6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
1/9
ISSUE # 75
February 2004
ecommerce.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/
24 Brooklyn Mt Rd, Hopatcong, NJ 07843; 973-398-5477;
vtpoisella@yahoo.com
717 Washington Ave., Chappaqua, NY 10514; 914-238-8001;
richard.foy@verizon.net
4524 Andover Way, Naples, FL 34112;
GusNolan@aol.com
476 La Playa, Edgewater, FL 32141;
kammer@mpinet.net
↑ click on email address to send email ↑
↓ click on writer's name to go to that item ↓


Authors
Subjects


Br. Joseph Belanger
Br. Paul Ambrose Fontaine
Bill Byrne
St Joseph Academy Brownsville TX
George Conboy

Br. Ben Consiglii
Mark Your Calendar
Art Devlin
Heritage Professors at Marist College
Bill Deschene
2004 Marist Jubilarians
Reggie Diss

David Healy
Jack Craven RIP Jan 2004
Brother James Kearney

Dennis Murray
Bill Reffelt
John O'Connell
Bill Reger
Br. Leo Shea
Br Tarcisius

Brother Paul Ambrose Fontaine
1913-2003
Br. Paul Ambrose, whose life and influence stretched
over most of the twentieth century, died in Florida on
December 27, at the age of 90. Although the outside
world will remember him as an influential and
positive force in spreading Christ’s message and the
Marist spirit wherever he went, for us in the Marist
world he was, and will continue to be, a larger-than-
life legend that grew, and will continue to grow. A
listing of his achievements here would minimize his
overall achievement: his active and dedicated life as
a Marist. The New York Times categorized him as
founding president of Marist College. But he was
much more than that.
Those who have access and time may wish to reread Br. Paul’s articles written for
Marists All over the years. Visit our Marists All website, check the ”List of Writers”
web page for the issue number containing his articles, and then the “Past Issues”
segment of Marists All web site for the articles themselves. You may refer to the


6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
2/9
eulogy web page and the obituary web page for more complete information on Br.
Paul. Reflections from College President Dennis J. Murray and the eulogy delivered
by Br. Joseph Belanger appear there. Herein, however, we will merely cite
excerpts. (Editor)
From BR. BEN CONSIGLI (’87): During Br. Paul Ambrose’s wake and funeral
Mass, many mourners recalled, in a very real way, how one man was able to
accomplish so much during a lifetime. It was fitting that Paul’s “final journey” took
place at the college he loved so much. People from New England, Texas,
Washington, D.C., New Jersey, and New York came to pay their respects. Other
mourners, originally from Italy, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India, recalled the man who
meant so much to them. He was “brother,” “uncle,” “friend,” “educator,” “mentor,”
and “benefactor.” I myself did not really know Paul well. When I entered the
novitiate, Paul was heading, at age 74, to Liberia to work with the bishop of Cape
Palmas. His willingness to assist in the establishment of a new Marist presence in
western Africa says volumes of the man Paul was. His wake and funeral Mass truly
reflected Paul – it was a simple and dignified service. I think Paul would want to be
remembered best as a Marist Brother … simple in his faith, hard working in his
responsibilities, and clear in his vision. (153 Avenue C; Bayonne, NJ 07002; 201-
823-2994;
benfms@aol.com)
From DENNIS J. MURRAY: In 1989 while serving in Liberia, Br. Paul contracted
malaria. I asked him to return to Marist to recuperate and make the Kieran Gate
House his retirement home. He returned to the College, but he never retired. He
continued to be a strong presence on campus and around the world until moving to
Florida in 2001. He once told a reporter, “My philosophy is, ‘you rest, you rust.’
Look at a plow. If it’s being used every day, it’s nice and shiny. If it sits idle for any
length of time, it gathers rust. People are the same way.”
In his latter years, Br. Paul often told me his final wish was to be buried from this
chapel. He felt this way because the campus was his home and the Marist Brothers
were his extended family. There could be no more appropriate place to celebrate Br.
Paul’s life because he was inextricably linked to this site overlooking the Hudson.
From BR. JOSEPH BELANGER(’43):At the Commencement in 1990 Br. Paul
had just returned to the campus from Africa to recuperate from a bout of malaria and
the disorientation often associated with this disease. The Commencement ceremony
began on the campus green behind the Lowell Thomas Communications Center, but
Br. Paul was nowhere to be found. Part way through the Commencement speaker’s
address, the infrequently used back doors of the Lowell Thomas building flung
open. There stood Br. Paul in his majestic white cassock, his gold cross gleaming in
the sun, staring at the 8,000 guests. The ceremony stopped as Br. Paul made his way
to the Commencement platform. One of the graduates asked a classmate sitting next
to him, “Is that the Pope?” – and he responded, “No, stupid, that’s Marcellin
Champagnat; he has returned home.” Br. Paul was always a mighty presence on this
campus. (Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601; 845-575-3040;
joseph.belanger@marist.edu)
Sharing the Joy: 2004 Marist Jubilarians
Senior Jubilarians: 70
th
, Br. Philip McEnaney; 65
th,
Br. Conan Vincent Dineen, Br.
Joseph Teston; 60
th
, Br. John Francis Colbert, Br. Alphonse Louis Dubois, Br.
Edward Francis Vollmer; 55
th
, Br. James Gaffney, Br. James Kearney, Br. Thomas


6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
3/9
Lee, Br. Bernard Nolan, Br. Francis Ryan, Br. Francis Thomas; 50
th
, Br. Paul
Bernard, Br. Charles Marcellin, Br. Joseph Maura, Br. Richard Shea, Br. Hugh
Turley
Junior Jubilarians: 45
th
, Br. John Bantz, Br. Gerard Brereton, Br. John Cherry, B.
Robert Conley, Br. Ronald David, Br. Joseph DiBenedetto, Br. Francis Garza, Br.
John Herrmann, Br. Richard Larose, Br. Benedict LoBalbo, Br. John McDonagh, Br.
John McDonnell, Br. Raoul Molnar, Br. Michael Mullin, Br. John Nash, Br. Donald
Nugent, Br. Edmund Sheehan, Br. James Stevens, Br. Michael Williams; 40
th
, Br.
Timothy Brady, Br. Kevin Brogan, Br. Emil Denworth, Br. Michael Fisher, Br. Denis
Hever, Br. Kenneth Hogan, Br. James Norton, Br. Thomas Petitte, Br. Frederick
Sambor, Br. Henry Sawicki, Br. Joseph Scanlon; 30
th
, Br. Louis Bentivegna, Br.
George Dicarluccio, Br. John Healy, Br. Armand Lamagna, Br. Lawrence Lavallee,
Br. Michael Sheerin
Mark Your Calendar
April 9: John O’Connell (
ObTAW@aol.com
) is again planning a gathering of the
class of ’58 and is seeking those who participated in those early training years
together – groups preceding and following – to join him at Esopus on Good Friday.
Contact him for details.
April 15-18: “Making the Whole World Marist” is the theme of the 2004 National
Conference of Lay Marists. It will be held at the Quincy Marriott Hotel in Boston.
During this weekend celebration of Marist spirituality, Marist Laity, Priests, Sisters,
and Brothers from all over the country will join together for joyful liturgy,
inspirational talks, entertainment, and fellowship. Contact Gene Zirkel at 472
Village Oaks Lane, Babylon Village, NY 11702 (genezirk@optonline.net) or call
508-879-7223, ext.10.
April 18: The Sisters of St. Francis Hospital are honoring the Brothers and former
Brothers of Marist College on the occasion of the hospital’s 90
th
anniversary at their
annual Franciscan dinner on April 18 for nearly one hundred years of cooperation
between the two institutions. Br. Joseph Belanger (
joseph.belanger@marist.edu
) is
seeking ASAP all the various stories our readers may want to share about the
hospital and Marist: blood bank, teaching the nurses, first aid courses and
certificates, Theater Guild, for example. Besides being useful for the occasion, the
stories would also be valuable for the Marist College and hospital archives.
July 9,10,11: The Tenth Marist Family Weekend will be held at Marist College for
interested Marist Brothers, former Marists, spouses, widows, and friends of the
Marist Family. This year the weekend program, “Rekindling Marist Spirituality,”
will be held partly in conjunction with the annual retreat of the U.S. province of the
Marist Brothers at the College. You are invited to join us for guest presentations,
liturgy, and a reunion of old friends and colleagues. Br. Sean Sammon, Superior
General, and Br. John Klein, Provincial, have been invited to address the
participants. If interested, send by June 15th a deposit of $25 to Br. Charles
Marcellin (83-53 Manton St., Briarwood, NY 11435) with commitment to attend.
Total cost of the weekend per person is $200 (per couple, $275). Pro-rated
adjustments will be made. Details to come. Any questions, contact Vince Poisella at:
vtpoisella@yahoo.com
From BILL DESCHENE ’53: Life had gotten too tame for us on the edge of the
Great Forest in Burlington, so we moved seven miles into the Great Forest and three


6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
4/9
miles from the nearest utility pole to the unorganized (I love it!) territory of Grand
Falls Plantation. The Marist relics that we brought with us include two of Br. Peter
Anthony’s desks which I took from Central, a sweater knit from Br. Philip John
which I still wear, the descendants of some of Br. Mickey’s mint plants, a very
sensuous plaque of Notre Bonne Mere given to us by Br. Declan, and an old
representation of Marcellin Champagnat. (184 Bryant Ridge Rd, Grand Falls
Plantation, ME 04417)
From BR. LEO SHEA (’52): God’s blessings for the New Year to all of you from
the seven of us at the Marist Brothers’ residence in Brownsville, Texas: Paul
Phillipp, Tom Lee, Frank Garza, Joe Scanlan, Frank Klug, Sumner Herrick, and Leo
Shea. Our community sends you greetings from our current residence in
Brownsville –“on the border by the sea.” We are moving twelve miles north of
Brownsville to our newly renovated eight-bedroom ranch-style house on six acres of
property. The location won’t be as convenient to our work as at our former residence
at St. Joseph Drive, but we are looking forward to a comfortable home in a peaceful
setting. The administration and Board of St. Joseph Academy had asked us Brothers
to move so that a new middle school could be built where our old house sat. The
new school building will have room for the three hundred students already enrolled
in our seventh and eighth grade classes. Moving these youngsters away from the
high school campus will give more room for the students in grades nine through
twelve. With the added space, the school expects the high school enrollment to
increase from five hundred to eight hundred students. Come and visit us.
Depending on the weather, you can sit by the pool or on the porch or by the
fireplace. Or you might want to try a spin on our lawn mower. (3101T
RR2,Henderson Rd, Los Fresnos, Texas 78566; leosheafms@yahoo.com)
From DAVID HEALY (’64): (Thanks for forwarding the last newsletter to me here
in Perth. Mom reckoned that I’d want anything with the name “Marist” attached.
How right she was!) I had worked in New York City from late 1999 until May of
2003. My wife Kay and I celebrated our twenty-eight years together last October.
She stayed in Australia while I worked in New York. The last time she came to visit
me there was December 2002. It was a Sunday morning, and driving down the
Jersey Turnpike toward Newark Airport, I saw the big old Malaysian 777 coming in
for a landing, and I started beeping the horn! That was when it became obvious to
me that the time had come for me to return home to Perth! Since I’ve returned to
Australia, I have been working as IT Manager at Mater Dei College, a Catholic HS
of 900+ students about a 10-15 minute drive from home.
Denis Hever has been in touch, asking for prayers regarding his brain tumor. We
have been friends since freshman year at Molloy back in ’59. Den’s letter is on the
bedroom door now where Kay and I can both see it and be constantly reminded to
keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
I have many fond memories of Steve Minogue. He was a real “wears his heart on
his sleeve” kind of guy. Steve and the other wonderful men who made Esopus such
a fantastic place in the early to mid-sixties are never far from my mind. I was also
saddened to hear of Izzy Sabeta’s death. I well remember the night a couple of us
persuaded him to don a black raincoat, monster hands, and a gorilla mask. We then
put him into the phone box in the old student Brothers’ house in Poughkeepsie and
told Tony Uanino he had a phone call! Poor Tony never made a sound, just sank
slowly to his knees! (48 Adare Way, Kingsley, Australia, WA-6026; 61-8-9409-9979;
healydj@ozonline.com.au



6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
5/9
From RONALD (REGGIE) DISS (’60): This past August, while visiting Rome,
my daughter, son-in-law and I visited the Marist Generalate. Gerry Brereton was
most gracious and hospitable. We had dinner with the monks and got the grand tour.
In the summer of 2002 we visited the Hermitage where we were warmly received by
several monks - most notably, by Br. Gabriel who gave us an extended tour and a
comprehensive lesson on the life of St. Champagnat by commenting on each of the
twenty-eight stained glass panels in the chapel. Memories of my friend Br. Edmund
Jude teaching the “Life of the Founder” class during my novitiate days came sharply
into focus. It was a wonderful day. Lily and Chris later commented on how
meaningful the visit was and how it gave them a greater appreciation of things
Marist and a better understanding of me and who I am. That was great to hear!
Recalling Edmund Jude, it occurs to me that people frequently associate me with
him. That’s strange, because I spent most of my novitiate days – and even later
when he was my boss at CCHS in Lawrence – trying to avoid him! I think he took
me on as a mission, someone who needed his watchful (lurking?) eye to stay on the
straight and narrow. He was always on my back! But I have to admit that I “pushed
his buttons.” I remember telling him once that he needed to listen more closely
during the monthly reading of the founder’s Last Will and Testament because it was
written that we should love one another, and that it indicated nothing about being a
“snoopervisor”! Then I remember getting that “Jude-look,” which lasted longer than
usual! Jude wrote to me over the years and always signed his letters as “your loving,
favorite snoopervisor.” When I got married, he sent a sympathy card to Mary.
Looking back, I know he had my best interests at heart. He did a lot for me, and I’m
glad he did. I think of him often.
As for me, I continue teaching child development, special education, and reading
courses to teacher preparation students at Emory and Henry College. I see Richard
Couto on occasion when I’m in Richmond, and last summer I touched base with
Dave Cooney, Rene Roy, and John McDonagh during several trips to Wheeling. We
always end up talking about our days in the novitiate, recalling with fondness the
great men we knew there and how they influenced our lives. On two occasions a
group of B/brothers and spouses gathered at our home here in Rural Retreat to
celebrate July 4
th
: Dick Couto, John “Cookie” Maher, John Reynolds, Phil
Hannigan, Pat Gallagher and their wives, and Rene Roy. On these occasions topics
of conversation generally included Edmund Jude, David, Joseph William, Frederick
Charles, George Robert, Louis Viateur, Leo, Peter, and of course, Blackie. (511
North Main Street, Rural Retreat, VA 24368; 540-680-5539;
rediss@ehc.edu
)
Kudos! Doing good quietly does not necessarily mean placing one’s achievements
under the bushel basket. Take a look at the U.S. News & World Report for January
5, 2004, page 76. The full-page article titled “A Market for Wellness” highlights
BILL REGER (’61), Health Advocate! Bill has achieved national attention, not as
exercise physiologist and professor at West Virginia University, but as a marketing
expert in developing a model public-health media campaign. For your own health,
check it out! (Editor)
From ART (BR. FRANCIS JEROME) DEVLIN (’45): After forty-six years of
silence, I feel apologetic to those dear friends who would have liked to continue a
warm friendship over the years. Well, here’s some of the story! I left the
Congregation in 1958 after ten years of wonderful teaching: four at Cardinal Hayes,
four at Central Catholic in Wheeling, and finally, two more back at Hayes. These
were some of the best years of my life; and I will never forget them, nor the Brothers
with whom I lived and taught and from whom I learned so much.


6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
6/9
With degrees in mathematics I gravitated toward the field of computer technology. I
joined a contractor company in November 1958, working to automate the air traffic
control system for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). I developed software while
working in Mount Kisco, not far from the College. It was there that I met my future
wife Helen. In ’60, I joined the Socony Mobil Computing Laboratory in New York
City. In that position I found the mathematics more challenging and the software
training and development invaluable. In April ’61 I joined the FAA and moved to an
experimental testing facility near Atlantic City, NJ. That was the start of my thirty-
year government career. In 1964 I relocated to the Washington, DC, headquarters of
the FAA. By the end of my government career, I had worked for the FAA, the U.S.
Marine Corps as a civilian, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After “retiring,”
I did a little consulting with small firms working with the government. Computer
technology is an incredibly interesting and evolving field renewing itself every few
years.
On the family side, Helen and I married in 1961 in White Plains. Helen, who has a
bachelor’s degree in mathematics, was into computer programming and systems
analysis before I was. We are so similar in background, religion, social class,
education, and career paths! We had five daughters and one son. Unfortunately, we
lost our son and one daughter at birth but have two great intercessors in heaven.
Three of our daughters have married and have given us seven grandchildren, an
eighth being due in April.
During all these years, the influence of the Marist Brothers, devotion to our Lady,
and lingering fond memories of so many of the monks and former monks have
remained strong with me. I am so happy to be reunited with Marists All after so
long. In addition, I have been relatively active at church: Eucharistic minister at
Fairfax Hospital for some twenty-five years, local parish committee work, and as a
ten-year member of the board of governors of Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High
School in northern Virginia. We spend the winter months in our condominium in
Deerfield Beach, Florida. I cherish all things Marist and would love to relive the
past in e-mail or snail mail with any of the Marists All readers. The ’45 group are
mostly saints now. The rest of us will have to try harder. Let me hear from you.
(4501 Rachael Manor Drive, Fairfax, VA 22032-3629; 703-764-3799; winter, to
3/15: Ocean Harbor Condominium 800 SE 20
th
Ave. Apt 404; Deerfield Beach, FL
33441-5143; 954-481-8479;
ahdevlin@aol.com
)
From BILL BYRNE (’52): In scrolling through the obituaries at the Marists All
web site, I looked in vain for a few of the Brothers with whom I shared community
life. I have found that reminiscence is a place where I spend some spare time as I get
on in years. I would like to share some of those reminiscences.
My shock after graduating from the then Marian College in ’56 came in the form of
a year’s assignment to the print shop at the college. The print shop occupied a corner
of the old gymnasium adjacent to the laundry. In a weird congruity, Raphael Martin
and I grew up on the same Manhattan block, entered the congregation together, and
shared the same appointment fate that summer: he in the laundry and I in the print
shop. Harry Henke and Jim O’Brien, appointed chefs, rounded out the “left behinds”
from our graduating class. Humble, thoughtful and diehard Boston Red Sox fan Br.
Louis Richard, tailor extraordinaire, joined us as one of the five young monks
assigned to those various manual tasks. I believe, at least in my case, that Br. Paul
Ambrose felt that a little more seasoning was needed before traveling beyond the
walls.


6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
7/9
I found myself working in an unfamiliar setting, one for which I was almost totally
unprepared. To make matters worse, Br. Tarcisius (Tarcy) had set his sights on
someone else as his assistant but was instead saddled with me. He was resigned but
pretty vocal about his disappointment. Gradually, though, I think Tarcy came to
appreciate my good will, if not my ability, to master the printing trade. For a little
man of scarcely five feet, he certainly could get your attention. I used to bristle at his
retelling of my latest printing gaffe at the community dinner table. Later, I came to
understand that as a working monk, he had little in common with the Brothers who
were educators and that this was his way of sharing the things in his life with them.
Those failings on my part came as close to juicy tidbits as he could muster. But even
though he didn’t hide the fact that Br. Robert Ryan was his most talented printer’s
apprentice, Tarcy eventually came to hold a warm place in his big heart for me and
my sheer determination.
From inside the college, there were ongoing printing demands that Tarcy met with
good grace and great efficiency. He spent a good deal of time producing the warp
and woof of college materials: catalogs, announcements, letterheads, and the
Province’s notifications. Br. Cyril Richard’s Marist Monthly took up a large part of
his time and certainly was the legacy of their combined devotion to the Blessed
Mother. I never knew him to miss a deadline in anything he was asked to do, which
sometimes meant long hours in front of what I always considered a temperamental
hot lead linotype.
All in all, Tarcy’s life was one spent out of the limelight, away from the camera --
nonexistent in the very publications he was responsible for publishing. He entered
the Brothers in 1925, served with little heralded distinction for fifty-eight years and
died March 10, 1983. He taught me much about the printing trade and much more
about humble service. Rest in peace, boss! (154 West Church St., Clarkston, MI
48346; 248-625-6555)
From GEORGE CONBOY (’58): After twenty-seven years in Tucson, I am going
up the road about 130 miles just northwest of Phoenix. This will put me close to a
daughter in Goodyear and a son in Avondale and only 150 miles from a son in
Flagstaff. I have recently retired from nineteen years of hospice work, but I am very
bored, so I will probably go back to it after I move.
I have enjoyed seeing Rich Foy’s beautiful collection of Esopus photos
(
http://ecommerce.marist.edu/foy/esopus/
). I started as a sophomore in Esopus in
1954. I visit there every chance I get. One of my best friends, Br. Philip Gilmary
(Alfred LaCroix) is buried in the first corner grave as you walk from the main
house. Al was a classmate loved by all his Brothers. I love to walk up and down the
rows of the cemetery remembering those who made my life happy for twelve years.
I will never forget any of them. When I arrived at the juniorate, there were only two
graves in the far corner. It amazes me that I knew most of the Brothers who are
buried there. (
Gconboy@webtv.net
).
From JOHN O’CONNELL (’58): A few words on Bill Reffelt. Bill had left us
while at the College, in June of ’60, end of our first year there, driven home by Br.
Joe Damian, his former Master of Juniors. Bill was a teacher all the way, starting in a
parochial school after graduating from St. Michael’s in Vermont. He moved on to
public high school teaching and retired after thirty years. He often talked of the
satisfaction he got from making a difference with the kids, the students he had
taught. Bill also taught at the community college for a few years after he “retired.”


6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
8/9
His wife Elaine was an exceptional partner, especially through that last year before
he succumbed to cancer. She put up with the re-entry into his life of his former
b/Brothers because of the joy he had in seeing us all again and reminiscing. We had
some great moments with him I wouldn’t have traded for the world and am so
grateful to Elaine for sharing him with us, all on his good days, those Fridays right
after his chemo, days when he was the strongest.
Vin Poisella, Bill Shannon and I were at the wake. While there I also met Paul
Stengel, “Binsky” and Jack Meehan. The funeral service the next day was great,
especially with Jack Meehan resplendent in kilt and bagpipes. Bill’s daughter,
Krissy, fell on the altar steps after the reading, which she had struggled through,
landing squarely on her behind. We all took that as a sign from Bill that things were
all right and that we were just taking this all too seriously. Krissy got back to the
pew, crying and laughing at the same time. Son Jimmy made his Mom and Dad
proud with a terrific eulogy, with humor: Jimmy said he had asked Bill one day
working in the yard why he had left the Brothers, expecting a long and involved
explanation. Bill responded profoundly: “I got bored!” (15 High Street, Boothbay
Harbor, ME 04538;
ObTAW@aol.com
)
From Brother James Kearney I write to the many readers of Marists All to inform
them of the death of Jack Craven (formerly Brother Timothy Joseph) on January 30,
2004. Jack had a major stroke at work about two weeks previous to that. He was 75
years old.

For the past few years Jack had been serving at the request of the Bishop of the
Diocese of Boise as full time Director of Education Ministries supervising a staff of
nine people who coordinate adult education, youth ministry, child and family
education and school programs

After Jack withdrew from the Marist Brothers he worked for twenty-five years with
the Boise (Idaho) public school system as a teacher, counselor, vice-principal,
principal and director of curriculum/instruction. Right after his retirement he worked
as assistant principal for curriculum and staff development at Bishop Kelly High
School, the diocese's sole Catholic secondary school. He continued at this work until
beginning his work as Director of Educational Ministries.

Jack and I corresponded and talked a few times every year. I was always struck by
two things: his keen interest in all things Marist and something I have always known
about him, the great dedication and love he gave to whatever he put his hand,
whether it was family or work.

Jack is survived by his wife, Joan (3202 Wagon Wheel Road, Boise, Idaho 83702)
and five step- children.

Jack's last correspondence with me (December 14, 2003) included a photo of Joan,
Jack himself, and Max, his youngest step-child who has Down Syndrome. They were
in Dublin, Ireland last summer for the Special Olympics at which Max won a silver
medal for swimming.

I will close by taking a few paragraphs from Jack's December 2003 letter. (Joan gave
me permission to quote from it.) His thoughts, I believe, speak well of his (and our)
Marist roots.

"As for myself, I am mid-way through my 75th year and, all things being considered,




6/22/2021
Newsletter # 75
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter75.html
9/9
am still able to function animated by the "love of work" ethic that was instilled in us
by Brother Henry Charles, Brother Paul Ambrose and other fine men.

"During the twenty-five years I spent with the public schools I had numerous roles to
play and many occasions to enter the district's schools in order to deal with issues.
You have no idea how often I used our Marist schools and our monks as the standard
in making comparisons and ultimate judgments. We both know that our schools were
not always perfect but, even in those instances, I would submit that they were darn
good!.

"Later, when I retired from the public sector and was asked to join the staff at Bishop
Kelly High School as assistant principal for curriculum and staff development, I
made the same comparisons. Always, always, I came to the same conclusion;
namely, no one can run schools like our monks!!.

"All my professional values have their roots in my experiences as a Marist - for this I
will always be grateful. I did not start this letter with the intent to write the
foregoing. just seemed timely to do so. Over time, I have come to believe that the
Spirit of Champagnat lives on in many of us that chose to walk another road. I will
carry that belief to my grave."

N.B. May 1
st
is our deadline for contributions to appear in the next issue. (Editor)
Marist College Heritage Professors began service before 1970 and spent 25+ years teaching
at Marist. They were honored at a special luncheon at the beginning of Alumni Weekend,
October 2004
↓ Click on photos to see enlargement. ↓