Post Grad Journey:
After leaving Fairfield's halls one day,.., my progress improved immeasurably with the marriage to my better half, Barbara, whom I luckily met via singing with the Glee Club. We were married in 73 at Cranwell Chaple on the grounds of a Jesuit prep school in Lenox, MA with Fr John P Murray, our Glee Club Moderator, officiating and Glee Club members, now lifelong friends, in attendance (and performing in their inimitable style). We settled in Lee, MA as Vietnam, politics and the economy dominated the headlines. I gratefully fulfilled a six-year military commitment via the Army Reserve and earned an M.Ed while teaching in multiple disciplines at various levels from middle through high school in the Lee Public School System. We've been blessed with two beautiful daughters, both working in leadership positions with community non-profits, and now have a grandson considering options for his higher education. During my thirty-four years of teaching as I became more involved in my new community of Lee, MA (grew up in South Boston), I also served in various leadership roles at the local and statewide levels of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. I now continue to serve in retirement as an MTA Senate District Coordinator. I also just completed my 43rd year of summer employment at Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Fittingly, Tanglewood is across the street from what once was Shadowbrook, a Jesuit seminary, very familiar to Fr Murray. As our circle of life continues its revolution, I wish my classmates good health and happiness. Remember, Stags Are Tough! We must be - we survived the 60's, TWICE!!
Sincerely,
Neil F Clarke '71
Fairfield Journey Memories
Transitions and adaptations with an understanding and appreciation of family and general history to better enable exploring, learning, and enjoying adventures (large or small), are some of the postmarks on my journey. The world itself was in turmoil and dramatic change in 1967 when I left the "safe" confines of my South Boston family to continue the process of becoming. As slippery as the greased pole challenge, I was coming to grips with increasing independence juxtaposed to " in loco parentis," while the Tet Offensive and national politics were demonstrating "don't trust anyone over 30" as the previous generations and the systems/institutions they worked for came into question. College was indeed an incubator of questioning and seeking the answers (if any were to be found). While demonstrating the importance of rigorous inquiry vs blind acceptance, the Jesuits and lay faculty themselves seemed to demonstrate to me (at least in hindsight) the tension inherent in evolving, as the old must give way (eventually) to the young. And this tension itself was literally demonstrated on campus.
My campus and classroom experiences were overseen by Fr John P. Murray, the Fairfield University Glee Club Moderator, who found a way to calm the seas of turmoil (somewhat like his ultimate role model ) along with his own accompanist and Fairfield graduate, Bron Orlowski. As we all adapted to the changing times, the repertoire, recordings, performance schedules, and travels of the Glee Club broadened and needed two buses to accommodate the expanding membership. One bus was nicknamed the "study bus" but there was a different kind of education on the second bus - one which helped develop a keen sense of humor, quick wit, and enduring sense of the importance of camaraderie if not competition (for the biggest laugh or groan). While the Class of 71 had just begun, the friendships forged continued throughout our four years and now ( (50+ years later) well endure after leaving her halls. Speaking of broadening, while freshman year had our "prefect" preaching and enforcing the meaning of the term "paritials" (a woman could be in your dorm room every third Sunday of the month from 2 - 4 pm and it better be your mother), I recall women on campus earlier than 1971 as a few nocturnal fire alarms confirmed.
The times certainly were and continue to be a-changing, yet the most important constant for me has been the fortuitous meeting of my wife, Barbara, via a Glee Club performance. Barbara Devitt and I married in 73 as I transitioned to the beautiful Berkshires to teach in the Lee public schools and she in her hometown Catholic school system. As I was fortunate to complete my service obligation with the Army Reserve, we started our family (married at Cranell Chapel in Lenox, MA , a Jesuit prep school, with Fr Murray able to officiate by pulling some strings, and Glee Club members in the wedding party). Subsequently, I spent my entire professional career as an educator in the Lee system; yet, while staying in one place for my entire career, as we learned in college, I continued to adapt and transition, teaching at both the middle and high school levels in various disciplines for which I was certified (“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ― Albert Einstein). I also served in multiple capacities at the local and state levels of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and continue to work as a retired member as a Senate District Coordinator, organizing and advocating for equal access to quality public education. And I just completed my 43rd year as a summer employee of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at their summer home called Tanglewood in Lenox, MA - fittingly, across the street from what once was Shadowbrook, a Jesuit seminary with which Fr. Murray was quite familiar and we visited after my graduation.
Today, Barbara and I are proud that both of our daughters (Katie and Megan) now work for non-profits - Katie as the administrative director for CATA (Community Access to the Arts), nurturing and celebrating the creativity of people with disabilities, and Megan, as a clinical therapist at our local hospital whose son, Jack, will be looking at colleges and his options this year as the circle of life continues its...revolution.
Well, as we know, the ultimate oxymoron is that change is a constant. So, I wish my classmates great flexibility as time marches on and we tend to get set in our ways for multiple reasons. Stay open to new ideas knowing that Stags Are Tough - tough enough to survive the 60's - TWICE!! God Bless.
Sincerely,
Neil F Clarke
Class of '71