Frescoes of St. Thomas

Pillar Portraits

Mark Balma, the artist who painted fresco depictions of the seven virtues on the atrium ceiling of St. Thomas' Terrence Murphy Hall, also painted the pillar frescoes of the Minneapolis campus' founders or those they designated. He finished the portraits in summer 1995.

Thirteen pillar frescoes honor these individuals and organizations:

  • Business Incentives Inc., represented by Guy and Barbara Schoenecker. Guy Schoenecker, a 1949 St. Thomas alumnus, is president and chief quality officer of BI, a family of business-improvement companies headquartered in Edina. He served for many years on the St. Thomas Board of Trustees.
  • The Frey Foundation, represented by Eugene and Mary Frey. Eugene Frey, retired chairman and CEO of Waldorf Corp., is a 1952 St. Thomas alumnus and a longtime university trustee. O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center is named in honor of Eugene's parents.
  • Graco Inc., represented by David and Barbara Koch. David Koch, a 1952 graduate of St. Thomas, is Graco's chairman. He chaired St. Thomas' Century II capital campaign and was a longtime member of the university's Board of Trustees.
  • Honeywell Inc., represented by a child and his mother, a student at News Vistas School, a Minneapolis public school program for pregnant and parenting students in grades 10-12. The school, located at Honeywell's corporate headquarters, served 60 students; on-site child care there served some 55 children in 1995. The program was begun when Dr. James Renier, a 1951 St. Thomas alumnus and former member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees, was CEO of Honeywell.
  • Leonard Mikulay, a 1942 alumnus, and his late brother Arnold Mikulay, a 1947 graduate who had been a member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2002. The Mikulay brothers owned the Mikulay Co., a property development firm in downtown Minneapolis; they once owned the property on which UST's Minneapolis campus was built. In addition, Mikulay Plaza on the Minneapolis campus is named in their honor.
  • Montgomery Ward & Co., represented by Bernard and Tamara Brennan. Bernard Brennan was chairman and CEO of Montgomery Ward. A was a longtime member of St. Thomas' Board of Trustees. He received the 1994 John Cade Award from the St. Thomas Center for Entrepreneurship.
  • Opus Corp., represented by the Rauenhorst family. Gerald Rauenhorst, a 1948 St. Thomas graduate, is founding chairman of Opus Corp., the design-construction firm that built the Minneapolis campus and many other university facilities. He has been a member of the St. Thomas board of trustees since 1967.
  • William and Joanne Reiling. William Reiling is a 1954 St. Thomas alumnus who is retired chairman and CEO of Towle Real Estate Co. A longtime member of the university's Board of Trustees, he received the 1987 Catholic Charities Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.
  • James and Janina Springer. The Springers are longtime friends of the university. James enrolled at St. Thomas in 1927 but left after two years to begin a business career. Members of the President's Council at St. Thomas, the Springers also established a scholarship fund and contributed to the expansion of Murray-Herrick Campus Center.
  • William and Anne Stocks. William Stocks, a 1953 St. Thomas graduate, is a retired president and CEO of the Peavey Co. A member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1988, Stocks also served on the Catholic Charities board.
  • US West Inc., represented by Tom and Pat Madison. Tom Madison, retired president of USWC markets for US West and former Minnesota regional vice president of Northwestern Bell, is president and chief executive officer of MLM Partners, a Minneapolis consulting firm. He was a longtime member of the St. Thomas Board of Trustees. His wife of 52 years, Pat, died in 2009.
  • Monsignor Terrence Murphy (1920-2004), president of St. Thomas from 1966 to 1991 and chancellor from 1991 until his death. Murphy's visionary leadership made possible the development of St. Thomas' Minneapolis campus. The Mikulay brothers gave a special gift to honor Murphy as a Minneapolis campus founder.