Always room for the Irish

OLD TOWN – There is something reverential in the tone of Jim Spellman’s voice when he speaks of Notre Dame football.

Perhaps his devotion to the Fighting Irish springs from his Catholic Irish heritage. For a Bangor parochial schoolboy of the 1930s and ’40s, Notre Dame football was close to being part of the religion.

Ever since he was knee high and knew the shape of a football, just the words “Fighting Irish” made Jim Spellman proud.

Recovering from surgery four years ago, Spellman had an idea. Why not decorate his family room using a Fighting Irish motif?

All that glitters is not gold, but it may as well be in the quiet dignity of Spellman’s Notre Dame room, a small sanctuary that reflects his devotion to Notre Dame.

Rather than being garish, overdone, or gaudy, the room is tastefully and thoughtfully decorated.

Spellman chose white walls with Notre Dame blue carpeting. A crystal and brass ceiling light represents Notre Dame’s gold dome. White curtains at the windows feature the interlocking ND initials. A brother fitted the gold ND into the center of the carpet, and a friend made blue and gold ceiling and chair rail borders.

The border was a labor of love. The ceiling border is an interlocking ND followed by “Fighting Irish.” The chair rail border is the gold helmet followed by Notre Dame. Spellman cut out each letter on both borders with a razor blade.

A child of a large family that moved “whenever the rent was due,” Spellman never considered attending a college. It was “way beyond my reach,” he said. But visiting Notre Dame was not beyond his reach, and he is proud to say he has been to South Bend, Ind., four times. He has seen the Irish play, in person, seven times, most recently in New Jersey two weeks ago.

He first visited Notre Dame in 1983. Spellman said he “felt the way you should feel” when he first glimpsed the famous golden dome. “It was a tremendous feeling,” he said.

Spellman entered the Navy at 18, then worked as a civilian for the Department of Defense at Dow Field in Bangor. Later he worked for the Postal Service and at the University of Maine mail room. Now retired, the happy house-husband keeps things shipshape while his wife Marlene works at the university health center.

A subscriber to the Notre Dame bookstore catalog, he regularly replaces worn-out items. His friend Dick Blanchard once said that if the bookstore ever closed, Jim Spellman would be naked. He has every ND article of clothing, top to toe, including underwear.

His telephone rings with the Notre Dame Fight Song, and you hear that tune when a kitchen cabinet door is opened to reveal shelves of ND glasses. The outside temperature is Notre Dame degrees. His truck has not escaped, either. On the front, it’s ND Fighting Irish. His license plates: ND Fan. Between the garage doors: Parking for ND Fans Only.

Five grandchildren keep Spellman replacing ND wastebaskets and pillows. Family Christmas gifts are wrapped in ND paper. Instead of a “From Santa” tag, the tags read “From Lou Holtz.”

A photo of Holtz on the wall behind the television is autographed: “To Jim. Thanks for your loyalty and support. Lou Holtz.” Spellman is not bashful about making such requests, mailing a contribution in return for each kindness.

The only non-ND items in the special room are a small picture of his friend, the late Rev. Normand MacPherson, a globe, and an Irish walking stick Spellman acquired in Ireland.

A paperweight celebrating “Notre Dame, 100 Years of Football, 1887-1987, Spirit of Legends” sits on top of the TV. Spellman received that after making a request “for something unusual” from ND Athletic Director Richard Rosenthal.

Tailgating photos from his first trip to South Bend with friend Don Madden live up to his description of the two as “something else.” He next went in 1985 with brother “Kelser” Spellman and in ’87 with Ritchie King. He and daughter Sharon flew to Chicago in 1988, drove to Cleveland to watch Roger Clemens and the Red Sox, then drove to South Bend the next day for a football game. The Irish beat Stanford 42-14 on the way to a one of eight national championships.

Spellman subscribes to the Irish Sports Report and reads it cover-to-cover. He relishes the issues following a game he attended. He “likes to see how they looked at it.”

Spellman recalls all of the great Notre Dame players – such as Johnny Lujack and Paul Hornung. But, to him, everyone who plays for Notre Dame is great. However, no coach compares to Knute Rockne.

Spellman’s pre-game preparation for Saturday’s clash between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame was a trip to the theatre to see the film “Rudy.”

What will be the attitude in the Notre Dame Room Saturday, especially if The Irish lose? Marlene can relax. It will be fine.

Only rarely does a game get to Spellman. Maybe the 58-7 loss to Miami under Gerry Faust in ’88, he said. “But look where they are today. And Holtz said this is a building year. Imagine what next year will be.”

Spellman hopes Notre Dame wins Saturday. He understands Holtz would rather play in Florida since most of the media attention is focused on the home team, but Spellman is glad his team is in South Bend.

In fact, he is hoping it will be a blessing.