Reflection #40 (Only 1036 to go!): We Call Him "Doc"

        I wasn't around for the first 90 years of the school's existence, but over my years at Saint Ignatius, four men hold a unique position as pillars, if you will. The 4 to whom I refer all started in the years from 1967 through 1971, and all are either still teaching (Luzzi and Kizilevicus), or retired after the turn of the 21st century (Jim Connelly and Don Hoffman). I have already written about three of them: Luzzi, Kizilevicus and Connelly. To complete the circle...oops, square...I meant square...this article profiles Don Hoffman.
        Don Hoffman came to Saint Ignatius from DePaul Academy in 1968, the year it closed, primarily as a librarian, but he also taught a few Latin classes. Eventually, he began reducing his library responsibilities and increasing his teaching load. Over the years, he has taught Latin and ancient history. Maybe there were other courses, but those are the ones that I'm familiar with.
       I don't know why Don Hoffman's grammar school classmates nicknamed him "Doc", but it was, at least, prophetic. No, Don is not a doctor, nor does he have a doctorate, but he is a man of unfathomable intellect and academic achievements. He certainly has a scholarly manner, but did he have that persona in grammar school?
        What seems to drive Don’s scholastic pursuits is his interest in, and loyalty to, the church, Saint Ignatius College Prep, and the classics (I don't know. Can you be "loyal" to the classics?). A case in point is exemplified by what happened in 1984 when a water pipe broke in the school library. While Don was assisting with moving the materials to a safer spot, he came across the schools archives. They were in such a mess, that he took several courses at a local university in archival organization, then did an internship for the Chicago Archdiocese so he could organize St. Ignatius’ archives. Don officially retired as a full time teacher in 2002 , but he continues to be the school’s archivist.
         During his 44 year association with Saint Ignatius, Don was a grader and advisor for the College Board's AP Latin exam. He was, also, one of 5 indexers in the United States for the Catholic Library Association. The index is a bibliography of all things Catholic. This position required that he be able to read and understand five languages, plus English, and place article and documents within the bibliography based on their content.
         Using his knowledge of canon law, Don continues to assist those seeking an annulment of their marriage on the required procedure. Additionally, he is tutoring students in Latin who are being home-schooled, and this fall, he will be teaching church Latin to seminarians at St. Joseph Seminary.


         This isn't even the complete list of his academic activities past and present, but it gives a pretty good idea what I meant at the beginning when I said, "He is a man of unfathomable intellect and academic achievements." I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Reflection #39 (Only 1037 to go!): Finally!

           I officially retired as a full-time teacher in 2004, but I still love teaching, so for the last 6 years I have taught an "Intro to Algebra" class to in-coming freshmen.
         This summer was the best. In terms of my enjoying the classes, these kids were super. Oh, they ran the usual gambit of more or less talented, more or less committed to learning, and stronger or weaker math backgrounds, but in terms of spirit and personalities, they were second to none. If it weren't for the drive to and from school each day, I could have stayed with them all year.
          The course is designed for students whose parents feel they could use a little bolstering in their skills. Truth be told, there are more reasons for why a student is enrolled into the class, but that is the aim of the course.
         Occasionally, someone will ask me if kids are harder to teach now than they were in previous decades. NO! But the culture is different. Earlier in the summer, Matt Walsh, class of '64, was reminiscing about how Carmen Pintozzi would walk up and down the aisle in the classroom and give a "love-tap*" with his St. Norbert's class ring to the top of an "unruly" student‘s head. (*not Matt's word.) Matt claims that his skull still has imprint from that ring. I'm guessing that he was exaggerating for dramatic effect...but maybe not.
        An advantage to my being an “old-timer” is that I have a pretty good handle on what the in-coming freshmen need to know going into Algebra I, and I believe I can help.


On the other hand...

             I was told once that the per cent of our strength and energy that it takes to get out of a chair is approximately the same as the decade of our age; that is, since I am 73 years old, it takes about 70% of my energy to get up from a chair. (I'm not sure if that takes into account the volume of the grunt that accompanies such an effort.) I don't know if that's true, or how accurate the per cent is, but I will generalize that to say, whatever the correct fraction is, it holds for every activity that I under take...including coming to school to teach each summer.
          I live near Joliet, and each summer morning for the last 6 years, I have left the house at 5:30 am. and driven for an hour or so to get to school. This is NOT a complaint. Did I not say, "I love teaching?" However, since everything that I do takes a greater per cent of my allotted energy than it did when I was a young man, at the end of each summer I wonder if that will be the last year. We'll see!

            Now for the "wellness" up-date: I'm sure by now that you are aware that Mr. Raispis had an accident and has a long recovery ahead. Happily, he's well on his way. But, at 85 years old, it is a very slow process. Over the last couple of years, Frank has been "impatient" with the limiting effects of his physical condition, but at least he could get to school to tutor, and he could show up at special events involving alumni. Just imagine how frustrated he is now, mostly lying on his back, and occasionally sitting in a chair. Keep him in your prayers.
            On your prayer list, add Jim Connelly. He experienced a health problem, happily not life threatening, a few weeks ago, but he also has a lengthy recovery ahead of him. Jim is in his late 70's, and, as with Frank, his recovery time does not coincide well with his personal schedule.
                Lord willing, a few weeks...or months...from now, I'll be able to report that all are back to normal.

Reflection #38 (Only 1058 to go!): What a month!!!

     I have been "lax" in posting my blog for the last month. My excuse: This has been a very busy and very stressful month. Besides teaching summer school, I attended three graduations, two of my grandchildren's and the Ignatius graduation.
     At the Ignatius graduation, I was honored to have received an award from the school, celebrating my 50 years of service. As a part of the honor, I was allowed to give a short speech, and it seemed to be well received. Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love to speak, but this certainly added to what made the month "busy and eventful".
     I was going to take the easy route and post my speech as my next blog, but Ryan Bergin beat me to it. He posted the speech on the Ignatius web-site. The theme was to encourage the graduates, as they go through life, to think for themselves. There is no shame in making a mistake or having an incorrect opinion, as long as you assess your thoughts, and correct the flaws when they are discovered. For the poor soul who gets taken in by some slick, smooth talking "snake oil salesmen", then spends time and effort trying to justify his error, there is no honor.
     I already mentioned that, after the Jubilarian Mass and reception, Frank and I visited Joan Terracina, the former assistant to several of the school's treasurers in the second half of the 20th century. I've made it a point to either call her or visit her just to make sure that she knows that she is not forgotten. FYI, she's doing well in her retirement. She needs a little help getting around, but at a "fine" age, she's good.
     Last week, Wednesday, June 27, was the annual Ignatius Golf outing which honoed Joe Gentile for his tremendous support of our school.
     The stressful part: The big (and bad) news at school is that Frank Raispis fell and hurt himself. For the two days following the fall, he was doing well, but he had broken some vertabra in his neck and they had to be surgically repaired. Immediately afterwards, he had a very serious reaction to the surgery itself, and confined to lying on his back for about four weeks with some pretty heavy doses of meds.
     Happily and thankfully, he is now in a rehab facility and receiving therapy. At 85 years old, Heaven only knows how long his complete recovery will take, but at least he’s on the mend.

     I’ve got a few other blog topics lined up for the near future. One is a blog that Dr. Jane Delaney wrote while on a working trip to China. The other was prompted by Maria Dunne, class of ’83. Maria’s email to me reminded me that I had wanted to tell about the experience of going from an all-boys school to co-ed.

>Well, I've got three more weeks of teaching, so I may be a little sluggish yet again. I fully intend to procrastinate, but I'll do that tomorrow.

Reflection #37 (Only 1059 to go!): Working Backwards

       It was quite a day.  I'm going to use a "Seinfeld" device and start from the last event and work backward...or is it forward?    I'm also going to drop a few names with which some/many of you are not be familiar.  On Friday (5/25/12) afternoon, Frank..."Mr. Raispis" to you...and I visited Ms. Joan Terracina, who was the secretary-to-the-treasurer for many years.  I’m not sure the exact number of years, but she started before I came to Ignatius in fall of '61 and retired around 1990.
      Through the good times and bad, Joan had to deal not only with the challenges of the job, but the challenges of the "unique"  personalities and temperaments of the men for whom she worked.  These men who were her bosses were good and qualified administrators, often confronting unimaginably difficult problems...especially in the realm of finances.  Joan some how was able to soldier on efficiently, while treating the rest of the staff with cordial grace.
     In anticipation of meeting up with Joan, I thought about Ellie Rapata in the Principal‘s Office, Anne Jendro at the switchboard, and Lorraine Krupa in the Dean’s Office.  If I remember correctly, Lorraine had the nickname of “Sarge” among the students, but never to her face.  These women, as well as many others, were the glue that kept our institution working on a day-to-day basis.  (Ellie and Anne are no longer with us, God rest their souls.)  
     Anyway, Joan is doing well.  One doesn’t ask a lady her age, but I believe that she is in her ‘90’s.  She needs assistance in order to get around, but her memory and her spirit are great.  

     Before Frank and I visited Joan there was a reception and lunch for the “jubilarians”, a gathering of alumni who had graduated at least 50 years ago.  The oldest alumnus was from the class of 1939. I had a nice long chat with Fr. Jim Creighton (class of 1947), the rector of the community back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.  Not every student would have known him because his role was more involved with the Jesuit community than with the school itself.  However, he knows a lot about the behind-the-scenes occurrences that were important to the life of the school.   He told me the story of how Bob Hope came to put on a benefit for Ignatius..."Hope for St. Ignatius" in December of 1976.   Nothing sinister, but it was interesting and clarified some old stories.  Then during lunch, I had the privilege to sit with Don Hoffman. He is a great and generous man, but a private man.  I’m going to write a blog about him in the near future.
       I also want to give a shout out to John Tracy, who I saw at lunch and who has just been inducted into the Catholic League Hall-of-Fame, an honor richly deserved, and probably long over due.

     “Finally”, the day started with the end-of-the-school-year Mass.  The seniors had their Baccalaureate Mass the night before, so they were not there, and their "2012" banner was retired.  For those of you too old to know what that means, now there is a banner for each class (year) that is displayed in Holy Family Church during school Masses.  It's a nice, fairly new tradition.  In church, the pews that are usually reserved for the senior class was occupied by the "jubilarians".
     Fr. Ross Pribyl, S.J. was the celebrant, and, as usual, gave an excellent homily.  The longer I've gone to Masses, the more I realize how uncommon that is.   I had a strange experience as I sat in the back of Holy Family Church listening to beautiful voices that came from our students as they sang and recited the prayers.  Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I was home.  It was both emotional and spiritual.  It was just a warm safe relaxing feeling.  All kinds of  poignant memories swept over me.
     Also, at the end of mass, the awards for the students-of-the-year were awarded.  I’m embarrassed to admit that I had trouble hearing the names of the freshman and sophomore recipients, but I made a point of asking for the name of the Junior-of-the-Year Carmen Pintozzi Award winner.  It was Katie Loftus.  I don’t know the young lady, but for those of you who know my story, you’ll know why that has a special significance to me.  If you know Katie, congratulate her for her achievement.

     OK, so this isn’t the most exciting blog ever written.  Looks more like the world’s longest Facebook entry, but for me it was a really nice day.

1076 Reflection #36 (Only 1060 to go!): Odds-and-Ends

>First, Tuesday (May 1st) was Frank Raispis' 85 birthday. Frank is a humble man, who shies away from “gratuitous” attention, so I wouldn't have mentioned it, but, when I pulled up the Ignatius website, there was the announcement with his picture. For those of you who might not have seen him lately, he does need some help getting around, but he's sharp as a tack. He comes into school twice a week to tutor (Latin, what else). My dad use to refer to ungrateful people as having a "what have you done for me lately?" attitude. In Frank's case, he poses that same question to himself. In his case, it's worded, "What have I done for you lately?"

>Spring seems to be the season of the alumni. On April 21st, the reunions for the classes of '86, '92, '97 and '02 were held. I truly enjoy seeing the alumni, and hearing their stories. Does it sound corny if I say that I am very proud of them/you? If it does, so be it. Even the students who weren't all that they could have been...which, to some extent, may include everyone, including teachers. Any teacher who was totally satisfied with their body of work is probably slightly delusional. Just saying!

>While the occasion for the encounter was not a happy one (a wake for their father), it was good to see that the Kunkel Brothers, Bill ('74), Tom ('77) and Jeff ('79), were all doing and looking well as were their sister and mother. Bill chided me, good-naturedly, to write blogs more often. While that ain't gonna happen, it was a very nice compliment none the less.

>Also on the alumni-front, over the last month and a half, I've enjoyed separate luncheon visits with Don Siliunas ('79)...Dr. Donatas Siliunas to you...and Joe Fisher ('67). Don, besides his work in the medical field and helping his wife raise their four children, has been a force in improving the facilities at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont.

>Joe and I meet to celebrate our common April birthday-month...not the same day...every couple of years. Along with everything else that he does, he still works with the other guys in his class to organize get-togethers for the class of '67. Besides the Ignatius Golf Outing (June 27), their group is going to gather for a Sox game on July 25th. (If anyone else, either from their class or near that class is interested, you are welcome. If you can't get ahold of Joe or Marc Petrone, contact Sean Maccready, the Ignatius Alumni Director, or me.

>In the last blog, I listed several alumni who were listed in Wikipedia as having gained some degree of "celebrity". I also invited anyone who had some other names to add to the list to contact me. Don Wlodarski ('67) gave me a good one...Tom O'Hara('60). For those of you who are too young to remember, Tom was the first Illinoisan to run the four-minute-mile, and he set and held the world record in the in-door mile in the '60's. I seem to recall that he was favored in the '64 Olympics, but was stricken with the flu during those games. He certainly deserves a nod.

> Additionally, how about Marc Davis ('86)? He is an NBA ref who occasionally appears on TV, and is sometimes actually "high-lighted" during the sports segment of the news...as happened a couple of nights ago. (No! It wasn't a scandal!)

>Noel Vivar (class of 2000) has offered to up-date the Wikipedia item if we can come up with other worthwhile "celebrity" names.

Reflection #35 (Only 1041 to go!): Fame, If You Win It...

     My wife and I watch the TV detective show, Mentalist, and when we told our daughter, JoAnn, about it, she noted that the female lead, Robin Tunney, attended Ignatius in the mid-'80's.   She transferred after her sophomore year. Still, it's always fun to find out that a "celebrity" walked our hallowed halls.
     When I brag about St. Ignatius to some of my friends, I will often "drop" a celebrity name.    Since these friends are kind of old, the one name they'll recognize is Bob Newhart (George Robert Newhart in the 1947 class picture). This is usually followed by our recalling famous Newhart monologues. Then we talk about our medications. (Staying focused is a bit of a problem; some of us them are really old.)
     In my last blog, referring to Andre Braugher's character talking about the Jesuits, I "googled" his name to check some facts. From there I did a little "daisy-chaining" from his entry to Saint Ignatius, then to "notable alumni", and I found a list of notable alumni.
     The list is interesting, but somewhat inconsistent...or at least incomplete. Because of the length of the list, I modified it a bit, based on which names I recognized.
          Among the actors and radio and journalism personnel included:
            Bob Newhart (1947) Jack Higgins (1972), Sun-Times editorial cartoonist Vyto Ruginis (1974) Michael Wilbon (1976), sportswriter and television Casey Siemaszko (1979) and personality Nina Siemaszko (1988). Andre Braugher (1980) Sonari Glinton (1992) Reporter NPR

      I don't know if Tony D'Souza ('92) counts as a journalist.    He is a author who has written books about his experiences in the Peace Corp.    Does that count?    Similarly, Chris MacNamara (also '92) has been published in the Tribune, though his "real" job is something else.
     There were a lot of political figures, but when one considers the number of lawyers that Ignatius produces, that's not terribly surprising. Also listed are a few priests who have risen to position of prominence, but I was surprised by the omission of Fr. Bradley Scaeffer, SJ (‘67) who was the President of the Jesuit Conference, a very prestigious position within the order.
     While the list includes John Mulaney ('00), who wrote for Saturday Night Live, missing were playwright James Yoshimura (‘68) and his brother, set designer Leo Yoshimura ('65).    Folks like Richard Driehaus(‘60) and Melody Hobson (‘87) fall into somewhat non-generic categories. While I get a broom to sweep up the names that I dropped, if you’re interested in the complete list, go to the “wikipedia” entry for Saint Ignatius Chicago (not our website), then find "notable alumni".
     Also, if you go to the list and think of a name that was omitted (maybe your own?) and deserve a “shout out“, either email me at james.spalding@ignatius.org or by some other means, and let me know.   I'd love to compile a more complete list.
     In a future “reminiscences”, I’d like to mention some alumni who have significant achievements in areas that do not bring "celebrity" status to them.
      

Reflection #34 (Only 1042 to go!): The Jesuits

     In the mid-90's, during an episode of the highly acclaimed TV police drama, Homicide*, Officer Frank Pembleton (played by Andre Braugher, SICP class of '80) is talking to a nun. In the course of their conversation, Officer Pembleton says that, in his Catholic grammar school, the nuns taught him how to behave and what to think, and he felt perfectly safe. After graduation, he went to Saint Ignatius High School, and the Jesuits taught him to think for himself...and he hasn't felt safe since.
     That was a great line and it touched on what is essential to a Jesuit education. The great Saint Ignatius math teacher, Pat O'Mara attended both St. Ignatius and Loyola U. Those who knew Pat would agree that he could be quite outspoken when he felt an issue needed to be addressed. More than once I heard Pat say he learned that from the Jesuits. The Jesuits had taught him to think for himself, and they also taught him to have the courage to speak out for a just cause.
     St. Ignatius de Loyola formed the Society of Jesus to educate young men to be able to go out into the world to propagate and defend the faith. In doing so, they played a major role in the counter-reformation that stemmed the tide of Protestantism in 16th-century Europe. To me, what characterized a Jesuit education was an emphasis on knowledge and critical thinking. At Loyola U, we were inundated with philosophy courses...24 hours of mostly Saint Thomas...and I was a psych major with a math minor.
     It may be counterintuitive, but life is easier when someone else does our thinking for us. (We see that regularly in politics, but don't get me started.) Thinking for oneself correctly requires intelligence and knowledge and a large dose of humility.  Few things are more difficult for the intelligent person than to recognize and admit to an error.  A favorite saying of mine, from the Jillian Luzzi Compilation of Great Quotes, says, "Your absolute certainty that you are always right absolutely prevents you from knowing when you are wrong."
     When I started teaching at Saint Ignatius, I was often chided by teachers at other Catholic high schools who told me how easy I had it teaching only "smart" kids. (Actually, it wasn’t always that easy.) I'd usually smile, agree and turn away. I didn't argue, and I didn't disagree, but that was, and as far as I know still is, the mission of the Jesuits...to train the brightest students, giving them a strong moral compass so they can be good leaders. When I look at the achievements of so many of our alumni, I feel that we do a pretty good job.

     (*Regarding the Homicide series, not only did Andre Braugher graduate from St. Ignatius, but one of the show's writers, James Yoshimura, was from the Ignatius class of '68. While the drama was set in Baltimore, it seems more than a coincidence that Saint Ignatius and the Jesuits were mentioned.)