John S. Grady was a professor and served as the adviser to the Honors Program at La Salle University. He died recently. Although not much is known as of yet on his death, readers are invited to share their experiences and remembrances of Mr. Grady.
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To honor John S. (”Jack”) Grady as only a man would be foolish. Thoreau writes “most men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.” This was not Mr. Grady. As we walk the halls and streets of La Salle University, as we write our papers and perform our labs, as we push our limits on the field and in our respective clubs we are playing the song of John Grady. In this way, his song will never leave us, or the school he served so well.
Virtus Scientia. Truth, Knowledge. These two words are the motto of our university. To speak of any student to pass through these halls is to speak of how these two words became clarified in one’s time at La Salle. If you ever had a class with Mr. Grady, or were fortunate enough to listen to him speak on poignant or momentous occasions, he would take a quote or phrase much like this (usually from John Henry Newman’s The Idea of a University) and turn it into something more eminently practical. Rather than performing that task myself, I believe the memory of John Grady will do that through its own power.
Truth and Knowledge are what Mr. Grady taught. I had the priviledge of taking HON 151 with him, an introduction to macroeconomics. Economics is a subject of universal application, and therefore, can be taken in many directions. Mr. Grady, as true to his nature in the Honors Program in general, left the application to us. His goal was to inspire passion about the study of economics, and the validity of its applicability. I am still a biology major, but I am now an economics minor. I am applying to medical school, but with the hopes of also studying health policy. Such was the influence of John Grady on the course of my studies at La Salle.
As I look at my portfolio from his class, and the comments he left on my essays and assignments, the word that keeps reappearing is “thinking.” Mr. Grady was a beacon of perpetual learning and thinking. His personal philosophical leanings, much as his attitude, never seemed to settle for good enough; they were always up for re-evaluation. His focus never wavered from imparting the fact, the high truth, that what we learn here applies outside the classroom and that at every turn that this relationship is clarified, our excitement should grow exponentially. Thus, his place at the head of the Honors Program makes perfect sense. In an interview for La Salle’s Economics department, Mr. Grady was once asked what makes teaching a satisfying experience. His answer is truly Lasallian and earnestly reinforcing his role as the devout educator:
“The students and my La Salle colleagues continue to make teaching satisfying. There is nothing quite like seeing the bulb of understanding flash on in a student because of the sense of accomplishment…”
Mr. Grady taught the courses and he has garnered the recognition (the Lindback Award, as well as being integral to the Honors Program’s national recognition). He has earned the students respect and admiration through his passion for academic excellence. The university will move onward from this great loss, as great universities do. However, John S. Grady will remain. Forever in touch with the students of this University, he now sits in the pantheon of superior Lasallian educators: Holroyd, Flubacher, Rodden, Kerlin…Grady.
Thank you, Mr. Grady. I hope they’ve got “The Journal” up there.
— Doug Phelan
6 Comments
July 14, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I may only be entering my second year of La Salle, but I can already start to appreciate what an important chapter it is in my life. The man to thank for this is Mr. Grady. I will never forget that call I got from him on that Monday night during the Spring of senior year, informing me that I would be able to attend La Salle in the Honors Program.
I really am grateful for the opportunity Mr. Grady gave me.
Thank you, Mr. Grady.
July 14, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I don’t even know where to begin. Doug really hit the nail on the head with this one. I can still remember back to the days before I decided to come to La Salle. Every Tuesday night, I’d come home to either a phone call or a message from Mr. Grady. He was passionate about La Salle.. from athletics to (especially) the Honors Program, but it wasn’t as much about getting me to come to La Salle.. as getting to know me and find ways the he could help me make sure that I made the right decision. Once I got to La Salle, he was there to listen and help as I tried to cope with being an Honors Athlete. We’d talk about class, but he’d always find a way to bring up my most recent shutout.. or the fact that he couldn’t believe I let in a goal. He believed in me.. in every one of his students.. so much.. even when we didn’t quite believe in ourselves. Grady was so much more than just an ordinary man.. to those whose lives he touched, he was extraordinary.. a blessing that will never be forgotten.
So thank you, Mr. Grady, for everything you’ve given me the past 3 years. I’ve learned a lot .. and grown a lot.. because of all the opportunities you presented. Come game-day this year, I hope you’re back there watching and helping double zero keep the balls out of the net, so every shutout I can look up and say a little thank you for caring so much about me in the classroom and on the field. This fall, I hope we make you proud in the classroom, on the field, and in our everyday lives.. so that someday we can be even just half the person you were every day.
July 15, 2008 at 12:15 am
Thank you for writing this. It’s good to know that he touched your life and I cried as I read this piece.
July 15, 2008 at 2:44 am
Flashback to spring 2005. La Salle was barely even on my radar as far as college choices. It wasn’t until the Accepted Students Day and the dinner for incoming freshmen invited to the Honors Program, that I began to strongly consider attending La Salle. Hearing Mr. Grady speak about the opportunities, challenges, and experiences that come with being “in Honors” helped shift my feelings of apprehension and confusion to feelings of comfort and enthusiasm about what college academia had to offer…all of that during just one speech, to a high school senior whose main concern until then was getting home in time to see her best friend off to prom.
Not only did the Honors Program itself look so attractive, but more importantly, hearing the thoughts and opinions of those responsible for it and those who’ve reaped its benefits, definitely made being an Honors student at La Salle something worth thinking twice about. John Grady’s presentation that night made me feel at ease about the college workload, but also kicked something into gear that said “Hey, if I’m gonna do this, and I have this chance to do it even bigger and better, I’d be stupid not to take advantage of what’s essentially being handed to me.”
Due to the influence of what the Honors Program had to offer, La Salle quickly moved from the 6th or 7th school on my list to the top two. It came down to the fact that I couldn’t very well ignore this school, this program, this community, this sense of belonging and self-improvement that only took a couple of days to skyrocket its way to the front-runner of my crazy, mixed-up college decision process. And so, the call was made – La Salle University, Honors Program, Class of 2009 it was.
Now three years later, some of those who may read this will recall that I’ve expressed my different gripes with the Honors Program here and there. Looking back, though, on all the ideas I’ve been exposed to, discussions I’ve worked through, advantages I’ve had… I must say that the pros have undoubtedly outweighed the cons.
Any program is nothing without the personalities and ideas that build it, and John Grady has been one of the best examples of that. I really do think he had a genuine desire for each of his students – no, ALL La Salle students – to make the best of who they are and what they know, to approach new endeavors with energy and enthusiasm, and to never stop dreaming big. For those of us fortunate enough to know him, he continues to inspire us to make great use of the unlimited potential that he saw in each person who crossed his path.
The sight of Mr. Grady around campus will be missed. However, the fruits of his labor, the evidence of his dedication to university education, and his care for the well-being of students and professors will have an uplifting effect on La Salle University for many years to come.
Thanks for everything, Mr. Grady.
July 15, 2008 at 2:47 am
I was one of the La Salle kids that forever called Jack “Dr Grady.” He was so much more that Mr. and way more than Dr. and I just never got it right. I, too, have memories of phone calls before I was a La Salle student. When he told me I received a scholarship I said, “Wowsers.” He continued to call me Wowsers for a while after that…
And that Honors Program basement… The smell was kind of like a cabin or something. And the clicking of that type writer in his office, where he was perpetually writing letters of recommendation for former students. My roomie and I were student workers there back in the day. I loved the selection of Honors Program courses, especially Dave McShain’s course and Miguel Campos’ course.
Sometimes he and his wife would come to mass at Immaculate in Germantown, and it was always wonderful to see them both. His wife is such a highly regarded educator and he always had great respect for teaching and teachers. I last saw Jack Grady at Dr Kerlin’s funeral. His handshake was firm, his smile- broad, and his eyes were all full of that Irish sparkle. Cead Mille Failte, Mr Grady, into that promised land…
July 16, 2008 at 4:41 am
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