A Migrant Family’s Vow Produced Seven Notre Dame Graduates
After his grandfather spent eighth grade on Notre Dame's campus, Art Velasquez now holds a tailgate at every game.
Arthur Velasquez still remembers the mud. About 70 years ago, his father took him to his first Notre Dame football game, against the University of Oklahoma, and rain had turned the ground around the stadium to slick mud.
Arthur, the father of Art Velasquez, a 1987 Notre Dame graduate, grew up going to one Irish game a year. Notre Dame, he said, was the only college he knew.
That single game a year grew into a family line with seven Notre Dame graduates. Arthur said, “In two years, we will have 100 years of experience with the University,” which would be about 2027.
The story starts around 1920, when the Velasquez family arrived in the country to do seasonal farm work. Art said his grandfather attended a different grade school every year, and his eighth grade year happened to be at Minim, a grade school then located on Notre Dame's campus.
The year on campus left a mark. Art said his grandfather decided then that if he ever had a son, that boy would go to Notre Dame.
The promise came due in 1956, when Arthur arrived on campus as a student. Art called it the moment “the dream came true.”
Later, when Arthur joined the university's board of trustees, the group of advisers who help oversee the school, game days changed again. Art said the new role brought what he called “rock-star parking and ticket privileges,” and the family used them to build up a tailgate it now holds for every game.
The family calls its tailgate “Since Forever,” reflecting how long it has been tied to the school.
Questions people ask
What was Minim, the campus grade school?
Minim was an elementary and preparatory school run on Notre Dame's campus in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It served younger boys before Notre Dame focused solely on college education.
What does it mean to be a Notre Dame trustee?
Trustees are volunteer board members who help oversee a university's finances, leadership, and long-term direction. At Notre Dame, as at many private universities, they are often alumni and major supporters, and they can receive priority seating and parking on football weekends.