Page 161 - Gonzaga at 60
P. 161
Pictured addressing the Gonzaga
Astronomy Club in 2009: Br Guy
Consolmagno SJ, who is an American
research astronomer and planetary
scientist at the Vatican Observatory
MEMORIES OF GONZAGA
Gonzaga was truly a dream school - wonderful staf and, kind lay masters who were with me there in those early
yes, wonderful boys. I can truthfully say that I enjoyed days – all of whom have since gone to their eternal rewards
every minute of every hour of every day I spent there. My – John Wilson, Cathal O’Gara, Tom O’Dea and Signor Volpi.
wish for all the boys I ever taught is that they too will be May they rest in peace. Likewise all the Jesuit Fathers,
able to say the same, whatever careers they follow in life. notably Fr John Hughes and Fr Bill White, both of whom
I have so many great memories of my ime there that it interviewed me for the posiion of Senior Mathemaics
would take a book to write them all down. One that always Master in Gonzaga in 1962 and who have also gone to their
comes to mind dates to the early 1960s – the Cuban Missile eternal rest.
Crisis. The world held its breath as it had all the appearance To have worked in Gonzaga was a privilege. I will never
of the start of a dreaded nuclear world war. Russia had forget the ime I spent there.
dispatched by ship missiles to Cuba for, yes – self defence.
The US under the late President John F Kennedy thought Ray Kearns
otherwise. The Sixth Year Honours Maths Class were
extremely anxious to discuss the very serious Cuban crisis.
Their spokesman was my very good friend David Ray Kearns taught Maths full ime in the college from 1962
Fassbender. I arranged a deal with them. The class ime to 1979, and aterwards for a number of years on a part-
ime basis. He was instrumental in the introducion of the
was 45 minutes. The deal was – we would go lat out New Mathemaics in the State, having studied in Fordham
working for thirty minutes and then use the remaining ime and Boston on a Naional Science Foundaion scholarship.
to discuss the crisis. Needless to say, Premier Khruschev of He gave courses in the New Maths to teachers on behalf of
the Department of Educaion. His branching into the ‘private
Russia must have already heard about our discussions and sector’ of educaion needs no recogniion. Oliver Murphy
ordered the Russian ships to turn back. The enire world (class of 1972) for many years a teacher of Greek and
breathed a sigh of relief. To this day when I meet some of Mathemaics at Belvedere and recently appointed Principal
these former Honours Maths students our world-saving of Castleknock College, has writen of Ray as ‘an inspiring
teacher’ whose classes ‘were well-organised, hard-working
discussion comes up. We agree that it was unfortunate that – but always fun’. He remembers him as teaching ‘through
we were not there in Gonzaga when the Iraq crisis broke. his personality, never sending a student out but rather
We would probably have stopped the Invasion of Iraq had generaing an atmosphere of industry and excitement’.
we had the opportunity of discussing it! The most recent ediion of Oliver’s ‘Fundamental Applied
Maths’ bears the dedicaion ‘To Ray Kearns and John Wilson
I would also like to pay my respects to the four very – the two teachers who inspired me most’.
Astronomy Club in 2009: Br Guy
Consolmagno SJ, who is an American
research astronomer and planetary
scientist at the Vatican Observatory
MEMORIES OF GONZAGA
Gonzaga was truly a dream school - wonderful staf and, kind lay masters who were with me there in those early
yes, wonderful boys. I can truthfully say that I enjoyed days – all of whom have since gone to their eternal rewards
every minute of every hour of every day I spent there. My – John Wilson, Cathal O’Gara, Tom O’Dea and Signor Volpi.
wish for all the boys I ever taught is that they too will be May they rest in peace. Likewise all the Jesuit Fathers,
able to say the same, whatever careers they follow in life. notably Fr John Hughes and Fr Bill White, both of whom
I have so many great memories of my ime there that it interviewed me for the posiion of Senior Mathemaics
would take a book to write them all down. One that always Master in Gonzaga in 1962 and who have also gone to their
comes to mind dates to the early 1960s – the Cuban Missile eternal rest.
Crisis. The world held its breath as it had all the appearance To have worked in Gonzaga was a privilege. I will never
of the start of a dreaded nuclear world war. Russia had forget the ime I spent there.
dispatched by ship missiles to Cuba for, yes – self defence.
The US under the late President John F Kennedy thought Ray Kearns
otherwise. The Sixth Year Honours Maths Class were
extremely anxious to discuss the very serious Cuban crisis.
Their spokesman was my very good friend David Ray Kearns taught Maths full ime in the college from 1962
Fassbender. I arranged a deal with them. The class ime to 1979, and aterwards for a number of years on a part-
ime basis. He was instrumental in the introducion of the
was 45 minutes. The deal was – we would go lat out New Mathemaics in the State, having studied in Fordham
working for thirty minutes and then use the remaining ime and Boston on a Naional Science Foundaion scholarship.
to discuss the crisis. Needless to say, Premier Khruschev of He gave courses in the New Maths to teachers on behalf of
the Department of Educaion. His branching into the ‘private
Russia must have already heard about our discussions and sector’ of educaion needs no recogniion. Oliver Murphy
ordered the Russian ships to turn back. The enire world (class of 1972) for many years a teacher of Greek and
breathed a sigh of relief. To this day when I meet some of Mathemaics at Belvedere and recently appointed Principal
these former Honours Maths students our world-saving of Castleknock College, has writen of Ray as ‘an inspiring
teacher’ whose classes ‘were well-organised, hard-working
discussion comes up. We agree that it was unfortunate that – but always fun’. He remembers him as teaching ‘through
we were not there in Gonzaga when the Iraq crisis broke. his personality, never sending a student out but rather
We would probably have stopped the Invasion of Iraq had generaing an atmosphere of industry and excitement’.
we had the opportunity of discussing it! The most recent ediion of Oliver’s ‘Fundamental Applied
Maths’ bears the dedicaion ‘To Ray Kearns and John Wilson
I would also like to pay my respects to the four very – the two teachers who inspired me most’.
