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Assumption College opened in February 1857 as a small Catholic institution of higher education for young men. Located in Assumption Parish along the Detroit River, adjacent to the town of Sandwich, Canada West (now part of Windsor, Ontario), the college was founded by the Jesuits, incorporated in 1858, and run by Benedictines, Jesuits, and diocesan clergy at various points in its first twelve years of existence.

In 1868 the Basilian Fathers assumed control, and the fledgling institution began to expand and develop in earnest, focusing on a combination of classical and commercial courses that prepared students for theological studies but also for business or professional careers. In 1919 the college affiliated with Western University (London, Ontario) and broadened its curriculum so that it could provide Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, a Master of Arts in philosophy, and pre-professional programs feeding into engineering, medicine, and law. In 1934 the college became co-educational when it affiliated with Holy Names College for young women. Holy Names College closed as a separate institution in 1962, with Assumption continuing as a now fully-coeducational institution.

Assumption’s affiliation with Western ended in 1953, when the College received its own degree-granting powers as a university, and it was renamed Assumption University of Windsor in 1956. Around that same time it expanded its program offerings through affiliation agreements with Essex College (nondenominational), Holy Redeemer College (Catholic), and Canterbury College (Anglican).

In response to Windsor’s growth and the demographic pressures of the Baby Boom generation, in 1962 the government of Ontario created and incorporated a new, nondenominational, publicly-funded University of Windsor: the facilities and teaching faculty of Assumption were integrated into the new institution; Assumption University itself became a federated member. The University of Windsor’s first President (Rev. E.C. LeBel) and first Chancellor (Bishop J.C. Cody) were President and Chancellor of Assumption University, respectively. The development of a nondenominational provincial university out of a historic Catholic university was at that time unprecedented.

Assumption University has maintained a continued presence on the University of Windsor campus since 1962, offering a Catholic chaplaincy service, interfaith dialogue, and theological training, among other activities; in 2021 it initiated an academic revitalization plan aimed at creating new programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Sources: Contents of fonds; Assumption University, “History,” https://assumptionu.ca/about/ ; Devon Fraser, “Assumption College through the Decades,” https://collections.uwindsor.ca/assumption/welcome (both accessed 7 November 2024).

Reverend Joseph Stanley (Stan) Murphy (1904-1983) was a Catholic priest within the education-focused Congregation of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers), best known for bringing culture to Windsor, Ontario through the Christian Culture Series hosted by Assumption College. Murphy was born and raised on a farm near Woodslee, Ontario, with his two brothers (Gerald and John), all of whom were sent to Assumption College to further their studies. Following a brief stint working in a Woodslee bank, Stan returned to the college with the goal of ultimately becoming a priest. At the end of his first year of university he joined the Basilians in Toronto as a novice. His seminary training was interrupted by a period of teaching at Detroit Catholic Central High School; in December 1931 he was fully ordained as a priest. He initially taught at St. Michael’s College in Toronto, but in June 1932 he was (reluctantly) sent to Windsor, where he would spend the bulk of his career teaching at his alma mater.

Murphy was an instructor in English and History but his most enduring legacy was his work founding and directing the Christian Culture Series (CCS) of speakers and associated events. Beginning with the inaugural series in 1934, Murphy’s aim for the series was two-fold: to connect the Catholic Church and contemporary life by introducing high-profile Catholic thinkers to local audiences, and to enhance the cultural reputations of both Assumption College and the Windsor-Detroit region. His inclusion of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (known for his radio and television programs, ca. 1930s-1950s) as a speaker in many of the series attracted an audience and established the series’ reputation almost instantly. Over ensuing decades, the series stood as a significant event on Windsor’s cultural and intellectual calendar, bringing noteworthy and thought-provoking Catholic Church leaders, theologians, historians, scientists, political figures, poets and novelists, artists, and economists to the border cities. In 1941 Murphy introduced to the CCS a new annual tradition: awarding a Christian Culture Gold Medal to a layperson deemed to be an “outstanding exponent of Christian ideals.” (The medal is still awarded, but was renamed the Faith and Culture Gold Medal in 2009, in order to embrace people of other faiths as well.)

Through his CCS work, Murphy became a correspondent and friend to a vast array of thinkers, activists, artists, politicians, and more. He was personally responsible for finding temporary posts at Assumption College for cultural icons Wyndham Lewis and Marshall McLuhan.

In 2009, local historian Marty Gervais, who knew Murphy, described him as “the most unassuming personality,” adding that he was “the hayseed philosopher, the barnyard intellectual, but a man also comfortable and confident in everything he did.” In 1978 Murphy was awarded the Order of Canada for “enriching the life of the Windsor-Detroit region” during his then-35 years as director of the CCS. Father Murphy died in May 1983.

Sources: Contents of fonds; Obituary for Rev. Joseph Stanley Murphy, The Windsor Star (25 May 1983), C7; Marty Gervais, “Award reflects Father Stan’s vision,” The Windsor Star (26 December 2009), A5; Marty Gervais, “Father Stan’s idea fed culture famine,” The Windsor Star (19 December 1981), B4; Marty Gervais, “Assumption’s origin antedates Canada,” The Windsor Star (14 February 1981), C4; Marty Gervais, “The monk, the philosopher, and the priest,” The Windsor Star (6 October 2000), A4; Assumption University, “1934,” Timeline of Assumption College and University History, https://assumptionu.ca/assumptionutimeline/ ; Assumption University, “History,” https://assumptionu.ca/ccs-history/ ; Devon Fraser, “The 1930s: Academic Advances,” Assumption College: Through the Decades (Leddy Library Centre for Digital Scholarship, 2021), https://collections.uwindsor.ca/assumption/1930s ; “The Reverend Joseph Stanley Murphy,” The Governor General of Canada / Honours / Recipients, https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-2569 (all accessed 15 January 2025).