CHICAGO — Up since 5 a.m., Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt was miked up and ready to go inside Loyola-Chicago’s empty basketball arena when the clock struck 6:30 Tuesday morning and the television cameras went live.
Ten minutes later, dressed in her Loyola letter winner’s jacket and a maroon and gold scarf that appeared to come straight out of a Harry Potter novel, she looked directly into the lens like a TV pro and greeted a national audience that had fallen hard for her.
“I’m really happy to be saying good morning to all of America today,” she said, instantly adding the three “Good Morning America” hosts in New York to her growing legion of admirers.