Two University of Notre Dame graduates ? Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan and retired law school professor Thomas Broden Jr. ? will be inducted Wednesday (Nov. 19) into the South Bend Community Hall of Fame for their exemplary service to the local community.p. Raised in South Bend, Kernan attended St. Joseph’s High School and was graduated from Notre Dame in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in government. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and was held for 11 months as a prisoner of war. His service awards include the Navy Commendation Medal, two Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Flying Cross.p. Kernan was elected mayor of South Bend in 1987 and served nine years ? longer than any other mayor in city history. He was elected lieutenant governor of Indiana in 1996, and in September became the state’s 48th chief executive after the death of Gov. Frank O’Bannon. Kernan was awarded an honorary degree from Notre Dame in 1998.p. Broden was graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 1949 and joined the school’s faculty a year later. Among his many initiatives on campus was the creation of a legal aid program to assist low-income residents of the area, which became a model for other law schools nationwide, and the development and direction of the Institute for Urban Studies.p. On the national level, Broden served as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee and was integral to the creation of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Locally, he co-founded the ecumenical United Relgious Community of St. Joseph County and served on the boards of the Indiana Catholic Conference and Legal Protection Services Program of Northern Indiana.p. Kernan and Broden are among seven new members of the South Bend Community Hall of Fame. Candidates must have lived in the city for 10 or more years and have made significant contributions or achievements at the local, state or national levels.
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