpture), Rick and Micah decided to explore the history of Creighton's fountain and Mall and ended up talking a bunch about a controversial nude sculpture and its long, sad campus journey. Some weird details here. Did you know they once wanted to put a pond/ice-skating rink on the Mall next to Gallagher? You can read a whole bunch about the fountain's history (and see dozens of photos) here. (UPDATE: We found Suscipe! He was hiding in plain sight the whole time. My trusty colleague Casey Hoag, Creighton's senior director of external relations, found the sculpture hanging out between the Hitchcock and Eppley buildings. It's still a beautiful sculpture, and it would still probably spark a minor controversy if they tried to put it on top of the St. John's Fountain today. In any case, we're happy to see that Suscipe found a permanent home and, one hopes, some semblance of peace after such a tumultuous journey.)

We're gonna start doing more Weird Creighton History episodes that bring in folks besides just Micah and Rick. No offense to them, but c'mon, they're not the only two people in the world, and they should stop acting like they are. For this episode, Micah interviewed Doug Ryan as he was taking a tour of campus. Doug, 86, is a lovely guy. He basically grew up on campus, with Creighton Stadium and Old Gym as his childhood playground. He was also a waterboy for the Creighton men's basketball team (in the 1940s!). Hear what Doug has to say about his first visit to campus in nearly 75 years. And be sure to read the story about Doug here.

The story of Creighton's Jesuit astronomer Fr. William Rigge, SJ, who — in 1910 and 1911 — became one of the first expert witnesses in an American criminal trial. Using a shadow in a photograph, Fr. Rigge helped an Omaha attorney (and Creighton parent) exonerate a man charged with planting a bomb on the front porch of Omaha crime boss Tom Dennison. This episode's got it all. See photos and headlines of and about the bomb, the boss, the Jesuit and the shadow. Listen to past Weird Creighton History episodes in our archive.

Aaand ... here's the third and final part in our series of episodes on 2023 anniversaries. This one covers 1983 to 2022 and includes the arrival of the ‘Eternal Flame,’ the fake football team's national championship win and the first Creighton alum in space. See our series of articles on 2023 Creighton anniversaries here. To listen to parts 1 and 2, subscribe to the podcast here.

And here's part 2 of our series of Weird Creighton History episodes on 2023 anniversaries. This episode tracks anniversaries from 1948 to 1973, including the debut of the DePorres Club, the start of women’s sports and the arrival of air conditioning in Swanson Hall. See our series of articles on 2023 Creighton anniversaries here. To listen to parts 1 and 3, subscribe to the podcast here.

Another year, another list of Creighton anniversaries. In the first of this three-part series of episodes, Rick and Micah cover such historic events as ... the birth of the Bluejay, the start of the track team and the belated graduation of an alum whom Eisenhower called "the man who won the war." See our series of articles on 2023 Creighton anniversaries here. To listen to parts 2 and 3, subscribe to the podcast here.

Dreaming of a weird Christmas? You're in luck. We've got a two-part Weird Creighton Christmas extravaganza. Part 1 recounts strange tales of Creighton Christmases past — like the 2000 Christmas tree controversy and the story of the campus Grinch who stole (then returned) Christmas. For Part 2, we It's-a-Wonderful-Life Creighton, by asking ... "What would the world be like if the University had never existed?" A few alums shared their responses! And finally, we explore the similarities between co-host Rick Davis and Jimmy Stewart. Merry Christmas! Did you know you can already make a gift for Creighton’s Giving Tuesday? Please consider doing so here.

For our next episode of Weird Creighton History, we're going to It's a Wonderful Life Creighton University, and we want to hear from you! What might your life have been if Creighton University were never born? You can text, email or call in your responses! (Fun fact: Every time an alum (or friend) responds, a Bluejay gets its wings!)

He was one of the most consequential individuals ever to graduate from Creighton University, though few know his name. In a not-weird (though inspiring and heartrending) episode of Weird Creighton History, Rick and Micah explore the life of John Pehle, a man whose actions helped save the lives of 200,000 European Jews during WWII.Read the full storyWatch The U.S. and the HolocaustRead the full report Pehle cowrote for FDR

In a new episode of Weird Creighton History, Rick and Micah explore Creighton University's connection (via three Jesuits) to the exorcism that inspired the book and movie The Exorcist.Episode sources:Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism by Thomas B. Allen"The Exorcist: A True Story," New York PostRaymond Bishop’s diary"The Haunted Boy," Strange MagazineNewspapers.com, Lincoln Journal Star, Washington PostCreighton University Archives and Special Collections

The pilot episode of Weird Creighton History, a podcast exploring the odd and unknown in Creighton University's history. With longtime alum/writer/editor Rick Davis and (deeply) amateur historian Micah Mertes. Check out accompanying images to the story of the manure left on Creighton's doorstep.Be sure to sign up for Creighton Days before time runs out.Episode sources:The History of Creighton University, 1878–2003 by Dennis Mihelich Memoirs of Fr. William F. Rigge, SJHistoria Domas, Creighton University Archives and Special CollectionsCreighton University : Reminiscences of the First Twenty-Five Years by Fr. Michael P. Dowling, SJ"A History of North Omaha's McCreary mansion," NorthOmahaHistory.comNewspapers.com, Omaha Daily BeeOmaha Illustrated : A History of the Pioneer Period and the Omaha of Today