Services Planned for J.J. Connolly

St. Mark’s School of Texas mourns the loss of a beloved, longtime faculty member, Mr. J.J. Connolly. The School’s faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and students reflect on a life of extraordinary service and commitment.

 

John Joseph Patrick Connolly, born in Salem, Massachusetts, on March 30, 1922, died the evening of December 11, 2014, in Dallas, Texas. After earning his A.B. degree from Boston College in 1943, he served in the U.S. military in Europe during World War II until 1946. He began his teaching career at St. Mark’s in 1949 where he taught Latin until 1967 and English until his retirement in 1991. In addition to his duties as a faculty member, Mr. Connolly was Dorm Master for 11 years and, following the closing of the boarding department on campus, he continued to provide housing in his home until 1985. Over the course of his 42 years at St. Mark’s, he coached all of the sports in Middle School and, for many years, coached the Upper School golf team. From 1967 to 1975, Mr. Connolly was Head of the Upper School, and he also served as the School’s first Senior Master.

 

Mr. Connolly left a significant mark on the School. Among his many contributions, he wrote the words to our Alma Mater, founded the Senior Follies (a satirical review of the year written, performed, and directed by the senior class), and in 1959, he began the CanPaign, a school-wide community outreach program that collected canned food for Dallas-area missions. This evolved into our current community service program. He also hosted an annual Beau Geste Night, an event for seventh-graders, their families, and guests as part of the study of the novel Beau Geste. The classes of 1959, 1967, 1975, 1986, and 1989 dedicated their yearbooks to Mr. Connolly, and in 1955, St. Mark’s awarded him the first School Flag for going above and beyond to support the education of his students.

 

On May 19, 2008, alumni, faculty, and friends from across the country gathered in the W.W. Browning, Jr., Great Hall to honor the Senior Master Emeritus. Board President Robert Sinclair ’74 announced plans for the establishment of the J.J. Connolly Master Teaching Chair to recognize Mr. Connolly’s enduring service and commitment to St. Mark’s.

 

Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini said, “I was saddened to hear the news of Mr. Connolly’s passing, a man who contributed mightily to the development of this School.  A legendary English teacher who inspired generations of Marksmen, he was well known for setting the highest standards.  During the past twenty years I have heard countless stories from our alumni about the formative role Mr. Connolly played in their lives.”