If you’re a student at the University of Dallas, you’ve probably spent at least a few minutes sitting on one of the seats scattered across the church lawn, studying, chatting with friends, praying before Mass starts or just daydreaming. Maybe you’ve noticed that people have dedicated several of the seats to the memory of loved ones who have passed. In fact, these dedications are part of the ongoing Seats of Wisdom campaign, in which donors can “commemorate a family member, beloved professor, graduate, or friend” with a lasting memorial while also “[maintaining] the Church Lawn as a place of reflection and community,” according to UD’s website. The seats are named in honor of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, which “unites the University of Dallas’s academic mission with its Catholic identity.”
During Alumni & Family Weekend, around 17 members of the Class of 1970, including UD professors Dr. Bainard Cowan, Dr. Mary Mumbach and Dr. Richard Dougherty, reunited to dedicate two Seats of Wisdom to the memory of their classmate Manus Isensee, who passed away in the summer of 2025. Father Jeronimo Espinosa, chaplain at the Church of the Incarnation, blessed the two seats as well as those gathered, and Dr. Cowan gave a short speech. The dedication was also attended by members of the Isensee family and other UD alumni who knew Isensee during their time at UD.
Dr. John Patrick Coby ‘70, Professor Emeritus of Government at Smith College, first had the idea to create a memorial to Mr. Isensee at UD. He said, “I didn’t know at the time if it would indeed produce as much support as it did, but there were a lot of people who were interested. Twice the amount of money that we were seeking was raised.” The class of 1970 initially intended to dedicate only one Seat of Wisdom, but were so successful in their fundraising that they were able to dedicate a second as well.
When asked why he was moved to organize his class in creating a memorial to Isensee, Coby said, “[I]n the minds of a lot of people, Manus somehow sat at the center of the class […]people kind of revolved around him.”
Other members of the class of 1970 echoed this in the recollections they shared of Isensee. Mary Louise Joseph Jones ‘70 said, “Manus was a prince. A quiet scholar. I just admired his wisdom and knowledge.”
Christine (Ciembronowicz) Cowan ‘70 said, “Manus was generous, kind, humble, and he lived those virtues every day. He saw and prized what was best in each of us and gently encouraged us to be our best. He never stopped seeking the Good, True, and Beautiful and found it every day in the people he knew and loved.”
Coby described Isensee as “the smartest guy in the class” and added, “He was far and away the most studious, and yet he was a lot of fun […] [W]hen we were all going out for a drinking party, he was often there studying, and the strange thing is that’s usually off-putting to college-age students, […] and yet it didn’t have that effect with Manus.”
Isensee’s wife, Anne-marie Isensee, said about her late husband’s relationship with his class: “All that I have ever known from them is that he touched them in a very special and unique way that set him apart […] there have been several exceptional classmates who have passed away before Manus. However, this was the first and only time [the class of 1970 was] moved to create a lasting memorial on campus.” Mrs. Isensee also said, “I think the way to best describe Manus is that he was unyielding in the practice of virtue, he was always seeking and he was infinitely humble.”
Reflecting on the propriety of the memorial for her husband, Mrs. Isensee said, “I believe God knew the beautiful heart and mind that he gave Manus and, therefore, graced him with the incredibly special gift of being born on June 8, the Feast Day of Mary Seat of Wisdom. Ultimately, Manus was a seeker of wisdom.”
She said, “My fondest wish for the students […] is that they are inspired to go and find Manus’s seats and sit quietly with an open heart and prayers that Mary will grant them guidance and encouragement in growing in wisdom and that they are also gifted with seekers’ hearts and genuine humility.”