Elms College - Elmata Yearbook (Chicopee, MA)

Page 20 text:

REV. ROBERT H. STAFFORD Philosophy With boyish charm and a warm smile of greeting for each and every Elms girl Father Stafford has breezed his way into our hearts and planted there the seed of reverent love reserved for our philosophy professors because they understand the quirks of the feminine mind when assimilat- ing their favored subject. With a twinkle in his eye (and is that a ghost of a smile I see hovering on his lips?) he listens to why we can ' t have the test Friday and why I didn ' t have time to study last night — and gives in every time. His patient explanations always elucidate even the most obscure theses. A perpetual aura of quiet friendliness surrounds our Father Stafford and endears him to all his earthly as well as heavenly associates. 16

Page 19 text:

Father Burke is like the swiftly flowing stream. It laughs and sings quite merrily, but beneath the surface lies deep and still. Father has made many a day more pleasant for us by the sunshine of his ready laughter. In between his pleasant quips he has given us a deeper joy, more steady, to cling to if we will, a joy to walk with us in all the paths we will ever have to tread, bumpy or smooth. It is in these moments that one sees the beauty of the deep silence of his soul. One glimpse of this silent reservoir and you perceive that it is the source of all that Father is. You know why the keeness of the sparkle in his eye, why the happy, ready laughter. It accounts too for the seeming boyishness of his manner and appearance. Paradoxically it is maturity that causes the boylike exuberance and radiating cheerfulness of soul. Having put first things first , he helps us, too, to build a strong reservoir of faith.

Page 21 text:

w, There is not an adage to describe him. His very being defies any combination of words in any language to do him justice. From the moment that he enters (with hand to fore- head in a characteristic gesture known only to us who have seen it) until the final bell and Well, that ' s the way it goes, the class takes on an air of interest and awareness that attests his thorough knowledge of the subject at hand. His notes, meticulous and exact hint of the preparation which goes into every class and every other thing he does for us. Because he shows us so much care we truly call him Father.