Although the SMAC minor is new to Notre Dame's campus, the ideas studied in SMAC courses have been present in South Bend for decades. This summer, Foundry Field, a new public baseball field that commemorates the Foundry Giants who integrated baseball long before the professional league, will open at 711 E. Colfax Ave. Associate Professor of Design, Clinton Carlson, explains that their goal with the project "is to highlight these underrepresented histories in our community that haven’t been commemorated as much as they should have been and to recognize the contributions of people who have not been as visible as they should be.”
Our very own Dr. Katherine Walden, Asisstant Teaching Professor of American Studies has played a major role in the research and success of this project. She supports students in conducting independent research on the Giants, teaches Baseball in America, and has independently researched baseball for over a decade. Her contributions to Foundry Field are innumerable and the project would not be the same without her.
To learn more about the Foundry Field project and the history of the Giants, check out its feature in the "Notre Dame Stories" Series.