St Francis College - Franciscan Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

Page 6 text:

Literally, all a teacher need be is an imparter of knowledge. He may teach without caring particularly whether anything is learned. He may consider those sitting in front of him just another class, a group of faces, some familiar, some strange. He may feel that he must con¬ stantly display his superior knowledge. He may do what is required of him, teach his classes, and no more. He may evoke dislike or, more often, disinterest. And still he is a teacher. We know, however, that a real teacher is much more. His purpose is not merely teaching but having his subject learned. He looks over a class filled with students, individuals, each one unique in his own way. His attitude is that of a fellow student, always willing to admit errors, always learning while teaching. He thinks of teaching as a way of life, a vocation within a vocation, and he never limits himself to the class¬ room. He commands the silent admiration and respect of all. He is truly a teacher. Perhaps no man better qualifies for the title of teacher than Brother Leo. In thirty years at St. Francis he has taught thousands of students. Not one has ever forgotten him. Not one can ever forget him. He moderated the first issue of Franciscan in 1937. He founded the Duns Scotus Honor So¬ ciety and is its only honorary member. But it is not as moderator or founder that he is primarily remembered, but as teacher. His influence was not limited to the math class, but was felt in the library, in the lounge, wherever students gather; for there too was Brother Leo. IT IS TO BROTHER LEO THAT WE DED¬ ICATE FRANCISCAN , 1962. An example of dedication, may we always dedicate ourselves to follow his example: our teacher, our mentor, our friend. what is a teacher? 4

Page 5 text:

ranciscan 1962 contents 3 academic. . 14 U activities. 38 U athletics. . 76 graduates . . . . . 96 § pictorial index 114 St. Francis College 35 Butler Street Brooklyn New York Frank Avenoso Donald McQuade Lee Wittmann Joseph Harte Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor Photography Editor Business Manager

Page 7 text:

what is the death of a teacher? REV. BROTHER COLUMBA, O.S.F. BORN: DECEMBER 29, 1878 DIED: AUGUST 13, 1961 MR. WILLIAM AMANN BORN: FEBRUARY 28, 1913 DIED: JUNE 5, 1961 REV. EDWARD SALERNO, O.F.M. BORN: OCTOBER 13, 1903 DIED: OCTOBER 23, 1961 MR. THOMAS SWEENEY BORN: SEPTEMBER 28, 1915 DIED: JANUARY 6, 1962 The death of few men affects so many as that of a teacher, for few men ' s sphere of influ¬ ence is so vast. A teacher’s influence extends to all three branches of the academic family. The Administration is first to feel the loss of a teacher. It is forced to reconcile itself to the departure of a dedicated aide who has done much to further the principles of the College, to put into effect those precepts for which it was established. The Faculty, closely unified by bonds of mu¬ tual respect, a sense of mutual purpose, temper- ment, scholarship, is most directly affected by the death of a colleague. The constant inter¬ change of ideas is altered by the absence of a man whose advice, learning and friendship had come to be relied upon. But it is the Student Body which suffers the greatest loss. Those who have had the opportu¬ nity to study under him realize the void left when a source of learning and inspiration is withdrawn; they must console themselves with his memory. But to the students of the future belongs the major tragedy, for they will never know what he was, what he would have meant to them, what they themselves have lost. St. Francis has lost four such teachers in the past year. Each was a teacher in the fullest sense of the word, and each will be deeply missed: Father Edward Salerno, Brother Columba, Mr. William Amann, Mr. Thomas Sweeney. Fran¬ ciscan , 1962 , recognizes the immeasurable debt owed to them, and urges that this debt be par¬ tially repaid in the only way now available to us: A prayer that now, after the time of their labor, they may rest forever in peace. 5