February 2022

Question:

Dear Abbot Pennings,

I enjoyed the feature about the Keefe Armor in a recent issue of the St. Norbert College Magazine. Did SNC ever discover who was responsible for the knight’s disappearance and its return?

Jackie Schubring (Information Technology Services)

Answer:

My dearest Jackie,

Thank you most kindly for writing and drawing our attention to such a wonderful part of St. Norbert College’s history!

Prior to his stint in the lobby of the old Schuldes Sports Center, this venerable knight stood sentinel in Berne Hall (now Burke Hall). It was from there that he mysteriously disappeared in October 1957. Over the next two months, college administrators received postcards from around the United States, Canada and Europe sharing what the knight had seen and done on his much-needed vacation. At Thanksgiving, the Norbertines who lived in the priory on campus received a large fruit basket, compliments of the knight. The media even picked up the story, and newspapers and radio stations across the country reported on the knight’s progress. He reappeared on the steps of Main Hall that December looking greatly refreshed – oiled, polished and sporting a new tunic and plume.

For the next twenty years the culprits behind this caper remained anonymous, but the public learned their identities in a 1977 Green Bay Press-Gazette piece titled “Wandering Green Knight Case Solved,” written by Len Wagner of our Class of 1958. The four students responsible were Wagner's classmates Raphael “Ralph” Hallada and Frank Lauerman III, with Myron “Mike” Hauser of the Class of 1957 and Carl Hirsch of the Class of 1959. Lauerman conceived of the idea, and the four agreed that the knight badly needed a shine and some new regalia. They spirited the knight out of Berne Hall under the cover of darkness and transported him to the basement of Hallada’s family home in Seymour, where he relaxed for the duration of his “travels.” They then sent pre-written and addressed postcards to relatives, friends and postmasters in various parts of the country and world, asking them to mail the postcards back to St. Norbert. In the meantime, they spent several nights polishing the knight’s armor before they returned him safely and secretly.

All four men went on to lead long lives that exemplified the values of St. Norbert College. Hirsch passed away in 2019 and Hauser and Lauerman followed in 2021. Hauser, a frequent visitor to campus throughout his life, served for several years on the college’s alumni board. Hallada, the last surviving member of the foursome, is one of 14 alumni to earn the rank of general in the United States Army and was honored with our other living generals at Commencement in 2013.

As for our knight, he disappeared again in 1959 during Homecoming week, but returned in time for Commencement the following spring. No doubt these incidents contributed to the decision to house him safely behind glass while he greeted visitors to Schuldes Sports Center!

Ultimately, despite the worry that our knight’s vacations caused to my confreres Father Keefe and Father Burke, I am quite proud of our students’ ability to take the task of enriching our college’s history into their own hands.

Responses to “Ask the Abbot” questions are penned by St. Norbert College staff in the name of Abbot Bernard Pennings, who founded St. Norbert College in 1898.