AL U M NI
THE BEST TEACHER
I NEVER HAD
By Bill Perry ’64
2019 Hall of Honor Inductee
One of the most ineffable and rewarding
advantages attending a Fordham Prep
education— whenever it occurs— is
connectedness. The relationships that
develop, deepen and endure between
students, students with teachers and
coaches, and teachers with each other
bespeak a community of enduring
attachments which few others can match.
Those of us who are a little long in the
tooth— old boys— understand what these
bonds mean. They enrich lives in ways that
are precious, invigorating and occasionally
surprising. What follows is a tale that began
quite simply, and exemplifies (at least to
three of us) our great good fortune to have
spent some of our years at Rose Hill.
Long Ago
In the fall of 1960, two hundred of us
newbies arrived on campus, essentially
unaware of what lay ahead. Some knew
a few others milling about, but most
were staring at complete strangers.
What transpired over the next four years
would leave us as anything but. In fact,
since graduation, the Class of ’64 has
been reuniting every year for dinner on
or off campus for the last fifty-five years.
However our enduring bonds were formed,
the Prep stands at their core.
To the Tale
In early 2019 I had written to the Prep’s EDC
Office requesting a list of alumni who lived
within a 150 mile radius of Hilton Head, SC.
I was a member of a small contingent of
classmates residing in the southeast who
wanted to determine if there were others
we might be able to include in our annual
spring dinner. When the list arrived, a
name popped out from years past: Leo P.
Lennox, Class of 1953.
As it turns out, we freshmen weren’t the
only new faces in old Hughes Hall in the fall
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RAMVIEW
of 1960. Leo Lennox was among several
new faculty members reporting to work. His
primary teaching assignment was World
Economics, and he was also to coach— all
by his lonesome— JV Football. This was
his first ever teaching assignment. With
attache’ case in hand and the NY Times
tucked under his arm, when Mr. Lennox
entered the classroom, students quickly
learned he was there for one reason: to
teach— not baby-sit, waste time or tolerate
puerile nonsense. He was crew-cut, forward-
leaning and all business. He pushed his
glasses up the bridge of his nose every
time he wanted to make an important point.
He made the Times required reading as he
believed students should be aware of events
affecting them. That’s what I’ve been told—
as I was never actually in his classroom.
But close friend and classmate, Andy
Paterno, was. “Oh, yes, Mr. Lennox didn’t
enter a classroom to fool around.”
Last December I advised Andy that Mr.
Lennox was a mere three-hour drive away.
Having broached the idea of visiting him—
now 82 and living in a suburb of Augusta—
Andy was enthusiastic. He said, “I doubt
he’ll remember us— but, let’s go.” After
exchanging emails with Leo, we settled
on a date and off we trekked. We had no
way to envision what followed: three of
the most pleasant, informative hours of
conversation, and a hearty lunch followed
by coffee and brownies courtesy of the
delightful “Mrs. Leo”—Louise.
Snippets and Insights
• As an eighth grader in 1949 Leo had
been accepted by Regis High School,
“But I really wanted to go to Fordham
Prep and I did. I had wonderful teachers:
Harry McDonough, Pat Shea, and Father
Bill Boyle for Latin. Although I wasn’t a
great student, I made a 90 on my Latin
final in senior year. When Father Boyle
bumped into my
mother and me on
Graduation Day, he
said, ‘A 90! Leo,
was that really
you?’ and laughed
heartily.”
• Leo played
football at
the Prep. He
remembered
that one day
his girlfriend had her arm around his
shoulder pads as he walked to the lower
field for practice. Jesuit scholastic Tim
Healy (who later became President of
Georgetown University, and then head of
The New York Public Library) passed by
and took note of it. Remembered Leo, “I
just knew I’d hear about it in some form
or fashion. Sure enough, the next day
in class, Mr. Healy called on me, saying,
‘Now let’s hear from Mr. Romantic!’”
• “When Father Bill Farricker became the
Prep’s principal in my senior year, he made
the school take athletics seriously. We
hadn’t been any good— we were soft.
Father McGinley, President of Fordham, told
Joe Ososki, who was the freshman football
coach, that the university would be dropping
football. He asked Joe if he would coach
the Prep’s team and Joe agreed. That first
year Joe’s squad was undefeated, the next
year they lost only one game, and then went
undefeated again. Farricker could not have
been happier.”
• “Sammy” Stories: Joe Ososki’s
teammates called him “Sammy” as his
on-field fluidity reminded them of Slingin’
Sammy Baugh. “When Joe came out of
high school, many schools recruited him
hard— Notre Dame, particularly. Joe visited
ND, but really wanted to go to Fordham,
and he ultimately he became a hero of
the Rams’ 1942 Sugar Bowl win over
Missouri. When Joe decided to enlist in
the Marines during World War II, he was
told he’d be given ‘a special assignment’
on an all-star football squad. Joe refused,
saying he’d enlisted not to play football, but
to fight. Miffed by
his refusal to ‘play
ball,’ the Marines
earmarked him for
beach invasions in
the Pacific ‘so he
could fight.’ Joe
had a very, very
hard time of it, but
he made it through
and returned to
Fordham to coach.”
• After graduation from Boston College,
Leo spent the first five years of his
teaching career at the Prep, followed
by twenty-five more at Commack High
School on Long Island. “I really would
have loved to have continued at the Prep,
but with a family of seven children, I had
nine mouths to feed.” It was a difficult
transition from the Prep to public school,
but one that he made successfully. He
won several teaching awards, was always
“fully enrolled” when students were
permitted to pick their own teachers and
introduced Advanced Placement into the
history curriculum. “Frank Holbrook was
very helpful in sharing materials and
information— a generous man.”
• “When first given my assignments
at the Prep, I was told I’d be coaching
football. Oh, boy. I’d played football at
the Prep, but didn’t consider myself a
coach. Joe Ososki was tremendously
helpful and supportive. He really taught
me how to coach.”
• Leo has followed the career of Joe
Moglia ’67 with keen interest. “Joe
was some football player. He wasn’t
just good. He was great.” He recounted
the story of Joe’s early coaching days,
his success at Merrill Lynch and TD
Ameritrade and his return to Coastal
Carolina University as head football
coach. “A few years ago I drove over
to see him at Coastal. Joe was leading
a coaches’ meeting as I stepped into
the room. As soon as he saw me, he
stopped, jumped up, rushed over and
hugged me. With his arm around me,
he announced: ‘This is Leo Lennox. He
was my first football coach at Fordham
Prep.’ He could not have been any nicer.
He made me feel like a million dollars.
That’s the kind of man he is. Afterwards,
we had a chance to talk about the ‘old’
team. Joe told me that I’d worked them
too hard— and he was probably right.
But he also said he admired the fact that
I was handling all the coaching by myself.
I had no assistant.”
• Leo regularly keeps up with Prep
happenings online and through Ramview.
“My classmate, Max Pellison, keeps us
in the loop. What amazing programs and
sports they’ve added for the students.
Those kids are really fortunate.” He
leaned back, smiled and added, “Any of
us who went to Fordham Prep have been
really fortunate.”
Aftermath
When we first knocked at the door of Leo
and Louise’s home, we weren’t sure what
to expect. What we experienced was a
couple who were charming, genial and
delightful. Leo was quick to point out that
he and his wife had been “married sixty-
two years…and a half.” He smiled and
added, “She is such a sweetie.”
Driving home, Andy and I reflected on the
visit. Making the trip had clearly been
worthwhile. The visit, the sharing of
experiences and stories, our connection
had been a joy and a blessing. The link
of the Prep had traversed over seventy
years—from 1949 when young Leo was
a freshman through our meeting in 2019.
This Prep alum and former teacher and his
wife taught us one more lesson: gratitude
for what is. This admirable couple, still
much in love, exuded both peace and
contentment.
The visit was a memorable point on the
continuum that is the long, maroon line.
SPRING 2020
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