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Pence hails Hesburgh’s legacy, ‘servant leadership’

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says former Notre Dame President Theodore M. Hesburgh will continue to inspire people around the world to pursue peace and justice long after his death.

Pence’s statement Friday followed news that Hesburgh had died Thursday night on the university campus in South Bend. He was 97.

Hesburgh served as Notre Dame’s 15th president from 1952 to 1987. He advocated for civil rights and diplomacy around the globe and helped build the university into an academic power.

Time magazine once named him the most influential figure in the reshaping of Catholic education.

Pence says Hesburgh’s life “epitomized servant leadership” and helped make the world a better place.