<!--Title: That Unconquerable Spirit - A poem tribute inspired by four men of
character and courage-who never gave up on their dreams [dared to dream an impossible
Dream. Their life stories influence my own life. Fr. Edward Sorin who never gave up
on his dream to build a college in the wilderness of Indiana. Fr. Sigmund Jankowski
[who] never gave up on his dream to build a replica of the Notre Dame Grotto at his
parish church and wrote a book called, When Dreams Come True, [when he accomplished
called, one man's Impossible Dream House. It was meeting Fr. Jan who commissioned my father to fulfill his his dream of building a replica of Notre Dame's Grotto at his
parish church and his retirement on campus which planted me on a path I had no idea I
would ever be taking. When he introduced me to the Notre Dame campus I began learning more about it from the inside out which inspired me to research the history, legends and lore of the Notre Dame campus. In doing so, I learned of Fr. Sorin's, seemingly impossible dream, and met Fr. Hesburgh three men on campus, Fr. Jan, Fr. Hesb who influenced my life ato the people in my life who inspired my poem, That Unconquerable
Spirit.-->
<p>Thirty-two years after it was written, in the year 2000, I wrote an essay on what
the <i>The Spirit of Notre Dame</i> means to me.[website address] In that essay, I
refer to Sorin's ocean journey to America from France to fulfill his dream of building
a college in an Indiana wilderness and I added a web link (link address) to my poem,
That Unconquerable Spirit, to which I've added a unique illustration of what his ship
[in a web link] might have looked like. </p>
<P>In that essay, I spoke of Father Edward Sorin and how he never gave up on his dream
to build a college in an Indiana wilderness. Later, when it burned to the ground, he
again reaffirmed his unrelenting faith in the realization of his dream with these
words: <i>I don't care if we lose it all. We will begin again! </i</p>
<p>If my poem about my brother had not already been written it could have been written
about Sorin who also had his own fearless determination and unrelenting courage in
pursuing his goals in life. Father Sorin was also one-of-a-kind, Like so many other
pioneers in our nation's history.<br<br>
[decide if the poem should be shared and where] (A lot depends on whether the story is
just a web link from the poem or whether you put it at the end of your Notre Dame
Legends and Lore stories. Wait and see how it shapes up.)] </p<hr<br>-->
[web link from poem on the poetry website]<p>For those who love adventure stories,
for more about <i>Wild Bill</i> Buckles, whose adventures in Alaska inspired my,
<i>That Unconquerable Spirit</i> poem, written in 1968, click on this <i>Alaskan</i>
web link.</p>
<!--The second one I'm working on now is about my adventuresome brother who built
what can only be called One Man's Dream Home. It's an all masonry, A-Frame house,
inside and out, built entirely with his own hands-inspired by his time in Alaska when
he was in the Army. It's a mile north of the campus and is built on formerly Sorin
land about l/2 mile from our own home which was also built on Sorin land.
He also never gave up on his dream to build his Alaskan Homestead Dream House in
Indiana. Although he didn't know at the time that he was building it on land that once
belonged to Sorin who also never gave up on his dream.
oPTIONAL - <p>Because my father and brother both worked on the replica of Notre
Dame's Grotto at St. Stanislaus and they both worked on the campus throughout their
life, and he and I both built homes on Sorin land it seems fitting to share this
"Never give up. No matter what" [philosophy about my brother's connection to with
the Notre Dame campus.</p<br<hr<br>
Decide where to put text below or remove it. First one looks best ask Greg.
<p>WHEN WE DARE TO DREAM [SEEMINGLY] IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS: [AMAZING THINGS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED:] Fr. Sorin crossed an ocean to realize his dream of founding a college in an Indiana wilderness. Fr. Jankowski dreamed of building a replica of Notre Dame's Grotto at his parish church, St. Stanislaus. [When he accomplished it he wrote a book about his beloved Notre Dame. He called it <i>When Dreams Come True.</i>] My
brother, Bill Buckles, spent twenty years building his Dream Home, an Alaskan
Homestead on Sorin land a mile north of Notre Dame. This is my brother's story.</p>
<p>For a synopsis of Fr. Sorin's vision click on this web link: <i>The Spirit of Notre
Dame</i>. For more about Fr. Jan and the book he wrote about his beloved Notre Dame
and his Grotto. click on this web link, <i>Always Have a Dream.</i</p<hr<br<br>-->
Text for Notre Dame Legends and Lore stories link<p>
Sorin dared to dream of crossing the ocean to build a college in a wilderness in
Indiana. His example and his unconquerable spirit, continues to inspire others who
have come after him. They have fulfilled his mission far beyond anything he could ever
evhave envisioned.
<!--XXXXXXXXConsider removing the paragraph below and use it as intro to story if its
put on the ND Notre Dame Legends and Lore website instead of my poetry website.??
<br<br>XXXXXXXXXX
<p>In later years, I used this same poem on my <i>The Spirit of Notre Dame</i>
website, to describe Fr. Sorin's adventuresome spirit and his unending desire to build
a college in an Indiana wilderness. It went online on Lourdes Day, 2000. [web link
Sorin story, poem, map, and ship] Last paragraph above repeated in beginning text
-- remove one or the other!!!!</p<hr>
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-->
<p>///////remove He’s really quite a guy, and like you, John, he loves his Gold Wing
motorcycle. I wish you could meet him sometime, I’m sure you’d share many mutual
interests</p>
<p>Well, John, I didn’t begin this letter with a story in mind, but nonetheless, here
it is. I guess you could call this a “just because” letter, just because I felt like
it and wanted to because your speaking of your past adventures reminded me of his.</p>
<p>Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful visit back home.</p>
<p>Wishing you and yours blessings in the New Year.</p<br>
Sincerely,<br>
Dorothy<br<br>
<p>PS: Recently, John, I heard a very nice compliment about you, spoken with
admiration and approval: That you could get more mileage out of Father Jan than
anyone else has. That you seem to have a way all your own of making him come alive.
Which means, of course, that you must be very good at your job. Thought it might
please you to know that someone else at Holy Cross House appreciates your extra
efforts to please.</p>///////remove
Remove paragraph below it takes away from the home description (being without the fire
pole).
<p>This fairytale house in its fairytale woods also has another story to tell.
Now that the house has been passed on to new owners, the moose antlers, and the
butcher's block live on in the rugged mountainous home his son Shane built in the
mountains of Denver, Colorado. And the fireman's pole is now very much at home in the
Inner Canyon Fire Rescue Station in Denver, Colorado where Shane volunteers as a
forest fire fighter during forest fires.</p>
December 21, 1973
Optional!!!!! below
was building his rustic A-Frame house a mile north of Notre Dame, also on original
Sorin land.
Possible photographs to illustrate this story. Items in his home saw with picture on
it, etc.
Pictures of tree and squirrel treats outside his window. Rafting trip. Any
photographs of the house from CD. Pictures of mulemutes and picture of fireplace.
Anything unique that he has pictures of.
Might be worth considering a line up of now photographs to put at the end of the
story. Inspirational Water Garden. -->
<!--<p>This fairytale house in its fairytale woods also has another story to tell.
Now that the house has been passed on to new owners, the moose antlers, and the
butcher's block live on in the rugged mountainous home his son Shane built in the
mountains of Denver, Colorado. And the fireman's pole is now very much at home in the
Inner Canyon Fire Rescue Station in Denver, Colorado where Shane volunteers as a
forest fire fighter during forest fires.</p>-->