JOE BARILE: After six
years at St. Joe's and two at St. Pat's I picked up my
elementary and secondary teaching credentials at the College
of Notre Dame (now University) in Belmont, CA., where I grew
up. (A few years later when I was en route to an MA I
actually took a class there taught by Larry Percell.). In
1970 I married Patricia, and we started raising our family
in Redwood City, CA. We still live in that same house, which
we added on to several times. I taught mainly at Ralston
Middle School in the Belmont School District for 34 years:
math, social studies, but for the last 15, journalism,
computer literacy, and web page design in my very own Mac
lab. It was a dream come true. St. Joe's and St. Pat's
prepared me well for my life both in and out of the
classroom: representing the teachers as two-time union
president, financial chairperson, grievance rep., newsletter
editor, etc., all which benefited myself, students,
teachers, and the district.
As great as teaching was, after 34 years
I finally felt myself getting a little burned out, and since
I was able to, I retired in June of 2004, thinking it was
better to leave at the top of my game. Retirement is an
adjustment, but it's nice and well deserved. Patricia and I
have two grown children, David, who is 33 and teaches at a
continuation school in LA, and Aimée, who's an
actress in LA and is engaged to be married in June. My
mother is still alive at 89, and lives in her own home in
Belmont. My dad died 10 years ago. My brother and three
sisters are all well, and live in California. I still play
tennis (almost daily) and golf (less frequently), now more
than ever since I am retired, but I am still looking to be
marginally involved with teaching, which is still in my
blood... just not full time. I've been (volunteer) tutoring
1.5 hours a week at Menlo Atherton High School, and have
several private (paying) students (math, computers, and
tennis) on the side. I also setup web pages for fun and for
profit because I think they are a great way of
communicating. Working on several other projects, a math
workbook, and a journal of assorted poems, letters, and
essays. I love the slower pace of life, and am relating well
to one of the first philosophy books we ever read,
Leisure: the Basis
of Culture.
Remember that? It's been a trip, now entering into phase
three.
|
Joe, David, John (Aimée's fiance)
Aimée, and Patricia (Xmas05)
|
|
ED CHIOSSO: After four years in St.
Joe's, I left and went onto USF for a degree in Psychology
and then to University of Minnesota for a Doctorate in
Counseling Psychology. In between, I worked at San
Mateo Outdoor Education with Buz Meisel (some will recognize
the name as a fellow classmate).
I married Kristina Nystrom, a teacher
(who attended the Outdoor Ed). We've been married for 32
years and have one daughter, Megan. Megan is 25 and working
at Explorit in Davis as a Science Educator.
Both Kris and I recently retired. I spent
31 years at the San Mateo County Office of Education doing a
variety of jobs; most recently writing and publishing books
for students and parents. We just moved to Lincoln -- a Del
Webb Retirement Community near Roseville. This is the next
new adventure. The trick about retirement so far is learning
not to retire.
|
In
Memoriam: JOHN JOSEPH LESLIE 1947
- 2005
A native of Palo Alto, CA entered into
rest on October 8, 2005 at his home in Los Gatos at the age
of 58 years. John will be deeply missed by his wife Sherry
of 26 years, daughters: Jayme & Kaelie, sons; Damon,
Christian & Sam, brothers: Brian and Kevin, and sister;
Gaelyn Chambers. He was a devout and loving husband, father,
brother and friend to many.
Visitation and Vigil were held at DARLING
& FISCHER CHAPEL OF THE HILLS, 615 N. Santa Cruz Ave.,
Los Gatos on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 from 4 - 8 p.m. with
the Vigil at 6:30 p.m. A Funeral Mass was held at 12 noon on
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at St. Mary's of the Immaculate
Conception Catholic Church, 219 Bean Ave., Los Gatos. The
Burial followed at Los Gatos Memorial Park. In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be sent in his memory to the
Kidney Cancer Association, 1234 Sherman Ave., Suite 203,
Evanston, Illinois 60202. Published in the San Jose Mercury
News on 10/11/2005.
|
In
Memoriam: GEORGE HOLLY AND FRANK
CARROLL:
George Holly went through one year as a
sixth-Latiner and came from Las Vegas. In retrospect,
it is now clear that he was dyslexic. That explains
his trouble with Latin and with spelling. He was a
master in chess and math and a great guy. Everybody
knew he was working but could not get a handle on Latin or
written English. I remember, and I am sure
some others will, the Friday spelling test in
which everyone in the class deliberately misspelled
every word except the one who passed in a completed test
with George's name on it and every word spelled
correctly. Rollie got a kick out of it too. George was
drafted, sent to Viet Nam, and killed by rifle fire in
January of 1968. His sister, Patty, was maid of honor
when Sandy and I got married in June of 1969.
Frank Carroll was also with our class for
one year. In late adolescence, he began a struggle
with schizophrenia. He had passed away before I
returned to Las Vegas. --(by) Mike Stuhff
|
Tracy & Buz, & their
family: Em, Rayney, Ali, and (top) Shane & Drew.
|
BUZ MEISEL --After leaving St Joes in Jan
of '66(end of 1st term college) I went to San Mateo JC then
transferred to Oregon State Univ. in Corvallis Oregon. After
graduating with a degree in Wildlife biology I came home to
the Peninsula and worked for 3 yrs at San Mateo Co. Outdoor
Education program. Left there and moved back to Corvallis.
Got Married, worked a number of jobs, none of which had
anything to do with the other, went to nursing school, had
two wonderful kids(Shane,26; Rayney, 24), went to PA school
(physician assistant) in Seattle, got divorced, worked for 6
yrs, fell in love, got married, inherited 3 more
kids(Drew,23; Em,20; Ali,18), got my 1st marriage annulled
(for all you hard nosed Catholics out there--are there any
hard nosed Catholics from our class?), and have been living
and working in the beautiful Willamette Valley, Oregon ever
since, wondering how with all the screwup turns and twists
my life has taken I ended up being loved by the most
incredible women and kids any man could hope to have, as
well as getting to practice medicine(which is, in a very
real sense, a shepherding of a flock, hearing confessions,
and ministering to the sick, of body and soul.) I am a very
blessed guy. Tough for me to separate it all out. It's been
an interesting ride. I'm glad Ed was there through it all.
That has always been a gift. It was good to get back with
John before he died, and I miss him. It's good to be back
with you. --Buz
|
WALLY MCMAHON -
Since I saw most of you last in 1969, I completed my
education at St. Patrick's Seminary. In those days theology
was only three full years with deaconate year off campus
with occasional study weeks. Theology years were liberating.
The years spent at Mountain View campus are a faint memory,
thank God. I never thought it was real life.
After the deacon year, assigned to St.
Elizabeth, San Francisco, I was ordained for the archdiocese
along with four others on May 19, 1973. Henry Trainor is an
active priest in SF; both Leo Rooney and Leonel Noia have
passed away. Juan Meno from Guam left the ministry soon
after returning home.
My travels along the ministry have taken
me to some interesting assignments: 1978 at St. Joseph of
Cupertino where I had the privilege of living as fellow
associates with Jack Olivier (heard numerous stories of
professors' side of seminary life). Worked many times with
Bill O'Keefe (even took his place in first San Jose
assignment). Earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from JSTB.
Transferred in '78 to St. Andrew's, Daly City. In June 1981,
I became part of the new diocese of San Jose and was
assigned to Church of the Transfiguration. I did not really
see eye to eye with the pastor and the balance of his team;
hence, I left in November 1983 to begin a wonderful
assignment with Tom Murray at Holy Spirit in Almaden area of
San Jose. (I spent two years along with Leo Rooney at Holy
Spirit for pastoral experience through the seminary
courses.) In 1990 I finally became an omnipotent pastor at
St. Thomas of Canterbury (west San Jose, Campbell area).
Learned that no one really wants to get close to the pastor
in the same way as with a parochial vicar (associate). More
criticism befalls a pastor than praise. The salary is the
same. My term ended after the maximum 12 years. So, in July
2002, I returned to the Church of the Transfiguration. It is
a small parish. If you are in the neighborhood of Almaden
and Blossom Hill, drop by.
|
I'm not sure how my nine year old dog,
Clancy,
will greet you (very good guard dog.)
I play golf weekly. My
handicap is 7. I play with three retired "captains of
industry" in Carmel Valley. Senior rate is $25 per round.
What a deal. Made first hole in one on 9-1-04. Most of my
vacation time is spent chasing golf balls throughout
Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California. I did have the
drive to travel to Europe a number of times before my 40th
birthday.
|
And though I haven't seen or
heard from most of you for, well, over 40 years, I still
hold wonderful memories of the years we shared when we were
young. In retrospect, I hope the appellation you
accorded me so long ago has played itself out well in the
lives of those I've met and taught over all these years more
so than for my sure-to-one-day-be-dwindling physical
stature. Peace.
|
PAUL PAGE - Well, this is strange:
writing an autobiog and sending it to all of you after so
many years. But I agree that there was a unique bond we all
had during those years that has (and apparently continues
to) shape our lives in many ways.
Here's my life so far in brief: I worked
in the civil rights field in SF for a few years after
college. Teddie (Theodora) and I married in 1971 and we
moved to San Jose where we still live today. I have two
grown daughters and three grandchildren with another one
coming in April. You all no doubt remember my involvement in
music and liturgy, and I spent 33 years as music director at
St. Lucy church in Campbell. (Now I play an occasional
wedding or funeral and help out the local Lutherans when
they need a sub.) I've composed and published quite a bit of
choral music and continue to write today, though my
concentration these days is primarily on instrumental music.
The digital age has me fiddling with lots of electronic gear
that I don't really understand, and I am recording and
making CDs of my things. One of these days soon I'll start
Podcasting and I'll get you the link so you can listen in if
you like.
My major life's work has been that of a
high school teacher, the last 32 years having taught music,
journalism, and now English at Saratoga High School in
Saratoga. It has been a wonderful career where I've had the
opportunity to work in theatre (always one of my great
loves), direct choral and orchestral groups, organize
singing tours to Europe (on 7 occasions), produce yearbooks
and newspapers, and correct so many student essays that I
now wear bifocals. (All those nights reading by flashlight
in my closet flash before my eyes as I write this!) I also
coached swimming for a few years and still get in a mile
myself every morning in the school's pool at 5:30 a.m. (Yes.
Those seminary hours have now made full circle in my life, I
guess.) I've finally started thinking about retirement,
perhaps in four years. But I still enjoy what I am doing and
that is what's important. My grandchildren are beginning to
fill up portions of my life I had left behind years ago:
ballet lessons, T-ball, basketball, soccer, swimming, and I
sometimes feel I have had a charmed life.
|
PAT MCQUILLAN - I never regretted the
time spent in the seminary as it really helped shape and
focus me into a better person. I enjoyed the
relationships we all developed and do regret I haven't
nurtured them as I should, but am glad for this website
contact and opportunity to re-connect.
While in the seminary, I toyed around
with joining the Trappist (fueled by my passionate reading
of Thomas Merton), but finally settled on following Phil
Flowers into the Jesuits after Rhet year, as the Jesuits'
were styled as "Contemplatives in Action". I left the Jesuit
Novitiate before taking vows and returned to St. Joe's for 1
Quarter and then went on to UC Berkeley where I got my
degree in Comparative Literature (English & Classical
Languages - can you believe that??) I also spent a semester
studying in Rome at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical
Studies as a UC student.
I did, however, interrupt my college
career for a 2 year stint at Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma as
a counselor and Asst. Athletic Director - this was my
alternative service as a "Conscientious
Objector" during the VietNam era - my lottery number
was 20, so I had to serve. It was through this
experience that I meant my future wife, Janie, as her cousin
(a fellow counselor) introduced us.
Janie and I have been married for almost
32 years and have one son, Craig, from Janie's previously
"annulled" marriage (for you hard core Catholics) and one
son between us - Matthew. We have 3 grandchildren between
them - 2 boys and one girl.
Since college I have been employed in
retail management doing stints at places like Mervyn's,
Office Depot, Best Buy, and currently at OfficeMax. We have
moved around a bit, having lived in the Bay Area, LA, Salt
Lake, Phoenix, Seattle, and now in Las Vegas - which is
really not the "Sin City" it's portrayed to be - that's all
the hype they use to lure tourists here to spend their money
- "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" crap!
I am still a practicing Catholic, though
not as active in the Church as maybe some of you, and still
do play guitar on occasion and write songs - even religious
ones. Would love to hear from all of you!
|
|
RESERVED FOR TUCKER'S PIC.
(should he choose to submit one)
|
TUCKER SHEEHAN - I stayed in the seminary
till after first theology in June of 1970. Because of the
war I went on to be a CO and pushed bedpans at St. Mary's
hospital in the City and eventually was able to transfer in
McAuley Clinic-the psych.inpatient-as a psych tech. From the
seminary to working and living in the Haight for 3
years--what a change especially in retrospect. After doing
my time, I applied to graduate schools in psychology. I
eventually ended up at the Calif. School of psychology in
San Diego from 73-77 getting a Ph.D. in Clinical Psych. I
wanted to get back to The City so I took a dual job @
Veterans Administration Medical Center in Reno, Nv. and
teaching at the University of Nv. Medical school. Over the
next few years I met a wonderful lady, Evie, who had a two
year old son, Josh, and we were married in 1983. He is now
28 and a math teacher at Bishop Manogue High School in Reno
and co-running their teen ministry program. Evie and I were
eventually blessed with two daughters, Katie, who is 19 and
a freshman @ Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, and
Cara,17, who is 17 and a senior @ Incline Village High
School. I have lived@ lake Tahoe since 1977. In 1997 I took
an early retirement from the Reno jobs and went into full
time private practice in Incline Village and Carson City,
Nv. which continues today. My son is getting married this
summer but with two daughters in college next year I know
with great certainty that I will be working for quite awhile
to come. I love what I do so that is more than OK. In early
2001 I had a bout with significant prostate cancer and the
odds were not good . As of today I remain Ca free. The
entire experience helped me sort out what is important in my
life what isn't. One of the regrets that I discovered was
losing touch with almost everyone from those wonder years in
the seminary.I saw a few of you at Larry Percell's
ordination a few years ago but would love to reestablish
contact. Special days and very special people are my
memories of 1961-1970 --Cheers and Blessings to
all, Tucker(Tom Sheehan)
|
CHUCK LATHROP - Greetings to you all.
It's been a long time! Not too long after graduation in May,
1969, I headed East or Southeast, to be exact to NE Georgia,
where I'd spent the summer of '68 as a volunteer. With the
exception of just about a year in New York City, the
Appalachian Mountains were home to me until July, 1976.
Referred to as America's domestic colony or its paleface
reservation, those hills were full of lessons and teachers.
In some ways I'm still a displaced adopted
hillbilly. Between August, '69 and July. '76, I lived
in Georgia, Western N Carolina and E Kentucky, working with
the Glenmary Home Missioners as a volunteer, trainer,
regional worker.
The Catholic Worker was a diversion that
got right to the point. And I ended up there due to a
philosophy professor we had in Mountain View (whose name I
can't remember!), who used to have the Catholic Worker
newspaper, which he handed out. Taking absolutely nothing
away from those years, '61 - '69, the Catholic Worker House
of Hospitality, 36 E 1st St., New York, was the best school
I ever attended. Living in the same house with the likes of
Dorothy Day one indeed was a student. An amazing place,
amazing people, amazing dent in one's life.
Given my work with volunteers with
Glenmary, the Maryknoll Missioners asked me to help get the
Maryknoll Lay Missioners established, and so from '76 to
'79, I was based in Ossining, New York. While there, I
represented the Maryknoll Lay Missioners at a meeting in
Rome in late, '78. What I didn't know was that things were
going to take a big change while there. This was where
the Italian American from Concord, California, met Mary
Durcan the lady from Ireland, there for the same
meeting. And to make a long story short, I moved east again,
this time to Ireland, in October,'79, we married the
following May and this island has been home since.
We've three kids. Cathal, the eldest, is now a
Californian: he emigrated that way 25 yrs and 1 day after
his father emigrated this way! Our second, Orla, is
presently finishing up university at Trinity here in Dublin
and Michael, the youngest, is in his second year at the
Nat'l College of Art and Design.
After two short term contracts, I began
working with the Irish Government's overseas development
assistance programme 21 years ago and I'm still with the
same programme, now with the Technical Section in Ireland
Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs. There is a lot of
travel, mainly Africa, Central America and SE Asia.
Ireland's aid programme is small but has grown fast in the
past three years. I've done recent stints in the Irish
Embassy in S Africa and in Zambia with the aid programme,
and this year will bring a longer (3 yrs +) overseas
posting. The lessons and teachers continue. I took out
Irish citizenship 22 years ago and now this Italian American
from Concord, California, carries an Irish Diplomatic
Passport! And me without an Irish root; all my Irish roots
are in the opposite direction!
|
And come retirement in a few years time,
I think we'll spend part time here and part time in Spain;
the Costa Blanca is very California-like, weather-wise and
beats the hell out of the Irish winters! Blessings to
you all , daily ones, big and small.
|
|
BILL STOKES - I did a variety of jobs
after getting the BA and leaving St Pat's and my management
of Marie's Pizza parlor, Menlo Park in 1969. (I remember Joe
Barile coming by to visit at Marie's.) In '69 many
seminarians got jobs at The B of A main office in SF; so did
I. I lasted 7 months. After that I worked in the
trucking/railroad industry for a few years in the East Bay,
Western Pacific and then the Atchison Pica & Santa Fe.
In 1975 I started remodeling and building houses with Joel
Lipski -- a guy who used to correct our philosophy papers.
Joel and I used to have great chess matches.
In 1983 I moved to Sacramento as a
Sergeant-at-Arms at the CA State Assembly where life long
friend Pat Johnston was an Assemblyman. I worked for the
Assembly and then the Senate. While there I went to graduate
school at CA State University Sacramento at nights and kept
a 3.94 GPA. When I graduated with a Masters of Science
Management Information Systems I was 50. I the went to work
for Raleys/Bel Aire/Nob Hill Foods, a grocery chain, as a
Database dude.
I had a heart attack in 2001 and a
transient ischemic attack in 2002, and now I am a database
dude at the Legislative Counsel's Data Center. I work a lot
on the Oracle financials systems. I took up ballroom dancing
in 1998 and now do International style. I have actually been
in competitions!! I continue to study jazz piano with a
local pro, Aaron Garner. I'll play a four hour gig for the
women's awareness of heart disease at CHW's Mercy Hospital
here in Sacratomato. I see Rich (the bishop) Garcia every
once in a while. I am still looking for a rich
nympho.
|
DAVE DONOVAN: After eight years with the
Sulpicians (six at SJC, one at St. Pat's, and the last back
at SJC), I left the seminary in 1969. Four days later I was
sworn in as a patrol officer at the Oakland Police
Department. Of course, at that time I knew much more about
Caesar and the Gallic Wars than about police work. But a
fifteen week police academy remedied that deficiency.
SJC had prepared me well for the academy:
efficient study habits, sans study hall; good physical
conditioning (thanks to the Bears, Indians, Trojans, and
Ramblers); and writing skills that exceeded those used in
most police reports: "perp," I am sure Pop Rock would have
required using the entire word, not just the first
syllable.) To this day I still find myself pulling out the
Oxford Greek-English Dictionary to satisfy etymological
curiosity. The police job had its advantages and
disadvantages; the best part was going to work each day
without knowing what types of assignments I would have to
handle that day. Variety is indeed the spice of police work.
After twenty-two years in Oakland, I moved over to the
Piedmont P.D. for nine years, and retired at the end of
2000. I taught traffic violator school (a.k.a.,
captive-audience-by-law school) for awhile; but no longer. I
do still have my part-time job at the Oakland Coliseum:
imagine being paid to watch baseball and football games as
you work. Photography and amateur geology also occupy a
chunk of my time these days. Classes in photography and
geology were just what I needed to jump-start this phase of
my life. Some of my pictures have been sold, and others have
been published --what great fun.
My 1971 marriage ended in divorce
thirteen years later, but I have three adult children to
brag about: Amy, age 33; Brian, an engineer in San Jose; and
Beth, 26 and a missile builder at Lockeed in Sunnyvale.
Brian and Beth are closer to the old SJC campus than I am in
San Leandro. The best day of my life, so far, was my
toast/speech at Beth's wedding in 2004. Brian and Beth are
closer to the old SJC campus than I am in San Leandro. The
best day of my life, so far, was my toast/speech at Beth's
wedding in 2004. All those classes in public speaking paid
off big time, and I owe Fr. O'Neill for teaching me how to
organize my presentation.
PS. Sorry for overusing "I," but...well,
you know.
|
Dave with his daughter Beth (left),
and all three children together in 1998.
|
RESERVED FOR JACK'S PIC.
(should he choose to submit one)
|
JACK QUATMAN: After leaving SJC in
1967 (after Rhet year) I attended UC Berkeley. Quite a
shock going from the small confines of St Joe's to the wide
open and very active campus of Cal. However,
it was a wonderful experience. Upon
graduation in June of 1969, I attended Hastings Law School
in San Francisco (part of the UC system and basically free
at the time) studying law and fighting induction at the same
time. The year 1972 saw both a successful completion of law
school and a triumphant fight with the draft board.
After passing the California Bar later that year
I began to practice with the Alameda County District
Attorney's Office in January of 1973. The DA's office
was exciting, fun and it paid! I spent 25 years
at the office doing every thing from family support work to
death penalty litigation. In 1980 I married
a lady with red hair named Phyllis. She was
finishing Cal at the time and planned to become a
teacher. After receiving her Masters at Cal we had our
first child, Lyndsey, who is now 22. That finished the
teacher plans since Phyllis stayed home with
Lyndsey. Eventually Phyllis decided that she
wanted to be come a lawyer and graduated from Hastings
(still relatively free) in 1990. The law school years
were a bit stressful in that Jack was born in the middle of
her second year and I was trying death penalty
cases. Upon passing the bar she went to work for
the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office doing the same
stuff that I was doing. In 1997 we decided to
take the kids north to finish raising them. We
sold the house, quite our jobs and moved to Whitefish,
Montana--a town of 6,000, approximately 40 miles south of
the Canadian bourder. For you snow ski persons,
Whitefish is the home of a ski resort know as "The Big
Mountain". Hunting, fishing, water skiing, snow
skiing, hiking all are done in abundance. I personally
do not do the hunting or fishing thing. Since moving
here Phyllis and I have opened our own firm and practice
"mountain" law. Great fun in a beautiful corner of the
world. As of the writing of this bio Phyllis and I are
thinking of changing our lives again. Since Lyndsey is
a senior at Seattle University and will stay in the Seattle
area after graduation and since Jack (now 17) is out the
door in a year to attend the University of Montana in
Missoula, we are thinking of selling the practice and
slowing down the pace of life. I am not sure that
full retirement is in the cards yet.
|
RICH GARCIA: I continued on through St.
Joseph/St. Patrick College. Then on to St. Patrick's
Seminary in Menlo Park. My dad died in December of
1972. I was ordained a priest in June 1973 by
Archbishop McGucken, in San Jose. I served in various
parishes/capacities in the former Archdiocese of San
Francisco, then in the new diocese of San Jose.
I studied in Rome for four years. My
area of concentration was Spiritual Theology. Upon my
return to the United States, I spent seven years teaching at
both St. Patrick's Seminary and St. Joseph's College (even
during the 1989 earthquake).
Then I served as pastor at St. Leo's
Parish in San Jose. My mother died in 2001, after suffering
a stroke five years before.
And now, for the past eight years, I have
served as Auxiliary Bishop in the Diocese of
Sacramento. I love the people here. I also travel
a lot because our diocese covers twenty counties. It is
interesting to know that the Diocese of Sacramento is larger
in geographical area than the country of Ireland.
These past few years have been
challenging but I feel that I have grown through the varied
experiences. My family still lives in the Bay Area, so I do
get to see them as often as I can.
I hope you and yours are doing
well. God bless you.
|
|
STEVE ESSIG: From Sept.
1961 our class shrank from 121 members to the
remaining 40 who became the first St. Patrick's
College graduation at Mt. View's Chapel in May
1969. That group split in half; I was one of
the twenty who left in the summer of 1969.
continued on right
---->
|
|
|
Wanting to do something entirely
different, I have started my own handyman business,
MELIO, (you figure out the latin root), and this
keeps me busy. Five of my six children and my
foster child are college graduates and are doing
well. I have one probation officer, one Cal
Trans engineer, one city housing manager, one
graphic artist and web developer becoming a
teacher, and one architect, one classroom aide and
home mom, and one home mom. It is more exciting to
talk about my 8 grandchildren ages 2 to 14 (plus
two from the foster, ages 4 and
6). Grandchildren are God's great
blessing: Spoil them and get revenge on your
children. Fortunately, all 10 are in
California.
|
|
I attended Hayward State and San Jose
State that fall, tying to obtain a secondary teaching
credential. After student teaching, I decided that
teenage hormones weren't for me, so I dropped San Jose State
and attended only Hayward to obtain an Early Childhood
credential. My CO status was approved in early 1969 and
in early 1970 my directive to start alternate service
arrived in the mail. I spent my two years at St.
Frances de Sales school at the Cathedral in Oakland working
time as custodial and the sharing teaching the first grade
class with the principal. I also taught adults at night for
Oakland Public School. My credential work and
alternative service were completed in early 1972. I married
Barbara and became instant step father to LaMar. I
began to seek that first teaching job.
In 1971 and 1972 I worked the summer
months as camp director for the Oakland Boys Clubs resident
camp on Shasta Lake. I found that minority and
bi-lingual were job interview requirements in the Bay Area
at that time. So I decided to stay in Shasta County
after camp in 1972 and look for that first teaching
job. It came on October 8, an overflow kindergarten
class of 29, 26 boys and 3 girls, 7 total on retalin, hand
picked by kindergarten teachers at three other
sites. After this year of fire, I remained teaching in
the Enterprise School District for another 27 years. My
daughter Stephanie was born in 1974. In 1979, that
marriage ended. I had the two kids most of the next 4
years. I took on Jennifer as a foster child.
Then in 1982, I met Charlene and we
were married between the mash potatoes and the turkey on
Thanksgiving dinner in 1983. This brought another three
step children: Annette, Steven, and Tim. Steve,
Steven, and Stephanie. We had a household of 6 kids,
and in 1984, John was on the way. Jennifer moved back
to her dad's.
In 1988, I became the principal of the
elementary school where I had done most of my primary grade
teaching. In 1992 through 1996, I became the principal
investigator and staff developer of a rural initiative
National Science Foundation teacher enhancement project that
involved 100 teachers per year in 25 school teams from the 9
northeast counties. This was connected with the
Lawrence Hall of Science at Berkeley and their great science
curricula. In fact, on one trip there, my youngest,
John, at age 10, looked down on the bay from the Lawrence
Hall Courtyard and stated: "Dad, I am going to school
here." Sure enough, John graduated from Cal and the Cal
Band in May 2004.
In 1996, I started my first charter
school which was a 50% home study-50% classroom program with
lots of outdoor education, and in 2000, I started my second
charter school which was 100% site based and outdoor
oriented. On May 1, 2005, after 32.33 years, I retired
under STRS. Haven't looked back at school.
<------- continued here.
(Congrats, Steve, on the longest bio. Prolific in every
sense of the word!)
|
Steve Essig and Dave Valtierra at the
Oratory in Rock Hill SC. April 1995
|
Mike Stuhff visits Steve at Monarch Charter
School in March, 2003.
|
Dear Classmates,
Where have the years
gone? It's been almost 45 year since I left my family
home in San Francisco and joined many of you as 6th Latiners
at St. Joseph's College. We began in the old system and
shared those years of change in curriculum, freedom, and
personal responsibility. We were the last class to
graduate as Rhets in 1967 because the following year would
see the reorganization of the seminary system into separate
high school, college, and theologate programs.
1968 would also see
other changes in my life. I began to have serious
doubts that I could live a happy celibate life. To
explore this, I transferred to Cal Berkeley where I
completed by bachelorâ's degree in
psychology. During this time Tom Hanson asked me to be
his best man. His bride-to-be asked a grammar school
classmate of hers (Joan Herrmann of San Mateo) to be her
maid of honor. Four months after their wedding Joan and
I were engaged. I had found my answer.
In August of 1970 Joan and I
were married and moved immediately to Tucson, Arizona where
I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology. Because
we were both Bay Area snobs, we returned here as quickly as
we could. I landed an internship at the Veterans
Hospital in Menlo Park in the shadow of St. Pat's and later
a job with San Mateo County Mental Health where I worked for
twenty-seven years. I also taught for a brief time at
the College (now university) of Notre Dame in
Belmont. One of the students in my first class was Joe
Barile.
In 1975 with a four-month-old
daughter (Lisa) and a second child, a son (Jeff), on the
way, I was hired as a part-time faculty member at St.
Joseph's College. I taught mostly upper division
psychology classes there for twelve years. In the mid
1980's with a dwindling enrollment at St. Joe's I was kicked
upstairs (so to speak) to St. Pat's where I taught pastoral
counseling for 13 years.
Throughout all these years,
Joan and I were active in our parish in Sunnyvale. Joan
had been a member of the Immaculate Heart Sisters in Los
Angeles for a few years before we met. With our
backgrounds we had a lot to offer our parish. When our
son was about nine years old, a parishioner asked him about
his hobbies. He told the person that he played soccer
and collected stamps; but then he added, "My dad's hobby is
Church."
If you have the picture that
our life was just sailing along, you are right. Joan
and I and our children were very happy. Then in the
summer of 1999 tragedy struck. With only minimal
symptoms, Joan was diagnosed with cancer of unknown origin,
which had metastasized to her liver. She lived for
almost eight months. In God's providence, however, she
died well, supported throughout her illness by family and
friends who showered us with love and reminded her of what a
remarkable person she was. She faced death as she had
lived life with faith, courage, humor, and love.
|
In January
2001 I returned to St. Pat's as a student to prepare for
ordination in the Diocese of San Jose. I believe
strongly that this was the new path God had laid out for
me. Ministry was very much a part of my married
life. When I spoke to my children about my plan, I did
not surprise them; but they surprise me. They told me
that Joan had spoken to both of them privately before she
died and said to them, "Don't be surprised if your father
decides to go back into the seminary." I feel this was
Joan's way of giving me her blessing. It is not
something she and I had talked about directly during her
illness although the thought was percolating within
me. But I never wanted her to feel for a moment that I
was looking beyond our life together. We had promised
each other and God that we would love one another in good
times and in bad. We were totally committed to one
another regardless of the circumstances.
In September 2002 I was
ordained a transitional deacon and assigned part-time to St.
Nicholas Parish in Los Altos. Three weeks after
becoming a deacon, I walked our daughter down the aisle and
presided at her wedding. The following May I was
ordained a priest and assigned to be the associate pastor of
St. Nicholas. Two weeks later my first granddaughter,
Peyton, was born to our son and his wife. Since then,
my son and his wife have had another daughter (Devin Joan)
and my daughter and her husband have had their first
(Virginia Joan). Last July I was appointed pastor of
St. Nicholas when my predecessor's term limit was
up.
In his poem, The Road Not Taken,
Robert Frost writes: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all
the difference." For reasons I do not fully understand,
God brought me back to the fork in the road. I stood at
this juncture with a mixture of sadness and hope. I
miss Joan tremendously although I feel she remains my
partner in life and in ministry. But because of my life
with Joan, I feel that I have the charism of celibacy
now. My parishioners love the idea of having a priest,
now pastor, who has been married and has children and
grandchildren. A lady told me recently that they feel
it makes me one with them.
Questions persist in my mind
about how and why all this has happened. Many
faith-filled friends shared their reflections with me, which
helped me to partially understand. I also found comfort
in the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman: "God has
created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed
some work to me which He has not committed to another."I am
a link in a chain, a bond of connection between
persons. He has not created me for naught. Therefore, I
will trust Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve
Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is
about."
I hope to see you on Alumni
Day at St. Pat's on April 29.
Larry
Percell
|
A younger, newly
ordained(?) Paul Warren
|
PAUL WARREN It was a circuitous and sometimes
bumpy route that took me to where I am today. Some
may remember that I left St. Joe's after high
school to join the Franciscan community (Stan Mazur
and Vince Mesi did the same: Stan left, Vince is
still with the friars as Pastor in Phoenix). The
'70's saw me in graduate school in Berkeley,
novitiate in Sacramento, ordination in San
Francisco and a parish in Seattle. I took a few
"leaves of absence" along the way: one to work in
the VISTA program (public housing in Seattle) and
another to teach at Stuart Hall in SF.
The 80's saw me pursuing a doctorate at the
University of Toronto and retreat work both in
Scottsdale, AZ and Danville, CA. Just when I was
preparing to teach at the Graduate Theological
Union in Berkeley I took "another leave" and ended
up working for the County of San Mateo. I left the
friars. In 1998 I came full circle and returned to
the Archdiocese and am now Pastor of a small but
feisty parish on Potrero Hill in San Francisco
called St. Teresa's. Not sure I'm a great Pastor;
but apparently I like change. Change is good. It's
been a great ride.
|
|
PHIL FLOWERS: You may remember that I left St. Joe's for
the Jesuit Novitiate in 1966. That was a very valuable
experience: it taught me Ignatian spirituality and convinced
me I had a different vocation. I left shortly before vows in
1968. After graduating from USF (Latin major-- what else?)
in 1970, I went to Berkeley graduate school in ancient
history. After five years there, I left with an MA and most
importantly the love of my life, my wife Sarah. I worked at
USF for seven years, first in the Registrar's office and
then the Computer Center, before getting a job as a software
engineer with IBM in New York. We left San Francisco with
two sons, Stephen and Mark, and returned with a third,
Thomas. We have been living in Morgan Hill since 1986. I
retired from IBM after 21 years in 2003. I deliberately left
IBM at a relatively early age so that I could start a new
career with ministry in the church. (Yes, it didn't get out
of my bloodstream.) I am currently Liturgy Coordinator
(probably no surprise to any of you) at my parish,St.
Catherine. It is a part-time job, except during Christmas
and Easter, that allows me time to care for the house and my
executive wife(Deputy County Librarian for Santa Clara
County). We are soon to be grandparents for our oldest boy.
Our middle boy is getting married this summer. And our
youngest is graduating from UCSB in June. I am in my third
year of the ministry training program (ILM) for the Diocese
of San Jose.
|