By Blake Wheeler
For more than 200 years since Louisville was founded, many icons have walked its streets and had an impact on its citizens. Some of the more notable Louisville icons include Muhammad Ali, Pee Wee Reese, Paul Hornung, George Rogers Clark, Colonel Harland Sanders and Jennifer Lawrence. Bellarmine University, with its much shorter history, has icons of its own like Thomas Merton, Dr. Eugene Petrik, Monsignor Alfred F. Horrigan and Bob Pfaadt.
“Bob Pfaadt is a true historian that knows the entire history of Bellarmine. He worked here for so long and held so many positions during his time here. No one loves Bellarmine more than Bob Pfaadt,” said Mary Huff, dean of Bellarmine College of Arts and Sciences.
Brian Pfaadt, Bob’s son, said it is amazing how much his father gave to the university and how much he loved what he did.
“There would be days that he would go into work at 6:30 a.m. and wouldn’t get home until 11 p.m. Bellarmine has been his life for the 40-plus years, and I think he was the face for the school,” Brian Pfaadt said.
Pfaadt chose to retire after the 2020 school year amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said he wanted his classes to be in person because most of his class content is lecture-based and discussion-based.
“I had no reason to leave but with online classes and all of the Covid guidelines, I didn’t feel like it was fair to my students to not give them the right experience in the classroom,” Pfaadt said.
But before Pfaadt could cement himself as a Bellarmine icon, he had to discover his own path.
Pfaadt was born in 1941 in Louisville and attended Trinity High School in its first year. Because Trinity did not have a senior class his freshman year, Pfaadt was a part of Trinity’s third graduating class. He also played baseball his senior year.
“I wanted to play every year, but I couldn’t afford it. I had to run a paper route every morning in order to pay for my tuition. I was lucky enough to find someone to cover my route for me so I could play,” Pfaadt said.
When Pfaadt graduated from Trinity in 1959, he enrolled in the seminary thinking he wanted to join the Catholic priesthood. After a year, he decided to step away and enroll in what was then known as Bellarmine College and major in history. At the time, Pfaadt thought he wanted a career in law.
Pfaadt joined the Bellarmine baseball team in 1961 and was a pitcher under coach Alex Groza. Groza is most notably known for being the University of Kentucky center who was a part of the “Fabulous Five” teams that won national championships in 1948 and 1949.
After Pfaadt graduated from Bellarmine, he earned his master’s degree at Arizona State University. “While I was there, I became fascinated with Russian history and modern European history,” Pfaadt said.
“I returned to Trinity and got a job as a teacher. I was the first alumnus to return and teach,” he said. “I was there for 12 years, and I loved it.”
During the summers, Pfaadt taught courses at Bellarmine in the history department starting in 1968. Some summers, he would teach a full course load, which is four courses.
“In 1975, Dr. Petrik (Eugene Petrik, Bellarmine’s second president) called and asked me if I would apply to be the dean of admissions. I earned the position, and I was over the registrar’s office and financial aid office at the time. I eventually moved to the vice president of student affairs under Dr. Petrik, but when he retired, I returned to an administrative role in the registrar’s office and became a part-time history professor,” Pfaadt said.
Pfaadt taught at least part time at Bellarmine since 1968, even when he held administrative positions. Pfaadt didn’t join the classroom full time until 2000, and he remained there until his retirement in 2020.
“I always wanted to help my students, and I wanted them to feel important. I think I learned the most about teaching and how to be an effective one by teaching night classes when I was still an administrator,” Pfaadt said.
Pfaadt said he had to get to know his students if he wanted to have an impact on them. They were normally adult students with a full-time job and sometimes a family taking a night class. He had to understand their lives to help them succeed academically.
Pfaadt said he is a firm believer in attending his students’ events. He is a season ticket holder for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Bellarmine. He also volunteered for 27 years as the PA announcer for men’s and women’s basketball.
“I appreciate watching my students perform in an area they are passionate about. Anything from sports to the arts, I really enjoy watching them perform,” Pfaadt said.
Bellarmine is known for caring professors who look out for their students. Pfaadt said his compassion and genuine care for students came from the very professors who taught him when he was an undergrad at Bellarmine.
“The professors and faculty made me who I am today. They prepared me as a student and young man to where I could choose to attend Arizona State. I had plenty of options but wanted to go there. They made me a well-rounded person,” Pfaadt said.
Pfaadt understood that younger students sometimes didn’t want to take the liberal arts required courses like theology, philosophy and history because they didn’t feel like those classes would be applicable to life after school.
Pfaadt said he believes it is important to know the history that happened before an individual was born and appreciate and respect what happened.
“I think history is a very important subject, but I also think Bellarmine does a good job of including theology and philosophy into the course load. I often tell students who are struggling or wonder why they have to take these courses that it is tough. Bellarmine is tough, but when you come out of here, you’ll be a well-rounded student and job candidate,” Pfaadt said.
Tim Sturgeon, the dean of undergraduate admissions, has known Pfaadt since Sturgeon was a Bellarmine freshman in 1983.
“After a couple of weeks of being on campus, I got homesick. I didn’t have my high school group of friends on campus because they all went away to other schools. I was struggling, and my dad told me to go see Bob Pfaadt,” Sturgeon said. “He had been the Pfaadt family pediatrician for quite a while. I went to see Bob in the registrar’s office, and he told me I was going to be okay. He suggested I get involved in on-campus clubs and student government.”
Sturgeon, who was hired by Pfaadt to work in the admissions office, said Pfaadt is just as great a coworker as he is a teacher.
Pfaadt helped students for years as an administrator, and he continued when he returned to the classroom full time.
Junior exercise science student Matthew Higgins said: “After our first test in History 117, Professor Pfaadt asked that I come see him to discuss my test. I didn’t do too great, and he asked me how much time I put into studying and other things I do throughout the day. I think the thing that meant the most was him wanting to know how I’m doing in other classes and asking general questions of how I’m adjusting to college.”
Senior sports administration student Zach Pell took Pfaadt for Sports History and said: “Professor Pfaadt is one of the few professors that make coming to class enjoyable. I always looked forward to being in his classroom. He had a story for everything, and he would make every topic interesting.”
Bob Pfaadt loves Bellarmine. He gave 44 years to the school and he loved every minute, person, student and coworker along the way.
Brian Pfaadt said: “Since dad was a part of the first few classes at Bellarmine when there were only two buildings, this school means the world to him. He was hired in admissions to help the school grow from a city college to regional university. He has been here since the early days and has helped the school grow into what it is now.
“I’m still amazed how we’ll be out in public and at least one person recognizes him or had him as a teacher and comes up to say hello. They’ll also recall something he said in a class, and Dad will remember it exactly.”
Bob’s grandson, Brett Pfaadt, is a Bellarmine sophomore. He is a member of the baseball team and has heard a lot of praise for his grandfather over the years. “I’ve had a lot of teammates and friends that have taken him, and they love him. Hearing them talk so highly of my grandpa make me very proud of him,” Brett Pfaadt said.